NJKO vs. Tennessee Tempo

Tonight the New Jersey Knockouts play the Tennessee Tempo in the United States Chess League.

Sicilian Taimanov at Chess.com

My post on the Taimanov Variation in the Sicilian Defense has been widely read at Jim West Talks Chess.

NJ Open 9/2007

I just got home from 3 days of chess playing at the New Jersey Open in Somerset where I finished with a score 0f 3-2-1.

These were my better efforts.

Round One: Sicilian Defense

Jim West (USCF 2203) - Craig Gross (USCF 1936), NJ Open 9/1/2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Be3 Nc6 10.f4 Qc7 11.Qf3 Bd7 12.f5 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 e5 14.Bf2 Bc6

15.g4 h6 16.h4 Nh7 17.Rad1 Kh8 18.Bd5 Rac8 19.Kg2 Bf6 20.Rh1 Bxd5 21.Rxd5 Kg8 22.Rd2 Qc4 23.Nd5 Qxa2 24.g5 Bd8 25.gxh6 g6 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.Qg4, Black resigns.



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Round Three: King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2203) - Simon Thomson (USCF 2032), NJ Open 9/2/2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 d5 4.Nbd2 Nc6 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.Nf1 Bd6

12.Nh4 Qc7 13.Bh3 e5 14.Bxc8 Qxc8 15.c3 Qd7 16.Bg5 Rae8 17.Bxf6 Rxf6 18.Ne3 Bb8 19.Qg4 Qf7 20.Rf1 Rf8 21.Qe2 Bd6 22.Ng4 Re6 23.Ne3 Ree8 24.Nhf5 Bc7 25.Qg4 Kh8 26.Nxd5 Bd8 27.Nfe3 Re6 28.f4 e4 29.f5 Re5 30.dxe4 Rfe8 31.Rf4 h5 32.Qg6 Qxg6 33.fxg6 Rxe4 34.Rxe4 Rxe4 35.Rf1 Kg8 36.Rf7 b6 37.Nf5 Re5 38.Rxg7+ Kh8 39.Rh7+ Kg8 40.Nh6+ Kf8 41.g7+, Black resigns.



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Round Four: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Lorand Kis (USCF 2207) - Jim West (USCF 2203), NJ Open 9/2/2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 d6 5.exd6 Bxd6 6.Nd2 Bf5 7.Ngf3 Bc5 8.e3 O-O 9.Be2 Qf6 10.Qb3 Nc6 11.Nxe4 Bxe4 12.Bd2 Rfe8 13.h4 h6 14.h5 a5 15.Bc3 Qe6 16.Qa4 Ra6

17.Rh3 Bb4 18.Rc1 Bxc3+ 19.Rxc3 Rb6 20.Rb3 Bc2 21.Bd1 Rxb3 22.Bxc2 Rxb2 23.Kf1 Rd8 24.Rh4 Qf6 25.Kg1 Qc3 26.Bf5 Qb3 27.c5 Qxa4 28.Rxa4 Rb5 29.Rc4 Rd5 30.g4 Rbxc5 31.Re4 Rd8 32.Kg2 Kf8 33.Rf4 Rd6 34.Kg3 Rf6 35.Re4 Ne7 36.Bd7 Rd6 37.Ba4 b5 38.Bb3 a4 39.Ba2 Rc2 40.Bb1 Rb2, White resigns.



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Round Five: French Defense

Jim West (USCF 2203) - Todd Lunna (USCF 2240), NJ Open 9/3/2007

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.c3 Bd6 7.O-O Nge7 8.Re1 Qd7 9.Nbd2 Bf5 10.Nf1 O-O 11.Bg5 Ng6

12.Ng3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 f6 14.Bd2 Bxg3 15.hxg3 Nce7 16.Re2 c6 17.Rae1 Rae8 18.Nh4 Kf7 19.Nxg6 Nxg6 20.Kf1 Rxe2 21.Qxe2 Re8 22.Qxe8+ Qxe8 23.Rxe8 Kxe8 24.Ke2 Nf8 25.b3 Ne6 26.Kd3 h5 27.f3 f5 28.Bf4 h4 29.Bb8 hxg3 30.Bxg3 f4 31.Bh2 Kf7 32.g3 g5 33.gxf4 gxf4 34.Bg1 Kg6 35.Bf2 Kh5 36.c4 Ng5 37.Ke2 Ne6 38.Kd3 Nc7 39.a4 Ne6 40.Be1 Ng5 41.Ke2 Ne6 42.Kd3 Kg5 43.Bf2 Ng7 44.Be1 Nf5 45.Bd2 Nh4 46.Ke2 Ng2 47.Kf2 Nh4 48.Ke2 Nf5 49.Kd3 Ng3 50.cxd5 cxd5 51.b4 Nf5 52.b5 Nh4 53.Ke2 a6 54.bxa6 bxa6 55.Ba5 Kf5 56.Be1 Ng2 57.Bf2 Kg5 58.Kf1 Nh4 59.Bxh4+ Kxh4 60.Kg2 a5, draw.

