Benoni Defense at "Inside Jersey"

From the USCL, the game between Ethan Klein and Spencer Finegold is analyzed at Inside Jersey.

19 Years Ago Yesterday

On February 10, 1996, Deep Blue [pictured] won the first game of the match against world champion Garry Kasparov.

Marshall February Under 2300 2/8/2015

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

Round Four: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Derek Chen (USCF 1814) - Jim West (USCF 2208), Marshall Chess Club 2/8/2015

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.a4 Be6 9.f4 Qc7 10.O-O O-O 11.f5 Bc4 12.g4 d5

13.exd5 Rd8 14.Bg5 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Rxd5 17.Bxe7 Qxe7 18.Qe4 Rd6 19.Rf3 Nc6 20.Rh3 Qf6 21.Kh1 Rad8 22.Rg1 Rd1 23.Rh5 Qd6 24.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 25.Kg2 Qd5 26.Qxd5 Rxd5 27.Kf3 f6

28.Ke4 Rd1 29.Nc5 Rd4+ 30.Kf3 Nd8 31.b3 a5 32.Rh3 b6 33.Nd3 Nc6 34.Kg3 g6 35.fxg6 hxg6 36.Kh4 Kg7 37.c3 g5+ 38.Kh5 Rd8, 0-1.

Marshall February Under 2300 2/7/2015

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

Round Three: French Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (FIDE 2068) - Jose De Villa (FIDE 1794), Marshall Chess Club 2/7/2015

1.e4 e6 2.d3 Nc6 3.g3 Be7 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.Nf3 d6 6.O-O O-O 7.Nbd2 e5 8.a4 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.c3 Qd7 11.Qc2 Bg6

12.Nh4 Nh5 13.Nxg6 hxg6 14.Nc4 Rab8 15.Ne3 Nd8 16.Nd5 c6 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.Be3 c5 19.d4 cxd4 20.cxd4 exd4 21.Bxd4 Nc6 22.Bc3 Rbc8 23.Qb3 b6 24.Rad1 Ne5 25.Bb4 Rfd8 26.Rfe1 Kh7 27.Kh2 g5 28.Re2 g4 29.Red2 Qf6 30.hxg4 Nxg4+ 31.Kg1 Qh6

32.Bxd6 Nhf6 33.Bf4 Qh2+ 34.Kf1 Rf8 35.e5 Nh5 36.Qf3 Nxf4 37.Qxf4 Qh5 38.Bf3 Nh2+ 39.Kg2 Nxf3 40.Qxf3 Qxe5 41.Rd5 Qe6 42.Rh1+ Kg8 43.Rdh5 f5 44.Rh8+ Kf7 45.Qb7+ Qe7 46.Qd5+ Qe6 47.Qb7+ Kg6

48.Rxf8 Rxf8 49.Qf3 Kf7 50.Rc1 Kg8 51.Rc7 Rf7 52.Qa8+ Kh7 53.Rxa7 Rf6 54.Qf3 Rh6 55.Qd3 Qg6 56.Qf3 Qe6 57.Qd3 Qg6 58.Qf3 f4 59.Qxf4 Qc6+ 60.Kf1 Qh1+ 61.Ke2 Re6+ 62.Kd2 Qe1+ 63.Kc2 Rc6+ 64.Kb3 Qe6+ 65.Ka3 Rc4

66.Qe3 Qd6+ 67.Ka2 Qd5 68.Qb3 Kh6 69.Ra6 g6 70.Rxb6 Rxa4+ 71.Kb1 Qe4+ 72.Kc1 Rc4+ 73.Kd2 Qd4+ 74.Ke2 Qg4+ 75.f3 Qc8 76.Qe3+ Kh7 77.Qe7+ Kh6 78.Qe3+ Kh7 79.Qe7+ Kh6, draw.

Asa Hoffmann Lecture at Marshall CC Tuesday

On Tuesday, February 10th, FM Asa Hoffmann [pictured] will lecture on the Czech Benoni at the Marshall Chess Club.

Ferrero and Elberling Memorials Tomorrow

On Sunday, February 8th, the Steve Ferrero Memorial tournament will be held at the Dean of Chess Academy.

FEB. 8   2nd Annual Steve Ferrero Memorial Grand Prix

TROPHIES PLUS GRAND PRIX POINTS: 10

4SS, G/60 d5. Dean of Chess Academy, 3322 Route 22 West, Building 15, Branchburg, NJ 08876. (908) 595-0066. GTD$$ Open: $200-$150-$100-$100, U1700: $50 merchandise credit. U1300: $40 merchandise credit. U1000: $30 merchandise credit. Pre-Entry: $45 ($35 members). Entries postmarked by 2/3/2015 to Dean of Chess Academy, 3322 Route 22 West, Building 15, Suite 1501, Branchburg, NJ 08876 or enter online at www.deanofchess.com. Onsite: $55 ($45 members). IMs and GMs free, early entry fee deducted from prize. One 1/2 point bye if requested before start of round 2. Registration: 9:00-9:45am. Rounds: 10:00am & ASAP.

