Sozin Attack at Chess.com

At Jim West Talks Chess, my blog post on the Sozin Attack has been viewed often.

Howard Stern, Chess Master

As a follow-up to Sunday's blog post, here is a news flash from Howard Stern's website.

HOWARD THE CHESS MASTER

Marshall Chess Club President Dr. Frank Brady played two games against Howard over the weekend. Dr. Brady said, "He's a good player! I did win, but he held me right down to the end game. He's much better than he thinks he is." Dr. Brady said Howard has an open invitation to return.

Zilbermintz Wins Again with PCG

Lev Zilbermintz does well with the Philidor Counter Gambit on the ICC against FIDE ranked players named Guerrero or Rodriguez. Previously Zilbermintz defeated WIM Alejandra Guerrero Rodriguez. Now he wins against GM Enrique Rodriguez Guerrero.

GM Enrique Rodriguez Guerrero - Lev Zilbermintz, Internet Chess Club Blitz 1/20/2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Nh6 7.c4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 d4 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qxh6 dxc3, White resigns.

October 2006-March 2007 "ACN"

You can read here the October 2006-March 2007 double issue of Atlantic Chess News. My article on the Philidor Counter Gambit is located on pages 22 and 23.

Schach Jock

Satellite radio shock jock Howard Stern turned schach jock for a few hours when he and Beth Ostrosky visited the prestigious Marshall Chess Club earlier today. While I and the other participants in the one-day schedule were playing game/30 in round two, Stern sat upstairs chatting with club president Frank Brady. When the schedules merged in the third round, Stern walked downstairs and watched us play chess in the tournament room.

Maybe the publicity surrounding the deaths of Bobby Fischer and Heath Ledger is giving American chess a much needed shot in the arm. Players in the two-day schedule told me that a TV camera crew was filming inside the club on Saturday while the tournament was in progress.

The following game would have been exciting enough, even without Howard Stern as a spectator.

Round Three: Philidor Counter Gambit

Alice Dong (USCF 1400) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/27/2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d3 c6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Qd2 Na6 8.O-O b5 9.Bb3 Nc5 10.Rfe1 f4

11.d4 Nxb3 12.axb3 Qc7 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.d5 b4 15.Na2 c5 16.c3 a5 17.c4 O-O 18.Nh4 f5 19.Nxf5 Bxf5 20.exf5 Rxf5 21.Qd3 Raf8


22.Qh3 Bd8 23.Rad1 Kh8 24.Rd3 Qg7 25.Re4 Qg6 26.g3 Rg8 27.Nc1 f3 28.Rde3 Rh5 29.Qf1 Qh6


30.h4 Bxh4 31.g4 Bg5 32.gxh5 Bxe3+ 33.Kh2 Qxh5+, White resigns.

Viking Quads 1/26/2008

In today's Viking quads at the Somerset Ramada, I drew this game.

Round Three: English Opening

Vinko Rutar (USCF 2086) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Somerset NJ Quad 1/26/2008

1.c4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O-O e6 6.b3 Be7 7.Bb2 O-O 8.Nc3 a5 9.Rc1 Na6 10.Qc2 Nc5 11.Qb1 Nfe4

12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.d3 Nc5 14.Ne5 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Bf6 16.d4 Bxe5 17.dxe5 f4 18.Bd4 fxg3 19.hxg3 Qg5 20.Rh1 Qf5 21.Rh4 Qxb1 22.Rxb1 Rf5 23.Rd1 Raf8

24.f3 R5f7 25.Bb2 Ra8 26.Rhd4 Kf8 27.Rh1 Kg8 28.Rdh4 g6 29.Rd4 a4 30.b4 a3 31.Bc1 Na4 32.Bxa3 Nc3 33.Bb2 Nxa2 34.Ra1 Ra6 35.b5 Ra5 36.Rad1 c6


37.bxc6 dxc6 38.Rd6 Rc5 39.Bd4 Rxc4 40.Bxb6 Rc2 41.Rxe6 Rxe2+ 42.Bf2 Nc3 43.Rf1 Nd5 44.Kg1 Rxf3 45.Rxc6 Ne3 46.Rc8+ Kg7 47.Rc7+ Kh6


48.Bxe3+ Rfxe3 49.Rff7 Rxg3+ 50.Kf1 Rxe5 51.Rxh7+ Kg5 52.Rh2 Rg4 53.Rcc2 Rf5+ 54.Rhf2 Rxf2+ 55.Kxf2 Ra4 56.Kg3 Ra3+ 57.Kg2 Kh5 58.Rc4 g5 59.Rb4 g4 60.Rc4 Kh4


61.Rc8 Ra2+ 62.Kg1 Kh3 63.Rc1 g3 64.Rd1 Rg2+ 65.Kh1 Re2 66.Kg1 Re3 67.Rb1 g2 68.Ra1 Kg3 69.Rb1 Rf3 70.Rc1 Ra3 71.Rb1, draw.

