Marshall July Grand Prix 7/11/2010

Yesterday I played in the one day schedule of a FIDE rated tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, breaking even with a score of 1-1-2. Here are the draws.

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Michael Thaler (USCF 2298) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 7/11/2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Nxe5 dxe4 7.Bc4 Qd6 8.Bf7+ Ke7 9.Bxg8 Rxg8 10.Bg5+ Ke8 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qxh7 Rg7 13.Qh8 Be6 14.O-O Nd7


15.Bf4 Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Qe7 17.Bxg7 Qxg7 18.Qxg7 Bxg7 19.Rfe1 Kf7 20.Rxe4 Bf5 21.Rf4 Kg8 22.Re1 Bxc2 23.h4 Rd8 24.Re7 Bxd4 25.Rff7 Be4 26.Rd7 Rxd7 27.Rxd7 Bxb2 28.Rxc7 a5 29.a4 Bc6 30.g4 Be5 31.Re7 Bf6 32.Rc7 Bxh4 33.Rc8+ Kg7


34.Ra8 Bxa4 35.Rxa5 Bc6 36.g5 b5 37.Ra7+ Kf8 38.Rc7 Be4 39.Rc5 Bf5 40.Rxb5, draw.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Three: Sicilian Defense, Delayed Alapin

Ildar Salakhutdinov (FIDE 2291) - Jim West (FIDE 2090), Marshall Chess Club 7/11/2010

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 Nc6 5.Bd3 g6 6.Bc2 Bg7 7.d4 O-O 8.d5 Nb8 9.Bf4 Qb6 10.b3 Qa6 11.a4 Rd8 12.Bd3 Qa5 13.Bd2 c4 14.b4 Qc7 15.Bc2 e6 16.dxe6 Bxe6 17.Bf4 Nc6 18.Ra3 Ne5 19.O-O b6


20.Bh2 Nxf3+ 21.Qxf3 a6 22.Rd1 Rab8 23.g4 Ne8 24.Qe3 a5 25.b5 Rbc8 26.Kg2 Qc5 27.Qxc5 Rxc5 28.f4 Rc7 29.Nd2 f6 30.Nf3 Bf7 31.Nd4 Bf8 32.Raa1 Rdd7 33.Rd2 d5 34.e5 fxe5 35.fxe5 Ng7 36.e6 Nxe6 37.Nxe6 Bxe6 38.Bxc7 Rxc7 39.Re1 Bf7


40.Bd1 Bg7 41.Rc2 d4 42.cxd4 Bxd4 43.Bf3 c3 44.Re4 Bg7 45.Kf2 Bb3 46.Bd1 Bf8 47.Ke2 Bxc2 48.Bxc2 Re7, draw.

Norowitz Wins World Open Blitz

On Monday, senior master Yaacov Norowitz [pictured] of New Jersey won the World Open Blitz tournament.

Photos from Marshall CC Swiss 7/4/2010

During the Swiss tournament on Sunday, I took these pictures at the Marshall Chess Club.

Improvements in Rubenfeld - West

At Contre Gambit Philidor, Frederic Fournier has provided a link to my game as Black against David Rubenfeld, who missed two opportunities to capture on d5.

This diagrammed position occurred after 19...Na5. White could have played 20.Bxd5! with a clear advantage. My plan of 16...a6, 18...b5, and 19...Na5 was faulty. I should have played 16...h4 with the idea of 17...Qe5 and 18...Qd6.

The second diagram shows the position after 23...Nf5, a mistake allowing 24.Nxd5! which my opponent overlooked. A better move for me would have been 23...Nc6.

Enigmatic Bobby Fischer

In this article, CNN explores the many mysteries of Bobby Fischer.

3 PCG's @ "Contre Gambit Philidor"

After a month off, Contre Gambit Philidor has returned, with links to three of my games as Black in the Philidor Counter Gambit. The first was played at the Marshall Chess Club. The other two were played at the New Yorker Game/50 Open.

Bobby Fischer Exhumed

The body of former world champion Bobby Fischer has been exhumed in Iceland. Tissue samples were obtained for a paternity test to resolve a dispute over Fischer's estate.

Brownsville Chess Kids on HBO

Here is a short video on the Brownsville TX chess kids, from a segment by Mary Carillo on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

Ep. 159: Chess Kids

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 7/4/2010

Playing today in the one day schedule of a Swiss tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, I finished with a score of 1-0-3.

