DOCA TransNet Round 1

Here are the games from round one of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational.

Bruce Till @ Chess.com

Blogger Bruce Till of Fearless Chess has posted his victory against me, at Chess.com where he uses the handle "spassky." The game took place in 1996 at the New Jersey Open.

Chess and Baseball in NJ

Next Monday is Chess Night at the minor league baseball game of the Lakewood BlueClaws. The pre-game festivities will include a simul by WGM Jennifer Shahade.

Pix from Viking 4-County Open

On Sunday, I snapped these photos during the Viking 4-County Open in Mount Arlington.

Most of the 24 players can be seen here, as the event begins.

FM Steve Stoyko defeated James Luxich, in round one.

In round four, it was Louis Sturniolo who won against Luxich.

In the same round, Paul Joseph and William Dubinsky played to a draw.

Meanwhile Stoyko bested Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero. The tournament director was Ken Thomas.

Viking 4-County Open 2009

Yesterday I played at the Viking 4-County Open in Mount Arlington. The tournament ended in a three-way tie. I was awarded the first place trophy on tie breaks over FM Steve Stoyko and NM Mark Kernighan. All of us had identical scores of 3-0-1. Here is my drawn game.

Round Four: Philidor Defense

Mark Kernighan (USCF 2248) - Jim West (USCF 2210), Mount Arlington NJ 7/26/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Qe2 c6 8.Bg5 b5 9.Bb3 a5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.a3 Ba6


12.Nb1 Qc7 13.Nbd2 h6 14.Bh4 Nc5 15.Ba2 Na4 16.Rab1 b4 17.Bc4 Bxc4 18.Qxc4 Nb6 19.Qa2 Rfe8 20.Rfc1 c5 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 22.Nc4 Red8 23.Rd1 Rxd1+ 24.Rd1 Rd8 25.Rd3 Rxd3 26.cxd3 a4 27.Nxb6 b3 28.Qb1 Qxb6


29.Nd2 Qd6 30.Nc4 Qd4 31.Qd1 Bg5 32.Kf1 g6 33.g3 h5 34.Qe2 Kg7 35.Ke1 h4 36.gxh4 Bxh4 37.Qe3 Qxe3+ 38.Nxe3 Bd8 39.Nc4 Kf6 40.Ke2 Ke6 41.f3 Bc7 42.Kf2 f5 43.Kg3 Kf6 44.Kh4 Bd8 45.Ne3 Ke6+ 46.Kh3 f4 47.Nc4 Bc7


48.Kg4 Kf6 49.Kh4 Kg7 50.Kg4 Kf6 51.Kh3 Kg5 52.Nd2 Ba5 53.Nc4 Bc7 54.Kg2 Kh4 55.Nd2 Ba5 56.Nc4 Bc7 57.h3 Kg5 58.Kf2 Kh4 59.Kg2 Kg5 60.Kf2 Kh4 61.Kg2, draw.

Taghian to Lecture at Marshall CC

At 7:30pm, on Tuesday July 28th, senior life master Taghian Taghian will lecture at the Marshall Chess Club, in a series based on The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games. The two games being analyzed are Saemisch vs. Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen 1923 and Gruenfeld vs. Alekhine, Karlsbad 1923.

Taghian has been teaching adults and children for the last twenty years with a clear and precise style that has made him one of the most sought after teachers in New York City. His previous lecture on July 14th was a great success.

The lectures are free to adult players who are members, with a $10 fee to non-members.

Dozen Photos from DOCA TransNet

Steve Ferrero, editor of Atlantic Chess News, took these twelve photos last weekend at the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational.

Chen - West @ "Contre Gambit Philidor"

Frederic Fournier has entered a recent post at Contre Gambit Philidor on my game against Kevin Chen.

More Pix from DOCA TransNet

These are photos that I snapped during the final weekend of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational.

In his heyday, NM Arthur Feuerstein drew three games against the legendary Bobby Fischer.

Tim Hall never seemed to recover from the winning position that he let slip away against NM David Grasso.