Chess Talk Radio

There are times in life, as in chess, when you follow your instincts because you are unable to know for certain what the correct move is. That is what happened to me on Monday morning.

I awoke to an e-mail from Jason Payn, who produces a talk show on BSport Radio in Auckland, New Zealand. Having seen my tribute to Bobby Fischer, Payn requested 7 to 8 minutes of my time for a phone interview (at 12:40 pm EST Monday) on a radio show hosted by Ian Smith, Dean Lonergan, and Nathan Rarere.

Somehow I felt it was the wrong move for me, just as sometimes I heed my intuition in a complicated middlegame. Thus, I never followed up on Payn's offer. Still, I am flattered that someone, in as faraway a place as New Zealand, could read my blog post and like it so much!

USCF Rated X

Here is a story, from Monday's New York Post, on the Sloan-Truong scandal.

Boris Baczynskyj 1945-2008

Marika sent me an e-mail on Friday stating the FIDE master Boris Baczynskyj passed away a week ago. Here is the last game that I ever played against Baczynskyj, on 7/21/2007, ending in a draw.

Photos from Hamilton

I took these pix on Saturday at the Hamilton quads.

The first photo shows tournament director Ed Sytnik.


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Next you see players analyzing a game.


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Usually I bring The New York Times with me when I play in a tournament. But Saturday's front-page story was not good news.


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When I got home, I photographed one of my prized possessions, which I bought second-hand.

Hamilton Quads 1/19/2008

At Saturday's quads in Hamilton, I drew these two games.

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Steve Leverich (USCF 1927) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Hamilton NJ Quad 1/19/2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d3 c6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.a4 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9.Bb5+ Kf8 10.a5 a6 11.Ba4 e4 12.dxe4 fxe4 13.Nd4 Qd6

14.Nf1 Nc6 15.Bc2 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Qc5 17.Be3 Qxd4 18.Bxd4 Kf7 19.Ne3 Be6 20.O-O Rhc8 21.f3 Kg8


22.Bb3 exf3 23.Rxf3 Bc5 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Kf1 Bxe3 26.Rxe3 Bf7 27.Re7 Re8 28.Rae1 Rxe7 29.Rxe7 Rb8 30.Rd7 b6


31.Bxd5 Bxd5 32.Rxd5 bxa5 33.Rxa5 Rxb2 34.Rxa6 Rc2 35.Rxf6 Rxc3 36.Kf2 Kg7 37.Rf3 Rc2+ 38.Kg3 h6 39.h4 Kg6 40.Kh3 h5 41.Rg3+ Kh6 42.Rg5, draw.

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Round Three: Alekhine Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Dragan Milovanovic (USCF 2281), Hamilton NJ Quad 1/19/2008

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 exd6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Be3 O-O 9.Nge2 Bf6 10.O-O Bg4 11.f3 Bh5 12.b3 Re8 13.Bf2 Bg6

14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Ne4 d5 16.Nxf6+ Qxf6 17.c5 Nd7 18.Nc3 Ne7 19.Qd2 c6 20.b4 g5 21.b5 Ng6 22.bxc6 bxc6 23.Rab1 Nf4 24.Be3 Nf8

25.g3 N4e6 26.Kg2 Re7 27.Rb3 Rae8 28.Bf2 Ng6 29.Rfb1 Qf5 30.Rb8 Kh7 31.Rxe8 Rxe8 32.Rc1 Nh4+ 33.gxh4 Nf4+ 34.Kh1 Qh3 35.Bg3 Re2 36.Qxe2 Nxe2 37.Nxe2 gxh4


38.Ng1 Qf5 39.Bf2 g5 40.h3 Qd3 41.Re1 a5 42.Re2 a4 43.Kg2 Kg6 44.Re3 Qb1 45.a3 Qb2 46.Ne2 f5 47.f4 gxf4 48.Nxf4+ Kg5 49.Kf3 Qc2


50.Ne6+ Kh5 51.Nf4+ Kg5 52.Re6 Qd1+ 53.Kg2 Qf3+ 54.Kxf3, stalemate.