And the Thomas Elberling Memorial quads will take place in Westfield.

FEB. 8   Thomas Elberling Memorial Quads

3-RR. G/40 d5. Westfield Y, 220 Clark St., Westfield, NJ 07090. EF: $25, $20 Members. Prizes: $60 to first in each section. Reg.: 1:15-1:45 p.m.Rds.: 2:15, 4:00, 5:45 p.m. Info: www.westfieldchessclub.com, John Moldovan: westfieldchessclub@gmail.com, Bill Cohen: 732-548-8432 or 848-219-1358.

Catalan Opening at "Inside Jersey"

The game between my USATE 2015 teammate IM Dean Ippolito [pictured] and NM Praveen Balakrishnan, from the Liberty Bell Open, is analyzed at Inside Jersey.

"Pawn Sacrifice" Release Date 9/18/2015

The film Pawn Sacrifice will be released in the United States on September 18, 2015.

25 Years of Philidor Counter Gambits

25 years ago today, I played my first Philidor Counter Gambit as a national master.

More than 900 PCG games later, with a plus score of over 250, my two favorite Philidor Counter Gambits were played at the USATE 1999 and the USATE 2000.

Philidor Counter Gambit

NM Gerard McDonnell - NM Jim West, Somerset NJ 2/4/1990

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.dxe5 c6 7.Ncxe4 Qc7 8.Nd6+ Bxd6 9.exd6 Qxd6 10.Bd3 Nf6 11.Qe2+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.O-O h6 14.Re1+ Kf8 15.Ne6+ Bxe6 16.Rxe6 Kf7 17.Re1 Nbd7 18.Bf4 Rhe8

19.Kf1 Nc5 20.Be2 g5 21.Be3 Nce4 22.Rad1 c5 23.Bc1 Kg7 24.Bb5 Rf8 25.f3 Nd6 26.Bd3 Rae8 27.Rxe8 Rxe8 28.Re1 b5 29.Rxe8 Nfxe8 30.Kf2 c4 31.Bf1 Kf6 32.Be3 a6 33.h4 Nf5 34.hxg5+ hxg5 35.Bd2 d4

36.g3 Nc7 37.Bg2 Ne6 38.Bh3 Nc5 39.Bf1 g4 40.Bb4 Ne6 41.Bd2 gxf3 42.Kxf3 Ng5+ 43.Kf4 Nxg3 44.Bg2 c3 45.bxc3 Ne2+ 46.Kg4 Ne6 47.cxd4 N2xd4 48.c3 Nf5 49.Bb7 Nc5 50.Bg5+ Ke5 51.Bf4+ Kf6 52.Bg5+, draw.

NM Art Macaspac Wins Cherry Street Open

On Saturday, NM Art Macaspac [pictured, left] won the tournament at Chess Mates.

Winter 2015 Schedule Change

On Thursday afternoons this winter, I am teaching an after school enrichment class on chess for Enrich and Grow Academy at Torey J. Sabatini School, not at Golda Och Academy as originally scheduled.

Cherry Street Open 1/31/2015

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

Round Four: Center Counter Defense

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Mauricio Camejo (USCF 2037), Rahway NJ 1/31/2015

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 a6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be2 Nc6 7.Be3 e6 8.h3 Bh5 9.Qd2 Nf6 10.O-O h6 11.Rad1 g5 

12.d5 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Ne5 14.Qe2 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 e5 16.Bc5 Qxc5 17.Qxf6 Rg8 18.Qxe5+ Qe7 19.Rfe1 Qxe5 20.Rxe5+ Kd7 21.Rf5 Rg7 22.Ne4 Be7 23.c4 b6 24.Nf6+ Bxf6 25.Rxf6 Re8 26.Kf1 Re4 27.b3 h5

28.d6 c6 29.Re1 Re6 30.Rfxe6 fxe6 31.Rd1 a5 32.a3 Rf7 33.Ke2 Rf4 34.Ke3 e5 35.g3 Rf6 36.b4 Rxd6 37.Rxd6+ Kxd6 38.Ke4 axb4 39.axb4 Ke6 40.b5 cxb5 41.cxb5 g4 42.h4 Kd6 43.Kf5 Kd5 44.Kg5 Ke4

45.Kxh5 Kf3 46.Kg5 Kxf2 47.h5 e4 48.h6 e3 49.h7 e2 50.h8+Q e1=Q 51.Qf6+ Kg2 52.Qf4 Qxg3 53.Qxg4 Kf2 54.Qxg3+ Kxg3 55.Kf5 Kf3 56.Ke5, Black resigns.