Saturday, September 30, 2017

16th Year for Sparta NJ Chess Club

[photo by Jennifer Dericks]

The chess club in Sparta NJ is beginning its 16th year.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Pix from Saturday Game/60 9/23/2017

During Saturday's tournament, I photographed the players at the Marshall Chess Club.







Thursday, September 28, 2017

Analysis by IM Jay Bonin on Thursdays

Beginning October 5th, international master Jay Bonin [pictured] will analyze games of members at the Marshall Chess Club on Thursday afternoons from 4pm to 6pm.

Each player is limited to one game per week.

Analysis will be done on a first come, first served basis.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Kasparov Article on Artificial Intelligence

For Garry Kasparov, there was no shame in losing to Deep Blue.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

FIDE Mondays 9/25/2017

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

Round Two:  Pirc Defense, Austrian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2207) - Robert Olsen (USCF 2077), Marshall Chess Club 9/25/2017

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 Na6 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 Nd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 10.c3 c5 11.Qe2 cxd4 12.cxd4 Bg4 13.Be3 Rac8 14.a3 f6


15.Rc1 Rxc1+ 16.Bxc1 Rc8 17.Be3 fxe5 18.dxe5 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Qxe5 20.O-O Nb8 21.Bxa7 Nc6 22.Qxe5 Bxe5 23.Bc5 Bxb2 24.Be4 Ra8 25.Rb1 Bxa3 


26.Bxa3 Rxa3 27.Rxb7 Nd4 28.Rxe7 Nxf3+ 29.Bxf3 Rxf3, draw.


Monday, September 25, 2017

Marshall Saturday Game/60 9/23/2017

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: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Jim West (USCF 2215) - Maxwell Beem (USCF 1807), Marshall Chess Club 9/23/2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.f4 Nc6 9.Be3 Qc7 10.O-O O-O 11.Qf3 b5 12.a3 Bb7


13.f5 exf5 14.Nxf5 Ne5 15.Qg3 Ng6 16.Bd4 Rae8 17.Rae1 Bc6 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Bd5 Bd7 21.Bb7 Be6 22.Bd5 Kh8 23.Qf2 Kg7 24.Re3 Ne5 25.Rg3+ Ng6 26.Rf3 Rg8 27.Rxf6 Ne5


28.Bxe6 fxe6 29.Rf4 Kh8 30.h3 Qg7 31.Kh1 Ng6 32.Rf7 Qe5 33.Qf6+ Qxf6 34.R7xf6 Ne5 35.R6f2 Nc4 36.a4 b4 37.Nd1 a5 38.b3 Ne5 39.Ne3 Rc8 40.Rd1 Rc3 41.Nf1 Rc6 42.Rdd2 Nd7 43.Rfe2 Nc5


44.g3 Nb7 45.Kg2 Rc3 46.Re3 Rgc8 47.Rxc3 Rxc3 48.Kf2 Nc5 49.Re2 e5 50.Kg2 Ne6 51.Ne3 Nd4 52.Re1 Nxc2 53.Nxc2 Rxc2+ 54.Kf3 Rc3+ 55.Re3 Rxe3+ 56.Kxe3 Kg7 57.Kd3 Kf6 58.Kc4 Ke6 59.g4 h6


60.h4 Kf6 61.Kd5 Ke7 62.g5 hxg5 63.hxg5 Kf7 64.Kxd6 Kg6 65.Kxe5 Kxg5 66.Kd6 Kf4 67.e5 Ke4 68.e6 Kd4 69.e7 Kc3 70.e8=Q Kxb3 71.Kc5 Ka3 72.Kb6 b3 73.Kxa5 b2 74.Qe3+ Ka2 75.Qd2 Ka1 76.Qc3 Ka2 77.Qxb2+ Kxb2 78.Kb5 Kc3 79.a5, Black resigns.


