WOCC Early Summer Quads

3-RR. G/100 d5. EF $20. Registration: 7pm to 7:45pm on June 18. (Advance entries welcome). Prizes: $60 to first in each section. Rounds: 8pm each round at the West Orange Chess Club.

Make up games are possible but not guaranteed.  A game that would be made up would have to be played on a date and venue offered by the opponent willing to extend that courtesy.  Such a game should be played no later than the last date of the tournament.  Exceptions to this policy would have to be discussed with the chief tournament director.

If possible, the most up-to-date ratings will be used to form the sections.

United States Chess Federation (USCF) membership must be paid up through to the last day of the tournament.

For any questions regarding the details of this event or to enter in advance, please contact chief tournament director John Hagerty via e-mail at buickchess@gmail.com or by phone at 973-736-3433 between the hours of 10am and 10pm.

The tournament committee, as allowed by USCF affiliate rules, reserves the right to make changes and modifications to the above specifications for the proper governance of the tournament.

This information is subject to change.

Thursday Action, Round 4, 6/13/2019

On Thursday, I finished with a score of 1-1-2 in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Four:  Pirc Defense

Jacob Pope (USCF 2073) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 6/13/2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Qd2 c6 6.O-O-O b5 7.f3 b4 8.Na4 Qa5 9.b3 Ba6 10.a3 Bxf1 11.Rxf1 Qb5 12.Qe2 bxa3 13.Kb1 Nbd7 14.Ka2 Rb8

15.Nc3 Qb4 16.Qd2 c5 17.dxc5 Nxc5 18.Nge2 O-O 19.Rb1 a5 20.Na4 Nxa4 21.Qxb4 axb4 22.bxa4 Rfc8 23.Rhc1 Nd7 24.c3 bxc3 25.Rxb8 Rxb8 26.Kxa3 Nc5 27.Rc2 Rb3+ 28.Ka2 Rb4

29.Nxc3 Bxc3 30.Rxc3 Rxa4+ 31.Kb1 h5 32.Be3 Ne6, and drawn in ? moves.

                                      Final Position

Thursday Action, Round 2, 6/13/2019

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

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Anthony Kozikowski (USCF 2129), Marshall Chess Club 6/13/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 Nbd7 7.Bb3 Nc5 8.f3 e6 9.Be3 Be7 10.Qd2 Qc7 11.O-O-O b5 12.g4 Bb7 13.g5 Nfd7

14.h4 Nxb3+ 15.Nxb3 Nb6 16.Bxb6 Qxb6 17.Qd4 Qxd4 18.Rxd4 Bc6 19.Na5 Rc8 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.Rf1 h6 22.f4 hxg5 23.hxg5 Rh2 24.Rd2 Rh3 25.Rg2 b4 26.Nd1 Rc4 27.f5 g6 28.f6 Bd8

29.Nf2 Bb6 30.Nxh3 Rxe4 31.Kd1 d5 32.Nf4 a5 33.Nd3 a4 34.Rf4 Rxf4 35.Nxf4 Bc5 36.Rh2 Be3 37.Rh8+ Kd7 38.Nxg6 fxg6 39.f7 Bc5 40.f8=Q Bxf8 41.Rxf8 e5 42.Rg8 Ke6 43.Rxg6+ Kf5 44.Rd6 d4 45.g6, Black resigns.

Thursday Action, Round 1, 6/13/2019

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

Round One: Falkbeer Counter Gambit

Nazzareno Bertini (USCF 1621) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 6/13/2019

1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.Bxc3 Ne7 8.Qb1 O-O 9.Ne2 exd3 10.cxd3 Nbc6 11.d4 Bf5 12.Qc1 Rfe8 13.Qd2 Rad8 14.O-O-O Qxa2

