Jim West On Chess

Friday, January 12, 2018

Pix from January FIDE Weekend 1/6/2018

On Saturday, I snapped these photos during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Invest Like a Grandmaster

[photo by Gabriela Herman]

Grandmaster Lev Alburt [pictured] teaches strategy to the titans of Wall Street.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

FIDE Mondays 1/8/2018

On Monday, I played this game at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Four: Sicilian Defense, Paulsen Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Majur Juac (USCF 2218), Marshall Chess Club 1/8/2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.O-O Nf6 7.Qe2 Bd6 8.Kh1 Nc6 9.Nxc6 dxc6 10.f4 e5 11.f5 Bc5 12.a4 h5 13.Nd2 h4 14.Nc4 Nh5 15.Be3 Qe7

16.Kg1 b5 17.axb5 cxb5 18.Qf2 Bxe3 19.Nxe3 Bb7 20.f6 Qxf6 21.Nf5 Nf4 22.Qc5 Rd8 23.Rad1 g6

24.Bxb5+ axb5 25.Rxd8+ Kxd8 26.Rd1+ Bd5 27.Ne3 Ne2+ 28.Kh1 Ng3+ 29.Kg1 Ne2+ 30.Kh1 Ng3+, draw.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Westfield Quads 1/7/2018

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 0-0-3 in the quads at Westfield.

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Paulsen Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Justin Lee (USCF 2073), Westfield NJ 1/7/2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.O-O Nf6 7.Qe2 d6 8.c4 g6 9.Nc3 Bg7 10.Be3 O-O 11.Rac1 b6 12.Rfd1 Bb7 13.f3 Nbd7 14.b3 Rfe8 15.Qf2 Rac8 16.Bf1 Qb8

17.g3 Ba8 18.a4 d5 19.cxd5 exd5 20.Bxa6 Rxc3 21.Rxc3 dxe4 22.Rdc1 exf3 23.Rc8 Qa7 24.Rxe8+ Nxe8 25.Bb5 Nd6 26.Bc6 Ne5

27.Nb5 Nxb5 28.axb5 Nd3 29.Qxf3 Nxc1 30.Bxc1 Qa1 31.Bxa8 Qxc1+ 32.Kg2, draw.

* * * * * * * *

Round Two: English Opening, Symmetrical Variation

Sean Colure (USCF 2224) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 1/7/2018

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.d4 d6 6.d5 Ne5 7.Be2 Nxf3+ 8.Bxf3 Nf6 9.O-O O-O 10.Re1 a6 11.e4 Nd7 12.Be3 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.Qc2 b4 15.Nd1 Ne5 16.Be2 Ba6

17.f4 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 Nd7 19.Bf2 f5 20.exf5 Rxf5 21.g3 Kh8 22.Ne3 Rf7 23.a3 bxa3 24.Rxa3 Rb8 25.b3 Nb6 26.Qd3 Ra8 27.Rxa8 Qxa8 28.Rd1 Rf8 29.Nc4 Nxc4 30.bxc4 Rb8 31.Qe2 Bf6 32.g4 Rb2 33.Rd2 Qa2 34.Rxb2 Qxb2 35.Qxb2 Bxb2

36.Bh4 Bc1 37.f5 g5 38.Be1 Bb2 39.Kf2 Kg7 40.Kf3 Kf6 41.Ke4 Be5 42.h3 Bb2 43.Bd2 h6 44.Be3 Ba1 45.h4 Be5 46.hxg5+ hxg5 47.Kd3 Bb2 48.Kc2 Be5 49.Kd3 Bb2 50.Kc2, draw.

* * * * * * * *

Round Three: Dutch Defense

Boris Privman (USCF 2291) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Westfield NJ 1/7/2018

1.d4 f5 2.g3 e6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nh3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 d6 7.Nf4 e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Qxd8 Rxd8 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.Bxd5+ Kf8 12.Bg2 c6 13.Be3 Na6 14.Nc3 Be6 15.b3 h6 16.h4 Bc5 17.h5 Ke7

18.Rad1 Bxe3 19.fxe3 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Rd8 21.Rxd8 Kxd8 22.e4 Nc5 23.Kf2 fxe4 24.Nxe4 Nxe4 25.Bxe4 Bg4 26.Bf3 Bf5 27.c5 Be6 28.Ke3 Ke7 29.Kd3 Kf6 30.Kc3 Kg5 31.a4 Bg4 32.Kd3 Bxh5 33.Bxh5 Kxh5 34.Ke4 Kg4 35.Kxe5 Kxg3

