Grandmaster Challenge 6/28/2009

These photos were taken by me during yesterday's Grandmaster Challenge at the Marshall Chess Club. It was a Grand Prix event with a quick chess time control of game/25. Players were not required to record their moves. I finished with an even score of 2-2-2.

The sponsor of the Grandmaster Challenge tournaments is candidate master Yevgeni Margulis who can be seen presiding over the buffet table, which included black and red caviar as well as French Brie cheese. The tournament director was Andre Harding.

Among the participants were GM Sergey Kudrin, GM Jaan Ehlvest, WFM Iryna Zenyuk, FM Asa Hoffmann, and IM Jay Bonin, all of whom are pictured below.

From memory, I have reproduced my victory in the final round.

Round Six: French Defense, Winawer Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Vladimir Gramagin (USCF 1845), Grandmaster Challenge 6/28/2009

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 cxd4 6.axb4 dxc3 7.bxc3 Qc7 8.Qd4 Nc6 9.Bb5 Bd7 10.Bxc6 Bxc6 11.Nf3 Ne7 12.O-O O-O 13.Re1 Nf5 14.Qd2 a5


15.g4 Ne7 16.bxa5 Rxa5 17.Ba3 Rfa8 18.Bd6 Qd8 19.Rxa5 Rxa5 20.Qg5 f6 21.exf6 Qxd6 22.Qxg7#.