Alan LeCours Plays the Wilkes-Barre at the Amateur Team East

Philip Sells, Alan LeCours, Jon Barnes and Bill Townsend constituted one of the Schenectady Chess Club teams that participated in the Amateur Team East in New Jersey from February 13^th-15^th, 2010. The other team was made up of John Phillips, Richard Chu, Cory Northrup and Chuck Eson. I think everyone enjoyed the tournament. There were approximately 300 4 player teams competing in the tournament. I intend to prepare a more thorough report of my experience at the tournament.

 

My highlight game is the following miniature. I always "enjoy" playing this opening over the board.

 

Alan LeCours

 

Kapengut,Mark (1885) - LeCours,Alan (1958) [C57]

ATE 2010, 15.02.2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5

These are the signature moves of the Two Knights Defense Wilkes-Barre Variation (USA) /or Traxler Counterattack 5.Nxf7 (5. Bxf7+ is a less greedy alternative) Bxf2+
6.Kf1 (Kxf2 is sometimes played—Some analysis was recently published suggesting that Kf1 refutes the Traxler. As Borat says: "Not!")Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.c3? (Surprisingly, this move seems to lose. However, in some old chess manuals it has been given an "!" If you spend twenty five minutes analyzing this position at the board, it is certainly one of the first moves that comes to mind. However, perhaps the best attempt to refute this line of the Traxler would be with 9. h3 or perhaps 9. d6) Bg4 10.Qa4+ Nd7 11.Kxf2 Qh4+ 12.Kf1 0–0–0 13.Nf7 Rf8 14.d6 Rxf7+ White resigns

After 15. Bxf7 Bxe2+ 16. Kg1 Qe1# 0–1

 

Study Games: Some other Traxlers w/ 8. ...Nd4:

 

(1) Malada,Vinko (2249) - Doric,Nenad (2363) [C57]

Rijeka IM-B Rijeka (4), 2001

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.c3 Bg4 10.Qa4+ Nd7 11.Kxf2 Qh4+ 12.g3 Qf6+ 13.Ke1 Qf3 14.Rf1 Qe4+ 15.Kf2 0–0–0 16.cxd4 Rf8+ 17.Kg1 Qxd4+ 18.Kg2 Qe4+ 19.Kg1 Rxf1+ 20.Bxf1 Qxa4 21.Nc3 Qd4+ 22.Kg2 e4 23.Be2 Bxe2 24.Nxe2 Qd3 25.Nf4 Qf3+ 26.Kh3 g5 27.Ne6 h5 0–1

 

(2) Kalichkin,Igor (2258) - Tahirov,Farhad (2571) [C57]

Tula-B Tula (10), 2002

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.c3 Bg4 10.Qa4+ Nd7 11.Kxf2 Qh4+ 12.Kf1 0–0–0 13.Nf7 Rf8 14.g3 Bh3+ 15.Kg1 Qe4 0–1

 

(3) Lichy - Blatny,Frantisek [C57]

Chocen qual6 Chocen, 1950

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Ne4 10.d3 Qf6 0–1

 

(4) Kurkin,S - Estrin,Yacov [C57]

Moscow Central CC-ch sf Moscow, 1966

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Bg3 10.c3 Nf5 11.Qa4+ Bd7 12.Bb5 Qc5 13.Bxd7+ Nxd7 14.Ke2 Qxd5 15.Rg1 e4 16.d4 exd3+ 17.Kd1 Bf2 18.Rf1 Qxg2 19.Rxf2 Qg1+ 20.Kd2 Qxf2+ 21.Kxd3 0–0–0 22.Qf4 Ne5+ 23.Ke4 Ng3+ 24.Kxe5 Qc5+ 25.Ke6 Qd6+ 0–1

 

(5) Leonov,Mikhail A (2446) - Krasnov,Yury (2313) [C57]

Tula Tula (6), 16.02.2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Bg3 10.c3 Nf5 11.d4 Bd7 12.Bg5 0–0–0 13.Ng6 hxg6 14.Bd3 Bh4 15.Bxf5 Bxg5 16.Bxd7+ Rxd7 17.Qe2 exd4 18.Qxe7 Rxe7 19.cxd4 Re4 20.Nc3 Rxd4 21.Rd1 Bd2 22.Nb1 Rf4+ 23.Ke2 Ba5 24.Rhf1 Re4+ 25.Kf3 Kd7 26.Nd2 Rh4 27.Ke2 Kd6 28.Rf3 Nxd5 29.Rf7 Bxd2 30.Rxd2 Rh7 31.Rd4 Kc5 32.Rg4 Rh6 33.Rxg7 b6 34.Rg5 c6 35.Rxa7 Kd6 36.Rg7 Ne7 37.Rg4 c5 38.a4 1–0

