USATE 2011 Wrap-up

[photo by Polly Wright]

Pictured are the players on the winning team West Orange Krush at the U.S. Amateur Team East championship: Jose Fernandez, Pete Radomskyj, Victor Rosas, and Mikhail Zlotnikov.

The amateur team championships are the most popular tournaments of the year.

Hamilton Quads 2/26/2011

Yesterday I drew this game at the Hamilton quads.

Round Two: Pirc Defense

Jim West (USCF 2215) - Dragan Milovanovic (USCF 2302), Hamilton NJ 2/26/2011

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 Na6 7.e5 Ne8 8.Ne4 c5 9.c3 cxd4 10.cxd4 f6 11.Be3 Nec7 12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Bc4 d5 14.Bxa6 dxe4 15.Bc4 Bxc4 16.Qxc4+ Qd5


17.Nd2 Qxc4 18.Nxc4 Nd5 19.Ke2 Rfc8 20.Rhc1 Nb4 21.exf6 Bxf6 22.Ne5 Bxe5 23.dxe5 b6 24.Rxc8+ Rxc8 25.Rc1 Rxc1 26.Bxc1 Nd3 27.Kd1 Kf7 28.b3 Ke6 29.Be3 Kf5 30.g3 Kg4 31.Ke2 e6


32.Bd2 Kh3 33.Ke3 Kxh2 34.Kxe4 Nc5+ 35.Kf3 h5 36.Be3 Kh3 37.Bf2 Nb7 38.Be3 Nd8 39.a4 Nc6 40.Bf2, draw.

Babaev Lecture Tuesday at Marshall CC

The Marshall Chess Club presents grandmaster Rashad Babaev
" Games of World Champions "

Grandmaster Rashad Babaev, the 2009 National Chess Champion of Azerbaijan, is one of New York’s most respected chess coaches and players. In his second lecture at the Marshall Chess Club, Babaev will present and analyze several of the most brilliant and instructive games played by chess world champions throughout history.

Among Babaev’s accomplishments are tournament victories at the Dubai International (1995), Verdun International (2002), Moscow Open (2003), Madrid Open (2005), and Barcelona Open (2005). He has been the trainer of the National Youth Chess Team of Azerbaijan for seven years.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
7:30pm

Lecture fee: members free, non-members $10

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

Kasparov on IBM's Watson

In The Atlantic, Garry Kasparov gives his opinion of IBM's computer Watson.

Blank - Zilbermintz

Earlier this month, Lev Zilbermintz [pictured] finished first in quad one at Westfield.

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Richard Blank (USCF 2105) - Lev Zilbermintz (USCF 2128), Westfield NJ 2/13/2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Ng3 e4 7.Ne5 Nf6 8.f3 Be6 9.Be2 Nbd7 10.O-O Bd6 11.Bf4 O-O


12.fxe4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Qd2 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Bc5+ 16.Kh1 Qxd2 17.Bxd2 Rxf1+ 18.Bxf1 Rf8 19.h3 Rf2 20.Rd1 e3, White resigns.

Pix from USATE 2011

These pictures were taken by me during the U.S. Amateur Team East tournament.

USATE, Day 3

Pictured is my team Insufficient Losing Chances: board four Steve Ferrero, board three Steve Hrop, board two Vince Klemm, board one Jim West.

I finished the United States Amateur Team East tournament with a score of 2-0-4.

Round Five: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Eric Mark (USCF 1957) - Jim West (USCF 2215), Parsippany NJ 2/21/2011

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.Qg3 O-O-O


13.Bxb5 axb5 14.Ndxb5 Qb6 15.e5 Nc5 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Bh4 Rhg8 18.Qe3 Rxg2 19.Bg3 f5 20.Nd4 Bf6 21.Nf3 Be4 22.Nd2 Bd4 23.Qxd4 Nd3+ 24.cxd3 Qxd4 25.dxe4 Qd3


26.Rg1 Rxg1 27.Rxg1 fxe4 28.Ncxe4 Rd7 29.Rf1 Rc7+ 30.Nc3 f5 31.Rf3 Qa6 32.Kb1 d5 33.Nb3 Qc4 34.Nd2 Qd4 35.Nb3 Qg1+ 36.Kc2 Rg7 37.Ne2 Qg2 38.Re3 Rc7+ 39.Kd2 Kd7 40.Nbd4, draw.

USATE, Day 2

On Sunday, I won the following game at the U.S. Amateur Team East tournament.

