Pix from Sunday Game/45 12/27/2015

During Sunday's tournament, I took these pictures at the Marshall Chess Club.

Pix from Saturday Game/60 12/26/2015

On Saturday, I photographed the players during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Review of "Pawn Sacrifice" in Hawaii

Anthony Binas reviews the Bobby Fischer biopic Pawn Sacrifice.

Marshall Sunday Game/45 12/27/2015

On Sunday, I drew these games in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Jose De Villa (USCF 1913) - Jim West (USCF 2204), Marshall Chess Club 12/27/2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.c4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qxg5 8.Bxb4 d4 9.Nd2 Qxe5 10.Nb3 Nc6 11.Ba3 Nf6 12.h3 Kf7 13.Be2 Re8 14.O-O Kg8 15.Re1 Qg5 16.Kh1 d3

17.Bxd3 exd3 18.Rxe8+ Nxe8 19.Qxd3 Nf6 20.Re1 Bf5 21.Qf3 h5 22.Bc5 Qg6 23.Qf4 b6 24.Be3 Rc8 25.f3 Bc2 26.Nc1 Qf5 27.Qg3 Ne5 28.Bg5 Nd3 29.Nxd3 Bxd3 30.Re5 Qg6 31.Qf4 Rf8 32.Qd4 c5 33.Qd6 Bxc4

34.b3 Bf7 35.h4 Nh7 36.Qd1 Nxg5 37.Rxg5 Qf6 38.a3 Rd8 39.Qc2 Rd5 40.Qc1 Rxg5 41.hxg5 Qd4 42.Qe1 Qd5 43.Qe7 Qxb3 44.Qxa7 Qd1+ 45.Kh2 Qd6+ 46.Kh1 Qg6 47.Qb8+ Kh7, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Four: French Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2204) - Michael Ellenbogen (USCF 2157), Marshall Chess Club 12/27/2015

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.c3 Bd6 7.O-O Nge7 8.Re1 Qd7 9.Nbd2 O-O-O 10.b4 Ng6 11.Qa4 Kb8 12.b5 Nce7 13.Ba3 Nc8

14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.Ne5 Be6 16.Re3 Nxe5 17.Rxe5 Rhe8 18.Rae1 Bd7 19.Qb3 Rxe5 20.Rxe5 Nb6 21.a4 Qh6 22.Nf1 Be6 23.Qd1 Rd6 24.Ng3 g6, draw.

Marshall Saturday Game/60 12/26/2015

On Saturday, I finished with a score of 2-1-0 plus a half point bye in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: King's Indian Defense, Orthodox Variation

Donari Braxton (USCF 2156) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 12/26/2015

1.c4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.f3 f5 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 g5 13.Bf2 f4 14.Nd3 Ng6 15.c5 Nf6 16.Rc1 Rf7

17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Nb5 b6 19.Rc6 Bf8 20.Qc2 g4 21.Rc1 gxf3 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Qxc8 Qxc8 24.Rxc8 fxe2 25.Nxd6 Rd7 26.Nf5 Nxe4 27.Rc6 Rxd5 28.Ne1 Nd6 29.g3 Nxf5 30.Rxg6+ Kf7 31.Rc6 fxg3 32.hxg3 Bc5 33.g4 Rd1

34.Rxc5 bxc5 35.gxf5 Rd2 36.Bxc5 Rxb2 37.a3 a6 38.Kf2 Kf6 39.Be3 h5 40.a4 Kxf5 41.a5 Ke4 42.Bb6 h4 43.Bd8 h3 44.Kg1 Rb1 45.Bh4 Kf4 46.Kh2 Kg4 47.Bf2 Ra1 48.Nd3 Rxa5 49.Be1 Rb5 50.Nf2+ Kf3 51.Nxh3 Rb1

52.Ng1+ Ke3 53.Bg3 Rxg1 54.Kxg1 Kd2 55.Kg2, White forfeits.

Holiday Greetings from Garry Kasparov

Friends,

2015 was a year of great sorrows and great joys. The murder of my friend and colleague Boris Nemtsov was a harder blow than I could allow myself to imagine. Boris was a giant in body and soul and both Russia and I will miss him until the end of our days. It was also a year of new life: the birth of our son Nickolas and of my book, Winter is Coming. I said in 2005 that I wanted my elder son, now 19, to grow up in a free Russia, and it is painful to have that same wish for Nickolas.

The signs are not good at the moment. 2015 was a year of increasing global trauma and it looks as though even worse will come before the world wakes up to reverse the trend. My most hopeful wishes at the end of last year went mostly unrealized while my darker fears have come to pass in too many cases. As always, we must keep in our thoughts the innocent victims of dictatorship and terror and the few brave dissidents and leaders who take so many risks to protect them. The lives lost and the new lives born in 2015 must remind us of the value of human life — and why we must fight to defend it against those who do not value it at all.

There were also highs and lows for the chess world in the past year. The Kasparov Chess Foundation continues to thrive all across the globe thanks to the inspiring passion of our benefactors and supporters. The Grand Chess Tour just completed an exciting first year, raising the standard for professional events to a new level. Sadly, our beloved sport was once again dragged through the mud by FIDE and its leadership as President Ilyumzhinov was placed on a sanctions list for facilitating business with murderous Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and the terrorist Islamic State. But KCF and the Tour and the millions of devoted chess kids, parents, teachers, fans, players, and organizers around the world give us hope for a brighter future.

While we are wondering what 2016 will bring, let us also imagine what the people of 2050 will think of us. Did we do everything we could to expand human freedom? To increase human knowledge and joy? To spread the opportunity to succeed that most of us enjoy? It is not enough to want these things; we must make the decision to achieve them. Let us all find new ways to challenge ourselves, not only to improve, but to improve the world.

