Many of the games, if not most, written about in these posts are those by the folks I call “contenders”; Class A players, Experts, the occasional Master, or up and coming scholastic stars. Statistically the middle of the array of all ratings is about 1500. Today’s tidbit is by folks just around that mid-point.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/25/2010
White; Connors, D
Black: Capitummino, J
David Connors has had good results this year. He has taken half and full points from much higher rated opponents in both the Saratoga and Schenectady Championships. Jeff Capitummino, who has just retuned to the chess wars, picked up a couple of good points in the Schenectady Preliminaries and held the scholastic star, Chen Qu, to a draw earlier in the Consolation Swiss. I was looking forward to this encounter. Connors was favored based on rating, but the energy Jeff showed in the game with Qu gave some indication of a possible sudden jump in standard for him.
1. Nf3 Nf6
2. g3 e6
3. Bg2 d5
4. O-O Bd6
5. d3 O-O
6. Nbd2 b6!?
White has chosen the King’s Indian Attack. It is essentially nothing more or less than playing the King’s Indian Defense as White.
The standard move here is 6..., c5; although there are few examples in my databases of this position, and those found are all wins for White.
These sort of positions were popular in my youth a half-century ago in the US. In the dead symmetrical King’s Indian Attack I recall Larry Evans famously writing after White’s move 5 d3, and Black’s answer 5..., d5; Black’s game was in its last throes. Something of an overstatement.
Because 6..., c5; has not worked out well for Black, it is not such a bad idea to make this choice here.
7. e4 dxe4
8. dxe4 e5
9. Re1 Re8
10. Nc4 Qe7
11. Nxd6 cxd6
12. Nh4 ….
David has his eye correctly on f5. It is a good post from which to threaten d6 with the Knight. That being so, Black has a quandary; if the Bc8 goes to another diagonal f5 can be safe square for the Knight. He is also needs to find some good way to develop his Q-side as well as make provision to defend d6. There are so many soft points to cover for Black that the position is quite challenging. I suspect it is possible for Black to find the narrow path to a comfortable position. If he can do so, the White Bg2 is no great shakes.
To find the workable plan Black must know an idea from the King’s Indian Defense; that an backward pawn on the d-file can be defended either with pieces directly, or indirectly by letting White grab the pawn while making threats elsewhere. This notion was most brilliantly illustrated in a KID game played in the Zurich Inter-zonal, 1953, between Averbakh and Gilgoric in round four. Absent such knowledge it is difficult to imagine coming up with the idea. Here play might go; 12..., Bg5; 13 Qd3, Nd7; 14 h3, Be6; 15 Rd1, Nc5; 16 Qe2, Qb7; (A move that many players would shrink from following the general rule that it is dangerous to voluntarily put a Queen on the same line as an opposing Bishop.) 17 Nf5, Bxf5; 18 exf5, d5; 19 c4, Rad8; 20 Bg5, e5. The game favors White, but Black has made things very difficult and has chances.
12.…. Rd8
13. f4 …..
Better is 13 Bg5.
13.… Bb7
Bolder is 13..., Bg4; not fearing White’s trying to surround the Bishop as long as the White Knight is on h4 and the Black Queen is watching it. The advances f4-f5, h2-h3, and g3-g4 will loosen the White King’s defenses offering Black opportunity for a counter-stroke.
14. Nf5 Qc7
15. c3 Nc6
16. Qe2 Re8?!
The point of this move escapes me. An improvement would be 16..., Ne7; looking to trade off the intruding White Knight.
17. fxe5?! ….
More logical and better is 17 Rd1, focusing on the natural target, d6. Connors has a plan, and even if it is not the best it tests the opponent.
17.… dxe5?
Black fails the test. He had to play 17..., Nxd5; obtaining a strong post for the Knight. If Jeff had remembered the rule; Knights need outposts especially to fight Bishops, he might have found this resource. Now David finishes the game quickly. If 17..., Nd5; had been played; 18 Bg5, Qc5+; and the game quickly becomes equal. There several threats in Black’s hands; the Ne5 moves away discovering an attack on the Bg5, perpetual checks by the Queen going to c5 to work with the Knight aimed at f2. White just may have to take the strongly posted Ne5 with his dark squared Bishop, after which Black has the better Bishop on the board. This error allows Connors’ plan to work very effectively.
18. Bg5 Re6
Just about everything is bad for Black now, he only gets to choose among the evils.
19. Rf1 h6?
Giving up I guess. A more stubborn fight can be made with 19..., Ne7; then 20 Nh6+, Kf8; 21 Bxf5, Rxf6; 22 Rxf6, gxf6; 23 Rf1, Qc5+; 24 Kh1, Kg7; 25 Qh5, Rf8; 26 Ng4, is certainly lost for Black. Playing that would have challenged White to find some decent ideas and avoid errors such as 21 Rf2, thinking to double on the f-file before beginning action on f6, which is met by 21..., a5. After 21..., a5; in the side line, Black has chances to craft a defense even though he may give up a pawn. The text leads to the collapse of the Black K-side.
20. Nxh6+ gxh6
21. Bxf6 Rxf6?
Tossing in the Exchange to boot. Some resistance is possible with 21..., Ne7; rushing reinforcements to the wall. The position is still lost, but why not make things difficult?
Play could go 21..., Ne7; 22 Qh5, Ng6; 23 Qxh6, Qc5+; 24 Kh1, Qf8; and with the extra two pawns White has should win, but there many moves to be played. It is no crime to make someone whose rating is not too far up the ladder to play out even such an ending, at least until it is certain he knows how to win it.
22. Rxf6 Ne7
23. Rxh6 Resigns.
Jeff did not make the sternest resistance, nevertheless, David played with active ideas in mind, and that will win more games than not. A nice job by Mr. Connors.
3.28.2010
Here are more games from last Thursday.
Patrick Chi demonstrates a mature understanding of chess in a theoretical battle from the Benko Gambit.
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date: 3/25/2010
White; Chi, P
Black: Phillips, J
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 b5
4. cxb5 a6
5. bxa6 g6
6. Nc3 Bxa6
7. e4 Bxf1
8. Kxf1 d6
9. Nf3 Bg7
10. g3 O-O
11. Kg2 Nbd7
12. Re1 Ng4
13. Qc2 ….
All theory up to here. The game Chemin, A - Weind, A, Brocco. 1994 is followed to this point. Chemin, A is a 2600 IGM from Bulgaria, and Weind a strong German FM. Chemin had ideas different from Chi about the placement of his King’s Rook and Queen, but Chemin achieved the same Q-side formation; pawns a4 & b3. Knight on b5 and victory followed. Chemin put his Rook an e2 in place of the Queen on c2. I think it is a matter of taste as to which is the better choice.
13.… Qb6
14. a4 ….
A number of the international players kicked the Ng4 back with 14 h3. Patrick instead grabs the favorable Q-side disposition first.
14 ….. Rfb8
15. Nb5 Ngf6
More often than not, Black puts this Knight on e5 offering the exchange of a pair of minor pieces there. If Black could keep a Knight on e5, it would support …, c5-c4; a move useful in weakening the White Q-side. Supporting this push also underlies the other thematic break for Black; …, e7-e6; trying for the exchange of pawns on e6 and the expansion …, d6-d5. In the game, Black gets to this idea too late for it to have an important effect After the game move White has a measurable advantage.
16. Bf4 h6
17. Rab1 Rc8
18. Nd2 g5
19. Be3 Ng4
20. Nc4 Nxe3+
21. Rxe3 Qa6
22. b3 Ne5
23. Nxe5 Bxe5
24. Qc4 Qa5
White is jockeying for the right formation before staging a break. Black sacrificed a pawn and got only the Bishop versus Knight imbalance as compensation. This is not sufficient, nor what Black hopes for in the Benko. Black needs some piece besides the Bishop to guard d6 if he wants to play …, e7-e6; at some point. Usually this is a Rook or the Queen standing on b6, and he is not maneuvering his pieces in that direction yet.
25. Re2 Rf8
26. Rh1 Kg7
27. Rc2 ….
Mr. Chi can’t quite make up his mind to play the natural 27 h4, starting the ball rolling.
27.… Rac8
28. Qd3 Qb6
29. Qf3 e6?
Patience wears thin for John Phillips. It is too late for this now. Better 29..., Bf6; to make the advance to h4 less appealing.
30. h4 exd5
31. hxg5 hxg5?
While it would not repair all damage, Black had to try 31..., dxe4; to have a chance at finding some kind of defense. After the text the end is swift.
32. Qf5 Rh8
33. Qxg5+ Resigns
The last two moves seemed to surprise Mr. Phillips, or least the implications in the resulting position surprised him. I think he saw 33..., Kf8; 34 Rxh8+, Bxh8; 35 Qxd5, and now down two pawns Black faces a long struggle without hope except for earthquake or heart attack. I am not certain either player thought about 33..., Kf6; 34 Qxe5!!, killing all counter-play after 34..., dxe5; 35 Rxh8+, and 36 Rxc8, leaving White a huge material advantage. Or, alternatively 34..., Rxh1; 35 Qf6, Rh7; 36 Qf5, picking off a whole Rook. The Queen does love to make double attacks!
Two veteran Saratoga players played a short sharp game in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted opening in the Consolation Swiss. The QGA does not show up too often in local games. We around here appear to prefer QGD, Benoni or KID formations. I know of no good reason for this preference.
Consolation Swiss 09-10
Date: 3/25/2010
White: Le Cours, A
Black: Battes, L
1. Nf3 d5
2. d4 Nf6
3. c4 dxc4
4. e3 Bg4
Mainstream theory. The top flight players also like 4..., a6; 4..., c5; and 4..., e6; all leading to small but significantly differences in the resulting positions.
5. Bxc4 e6
There are many games by Timman, Miles and Nikolic in this line.
6. h3 Bh5
7. O-O Bd6
Most of the international players choose 7..., Nbd7; some go for 7..., a6; the text was only tried by FM Husek of Slovakia against Jedlicka of the Czech Republic in Litomysi, 1995. In an up and down battle that didn’t have much to do with this move, the game was drawn. Not much wisdom to be gathered from master practice except none of the famous “names” have used the text. That may be a hint the move has some doubts attached. A possible reason for the doubt is the line; 8 e4!?, Nxe4; 9 Qb3, Nd7; 10 Re1, Nef6; 11 Qxb7, which looks to favor Black somewhat - a lead in development - to me.
8. Nc3 O-O
9. e4 Bxf3?!
This is a mistake I think. Probably better is 9..., Bb4; and if 10 Qb3, Bxf3; 11 gxf3, c5; 12 dxc5, Bxc5; 13 Qxb7, Nbd7; 14 Rd1, Rb8; 15 Qa6, and Black has bought himself a small lead in development, some dark square weaknesses around the White King, and a bit of pressure on b2 for a pawn. In a word, the initiative. There are middle game chances for Black. The endgame favors White. The two to one pawn majority on the Q-side for White will be a worry forever. There are a goodly number of QGA positions that require one side or the other to give up a pawn to not fall into a disadvantage, so such a circumstance is no surprise.
10. Qxf3 e5
11. Be3 ….
A smoother development could be had by White with 11 d5, then 11..., Nbd7; 12 Bg5, a6; 13 Rad1, and White has the initiative. The game move gives Black a chance to try some tactics.
11.… Qe7
The tactical try is 11..., exd4; 12 Bxe4, Bh2+; recovering the piece and simplifying the game. In this active line White ends up with extra space while the Black Knights don’t have ready posts. It doesn’t appeal to me and neither did it to Lee. One alternative is 11...,Nbd7. Play will be similar to the game, but Black could get in the useful move …, c7-c6. I’m not sure it would help. It is worth consideration however.
12. Rad1 Nbd7
13. Rfe1 a6
14. Bb3 Rac8?
A mistake in that it does nothing to guard squares that are always a concern in the QGA, one of which is g5. There are variations where …, h7-h6; is standard. The tempo used to put this Rook on the c-file that is unlikely to become critical for some time yet, could have been used to play 14..., h6; then my computer continues 15 Qf5, c6; 16 a3, b5; 17 dxe5, Bxe5; and White has the choice between a) the sacrificial try; 18 Bxh6, gxh6; 19 Qg6+, Kh8; 20 Qxh6+, Nh7; 21 Qxc6, giving White three pawns for the piece with lots of fight left in the position. Not many of the local club players would risk such a line. We don’t calculate that confidently. Lee might be the exception. When he is on form that calculation is well within his capacity. The b) line is; 18 Rc1, b4; 19 Na4, (the “sac” at h6 is still possible, but it does not lead to even as promising position as in a) above.) 19..., bza3; 20 bxa3, Rfb8; and so forth with the issue very much in doubt. The flaw in the text is that it misuses a tempo evidently needed to guard a key square.
15. Qf5 c5
The natural follow up to the previous move. It is possible that Black had to think about giving up a pawn with 15..., Rfd1!?; 16 Nd5, Nxd5; 17 exd5, g6; 18 Qc2, e4; to avoid worse.
16. dxc5 Nxc5
17. Bg5 Nxb3
18. axb3 Bb4
19. Nd5 ….
The last sequence seems quite normal at first glance, the kind of moves that a player would look at early on when judging a position. If you found nothing wrong in the succeeding positions, it is likely you would play such moves. A guess is Mr. Battes overlooked that the Nc3 was not pinned as it appears, or another possibility is he made an estimate the “trade everything line” beginning 19..., Nxd5; 20 Bxe7, Nxe7; 21 Qxd7, that was incorrect. After arriving at this point in the “trading line”, Lee recognized all was not well and tried a bold move hoping for some error from Alan.
19... Qc5
20. Nxf6+ gxf6
21. Bxf6 Resigns.
White will mate or win decisive material. The finish is; 21.…, Rfd8; 22 Qg5+, Kf8; 23 Rxd8+, Rxd8; 24 Rc1, when the Rd8 falls to say nothing of very strong mating threats that White can create if he foregoes taking the Rook and plays, after say 24..., Qd4; 25 Qg7+, and 28 Rc7. The move 24 Rc1, is one more candidate for what Lee missed. There was not opportunity to sit down with Lee to discover just where the error occurred. Maybe someday he and I will find occasion to discuss the matter and my curiosity will be satisfied.
Another game in the next couple of days; Connors - Capitummino, I think.
Patrick Chi demonstrates a mature understanding of chess in a theoretical battle from the Benko Gambit.
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date: 3/25/2010
White; Chi, P
Black: Phillips, J
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 b5
4. cxb5 a6
5. bxa6 g6
6. Nc3 Bxa6
7. e4 Bxf1
8. Kxf1 d6
9. Nf3 Bg7
10. g3 O-O
11. Kg2 Nbd7
12. Re1 Ng4
13. Qc2 ….
All theory up to here. The game Chemin, A - Weind, A, Brocco. 1994 is followed to this point. Chemin, A is a 2600 IGM from Bulgaria, and Weind a strong German FM. Chemin had ideas different from Chi about the placement of his King’s Rook and Queen, but Chemin achieved the same Q-side formation; pawns a4 & b3. Knight on b5 and victory followed. Chemin put his Rook an e2 in place of the Queen on c2. I think it is a matter of taste as to which is the better choice.
13.… Qb6
14. a4 ….
A number of the international players kicked the Ng4 back with 14 h3. Patrick instead grabs the favorable Q-side disposition first.
14 ….. Rfb8
15. Nb5 Ngf6
More often than not, Black puts this Knight on e5 offering the exchange of a pair of minor pieces there. If Black could keep a Knight on e5, it would support …, c5-c4; a move useful in weakening the White Q-side. Supporting this push also underlies the other thematic break for Black; …, e7-e6; trying for the exchange of pawns on e6 and the expansion …, d6-d5. In the game, Black gets to this idea too late for it to have an important effect After the game move White has a measurable advantage.
16. Bf4 h6
17. Rab1 Rc8
18. Nd2 g5
19. Be3 Ng4
20. Nc4 Nxe3+
21. Rxe3 Qa6
22. b3 Ne5
23. Nxe5 Bxe5
24. Qc4 Qa5
White is jockeying for the right formation before staging a break. Black sacrificed a pawn and got only the Bishop versus Knight imbalance as compensation. This is not sufficient, nor what Black hopes for in the Benko. Black needs some piece besides the Bishop to guard d6 if he wants to play …, e7-e6; at some point. Usually this is a Rook or the Queen standing on b6, and he is not maneuvering his pieces in that direction yet.
25. Re2 Rf8
26. Rh1 Kg7
27. Rc2 ….
Mr. Chi can’t quite make up his mind to play the natural 27 h4, starting the ball rolling.
27.… Rac8
28. Qd3 Qb6
29. Qf3 e6?
Patience wears thin for John Phillips. It is too late for this now. Better 29..., Bf6; to make the advance to h4 less appealing.
30. h4 exd5
31. hxg5 hxg5?
While it would not repair all damage, Black had to try 31..., dxe4; to have a chance at finding some kind of defense. After the text the end is swift.
32. Qf5 Rh8
33. Qxg5+ Resigns
The last two moves seemed to surprise Mr. Phillips, or least the implications in the resulting position surprised him. I think he saw 33..., Kf8; 34 Rxh8+, Bxh8; 35 Qxd5, and now down two pawns Black faces a long struggle without hope except for earthquake or heart attack. I am not certain either player thought about 33..., Kf6; 34 Qxe5!!, killing all counter-play after 34..., dxe5; 35 Rxh8+, and 36 Rxc8, leaving White a huge material advantage. Or, alternatively 34..., Rxh1; 35 Qf6, Rh7; 36 Qf5, picking off a whole Rook. The Queen does love to make double attacks!
Two veteran Saratoga players played a short sharp game in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted opening in the Consolation Swiss. The QGA does not show up too often in local games. We around here appear to prefer QGD, Benoni or KID formations. I know of no good reason for this preference.
Consolation Swiss 09-10
Date: 3/25/2010
White: Le Cours, A
Black: Battes, L
1. Nf3 d5
2. d4 Nf6
3. c4 dxc4
4. e3 Bg4
Mainstream theory. The top flight players also like 4..., a6; 4..., c5; and 4..., e6; all leading to small but significantly differences in the resulting positions.
5. Bxc4 e6
There are many games by Timman, Miles and Nikolic in this line.
6. h3 Bh5
7. O-O Bd6
Most of the international players choose 7..., Nbd7; some go for 7..., a6; the text was only tried by FM Husek of Slovakia against Jedlicka of the Czech Republic in Litomysi, 1995. In an up and down battle that didn’t have much to do with this move, the game was drawn. Not much wisdom to be gathered from master practice except none of the famous “names” have used the text. That may be a hint the move has some doubts attached. A possible reason for the doubt is the line; 8 e4!?, Nxe4; 9 Qb3, Nd7; 10 Re1, Nef6; 11 Qxb7, which looks to favor Black somewhat - a lead in development - to me.
8. Nc3 O-O
9. e4 Bxf3?!
This is a mistake I think. Probably better is 9..., Bb4; and if 10 Qb3, Bxf3; 11 gxf3, c5; 12 dxc5, Bxc5; 13 Qxb7, Nbd7; 14 Rd1, Rb8; 15 Qa6, and Black has bought himself a small lead in development, some dark square weaknesses around the White King, and a bit of pressure on b2 for a pawn. In a word, the initiative. There are middle game chances for Black. The endgame favors White. The two to one pawn majority on the Q-side for White will be a worry forever. There are a goodly number of QGA positions that require one side or the other to give up a pawn to not fall into a disadvantage, so such a circumstance is no surprise.
10. Qxf3 e5
11. Be3 ….
A smoother development could be had by White with 11 d5, then 11..., Nbd7; 12 Bg5, a6; 13 Rad1, and White has the initiative. The game move gives Black a chance to try some tactics.
11.… Qe7
The tactical try is 11..., exd4; 12 Bxe4, Bh2+; recovering the piece and simplifying the game. In this active line White ends up with extra space while the Black Knights don’t have ready posts. It doesn’t appeal to me and neither did it to Lee. One alternative is 11...,Nbd7. Play will be similar to the game, but Black could get in the useful move …, c7-c6. I’m not sure it would help. It is worth consideration however.
12. Rad1 Nbd7
13. Rfe1 a6
14. Bb3 Rac8?
A mistake in that it does nothing to guard squares that are always a concern in the QGA, one of which is g5. There are variations where …, h7-h6; is standard. The tempo used to put this Rook on the c-file that is unlikely to become critical for some time yet, could have been used to play 14..., h6; then my computer continues 15 Qf5, c6; 16 a3, b5; 17 dxe5, Bxe5; and White has the choice between a) the sacrificial try; 18 Bxh6, gxh6; 19 Qg6+, Kh8; 20 Qxh6+, Nh7; 21 Qxc6, giving White three pawns for the piece with lots of fight left in the position. Not many of the local club players would risk such a line. We don’t calculate that confidently. Lee might be the exception. When he is on form that calculation is well within his capacity. The b) line is; 18 Rc1, b4; 19 Na4, (the “sac” at h6 is still possible, but it does not lead to even as promising position as in a) above.) 19..., bza3; 20 bxa3, Rfb8; and so forth with the issue very much in doubt. The flaw in the text is that it misuses a tempo evidently needed to guard a key square.