NM David Grasso handed IM Dean Ippolito his only defeat.

Not only did Christopher Wu beat Tim Hall, he defeated me as well.

Kevin Chen and Mike Somers played to a draw.

The tournament director was Aaron Kiedes.

At the end of the event, Dean and Dawn Ippolito applauded the prize winners.

Kraai Wins NJ Futurity International 2009

The New Jersey Futurity International 2009 was held from July 7th to July 11th, at the Dean of Chess Academy in Branchburg. The U.S. participants were grandmasters Joel Benjamin and Jesse Kraai, international master Dean Ippolito, and FIDE master Evan Ju. The field was rounded out by grandmaster Leonid Yudasin of Israel and international master Milos Scekic of Serbia.

While playing at the DOCA TransNet FIDE International, I learned that the New Jersey Futurity International 2009 was won by GM Jesse Kraai.

On July 11th, I took the above picture of organizer Michael Khodarkovsky and tournament director Glenn Petersen, outside the Dean of Chess Academy.

TransNet Photo Gallery by Kevin Chen

These excellent photos were taken by Kevin Chen during the final weekend of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational. The shot of NM David Grasso playing against IM Dean Ippolito, while the sunlight streams in, is exceptional!

DOCA TransNet 7/19/2009

Yesterday, in the last round of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational, NM Arthur Feuerstein lost to IM Dean Ippolito who won the event with 7.5 points.

Meanwhile NM David Grasso defeated me in a contest that was awarded the Best Game prize, earning Grasso second place with 7 points.

Third place was won by Rahul Swaminathan with 5.5 points.

I finished with 4.5 points (3 wins, 3 losses, 3 draws), good enough for a fourth place tie with NM Arthur Feuerstein and Christopher Wu. Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero also finished with 4.5 points and took the Under 2000 prize.

Here is my draw from the eighth round.

Round Eight: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2210) - Steve Ferrero (USCF 1930), DOCA TransNet 7/19/2009

1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 g6 3.f4 d5 4.e3 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 c5 7.O-O Nc6 8.a4 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 e6 11.d3 Qc7 12.Nc3 Rad8 13.Qc1 a6

14.e4 d4 15.Ne2 Nd7 16.e5 f5 17.Qd1 Nb6 18.Bc1 Nd5 19.Bxd5 Rxd5 20.Bd2 b6 21.Rf3 Rfd8 22.h4 h5 23.Rg3 Kh7 24.Kf2 Qe7 25.Rh3 Bh6 26.Ng1 Rh8 27.Nf3 Kg7 28.Rg3 a5 29.Rh3 Rdd8 30.g3 Qd7 31.Be1 Ne7 32.Nd2 Nd5 33.Nc4 Kh7 34.Bd2 Bf8


35.Rh1 Be7 36.Qe2 Rdf8 37.Rae1 Kg7 38.Qf3 Rb8 39.Re2 Rbf8 40.Rhe1 Qd8 41.Nd6 Qd7 42.Nb5 Rd8 43.Kg2 Rhe8 44.Na3 Rb8 45.Nb5 Rbd8 46.Rd1 Kf7 47.Na3 Kg7 48.Nc4 Rb8 49.Ra1 Qc7 50.Ree1 Rbd8 51.Red1 Kf7 52.Rac1 Rd7


53.c3 dxc3 54.Bxc3 Nxc3 55.Rxc3 Rd4 56.Na3 Qd7 57.Nc2 Rd5 58.Ne3 Rd4 59.Nc2 Rd5 60.Ne3 Rd4, draw.

DOCA TransNet 7/18/2009

Last night, in round seven of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational, NM David Grasso defeated IM Dean Ippolito. But Ippolito still leads the tournament by a half-point, going into the final day.

Yesterday I lost (Wu), won (Hall), and drew (Swaminathan). All three games featured 6.Bc4 against the Sicilian Najdorf. Here is the draw.

