Marshall Chess Club Swiss 4/12/2009

In today's game/30 Swiss at the Marshall Chess Club, I finished with a score of 2-1-2. Here is my draw from the first round.

Round One: Bishop's Opening

Steadroy Lloyd (USCF 2023) - Jim West (USCF 2202), Marshall Chess Club 4/12/2009

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nc3 d6 4.d3 Na5 5.Bb3 Nxb3 6.axb3 Nf6 7.h3 Be7 8.Be3 a6 9.Nf3 O-O 10.O-O h6 11.Qd2 Be6

12.d4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Qd7 14.f4 c5 15.Nxe6 Qxe6 16.f5 Qd7 17.Rad1 Qc6 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Qxd5 20.Rxd5 Rfe8 21.Bf4 Rad8 22.Rfd1 Bf6

23.Bxd6 Rxe4 24.Bxc5 Rxd5 25.Rxd5 Re2 26.c4 Rxb2 27.Rd3 Re2 28.Rd7 Re1+ 29.Kf2 Re5 30.Rd5 g6 31.g4 gxf5 32.gxf5 Kg7


33.Kf3 Re1 34.Rd7 Re5 35.Rd5 Re1 36.Rd7 Re5 37.Rd5, draw.

Shulman Leads at Foxwoods

After five rounds, GM Yury Shulman leads the Foxwoods Open 2009 with a perfect score.

"Chess Publisher" Suspended

For a couple of weeks, Chess Publisher has been down, stating "This Account Has Been Suspended." At least one website is optimistic that Chess Publisher will be up again soon.

Morphy versus PCG by Transposition

In response to Tuesday's post, Alejandro Melchor of Barcelona has sent me an e-mail, mentioning three games where Paul Morphy by transposition played Bc4 against positions that resemble the Philidor Counter Gambit, namely Morphy-Rousseau, New Orleans 1849 and Morphy-Schulten, New York 1857 and Morphy-Worrall, London 1859.

But in none of these games did Morphy face the position after the move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5. Instead Black played 2...Nc6 which Morphy answered by 3.Bc4, and eventually Black played ...f5. In every case, Morphy won.

The most remarkable of these was his victory over Worrall because Morphy played the game blindfolded!

Bobby Fischer Found

Madman Genius: Bobby Fischer Found will chronicle the life of the American chess champion. The director of the film is Liz Garbus.

PCG: Morphy as White

In five games playing the Philidor Counter Gambit as Black, Paul Morphy never lost, winning three and drawing two. I have often wondered what line Morphy would have chosen as White against the PCG, guessing that he probably would have developed a piece by either 4.Bc4 or 4.Nc3.

Actually there is game where Morphy favored 4.Bc4 over 4.Nc3, but there was little choice because he was playing at queen knight odds! The opening moves were 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Bc4 fxe4 5.Nxe5, resulting in a drawn rook-and-two-pawns versus two bishops endgame.

There is an error in the score of the game. Black played 34...Bb2, not 34...Bg7.

Marshall Chess Club Swiss 4/5/2009

Playing in the one-day schedule yesterday, I finished with a score of 2-0-2 in a Swiss tournament at the Marshall Chess Club. My games follow, including a lucky win in the final round when my opponent blundered a piece after having outplayed me.

Round One: Sicilian Defense, Sozin Attack

Jim West (USCF 2202) - Etan Lankri (USCF 1669), Marshall Chess Club 4/5/2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 Qc7 10.a3 Nc6 11.f4 O-O 12.Qf3 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Bb7


14.f5 e5 15.Bf2 Rad8 16.Rad1 Nd7 17.Bd5 Kh8 18.Bxb7 Qxb7 19.Nd5 Nf6 20.Nc3 Nd7 21.g4 g6 22.Kh1 Nf6 23.Bh4 Rd7 24.Bxf6+ Bxf6 25.Nd5 Bg7 26.f6 Bh6 27.h4 Rc8 28.g5 Bf8 29.c3 a5


30.h5 Rc4 31.hxg6 fxg6 32.f7 h6 33.Rd2 h5 34.Rh2 Kg7 35.Qf6+ Kh7 36.Rxh5+ gxh5 37.g6+ Kh6 38.g7+ Kh7, Black resigns.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Two: Budapest Gambit, Fajarowicz Variation

