Marshall CC Championship, Day 1

Actually Saturday was day two for players in the five day schedule, who played round one on Friday night. But for me, in the four day schedule, today was day one of the Marshall Chess Club championship. My opponent in the following game drew a national master in the first round.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Kalashnikov Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - George Tom (USCF 1924), Marshall Chess Club 12/12/2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.Be3 Be7 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Rb8 10.c3 Nf6 11.f3 O-O 12.Be2 Be6 13.O-O Ne8

14.Nc2 Bg5 15.Qd2 Bxe3+ 16.Ncxe3 g6 17.a4 Rb7 18.axb5 axb5 19.Ra3 f5 20.exf5 gxf5 21.f4 b4 22.Nxb4 Nxb4 23.cxb4 Qb6 24.Ra6 Qxb4 25.Qxb4 Rxb4 26.fxe5 Rxb2 27.Bc4 Bxc4 28.Nxc4 Rc2 29.Nxd6 Nxd6 30.Rxd6 Re2


31.Re6 Kg7 32.Rf3 Rf7 33.h3 f4 34.Re8 Rf5 35.e6 Rf6 36.e7 Rf7 37.Rf2 Rexe7 38.Rxe7 Rxe7 39.Rxf4 Re2 40.Rf2 Re1+ 41.Kh2 Kg6 42.Ra2 Re3 43.Ra6+ Kg5 44.g4 Re2+ 45.Kg3 Re3+ 46.Kg2 Rb3 47.Ra5+ Kg6 48.Rf5 Ra3 49.h4 h6 50.Rf3 Ra2+ 51.Kg3 Ra1


52.Rb3 Rg1+ 53.Kf3 Rh1 54.Rb6+ Kg7 55.Rb7+ Kf6 56.h5 Rf1+ 57.Kg2 Ra1 58.Rh7 Kg5 59.Rg7+ Kh4 60.Kf3 Ra4 61.Rg6 Rb4 62.Rxh6 Rxg4 63.Rg6 Ra4 64.h6 Ra8 65.h7 Rh8 66.Rg1 Kh5 67.Kf4 Rxh7 68.Rh1+ Kg6 69.Rxh7 Kxh7, draw.

El Contragambito Philidor

At Contre Gambit Philidor, Frederic Fournier provides links to my game as Black against Linda Diaz and to an article by Alejandro Melchor on the PCG.

Ziping Approaches Class A

On Sunday, Ziping Liu won quad four in Westfield, with a score of 2-0-1. His unofficial USCF rating stands at 1797, within three points of Class A.

Round Three: King's Indian Attack

Ziping Liu (USCF 1766) - Jackson Hueckel (USCF 1803), Westfield NJ 12/6/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 Nf6 4.d3 d5 5.Nbd2 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nd4 8.Qd1 Qd7 9.c3 Ne6 10.Bg2 O-O-O 11.O-O h5


12.Qc2 h4 13.Nf3 hxg3 14.Nxe5 Qe8 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Qb3 Nc5 17.Qc4 Qxe5 18.d4 gxf2+ 19.Rxf2 Nb6 20.Qxf7 Qe1+ 21.Rf1 Qg3 22.Bf4 Rd7 23.Bxg3 Rxf7 24.Rxf7 Ncd7 25.h4 Bd6 26.Bxd6 cxd6 27.Rxg7 Rxh4 28.Rf1 Nc4


29.Rff7 Ncb6 30.Bxb7+ Kxb7 31.Rxd7+ Nxd7 32.Rxd7+ Kc6 33.Rxa7 Re4 34.Kf2 Rh4 35.Rg7 Kd5 36.Rg2 Kc4 37.Ke3 d5 38.Kd2 Rh3 39.b3+ Kb5 40.Kc2 Rf3 41.a4+ Kc6 42.Kb2 Rd3 43.b4 Kb6 44.Kb3, Black resigns.

NY Knights Win USCL Championship

With GM Giorgi Kacheishvili in the role of Roy Hobbs, the New York Knights captured the USCL championship in a nail-biting finish.