15. Qf5 c5
The natural follow up to the previous move. It is possible that Black had to think about giving up a pawn with 15..., Rfd1!?; 16 Nd5, Nxd5; 17 exd5, g6; 18 Qc2, e4; to avoid worse.
16. dxc5 Nxc5
17. Bg5 Nxb3
18. axb3 Bb4
19. Nd5 ….
The last sequence seems quite normal at first glance, the kind of moves that a player would look at early on when judging a position. If you found nothing wrong in the succeeding positions, it is likely you would play such moves. A guess is Mr. Battes overlooked that the Nc3 was not pinned as it appears, or another possibility is he made an estimate the “trade everything line” beginning 19..., Nxd5; 20 Bxe7, Nxe7; 21 Qxd7, that was incorrect. After arriving at this point in the “trading line”, Lee recognized all was not well and tried a bold move hoping for some error from Alan.
19... Qc5
20. Nxf6+ gxf6
21. Bxf6 Resigns.
White will mate or win decisive material. The finish is; 21.…, Rfd8; 22 Qg5+, Kf8; 23 Rxd8+, Rxd8; 24 Rc1, when the Rd8 falls to say nothing of very strong mating threats that White can create if he foregoes taking the Rook and plays, after say 24..., Qd4; 25 Qg7+, and 28 Rc7. The move 24 Rc1, is one more candidate for what Lee missed. There was not opportunity to sit down with Lee to discover just where the error occurred. Maybe someday he and I will find occasion to discuss the matter and my curiosity will be satisfied.
Another game in the next couple of days; Connors - Capitummino, I think.
3.27.2010
Schenectady Update
Another Thursday and it’s chess, chess and more chess at the Schenectady Club. Well, we didn’t have quite as much chess as we desired, a couple of games had to be postponed, still it was a good number of games. My game with Barnes in the Consolation Swiss was put off to next week because of a schedule conflict, and Bobby Rotter’s game with Michael Mockler was delayed due to recent sad events. There was talk of Mr. Rotter dropping out. At the last word, through the good offices of Mr. Mockler and Bill Townsend, Bobby Rotter will continue to play. We in the club all hope so, Bobby creates interesting chess.
What happened this week to surprise and delight us? The plot thickened in the Championship Finals when Dean Howard thought long and deep about a piece sacrifice against Phillip Sells. The sacrifice may not have been sound, but it certainly was pretty. This time victory went to he who dares and Dean won the game. The result is Sells and Mockler are tied at 2-1. Dean Howard has the highest score recorded so far, 2 ½ 1 ½ since he played one more game than Sells and Mockler. It is always problematical making a statement about who is leading when unequal numbers of rounds are played. I lean towards counting lost points and see Phillip Sells and Michael Mockler at the top of the leader board.
In the other Finals game, Patrick Chi got on the winning path with a neat win from John Phillips. Patrick’s successive losses to Sells and Howard did not seem to have any lasting effect on our young tiger. He met John’s Benko with GM Har-Zvi’s prescription for White; get in a4, hold c4 and drop a Knight on b5. After that Mr. Chi began to probe on the K-side threatening to open the h-file. Mr. Phillips was not liking his position too much and thought to get counter-play with the standard …., e7-e6; move to break down White’s Pd5 bastion. A short sharp tactical melee let the White Queen get a bead on the Black King ending things quickly.
In the Consolation Swiss drama was more muted. Alan Le Cours won his game with Lee Battes in a QGA transposition. Lee got to a position where he was at some small disadvantage, nothing too serious but not entirely comfortable. There he miscalculated, played a standard QGA move; 15 …, c5; and the ensuing combination gave Le Cours a winning position. An interesting game in a rare kind of QGA.
Other results in Consolation were; David Connors won from Jeff Capitummino in King’s Indian Attack in 23 moves, Ray Alguire defeated Richard Chu, Cory Northrup won from Mike Stanley and Chen Qu won from George Dipre.
Next week will be a bye round in the Consolation Swiss to permit catching up on postponed games. In round robin events postponed games can be played off as convenient without pairing problems. Not so in a Swiss System tourney. Swiss pairings depend on like scores playing each other, and postponements have to be completed before the next round can be paired correctly.
Now to a game:
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date: 3/24/2010
White: Howard, D
Black: Sells, P
1. e4 c5
2. c3 Nf6
3. e5 Nd5
4. d4 cxd4
5. Nf3 ….
Much more common is 5 cxd4. We can find a good number of top flight GM’s, including Kasparov, who have played the position after 5 cxd4.
5.… e6
6. Bc4 …..
Some pretty good IM’s such as Motwani of Scotland and Lilac of England have used this move.
6.…. Nb6
The move 6.…, dxc3; did not work very well for GM Bellon, in Thessloniki, 1988. He took the c-pawn and then the b-pawn winding up a net two pawns to the good. Bellon’s pawns structure was full of weaknesses and his development lagging. The defects allowed his opponent to snag the Exchange, then one by one the weak pawns fell. Bellon lost in 44 moves. There are a few examples in the databases of players going greedy gobbling the offered pawns. Just about all end in wins for White.
Here the GM’s (Renet, Fillippov, Conquest, etc.) playing the Black side have, for the most part, used 6..., Nb6; 7 Bb3, d6; to arrive at a playable middle game. In this game Black develops a Knight to c6 before pushing the pawn to d6. This doesn’t change the general feel of the position much, if at all.
7. Bb3 Nc6
8. O-O d6
9. cxd4 Qc7
10. Nc3 a6
11. Bf4 ….
With some small transpositions in move order we reached a position mentioned in the literature of the Alapin Sicilian. According to the pundits and my computer the position favors White. By how much is open to debate. I don’t know how much of the play so far by both sides was home preparation or if they worked out details out over the board. Dean had used thirty minutes of his clock to reach this point in the game. Phillip used considerably more. Judging by time consumed, I would say Dean had some recollection of the line of play and Phillip less so.
11.… Bd7!?
An innovation? Usual according to the writers about the opening is 11..., d5.
12. Rc1 ….
White could have made the first truly aggressive change to the position with 12 Ne4, hitting hard at d6. Then 12..., d5; 13 Nd6+, Bxd6; 14 exd6, Qd8; and White has secured the Bishop pair. Black will find it not easy to lift the lone pawn on d6. After 12 Ne4, the game is beginning to favor White more than a little. The text was perhaps Dean beginning to conjure up his grand idea. It would be interesting to hear what Mr. Howard thought about 12 Ne4, etc. An insight into Dean Howard’s chess thinking may be had by comparing the two possibilities; the text and its complicated, rather long, unsound and difficult to evaluate combination, and the shorter sequence beginning 12 Ne4, that can drop a pawn for the two Bishop advantage. I suspect Dean and I share the idea we can have success at the chess board if we make the game as difficult as possible for both sides because we are willing to put up with prolonged tension and many opponents are not.
12.… d5
13. a4 ….
For this move and the next Dean used over sixty minutes of clock time! While watching I could not fathom why.
13.… Qb8
Sells had played the opening slowly and apparently carefully as is his wont. However, the last few moves really began to highlight just how much time was flying. When he completed putting the Queen on b8, there were just thirty-three minutes of his time left for the rest of the game.
14. a5 …..
The logical continuation, maybe? I was still at sea. Even though the advance of the a-pawn to the fourth rank was not particularly cogent, White had done no lasting harm. The further advance to the fifth tosses a whole pawn in the pot and should have cued me something more was coming.
14.… Nxa5
15. Bxd5?! …..
And this is the result of a great deal of thought. My initial reaction was Dean must have found something bad in his set up and decided to risk everything on a roll of the dice. Trying hard I was not able to find what the supposed flaw might be. Phillip took many minutes to make a choice here. When he took the decision he was under ten minutes remaining. So, on one front Dean’s wager had paid off already with a 40 minute to ten minute time edge.
Most of the rest of the games had wrapped up by now and I was able to stay nearby the Howard - Sells table. Waiting for the next move gave plenty of time to work out the basis for this sacrifice. There are several advantages White accrues from giving up the Bishop; he prevents the Black King from castling leaving him wandering in the center, White’s lead in development, present before the “sac”, remains, and the open c & e-files are readily available to the White Rooks. For those general pluses White has invested a whole Bishop and a pawn. Is it worth it? According to the computer, no. The electronic beastie sees Black ahead by about 2 ½ pawns. The often quoted dictum of World Champion Tal applies here: “Minutes of play is not the same as hours of analysis.” As a decision made in the practical world of actual play, the decision to sacrifice has some justification.
Another interesting aspect of Dean’s bold adventure came up while writing this piece. If the Bxd5 move has practical merit, was the advance of the a-pawn preceding it necessary? The sacrifice on d5 could have been played without the pawn being given up on a5. It is possible that Dean was concerned that if Black’s Nc6 is not distracted to a5, Black could have returned the sacrificed piece by capturing on d4 with the Nc6 to emerge a solid pawn to the good and much less complexity in the position.
15.…. exd5
After long thought, Phillip takes the cleric. The alternative, 15..., Bc6; 16 Bxc6, just gives White a solid advantage in development with the initiative firmly in hand. That much is clear, so what was Sells mulling over? Probably the long think was to work out the details of handling the heavy pressure Dean bought with his material. On most of the occasions when Phillip invests a big chunk of time at a critical point in a game, he is rewarded with sufficient insight into the position to play very, very quickly through the remainder of the game. This time it didn’t quite go that way.
16. e6 Qxf4
17. exd7+ Kd8
Not taking the pawn on d7 doesn’t really help Black that much in riding out the White initiative. The material in Black’s pocket should be enough to do so, but Phillip’s clock now had just 6:24 on it. Dean’s time remaining was 41 minutes.
18. Ne5 Bd6
19. g3 Qf5
20. Re1 Bxe5
21. Rxe5 Qxd7
22. Qf3 Nc6
23. Rh5 …..
White wants just a moment respite to capture the pawn on d5 even at the cost of exchanging a minor piece in the belief the reduction of material will be offset by better access to the Black King.
23.… Nxd4
Black retains the his considerable advantage with this move, but removing even a small obstacle from lines pointing at the Black King helps White. Safer is 23..., Nb4; over protecting d5. Time: Sells - 1:32, Howard 12:00. I think Dean recognized his sacrifice was not correct. He used a lot of time trying to find anything that improved the activity of his pieces. Now there is a glimmer of something dangerous to Black on the c-file.
24. Qd1 g6??
The risk taking is rewarded. Phillip had just seconds left on his clock and he likely had not picked up on the dangers in the position. It is not the obvious recovering of material on d4 and h8 that is most important.
25. Qxd4 gxh5
26. Qxh8+ Kc7
27. Nb5#
Checkmate is the painful point.
A very entertaining performance by both players. More games later this weekend.
What happened this week to surprise and delight us? The plot thickened in the Championship Finals when Dean Howard thought long and deep about a piece sacrifice against Phillip Sells. The sacrifice may not have been sound, but it certainly was pretty. This time victory went to he who dares and Dean won the game. The result is Sells and Mockler are tied at 2-1. Dean Howard has the highest score recorded so far, 2 ½ 1 ½ since he played one more game than Sells and Mockler. It is always problematical making a statement about who is leading when unequal numbers of rounds are played. I lean towards counting lost points and see Phillip Sells and Michael Mockler at the top of the leader board.
In the other Finals game, Patrick Chi got on the winning path with a neat win from John Phillips. Patrick’s successive losses to Sells and Howard did not seem to have any lasting effect on our young tiger. He met John’s Benko with GM Har-Zvi’s prescription for White; get in a4, hold c4 and drop a Knight on b5. After that Mr. Chi began to probe on the K-side threatening to open the h-file. Mr. Phillips was not liking his position too much and thought to get counter-play with the standard …., e7-e6; move to break down White’s Pd5 bastion. A short sharp tactical melee let the White Queen get a bead on the Black King ending things quickly.
In the Consolation Swiss drama was more muted. Alan Le Cours won his game with Lee Battes in a QGA transposition. Lee got to a position where he was at some small disadvantage, nothing too serious but not entirely comfortable. There he miscalculated, played a standard QGA move; 15 …, c5; and the ensuing combination gave Le Cours a winning position. An interesting game in a rare kind of QGA.
Other results in Consolation were; David Connors won from Jeff Capitummino in King’s Indian Attack in 23 moves, Ray Alguire defeated Richard Chu, Cory Northrup won from Mike Stanley and Chen Qu won from George Dipre.
Next week will be a bye round in the Consolation Swiss to permit catching up on postponed games. In round robin events postponed games can be played off as convenient without pairing problems. Not so in a Swiss System tourney. Swiss pairings depend on like scores playing each other, and postponements have to be completed before the next round can be paired correctly.
Now to a game:
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date: 3/24/2010
White: Howard, D
Black: Sells, P
1. e4 c5
2. c3 Nf6
3. e5 Nd5
4. d4 cxd4
5. Nf3 ….
Much more common is 5 cxd4. We can find a good number of top flight GM’s, including Kasparov, who have played the position after 5 cxd4.
5.… e6
6. Bc4 …..
Some pretty good IM’s such as Motwani of Scotland and Lilac of England have used this move.
6.…. Nb6
The move 6.…, dxc3; did not work very well for GM Bellon, in Thessloniki, 1988. He took the c-pawn and then the b-pawn winding up a net two pawns to the good. Bellon’s pawns structure was full of weaknesses and his development lagging. The defects allowed his opponent to snag the Exchange, then one by one the weak pawns fell. Bellon lost in 44 moves. There are a few examples in the databases of players going greedy gobbling the offered pawns. Just about all end in wins for White.
Here the GM’s (Renet, Fillippov, Conquest, etc.) playing the Black side have, for the most part, used 6..., Nb6; 7 Bb3, d6; to arrive at a playable middle game. In this game Black develops a Knight to c6 before pushing the pawn to d6. This doesn’t change the general feel of the position much, if at all.
7. Bb3 Nc6
8. O-O d6
9. cxd4 Qc7
10. Nc3 a6
11. Bf4 ….
With some small transpositions in move order we reached a position mentioned in the literature of the Alapin Sicilian. According to the pundits and my computer the position favors White. By how much is open to debate. I don’t know how much of the play so far by both sides was home preparation or if they worked out details out over the board. Dean had used thirty minutes of his clock to reach this point in the game. Phillip used considerably more. Judging by time consumed, I would say Dean had some recollection of the line of play and Phillip less so.
11.… Bd7!?
An innovation? Usual according to the writers about the opening is 11..., d5.
12. Rc1 ….
White could have made the first truly aggressive change to the position with 12 Ne4, hitting hard at d6. Then 12..., d5; 13 Nd6+, Bxd6; 14 exd6, Qd8; and White has secured the Bishop pair. Black will find it not easy to lift the lone pawn on d6. After 12 Ne4, the game is beginning to favor White more than a little. The text was perhaps Dean beginning to conjure up his grand idea. It would be interesting to hear what Mr. Howard thought about 12 Ne4, etc. An insight into Dean Howard’s chess thinking may be had by comparing the two possibilities; the text and its complicated, rather long, unsound and difficult to evaluate combination, and the shorter sequence beginning 12 Ne4, that can drop a pawn for the two Bishop advantage. I suspect Dean and I share the idea we can have success at the chess board if we make the game as difficult as possible for both sides because we are willing to put up with prolonged tension and many opponents are not.
12.… d5
13. a4 ….
For this move and the next Dean used over sixty minutes of clock time! While watching I could not fathom why.
13.… Qb8
Sells had played the opening slowly and apparently carefully as is his wont. However, the last few moves really began to highlight just how much time was flying. When he completed putting the Queen on b8, there were just thirty-three minutes of his time left for the rest of the game.
14. a5 …..
The logical continuation, maybe? I was still at sea. Even though the advance of the a-pawn to the fourth rank was not particularly cogent, White had done no lasting harm. The further advance to the fifth tosses a whole pawn in the pot and should have cued me something more was coming.
14.… Nxa5
15. Bxd5?! …..
And this is the result of a great deal of thought. My initial reaction was Dean must have found something bad in his set up and decided to risk everything on a roll of the dice. Trying hard I was not able to find what the supposed flaw might be. Phillip took many minutes to make a choice here. When he took the decision he was under ten minutes remaining. So, on one front Dean’s wager had paid off already with a 40 minute to ten minute time edge.
Most of the rest of the games had wrapped up by now and I was able to stay nearby the Howard - Sells table. Waiting for the next move gave plenty of time to work out the basis for this sacrifice. There are several advantages White accrues from giving up the Bishop; he prevents the Black King from castling leaving him wandering in the center, White’s lead in development, present before the “sac”, remains, and the open c & e-files are readily available to the White Rooks. For those general pluses White has invested a whole Bishop and a pawn. Is it worth it? According to the computer, no. The electronic beastie sees Black ahead by about 2 ½ pawns. The often quoted dictum of World Champion Tal applies here: “Minutes of play is not the same as hours of analysis.” As a decision made in the practical world of actual play, the decision to sacrifice has some justification.
Another interesting aspect of Dean’s bold adventure came up while writing this piece. If the Bxd5 move has practical merit, was the advance of the a-pawn preceding it necessary? The sacrifice on d5 could have been played without the pawn being given up on a5. It is possible that Dean was concerned that if Black’s Nc6 is not distracted to a5, Black could have returned the sacrificed piece by capturing on d4 with the Nc6 to emerge a solid pawn to the good and much less complexity in the position.
15.…. exd5
After long thought, Phillip takes the cleric. The alternative, 15..., Bc6; 16 Bxc6, just gives White a solid advantage in development with the initiative firmly in hand. That much is clear, so what was Sells mulling over? Probably the long think was to work out the details of handling the heavy pressure Dean bought with his material. On most of the occasions when Phillip invests a big chunk of time at a critical point in a game, he is rewarded with sufficient insight into the position to play very, very quickly through the remainder of the game. This time it didn’t quite go that way.
16. e6 Qxf4
17. exd7+ Kd8
Not taking the pawn on d7 doesn’t really help Black that much in riding out the White initiative. The material in Black’s pocket should be enough to do so, but Phillip’s clock now had just 6:24 on it. Dean’s time remaining was 41 minutes.
18. Ne5 Bd6
19. g3 Qf5
20. Re1 Bxe5
21. Rxe5 Qxd7
22. Qf3 Nc6
23. Rh5 …..
White wants just a moment respite to capture the pawn on d5 even at the cost of exchanging a minor piece in the belief the reduction of material will be offset by better access to the Black King.
23.… Nxd4
Black retains the his considerable advantage with this move, but removing even a small obstacle from lines pointing at the Black King helps White. Safer is 23..., Nb4; over protecting d5. Time: Sells - 1:32, Howard 12:00. I think Dean recognized his sacrifice was not correct. He used a lot of time trying to find anything that improved the activity of his pieces. Now there is a glimmer of something dangerous to Black on the c-file.
24. Qd1 g6??
The risk taking is rewarded. Phillip had just seconds left on his clock and he likely had not picked up on the dangers in the position. It is not the obvious recovering of material on d4 and h8 that is most important.
25. Qxd4 gxh5
26. Qxh8+ Kc7
27. Nb5#
Checkmate is the painful point.
A very entertaining performance by both players. More games later this weekend.
3.25.2010
Another Game From Last Thursday
If you have not been following the Melody Amber tourney in Nice, it it over! Ivanchuk and Carlsen tied for first in this almost for fun event of Rapid and Blindfold games. Ivanchuk did it by not losing a single game in twenty-two rounds of play against the best in the world. In a contrasting style, Carlsen won thirteen out of twenty-two while losing six. There was some amazing chess demonstrated by all, including some errors in the blindfold portion that show even among the best human frailty is present.
A correction to my recent long post about the last round of the Consolation Swiss. John Barnes won his game against Alan Le Cours. It was not drawn as I mistakenly noted at the end of the game score. My apologies for poor proof reading.
Here is one more game from last Thursday. Jeff Capitummino, a Schenectady member who returned to competition thus year, takes on Ray Alguire, a long time Saratoga member who is expanding his chess horizons in recent years by playing Thursdays in Schenectady.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/18/2010
White: Capitummino, J
Black: Alguire, R
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 b5
4. cxb5 a6
5. b6 Qxb6
6. Nc3 g6
7. e4 d6
8. f4? ….
