15/10 KID 6/29/2020

King's Indian Defense, Exchange Variation

Sirfdez95 (Chess.com 1919) - JimWest (Chess.com 1898), Chess.com 6/29/2020

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Nc3 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Nxe5 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 Bxe5 11.O-O Nc6 12.Nc5 Nd4 13.Bd1 b6 14.Rfe1 Bg7 15.Ne4 Bf5 16.Bg5 Re8

17.f3 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 Rxe4 19.fxe4 Re8 20.e5 Rxe5 21.Bd2 c5 22.Rb1 f5 23.a3 a5 24.Kf1 h5 25.Bf4 Re6 26.Ba4 Be5 27.Bxe5 Rxe5 28.Re1 Rxe1+ 29.Kxe1 Kf7 30.Kf2 g5 31.g3 Ne6 32.b3 f4 33.gxf4 Nxf4 34.Ke3 Kf6 35.Ke4 h4

36.Bc6 Ng6 37.Kd5 Ne7+ 38.Kd6 Nxc6 39.Kxc6 g4 40.Kxb6 g3 41.hxg3 hxg3 42.Kxc5 g2 43.Kb5 g1=Q 44.c5 Ke5 45.b4 axb4 46.axb4 Kd5 47.Kb6 Qd4 48.Kb5 Qc4+ 49.Ka4 Kc6, White resigns.

15/10 Ruy Lopez 6/28/2020

Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

JimWest (Chess.com 1889) - kg2anish (Chess.com 1925), Chess.com 6/28/2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 f6 8.Nbd2 Be6 9.h3 Ne7 10.Rd1 O-O 11.Nc4 Bxc4 12.Qxc4+ Kh8 13.Be3 Qe8 14.a4 b5 15.axb5 axb5 16.Qe6 Ng6 17.Qxe8 Rfxe8

18.Nd2 Ne5 19.f3 Kg8 20.b3 Nd7 21.Bd4 Bc5 21.Bxc5 Nxc5 22.Nf1 Kf7 23.Ne3 g6 24.Kf2 Ke7 25.g4 Red8 26.Rxa8 Rxa8 27.h4 Ke6 28.h5 Rg8 29.hxg6 hxg6 30.Rh1 Rg7 31.Rh8 Kd7 32.Ng2 Ne6 33.Ke3 Kd6 34.Nf4 Nxf4 35.Kxf4 Ke6

36.g5 b4 37.gxf6 Kxf6 38.Rf8+ Ke7 39.Rb8 c5 40.Ke5 Rh7 41.Rg8 Rh2 42.Rxg6 Rxc2 43.Rg7+ Kd8 44.f4 c4 45.bxc4 Rxc4 46.Kd5 Rc1 47.e5 b3 48.Rg8+ Ke7 49.Rb8 Rb1 50.Kc4 Rf1 51.Kd5 Rb1 52.Kc4 Rf1

53.Rxb3 Rxf4+ 54.Kd5 c6+ 55.Kxc6 Ke6 56.Re3 Rf5 57.Kc5 Rxe5+ 58.Rxe5+ Kxe5, draw.

Marshall CC Tournament Schedule

The Marshall Chess Club will now permit non-members to play in the club's on-line tournaments.

Message from WOCC President 6/26/2020

To all club members and guests:

Due to the shutdown of many public facilities throughout the country that came about from the COVID-19 pandemic, chess clubs and over the board (OTB) events have been canceled since March. In fact, March 3rd was the last time that our club met. It was, by the way, the first round of the 2020 WOCC Championship which was slated for 5 rounds. After hearing the news reports of the rapidly accelerating worldwide pandemic, I was considering postponing for a few weeks club meetings until the crisis, hopefully, would diminish quickly which it unfortunately did not. On March 5th I called the Recreation Department of West Orange to inform them of my decision on this situation. It was then that Juan Pintado, the gentleman who works with setting up other groups besides the chess club for usage of the Toby Katz Center, told me that the town was suspending indefinitely any usage of the building until further notice. Yesterday, I spoke to Juan inquiring about how soon the chess club could return to use the building. I was informed that more than likely the club and other groups (even those groups willing to rent the building for private events) would have to wait until September at the earliest to be allowed back in.