Garry Kasparov

C.H.E.S.S. League in Millburn Area

[photo by Erica Moffitt]

Six schools in the Millburn NJ area compete in the C.H.E.S.S. League.

Pix from CK&Q Swiss 12/20/2015

On Sunday, I snapped these photos during the tournament at Chess Kings and Queens.

"Pawn Sacrifice" on Blu-ray & DVD

Visit PawnSacrifice.com for more ways to watch.

"The Big Roundtable" on Gregory Garrett

[photo by Adnan Firoze]

At The Big Roundtable, Adnan Firoze tells the story of Gregory Garrett (pictured).

CK&Q Sunday Swiss 12/20/2015

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 1-0-2 plus a half point bye in the tournament at Chess Kings and Queens.

Round Two: King's Indian Defense

Jason Lu (USCF 1770) - Jim West (USCF 2202), Piscataway NJ 12/20/2015

1.d4 Nf6 2.e3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Be2 O-O 5.O-O d6 6.b3 Nbd7 7.Bb2 e5 8.c4 e4 9.Nfd2 Re8 10.Nc3 Nf8 11.Qc2 Bf5 12.Rfe1 h5 13.Bf1 h4

14.b4 N8h7 15.Qb3 h3 16.g3 Ng5 17.Be2 Bg4 18.Bxg4 Nxg4 19.Ne2 Qf6 20.Nf4 Qf5 21.Qd1 Nf6 22.c5 d5 23.b5 c6 24.a4 Ne6 25.Nb3 Nxf4 26.exf4 g5 27.fxg5 Ng4 28.Rf1 Qxg5 29.Bc1 Qf5 30.Bf4 Nf6

31.b6 axb6 32.cxb6 Nd7 33.a5 c5 34.Ra2 c4 35.Nc5 Nxb6 36.Nxb7 Nc8 37.a6 Re6 38.Nc5 Rg6 39.Be3 Bf8 40.f3 Bxc5 41.dxc5 Rgxa6 42.Rxa6 Rxa6 43.f4 Ra2 44.Rf2 Rxf2 45.Kxf2 Ne7 46.g4 Qf6

47.Qd4 Qh4+ 48.Kf1 Qxg4 49.Qd2 Qf3+ 50.Qf2 Qd1+ 51.Qe1 Qxe1+ 52.Kxe1 f5 53.Kd2 Kf7 54.Kc3 Ke6 55.Bd4 Nc6 56.Bh8 Kd7 57.Bf6 Nd8 58.Bd4 Kc6 59.Be3 Ne6 60.Kb4 d4 61.Bc1 c3 62.Kc4 Nxc5

63.Kxd4 Nb3+ 64.Kxc3 Nxc1 65.Kd4 Ne2+ 66.Ke3 Nxf4, White resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: French Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2202) - Rishi Rajendran (USCF 2005), Piscataway NJ 12/20/2015

1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 c5 6.Ngf3 Nc6 7.O-O O-O 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 b5 10.Nf1 a5 11.h4 a4 12.a3 Nb6 13.Bf4 Ba6 14.h5 b4

15.h6 g6 16.N1h2 c4 17.d4 c3 18.bxc3 bxa3 19.Ng4 Na7 20.Bf1 Bxf1 21.Kxf1 Rc8 22.Qd3 Nd7 23.Bc1 Qa5 24.Bd2 Qb5 25.Reb1 Qxd3+ 26.cxd3 Rb8 27.c4 Rb3 28.c5 Rfb8 29.Rc1 Nc6 30.Ke2 Bd8

31.Ne3 Bc7 32.Nc2 Rb2 33.Rxa3 Ra8 34.Bc3 Rb3 35.Rca1 Rxa3 36.Rxa3 f6 37.exf6 Nxf6 38.Ne5 Nxe5 39.dxe5 Ng4 40.d4 Nxh6 41.Ne3 Nf5 42.Nd1 h5 43.Nb2 g5 44.Rxa4 Rb8 45.Ra1 h4 46.gxh4 gxh4

47.Nd3 Rb3 48.Kd2 Rb8 49.Nf4 Re8 50.Nh3 Bd8 51.Ke2 Kf7 52.Ra7+ Re7 53.Rxe7+ Kxe7 54.Kd3 Kd7 55.Bd2 Be7 56.Bg5 Bf8 57.Nf4 Bg7 58.Nh3 Bf8 59.f3 Bg7 60.Nf2 Bh6 61.Bxh6 Nxh6 

62.Nh3 Nf5 63.Ng5 Kc6 64.Nh3 Kd7 65.Nf4 Kc6, draw.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Four: Philidor Counter Gambit

Robert Forney (USCF 1967) - Jim West (USCF 2202), Piscataway NJ 12/20/2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Nf6 6.Nc4 d5 7.Ne5 c6 8.Be2 Bb4 9.O-O O-O 10.Bg5 Qe8 11.h3 Nbd7

12.f4 exf3 13.Nxf3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Ne4 15.Bd2 Ndf6 16.Rb1 b6 17.Bd3 Qh5 18.Ne5 Qxd1 19.Rfxd1 Bb7 20.c4 Rad8 21.c5 Nxd2 22.Rxd2 b5 23.a4 a6 24.axb5 axb5 25.c4 dxc4 26.Bxc4+ bxc4 27.Rxb7 Ne4

28.Rc2 Rxd4 29.Rxc4 Rxc4 30.Nxc4 Nxc5 31.Rc7 Ne4, draw.