Round 3 of the SCC Prelims

On an all too typical wet and cold Thursday night, the 27th O October, the third round of the preliminaries of the SCC Championship were held. Well let’s say some games were played. Schedule conflicts and maybe the nasty weather caused four out the six games to be delayed to later dates. The two game that took place carried plenty of excitement.

One of the new faces at the Schenectady Chess Club is Akhil Kamma. Going into the third round he was tied with John Phillips for first place in the Preliminary Section B. Watching the game, I thought John obtained an edge out of the opening. Sober reflection with the help of Rybka and referencing notes from the old Saturday group sessions with GM Har-Zvi changed my opinion. White did OK but really did not have any big advantage. A hasty decision by White to trade off pieces in the center led to Black having a big plus. This grew until a blunder turned the tables completely. The remainder of the game was a series of oversights that spoiled the game as an artistic effort but certainly kept the spectators on the edge of their seats.

Phillips, John - Kamma, Akhil [D15]

SCC Prelim B Schenectady, NY, 27.10.2011

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4

A few years ago several of us local players met most Saturdays with GM Ronen Har-Zvi for group lessons. The first eight or nine such sessions focused on the Slav in all its many flavors. The Saturday lessons ran for two to three hours each giving us twenty to thirty hours of high level insight to the theory of the Slav. The exposure was interesting and had an effect; I took up the Slav as Black and even began some games with 1 d4, after near sixty years of devotion to 1 e4. Ronen’s departure for Brownsville, Texas and my mixed results with trying to change a lifetime’s habits have seen me revert to 1 e4. I still find the Slav useful as an alternative to my favorite KID in answer to 1 d4.

I can claim no great expertise in the Slav; there was just not enough practice accumulated late in my career to reach some serious understanding of all the factors of this defense. This was made clear to me while watching today’s game.

5.e4,..

A moment where White has a choice; he can try 5 a4, the most popular line, or 5 e3, 5 Ne5, 5 g3, and 5 Bg5. Each option comes with a whole bag of theory and GM games galore. The text is the most immediately aggressive.

The Slav has been know for a very long time. It came to the attention of the chess public in the World Championship matches; Alekhine - Bolgoubov 1934, Alekhine - Euwe 1935 and Alekhine - Euwe 1937 where it was explored in great detail.

Alekhine held that 3 Nc3, was the most testing line for White to play. He said that then 3..., dxc4 4 4 e4, gave White an edge in development that is significant. The way this game went, 3..., Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4; is more sedate but only relatively so. The line as played is styled the Geller Gambit.

Glenn Flear in his book The Slav for the Tournament Player, Batsford, London 1988 wrote: “So with 5 e4 White occupies the center immediately and with a further e5 will engineer attacking chances quickly - this has the drawback of gambiting a pawn on a near permanent basis - so the Geller is a true gambit!”

5..., b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.a4 b4?!

The game now leaves the well trodden paths of theory. The move looks normal doesn’t it? In the game Bondarevski-Kalantar USSR 1947 play went; 7..., b4 8 Ne4 e6 9 Bxc4 Nd7 10 0-0 Bb7 11 Nfg5 N7b6 12 Bd3 a5 13 Qh5 Qd7 15 Nc5, with a big advantage for White. There are a couple of attacking ideas for White in this position; Ng5 as in the cited game and the pawn push e5-e6 whenever Black’s Bishop leaves the c8-h3 diagonal. This why the move .., e7-e6; happens early rather than late in the GM games. Standard play is; 7..., e6 8 axb5 Nxc3 9 bxc3 cxb5; when White frequently launches into serious tactics with 10 Ng5, and 11 Qh5. The extra pawns Black has on the Q-side and the wonderful a8-h1 diagonal favor his cause if he can survive whatever attack White whips up on the Black King.

8.Ne4 Bf5 9.Ng3 Bg6 10.Bxc4,..

Safe and sound but White could have also continued in true gambit fashion with 10 e6!?, then things become really interesting after a) 10..., fxe6 11 Bxc4, and Black has a real mess of a position, or b) 10..., c3; 11 Bd3 cxb2 12 Bxg6 hxg6 13 exf7+ Kxf7 14 Bb2, when Black has two pawns and many weaknesses while White has the attacking chances.

10..., e6 11.h4?!,..

During the game I thought this was a pretty good idea reminding me of similar ideas from the Caro-Kann. What I misunderstood was the significance of the White e-pawn remaining on the board. In the Caro position there is no e-pawn and the e-file is available to White with sacrifices at e6 possible. Here such is foreclosed and the h-pawn push distracts White from the things he should be about. The more promising line of play is; 11 Bg5 Qa5 12 0-0 h6 13 Bh4 Bh7 15 Nh5, and White has made short castling unappealing for Black setting him a long term worry about where to put his King.

11..., h6 12.h5 Bh7 13.Qb3?,..

White undertakes an operation that does not improve his position. Making lemonade from the h-pawn push with 13 Rh4 Be7 14 Rg4, keeps the pressure on the K-side. The theory as I recall GM Har-Zvi telling us is for White to attack, and even sacrifice, on the K-side while keeping any advantage Black has on the Q-side to a minimum.

13..., Be7 14.Bxd5 Qxd5 15.Qxd5 cxd5

The position is very favorable for Black; the White pieces gathered on the K-side don’t look to be able to make much headway while Black has promising possibilities on the Q-side. We can only guess at what was in Mr. Phillips’ mind when he chose this line. An experienced tournament player with many years in the trenches I don’t believe the choice John was but a whim. My surmise is he had evaluated the position after Black’s 12th move as favoring Black and believed clearing off the Queens and a set of minor pieces was the best way towards reaching an endgame that White can hold. The result of this mistake is White has the worse minor piece - the Bishop, Black has both of his clerics and they have squares, and c2 is a weakness in the White camp that can become terrible.

As I looked in on the game from time to time, my opinion was that White had the better chances. Objectivity was lost on my part. Influenced by the great difference in experience between the players, I believed White was doing better that he was.

It is not uncommon for non-masters to misread a position. This game had at least three players fail to grasp what was really going on at different points in the game; me here as the game transitioned from the opening to middle game and the to participants later. As a rule I don’t publish games of my colleagues when mistakes come in bunches. This game is an exception. Here two pretty experienced players, Phillips and I, as well as a talented newcomer failed to understand what was happening on the board at different points in the game. It is worth considering why this was so.

