Sometimes a simple tactic can be quite aesthetically pleasing. Mitchell Goldberg is threatening promotion, but Andrew Karklins neatly ends the game…on his way to winning the 2004 NY State Championship over none other than Hikaru Nakamura and Robert Hess, among others.
What’s the complete solution?
[Try It] – [View on Analysis Board]
49.Qh5+!
{Game ended here but could have continued}
49...Kg8
50.Qh8+ Kxf7
51.Qxb8 1-0
Andrew Karklins was the son of Erik Karklins, an immigrant from Riga, Latvia (home of a few other chess players you might have heard of, including Mikhail Tal, Aron Nimzowitsch, Alexei Shirov, Alexander Shabalov, Daniel Fridman, and others). Andrew became a fixture of the Chicago chess scene right up until his death at 102!
Andrew is no slouch himself: he’s an FM with a peak USCF rating in the mid-2400s.
Check out a fascinating article about both of them: Erik and Andrew Karklins: 143 Years of Chess and Counting.