Quite an interesting choice of opening. I was not aware Ray had taken up the Benko. That cheers me for the Benko was a favorite of mine ’way back in the 1980’s. I don’t have a reason why I drifted away from it, a change of fashion maybe.
Up to this point Jeff has done fine. The game move, however, is just too loosening for White. His King will never find a truly secure home now. Standard is 8 Nf3, and castling.
8.… Bg4?!
Provoking exchanges when your opponent has compromised his King’s safety is not a good idea in general. If there is opportunity to attack the insecure King, trading material reduces forces that can be useful in the assault. Reasonable is 8.…, Bg7; getting on with development while waiting to see exactly where the chances lie.
9. Be2 Bxe2
10. Ngxe2 Bg7
11. Qc2 O-O
12. Rb1 a5
13. b3 Na6
14. a3 Rfb8?!
This is doubtful. White has been reluctant to castle, which understandable for the Black Queen and Knight on f6 look dangerous. Black seems to be following a prescription often quoted in books about the Benko; put both Rooks on the a & b-files and use the Rooks and the Bg7 to concentrate pressure on White’s Q-side. That is pretty true when White has accepted the a-pawn on move 5. When White does not grab that pawn, the single open file, as opposed to the two adjacent open files, is less powerful. This is mostly because it will take Black a couple moves to double his Rooks on the b-file giving White time to organize a defense there.
A more active and principled approach for Black is the plan beginning with 14..., e6’ threatening to open the e-file. White would have to play 15 dxe6; then he will have dangers coming at him down the f-file, from a possible expansion by Black in the center (…, d6-d5;), as well as some kind of switch to the b-file if the other threats don’t pan out.
15. Bd2 Nd7
16. Na4 Qc7
17. Bc3 Bxc3+
18. Qxc3 Nb6
Black is focused on the b-file plan without regard to exact facts on the board. In the Benko, Black has to be ready switch fire to targets of opportunity. The whole notion behind the idea of offering the Q-side pawns is to grab open lines. Open lines are exploited only with dynamic play. A key element of dynamics in chess is attacking simultaneously, or in rapid succession the opponent’s vulnerable points.
19. Nxb6 Qxb6
20. Kd2 Ra7
21. Rb2 a4
22. Rhb1 Rab7
23. Nc1 axb3
24. Rxb3 Qc7
25. Rxb7 Rxb7
26. Rxb7 Qxb7
27. Qb3 Qc7
The last few moves were more or less routine and leading to a drawn position. Neither side came up with something creative to upset the balance. White probably had to be satisfied with that because of the looseness he introduced to his formation early on. Ray, on the other hand may not have had enough experience in the opening variation to easily find creative alternatives.
28. Kd3 Nb8
29. Ne2 Nd7
30. Nc3 Nb6
31. Kc2 Qa7
32. Nb5 Qa6
33. Kd3?? ….
After conducting a very creditable middle game holding off a more highly rated opponent, Ray is rated over 1650 and Jeff is under 1300, Capitummino makes a hasty move losing on the spot.
33 White resigned before Black moved.
I liked Ray’s choice of an aggressive opening and think Jeff did a good job of meeting the opening surprise not withstanding a mistake on the 5th move. Even though Jeff lost the game, his play was very good through the middle of the game. Blunders happen to all chess players. As Boris Spassky said forty years ago; “Chess is a terribly negative game, we remember our losses far more than our victories.” Blunders make defeats even more painful. That is the fate of chess players, to seek out the rare thrill of playing better than our skill even at the cost of discouraging errors.
Another round tonight at Schenectady and more games soon.
A correction to my recent long post about the last round of the Consolation Swiss. John Barnes won his game against Alan Le Cours. It was not drawn as I mistakenly noted at the end of the game score. My apologies for poor proof reading.
Here is one more game from last Thursday. Jeff Capitummino, a Schenectady member who returned to competition thus year, takes on Ray Alguire, a long time Saratoga member who is expanding his chess horizons in recent years by playing Thursdays in Schenectady.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/18/2010
White: Capitummino, J
Black: Alguire, R
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 b5
4. cxb5 a6
5. b6 Qxb6
6. Nc3 g6
7. e4 d6
8. f4? ….
Quite an interesting choice of opening. I was not aware Ray had taken up the Benko. That cheers me for the Benko was a favorite of mine ’way back in the 1980’s. I don’t have a reason why I drifted away from it, a change of fashion maybe.
Up to this point Jeff has done fine. The game move, however, is just too loosening for White. His King will never find a truly secure home now. Standard is 8 Nf3, and castling.
8.… Bg4?!
Provoking exchanges when your opponent has compromised his King’s safety is not a good idea in general. If there is opportunity to attack the insecure King, trading material reduces forces that can be useful in the assault. Reasonable is 8.…, Bg7; getting on with development while waiting to see exactly where the chances lie.
9. Be2 Bxe2
10. Ngxe2 Bg7
11. Qc2 O-O
12. Rb1 a5
13. b3 Na6
14. a3 Rfb8?!
This is doubtful. White has been reluctant to castle, which understandable for the Black Queen and Knight on f6 look dangerous. Black seems to be following a prescription often quoted in books about the Benko; put both Rooks on the a & b-files and use the Rooks and the Bg7 to concentrate pressure on White’s Q-side. That is pretty true when White has accepted the a-pawn on move 5. When White does not grab that pawn, the single open file, as opposed to the two adjacent open files, is less powerful. This is mostly because it will take Black a couple moves to double his Rooks on the b-file giving White time to organize a defense there.
A more active and principled approach for Black is the plan beginning with 14..., e6’ threatening to open the e-file. White would have to play 15 dxe6; then he will have dangers coming at him down the f-file, from a possible expansion by Black in the center (…, d6-d5;), as well as some kind of switch to the b-file if the other threats don’t pan out.
15. Bd2 Nd7
16. Na4 Qc7
17. Bc3 Bxc3+
18. Qxc3 Nb6
Black is focused on the b-file plan without regard to exact facts on the board. In the Benko, Black has to be ready switch fire to targets of opportunity. The whole notion behind the idea of offering the Q-side pawns is to grab open lines. Open lines are exploited only with dynamic play. A key element of dynamics in chess is attacking simultaneously, or in rapid succession the opponent’s vulnerable points.
19. Nxb6 Qxb6
20. Kd2 Ra7
21. Rb2 a4
22. Rhb1 Rab7
23. Nc1 axb3
24. Rxb3 Qc7
25. Rxb7 Rxb7
26. Rxb7 Qxb7
27. Qb3 Qc7
The last few moves were more or less routine and leading to a drawn position. Neither side came up with something creative to upset the balance. White probably had to be satisfied with that because of the looseness he introduced to his formation early on. Ray, on the other hand may not have had enough experience in the opening variation to easily find creative alternatives.
28. Kd3 Nb8
29. Ne2 Nd7
30. Nc3 Nb6
31. Kc2 Qa7
32. Nb5 Qa6
33. Kd3?? ….
After conducting a very creditable middle game holding off a more highly rated opponent, Ray is rated over 1650 and Jeff is under 1300, Capitummino makes a hasty move losing on the spot.
33 White resigned before Black moved.
I liked Ray’s choice of an aggressive opening and think Jeff did a good job of meeting the opening surprise not withstanding a mistake on the 5th move. Even though Jeff lost the game, his play was very good through the middle of the game. Blunders happen to all chess players. As Boris Spassky said forty years ago; “Chess is a terribly negative game, we remember our losses far more than our victories.” Blunders make defeats even more painful. That is the fate of chess players, to seek out the rare thrill of playing better than our skill even at the cost of discouraging errors.
Another round tonight at Schenectady and more games soon.
3.23.2010
Just a tip
Check below my last post to see a nice crosstable of the Schenectady Finals Phil Sells put together.
Bill
Bill
3.22.2010
The Schenectady Chess Battles Continue
Warning, the Internet Chess Club is addictive. That is just a joke, but watching what used to be called the Melody Amber tournaments ate up my time over the weekend and contributed to the lateness of this news from Schenectady.
Thursday night chess in Schenectady continues apace. The Championship Finals and the Consolation Swiss are keeping everyone busy. A victory by Phil Sells over early leader Mike Mockler has tightened up the race in the Finals. John Phillips and Dean Howard played to a draw. Howard was in serious time trouble. This has become usual for him and maybe the most serious hurtle Dean has to overcome to improve his results. The third game scheduled, Chi - Rotter was postponed as a result of a death in Bobby Rotter’s family. The club members extend our sympathy to Bobby and his relatives.
The various postponements make getting a clear take on the standings difficult. Sells with two wins and no losses and Mockler with two wins and one loss are at the top of the leader board. The most rest of the field is bunched. Patrick Chi with one loss and two postponed games is trailing the pack.
After a start with a surprise or two the Consolation Swiss is beginning to sort itself out as Swiss tournaments are supposed to do so. For any readers who may not know the routine of Swiss events; the players are sorted by rating with the top half playing the lower half, then winners play winners and losers play losers. The ratings are used in the same fashion as in the first round to determine opponents in subsequent rounds; top half of a score group paired with the lower half. This process goes on for the number rounds decided before the tourney begins. The Consolation Swiss this year is for five rounds.
In the game of the greatest interest this week, Lee Battes faced Chen Qu. Lee is one of the “old Bull of the Woods” local players with more than forty years of chess battles in the Capital District behind him. Chen Qu is a rising star in the scholastic ranks with just a couple of years of experience. This time age and experienced won out over youth and talent in an educational Sicilian Defense.
Another Consolation game that riveting was the battle between John Barnes and Alan Le Cours. Barnes tried out the Blackmar-Deimer Gambit and had success demonstrating once more these lines that get no respect form the Grandmasters are very dangerous to us lesser lights.
One final bit of news, Richard Chu and I met once more. This time “Richard the Giant Killer” did not take the higher rated player to the cleaners. That is not to say he did not have chances to do so.
To begin showing some of games, here’s how Richard and I played;
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3-17-2010
White: Little, B
Black; Chu, R
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 g6
3. Bc4 Bg7
4. Nc3 e6
The Grandmaster Movsesian plays this way for White, so it can be said my idea is not without some merit. Of course not too many other of the top flight players like this sort of setup for White.
5. O-O Nc6
6. Re1 d6
Black should probably be aiming for d7-d5. More useful is 6..., Nge7
7. d3 Nge7
8. Be3 …..
Provocative. The cluster of White pieces in the center invites maybe some break in the center for Black. Better for White is 8 Bf4.
8.… Nd4
Black correctly decides not to open the ball with 8..., d5; for then 9 exd5, exd5; 10 Nxd5, Nxd5; 11 Bd4+!?, Kf8; 12 Bxc5+, and two pawns for the piece with the attack to boot seems good for White. Black could have kept some pressure on White with 8..., 0-0. The text permits White to have a small edge.
9. Bxd4? …..
Surrendering the Bishop pair is not so good. Better is 9 Bf4. Truly, I did not consider this better move.
9.…. cxd4
10. Ne2 Qb6
11. c3 Nc6
Richard again makes a second move with the second Knight. This move here, and the jump to d4 with a Knight on the 8th move are two tempi that could have been more usefully spent getting Black forces completely deployed. Castles, after 11..., dxc3; would have been natural.
12. Qb3 Qxb3
13. Bxb3 dxc3
14. bxc3 O-O
15. d4 Na5
16. Ba4 a6
17. Nd2 b5
18. Bc2 Nc4
19. Nxc4 bxc4
20. Rab1 d5
21. e5 …..
Here I had to face a choice that was difficult to make. The idea of 21 exd5, exd5; 22 Nf4, Rd8; 23 Nxd5, and playing the Bishop to e4 hitting both Black Rooks. White will get a pawn or two and have a Rook to fight against the Bishop pair. In theory White has full compensation and then some, but the two Bishops are a bit of a nightmare to keep under control. This especially true when the opposing pawns are not so solidly secured. Since I could not convince myself this path was best, the option of playing to maintain blocking the Bg7. From what my computer tells me the game becomes entirely level with this approach.
21.…. f6
22. f4 a5
23. Ba4 Ra7
24. g3 fxe5
25. fxe5 Bh6
26. Rf1 Bd7
Black could have been entirely safe with 26..., Be3+; and doubling Rooks on the f-file. If anything the Black game would be more promising than White’s chances in the B+B versus B+N endgame. In that case, White would have to be very accurate to hold the draw. After the slower text move, White breaks up the Bishop pair and gets a Rook to an active square. All this is not enough to claim a winning advantage, but the initiative is in White’s hands.
27. Rxf8+ Kxf8
28. Bxd7 Rxd7
29. Rb6 Be3+
30. Kg2 Rf7
31. Nf4 g5?
With visions of tactics around f2, Richard makes an error in calculation. He misses tricks the Knight can do on the squares e6, c7 and d5.
32. Nxe6+ Ke7?
Making things easier for me. With 32..., Ke8; the fight is not completely over even though White has the advantage. White would have to answer with 33 Rb8+, or 33 Rb2, either way White maintains a solid edge.
33. Nc7 Rf2+
34. Kh3 h5
35. Nxd5+ ….
This move was likely what Richard missed. The game is now over.
35.… Kd8
36. Nxe3 g4+
37. Kh4 Rxh2+
38. Kg5 Rxa2
39. Nxc4 Rc2
40. Rb3 a4
41. Ra3 Rg2
42. Rxa4 h4
43. gxh4 g3
44. Ne3 Rf2
45. Kg4 g2
46. Ra1 Ke7
47. Rg1 Rf8
48. Rxg2 Resigns
Another game from the Consolation Swiss was a clash between two of the contenders. Barnes and Le Cours both narrowly missed making it into the Finals and both are certainly possible winners of the Consolation event.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/17/2010"]
White: Barnes, J
Black: LeCours, A
1. d4 Nf6
2. Nc3 d5
3. e4 dxe4
4. f3 exf3
The Blackmar-Deimer Gambit. This is dangerous at the club level. The guys at the top in the world don’t seem to have much regard for the opening. The rest of us chess players have to worry about it - there are many attacking ideas for White.
5. Nxf3 g6
6. Bc4 Bg7
7. O-O O-O
8. Be3 Nbd7
9. Qd2 c6
Black might want to play 9..., Nb6; followed by 10..., Bg4; and later …, Bf5; if required. Playing this way gets the Black pieces out which may well help the defense of f7. It appears a main idea for White is a somewhat hidden pressure on f7.
10. Rae1 Nb6
11. Bd3 Be6
Alan foregoes trying to grab a second pawn with 11..., Ng5; then 12 Bg5, Bxd4+; netting a second pawn, but White has the Bishop pair giving him chances to fight back.
12. Bh6 Nc4
13. Bxc4 Bxc4
14. Ne2 Qb6
15. Bxg7 Kxg7
16. b3 Bxe2
17. Qxe2 Rfe8
While watching the game I thought this was a wrong Rook move. It reduces the defense of f7. The “electronic monster” does not see much difference between the Rook moves and rates the game as about level either way.
18. Qe5 Qb5
19. Qf4 Nh5
20. Qh4 f6
21. g4!? …..
John makes things complicated. 21 a4, is simpler and maybe safer.
21.…. Nf4
22. g5!? …..
Now going for even more complications yet, John must have determined to win this game.
22.… Ne2+?!
The game now begins to slip out of Alan’s control. Things are tense and sharp play is called for. I think 22..., fxg5!?; is a better attempt for Black. The underlying idea about trading on g4 is a fork by the Black Knight checking on h3. White, of course, will not likely fall in to that trap, but Black gets to use the time gained for counter-play. My guess is play would continue; 23 Qg4, Qb4; this is a very hard move to find, then 24 Nxg5, Qxd4+; 25 Kh1, e5; looks OK for Black. Another line is 24 Kh1, h6; 25 Nxg5, hxg5; 26 Qxg5, Qxd4; 27 Rxf4, Qxd5+; 28 Qxd5, cxd5; heading towards equality. With the text move Alan seems to have gotten things out of order in his calculation.
23. Kh1 fxg5
24. Qf2?! ….
John may have not found the exactly correct move order himself. Better is 24 Nxg5, Qd5+; 25 Nf3, then 25..., Nc3; is met be 26 Re5, leaving White clearly winning.
24.… g4
25. c4 Qh5?
This allows White to make something out of the risks Black has been taking over the last few moves. Better is 15..., Qf5; when Black retains the pawn as the last minor pieces are traded off. With all the heavy artillery left there is considerable fighting to be done, but a draw is quite probable.
26. Ne5 Nc3
Black now must be concerned. White has uncovered his long term target, the f7 square where danger now looms. An entry square near the King is bad enough, but also Black has to have some care that his Nc3 does not become surrounded and lost to say nothing of the weak pawn on e7 the guarding of which operates to reduce the possible activity of the Rooks. The only counter Black has is a rather primitive mating threat by advancing the g-pawn. That is not enough to save the day
27. Qf7+ ….
As time ran short, Barnes missed the winning shot: 27 Nf7!, clearing d5 for the White Rook and taking squares away from the Black King. If Black say tried 27..., g3; 28 Qxg3, Ne3; 29 Qf2, Nc3; 30 Rxe7!, and Black will lose big material and probably the game shortly.
Both players were now in serious time trouble. Barnes was at just about five minutes and Alan under four minutes. The game went on at a blitz pace to about move 60! There a draw was agreed. I was trying to record three games, all of which ran down to just seconds left on the clocks. This impossible task defeated my best efforts and ended with game scores that were unreadable. In the future I will restrict my efforts to a single game when time is short. These few more moves are all I have of the Barnes - Le Cours game.
27.…. Kh8
28. Qf2 Rf8
29. Nf7+ Rxf7
30. Qxf7 g3
31. Kg2 Qh4
½ - ½
SCC Ch Finals
Date: 3/17/2010
White: Mockler, M
Black: Sells, P
This contest will probably be crucial in the determination of this year’s title. It is another of the games where the clocks had very little time on them at the finish. In fact Mockler’s flag fell to end the play. Sells played extremely well when his clock had only moments remaining. This was the second time this year I was privileged to observe Phil do very good chess with a hanging flag. He pulled off a similar feat against Steve Taylor in the Saratoga Championship to win that title.
1. b3 e6
2. Bb2 Nf6
3. e3 c5
4. f4 Nc6
5. Nf3 Be7
A case of each side wanting to play their own favorite line. Phil likes certain formations of the Sicilian and Mike has a preference for the Bird’s. In this game they almost ignore each other putting the pieces where they want them.
6. Bd3?! …..
An experiment that Mockler will not repeat. His rational as explained was; the doubled pawns that show up soon give him an impressive pawn mass in the center, he picks up a tempo or two because Black spends time - three moves by the Knight to eliminate the Bd3, and White has space and lines bearing on the K-side where extra force can be massed for a direct attack. A very persuasive presentation of the case. The chess gods have put between our grand strategic ideas and marking a full point on the result sheet a sea of tactics and the opponent’s own schemes. We get to see Sells doing his best to cross these plans.
6.…. Nb4
7. O-O Nxd3
8. cxd3 b6
9. Nc3 Ba6
Touching the bruise. No bad thing to pressure the flaw in an opponent’s structure early.
10. Qc2 O-O
11. Ne5 Rc8
And putting a Rook opposite of the opponent’s Queen on a potentially open file is another good general notion.
12. e4 d6
13. Nf3 Nd7
14. Rae1 b5
15. Kh1? ….
Up to this point my computer sees the game as favoring White. Going over this game with GM Har-Zvi got a entirely opposite evaluation. After this move the computer begins liking Black. Both the computer and the Grandmaster disliked the text.
15.… Nb8!?
The natural move is 15.…, b4. Phil Sells may have not cared for the look of the resulting position. White has the a1-h8 diagonal pointing at Black’s King. The computer and the GM pointed out the sequence 15..., b4; 16 Nd1, f5; 17 exf5, Rxf5; 18 Rxe6, Rxf5; gives Black a significant edge. Alternatively, 18 g3, Rd5!?; also favors Black, but sticking a Rook out there in front of his pawns requires absolute precision in calculation. There are many ways such a Rook can fall victim to dangers. It may be these ideas caused Phil to look for some other way forward. This retreat seems to swing the evaluation of the position back favoring White.
16. Nd1 Nc6
17. Qb1 Qb6
18. Qa1 ….
White has achieved much of his idea. The Q+B battery on the long diagonal looks evil. Now if he can break open some lines, or get the Knights on threatening squares there just might be real attacking chances that will offset the weak d-pawn.
18.… f6
Simple and good. If White tries to make things happen with 19 e5, Black trades the f-pawn there and advances the d-pawn sealing the diagonal a1-h8. If such takes place the d3 weakling will need the help of a couple of White pieces to survive long. The likely guardians will be the Queen and a Knight, units that are better use when attacking. That fact signals the game tilting strongly in favor of Black.
