Promoting Organized Team Chess

In January 2013, a comment by Rodney K. stated: "I believe there were a few posts on the Jim (James) West Chess Blog that denounced the notion of promoting organized team chess. I do not remember the substance of the opposition to organized team chess, but do not believe there could possibly be a sound argument against it."

As a member of the winning team at the USATE 1999 and a follower of the New Jersey Knockouts in the USCL, I am not opposed to organized team chess.

Could Rodney K. have been referring to my post of December 2007?

Pix from Marshall July Open

On Sunday, these pictures were taken by me at the Marshall Chess Club.

FIDE Mondays 7/8/2013

On Monday evening, I finished with a score of 4-0-0 (plus 2 half point byes) in the FIDE rated tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Six: Dutch Defense

Rawle Allicock (FIDE 2292) - Jim West (FIDE 2108), Marshall Chess Club 7/8/2013

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.O-O Nf6 6.b3 Be7 7.Bb2 O-O 8.Nbd2 a5 9.a3 Na6 10.c4 Qe8 11.e3 Qh5

12.Ne5 Qxd1 13.Rfxd1 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Nb8 15.Ndf3 d6 16.Nd3 Ne4 17.Nf4 Kf7 18.h4 Nd7 19.Ne1 g6 20.Ned3 Ra7 21.f3 Nef6 22.Rac1 Rb8 23.a4 Rab7 24.Rf1 c6 25.Bc3 Bd8 26.Ra1 Bc7 27.Nh3 h6 28.e4 d5

29.Ne5+ Nxe5 30.dxe5 Nd7 31.exd5 cxd5 32.cxd5 exd5 33.Rfe1 Re8 34.f4 Nc5 35.Rab1 b5 36.Bd4 Ne6 37.Bf2 bxa4 38.bxa4 Reb8 39.Rbd1 Rd8 40.Rb1 Rdb8 41.Rxb7 Rxb7 42.Rd1 Rb4 43.Rxd5 Ke8

44.Ng1 Rxf4 45.Be3 Rxa4 46.Bxh6 Re4 47.Nf3 a4 48.Nd2 Rxe5 49.Rxe5 Bxe5 50.Nc4 Bb2 51.g4 a3 52.Nxa3 Bxa3 53.h5 fxg4 54.hxg6 Bd6 55.Kf2 Ke7 56.Ke3 Kf6 57.Kf2 Kxg6 58.Bc1 Kf5 59.Bb2 Nc5

60.Kg2 Nd3 61.Bc3 Nf4+ 62.Kf1 Bc5 63.Be1 Ke4 64.Bg3 Kf3 65.Bf2 Bb4 66.Ba7 g3 67.Kg1 Bd2 68.Kh1 Be3 69.Bxe3 Kxe3 70.Kg1 Kf3 71.Kh1 g2+ 72.Kh2 Ne2, White resigns.

Marshall July Open, Day 2

On Sunday, I finished with a score of 3-1-0 in the tournament at the Marshall Chess Club.

Round Three: Pirc Defense

Jim West (USCF 2237) - Simon Wynter (USCF 1664), Marshall Chess Club 7/7/2013

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nc6 9.Be3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.f5 Nd4 12.Qf2 Qd7 13.g4 h6 14.O-O-O b5

15.Bxb5 c6 16.Bc4 g5 17.Bxd4 exd4 18.Rxd4 Qb7 19.Rdd1 Nxe4 20.Qf3 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Be5 22.Bb3 Qe7 23.Qxc6 Rfc8 24.Qg6+ Kf8 25.Qxh6+ Bg7 26.Qd6 Rxc3 27.Qxe7+ Kxe7 28.Rhe1+ Kf8 29.Rd7 f6 30.Rf7+ Kg8 31.Rxa7+ Rxb3 32.Rxa8+, Black resigns.