15 Years Ago Today

On September 2, 1992, Bobby Fischer returned to competitive chess after a 20-years absence with a win against Boris Spassky in game 1 of their Revenge Match of the 20th Century.

I remember an international master at the Marshall Chess Club using the words "a real Rip Van Winkle story" in describing Fischer's comeback.

35 Years Ago Today

On September 1, 1972, Boris Spassky resigned game 21 of his match against Bobby Fischer. Fischer became the first and only American world champion in chess history. Surely, Paul Morphy would have held the same title if it had existed in the mid-nineteenth century.

NJ Open Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow through Labor Day, the 61st New Jersey Open chess tournament will be held at the Somerset Ramada Inn.

NJKO Draw Match

On Monday, the New Jersey Knockouts drew their inaugural match in the U.S. Chess League.

Ziping Wins Westfield Quad

My 12-year-old chess student Ziping Liu had been in a slump since the World Open in July. But he regained his form this past Sunday by winning his quad at Westfield with 2 wins and 1 draw.

Ziping's most tactical position occurred in his victory as Black against Patrick Mazzillo.


Patrick has just played 11.h4. Ziping now answered with 11...exd4 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 Nxe4! and won without too much difficulty after 14.Qg1 Nxc3.

Goeller Wins Honorable Mention

Congratulations to Michael Goeller of The Kenilworthian for winning an Honorable Mention in the Best Review category from the Chess Journalists of America in 2007!

Here is Goeller's award-winning article.

NJ Knockouts Start Season

Tonight, at Lincoln Park, the New Jersey Knockouts play their first match against the Queens Pioneers in the U.S. Chess League.

Ippolito - Shabalov

Today's chess column in The New York Times features a victory by New Jersey international master Dean Ippolito.

Birthday Present

I celebrated my birthday by drawing the following Philidor Counter Gambit at an all-masters Viking Quad in Mount Arlington, New Jersey.

Gerald Bailleau (USCF 2246) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Mount Arlington NJ 8/25/2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Ng3 e4 7.Ne5 Nf6 8.f3 Bd6 9.fxe4 O-O 10.Be2 Nxe4 11.Bf3 Qh4 12.O-O Nc6

13.Bxe4 dxe4 14.Rxf8+ Bxf8 15.Nxc6 bxc6 16.Qe2 Bd7 17.Qc4+ Kh8 18.Qf7 Rd8 19.Bf4 Be6 20.Qxc7 Rxd4


21.Be3 Qd8 22.Qxd8 Rxd8 23.Nxe4 Kg8 24.Bxa7 Ra8 25.Bc5 Bd5 26.Bxf8 Bxe4 27.Bb4 Bxc2 28.a3 Rd8 29.Kf2 Rd1 30.Rxd1 Bxd1


31.Ke1 Ba4 32.Kd2 Kf7 33.Kc3 Ke6 34.b3 Bb5 35.Kd4 Kd7 36.Bf8 g6 37.Kc5 Kc7 38.a4 Bf1 39.g3 h5 40.Be7 Be2


41.Bf6 Bd1 42.Kc4 Kb6 43.Bd8+ Ka6 44.Kc3 Kb7 45.Kb4 Ka6 46.Bg5 Bc2 47.Kc3 Bd1 48.Be3 Kb7 49.Kc4 Ka6 50.Bd2 Kb7 51.a5 Be2+ 52.Kc5 Bd3 53.Kd6 Bc2 54.b4 Bd3 55.Ke5 Ka6


56.Kf6 Kb5 57.h3 Ka6 58.Be1 Kb5 59.Ke5 Bf5 60.Kd6 Bxh3 61.Kc7 Bg2 62.Bd2 Ka6 63.Be3 Bf3 64.Bc5 Be4 65.Be7 Bf3, draw.