Fischer Symposium

Here is a press release, dated 1/29/2009, from the Marshall Chess Club.

Understanding Bobby Fischer

The first International Symposium on Bobby Fischer will take place on March 6th and 7th at the world’s most famous gathering place for chessplayers, The Marshall Chess Club. Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) often competed at the Club, and it was there that he played his most startling “Game of the Century.” The event is sponsored by the Marshall Chess Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the game though tournaments, instruction and scholarships for juniors.

“The point of the Symposium is an attempt to understand the enigma of Bobby Fischer,” said Dr. Frank Brady, president of the Marshall. Two philosophers, a Grandmaster, a biographer, and a player who once beat Fischer, will be among many of those who will present papers, or share reminiscences of Fischer, possibly the greatest chess player who ever lived. A book company is planning to publish the proceedings in hard-cover.

Combined with the Symposium, there will be a display of some of the documents, letters and other ephemera that make up the Fischer Archive, a newly-acquired trove of thousands of items, recently donated to the Marshall Chess Foundation.

The event is open to spectators, free of charge but a donation may be made to the Foundation. Presentations will be made on Friday and Saturday, March 6th and 7th from 1PM to 6PM.

For further information on making a presentation, or as a spectator, contact Dr. Frank Brady, bradyf@stjohns.edu.

Phone 212-477-3716 Fax 212-995-9281
http://www.marshallchessclub.org/
marshall.cc@verizon.net

Fajarowicz Games in "Telegraph"

Last June, in the chess column of the Telegraph, a couple of wins by Black in the Fajarowicz variation were featured.

Kasparov - Steinwender

Here is a game where Garry Kasparov played the white pieces against the Fajarowicz variation.

Geraci - Diamondback

Fellow chess blogger Diamondback has asked me to look at his game against Sal Geraci, played at the Hamilton quads on Saturday.



Diamondback wants me to find a quicker win for Black, but unfortunately he was busted in the opening.


From the diagrammed position, White should have played 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Nxe5+ with a winning attack.

Fajarowicz with 4...d6

Alejandro Melchor of Barcelona has e-mailed these games in the Fajarowicz variation where Black plays 4...d6.

[Event "Linares Anibal op"][Site "Linares"][Date "1994.01.??"][Round "2"][White "Veingold,Aleksandr"][Black "Carpintero,Javier"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A53"]1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Nbd2 Bf5 6.Nxe4 Bxe4 7.Ng5 Bg6 8.e6 fxe6 9.Nxe6 Qd7 10.Nf4 Bf7 11.e4 Be7 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 Bf6 14.Nd5 Bd8 15.Be3 Qe8 16.Qc2 Bg6 17.Bd3 c6 18.Nf4 Bf7 19.c5 Bc7 20.cxd6 Bxd6 21.Ne2 Nd7 22.f4 Nf6 23.e5 Ng4 24.Rf3 g6 25.Bc5 Bxc5+ 26.Qxc5 Rd8 27.h3 Nh6 28.Qxa7 Bd5 29.Rg3 Qf7 30.Qe3 Nf5 31.Bxf5 Qxf5 32.Nd4 Qh5 33.Rg5 Qh4 34.Rf1 Bc4 35.Rf2 Bxa2 36.e6 Rde8 37.b3 Bb1 38.Qe5 Re7 39.Qd6 Rfe8 40.b4 Bd3 41.Nf3 Qh6 42.Qxd3

[Event "Zaragoza op-B"][Site "Zaragoza"][Date "1995.06.??"][Round "5"][White "Peo,A"][Black "Carpintero,Javier"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A53"]1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Nbd2 Nc5 6.Qc2 Nc6 7.e6 Bxe6 8.e3 Qf6 9.Be2 Bf5 10.e4 Bg6 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.Re1 Re8 13.Bf1 Bh5 14.b4 Qxa1 15.Bb2 Nxb4 16.Qc3 Na4 17.Qxb4 Qxb2 18.Qxa4 Be7 19.Rb1 Qf6 20.Qxa7 Bd8 21.Qxb7+ Kd7 22.Qb5+ Ke7 23.Qxh5 Kf8 24.a4 Qc3 25.Rb3 Qa1 26.a5 c5 27.Qd5 Qxa5 28.Qxd6+ Be7 29.Qf4 g6 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.Ne5 Bf8 32.Qf4 Qc7 33.Nxg6 Bd6 34.e5 hxg6 35.exd6 Qd8 36.Rb7 Rh7 37.d7 Rf8 38.Ne4

[Event "BEL-ch U18"][Site "Leuven"][Date "1998.??.??"][Round "8"][White "De Wachter,Stefan"][Black "Stinis,Steven"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A53"]1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Nbd2 Bf5 6.Nxe4 Bxe4 7.Bf4 Bxf3 8.exf3 Nd7 9.exd6 cxd6 10.Bd3 Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Rc1 Qa5 13.Qd2 Qh5 14.Be4 Ne5 15.Bxb7 Rab8 16.Bd5 g5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.b3 Kg7 19.Be4 f5 20.Qd7 Rfe8 21.Qxf5 Rb6 22.Rcd1 Rf6 23.Qh3 Qxh3 24.gxh3 Ra6 25.Bb1 Rd6 26.Rxd6 Bxd6 27.Rd1 Rd8 28.Kg2 h5 29.h4 gxh4 30.f4 exf4 31.Kf3 Kf6 32.h3 Ke6 33.c5 Bc7 34.Rxd8 Bxd8 35.Kxf4 Kd5 36.Bg6 Kxc5 37.Bxh5 Kb4 38.Kf5 Ka3 39.Be8 Kxa2 40.Ba4 Kb2 41.f4 Kc3 42.Ke6 Kd4 43.f5

[Event "Faroe-ch"][Site "Faroe Islands"][Date "1999.03.26"][Round "7"][White "Olsen,Heini"][Black "Simonsen,Olavur"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A53"]1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.d4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Nbd2 Bf5 6.Nxe4 Bxe4 7.Ng5 Bg6 8.e6 fxe6 9.Nxe6 Qd7 10.Nf4 Bf7 11.e4 Nc6 12.Be2 Ne5 13.0-0 0-0-0 14.Nd5 Kb8 15.f4 Nc6 16.Be3 Ne7 17.Bf3 Nc8 18.Qd3 c6 19.Nc3 Be7 20.Rad1 Qc7 21.b3 Rhg8 22.Ne2 g5 23.Nd4 g4 24.Be2 h5 25.Nf5 d5 26.cxd5 cxd5 27.Rc1 Qa5 28.Rxc8+ Rxc8 29.Nxe7 Rc3 30.Qd4 Rxe3 31.Qxe3 Re8 32.Nf5

