Westfield Quads 1/13/2013

On Sunday, I won this game at the quads in Westfield.

Round One: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2204) - Mauricio Camejo (USCF 2147), Westfield NJ 1/13/2013

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.c4 d5 4.cxd5 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Qd8 6.e3 a6 7.Nf3 f5 8.d3 Bd6 9.Be2 Be6 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Qe7 13.Bf3 c6 14.O-O-O O-O-O

15.Na4 Nf6 16.Qa7 Ba3 17.Bxc6 Bxb2+ 18.Kxb2 Nd5 19.Qa8+ Kc7 20.Qxb7+ Kd6 21.Bxd5, Black resigns.

Rahway Grand Prix 1/12/2013

On Saturday, I played this game at Chess Mates.

Round One: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2204) - Alice Dong (USCF 2008), Rahway NJ 1/12/2013

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bxd4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.e3 Be7 7.Be2 O-O 8.O-O b6 9.Bb2 c5 10.c4 Bb7 11.Nc3 Re8 12.Qc2 Bf8 13.Rad1 Ne4

14.Nd5 Ndf6 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.Ng5 Ne4 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Bd3 Bxd3 19.Qxd3 Rb8 20.e4 Qe7 21.f3 a6 22.a4 b5 23.axb5 axb5 24.Ba1 h6 25.Rfe1 bxc4 26.bxc4 Qc7 27.Qd5 Qb7 28.Qxb7 Rxb7 29.h3 Rb4 30.Rc1 Ra8

31.Rc2 Raa4 32.Rec1 Be7 33.f4 Rb3 34.Re2 Bh4 35.e5 dxe5 36.Bxe5 Bg3 37.f5 Rxc4 38.Rd1 Bxe5 39.Rxe5 Rd4 40.Ra1 Rb8 41.Rxc5 Rf4 42.Rf1 Rxf1+ 43.Kxf1 Kf8 44.Kf2 Rb3 45.Re5 g6, draw.

Kim Kardashian and Levon Aronian

On Friday, Kim Kardashian tweeted, “I want to learn how to play chess. Wondering if Levon Aronian can teach me!”

Recap of Chess Class 1/12/2013

In Saturday morning's class, at Columbia Academy in East Hanover, I explained the five considerations occupying my mind while I play a game of chess, in descending order of importance: 1) pawn center; 2) tempos; 3) material; 4) initiative; 5) piece coordination. In other words, I will sacrifice a small amount of material, usually a pawn, if I can obtain the better center and/or a lead in development.

Even though you can't see a tempo, think of each tempo like a pawn. There is a risk involved when you sacrifice material: you must use every tempo wisely. Otherwise you have insufficient compensation, meaning that you are down a pawn with nothing to show for it.

Of the five considerations mentioned above, the most difficult to understand for beginners is piece coordination. Chess has been described as a non-verbal language. If true, then piece coordination is really no more difficult than speaking a sentence in which the parts of speech agree with one another. Positional blunders are the equivalent of bad grammar.

The class concluded with a practical session. Students were given a homework assignment involving three different tactics: double attack, pin, and fork.

Pix from Rahway Grand Prix 1-12-2013

Yesterday I took these pictures during the grand prix tournament at Chess Mates.

Pix from Westfield Quads 1/6/2013

During Sunday's quads in Westfield, I snapped these photos.

"Brooklyn Castle" Nominee at NAACP Awards

Brooklyn Castle is one of five documentaries that have been nominated at the 44th NAACP Image Awards.  

The others are Black Wings, First Position, Marley, and On the Shoulders of Giants - the Story of the Greatest Team You've Never Heard of.  

Watch the show February 1st on NBC.

Frederic Fournier Analyzes Paciulli - West

At Contre Gambit Philidor, Frederic Fournier analyzes my game as Black against Frank Paciulli.

Westfield Quads 1/6/2013

44 players showed up in Westfield for the first quads of 2013.