Round Seven: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Rahul Swaminathan (USCF 2128) - Jim West (USCF 2210), DOCA TransNet 7/18/2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Qf3 Qb6 10.O-O-O O-O 11.Rhe1 Nc6


12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Nd5 exd5 15.Bxd5 Qc5 16.Bxa8 Qg5+ 17.Qe3 Bg4 18.f3 Bxf3 19.Rd5 Qxe3+ 20.Rxe3 Bxg2 21.Bb7 Be5 22.Re2 Bf1 23.Rf2 Bc4 24.Rd1 Rb8 25.Bd5 Rc8 26.Kb1 g6


27.Bxc4 Rxc4 28.Rdf1 Rxe4 29.Rxf7 Bxh2 30.Rf8+ Kg7 31.R8f7+ Kg8 32.Ra7 Bf4 33.Ra8+ Kg7 34.Ra7+ Kg8 35.Ra8+ Kg7 36.Ra7+, draw.

Indictment in USCF Lawsuit

Susan Polgar's webmaster Gregory Alexander has been indicted in Federal District Court for allegedly breaking into the e-mail account of Randy Hough.

Lindner - Hardman

At his Contre Gambit Philidor website, Frederic Fournier presents this victory by Black in the Philidor Counter Gambit.

Two NJ Players Excel at Cadet Championship

A couple of players from New Jersey, Andrew Ng and Victor Shen, finished first and second respectively at the 2009 Cadet Championship.

Pix from DOCA TransNet

These pictures were taken by me during the first weekend of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational.

While the first round of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational was in progress, the final round of the New Jersey Futurity International was taking place. NM Arthur Feuerstein stands watching NM David Grasso's game. In the background, GM Joel Benjamin plays against FM Evan Ju.

Here are the standings after the first round.

Tim Hall is Black versus IM Dean Ippolito.

Rahul Swaminathan defends against NM Arthur Feuerstein.

Mike Somers has the white pieces, as Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero essays the Latvian Gambit.

Tournament director Aaron Kiedes updates the results on the laptop computer.

These are the standings following round three.

NM David Grasso plays Black against Christopher Wu.

Photo Gallery from DOCA TransNet

Courtesy of Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero, here are photos from the first weekend of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational at the Dean of Chess Academy.

DOCA TransNet 7/12/2009

In the fourth round of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational, held at the Dean of Chess Academy, Tim Hall was defeated by IM Dean Ippolito, while the game between Mike Somers and Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero ended in a draw.

My score from the first weekend of the 9-round event is 2-1-1. My only loss happened yesterday as White in the third round against Ippolito who surprised me with the Sicilian defense, after I had spent the last month preparing for his Petroff defense!

There were no opening surprises in my victory against Kevin Chen, who occasionally plays the PCG himself.

Round Four: Philidor Counter Gambit

Kevin Chen (USCF 1798) - Jim West (USCF 2210), DOCA TransNet 7/12/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Nxe5 dxe4 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 Nf6 9.Qe5+ Kf7 10.Bc4+ Kg7 11.Nf4 h6 12.Be6 Bb4+ 13.c3 Nc6 14.Qf5 Qe8


15.O-O Bd6 16.d5 Bxf4 17.Bxf4 Bxe6 18.dxe6 Qh5 19.Qxh5 Nxh5 20.Bxc7 Rhe8 21.Rad1 Rxe6 22.Rd7+ Re7 23.Be5+ Nf6 24.Bxf6+ Kxf6 25.Rd6+ Kg7 26.Rfd1 Rae8 27.b4 Ne5 28.a4 Nc4 29.R6d4 Nb2 30.Ra1 Rc8


31.g3 Rxc3 32.Ra2 Rd3 33.Rxd3 Nxd3 34.b5 Re5 35.Rc2 Rc5 36.Re2 Rc4 37.a5 Kf6 38.b6 axb6 39.axb6 h5 40.Kg2 Rb4 41.h4 Kf5, White resigns.

