NJKO Thrown for Loss by Blitz

In week three of the U.S. Chess League, the New Jersey Knockouts were thrown for a loss by the Boston Blitz.

Watch the replay on boards one, two, three, and four.

FIDE Mondays 9/9/2013

On Monday evening, my opponent blundered the exchange at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Closed Variation

Hal Rives (FIDE 1814) - Jim West (FIDE 2130), Marshall Chess Club 9/9/2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.f4 Bg7 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.d3 e6 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nge7 10.O-O O-O 11.Be3 Nd4 12.Qf2 Rb8

13.Nd1 f5 14.c3 Ndc6 15.Qd2 Qd7 16.Nf2 b6 17.Rfe1 Rbd8 18.Rad1 d5 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.d4 Nxe3 21.Qxe3 cxd4 22.Qxe6+ Qxe6 23.Rxe6 Nb8 24.cxd4 Bxd4 25.Rd2 Na6 26.Kf1 Nc5

27.Re1 Bxf2 28.Rxd8 Rxd8 29.Kxf2 Nd3+ 30.Kf1 Nxe1 31.Kxe1 Rd3 32.g4 fxg4 33.hxg4 Rd4, White resigns.

"The Machine" Reviewed in "NY Times"

[photo by Bryan Thomas]

In The New York Times, Ben Brantley reviews The Machine.

Asa Hoffmann to Lecture at Marshall CC

The Marshall Chess Club together with Jeremy Graham presents

FM Asa Hoffmann

“My Favorite Lines Against the French Defense”

FIDE Master Asa Hoffmann is one of the great legends of American chess. Having played against (and beaten!) some of the game’s greatest players, Asa is a permanent fixture in the New York chess scene and author of the much sought after book Chess Gladiator.

In honor of the late Marshall Chess Club member, FIDE master Erez Klein, the Marshall is hosting a series of lectures. This lecture is free to all guests!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

7pm

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

Marshall September Open 9/7/2013

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

Round Two: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2130) - Ed Kopiecki (FIDE 1939), Marshall Chess Club 9/7/2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Nbd2 Ne7 9.Nc4 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Qxf3 11.gxf3 Ng6 12.Rd1 O-O-O 13.Be3 Be7 14.Rab1 Bf6 15.b4 Rhe8 16.a4 Nf4

17.Bxf4 exf4 18.b5 cxb5 19.axb5 Re6 20.Rb3 Bd4 21.Rdb1 Kd7 22.bxa6 bxa6 23.c3 Bf6 24.d4 g6 25.e5 Bg7 26.Nd2 f5 27.exf6 Bxf6 28.Ne4 Be7 29.d5 Re5 30.c4 a5 31.Rb5 Ra8 32.Rb8 Ra6 33.Rd1 a4

34.c5 Bh4 35.c6+ Ke7 36.d6+ cxd6 37.c7 Rc6 38.c8=Q Rxc8 39.Rxc8 Ra5 40.Rxd6 a3 41.Rd1 a2 42.Ra1 Ra3 43.Kg2 g5 44.Rc3 Ra4 45.Rc2 g4 46.hxg4 hxg4 47.Raxa2 gxf3+ 48.Kxf3 Rb4 49.Kxf4 Ke6 50.Rc6+ Kd5 51.Rc5+ Ke6 52.Ra6+ Kd7 53.Rd6+ Ke7 54.Rc7+ Kf8 55.Rh6 Be7 56.Rh8+ Kg7 57.Re8, Black resigns.

King's Indian Attack @ Chess.com

At Jim West Talks Chess, I have posted my games in the King's Indian Attack against Bob Rose and Praveen Balakrishnan from the New Jersey Open.

Kadhir Pillai - Michael O'Connor

Michael O'Connor [pictured] sends this game from the New Jersey Open.

According to NM Todd Lunna, Black missed a win by 20...Bf4, trapping the rook on g3 because 21.exf4 Nf3+ wins the queen.

Round Two: French Defense, Tarrasch Variation

Kadhir Pillai (USCF 2121) - Michael O'Connor (USCF 1745), Morristown NJ 8/31/2013

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.Nf3 O-O 10.Bg5 Qb6 11.Qd2 cxd4 12.cxd4 f6 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Be3 Ng4 15.Rac1 Nxe3 16.fxe3 e5 

17.dxe5 Bh6 18.Ned4 Rxf3 19.Rxf3 Nxd4 20.Rg3 Bf5 21.Rf1 Rf8 22.Bxf5 Nxf5 23.Qxd5 Kh8, draw.

Pix from New Jersey Open 2013

During the final round of the New Jersey Open, I took these pictures.

Against Inventors, NJKO Out of Ideas

In week two of the United States Chess League, the New Jersey Knockouts ran out of ideas against the Philadelphia Inventors.

Watch the games on boards one, two, three, and four.

New Jersey Open 9/2/2013

On Labor Day, I finished with a score of 4-1-1 in the New Jersey Open at the Headquarters Hyatt.