Sunday, September 24, 2017

"New Scientist" Magazine Cover

The latest issue of New Scientist depicts a chess game between two world leaders on its cover.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Friday, September 22, 2017

Pix from Marshall September Under 2300

Look at these pictures, taken by me during last weekend's tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

                                           Saturday










                                               Sunday









Thursday, September 21, 2017

"ESPN" Article on Hou Yifan

In an ESPN article, Alex W. Palmer profiles GM Hou Yifan.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

FIDE Mondays 9/18/2017

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

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Wing Gambit Deferred

John Brendel (USCF 1883) - Jim West (USCF 2215), Marshall Chess Club 9/18/2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.b4 Nf6 4.bxc5 Nxe4 5.cxd6 Nxd6 6.c4 e6 7.d4 Be7 8.Bd3 Nf5 9.Be3 Nxe3 10.fxe3 O-O 11.O-O Nd7 12.Nbd2 b6 13.Qc2 h6


14.Be4 Rb8 15.Qa4 Qc7 16.Qc6 Qxc6 17.Bxc6 Rd8 18.a4 Bb7 19.Bxd7 Rxd7 20.Ne5 Rc7 21.Rxf7 Rbc8 22.a5 Bg5 23.Rxc7 Bxe3+ 24.Kf1 Rxc7 25.axb6 axb6 26.Ndf3 Bxf3 27.Nxf3 Rxc4 28.Ra8+ Kh7


29.Rd8 Rc2 30.Rd6 Rf2+ 31.Ke1 Rxg2 32.Rxe6 Bxd4 33.Nxd4 Rxh2 34.Rxb6 Rg2 35.Kf1 Rg4 36.Ne6 Re4 37.Kg2 Re5 38.Nxg7 Kxg7 39.Kg3 Ra5 40.Kg4 Ra4+ 41.Kh5 Ra5+ 42.Kg4 Rg5+ 43.Kh4 Ra5 44.Kg4, draw.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Marshall September Under 2300 9/17/2017

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 3-0-1 plus a half point bye in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Four: King's Indian Defense, Orthodox Variation

Luidmila Mokriak (USCF 2127) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 9/17/2017

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.g4 a5 11.Nd3 b6 12.a3 Nc5 13.Rb1 f5


14.Nxc5 bxc5 15.b4 axb4 16.axb4 cxb4 17.Rxb4 Bd7 18.c5 dxc5 19.Rc4 Nc8 20.Rxc5 Nd6 21.f3 fxg4 22.fxg4 Rxf1+ 23.Qxf1 Ra1 24.Nb5 Nxb5 25.Bxb5 Bf8 26.Rc2 Bxb5 27.Qxb5 Qg5


28.Qc6 Qxg4+ 29.Kf2 Qh4+ 30.Kf3 Qh3+ 31.Ke2 Qg2+ 32.Kd3 Qf3+ 33.Be3 Ra3+ 34.Rc3 Rxc3+ 35.Qxc3 Bh6, White resigns.


Monday, September 18, 2017

Marshall September Under 2300 9/16/2017

On Saturday, I won these games in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Two: Caro-Kann Defense, Exchange Variation

Liam Putnam (USCF 1929) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 9/16/2017

1.Nf3 c5 2.e3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.exd4 Bg7 5.Bd3 d5 6.O-O Nc6 7.c3 Nf6 8.Bf4 O-O 9.Nbd2 Bf5


10.Bxf5 gxf5 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nd7 13.Nf3 e6 14.Re1 Re8 15.Re3 Nf8 16.h4 Ng6 17.g3 Rc8 18.h5 Nxf4 19.gxf4 Bh6 20.Ng5 Bxg5 21.Rg3 Kh8 22.fxg5 Rg8 23.Qd2 Rc4


24.g6 fxg6 25.hxg6 Qh4 26.Kg2 Rxg6 27.Rxg6 hxg6 28.Rh1 Rg4+, White resigns.



          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Iris Mou (USCF 1725), Marshall Chess Club 9/16/2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Nbd2 Ne7 9.Nc4 Ng6 10.hxg4 hxg4 11.Bg5 Qe6 12.Nh2 g3 13.fxg3 b5 14.Qg4 Qxg4 15.Nxg4 bxc4


16.dxc4 f6 17.Be3 a5 18.a4 Rb8 19.b3 Bb4 20.Rad1 Ke7 21.Nf2 Rhd8 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Rd1 Rxd1+ 24.Nxd1 Nf8 25.c3 Ba3 26.b4 Nd7 27.bxa5 Nc5 28.Bxc5 Bxc5+ 29.Kf1 Kd8 30.Nb2 Kc8 31.Nd3 Be7


32.Nb4 Kb7 33.a6+ Kc8 34.Nxc6 Bc5 35.Ke2 g6 36.Kf3 Bd6 37.Kg4 Bc5 38.Kh4 Bf8 39.g4 Bd6 40.g5 f5 41.exf5 gxf5 42.g6 Bf8 43.Nxe5, Black resigns.