DOCA TransNet 7/11/2009

In the first round of the DOCA TransNet FIDE Invitational, which began yesterday at the Dean of Chess Academy, Tim Hall lost to NM David Grasso while Rahul Swaminathan was held to a draw by Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero [standing].

Here is my draw from the second round.

Round Two: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Arthur Feuerstein (USCF 2200) - Jim West (USCF 2210), DOCA TransNet 7/11/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 Nc6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Nd2 a5 7.Ngf3 d6 8.exd6 Bxd6 9.Qg5 O-O 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.b3 Re8 12.e3 Bf5 13.Bb2 Bc2


14.Nd4 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Nxb3 16.Nxb3 Bxb3 17.c5 Be5 18.Kd2 Rad8 19.Kc3 Bd5 20.Rd1 Bc6 21.f3 Bxd4+ 22.exd4 Re3+ 23.Bd3 Rde8 24.Kd2 Kf8 25.h4 h6 26.Ra1 R3e7 27.Rhe1 Bd5


28.Rxe7 Rxe7 29.Re1 Rxe1 30.Kxe1 Ke7 31.Kd2 Ke6 32.Kc3 g5 33.hxg5 hxg5 34.Bc4 f5 35.g3 f4 36.g4 b6 37.cxb6 cxb6 38.a4 Bxc4 39.Kxc4 Kd6 40.Kc3 Kc6 41.Kc4 Kd6 42.Kc3 Kc6, draw.

Michael Jackson Teaches Chess

Here is a video of Michael Jackson teaching chess to his son at Neverland in 2000.

Pix from Marshall CC on 4th of July

Last Saturday, I took these pictures at the Marshall Chess Club where I participated in a game/60 Swiss tournament.

Mitch Fitzko [center] looks at the camera in disbelief as Henry Sobo [right] speaks.

Blogger Polly Wright adjusts her electronic scoresheet.

NM Raven Sturt [left] won the event with a perfect 4-0 score.

Here is play from the second round.

Lenderman to Play at Pitman Open

IM Alex Lenderman is scheduled to play at the Greater Pitman Open in August. Lenderman earned his final GM norm at the World Open 2009.

Kasparov's Statement and Interview

Yesterday Garry Kasparov and other opposition leaders met with Barack Obama in Moscow. Here are Kasparov's statement to the U.S. President and his interview after their meeting.

Kasparov also gave an interview to the Voice of America. You can download it here.

Lapshun Lectures Tonight at Marshall CC

The Marshall Chess Club presents free Tuesday chess classes for adult players [$10 for non-members]. The series is based on The Mammoth Book of The World’s Greatest Chess Games.

Studying these masterpieces is the time-tested and best way to improve your game. This week’s class, July 7th at 7:30pm, is being taught by international master Yury Lapshun.

Lapshun is a three-time Marshall Chess Club champion, as well as co-author with Nick Conticello of the landmark book 7 Ways to Smash the Sicilian.

The two games being analyzed are Capablanca - Marshall, New York 1918 and Adams - Torre, New Orleans 1920.

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 7/5/2009

Only seven players showed up for yesterday's game/30 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club. But five were rated above 2000, including Justin Karp who is pictured standing above, watching Wimbledon updates on the laptop computer. FM Asa Hoffmann is seated on the left.

I finished with a score of 2-1-2. Here is my last round draw.

Round Five: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2210) - Alex Ostrovskiy (USCF 2107), Marshall Chess Club 7/5/2009

1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 c6 3.e3 Bf5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.c4 e6 6.Nc3 h6 7.Rc1 Nbd7 8.Nd4 Bh7 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Qf3 Ne5 11.Qh3 Qd7 12.Qxd7+ Nfxd7 13.f4 Nd3+ 14.Bxd3 Bxd3


15.Nf3 Bd6 16.Nd1 f6 17.Nf2 Bh7 18.O-O O-O 19.g4 Rfe8 20.f5 g6 21.fxg6 Bxg6 22.Nh4 Bh7 23.Nf5 Bxf5 24.gxf5 Be5 25.Bxe5 Nxe5 26.Nh3 Kf7 27.Kh1 a5 28.Rg1 a4 29.Rg3 Rg8


30.bxa4 Rxg3 31.hxg3 Rxa4 32.Rc2 Nd3 33.Rc3 Ne5 34.Rc2 Nd3 35.Rc3, draw.