19. d4 Nb4
My first thought was 19..., b4; is better. The computer encouraged my belief. However, playing it out uncovered White can get in d2-d4 leaving Black with the Bishop pair and a long fight to make them pay off. The game move applies pressure from another direction to deal with the Q+B battery.
20. Qb1 c4
21. Nf2 cxb3
22. axb3 Rc7
23. Re3 Rfc8
24. Rc3 d5
25. e5 …..
The fog of battle has swirled thickly over the last few moves. The GM was dismissive of White’s ideas up to here. The computer gave wildly swinging evaluations that when played out fell back towards equality. The try 25 f5?!,would challenge Black to find the right move. For example; 25 f5?!, exf5; looks unclear. While 25 f5?!, dxe4!; leads to a clear advantage for Black.
25.…. Nc6
Time was becoming a problem for Sells, Mockler had over 30 minutes on his clock. Phil;s move has some poison in it.
26. Rfc1? ….
With plenty of time available, Mockler makes an error. Better 26 exf6, 27 Re3, when White is working his way towards equality.
26... b4!
Getting the advantage on the c-file.
27. Rc5? ….
Better 27 Re3, and Black has an edge, but White can hold on perhaps. Throwing in the Exchange makes a material imbalance for no good end. Lesson from GM Har-Zvi; the best players only give up material if doing so activates your forces, prevents some greater loss (mate, etc.), or is part of a forcing sequence leading to an advantage. Here none of the criteria apply. The game is firmly in Black’s control from here to the end.
27.… fxe5
28. Nxe5 Bxc5
29. dxc5 Qb5
30. Nf3 Qe2
31. Ng4 Bd3
32. Qa1 Bf5
33. Ne3 Qd3
34. Ng5 Qxd2
Phil’s most difficult task was to somehow make many moves while Michael tried to stir up complications. Mockler’s efforts were strenuous so much so he ran his clock down to nothing and his flag fell. Another bravura performance by Sells with very little time left on the clock. Trying to “flag” Sells is a thankless task as Taylor and Mockler have now seen.
This next is a game that followed a more conventional path than the proceeding fight. This is one more game that used nearly all the time on the clocks. Lucky for me Bill Townsend dropped by the club at the opportune moment and took over recording the moves. We have a complete and, I think, an accurate game score.
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date: 3-18-2010
White; Phillips, J
Black: Howard, D
1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. e5 c5
4. Qg4 cxd4
5. Nf3 Nc6
6. Bd3 ….
White has played as some very good and adventurous GM’s such as Hector, Sveshnikov and Vasiukov have done. The early 4 Qg4, takes the game away from the usual lines seen locally in the Advanced French.
6.… g6
7. O-O Bg7
8. Re1 Nge7
9. Bg5 Qc7
10. Qf4 O-O
11. Bf6 Bxf6
12. Qxf6 Nf5
13. g4 Ng7
14. Qh4 Ne8
15. g5 Ng7
16. Nbd2 Nf5
17. Qf4 Kg7?
Dean misses a chance. Possible is 17..., f6!; and if 18 gxf6, Rxf6; and Black is equal. The text leaves in place the bind White has clamped on the dark squares on the K-side which gives White the initiative.
18. h4 ….
More normal is 18 Nb3, focusing on recovering the invested pawn. White must believe this task can be carried out at his leisure.
18.…. Rh8
Black is searching for ways to discourage White from capturing the Nf5 with his Bishop. Black will have to recapture with the g-pawn for otherwise he is left will ugly doubled d-pawns. After the recapture by the g-pawn, White has some access to the light square h6 to go along with the dark square bind. That may be the stuff of an direct attak on the Black King.
19. Kg2 Bd7
20. Nb3 Qb6
21. Bxf5 gxf5
22. Nbxd4 Nxd4
23. Qxd4 Qxd4
24. Nxd4 Rac8
Dean again forgoes a chance to make things a bit easier for himself by playing ..., h7-h6; somewhere along about here.
25. c3 Kg6
26. Kg3 a6
27. a4 Rc4
28. a5 Rhc8
29. f3 Ra4
30. Rxa4 Bxa4
31. Ne2 Bb5
32. Nf4+ Kg7
33. Nh5+ Kh8
34. Rd1 Bc4
35. Ra1 Bb5
36. Ra3 Rc4
37. Nf4 Bc6
38. h5 Bd7
39. Ne2 Kg7
Neither side has been able to find anything tricky and tactical to upset the balance. The eventual draw is beginning to take shape.
40. h6+ Kf8
41. Nd4 Bb5
42. Rb3 Rc5
Black could have taken a less complicated approach, kept his Bishop on d7 planning to defend b7 from c8 and used the time saved to move his King closer to the scene of action with …., Kf8-e7; in the previous series of moves.
43. Nxb5 axb5
The draw is now certain barring some terrible error in the time trouble Dean is facing.
44. f4 Ke7
45. Kf3 Kd7
46. Ke3 Kc6
47. Kd3 Kd7
48. Ke3 Kc6
49. Kd3 Rc4
50. Rb4 Rxb4
51. cxb4 Kc7
52. Kd4 Kc6
53. b3 b6
54. axb6 Kxb6
55. Kc3 Agreed draw.
There just was not enough difficulty in the position over the last several moves to strain Dean’s considerable fast chess skills.
Now for something completely different. In this game a young and rising player takeas a trip in the Sicilian Labyrinth, so named by the great Grandmaster Lyev Polugayevsky. Unless you are well schooled in the Sicilian, particularly the open variations (1 e4, c5; 2 Nf3, and 3 d4), trying it out with Lee Battes from either side of the board is risky. Lee has been playing, analyzing and exploring this opening for forty years. I lost rather badly a Sicilian to Lee in 1970 that convinced me so. Subsequently, I made great efforts not to play the open Sicilian against him. Chen Qu may have reached the same conclusion from this game.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/18/2010
White: Battes, L
Black: Qu, Chen
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. Be3 e6
7. f3 Be7
8. Qd2 Nbd7?
An error. The better move is 8..., Nc6; getting this piece to its natural post. The game move makes Black’s development slow. This is often fatal for Black in the Sicilian. While this opening can give Black excellent opportunities for active play, but it requires Black to be exact in his moves. Any slip will let a knowledgeable White player grab the advantage early.
9. g4 O-O
10. g5 Ne8
11. O-O-O Qc7
Nothing mysterious here. Black’s slow development scheme encouraged White to start the naturals action on the K-side. The game looks like many, many Sicilians play in local clubs.
12. h4 b5
13. Kb1 ….
Lee takes time to shift his King to a safer square. With the Knight on d7 instead of c6, this less critical than in some variations.
13.… Bb7
14. h5 Ne5
15. g6?! ….
Not completely accurate. It is possible something along the lines of 15 f4, would be more testing in the long run.
15.… hxg6
16. hxg6 Nxg6
17. Qh2 Nf6
Black pocketed the proffered pawn, and White has the open files aimed at the Black King he wanted.
18. Bd3 b4?
What looks like speed to attack can turn out to be slow in a critical sense. Here Black had to make a choice between a defensive move and an aggressive move. Here Black should playing 18..., Rfd8; making some room for his King to run away if needed. White now has a measurable edge.
19. Nce2 a5
Black is confident his actions on the Q-side offsets the dangers building on the opposite of the board. He is wrong as will soon be clear.
20. Nf4 Qd7?
Black had to try 20..., e5; to get some material for all the trouble that is coming down the K-side files. After the text, the end comes quickly.
21. Bb5?! ….
Lee must have been having an off day. The game move is likely good enough to win the game, but the principled move is 21 e5!!, when play could go 21..., dxe5; 22 Nxg6, fxg6; 23 Bxg6; and mate follows soon. Other tries for Black are not much better; there are just too many mating sequences all round the h-file.
21.… Qc8
22. Rdg1 ….
Another quick win comes from 22 Ndxe6. The Black Knights are oddly useless. If they move away say to trade themselves to reduce the attacking force, mate happens suddenly. Lee may have been lulled into complacency by Qu’s errors. He now makes some hasty ill-considered moves that could have cost him the point.
22.… e5
23. Nxg6 fxg6
24. Nc6? …..
The logical shot, 24 Rxg6, wins after 24.…, exd4; 25 Qh8+, Kf7; 26 Rxg7+, Ke6; 27 Qh3+, when the end comes in a move or two. The text gives Black a chance. White has an idea of using the h2-g8 diagonal to administer the mate. The notion is flawed.
24.… Bxc6
25. Bc4+ d5
26. exd5 Bxd5?
Qu must have seen a mirage. By playing 26.…, Bd7; the checking Bc4 is attacked by the Queen giving Black something to play for. White gets to make dangerous threats, but Black can hold just. Play could continue; 27 d6+, Qxc4; 28 dxe7, Rfc8; 29 Rxg6, Kf7; 30 Rhg1, Ne8; when the issue is not settled yet. The Black King appears exposed but the killing shot isn’t evident. What if White proceeds a bit more slowly after 26..., Bd7; with say 27 b3, defending the Bc4? Black then continues 27..., Bd6; 28 Rxg6, Kf7; 29 Rhg1, Rg8 and 30..., Qf8; when White holds the initiative for the price of a minor piece, but no immediate breakthrough looms. The natural tries here; 31 Bh6, which is met by 30..., gxh6; picking up one more piece and 31 Bc5, which leads to lots of tactics but no clear winning sequence, would give both players much to calculate. All of the foregoing is to illustrate the complicated situation on the board. Mirages happen when the battle heat is high. If Qu worked through lines similar to those cited, he can’t be faulted much for missing the simpler tactic overlooked. Now Lee sees and plays a neat little combination that mates.
27. Bxd5+ Nxd5
28. Qh7+ Kf7
29. Qxg6+ Resigns.
All in all, an interesting contest with entertaining points, and maybe a lesson or two for us club warriors.
More soon.
Thursday night chess in Schenectady continues apace. The Championship Finals and the Consolation Swiss are keeping everyone busy. A victory by Phil Sells over early leader Mike Mockler has tightened up the race in the Finals. John Phillips and Dean Howard played to a draw. Howard was in serious time trouble. This has become usual for him and maybe the most serious hurtle Dean has to overcome to improve his results. The third game scheduled, Chi - Rotter was postponed as a result of a death in Bobby Rotter’s family. The club members extend our sympathy to Bobby and his relatives.
The various postponements make getting a clear take on the standings difficult. Sells with two wins and no losses and Mockler with two wins and one loss are at the top of the leader board. The most rest of the field is bunched. Patrick Chi with one loss and two postponed games is trailing the pack.
After a start with a surprise or two the Consolation Swiss is beginning to sort itself out as Swiss tournaments are supposed to do so. For any readers who may not know the routine of Swiss events; the players are sorted by rating with the top half playing the lower half, then winners play winners and losers play losers. The ratings are used in the same fashion as in the first round to determine opponents in subsequent rounds; top half of a score group paired with the lower half. This process goes on for the number rounds decided before the tourney begins. The Consolation Swiss this year is for five rounds.
In the game of the greatest interest this week, Lee Battes faced Chen Qu. Lee is one of the “old Bull of the Woods” local players with more than forty years of chess battles in the Capital District behind him. Chen Qu is a rising star in the scholastic ranks with just a couple of years of experience. This time age and experienced won out over youth and talent in an educational Sicilian Defense.
Another Consolation game that riveting was the battle between John Barnes and Alan Le Cours. Barnes tried out the Blackmar-Deimer Gambit and had success demonstrating once more these lines that get no respect form the Grandmasters are very dangerous to us lesser lights.
One final bit of news, Richard Chu and I met once more. This time “Richard the Giant Killer” did not take the higher rated player to the cleaners. That is not to say he did not have chances to do so.
To begin showing some of games, here’s how Richard and I played;
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3-17-2010
White: Little, B
Black; Chu, R
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 g6
3. Bc4 Bg7
4. Nc3 e6
The Grandmaster Movsesian plays this way for White, so it can be said my idea is not without some merit. Of course not too many other of the top flight players like this sort of setup for White.
5. O-O Nc6
6. Re1 d6
Black should probably be aiming for d7-d5. More useful is 6..., Nge7
7. d3 Nge7
8. Be3 …..
Provocative. The cluster of White pieces in the center invites maybe some break in the center for Black. Better for White is 8 Bf4.
8.… Nd4
Black correctly decides not to open the ball with 8..., d5; for then 9 exd5, exd5; 10 Nxd5, Nxd5; 11 Bd4+!?, Kf8; 12 Bxc5+, and two pawns for the piece with the attack to boot seems good for White. Black could have kept some pressure on White with 8..., 0-0. The text permits White to have a small edge.
9. Bxd4? …..
Surrendering the Bishop pair is not so good. Better is 9 Bf4. Truly, I did not consider this better move.
9.…. cxd4
10. Ne2 Qb6
11. c3 Nc6
Richard again makes a second move with the second Knight. This move here, and the jump to d4 with a Knight on the 8th move are two tempi that could have been more usefully spent getting Black forces completely deployed. Castles, after 11..., dxc3; would have been natural.
12. Qb3 Qxb3
13. Bxb3 dxc3
14. bxc3 O-O
15. d4 Na5
16. Ba4 a6
17. Nd2 b5
18. Bc2 Nc4
19. Nxc4 bxc4
20. Rab1 d5
21. e5 …..
Here I had to face a choice that was difficult to make. The idea of 21 exd5, exd5; 22 Nf4, Rd8; 23 Nxd5, and playing the Bishop to e4 hitting both Black Rooks. White will get a pawn or two and have a Rook to fight against the Bishop pair. In theory White has full compensation and then some, but the two Bishops are a bit of a nightmare to keep under control. This especially true when the opposing pawns are not so solidly secured. Since I could not convince myself this path was best, the option of playing to maintain blocking the Bg7. From what my computer tells me the game becomes entirely level with this approach.
21.…. f6
22. f4 a5
23. Ba4 Ra7
24. g3 fxe5
25. fxe5 Bh6
26. Rf1 Bd7
Black could have been entirely safe with 26..., Be3+; and doubling Rooks on the f-file. If anything the Black game would be more promising than White’s chances in the B+B versus B+N endgame. In that case, White would have to be very accurate to hold the draw. After the slower text move, White breaks up the Bishop pair and gets a Rook to an active square. All this is not enough to claim a winning advantage, but the initiative is in White’s hands.
27. Rxf8+ Kxf8
28. Bxd7 Rxd7
29. Rb6 Be3+
30. Kg2 Rf7
31. Nf4 g5?
With visions of tactics around f2, Richard makes an error in calculation. He misses tricks the Knight can do on the squares e6, c7 and d5.
32. Nxe6+ Ke7?
Making things easier for me. With 32..., Ke8; the fight is not completely over even though White has the advantage. White would have to answer with 33 Rb8+, or 33 Rb2, either way White maintains a solid edge.
33. Nc7 Rf2+
34. Kh3 h5
35. Nxd5+ ….
This move was likely what Richard missed. The game is now over.
35.… Kd8
36. Nxe3 g4+
37. Kh4 Rxh2+
38. Kg5 Rxa2
39. Nxc4 Rc2
40. Rb3 a4
41. Ra3 Rg2
42. Rxa4 h4
43. gxh4 g3
44. Ne3 Rf2
45. Kg4 g2
46. Ra1 Ke7
47. Rg1 Rf8
48. Rxg2 Resigns
Another game from the Consolation Swiss was a clash between two of the contenders. Barnes and Le Cours both narrowly missed making it into the Finals and both are certainly possible winners of the Consolation event.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/17/2010"]
White: Barnes, J
Black: LeCours, A
1. d4 Nf6
2. Nc3 d5
3. e4 dxe4
4. f3 exf3
The Blackmar-Deimer Gambit. This is dangerous at the club level. The guys at the top in the world don’t seem to have much regard for the opening. The rest of us chess players have to worry about it - there are many attacking ideas for White.
5. Nxf3 g6
6. Bc4 Bg7
7. O-O O-O
8. Be3 Nbd7
9. Qd2 c6
Black might want to play 9..., Nb6; followed by 10..., Bg4; and later …, Bf5; if required. Playing this way gets the Black pieces out which may well help the defense of f7. It appears a main idea for White is a somewhat hidden pressure on f7.
10. Rae1 Nb6
11. Bd3 Be6
Alan foregoes trying to grab a second pawn with 11..., Ng5; then 12 Bg5, Bxd4+; netting a second pawn, but White has the Bishop pair giving him chances to fight back.
12. Bh6 Nc4
13. Bxc4 Bxc4
14. Ne2 Qb6
15. Bxg7 Kxg7
16. b3 Bxe2
17. Qxe2 Rfe8
While watching the game I thought this was a wrong Rook move. It reduces the defense of f7. The “electronic monster” does not see much difference between the Rook moves and rates the game as about level either way.
18. Qe5 Qb5
19. Qf4 Nh5
20. Qh4 f6
21. g4!? …..
John makes things complicated. 21 a4, is simpler and maybe safer.
21.…. Nf4
22. g5!? …..
Now going for even more complications yet, John must have determined to win this game.
22.… Ne2+?!
The game now begins to slip out of Alan’s control. Things are tense and sharp play is called for. I think 22..., fxg5!?; is a better attempt for Black. The underlying idea about trading on g4 is a fork by the Black Knight checking on h3. White, of course, will not likely fall in to that trap, but Black gets to use the time gained for counter-play. My guess is play would continue; 23 Qg4, Qb4; this is a very hard move to find, then 24 Nxg5, Qxd4+; 25 Kh1, e5; looks OK for Black. Another line is 24 Kh1, h6; 25 Nxg5, hxg5; 26 Qxg5, Qxd4; 27 Rxf4, Qxd5+; 28 Qxd5, cxd5; heading towards equality. With the text move Alan seems to have gotten things out of order in his calculation.
23. Kh1 fxg5
24. Qf2?! ….
John may have not found the exactly correct move order himself. Better is 24 Nxg5, Qd5+; 25 Nf3, then 25..., Nc3; is met be 26 Re5, leaving White clearly winning.
24.… g4
25. c4 Qh5?
This allows White to make something out of the risks Black has been taking over the last few moves. Better is 15..., Qf5; when Black retains the pawn as the last minor pieces are traded off. With all the heavy artillery left there is considerable fighting to be done, but a draw is quite probable.
26. Ne5 Nc3
Black now must be concerned. White has uncovered his long term target, the f7 square where danger now looms. An entry square near the King is bad enough, but also Black has to have some care that his Nc3 does not become surrounded and lost to say nothing of the weak pawn on e7 the guarding of which operates to reduce the possible activity of the Rooks. The only counter Black has is a rather primitive mating threat by advancing the g-pawn. That is not enough to save the day
27. Qf7+ ….
As time ran short, Barnes missed the winning shot: 27 Nf7!, clearing d5 for the White Rook and taking squares away from the Black King. If Black say tried 27..., g3; 28 Qxg3, Ne3; 29 Qf2, Nc3; 30 Rxe7!, and Black will lose big material and probably the game shortly.
Both players were now in serious time trouble. Barnes was at just about five minutes and Alan under four minutes. The game went on at a blitz pace to about move 60! There a draw was agreed. I was trying to record three games, all of which ran down to just seconds left on the clocks. This impossible task defeated my best efforts and ended with game scores that were unreadable. In the future I will restrict my efforts to a single game when time is short. These few more moves are all I have of the Barnes - Le Cours game.
27.…. Kh8
28. Qf2 Rf8
29. Nf7+ Rxf7
30. Qxf7 g3
31. Kg2 Qh4
½ - ½
SCC Ch Finals
Date: 3/17/2010
White: Mockler, M
Black: Sells, P
This contest will probably be crucial in the determination of this year’s title. It is another of the games where the clocks had very little time on them at the finish. In fact Mockler’s flag fell to end the play. Sells played extremely well when his clock had only moments remaining. This was the second time this year I was privileged to observe Phil do very good chess with a hanging flag. He pulled off a similar feat against Steve Taylor in the Saratoga Championship to win that title.
1. b3 e6
2. Bb2 Nf6
3. e3 c5
4. f4 Nc6
5. Nf3 Be7
A case of each side wanting to play their own favorite line. Phil likes certain formations of the Sicilian and Mike has a preference for the Bird’s. In this game they almost ignore each other putting the pieces where they want them.
6. Bd3?! …..
An experiment that Mockler will not repeat. His rational as explained was; the doubled pawns that show up soon give him an impressive pawn mass in the center, he picks up a tempo or two because Black spends time - three moves by the Knight to eliminate the Bd3, and White has space and lines bearing on the K-side where extra force can be massed for a direct attack. A very persuasive presentation of the case. The chess gods have put between our grand strategic ideas and marking a full point on the result sheet a sea of tactics and the opponent’s own schemes. We get to see Sells doing his best to cross these plans.