Fortunately, under the direction of Andrew Chan, our Director of Player Development, Lev Zilbermintz, one of our two Vice Presidents and President of the Garden State Chess League (GSCL) and John Moldovan who is an officer in the GSCL, online chess events have been organized to keep activity that is akin to OTB chess going. I also want to mention that, under the leadership of Lev and John Moldovan, the GSCL was able to finish the schedule online in a mostly smooth manner. John Moldovan is also running his Sunday Westfield events online. These events are, to my understanding, being rated in a separate system.

In closing, I want to reassure everyone that the games that were played on March 3rd will be eventually rated as "extra games" and "tacked on" to the next available OTB tournament (more than likely, the Mohan Nayak Memorial which is held in October) at the club when it reopens. It is sad and unfortunate that we have to wait for 2021 for the next club championship (which will be dedicated to the memory of Charles Hart) but these are unusual times for us to deal with. Those wishing a refund of their entry fee can contact me or they can let me keep their entry fee as a credit to the next event at the club.

As usual, any comments directed to me will be kept confidential at one`s request.

Sincerely,

John M. Hagerty
President of the West Orange Chess Club

P.S. Please stay safe and well and I look very forward to seeing all you guys when the town gives us the go ahead to get back to our "home".

Kasparov on Chess and Go

Should Black Move First?

Is chess racist because White always moves first?

Cognitive Aspects of Chess

What does the game of chess have to do with threat intelligence?

15/10 Sicilian Defense 6/22/2020

Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

JimWest (Chess.com 1873) - markusrauth (Chess.com 1765), Chess.com 6/22/2020

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.f4 Nc5 9.f5 e5 10.Nde2 Qb6 11.Ng3 Be7 12.Qf3 O-O 13.Bg5 Qd8 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.O-O Bd7 16.Rad1 Bc6

17.Kh1 Nxb3 18.axb3 Be7 19.Nd5 Bxd5 20.Rxd5 f6 21.Rfd1 Qc7 22.R5d2 Rac8 23.Nf1 Rfd8 24.Ne3 Bf8 25.Nd5 Qa5 26.c3 b5 27.b4 Qa2 28.h3 Qc4 29.Nb6, Black resigns.

15/10 Franco-Benoni 6/21/2020

Franco-Benoni Defense

Rhesh29 (Chess.com 1695) - JimWest (Chess.com 1867), Chess.com 6/21/2020

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.d5 e6 4.e4 exd5 5.exd5 d6 6.Bf4 Be7 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.Be2 O-O 9.O-O a6 10.a4 Nbd7 11.Nd2 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Re8 13.Rfe1 Bf8 14.Qf1 Qc7

15.Nc4 Nb6 16.Ne3 Nh5 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bh4 Nf4 19.Bg3 Nh5 20.Bh4 Nf4 21.a5 Nd7 22.Bg3 Nh5 23.Bh4 Ne5 24.Bg3 Nxg3 25.hxg3 g6 26.Ne4 Bg7 27.c3 f5 28.Nd2 Rac8 29.Ndc4 Nxc4 30.Nxc4 Bf8 31.Qd3 Qf7

32.Nb6 Rxe1+ 33.Rxe1 Re8 34.Rxe8 Qxe8 35.Qe3 Qxe3 36.fxe3 Kf7 37.Kf2 Be7 38.Ke2 Bd8 39.Nc4 Bc7 40.b4 cxb4 41.cxb4 Ke7 42.Kd3 Bb8 43.e4 Kf6 44.Nb6 Bc7 45.Nc4 fxe4+ 46.Kxe4 Kg5 47.Ne3 b6

