Pix from USATE 2/13/2016

On Saturday, I snapped these photos at the USATE 2016.

USATE 2016, Day 3

Pictured (right to left) from the USATE 2016 is the team West Orange Krush with IM Mikhail Zlotnikov, NM Vladimir Lipman, NM Jim West, and Steve Hrop.

Round Five: Dutch Defense

Dave Diamond (USCF 1830) - Jim West (USCF 2203), Parsippany NJ 2/15/2016

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.c3 Nf6 4.Nbd2 b6 5.e3 Bb7 6.Bd3 Be7 7.Qc2 O-O 8.h3 Ba6 9.g4 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 g6 11.gxf5 exf5 12.Rg1 Kh8 13.Ng5 Qc8 14.e4 fxe4 15.Ndxe4 d5 16.Nxf6 Bxf6

17.Nxh7 Qe8+ 18.Be3 Kxh7 19.O-O-O Qe4 20.Qe2 Nd7 21.Rg4 Qf5 22.Rdg1 Rg8 23.h4 Qh5 24.Rxg6 Qxh4 25.Qd3 Rxg6 26.Qxg6+ Kh8 27.Qf7 Qh7 28.Qxd5 Re8 29.Rh1 Bh4 30.Rxh4 Qxh4 31.Qxd7 Qe7

32.Qc6 Rd8 33.Qg6 Qg7 34.Qe4, draw.

USATE 2016, Day 2

On Sunday, I drew this game in the USATE 2016 at the Hilton Parsippany.

Round Three: Philidor Counter Gambit

Rose Dreizen (USCF 1649) - Jim West (USCF 2203), Parsippany NJ 2/14/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 f5 4.d4 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Ng3 e4 7.Ne5 Nf6 8.Be2 Bd6 9.Ng4 O-O 10.O-O Nc6 11.c3 Nxg4 12.Bxg4 Qh4 13.Bxc8 Raxc8

14.Qb3 Ne7 15.Qxb7 Rb8 16.Qa6 e3 17.Bxe3 Rxb2 18.Rab1 Rxb1 19.Rxb1 Bxg3 20.hxg3 Qe4 21.Rc1 Nf5 22.Qe2 Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Qxe3 24.fxe3 Re8 25.Kf2 Rb8 26.Rc2 Rb1 27.Ke2 Kf7 28.Kd3 Rd1+ 29.Rd2 Re1

30.Rc2 Rd1+ 31.Ke2 Rg1 32.Kf2 Ra1 33.g4 a5 34.Kg3 a4 35.c4 c6 36.cxd5 cxd5 37.Kf4 Ke6 38.Re2 Kd6 39.e4 dxe4 40.Kxe4 a3 41.Rd2 Re1+ 42.Kf3 Kd5 43.Rd3 Rf1+ 44.Kg3 Rf7 45.Rxa3 Kxd4 46.Ra8 Ke5 47.a4 Rf1

48.Ra7 Kf6 49.g5+ Kg6 50.Ra5 Ra1 51.Kg4 Ra2 52.g3 Ra1 53.Ra6+ Kf7 54.a5 Ra2 55.Ra7+ Kg6 56.a6 Ra4+ 57.Kh3 Ra5 58.Kh4 Ra4+ 59.Kh3 Ra5 60.g4 Rxg5 61.Rc7 Ra5 62.a7 h6 63.Kh4 Kh7 64.Kg3 Ra4

65.Kf3 Kg6 66.Ke3 Kf6 67.Kd3 g6 68.Kc3 h5 69.gxh5 gxh5 70.Kb3 Ra1 71.Kb4 h4 72.Kb5 Rb1+ 73.Ka6 Ra1+ 74.Kb7 Kg5 75.Rc6 Rxa7+ 76.Kxa7 h3 77.Rc5+ Kg4 78.Rc4+ Kg3 79.Rc3+ Kg2 80.Rc2+ Kg1, draw.

USATE 2016, Day 1

On Saturday, I played this game in the USATE 2016 at the Hilton Parsippany.

Round Two: Caro-Kann Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2203) - Mubasser Uddin (USCF 1925), Parsippany NJ 2/13/2016

1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Qc7 6.Ne2 Bg4 7.h3 Bd7 8.Na3 a6 9.Nc2 Nf6 10.O-O e5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Ned4 Bd6 13.Re1 O-O

14.Bg5 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Ne4 16.Be3 Be6 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Nd4 Rae8 19.Nf3 Qf7 20.Re2 Qg6 21.Ne1 Rf5 22.c4 Ref8 23.cxd5 exd5 24.Rc1 Rh5 25.Rec2 Qe6 26.Bd4 Bf4 27.Rd1 Ng5 28.Bc5 Re8 29.Kf1 Ne4

30.Nf3 Rxh3 31.gxh3 Qxh3+ 32.Kg1 Qg4+ 33.Kf1 Qh3+, draw.

"Shoes Chess" on Wednesdays

At a London art gallery, Wednesdays are "Shoes Chess" days.

Pix from February Weekend FIDE

Last weekend, I photographed the players during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

20 Years Ago, Deep Blue Beats Kasparov

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of a computer's first win against a reigning world champion.

From Dixieland with Lev

Candidate master Lev Zilbermintz [pictured, left], not to be confused with Lord Tennyson [pictured, right], sends this poem.