Round Four: Ruy Lopez, Classical Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2113) - Kevin Chen (FIDE 2029), Parsippany NJ 2/20/2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.O-O d6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Bd7 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bc4 Nf6 9.Nc3 O-O 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Qe7 12.Re1 g5 13.Bg3 Bg4 14.Be2 Be6


15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.Bf3 Rad8 18.c3 dxe5 19.Bxe5 f6 20.Bd4 Bxd4 21.Qxd4 c6 22.b4 Qd7 23.g3 f5 24.Re5 f4 25.Bh5 fxg3 26.hxg3 Bf7 27.Bg4 Qc7 28.Rae1 Rde8


29.Rxe8 Bxe8 30.Qc5 Qb6 31.Re7 Bf7 32.Rxa7 Qb8 33.Qe7 c5 34.Be6 Qxa7 35.Qxa7 Bxe6 36.Qxc5 Rc8 37.Qe3 Bf7 38.a4 Re8 39.Qd2 Re4 40.a5 Re6 41.b5, Black resigns.

USATE, Day 1

On Saturday, I drew this game at the United States Amateur Team East tournament.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Paulsen Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2113) - WGM Anya Corke (FIDE 2257), Parsippany NJ 2/19/2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.O-O Nc6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.Be3 b5 10.a3 Ne5 11.Be2 Bb7 12.Nd2 d6 13.f4 Ng6 14.Qe1 O-O


15.Qg3 Kh8 16.Rad1 Qc7 17.Qh3 Rfd8 18.Bf3 Ng8 19.Bh5 Bf6 20.Bxg6 fxg6 21.f5 gxf5 22.exf5 exf5 23.Qxf5 Re8 24.Qf2 Be5 25.Nf3 Nf6


26.Nxe5 dxe5 27.h3 Qc6 28.Rd2 Rad8 29.Rfd1 Rxd2 30.Rxd2, draw.

Garbus, Benson, Shahade on PCTV

Film director Liz Garbus [pictured], photographer Harry Benson, and WGM Jennifer Shahade are guests on Park City TV's Mountain Views.

Frank Brady on WNYC Radio

On February 2nd, author Frank Brady [pictured, right] was interviewed by Leonard Lopate [pictured, left] on WNYC radio. You can listen to the broadcast here.

Music Box Films Acquires "BFATW"

Music Box Films has acquired the documentary film Bobby Fischer Against the World.

Listen to the soundtrack.

Garry Kasparov Reviews "Endgame"

In The New York Review of Books, Garry Kasparov reviews Frank Brady's Endgame.

Frank Brady Book Signing at USATE

Author Frank Brady will be attending the U.S. Amateur Team East tournament at the Hilton Parsippany. On Sunday, February 20th, at 5pm, he will talk about Bobby Fischer and sign copies of Endgame at the Bookstore - Morris 10.

Below are photos of Brady's book reading at Barnes and Noble in New York City on February 1st.

"BFATW" Travels from Sundance to Miami

Having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the documentary film Bobby Fischer Against the World is headed for the Miami International Film Festival.

Here are reviews at Bleue Blood, Moving Pictures Network, and Barvity.

New York February Open

On Saturday, I won the following game at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, O'Kelly Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2113) - IM Renato Naranja (FIDE 2251), Marshall Chess Club 2/12/2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c4 b6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bb7 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.O-O e5 10.Be3 Ne7 11.Qb3 b5 12.Rad1 Qc8 13.f4 exf4 14.Bxf4 Ng6 15.cxb5 Bc5+ 16.Kh1 O-O


17.bxc6 Bxc6 18.Bc4 Nxf4 19.Rxf4 Ra7 20.Rdf1 Qe8 21.Nd5 Bd6 22.Rh4 Qd8 23.Qh3 Qc8 24.Rf5, Black resigns.

"Endgame" Review in Sunday's "NY Times"

FIDE master Dylan McClain [pictured] reviews Frank Brady's Endgame in The New York Times Sunday book review.

Pix from Super Saturday in NY

Before the start of the Super Saturday in New York tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, I snapped these photos.

"Mate" Movie

The movie Mate stars Stephen Baldwin, with cameos by Susan Polgar and Jennifer Shahade.

Yuri Averbakh Lecture Tonight at CCFC

Grandmaster Yuri Averbakh, from Moscow, is the world’s oldest living chess grandmaster. His first recorded game is from 1939. Yuri Averbakh has competed against nearly every chess world champion, including Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov and Kasparov! His game against Kotov from what is widely considered the most prestigious chess tournament in history, Zurich 1953, is considered the most beautiful from the tournament and one of the most beautiful ever played. In addition to his innumerable successes as a player, Yuri Averbakh is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the endgame. His books on the endgame are considered indispensable classics.

Join us Wednesday, February 9th, at 7:30pm for this once in a lifetime opportunity at the Chess Club of Fairfield County! Yuri will lecture on the endgame and his own games and take questions from the audience!

Reserve your spot now by e-mailing DLowinger@Fairfieldcountychess.com.

Must be at least 12 years of age to attend.
Fee: $10 members, $20 non-members.