Irina Krush to Lecture at Marshall CC

The Marshall Chess Club proudly presents international master Irina Krush.

"Unusual Positional Decisions"

International master Irina Krush is a three-time U.S. women's chess champion and a two-time Olympiad medal winner. A graduate from NYU, Irina is a professional tournament player and sought after chess coach in New York City.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

7pm

Lecture fee: members free, non-members $10

Marshall Chess Club
23 West 10th Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone 212-477-3716
Fax 212-995-9281
http://www.marshallchessclub.org/

"Knight Blindness" by Phi Beta Rapa

Chess organizer and coach Dan Herman [pictured] performs rap music under his professional name Phi Beta Rapa.

He has written a villanelle Knight Blindness with these lyrics.

The chess master moved his knight and said mate.
I stared at the board, a befuddling scene:
Ignoring his chances, I sealed my own fate.

I saw it only a second too late,
Just as my bishop had captured his queen.
The chess master moved his knight and said mate.

He adjusted his tie and sat up straight,
Knowing his plan had been unforseen.
Ignoring his chances, I sealed my own fate.

Was it his queen that was poisonous bait?
Or am I missing a knight-seeing gene?
The chess master moved his knight and said mate.

This had been my best game to date--
I thought it would be in Chess Life magazine.
Ignoring his chances, I sealed my own fate.

I shook his hand but inside was irate:
I hate losing to a kid who is eight.
The chess master moved his knight and said mate;
Ignoring his chances, I sealed my own fate.

NJKO Tackled and Thrown for Loss by Blitz

In week ten of the United States Chess League, the New Jersey Knockouts were tackled and thrown for a loss by the Boston Blitz.

See the replay from last night's games on boards one, two, three, and four.

Pix from Westfield Quads 10/30/2011

These photos were taken by me on Sunday during the Westfield quads.

Kekelidze Wins Marshall CC Championship

Grandmaster Mikheil Kekelidze [pictured, left] won the $2,000 first prize at the 2011 Marshall Chess Club championship.

The winner of the $1,000 second prize was 12-year-old Christopher Wu [pictured, right].

Westfield Quads 10/30/2011

Despite downed trees and power outages from Saturday's snowstorm, 42 players showed up on Sunday at the quads in Westfield.

Round One: Dutch Defense

Boris Privman (USCF 2230) - Jim West (USCF 2208), Westfield NJ 10/30/2011

1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4 fxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Nc5 d6 7.Nd3 Nc6 8.Nf3 O-O 9.g3 Bd7 10.Bg2 Qe8 11.Qe2 Qh5 12.O-O-O Rae8


13.Nf4 Qf7 14.Bh3 Bd8 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Kb1 g5 17.Nd3 Qg7 18.Bg4 Nxd4 19.Nxd4 Bxd4 20.c3 Bf6 21.f4 e5 22.Bxd7 Qxd7 23.fxe5 Bxe5 24.Nxe5 Qf5+ 25.Qd3 Rxe5 26.Qxf5 Rfxf5 27.Rd2 Kg7 28.Kc2 h5 29.Rg2 g4 30.Kd2 a5 31.a4 Rf3


32.Re2 Kf6 33.Rxe5 dxe5 34.Ke2 e4 35.Rd1 e3 36.Rd5 Rf2+ 37.Kxe3 Rxh2 38.Rxa5 b6 39.Rd5 Ke6 40.Rg5 Rxb2 41.Rxh5 Ra2 42.Rh6+ Kd5 43.Rh5+ Kc6 44.Rh6+ Kb7 45.Kf4 Rxa4+ 46.Kf5 Rc4 47.Rg6 b5 48.Rxg4 Rxc3


49.Rb4 Rxg3 50.Rxb5+ Kc6 51.Rb1 Re3 52.Kf4 Re7 53.Rc1+ Kd7 54.Rd1+ Kc8 55.Rc1 Re2 56.Kf3 Re6 57.Kf4 Kd7 58.Rd1+ Rd6 59.Rc1 Re6 60.Rd1+ Ke7 61.Rc1 c6 62.Kf5 Kd7 63.Rd1+ Rd6 64.Rc1 Rd5+ 65.Ke4 Kd6 66.Rh1 Rd2 67.Ke3 Rd5 68.Ke4 Kc5 69.Rc1+ Kb6 70.Rb1+ Kc7 71.Rc1 Kd6 72.Rh1, draw.

