Many NorCal chess players recognize the name “Falconer” in reference to an annual award given to the highest rated youth chess player in Northern California. Established in 1999, the Falconer Award has been given to such notable players as GM Vinay Bhat and GM Sam Shankland. However, Neil Falconer was also a really good chess player in his own right.
Neil Falconer was captain of the University of California, Berkeley’s chess team and won the California Open Chess Championship in 1951 and the U.S. Senior Champion title in 1992. Despite a demanding law career, he was also an active club player at Oakland’s Castle Chess Club as well as the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco. In fact, Neil Falconer even defeated former World Champion GM Tigran Petrosian in a simultaneous exhibition at the Mechanics’ Institute in 1978!
Today’s puzzle worthy position comes from a 1983 game Neil Falconer played against Eugene S. Lien in Oakland, California. In the position below, Lien (black) has just played 22… Rf8. Falconer (white) can now force checkmate in four moves. Can you spot the mate in 4 combination that Neil Falconer instituted?
