Westfield Quads 9/11/2011

A minute of silence was observed before the start of Sunday's quads in Westfield, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Round One: Philidor Counter Gambit

Todd Lunna (USCF 2226) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 9/11/2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Ng3 e4 7.Ne5 Nf6 8.f3 Bd6 9.fxe4 O-O 10.Be2 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Be3 Be6 13.Qd2 Bxe5 14.dxe5 Qxd2+ 15.Bxd2 Nc6 16.Bc3 Rad8


17.Rf1 Rxf1+ 18.Bxf1 Nd4 19.Bxd4 Rxd4 20.b3 Kf7 21.Rd1 Rxd1+ 22.Kxd1 Bg4+ 23.Kd2 Ke6 24.Ke3 Kxe5 25.b4 Be6 26.a3 g5 27.g3 h6 28.Bg2 Bd5 29.Bf1 b6 30.Bb5 c6 31.Bf1 c5 32.c3 cxb4 33.cxb4 a5 34.Be2 axb4 35.axb4, draw.

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

Round Three: Philidor Counter Gambit

Kavinayan Sivakumar (USCF 2173) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 9/11/2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.exf5 e4 5.Ng5 Nf6 6.Nc3 d5 7.f3 h6 8.Ne6 Bxe6 9.fxe6 Bb4 10.fxe4 O-O 11.Bd2 Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Nxe4 13.Qe2 Nc6 14.O-O-O Qd6 15.Be1 Rae8 16.g3 Rxe6 17.Bh3 Ref6


18.Rf1 Rxf1 19.Bxf1 Qf6 20.Qb5 Qd6 21.Bg2 Rb8 22.c4 Nf6 23.cxd5 Ne7 24.Bb4 Qd8 25.Re1 Nexd5 26.Bd2 c6 27.Qd3 Qf8 28.Bh3 Re8 29.Rf1 Qe7 30.Re1 Qf7 31.Rxe8+ Qxe8 32.Bf5 Qe7 33.g4 Kh8 34.h4 Ng8 35.g5 Nb4 36.Qc4 Nd5


37.Bd3 Ne3 38.Qa4 hxg5 39.hxg5 Qxg5 40.b4 Qg1+ 41.Kb2 Nd5 42.Bc3 Nxc3 43.Kxc3 Qa1+ 44.Kc2 Qxd4 45.Qa5 Nf6 46.Qf5 Qd7 47.Qc5 Qf7, draw.

Knockouts Sent Flying by Kingfishers

The New Jersey Knockouts were sent flying by the Baltimore Kingfishers, in week two of the U.S. Chess League.

Here are the games from boards one, two, three, and four.

"NY Times" Review of "BFATW"

The documentary film Bobby Fischer Against the World is reviewed by A. O. Scott in The New York Times.

Five Tie for NJ State Title

[photo by Kevin Chen]

This year's New Jersey Open ended in a seven-way tie for first place.

But two of the players, Tommy Bartell (Pennsylvania) and Saurabh Deshpande (Texas), are not residents of New Jersey.

According to the website of tournament director Ken Thomas, the five players who tied for the 2011 NJ state title are Dean Ippolito, Ed Allen, Dragan Milovanovic, Mikhail Zlotnikov, and David Hua.

Wednesday Chess League 9/7/2011

This game happened last night at the Dean of Chess Academy.

French Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Marvin Shumowitz (USCF 1964), Branchburg NJ 9/7/2011

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6 6.Bd3 Nge7 7.O-O O-O 8.Re1 Bf5 9.Bg5 f6 10.Bh4 Qd7 11.Bg3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Nf5 13.Nbd2 Nxg3 14.hxg3 Ne7


15.Re2 c6 16.Rae1 Qf5 17.Qxf5 Nxf5 18.Re6 Rad8 19.Kf1 h5 20.Nb3 b6 21.a4 a5 22.Nh4 Nxh4 23.gxh4 Kf7 24.g3 Rfe8 25.Rxe8 Rxe8 26.Rxe8 Kxe8 27.Nc1 Ke7 28.Ke2 g5 29.hxg5 fxg5 30.Nd3 Ke6 31.b4 Kf5 32.bxa5 bxa5 33.Kf3 h4


34.g4+ Ke6 35.Kg2 Kd7 36.Kh3 Ke6 37.Nc1 Ba3 38.Nb3 Bb2 39.Nxa5 Bxc3 40.Nxc6 Kd6 41.Na7 Bxd4 42.Nb5+ Kc5 43.Nxd4 Kxd4 44.a5 Kc5 45.f4 gxf4 46.g5 d4 47.g6 d3 48.g7 d2 49.g8=Q d1=Q 50.Qg5+ Kc6 51.Qf6+ Qd6 52.Qxd6+ Kxd6 53.Kxh4 Kc6, draw.

Newark Gambit Debate @ "chesspub.com"

Alejandro Melchor [pictured] of Barcelona has contributed to the theory of both the Philidor Counter Gambit and the Latvian Gambit.

Recently, at chesspub.com, Melchor recommended 5.Bb3 as the correct move against Lev Zilbermintz's line in the PCG 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Bc4 b5, which Zilbermintz calls the Newark Gambit.

After 5.Bb3 fxe4, a player using the handle SmyslovFan claims that 6.dxe5 "is the refutaion of Black's opening" following the further moves 6...c6 7.Ng5 d5 8.e6.