[Event "Ceske Budejovice op"][Site "Ceske Budejovice"][Date "2000.??.??"][Round "2"][White "Slajs,Vlastimil"][Black "Korostenski,Frantisek"][Result "0-1"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.exd6 Bxd6 6.e3 Nc6 7.Be2 Bf5 8.0-0 Qf6 9.Nbd2 0-0-0 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.Qa4 Rhe8 12.Bd2 Qxb2 13.Qb3 Qxb3 14.axb3 a6 15.Bc3 f6 16.Nd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 Bc2 18.c5 Be5 19.Bxe5 Rxe5 20.c6 a5 21.b4 a4 22.cxb7+ Kxb7 23.Rfc1 Bb3 24.Kf1 Kb6 25.Ke1 f5 26.Rc3 c5 27.bxc5+ Rxc5 28.Rac1 Rxc3 29.Rxc3 Ka5 30.Bd3 Kb4 31.Kd2 a3 32.Rc7 a2 33.Rb7+ Ka3

[Event "Ceske Budejovice op"][Site "Ceske Budejovice"][Date "2000.??.??"][Round "4"][White "Lang,Christian"][Black "Korostenski,Frantisek"][Result "0-1"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.e3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bf5 7.Nxe4 Bxe4 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Rxd8 11.Ke2 Be7 12.Rd1 Rxd1 13.Kxd1 0-0 14.Ke2 Rd8 15.b3 f5 16.Bb2 Bf6 17.Ne1 Kf7 18.Nc2 g5 19.Rd1 Rxd1 20.Kxd1 e4 21.Bxf6 Kxf6 22.Nd4 Nb4 23.a3 Nd3 24.f3 f4 25.exf4 Nxf4 26.g3 Ne6 27.Nxe6 Kxe6 28.Ke2 Ke5 29.Ke3 exf3 30.Kxf3 h5 31.Ke3 c5 32.b4 cxb4 33.axb4 h4 34.gxh4 gxh4 35.h3 a6 36.c5 Kd5 37.Kd3 a5 38.bxa5 Kxc5 39.a6 bxa6 40.Kc3 Kd5

[Event "Dortmund ABC Aufstreber 14th"][Site "Dortmund"][Date "2000.??.??"][Round "1"][White "Kluge,Klaus"][Black "Gegner,Michael"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qc2 Bf5 6.Nc3 d5 7.cxd5 Na6 8.Nxe4 Nb4 9.Nd6+ Qxd6 10.Qxf5 Qxd5 11.Bd2 Rd8 12.a3 g6 13.Qb1 Nc6 14.e4 Qb3 15.Bc3 Bh6 16.Be2 0-0 17.0-0 Bf4 18.Bd1 Qe6 19.b4 Qg4 20.Qb2 Qh5 21.g3 Bh6 22.e6 fxe6 23.Ne5 Qg5 24.Nxc6 bxc6 25.Bb3 Qe7 26.Qe2 Bg7 27.Bxg7 Kxg7 28.Rad1 Rb8 29.Qa6 Rf3 30.Rd3 Rxd3 31.Qxd3 Rd8 32.Qc3+ e5 33.Qxc6 Rd6 34.Qc5 a5 35.f4 axb4 36.axb4 Qd7 37.fxe5

[Event "Dortmund ABC Aufstreber"][Site "Dortmund"][Date "2000.??.??"][Round "3"][White "Gerke,Dieter"][Black "Gegner,Michael"][Result "0-1"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 f5 6.exd6 Bxd6 7.e3 Nc6 8.a3 Qe7 9.Qd1 Be6 10.Be2 g5 11.b4 Ne5 12.c5 Nxf3+ 13.gxf3 Be5 14.fxe4 Bxa1 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Bh5+ Bg6 17.Bxg6+ hxg6 18.Qc2 Qe6 19.Nc3 Bxc3+ 20.Qxc3 0-0-0 21.Bb2 Qe4 22.Rg1 Qf3 23.Qc2 Rxh2 24.Bd4 g4 25.Qe2 Rh1 26.Qxf3 Rxg1+

[Event "Dortmund ABC Aufstreber"][Site "Dortmund"][Date "2000.??.??"][Round "7"][White "Dieckmann,Rudolf"][Black "Gegner,Michael"][Result "0-1"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.exd6 Bxd6 6.h3 Nxf2 7.Qd4 Nxh1 8.Bf4 Nc6 9.Qe3+ Qe7 10.Qxe7+ Kxe7 11.Bg5+ f6 12.Bh4 Bg3+

[Event "Zita op"][Site "Germany"][Date "2001.01.??"][Round "6"][White "John,Hans Juergen"][Black "Duester,Christian"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.e3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Nc5 7.Nb3 Nd7 8.exd6 Bxd6 9.Be2 0-0 10.0-0 Qf6 11.Nbd4 Nde5 12.Nxc6 Nxc6 13.a3 Bf5 14.Qb3 Rfe8 15.Bd2 Be4 16.Bb4 Nxb4 17.axb4 Qh6 18.g3 Qh5 19.Nd4 Qh3 20.Bf3 Bxf3 21.Nxf3 Qg4 22.Kg2 Re6 23.c5 Be7 24.Rad1 h5 25.Rd4 Qg6 26.Qd3 Qh6 27.h4 a5 28.bxa5 Bxc5 29.Rd8+ Re8 30.Rxe8+ Rxe8 31.Qb5 Qc6 32.Qxc6 bxc6 33.a6 Ra8 34.Ra1 Kf8 35.Ne5 Ke7 36.b4 Ke6 37.Nxc6 Kd5 38.b5 Kc4 39.Rb1 f6 40.Kf3 Kd5 41.Rc1 Kd6 42.Ke4 g6 43.Kd3 Kd5 44.Rc2 f5 45.Kc3 Ke6 46.Kc4 Bb6 47.Rd2 Rg8 48.a7 Kf6 49.Ra2 Ra8 50.Kd5 g5 51.hxg5+ Kxg5 52.Ra4

