Levon Aronian in "The New Yorker"

[photo by Felix Clay]

Sean Williams writes an article on Levon Aronian.

Marshall Saturday Game/60 7/29/2017

On Saturday, I finished with a score of 1-0-2 plus a half point bye in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round One: French Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Nikhil Kalyanraman (USCF 1823), Marshall Chess Club 7/29/2017

1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.c4 Qc7 12.Qe2 Bd6 13.b3 Bd7 14.Bb2 d4

15.Ne4 Nxe4 16.Qxe4 Nb4 17.Ng5 g6 18.Qh4 Bc8 19.Red1 Qe7 20.a3 Na6 21.Re1 Nc7 22.b4 Rb8 23.bxc5 Bxc5 24.Nf3 Qxh4 25.Nxh4 b5 26.cxb5 Rxb5 27.Re5 Rxb2 28.Rxc5 Na6 29.Rcc1 Rbxf2 30.Bh3 Bd7 31.Rc4 g5 32.Rxd4 Nc5

33.Rg4 h6 34.Ng6 R8f6 35.Ne5 Rd2 36.Rc4 Rff2 37.Rxc5 Rxh2 38.Nf3 Rxh3 39.Nxd2 Rxg3+ 40.Kf2 Rxd3 41.Ne4, Black forfeits.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Adi Murgescu (USCF 1936) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 7/29/2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Nf7 Qe7 9.Nxh8 Bxe6 10.Be2 Kf8 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Kg8 13.O-O Kxh8 14.Nb5 Nc6 15.c3 Rd8

16.Nd4 Nxd4 17.cxd4 c5 18.Rc1 b6 19.b3 h6 20.a4 cxd4 21.Qxd4 Qd6 22.Rxf6 gxf6 23.Qxf6+ Kh7 24.Bh5 Rg8 25.Rc2 Qd7 26.Qf4 Rg7 27.g3 Bg4 28.Bxg4 Qxg4 29.Qxg4 Rxg4 30.Rc7+ Rg7 31.Rc6 Rf7

32.Rd6 Rf3 33.Rxd5 Rxe3 34.Kf2 Rxb3 35.Rd7+ Kg6 36.Rxa7 Kf5 37.a5 bxa5 38.Rxa5+ Kg4 39.Re5 Rb2+ 40.Ke3 Rxh2 41.Rxe4+ Kxg3 42.Re8 Ra2 43.Rg8+ Kh4 44.Kf3 h5 45.Rg7 Ra3+ 46.Kg2 Ra4

47.Kf2 Rf4+ 48.Kg1 Rg4+ 49.Rxg4 hxg4 50.Kg2 g3 51.Kg1 Kh3 52.Kh1 Kg4 53.Kg2 Kf4 54.Kg1 Kf3 55.Kf1 g2+ 56.Kg1 Kg3, stalemate.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Modern Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Keith Espinosa (USCF 1921), Marshall Chess Club 7/29/2017

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.a3 Bb7 7.Bd3 Nd7 8.O-O Nh6 9.e5 O-O 10.Ne4 Nb6 11.c3 Rc8 12.h3 c5

13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Be3 c4 15.Bc2 Qc7 16.Bxb6 Qxb6+ 17.Qd4 Qc7 18.Rad1 Rfd8 19.Qf2 Bxe4 20.Bxe4 e6 21.Kh1 Bf8 22.g4 Kg7 23.Qe2 Ng8 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.Rd1 Ne7 26.Rxd8 Qxd8 27.Qd2 Nd5

28.f5 Bc5 29.fxe6 fxe6 30.Ng5 Qe7 31.Nxe6+ Qxe6 32.Qxd5 Qxd5 33.Bxd5 a5 34.Bc6 b4 35.axb4 axb4 36.Bb5 bxc3 37.bxc3 Ba3 38.e6 Kf6 39.Bxc4 Bb2 40.e7 Kxe7 41.Bg8 Bxc3 42.Bxh7 g5 43.Kg2 Kf6, draw.

Pix from Thursday Night Action 7/27/2017

During Thursday's tournament, I snapped these photos at the Marshall Chess Club.

Thursday Night Action 7/27/2017

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

Round Three: Caro-Kann Defense, Exchange Variation

Rushaan Mahajan (USCF 1786) - Jim West (USCF 2209), Marshall Chess Club 7/27/2017

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 O-O 5.h3 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.Nbd2 Nc6 9.Bd3 a5 10.a4 b6 11.Qe2 Bb7 12.O-O Qc8

13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 Ba6 15.Bb5 Bxb5 16.Qxb5 Qa6 17.Nf3 Qxb5 18.axb5 Nd7 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Rfe1 e6 21.Ne5 Nxe5 22.Rxe5 Rfe8, draw.