Michael Hehir (USCF 2048) - Jim West (USCF 2202), Marshall Chess Club 4/5/2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 Ne4 5.Qd4 Bf5 6.exd6 Nc6 7.d7+ Qxd7 8.Qxd7+ Kxd7 9.Bf4 Rd8 10.a3 Kc8 11.Nbd2 Bc5


12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.e3 Rhe8 14.Be2 a5 15.O-O Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Ne5 17.Bxe5 Rxe5 18.Rfd1 c6 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.Rd1+ Kc7 21.Kf1 Re7 22.Ke2 Rd7 23.Rxd7+, draw.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Three: Larsen's Opening

Jim West (USCF 2202) - Anna Matlin (USCF 1991), Marshall Chess Club 4/5/2009

1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 d5 3.f4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Bb5 Rc8 7.O-O g6 8.d3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Bg7 10.Nd2 O-O 11.Bxc6 Rxc6


12.a4 Qd7 13.h3 b6 14.Rf2 Ne8 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.e4 Nc7 17.exd5 Qxd5 18.Re1 e6 19.Nc4 Qxf3 20.Rxf3 Nd5


21.g4 Rd8 22.Re2 Rb8 23.Rg2 Re8 24.h4 Rd8 25.Ne5 Rc7 26.f5 exf5 27.gxf5 Nf6 28.fxg6 fxg6 29.Rgf2 Rd6 30.Nc4, draw.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Round Four: Falkbeer Counter Gambit

Dan Mayers (USCF 1880) - Jim West (USCF 2202), Marshall Chess Club 4/5/2009

1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 exd3 7.Qxe7+ Bxe7 8.Bxd3 Bb4 9.Bd2 O-O 10.O-O-O Bg4 11.Nf3 Nbd7


12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Nh5 14.Bd2 Nhf6 15.c4 Rfe8 16.Rde1 Bxf3 17.gxf3 Nc5 18.Bc2 b6 19.Rhg1 a5 20.Bc3 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Re8 22.Rg1 Nh5 23.Rg5 g6 24.Re5 Kf8 25.f5 Nf4 26.Kd2 Rd8 27.fxg6 hxg6 28.b4 Nb7 29.Ke3 Nh5


30.Kd4 axb4 31.axb4 c5+ 32.bxc5 bxc5+ 33.Ke3 Nd6 34.Bd3 Ra8 35.Kf2 Ra3 36.Bd4 cxd4 37.c5 Rxd3 38.cxd6 Nf6 39.Re2 Rb3 40.Rd2 Rb6 41.d7 Rd6 42.Rxd4 Rxd7 43.Kg3 Rxd5


44.Ra4 Kg7 45.Ra7 Rd7 46.Ra6 Nh5+ 47.Kg2 Rd2+ 48.Kh3 f5 49.Ra4 Kh6 50.Rb4 Kg5 51.f4+ Nxf4+ 52.Kg3 Rg2+ 53.Kf3 Rxh2 54.Kg3 Rh3+ 55.Kf2 Nd3+, White resigns.

SuperNationals on Fox17 News

FOX17 News Reports on Supernationals from US Chess on Vimeo.

Here is a video showing the Fox17 News report on the SuperNationals, being held in Nashville.

Improvements for Black in Paciulli - West

This position occurred last weekend in my game as Black against Frank Paciulli.


I played 11...Bd7, allowing 12.Bh5+ Kd8 13.Bg4 Bd6 14.Nf5 Bxf5 15.Bxf5 Ke7 16.c4 Nd4 17.Bxd4 exd4 18.Rxd4 Kf7. Fortunately for me, I was able to draw by trading rooks and bringing about a bishop of opposite colors ending.

At his Contre Gambit Philidor website, Frederic Fournier suggests two improvements for Black. The first is 11...Rg8 12.Bxg4 Rxg4 13.g3 Rd8 14.Rxd8 Kxd8 with an equal position. I agree with this assessment. But, following the second suggestion 11...Bxe2 12.Kxe2 Rg8 13.g3 Bd6 14.Nf5 O-O-O, White may be slightly better after 15.Rhf1 with the idea of 16.f4.

Westfield 3/29/2009 Photo Gallery

On Sunday, Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero took these photos at the Westfield quads.

Hamilton 2/21/2009 Photo Gallery

These photos of the Hamilton quads on February 21st were taken by Atlantic Chess News editor Steve Ferrero.

Alien Plays PCG

Here is a rare photo of Alien playing the Philidor Counter Gambit 3...f5 versus Predator.

By the way, today is April Fools' Day!