[Event "Southend op"][Site "London"][Date "2001.04.13"][Round "2"][White "Pierbattisti,Giorgio"][Black "Blackburn,Barry"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Nbd2 Nc5 6.b4 Ne6 7.exd6 Bxd6 8.c5 Be7 9.Bb2 0-0 10.Nb3 Qe8 11.e3 Nd7 12.Bd3 Nf4 13.0-0 Nxd3 14.Qxd3 Bf6 15.Bd4 Ne5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.Qc3 Bxd4 18.exd4 Qe6 19.Rae1 Qg6 20.Re3 Be6 21.Rg3 Qh6 22.Re1 Rad8 23.Re5 Bxb3 24.axb3 Rxd4 25.h3 Rd1+ 26.Kh2 Qf4 27.Re4 Qh6 28.Rxg7+ Qxg7 29.Rg4 Qxg4 30.hxg4 Rfd8 31.Qe5 R1d7 32.f4 c6 33.Qg5+ Kh8 34.Qf6+ Kg8 35.f5 Rd4 36.Qg5+ Kh8 37.Qh6 R4d7 38.g5 Rg8 39.Qf6+ Rg7 40.Qe5 Rd8 41.g3 Kg8 42.Qe7 Rf8 43.f6 Rxg5 44.Qxb7 Rh5+ 45.Kg2 Rd8 46.Qxc6 Rd2+ 47.Kf3 Rhd5 48.Qe8+

[Event "ICCF Jubilee P174 email"][Site "ICCF Email"][Date "2001.09.01"][Round "0"][White "Musso,Giorgio"][Black "Zimmermann,Jan Erik"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Nbd2 Nc5 6.Nb3 Nxb3 7.Qxb3 Nc6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.exd6 Qxd6 11.Rd1 Qb4+ 12.Qxb4 Nxb4 13.a3 Nc2+ 14.Kd2 Bf5 15.Kc3 0-0 16.e4 Bxe4 17.Bd3 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Nxa3 19.bxa3 Rfe8 20.Be4 c6 21.Rd7 Rab8 22.Rb1

[Event "Kurpfalz Seniors op"][Site "Ludwigshafen"][Date "2001.09.30"][Round "3"][White "Weitzel,Paul"][Black "Hoehnemann,Hans Juergen"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.e3 Nc6 6.exd6 Bxd6 7.a3 Be6 8.Nbd2 Nf6 9.b4 b6 10.Bb2 0-0 11.Qc2 h6 12.Rd1 Qe7 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Qe8 15.Be2 f5 16.Qc2 f4 17.e4 Bf7 18.Qc3 Ne5 19.Nxe5 Bxe5 20.Qxe5 Qxe5 21.Bxe5 g5 22.f3 c5 23.b5 Rfe8 24.Bc3 Rad8 25.Kf2

[Event "Berlin Eckbauer op"][Site "Berlin"][Date "2002.10.??"][Round "7"][White "Hennings,Dirk"][Black "Prinz,Tade"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.Bf4 Be6 8.exd6 cxd6 9.e3 Qa5 10.Qc2 Be7 11.Bd3 Bf6 12.Rc1 Rd8 13.0-0 Qh5 14.Nd4 Bc8 15.Nxc6 bxc6 16.Qa4 Qc5 17.Be4 d5 18.cxd5 0-0 19.Qxc6 Qa3 20.Bc7 Rd7 21.d6 g6 22.Rb1 Qxc3 23.Qxc3 Bxc3 24.Bc6 Rxc7 25.dxc7 Ba5 26.Bb7 Be6 27.Rfc1 Bxc7 28.Rxc7 Rb8 29.Rbc1 Kg7 30.e4 Rd8 31.Bd5 Bxd5 32.exd5 Rxd5 33.Rxa7 h5 34.Kf1 g5 35.Rcc7 Rf5 36.a4 Kg6 37.Rxf7 Rc5 38.Rfc7 Rd5 39.Rc1 h4 40.a5 Kf5 41.a6 Ra5 42.Ra8 Ra2 43.a7 h3 44.Rf8+ Kg4 45.gxh3+ Kxh3 46.a8=Q Rb2 47.Qf3+ Kh4 48.Rh8+

[Event "SVK-ch U18 Girls"][Site "Slovakia"][Date "2003.??.??"][Round "0"][White "Hegenbartova,Alena"][Black "Szabo,Eva"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.exd6 Bxd6 6.a3 Nxf2 7.Qd2 Nxh1 8.b4 Qf6 9.Bb2 Qg6 10.c5 Bg3+ 11.hxg3 Qxg3+ 12.Kd1 Nf2+ 13.Kc1 Ne4 14.Qe3 Bf5 15.Nbd2 Qg4 16.g3 0-0 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Be5 Bf5 19.Nd4 Nc6 20.Nxc6 bxc6 21.Bxc7 Qc4+ 22.Kd1 Qc2+ 23.Ke1 Rae8 24.Qd4 Re4 25.Qd2 Qc4 26.Rc1 Qd4 27.Qxd4 Rxd4 28.Bg2 Re8 29.Bd6 Bd3 30.Bf3 g5 31.Kf2 Kg7 32.exd3 Rxd3 33.Bxc6 Rd2+ 34.Kf1 Re3 35.Bb7 Rxa3 36.Be5+ Kg6 37.c6 Raa2 38.c7 Rf2+ 39.Kg1 Rg2+ 40.Bxg2 Kf5 41.c8=Q+ Kxe5 42.Qc5+ Kf6 43.Rf1+ Kg6 44.Qf5+ Kh6 45.Qf6+ Kh5 46.Qxf7+ Kh6 47.Rf6+

[Event "Rhein Main op"][Site "Bad Homburg"][Date "2004.06.09"][Round "3"][White "Sprandl,Manfred"][Black "Kuhn,Julius"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.exd6 Bxd6 6.a3 Bg4 7.Be3 0-0 8.Nbd2 Re8 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.Qd5 Qe8 11.g3 Nc6 12.Bg2 Rd8 13.Qb5 Rxe3 14.fxe3 Qxe3 15.Qg5 Qxg5 16.Nxg5 Re8 17.Nf3 Be5 18.Nxe5 Rxe5 19.Bxc6 Rxe2+ 20.Kf1 bxc6 21.Re1 Re6 22.Rxe6 Bxe6 23.c5 Kf8 24.Kf2 Ke7 25.b4 a6 26.Re1 Kf6 27.Kf3 Ke7 28.Kf4 Kf6 29.h4 h5 30.Rd1 Ke7 31.Ke5 g6 32.Rd4 Bd5 33.g4 hxg4 34.Rxg4 Be6 35.Rd4 Bd5 36.Kf4 Be6 37.Kg5 Bd5 38.h5 gxh5 39.Kxh5 Kd7 40.Kg5 Kc8 41.Kf6 Kd7 42.Rh4 Kc8 43.Ke7 Kb8 44.Kd8 Kb7 45.Rh8 Be6 46.Re8 Bd5 47.Re7 f5 48.Rxc7+ Kb8 49.Rc8+ Kb7 50.Kd7 f4 51.Rf8 f3 52.Kd6 Be4 53.Ke5 Bd5 54.Kd4 Kc7 55.Ke3 Kb7 56.Rxf3 Bxf3 57.Kxf3 Kc7 58.Ke4 Kd8 59.Ke5 Kc7 60.a4 Kd7 61.Kf6 Kc8 62.Ke6 Kb8 63.Kd7 Kb7 64.Kd6

