Will the Real Vince Klemm Please Stand Up?

My former USATE teammate NM Vince Klemm claims he is "the one standing on the table" in this photo from the Manhattan Blitz 1971 tournament, depicting Bobby Fischer playing the Najdorf variation in the Sicilian defense versus Andy Soltis.

My guess: Vince is this one.

Compare to a photo of Vince from the USATE 2014.

Marshall April Weekend FIDE 4/10/2016

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

Round Five: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Benjamin Medina (FIDE 1806) - Jim West (FIDE 2063), Marshall Chess Club 4/10/2016

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O Be6 9.a4 Nbd7 10.Be3 O-O 11.Bf3 Qc7 

12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.exd5 Bf5 14.Rc1 a5 15.c4 b6 16.Re1 Bg6 17.Bh5 Bxh5 18.Qxh5 f5 19.f4 g6 20.Qf3 e4 21.Qd1 Nc5 22.Nd4 Qd7 23.Ne6 Rfb8 24.Bxc5 bxc5 25.b3 Bf6 26.Kh1 h5 27.g3 Rb4 28.h3 Rab8 29.Rb1 Qb7

30.Re3 Rxa4 31.g4 hxg4 32.hxg4 Qh7+ 33.Kg2 Ra2+ 34.Re2 Rxe2+ 35.Qxe2 Qh4 36.g5 Bd4 37.Rh1 Qg4+ 38.Qxg4 fxg4 39.Rh6 Rxb3 40.Rxg6+ Kf7 41.Rh6 Rb2+ 42.Kg3 e3 43.g6+ Kg8 44.Nxd4 cxd4

45.c5 dxc5 46.d6 e2 47.Rh1 d3 48.d7 Rb8 49.Kf2 Rd8 50.Ke3 Rxd7 51.f5 e1=Q+, White resigns.

Marshall April Weekend FIDE 4/9/2016

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

Round Three: King's Indian Attack

Clayton Blackwell (FIDE 1730) - Jim West (FIDE 2063), Marshall Chess Club 4/9/2016

1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 3.O-O Bg7 5.d3 e6 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c4 Nge7 8.a3 O-O 9.Rb1 a5 10.b3 Rb8 11.Qc2 h6 12.Bb2 e5 13.e3 Be6 14.h3 Qd7 15.Kh2 f5

16.Ne1 g5 17.f4 gxf4 18.gxf4 Ng6 19.Rg1 Kh7 20.Bf3 Rg8 21.Bh5 Nce7 22.Ng2 b6 23.Rbd1 Bh8 24.Nf3 b5 25.Ngh4 Nxh4 26.Nxh4 a4 27.bxa4 bxa4 28.Bc3 Bf6 29.Qf2 Rb3 30.Rxg8 Bxg8 31.Ba1 Rxa3

32.Nf3 Rxa1 33.Rxa1 e4 34.Rb1 exf3 35.Bxf3 a3 36.Rb7 Qa4 37.Qa2 Kh8 38.Rb3 Bb2 39.Rxb2 axb2 40.Qxb2+ Kh7 41.Qf6 Qd7 42.Bh5 Qe6, White resigns.

Release Date for Disney's "Queen of Katwe"

Disney has given the chess drama Queen of Katwe an awards-season release date.

No Spring 2016 Session at Enrich & Grow

Howie Forman and Lee Brickman have sold Enrich and Grow Academy to AlphaBest Education, Inc. in North Carolina.

On Wednesday, I received an e-mail from Dawn Hosni, who is the director of enrichment programs at AlphaBest. The e-mail stated: "Based on our current schedule, I am contacting you to let you know that we will not be in need of your contracted services for the next enrichment session." 

When I phoned Dawn she said that the AlphaBest brand is being put on Enrich and Grow Academy and that I would need to undergo a training program before I could teach for them in the fall 2016 session.

Webster Wins President's Cup at Marshall CC

Last weekend, Webster University won its fourth consecutive President's Cup at the Marshall Chess Club.

"NY Times" Slideshow on Chess

[photo by James Hill]

Take a look at this slideshow on chess from The New York Times, plus a related article by Andrew Higgins.

Tournament Results at TJS, Winter 2016

At Torey J. Sabatini School, the winter 2016 session ended on Friday in the after school enrichment class on chess, coached by me for Enrich and Grow Academy.