This phenomenon, the failure to see facts when they are immediately in front of your eyes, is often labeled chess blindness. All the local players seemed to have stories of their own moments of blindness at the board. Usually the blindness is acute and a short lived incident where a piece is lost or a mate missed. Rarer are the occasions where the position is misread by both sides for a number of moves. This emphasizes the need to look objectively at each position as it comes up on the board and not make assumptions about positions.

16.Be3 Nc6 17.Rc1 Rc8!?

Building tension in to the position, not a bad thing if you really want to try for the win. The problem here is tactics. More testing is the positional approach 17..., Na5; if then White recklessly sends the Rook into the lion’s den with 18 Rc7 Kd8 19 Rc1 Nb3 20 Rd1, Black will control the c-file and pick up the Exchange with 20..., Bc2. White may have to concede a pawn with 18 Nd3 Kd7 19 0-0 Rac8 20 Rfd1 Rxc1 21 Rxc1 Rc8 22 Rxc8 Kxc8 23 Ne2 Bc2; collecting the a-pawn. The resulting position is very nearly won for Black, but some technique is required.

18.Nd2 Bd3!?

A most interesting move. Black had to weigh up the difference between holding up White from castling and the option of getting all of his own pieces coordinated before undertaking any action. He went for holding the White King in the center. Castling is the more principled move. With both sides lagging in development so late in the game, the chances of some kind of tactical surprise is certainly afoot.

19.f4?!,..

White obviously did not like how the situation was developing. It had gradually dawned on me that White was in serious trouble. His next operation grows out of the need to change the course of the game lest the Black Knight ends up on a5 giving Black all the say on the Q-side of the board, and obviously White has no balancing tactics on the K-side.

19..., 0–0 20.f5 exf5 21.Ne2 Rc7?

The game now enters a phase where error rules the day. Why do both sides suddenly lose the ability to see? Jacob Aagaard, the Danish GM living and working in Scotland now, wrote Excelling at Chess Calculation, Everyman Chess, London, 2004, where in part he discusses assumptions, blunders and other sins. He says: “You can’t see a theme and then make assumptions about it. Chess is too complicated for us to guess our way through it.” Another of his comments is we sometimes trust our opponent too much. Chess games are won by mistakes and examining each and every move by the opponent for error is the correct path. Aagaard goes on to say it is better to calculate wide rather than deep and one must force oneself to be concrete in calculation to identify mistakes. All of that wisdom would have been useful to both sides for the balance of the game.

Now 21..., Bg5; would have avoided White’s intentions and cemented a material advantage for Black after 22 Kf2 Bxe3+ 23 Kxe3 Bxe2 24 Kxe2 Nxd4+ 25 Kd3 Ne6; and Black is up two pawns. Time is not yet a problem for either side.

22.Nf4 Be4?

Black could have kept things about even with 22..., Bg5. He just does not see what White intends.

23.Nxe4 dxe4 24.d5!,..

The point of the operation beginning 19 f4. A Black piece now falls.

24..., Rfc8 25.dxc6?!,..

Of three possible continuations White elects to take the least promising. Better is 25 Rxc6, removing one pair of Rooks right away reducing chances of Black getting a Rook on the second rank. Also possible is 25 d6!?, again eliminating one pair of Rooks for the same result.

25..., Rxc6 26.Ke2?,..

Permitting the invasion of the second rank. Trading now with 26 Rxc6, simplifies the technical problems White will have exploiting his extra piece. Black now obtains enough counter-play to offset the missing piece.

26..., Rc2+ 27.Kd1 b3

Maybe White overlooked this resource.

28.Ne2?!,..

White passes on the reasonable 28 Rxc2 Rxc2 29 Bc1 Bg5 30 g3 a6 31 Re1 Bxg4 32 gxf4 Rh2; when the lone Black Rook is so active that the many Black pawns balance the game. After earlier gaining the piece White is reluctant to steer towards calmer waters, he assumes after gaining material he must play for the victory.

28..., Rd8+ 29.Ke1 Rxb2 30.Kf2 Rd3 31.Rb1?,..

White has no choice but to keep things confused. This way unfortunately gives Black the chance to redress the material imbalance. White could have tried here 31 Rc8+, then Black would have to find work through lines difficult to calculate: a) 31..., Bd8; and b) 31..., Kh7. Both lines probably favor Black in the long run and require some calculation. Each side was now approaching time trouble. White had used seven minutes to pick 30 Kf2, and had thirteen minutes remaining. Black had about twenty minutes left.

31..., Ra2?

A second best move that leaves the advantage with Black, but it misses a strong shot; 31..., Bh4! Now if 32 Rxh4 Rxb1 33 Nf4 Rxe3; and Black b-pawn can not be stopped after 34 Kxe4 b2. Alternatively, 32 g3 Bxg3+ 33 Kxg3 Rxe3+; and since 34 Kf4??, is impossible because 34..., Rf3; is mate, White has to lose the Ne2 with check leaving him without a defense to the further advance of b-pawn.

32.Bxa7 Rdd2?

Second best again. Black assumes that two Rooks on the second must be worth leaving unguarded the b-pawn to its fate. I remember similarly dropping a passed pawn to a young lady from Serbia in the Saratoga Championship a few years ago. There it turned a win in to a draw. Ultimately this error is more costly. Best here is; 32..., f4; then if 33 Rhd1 f3 34 Rxd3 Rxe2+ 35 Kf1 exd3 36 gxf3 b2 37 Bd4 Ba3 38 a5 Rc2; and Black is winning in all lines.

33.Rhe1 f4 34.Kf1 Bh4 35.Bf2 Bxf2 36.Kxf2 g5!?

By now time trouble had appeared for Black. His clock showed 4 ½ minutes remaining. White had played quickly over the past several moves and had about 10 minutes on his clock. I was impressed by the text. In the complicated position, overlaid with the tension of the leaders striving to take over the unchallenged first place in the section, Mr. Kamma goes all out to win. It is a brave decision, but misguided. He could maintain some advantage with 36..., b2.

37.hxg6 fxg6 38.Rxb3 g5

After many “Alarums and Excursions” White emerges with some advantage. The dangerous b-pawn is gone, and if the on-rushing Black K-side pawns can’t win something, White can well bring home the point.

39.Rb7!?,..

Trying to set up his own threats on the Black King. Both sides were now having to take in to account the dwindling time available. A more secure path for White was 39 Rb4, guarding the a-pawn and forcing Black make provision for the defense of his pawn mass. White assumes holding on to the Knight is necessary if he wants to win. Letting go of the piece would ease his task; after 39 Rb4 e3+ 40 Kf3 g4+ 41 Kxg4 Rxe2 42 Rxe2 Rxe2 43 Kxf4 Rxg2 44 Kxe3, or 43..., Re1 44 Kf3, leave White with good winning chances.

