Fournier Analyzes Idnani - West

At Contre Gambit Philidor, Frederic Fournier analyzes my win as Black against Taran Idnani.

Center of the Chessboard

Dwight Howard talks chess.

Rahway Grand Prix 4/27/2013

On Saturday, I finished with a score of 1-1-2 in the grand prix tournament at Chess Mates.

Round Three: Pirc Defense

Jim West (USCF 2205) - Mauricio Camejo (USCF 2171), Rahway NJ 4/27/2013

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f4 Bg4 5.Nf3 b5 6.a3 e6 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nbd7 9.e5 Nd5 10.Nxd5 cxd5 11.Bd3 g6 12.c3 Rb8 13.Be3 a5 14.g4 Be7 15.exd6 Bxd6

16.f5 gxf5 17.gxf5 Rg8 18.fxe6 Bg3+ 19.Ke2 fxe6 20.Qh5+ Ke7 21.Bg5+ Nf6 22.Raf1 Rf8 23.Rxf6 Rxf6 24.Rf1 Kd6 25.Bxf6 Qc8 26.Be5+ Bxe5 27.Qxe5+ Kc6 28.Rf6, Black resigns.

Garry Kasparov at Oxford

On February 28th, Garry Kasparov lectured at Oxford on "Reviving the Spirit of Innovation."

Magnus Carlsen on "Charlie Rose"

On Wednesday, Magnus Carlsen was interviewed by Charlie Rose.

Chess Apps for Android by Asim Pereira

Asim Pereira [pictured] obtained a provisional rating of USCF 2014 at tournaments in 2008, when he resided in the United States.

Now Asim develops chess apps for Android, as follows.

iChess - lots of chess tactics to solve, all offline. Can also load your pgn or purchase recent tactics, based on openings or from 2013 games. 

Chess Book Study - a very innovative app that shows a board and an eBook in the same screen. Makes it easy to study chess books. One can even dictate, and the moves are made in the board.

Analyze This - analyze a position with two engines, simultaneously!

Asim has a blog and is on Facebook.

Columbia Academy @ eprof.com

At the eprof.com website, Columbia Academy has a profile where I am listed as the chess instructor.

For nine weeks starting May 25th, I will be giving Internet lessons every Saturday morning from 9am to 10am.  The course is designed for intermediate and advanced players.

Introductory class title: Piece Values 
Syllabus: I will show the value of each piece at the beginning of the game and how to increase the value of your pieces while decreasing the value of your opponent's pieces. 

First class title: Rules for the Opening
Syllabus: I will teach the three rules of the opening: move your pieces toward the center, castle your king to safety, and move each piece only once. 

Second class title: Tactics 
Syllabus: Tactics will be demonstrated; e.g., pins, forks, skewers, double attacks, and discovered checks. 

Third class title: Middlegame Strategies
Syllabus: Different middlegame strategies will be discussed, such as passed pawns, minority attacks, and blockades. 

Fourth class title: Endgame Technique 
Syllabus: Basic endgame technique will be demonstrated.

Fifth class title: Five Considerations to Concentrate On 
Syllabus: I will explain the five considerations that a chess master concentrates on: center, tempos, material, initiative, and coordination. 

Sixth class title: The King's Indian for White and Black 
Syllabus: The King's Indian Attack and King's Indian Defense will be analyzed, as a flexible system for both White and Black. 

Seventh class title: Famous Chess Games 
Syllabus: We will look at famous chess games from the past. 

Eighth class title: Art, Science, or Sport? 
Syllabus: Is chess an art, science, or sport?

FIDE Mondays 4/22/2013

On Monday evening, I played this game at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Two: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Teseo Torras (USCF 1737), Marshall Chess Club 4/22/2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Bd6 8.d3 Ne7 9.Be3 Ng6 10.Nd2 b5 11.Nb3 a5 12.a4 b4 13.Nd2 O-O 14.b3 Qd7

15.g4 Be7 16.Qf5 Rfd8 17.Qxd7 Rxd7 18.Nc4 h6 19.Rad1 Bg5 20.d4 exd4 21.Rxd4 Rxd4 22.Bxd4 Nf4 23.Be5 Nxh3+ 24.Kh2 Nf4 25.Bxc7 Ne6 26.Bxa5 Bf4+ 27.Kg2 Rb8 28.Bb6 Be5 29.Rd1 Bc3 30.a5 Ra8 31.f3 c5

32.Rd7 Bd4 33.Nd6 f6 34.Nf5 Nf4+ 35.Kf1 Ne6 36.Re7, Black resigns.