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 7/4/2009

Yesterday, at the Marshall Chess Club, I played this draw in the game/60 Swiss.

Round Three: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Molson Hart (USCF 1931) - Jim West (USCF 2210), Marshall Chess Club 7/4/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 Nc6 6.a3 Bxd2+ 7.Nxd2 Nxd2 8.Bxd2 Nxe5 9.e3 d6 10.Be2 O-O 11.O-O a5


12.f4 Nc6 13.Bc3 Qe7 14.Qd3 Re8 15.Rf3 f6 16.Rg3 Kh8 17.Bh5 Rf8 18.Re1 Bd7 19.e4 b6 20.Bd1 Qf7 21.Bc2 Qg8 22.e5 fxe5 23.fxe5 Bf5 24.Qd2 Bxc2 25.Qxc2 Nxe5 26.Bxe5 dxe5 27.Rxe5 Rae8


28.Rge3 Rxe5 29.Rxe5 Re8 30.Qe2 Rxe5 31.Qxe5 Qxc4 32.Qe8+ Qg8 33.Qe5 Qd8 34.h4 h6 35.h5 Qd1+ 36.Kf2 Qc2+ 37.Kf3 Qc6+ 38.Kg3 Kg8 39.Qf5 Qd6+ 40.Kh3 Qf6 41.Qd5+ Qf7


42.Qd8+ Kh7 43.Qd3+ g6 44.g4 Kg7 45.Qd4+ Kh7 46.Qd3, draw.

Liu - Wright

At last Sunday's quads in Westfield, Ziping Liu drew this game against blogger Polly Wright.

Round Three: Sicilian Defense, Closed Variation

Ziping Liu (USCF 1682) - Polly Wright (USCF 1700), Westfield NJ 6/28/2009
　
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 Nf6 6.c3 d6 7.Nbd2 O-O 8.O-O Bd7 9.Re1 Re8

The rook is misplaced on e8. Black should play 9...Ne8 with the idea of ...Nc7, ...Rb8, ...b5, and ...b4.

10.Qc2 Rb8 11.a4 a6 12.Nf1 Qc8 13.Bg5 Bh3 14.Ne3 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 h6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.a5 Qd8 18.Nc4 d5 19.exd5 Qxd5 20.Ne3 Qd7 21.Kg1 Rbd8 22.Red1 Qc7 23.Nc4 e5


24.Ne1 e4 25.Ng2 exd3 26.Rxd3 Rxd3 27.Qxd3 Qd8 28.Qxd8 Rxd8 29.Nge3, draw.

King of Pop's Chess Set

Here are pictures of the late Michael Jackson's chess set, displayed in Beverly Hills last April.

Pix from Marshall CC Swiss 6/27/2009

These are photos taken by me during the Marshall Chess Club Saturday Game/60 tournament last weekend.

GM Dmitry Gurevich was only a spectator. On Sunday, Gurevich played in the Grandmaster Challenge where he defeated me in round two.

IM Jay Bonin relaxes, prior to the tournament.

Justin Karp, standing on the left, chats before round one.

Raven Sturt, in the left foreground, finished with 3 points, losing only to tournament winner NM Michael Thaler in the last round.

Playing at board one, Darrian Robinson lost to IM Justin Sarkar in the second round.

Calitri Interviews Jennifer Shahade

In the April-June 2009 issue of Atlantic Chess News, columnist Ken Calitri interviews Jennifer Shahade.

Marcel Duchamp Meets His Match – An Interview with Jennifer Shahade

by Ken Calitri

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If so, Marcel Duchamp would be both flattered and tickled pink by Naked Chess, a recent video created by Jennifer Shahade in which she also performs, playing chess against a naked tattooed man. All done to promote the new book Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess. The video turns the table on a famous and controversial performance art exhibition done by Duchamp in 1963 where he played chess with a naked model. It would seem these two exhibitionists have much in common. Both became strong master level chess players, authors, artists in various mediums, and intellectual provocateurs. Both also possess a playful if not humorous approach at times to their artistic endeavors.