Bobby Fischer Remembered

Here are magazine covers featuring Bobby Fischer.








And by clicking here, you can watch 15-year-old Bobby Fischer on I've Got A Secret.

Death of a Legend

On the evening of January 18th, Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero called me on my cell phone at work to inform me of the death of Bobby Fischer. He requested that I write an article on Fischer for the upcoming issue of ACN. As I drove home that night, it occurred to me what an impossible assignment I had been given, especially since I had never crossed paths with Fischer. To me, Bobby Fischer was always the offstage character in the play who never makes an appearance, although his name gets mentioned a lot. Nevertheless, I will try my best to honor Fischer in writing.

I will begin by stating that Bobby Fischer's passing away at age 64 is as bizarre a coincidence as Houdini's death on Halloween.

It was Fischer's great misfortune to have been born and raised in a country where chess is held in low regard. Imagine Van Gogh in a land of the blind, or Mozart in a land of the deaf, and basically you have Bobby Fischer in America. Fischer's chess games were "monuments of unageing intellect", to quote verse from the poet Yeats.

I am not sure what it says about my life, but no individual had more of an impact on it than Bobby Fischer. It started at a backyard barbeque on the Fourth of July in 1972. While waiting for my hamburger to grill, I noticed a discarded copy of the Daily News near poolside. The front-page banner headline "Chess Match On Again" struck me as curious. So I began reading the story, and my life was never quite the same again.

Vaguely I already knew who Bobby Fischer was, mostly from playing chess as a kid at the playground during summer vacations. Sometimes I would make a good move, only to hear my opponent exclaim, "Who do you think you are - Bobby Fischer!" But what happened in the summer of '72 was magical. For a brief moment in time, it was cool to play chess in the United States.

By summer's end, I had saved enough money to join the USCF and the Marshall Chess Club. For the next fifteen years, Bobby Fischer was my idol. Somewhere in the late 1980's, I discovered Paul Morphy's brilliancies, including those in the Philidor Counter Gambit. But I still play many of Fischer's openings, for example the Sozin Attack and the exchange variations in the Ruy Lopez and Caro-Kann.

As far as Fischer's politically incorrect remarks are concerned, I never took them seriously, even though the twin towers burning on 9/11 could be seen from my hometown in New Jersey. Fischer was an artist. As an undergraduate and graduate student, majoring in the arts, I studied many famous novelists, poets, painters, and composers. Put Bobby Fischer in a room with the rest of them, and he might have been the sanest person in the bunch!

Much of Fischer's time away from the chessboard was spent in distancing himself from anyone who would attempt to associate with him. You see, it really was Bobby Fischer versus the rest of the world!

April-June 2007 "ACN"

Check out the April-June 2007 issue of Atlantic Chess News here.

July-September 2007 "ACN"

Here is the July-September 2007 issue of Atlantic Chess News. My article on the Fajarowicz variation can be found on pages 15-16.

Get Your "ACN" Here!

You can read the October-December 2007 issue of Atlantic Chess News here. There is a link to my book review, as well.

PCG Article by van der Tak

Here are links to the first page and second page of A. C. van der Tak's article Exit 3...f5 in the Philidor? from Forum 84.

Kasparov on Dutch Television

In an 90-minute program on Dutch television, Garry Kasparov discusses chess, politics, movies, opera, and soccer. Even though the introductory narrative is in Dutch, the interview is in English.

You can watch it here, but you must click on "bekijk uitzending".

Pix from Cherry Hill Tournament

Between my games yesterday at Cherry Hill, I took these photos.

The above photograph shows the critical moment in the opening round game between national master Michael Katz (White) and tournament director Dan Herman (Black). Although Herman has a winning position, he blundered later in time trouble and lost, thus missing his chance to defeat a master for the first time.

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While the Swiss was being played in the rear of the room, the quads took place in the front.

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Here you see Class A player Shaun Pilkington (Black) from first round action.

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This is what the tournament room looks like from the back entrance.

Cherry Hill Swiss 1/12/2008

Fewer masters than usual showed up for today's game/30 Swiss at Cherry Hill, enabling me to win the tournament with a score of 3-0-2. Here are the games.