39..., g4 40.Kf1 f3 41.gxf3?,..

An instinctive reaction, there is almost no time to think now for either side. With 41 Nf4, White could have set up perpetual checking possibilities after 41..., e3 42 gxf3 exf3 43 Reb1! The clocks were now drifting towards just a couple of minutes each.

41..., exf3 42.Nf4 Rh2!

A move that should win the game.

43.Kg1 g3?

Akhil, after some very energetic play, just misses the chance to close out the game in fine style with 43..., f7+ 44 Kxh7 fxe8 (Q)+; when White can only give up his Rook on b2 to delay the mate for a move.

44.Rb8+ Kh7 45.Rb7+ Kg8 46.Rb8+ Kg7 47.Rb7+ Kf8

After a little hesitation, Black starts his King towards the annoying Rook. Once the Black King is safe from harassment, two Rooks on the second with two pawns on the third in close support should win for Black.

48.Ng6+,..

What else to do? Continuing to check with the Rook and the Black King will close with his harasser ending the checks, then the threat of ..,f3-f2+ wins handily.

48..., Ke8 49.Re7+ Kd8 50.Rd1+ Kc8?

Mr. Kamma is either under the incorrect assumption that maintaining the Rooks on the second is utterly essential for his game, or he just forgets these Rooks can block the check. With 50..., Rad2; the game is over. After 51 Rxd2 Rxd2; mate is threatened and sacrificing the remaining Rook only buys a move or two at most. If 51 Rb1, threatening his own mate, 51..., Rdg2+ and 52..., Rh1; is mate.

51.Re8+ Kc7 52.Rc1+ Kd7?

Again blocking with a Rook wins for Black. Worse than missing a killer move, the text gives White the whip hand. I am pretty sure Mr. Phillips, even in serious time trouble, knew that Black had the Rook move resource. There are times when your game is so bad and you can’t resign all there is to do is keep a “poker face” and play the best you can find. A game with mutual time problems is such a case.

53.Re7+?,..

Both clocks were approaching one minute now. White misses a neat finish; 53 e6+!, and 53..., Kxe8 54 Rc8 mate, or 53..., Kd6 54 Rd8 mate. When your chess life has been dangling by a thread for some while in a game, it is difficult to recognize and take advantage of a sudden opportunity. That is one trait the masters and Grandmasters seem all to have; if they play on in poor position their alertness to tactical chances remains very high. They rarely miss such opportunities. Us lesser lights too often see them pass by finding them only in the post mortem.

53..., Kd8 54.Rd1+ Kc8?

In the waning seconds of the game I kept asking myself why not block the check with a Rook? Aagaard’s assumption thesis is the only answer. Somewhere along the line Akhil determined maintaining the doubled Rooks on the second was the key for him. Sticking with that assumption costs him the game.

55.Re8+ Kb7 56.Re7+!?,..

Maybe signaling a draw would be acceptable, if 56..., Kc8 57 Re8+, etc. Forcing is 56 Rd7+, but a drawn outcome is likely. Black now fixes on a3 as sanctuary for his King. A natural idea. If there had been more time Black may have realized that it is a false hope.

56..., Kc6 57.Rd6+ Kc5 58.Rc7+ Kb4 59.Rd4+ Ka3?

Shelter that provides no succor. Keeping the balance with 59..., Ka5; maybe best. The Black King does not want to be checked on the third rank. Such a check clips the pawn on f3 eliminating some of mating prospects Black has had for awhile.

60.Rd3+? Kb2?

Continuing the fight with 60..., Kb4 is possible which is why 60 Rc3+, is a better choice for White.

61.Rxf3,..

The tables have now turned with a vengeance. If a pair of Rooks come off; 61..., Ra1+ 62 Rf1 Rxf1 63 Kxf1, the two separated but advanced passed pawns give White all the winning chances. Alternatively, 62..., Rxa4 63 e6, is no picnic for Black either.

61..., Rxa4 62.Rxg3,..

The extra piece and the passed e-pawn are sufficient for White to win.

62..., Re2 63.Rg2 Rxg2+ 64.Kxg2 Re4?

During play several of us thought 64..., Rg4+ tips the game back towards a draw. That is probably not true. After 64..., Rg4+ 65 Kf3, the Black King is cut off from the White passed pawn, and The White King is close enough to effectively escort the e-pawn forward. The Black h-pawn is just not far enough advanced to make much of a difference.

65.Kf3 Re1 1–0

The game went on for a few more moves but was effectively over. Both players seemed to have at different points illustrated the ideas behind Aagaard’s comments about assumptions in chess. Talking with Philip Sells while this game was going on about positions from his game last week against Dilip Aaron brought the comment regards the several chances Sells had to sacrifice on e6; “I saw it but just didn’t calculate the line far enough.” Such may have occurred in today’s game also, in particular White’s decision to trade Queens moves, 13 through 15, and not getting rid of a pair Rooks around move 25.

There is one of the paradoxical aspects of chess wisdom on display here. Aagaard says calculate wide not deep, and Sells comments about not looking far enough to see the point in a sacrifice. Aagaard’s advice focuses on finding more of the resources in a given position. Sells’ comment, Aagaard touches on a similar idea later in his work, highlights the art of a chess player; when you grasp most or all of what a position offers, you have to chose a path to follow. When calculating the moves to be played down a particular line it behooves the player to see it through to the end. Judging where to break off the calculation is a measure of chess skill. Grandmasters do this very well, the rest of us not nearly so well consistently.

The standings after the partial round three are:

Section A

1&2 Zach Calderone 2 - 0

1&2 Carlos Vaerla 2 - 0

3 Philip Sells 2 - 1

4 Jeff Capitummino 1 - 1

5 Mike Stanley 0 - 1

6&7 Dilip Aaron 0 - 2

6&7 Cory Northrup 0- 2

Section B

1 John Phillips 3 - 0

2 Ahkil Kamma 2 - 1

3 Alan Le cours 1 - 1

4 Herman Calderone ½ - ½

5 Richard Chu ½ - 1 ½

6 David Connors 0 - 1

7 Matt Clough 0 - 2

More soon.

The First Board From the Albany - Schenectady Match

Dean Howard, the defending champion of the Albany Club and first board in the “big” Albany versus Schenectady match this year, kindly sent me as much of the score as is available of his game with Patrick Chi. Dean was in some time trouble and stopped recording about move 37. With the help of Mr. Chi, Dean was able to find and forward the game through move 52 along with his notes on the game.

