New Location for DOCA

The Dean of Chess Academy has a new address [pictured]: 3322 Route 22 West/Building 15/Suite 1501/Branchburg NJ 08876.

Identity Theft at the USCF

On Sunday, November 2nd, someone pretending to be James R. West went to the USCF website and renewed my membership for one more year, using my ID number.  Then he changed my e-mail address and mailing address to his.  On Monday, November 3rd, I looked up my rating at the USCF website and was surprised to find that I was now a resident of New York!  I phoned the USCF immediately, and they corrected my e-mail address, mailing address, and expiration date.

Then yesterday, November 13th, the troll sent an e-mail to the USCF requesting that my e-mail address and mailing address be changed again to his.  And they made the same mistake!  This time, I received an e-mail from the USCF notifying me that my personal information had been changed.  Once again, I phoned the USCF and got them to reverse their error.  By the end of the day, I received another e-mail from the USCF advising that my ID number had been locked, meaning that in the future my personal information can be changed only if I contact them directly by phone; or, in other words, no more trolling!

Apparently the identity thief wants a membership card from the USCF with my name and ID number on it so that he can pretend to me at tournaments or pass himself off as a chess master to unsuspecting students.  Tournament directors, beware!  An impostor is on the loose.

Arch Bishops So Much Better Than NJKO

In the quarterfinals of the U.S. Chess League, led by GM Wesley So, the Saint Louis Arch Bishops said, "So long" to the New Jersey Knockouts, knocking them out of the playoffs.

The games were so good on boards one, two, three, and four.

Pix from Marshall November Grand Prix

These pictures were taken by me, during the weekend tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

                                                 Saturday

                                                 Sunday

Anna Matlin Annotates at "Inside Jersey"

At Inside Jersey, Anna Matlin annotates her game against Todd Bryant, from the Fourth of July Open.

Marshall November Grand Prix 11/9/2014

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

Round Four: Sicilian Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (FIDE 2065) - Wesley Wang (FIDE 1731), Marshall Chess Club 11/9/2014

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 d5 4.Nbd2 Nf6 5.g3 Be7 6.Bg2 O-O 7.O-O b5 8.e5 Nfd7 9.Re1 Bb7 10.h4 Nc6 11.Nf1 Re8 12.Bf4 Nf8 13.h5 f6

14.N1h2 fxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Bf6 17.Ng4 Nd7 18.f4 Nxe5 19.Nxe5 Qd6 20.c3 Re7 21.d4 Rc8 22.Kh2 Qb6 23.dxc5 Qxc5 24.Qd2 a5 25.a3 Qd6 26.Rad1 Rec7 27.Qe3 b4 28.axb4 axb4 29.c4 Bxe5 30.fxe5 Qe7

31.cxd5 Rc2 32.Re2 Qf7 33.g4 Rxe2 34.Qxe2 Qf4+ 35.Kh3 Bxd5 36.Bxd5 exd5 37.e6 Rf8 38.Rxd5 Qc1 39.Rd1 Qc6 40.Re1 Re8 41.Qe4 Qa4 42.Qc4 Qa8 43.e7+ Kh8 44.Qe4 Qxe4 45.Rxe4 Kg8 46.Rxb4 Rxe7

47.Rf4 Re3+ 48.Kg2 Rb3 49.Rf2 h6 50.Kf1 g6 51.Rg2 gxh5 52.gxh5+ Kf7 53.Rh2 Kf6 54.Ke1 Kg5 55.Kd1 Rb8 56.Kc2 Rc8+ 57.Kd3 Rd8+ 58.Kc2 Rc8+ 59.Kd1 Rb8 60.Kc1 Rc8+ 61.Rc2 Rb8 62.Rc5+ Kf6

63.Kc2 Rb6 64.Kc3 Ke6 65.b4 Kd6 66.Kc4 Ra6 67.Rc8 Kd7 68.Rg8 Re6 69.Rg7+ Kc8 70.Rg6 Re4+ 71.Kb3 Kb7 72.Rxh6 Rh4 73.Ka4 Rh1 74.Kb5 Rh4 75.Rh7+ Kb8 76.Ka5 Kc8 77.b5 Kb8 78.Kb6, Black resigns.

Marshall November Grand Prix 11/8/2014

Yesterday I played this game at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Two: Caro-Kann Defense, King's Indian Attack

Jim West (FIDE 2065) - Matt Boxer (FIDE 1824), Marshall Chess Club 11/8/2014

1.e4 c6 2.d3 e5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 Qc7 6.O-O d6 7.Nbd2 h6 8.a4 a5 9.Re1 O-O 10.c3 Na6 11.Qc2 Be6 12.Nc4 b6 13.Bd2 Nc5

14.Nh4 Nxa4 15.Rxa4 b5 16.Rxa5 bxc4 17.Rxa8 Rxa8 18.dxc4 Bxc4 19.Nf5 Bf8 20.Ne3 Be6 21.c4 Nd7 22.Bb4 Qb6 23.Ba3 Nc5 24.Rd1 Nb3 25.Nf5 Bxf5 26.exf5 Nd4 27.Qd3 Qa5 28.Kf1 Qa4 29.Rc1 Ra5

30.f4 c5 31.fxe5 dxe5 32.Bd5 Qd7 33.g4 Qe7 34.Re1 Qg5 35.Qe4 Bd6 36.h3 Qd2 37.Qe3 Qxe3 38.Rxe3 Kf8 39.Be4 f6 40.Rc3 Ke7 41.Kf2 Ra4 42.Ke3 Kd7 43.Bd5 Ra6 44.Bf3 Ra5 45.Bd1 Ra6 46.Ke4 Kc6 47.h4 Ra8 48.Rg3 Be7

49.Rg2 Kb6 50.Rg3 Kc6 51.Rd3 Kb6 52.g5 hxg5 53.hxg5 Rh8 54.gxf6 gxf6 55.Rg3 Rh4+ 56.Kd5 Nxf5 57.Rb3+ Kc7 58.Bxc5 Bxc5 59.Kxc5 Nd6 60.Be2 Re4 61.Bd3 Rd4 62.Rc3 Nb7+ 63.Kb4, draw.

Pix from Sunday Game/60 11/2/2014

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

World Championship Starts Tomorrow

The world championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand starts tomorrow.

Seattle Kayoed by New Jersey

On wildcard Wednesday in the USCL, the Seattle Sluggers were kayoed by the New Jersey Knockouts.

Experience a knockout performance on boards one, two, three, and four.

Doyle and Tamburro at "Inside Jersey"

The weekly chess column by Steve Doyle and Pete Tamburro started on-line at Inside Jersey on October 19th and has continued on October 26th and November 2nd.

Pix from Saturday Game/45 11/1/2014

On Saturday, I took these pictures during the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.