15.Qe3 Nd5 16.Qg3 Qb1+ 17.Kd2 Qc2+ 18.Ke1 Nxc3 19.bxc3 Rd6 20.Rd2 Qc1+ 21.Rd1 Qe3 22.d5 Qxg3 23.hxg3 Nb8 24.Kf2 Bg4 25.Rd2 Bxe2 26.Bxe2 Nd7 27.Bf3 Nc5 28.Rd4 f5 29.Rhd1 a5 30.c4 b6

31.g4 fxg4 32.Bxg4 h6 33.Bf3 Rf6 34.g3 a4 35.d6 cxd6 36.Rxd6 Rxd6 37.Rxd6 Ne4+ 38.Bxe4 Rxe4 39.Rxb6 Rxc4 40.Ra6 h5 41.Kf3 Rc3+ 42.Kg2 a3 43.Kh3 Kh7 44.Kh4 g6 45.Ra7+ Kh6 46.Ra6 Rc1

47.Kh3 Rc3 48.Kh4 Kg7 49.Kh3 Rb3 50.Kh4 Kf7 51.Kh3, draw.

My Summer 2019 Teaching Schedule

On Wednesday afternoons, from late June to early August, I will coach a chess camp at Hudson Montessori School for 101 Discoveries.

Crash Dieting

[photo by Parsippany police]

Between rounds at the USATE 2019, Premier Chess CEO Evan Rabin and I dined at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse inside the Parsippany Hilton where the event was held.

Edison Quad, Round 3, 6/8/2019

On Saturday, I finished with a score of 2-0-1 at the quad in Edison.

Round Three: Sicilian Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Arthur Shu (USCF 670), Edison NJ 6/8/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 g6 5.dxc5 Bg7 6.cxd6 exd6 7.Bb5+ Nc6 8.O-O O-O 9.Bf4 a6 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Qxd6 Qb6 12.Qa3 a5 13.h3 a4 14.Rad1 Ba6 15.Rfe1 Rfe8

16.Bd6 Re6 17.Nxa4 Bb5 18.Nxb6 Rxa3 19.Bxa3 Nxe4 20.Nd4 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 Ba6 22.Rdxe4 Rd6 23.Bxd6, Black resigns.

Edison Quad, Round 2, 6/8/2019

On Saturday, I won this game at the quad in Edison.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Eric Li (USCF 1606) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Edison NJ 6/8/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be2 Be6 9.O-O Nbd7 10.f4 Rc8 11.f5 Bc4 12.Bxc4 Rxc4 13.Qd3 Qc7 14.Rac1 O-O

15.Na5 Rb4 16.a3 Nc5 17.Qe2 Qxa5 18.axb4 Qxb4 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.exd5 Qxb2 21.f6 Bxf6 22.Rxf6 gxf6 23.Bh6 Qd4+ 24.Kh1 Re8 25.Qf3 Qe4 26.Qxf6 Qg6 27.Qh4 Kh8 28.Rf1 Rg8

29.g4 Qe4+ 30.Kg1 Rxg4+ 31.Qxg4 Qxg4+ 32.Kh1 f5 33.Rg1 Qf3+ 34.Rg2 Qd1+ 35.Rg1 Qxd5+ 36.Rg2 Qxg2+ 37.Kxg2 Kg8 38.Kf3 Kf7 39.Ke3 Ke6 40.c4 b5 41.cxb5 axb5 42.Kd2 Kd5 43.Kc3 Kc6, White resigns.

Edison Quad, Round 1, 6/8/2019

Pictured are Roman Rychkov and Eric Li.

On Saturday, I drew this game at the quad in Edison.