[Event "Morbihan-ch 0405"][Site "Arradon"][Date "2004.10.10"][Round "2"][White "Blanchard,Steevy"][Black "Tripoteau,Nicolas"][Result "0-1"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.e3 Nc6 6.exd6 Bxd6 7.Be2 Qf6 8.0-0 Qh6 9.g3 Bh3 10.Re1 0-0-0 11.Qc2 Bf5 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.exd4 Qg6 14.Qb3 Rhe8 15.Be3 Bxg3 16.fxg3 Nxg3 17.Bf3 Be4 18.Nd2 Nf5+ 19.Kf2 Bxf3 20.Nxf3 Nd6 21.Rg1 Qh5 22.Raf1 f5 23.Rxg7 Ne4+ 24.Kg2 Rg8 25.Rg3 Nxg3 26.hxg3 Qg4 27.Bf4 Qxf4

Pix from Hamilton Quads 1/24/2009

On Saturday, I snapped these photos at the Hamilton quads.

The first two pix show the top quads, including national masters Dragan Milovanovic, Mark Kernighan, and Boris Privman in quad one, as well as candidate masters David Grasso and Jennie Liu in quad two.

Pictures three and four show the lower quads.

Hamilton Quads 1/24/2009

In yesterday's quads at Hamilton, I tied for first place in quad one with a score of 1-0-2. As you will see, I should have lost in round three but benefited from mistakes that were made in a mad scramble at the end of the first time control which was 40/80.

Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Dragan Milovanovic (USCF 2264) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Hamilton NJ 1/24/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Neg5 exd4 7.Nxd4 Qe7+ 8.Be3 Nf6 9.Be2 c5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7 12.Nde6 h6 13.Nxf8 Rxf8 14.Nf3 d4 15.Bf4 Qe6+ 16.Qe2 Qxe2+ 17.Kxe2 Nbd7

18.Bd6 Rg8 19.Rhe1 Kf7 20.Kf1 Rge8 21.Nd2 Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Re8 23.Nb3 Rxe1+ 24.Kxe1 Ne4 25.Bc7 b6 26.f3 Nef6 27.Bf4 Ke6 28.Ke2 Nd5 29.Bd2 Ne5 30.Nc1 Nc4 31.Nd3 Nce3 32.Bxe3 Nxe3 33.Ne1 c4


34.c3 dxc3 35.bxc3 Nd5 36.Kd2 Ke5 37.Nc2 b5 38.Nd4 a6 39.g3 g6 40.Nc6+, draw.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Two: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Boris Privman (USCF 2221), Hamilton NJ 1/24/2009

1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 c5 3.e3 Nc6 4.f4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6 6.Bb5 Bg7 7.O-O O-O


8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.d3 Bg4 10.Nbd2 Ne8 11.Bxg7 Nxg7 12.h3 Bxf3, draw.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Three: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Mark Kernighan (USCF 2237), Hamilton NJ 1/24/2009

1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 c5 3.e3 Nc6 4.f4 Nf6 5.Nf3 h6 6.Bb5 Qb6 7.a4 a6 8.Bxc6+ Qxc6 9.d3 Bf5 10.Nbd2 Rd8 11.Qe2 e6 12.a5 Be7 13.Ne5 Qc7 14.g4 Bg6 15.Ndf3 O-O 16.h4 h5


17.gxh5 Bxh5 18.Qg2 Ne8 19.Rg1 d4 20.Ng4 g6 21.Ng5 Bxg4 22.Qxg4 Ng7 23.h5 Bxg5 24.hxg6 Bf6 25.Rh1 fxg6 26.Qxg6 Qe7 27.e4 Bh4+ 28.Ke2 Rxf4 29.Rag1 Qf6 30.Qh5 Rf2+ 31.Kd1 Rf1+ 32.Rxf1 Qxf1+ 33.Rxf1 Nxh5 34.Rh1 Bf6 35.Rxh5 Kf7


36.Rxc5 Rd7 37.Ke2 e5 38.c3 dxc3 39.Bxc3 Ke6 40.b4 Bh8 41.b5 axb5 42.Rxb5 Bg7 43.Kd2 Bh6+ 44.Kc2 Bf4 45.Rb6+ Kf7 46.Bb4 Be3 47.Rd6 Rc7+ 48.Kb3 Bd4 49.Rd8 Ke6 50.Rh8 Kf6 51.Rh6+ Kg7 52.Rh2 Kf6 53.Rc2 Rh7 54.Bc5 Bxc5 55.Rxc5 Rd7 56.Kc3 Ke6


57.Rb5 Rc7+ 58.Kb4 Rd7 59.Kc4 Rd4+ 60.Kc3 Rd7 61.Rb6+ Kf7 62.Rh6 Rc7+ 63.Kb4 Rc1 64.Rb6 Rc7 65.Kb5 Rd7 66.Kc4 Rd4+ 67.Kc5 Rxd3 68.Rxb7+ Kf6 69.a6 Kg5 70.Rb4 Kf4 71.a7 Rc3+ 72.Kb6 Ra3 73.Kb7, Black resigns.

Fajarowicz with 5.Qd5 and 6.Bg5

In regard to my time forfeit against GM Timur Gareev at the Liberty Bell Open, Alejandro Melchor of Barcelona has e-mailed these relevant games to me. Black has not had much success in the Fajarowicz variation against White's plan of 5.Qd5 and 6.Bg5.

[Event "Bohemians (Women)"][Site "Prague"][Date "1990.01.??"][Round "0"][White "Finegold,Gina L"][Black "Rogers,Catherine"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 Qd7 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.exd6 Bxd6 9.Nb5 Nb4 10.Nxd6+ cxd6 11.Qd2 Qa4 12.Nd4 0-0 13.b3 Qa5 14.f3 Re8 15.e3 Ncd3+ 16.Bxd3 Nxd3+ 17.Ke2 Qxg5 18.Kxd3 Bd7 19.e4 Qg6 20.g4 Rac8 21.Qf4 d5 22.cxd5 Qa6+ 23.Ke3 Rc3+ 24.Kf2 Qb6 25.Rhd1 Bb5 26.Kg3 Bd3 27.e5 Qg6 28.d6 h5 29.Rac1 Rxc1 30.Rxc1 hxg4 31.Qxg4 Qxg4+ 32.Kxg4 Rd8 33.Rc7

