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In Passing Michael J. Valvo
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Michael J. Valvo (1942-2004)
Michael J. Valvo passed away September 18, 2004 in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Michael was an International Chess Master and was very much involved with the Deep Blue chess matches. Official Press Release. Below are tributes we have received: From members of the Schenectady Chess Club, New York All of the members of the club were sadden to hear ofo Michael's passing. He began his career at this Club where his father Frank was the Champion for most of the 1950's and 60's. Mike won the title once or twice in the early 60's. There are few members left in the club who had actually met either Frank or Mike, however their involvement in this small club in the hinterlands of upstate New York had, and continues to have a lasting effect. Mike was our one connection with the wide world of international chess. We followed his play
when he was active and were well pleased when he gained the International Master title. It was
written when Frank passed that the world of chess lost a real gentleman. The same is true of
Michael. I didn't know Mike that well personally but he was always a commanding presence wherever he went and a tremendously intelligent and gifted chess player. He was always well dressed and groomed and had a certain aura about him. You always knew he was in the room. I know he was always on the cutting edge of computer chess and worked extensively with Ken Thompson of Bell Labs on his chess playing computer. I remember one time being in a conversation when Mike talked about Fischer and how he wrote "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess". He will be missed --David Lazarus I knew Mike Valvo pretty well many years ago; the last time I talked to him was on ICC about five years ago where his handle was 'beetle'. I missed him after that because he stopped logging on to ICC. Whether this was due to illness I do not know. He was, needless to say, a fine chessplayer. I first met him at the 1964 US Open in Boston, where I recall that he defeated Bisguier among other top players. I also knew his father Frank and for a while dated his sister Marie Valvo when she was a student at SUNY/Binghamton in the 1960's and I was a student at Cornell. Mike had a strong and of course well-founded confidence in his own abilities, though it sometimes led him to attempt feats even he could not manage, such as trying to give the legendary Steve Brandwein 5 to 1 in blitz chess. Often he helped me analyze games I'd just played and explain to me where I'd gone wrong if I had lost. I think those sessions with Mike improved my game considerably He will be missed.--Anthony Serafini Perhaps there would be some interest in these
games that he once played and posted. I do not know to whom to give credit for
submission of this game: Game 1 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 c4 Nb6 5 f4 de 6 fe Nc6 7 Be3 Bf5 8 Nc3 e6 9 Nf3 Bg4 10 Be2 Bf3 11 gf Qh4 12 Bf2 Qf4 13 c5 Nd7 14 Qc1 Qf5 15 Qb1 Qb1 16 Rb1 OOO 17 f4 Be7 18 Rd1 g5 19 fg Bg5 20 Bf3 f5 21 OO Nb4 22 Rfe1 Rhg8 23 Kh1 c6 24 a3 Na6 25 b4 Nc7 26 a4 a6 27 Re2 Be7 28 Rb2 Nd5 29 Nd5 cd 30 b5 ab 31 ab Rg7 32 Ra1 Nb8 33 Rba2 Rdg8 34 Ra8 Bg5 35 b6 Bd8 36 Bh5 Rf8 37 Be2 Rfg8 38 Be3 h5 39 Rb1 Be7 40 Bb5 Bd8 41 Ba4 f4 42 Bf4 Rf7 43 Bh6 h4 44 Bb5 Be7 45 c6 bc 46 Bc6 Rf3 47 Rba1 Ba3 48 Bd2 Resign Game 2: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 d5 3 ed c6 4 Nc3 ef 5 Nf3 Bd6 6 d4 Ne7 7 dc Nbc6 8 d5 Nb4 9 Bc4 OO 10 a3 b5 11 Bb3 Na6 12 Nb5 Qa5 13 Nc3 Nc5 14 Ba2 Ba6 15 b4 Qc7 16 bc Rfe8 17 Ne2 Qc5 18 c4 Nd5 19 Qd4 Qd4 20 Nd4 Bc5 21 Kd2 Ne3 22 Kc3 Rac8 23 Bb2 Ng2 24 Raf1 Rcd8 25 Rhg1 Re3 26 Kd2 f3 27 Rf3 Rf3 28 Rg2 Rh3 29 Kc1 g6 30 a4 Bb7 31 Rf2 Ba8 32 Bb1 Rb8 33 Ba2 Rd3 34 Rf4 Rd2 35 Kd2 Rb2 36 Nc2 Ra2 37 Nc3 Rb2 38 Rf6 Kg7 39 Rf1 f5 40 Nd5 Bd5 41 cd Rb3 42 h4 Kf6 43 Re1 Rh3 44 Re6 Kf7 45 a5 Rh4 46 Rc6 Bb4 47 Nb4 Rb4 48 Rc7 Kf6 |
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