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Joshua Waitzkin vs Edward A Frumkin
"Heaven Can Waitzkin" (game of the day Jan-26-2005)
Open (1987), New York, NY USA
Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation (B45)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 5 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Aug-21-09  tagbay: It's a very nice game and a very creative.

JW could be a world champion and fischer's heir.. sadly he lost the love of the game

Nov-04-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Everett: He did what he wanted. Nothing wrong with stopping at IM. Also nothing wrong with not becoming obsessed with the game. Some of you kibitz like you're mourning a death.
Dec-14-09  shishio71: This is a beautiful sacrifice and mate, but that many moves ahead?? It almost makes my head spin
Feb-07-10  coldfusion700: <tagbay: It's a very nice game and a very creative.

JW could be a world champion and fischer's heir.. sadly he lost the love of the game> He switched to tai chi and other forms of martial arts, which is sad for the chess community since he was so talented and could have been a world champion.

<Everett: He did what he wanted. Nothing wrong with stopping at IM. Also nothing wrong with not becoming obsessed with the game. Some of you kibitz like you're mourning a death.> I agree that there's nothing wrong since he did what he wanted, but it is still saddening for the chess community for such a chess talent to stop at that level. It is also saddening just as the case when Morphy left chess abruptly.

Feb-07-10  coldfusion700: Anyway, Waitzkin might not a GM, but... he is WORLD CHAMPION OF TAI CHI CHUAN!! Just beats me for he is such a multi-talented person. We should still be happy for him even if he left chess.
Oct-04-10  sevenseaman: The cause of the embarrassment? Frumkin must have had something in mind when he moved .. 22. Kh8. There was no follow up move, he just went to some wasteful activity on Q side. Was he complacent on a/c of his opponent's age or just lacked a plan?
Oct-07-10  jmactas: <sevenseaman The cause of the embarrassment? Frumkin must have had something in mind when he moved .. 22. Kh8. There was no follow up move, he just went to some wasteful activity on Q side. Was he complacent on a/c of his opponent's age or just lacked a plan?> 22. ...Kh8 was done to prevent 23. Bf6 leading to forced mate. He didn't really have a plan, his pieces were kind of walled off from the defense of his king.
Nov-15-10  sevenseaman: <jmactas> Thanks. What I had in mind was a move like Rg8 and Ba6 at some stage instead of gallivanting around with his N.

Capturing a redundant R is not relevant to the immediacy of the defense that was upon him ever since White went in with the minority attack.

One of the best games I've come across, nonetheless.

Jun-03-11  wordfunph: Waitzkin-Frumkin

after 25.♖e3


click for larger view

giving away the d1 rook and Josh delivered checkmate after 6 moves. Impressive.

Jun-06-11  Llawdogg: Wow! This guy was great! And his movie wasn't bad either.
Jun-06-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: This is Josh's immortal game. I remember his father Fred Waitzkin writing in his (stupidly titled) book about the excitement he and other onlookers felt during the game.
Sep-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: Pretty game ...

<FSR> I am sure that you realize that Fred W. prolly did not choose the title of the book ... publisher's often change manuscripts, especially titles ...

My hunch, but I am nearly certain that I am right here. (I have read about similar cases.)

Sep-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: Looked up Josh on the USCF website ... only goes to early 1990's ...

would be interested to know PRE-TOURNAMENT USCF ratings of both players ...

Sep-06-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: It would be interesting to know what was going through Frumkin's head. Did he not see the queen sac? Even though his opponent was a little kid, it should have been pretty obvious that he was setting up Qxg7+.
Apr-25-12  edcion: at 27 Kh6 would have saved him
Apr-26-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <edcion: at 27 Kh6 would have saved him>

27...Kh6 would be met by 28.Rh3+ Kg6 29.Rg3+. Now 29...Kh6 30.Bg7+ transposes to the game, and 29...Kh5 is met by 30.Rg5+ Kh4 (30...Kh6 31.Bg7#) 31.Nf3#.

Apr-26-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: It still boggles my mind that Frumkin didn't see what Waitzkin was up to. 25.Re3 wasn't exactly subtle. If Frumkin had followed Kotov's recommendation to "Play Like a Patzer" and ask himself what Waitzkin was threatening, he wouldn't have fallen for 25...Nxd1??
Aug-22-12  southeuro: Edward Pumpkin is quite a patzer indeed.
Aug-27-16  rafaelbdb: If I'm not mistaken, Josh said in his ChessMaster XI lessons that this was the first time he has beaten a Master.
May-24-18  Saniyat24: Wait, I will turn you into a pumpkin...!
Nov-08-18  newzild: This was supposedly the first time Waitzkin beat a master, but Frumkin's career high Elo is only 2150 so this seems to be wrong.
Nov-08-18  Granny O Doul: I suspect AJ is right about the "Searching..." title being the publisher's idea. Much of the book's material first appeared in a New York magazine article titled "The Grungy World of New York Chess". That probably would have had less Hollywood potential.
Jul-03-21  chessperson2222222: Frumkin still is an active player today.
Jul-03-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <newzild: This was supposedly the first time Waitzkin beat a master, but Frumkin's career high Elo is only 2150 so this seems to be wrong.>

The statement was actually correct; Frumkin was a USCF master at this time, unlike the one time we met at the board the previous year.

Jul-03-21  Omnipotent00001: It's Fred Pumpkin, euro
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