6.…. Nb4
7. O-O Nxd3
8. cxd3 b6
9. Nc3 Ba6
Touching the bruise. No bad thing to pressure the flaw in an opponent’s structure early.
10. Qc2 O-O
11. Ne5 Rc8
And putting a Rook opposite of the opponent’s Queen on a potentially open file is another good general notion.
12. e4 d6
13. Nf3 Nd7
14. Rae1 b5
15. Kh1? ….
Up to this point my computer sees the game as favoring White. Going over this game with GM Har-Zvi got a entirely opposite evaluation. After this move the computer begins liking Black. Both the computer and the Grandmaster disliked the text.
15.… Nb8!?
The natural move is 15.…, b4. Phil Sells may have not cared for the look of the resulting position. White has the a1-h8 diagonal pointing at Black’s King. The computer and the GM pointed out the sequence 15..., b4; 16 Nd1, f5; 17 exf5, Rxf5; 18 Rxe6, Rxf5; gives Black a significant edge. Alternatively, 18 g3, Rd5!?; also favors Black, but sticking a Rook out there in front of his pawns requires absolute precision in calculation. There are many ways such a Rook can fall victim to dangers. It may be these ideas caused Phil to look for some other way forward. This retreat seems to swing the evaluation of the position back favoring White.
16. Nd1 Nc6
17. Qb1 Qb6
18. Qa1 ….
White has achieved much of his idea. The Q+B battery on the long diagonal looks evil. Now if he can break open some lines, or get the Knights on threatening squares there just might be real attacking chances that will offset the weak d-pawn.
18.… f6
Simple and good. If White tries to make things happen with 19 e5, Black trades the f-pawn there and advances the d-pawn sealing the diagonal a1-h8. If such takes place the d3 weakling will need the help of a couple of White pieces to survive long. The likely guardians will be the Queen and a Knight, units that are better use when attacking. That fact signals the game tilting strongly in favor of Black.
19. d4 Nb4
My first thought was 19..., b4; is better. The computer encouraged my belief. However, playing it out uncovered White can get in d2-d4 leaving Black with the Bishop pair and a long fight to make them pay off. The game move applies pressure from another direction to deal with the Q+B battery.
20. Qb1 c4
21. Nf2 cxb3
22. axb3 Rc7
23. Re3 Rfc8
24. Rc3 d5
25. e5 …..
The fog of battle has swirled thickly over the last few moves. The GM was dismissive of White’s ideas up to here. The computer gave wildly swinging evaluations that when played out fell back towards equality. The try 25 f5?!,would challenge Black to find the right move. For example; 25 f5?!, exf5; looks unclear. While 25 f5?!, dxe4!; leads to a clear advantage for Black.
25.…. Nc6
Time was becoming a problem for Sells, Mockler had over 30 minutes on his clock. Phil;s move has some poison in it.
26. Rfc1? ….
With plenty of time available, Mockler makes an error. Better 26 exf6, 27 Re3, when White is working his way towards equality.
26... b4!
Getting the advantage on the c-file.
27. Rc5? ….
Better 27 Re3, and Black has an edge, but White can hold on perhaps. Throwing in the Exchange makes a material imbalance for no good end. Lesson from GM Har-Zvi; the best players only give up material if doing so activates your forces, prevents some greater loss (mate, etc.), or is part of a forcing sequence leading to an advantage. Here none of the criteria apply. The game is firmly in Black’s control from here to the end.
27.… fxe5
28. Nxe5 Bxc5
29. dxc5 Qb5
30. Nf3 Qe2
31. Ng4 Bd3
32. Qa1 Bf5
33. Ne3 Qd3
34. Ng5 Qxd2
Phil’s most difficult task was to somehow make many moves while Michael tried to stir up complications. Mockler’s efforts were strenuous so much so he ran his clock down to nothing and his flag fell. Another bravura performance by Sells with very little time left on the clock. Trying to “flag” Sells is a thankless task as Taylor and Mockler have now seen.
This next is a game that followed a more conventional path than the proceeding fight. This is one more game that used nearly all the time on the clocks. Lucky for me Bill Townsend dropped by the club at the opportune moment and took over recording the moves. We have a complete and, I think, an accurate game score.
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date: 3-18-2010
White; Phillips, J
Black: Howard, D
1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. e5 c5
4. Qg4 cxd4
5. Nf3 Nc6
6. Bd3 ….
White has played as some very good and adventurous GM’s such as Hector, Sveshnikov and Vasiukov have done. The early 4 Qg4, takes the game away from the usual lines seen locally in the Advanced French.
6.… g6
7. O-O Bg7
8. Re1 Nge7
9. Bg5 Qc7
10. Qf4 O-O
11. Bf6 Bxf6
12. Qxf6 Nf5
13. g4 Ng7
14. Qh4 Ne8
15. g5 Ng7
16. Nbd2 Nf5
17. Qf4 Kg7?
Dean misses a chance. Possible is 17..., f6!; and if 18 gxf6, Rxf6; and Black is equal. The text leaves in place the bind White has clamped on the dark squares on the K-side which gives White the initiative.
18. h4 ….
More normal is 18 Nb3, focusing on recovering the invested pawn. White must believe this task can be carried out at his leisure.
18.…. Rh8
Black is searching for ways to discourage White from capturing the Nf5 with his Bishop. Black will have to recapture with the g-pawn for otherwise he is left will ugly doubled d-pawns. After the recapture by the g-pawn, White has some access to the light square h6 to go along with the dark square bind. That may be the stuff of an direct attak on the Black King.
19. Kg2 Bd7
20. Nb3 Qb6
21. Bxf5 gxf5
22. Nbxd4 Nxd4
23. Qxd4 Qxd4
24. Nxd4 Rac8
Dean again forgoes a chance to make things a bit easier for himself by playing ..., h7-h6; somewhere along about here.
25. c3 Kg6
26. Kg3 a6
27. a4 Rc4
28. a5 Rhc8
29. f3 Ra4
30. Rxa4 Bxa4
31. Ne2 Bb5
32. Nf4+ Kg7
33. Nh5+ Kh8
34. Rd1 Bc4
35. Ra1 Bb5
36. Ra3 Rc4
37. Nf4 Bc6
38. h5 Bd7
39. Ne2 Kg7
Neither side has been able to find anything tricky and tactical to upset the balance. The eventual draw is beginning to take shape.
40. h6+ Kf8
41. Nd4 Bb5
42. Rb3 Rc5
Black could have taken a less complicated approach, kept his Bishop on d7 planning to defend b7 from c8 and used the time saved to move his King closer to the scene of action with …., Kf8-e7; in the previous series of moves.
43. Nxb5 axb5
The draw is now certain barring some terrible error in the time trouble Dean is facing.
44. f4 Ke7
45. Kf3 Kd7
46. Ke3 Kc6
47. Kd3 Kd7
48. Ke3 Kc6
49. Kd3 Rc4
50. Rb4 Rxb4
51. cxb4 Kc7
52. Kd4 Kc6
53. b3 b6
54. axb6 Kxb6
55. Kc3 Agreed draw.
There just was not enough difficulty in the position over the last several moves to strain Dean’s considerable fast chess skills.
Now for something completely different. In this game a young and rising player takeas a trip in the Sicilian Labyrinth, so named by the great Grandmaster Lyev Polugayevsky. Unless you are well schooled in the Sicilian, particularly the open variations (1 e4, c5; 2 Nf3, and 3 d4), trying it out with Lee Battes from either side of the board is risky. Lee has been playing, analyzing and exploring this opening for forty years. I lost rather badly a Sicilian to Lee in 1970 that convinced me so. Subsequently, I made great efforts not to play the open Sicilian against him. Chen Qu may have reached the same conclusion from this game.
Consolation Swiss
Date: 3/18/2010
White: Battes, L
Black: Qu, Chen
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. Be3 e6
7. f3 Be7
8. Qd2 Nbd7?
An error. The better move is 8..., Nc6; getting this piece to its natural post. The game move makes Black’s development slow. This is often fatal for Black in the Sicilian. While this opening can give Black excellent opportunities for active play, but it requires Black to be exact in his moves. Any slip will let a knowledgeable White player grab the advantage early.
9. g4 O-O
10. g5 Ne8
11. O-O-O Qc7
Nothing mysterious here. Black’s slow development scheme encouraged White to start the naturals action on the K-side. The game looks like many, many Sicilians play in local clubs.
12. h4 b5
13. Kb1 ….
Lee takes time to shift his King to a safer square. With the Knight on d7 instead of c6, this less critical than in some variations.
13.… Bb7
14. h5 Ne5
15. g6?! ….
Not completely accurate. It is possible something along the lines of 15 f4, would be more testing in the long run.
15.… hxg6
16. hxg6 Nxg6
17. Qh2 Nf6
Black pocketed the proffered pawn, and White has the open files aimed at the Black King he wanted.
18. Bd3 b4?
What looks like speed to attack can turn out to be slow in a critical sense. Here Black had to make a choice between a defensive move and an aggressive move. Here Black should playing 18..., Rfd8; making some room for his King to run away if needed. White now has a measurable edge.
19. Nce2 a5
Black is confident his actions on the Q-side offsets the dangers building on the opposite of the board. He is wrong as will soon be clear.
20. Nf4 Qd7?
Black had to try 20..., e5; to get some material for all the trouble that is coming down the K-side files. After the text, the end comes quickly.
21. Bb5?! ….
Lee must have been having an off day. The game move is likely good enough to win the game, but the principled move is 21 e5!!, when play could go 21..., dxe5; 22 Nxg6, fxg6; 23 Bxg6; and mate follows soon. Other tries for Black are not much better; there are just too many mating sequences all round the h-file.
21.… Qc8
22. Rdg1 ….
Another quick win comes from 22 Ndxe6. The Black Knights are oddly useless. If they move away say to trade themselves to reduce the attacking force, mate happens suddenly. Lee may have been lulled into complacency by Qu’s errors. He now makes some hasty ill-considered moves that could have cost him the point.
22.… e5
23. Nxg6 fxg6
24. Nc6? …..
The logical shot, 24 Rxg6, wins after 24.…, exd4; 25 Qh8+, Kf7; 26 Rxg7+, Ke6; 27 Qh3+, when the end comes in a move or two. The text gives Black a chance. White has an idea of using the h2-g8 diagonal to administer the mate. The notion is flawed.
24.… Bxc6
25. Bc4+ d5
26. exd5 Bxd5?
Qu must have seen a mirage. By playing 26.…, Bd7; the checking Bc4 is attacked by the Queen giving Black something to play for. White gets to make dangerous threats, but Black can hold just. Play could continue; 27 d6+, Qxc4; 28 dxe7, Rfc8; 29 Rxg6, Kf7; 30 Rhg1, Ne8; when the issue is not settled yet. The Black King appears exposed but the killing shot isn’t evident. What if White proceeds a bit more slowly after 26..., Bd7; with say 27 b3, defending the Bc4? Black then continues 27..., Bd6; 28 Rxg6, Kf7; 29 Rhg1, Rg8 and 30..., Qf8; when White holds the initiative for the price of a minor piece, but no immediate breakthrough looms. The natural tries here; 31 Bh6, which is met by 30..., gxh6; picking up one more piece and 31 Bc5, which leads to lots of tactics but no clear winning sequence, would give both players much to calculate. All of the foregoing is to illustrate the complicated situation on the board. Mirages happen when the battle heat is high. If Qu worked through lines similar to those cited, he can’t be faulted much for missing the simpler tactic overlooked. Now Lee sees and plays a neat little combination that mates.
27. Bxd5+ Nxd5
28. Qh7+ Kf7
29. Qxg6+ Resigns.
All in all, an interesting contest with entertaining points, and maybe a lesson or two for us club warriors.
More soon.
3.21.2010
2009-10 Schenectady CC Championship
Hello there, all you readers.
This is a little update to summarize some of what Bill will presumably be discussing in his next post here. I discovered that the HTML crosstable output from ChessBase is actually of reasonable quality, and thought I'd put up the current crosstable of the Schenectady Chess Club championship finals as an exercise. Hopefully this will be an encouragement to others to use such a tool when posting tournament crosstables, as ChessBase or other such programs take some of the extra work out of formatting a complete table of results--you don't have to total up people's scores by hand, for example, risking an embarrassing error in arithmetic, or go back and forth making sure that a "1" in the box for a given game on one side of the crosstable really does have a corresponding "0" on the other side for the opponent.
I'm not quite sure yet how to control the font size in a table like this. Maybe once a tournament gets to a certain size, the crosstable becomes too wide to post without shrinking the text. Length isn't so much of a concern--adding more rows should be fine and not impair readability.
Anyway, here's your update for the moment. Bill Little is probably coming along with the games from last week.
This is a little update to summarize some of what Bill will presumably be discussing in his next post here. I discovered that the HTML crosstable output from ChessBase is actually of reasonable quality, and thought I'd put up the current crosstable of the Schenectady Chess Club championship finals as an exercise. Hopefully this will be an encouragement to others to use such a tool when posting tournament crosstables, as ChessBase or other such programs take some of the extra work out of formatting a complete table of results--you don't have to total up people's scores by hand, for example, risking an embarrassing error in arithmetic, or go back and forth making sure that a "1" in the box for a given game on one side of the crosstable really does have a corresponding "0" on the other side for the opponent.
I'm not quite sure yet how to control the font size in a table like this. Maybe once a tournament gets to a certain size, the crosstable becomes too wide to post without shrinking the text. Length isn't so much of a concern--adding more rows should be fine and not impair readability.
Anyway, here's your update for the moment. Bill Little is probably coming along with the games from last week.
Schenectady CC Ch finals 2009-10
| 1 | Mockler, Mike | 1917 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 / 3 | |||
| 2 | Sells, Philip | 1986 | 1 |
| 1 | 2.0 / 2 | ||||
| 3 | Phillips, John | 1883 | 0 |
| ½ | 1 | 1.5 / 3 | |||
| 4 | Howard, Dean | 2000 | 0 | ½ |
| 1 | 1.5 / 3 | |||
| 5 | Chi, Patrick | 1978 | 0 | 0 |
| 0.0 / 2 | ||||
| 6 | Rotter, Bobby | 1930 | 0 |
| 0.0 / 1 |
Generated with ChessBase 8.0
3.17.2010
Come to wish Ronen "bon voyage!"
Grandmaster Ronen Har-Zvi, Heather and Aaron are moving out of the area. :( While we are sad that they are moving away, we are happy for Ronen and his family as he takes up a chess coaching assignment at a prestigious University in Texas that is big on chess. Our loss is Brownsville's gain!? So, we are organizing a farewell time on March 19 (Friday) from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Proctors in Schenectady is willing to let us use their premises to host the "Farewell Party!" It will be in their Education Center.
It will follow right after the regular Chess in the Chess Center activity that goes on from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Please block the date and time for our farewell to the Har-Zvi's. There will be some food during the farewell party!
Ronen has been very gracious to us in promoting chess in the Capital District. His presence and promotion of chess at Proctors, at local Chess Clubs, and at the Albany Tulip Festival is remembered with extreme gratitude. I am sure all lovers of chess in the Capital District have been blessed with his passionate promotion of chess.
Please RSVP by writing to Ashok Aaron at or by calling (518) 370-5024. Any questions or ideas, do not hesitate to contact me.
We would appreciate your presence in this time of saying goodbyes to the Har-Zvi family.
Ashok Aaron and Phil Ferguson
It will follow right after the regular Chess in the Chess Center activity that goes on from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Please block the date and time for our farewell to the Har-Zvi's. There will be some food during the farewell party!
Ronen has been very gracious to us in promoting chess in the Capital District. His presence and promotion of chess at Proctors, at local Chess Clubs, and at the Albany Tulip Festival is remembered with extreme gratitude. I am sure all lovers of chess in the Capital District have been blessed with his passionate promotion of chess.
Please RSVP by writing to Ashok Aaron at or by calling (518) 370-5024. Any questions or ideas, do not hesitate to contact me.
We would appreciate your presence in this time of saying goodbyes to the Har-Zvi family.
Ashok Aaron and Phil Ferguson
3.12.2010
One More Thursday Night at Schenectady
Thursday night has meant chess for me for most of the last sixty years. Yesterday was one more in a long string, and it was very interesting evening at that. The two events going on at the Schenectady Club are the Finals of the Championship and the Consolation Swiss. There was action in both.
The Finals had two games played, Sells versus Rotter was postponed due to a work conflict. In the Phillips - Mockler game, John Phillips rolled out the Staunton Gambit weapon he seems to have prepared for any and all who venture the Dutch Defense this year. Phillips went for an unsound sacrifice on move 18. Mr. Mockler managed to pick his way through the tactics and carried off the full point. John is now 0 for 2 in the Championship with this opening, but it must be said both games were certainly full of interest and excitement.
Howard - Chi was a game in the classic mold, a Ruy Lopex, Exchange Variation. Dean picked a second best move on the 8th turn and Patrick appeared to have chances. Howard worked diligently in the middle game to maintain some control. The effort paid off. Patrick lost patience in the Knight versus Bishop ending, made a miss-calculation and lost the game. Fatigue may have had a role in Chi’s error. This game was the last to finish, well after eleven o’clock.
Mike Mockler has broken into the lead with his two wins posing a question to Phil Sells, can he keep pace? Patrick Chi has fallen to the bottom of the table with two losses, and everyone else is kind of in the middle. In such a short tournament a pair of wins or losses make a large difference in the final standings.
SCC Finals 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Phillips, J
Black: Mockler, M
[ECO "A83"]
1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nc6 5. Bb5 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bb3 b4 8.
Nd5 Bb7 9. f3 Na5 10. Nf4 Nxb3 11. axb3 g6 12. Qe2 Bg7 13. O-O-O a5 14. Bxf6 exf3 15. Nxf3 Bxf6 16. h4 a4 17. Qd3 axb3 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Qxg6+ Kf8 20. Ne5 Qe8 21. cxb3 Ra6 22. Qf5 Rg8 23. Nxd7+ Kg7 24. Nc5 Bc8 25. Qe4 Ra1+ 26. Kc2 Rxd1 27. Kxd1 Qh5+ 28. Kd2 Rd8 29. g4 Qxc5 0-1
SCC Finals 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Howard, D
Black: Chi, P
[ECO "C69"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8. Nf3 Qxd1 9. Rxd1 Bd6 10. Be3 Ne7 11. Nc3 b6 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 Bg4 14. Re1 O-O-O 15. c4 Rde8 16. Nh4 Be5 17. h3 Bd7 18. Re2 Bd4 19. Rae1 Re4 20. Bxd4 Rxd4 21. Re4 Rxe4 22. Rxe4 Re8 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24. f4 Kd7 25. Kf2 g5 26. fxg5 fxg5 27. Nf3 h6 28. Kg3 Ke7 29. h4 Kf6 30. hxg5+ hxg5 31. Kf2 Bg6 32. Ke3 Bb1 33. a3 Kf5 34. Nd2 Bc2 35. b4 cxb4 36. axb4 a5 37. bxa5 bxa5 38. Nf3 Ba4 39. Nd4+ Kf6 40. Ne6 c6 41. Nc5 cxd5 42. Nxa4 dxc4 43. g4 Kf7 44. Nc3 Kf6 45. Kd4 Ke6 46. Ke4 Kf6 47. Kd5 Kf7 48. Ke5 Kg6 49. Kd4 1-0
The first round of the Consolation Swiss was completed. The late entrants played their games and provided a pair of upset results: Alguire - Battes ended in a draw, something of a surprise, but not too shocking. Ray Alguire has been taking lessons from Lee Battes for some long while. Ray’s rating has been moving upwards. He is at 1663, so getting a draw from an Expert is not improbable at all. Working together as they have done plays a part also. Lee is a good teacher, and no doubt, gives his students insight into how he thinks about positions. Such knowledge is of great help to an opponent.
In the other Consolation game, Jeff Capitummino at 1273 held Chen Qu, the up and coming scholastic player with a rating in the mid-1700s to a draw. After not unreasonable opening play by both contestants, some doubtful maneuvering marred the middle game, again for both. Jeff had the less pleasant position in the middle game, and then played with considerable energy taking large risks to obtain counter-play. His notion of trading a Knight for three pawns may not be completely sound, but it was enough to obtain the agreement to a draw.