Round One: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Roman Rychkov (USCF 2147), Edison NJ 6/8/2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O f6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 c5 8.Nb3 Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bd6 10.Be3 b6 11.a4 Bg4 12.f3 Be6 13.Nc3 Ne7 14.a5 Bxb3 15.cxb3 b5 16.Nd5 Nc6

17.Rdc1 Nb4 18.Bxc5 Nxd5 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.exd5 Kd7 21.Rc6 Rhe8 22.Rac1 Ra7 23.Kf2 Re5 24.Rc8 Rxd5 25.Rg8 Ke6 26.Re1+ Kf7 27.Rc8 b4 28.Rb8 Rxa5 29.Rxb4 Rb5 30.Ree4 Rab7 31.Rxb5 Rxb5

32.Re3 d5 33.Rd3 Ke6 34.Ke3 Rb4 35.Kd2 d4 36.Kc2 Kd5 37.Rd1 Rb6 38.Re1 Re6 39.Ra1 Kc5 40.Kd3 Re3+ 41.Kd2 Rxb3 42.Rxa6 Rxb2+ 43.Kd3 Rxg2 44.Ra5+ Kd6 45.Rh5 Rf2 

46.Kxd4 Rxf3 47.Rxh7 Rf4+ 48.Ke3 Rg4 49.Kf3 f5 50.h3 Rg1 51.Kf2 Rg6 52.Rh8 Ke5, and drawn in ? moves.

                                          Final Position

Thursday Action, Round 3, 6/6/2019

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

Round Three: Falkbeer Counter Gambit

Nazzareno Bertini (USCF 1672) - Jim West (USCF 2204), Marshall Chess Club 6/6/2019

1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.d3 Bb4 6.Bd2 e3 7.Bxe3 O-O 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxd5 10.Bd2 Re8+ 11.Kf2 Qf6 12.Qf3 Nxc3 

13.Re1 Rxe1 14.Bxe1 Nc6 15.Ne2 Nxe2 16.Bxe2 Bd7 17.Bd2 Re8 18.Re1 b6 19.Bd1 Rxe1 20.Kxe1 h6 21.h3 Qe7+ 22.Kf2 Qxa3 23.Qd5 Qd6 24.Qxd6 cxd6 25.c3 Kf8 26.Bf3 Ke7 27.Bd5 Nd8 28.g4 Bc6 29.Bf3 Bxf3 30.Kxf3 Ne6

31.d4 d5 32.Ke3 g6 33.Kd3 b5 34.Ke3 f5 35.Bc1 a5 36.Ba3+ Kf7 37.Bd6 h5 38.g5 Ke8 39.h4 Kd7 40.Ba3 Kc6 41.Be7 Nc7 42.Kd3 a4 43.Bb4 Na8 44.Kd2 Nb6 45.Kc2 Nc4 46.Bf8 Ne3+ 47.Kd2 Ng2 48.Ke2 Nxf4+ 49.Kf3 Ne6 50.Bb4 Nc7

51.Kf4 Na6 52.Ba3 b4 53.cxb4 Kb5 54.Ke5 Nxb4 55.Kf6 f4 56.Bc1 Nd3 57.Bd2 a3 58.Kxg6 a2 59.Bc3 f3 60.Kxh5 f2 61.g6 f1=Q 62.g7 Qf7+ 63.Kh6 Qg8 64.h5 Kc4 65.Ba1 Nb4 66.Kg6 Qe6+ 67.Kh7 Qf5+ 68.Kh6 Qf7

69.Kh7 Qxh5+ 70.Kg8 Nc2 71.Bb2 a1=Q 72.Bxa1 Nxa1 73.Kf8 Qh6 74.Kf7 Qxg7+ 75.Kxg7 Kxd4 76.Kg6 Ke3, White resigns.

Thursday Action, Round 1, 6/6/2019

On Thursday, this game was played in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round One: Sicilian Defense

Donald Uzoma (USCF 1770) - Jim West (USCF 2204), Marshall Chess Club 6/6/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 a6 4.a4 Nf6 5.Bc4 e6 6.d3 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.Re1 Nc6 9.Bf4 Nd4 10.e5 dxe5 11.Bxe5 Bd6 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Ne4 Qe7 15.Qh5 h6

16.g4 Bf4 17.h4 g6 18.Qc5 Qxh4 19.Qxd4 e5 20.Qd6 Qh2+ 21.Kf1 Qh1+, White resigns.

Cranford Dramatic Club Auditions: "Chess"

Open auditions: June 12th and 13th at CDC Theatre.