I have never played the Newark Gambit, instead preferring Morphy's 4...Nc6 over Zilbermintz's 4...b5. But it seems to me that, after 8.e6, Black has a tenable position via the exchange sacrifice 8...Nf6 9.Nf7 Qc7 10.Nxh8 Bxe6 with the idea of ...Bc5, ...Kf8, ...Kg8, ...Kxh8.


The move 11.Bg5 can be met simply by 11...Nbd7.

New Jersey Open 9/5/2011

I finished the New Jersey Open with a score of 2-1-3.

Round Five: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2113) - David Grasso (FIDE 2191), NJ Open 9/5/2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 b4 11.Na4 Bb7 12.e5 Nd5 13.Bxd5 Bxd5 14.Nf5 Nc6


15.Nb6 dxe5 16.fxe5 Rb8 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.Qxd5 exd5 19.Nxe7+ Nxe7 20.Bc5 Rfe8 21.Rad1 Rb5 22.Bxe7 Rxe7 23.Rfe1 g6 24.Kf2 Ra5 25.Rd4 Rb7 26.Ra1 Kf8 27.a4 Rc5 28.Rc1 Ke7 29.c4 bxc3 30.bxc3 Rb2+ 31.Kf3 Rb3 32.Ke2 Rb2+ 33.Kf3 a5


34.c4 dxc4 35.Rcxc4 Rxe5 36.Re4 Rxe4 37.Rxe4+ Kf6 38.Rf4+ Ke6 39.Re4+ Kf6 40.Rf4+ Kg7 41.Rc4 Ra2 42.h4 h5 43.g3 Ra1 44.Kf4 Rf1+ 45.Ke3 Rf5 46.Rc6 Kf8 47.Rc7 Kg8 48.Ra7 Kg7 49.Ra6 Rc5 50.Kd4 Rc1 51.Ke3 Rc3+ 52.Kf2 Rc5 53.Ke3 f6


54.Ra7+ Kh6 55.Ra6 Rf5 56.Ke4 Rc5 57.Ke3 Re5+ 58.Kf3 Rf5+ 59.Ke3 g5 60.Ke4 Re5+ 61.Kf3 g4+ 62.Kf4 Kg6 63.Rxf6+, draw.

New Jersey Open 9/4/2011

Yesterday I won this game in the New Jersey Open.

Round Three: Falkbeer Counter Gambit

Mariya Oreshko (USCF 1952) - Jim West (USCF 2200), NJ Open 9/4/2011

1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Qxd5 5.Qe2 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Bg4 9.Qe3 Nbd7 10.dxe4 Qxe4 11.Qxe4+ Nxe4 12.Bxg7 Rg8 13.Bd4 O-O-O 14.g3 Nb6


15.Bxb6 axb6 16.Bc4 Rge8 17.Ne2 Nd2 18.Bd3 Rxd3 19.cxd3 Rxe2+ 20.Kd1 Nb3 21.axb3 Rxh2+, White resigns.

New Jersey Open 9/3/2011

On Saturday, this game took place in the New Jersey Open at the Somerset Holiday Inn.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Sveshnikov Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Kenneth Horan (USCF 1994), NJ Open 9/3/2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Na3 b5 10.Nd5 f5 11.c3 Bg7 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.Nc2 O-O 14.Nce3 Be6 15.g3 Kh8 16.Bg2 Rb8 17.O-O Ne7


18.Kh1 f5 19.f4 e4 20.Nxe7 Qxe7 21.Qd2 Rfd8 22.a4 d5 23.axb5 axb5 24.Nc2 b4 25.Nxb4 Rxb4 26.cxb4 d4 27.Rfe1 Rb8 28.Rec1 h6 29.Rc5 d3 30.g4 Bd4


31.gxf5 Bxc5 32.Qc3+ Kg8 33.fxe6 Bxb4 34.Qe5 Bd6 35.Qxe4 Rxb2 36.Qxd3 Bxf4 37.Qd4 Qg7 38.Qd8+, Black resigns.

No Cobra Insurance for NJKO

In week one of the U.S. Chess League, Anna Matlin's upset victory was not enough to insure the New Jersey Knockouts from defeat by the Carolina Cobras.

Thursday Night Action 9/1/2011

Last night, I won this game at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Four: Philidor Counter Gambit

Szymon Rudowski (USCF 1909) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 9/1/2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 f5 4.exf5 Bxf5 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.Qe2 Nf6 7.d4 Qe7 8.Bb5 exd4 9.Nxd4 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 Bd7 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd3 Be7 13.Re1 O-O 14.Kf1 Rfe8 15.h3 Bf8 16.Bf4 Rxe1+ 17.Rxe1 Re8 18.Rxe8+ Bxe8


19.Be3 c5 20.Nb5 Bxb5 21.Bxb5 Be7 22.Bc6 Kf7 23.a4 d5 24.b4 d4 25.Bf4 cxb4 26.Bxc7 Ke6 27.Ke2 Nd5 28.Bb8 Bc5 29.f4 Ne3 30.Kd3 h5 31.Bf3 g6 32.Be4 h4 33.Be5 g5


34.Bh8 gxf4 35.Bxd4 Bxd4 36.Kxd4 a5 37.Kc5 Ke5 38.Bb7 Nxc2 39.Kb5 b3, White resigns.

Playing Chess Keeps Keith Richards Happy

Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards "loves playing chess" on his iPad.