After the last move recorded the classic Rook pawn + Bishop pawn and Rook versus a lone Rook ending arose. Almost every writer on endgames has had something to say about this one. The position came to the attention of the chess world when Marshall drew it against Rubinstein at San Sebastian, 1911. Spielmann, Rabinovich, Belavenets, Maizelis, Zek, Keres, Botvinnik, Rogozin Flohr, Levenfish and Smyslov, Fine and in recent years Dvoretsky have explored this ending in great detail. The consensus is it is probably drawn if the defender knows the basic rule: Don’t let your King be cut off on the back rank. The side with the pawns wants to give up the Rook pawn at some point and win with the remaining Bishop pawn. The only chance for such a plan to work is if the defending King is cut off on the back rank. Avoid this and the long struggle is drawn.

Mr. Howard was so short of time he was not able to keep his King away from the back rank. The sudden-death time controls bring many good things to our game and some bad. A bad thing is the impossibility of staying out of time trouble in a long game and the resultant increase in endgame errors.

Howard, Dean - Chi, Patrick [B19]

Albany - Schenectady Match Schenectady, NY, 13.10.2011

Dean Howard’s notes are italicized.

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6

Dean’s comment is “I’ve had this position many times in casual games, but never got around to studying it. The line I chose was OK. If someone named Bill has the time to find out what the Grandmasters have done here, I’ll leave it to them.” Note: Dean sent the game to Bill Townsend also.

The position is quite fertile for researching GM games. It is popular with many of the top flight players. Here are a couple of examples;

(658043) Anand, Viswanathan (2770) - Dreev, Alexey (2676) [B19]

FIDE-Wch k.o. Moscow (4.2), 05.12.2001

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Bb4+ 12.c3 Be7 13.0–0–0 Ngf6 14.Kb1 0–0 15.Ne5 Qa5 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.Ne4 Rad8 18.Qg3 Kh8 19.Bc7 Qf5 20.f3 Rc8 21.Ka1 Nf6 22.Nd6 Bxd6 23.Bxd6 Rfd8 24.Be5 c5 25.dxc5 Nxh5 26.Rxd8+ Rxd8 27.Bxg7+ Kh7 [27...Nxg7 28.Qh4 f6 29.Qxh6+ Kg8 30.Qh8+ Kf7 31.Qxd8] 28.Qh4 Rd2 29.Bxh6 Kxh6 30.g4 Qg5 31.Qxh5+ Qxh5 32.Rxh5+ Kg7 33.a4 Rd3 34.c6 bxc6 35.Ra5 Rxf3 36.Rxa7 e5 37.a5 Kf6 38.a6 e4 39.Ra8 Rd3 40.Re8 Rd5 41.b4 Rd7 42.c4 1–0

(955096) Sadvakasov, Darmen (2605) - Dreev, Alexey (2705) [B19]

RUS-chT Sochi (7), 25.04.2005

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Ngf6 12.0–0–0 Be7 13.Kb1 Qa5 14.Ne5 0–0 15.Nxd7 Nxd7 16.Ne4 Nf6 17.Nd6 Bxd6 18.Bxd6 Rfd8 19.Be5 Ng4 20.Bg3 Nf6 21.Be5 Ng4 22.Bg3 Nf6 23.Qe2 Qb5 24.c4 Qf5+ 25.Ka1 b5 26.f3 bxc4 27.Be5 Nd5 28.g4 Qg5 29.Rc1 f6 30.Bg3 Nb6 31.f4 Qb5 32.g5 Qf5 33.Bh4 Kf7 34.Rhg1 Rg8 35.Rc3 Rad8 36.Ra3 Rd7 37.Rag3 hxg5 38.fxg5 Rxd4 39.Rf3 Qe4 40.Re3 Qd5 41.g6+ Ke7 42.Re5 Rd2 43.Rxd5 Rxe2 44.Ra5 Nc8 45.Rc5 Re4 46.Bg3 e5 47.Rxc6 Rg4 48.Kb1 Rh8 49.Kc2 Kd7 50.Rc5 Nd6 51.Rd5 Rxh5 52.Rgd1 Rxg3 53.Rxd6+ Ke7 54.R1d2 Rd3 55.Ra6 Rxd2+ 56.Kxd2 f5 57.Rxa7+ Kf6 58.Ra6+ Kg5 59.Re6 e4 60.a4 Rh3 61.a5 Kf4 62.a6 c3+ 63.bxc3 Rh2+ 64.Kc1 e3 65.Kb1 Rh8 66.Kc2 Kf3 67.c4 e2 68.c5 Kf2 69.Kd3 e1Q 70.Rxe1 Kxe1 71.c6 Re8 0–1

There are lots of draws in the databases too. It seems that the really good players understand this line of the Caro is sound enough for Black to hold his own and even try for a win if White gets too ambitious.

11.Bf4 Qa5+ 12.Bd2 Qc7 13.0–0–0 Ngf6 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Nf6 16.Qe2 0–0–0

The game is still in well known theory with even results according to the databases.

17.g3 Bd6 18.Ne5,..

Here Dean gives this move the edit mark (?!), and says;“Not a losing move, but Black’s reply will make White squirm a little.” I am not so sure this is true. If White is not bound by prejudice about Knights versus Bishops he can obtain play for the minor Exchange.

18..., c5 19.Nc4,..

Worth trying is 19 Bf4, then 19..., Nd5 20 dxc5 Nxf4 21 gxf4 Bxc5; and White has the open g-file with which to pressure the Black K-side pawns. I’d mark this move with the (?!). White surrenders a pawn and goes over to the defensive.

19..., cxd4 20.Nxd6+ Qxd6 21.Bf4 Qc6 22.Rhe1 Rd5 23.Be5 Rhd8 24.Qf3?,..

Mr. Howard correctly is critical of this move and queries it. He writes: “It’s a sign of good play by both sides that my computer says this is the third-worst move of the game. White is almost equal after 24 Rd3, or 24 Kb1.”

24..., d3?

Mr. Howard’s comment here was: “Fortunately for me , Black responds with the second-worst move of the game. After 24..., Qc5 25 Bxf6 gxf6 26 Qxf6 Rf5 27 Qxf6 Rxf2 29 Qxd2 Qxh5 Black is a clear pawn ahead with better attacking chances.” Deep Rybka agrees.

25.Rxd3 Rxd3 26.Qxc6+ bxc6 27.cxd3 Rxd3 28.Bxf6,..

Dean said: “After this exchange, White’s active Rook and better pawn structure almost make up for the missing pawn.”