36.e4 h5 37.Kd6 h4 38.e5 h3 39.e6 h2 40.e7 h1=Q 41.e8=Q Qd5+ 42.Kc7 Qxb3 43.Qe5+ Kf2 44.Qxg7 a5 45.Qf8+ Ke2 46.Qa8 Qxa4 47.Qxb7 Qb5 48.Qxc6 Qxc6+ 49.Kxc6 a4 50.Kd7 a3 51.c6 a2 52.c7 a1=Q 53.c8=Q Qd4+, draw.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Marshall January FIDE Weekend 1/6/2018

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

Round Two: French Defense, Burn Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Victor Chen (USCF 1960), Marshall Chess Club 1/6/2018

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6 7.g3 b6 8.Bg2 c6 9.Ne2 Bb7 10.O-O Nd7 11.c3 Qc7 12.Qc2 h5 13.h4 O-O-O

14.a4 Rdg8 15.a5 Rg7 16.axb6 axb6 17.f4 f5 18.Ng5 Nf6 19.Ra7 Bd6 20.Rfa1 Rhg8 21.b4 Nd5 22.Qd2 Qd7 23.Bxd5 cxd5

24.Qd3 Bb8 25.R7a2 Kd8 26.Qe3 Qc6 27.Kh2 Kd7, draw.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Apples to Orangutans

That is how Tord Romstad [pictured] compared Stockfish to AlphaZero,

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Jeff Bulington on "60 Minutes"

Jeff Bulington teaches chess to children in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Friday, January 5, 2018

Pix from New Year's Insanity

Last weekend, I photographed the players during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Facebook Page: "Mikell's Plot" at USATE

Mikell's Plot will be performing live at the USATE 2018 on February 17th at 11am.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

FIDE Mondays 1/1/2018

This game was played on Monday evening at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: King's Indian Defense, Orthodox Variation

Stephen Hrop (USCF 2043) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/1/2018

1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 Nbd7 8.O-O Nc5 9.Qc2 a5 10.Bg5 h6 11.Be3 Ng4 12.Bxc5 dxc5 13.h3 Nf6 14.Nxe5 Nxd5 15.cxd5 Bxe5 16.f4 Bd4+ 17.Kh2 c6

18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Rae1 Qh4 20.Bd3 g5 21.Ne2 Bf2 22.Rc1 g4 23.f5 Kh7 24.Qd2 Rd8 25.Qf4 g3+ 26.Kh1 Qxf4 27.Nxf4 Be3 28.Rc3 Bd2 29.Ra3 Bb4 30.Ra4 Bd2 31.Bc4 Bxf4 32.Rxf4 Rd4 33.Bb3 Ba6

34.Rxd4 cxd4 35.Rg4 Rg8 36.Rf4 Be2 37.e5 Rd8 38.Re4 d3 39.e6 d2 40.Bd1 Bxd1 41.e7 Re8, White resigns.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

New Year's Insanity 12/31/2017

Taking five half point byes on Monday, I finished with a score of 3-3-4 in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Seven: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - William Ren (USCF 1884), Marshall Chess Club 12/31/2017

1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.f4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Nf3 a6 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Ne5 Qc7 9.O-O Nd7 10.d3 e6 11.Nd2 Nxe5 12.Bxe5 Bd6 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.Qe2 O-O-O

15.a4 g5 16.fxg5 h6 17.e4 dxe4 18.Nxe4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4 hxg5 20.g3 f5 21.Qf3 Rh6 22.Rae1 Rdh8 23.Rf2 Qd4 24.Qe3 Kd7 25.Qxd4+ cxd4 26.Ree2 Kd6 27.Kf1 Kd5 28.Ke1 Rf8 29.Kd2 Rc8 30.Rf1 Rch8 31.Rff2 Rc8 32.Kc1 b5 33.axb5 axb5 34.Kb2 b4

35.Rf1 Rch8 36.Rfe1 f4 37.Re5+ Kd6 38.Rxg5 fxg3 39.hxg3 Rh2 40.Rg6 Re8 41.Re4 Kd5 42.Rh4 Rg2 43.Rh5+ e5 44.Rhh6 Rc8 45.Rd6+ Kc5 46.Rd7 Kb5 47.Rd5+ Rc5 48.Rxc5+ Kxc5 49.Rg6 Kd5 50.g4 Rg1

51.g5 e4 52.dxe4+ Kxe4 53.Rb6 Rxg5 54.Rxb4 Rg2 55.Rc4 Ke3 56.Ka3 d3 57.cxd3 Kxd3 58.Kb4 Rg5 59.Rc5 Rg1 60.Kb5 Kd4 61.b4 Rg6 62.Rc1 Rg5+ 63.Ka6 Rg6+ 64.Ka5 Rg5+ 65.b5 Rg6 66.b6 Rg2