Round One: English Opening

Donald Battle (USCF 1535) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Cherry Hill NJ 1/12/2008

1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 f5 3.Nh3 Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Re1 O-O 7.c4 d6 8.Nc3 Qe8 9.d4 Bb4 10.a3 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Kh8 12.a4 Qf7 13.d5 Na5

14.c5 dxc5 15.Ba3 b6 16.d6 Bb7 17.Bxb7 Nxb7 18.dxc7 Qxc7 19.Ng5 Rae8 20.Qb3 Qe7 21.Red1 h6 22.Nf3 Qf7 23.c4 Na5 24.Nd2?? Nxb3, White resigns.

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Round Two: Petroff Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - David Newmuis (USCF 1699), Cherry Hill NJ 1/12/2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3 Nf6 6.d4 d5 7.Bd3 Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.Nc3 c6 10.Bg5 Re8 11.Re1 Rxe1+ 12.Qxe1 Nbd7 13.Qd2 Nf8 14.Re1 Ne6 15.Ne2 b6 16.Ng3 h6 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Nh5 Qe7 19.c3 Bb7 20.Bf5 c5 21.Bxe6 fxe6 22.Nf4 cxd4 23.Nxd4 e5 24.Nf5 Qf6 25.Nxd6 Qxd6 26.Nd3 Re8 27.f3 d4 28.Nf2 Rd8 29.Ne4 Qd5 30.b3 Qa5

31.cxd4 Bxe4 32.Qxa5 bxa5 33.Rxe4 exd4 34.Kf1 d3 35.Ke1 d2+ 36.Kd1 Kf7 37.Re2 a4 38.Rxd2 Rb8 39.bxa4 Rb4 40.a5 Ra4 41.Rd7+ Kg6 42.Rxa7 Rxa2 43.g4 Rxh2 44.Ke1 Ra2 45.a6 Kf6 46.f4 Kg6 47.Kd1 h5 48.gxh5+ Kxh5 49.Rxg7 Rxa6 50.Ke2 Ra3 51.Kf2 Kh6 52.Rg8 Kh7 53.Rg5 Kh6 54.Rg3 Rxg3 55.Kxg3 Kg6 56.Kg4 Kf6 57.f5 Kg7 58.Kg5 Kf7 59.f6 Kf8 60.Kg6 Kg8 61.f7+ Kf8 62.Kf6, stalemate.

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Round Three: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Boris Privman (USCF 2256) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Cherry Hill NJ 1/12/2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 Qh4 5.g3 Qh5 6.Qd4 Nc5 7.Qe3 a5 8.Nf3 b6 9.Bg2 Bb7 10.Nc3 Nb3 11.Rb1 Nxc1 12.Rxc1 Bc5 13.Qd3 Nc6 14.Nd5 O-O-O 15.Nf4 Qh6 16.O-O Rhe8

17.Qc3 g5 18.Nd3 g4 19.Nh4 Qg5 20.Nxc5 bxc5 21.e3 Qxe5 22.Qxe5 Nxe5 23.Rfd1 d6 24.Bxb7+ Kxb7 25.Kf1 Kc6 26.Ke2 Rb8 27.Rc2 Rb3 28.Rdd2 Reb8 29.f4 gxf3+ 30.Nxf3 Nxf3 31.Kxf3 f5 32.h3 h5 33.h4 Re8 34.Re2 a4 35.Kf4 Re5 36.Kf3 Re8 37.Rcd2 Re4 38.Rd5 Re5 39.Rxe5 dxe5 40.Rd2 Kb6 41.Rc2 Rd3 42.Ke2 e4 43.Rd2 Rb3 44.Kf2 Kc6 45.Ke2 Rb8 46.Ke1 Rg8 47.Kf2 Rb8 48.Ke1 Rg8 49.Kf2 Rb8 50.Kf1 Rg8, draw.

