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As the birthplace of, among others, Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Eubie Blake and Thurgood Marshall, my adopted home state of Maryland has a wealth of Black native sons and daughters worth celebrating.

But since this is Black History Month and this is a chess column, let us focus on yet another remarkable Free Stater: Theophilus Thompson, the first great figure of note in the rich history of Black American chess.

Born into slavery in Frederick, Maryland, in 1855, Thompson showed a natural aptitude for the game after picking up the moves as a teenager. His brief but bright legacy rests on a series of games he played in the 1870s and the remarkable Chess Problems: Either to Play or Mate, an 1873 collection that established him as one of the countrys first major problemists.

Todays first game might be a scoop of sorts. It first ran in John K. Hanshews Our Chess Column in the March 23, 1876, edition of the Maryland Chess Review, but does not seem to be included in subsequent collections of Thompsons games. Its from a series of correspondence games with Charles Blood of Maine, a series Thompson handily won.

Declining Whites Kings Gambit is perfectly playable for Black, but allowing the kings bishop to be traded off and wasting several tempi with the queens knight get Blood into quick trouble. Whites 11. f5! grabs space on the kingside, and Thompsons attack quickly overwhelms.

Thus: 11Nb8 (seeking exchanges to ease the pressure, but White does not oblige) 12. Bc4 c6 (h6, to keep the knight out of g5 isnt much better after 13. Nxe5! dxe5 14. Qh5 Rf8 [g6 15. fxg6 fxg6 16. Bf7+ Kf8 17. Qxh6+! Rxh6 18. Bxh6 mate] 15. f6 g6 16. fxe7 gxh5 17. exf8=Q+! Kxf8 18. Bxh6+ Kg8 19. Rf7 Qe8 20. Rxd7+ Kh8 21. Rf7 Nd7 22. Raf1, with an overwhelming position) 13. Ng5 d5 14. Qh5!, with a winning attack.

Its over quickly on 14Rf8 (g6 15. fxg6 fxg6 16. Qf3 Bf5 17. exf5 dxc4 18. fxg6) 15. Nxh7 dxc4 16. Nxf8 Kxf8 17. f6! (opening the f-file is the central idea of the Kings Gambit, and Thompson shows why) Ng6 18. Bg5 gxf6 19. Rxf6 Qc7 20. Qxg6 Be6 21. Qh6+ and Black mailed off his resignation. One road to victory is 21Kg8 (Ke8 22. Rxe6+! fxe6 23. Qxe6+ Kf8 24. Bh6+ Qg7 25. Rf1 mate) 22. Rf3 Nd7 23. Rg3 Nf8 24. Bf6+ Ng6 25. Qg7 mate.

Thompsons chess career proved tragically brief. Theres no record he played any more games or composed new problems after the 1870s. His final years including the date of his death are shrouded in mystery, but his talent and legacy as a pioneer will live on.

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Todays second game, in addition to being an otherworldly display of imagination and grit, has its own historical significance the first rated game (of just two) between two of the most notable African-American players of the past half-century: Maurice Ashley, Americas first Black grandmaster, and the late, incomparable IM Emory Tate, whose tactical imagination and fierce drive made him in many ways the American Tal.

We havent anything close to the space to do justice to this amazing Richter-Rauzer Sicilian battle from the 1993 New York Open. Suffice it to say Ashley as Black bravely but barely survives Whites early cascade of sacrifices, reaching a position where his bishop, knight and kingside pawns seem to promise an easy win.

But this 15-round heavyweight battle flares up again after 33. Kc2 h5? (Bxa8 34. Rxa8 Be3! cuts off the White king) 34. a4! Bxa8 (bxa4?? 35. b5+ wins the bishop) 35. axb5+ Kd7 36. Rxa8, and suddenly Tate has his own armada of queenside passed pawns ready to sail.Whites hopes remains on the knifes edge until 51. Re1 f2? (the last mistake; 51Kf6!, sidestepping the coming check, appears to win after 52. Rxe5 g2 53. b7 f2 54. b8=Q f1=Q+ 55. Kc2 Qc4+) 52. Rxe5+! Kxe5 (now Whites b-pawn threatens to queen with check) 53. Ke2 Nf3 54. b7 Nd4+ 55. Kf1 Nc6 56. b5 Nb8 57. c6 Kd6 (see diagram), and, amazingly, its a draw, as after 58. Kg2 Nxc6 59. bxc6 Kc7 neither side can force the passed pawns through.We actually chuckled at each other, Ashley later wrote of the games ending, two fighters gaining much respect for each others attitude at the board.

Thompson-Blood, Correspondence game, Maryland, 1874(?)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Na4 Bb6 6. Nxb6 axb6 7. Bc4 Na5 8. Bb5+ Nc6 9. d3 Bd7 10. O-O Nge7 11. f5 Nb8 12. Bc4 c6 13. Ng5 d5 14. Qh5 Rf8 15. Nxh7 dxc4 16. Nxf8 Kxf8 17. f6 Ng6 18. Bg5 gxf6 19. Rxf6 Qc7 20. Qxg6 Be6 21. Qh6+ Black resigns.

Tate-Ashley, New York Open, New York, April 1993

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O h6 9. Be3 Qc7 10. f3 Rb8 11. g4 Ne5 12. f4 Nexg4 13. Bg1 e5 14. Bb5+ axb5 15. Ndxb5 Qd8 16. Bc5 d5 17. Ba7 Ra8 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5 Qxd5 20. Nc7+ Kd7 21. Nxa8 Qd6 22. Bb8 Kc6 23. Bxd6 Bxd6 24. Rd3 b5 25. Rhd1 Bc5 26. Rd8 Rxd8 27. Rxd8 Bb7 28. h3 Nf2 29. fxe5 Nxh3 30. c3 Nf2 31. b4 Be7 32. Rb8 Bg5+ 33. Kc2 h5 34. a4 Bxa8 35. axb5+ Kd7 36. Rxa8 f4 37. Rf8 Ke7 38. Rh8 h4 39. Rxh4 g5 40. Rh8 Bxe5 41. Rg8 f6 42. b6 Kf7 43. Ra8 g4 44. Ra1 g3 45. Rg1 Nxe4 46. c4 Ke6 47. Kd3 f5 48. Ke3 Ng5 49. c5 f4+ 50. Kd3 f3 51. Re1 f2 52. Rxe5+ Kxe5 53. Ke2 Nf3 54. b7 Nd4+ 55. Kf1 Nc6 56. b5 Nb8 57. c6 Kd6 Draw agreed.

David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at [emailprotected]

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Theophilus Thompson of Maryland blazed a trail for Black chess players, despite hurdles - Washington Times