October is a very nice time of year to spend an afternoon outdoors playing chess in San Francisco. Back in 2009, Market Street had a vibrant chess scene. Hector Torres (no relation to me) would put out tables and chairs near the Powell BART Station and rent the spaces to chess hustlers. Whenever I was in the area, I enjoyed challenging the hustlers in this unique setting. On one bright October day, I played a few blitz games against Hector and given the time of year, I played the Halloween Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5)
The Halloween Gambit sidesteps the main lines of the Four Knights by sacrificing a Knight for space and the initiative. Though a tad bit unsound, the Halloween Gambit gives me a surprisingly high win rate (68% against equal or higher rated opponents.) Part of that can be chalked up to preparation and the element of surprise. However, in practice, the Halloween Gambit is just not as bad as its reputation.
Position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4
Unfortunately, the chess games on Market Street were forced to close down in June of 2010. This was a cultural loss for the area and a tremendous financial hit to Hector who used renting chess tables and hustling tourist as a means to eke out a living. Hector tried to restart his operation at another location in San Francisco but it never gained traction.
The game below is a nice example of the Halloween Gambit and also the spirited style of chess commonly seen on Market Street during the start of the 21st century. I have sadly heard that Hector Torres passed away and Market Street is still without chess tables. If your city has an urban chess scene, I highly recommend that you visit, patronize the local chess players and treasure the experience. And if you should sit down and have the white pieces against a chess hustler, maybe try playing the Halloween Gambit.
[Event “Blitz”]
[Site “Market Street, San Francisco “]
[Date “2009.10.16”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Chris Torres”]
[WhiteElo “”]
[Black “Hector Torres”]
[BlackElo “”]
[Result “1-0”]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Be2 Ng8 8.h4 h5
9.Bg5 Qe6 10.Nb5 Qb6 11.c4 Bb4+ 12.Kf1 a6 13.Nd6+ cxd6 14.a3 Ba5 15.b4 Bxb4
16.axb4 Qxb4 17.Rb1 Qa3 18.Rh3 Qa5 19.exd6 Nh6 20.Re3+ Kf8 21.c5 b5 22.Ra1 Qb4
23.Rb3
1-0
Hector resigned as his Queen was trapped and he was low on time.