As in the previous session, Jonathan Lu won the tournament.  His brother Ethan Lu finished second, followed by Jackson Maloney in third place.  

These three received medals, plus the certificates that were distributed to all eight students.

Westfield Quads 4/3/2016

The quads in Westfield set a record yesterday with 74 players.

Round One: Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense

Jim West (USCF 2206) - Mauricio Camejo (USCF 2100), Westfield NJ 4/3/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.dxe5 Bg4 7.Nbd2 Nc5 8.c3 Be7 9.h3 Bd7 10.Be2 Be6 11.Re1 O-O 12.Bf1 d4

13.cxd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxd4 15.Qc2 Rfd8 16.Nf3 Qd7 17.Be3 Bf5 18.Qc4 Bd3 19.Qc3 Bxf1 20.Rxf1 Ne6 21.Qb3 c5 22.Rfd1 Qc6 23.a4 b6 24.Qc4 Rac8 25.b3 h6 26.Kf1 Nc7 27.Nd4 Qe4 28.Nf3 Qxc4 29.bxc4 Ne6

30.Rd5 Nc7 31.Rdd1 Rxd1+ 32.Rxd1 Rd8 33.Rxd8+ Bxd8 34.a5 Na6 35.axb6 axb6 36.Ke2 Kf8 37.Kd3 Ke7 38.Ke4 Ke6 39.Nd2 h5 40.g3 g6 41.Nb1 Nb4 42.Nc3 Nc6 43.f4 Na5 44.Kd3 Kf5 45.Nb5 Ke6

46.g4 hxg4 47.hxg4 g5 48.Nd6 Be7 49.f5+ Kxe5 50.Nxf7+ Kf6 51.Nh8 Bd6 52.Bxg5+ Kxg5 53.Nf7+ Kxg4 54.Nxd6 Kg5 55.Ke4 Kf6 56.Kd5 Ke7 57.Nc8+ Kf6 58.Nxb6, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Paulsen Variation

Peter Radomskyj (USCF 2212) - Jim West (USCF 2206), Westfield NJ 4/3/2016

1.d4 e6 2.e4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.Qe2 d6 7.O-O Nf6 8.c4 Be7 9.Nc3 O-O 10.Kh1 Nc6 11.Be3 Ne5 12.h3 Bd7 13.Rac1 Rfc8

14.b3 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 b6 16.f4 Qb7 17.Kh2 d5 18.cxd5 exd5 19.e5 Ne4 20.Nxe4 dxe4 21.Qe2 Bc5 22.Rfe1 Bxd4 23.Rxc8+ Rxc8 24.Bxd4 Bb5, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Franco-Benoni Defense

Lev Zilbermintz (USCF 2068) - Jim West (USCF 2206), Westfield NJ 4/3/2016

1.d4 e6 2.e4 c5 3.d5 exd5 4.exd5 d6 5.h3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Nf3 O-O 8.Bd3 a6 9.a4 Qc7 10.b3 b6 11.O-O Bb7 12.Re1 Re8 13.Bf4 Nbd7 14.Bg3 Bf8 15.Qd2 g6

16.Bc4 Rxe1+ 17.Rxe1 Re8 18.Rxe8 Nxe8 19.Ne4 Ndf6 20.Nxf6+ Nxf6 21.Bh4 Bg7 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Be2 Qe7 24.c4 Bc8 25.Bd3 a5 26.Qe3 Qxe3 27.fxe3 Bd7 28.Kf2 h5 29.Nd2 Kg7 30.Kf3 Be5 31.Ne4 Bf5

32.Nf2 Bd7 33.Ke2 h4 34.Be4 Bg3 35.Nh1 Be5 36.Nf2 Bg3 37.Nd3 f5 38.Bf3 g5 39.Nf2 Bxf2 40.Kxf2 Kf6 41.g3 hxg3+ 42.Kxg3 Ke5 43.Kf2 f4 44.exf4+ Kxf4 45.Bg2 Bf5 46.Bf1 Bc2, White resigns.

Pix from Sunday Game/45 3/27/2016

During last Sunday's tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, I took these pictures.

Pix from Saturday Game/60 3/26/2016

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

Candidate Move

The race for U.S. president took a comic turn today when this DC insider announced his candidacy.

 

April Fools' Day!