Monday, October 31, 2016

Marshall No Draws Halloweekend 10/29/2016

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

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Lucas Foerster-Yialamas (USCF 1870) - Jim West (USCF 2218), Marshall Chess Club 10/29/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d3 c6 5.O-O f4 6.d4 Qf6 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qd3 Ne7 9.Rd1 Ng6 10.a3 Be7 11.b4 Be6 12.b5 O-O 13.bxc6 Nxc6 14.Bxe6+ Qxe6 15.Qd5 Qf7 16.Bb2 Rfd8


17.Qxf7+ Kxf7 18.Nc3 Rxd1+ 19.Rxd1 Rd8 20.Rd5 Nh4 21.Nxh4 Bxh4 22.Nb5 b6 23.g3 fxg3 24.hxg3 Bf6 25.f4 exf4 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.gxf4 a6 28.Nc7 Rxd5 29.exd5 Nd4 30.c4 a5 31.Kf2 a4 32.Na8 b5


33.cxb5 Nxb5 34.Nb6 Nxa3 35.Nxa4 Ke7 36.Nc3 f5 37.Kg3 Nc4 38.Kh4 Ne3 39.Kg5 Kd6 40.Kf6 h5 41.Kg5 h4 42.Kxh4 Nxd5 43.Nxd5 Kxd5 44.Kh5 Ke6 45.Kg6 Ke7, draw.


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Gates and Zuckerberg to Attend Chess Match

In November, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg will attend the world championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

"Guardian" Book Review of "The Rookie"

Marcel Theroux reviews The Rookie by Stephen Moss.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Pix from Sunday Game/45 10/23/2016

These pictures were taken by me during Sunday's tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.








Thursday, October 27, 2016

Pix from Saturday Game/60 10/22/2016

During Saturday's tournament, I photographed the players at the Marshall Chess Club.







Wednesday, October 26, 2016

"Forbes" Article on Chess

Alex Knapp reports that chess is alive and thriving.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Humans No Match for Computers at Chess

Robert Siegel writes that computers are too strong for humans at chess.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Marshall Sunday Game/45 10/23/2016

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

Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Shijil Kundilakkandi (USCF 1953) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 10/23/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Ng3 e4 7.Ne5 Nf6 8.Bg5 Bd6 9.f4 O-O 10.Be2 c5 11.c3 cxd4 12.Qxd4 Nc6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.O-O-O h6


15.Bxf6 Bxf4+ 16.Kb1 Qxf6 17.Qxf6 Rxf6 18.Nh5 Rf8 19.Nxf4 Rxf4 20.Rhf1 Rxf1 21.Rxf1 Be6 22.Kc2 Rf8 23.a4 Rxf1 24.Bxf1 Kf7 25.b4 Ke7 26.Kd2 Kd6 27.Ke3 c5 28.b5 Ke5 29.a5 d4+ 30.cxd4+ cxd4+  31.Kd2 e3+ 32.Kd3 Bd7


33.Kc4 Bg4 34.Kd3 Kd5 35.b6 Bf5+ 36.Ke2 axb6 37.a6 Kc6 38.Kf3 g5 39.g4 Bc2 40.h3 Kc7 41.Bg2 Kb8 42.Ke2 Ka7 43.Bb7 b5 44.h4 gxh4 45.Bc8 b4 46.Bf5 b3 47.Be6 Kxa6 48.Bc4+ Kb6 49.Bxb3 Bxb3


50.Kd3 Kc5 51.Ke2 Kd5 52.Kd3 Ke5 53.Ke2 Ke4 54.g5 hxg5 55.Kf1 d3 56.Ke1 d2+ 57.Kf1 d1=Q+ 58.Kg2 Qe2+ 59.Kh3 Be6#.



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Round Two: Sicilian Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Michael Rohde (USCF 2490), Marshall Chess Club 10/23/2016

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.Nbd2 Bd6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.O-O O-O 8.Re1 Bc7 9.a4 b6 10.c3 Ba6 11.Qc2 Rc8 12.Bf1 Re8 13.Qb1 e5 14.exd5 Qxd5 15.Qa2 Qxa2 16.Rxa2 Rcd8


17.Nc4 Bxc4 18.dxc4 e4 19.Nh4 h6 20.Be2 Ne5 21.Bf4 Nf3+ 22.Bxf3 Bxf4 23.gxf4 exf3 24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Nxf3 Re4 26.a5 Rxc4 27.axb6 axb6 28.Ra8+ Kh7 29.Ne5 Rxf4 30.Rb8 Ng4 31.Nd7 g5 32.Rxb6 c4


33.Rc6 Nxf2 34.Nf6+ Rxf6 35.Rxf6 Nd3 36.Rxf7+ Kg6 37.Rb7 Kf5 38.b3 cxb3 39.Rxb3 Ke4 40.Rb6 h5 41.Rb5 Ne5 42.Kg2 h4 43.Rxe5+ Kxe5 44.Kf3 Kf5 45.h3 Ke5 46.Kg4 Kd5 47.Kxg5, Black forfeits.



