"Ravens: Spassky vs Fischer" on Stage

[photo by Manuel Harlan]

At the Hampstead Theatre in London.

Wesley So Interview in "The Telegraph"

Aniruddha Biswas interviews grandmaster Wesley So.

Saturday Game/50, Round 3, 11/30/2019

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

Round Three: Sicilian Defense, Accelerated Fianchetto

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Royal Buchanan (USCF 1910), Marshall Chess Club 11/30/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 O-O 8.Bb3 Qa5 9.O-O d6 10.h3 Bd7 11.f4 Rfe8 12.a3 Rad8 13.Nf3 h6 14.Qd2 Bc8 15.Rad1 e5

16.f5 g5 17.g4 Rd7 18.Rfe1 a6 19.Bf2 b5 20.Nd5 Qxd2 21.Nxf6+ Bxf6 22.Rxd2 Be7 23.Red1 Kf8 24.f6 Bxf6 25.Rxd6 Red8 26.Rxd7 Rxd7 27.Rxd7 Bxd7 28.Bd5 Bg7 29.c3 f6 30.b4 Ke8 31.Nd2 Bf8 32.Nb3 Nd8

33.Bc5 Bxc5 34.Nxc5 Bc8 35.Kf2 Ke7 36.Ke3 Kd6 37.Kd3 Nc6 38.Bf7 Nd8 39.Bg8 Nc6 40.Bh7 Nd8 41.Bf5 Bb7 42.Nxb7+ Nxb7 43.Bc8 Kc7 44.Bxb7 Kxb7 45.c4 Kc6 46.Kc3 bxc4 47.Kxc4 Kb6 48.a4 Kc6

49.b5+ axb5+ 50.axb5+ Kb6 51.Kb4 Kb7 52.Kc5 Kc7 53.b6+ Kb7 54.Kb5 Kb8 55.Kc6 Kc8 56.b7+ Kb8 57.Kb6 f5 58.exf5 e4 59.f6 e3 60.f7 e2 61.f8=Q#.

Saturday Game/50, Round 2, 11/30/2019

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

Round Two: Philidor Counter Gambit

Alec Choi (USCF 1864) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 11/30/2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d4 Nc6 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Qxd8+ Nxd8 7.Nxe5 fxe4 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.O-O Bd6 10.f4 Be6 11.Bxe6 Nxe6 12.Be3 O-O

13.Nb5 a6 14.Nc3 Bxe5 15.fxe5 Ng4 16.Rxf8+ Rxf8 17.Re1 Nxe5 18.Nxe4 Nc4 19.Bc1 Nd4 20.c3 Nc6 21.Nc5 Nd6, draw.

Saturday Game/50, Round 1, 11/30/2019

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

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Sozin Attack

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Augusto Ruiloba (USCF 1843), Marshall Chess Club 11/30/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Bc4 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.Bb3 Nc6 9.Be3 Na5 10.f4 Nxb3 11.axb3 Bd7 12.Qf3 Bc6 13.f5 e5 14.Nde2 d5

15.exd5 Bxd5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Nc3 Qxf3 18.Rxf3 a6 19.Rd1 Rac8 20.h3 Bb4 21.Bg5 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Ne4 23.Be7 Nxc3 24.Re1 Rfe8 25.Rxe5 f6

26.Rc5 Rxc5 27.Bxc5 Re1+ 28.Kh2 Ne4 29.Re3 Rxe3, draw.

Trash Talk

In this video, international master Miodrag Perunovic calls the Philidor Counter Gambit "complete trash."  

He adds to the litany of other such negative comments about the PCG including "absolutely unsound", "busted", "junk", "execrable", "dilapidated", "unprincipled", "coffeehouse", and (my personal favorite) "wild West chess."

Instead of, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Bc4 Nc6 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.d5 playing the move 6...Ne7, Steinitz gave 6...Nb8 7.Nc3 fxe4 8.Ncxe4 Bf5=.

Fabiano Caruana improved on 7.Nc3 with 7.f4.

So Black should interpolate 6...f4 7.h4 before 7...Nb8.

Newark CC to Celebrate Tenth Anniversary

[photo by M. E. Cagnassola]

The Newark Chess Club will celebrate its tenth anniversary on December 10th.

E-mail from FM Jacob Chudnovsky

Hi Jim,

I came across your blog the other day, with a guest post from candidate master Lev Zilbermintz showing a win against me with Black in the Philidor Counter Gambit in a correspondence game.

For the sake of fairness and accuracy, I would like to point out that this game was an anomaly.  Lev chose to share this game while neglecting to show the games in which I beat him easily in the same opening.  He is a big proponent of this variation, which I consider highly dubious.  My attempt to "refute" this line with 7.Bd3 was misguided.  The natural 7.Nxd4 instead leads to a positionally winning endgame for White.  To avoid misleading your readers, I'd like to see the White wins published as well.