28..., gxf6

The Black pawns are at first glance looking somewhat ragged and the White pawns not so bad. Delving a bit deep into the position brings to light that the active Black Rook can attack the White K-side pawns easily while White has a much harder time finding a role for his Rook to play.

29.Re4 Rf3?!

With 29..., Rd5; Black would have set a difficult task for White. Play might have gone; 30 Rg4 Kd7 31 Rf4 Ke7 32 Rb4 Rb5 33 Rc4 Kd6 34 Rd4+ Rd5; and so forth with Black owning an extra pawn White can not accept a trade of Rooks. That being the case, Black can bit by bit improve the position of his King until such time as White can no longer avoid the trade of Rooks. The text goes straight for attacking the pawns and leads to near equality.

30.Rg4 Rf5

Dean’s comment was: “It’s very hard to know what is correct here, but this is probably wrong. Fritz considered 30..., Rxf2, Kc7, Kd7, a6 and a5. 30..., Rxf2 was a little better.” Dean gave the move (?!) and I think that is fair.

31.Rg7 Rxh5 32.Rxf7 Rf5 33.f4 a5 34.Re7,..

As Dean said in his notes here both sides made some tenth-of-a-pawn mistakes along the way, and this looks like one of those. It is better to activate his King with 34 Kd2, and a drawn outcome is very probable. One of the problems in Rook and pawns endgames is very small differences have large implications.

34..., e5 35.fxe5 Rxe5 36.Rf7 Rf5 37.Rh7,..

Here is another chance for White to play his King to d2. It should be said that here Mr. Howard had fallen below five minutes on his clock and stopped recording moves. In time pressure deep contemplation is out, and you play what you see. The rest of the game is presented without comment.

37..., h5 38.Kc2 Rf2+ 39.Kc3 Rf3+ 40.Kc4 Rxg3 41.Rxh5 Rg4+ 42.Kc3 Rg5 43.Rh7 Rd5 44.Rf7 f5 45.Kc4 Kd8 46.Rf6 Kc7 47.Rf8 Kd7 48.Rf7+ Ke6 49.Rc7 Kd6 50.Rf7 Rb5 51.Rf6+ Kc7 52.Kd4 Rxb2 53.Rxf5 Rxa2 0–1

Patrick’s score sheet ran out here. The game continued for several more moves. Dean’s comments were”.. With almost no time , without knowing the risks to avoid, I allowed my King to be forced to the back rank, and removed all doubt by missing a mate when I was down to 30 seconds..” This was a game played at a level higher than we typically see in local contests. It reflects well on both players. Dean’s closing note captures a feeling I’ve had every once in a while: “It was a hard loss, but I learned lessons about the opening and endgame. That “almost” compensates for the lost King.”

More soon.

The SCC Championship is Underway

Thursday night the second round of the preliminary sections of the Schenectady Championship was played. The event has some of the regulars playing and some new faces for Schenectady. Patrick Chi is not defending his title this year, and Philip Sells is the only Expert in the event. New faces for Schenectady are Akhil Kamma of the Albany Club and Carlos Varela from the RPI team. Returning after a couple of years off is Jeff Capitummino.

Today we have a game where the young Dilip Aaron had chances against the Expert Sells. I can say the chances were deserved. They came about not so much through Dilip’s efforts, rather they were created by too routine treatment of the position by Mr. Sells. Unfortunately for Aaron he did not spot his opportunity. Sells then proceeded to rack-up the point in workmanlike fashion.

Sells, Philip - Aaron, Dilip [B01]

SCC Prelim A, Schenectady, NY, 21.10.2011

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bf5

Last year in the Preliminaries Dilip tried 5..., Bg5; an equally good alternative. He got his Queen completely out of play in the later middle game eventually losing a tense fight.

6.Qe2 e6 7.d3 c6 8.Bd2 Qc7 9.0–0–0 Bd6

The game has arrived at a normal looking but not quite standard position. I was not able to find an example in a two million game database. White has avoided pushing the d-pawn to the fourth rank reducing tension in the position, and Black has not gotten all his pieces into the fray yet nor has he castled. White counts on this retarded state of development for Black to allow him to beat off the obvious pawn storm on the Q-side.

10.h3!?,..

Anticipating K-side castling by Black, maybe. Making his own pawn storm is a worthy intention, but Black makes close contact first delaying White’s plans.. Probably best is 10 Ne4, then 10..., Bxe4 11 dxe4 Nbd7 12 Rhe1 Ne5 13 Nxe5 Bxe5 14 g3 0-0-0 15 f4 Bd4; when White has some central space and the two Bishops, while Black is well organized for defense. The grant of time given by White allows Black to come to grips right away.

10..., b5 11.Bb3 a5

I like this operation Black trys. He has set the stage to rip open the defenses in front of the White King. It is not necessarily correct, but it is dynamic.

12.a4,..

White could seek complications with 12 g4?!, but after something like 12..., Bg6 13 Nh4 a4 14 Bxe6 fxe6 15 Nxg6 hxg6 16 g5 Nh5 17 Qxe6+ Kd8 18 Qxg6, things are unclear; Black has a piece and White has two pawns and the position requires careful examination. The text certainly looks to be best.

12..., Bb4?

It may be the calculations needed to make sense of the position were more than Dilip was ready to deal with, or he became impatient with the problems. In the line where White plays d2-d3 and puts his Queen on e2, there is always hanging the threat of a piece sacrifice at e6. While making a judgment about when to pull the trigger on the sacrifice is a challenge for White, Black also has to consider it at every turn. This kind of persistent problem can become so annoying a player just goes for something out of left field. Such is the text move. It is surprising but not particularly pertinent to the position on the board. Castling right now is probably good: 12..., 0-0 13 axb5 a4 14 Ba2 a3 15 b3 Rc8 16 Nd4 Bb4; and the Black forces are have closed with the defenders of the White King while White is some moves away from reaching a similar state on the other side of the board.

13.Nd4 Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Bg6?

Necessary is 14..., b4. By removing the Bishop from the defense of e6 the stage is set for troubles.

15.axb5?!,..

The move played in the game holds on to a solid advantage, but the natural and thematic 15 Nxe6!, offers so much more. After 15..., fxe6 16 Qxe6+, and all Black’s answers are hopeless. The point of the formation White adopted, Bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal, Queen on e2, with a Knight coming to d4 or g5, is the piece sac at e6. Why a skillful player passes that by is hard to explain. Mr. Sells may have become focused on Aaron’s building attack and forgot about his own possibilities.

15..., c5?