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Round Three: French Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Jay Bonin (USCF 2414), Marshall Chess Club 10/23/2016

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 c6 5.Bd3 Bg4 6.O-O Bd6 7.Re1+ Ne7 8.Bg5 Nd7 9.Nbd2 Nf8 10.c3 Ne6 11.Bh4 Qc7 12.Qc2 Ng6 13.Bg3 Bxf3 14.Nxf3 O-O


15.Ne5 Rae8 16.Re3 c5 17.Nxg6 hxg6 18.dxc5 Nxc5 19.Bxd6 Qxd6 20.Rae1 Rxe3 21.Rxe3 d4 22.cxd4 Qxd4 23.Qc4 Qxc4 24.Bxc4 Rd8 25.g3 Kf8 26.Kg2 Rd2 27.b4 Nd7 28.Rd3, draw.


Sunday, October 23, 2016

Marshall Saturday Game/60 10/22/2016

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

Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Ashutosh Gajbinkar (USCF 1784) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 10/22/2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nf7 Qf6 8.Be3 d4 9.Bg5 Qf5 10.Bh4 Bxe6 11.Nxh8 Nc6 12.Be2 Nf6 13.Nd2 O-O-O


14.Bb5 e3 15.O-O exd2 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Qxd2 Rxh8 18.b4 Bb6 19.a4 Bc4 20.a5 Ne4 21.Qd1 Nc3 22.Qd2 Ne4 23.Qd1 Nc3 24.Qd2, draw.


Saturday, October 22, 2016

Kasparov: Putin Trying to Elect Trump

Garry Kasparov thinks that Vladimir Putin is trying to elect Donald Trump.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Pix from Marshall October Under 2300

Last weekend, I snapped these photos during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

                                            Saturday




                                                 
                                             Sunday



Thursday, October 20, 2016

IM Nicolas Checa on PIX11

Take a look at this video, featuring international master Nicolas Checa.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Revised Fall 2016 Teaching Schedule

On Tuesdays, for AlphaBEST Explorations, I am teaching an after school enrichment class on chess at Wyoming School, not at Stonybrook School as previously reported.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Marshall October Under 2300 10/16/2016

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

Round Four: French Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) -  Brian Arthur (USCF 2068), Marshall Chess Club 10/16/2016

1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.g3 g6 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.O-O Nge7 8.Re1 O-O 9.e5 Qc7 10.Qe2 Nf5 11.c3 b6 12.Nf1 Re8 13.Bf4 Ba6 14.h4 Rad8


15.Qd2 b5 16.g4 Nfe7 17.d4 Na5 18.b3 Rc8 19.Rac1 Qb7 20.h5 Qd7 21.Bh6 Bh8 22.Ng3 Nb7 23.Qf4 cxd4 24.cxd4 Nc6 25.hxg6 fxg6 26.Bf1 Nbd8 27.a4 Qb7 28.axb5, draw.


Monday, October 17, 2016

Marshall October Under 2300 10/15/2016

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

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Keith Espinosa (USCF 1846), Marshall Chess Club

1.e4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.g3 d6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.d3 O-O 6.O-O c5 7.Nbd2 Nc6 8.a4 a6 9.Nc4 Bg4 10.a5 Nd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 b5 13.axb6 Nxb6 14.e5 Qc7


15.exd6 exd6 16.c3 Ra7 17.Bg2 Rb8 18.Re1 Ne5 19.Na5 d5 20.Bf4 f6 21.d4 cxd4 22.cxd4 g5 23.Bxe5 fxe5 24.dxe5 Qc5 25.b4 Qb5 26.Rc1 Re8 27.Nc6 Rd7 28.Rc5 Qa4 29.Qxa4 Nxa4 30.Rxd5 Rxd5 31.Bxd5+ Kf8


32.e6 Rc8 33.e7+ Ke8 34.Na7 Rc7 35.Bf7+, Black resigns.


Sunday, October 16, 2016

Trump: U.S. Has No Chess Grandmasters

Donald Trump says the United States has no chess grandmasters.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Pix from Sunday Game/45 10/9/2016

On Sunday, I took these pictures during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.