Wrapping Up The League

The final standings for the Capital District Chess League are:

Match Score Game Score

1 Schenectady A 6 ½ - ½ 23

2 Albany 6 - 1 20 ½

3 Saratoga A 5 ½ - 1 ½ 19

4 Schenectady Geezers 3 ½ - 3 ½ 15

5 Guilderland 3 - 4 12

6 RPI 2 - 5 9 ½

7 Uncle Sam (Troy) 2 - 5 7 ½

8 Saratoga B 0 - 7 4 ½

After some years where Albany dominated the League, Schenectady has once again won the title. The battle as is usual came down to the matches between the big three. Schenectady A’s defeat of Albany by a 3-1 score determined first place. Albany’s win over Saratoga A by the same score determined second and third places. None of the other teams were able to mount a serious challenge. Guilderland (really the Albany B team) and the Schenectady Geezers both made strenuous efforts to become completive but they fell short of the goal to reach a top three place.

The honor of being the Most Valuable Player this year went to Philip Sells of the Schenectady A team. He scored 6-1. In second place for the MVP title was Tim Wright (5 ½ - ½) of the Albany team, third was Patrick Chi (5-1) of the Schenectady A team. Richard Chu of the Schenectady Geezers finished fourth in the race for MVP with a score of 5-2. The scores and placing was provided by the League Director, Bill Townsend.

With eight teams in the contest, the League had the largest number of participants in some time. The good turnout for League play generated some discussion in the Schenectady Club of reviving the traditional Albany versus Schenectady annual “big” match. Before I came on the local chess scene sixty years ago, and intermittently since then, the two cities’ chess communities staged matches of many boards. If memory serves, there were upwards of twenty boards a side and created publicity for the clubs and the game. Perhaps it should be done again. One idea is to stage such a match after the State Championship, Labor Day, and before the beginning of the various club championships take off in October.

We will close out coverage of this year’s CDCL play with board four of the Albany - Saratoga A match. In it Alan Le Cours of Saratoga had the White pieces and Tim Wright of Albany the Black. Up to this match both players had pretty good years on the lower boards. Before the match began Alan had scored 4 ½ - 1 ½ in six games. Wright had 4 ½ - ½ in five games.

CDCL Match Albany v Saratoga A, Board 4

White: Alan Le Cours, Saratoga A

Black: Tim Wright, Albany

Date: 24 June, 2010

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6

The Slav, D15, a line I know Mr. Le Cours is familiar with from our studies in GM Har-Zvi’s Saturday group sessions. Shirov. Bacrot, Topalov, Kamsky, Anand and Short have used this line in serious games and rapid games too.

5.c5

Although you might be tempted to dismiss this try as a duffer’s move, it has some advocates among elite. Gelfand, Kramnik and Sokolov have had good results with it. In most of the GM games we see White staking his success on a big pawn push on the Q-side. Soon or late White plays e3. Sometimes after the Bc1 goes to f4 or g5 and some times the Bc1 stays home to be sent to work later.

5...g6 6.g3...,

This last move tells us White will have to do some odd things if he is to find a good working square for the Bc1. The pawn on g3 clutters the dark squares so any mission the Bishop is sent on the K-side probably will be a one-way trip. Things do not turn out quite as expected because White does not advance the e-pawn.

6..., Bg7 7.Bg2 0–0 8.0–0 Bf5?!

The last few moves have taken the game well away from GM practice. Maybe Black is just trying out f5 to see how White reacts.

9.Nh4...,

Alan has a liking for chasing the Bishop on f5 in this way. He uses the same move in the Dutch variation of the Slav. In the Dutch variation the move makes some sense, here whether it is a time waster or not is an open question. Logical is 9 Qb3.

9..., Be6

In the game I thought this might be wrong. Rybka finds nothing better for Black and calls the game close to even.

10.Qd3 a5 11.f4...,

Contrary to what the GM games in the databases show us, White seems to want to play on the K-side and Black the Q-side. I suspect both plans are strategically not the best

11..., Ne4!?

There are some tactics allowing Black to engage in the center in this way. Perhaps sounder is 11..., Na6, getting another piece in play before starting the fight in the center.

12.f5 Bc8 13.fxg6 hxg6 14.Be3 Nxc3 15.bxc3...,

The net result of the clearance around e-file has left Black apparently trailing in development. White, on the other hand, certainly does not have his pieces well placed to launch an attack immediately on the Black King. The computer calls the game even.

15..., Qe8?!

A group of players had opportunity at the new Albany Area Chess Club to go over this game with Mr. Wright. I was there and it was enlightening. Tim offered that he was trying to shore up g6 and thought 16 Nxg6, was a real threat immediately. While looking at this position with the group it seemed possible White might get some edge after 15..., Nd7 16 Nxg6 fxg6 17 Qxg6 Qe8 18 Rxf8 Kxf8 19 Rf1 Qf2 20 Qh7, but applying Rybka to the problem suggests Black is OK and will maintain some advantage. How White gets the two passed pawns rolling is unclear. If they can’t become a factor, then Black’s extra piece will count for much. The defensive nature of the game move leaves White with some initiative.

16.Rf2 Nd7 17.Raf1 Nf6

The massing of the White Rooks on the f-file was very direct. It is possible putting a Rook on the b-file might have set Black more problems. The game has drifted towards equality again.

18.h3 Be6 19.Kh2 Rb8

Both players bogged down around here. They are working hard to find ideas and clock time was fast speeding away.

20.Bf4 Rc8 21.Bg5 Ra8

Pieces are being shifted and the opponents are straining for inspiration.

22.Qe3 Qd7 23.Bh6 Qc7?

After some fitful maneuvering Black makes an error. With 23..., Qc8, all is secure for Black since e6 is defended. White now has excellent chances to obtain significant advantages because of the weaknesses near the Black King. Time had dwindled to about 21 minutes for each side.

24.Nxg6 Rfe8 25.Ne5 Kh7 26.Bxg7 Kxg7

Black is pretty well lost now. White should continue 27 Qg5+ and Black has no defense after 27..., Kf8 28 Rf4. The Rook threatens to go to the h-file administering the coup de grace. Time trouble was a problem for both Alan and Tim, maybe worse for Alan. The game became a series of errors by both sides where White missed pretty sacrifices of a Rook down the f-file and Black’s defensive efforts should have lost the game. We will draw the curtain over these mistakes. The game ended about move fifty after one-half the game was played at breakneck speed.

The victory for Tim Wright cemented the match win for the Albany team and clear second place in the League.

We are now entering a quite time for local chess until the State Championship on the Labor Day weekend and the various club title events beginning in September and October. I am going to have to dig around for activities to make something for the this blog. Wish me luck.