Pix from Thursday Night Action 1/3/2019

Look at these pictures taken by me during Thursday's tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Thursday Night Action 1/3/2019

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

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation

Benjamin Medina (USCF 1972) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/3/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be2 Be6 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.O-O-O O-O 11.f4 Rc8 12.h3 b5

13.Bf3 exf4 14.Bxf4 b4 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 a5 17.Nd4 Re8 18.Rhe1 Bf8 19.Rxe8 Nxe8 20.Bg4 Nef6 21.Bg5 Rc5 22.Bxd7 Qxd7 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.Nb3 Rb5 25.Qf4 a4

26.Rd3 Kh8 27.Rg3 Bg7. draw.

Pix from Marshall Insanity 1/1/2019

During Tuesday's tournament, I took these pictures at the Marshall Chess Club.

Pix from Marshall Insanity 12/30/2018

On Sunday, I photographed the players during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Marshall Insanity 1/1/2019

On Tuesday, I finished with a score of 4-3-3 plus five half point byes in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Eleven: Pirc Defense

Leo Solal (USCF 1964) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 1/1/2019

1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.e4 Bg7 5.h3 O-O 6.Be3 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Bc4 Qxd1+ 9.Rxd1 Nbd7 10.O-O c6 11.a4 h6 12.Rd2 Re8 13.Rfd1 Nf8 14.g4 Be6

15.Bf1 h5 16.g5 N6h7 17.Bg2 f6 18.h4 Bg4 19.Ne2 Bxf3 20.Bxf3 fxg5 21.hxg5 Ne6 22.Rd7 Rad8 23.Ng3 a6 24.Rxb7 Nhxg5 25.Bxg5 Nxg5 26.Be2 Rxd1+ 27.Bxd1 h4 28.Nf1 Nxe4 

29.Bf3 Nc5 30.Bxc6 Nxb7 31.Bxe8, draw.

Marshall Insanity 12/30/2018

On Sunday, I played these games in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round One: Ruy Lopez

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Teja Pollard (USCF 1594), Marshall Chess Club 12/30/2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.O-O h6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Be7 8.Nc3 O-O 9.d5 Nb4 10.a3 Na6 11.e5 Nh7 12.h3 d6 13.Bf4 dxe5 14.Bxe5 Bf6 15.Re1 Bxe5 16.Rxe5 Qd6 17.Rc1 Ng5

18.Re3 Nxh3+ 19.gxh3 Qg6+ 20.Kh2 Qd6+ 21.Ne5 f6 22.Bc4 fxe5 23.Ne4 Qd7 24.d6+ Kh8 25.dxc7 Qxd1 26.Rxd1 Nxc7 27.Kg2 Be6 28.Bxe6 Nxe6 29.Rd7 b6 30.Nd6 Nf4+ 31.Kf1 a5 32.Nf7+ Kg8 33.Nxe5 Rfe8

34.Rf3 Nxh3 35.Rxh3 Rxe5 36.Rg3 Rg5 37.Rxg5 hxg5 38.Rd5 Rc8 39.Rxg5 Rc1+ 40.Kg2 Rc2 41.Rb5 Rc6 42.b4 axb4 43.Rxb4 Kf7 44.a4 g6 45.Rb5 Kf6 46.a5 bxa5 47.Rxa5, draw.

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Round Two: King's Indian Defense

Cameron Hull (USCF 1835) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 12/30/2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.O-O d6 6.c3 Nbd7 7.Nbd2 e5 8.e4 Re8 9.Re1 c6 10.b3 Qc7 11.Bb2 a5 12.Rc1 b6 13.h4 h5 14.Ng5 Nf8 15.Qc2 N8h7

16.Ba3 Nxg5 17.hxg5 Nh7 18.Nc4 Bf8 19.dxe5 dxe5 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.Qd2 Rd8 22.Qe3 b5 23.Nb6 Rb8 24.Nxc8 Rbxc8 25.Bh3 Rb8 26.Rcd1 Qe7 27.f4 Rxd1 28.Rxd1 Rd8 29.Rxd8+ Qxd8 30.Kf2 exf4 31.gxf4 Qd1

