From Correspondence Chess with Lev

Candidate master Lev Zilbermintz [pictured] sends this e-mail.

"Please publish this game.  It was the first time the analysis from your 1996 book The Dynamic Philidor Counter-Gambit, pages 41-42, was tested in a correspondence game.  I had Black against Joe Mitchell of Omaha, Nebraska.  The first 20 moves are in your book; so the only new attempt is 21.Ke2.  This I parried with 21...Qg2+ and offered a draw, which was accepted."

 Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Joe Mitchell (Chess.com 2010) - Lev Zilbermintz (Chess.com 1941), Chess.com 3/25/2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nxe4 Be7 8.Qg4 g6 9.Ng5 Nf6 10.Qa4+ c6 11.Nf7 Qb6 12.Nxh8 Ne4 

13.f3 Qf2+ 14.Kd1 Bh4 15.Be2 Qxg2 16.Rf1 Bxe6 17.fxe4 Bg4 18.Re1 Bxe1 19.Bxg4 Qxg4+ 20.Kxe1 Qg1+ 21.Ke2 Qg2+, draw.

Benjamin Franklin and Chess

Carl Jacobs describes Benjamin Franklin as the diplomat who placed chess first.

"NY Times" Review of "Chess Match No. 5"

Elisabeth Vincentelli reviews Chess Match No. 5.

"Dangerous Moves" Tonight at Marshall CC

Westfield Quads 3/26/2017

A record 93 players showed up for Sunday's quads in Westfield.

Round One: King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Boris Privman (USCF 2310), Westfield NJ 3/26/2017

1.e4 d6 2.Nf3 e5 3.g3 Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O c5 7.Nbd2 Nc6 8.a4 a6 9.Nc4 Be6 10.Ng5 Bg4 11.f3 Bh5 12.a5 Nd7

13.h4 h6 14.Nh3 b5 15.axb6 Nxb6 16.Nxb6 Qxb6 17.Kh1 Nd4 18.b3 a5 19.g4 Bg6 20.h5 Bh7 21.g5 hxg5 22.Nxg5 Bxg5 23.Bxg5 Ne6 24.Be3 Qd8 25.Qe1 f5 26.Bh3 Qe8 27.Qh4 f4 28.Bxe6+ Qxe6 29.Bd2 Rf6

30.Rxa5 Rxa5 31.Bxa5 Qf7 32.Rg1 Kh8 33.Rg2 Rh6 34.Rh2 Bg8 35.Bd8 Qa7 36.Bg5 Re6 37.Rg2 Kh7 38.h6 g6 39.Kh2 Re8 40.Bf6 Be6 41.Qg5 Rg8 42.Bg7 Qf7 43.Rg1 Ra8 44.Rg2 Bd7 45.Qf6 Qxf6 46.Bxf6 Kxh6

47.Be7 Ra6 48.Bf8+ Kh7 49.Be7 Kg7 50.Bg5 Kf7 51.Re2 Ke6 52.Kg2 Ra1 53.Bh4 Rc1 54.Bg5 Bc6 55.Bh6 Ra1 56.Bg5 Ra8 57.Kg1 d5 58.exd5+ Kxd5 59.Bf6 Re8 60.Kg2 Re6 61.Bg5 Kd4 62.Bxf4, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Two: Dutch Defense

Peter Radomskyj (USCF 2200) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 3/26/2017

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.O-O a5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Qc2 O-O 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Qxc3 a4 11.b4 axb3 12.Qxb3 Nc6

13.Rd1 Na5 14.Qa2 Ne4 15.Bb2 d5 16.c5 Ba6 17.cxb6 cxb6 18.Rac1 Bxe2 19.Rde1 Bc4 20.Qb1 Nb3 21.Rcd1 b5 22.Ne5 Qa5 23.Qc2 Rac8 24.f3 Nf6 25.Re3 Qa4 26.Nxc4 bxc4 27.Rxe6 Nc5 28.Re2, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Sicilian Defense

David Zhurbinsky (USCF 2138) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 3/26/2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Be2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 O-O 10.Qd2 Be6 11.Rc1 Qa5 12.O-O Rfc8 13.b3 a6 14.f3 b5

15.cxb5 axb5 16.Nxb5 Qxd2 17.Bxd2 Rxa2 18.Rxc8+ Bxc8 19.Rd1 Be6 20.Nc3 Rb2 21.e5 Bxb3 22.exf6 Bxf6 23.Bc1 Bxd1 24.Bxd1 Rb8 25.Ne2 Kg7 26.Kf2 h5 27.Be3 Rb2 28.Kg3 e6 29.Nf4 d5 30.Nd3 Ra2

