Top 30 Chess Blogs

Just barely, Jim West On Chess is on the top 30 chess blogs list.

Marshall Film Series: "The Luzhin Defence"

Marshall January Weekend FIDE 1/8/2017

On Sunday, I drew this game in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Four: London System

Victor Chen (FIDE 1711) - Jim West (FIDE 2016),  Marshall Chess Club 1/8/2017

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 O-O 5.h3 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.Nc3 Bf5 10.Bxf5 gxf5 11.O-O Ne4 12.Rc1 Nxc3 13.Rxc3 Qd7 14.Qc2 Rac8 15.Rc1 Nb4

16.Qb1 Rxc3 17.bxc3 Nc6 18.c4 dxc4 19.Rxc4 e6 20.Rc5 Re8 21.Rb5 b6 22.a4 Bf8 23.Ne5 Nxe5 24.Bxe5 Bg7 25.a5 Bxe5 26.Rxe5 bxa5 27.Rxa5 Rc8 28.Qa1 Rc7 29.Qd1 Qc8 30.Qf3 Rc1+ 31.Kh2 Qc7+ 32.Qg3+ Kf8 33.Qxc7 Rxc7

34.Kg3 Ke7 35.Kf4 Kf6 36.g4 fxg4 37.hxg4 h6 38.f3 Rd7 39.Ke4 Rb7 40.Kf4 Kg6 41.Ke4 f6 42.f4 Re7 43.Kf3 f5 44.Re5 Kf6 45.Rc5 fxg4+ 46.Kxg4 Rg7+ 47.Kf3 Rd7 48.Ra5 Kg6 49.Kg4 Kf6 50.Kf3 Kf7 51.Ke4, draw.

Marshall January Weekend FIDE 1/7/2017

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

Round Three: French Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (FIDE 2016) - William Hu (FIDE 1892), Marshall Chess Club 1/7/2017

1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.g3 dxe4 5.dxe4 e5 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Bc5 8.O-O O-O 9.c3 a5 10.Qc2 Qe7 11.a4 Rd8 12.Nb3 Ba7 13.Nh4 Ne8 14.Nf5 Qf8 15.Be3 Bxe3 16.Nxe3 Be6 17.Rad1 b6

18.Nd5 Rd7 19.Rd2 Rad8 20.Rfd1 f6 21.h3 Nd6 22.Ne3 Qf7 23.Nc1 Nc4 24.Nxc4 Bxc4 25.Bf1 Bxf1 26.Rxd7 Rxd7 27.Rxf1, draw.

Kasparov on Putin in "Washington Post"

According to Garry Kasparov, the United States has a problem with Vladimir Putin - not with Russia.

"Chess.com" Win by John Hagerty

West Orange Chess Club president John Hagerty sends this game, won by him ("tubebender") at Chess.com.

Sicilian Defense

tubebenber (Chess.com 2049) - nrm02 (Chess.com 1928), Chess.com 12/15/2016

1.e4 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 d6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.Nge2 h5 7.h3 e5 8.d3 Be6 9.a3 Qd7 10.Rb1 Nge7 11.b4 O-O 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bd2 Nd4 14.Nd5 b6 

15.bxc5 dxc5 16.Nxd4 exd4 17.Nf4 Bf7 18.O-O Rab8 19.h4 Nc6 20.Bh3 Qe7 21.Nd5 Qd8 22.Qa4 Ne5 23.f4 Ng4 24.f5 gxf5 25.Rxf5 Bg6 26.Bxg4 hxg4 27.Rbf1 Bxf5 28.Rxf5 Rf7 29.Bf4 Rbb7 30.Qd1 b5 31.cxb5 Rxb5 32.Qxg4 Qa5 

33.Bh6 Rb1+ 34.Kh2 Qe1 35.Nxf6+ Kf8 36.Bxg7+ Rxg7 37.Nh7+ Ke8 38.Rf8+, Black resigns.