 

(6) Sotnikov,Taras - Alonso Aranzabal,Inigo (2166) [C57]

Madrid2 Madrid (1), 11.02.2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Qf8 10.d3 Ng4 11.hxg4 Bg3+ 12.Qf3 Nxf3 13.Ke2 Nd4+ 14.Kd2 Qf2+ 0–1

 

 

(7) Westermann,Bernhard - Prang,Edgar [C57]

NRW-ch Muenster (2), 1974

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Bh4 10.c3 Nf5 11.d4 e4 12.Bf4 g5 13.Bd2 Ng3+ 14.Kg1 e3 15.Be1 Nfe4 16.Bxg3 Bxg3 17.Qh5+ Kf8 18.Ng6+ Kg7 19.Nxe7 Bf2+ 20.Kh2 ½–½

 

 

(8) Lipowsky,N - Forster,Richard [C57]

Bagneux op Bagneux, 1987

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Bg3 10.Nc3 Ng4 11.Be2 Nf2 12.Bh5+ g6 13.Nxg6 hxg6 14.Bxg6+ Kd8 15.Qh5 Qf6 0–1

 

 

(9) Cierny,Lubomir - Pinter,Patrik [C57]

SVK-ch Topolcianky (7), 1994

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Ne4 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qd1 Qf6 12.Be2 Ng3# 0–1

 

 

(10) Gunis,Juraj - Pinter,Patrik [C57]

SVK-ch U18 Trnava (3), 1994

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Ne4 10.Nc3 Ng3+ 11.Kxf2 Qf6+ 12.Kg1 Bf5 13.Nb5 Qb6 14.Kh2 Nxb5 15.Bxb5+ Qxb5 16.Kxg3 0–0–0 17.Nf7 Rf8 18.Nxe5 Qxd5 19.d4 Re8 20.c4 Qd6 21.Bf4 h6 22.h4 Rg8 23.Qd2 g5 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.Bxg5 c5 26.Qf4 1–0

 

 

(11) Soikane,J - Babarskyte,J [C57]

Marijampole op Marijampole (3), 1996

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Ne4 10.Be2 Ng3+ 11.Kxf2 Ne4+ 12.Kg1 Ng3 13.Kh2 Ngxe2 14.Qf1 Qd6 15.Qf7+ Kd8 16.Qxg7 e4+ 17.g3 e3 18.Nf7+ 1–0

 

 

(12) Goutor,Yaroslav - Klokow,John [C57]

Canada op Edmonton (6), 12.07.2000

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.h3 Bg3 10.c3 Qc5 11.d3 Nb3 12.Qf3 Nxa1 13.Qxg3 Qe7 14.Na3 Bd7 15.d6 cxd6 16.Nf7 d5 17.Nxe5 dxc4 18.Nexc4 Be6 19.Kf2 Nc2 20.Nxc2 Bxc4 21.dxc4 Ne4+ 22.Kf3 Nxg3 23.Re1 Qxe1 24.Nxe1 Nf5 25.Nd3 Rd8 26.Ke2 Kf7 27.Bg5 Re8+ 28.Kf2 Nd6 29.Be3 Nxc4 30.Bxa7 Ra8 31.Be3 Nxe3 32.Kxe3 Rxa2 33.g4 b6 34.h4 g6 35.Kf4 Ra4+ 36.b4 Ra3 37.Ne5+ Ke6 38.c4 Ra1 39.Nf3 Kf6 40.g5+ Ke6 41.c5 bxc5 42.bxc5 Ra4+ 43.Kg3 Kd5 44.c6 Kxc6 45.Ne5+ Kd6 46.Nf3 Ke6 47.h5 gxh5 48.Nh4 Rg4+ 49.Kh3 Rxg5 50.Nf3 Rg4 51.Nh2 Kf5 52.Nf3 Ke4 53.Nd2+ Ke3 54.Nf1+ Kf2 55.Nd2 h6 0–1