Anatoly Karpov Lecture at Marshall CC

Pix from July Under 2300 7/23/2017

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

Pix from July Under 2300 7/22/2017

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

Marshall July Under 2300 7/23/2017

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

Round Four: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

George Berg (USCF 2097) - Jim West (USCF 2209), Marshall Chess Club 7/23/2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Bg2 O-O 9.O-O Be6 10.a4 Nbd7 11.a5 Rc8 12.Re1 Nc5 13.Nd2 b5 14.axb6 Qxb6 15.h3 Rfd8 16.Qe2 d5

17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Bxd5 Rxd5 20.Nc4 Qe6 21.Nxe5 Qxh3 22.Qf3 Qe6 23.Nd3 Rxd3 24.Rxe6 Rxf3 25.Rxe7 Rf6 26.Be3 Kf8 27.Ra7 Rfc6 28.b4 Ne6 29.R1xa6 Rxa6 30.Rxa6 Rxc2 31.Ra8+ Ke7

32.b5 Rb2 33.b6 f5 34.Ra7+ Kd6 35.Rf7 g6 36.Rxh7 g5 37.b7 Nd8 38.Bxg5 Nxb7 39.Kg2 Na5 40.Bf4+ Ke6 41.Rc7 Rb7 42.Rc5 Nb3 43.Rc6+ Ke7 44.Be5 Rb5 45.f4 Nd2 46.g4 fxg4 47.Kg3 Nb3 48.Kxg4 Rd5

49.Rc2 Nc5 50.Re2 Kf7 51.f5 Nd7 52.Bb2 Nf6+ 53.Kg5 Nh7+ 54.Kf4 Nf6 55.Re6 Nd7 56.Rh6 Rd1 57.Kg5, draw.

Marshall July Under 2300 7/22/2017

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

Round Two: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2209) - Wesley Hellner (USCF 1929), Marshall Chess Club 7/22/2017

1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 g6 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 O-O 6.Be2 b6 7.O-O Bb7 8.a4 Nc6 9.Na3 a6 10.Qe1 d5 11.h3 Rc8 12.d3 Nd7

13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Qc3+ Qf6 15.Qxf6+ Nxf6 16.g4 Rce8 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.fxe5 Nd7 19.d4 f6 20.exf6+ Nxf6 21.Bd3 Nd7 22.Rxf8 Rxf8 23.Rf1 Rxf1+ 24.Bxf1 e5 25.Bg2 e4 26.c3 Kf6 27.Kf2 g5 28.Bf1 Ke7 29.c4 c6 30.b4 Kd6

31.c5+ bxc5 32.bxc5+ Kc7 33.a5 Nb8 34.Nc2 Kd8 35.Nb4 Kc7 36.Ke1 Kd8 37.Kd2 Kc7 38.Kc3 Kd8 39.Be2 Kc7 40.Kb3 Kd8 41.Bf1 Kc7 42.Na2 Nd7 43.Nc3 Nf8 44.Ne2 Bc8 45.Ng3 Kb7 46.Kc3 Be6 47.Nh5 Bf7 48.Ng7 Bg6 49.Kd2 Nd7 50.Ne6 h6

51.Ke1 Nb8 52.Kf2 Kc8 53.Kg3 Bf7 54.Ng7 Bg6 55.h4 Kd7 56.Nf5 gxh4+ 57.Nxh4 Bh7 58.Ng2 Ke6 59.Ne1 Bg6 60.Be2 Be8 61.Nc2 Bd7 62.Nb4 Bc8 63.g5 Kf7 64.gxh6 Kg6 65.Kf4 Kxh6 66.Ke5 Kg5 67.Kd6 Bh3

68.Nxc6 Nd7 69.Kxd5 Nf6+ 70.Kc4 Kh4 71.d5 Kg3 72.Kd4 Kf2 73.Bxa6 Nd7 74.Bc8 Nxc5 75.Bxh3 Nb3+ 76.Kxe4 Nc5+ 77.Kd4 Nb3+ 78.Kc3 Nc5 79.Kc4 Ne4 80.Kd4 Nd6 81.e4, Black resigns.

Chess Forum in "West Village Patch"

Shant Shahrigian visits the Chess Forum on Thompson Street.

Pix from Saturday Game/60 7/15/2017

On Saturday, I snapped these photos during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

NAYCC 2017 Results

On Sunday, the North American Youth Chess Championship concluded in Morristown NJ.