Round Five: Dutch Defense

Andy Chen (USCF 2072) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Morristown NJ 9/2/2013

1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Be2 b6 5.b3 Bb7 6.Bb2 Be7 7.Nbd2 O-O 8.c4 a5 9.Qc2 Na6 10.a3 Ne4 11.Bd3 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Bf6 13.O-O d6 14.Qc2 g6 15.Nd2 e5

16.f3 exd4 17.exd4 Qe7 18.Rfe1 Qg7 19.Kh1 Bxd4 20.Bxd4 Qxd4 21.Rad1 Qf6 22.Nb1 Nc5 23.Nc3 Rae8 24.Nd5 Bxd5 25.cxd5 Qh4 26.g3 Rxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Qd8 28.Bb5 f4 29.b4 axb4 30.axb4 Nd7 31.Re6 Rf7 32.gxf4 Nf8 33.Re4 Qh4 34.Qc1 Qf2 35.Be2 Rf5

36.Qg1 Qh4 37.Qg3 Qf6 38.Bc4 Qa1+ 39.Qg1 Qc3 40.Be2 Qd2 41.Qd4 Qxd4 42.Rxd4 Rf7 43.Rc4 Re7 44.Bd3 Kf7 45.f5 Kf6 46.fxg6 Nxg6 47.Bxg6 hxg6 48.b5 g5 49.Kg2 Re2+ 50.Kg3 Rb2 51.Rxc7 Rxb5

52.h4 gxh4+ 53.Kxh4 Rxd5 54.Kg3 b5 55.Kf4 Re5 56.Rd7 Ke6 57.Rb7 Rc5 58.Ke4 d5+ 59.Kd3 Kd6 60.Rb6+ Kc7 61.Re6 Rc4 62.Re2 Kd6 63.Rf2 Ke5 64.Re2+ Kf4 65.Re8 b4 66.Rb8 Ke5 67.Re8+ Kd6 68.Rd8+ Kc5 69.Rc8+ Kb5 70.Rd8 Rc3+ 71.Kd4 Rxf3 72.Rxd5+ Ka4 73.Rd8 Kb3

74.Rb8 Rc3 75.Rb7 Rc8 76.Kd3 Rd8+ 77.Ke2 Kc3 78.Rc7+ Kb2 79.Rb7 b3 80.Rb6 Kc2 81.Rc6+ Kb1 82.Rb6 b2 83.Rb7 Rd5 84.Rb8 Kc2 85.Rc8+ Kb3 86.Rb8+ Kc3 87.Rc8+ Kb4 88.Rb8+ Rb5, White resigns.

New Jersey Open 9/1/2013

On Sunday, this game was played in the New Jersey Open at the Headquarters Hyatt.

Round Four: French Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Ethan Klein (USCF 1956), Morristown NJ 9/1/2013

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.O-O O-O 7.Re1 h6 8.c3 Bf5 9.Bxf5 Nxf5 10.Qd3 Qd7 11.Nbd2 Nc6 12.Nf1 Rfe8 13.Bd2 a6

14.Ng3 Bxg3 15.hxg3 Nd6 16.Rxe8+ Rxe8 17.Re1 Rxe1+ 18.Bxe1 Qe6 19.Kf1 Qe4 20.Qxe4 Nxe4 21.Ng1 Ne7 22.f3 Nd6 23.Ke2 f6 24.g4 g5 25.Bg3 Nec8 26.Kd3 Kf7 27.Ne2 Ke6 28.b3 b5 29.Nc1 c6 30.Bxd6 Nxd6 31.b4 f5

32.gxf5+ Kxf5 33.g4+ Kg6 34.Ke2 h5 35.gxh5+ Kxh5 36.Nd3 Nb7 37.Ne5 Nd8 38.Nd7 g4 39.Nf6+ Kg5 40.Nxg4 Kf4 41.Ne5 Kf5 42.Ke3 Kg5 43.Nd7 Kf5 44.Nc5 Kg5 45.Nxa6 Kf5 46.Nc5 Kg5 47.Nd3 Kf5 48.Ne5 Kg5 49.f4+ Kf5 50.Kf3 Ne6

51.Nxc6 Nxf4 52.Na7 Nd3 53.Nxb5 Nb2 54.Nc7 Na4 55.Nxd5 Ke6 56.c4 Nb2 57.Ne3 Nxc4 58.Nxc4 Kd5 59.b5, Black resigns.

New Jersey Open 8/31/2013

On Saturday, I played this game in the New Jersey Open at the Headquarters Hyatt.

Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Kimberly Ding (USCF 2012) - Jim West (USCF 2217), Morristown NJ 8/31/2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 f5 4.exf5 Bxf5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Be3 Be7 7.h3 O-O 8.Be2 c6 9.g4 Be6 10.g5 Nd5 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.h4 Nc6 13.d4 Qa5+ 14.c3 Rac8 15.Rg1 e4 16.Nd2 Qc7 17.Bg4 Qd7

18.Qe2 Bxg4 19.Rxg4 b5 20.Rg3 Na5 21.g6 hxg6 22.Bg5 Nc4 23.Nxc4 bxc4 24.O-O-O Bxg5+ 25.Rxg5 Qf7 26.Rdg1 Qxf2 27.Qxf2 Rxf2 28.Rxg6 Rc7 29.h5 Kh7 30.Rxd6 Rb7 31.h6 gxh6 32.Rh1 Rbxb2 33.Rdxh6+, draw.