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.