Jennifer Shahade is a modern woman with many talents, interests, and pursuits. Since becoming US Women’s Chess Champion (twice!), she has written a book about women in chess, taken up tournament poker, contributed game annotations to the new Duchamp book, started a non-profit foundation promoting chess, became editor for USCF’s Chess Life Online, created several chess videos, recently performed the announcing at the US Chess Championship, and finds time to seriously dabble in art with a penchant for performance art.

If Paul Morphy was the pride and sorrow of American chess, then Jennifer is one of our pride and joys. She is living a vibrant, productive life and is a true role model for all chess players. It was a real pleasure to catch up with Jennifer after the US Championship in St. Louis and chat with her about the new Duchamp book, chess, art, poker and more!

Ken Calitri (KC) - In the new book Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess by Francis Naumann and Bradley Bailey, you contributed analysis to 15 games played by Marcel Duchamp. How strong a player was Duchamp? How would you describe his style, and which game of his did you enjoy most?

Jennifer Shahade (JS) - It's hard to say because the level of play was different in those times. I'd say he was definitely a master level player. He was creative and had a good positional sense. He also really enjoyed attacking play. However, he sometimes faltered in long calculations. I really enjoyed his quick win over Georges Renaud, co-author of The Art of Checkmate. I also liked his game against E.H. Smith, which is re-enacted in the video I created to promote the book - Naked Chess. Naked Chess plays off a famous photograph of Duchamp playing chess against a naked woman - except this time, I was playing against a naked guy!

KC - I believe Duchamp would have been pleased with your Naked Chess video. His exhibition playing chess with a naked model (Eva Babitz) at the Pasadena Art Museum in 1963 caused a bit of stir. While it was a tasteful exhibition, some thought it was extremely sexist. Looking back on his exhibition, did it strike you as being sexist?

JS - I do think that in isolation I'd think of it as sexist. But Duchamp's life and art as a whole made me see it in a more humorous way. But it was important to me to reverse it, so there must have been a fiery subconscious reaction!

KC - After giving up painting, Duchamp focused his efforts on glass sculptures, readymades and the amazing piece Etant Donnes. Overall he produced relatively few works and at age thirty-three gave up art for chess. He made a living thereafter on a modest trust and art dealing. Duchamp’s impact was the enormity of his contributions to the dada, surrealism and modern art movements. These contributions seem to have overshadowed the fact that one of the most influential artists of the 20th century quit art to play CHESS! Never prolific and even lazy, Duchamp may have had nothing more to say regarding his art and simply found another passion. What do you think?

JS - Well, Duchamp never really quit art. Even when playing chess, he made significant artistic contributions to the art world, which you can read about in Duchamp: The Art of Chess and, of course, as you mentioned, he later unveiled Etant Donnes.

KC - Your book Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport was not the typical book written by a chess player. The provocative main title of your book Chess Bitch and the colorful cover photo of you raised eyebrows and strong opinions. While I may have preferred a different title and cover, I generally subscribe to the theory "any publicity is good publicity." Others thought it detracted from them wanting to read the book and wasn’t positive for the image of chess. With several years of hindsight, what are your thoughts about the criticism you heard and would you do anything differently?

JS - I love the title even more now and am happy with the cover as well. Of course I'd probably write a slightly different book now, but I think that I showed my best skills at the time, as a writer and an observer.

KC - Some of the eastern European women chess players you interviewed in the book seemed put off by the book title. Their feminist views seemed to be much more conservative. What was the experience like trying to bridge the cultural differences with women from these countries?