[Event "Hassloch op-B"][Site "Hassloch"][Date "1997.??.??"][Round "7"][White "Koebele,Winfried"][Black "Brehmer,Horst"][Result "1/2"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.exd6 Bxd6 7.Nc3 Be6 8.Qd4 0-0 9.e3 Nc6 10.Qd1 Qf6 11.a3 Rad8 12.Qc2 Rfe8 13.Be2 Bf5 14.Qd1 Ne7 15.Bd2 c6 16.0-0 Ng6 17.Nd4 Bc8 18.b4 Ne4 19.Nxe4 Rxe4 20.f4 c5 21.Nb5 cxb4 22.Nxd6 Rxd6 23.Qc2 Re8 24.Bxb4 Rdd8 25.Bc5 b6 26.Bd4 Qe7 27.c5 Rxd4 28.exd4 Qxe2 29.Qxe2 Rxe2 30.cxb6 axb6 31.Rfe1 Ba6 32.Rxe2 Bxe2 33.Re1 Bc4 34.f5 Nf8 35.Rc1 b5 36.a4 f6 37.Kf2 Kf7 38.axb5 Bxb5 39.Rc7+ Bd7 40.Ke3 Ke7 41.g4 g6 42.fxg6 hxg6 43.Ra7 Ne6

[Event "Politiken Cup 20th"][Site "Copenhagen"][Date "1998.07.04"][Round "11"][White "Madhy,Nezar"][Black "Jensen,Jannick J"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Qd5 Nc5 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bg5 Qd7 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.exd6 Bxd6 9.Nb5 0-0 10.Nxd6 cxd6 11.a3 Re8 12.g3 Ne5 13.Bg2 Qf5 14.Be3 Be6 15.Qxd6 Ncd3+ 16.exd3 Nxf3+ 17.Ke2 Rad8 18.Qf4 Qxd3+ 19.Kxf3 Bxc4 20.Kg4 h6 21.Kh3 g5 22.Qf6 Rd6 23.Qc3 g4+ 24.Kh4 Qf5 25.Qxc4 Qf6+ 26.Kxg4 Re5 27.Be4 Qe7 28.Kf3 Rde6 29.Qc8+ Kg7 30.Bd4 Qf6+ 31.Kg2

[Event "Dunajska Streda op"][Site "Dunajska Streda"][Date "1999.06.12"][Round "5"][White "Novak,Vladimir"][Black "Kukel,Imre"][Result "1/2"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 Qd7

[Event "Vlissingen HZ op"][Site "Vlissingen"][Date "2000.07.29"][Round "5"][White "Szuveges,Grant"][Black "Van Leent,Dmitri"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.exd6 cxd6 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.e3 Be6 10.Qd1 Nc6 11.Nc3 g5 12.Be2 h5 13.0-0 h4 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.cxd5 Ne5 16.Qd4 Ncd7 17.Rac1 Nxf3+ 18.Bxf3 Ne5 19.Be2 g4 20.f4 gxf3 21.gxf3 h3 22.Kh1 Rh4 23.f4 Ng6 24.Bf3 Ne5 25.Qe4 Qd7 26.Be2 Kf8 27.Qc2 Ng6 28.Qc7 Rd8 29.Qxd7 Rxd7 30.Rc8+ Kg7 31.f5 Ne5 32.f6+ Kg6 33.Bd1 Kh7 34.Bc2+ Kh6 35.Bf5 Rb4 36.Rg1

[Event "CF.2002.0.00028 email"][Site "IECG email"][Date "2002.06.19"][Round "0"][White "Rigney,Mike"][Black "Zimmermann,Jan Erik"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 Be6 7.Bxd8 Bxd5 8.Bxc7 Bxc4 9.Bxd6 Bxd6 10.exd6 0-0 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.e4 Bxf1 13.Rxf1 Nb4 14.0-0-0 Rfd8 15.Ne1 Rac8 16.Kb1 Nc6 17.Nd3 Nxd3 18.Rxd3 Rd7 19.f4 f6 20.Nd5 Rcd8 21.Rfd1 Kf7 22.Ne7 Nxe7 23.dxe7 Kxe7 24.Rxd7+ Rxd7 25.Rxd7+ Kxd7 26.Kc2 a5 27.Kc3 b5 28.Kd4 Kc6 29.a3 Kd6 30.b4 a4 31.e5+ fxe5+ 32.fxe5+ Kc6 33.e6

[Event "Munich-ch VM1"][Site "Munich"][Date "2005.01.21"][Round "8"][White "Osthoff,Michael"][Black "Meisenhaelter,Hugo"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A51"]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Bg5 Qd7 8.a3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 g4 11.Nd2 Ne7 12.Qd4 Bg7 13.e3 h5 14.Nd5 Nf5 15.Qc3 Nxg3 16.hxg3 dxe5 17.b4 Ne6 18.Ne4 Kf8 19.Rd1 c6 20.Ndf6 Qc7 21.Rxh5 Rxh5 22.Nxh5 f5 23.Nd6 Ng5 24.c5 Be6 25.Bc4 Bxc4 26.Qxc4 Rd8 27.Nxg7 Qxg7 28.Nxf5 Rxd1+ 29.Kxd1 Qh7 30.Qxg4 Qd7+ 31.Ke2 e4 32.Kf1 Nh7 33.Kg1 Nf6 34.Qf4 Qd1+ 35.Kh2 Ng4+ 36.Kh3

[Event "Karl Mala mem op"][Site "Frankfurt"][Date "2005.07.28"][Round "3"][White "Sopur,Lech"][Black "Juhnke,Peter"][Result "1-0"][Eco "A53"]1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.exd6 cxd6 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.e3 Be6 10.Qg5 f6 11.Qh4 g5 12.Qd4 Nc6 13.Qd1 0-0-0 14.Nc3 d5 15.cxd5 Nb4 16.Bc4 Qf7 17.e4 Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Bxd5 19.Bxd5 Rxd5 20.Qc1+ Kb8 21.0-0 Nd3 22.Qc3 Rhd8 23.Qxf6 Qd7 24.Nfxg5 Rf5 25.Qe6 Qb5 26.Nd6

GM Alterman on PCG

At the Internet Chess Club, grandmaster Boris Alterman has a video on the Philidor Counter Gambit.

Fischer on Biography Channel

In the January-March 2006 issue of Atlantic Chess News, I reviewed the Biography Channel documentary on Bobby Fischer. It can be seen here in five parts: one, two, three, four, and five.

Philadelphia Freezing

If not for single-digit temperatures on Friday and Saturday, I might have met Barack Obama! I missed the president-elect by 24 hours. According to reports, Obama stayed at the Sheraton City Center Hotel on Friday night and worked out in the gym on Saturday morning.