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

Round Three: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation

Michael Ainsworth (USCF 2046) - Jim West (USCF 2208), Westfield NJ 10/30/2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 Nc6 5.Qc2 d5 6.Nf3 Bf5 7.Qd1 dxc4 8.Nbd2 Qd5 9.e3 O-O-O 10.Be2 c3 11.bxc3 Nxc3 12.Qb3 Qxb3 13.Nxb3 Nxe2 14.Kxe2 Bd3+ 15.Ke1 Be7 16.Bb2 Rhg8


17.Nbd4 Be4 18.Ke2 g5 19.h3 h5 20.Rhd1 g4 21.hxg4 hxg4 22.Ne1 Bf8 23.Rac1 Bh6 24.f3 Nxd4+ 25.Bxd4 gxf3+ 26.gxf3 Bc6 27.Kf2 Bf8 28.Rd3 Be7 29.Ng2 Rd7 30.Rh1 Bc5 31.Nf4 Bxd4 32.exd4 Rgd8 33.Rhd1 Bb5 34.R3d2 Ba4 35.e6 fxe6 36.Nxe6 Bxd1 37.Nxd8 Bxf3 38.Ne6 Bd5


39.Nc5 Rf7+ 40.Ke1 b6 41.Nd3 Bc4 42.Rf2 Rxf2 43.Nxf2 c5 44.dxc5 bxc5 45.Ne4 Kc7 46.Nxc5 Kc6 47.Ne4 Kb5 48.Kd2 a5 49.Nc3+ Kc5 50.Kc2, draw.

Garry Kasparov on Russia Policy of U.S.

Garry Kasparov criticizes the Russia policy of the United States, in an interview with Eli Lake.

Matty W. Kelley Reviews "Brooklyn Castle"

At NorwoodPatch, Matty W. Kelley reviews the documentary film Brooklyn Castle.

E-mail from Burkhard Forbrich

Dear Mr. West:

I have come to like your blog, especially as you mostly play openings preferred by Morphy and Fischer. What about 14.Nxc6 in your recent game against Fabbri?

Regards from Germany,

Burkhard Forbrich

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


After the game, my opponent suggested 14.Nf3 as a way for White to keep his extra material, for example by 14...Qf6 15.Qg2. Your move 14.Nxc6 could lead to 14...Qc5 15.Ne5 Nxe5 16.Rxe5 Bxe5 17.Qxe5 Be6 18.Be3 Qc6 19.Qg3, again with a material advantage for White. But, as I told Fabbri, I was more concerned with completing my development by 14.Bf4 (which led to a positional plus for me) than with holding on to material.

Knockouts Rein In Knights for First Win

The New Jersey Knockouts won their first match of the season by reining in the New York Knights, in week nine of the U.S. Chess League.

Check out last night's games from boards one, two, three, and four.

Nathan Resika Wins FIDE Mondays

FM Nathan Resika [pictured] won the FIDE Mondays tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, defeating me in the final round with a rare move in the Pirc Defense.


In the diagram, arrived at via the 6...Na6 line in the Austrian Attack, Resika has just played 7...Ng4 instead of the usual 7...Nd7 or 7...Ne8.

At ChessLab, I could find only a few games where Resika's move was played. The best plan for White seems to be 8.h3 Nh6 9.Be3 c5 10.d5.

Our game on Monday night proceeded 8.h3 Nh6 9.Ne4 c5 10.c3 cxd4 11.cxd4 Qb6 12.O-O Nb4 13.Be3 Nd5 14.Bc1 Nf5 15.Qa4 Nb4 16.Bb1 dxe5 17.fxe5 Nc6 18.Kh1 Ncxd4 when "the fat lady sings."


As you may have guessed from his picture, in addition to being a FIDE master, Nathan Resika is also an accomplished opera singer.

Wu Leads Marshall CC Championship

After the first weekend, twelve-year-old Christopher Wu [pictured] leads the Marshall Chess Club championship with 4 wins plus a half point bye.

Wu has defeated WIM Shernaz Kennedy, FM Asa Hoffmann, NM James Black, and NM Yefim Treger.