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Round Four: Sicilian Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Michael Katz (USCF 2262), Cherry Hill NJ 1/12/2008

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Ndb5 a6 8.Be3 Qa5 9.Nd4 Nxe4 10.Qf3 f5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.O-O d5 13.Nxe4 fxe4 14.Qh5+ g6 15.Qe5 Rg8 16.Rad1 Bg7

17.Rxd5 Bxe5 18.Rxa5 Bc7 19.Rc5 e6 20.Rxc6 Rg7 21.Bxe6 Bb7 22.Rc4 Be5 23.Bd4 Bxd4 24.Rxd4 Re7 25.Bd5 Bxd5 26.Rxd5 Rc8 27.c3 Rc4 28.Re1 Kf7 29.Rd4 Rxd4 30.cxd4 Kf6 31.Kf1 Rb7 32.b3 Kf5 33.Rc1 Rd7 34.Rc4 Ke6 35.Ke2 Rd5 36.Ke3 Rh5 37.Kxe4 Rh4+ 38.Ke3 Rxh2 39.g3 Rh1 40.Rc6+ Kd5 41.Rxa6 Re1+ 42.Kf3 Kxd4 43.Ra7 Ra1 44.a4 Ra3 45.Rxh7 Rxb3+ 46.Kg4 Ke5 47.f4+ Kf6 48.Ra7 Ra3 49.Ra6+ Kg7 50.Kh4 Rf3 51.a5 Ra3 52.g4 Rb3 53.Kg5 Rb5+ 54.Kh4 Rb4 55.Kg5 Rb5+ 56.f5 gxf5 57.gxf5 Rb1 58.Ra7+ Kf8 59.Kf6 Kg8 60.a6 Rb6+ 61.Kg5 Rd6 62.f6 Rd1 63.Rb7 Rg1+ 64.Kf5 Rf1+ 65.Ke5 Re1+ 66.Kd4 Rd1+ 67.Ke3, Black resigns.

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Round Five: King's Indian Defense

Craig Gross (USCF 1939) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Cherry Hill NJ 1/12/2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 O-O 6.f4 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.cxd5 Re8 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Ng4 12.Bg5 f6 13.exf6 Bxf6

14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.O-O Ne3 16.Qb3 Nxf1 17.Rxf1 Qb6 18.Qa4 Bd7 19.Qh4 Rf8 20.Ng5 Rxf1+ 21.Bxf1 h5 22.Qf4 Bf5 23.Qe5 Qd8 24.h4 Nd7 25.Qf4 Qf6 26.Kh1 Qe5 27.Qf2 Rf8 28.Bc4 Qd4 29.Qxd4 cxd4 30.d6+ Kg7 31.Nb5 d3, White resigns.

"King's Gambit" Corrigenda

Since I e-mailed the following correction on December 25th to Paul Hoffman's website http://paulhoffman.wordpress.com/kings-gambit-corrigenda/, no one else has unearthed any mistakes.

Before Chapter 6 [Anatomy of a Hustler], the correct quote from Sherlock Holmes is “Amberley excelled at chess…”, not “Amberley excelled in chess…”, as given. To confirm this, go to http://www.amk.ca/quotations/sherlock-holmes/page-11.

December Blog Trek

In his Blog Trekking, December 2007 post, Mark Weeks makes mention of my E-mail from Paul Hoffman.

Ziping Wins Westfield Quad

On Sunday, Ziping Liu (pictured below) won his quad at Westfield with a score of 1-0-2.


Here is his first round draw. Although the scoresheet is incomplete due to the game/45 time control, you can see evidence of Ziping's tactical style.

No Exit

Frederic Fournier has e-mailed to me an article in Forum 84 by A.C. van der Tak titled Exit 3...f5 in the Philidor?. Van der Tak writes, "Recently the great champion of 3...f5, James West, discussed with Dennis Monokroussos West’s suggestion of 6...exd4 7.Nxd4 Qe7+, which does not inspire much confidence after 8.Be2, but even 8.Qe2!? looks like a strong reply." The following game, won by White, is given.



If instead of 8...Qxe2+ Black had played 8...h6, van der Tak gives 9.Nge6 as clearly advantageous for White. This drawn game of mine, played against national master Dragan Milovanovic in December 2005, would indicate that White is only slightly better.



As for 8.Be2, here is another drawn game of mine against the same opponent, played in June 2007.

The Occidental Tourist

Between games at yesterday's January Under 2300 tournament, I found time to snap these photos.

Here is the front entrance to the Marshall Chess Club.


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Below is the newly refurbished tournament room, downstairs at the club.


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In the final photo, a couple of players analyze their game.

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 1/6/2008

Today I played in the one-day schedule of the January Under 2300 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, finishing with a score of 1-0-3. The first two contests were played at game/30, both ending in draws.

Here are the two slow games, with time controls of 30/90 followed by game/60. The first of these is a real Marshall swindle, as I was busted out of the opening but somehow managed to draw.

