William C. Haines (1939-2009)

All Things Chess
1

Bill Haines once wrote: “When I die, the one thing I DON’T want, is to have Sam Sloan write the news release!”.

groups.google.com/group/rec.game … 9187b6060d

Naturally, this has made me reluctant to be the one to issue the news release. He died several weeks ago in Vallejo, California and nobody has done it, but it should be done, so I will have to be the one to do it.

Eric Schiller, who often employed Haines in his book writing and computer database projects, has written:

“His legacy is the many bulletins he did enriching our databases. A friend who was always offering to help, but whose physical ailments limited his work, which wasn’t properly appreciated or rewarded.”

Here is his greatest accomplishment. He beat me:

[Event “Chess Friends Money Tournament”]
[Site “Oakland (USA)”]
[Date “1963.??.??”]
[White “Haines, William”]
[Black “Sloan, Sam”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “B01”]

  1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bc4 Bg4 5. f3 Bf5 6. g4 Bc8 7. a4
    a6 8. g5 Nh5 9. Nc3 Bf5 10. d3 Qd6 11. Nge2 Nd7 12. Be3 Nb6 13. Nd4 g6
  2. a5 Qe5 15. Nxf5 gxf5 16. Qe2 Nxc4 17. dxc4 f4 18. Bc5 Qxg5 19.
    O-O-O O-O-O 20. Rhg1 Qh4 21. Rg4 Qh3 22. Bd4 f6 23. c5 c6 24. Qe6+ Kc7
  3. d6+ exd6 26. cxd6+ Kb8 27. Bxf6 Nxf6 28. Qxf6 Bh6 29. Rh4 Bg7 30.
    Qxd8+ Rxd8 31. Rxh3 1-0

Here is by far his most published game, his loss to Bobby Fischer in the 1957 US Junior Championship:

Fischer,Bobby - Haines,William Cutler [C97]
USA-Jr San Francisco (4) 1957

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 14.Ne3 cxd4 15.cxd4 Nc4 16.Nxc4 bxc4 17.Bd2 Rad8 18.Bc3 Bf8 19.Qd2 g6 20.Ba5 Qb8 21.Bxd8 Qxd8 22.b3 cxb3 23.Bxb3 Qb6 24.Rab1 Qd8 25.Bc4 Nxe4 26.Rxe4 Bf5 27.Ree1 Bxb1 28.Rxb1 e4 29.Nh2 Qh4 30.Rb7 Bh6 31.Qe2 Rf8 32.Ng4 Qg5 33.Qe3 Qxg4 34.hxg4 Bxe3 35.fxe3 h6 36.Rd7 Kg7 37.Rxd6 Rc8 38.Bb3 1-0

Sam Sloan

2

The scores are accurate. That is just the way I play chess. Unorthodox style, I might say.

At least I lasted longer against Haines than he did against Fischer. He was lost by move 20. Had Haines known that Fischer was Fischer, he might have resigned sooner.

Sam

3

Now THERE is a creative way to measure one’s greatness!

Sam: since you are in the habit of writing epitaphs and eulogies… has anyone given a proper burial yet to that horrid Scandinavian Defense you were sporting? (Or is that waiting in line - behind your Damiano, Grob, … etc.?)