Marshall November Under 2300, Day 1

On Saturday, I was lucky to draw this game in the under 2300 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Two: English Opening

Steve Hrop (USCF 2041) - Jim West (USCF 2209), Marshall Chess Club 11/10/2012

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.O-O e6 6.d3 Nge7 7.Nc3 O-O 8.Bd2 d5 9.Rb1 b6 10.a3 Bb7 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.b4 cxb4 14.axb4 Qd7 15.Qa4 Rfd8 16.Rfc1 Nd4

17.Qxd7 Rxd7 18.Nxd4 Bxg2 19.Nxe6 Bb7 20.Nc7 Rc8 21.Nb5 Rxc1+ 22.Rxc1 a6 23.Nc3 Bxc3 24.Rxc3 f5 25.f3 Kf7 26.Bf4 Ke6 27.Kf2 Rd4 28.Rc7 Rd7 29.Rxd7 Kxd7 30.Ke3 Bc6 31.Kd4 a5 32.bxa5 bxa5

33.Ke5 a4 34.Bc1 Ke7 35.e4 Bb5 36.d4 Be2 37.Kf4 Bd3 38.d5 Bc4 39.Ba3+ Kd7 40.h4 Bb3 41.h5 fxe4 42.fxe4 gxh5 43.Ke3 Ke8 44.Kd4 Kf7 45.e5 Kg6 46.Kc5 Kf5 47.Kd6 Ke4 48.Ke6 Bxd5+ 49.Kf6 Kf3 50.Kg5 Kxg3 51.Kxh5 Kf4

52.Kh6 Kxe5 53.Kxh7 Kd4 54.Kg6 Kc3 55.Kf5 Kb3 56.Be7 a3 57.Bxa3 Kxa3, draw.

Recap of Chess Class 11/10/2012

Last Saturday's chess class, conducted by Columbia Academy, at Caldwell College was postponed until yesterday due to the hurricane. Students found the right move ...Qh6# on their homework assignments except that they wrote the move incorrectly as Qh6# leaving out the three dots. Remember to preface the move with three dots when it is played by Black.

At the demonstration board, I presented an instructive endgame illustrating the superiority of the bishop over the knight when there are pawns on both sides of the board. In the game, Bobby Fischer showed excellent technique, which is the ability to convert an advantageous position into a winning position and then to convert the winning position into a win. Fischer put his opponent Mark Taimanov in Zugzwang by gaining tempos with his bishop while Taimanov's knight was unable to gain tempos in return. The ability to gain tempos is an advantage that bishops have over knights. Zugzwang means that you are obligated to make a move, and your only remaining moves are losing moves. If the rules of chess allowed you to pass and not make a move, you could never lose such a Zugzwang position.

The class concluded with a practical session during which the players kept score. All games were adjourned at the end of the class and will be resumed next week.

"BFATW" at British Documentary Awards

The film Bobby Fischer Against the World has been named best cinema documentary at the British Documentary Awards.

Knights Ride NJKO Out of Playoffs

In week ten of the U.S. Chess League, the New Jersey Knockouts found themselves eliminated from the postseason after drawing their match against the New York Knights, who advanced to the eastern quarterfinals.

The games were played at full tilt on boards one, two, three, and four.

"My 60 Memorable Games" in Film

Pictured is a scene from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo showing My 60 Memorable Games.

Katie & Pobo to Appear on "The Daily Show"

Tomorrow night, Katie Dellamaggiore and Pobo Efekoro will appear on The Daily Show.

Read Roger Ebert's review of Brooklyn Castle.

Pix from Rahway Swiss 11/4/2012

These pictures were taken by me on Sunday during the game/30 Swiss tournament at Chess Mates.

Rahway Swiss 11/4/2012

Yesterday six players showed up at Chess Mates for the game/30 Swiss.

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation

Jim West (USCF 2209) - Fermin Arias (USCF 1945), Rahway NJ 11/4/2012

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 O-O 9.Bc4 a6 10.h4 h5 11.O-O-O Ne5 12.Bb3 Qc7 13.Bg5 Nc4 14.Qe2 b5

15.Bxf6 exf6 16.Nd5 Qc5 17.c3 Re8 18.g4 Bb7 19.Bxc4 bxc4 20.Qg2 Bxd5 21.exd5 Qxd5 22.Nf5 Qa5 23.Nxg7 Kxg7 24.Kb1 Qb6 25.gxh5 Re5 26.hxg6 fxg6 27.f4 Ree8 28.h5 g5

29.fxg5 f5 30.g6 Rab8 31.h6+ Kf6 32.g7 Rg8 33.Rhg1 a5 34.h7, Black resigns.

"Chess Mates" Open Today

Chess Mates in Rahway has electrical power and will be open today for game/30 quads starting at 10:30am and lessons from GM Leonid Yudasin at 2:30pm to 7:30pm.