With 15..., 0-0; Black could have avoided bigger problems.

16.Nf3?,..

Neither side seems to see the danger around e6. Here White could have played 16 Nxe6 fxe6 17 Qxe6+ Qe7 18 Qc8+ Qd8 19 Rhe1+, and so forth as it easy to see White picks up a decisive material advantage. Curious that both players so undervalued the sacrifice at e6. After the text Black is still worse but he can play on.

16..., a4 17.Bc4?!,..

Once more Mr. Sells opts for a little instead of a lot. 17 Bxe6, brings home the point soon after 17..., fxe6 18 Qxe6+ Kf8 19 Bxf6 Qf4+ 20 Kb1 gxf6 21 Qc8+ Kg7 22 Qb7+ Nd7 23 Qxd7+ Bf7 24 Rhe1 Rhd8 25 Qg4+

17..., 0–0 18.Ne5 Nd5 19.Bd2?,..

This last move seems to be motivated by the wish to retain the Bishop pair. The game move gives up just about all of the advantage White has held for some time. Mr. Sells works very hard at the board. Up to this point the has used one hour more than Mr. Aaron on the clock so we can’t blame haste for any slips. Here White could nail down a permanent advantage with 19 Bxd5 exd5 20 Nxg6 hxg6 21 Qe5, when the mate threat forces off the Queens, after which the Bishop at e5 is much stronger than is the Knight. Coupled with the extra pawn, this leads to a won ending. Play could then go on; 21..., Qxe5 22 Bxe5 Nd7 23 Bd6 Rfe8 24 Rhe1 c4 25 Rxe8+ Rxe8 26 dxc4 dxc4 27 Rd4, when the Black Q-side pawns are vulnerable in the extreme.

19..., a3 20.bxa3 Rxa3 21.Kb2 Ra8 22.Rhe1 Nd7 23.Nc6!?,..

An aggressive choice. Somewhat more sober but not necessarily better is 23 Nxg6. At this moment White was down to 5 ½ minutes on the clock. Black had well over one hour remaining. Sobriety has its pluses in time trouble.

23..., N7b6 24.Ra1?,..

A most natural move. It is a mistake that should be costly. Correct is 24 Qe5, offering the Queen trade. As later in the game, if the Queens come off Black is worse.

24..., Ne7?

Dilip misses his golden opportunity. With the move 24..., Nxc4+; Black obtains an advantage. Granted it requires a fairly long and complicated calculation, but much of it is forced easing the burden of the task. Play continues; 25 dxc4 Qxc6! 26 bxc6 Rhb8+ 27 Bb4! (the only way to fight on) 27..., Rxb4+ 28 Kc1 Rxa8+ 29 Kd2 Ra2 30 Rc1 Nb6; when White will have to find tough moves such as 31 Ke1, avoid the worst. The position has a lesson worth knowing; when you embark on a sacrificial line as Black did in this game - he gave up a pawn on the Q-side - very frequently the justification is only found in further sacrifices. Also frequent is what happens if you can’t find the sacrificial continuation; the game turns against you. After the game move Black is in serious trouble. Another motivator for Black is the time situation. Jerking the game out of normal channels makes finding the proper answers when the clock is running towards its final minutes even more trying.

25.Qe5 Qxe5+ 26.Nxe5 Nf5

With the Queens off the potential for some tactical surprise is much reduced. Black should have avoided this exchange. Now the passed b-pawn looms large for White. Sells takes control of the game, and while it takes many moves with less than four minutes on the clock, Mr. Sells demonstrates once more his skill at fast play.

27.Ba5 Nxc4+ 28.dxc4 Nd4 29.Nxg6 hxg6 30.Re5 Rfc8 31.Ra3 f6 32.Re1 Rcb8 33.Rea1 Rb7 34.Bd2 Rab8 35.Be3 e5 36.Ra6,..

Making things simpler with 36 Ra8, might have lessened the task. White, however, was down to about 49 seconds here, and it is more important he plays what he sees rather than what he can find if he had the time.

36..., Kh7 37.c3 Nxb5

Despairing at the task in front of him, Dilip seeks relief with a sacrifice. It is too late. More stubborn but not objectively better is 37..., Nf5; then 38 Bxc5 Rc8 39 Rb6, etc. The only virtue of the line is it might cause Sells to have to think a bit.

38.cxb5 Rxb5+ 39.Kc1 Rb3 40.Bd2 Rd8 41.Kc2,..

White has spied out a safe haven on c4 for his King that keeps him well guarded by any tactics Black’s Rooks may try.

41..., Rdb8 42.Rc6 R3b5 43.Be3 Rb2+ 44.Kd3 f5 45.Bxc5 e4+ 46.Kc4 1–0

The game continued for several more moves with White’s clock hanging at nine seconds. Mr. Sells did not need more than the five second delay to find the path to victory. I like Dilip’s idea of ripping up the Q-side to obtain counter-play. In this game Sells gave his young opponent chances to turn the tables. If Aaron studies this game carefully and internalizes the lessons available, he will much more dangerous to the Experts in the club.

in the future.

After play finished Thursday the standings were:

Section A

1-3 Zack Calderone 2 - 0

1-3 Philip Sells 2 - 0

1-3 Carlos Varela 2 - 0

4-5 Dilip Aaron 0 - 2

4-5 Cory Northrup 0 - 2

6-7 Mike Stanley 0 - 1

6-7 J. Capitummino 0 - 1

In Section A next Thursday the most interesting match-up is the game between Dilip Aaron and Zack Calderone, the established scholastic star versus a rising challenger.

Section B

1-2 Akhil Kamma 2 - 0

1-2 John Phillips 2 - 0

3 Alan Le Cours 1 - 1

4 Herman Calderone ½ - ½

5 Richard Chu ½ - 1 ½

6 David Connors 0 - 1

7 Matt Clough 0 - 2

In Section B the game of interest is the clash of the two leaders, Phillips and Kamma. Although unrated, Kamma has demonstrated some talent in casual and speed games at the Albany Club. On the other hand, Phillips has qualified several times for the SCC Title Finals and is well experienced in the local chess wars. Will we see the emergence of a new title threat? Stay tuned.

More soon.

Another Game From the U1800 Section

The previous game I published by Dave Finnerman had some doubtful points. This victory from the second round is far more clearly a dominating win by Mr. Finnerman over the quickly improving scholastic player Calderone.

Calderone, Zachary - Finnerman, David [B07]

133d NYS Champ U1800 Albany, NY, 07.09.2011

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f3,..

