Shams Khan is No More!
One of our most respected and prolific AICCF/ICCF chess players, Shri Shams Khan breathed his last on 25th March 2019 at 7 a.m. He is deeply mourned by all chess-loving friends and colleagues who knew him. This issue of the Bulletin is dedicated to his memory.
A brief Biography condensed from an earlier Auto-chess-ography published in May 2006 issue of the AICCF Bulletin is reprinted below:
Name:Haji Shamshuzuha Khan (Shahar Ustad)
Short Name:Shams Khan
Date of Birth:11/07/1935
Address:Afghanan, AMROHA (U.P)
Mother tongue:Urdu. Spoke Hindi and Persian well.
Family:Pathan
Profession:Agriculture
Other Interests:Weight Lifting, Bodybuilding and Wrestling
Learnt Chess:In 1949
Performance in OTB:Secured first place in Bijnore District 1976, 1977 and in Chandausin1982. Participated in All India Chess Tournament in 1973, where he drew against Syed Nasir Ali (one time Indian Champion) and M.R.Wahi (several times Delhi Champion and member Indian Olympiad team).
Favourite First Move:1.e4
Favourite Opening:King's Gambit, QGA, Centre Counter/Scandinavian-Marshall Gambit
Favourite Chess Players:Lasker, Tal, Fischer, Rubinstein, Marshall, Kasparov, Karpov.
Favourite Chess Book:Oxford Chess Companion
Favourite CC Players:S.K.Somani, A.G.Nagaradjane, Kalapi B.Trivedi, M.Satheesan
Favourite Game:
Editor's Note
The game Pillsbury-Lasker was one of Lasker’s greatest creative masterpieces in his lifelong career!
Till this game, Pillsbury led the tournament among the four world class players, Pillsbury, Lasker, Steinitz and Chigorin. Pillsbury is believed to have contracted syphilis prior to the start of this event. Although he was in the lead after the first half of the tournament (6.5/9), he was affected by severe headaches and scored very low (1.5/9) in the second half, ultimately finishing third (Lasker 11.5/18, Steinitz 9.5/18, Pillsbury 8/18, Chigorin 7/18). Garry Kasparov has suggested that had he won this encounter, he could well have won the tournament and forced a world championship match against Lasker.
However, Caissa had other plans. Poor mental and physical health, prevented Pillsbury from realizing his full potential throughout the rest of his life. He succumbed to the illness in 1906.
Shams Khan, ICCF performance
ICCF Id: 280180
ICCF Rating: 2057
ICCF Games: 316
Stopped ICCF: 27-03-2018
ICCF Rating profile:
Shams Khan, AICCF performance
AICCF Sr No: 36
Engine-Allowed AICCF Rating March 2019:1776
Rank: 46th
Engine-Allowed AICCF Rating (Glicko System)
- Best rating Engine-Allowed AICCF Rating (Glicko System): 2075 in November 2009
- Engine-Forbidden AICCF Rating March 2019:2075 Rank: 2nd</li>
- 20 Games at hand on 29th March 2019 will be automatically scored as a loss.
- Shams Khan was a prolific player during the Postal Era of AICCF and continued actively when AICCF Server was started.
Games played on AICCF Server since inception: 1730
(Wins:1133, Draws:338, Losses:259) Score: 75.3%
Games with 100 or more moves: 4
Engine-Allowed games: 1664
(Wins:1075, Draws:337, Losses:252) Score: 74.7%
Engine-Forbidden games: 66
(Wins:58, Draws:1 ,Losses:7) Score: 88.6%
Number of miniature games (discounting quick default of opponent): 362
Miniature games in Engine allowed: 351
Miniature games in Engine forbidden: 11
Games played in AICCF Championship on server: 76
(Wins:15, Draws:22, Losses:39) Score: 34.2%