Last weekend's Rahway Open on Saturday ended in a 5-way tie for first place.

Round One: King's Indian Defense, Lesser Simagin Variation

Rishi Rajendran (USCF 1881) - Jim West (USCF 2215), Rahway NJ 10/27/2012

1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 Nc6 7.Nc3 Bf5 8.h3 e5 9.d5 Ne7 10.Qb3 Rb8 11.Rd1 h5 12.Bg5 Nh7 13.Be3 b6

14.Ng5 Nxg5 15.Bxg5 f6 16.Be3 Kh7 17.Ne4 Ng8 18.Rac1 Qd7 19.Kh2 a5 20.Qb5 Qe7 21.Qb3 Bh6 22.a3 Bxe3 23.Qxe3 a4 24.Nc3 Ra8 25.Rh1 Nh6 26.Kg1 Kg7 27.f4 Rh8 28.fxe5 Qxe5 29.Qxe5 fxe5 30.Nb5 Rhc8 31.Kf2 Bd7 32.Nc3 Rf8+ 33.Ke1 Nf5

34.Ne4 Nd4 35.Rc3 Rae8 36.Kd2 Bf5 37.Rf1 Nb3+ 38.Ke3 Bxe4 39.Rxf8 Rxf8 40.Bxe4 Rf1 41.Bc2 Nc5 42.Bd3 h4 43.gxh4 Rh1 44.Kf3 e4+ 45.Kg2 exd3 46.exd3 Rb1 47.d4 Rxb2+ 48.Kf3 Rb3 49.Re3 Nd7 50.Kf4 Rxe3 51.Kxe3 Nf6

52.Kd3 Kh6 53.Kc3 Kh5 54.Kb4 Kxh4 55.Kb5 Kxh3 56.Kc6 Ne8 57.Kd7 g5 58.Kxe8 g4 59.Kd7 g3 60.Kxc7 g2 61.Kxd6 g1=Q 62.c5 Qxd4 63.c6 Qc5+ 64.Kd7 Qxd5+ 65.Kc7 b5 66.Kb6 Qc4 67.c7 b4, White resigns.

NJKO Broadsided by Dreadnoughts

The New Jersey Knockouts were broadsided by the Connecticut Dreadnoughts and lost at sea, in week nine of the U.S. Chess League.

You will find a boatload of good moves on boards one, two, three, and four.

Westfield Fall Grand Prix Canceled

Chess Magnet School Junior Grand Prix! Nov. 4 
CANCELED: Westfield Fall Grand Prix 
Trophies Plus Grand Prix Points: 10 (Enhanced) 
4-SS, G/25 t/d 5s. Westfield Y, 220 Clark St., Westfield, NJ 07090. Prize Fund: $1000 b/30 entries. 70% guaranteed. $250-$150-$100, U2200, U2000, U1800, U1600 $100 each, Best age 16 or under, Best age 55 or over $50 each. EF: Advance $40, $30 members, at site $50, $40 members. Send advance entries to: John Moldovan, 510 4th Ave., Garwood, NJ 07027 by November 1. Make checks payable to: Westfield Chess Club. Reg.: 1:30-2:00 p.m. Rds.: 2:15- 3:30-4:45- 6:00 p.m. Info: John Moldovan: westfieldchessclub@gmail.com, Bill Cohen: 732-548-8432 or 848-219-1358, westfieldchessclub.blogspot.com and www.westfieldchessclub.com. 
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Sunday's grand prix tournament in Westfield has been canceled because the YMCA has no electrical power.

The Three-Day Blow: Hurricane Sandy

[photo of Atlantic City by Mario Tama/Getty Images]

Ernest Hemingway might have described Hurricane Sandy  as "the three-day blow." Not only have the leaves been blown from the trees, but the lives of people in New Jersey have changed. Yesterday Barack Obama visited the state.

I have witnessed some astonishing sights: an uprooted tree that crashed through the roof of a house; people in the park taking pictures of downed trees on their cell phones; dozens of cars lined up at a gas station.

This week, my after school enrichment classes in Randolph have been canceled because the schools where I teach chess are closed. My students in Mountain Lakes, Fanwood, and Bridgewater have postponed their lessons because of the storm.

Where I live, from Monday night until this morning, there was no electrical power and no landline phone or Internet service.

By day I drove to a little store, in a nearby town with no power outage, where I could access the Internet and recharge my cell phone for a reasonable fee.  My recent posts originated from there.

By night I studied the Philidor Counter Gambit with Fritz8 on my laptop and listened to music on my CD player.  Both devices are battery powered.

Thinking like a chess player, I would estimate Sandy's strength at approximately FIDE 2300: strong enough to obtain a clear advantage, but not strong enough to defeat me.