Typically played to avoid a Pirc player’s preparation in the well studied lines of the Austrian (4 f4), the Classical (4 Nf3) and the Bishop move variations (4 Bc4 & 4 Bg5). Black has several ways to achieve an acceptable middle game including the Old Indian (a quick e5 and ..,Be7) and an early (3..., d5;) looking to transpose into a French Defense if Black does not play ..,g7-g6 early. Taking up the standard Pirc setup also works as in the game.

4..., Bg7 5.Be3 0–0 6.Qd2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.0–0–0 Qe7!?

The Grandmasters prefer 8..., Qxd2+; aiming for equality. Mr. Finnerman wants more.

9.Bg5?!,..

The basic moving-a-piece-twice opening error. Logical are; 9 g4, or 9 h4, getting on with the K-side pawn assault. Also reasonable are the prophylactic 9 Qf2, 9 Bd3 and 9 Kb1. If White wants to develop straight forwardly he can try 9 Bc4. The text has the virtue of setting the possibility of elimination of the Nf6, but the cost of a tempo that can be better used and the disappearance of the better of the White Bishops is too great a price.

9..., Be6 10.Bd3 c5?!

Likely this move is just too risky for Black. Better 10..., Rd8.

11.Nd5,..

A worthy alternative here is 11 f4, then 11..., Qd7 12 Nf3 exf4 13 Qxf4 Nh5 14 Qd2 Nc6 15 a3, and the battle is undecided. Both sides retain chances to try for the advantage.

11..., Bxd5 12.exd5 Qd6 13.Bxf6?,..

This move is illogical, and it changes a unclear but dynamically balanced position into one that is promising for Black. The fundamental reason is the dark squared Bishop is useful for White. Remaining on g5 it stifles its Black counterpart. White may have been concerned that the Nf6 could travel Ne8/Nd6 taking up a good blockading post, but that regrouping of pieces takes several moves since the Black Queen will have to move away. The text is also contrary to the essence of the position. Opposite side castling most often signals sacrificial attacks with the result turning on who gets there first. As in the game, Black should probably think about giving the a & b-pawns to obtain open lines on the White King.

13..., Qxf6 14.c4 Nd7

Here Black could play 14..., b4; right away, and if 15 cxb4 c4 16 Bxc4? Rc8; is promising.

15.Ne2 b5 16.cxb5 c4 17.Bb1 a6

White now sees that things are going wrong with his position.

18.bxa6 Rfb8 19.Nc3 Rxa6 20.Qe2?,..

In a tough situation Mr. Calderone errs. It should be said the game is very close to being lost no matter what White plays. The text however lets Black finish up with a flourish. With 20 Rhe1 Rxa6 21 Re4 Rxb2 22 Qxb2 Rxb2 23 Kxb2 Qa6; Black has a winning edge, but White can fight on for awhile.

20..., Bh6+

The dormant Bishop springs to life becoming part of a neat mating combination.

21.Kc2 Qb6 22.Qxc4 Qxb2+ 23.Kd3 e4+ 24.Kxe4 f5+ 25.Kd4 Qf2+ 26.Kd3 0–1

White played his last move and resigned seeing 26..., Ne5; mate. I very much like the combination that ends the game. White misunderstood the opening ideas and Black took a chance in the opening provoking an error by White. Black recognized the basic requirement in opposite side castling positions; speedy attacking is crucial and brought home the point with the mating combination. A good performance by the winner of the Under 1800 Section of the State Championship.

More soon.

David Finnerman, U1800 Winner at the NYS Championship

The U1800 Section of the 133d NYS Tourney

There was one section of the recent NYS Championship that I did not cover and it was the section where local players did very well indeed. In the Under 1800 Section Dave Finnerman took first with a 5 - 1 score, Dilip Aaron and Richard Moody tied with Daniel Brule at 4 ½ - 1 ½ for second through fourth places.

Today’s game is the fifth round match-up of Finnerman and the latest Aaron to make his mark on the local chess scene. This win made the difference for Dave. He stopped the hard charging scholastic star making his chances for the title very good with one round to play.

Finnerman, David - Aaron, Dilip [A13]

133d NYS Championship Albany, NY, 03.09.2011

1.c4 e6 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0–0 dxc4!?

This is the English Opening (A13) with .., e6. The opening books recommend 5..., 0-0; here. Black usually tries to keep the h1-a8 diagonal closed later moving the Nc6 and playing .., c7-c6; if possible. White typically does not worry too much about recovering the pawn counting on the open Q-side files to allow him to pressure Black seeking a tactical solution. Here is an example from recent times:

(1176424) Lushenkov, Mikhail M (2387) - Ivanov,Alexey2 (2425) [A13]

RUS-chT2 Sochi (3), 05.05.2007

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.0–0 Nc6 6.Qa4 Qd5 7.Nc3 Qc5 8.b3 cxb3 9.Qxb3 Qb6 10.Qc2 Bb4 11.a3 Bxc3 12.Qxc3 Qa5 13.Qe3 0–0 14.Bb2 Nd5 15.Qe4 f6 16.Rfc1 Bd7 17.d4 Rfe8 18.Rc5 Qb6 19.Rb1 a5 20.h4 a4 21.Bc1 Qa6 22.Bd2 Rab8 23.e3 Nce7 24.h5 b6 25.Rcc1 b5 26.Qd3 c6 27.h6 g6 28.e4 Nb6 29.Nh2 Nc4 30.Bb4 e5 31.dxe5 Nxe5 32.Qd6 1–0

6.Qa4 Be7 7.Ne5!,..

A nice move emphasizing the dangers on the long diagonal for Black.

7..., Bd7 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Bxc6 0–0 10.Qxc4 Rb8

It may be better to rid the position of light squared Bishops with 10..., Bxc6. The upshot of the operation beginning 6 Qa4, is White has the better pawn formation while Black is ahead in development. Neither side has staked out anything in the way of pawn control of the center squares. Silman’s theory of imbalances says; evaluate the pluses and minuses and work to increase the pluses and repair the minuses in your position. White needs to get on with development, and Black wants to find a way gin up something from the lead in development. The problem for White is he must watch for tactics where Black obtains compensation for his weakened pawn structure.

11.Bf3,..

Defending e2.

11..., Bb5 12.Qc2 Bd6?!

Reasonable but wrong. Not much is threatened by posting the Bishop on d6. Better is 12..., Nd5. White won’t take the Nd5 giving up his light squared Bishop, and the Knight clears f6 for the Be7. The Knight may go on to b4 to further harass the White Queen. All this is not enough to claim the advantage for Black, however this sort of operation that makes a little something out of that most transient of pluses; a lead in development. The text guards c7; but it also grants time for White to catch up in development.