31.Bf4 g5 32.Be3 d4 33.Bc1 h4+ 34.Kg4 Rxg2+ 35.Kh5 Rxh2 36.Bxg5 Bxg5 37.Kxg5 Rd2 38.Be2 Rxe2 39.Nf4 Rh2 40.Nh5+ Kf8 41.f4 d3 42.f5 exf5 43.Kh6 d2 44.Nf4 d1=Q 45.Kh7 Qg4 46.Ne6+, White forfeits.

"Chess Mates" Saturday Game/60 Quad

At the Chess Mates blog, I have posted pictures and a game from yesterday's quad.

Collegiate Chess Final 4 at Marshall CC

This weekend the Marshall Chess Club will host the Collegiate Chess Final Four.

The match features a four team round robin, contested by the University of Texas at Dallas, Webster University, Texas Tech University, and Saint Louis University.

GM Maxim Dlugy will host live commentary at the club, which will stream here: http://uschessfinalfour.org/.

Although the playing room is closed to guests, we invite all of you to come listen in person to the broadcast.

The schedule is as follows: round 1: Saturday, 10am; round 2: Saturday, 5pm; round 3: Sunday, 9am (with the awards ceremony to follow).

We hope you will join us for this special event!

Pix from Marshall March Under 2300

Last weekend, these pictures were taken by me during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

                                          Saturday

                                             Sunday

Chess in Sparta NJ

Laurie Gordon reports on chess in Sparta NJ.

North Hunterdon High Wins NJ Title

The junior varsity section of the New Jersey 2017 High School chess championship was won by the team from North Hunterdon High School.

Marshall March Under 2300 3/19/2017

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

Round Four: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Matheu Jefferson (USCF 2107) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 3/19/2017

1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 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.Be2 b5 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.e5 Bb7 13.Qg3 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nd7

15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Qxg7 Qxe5 17.Bh5+ Qxh5 18.Qxh8+ Bf8 19.Qd4 O-O-O 20.Kb1 Bc5 21.Qd2 Qg6 22.Rhe1 Qxg2 23.Qd3 Qg6 24.Ne4 Bxe4 25.Rxe4 Bb6 26.Qc3+ Kb7 27.Qf3 Ka7 28.Ree1 e5

29.a4 bxa4 30.Qc3 Qe6 31.Qa3 Rc8 32.Qd6 Qxd6 33.Rxd6 Rc7 34.Rh6 a3 35.bxa3 Bd4 36.Rxh7 Rb7+ 37.Kc1 Bb2+ 38.Kd2 Bxa3 39.h4 Bb2 40.Rb1 Bc3+ 41.Kxc3 Rxb1 42.Rxd7+ Kb6

43.Re7 Rh1 44.Re6+  Kb7 45.Re7+ Kb6 46.Re6+, draw.

Marshall March Under 2300 3/18/2017

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

Round Three: Sicilian Defense, Paulsen Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Cameron Hull (USCF 1862), Marshall Chess Club 3/18/2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.c4 Nec6 7.Nb3 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.Nc3 O-O 10.Be3 d6 11.Rc1 b6 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.Rfd1 f5 14.f3 Nd7

15.exf5 Nce5 16.Be2 Rxf5 17.Qxd6 Qe8 18.f4 Rd8 19.fxe5 Bxe5 20.Qd2 Qe7 21.Qe1 Rdf8 22.Nd4 R5f7 23.Nf3 Bc7 24.Qh4 Nf6 25.b3 Bb8 26.Kh1 h5 27.h3 Qc7 28.Bg1 Ng4 29.Rf1 Qf4

30.Qg5 Bxf3 31.Qxf4 Bxg2+ 32.Kxg2 Bxf4 33.hxg4 Bxc1 34.Rxc1 hxg4 35.Bxg4 Rf6 36.Ne4 Rf4 37.Bxe6+ Kg7 38.Bd4+ Kh7 39.Rh1+, Black resigns.

Article on Chess Club in Ventnor NJ

[photo by Craig Matthews]

The Checkmates Chess Club is featured in this article.

Pix from Sunday Game/45 3/12/2017

During Sunday's tournament, I took these pictures at the Marshall Chess Club.

Pix from Saturday Game/60 3/11/2017

On Saturday, I photographed the players during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.