Round One: Caro-Kann Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Jason Shi (USCF 1819), Marshall Chess Club 7/4/2010

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Bf4 Bg4 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Nd2 e6 9.Ngf3 Bh5 10.O-O Be7 11.Ne5 Qc8 12.Rae1 O-O


13.Qc2 Bg6 14.Nxg6 hxg6 15.h3 a6 16.Nf3 b5 17.a3 Qb7 18.Ne5 Nxe5 19.Bxe5 a5 20.g4 b4 21.axb4 axb4 22.f4 bxc3 23.bxc3 Nd7 24.f5 Nxe5 25.Rxe5 Bf6 26.Re2 gxf5 27.gxf5 Rfc8 28.Qd2 Qb6


29.fxe6 Rxc3 30.exf7+ Kf8 31.Re8+ Rxe8 32.fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 33.Bb5+ Kd8 34.Rxf6 gxf6 35.Qxc3 Qxb5 36.Kf2 Kd7 37.h4 Qb8 38.Qh3+ Ke7 39.Qe3+ Kd7 40.Kg2 Qh8 41.Kh3 Qh7 42.Qg3 Qf7


43.Qg4+ f5 44.Qg5 Qe6 45.Qf4 Qe4 46.Kg3 Ke6 47.h5 Kf7 48.Qc7+ Kf6 49.Qd6+ Kf7 50.Qg6+ Ke7 51.Qg7+ Ke6 52.Qg8+ Ke7 53.Qg7+ Ke6, draw.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

David Rubenfeld (USCF 1599) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 7/4/2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nf7 Qf6 8.Qe2 Bxe6 9.Nxh8 Nc6 10.Nc3 O-O-O 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Nge7 13.O-O-O Rxh8


14.h3 h5 15.Qd2 Rd8 16.Bb5 a6 17.Ba4 Qe5 18.Rhf1 b5 19.Bb3 Na5 20.Qd4 Nxb3+ 21.cxb3 Qxd4 22.Rxd4 c5 23.Rd2 Nf5 24.Nd1 d4 25.exd4 cxd4 26.Rc2+ Kb7 27.g4 hxg4 28.hxg4 Nd6 29.Re1 Bxg4 30.Rg2 Bf5 31.Rxg7+ Kb6


32.Kd2 Rc8 33.Ke2 Rc2+ 34.Kf1 e3 35.Nxe3 dxe3 36.Rxe3 Rxb2 37.a4 Ka5 38.axb5 axb5 39.Rg2 Rb1+ 40.Ke2 Rb2+ 41.Kf1 Rxg2 42.Kxg2 Kb4 43.Kf1 Bc2 44.Rf3 Bxb3 45.Rf4+ Bc4+ 46.Ke1 Kc3 47.Kd1 b4 48.Kc1 Nb5 49.Rf3+ Bd3 50.Rg3 b3


51.Rg2 Nd4 52.Kd1 Bc2+ 53.Ke1 b2 54.Rg3+ Bd3 55.Kf2 b1=Q, White resigns.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Three: Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Dikran Karagueuzian (USCF 2187), Marshall Chess Club 7/4/2010

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 O-O 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Ne5 11.Bb3 Qa5 12.O-O-O Rfc8 13.Kb1 Rab8


14.h5 Rxc3 15.Qxc3 Qxc3 16.bxc3 Nxh5 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.exf5 Ng3 19.fxg6 Nxh1 20.gxh7+ Kh8 21.Rxh1 b6 22.Bd4 e6 23.f4 Ng4 24.Bxg7+ Kxg7 25.f5 exf5 26.Bxf7 Rh8 27.Bg8 Nf6 28.Rd1 Ne4 29.Kb2 Kf6 30.Rd5 f4 31.a4 Ke7 32.a5 Nf6


33.axb6 axb6 34.Rg5 Nxh7 35.Bxh7 Rxh7 36.Rg4 Rf7 37.Kb3 Kd7 38.Kb4 Kc6 39.c4 Rf5 40.c3 Kc7 41.Rh4 Kc6 42.Rg4 Kc7 43.Rg8 Kc6 44.Rc8+ Kb7 45.Rd8 Kc7 46.Ra8 Rg5 47.Rf8 Rxg2 48.Rxf4 Rg5 49.Rd4 Kc6


50.Rd5 Rxd5 51.cxd5+ Kxd5 52.Kb5 Ke4 53.Kxb6 Kd3 54.Kc6 Kxc3 55.Kxd6, draw.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Four: Modern Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Yefim Treger (USCF 2244), Marshall Chess Club 7/4/2010

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 a6 4.a4 d5 5.exd5 Nf6 6.Bc4 Nbd7 7.Bg5 Nb6 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.Bb3 Bf5 10.a5 Nc8 11.Nge2 O-O 12.O-O Nd6


13.Ng3 b5 14.axb6 cxb6 15.Nxf5 Nxf5 16.Ne2 b5 17.c3 Bh4 18.Ng3 Bxg3 19.hxg3 a5 20.Qf3 a4 21.Bc2 Nd6 22.Bd3 Qc7 23.Rfe1 a3 24.Rxa3 Rxa3 25.bxa3 Qxc3 26.Rxe7 Qxa3


27.Rd7 Qc1+ 28.Kh2 Qh6+ 29.Kg1 Qc1+ 30.Kh2, draw.

GM Ken Rogoff in "NY Times" Article

Economist and grandmaster Ken Rogoff is featured, along with co-author Carmen Reinhart, in this article from The New York Times.

"WSJ" Article on Justus Williams

Justus Williams (FIDE 2200) is featured in this Wall Street Journal article.

Photos from Marshall CC Sunday Action

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 3-2-0 in a game/30 Swiss at the Marshall Chess Club. These photos were taken by me during the event.