Photos from ICA Early Winter 2009

These pictures were taken by me during the ICA Early Winter 2009 tournament on Sunday.

GM-elect Alex Lenderman outplayed Anna Matlin, in round one. Lenderman finished the event in first place with a perfect score of 4 points. Matlin rebounded from this loss by winning her next three games.

Meanwhile GM Sergey Kudrin bested George Grasser. Kudrin won three straight before losing to Lenderman in the final round.

NM Igor Yeliseyev ended the tournament with 3 points, failing only against Kudrin.

Here is a shot of other players, from the opening round.

USCL Championship Tonight

Tonight the championship of the United States Chess League will be decided in a match between the Miami Sharks and the New York Knights. The Knights advanced by defeating the New Jersey Knockouts.

You can follow the action, starting at 7pm, on the Internet Chess Club.

ICA Early Winter 2009

Earlier today I played at the ICA Early Winter 2009 tournament in Hackensack, finishing with a score of 1-0-3. These are my games.

Round One: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation

Kevin Chen (USCF 1835) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Hackensack NJ 12/6/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 Nc6 6.a3 Bxd2+ 7.Bxd2 Nxd2 8.Qxd2 Qe7 9.e3 Nxe5 10.Be2 d6 11.O-O a5 12.Rfd1 O-O


13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.Qd4 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 b6 16.Bf3 Rb8 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 Bb7 19.Bxb7 Rxb7 20.b5 Rbb8 21.Rd3 Ra8 22.Rda3 Rxa3 23.Rxa3 f5 24.Ra7 Rc8 25.Kf1 Kf7 26.Ke2 Ke6 27.Kd3 d5 28.Kd4 dxc4 29.Kxc4 Kd6 30.h4 Re8 31.g3 Re5


32.Ra2 Rc5+ 33.Kb4 g6 34.Rd2+ Rd5 35.Rc2 Kd7 36.Rc4 Rd2 37.Rd4+ Rxd4+ 38.exd4 Kd6 39.Kc4 c6 40.bxc6 Kxc6 41.d5+ Kd6 42.f3 h5 43.f4 b5+, White resigns.

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

Round Two: Pribyl Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Mikhail Zlotnikov (USCF 2360), Hackensack NJ 12/6/2009

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 Qa5 5.Bd3 e5 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.f5 Bc5 8.Qe2 b5 9.Bd2 b4 10.Nd1 Ba6 11.Nh3 Bxd3 12.cxd3 Nbd7


13.Ne3 Bxe3 14.Bxe3 Qb5 15.Nf2 O-O 16.O-O Nc5 17.Bxc5 Qxc5 18.Rfc1 Qb6 19.Kh1 Rfd8 20.Rc2 Rd6 21.Rac1 Rad8 22.g3 Ne8 23.Rc5 f6 24.Kg2 Qa6 25.Qc2 Qxa2 26.Qc4+ Qxc4 27.R1xc4 Nc7 28.Rxc6 Rxc6 29.Rxc6 Nb5


30.Ra6 Rd7 31.Ra4 b3 32.Rb4 Nd4 33.Ng4 Kf7 34.Kf2 a5 35.Rb8 a4 36.Ne3 h5 37.Nc4 g6 38.fxg6+ Kxg6 39.Rb6 Kf7 40.Ra6 Nc2 41.Ke2 Nb4 42.Rd6 Rxd6 43.Nxd6+ Ke6 44.Nc4 Nc2 45.h3 Nd4+ 46.Kf2 Nb5 47.Ke3 Nd6


48.Nd2 f5 49.Kf3 Kf6 50.exf5 Nxf5 51.g4 hxg4+ 52.hxg4 Nd6 53.Ke3 Ke6 54.d4 e4 55.Kf4 Kd5 56.g5 Kxd4 57.g6 Ne8 58.Nxe4 Kc4 59.Nd6+ Nxd6 60.g7 a3 61.g8=Q+ Kd3 62.Qd5+ Kc2 63.Qxd6 a2 64.Qg6+ Kxb2 65.Qg2+ Ka3 66.Qf1 b2 67.Qd3 Kb4 68.Qd4+ Kb3 69.Qd3+ Kb4, draw.