Rahway Quad 4/21/2013

On Sunday morning, I played this game at Chess Mates.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Brandon Jacobson (USCF 1834) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Rahway NJ 4/21/2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.O-O-O Nbd7 10.Bd3 b5 11.Rhe1 Bb7 12.Qg3 O-O-O

13.Bh4 Rhg8 14.Nf3 b4 15.Nb1 Qa5 16.a3 bxa3 17.Nxa3 d5 18.e5 Bxa3 19.exf6 gxf6 20.Qh3 Bd6 21.g3 Rh8 22.c3 Kb8 23.Kc2 Rc8 24.Ra1 Qb6 25.Qf1 f5 26.Bxa6 Nc5 27.Bxb7 Qb3+ 28.Kc1 Kxb7 29.Bf6 Ra8 30.Rb1 Rhc8

31.Nd4 Qb6 32.Qb5 Qxb5 33.Nxb5 Bf8 34.Kc2 Ne4 35.Bd4 Nd6 36.Nxd6+ Bxd6 37.Ra1 Rxa1 38.Rxa1 Ra8 39.Rxa8 Kxa8 40.Kd3 Kb7 41.Be5 Be7 42.Kd4 f6, White resigns.

Rahway Swiss 4/20/2013

Yesterday I finished with a score of 2-1-1 in the game/45 tournament at Chess Mates.

Round Four: King's Indian Defense, Averbakh Variation

Vladimir Polyakin (USCF 2110) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Rahway NJ 4/20/2013

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 O-O 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 h6 8.Bf4 b5 9.cxb5 a6 10.a4 Qa5 11.Bd2 axb5 12.Bxb5 Qb6 13.Nge2 Ba6 14.O-O Bxb5 15.axb5 Nbd7

16.Qb3 Rfb8 17.Ra3 Ne8 18.Rfa1 Nc7 19.Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Rxa8+ Nxa8 21.Na4 Qa7 22.Qc2 Qb7 23.Nec3 Nab6 24.h4 h5 25.Be3 Bf6 26.Bg5 Bxg5 27.hxg5 Qa7 28.b3 Qa5 29.Nxb6 Nxb6 30.f4 Qb4

31.g3 c4 32.bxc4 Nxc4 33.Qd3 Qc5+ 34.Kg2 Ne3+ 35.Kf3 Nc4 36.Kg2 Ne3+ 37.Kf3 Ng4 38.Nd1 Qg1 39.Ke2 Qg2+ 40.Ke1 Qg1+ 41.Ke2 Qg2+ 42.Ke1 Qg1+ 43.Ke2, draw.

Byrne Variations

Robert Byrne played his own variations against me twice.

At the Bar Point, Byrne defeated me with 6.Be3 in the Sicilian Defense.

Then, at the Manhattan Chess Club, he beat me with 9.Rb1 in the King's Indian Defense.

Carlsen on "Time" List of Influential People

Today the April 29, 2013 issue of Time magazine goes on sale. In it, Time reveals the tenth annual "Time 100," which lists the 100 most influential people in the world including Magnus Carlsen.

For the first time, the issue features seven separate covers, each displaying a member of the "Time 100."

Magnus Carlsen, by Garry Kasparov: “I had the opportunity to train Carlsen in 2009, and his intuitive style conserves the mystique of chess at a time when every EPU-enhanced fan thinks the game is easy. Carlsen is as charismatic and independent as he is talented. If he can rekindle the world’s fascination with the royal game, we will one day be living in the Carlsen Era.”

"Chess Mates" Summer Camps 2013

SUMMER CAMPS 2013

Camp 1           July 8-12

Camp 2           July 15-19

Camp 3           July 22-26

Camp 4           July 29-August 2

Camp 5           August 5-9

Camp 6           August 12-16

Camp 7           August 19-23

Camp 8           August 26-30

Grandmaster Leonid Yudasin will be the instructor all 8 weeks.

RATES

Weekly: $350 members, $400 non-members

Daily: $80 members, $90 non-members

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.          Lecture

10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.        Break

10:20 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.        Play and Study Games

11:30 a.m. - 12 noon             Lunch Break

12 noon - 1:30 p.m.               Play and Study Games

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.            Lecture

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.            Break

2:50 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.            Play and Study Games, Fun 
                                              Activities

For more details on the camp, please send an e-mail to chessmates@chessmatesnj.com or call us, during regular business hours, at 732-499-0118.

