Most of my contemporaries have virtually retired from chess, choosing to concentrate on their careers. Dr. IM Hsu Li Yang, a medical doctor and IM Terry Toh the lawyer, are two such examples. However, sometimes the lure of the game brings them back to the board though the rust clearly shows up in their play. Their personal chessic encounters are frequently one-sided and whoever takes White often bludgeons the other to oblivion. The annual Inter-Professional Chess rapid chess team event is a good illustration of this phenomenon.

Let's see what happened in 2000...

IM Hsu Li Yang - IM Terry Toh [D35]
Inter Professionals Games (Board 1), 2000

[Also playable, and perhaps safer is 7...Bf5 and a recent game saw a peace treaty after 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 0-0 10.0-0 Nbd7= ½-½ Skatchkov,P-Doroshkievich,V/Togliatty RUS 2001/The Week in Chess 354 (10)]

[In another game, White preferred 12.Bg3 so that he can make use of the h-pawn as a battering ram. 12...Bd6 13.f4 Qe7 14.a3 Bd7 15.Qf3 Rad8 16.Rae1 Bc8 17.h4! Qc7 18.h5 Nf8 19.h6! Ng6± 1-0 Giulian,P-Chin,F/Southampton 1986/EXT 99 (46) (19...gxh6 20.Bh4 Be7 21.f5!+-) ]

Keeping tension on the position but inviting White to play... [12...Nxe5! 13.Bxe5 Nd7 14.Bh2 Nf8 15.Qc2 Bd6 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 = ½-½ Botvinnik,M-Bivshev,V/Moscow 1952/URS-ch (41) with more room for Black than in the stem game.]

and now the dreaded Pilsbury Attack formation is in place

and instead of propping up for a solid defence, Black blunders with

White to play and detonate...

and here, Li Yang polishes off a mate in 9.

[That evening, Li Yang was kicking himself at missing 21.Qf7+ Kxe4 (21...Nf6 22.Ng3#; 21...Bf6 22.Nd6#) 22.Rfe1+ Kxd4 (22...Kd3 23.Rad1+ Kc2 24.Qb3#) 23.Bg1+ Kd3 24.Rad1+ Kc2 25.Qb3#

Impressive King hunt, huh!?]

Egad! To be messed about in this manner certainly makes one think of quitting chess permanently. However, Terry has just begun to grind the proverbial axe. A year later, same time, same place, same tournament...with a swopping of colours...

IM Terry Toh - IM Hsu Li Yang [C95]
Inter-Professional Games (Board 1), 2001

Ruy Lopez Closed, Breyer System - Swiss Chess variant.

[15.cxd4? Nxe4!]

[Li Yang saw the equalising move 15...Nxe4! but was unncecessarily worried about 17.Nf5. 16.Bxe7 Rxe7 17.axb5 (17.Nf5 Re5 18.Qg4 Qg5) 17...axb5 18.Rxa8 Bxa8 19.Nxe4 Bxe4 (19...Rxe4 20.Rxe4 Bxe4 21.f3 Bg6 22.Nxb5=) 20.Nxb5 Bxg2!? 21.Nxd6 Rxe1+ 22.Qxe1 cxd6 23.Kxg2 Qb8 24.Qe7 Qxb3 25.Qxd7 Qxb2=; 15...c5 16.Nf5 Bf8 unclear - Russian MCO]

Here, "Magic" Toh does not give Li Yang the slightest whiff of a chance to get back into the game.

[18...Re6 19.Nd4 Re8 may be a better defence.]

Terry surprises Li Yang with

with a total bind on the light squares.

Black's Kingside look like Swiss cheese as Terry forces more light square weaknesses. Now, how does White gain access the Black King?

And there's nothing Black can do about Re3-g3.

The possibility of pausing for such a consolidating move illustrates the sorry state of Black's plight.

Now it's Hsu's turn to think of permanent retirement. However, I suspect that sooner or later, both chaps will succumb to temptation and embrace chess once more. Aren't we old fogeys all suckers for punishment?