48.axb6 Bxb6 49.Nc4 Bc7 50.Ne3 h5 51.Kf3 a5 52.bxa5 Bxa5 53.Nc4 Bb4 54.Ne3 Bc5 55.Nc4 Kf5 56.Na5 g5 57.Nb7 g4+ 58.Ke2 Ke5 59.Nd8 Kxd5 60.Kd3 Bf2 61.Nf7 Bxg3 62.Ng5 Be5 63.Ne4 Bg7 64.Ng3 h4

65.Nf5 h3 66.gxh3 gxh3 67.Ng3 Be5 68.Nh1 h2 68.Nf2 Bg3 69.Nh1 Bh4 70.Ke2 Ke4 71.Kd2 Kf3 72.Kd3 Kg2 73.Ke2 d5 74.Ke3 Kxh1 75.Kf3 d4 76.Kg4 Kg2 77.Kxh4 h1=Q+ 78.Kg4 d3 79.Kg5 d2 80.Kf4 d1=Q

81.Kf5 Qhf1+ 82.Kg6 Qg4+ 83.Kh7 Qh1#.

15/10 KIA 6/20/2020

King's Indian Attack

JimWest (Chess.com 1875) - vivekmia (Chess.com 1795), Chess.com 6/20/2020

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Bf5 4.O-O Nc6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.e4 dxe4 10.dxe4 Bg4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Be7 13.Qxf6 Bxf6 14.Nd1 O-O

15.c3 c4 16.Ne3 b5 17.Rfd1 Ne5 18.f4 Nd3 19.e5 Rad8 20.exf6 g6 21.Rab1 a5 22.a4 b4 23.cxb4 axb4 24.Nxc4 Rd4 25.Ne5 Rfd8 26.Nc6 Nxb2 27.Rxd4 Rxd4 28.Nxd4, Black resigns.

15/10 KID 6/19/2020

King's Indian Defense, Lesser Simagin Variation

orenlivne (Chess.com 1910) - JimWest (Chess.com 1866), Chess.com 6/19/2020

1.c4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O Nc6 7.Nc3 Bf5 8.Nh4 Bd7 9.e4 e5 10.d5 Ne7 11.h3 Ne8 12.Bd2 f5 13.exf5 Nxf5 14.Nxf5 Bxf5 15.Ne4 Bxe4 16.Bxe4 Nf6 17.Bg2 a5

18.Bg5 h6 19.Be3 b6 20.Qd2 Kh7 21.Rac1 Nd7 22.b3 Nc5 23.Qc2 h5 24.Qd2 Qf6 25.f4 exf4 26.Rxf4 Qe7 27.Rcf1 Rxf4 28.Bxf4 Re8 29.Bg5 Qd7 30.Qc2 Rf8 31.Rxf8 Bxf8 32.a3 Qe8

33.Kh2 Bh6 34.Bxh6 Kxh6 35.b4 axb4 36.axb4 Nd7 37.Qd2+ Kh7 38.Qg5 Ne5 39.c5 bxc5 40.bxc5 Qf7 41.cxd6 cxd6 42.Qd8 Qf2 43.Kh1 Qe1+ 44.Kh2 Qf2 45.Kh1 Qe1+ 46.Kh2 Qf2, draw.

15/10 PCG 6/18/2020

Philidor Counter Gambit

flyingbishop97 (Chess.com 1849) - JimWest (Chess.com 1865), Chess.com 6/18/2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Nxe5 dxe4 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 Nf6 9.Qe5+ Kf7 10.Bc4+ Kg7 11.Nxh8 Nc6 12.Qg5+ Kxh8 13.Be3 Bg7 14.O-O-O Bd7

15.h4 Qf8 16.h5 h6 17.Qh4 Re8 18.Be2 Nd5 19.c3 Nxe3 20.fxe3 Qg8 21.d5 Ne7 22.Qxe4 Nf5 23.Qb4 Ne3 24.Rd3 Bf5 25.Rd2 Nxd5 26.Qc5 c6 27.c4 Ne3 28.g4 Bxg4

29.Bxg4 Nxg4 30.Rg1 Ne3 31.Rd7 Qh7, White resigns.

