Washington Square Hustlers at Marshall CC

Just a few short blocks from the historic Marshall Chess Club, a very different chess scene exists in Washington Square Park.  There a number of chess entrepreneurs play blitz with regular "customers" and tourists.  Money frequently changes hands and the rules of chess are somewhat less strictly followed than at the Marshall Chess Club. 

On Tuesday, July 22nd at 7 pm, Washington Square Park chess will come to the Marshall Chess Club for what promises to be a very special and entertaining evening.  Five of New York's most interesting and prominent "hustlers" will talk about their lives, at and away from the chess boards, and answer questions.  Following the discussion, J.P. Morgan, Omar, Boca, Joe, and Cornbread will take on all challengers for no-money blitz games. 

Refreshments will be served. 

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

Kimberly Ding Wins $100,000 Scholarship

Congratulations to WFM Kimberly Ding of New Jersey on winning a $100,000 scholarship to Webster University at the 2014 Susan Polgar Foundation Girls Invitational tournament!

Marshall Masters 7/15/2014

On Tuesday evening, my opponent resigned too soon in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Rainer Labay (FIDE Rapid 2183) - Jim West (FIDE Rapid 2049), Marshall Chess Club 7/15/2014

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.O-O-O Nbd7 10.Bd3 b5 11.Rhe1 Bb7 12.Kb1 O-O-O 13.Bxf6 Nxf6 14.g4 b4

15.Na4 Qa5 16.b3 d5 17.e5 Ne4 18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Qe3 Kb8 20.Re2 h5 21.g5 g6 22.Red2 Rc8 23.Rc1 Rhd8 24.c4 bxc3 25.Rxc3 Rxc3 26.Nxc3 Bb4 27.Rc2 Bc5 28.Nce2 Qe1+ 29.Rc1 Bxd4, White resigns.

He missed 30.Qxd4, although Black is better after 30...Rxd4 31.Rxe1 Rd2.

Pix from Marshall July Under 2300

On Sunday, I took these pictures during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Marshall July Under 2300 7/13/2014

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

Round Four: English Opening

Ben Gershenov (FIDE 2177) - Jim West (USCF 2045), Marshall Chess Club 7/13/2014

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.e4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Be2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 O-O 10.Qd2 Be6 11.Rc1 Qa5 12.f3 Rfc8 13.b3 a6 14.Kf2 b5

15.Nd5 Qxd2 16.Bxd2 Nxd5 17.cxd5 Bd7 18.Ke3 Bh6+ 19.Kd3 Bxd2 20.Kxd2 Kf8 21.h4 a5 22.h5 g5 23.g3 h6 24.f4 f6 25.Rxc8+ Rxc8 26.Rc1 Rxc1 27.Kxc1 gxf4 28.gxf4 b4 29.Kd2 Ke8 30.Ke3 Kd8 31.Kd4 Kc7

32.e5 fxe5+ 33.fxe5 Bf5 34.Kc4 dxe5 35.Kb5 Kd6 36.Kxa5 Kc5 37.Ka4 Bd7+ 38.Ka5 e4, White resigns.

Marshall July Under 2300 7/12/2014

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

Round Three: English Opening

Wesley Hellner (FIDE 1854) - Jim West (FIDE 2045), Marshall Chess Club 7/12/2014

1.c4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.e4 Bg7 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 Nf6 7.O-O O-O 8.Bd2 Ne8 9.Qc1 Bg4 10.Bh6 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nd4 12.Bd1 e6

13.Ne2 Nxe2+ 14.Bxe2 Qf6 15.Rb1 Bxh6 16.Qxh6 Qg7 17.Qe3 e5 18.b4 b6 19.bxc5 dxc5 20.g3 Nc7 21.f4 exf4 22.gxf4 Ne6 23.Kh1 Qd4 24.Qg3 Kh8 25.e5 Rad8 26.Rf3 f5 27.Rbf1 Qd7 28.R3f2 Nd4 29.Bd1 Ne6 30.Be2 Qa4

31.Bd1 Qa3 32.Rd2 Qc3 33.Rff2 Rd4 34.Kg2 Nxf4+ 35.Kh1 Ne6 36.Bf3 Rxd3 37.Rxd3 Qxd3 38.Qh4 Qd8 39.Qh6 Qg5 40.Qxg5 Nxg5 41.Bd5 Re8 42.Re2 Ne6 43.Kg1 Kg7 44.Kf2 Nf4 45.Re3 Rxe5 46.Ra3 Nxd5 47.cxd5 Rxd5 48.Rxa7+ Kf6

49.Ke3 h5 50.Ra6 Rd6 51.a4 Re6+ 52.Kf3 g5 53.a5 bxa5 54.Rxa5 g4+ 55.Kf4 Re4+ 56.Kg3 f4+ 57.Kh4 Re5 58.Ra6+ Ke7 59.Ra7+ Kd6 60.Rf7 f3 61.h3 Ke6 62.Rf8 Rf5 63.Re8+ Kd7 64.Re1 f2 65.Rf1 gxh3 66.Kxh3 Kc6

67.Kg2 c4 68.Kh2 Kc5 69.Kg2 c3 70.Kh2 Kc4 71.Kg2 c2, White resigns.

"Chess-in-the-Schools" Tournaments

You may not have known that Chess-in-the-Schools runs free tournaments, provided you pre-register on-line.

Photos from "Chess Mates" 7/5/2014

You can view photos from Saturday's tournaments at Chess Mates.

e-mail from GM Henrik Danielsen

On Saturday, I received this e-mail.

Hello, James West! 

I find your analyses in the Philidor Gambit fascinating.  Might be you are ahead of your time.  I will soon study your book deeply and test it on ICC.  All the best and thanks for your original analyses and for breaking out of the box! 