My original plan was to play in the four-day schedule at the Liberty Bell Open. Because of Arctic weather conditions, I reconsidered and decided to play in the two-day schedule instead. By Sunday morning, the temperature had risen twenty degrees, although I still drove through snow and rain on the New Jersey Turnpike on my way to Philadelphia.

In round two, with an accelerated time control of game/40, I lost this game on time forfeit to grandmaster Timur Gareev who won the tournament with a score of 6 out of 7. When I got home, I could not find Gareev's 5.Qd5 and 6.Bg5 in Tim Harding's The Fighting Fajarowicz. Maybe I should have tried 6...Qd7.

Round Two: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Timur Gareev (USCF 2631) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Liberty Bell Open 1/18/2009

1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.exd6 cxd6 9.e3 Nc6 10.Nc3 Nb4 11.Qd2 Bf5 12.Nd4 Bg6 13.Be2 Nbd3+ 14.Kf1 O-O

15.h4 h6 16.Rh3 Qf6 17.Bf3 Ne5 18.Nd5 Qd8 19.b3 Nxf3 20.gxf3 Re8 21.Kg2 Ne6 22.Rd1 Nxd4 23.Qxd4 Re6 24.h5 Bh7 25.Rg3 f6 26.Nf4 Re5 and forfeits.

Pix from Liberty Bell Open

These are pictures that I took on Sunday at the Liberty Bell Open in Philadelphia.

IM Emory Tate defeated Greg Nolan, while NM David Sherman bested Natasha Christiansen, in round one of the two-day schedule.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is Deepak Aaron during his first-round loss.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TD Ernest Schlich posts results to the wall charts between rounds.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile people relax in the skittles area on the third floor.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here is the proverbial potted plant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Downstairs at the Sheraton City Center Hotel, sports fans watch the hometown Eagles lose to the Cardinals in the NFC championship game.

Liberty Bell Open

Playing in the two-day schedule, with a time control of game/40, I drew this game yesterday at the Liberty Bell Open in Philadelphia.

Round Three: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - David Sherman (USCF 2201), Liberty Bell Open 1/18/2009

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 Bg4 10.f3 Be6 11.Be3 b6 12.Nc3 Bd6 13.a4 a5 14.Nb5 O-O-O

15.Rd2 c4 16.Nxd6+ Rxd6 17.Rxd6 cxd6 18.Nd4 Bd7 19.Nb5 Bxb5 20.axb5 c3 21.Bxb6 cxb2 22.Rb1 a4 23.Rxb2 Kb7 24.Be3 Ne7 25.Ra2 Ra8 26.Kf2 Ng6 27.f4 Ne7 28.Ke2 f5 29.exf5 Nxf5 30.Bf2 h5 31.Kd3 a3 32.c4 Ra4 33.g3 h4 34.Kc3 hxg3 35.hxg3 d5


36.cxd5 Nd6 37.Kb3 Ra5 38.Rxa3 Rxb5+ 39.Kc2 Ne4 40.Be1 Rxd5 41.Re3 Nf6 42.Re7+ Rd7 43.Rxd7+ Nxd7 44.Bc3 g6 45.Kd3 Kc6 46.Ke4 Kd6 47.f5 gxf5+ 48.Kxf5 Ke7 49.Kg6 Kf8 50.Kh7 Kf7 51.Bg7 Nc5 52.g4 Ne6 53.Bh6 Kf6 54.Be3 Ng5+ 55.Kh6 Nf3, and draws.

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 1/17/2009

Yesterday, in a game/60 Swiss at the Marshall Chess Club, I finished with a score of 2-1-1. Here is the drawn game.

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Ben Gershenov (USCF 2040) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/17/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d3 c6 5.O-O f4 6.d4 Qf6 7.Qd3 Ne7 8.b3 Bg4 9.Nbd2 Nd7 10.a4 g5


11.Bb2 Ng6 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 h5 14.b4 Nh4 15.Qb3 Bg7 16.g3 Ng6 17.Be6 Ndf8 18.Bc4 Nd7 19.Be6 Ndf8 20.Bc4, draw.

Chamitoff Game Resumes

Now that astronaut Greg Chamitoff has reacclimated to life on Earth, he has resumed his game of chess against the students at Stevenson Elementary School.

PCG @ Contre Gambit Philidor

At his Contre Gambit Philidor blog, Frederic Fournier displays many of his games in the Philidor Counter Gambit.

Review of "White King and Red Queen"

Recently Daniel Johnson's White King and Red Queen was reviewed in The Washington Times.

One-Act Chess Play

[In the October-December 2008 issue of Atlantic Chess News, class-B player Ken Calitri gives his insights on the recent world championship match between Vladimir Kramnik and Vishwanathan Anand. See if you like reading his article as much as I did.]

Well, it was not a big surprise Vishy Anand beat Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn, Germany. Although I was rooting for Kramnik, I do admit Anand was slightly favored before the match. Only his psychological frailty, a stigma left over from his 1996 WCC match with Kasparov, precluded him from being the odds on favorite in Vegas, even if the pundits were too proper to say it.

Over the years I have become a big Kramnik fan. Although I rooted for the ‘old man’ in the 2000 WCC match, I was amazed how Kramnik boxed Kasparov’s ears off. The ex-champ later repeated what tired old fighters say after losing, “I just couldn’t get my punches off.” Two wins and one Berlin Defense later, Kramnik was world champion and Karpov’s successor as the boa constrictor of positional chess.

Kramnik’s decision not to give Kasparov a chance for revenge reminded everyone of the Alekhine and Capablanca dispute that deprived chess of a monumental rematch. Luckily for Kramnik, two matches against Leko and Topalov restored his sporting reputation. Kramnik showed guts in coming back to tie Leko, and by beating Topalov in Toilet Gate the Russian bear turned into a Russian prince. Kramnik also carried himself with amazing grace when he accepted the decision to forfeit a point, almost costing him the victory. In Elista, if Topalov destroyed his sporting reputation, Kramnik’s came full circle. Newly married to a gorgeous French journalist, in revitalized health, trim and fit, and playing to his full powers, Kramnik reminded me of Capablanca in his heyday when he was the Rudolph Valentino of chess.

Vishy Anand is one of the most popular players in the world. He is warm, and well-rounded, and one of the game’s greatest natural talents. He excels in all chess formats, and his results speak for themselves – he is a winner. With that said, he has always reminded me of other great natural sporting talents who didn’t quite live up to expectations. I am dating myself, but names like Ilie Nastase, Barry Bonds Sr., and Lanny Wadkins come to mind. These were sportsmen who had such natural talent they never had to work hard at being great; they just were. They reached significant heights of success but never reached their full potential. For whatever reason, call it laziness, a lack of toughness, arrogance, or emotional focus, they had psychological underpinnings that were not made of cement.

