Pix from Saturday Game/60 9/24/2016

These pictures were taken by me during Saturday's tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Marshall Sunday Game/45 9/25/2016

On Sunday, I played this game in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Gus Huston (USCF 1969), Marshall Chess Club 9/25/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Nbd2 Bc5 9.Nc4 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 O-O-O 11.Be3 Bd6 12.Qxf6 Nxf6 13.Bg5 Rde8 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nxd6+ cxd6

16.f4 Rh7 17.fxe5 fxe5 18.Rf6 Kd7 19.Raf1 Ke7 20.R6f5 Rf8 21.a4 b6 22.b4 f6 23.c4 Rh6 24.Rb1 Rc8 25.Rff1 Ke6 26.a5 b5 27.cxb5 cxb5 28.Rbc1 Rhh8 29.Kh2 h4 30.g4 Rxc1 31.Rxc1 Kd7 32.Kg2 Rg8

33.Kf3 Rf8 34.Ke3 Re8 35.d4 exd4+ 36.Kxd4 Rc8 37.Rxc8 Kxc8 38.Ke3 Kd7 39.Kf3 Ke7 40.Ke3 Kf7 41.Kf3 Ke7, draw.

Marshall Saturday Game/60 9/24/2016

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

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Caden Li Jung (USCF 1622) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 9/24/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.exf5 e4 5.Nfd2 Bxf5 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.h3 d5 8.Nb3 Bb4 9.Bd2 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 O-O 11.Bd2 c6 12.g4 Be6 13.g5 Nfd7 14.h4 Na6 15.a4 Qe7

16.Na5 Ndb8 17.h5 c5 18.Be3 c4 19.Qd2 b6 20.Nxc4 dxc4 21.d5 Bf7 22.Bxc4 Qb4 23.b3 Qxd2+ 24.Kxd2 Rd8 25.Kc3 Nc7 26.Rad1 Nxd5+ 27.Rxd5 Rxd5 28.Bxd5 Bxd5 29.Rd1 Bc6 30.b4 Kf7 31.b5 Be8

32.g6+ hxg6 33.hxg6+ Kxg6 34.Rd8 Kf7 35.Bf4 a6 36.Rxb8 Rxb8 37.Bxb8 axb5 38.axb5 Bxb5 39.Kd4 Bc6 40.c4 Ke6 41.Bc7 b5 42.cxb5 Bxb5 43.Kxe4, draw.

Uganda Exhibition at Marshall CC

Rookie versus Veteran

This morning, I received the following e-mail from former blogger Atomic Patzer.

Hi Jim, 

Did you know that you are mentioned in the new book "The Rookie" by Stephen Moss? See quote below from the chapter titled "Life at the Marshall." I got it on my Kindle and read it over the weekend. The book was a good read about competitive chess. 

In the second round – this was what in the U.S. is called a ‘Game 45’ tournament, with each player getting 45 minutes – I came up against a very good player: a veteran called James West who was rated 2200, had written books on opening theory and who was, I discovered later, a fixture on the New York chess circuit. He had a greying beard, which he stroked from time to time; his jacket was a little threadbare; he sighed a good deal (even though I didn’t give him much to sigh about), and made a point of always staying a few minutes ahead on the clock just in case. He played the King’s Indian Defence, and of course knew it back to front. After 15 moves my position was horrible; after 20 I was a pawn down and as good as lost. I wished he had been out on a bender with Sam the night before, but I could see he wasn’t that kind of a guy: he was very businesslike, clearly lived for chess and loved to win. I had heard him earlier telling the story of defeating a grandmaster in a tournament being played in a hotel, and coming out of the lobby afterwards and finding the GM beating his head against the wall. He wasn’t boasting; just telling it matter of factly. Chess does strange things to people – and especially to players who try to make a living from the game – was his point.

Tom Stanics

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

The story is true, with one correction.  My opponent at the New Yorker Hotel was a FIDE master, not a grandmaster.

Caruana Honored with Flag & NJ Resolution

GM Fabiano Caruana [pictured] was honored for leading the United States team to a gold medal at the Olympiad.

"NY Times" Review of "Queen of Katwe"

A.O. Scott reviews the Disney film Queen of Katwe.

Magnus Carlsen at Liberty Science Center

Yesterday Magnus Carlsen took on 11 challengers at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

Pix from Marshall September Under 2300

During the weekend tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, I snapped these photos.

                                          Saturday

                                             Sunday

Phiona Mutesi on ABC News

Watch this video on Phiona Mutesi.

Marshall September Under 2300 9/18/2016

On Sunday, I won this game in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Four: King's Indian Defense, Petrosian Variation

John Walton (USCF 1618) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 9/18/2016

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 Nbd7 8.O-O Nc5 9.Qc2 a5 10.h3 Bd7 11.Be3 Ne8 12.a3 a4 13.Nd2 f5 14.f3 b6

15.b4 axb3 16.Nxb3 f4 17.Bf2 Bf6 18.Nxc5 dxc5 19.Bd3 Nd6 20.a4 Bh4 21.Nb5 Bxf2+ 22.Qxf2 g5 23.Qb2 Bxb5 24.axb5 Qf6 25.Rxa8 Rxa8 26.Ra1 Rxa1+ 27.Qxa1 Kg7 28.Qa7 Qe7 29.Qa8 h5 30.Qa4 Qe8 31.Qa7 Qc8 32.Qa1 Kf6 33.Qa6 g4

34.Qxc8 Nxc8 35.fxg4 hxg4 36.hxg4 Kg5 37.Kf2 Kxg4 38.Be2+ Kh4 39.Kf3 Nd6 40.Bd3 Nb7 41.Bf1 Na5 42.Be2 Nb3 43.Bd1 Nd2+ 44.Ke2 Nxc4 45.Kd3 Nb2+ 46.Ke2 Nxd1 47.Kxd1 Kg3, White resigns.

Marshall September Under 2300 9/17/2016

On Saturday, I drew this game in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Wesley Hellner (USCF 1972), Marshall Chess Club 9/17/2016

1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.f4 Nf6 4.Nf3 g6 5.e3 Bg7 6.Bb5 O-O 7.O-O a6 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.Qc1 Nd7 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Qb2+ Kg8 14.Nc3 Qd6

15.Na4 a5 16.Qd4 Ba6 17.d3 f5 18.Nc5 Bc8 19.a3 Re8 20.b4 a4 21.Rae1 e5 22.fxe5 Rxe5 23.h4 Qe7 24.Qf4 Ba6 25.Rf3 Qd6 26.Qd4 Bc8 27.Ref1 Re7 28.Qf4 Qxf4 29.exf4 d4 30.Kf2 Kf7 31.Re1 Rxe1 32.Kxe1 Be6

33.Rf2 Bd5 34.Re2 Rd8 35.Kf2 Kf6 36.g3 Kf7 37.Re5 Kf6 38.Ke2 h6 39.Kd2 g5 40.hxg5+ hxg5 41.Re2 gxf4 42.gxf4 Rh8 43.Kc1 Rh1+ 44.Kb2 Rf1 45.Nxa4 Rxf4 46.Nc5 Rh4 47.a4 Rh8 48.a5 f4 49.Rf2 f3

50.Ne4+ Ke5 51.Rxf3 c5 52.bxc5 Ra8 53.Rh3 Bxe4 54.dxe4 Rxa5 55.Rh5+ Kxe4 56.Kb3, draw.

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