13.Nc3 Bd7 14.b3 Qe7 15.Bb2 Rfe8?

Apparently Black wants to advance the e-pawn at some point in the future. The Rook behind the Queen is a questionable support for such a plan. The operation 15..., c5 16 Rac1 Be5 17 Ne4 Bxb2 18 Qxb2 Nxe4 19 Bxe4 Rbc8; etc. holds hopes for Black to equalize, or at least keep the disadvantage to a minimum.

16.Rfe1?,..

Both players are suddenly overtaken with the urge to advance the e-pawns. Why now? Good is emphasizing the Bishops’ play with 16 Ne4 Nxe4 17 Bxe4 g6 18 Rac1, and if 18..., e5 19 Bc6, when the Black a-pawn looks vulnerable.

16..., e5 17.e4 Bg4?!

The last operations have reduced the effectiveness of White’s light squared Bishop. Black now makes a trade of this less than prepossessing piece for his now pretty good counterpart.

18.Nd5?..,

Instigating a tactical interlude that does not help his game. The positional continuation 18 Bxg4, getting rid of potentially active Bg4 right away looks better. Then 18..., Nxg4 19 Nd5, retains the advantage for White.

18..., Nxd5 19.Bxg4 Nb4

In the space of just few moves the solid edge White has enjoyed is seriously reduced. It happened not so much because Black found some resource, rather White may have just miss-judged the position.

20.Qc3 Bc5 21.Qc4?,..

Necessary is 21 Be2, to defend d3. The text overlooks that d2 is undefended.

21..., Red8 22.Re2,..

The cold-blooded 22 Be2 Rxd2 23 Bc3 Rxa2; pins White’s hopes on using his two Bishops to offset the extra pawn Black has. Would such a plan work? It has the virtue of keeping lots of play in the position, but a pawn is a pawn.

22..., Nd3

And the worm has turned. From a worse position, Black emerges with some advantage.

23.Bc3 Qg5 24.Bf3 Qf6 25.Kg2 Rd6?

The wrong Rook if Black is considering using it for some kind of frontal attack on the White King. This Rook defends the Nd3 and is not free for extra duties. Better 25..., Rb6.

26.b4 Bb6 27.a4 Rbd8 28.Rf1 Rc6 29.Qb3 Qg6 30.Kh1 Rf6 1-0

Here my copy of the score runs out, or at least the intelligible portion of it. The game ultimately ended with White winning. My record says 31 g4 was played but that move seems hugely wrong. Conversations with Mr. Finnerman, both email and faced-to-face, told me the position from my score was not quite right. David does not yet have the game transcribed to his computer so we have not been able to nail down the actual moves.

If, and it is a big if, White plays 31 Kg2?, in the this position, Black has the pretty resource 31..., Rxf3!; which wins after 32 Kxf3 Qh5+; gaining decisive material. After Black’s 30th move, Deep Rybka evaluates the position as favoring Black by about three-quarters of a pawn (0.73). If White plays Rybka’s suggested move, 31 a5, then 31..., Rxf3 32 axb6 cxb6; leaves Black with the better position, not quite winning for sure but better. With some luck we will obtain the correct moves and I will publish the actual finish of this game.

More soon.

The "big" Albany - Schenectady Match

Back to work. I have not posted since early this month. My wife and I were off on a vacation in South Carolina for a week or so. The drive down and back along the I88/I81/I77 route was very pretty with Fall colors present all the way to the SC border. The route follows the western side of the Catskills, the Endless Mountains in PA, the Blue Ridge in Virginia and the Southern Appalachians in North Carolina. If you have the time, and enjoy “leaf peeping”, it is a trip worth taking.

Now to news. Last night, Thursday October 13th saw the latest incarnation of the “big” Albany - Schenectady matches. Albany brought twelve players this year, and Schenectady had thirteen show up. Schenectady won the contest rather decisively 8 to 4. The Schenectady side dominated on the top boards scoring 4 ½ to 1 ½ on the top six boards. Their edge was less on the lower boards, 3 ½ to 2 ½. Albany was designated the home team and had White on the odd numbered boards. The results were:

Albany Schenectady

Board 1 Dean Howard - 0 Patrick Chi - 1

Board 2 Jon Leisner - 0 Ashok Aaron - 1

Board 3 Gordon Magat - 1 Philip Sells - 0

Board 4 Tim Wright - 0 John Phillips - 1

Board 5 Peter Henner - 0 Michael Mockler - 1

Board 6 Bill Little - ½ Bill Townsend - ½

Board 7 Jonathan Lack - 0 David Fennerman - 1

Board 8 Glen Perry - 1 Dilip Aaron - 0

Board 9 Arthur Alowitz - ½ Richard Chu - ½

Board 10 Charles Eson - 0 Matt Clough - 1

Board 11 *Chris Caravaty. - 0 Cory Northrup - 1

Board 12 K. Kamma - 1 Zach Calderone - 0

* I made a typical reporter’s mistake and did not obtain the correct spelling of this player’s last name. Bill Townsend and I both recorded his last name as “Carvaty“, but this is wrong. With help from Cory Northrup we got the spelling right this morning.

Bill Townsend and I played a game with a couple of significant mistakes that rather spoiled what was a tense contest between opponents with a history over many years of hard fights. I dropped a pawn is a silly fashion resulting in a material imbalance of a Queen and a Rook plus a pawn versus two Rooks and a Knight. Bill then had the opportunity to simplify by trading off a pair of Rooks and getting a distant two-to-one pawn majority on the Q-side. Fortunately for me a shortage of time on the clock caused Bill to miss a further winning chances and the game petered out to a draw in about 75 moves. Our game ran long making obtaining scores of other games impossible. Mr. Townsend does have some of the game scores. He’ll likely be publishing some in his Schenectady Gazette column.

A personal note; I received a trophy for finishing second in the Saratoga Championship last season. Alan LeCours was to present it to me last week, but I missed it because of the South Carolina vacation. My thanks to Alan for the effort directing the event, and my apologies for my absence for his presentation. Since I’ve retired from serious competition, this is probably the last trophy for me. Over the many, many years of serious play I was able to win the Schenectady title a few times and the Albany title once, 2007. Making the “triple”, Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga titles just was not in the cards for me. The best I could do was a couple of second places at Saratoga, this year and 2006-07. Although I fell short of a goal, the pleasure of the competition and the comradeship of my opponents were certainly the real rewards of playing chess. My thanks to all my opponents.

More soon.