SCC Consolation Swiss 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Alguire, R
Black: Battes, L
[ECO "B92"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. O-O Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Kh1 b5 11. a3 Qc7 12. f4 Nbd7 13. f5 Bc4 14. Rg1 Rac8 15. g4 Qb7 16. Bf3 d5 17. exd5 e4 18. Nxe4 Nxd5 19. Bf2 Ne5 20. Bg2 Qd7 21. h3 Bxb3 22. cxb3 Rfd8 23. Rc1 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Nd3 25. Qd2 N5f4 26. Bg3 Nxg2 27. Qxg2 Qd4 28. Nc3 b4 29. axb4 Qxb4 30. Qc2 Nc5 31. Rd1 Qxb3 32. Rxd8+ Bxd8 33. Qxb3 Nxb3 34. Bd6 Nd2 35. b4 Nc4 36. Bc5 Bg5 37. b5 axb5 1/2-1/2
Consolation Swiss 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Capitummino, J
Black: Qu, Chen
[ECO "C20"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Qb3 Bc8 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. e3 Na5 9. Qc2 a6 10. Bd3 Bg4 11. Be2 Rc8 12. Ne5 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 e6 14. O-O Bb4 15. Rac1 O-O 16. Rc2 Bxc3 17. Rxc3 Rxc3 18. bxc3 b5 19. Bg5 Re8 20. Ng4 Nc4 21. Rd1 Nd6 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Nh6+ Kf8 24. Ng4 h5 25. Nh6 Kg7 26. Qxh5 Rh8 27. Nxf7 Nxf7 28. Qg4+ Kf8 29. Qxe6 Qd6 30. Qc8+ Kg7 31. Qg4+ Kf8 32. Qc8+ Ke7 33. Qb7+ Ke6 34. h3 Rb8 35. Qa7 Qb6 36. Qxb6+ Rxb6 37. h4 Rc6 38. Rd3 Nd6 39. f3 Nf5 40. h5 Ng3 41. h6 Kf7 42. Kf2 Nf5 43. e4 Nxh6 44. exd5 Rd6 45. g4 Rxd5 46. Kg3 Rg5 47. Kf2 Ke6 48. Ke2 Kd5 49. Re3 Kc4 50. Re6 Ng8 51. Rc6+
Kd5 52. Rxa6 Kc4 53. Rc6+ 1/2-1/2
I have in hand a nice win by Patrick Chi from a recent scholastic event. If luck holds I will get it published here over the weekend.
The Finals had two games played, Sells versus Rotter was postponed due to a work conflict. In the Phillips - Mockler game, John Phillips rolled out the Staunton Gambit weapon he seems to have prepared for any and all who venture the Dutch Defense this year. Phillips went for an unsound sacrifice on move 18. Mr. Mockler managed to pick his way through the tactics and carried off the full point. John is now 0 for 2 in the Championship with this opening, but it must be said both games were certainly full of interest and excitement.
Howard - Chi was a game in the classic mold, a Ruy Lopex, Exchange Variation. Dean picked a second best move on the 8th turn and Patrick appeared to have chances. Howard worked diligently in the middle game to maintain some control. The effort paid off. Patrick lost patience in the Knight versus Bishop ending, made a miss-calculation and lost the game. Fatigue may have had a role in Chi’s error. This game was the last to finish, well after eleven o’clock.
Mike Mockler has broken into the lead with his two wins posing a question to Phil Sells, can he keep pace? Patrick Chi has fallen to the bottom of the table with two losses, and everyone else is kind of in the middle. In such a short tournament a pair of wins or losses make a large difference in the final standings.
SCC Finals 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Phillips, J
Black: Mockler, M
[ECO "A83"]
1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nc6 5. Bb5 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bb3 b4 8.
Nd5 Bb7 9. f3 Na5 10. Nf4 Nxb3 11. axb3 g6 12. Qe2 Bg7 13. O-O-O a5 14. Bxf6 exf3 15. Nxf3 Bxf6 16. h4 a4 17. Qd3 axb3 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Qxg6+ Kf8 20. Ne5 Qe8 21. cxb3 Ra6 22. Qf5 Rg8 23. Nxd7+ Kg7 24. Nc5 Bc8 25. Qe4 Ra1+ 26. Kc2 Rxd1 27. Kxd1 Qh5+ 28. Kd2 Rd8 29. g4 Qxc5 0-1
SCC Finals 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Howard, D
Black: Chi, P
[ECO "C69"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8. Nf3 Qxd1 9. Rxd1 Bd6 10. Be3 Ne7 11. Nc3 b6 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 Bg4 14. Re1 O-O-O 15. c4 Rde8 16. Nh4 Be5 17. h3 Bd7 18. Re2 Bd4 19. Rae1 Re4 20. Bxd4 Rxd4 21. Re4 Rxe4 22. Rxe4 Re8 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24. f4 Kd7 25. Kf2 g5 26. fxg5 fxg5 27. Nf3 h6 28. Kg3 Ke7 29. h4 Kf6 30. hxg5+ hxg5 31. Kf2 Bg6 32. Ke3 Bb1 33. a3 Kf5 34. Nd2 Bc2 35. b4 cxb4 36. axb4 a5 37. bxa5 bxa5 38. Nf3 Ba4 39. Nd4+ Kf6 40. Ne6 c6 41. Nc5 cxd5 42. Nxa4 dxc4 43. g4 Kf7 44. Nc3 Kf6 45. Kd4 Ke6 46. Ke4 Kf6 47. Kd5 Kf7 48. Ke5 Kg6 49. Kd4 1-0
The first round of the Consolation Swiss was completed. The late entrants played their games and provided a pair of upset results: Alguire - Battes ended in a draw, something of a surprise, but not too shocking. Ray Alguire has been taking lessons from Lee Battes for some long while. Ray’s rating has been moving upwards. He is at 1663, so getting a draw from an Expert is not improbable at all. Working together as they have done plays a part also. Lee is a good teacher, and no doubt, gives his students insight into how he thinks about positions. Such knowledge is of great help to an opponent.
In the other Consolation game, Jeff Capitummino at 1273 held Chen Qu, the up and coming scholastic player with a rating in the mid-1700s to a draw. After not unreasonable opening play by both contestants, some doubtful maneuvering marred the middle game, again for both. Jeff had the less pleasant position in the middle game, and then played with considerable energy taking large risks to obtain counter-play. His notion of trading a Knight for three pawns may not be completely sound, but it was enough to obtain the agreement to a draw.
SCC Consolation Swiss 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Alguire, R
Black: Battes, L
[ECO "B92"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. O-O Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Kh1 b5 11. a3 Qc7 12. f4 Nbd7 13. f5 Bc4 14. Rg1 Rac8 15. g4 Qb7 16. Bf3 d5 17. exd5 e4 18. Nxe4 Nxd5 19. Bf2 Ne5 20. Bg2 Qd7 21. h3 Bxb3 22. cxb3 Rfd8 23. Rc1 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Nd3 25. Qd2 N5f4 26. Bg3 Nxg2 27. Qxg2 Qd4 28. Nc3 b4 29. axb4 Qxb4 30. Qc2 Nc5 31. Rd1 Qxb3 32. Rxd8+ Bxd8 33. Qxb3 Nxb3 34. Bd6 Nd2 35. b4 Nc4 36. Bc5 Bg5 37. b5 axb5 1/2-1/2
Consolation Swiss 09-10
Date: 03/11/10
White: Capitummino, J
Black: Qu, Chen
[ECO "C20"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Qb3 Bc8 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. e3 Na5 9. Qc2 a6 10. Bd3 Bg4 11. Be2 Rc8 12. Ne5 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 e6 14. O-O Bb4 15. Rac1 O-O 16. Rc2 Bxc3 17. Rxc3 Rxc3 18. bxc3 b5 19. Bg5 Re8 20. Ng4 Nc4 21. Rd1 Nd6 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Nh6+ Kf8 24. Ng4 h5 25. Nh6 Kg7 26. Qxh5 Rh8 27. Nxf7 Nxf7 28. Qg4+ Kf8 29. Qxe6 Qd6 30. Qc8+ Kg7 31. Qg4+ Kf8 32. Qc8+ Ke7 33. Qb7+ Ke6 34. h3 Rb8 35. Qa7 Qb6 36. Qxb6+ Rxb6 37. h4 Rc6 38. Rd3 Nd6 39. f3 Nf5 40. h5 Ng3 41. h6 Kf7 42. Kf2 Nf5 43. e4 Nxh6 44. exd5 Rd6 45. g4 Rxd5 46. Kg3 Rg5 47. Kf2 Ke6 48. Ke2 Kd5 49. Re3 Kc4 50. Re6 Ng8 51. Rc6+
Kd5 52. Rxa6 Kc4 53. Rc6+ 1/2-1/2
I have in hand a nice win by Patrick Chi from a recent scholastic event. If luck holds I will get it published here over the weekend.
3.08.2010
The Mockler - Howard Game
Here is the Mockler versus Howard game promised. Mike forwarded a corrected and complete score that solved the problem of deciphering the carbon copy.
The back story of this game explains much. In recent times Mockler has won a number games, four I think, from Howard playing White against the French. Dean has been a dedicated French player for some long time. In this game Dean decides to try something different. The experiment does not work out too well.
SCC Finals 09-10
Date: 03/04/10
White: Mockler, M
Black: Howard, D
1. e4 e6
2. d4 b6
The Queen’s Fianchetto Defense. Not so offbeat that many examples can’t be found in the databases. Ehlvest, Miles, Larsen, Rodgers and even Spassky once, have tried this Defense. From a review of the information in the databases, only Miles and Larsen used it often is evident. Both were well known for going their own way regards to opening play.
3. Nh3!? ….
Mike shares with Larsen and Miles a desire to create new and unusual situations early on. With not so much theory around about the Queen’s Fianchetto, I could find no reference to this move. It appears to be no worse than any other move tried by White here.
3.… d6?!
This looks somewhat doubtful. In similar positions the GM’s and IM’s have liked 3..., c5. I suppose Black could have played 3..., d5; inviting a return to a more normal looking French formation, but then White may have been happy to get in e4-e5 and f2-f4 with out delay.
4. f3 Nf6
5. Be3 Be7
6. Nc3 c6
7. Qd2 a5
8. O-O-O Ba6
Black is following a rule I learned long ago when the French was my preferred opening: Don’t rush to castle on the K-side. Once the Black King settles there White knows where his target is. Without the usual d4/e5 pawn wedge on the board I am not so certain this rule applies.
9. g4 Bxf1
10. Rhxf1 Na6
11. g5 Nd7
12. f4 Qc7
There is a good deal of tension in this position. White’s initiative on the K-side has grown as his space there has expended. From the perspective of Black, there are no obvious pawn breaks that he has in hand. No breaks + a big space advantage for White on the K-side = an edge to White out of the opening.
13. f5 e5
14. Qf2 O-O-O
Black might have been better served by leaving his King in the center. Making an assessment of the position leads to no clear conclusion, yet. That is not to say there is no suspicions about Black’s chances. Trouble is on the horizon on the K-side, and the advanced pawns on the Q-side certainly leaves room for a sudden descent on the Black King. Nevertheless, it may be the on rushing Black pawns just might force some concession upon which Dean can make counter-play.
15. Qe2 Qb7
16. d5 c5
17. Nf2 ….
White could start the ball rolling here with the temporary offer of a pawn 17 f6. Mike prefers to maneuver a bit more. GM Har-Zvi thought 17 a4, clamping down on any counter-play was best.
17.… Nc7
18. Ng4 Bf8?
Black’s game is not promising, but the next two moves, just waiting for the axe to fall, sum up the situation; Dean tried an experiment because of bad results against Mockler with the French, and it turned out unfavorably. That outcome sapped his creativity. A reasonable try is 18..., f6. The resulting positions leave White with the advantage, but Black can make White maneuver for some while to make the advantage manifest. That is time in which Black can stay alert for a shot to turn the game around.
19. Bd2 …..
I don’t see a point to this move. 19 f6, getting on with the plan makes sense. By easing the pressure on Black White gives him an opportunity to stir things up with 19..., b5. White will likely get to plant his Knight on b5, an uncomfortable situation to be sure, but it is not worse than what transpires in the game.
19.… Be7
20. f6 gxf6
21. gxf6 Bf8
22. Nh6 Bxh6
23. Bxh6 Rhg8
24. Bg7 Ne8
25. Nb5 …..
Mike had this idea in mind while he maneuvered around f6 and g7. The Bg7 is indirectly protected by the threat of the forking attack on d6.
25.…. Nf8
26. Bxf8 Rxf8
27. Qh5 Qd7
28. c4 …..
Mike saw this as the best way to support the Nb5. GM Har-Zvi still thought 28 a4 is a better way to do the same thing. By supporting b5 with a2-a4, White kills off counter-play possibilities that show up later in the game.
28.… Nc7
29. Na7+ Kb7
30. Nc6 Ra8
31. Rd3 Na6
32. Ra3 Nb4
33. Ne7 b5
After a prolonged passive defense, Dean now embarks on active play. He has an interesting idea that falls short of success.
34. Qe2 Kb6
35. Kb1 bxc4
36. Qxc4 Qb5
37. Qxb5+ Kxb5
38. Rh3 Rh8
39. a3 c4?!
Dean’s point. The alternative 39..., Na6; is not at all appealing. After 40 Nf5, Rhd8; 41 Rb3+, Ka4; 42 Rb6, the game is over. Black’s hope is White will be so greedy and distracted by material to be annexed on the K-side he’ll miss some tricks around his King.
40. axb4 axb4
41. Nf5 Ra6
42. Kc2 Ra2?
To keep the fight going 42..., Kc5; is necessary. In the long run the game is hopeless for Black in any case. The balance of the game has a few tricks that are not hard to spot. Mike brings home the full point without much drama.
43. Nxd6+ Kc5
44. Nxf7 Re8
45. Ng5 c3
46. Rb1 Kc4
47. Kc1 Rg8
48. Rg3 b3
49. Rxc3+ Kb4
50. f7 Rf8
51. Kd2 Ra7
52. Rf3 Rc8
53. f8=Q+ Rxf8
54. Rxf8 Rg7
55. Rb8+ Kc5
56. Ne6+ Kc4
57. Nxg7 h5
0-1
With time nearly gone on the clock, Dean resigned. This win for Mockler coupled with the victory of Sells over Chi hint that my prediction, Mockler and Sells fighting it out for first, just might be on target. Of course, there is quite a ways to go in the Finals. I expect Chi, Rotter and Howard to make serious efforts to get back on the winning track in their next games. The second round will tell us much about this year’s story line.
The back story of this game explains much. In recent times Mockler has won a number games, four I think, from Howard playing White against the French. Dean has been a dedicated French player for some long time. In this game Dean decides to try something different. The experiment does not work out too well.
SCC Finals 09-10
Date: 03/04/10
White: Mockler, M
Black: Howard, D
1. e4 e6
2. d4 b6
The Queen’s Fianchetto Defense. Not so offbeat that many examples can’t be found in the databases. Ehlvest, Miles, Larsen, Rodgers and even Spassky once, have tried this Defense. From a review of the information in the databases, only Miles and Larsen used it often is evident. Both were well known for going their own way regards to opening play.
3. Nh3!? ….
Mike shares with Larsen and Miles a desire to create new and unusual situations early on. With not so much theory around about the Queen’s Fianchetto, I could find no reference to this move. It appears to be no worse than any other move tried by White here.
3.… d6?!
This looks somewhat doubtful. In similar positions the GM’s and IM’s have liked 3..., c5. I suppose Black could have played 3..., d5; inviting a return to a more normal looking French formation, but then White may have been happy to get in e4-e5 and f2-f4 with out delay.
4. f3 Nf6
5. Be3 Be7
6. Nc3 c6
7. Qd2 a5
8. O-O-O Ba6
Black is following a rule I learned long ago when the French was my preferred opening: Don’t rush to castle on the K-side. Once the Black King settles there White knows where his target is. Without the usual d4/e5 pawn wedge on the board I am not so certain this rule applies.
9. g4 Bxf1
10. Rhxf1 Na6
11. g5 Nd7
12. f4 Qc7
There is a good deal of tension in this position. White’s initiative on the K-side has grown as his space there has expended. From the perspective of Black, there are no obvious pawn breaks that he has in hand. No breaks + a big space advantage for White on the K-side = an edge to White out of the opening.
13. f5 e5
14. Qf2 O-O-O
Black might have been better served by leaving his King in the center. Making an assessment of the position leads to no clear conclusion, yet. That is not to say there is no suspicions about Black’s chances. Trouble is on the horizon on the K-side, and the advanced pawns on the Q-side certainly leaves room for a sudden descent on the Black King. Nevertheless, it may be the on rushing Black pawns just might force some concession upon which Dean can make counter-play.
15. Qe2 Qb7
16. d5 c5
17. Nf2 ….
White could start the ball rolling here with the temporary offer of a pawn 17 f6. Mike prefers to maneuver a bit more. GM Har-Zvi thought 17 a4, clamping down on any counter-play was best.
17.… Nc7
18. Ng4 Bf8?
Black’s game is not promising, but the next two moves, just waiting for the axe to fall, sum up the situation; Dean tried an experiment because of bad results against Mockler with the French, and it turned out unfavorably. That outcome sapped his creativity. A reasonable try is 18..., f6. The resulting positions leave White with the advantage, but Black can make White maneuver for some while to make the advantage manifest. That is time in which Black can stay alert for a shot to turn the game around.
19. Bd2 …..
I don’t see a point to this move. 19 f6, getting on with the plan makes sense. By easing the pressure on Black White gives him an opportunity to stir things up with 19..., b5. White will likely get to plant his Knight on b5, an uncomfortable situation to be sure, but it is not worse than what transpires in the game.
19.… Be7
20. f6 gxf6
21. gxf6 Bf8
22. Nh6 Bxh6
23. Bxh6 Rhg8
24. Bg7 Ne8
25. Nb5 …..
Mike had this idea in mind while he maneuvered around f6 and g7. The Bg7 is indirectly protected by the threat of the forking attack on d6.
25.…. Nf8
26. Bxf8 Rxf8
27. Qh5 Qd7
28. c4 …..
Mike saw this as the best way to support the Nb5. GM Har-Zvi still thought 28 a4 is a better way to do the same thing. By supporting b5 with a2-a4, White kills off counter-play possibilities that show up later in the game.
28.… Nc7
29. Na7+ Kb7
30. Nc6 Ra8
31. Rd3 Na6
32. Ra3 Nb4
33. Ne7 b5
After a prolonged passive defense, Dean now embarks on active play. He has an interesting idea that falls short of success.
34. Qe2 Kb6
35. Kb1 bxc4
36. Qxc4 Qb5
37. Qxb5+ Kxb5
38. Rh3 Rh8
39. a3 c4?!
Dean’s point. The alternative 39..., Na6; is not at all appealing. After 40 Nf5, Rhd8; 41 Rb3+, Ka4; 42 Rb6, the game is over. Black’s hope is White will be so greedy and distracted by material to be annexed on the K-side he’ll miss some tricks around his King.
40. axb4 axb4
41. Nf5 Ra6
42. Kc2 Ra2?
To keep the fight going 42..., Kc5; is necessary. In the long run the game is hopeless for Black in any case. The balance of the game has a few tricks that are not hard to spot. Mike brings home the full point without much drama.
43. Nxd6+ Kc5
44. Nxf7 Re8
45. Ng5 c3
46. Rb1 Kc4
47. Kc1 Rg8
48. Rg3 b3
49. Rxc3+ Kb4
50. f7 Rf8
51. Kd2 Ra7
52. Rf3 Rc8
53. f8=Q+ Rxf8
54. Rxf8 Rg7
55. Rb8+ Kc5
56. Ne6+ Kc4
57. Nxg7 h5
0-1
With time nearly gone on the clock, Dean resigned. This win for Mockler coupled with the victory of Sells over Chi hint that my prediction, Mockler and Sells fighting it out for first, just might be on target. Of course, there is quite a ways to go in the Finals. I expect Chi, Rotter and Howard to make serious efforts to get back on the winning track in their next games. The second round will tell us much about this year’s story line.
3.05.2010
The Schenectady Finals Begin
As scheduled the Finals of the Schenectady championship and the Consolation Swiss began Thursday night. In the Finals the pairings were:
White Black Result
Mockler, M Howard, D 1-0
Rotter, B Phillips, J 0-1
Sells, P Chi, P 1-0
The top pairing, Mockler v Howard was an odd game with both players bringing their own unique twists to what started out to be a French Defense. The game reached a complex position and I was not able to decipher the game score accurately. When I get the moves corrected, it will be posted. Hope to do so within the next day. Mike obtained a big space advantage on the Kingside early on. Dean had to give up some material to keep chances alive, but alas that was not enough to hold and he resigned somewhere around move 52.
Bobby Rotter continued to explore the endgame is an attempt to round out his skill set. This time it did not work out very well for him.