Chess Mates

1531 Irving St.

Rahway, NJ 07065

Pix from Marshall Under 2300 4/14/2013

Playing in the one day schedule of the under 2300 tournament, I took these pictures on Sunday at the Marshall Chess Club.

FIDE Mondays 4/15/2013

Last night, this game was played at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Szymon Rudowski (FIDE 1845) - Jim West (FIDE 2107), Marshall Chess Club 4/15/2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.f3 O-O 9.Qd2 Be6 10.O-O-O Nbd7 11.g4 b5 12.h4 Nb6 13.h5 b4 14.Nb1 a5 15.g5 Nfd7

16.g6 a4 17.h6 fxg6 18.hxg7 Rxf3 19.Qh2 Nf6 20.Nc5 Bf7 21.Qe2 Rxe3 22.Qxe3 Ng4 23.Qh3 h5 24.Nd3 Bg5+ 25.Nd2 Nc4 26.Be2 Bxd2+ 27.Kb1 Nf6 28.Nf2 Bh6 29.Rhg1 Qc8 30.Qf3 Bxg7 31.Nh3 Qc5 32.Qd3 Qe3

33.Rg3 Qxd3 34.Bxd3 Nb6 35.Ng5 Bh6 36.Rf1 Bxg5 37.Rxg5 Kg7 38.Rfg1 Nbd7 39.Be2 Rh8 40.Bb5 a3 41.bxa3 bxa3 42.Bxd7 Nxd7 43.R1g3 h4 44.Rh3 Be6 45.Rh2 h3 46.Rg3 Rh4 47.Rxa3 Rxe4

48.Rd3 d5 49.Kc1 d4 50.a3 Nc5 51.Rg3 Bf5 52.Rf2 Kh6 53.Kb2 Rh4 54.Rh2 Ne4 55.Rb3 Nc3 56.Rb4 Re4, White resigns.

Marshall April Under 2300 4/14/2013

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 2-1-1 in the under 2300 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Paul Joseph (USCF 1843), Marshall Chess Club 4/14/2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 Nc6 4.g3 d6 5.Bg2 g6 6.O-O Bg7 7.c3 Nf6 8.Nbd2 Qc7 9.a4 b6 10.Nc4 Rb8 11.Re1 e5 12.h3 O-O 13.Qc2 Nh5 14.Bd2 f5

15.exf5 gxf5 16.Ne3 Ne7 17.Qb3+ Kh8 18.Ng5 h6 19.Ne6 Bxe6 20.Qxe6 Rf6 21.Nd5 Nxd5 22.Qxd5 Rbf8 23.Bf3 f4 24.Bxh5 fxg3 25.fxg3 Qd7 26.Bg4 Qe8 27.Rf1 Qg6 28.Qe4 Rxf1+ 29.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 30.Kxf1 Qxe4 31.dxe4 Kg8

32.Be6+ Kf8 33.g4 Ke7 34.Bd5 Kf6 35.Kg2 Bf8 36.Kg3 Kg6 37.h4 Be7 38.b4 Bd8 39.b5 Be7 40.c4 Bd8 41.Kh3 Be7 42.a5 Bd8 43.a6 Be7 44.Bc6 Bf6 45.Be8+ Kg7 46.Bxh6+ Kxh6 47.g5+ Bxg5 48.hxg5+ Kxg5

49.Kg3 Kf6 50.Kg4 Ke7 51.Bg6 Kf6 52.Bf5 Kf7 53.Kg5 Ke7 54.Kg6 Kd8 55.Kf7 Kc7 56.Ke7 Kb8 57.Kxd6, Black resigns.

Rahway Grand Prix 4/13/2013

Yesterday I drew this game in the grand prix tournament at Chess Mates.

Round Two: Franco-Benoni Defense

Lev Zilbermintz (USCF 2117) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Rahway NJ 4/13/2013

1.d4 e6 2.e4 c5 3.d5 exd5 4.exd5 d6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.c4 Be7 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.Be2 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Nbd7 10.Bf4 a6 11.Nc3 O-O 12.O-O Re8 13.Re1 Qc7

14.Ne4 Bf8 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.Qd3 Rxe1+ 17.Rxe1 Qa5 18.Ra1 Re8 19.Bd2 Qc7 20.Re1 Rxe1+ 21.Bxe1, draw.

Pix from Westfield Quads 4/7/2013

During Sunday's quads in Westfield, I took these pictures.