JS - Actually, I did not pick the title until the book was mostly finished, and the majority of women I spoke to did like the title. I'm sure some did not like it, but that's partly because "bitch" has a different connotation in eastern Europe than in America. Here it brings to mind, sneaky, aggressive maybe mean, but not "whore." That was an unfortunate fact of cultural translation, but on the other hand, I don't think it was such a difficult point to explain. I am friends with a wide variety of people in both chess and outside the chess world, so it's usually not difficult, at least not emotionally, for me to communicate with people who have different views with me, or who are more or less conservative.

KC - I am still kicking myself for missing your simultaneous exhibition and participation in the symposium at the Noguchi Museum in 2006. I did see the exhibition The Image of Chess Revisited and enjoyed it very much. I loved the Noguchi Museum and sat in the center garden for hours on a sunny day. It is a wonderful oasis in an urban setting. How did you do in your simul?

JS - I do so many simuls that I don't remember my exact record, but I do remember this was unique as it was not a simul exactly. Instead, I played each person who showed up one by one, which was cool, because it allowed each participant to get a lot of personal attention. The downside, of course, was that people had to wait around for their turn. The next unique simul I want to give is a full on hula-hooping chess simul! I started my simul earlier this year in Princeton, NJ, hula-hooping; but to do a full hula-chess simul, the setting would have to be specifically designed with that in mind.

KC - When you give a simultaneous exhibition do you coddle the opposition at all, try to experiment and play creatively or, as Dick Vitale says, "Just win, baby?"

JS - I try to win but also make sure my opponents are having fun. I try to play reasonably fast to make it fair, even if it means increasing my chances to lose a few games.

KC - What was the experience like playing in such a Zen-like setting at the Noguchi Museum?

JS - It was awesome to play at an art museum! I was also involved in some chess and art activities recently in St. Louis. The book The Art of Chess opened at the same time as Duchamp: Chess Master opened at the St. Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA). I participated in a panel discussion at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis with gallery owner and author Francis Naumann, author and curator Larry List, and Dr. Bradley Bailey on Duchamp, art and chess. So it's great to see that this theme of art and chess is something that can deepen through the years.

KC - Did you enjoy The Imagery of Chess Exhibition and do you collect chess sets at all?

JS - I loved The Imagery of Chess Exhibition. I also loved Larry's recent book, 32 Pieces: The Art of Chess, which he co-wrote in conjunction with a recent exhibition of contemporary chess sets in Iceland. I wish I could collect chess sets, but the ones I like are pretty expensive. I did receive a signed House of Staunton chess board from all the participants of the US Championship, as a present for my work as chair there. That was so nice! I also used chess sets borrowed from http://www.thechesspiece.com/ for my recent chess videos, Naked Chess and Hula Chess, created in conjunction with DimMak Films. So the itch is there.... Probably one of my first purchases would be the au naturelle set from the chesspiece.com that we used for Naked Chess.

KC - You have been relatively inactive from competitive chess in the last four years. You have two IM norms and need only one more to receive the IM title. With your many interests, do you see yourself finding the time to make a concerted effort to gain the third norm?

JS - Possibly, if I win the lottery or something, then maybe I'd just travel around and study chess for six months to get my final IM norm. But otherwise, I have too many projects and work to devote myself to it. One thing that is very fulfilling but takes up a lot of time is my work as editor of Chess Life Online. The videos I co-hosted with Macauley Peterson at the 2009 US Chess Championships were so popular that I'll probably try to do something similar on a bi-weekly or weekly basis on Chess Life Online. I also promote women in chess through http://www.9queens.org/ and participate in organizing committees for the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. And I work on other writing, art and video projects. And I think I'd need devotion to get the final norm and the rating points to qualify for the title, so I'd have to give up a large portion of the above activities.

KC - You have been playing competitive poker over the past several years. I play NL Hold’em regularly and enjoy it immensely. To me every hand of poker is like playing a mini chess game except the moves made by you and your opponent are not visible in plain sight. Do you see any parallels in poker and chess?

JS - Sure! Concentration, memory, and discipline; they are all important in both games.

KC - Do you enjoying playing in poker tournaments or cash games or both, and do you play online?