Anand has risen to the summit playing dazzling chess with countless tournament victories. Yet I cannot imagine him winning a 24-game match against any former world champion except for Steinitz and Euwe. I have strong doubts he would be able to beat Keres, Korchnoi, Short, Kramnik, or Topalov. I would have taken reasonable odds that, if the recent match with Kramnik was 24 games long, Kramnik would have eventually broken Anand down to win.

Does this mean Anand is not a great chess player? No. He is a great tournament chess player, but not a great match player, and winning one 12-game match doesn’t change my opinion. Roberto Duran was a living legend, but quitting in the famous ‘No Mas’ match against Sugar Ray Leonard tainted a reputation forged from hands of stone. During the 1996 WCC match in the Big Apple, Vishy Anand quit on himself and his team. I remember a poignant order by Nigel Short’s wife to her husband before a critical game versus Speelman in their second candidates match, “Nigel, at the end of the game come out of the room with your shield or on your shield!” Anand got into a clinch with Kasparov, leaned over and whispered, “I just want to finish on my feet.” How nice. As Kasparov said, “There is something psychological there,” when assessing Vishy’s chances in a pre-match interview.

A one-act play took place in Bonn in the form of a 12-game match for the world chess championship. Both players, especially Kramnik in defeat, showed themselves to be classy sportsmen and very worthy chess representatives to the world. The coverage of the match was phenomenal with real time and live video coverage. As Boris Spassky is fond of saying it was “a festival of chess!” Unfortunately, it quickly reminded us of a World Series where one team jumps to a 3-0 or 3-1 lead or a Super Bowl when one team comes in flat and are 20 points behind at half-time. If that is what we want chess to be, then why not shorten it to 8 games (rapid tie breaks only, please) and call it a day? Let them slug it out. Let’s face it. World championship chess is no longer about epic matches.

Anand is going to be a great champion and wonderful ambassador for chess. My homey, Vladimir Kramnik, will challenge again. He has heart, talent, and judging by the anguish on his face in game nine when a win slipped away he will maintain his drive. Ultimately this piece isn’t about them. It is about a one-act play. The Bonn match will be written about in chess magazines, but there won’t be a classic book written by ‘Raymundo’ Keene or Yasser Seirawan that you can curl up with for hours and re-read over the years. Titanic matches played over 24 games on a stage in Moscow or Seville are a thing of the past, thanks in great part to Kasparov’s break away from FIDE in 1993.

Recent WCC matches of shorter lengths have had peculiar features. Brissago was a cat and mouse affair, and the Elista match ended when it was just heating up. Matches of 16, 18, and 20 games seem to capture the aura of a 24-game match. Korchnoi’s semi-final candidates wins in 1977 and 1981 are good examples. The 1993, 1996, and 2000 WCC matches were not fraught with drama; the loser’s form influenced that, but there are enough games for players to get in a groove or recover from a bad patch, time for drama to build and a story to develop. Maybe the success of live Internet video coverage seen in Bonn will provide revenue that far outweighs the cost of the venue, making longer matches possible.

A one-act play every two years is an empty proposition for chess purists. If the future length of a WCC match is not at least 16 games, I suggest a yearly world championship tournament where the top two finishers (from one large field or two separate fields) play a match of 8, 10, or 12 games. Then, we can judge great chess players as they do in other sports, by their ability to win and prove their dominance with repeated victories and in doing so they will become as Muhammad Ali liked to shout gleefully “the greatest of all time!”

Kasparov on Petrodollars and Middle East

In the Wall Street Journal, Garry Kasparov opines on petrodollars and the mayhem in the Middle East.

Link to Your Chess

I have added Your Chess to my link list.

Pix from NY Winter Game/45

These are pictures from yesterday's NY Winter Game/45 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

In round three, GM Michael Rohde as Black was held to a draw by Jake Miller. Meanwhile Alex Ostrovskiy drew against NM Iryna Zenyuk.

Round four saw Medina Parrilla defeating Aaron Landesman.

FM Asa Hoffmann knocked off GM Alexander Shabalov in the fifth round.

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 1/10/2009

With a score 0f 3-0-2, I tied for first place in today's Grand Prix game/45 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club. The other players with 4 points were GM Alexander Shabalov, FM Asa Hoffmann, NM Iryna Zenyuk, and FM Erez Klein. Here are my games.

Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Jake Miller (USCF 1890) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/10/2009

1.e4 e5 2.d4 d6 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.Bc4 f5 7.O-O Nc6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.Bg5 Ke8 10.Rfe1 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 fxe4 12.Rxe4 Bf5 13.Re2 Kd7 14.Rd1 Rae8 15.c3 Kc8

16.Bb5 Bd7 17.Rde1 Nb8 18.Bc4 h6 19.Bh4 Bg4 20.Re3 Nd7 21.h3 Bxf3 22.Rxf3 g5 23.Bg3 Rhf8 24.Rxf8 Nxf8 25.f3 a6 26.b4 Nd7 27.Kf2 Nf6 28.h4 Nh5 29.Bf7 Nxg3 30.Bxe8 gxh4


31.Bg6 a5 32.a3 axb4 33.axb4 Kd7 34.Be4 c6 35.Ra1 Bc7 36.c4 Bd8 37.c5 Bg5 38.Ra7 Kc7 39.Ra8 Bd2 40.Ra4 b5 41.Ra6 Nxe4+ 42.fxe4, draw.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Two: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Jeremy Graham (USCF 1908), Marshall Chess Club 1/10/2009

1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 d5 3.e3 Nbd7 4.f4 e6 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O Re8 8.a4 Nf8 9.Qe1 Bd7 10.d3 Ng6 11.Nbd2 Ng4 12.Bd1 Nh6 13.Ne5 Rf8 14.Ndf3 f6

15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.e4 a6 17.Qg3 Be8 18.Be2 Bc5+ 19.Kh1 Qd7 20.Nh4 Kh7 21.e5 f5 22.Nf3 Be7 23.Ng5+ Bxg5 24.fxg5 Nf7 25.Qh4+ Kg8 26.d4 Qe7 27.Bc1 b6 28.Rf3 Nh8 29.Ba3 c5 30.a5 Bb5 31.Bd3 Qd7


32.axb6 c4 33.bxc4 dxc4 34.Bf1 Rfd8 35.Bc5 Qd5 36.Rh3 Kf7 37.Be2 c3 38.Bf3 Qc4 39.Bxa8 Rxa8 40.b7 Re8 41.Qxh8 Rxh8 42.Rxh8 Bc6 43.Rf8#.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Three: Philidor Counter Gambit