[Event "Let's Play!"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2019.10.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "chuddog"]
[Black "BrilliantONe"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2296"]
[BlackElo "1847"]
[TimeControl "1/259200"]
[EndDate "2019.10.22"]
[Termination "chuddog won by resignation"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Neg5 exd4 7.Nxd4 Qe7+ 8.Qe2 h6 9.Nge6 Bxe6 10.Nxe6 Kf7 11.Nxf8 Qxe2+ 12.Bxe2 Nf6 13.Bf4 Rxf8 14.Bxc7 Nc6 15.O-O-O Rac8 16.Bg3 Rfe8 17.Rhe1 Re6 18.Bd3 Rxe1 19.Rxe1 g6 20.a3 a6 21.Bf4 g5 22.Bf5 Rd8 23.Bc7 Re8 24.Rxe8 Nxe8 25.Bg3 Ke7 26.Bc8 Nd8 27.Kd2 Nd6 28.Bxd6+ Kxd6 29.Ke3 Kc7 30.Bf5 Kd6 31.f4 b6 32.fxg5 hxg5 33.g3 Ke5 34.Bc8 a5 35.h4 gxh4 36.gxh4 Nf7 37.h5 Nh6 38.Kd3 Nf7 39.Kc3 d4+ 40.Kd3 Kd5 41.Bb7+ Ke5 42.Bf3 Ng5 43.Be2 Nf7 44.Bf3 Ng5 45.h6 Kf6 46.Be4 Ke5 47.h7 Nf7 48.a4 Nh8 49.Bf3 Ng6 50.Bh5 Nh8 51.Kc4 Kf6 52.Kxd4 Kg5 53.Be8 Kh6 54.Kd5 Kxh7 55.Kc6, 1-0.

[Event "Let's Play!"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2019.10.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "chuddog"]
[Black "BrilliantONe"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2328"]
[BlackElo "1847"]
[TimeControl "1/259200"]
[EndDate "2019.10.31"]
[Termination "chuddog won by resignation"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Neg5 exd4 7.Nxd4 Qe7+ 8.Qe2 h6 9.Nge6 Bxe6 10.Nxe6 Kf7 11.Nxf8 Qxe2+ 12.Bxe2 Kxf8 13.Bf4 c6 14.O-O-O Kf7 15.c4 Nf6 16.cxd5 Nxd5 17.Bc4 Rd8 18.Rd2 b5 19.Bxd5+ Rxd5 20.Rxd5 cxd5 21.Kd2 Nc6 22.Rc1 Ne7 23.Rc7 Ke6 24.Be3 d4 25.Bf4 Rf8 26.Bg3 Nf5 27.f3 a6 28.Kd3 g5 29.Bf2 Nh4 30.Bxh4 gxh4 31.Rc6+ Kd5 32.Rxh6 Rg8 33.Rxh4 Rxg2 34.Rxd4+ Ke5 35.Re4+ Kf5 36.Re2 Rg1 37.Kc3 Rf1 38.Kb4 Rxf3 39.Ka5 Rf4 40.Kxa6 Ra4+ 41.Kxb5 Rxa2 42.h4 Kg4 43.Re4+ Kh5 44.b4 Ra8 45.Kc6 Rc8+ 46.Kb7 Rc2 47.b5 Rb2 48.b6 Kg6 49.Ra4 Kf6 50.Ka7 Ke7 51.b7 Kd7 52.b8=Q Rxb8 53.Kxb8, 1-0.

Thanks,
Jacob

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 Years ago, I played 7....Qe7+.  But now I prefer 7....Bb4+.

1,300-Year-Old Chess Piece

[photo by John Peter Oleson]

A small object made of sandstone might be the oldest chess piece ever found.

Kasparov: Tucker Carlson is "Buffoon"

Garry Kasparov criticizes the Fox News Channel host.

November Under 2400 11/24/2019

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

Round Four: King's Indian Defense, Exchange Variation

Christopher Chou (USCF 1779) - Jim West (USCF 2200), Marshall Chess Club 11/24/2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bg5 Re8 10.O-O c6 11.Rfd1 Bg4 12.Rd6 Nbd7 13.h3 Be6 14.Rad1 Bf8 15.R6d2 Bb4

16.Nxe5 Bxc3 17.Nxd7 Nxe4 18.bxc3 Bxd7 19.Rxd7 Nxg5 20.Bf3 Nxf3+ 21.gxf3 Re2 22.Rxb7 Rxa2 23.Rdd7 Rf8 24.Rxa7 Rc2 25.Rac7 Rxc3 26.Rxc6 Rxf3 27.Kg2 Rf5, draw.

November Under 2400 11/23/2019

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

Round Two: Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation

Jim West (USCF 2200) - Kyle Phan (USCF 1933), Marshall Chess Club 11/23/2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Na5 11.Bb3 Qc7 12.O-O-O Nc4 13.Bxc4 Qxc4 14.Kb1 Rfc8

15.h5 b5 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.Bh6 Bh8 18.Bg5 Bg7 19.Bh6 Bh8 20.Bg5 Bg7, draw.