32.f5 gxf5 33.exf5 Qd5 34.Qe8+ Nf8 35.Qe3 a4 36.g6 fxg6 37.fxg6 axb3 38.axb3 Qxb3 39.g7 Qf7+ 40.Ke2 Qxg7 41.Qe8 Qg6 42.Qe3 h4 43.Kd2 Qg3 44.Be6+ Nxe6 45.Qxe6+ Kg7 46.Qe7+ Kh6 47.Qf8+ Qg7

48.Qd6+ Qg6 49.Qf8+ Qg7 50.Qd6+ Qg6 51.Qf8+ Kg5 52.Qe7+ Kh5 53.Qe2+ Kh6 54.Qe7 Qg5+ 55.Qxg5+ Kxg5 56.Ke2 c5 57.Kf2 b4, White resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Three: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Wesley Hellner (USCF 1885), Marshall Chess Club 12/30/2018

1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.f4 d6 5.Nf3 c5 6.a4 Nc6 7.Na3 O-O 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.O-O a6 10.Bxc6 Bxc6 11.Qe2 Rc8 12.d3 b5 13.axb5 axb5 14.e4 Qb6 15.Kh1 Nd7

16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Nb1 Ra8 18.Nbd2 Rxa1 19.Rxa1 Ra8 20.Qd1 Ra6 21.Qb1 Kg8 22.Qb2 Qa7 23.Rxa6 Qxa6 24.h3 Qa7 25.d4 Qa5 26.d5 Bb7 27.c3 Ba6 28.b4 Qa4 29.Qb3 Qxb3 30.Nxb3 Kf8 31.Kg1 c4 32.Nbd4 Nb6

33.g4 Na4 34.Ne2 Bc8 35.Nfd4 Bd7 36.Kf2 f6 37.Ke3 Kf7 38.Kd2 Nb2 39.Nc1 Na4 40.Kc2 Nb6 41.f5 Na4 42.Nce2 g5 43.Nf3 h6 44.Ned4 Ke8 45.Ne6 Nb6 46.Nfd4 Nc8 47.Nxb5 Nb6 48.Nbd4 Ba4+ 49.Kd2 Kd7

50.Nc2 Bb3 51.Ned4 Ba4 52.Na3 Kc7 53.Ndc2 Bb3 54.Ne3 Kb7 55.Nac2 Ka6 56.Nd4 Ba4 57.Nc6 Bxc6 58.dxc6 Kb5 59.c7 Kc6 60.Nd5 Nc8 61.Ke3 Kb5 62.Kd4 Kc6 63.Kxc4 Kd7 64.b5 Na7 65.b6 Nc6 

66.Kb5 e6 67.fxe6+, Black resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Five: Philidor Counter Gambit

Iris Mou (USCF 1874) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 12/30/2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.exf5 e4 5.Nfd2 Bxf5 6.Nc4 d5 7.Ne3 Be6 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Bb5+ Nc6 11.O-O Nf6 12.Nc3 Bd6 13.f3 exf3 14.Qxf3 O-O

15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Qe2 Qb6 17.Nc2 Rae8 18.Qd3 Bc8 19.Qd1 Ba6 20.Rf2 Qc7 21.g3 Ne4 22.Nxe4 Rxe4 23.Rxf8+ Bxf8 24.Qf3 Qf7 25.Qxf7+ Kxf7 26.Bd2 Ke6 27.Bc3 c5 28.Rd1 Re2 29.Re1 Rxe1+ 30.Nxe1 Bb5

31.Nf3 h6 32.Kg2 Be2 33.dxc5 Bxf3+ 34.Kxf3 g6 35.b4 a5 36.a3 axb4 37.axb4 Kd7 38.g4 Kc6 39.h4 Kb5 40.g5 hxg5 41.hxg5 d4 42.Bxd4 Kxb4 43.Ke4 Be7 44.Bf6 Bxc5 45.Ke5 Be3 46.Be7+ Kc4 

47.Kf6 Bxg5+ 48.Kxg5 Kd5, draw.

GM Ben Finegold Analyzes PCG

In a video at Chess.com, grandmaster Ben Finegold analyzes the variation in the Philidor Counter Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Neg5 considering only 6...h6 and 6...e4 but making no mention of 6...exd4 with these ideas:

a) 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Bb5 h6;

b) 7.Nxd4 Bb4+ 8.c3 Qe7+ 9.Be2 Bc5 10.O-O Bxd4.