SCC Finals 09-10
Date 03/04/10
White: Rotter, B
Black: Phillips, J
[ECO "A53"]
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Be2 e6 7. Be3 d5 8. Qd3 Bb4 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. O-O Bg6 11. Qc4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bxc2 13. Ne5 Nd7 14. Rac1 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg6 17. Rcd1 Qb6 18. Rd4 O-O 19. Rf3 Qb1+ 20. Kh2 Rad8 21. Rf1
Qc2 22. Rfd1 Rxd4 23. cxd4 Qe4 24. Qc3 Qc2 25. Qxc2 Bxc2 26. Rd2 Be4 27. Bd3 Bxd3 28. Rxd3 Rd8 29. Ra3 a6 30. Rb3 Rd7 31. Rc3 f6 32. exf6 gxf6 33. Kg3 Kf7 34. Kf4 Ke7 35. Rb3 Kd6 36. e4 Kc7 37. Ke3 e5 38. dxe5 fxe5 39. Rb2 b5 40. g4 c5 41. g5 c4 42. h4 Kc6 43. Kf3 Kc5 44. Kg4 c3 45. Rc2 Kc4 46. Kf5 Kd3 47. Rc1 Kd2 48. Rg1 c2 49. Kxe5 c1=Q 50. Rxc1 Kxc1 51. Ke6 Rd2 52. h5 Rxa2 53. g6 hxg6 54. hxg6 b4 55. Kf7 Rf2+ 56. Ke6 b3 White Resigns 0-1
Phil Sells carried the day against the our newest up and coming youngster Patrick Chi. Patrick varied early on in a Scotch Game, got a slightly worse position and Phil used the positional edge to maintain pressure until the end.
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date:03/04/10
White: Sells, P
Black: Chi, P
[ECO "C45"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Be3 Bc5 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. O-O Ne5 9. Be2 Qg6 10. f3 d6 11. Nd2 a6 12. Kh1 Bd7 13. Nc4 Kh8 14. a4 Nxc4 15. Bxc4 Bxd4 16. cxd4 f5 17. Bd3 f4 18. Bg1 (18. Bf2) 18... Qh5 19. Qd2 d5 20. Qb4 Qf7 21. Qc5 c6 22. b4 Be6 23. Rfe1 g5 24. Bf2 Rae8 25. b5 axb5 26. axb5 Rg8 27. bxc6 Nxc6 28. exd5 Bxd5 29. Be4 Bxe4 30. fxe4 g4 31. d5 Ne5 32. Bd4 g3 33. Qc3 Qh5 34. h3 Rg7 35. Rf1 Qg5 36. Bxe5 Rxe5 37. Ra8+ Rg8 38. Rxg8+ Kxg8 39. Qc8+ Kg7 40. Qxb7+ Re7 41. Qb2+ Kg6 42. Qb6+ Kg7 43. Qd4+ Kg6 44. d6 Rd7 45. e5 Kf5 46. Qd5 Qg6 47. e6+ Kf6 48. Rxf4+ Kg7 49. Rg4 1-0
The Consolation Swiss is not huge, but the turn out is pretty good, twelve entrants:
Lee Battes, Alan LeCours, Bill Little and John Barnes all Experts or Class A players who have contended for the Schenectady and the Saratoga club championships at one time or another; Chen Qu the next in a line of young strong players we seen in recent years; the dangerous “giant killers” Ray Alguire, Richard Chu and David Connors; and looking for a break through the veterans George Dire and Mike Stanley and new faces, Jeff Capitummino and Cory Northrup.
Cory Northrup gave a good account of himself with the Black pieces against John Barnes after dropping a pawn early on. Cory made a stubborn defense carrying the game out to 58 moves. With time trouble for both sides, Northrup was not able to find resources to prevent John from cashing the material advantage.
Consolation Swiss
Date 03/04/10
White: Barnes, J
Black: Northrup, C
[ECO "B27"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bd3 Nc6 4. c3 Bg7 5. Bc2 Nf6 6. O-O (6. Kf1) 6... d6
7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 O-O 9. h3 Re8 10. Nc3 a6 11. a4 d5 12. e5 Ne4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 Bd7 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Rc1 Qb8 17. Qd2 Rd8 18. Rfd1 Be8 19. Bf4 e6 20. Qe3 Qc8 21. Bg5 Rd7 22. b4 Rc7 23. Qc3 b5 24. a5 Raa7 25. Qb2 Bf8 26. Bxc6 Bxc6 27. Ne1 Bd5 28. Nd3 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Qa8 30. f3 Be7 31. Bxe7 Rxe7 32. Nc5 Rc7 33. Qd2 Qc8 34. Kf2 Bc4 35. Ne4 Kg7 36. Qf4 Qd8 37. Qf6+ Qxf6 38. Nxf6 Rc8 39. Ne4 Rc7 40. Ke3
Rc8 41. Nd6 Rc7 42. Nxc4 bxc4 43. Ke4 Kf8 44. d5 exd5+ 45. Kxd5 Ke7 46. Rc2 h5 47. g3 Rc8 48. Rxc4 Rd8+ 49. Ke4 Ra8 50. f4 Rb8 51. f5 g5 52. f6+ Ke6 53. Rc6+ Kd7 54. Rb6 Rc8 55. Rxa6 Rc1 1-0
George Dipre and I have battled many times both in Schenectady and Saratoga. Mostly I have won these games. George has an inventive chess mind and he always sets problems that require careful handling. In this game he tries out a pet line of his in the Center-Counter. His innovation, 4 Qh5!?, is not to be found in my databases or opening books. The few games I have found in the 3 Bc4 line go down different paths. George’s move may not be any worse than those moves the international players have chosen, however it does give a different look to the game.
Consolation Swiss
Date:03/04/10
White: Dipre, G
Black: Little, B
[ECO "B01"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxd5 4. Qh5 e6 5. Ne2 Be7 6. Nbc3 Nf6 7. Qf3 Nc6 8. d4 O-O 9. Bg5 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Qf4 Qxf4 12. Bxf4 c6 13. O-O-O b5 14. Be2 Nd5 15. Be5 Bb7 16. h4 Rfd8 17. Ne4 a6 18. Rh3 c5 19. g4 Nf4 20. Bxf4 Rxd1+ 21. Bxd1 Bxe4 22. Re3 Bd5 23. g5 c4 24. Be5 Bc5 25. Re2 a5 26. f4 Be7 27. Re3 b4 28. f5 Bc5 29. Rg3 exf5 30. Bf3 Rd8 31. Bc7 Be3+ 32. Kb1 Rd7 33. Bxd5 Rxd5 34. a4 b3 0-1
Several of the folks intending to play in the Consolation Swiss were not able to attend Thursday. Their first round games will be played next Thursday. The Tournament Director, Bill Townsend, intends to run this five round Swiss System event over about seven Thursdays to accommodate scheduling problems. More later.
White Black Result
Mockler, M Howard, D 1-0
Rotter, B Phillips, J 0-1
Sells, P Chi, P 1-0
The top pairing, Mockler v Howard was an odd game with both players bringing their own unique twists to what started out to be a French Defense. The game reached a complex position and I was not able to decipher the game score accurately. When I get the moves corrected, it will be posted. Hope to do so within the next day. Mike obtained a big space advantage on the Kingside early on. Dean had to give up some material to keep chances alive, but alas that was not enough to hold and he resigned somewhere around move 52.
Bobby Rotter continued to explore the endgame is an attempt to round out his skill set. This time it did not work out very well for him.
SCC Finals 09-10
Date 03/04/10
White: Rotter, B
Black: Phillips, J
[ECO "A53"]
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Be2 e6 7. Be3 d5 8. Qd3 Bb4 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. O-O Bg6 11. Qc4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bxc2 13. Ne5 Nd7 14. Rac1 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg6 17. Rcd1 Qb6 18. Rd4 O-O 19. Rf3 Qb1+ 20. Kh2 Rad8 21. Rf1
Qc2 22. Rfd1 Rxd4 23. cxd4 Qe4 24. Qc3 Qc2 25. Qxc2 Bxc2 26. Rd2 Be4 27. Bd3 Bxd3 28. Rxd3 Rd8 29. Ra3 a6 30. Rb3 Rd7 31. Rc3 f6 32. exf6 gxf6 33. Kg3 Kf7 34. Kf4 Ke7 35. Rb3 Kd6 36. e4 Kc7 37. Ke3 e5 38. dxe5 fxe5 39. Rb2 b5 40. g4 c5 41. g5 c4 42. h4 Kc6 43. Kf3 Kc5 44. Kg4 c3 45. Rc2 Kc4 46. Kf5 Kd3 47. Rc1 Kd2 48. Rg1 c2 49. Kxe5 c1=Q 50. Rxc1 Kxc1 51. Ke6 Rd2 52. h5 Rxa2 53. g6 hxg6 54. hxg6 b4 55. Kf7 Rf2+ 56. Ke6 b3 White Resigns 0-1
Phil Sells carried the day against the our newest up and coming youngster Patrick Chi. Patrick varied early on in a Scotch Game, got a slightly worse position and Phil used the positional edge to maintain pressure until the end.
SCC Ch Finals 09-10
Date:03/04/10
White: Sells, P
Black: Chi, P
[ECO "C45"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Be3 Bc5 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. O-O Ne5 9. Be2 Qg6 10. f3 d6 11. Nd2 a6 12. Kh1 Bd7 13. Nc4 Kh8 14. a4 Nxc4 15. Bxc4 Bxd4 16. cxd4 f5 17. Bd3 f4 18. Bg1 (18. Bf2) 18... Qh5 19. Qd2 d5 20. Qb4 Qf7 21. Qc5 c6 22. b4 Be6 23. Rfe1 g5 24. Bf2 Rae8 25. b5 axb5 26. axb5 Rg8 27. bxc6 Nxc6 28. exd5 Bxd5 29. Be4 Bxe4 30. fxe4 g4 31. d5 Ne5 32. Bd4 g3 33. Qc3 Qh5 34. h3 Rg7 35. Rf1 Qg5 36. Bxe5 Rxe5 37. Ra8+ Rg8 38. Rxg8+ Kxg8 39. Qc8+ Kg7 40. Qxb7+ Re7 41. Qb2+ Kg6 42. Qb6+ Kg7 43. Qd4+ Kg6 44. d6 Rd7 45. e5 Kf5 46. Qd5 Qg6 47. e6+ Kf6 48. Rxf4+ Kg7 49. Rg4 1-0
The Consolation Swiss is not huge, but the turn out is pretty good, twelve entrants:
Lee Battes, Alan LeCours, Bill Little and John Barnes all Experts or Class A players who have contended for the Schenectady and the Saratoga club championships at one time or another; Chen Qu the next in a line of young strong players we seen in recent years; the dangerous “giant killers” Ray Alguire, Richard Chu and David Connors; and looking for a break through the veterans George Dire and Mike Stanley and new faces, Jeff Capitummino and Cory Northrup.
Cory Northrup gave a good account of himself with the Black pieces against John Barnes after dropping a pawn early on. Cory made a stubborn defense carrying the game out to 58 moves. With time trouble for both sides, Northrup was not able to find resources to prevent John from cashing the material advantage.
Consolation Swiss
Date 03/04/10
White: Barnes, J
Black: Northrup, C
[ECO "B27"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bd3 Nc6 4. c3 Bg7 5. Bc2 Nf6 6. O-O (6. Kf1) 6... d6
7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 O-O 9. h3 Re8 10. Nc3 a6 11. a4 d5 12. e5 Ne4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 Bd7 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Rc1 Qb8 17. Qd2 Rd8 18. Rfd1 Be8 19. Bf4 e6 20. Qe3 Qc8 21. Bg5 Rd7 22. b4 Rc7 23. Qc3 b5 24. a5 Raa7 25. Qb2 Bf8 26. Bxc6 Bxc6 27. Ne1 Bd5 28. Nd3 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Qa8 30. f3 Be7 31. Bxe7 Rxe7 32. Nc5 Rc7 33. Qd2 Qc8 34. Kf2 Bc4 35. Ne4 Kg7 36. Qf4 Qd8 37. Qf6+ Qxf6 38. Nxf6 Rc8 39. Ne4 Rc7 40. Ke3
Rc8 41. Nd6 Rc7 42. Nxc4 bxc4 43. Ke4 Kf8 44. d5 exd5+ 45. Kxd5 Ke7 46. Rc2 h5 47. g3 Rc8 48. Rxc4 Rd8+ 49. Ke4 Ra8 50. f4 Rb8 51. f5 g5 52. f6+ Ke6 53. Rc6+ Kd7 54. Rb6 Rc8 55. Rxa6 Rc1 1-0
George Dipre and I have battled many times both in Schenectady and Saratoga. Mostly I have won these games. George has an inventive chess mind and he always sets problems that require careful handling. In this game he tries out a pet line of his in the Center-Counter. His innovation, 4 Qh5!?, is not to be found in my databases or opening books. The few games I have found in the 3 Bc4 line go down different paths. George’s move may not be any worse than those moves the international players have chosen, however it does give a different look to the game.
Consolation Swiss
Date:03/04/10
White: Dipre, G
Black: Little, B
[ECO "B01"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxd5 4. Qh5 e6 5. Ne2 Be7 6. Nbc3 Nf6 7. Qf3 Nc6 8. d4 O-O 9. Bg5 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Qf4 Qxf4 12. Bxf4 c6 13. O-O-O b5 14. Be2 Nd5 15. Be5 Bb7 16. h4 Rfd8 17. Ne4 a6 18. Rh3 c5 19. g4 Nf4 20. Bxf4 Rxd1+ 21. Bxd1 Bxe4 22. Re3 Bd5 23. g5 c4 24. Be5 Bc5 25. Re2 a5 26. f4 Be7 27. Re3 b4 28. f5 Bc5 29. Rg3 exf5 30. Bf3 Rd8 31. Bc7 Be3+ 32. Kb1 Rd7 33. Bxd5 Rxd5 34. a4 b3 0-1
Several of the folks intending to play in the Consolation Swiss were not able to attend Thursday. Their first round games will be played next Thursday. The Tournament Director, Bill Townsend, intends to run this five round Swiss System event over about seven Thursdays to accommodate scheduling problems. More later.
3.02.2010
Saratoga Open, Feb. 26-28, 2010
Greetings yet again,
Wow, look at this, three posts from me in one day! But it takes an amazing amount of work to get these things prepared in some kind of coherent form. Remember, I can only do this because I have the day off. :-) I'll have to be more sparing with posts in the future.
Well, I wanted to say something about the Saratoga Open that took place this past weekend. I played only three of the five rounds due to commitments, but the games were interesting. There was very low turnout, unfortunately--only about a dozen players in each of the two sections, Open and Under 1800. I contemplated skipping the tournament because I knew I'd have to take two byes, and it seems extravagant to play just three rounds considering the entry fee and all, but every bit of practice can help, and I think the CCA events that are coming to this area deserve support. We have the State Championship and the New York State Open pretty regularly from them right now, and if we can have one or two others during the year, especially in as nice a location as downtown Saratoga, so much the better.
Your author of the moment was the top seed in the entire tournament, if you can believe it. The only other Expert was Lee Battes. There were better players at the site that weekend--Deepak Aaron, James Hiltunen, Alexis Paredes, Michael Chiang, and some others--but they were all playing in the much larger State Scholastic championships held in other rooms concurrently. I suppose if one of them had been feeling particularly ambitious, he could have played in both events, almost as a simultaneous display. :-) Actually, I forgot to mention in my post on the Amateur Team that I heard there was one guy that did precisely that--he played on two teams at once for the whole weekend! Hopefully they didn't get paired against each other....
Of the dozen or so players in the Open section (I must confess that I didn't follow the goings-on in the Under 1800 all that closely), it seemed like anyone's tournament, but in the end a fellow we don't see much of around here, Darwin Nyberg of Saratoga, ran away with it, winning his first four games and only finally taking a draw with Peter Henner of Clarksville in the last round, after having already sealed up clear first place with a round to spare. I found it of personal interest that Mr. Nyberg and I are originally from the same region of the country, a ways away from here (I will say that that took a little bit of the sting out of losing to him--but only a little).
Besides Mr. Nyberg winning first prize (scoring 4.5/5), there were quite a few other contestants that got some kind of money. Alan LeCours won the main class prize for Under-2000, young Jonathan Richman from the Kingston area tied with Henner for 2nd-3rd places overall (scoring 3/5), and Battes and I tied for 4th-5th at 2.5/5.
Update: Looking at the crosstables after the fact, I see that things in the Under-1800 section were more tightly contested. Andrew Crotty of Massachusetts got a huge rating bounce in tying for 1st-2nd, going from 1295 to 1512! The other top finisher in the section was Miss Kavana Mallanna, who now has a provisional rating of 1813, according to the final wallchart. (Hmm, the Battle of the Nations in the Napoleonic Wars! And the raid on Washington. I can't help but think history when I see such numbers.) Here as in the Open section, a high proportion of the contestants got a little something for their efforts.
The games looked pretty interesting throughout. I've posted analysis of my own little efforts on this post on my own blog, to accommodate the game viewer.
Wow, look at this, three posts from me in one day! But it takes an amazing amount of work to get these things prepared in some kind of coherent form. Remember, I can only do this because I have the day off. :-) I'll have to be more sparing with posts in the future.
Well, I wanted to say something about the Saratoga Open that took place this past weekend. I played only three of the five rounds due to commitments, but the games were interesting. There was very low turnout, unfortunately--only about a dozen players in each of the two sections, Open and Under 1800. I contemplated skipping the tournament because I knew I'd have to take two byes, and it seems extravagant to play just three rounds considering the entry fee and all, but every bit of practice can help, and I think the CCA events that are coming to this area deserve support. We have the State Championship and the New York State Open pretty regularly from them right now, and if we can have one or two others during the year, especially in as nice a location as downtown Saratoga, so much the better.
Your author of the moment was the top seed in the entire tournament, if you can believe it. The only other Expert was Lee Battes. There were better players at the site that weekend--Deepak Aaron, James Hiltunen, Alexis Paredes, Michael Chiang, and some others--but they were all playing in the much larger State Scholastic championships held in other rooms concurrently. I suppose if one of them had been feeling particularly ambitious, he could have played in both events, almost as a simultaneous display. :-) Actually, I forgot to mention in my post on the Amateur Team that I heard there was one guy that did precisely that--he played on two teams at once for the whole weekend! Hopefully they didn't get paired against each other....
Of the dozen or so players in the Open section (I must confess that I didn't follow the goings-on in the Under 1800 all that closely), it seemed like anyone's tournament, but in the end a fellow we don't see much of around here, Darwin Nyberg of Saratoga, ran away with it, winning his first four games and only finally taking a draw with Peter Henner of Clarksville in the last round, after having already sealed up clear first place with a round to spare. I found it of personal interest that Mr. Nyberg and I are originally from the same region of the country, a ways away from here (I will say that that took a little bit of the sting out of losing to him--but only a little).
Besides Mr. Nyberg winning first prize (scoring 4.5/5), there were quite a few other contestants that got some kind of money. Alan LeCours won the main class prize for Under-2000, young Jonathan Richman from the Kingston area tied with Henner for 2nd-3rd places overall (scoring 3/5), and Battes and I tied for 4th-5th at 2.5/5.
Update: Looking at the crosstables after the fact, I see that things in the Under-1800 section were more tightly contested. Andrew Crotty of Massachusetts got a huge rating bounce in tying for 1st-2nd, going from 1295 to 1512! The other top finisher in the section was Miss Kavana Mallanna, who now has a provisional rating of 1813, according to the final wallchart. (Hmm, the Battle of the Nations in the Napoleonic Wars! And the raid on Washington. I can't help but think history when I see such numbers.) Here as in the Open section, a high proportion of the contestants got a little something for their efforts.
The games looked pretty interesting throughout. I've posted analysis of my own little efforts on this post on my own blog, to accommodate the game viewer.
The first of the League matches
Hello again!
Now that I got that post on the USATE out of the way, and since I have the day off, I thought I'd put up a little something about the opening day of the Capital District League season. I should apologize in advance to Mr. Little since this will embarrass him to an extent :) , but the first match of the season was not in fact the one between Schenectady A and the Geezers, about which he posted the other day, but rather between Schenectady A and Uncle Sam of Troy, which happened three days before the Schenectady derby.
The results were:
I'll link to my analysis of the game on board one, if anyone is interested, here. Also, at this page, is analysis of an interesting position that came up toward the end of the Hill-Rotter game. The other games I only saw in bits and pieces.
Now that I got that post on the USATE out of the way, and since I have the day off, I thought I'd put up a little something about the opening day of the Capital District League season. I should apologize in advance to Mr. Little since this will embarrass him to an extent :) , but the first match of the season was not in fact the one between Schenectady A and the Geezers, about which he posted the other day, but rather between Schenectady A and Uncle Sam of Troy, which happened three days before the Schenectady derby.
The results were:
Uncle Sam | vs. | Schenectady A |
Ogundipe, Odunayo | 0-1 | Sells, Philip |
Thomas, Phil | 0-1 | Chi, Patrick |
Hill, Elihue | 0-1 | Rotter, Bobby |
Canty, Sylvester | 0-1 | Barnes, John |
I'll link to my analysis of the game on board one, if anyone is interested, here. Also, at this page, is analysis of an interesting position that came up toward the end of the Hill-Rotter game. The other games I only saw in bits and pieces.