15/10 Sicilian Defense 6/17/2020

Sicilian Defense, Sozin Attack

JimWest (Chess.com 1863) - softick (Chess.com 1700), Chess.com 6/17/2020

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bc4 e6 6.Bb3 Be7 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Be3 b5 9.O-O Qc7 10.a3 Nc6 11.f4 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Bb7 13.Qe2 O-O

14.f5 exf5 15.Rxf5 Rad8 16.Raf1 Bc8 17.R5f4 Rfe8 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.Bxd5 Be6 20.Rxf7 Bxf7 21.Bxf7+ Kh8 22.Bxe8 Rxe8 23.Rf7 Rg8 24.Qg4 h6 25.Bxg7+, Black resigns.

15/10 King's Gambit 6/16/2020

King's Gambit

lehwooo (Chess.com 1697) - JimWest (Chess.com 1859), Chess.com 6/16/2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.d4 g5 6.Be2 h6 7.O-O Bg7 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Nc6 10.e5 Nge7 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.d5 Ne5 13.Re1 O-O

14.Kh1 c6 15.dxc6 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 N7xc6 17.Be4 Rad8 18.Nd5 f5 19.Bf3 Nxf3 20.gxf3 Rfe8 21.Bxf4 gxf4 22.Nxf4 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Nd4 24.c3 Nxf3 25.Kg2 Ng5 26.Rd7 Be5 27.Nd3 Bb8 28.Rxb7 f4

29.h4 Nf7 30.Kf1 a5 31.b4 axb4 32.cxb4 Nd6 33.Rd7 Nf5 34.b5 Nxh4 35.b6 Nf3 36.a4 Ne5 37.Nxe5 Bxe5 38.a5 Ra8 39.b7 Rxa5, White resigns.

Chessboxing: A Sport?

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Sal Matera on Impact of COVID-19

Read this article on the impact of COVID-19 written by international master Sal Matera, twice Marshall Chess Club champion.

Streaming on Chess

GM Hikaru Nakamura has seen his fanbase on Twitch grow from 2,000 to 366,000 followers.

Fischer Random Economics

GuruFocus compares the global economy to Fischer random chess.

Getting a Microscopic Advantage

One way to get a microscopic advantage is by using a microscopic chess set.

ICA 2020 Summer Camp

Cosmonauts vs. Karjakin Ends in Draw

[image by VKontakte]

Yesterday's game between two cosmonauts and GM Sergey Karjakin ended in a draw.

Message from Marshall CC President

A Message in a Time of Unrest

June 8, 2020

 Dear Members of the Marshall Chess Club:

As I sit here writing this letter, I look out my window onto a stream of #BlackLivesMatter protestors marching across the Brooklyn Bridge. They are loud but orderly, impassioned yet restrained, ethnically diverse and nevertheless united. Now it has started to rain heavily—the protestors continue unabated and undeterred. Steadfastness on an unstable day. I am reaching out today on behalf of the Board of Governors to say The Marshall Chess Club supports this movement and asserts without hesitation or qualification that Black Lives Matter.

To say we live in precarious times has become a cliché over the past few months. Our city, our country, our world—all are in a state of unrest. You all undoubtedly have received earnest words of concern from your bank, your favorite online retailer, religious and cultural groups to which you belong. I hope this message does not get lost in the noise.

The fact is that the chess world is a tight-knit one. Our game, by dint of tradition, opposes black against white, but that is only to distinguish the two sides of a binary contest. In reality, chess is a sport that welcomes all who wish to join; the barrier to entry is quite low—just a board, 32 signifying pieces, and the will to engage in competitive (but peaceful) confrontation.