My Winter 2017 Teaching Schedule

On behalf of AlphaBEST Explorations, I will be teaching chess in their after school enrichment program, as follows:

Wednesdays - Wyoming School;

Saturdays - Woodside Elementary School.

For 101 Discoveries, I will continue to teach chess on Thursdays at Hamilton Park Montessori School.

Pix from Marshall Insanity

Last weekend, I photographed the players during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

                                             Saturday

                                               Sunday

Substitute at Museum of Russian Art

This afternoon I will be the substitute chess teacher for 101 Discoveries at the Museum of Russian Art.

Marshall Insanity 1/1/2017

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 3-3-4 plus 2 half point byes in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Eight: Caro-Kann Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Joshua Rubin (USCF 2169), Marshall Chess Club 1/1/2017

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Qc7 6.Ne2 e5 7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Qxd7 10.O-O Nf6 11.Bf4 Bd6 12.Na3 O-O 13.Nc2 Rac8 14.Ncd4 Rfe8 15.Qc2 b5 16.a3 a5

17.Qf5 b4 18.Qxd7 Nfxd7 19.axb4 axb4 20.Ra6 Bf8 21.Bd2 Nc4 22.Bc1 Nc5 23.Ra7 b3 24.Nf4 Rcd8 25.h4 Bd6 26.Nc6 Rc8 27.Nb4 Bb8 28.Ra1 Nxb2 29.Bxb2 Bxf4 30.Nxd5 Nd3 31.Nxf4 Nxf4 32.Rfe1 Nd3

33.Rxe8+ Rxe8 34.Rb1 Re2 35.Rd1 Rxb2 36.Rxd3 Kf8 37.c4 Ke7 38.Rc3 Rc2 39.Rxb3 Rxc4 40.g3, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Ten: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Pedro Espinosa (USCF 1724), Marshall Chess Club 1/1/2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.f4 O-O 9.Be3 b5 10.O-O b4 11.Na4 Nxe4 12.f5 exf5 13.Bd5 Bg5 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Qd3 Ra7 16.Nb6 Bb7 17.Rxf5 Qd8

18.Qxe4 Qxb6 19.Rxf7 Bxd5 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.Qxd5 Rf7 22.Rf1 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Nd7 24.Ne6+ Ke7 25.Nxg7 Nc5 26.Nf5+ Kd7 27.Qf7+ Kc6 28.Nd4#.

Marshall Insanity 12/31/2016

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

Round Three: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Paris Prestia (USCF 1886) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 12/31/2016

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Qd3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Nxd2 6.Nxd2 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Qe7 8.a3 Bxd2+ 9.Qxd2 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Qxe5 11.e3 O-O 12.Be2 d6 13.O-O b6 14.Bf3 Rb8 15.Rfd1 Bb7

16.Bxb7 Rxb7 17.Qd5 Qxd5 18.cxd5 f6 19.Rac1 a5 20.Rc6 Re8 21.Kf1 Kf8 22.Rd4 Re7 23.Ke2 Ke8 24.f4 f5 25.Kf3 Kd7 26.Rdc4 b5 27.Rd4 a4 28.Rb4 g6 29.Ra6 Re8 30.Raxa4 bxa4 31.Rxb7 Ra8 32.Rb4 h5

33.e4 fxe4+ 34.Kxe4 Ra5 35.h3 h4 36.Kf3 Rxd5 37.Rxa4 Rd3+ 38.Kg4 Rg3+ 39.Kxh4 Rxg2 40.Rb4 c5 41.Rb3 Kc6 42.a4 c4 43.Rb4 Kc5 44.Rb5+ Kc6 45.b4 cxb3 46.Rxb3 Ra2 47.a5 Rxa5

48.Rg3 Rh5+ 49.Kg4 d5 50.Kf3 Rh6 51.Kg4 Rh5, draw.

Roytomi on "Pawn Sacrifice"

For Roytomi of The Olympians, the film Pawn Sacrifice brought back memories of the world chess championship 1972.