Report from USATE 2010
Hello, you readers out there!
I was brought into the writing group on this blog on the premise that I would be producing a timely report on the Schenectady A team at the US Amateur Team East a couple of weeks ago. Well, timely or not, I've decided to write something, at least, even if it's not of the best quality. I've been trying to educate myself about the use of Blogspot's features and have learned a little bit, but it has taken me some time to get the hang of it. One of the other things I've been trying to do is figure out a method of game display for blogs like this. Various possibilities have crossed my path, but one of the more appealing ones that I eventually decided upon is shown in action on my own blog, to which I'll link for the detailed analysis of these games that I'm going to show you.
To start off, as Alan mentioned in his post (beating me to the punch to a degree), the Schenectady Chess Club fielded two teams for the event this year, the higher-rated of which consisted of this writer and Messrs. LeCours, Barnes and Townsend in that order. We've had the good fortune to field almost the same team with few alterations in the lineup for a couple of years in succession. We took the moniker Beans & Rice Gambit: Recession-Proof Opening for this occasion (henceforth 'Beans & Rice' for short). This was my conception, in the hope of appealing to the organizer's whimsical predilection for topical and punny team names. We might be in the running for best team name this year! Worth a try. The other team featured our clubmates Messrs. Phillips, Chu (the club president and captain of his team), Northrup, and Eson; their team took the name Leko my Greco, which is catchy for those of us who like waffles and Hungarian chess masters.
There were a couple of other teams in the competition whose doings would have been of some interest to players in our region. I remember seeing a team from the Hudson Valley, I think, on which Ernest Johnson was playing first board, for example. Jon Leisner from the Saratoga area was heading up a team of old friends of his from high school (maybe? I forget exactly). There was a scholastic team from the Capital Region containing a couple of youths from Kingston, the Albany area (including an old student of mine), and one pick-up member from downstate. I didn't get a chance to follow these teams much, being absorbed in our own struggles.
We didn't actually decide on who was going to captain our team until we were sitting at the board for the first round. I took on the duty, figuring it was basically my turn anyway (there's been a kind of rotation among us in practice--as I said, team composition remaining pretty stable from one year to the next, this is easy to arrange). For this first round, we were at table three (!), which is the highest I myself have ever reached at this event so far. Our opponents were Khodarkovsky's MACademia, featuring the strong (2400) master Mackenzie Molner on board 1 (I think he'll start reaching for the IM title soon), and several other good players such as Chris Wu and Sean Finn; I forget who their fourth board was. Since they were on table three to start with, they were obviously one of the top-seeded teams in the crosstable, so we knew it would be a challenge to get something from this match. But in the past couple of years, playing up in the first round in similar circumstances, we had often come away with upset match draws, so we were hardly without hope in this case. And it seemed to me that our new team shirts, provided thanks to Alan's efforts, would inspire some confidence in the wearers.
In the event, the only one of us not to lose was John Barnes, who played very well to upset his 2100+ opponent. John often punches well above his weight at this tournament, and he did so once again here. Unfortunately, his teammates failed to rise to the occasion. Bill Townsend's game was actually the first to finish, then John's game. Alan and I resigned almost simultaneously. I'd made my opponent work a little bit, but not very much, in a Bg5 Najdorf that I played rather half-heartedly. It looked like Alan's opponent had played rather skillfully to reach a winning endgame in the meantime. So we lost this match 1-3.
But not to worry! For round two, we were paired down on table 45 against a team of youth, Dean of Chess All-Stars. From the name, it was clear that this was one of the teams coming from IM Dean Ippolito's chess school in New Jersey. This match we cleaned up 3.5-0.5. My game finished first; it was fairly routine, brightened by one tactic that some readers may find cute, if not particularly challenging. I've posted the game at my other blog here. Then Bill and Alan defeated their opponents, leaving John to soldier on in what looked like a tricky position. At one point, his young opponent offered him a draw, then after John had thought about it for some time, announced that he (John's opponent) no longer wanted the draw. John admonished him that the offer, once extended, could not be taken back; and after some more thinking, accepted the draw. It's often a tricky thing with these teams of young kids, the notion of proper etiquette in these matters. It reminded me of a similar experience we'd had with a different opposing team of children a few years ago.
So we had 1 out of 2 points from the first day, which held out some hope for our chances. In round three, we had a chance to build upon this, being paired down again at around table 60 (I seem not to have written the table number down on my note cards). Our opponents, Pawn Pushers Anonymous, were again a team of youth, so we knew we had to be a little careful. You see, it's been a trend in the past couple of years at this event that there almost inevitably comes a crucial match in which we're playing a team of kids, and the entire team has a collective fit of lunacy, plays badly and loses the match in a landslide. I was hoping that this wouldn't happen this year! But one thing that we had going for us this time was that such collapses have historically happened to our team in rounds five or six, when we really need to deliver. But this being round three, maybe we could avoid the jinx. And so it proved--we again won 3.5-0.5, my game finishing first after my opponent messed up a tactical sequence (though I still thought he resigned very prematurely), then Bill and Alan bringing in their points, and finally John drawing against his opponent. I'm suddenly a little skeptical about my memory of this--John Barnes drawing a 1492 in one round, and then a 1234 in the next?!--but this is what my notes tell me. And I made a point of being a better captain than I'd been last time, taking notes on our opponents and all. Anyway, we won handily, which is obviously the important point.
Now to round four, when we were due to meet Tiger's Wood Pushers on table 55. Before the start of the match, we had the usual contests for Best Team Name, Best Team Skit, Best Costumes and so on. I was hopeful that our team's name would at least make a showing in the voting by the crowd, but was shocked when, after Steve Doyle ran through the list of the eleven or so nominees, he had said nothing about Beans & Rice! There were far too many variations on the theme of the Tiger Woods scandal, and most of the others on the short list seemed like extremely lame selections--I mean, the choices absolutely paled in comparison to the good team names of the recent past. I was extremely disappointed--our name should definitely at least have made the cut. To make matters worse, the final winner was some hideous double-entendre involving Tiger's personal life. I may just have to give up trying to predict the organizers' predilections. Most of the skits were pretty uninspiring as well, though it must be appreciated that people put in the effort to do this sort of thing for their teams. At least the Village Pieces' rendition of "Y. M. C. A." with modified lyrics was rather funny, at least for me:
Going into the final day, our score was therefore 2.5/4. A score of 4.5/6 was within reach, and might get us a chance to get the top Under-1900 team plaque (our rating average, by the way, was 1893), depending on tiebreaks. First, though, on table 41, we had to fight the Kapengut Family, made up of IM Albert Kapengut and some of his chess-playing relatives. I recognized his name from his theoretical work in the Benoni back in the eighties--Watson's book on that opening has a full chapter on the Kapengut System, for example, and cites his work at many other points. (Interestingly, as I've since discovered, Kapengut is originally from Kazan, as is my old coach GM Ibragimov. He has apparently recently changed his FIDE federation to USA, however.)
I briefly toyed with the notion of playing 1.d4 against the master to see what would develop, but decided against it once I sat down to the game. I got instead an Accelerated Dragon from what was actually a pretty normal move order, though I rarely encounter it with White. Because of my rather inexcusable unfamiliarity with this move order, I messed up the opening to a degree and got a difficult position early on. My teammates all won their games; Alan's conduct of the Traxler Two Knights (see his post from the other day) was especially satisfying. I suffered through to the end, finishing last of all of us this time. Here is the game. Even though I lost, I felt it had featured some of my best play of this event thus far, which admittedly wasn't saying much since I'd been playing well below my standard for the entire weekend. I knew I hadn't gotten enough rest before the tournament, and this was probably the reason for my performance problems. But we did win the match 3-1, so our chances were still alive.
As happened to us last year, we were on a fairly high table in the last round (19), paired well up against a team apparently called simply Lucas, or maybe Lucas I (there was a Lucas II somewhere further down the crosstable, I think). Amusingly, Leko my Greco was facing the Kapengut Family on the other side of the ballroom. Anyway, this team Lucas I had another 2400-master on board one waiting for me, that being Thomas Bartell. (I see him and Molner often at the big Philadelphia events, which is how I know some of these players.) And also as happened to us last year, we were fairly wiped out in the last round by this strong team. Alan's game ended first when, playing another master with White, his bishop got trapped on h6 in a King's Indian, and he decided to resign to avoid a state of wretched misery, for which I couldn't blame him at all. Then it was my turn to go down in flames as Bartell worked some finesse to win the exchange from me and then fend off my feeble attempts at counterplay. This game was really irritating because he played the very same anti-Sicilian line against me that Mr. Lawrence had used to beat me in round four! I really suspected that Bartell had seen that game and had chosen the variation for precisely that reason. Either that, or--it would not have surprised me at all to find this was true--maybe my former opponent had sent out a secret text message to the effect of "Hey, everybody, if you're scheduled to play board one against Sells with White, play this line! He won't have a clue!" It's a conspiracy, I swear! However, I did manage to dream up a completely different setup in the opening this time, which actually gave me a reasonable position (which I then proceeded to royally botch up very soon afterward). It was one of those games that I walk away from shaking my head at my own incompetence. That doesn't happen to me very often, but it seemed that bad.
Anyway, to conclude, John unfortunately lost from a crazy position with some kind of material imbalance, and Bill T. finished by winning his game. So with a 1-3 match score, we finished on 3.5/6, which seems to be where we've ended up fairly often in the standings in recent times. I think we had an okay tournament as a team. We tried a restaurant in Parsippany that we'd not been to before. But the event did seem to me to be a little less fun than in some previous years. There were not many titled players in attendance, though at least Leonid Yudasin and Robert Hess were among these. I was feeling a bit out of sorts for much of the time, which I put down mostly to the aforementioned general tiredness and maybe a little bit of unsettled health. But some of us did have some good games--John's win in round one and Alan's miniature from round five stand out. So congratulations, team! We made it through another year! :) Thanks for allowing me to serve as your captain.
I was brought into the writing group on this blog on the premise that I would be producing a timely report on the Schenectady A team at the US Amateur Team East a couple of weeks ago. Well, timely or not, I've decided to write something, at least, even if it's not of the best quality. I've been trying to educate myself about the use of Blogspot's features and have learned a little bit, but it has taken me some time to get the hang of it. One of the other things I've been trying to do is figure out a method of game display for blogs like this. Various possibilities have crossed my path, but one of the more appealing ones that I eventually decided upon is shown in action on my own blog, to which I'll link for the detailed analysis of these games that I'm going to show you.
To start off, as Alan mentioned in his post (beating me to the punch to a degree), the Schenectady Chess Club fielded two teams for the event this year, the higher-rated of which consisted of this writer and Messrs. LeCours, Barnes and Townsend in that order. We've had the good fortune to field almost the same team with few alterations in the lineup for a couple of years in succession. We took the moniker Beans & Rice Gambit: Recession-Proof Opening for this occasion (henceforth 'Beans & Rice' for short). This was my conception, in the hope of appealing to the organizer's whimsical predilection for topical and punny team names. We might be in the running for best team name this year! Worth a try. The other team featured our clubmates Messrs. Phillips, Chu (the club president and captain of his team), Northrup, and Eson; their team took the name Leko my Greco, which is catchy for those of us who like waffles and Hungarian chess masters.
There were a couple of other teams in the competition whose doings would have been of some interest to players in our region. I remember seeing a team from the Hudson Valley, I think, on which Ernest Johnson was playing first board, for example. Jon Leisner from the Saratoga area was heading up a team of old friends of his from high school (maybe? I forget exactly). There was a scholastic team from the Capital Region containing a couple of youths from Kingston, the Albany area (including an old student of mine), and one pick-up member from downstate. I didn't get a chance to follow these teams much, being absorbed in our own struggles.
We didn't actually decide on who was going to captain our team until we were sitting at the board for the first round. I took on the duty, figuring it was basically my turn anyway (there's been a kind of rotation among us in practice--as I said, team composition remaining pretty stable from one year to the next, this is easy to arrange). For this first round, we were at table three (!), which is the highest I myself have ever reached at this event so far. Our opponents were Khodarkovsky's MACademia, featuring the strong (2400) master Mackenzie Molner on board 1 (I think he'll start reaching for the IM title soon), and several other good players such as Chris Wu and Sean Finn; I forget who their fourth board was. Since they were on table three to start with, they were obviously one of the top-seeded teams in the crosstable, so we knew it would be a challenge to get something from this match. But in the past couple of years, playing up in the first round in similar circumstances, we had often come away with upset match draws, so we were hardly without hope in this case. And it seemed to me that our new team shirts, provided thanks to Alan's efforts, would inspire some confidence in the wearers.
In the event, the only one of us not to lose was John Barnes, who played very well to upset his 2100+ opponent. John often punches well above his weight at this tournament, and he did so once again here. Unfortunately, his teammates failed to rise to the occasion. Bill Townsend's game was actually the first to finish, then John's game. Alan and I resigned almost simultaneously. I'd made my opponent work a little bit, but not very much, in a Bg5 Najdorf that I played rather half-heartedly. It looked like Alan's opponent had played rather skillfully to reach a winning endgame in the meantime. So we lost this match 1-3.
But not to worry! For round two, we were paired down on table 45 against a team of youth, Dean of Chess All-Stars. From the name, it was clear that this was one of the teams coming from IM Dean Ippolito's chess school in New Jersey. This match we cleaned up 3.5-0.5. My game finished first; it was fairly routine, brightened by one tactic that some readers may find cute, if not particularly challenging. I've posted the game at my other blog here. Then Bill and Alan defeated their opponents, leaving John to soldier on in what looked like a tricky position. At one point, his young opponent offered him a draw, then after John had thought about it for some time, announced that he (John's opponent) no longer wanted the draw. John admonished him that the offer, once extended, could not be taken back; and after some more thinking, accepted the draw. It's often a tricky thing with these teams of young kids, the notion of proper etiquette in these matters. It reminded me of a similar experience we'd had with a different opposing team of children a few years ago.
So we had 1 out of 2 points from the first day, which held out some hope for our chances. In round three, we had a chance to build upon this, being paired down again at around table 60 (I seem not to have written the table number down on my note cards). Our opponents, Pawn Pushers Anonymous, were again a team of youth, so we knew we had to be a little careful. You see, it's been a trend in the past couple of years at this event that there almost inevitably comes a crucial match in which we're playing a team of kids, and the entire team has a collective fit of lunacy, plays badly and loses the match in a landslide. I was hoping that this wouldn't happen this year! But one thing that we had going for us this time was that such collapses have historically happened to our team in rounds five or six, when we really need to deliver. But this being round three, maybe we could avoid the jinx. And so it proved--we again won 3.5-0.5, my game finishing first after my opponent messed up a tactical sequence (though I still thought he resigned very prematurely), then Bill and Alan bringing in their points, and finally John drawing against his opponent. I'm suddenly a little skeptical about my memory of this--John Barnes drawing a 1492 in one round, and then a 1234 in the next?!--but this is what my notes tell me. And I made a point of being a better captain than I'd been last time, taking notes on our opponents and all. Anyway, we won handily, which is obviously the important point.
Now to round four, when we were due to meet Tiger's Wood Pushers on table 55. Before the start of the match, we had the usual contests for Best Team Name, Best Team Skit, Best Costumes and so on. I was hopeful that our team's name would at least make a showing in the voting by the crowd, but was shocked when, after Steve Doyle ran through the list of the eleven or so nominees, he had said nothing about Beans & Rice! There were far too many variations on the theme of the Tiger Woods scandal, and most of the others on the short list seemed like extremely lame selections--I mean, the choices absolutely paled in comparison to the good team names of the recent past. I was extremely disappointed--our name should definitely at least have made the cut. To make matters worse, the final winner was some hideous double-entendre involving Tiger's personal life. I may just have to give up trying to predict the organizers' predilections. Most of the skits were pretty uninspiring as well, though it must be appreciated that people put in the effort to do this sort of thing for their teams. At least the Village Pieces' rendition of "Y. M. C. A." with modified lyrics was rather funny, at least for me:
Young man--did you make a bad move?Anyway, the match itself was unexpectedly challenging for us. The games lasted all fairly long, mine finishing first once again, in a rather embarrassing loss for me. My opponent played one of these Bc4 anti-Sicilians which had the feel partly of a Closed Sicilian, partly of a Grand Prix Attack. I elected to play it as a Closed, which misled me into doing some things as Black that would be correct ideas in a real Closed Sicilian, but don't make very much sense with White's light-squared bishop already on the a2-g8 diagonal. My opponent's kingside attack became dangerous long before my queenside counterplay could appear, and he found the right tactics to knock me out fast. Bill's victory balanced this out, but John and Alan both had positions that looked tough to win from. Alan's game was becoming tactically complex in time pressure, and I thought he missed a win at one point in the endgame, but that ended up drawn. Prior to that result, John had held his opponent to a draw in a simple rook ending. So we walked away with only a 2-2 result from a team that we had outrated. I think this result was more my fault than anyone else's.
I said, Young man--now you think you might lose
You're embarrassed--'cause the kid's in preschool...
Going into the final day, our score was therefore 2.5/4. A score of 4.5/6 was within reach, and might get us a chance to get the top Under-1900 team plaque (our rating average, by the way, was 1893), depending on tiebreaks. First, though, on table 41, we had to fight the Kapengut Family, made up of IM Albert Kapengut and some of his chess-playing relatives. I recognized his name from his theoretical work in the Benoni back in the eighties--Watson's book on that opening has a full chapter on the Kapengut System, for example, and cites his work at many other points. (Interestingly, as I've since discovered, Kapengut is originally from Kazan, as is my old coach GM Ibragimov. He has apparently recently changed his FIDE federation to USA, however.)
I briefly toyed with the notion of playing 1.d4 against the master to see what would develop, but decided against it once I sat down to the game. I got instead an Accelerated Dragon from what was actually a pretty normal move order, though I rarely encounter it with White. Because of my rather inexcusable unfamiliarity with this move order, I messed up the opening to a degree and got a difficult position early on. My teammates all won their games; Alan's conduct of the Traxler Two Knights (see his post from the other day) was especially satisfying. I suffered through to the end, finishing last of all of us this time. Here is the game. Even though I lost, I felt it had featured some of my best play of this event thus far, which admittedly wasn't saying much since I'd been playing well below my standard for the entire weekend. I knew I hadn't gotten enough rest before the tournament, and this was probably the reason for my performance problems. But we did win the match 3-1, so our chances were still alive.
As happened to us last year, we were on a fairly high table in the last round (19), paired well up against a team apparently called simply Lucas, or maybe Lucas I (there was a Lucas II somewhere further down the crosstable, I think). Amusingly, Leko my Greco was facing the Kapengut Family on the other side of the ballroom. Anyway, this team Lucas I had another 2400-master on board one waiting for me, that being Thomas Bartell. (I see him and Molner often at the big Philadelphia events, which is how I know some of these players.) And also as happened to us last year, we were fairly wiped out in the last round by this strong team. Alan's game ended first when, playing another master with White, his bishop got trapped on h6 in a King's Indian, and he decided to resign to avoid a state of wretched misery, for which I couldn't blame him at all. Then it was my turn to go down in flames as Bartell worked some finesse to win the exchange from me and then fend off my feeble attempts at counterplay. This game was really irritating because he played the very same anti-Sicilian line against me that Mr. Lawrence had used to beat me in round four! I really suspected that Bartell had seen that game and had chosen the variation for precisely that reason. Either that, or--it would not have surprised me at all to find this was true--maybe my former opponent had sent out a secret text message to the effect of "Hey, everybody, if you're scheduled to play board one against Sells with White, play this line! He won't have a clue!" It's a conspiracy, I swear! However, I did manage to dream up a completely different setup in the opening this time, which actually gave me a reasonable position (which I then proceeded to royally botch up very soon afterward). It was one of those games that I walk away from shaking my head at my own incompetence. That doesn't happen to me very often, but it seemed that bad.
Anyway, to conclude, John unfortunately lost from a crazy position with some kind of material imbalance, and Bill T. finished by winning his game. So with a 1-3 match score, we finished on 3.5/6, which seems to be where we've ended up fairly often in the standings in recent times. I think we had an okay tournament as a team. We tried a restaurant in Parsippany that we'd not been to before. But the event did seem to me to be a little less fun than in some previous years. There were not many titled players in attendance, though at least Leonid Yudasin and Robert Hess were among these. I was feeling a bit out of sorts for much of the time, which I put down mostly to the aforementioned general tiredness and maybe a little bit of unsettled health. But some of us did have some good games--John's win in round one and Alan's miniature from round five stand out. So congratulations, team! We made it through another year! :) Thanks for allowing me to serve as your captain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