The Marshall Chess Club unequivocally denounces hate, rejects bigotry, refuses xenophobia, and denies the unjust. We uphold the rules of fairness and inclusion for our members and for anyone who passes through the doors of 23 W. 10th St (or, these days, whoever logs on to our website). Anyone who does not stand unequivocally against brutality at the hands of the police or who condones racist talk, thought, or belief is not welcome among us. The Club has a zero-tolerance policy with regard to any form of discrimination—racial, ethnic, religious, gender-based—online or otherwise.

I hope you will join with us to pledge to do better. To fight animosity, to combat institutionalized racism, to reverse asymmetrical privilege, to preempt kicking those who are already down. We can and we will emerge a finer, stronger, and more unified community—one of which we each can be proud to be a member.

Noah Chasin,
President
(on behalf of the Marshall Chess Club Board of Governors)

Marshall Sunday Game/50, 6/7/2020

On Sunday, I won this game in the Marshall Chess Club on-line tournament.

Sicilian Defense, Paulsen Variation

JimWest (Chess.com 1841) - IanN_08 (Chess.com 1838), Chess.com 6/7/2020

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.O-O Nf6 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.e5 Nd7 10.f4 b5 11.a4 Bb7 12.Be3 Rd8 13.Nd2 Nc5 14.a5 Rd5 15.Ne4 Na4 16.b3 Nb2 

17.Bb6 Qd7 18.Nc3 Bc5+ 19.Kh1 Nxd3 20.Nxd5 cxd5 21.cxd3 Bxb6 22.axb6 Qc6 23.d4 Qxb6 24.Qd2 Kd7 25.Rfc1 Rc8 26.Rxc8 Bxc8 27.b4 Bb7 28.Qc3 Qc6 29.Qxc6+ Kxc6 30.Kg1 g6 31.Kf2 h6 32.g4 Kb6 33.h4 Bc6 

34.h5 gxh5 35.gxh5 Be8 36.Ke3 f5 37.exf6 Bxh5 38.Rh1 Bf7 39.Rxh6 a5 40.bxa5+ Kxa5 41.Rh7 Bg6 42.f7 Bxf7 43.Rxf7 b4 44.Kd2 Kb5 45.Kd3 Ka4 

46.Re7 Kb3 47.Rxe6 Kb2 48.Rd6 b3 49.Rxd5 Kc1 50.Rb5 b2 50.f5 b1=Q+ 51.Rxb1+ Kxb1 52.f6, Black resigns.

Chess "Jeopardy!"

[photo by Koen Suyk]

GM Wesley So [pictured] won $40,000 in the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown.

GM Karjakin versus Cosmonauts on June 9th

Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin [pictured] will play chess against two cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station.

My Review of "The Greenbecker Gambit"

With chess clubs around the world shut down due to the global pandemic and with civil unrest in the cities, you might not be in the right frame of mind to read a novel about a chessplaying pyromaniac.  Recent events have not been kind to the arrival of The Greenbecker Gambit [The Conrad Press, 2020, 355 pages] by Ben Graff.

It is a tale told by a paranoid schizophrenic.  While reading this book, you may experience the same chilling sensation you felt when, at the end of Psycho, you can hear Norman Bates thinking that he wouldn't hurt a fly.

Terrence "Tennessee" Greenbecker is an untrustworthy narrator, every bit as "not right in the head" as the character in the Hitchcock film.  Except that his weapon of choice is not the knife but fire.  He wants to burn down everything in the world unrelated to his self-delusion that he has the playing strength to defeat Magnus Carlsen in a match for the world championship.

As an arsonist, Greenbecker's hero is Guy Fawkes, mastermind of the infamous Gunpowder Plot.  And, as the former British chess champion, his hero is Bobby Fischer.

The imaginary events in this book happen on a single weekend in 2018, during the Carlsen-Caruana match in London.  Although at times it can be a morbidly depressing read, as Greenbecker's chess career and his personal finances both take a sharp downward turn, The Greenbecker Gambit perks up toward the end while game five of the match is in progress.