Round One: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2204) - Ted Belanoff (USCF 2169), Westfield NJ 1/6/2013

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.c4 Bc5 4.e3 Qf6 5.a3 a5 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nd5 Qd8 8.Ne2 Nf6 9.Nec3 Be6 10.Qf3 Bxd5 11.cxd5 Na7 12.Na4 Qe7 13.Nxc5 dxc5 14.a4 Rd8 15.Bc4 O-O 16.O-O Nc8 17.e4 Nd6

18.Rfe1 h6 19.Bf1 Nh7 20.Qe3 b6 21.g3 f6 22.h4 Rde8 23.Rac1 g5 24.hxg5 fxg5 25.Bh3 Nf6 26.Be6+ Kh7 27.Bxe5 Ng4 28.Bxd6, Black resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Two: King's Indian Defense, Saemisch Variation

Mauricio Camejo (USCF 2115) - Jim West (USCF 2204), Westfield NJ 1/6/2013

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.g4 c5 7.d5 e6 8.h4 exd5 9.Nxd5 Nxd5 10.cxd5 f5 11.gxf5 gxf5 12.Bd3 fxe4 13.fxe4 Qa5+ 14.Bd2 Qb6

15.Rh2 c4 16.Rg2 cxd3 17.Bc3 Qe3+ 18.Ne2 Rf7 19.Qa4 Bd7 20.Qd4 Qxe2+ 21.Rxe2 Bxd4 22.Rg2+ Rg7, White resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Boris Privman (USCF 2227) - Jim West (USCF 2204), Westfield NJ 1/6/2013

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Qc2 Bb4+ 5.Nd2 d5 6.exd6 Bf5 7.dxc7 Qxc7 8.Qa4+ Nc6 9.Ngf3 O-O-O

10.a3 Bxd2+ 11.Bxd2 Qb6 12.e3 Qxb2 13.Rd1 Nxd2 14.Rxd2 Rxd2 15.Nxd2 Bc2, White resigns.

Marshall January Grand Prix 1/5/2013

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

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2098) - Amir Moazami (FIDE 1917), Marshall Chess Club 1/5/2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Nbd7 8.f4 Nc5 9.f5 b5 10.fxe6 fxe6 11.Bg5 Bd7 12.Qf3 Be7 13.e5 dxe5 14.Nc6 e4 15.Nxe4 Bxc6 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Qxc6+ Kf7

18.Qf3 Qd4 19.Be3 Qe4 20.Qxe4 Nxe4 21.O-O-O Rad8 22.c3 Nc5 23.Bc2 a5 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.Rd1 Rxd1+ 26.Kxd1 Nd7 27.Bd3 b4 28.cxb4 axb4 29.Kc2 Ne5 30.Be2 f5 31.Kb3 Bd6 32.h3 Nc6 33.Bb5 f4 34.Bb6 Ne7 35.Ba5 Nd5 36.Bc6 Kf6

37.Bxd5 exd5 38.Bxb4 Bb8 39.Kc2 Kf5 40.Kd3 f3 41.gxf3 Kf4 42,h4 h5 43.a4 Kxf3 44.Kd4 Kg4 45.Be7 Bg3 46.a5 Kf3 47.Kxd5 Bb8 48.b4 Ke3 49.b5 Kd3 50.b6 Kc3 51.a6 Kb3 52.Bd6 Kc2 53.Bxb8 Kd3 54.a7 Ke2 55.a8=Q Kf2 56.Ke4 Ke2 57.Qa2+ Kd1 58.Kd3 Ke1 59.Qe2#.

Phiona Mutesi in "The New Yorker"

This week's issue of The New Yorker features an article on Phiona Mutesi and her visit to the Marshall Chess Club.

Recap of Chess Class 1/5/2013

On Saturday morning, at Columbia Academy, we started 2013 with the first class at our new location in East Hanover.

At the demonstration board, I placed red stars on the four center squares to emphasize their importance. The three rules of the opening phase of the game are: 1) develop your pieces toward the center; 2) except for the king, which you move away from the center by castling; 3) move each piece only once. If chess is a war game, then the opening is when you prepare for the battle which will take place in the middlegame. In the endgame, you march the king toward the center of the board, now that there is little danger of being checkmated.

When the king is attacked, you have three possible ways to get out of check, easy to remember by the letters CPR: C is for capture, P is for protect, and R is for run. You can capture the piece which is checking the king, you can protect the king by blocking the check with one of your pieces, or the king can run to safety. If none of these options is available, then the king is checkmated; and the game is over.

We also discussed the difference between tactics and strategy. Tactics are the weapons that you use to carry out your strategy, or plan.

The class concluded with a practical session during which the players learned how to keep score using algebraic notation.