GM Henrik Danielsen
Iceland

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

My prediction is that you will find the Philidor Counter Gambit to be Philidor's crowning achievement, exceeding his many other accomplishments.

In the opening, Philidor's variation in the King's Gambit Accepted is highly regarded.  In the middlegame, he contributed the smothered checkmate known as Philidor's Legacy.  In the endgame, Philidor demonstrated a draw in rook and pawn versus rook endings, as well as a win in rook and bishop versus rook endings.

The Philidor Counter Gambit is every one of these, writ large, involving all 32 pieces on the board!

Solution to Chess Problem

The solution to yesterday's chess problem is 1...Nf3 2.f8=Q Ne5 3.Kxe5 Na3 4.Qxa3 Rg1 5.Qxb2 h1=B 6.Qxa1, stalemate.

Chess Problem: Stalemate in 5 Moves

Yesterday, at the Marshall Chess Club, a FIDE master showed me this problem: Black to move and stalemate himself in 5 moves (with help from White).

Don't be confused about which way the pawns are going.  Even though Black's pieces are arranged on White's starting squares, White's pawn is moving upward and Black's pawns downward.

Westfield Quads 7/6/2014

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 2-0-1 in the quads at Westfield.

Round One: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Aaron Jacobson (USCF 2118), Westfield NJ 7/6/2014

1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 c5 3.e3 a6 4.f4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be2 Nf6 7.O-O g6 8.a4 Bg7 9.Na3 O-O 10.Qe1 d4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 dxe3 13.dxe3 Qc7 14.Nc4 Nd7

15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Qc3+ f6 17.a5 Rfe8 18.Rad1 e5 19.Rxd7+ Qxd7 20.Nb6 Qe7 21.Nxa8 Rxa8 22.Bxc6 bxc6 23.fxe5 fxe5 24.Qc4 Ra7 25.Rd1 Kf6 26.Qh4+ Ke6 27.Qg4+ Kf6 28.Qc8 Qc7 29.Qf8+ Kg5 30.Qxc5 Rb7

31.b4 Rb5 32.Qc4 Qe7 33.Qg4+ Kh6 34.c3 c5 35.Rd5 cxb4 36.Rxb5 axb5 37.cxb4 Qc7 38.Qh4+ Kg7 39.Qe4 Kf6 40.Kh2 Qc4 41.Qf3+ Ke6 42.a6 e4 43.Qg4+ Ke7 44.Qg5+ Kd7 45.Qe5 Qa2 46.Qxb5+ Ke7

47.Qb7+ Kf6 48.a7 Qb2 49.Qb8 Kg5 50.Qf4+ Kh5 51.a8=Q h6 52.Qd5+ g5 53.Qdf7#.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Two: King's Indian Defense, Exchange Variation

George Grasser (USCF 2107) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 7/6/2014

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bg5 Re8 10.O-O c6 11.Rad1 Nbd7 12.b4 a5 13.b5 h6 14.Bc1 Nc5 15.bxc6 bxc6 16.Nd2 Be6 17.f3 Bf8

18.Bb2 Rab8 19.Rb1 Red8 20.Rfd1 Nd3 21.Nb3 Bxc4 22.Nxa5 Nxb2 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Nxc4 Nxc4 25.Bxc4 Rd4 26.Bb3 Nd7 27.Rd1 Nc5 28.Ne2 Nxb3 29.Nxd4 Nxd4 30.f4 Ne2+ 31.Kf2 Nxf4 32.Rd8 Kg7

33.Rc8 Nd3+ 34.Ke3 Nb4 35.a4 Bc5+ 36.Kd2 Bd4 37.a5 c5 38.Rb8 Nc6 39.a6 c4 40.Rc8 c3+ 41.Kd1 Na7 42.Rc7 g5 43.g4 Kg6 44.h3 h5 45.gxh5+ Kxh5 46.Rxf7 Kh4 47.Rh7+ Kg3 48.Kc2 Kf4 49.Kd3 Nc6

50.h4 gxh4 51.Rxh4+ Kg5 52.Rh1 Nb4+ 53.Kc4 Nxa6 54.Kb5 Nc5 55.Kc4 Nxe4 56.Kd5 Ng3 57.Rh8 Kf4 58.Rg8 Nf5 59.Rf8 c2 60.Rc8 Ne3+ 61.Ke6 Bb2, White resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Pirc Defense, Austrian Attack

Boris Privman (USCF 2325) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 7/6/2014

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d6 3.e4 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be3 b6 7.Qd2 c5 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.O-O-O Qxd2+ 10.Rxd2 Bb7 11.e5 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4

13.Ng5 Bf5 14.g4 Bxg4 15.Bg2 h6 16.Nxf7 Nd7 17.Bxa8 Rxa8 18.Rg1 Bf5 19.e6 Bxe6 20.Nxh6+ Kh7 21.Ng4 Nf6 22.Ne5 Bf5 23.Rgd1 e6 24.Rd8 Rxd8 25.Rxd8 Nd5 26.Bd2 g5 27.Nc6 gxf4 28.Rxd5 exd5 29.Bxf4 Bd7

30.Nxa7 Bh6 31.Bd2 Kg6 32.b4 cxb4 33.Bxh6 Kxh6 34.Kb2 d4 35.Kb3 Be6+ 36.Kxb4 Bxa2 37.Nc6 Kg5 38.Nxd4 Kg4 39.Kb5 Kh3 40.Kxb6 Kxh2 41.Kb5 Kg3 42.Kb4 Kf4 43.Nb3 Ke5 44.Ka3 Bb1 45.c4 Kd6, and drawn in ? moves.