Justin Karp (USCF 2015) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/10/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Neg5 exd4 7.Nxd4 Qe7+ 8.Be2 h6 9.Ngf3 c6 10.O-O Qf6 11.c4 Bd6 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.Nb5 Ne7 14.Nxd6+ Qxd6 15.b3 O-O 16.Bb2 Nbc6 17.Nd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Nf5 19.Qd2 Be6 20.Rad1 Rad8 21.Rfe1 d4

22.Bg4 Bd5 23.Bxf5 Rxf5 24.Qxd4 Qg6 25.g3 Rdf8 26.Re5 Rxe5 27.Qxe5 Bc6 28.Qd4 Rf7 29.a4 Qc2 30.Qd8+ Kh7 31.Qd3+ Qxd3 32.Rxd3 Rd7 33.Rxd7 Bxd7 34.a5 b6 35.b4 bxa5 36.bxa5 a6


37.Kg2 Kg6 38.Kf3 Kf7 39.g4 g6 40.Bc1 h5 41.gxh5 gxh5 42.Kf4 Kg6 43.Ke5 h4 44.Kd6 Bf5 45.Be3 h3, draw.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Four: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Joshua Colas (USCF 1878), Marshall Chess Club 1/10/2009

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.c4 Bc5 4.e3 d6 5.a3 a6 6.b4 Bb6 7.d3 Nge7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.Be2 Bg4 10.Nbd2 f5 11.O-O Qe8

12.c5 dxc5 13.bxc5 Bxc5 14.Nxe5 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Bb6 17.d4 Nc6 18.Nf3 Rd8 19.Qc4+ Qf7 20.Qxf7+ Rxf7 21.Rfc1 h6 22.h4 Rfd7 23.h5 Rd5 24.Bf4 Kh7 25.Rab1 Ra5 26.Rb3 Rdd5 27.g3 Rdb5 28.Rcb1 Rxa3 29.Rxb5 axb5 30.Rxb5 Ra1+ 31.Kg2 Ra5


32.Rb1 Ne7 33.Ne5 Nd5 34.Nc4 Nxf4+ 35.gxf4 Ra6 36.Ne5 Ra7 37.Nd7 Ba5 38.Rb5 b6 39.Rxf5 Bb4 40.Ne5 Ra2 41.Rf7 c5 42.dxc5 Bxc5 43.Kf3 b5 44.Ng6 b4 45.Rc7 Ra5


46.Rc8 Bf8 47.Nxf8+ Kg8 48.Ng6+ Kf7 49.Ne5+ Ke6 50.Rb8 Ra4 51.Nd3 Ra5 52.Rxb4 Rxh5 53.Rb6+ Kf7 54.Ne5+ Kf8 55.Rb7 Rh3+ 56.Kg2 Rh5 57.Kf3 g5 58.fxg5 Rxg5 59.Ke4 h5 60.f4 Rg3 61.Rh7 Rh3


62.Kf5 Kg8 63.Rh6 h4 64.e4 Rh1 65.Kg4 Rg1+ 66.Kxh4 Kg7 67.Rg6+ Rxg6 68.Nxg6 Kxg6 69.Kg4, Black resigns.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Five: King's Indian Defense

Yevgeni Margulis (USCF 2185) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/10/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 Nc6 7.Nc3 e5 8.d5 Ne7 9.e4 Nd7 10.Ne1 f5 11.Nd3 Nf6


12.f4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 fxe4 14.Bxe4 Nf5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.c5 Nd4 17.Kg2 Rxf1 18.Kxf1 Qf6+ 19.Kg2 Bf5 20.Nf2 Rf8


21.Be3 Bxe4+ 22.Nxe4 Qf5 23.Nc3 Nc2 24.Bg1 Nxa1 25.Qxa1 Qf3+ 26.Kh3 Rf5, White resigns.

Larsen's Opening with 4...f5 @ Chess.com

At my other blog Jim West Talks Chess, I have posted my victory over Richard Tuhrim in which I used a Dutch Defense formation 4...f5 against his Larsen's Opening 1.b3.

Kasparov Interviewed by Frost

Last month, Garry Kasparov was interviewed in London by David Frost.

McAuliffe - Zilbermintz

At The Chess Coroner, Geoff McAuliffe annotates his game against Lev Zilbermintz who played the Philidor Counter Gambit.

Chess Blog Carnival 1/2009

Step right this way for the Chess Blog Carnival!

Marshall CC Swiss 1/4/2009

The Happy New Year Open at the Marshall Chess Club ended for me with an even score of 2 wins and 2 losses.

Here is a game with many mistakes. My opponent was busted in the opening but managed to escape into a complicated middlegame, involving my two rooks versus his queen and extra pawn. Although Black blundered away a couple of pawns, my material advantage in the king and pawn ending should have been insufficient to win, due to stalemate possibilities. In severe time trouble, my opponent missed 58...Kf8 keeping his king near the corner and lost the game.

Round Three: Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Gary Patella (USCF 1721), Marshall Chess Club 1/4/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qe2 Nge7 6.O-O fxe4 7.Qxe4 Bxc3 8.dxc3 d6 9.Bg5 Bd7 10.Qh4 Na5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.Rfe1 Qd7 13.Rad1 Nac6 14.b4 Bg4 15.Bxe7 Nxe7

16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Be2 Qe6 18.Bxg4 Qf6 19.Qh5+ Ng6 20.Bf5 O-O 21.Bxg6 hxg6 22.Qxe5 Qxf2+ 23.Kh1 Rae8 24.Qxe8 Rxe8 25.Rxe8+ Kh7 26.Red8 Qxc2 27.R8d3 Qxa2 28.h4 b6 29.Rg3 Qe6 30.Rd4 c5 31.Rdg4 cxb4 32.cxb4 a5 33.bxa5 bxa5


34.Kh2 Kh6 35.Rg5 a4 36.Ra3 Qc4 37.Rgg3 Kh5 38.Rg5+ Kh6 39.Kh3 Qe6+ 40.Rg4 Kh5 41.Raxa4 Qe3+ 42.Kh2 Qe5+ 43.Raf4 Qe6 44.Rg5+ Kh6 45.Rfg4 Qd6+ 46.Rg3 Qf6 47.Rxg6+ Qxg6 48.Rxg6+ Kxg6 49.g4 Kh6


50.Kg3 Kg6 51.Kf4 Kf6 52.g5+ Kf7 53.Ke5 Ke7 54.h5 Kf7 55.Kd6 Ke8 56.Ke6 Kf8 57.Kd7 Kf7 58.Kd8 Ke6 59.Ke8 Kf5 60.g6, Black resigns.