DEFEATING CHEAP SHOTS, WHAT IF THE SOUTH WON? 

Once again after time of licking his chess wounds, 
Comes the Yellow Coward, 
His yellow cowardice knows no bounds,
But now that cheap shots are his weapon, he comes forward. 

Yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow! Yellow Coward! 
With shaking hands he moves pieces, 
Scared to death of gambits and unorthodox openings, 
The Yellow Coward is left to his own devices. 

This time the coward’s devious mind has a nefarious plan, 
Using cheap shots, he will play a game of hit-and-run, 
Not the honorable tactics of General Robert E. Lee, 
Yet the yellow cowardice will be exposed for the world to see! 

Cheap shots require a lot of attention and skill to beat back, 
One careless move, and the cheap shots might succeed, 
But did not the South in 1861 from the Union secede? 
And the great General Lee was the master of attack? 

Confederate troops move forward against cheap shots, 
And the ranks close solid against nefarious tricks, 
The Yellow Coward, cheap shots beaten off, is getting his licks, 
Stars and Bars fly over the enemy positions, 
The enemy surrenders to General Lee, 
In binoculars, the federal high command a complete rout does see. 

The Blackmar-Diemer, the Zilbermintz Benoni, the Tennison, 
And other gambits does the Yellow Coward try to avoid, 
He is scared out of his mind of unorthodox openings and gambits, 
Of courage and fair tactics the coward is completely devoid, 
So instead, the coward will attempt cheap shots, dirty tricks, 
Well, to his rear he will get a real number of hard kicks! 

Slowly the cheap shots are beaten off and pieces traded, 
Into the endgame the Yellow Coward is taken, 
‘Tis a place which he would rather have evaded, 
For you see, the Yellow Coward is not good at the endgame, 
Stars and Bars fly over the enemy parapets, 
The coward’s excuses are soft and lame. 

Soon surrender arrives, and the Yellow Coward stops the clock, 
Oh, but now there is no Appomattox here today! 
Nay, courage and bravery have carried the cause thus far, 
Bards will sing long about this battle for years, 
General Grant has surrendered to General Lee, 
Over the chess board, the Yellow Coward lays down his lone king, 
Departing, his cheap shots beaten off, whining like a beaten dog, 
Weeping salty, angry tears. 

Lev D. Zilbermintz
October 30, 2015 

4 West Orange Teams at USATE 2016

West Orange Krush
Mikhail Zlotnikov
Vladimir Lipman
James R. West
Stephen Hrop
Charles M. Hart (alternate)

Rhymes with West Orange 
Lev Zilbermintz
Ari Minkov
Matthew Boxer
Eric R. Song
Alis Amparo (alternate)

West Orange "A" 
Roger E. Pedersen
Alberto Martinez
Doran Race
Jason Lu
Charles M. Hart (alternate)

West Orange "B" 
Joseph Fortunato
Leonardo Moreira
Charles Kirck
Aiden Lu
Andrew Deng (alternate)

Marshall February Weekend FIDE 2/7/2016

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

Round Four: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2067) - Jason Margiotta (FIDE 1933), Marshall Chess Club 2/7/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.d3 Qf6 7.Nbd2 Ne7 8.Nc4 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Qxf3 10.gxf3 Ng6 11.Be3 Bd6 12.Kh1 f6 13.Rg1 Rg8 14.Rg3 Nf4 15.Bxf4 exf4 16.Nxd6+ cxd6 17.Rg4 g5 18.Rag1 Kd7

19.h4 h6 20.d4 Rge8 21.hxg5 fxg5 22.R4g2 b5 23.Rh2 Re6 24.Kg2 a5 25.Rgh1 Rh8 26.Rh5 Rg6 27.Kh3 Ke6 28.Kg4 Kf6 29.c3 Rh7 30.b3 Rh8 31.c4 b4 32.c5 Kg7 33.cxd6 Rxd6 34.Rc1 Rxd4 35.Rxc6 Rd2

36.Rc7+ Kg6 37.Rc6+ Kg7 38.e5 Rxf2 39.Rc7+ Kg6 40.Rc6+ Kg7 41.Rf6 Re2 42.Kf5 Rc8 43.Rhxh6 Rc5 44.Rhg6+ Kh7 45.Rf7+ Kh8 46.Re6 Rc8 47.Ree7 Rxa2 48.Rh7+ Kg8 49.Reg7+ Kf8 50.e6, Black resigns.

Marshall February Weekend FIDE 2/6/2016

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

Round Three: Dutch Defense

Serge Adelson (FIDE 1846) - Jim West (FIDE 2067), Marshall Chess Club 2/6/2016

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 O-O 6.Bd2 a5 7.Qc2 d6 8.Nf3 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Ne4 10.O-O Nd7 11.b3 Nxc3 12.Qxc3 Qe7 13.Rfe1 Nf6 14.Nd2 e5

15.dxe5 dxe5 16.e4 fxe4 17.Nxe4 c6 18.Rad1 Nxe4 19.Rxe4 Qf6 20.Qe3 Re8 21.Re1 a4 22.Rxe5 Rxe5 23.Qxe5 Qxe5 24.Rxe5 axb3 25.axb3 Ra1+ 26.Bf1 Bh3, White resigns.

Chess Game Included in Facebook Messenger

A chess game is hidden inside Facebook Messenger.