JS - I prefer tournaments 'cause I'm better at them, but cash games are nice 'cause you can dip in and out, whereas tournaments are very awkward to schedule. I play online mostly for practice.

KC - Do you prefer playing opponents in person or in cyberspace?

JS - I prefer playing in person. Sure it's hard to get a good hand when you're only dealt 30 an hour as opposed to hundreds multitabling online. But I figure I spent plenty of time in front a computer - chatting and playing with "real" people is so fun!

KC - You had two good runs deep into the Women’s WSOP Championship the past two years. Which women pro did you enjoy playing against the most and why?

JS - I was at the same table with Kathy Liebert for a while. Otherwise, most of the pros I played with are not household names.

KC - How would you describe your poker style?

JS - I hope it's tight-aggressive but sometimes not tight enough and sometimes not aggressive enough!

KC - Are you going to play in the 2009 WSOP event?

JS - Yes.

KC - You come from a close-knit family that has been very involved in chess. Do you still play as a family in the Amateur Team Championships? Who plays board four?

JS - Not for a while. That'd be fun though. We used to call it 75% Pure Shahade - we have only three serious chess players in the family though my mom is a good games player. She plays chess, but is more into bridge and poker though.

KC - Your father Michael Shahade is a FIDE Master. Is he involved in chess activities other than playing?

JS - He loves to teach strong players or give simuls and he is popular when he does because he is very charismatic, but he doesn't do any of this regularly. My dad also manages the USCL team the Philadelphia Inventors. As a life-long sports fan, he really enjoys that.

KC - Your brother, IM Greg Shahade, founded the US Chess League. The league over the past few years has expanded. How is it flourishing, and can anyone own a chess team franchise?

JS - It's going great. Many of the top players in the country are involved in the league, including Nakamura, Shabalov, Benjamin, Christiansen, etc. Not anyone can own a team franchise. You must apply to join the league, and you have to have a pretty strong team and platform to get in. Maybe one day, someone else will be inspired by Greg's success and develop some minor leagues or youth leagues.

KC - Over the past ten years there has been an explosion of talented women chess players on the international chess scene. "Older" veterans like Stefanova and Kosteniuk are still on top of their game with many other exciting players nipping at their heels (no pun intended). Who among the crop of newer players do you find yourself rooting for, and what do you like about them or their game?

JS - I root for Hou Yifan and other very young talents because I figure they have a chance to break the world elite like Judit Polgar did.

KC - The recent US Championship was held in the new Chess Club and Scholastic Center in St. Louis. The pictures of the club were fantastic. It looks like it would be worth taking a trip to St. Louis just to visit it! Can you describe what it was like being there in person?

JS - It was awesome! When a chess fan goes there, it must feel like a little kid going to Disneyland. Of course, I'm not entirely impartial - I was the chair of the US Championship Committee, and I also coach the founder of the club, Rex Sinquefield. I went to a grand opening of the club in July ‘08, which was also the unveiling of the chess video art by Diana Thater. So there's yet another chess art connection from the past few years.

KC - I enjoyed the updates and interviews Macauley Peterson and you did during the US Championship. The interview with tournament winner, Hikaru Nakamura, raised my eyebrows, and it appeared yours as well, when Nakamura said he hadn’t prepared for the tournament at all. Nakamura is #30 on the FIDE rating list and it is hard to see any player, even one as naturally gifted as he, competing at the World Championship level on gifts alone. Do you see Hikaru wanting to, or being able to, put in the hard work necessary to compete at the very top?

JS - I think he is quite serious about chess and prepares well. His definition of "not preparing at all" might be different than other people. I really enjoyed Hikaru's style at the tournament. I hope it will be a boon to his confidence and ambition and that he will successfully compete with the world elite in his upcoming big events in London and Spain. Go, Hikaru!

Jennifer didn’t win the WSOP Women’s Championship this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her holding up a WSOP bracelet and a wad of cash in the future. If she does, I am sure she will wear that crown with the same grace she has as a chess champion. Go, Jennifer!