Round Three: Ruy Lopez

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Ed Kopiecki (USCF 1910), Marshall Chess Club 1/6/2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Nbd2 Ne7 9.Re1 Ng6 10.d4 Nf4


Now I should have played 11.dxe5.

11.Nf1 Nxh3+ 12.Kh2 Nxf2 13.Qe2 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Ng4+ 15.fxg4 hxg4+ 16.Kg1 Qh4 17.Bd2 Qh1+ 18.Kf2 g3+ 19.Ke3 Qg1+ 20.Kf3 Qh1+ 21.Qg2 Qh5+ 22.Ke3 exd4+ 23.Kd3 Qb5+


24.c4 dxc3+ 25.Kxc3 O-O-O 26.Kc2 Qd3+ 27.Kc1 Rd4 28.Bc3 Bb4 29.Qxg3 Bxc3 30.Qxd3 Rxd3 31.bxc3 Rxc3+ 32.Kb2 Rf3 33.Rac1 g5 34.Ne3 Rh2+ 35.Rc2 Rff2 36.Rxf2 Rxf2+ 37.Kb3 Rf4 38.Nf5 Kd7


39.Kc4 Ke6 40.Kd4 Rf2 41.a3 Rd2+ 42.Kc4 Ke5 43.Nh6 Rd7 44.Kc5 Kf4 45.Nxf7 g4 46.e5 g3 47.e6 Re7 48.Kd4 g2 49.Rg1 Kg3 50.Ke5 Kf2 51.Rxg2+ Kxg2 52.Nd8 c5 53.Nxb7 c4 54.Nc5 c3 55.Kf6 c2


56.Nd3 Rxe6+ 57.Kxe6 Kf1 58.Kd5 Ke2 59.Kc4 Kd2 60.a4 a5 61.Kd4 c1=Q 62.Nxc1 Kxc1 63.Kc5 Kb2 64.Kb5 Kb3 65.Kxa5 c5 66.Kb6 c4 67.a5 c3 68.a6 c2 69.a7 c1=Q 70.a8=Q Qe3+ 71.Kb7, draw.

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Round Four: Sicilian Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Nelson Farber (USCF 1882), Marshall Chess Club 1/6/2008

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.O-O Qc7 7.Qe2 d6 8.c4 g6 9.Nc3 Bg7 10.Be3 O-O 11.Rac1 Nc6

12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.f3 c5 14.Rfd1 Nd7 15.Qf2 Ne5 16.Bf1 Nc6 17.Kh1 Rb8 18.Rd2 Nd4 19.Qh4 f5 20.Bh6 Bb7 21.Bxg7 Qxg7 22.Bd3 Rf7


23.exf5 gxf5 24.Qg3 Qxg3 25.hxg3 Rf6 26.Ne2 e5 27.Nxd4 cxd4 28.c5 d5 29.c6 Bxc6 30.Bxf5 Rb6 31.g4 h5 32.b3 a5 33.Bc8 hxg4 34.Bxg4 a4 35.bxa4 Bxa4

36.Re1 e4 37.fxe4 dxe4 38.Rxe4 Bc6 39.Rexd4 Rh6+ 40.Kg1 Rb1+ 41.Rd1 Rb2 42.R4d2 Rb4 43.Bf3 Ba4 44.Rc1 Rbh4 45.Rc8+ Kg7 46.Rc7+ Kf6 47.Rd6+ Ke5 48.Rxh6 Rxh6


49.Rc4 Bd7 50.Rc5+ Kd6 51.Ra5 Kc7 52.Ra7+ Kd8 53.a4 Rh4 54.a5 Ra4 55.Be2 Ra1+ 56.Kh2 Bc6 57.Bf3 Bxf3 58.gxf3 Kc8 59.a6 Kb8 60.Rb7+ Kc8 61.Rb6 Kc7 62.Rf6 Kd7 63.Kg3 Ke7 64.Rh6 Kf7 65.Rb6 Ra4


66.f4 Ra1 67.Kg4 Rg1+ 68.Kf5 Ke7 69.Rh6 Ra1 70.Rh7+ Kd6 71.a7 Ra5+ 72.Kf6 Ra6 73.f5 Kd5+ 74.Kg5 Ke5 75.Re7+ Kd5 76.f6 Ra1 77.Kg6, Black resigns.