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

Round Three: Philidor Defense

Max Schwartz (USCF 2029) - Jim West (2200), Hackensack NJ 12/6/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Re1 c6 8.Bb3 a5 9.a4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Nc5 11.Ba2 Re8 12.f3 h6 13.Be3 Bf8 14.Qd2 Qc7 15.Rad1 Bd7


16.Nde2 Rad8 17.Nf4 Ne6 18.Nxe6 Bxe6 19.Bxe6 Rxe6 20.Qf2 Nd7 21.Rd2 Rde8 22.Bf4 Ne5 23.b3 d5 24.Red1 d4 25.Na2 c5 26.Kh1 Bd6 27.g3 Rf6 28.Qg2 Nc6 29.Bxd6 Rxd6 30.Nc1 Rdd8 31.Nd3 Nb4 32.Nxb4 axb4 33.Qf1 Qc6 34.Qc4 Rc8


35.Kg2 Qe6 36.Qxe6 Rxe6 37.Kf2 Ra6 38.Ke2 g5 39.Kd3 Rf6 40.Rf2 b6 41.e5 Re6 42.f4 f6 43.exf6 Rxf6 44.Rdf1 Rcf8 45.f5 Re8 46.Re2 Rxe2 47.Kxe2 Rf8 48.Kd3 Re8 49.Rf2 Kf7 50.Kc4 Rd8 51.Kb5 Rd6


52.a5 bxa5 53.Kxc5 Rd8 54.Kb5 d3 55.cxd3 Rxd3 56.Kxa5 Rxb3 57.Kb5 h5 58.Kc4 Rb1 59.h3 Kf6 60.g4 hxg4 61.hxg4 Rg1 62.Kxb4 Rxg4+ 63.Kc3 Rf4 64.Rxf4 gxf4 65.Kd3 Kxf5 66.Ke2 Ke4 67.Kf2 f3 68.Kf1 Ke3 69.Ke1, draw.

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

Round Four: Philidor Counter Gambit

Linda Diaz (USCF 1867) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Hackensack NJ 12/6/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxe7 Qxe7 6.dxe5 fxe4 7.exd6 cxd6 8.Bb5+ Nc6 9.Nd4 Bd7 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qd1 Nf6 12.c3 Nxd4 13.Bxd7+ Qxd7 14.Qxd4 O-O


15.Nd2 d5 16.O-O-O Qc6 17.f3 Qb6 18.Qg1 Qxg1 19.Rhxg1 Rfe8 20.fxe4 dxe4 21.Rde1 Rad8 22.Re2 Rd7 23.Rf1 Kg7 24.h3 h5 25.Rfe1 Rde7 26.Nc4 Rd7 27.Nd2 Rde7 28.Nc4 Rd7, draw.

Kasparov Buys Upper West Side Penthouse

Garry Kasparov recently bought a penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Fischer's Daughter Visits Cemetery

On Tuesday, Bobby Fischer's daughter Jinky visited the cemetery in Iceland where he is buried. She is bidding to get her claim to Fischer's estate.

Pix from Marshall CC Saturday Game/60

I took these pictures on Saturday at the Marshall Chess Club, during the game/60 Swiss tournament.

Photos from New DOCA

These are photos that I snapped at the new Dean of Chess Academy on Sunday. You will see IM Dean Ippolito, tournament director Ken Thomas, FM Boris Privman, James Luxich, Michael Polito, Patrick Mazzillo, and Richard Napoli.

Lenderman Simul and Seminar

On Saturday, December 19th, GM Alex Lenderman will give a simul and seminar in Cherry Hill NJ.

Lenderman won the National Chess Congress 2009 on tie-breaks.