          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Round Four: Giuoco Pianissimo

Jon Rigai (USCF 1887) - Jim West (USCF 2237), Marshall Chess Club 7/7/2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Nc6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nd4 10.Qd1 c6 11.a3 g5 12.Bg3 b5 13.Ba2 a5 14.Ne2 b4 15.axb4 axb4

16.Nxd4 Bxd4 17.c3 bxc3 18.Qb3 O-O 19.bxc3 Qa5 20.Kd2 d5 21.f3 Rfb8 22.Qc2 Bxc3+, White resigns.

Marshall July Open, Day 1

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

Round One: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2237) - Ed Kopiecki (USCF 1981), Marshall Chess Club 7/6/2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Nbd2 Ne7 9.Nc4 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Qxf3 11.gxf3 Ng6 12.Rd1 O-O-O 13.Be3 Be7 14.a4 Bf6 15.Rab1 Nh4

16.f4 exf4 17.Bxf4 g5 18.Bg3 Nf3+ 19.Kg2 Nd4 20.Ne3 Rdg8 21.c3 Ne6 22.Kf3 Rg6 23.d4 Rhg8 24.Rh1 Ng7 25.b4 Be7 26.b5 cxb5 27.axb5 Ne8 28.bxa6 Rxa6 29.Rb3 Ra3 30.Rxa3 Bxa3 31.Nc4 Bd6 32.Ra1 Bxg3 33.fxg3 b6

34.e5 Kb7 35.Ke4 Rg6 36.d5 Ng7 37.Rf1 b5 38.Ne3 b4 39.cxb4 Rb6 40.Rxf7 Rxb4+ 41.Kd3 Rb3+ 42.Kd2 Rb2+ 43.Kc3 Rh2 44.Rxg7 Rxh3 45.Rxg5 h4 46.Nf5 hxg3 47.Rxg3 Rh5 48.Rf3 Kb6 49.Kd4 Rg5 50.e6 c5+ 51.dxc6 Kxc6

52.Rc3+ Kb6 53.Ke5 Rg8 54.e7 Ra8 55.Ke6 Rh8 56.Kf7 Rh7+ 57.Ng7, Black resigns.

"Ajedrez": Homage to Chess

Roberto Real de León, Julia Vargas Rubio, and Marco Antonio Flores Enríquez of Sistema de Museos Virtuales want to share with you Ajedrez, their homage to chess.

Fournier Analyzes Pair of PCG Wins

At Contre Gambit Philidor, Frederic Fournier [pictured] analyzes my wins as Black against Kevin Odenwalder and Roshan Idnani.

Support I.S. 318 Chess Team

The students of Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn need funding to continue their chess club.

Pix from Marshall Game/45 6/30/2013

During Sunday's game/45 tournament at the Marshall Chess Club, I snapped these photos.

FIDE Mondays 7/1/2013

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

Round Five: Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

Jim West (FIDE 2108) - Stanislav Busygin (FIDE 2141), Marshall Chess Club 7/1/2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Nbd2 Bc5 9.Nc4 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Qxf3 11.gxf3 f6 12.f4 exf4 13.Bxf4 O-O-O

14.Be3 Bd4 15.Bxd4 Rxd4 16.Rad1 c5 17.f4 Nh6 18.Nd2 Rd7 19.a4 Nf7 20.Nc4 Nd8 21.Rde1 Ne6 22.f5 Nd8 23.Ne3 Nf7 24.b3 b6 25.Kf2 Ne5 26.Rg1 g5 27.fxg6 Rg7 28.Nf5, Black resigns.

Hueckel - West @ "Contre Gambit Philidor"

At Contre Gambit Philidor, Frederic Fournier analyzes my recent game as Black against Jackson Hueckel.

Marshall Sunday Game/45 6/30/2013

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

Round Four: Caro-Kann Defense, Exchange Variation

Jim West (USCF 2219) - Andrew Bykhovsky (USCF 1927), Marshall Chess Club 6/30/2013

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.c3 Bg4 6.Qb3 Qc7 7.h3 Bh5 8.Ne2 Nbd7 9.Nf4 e6 10.Nxh5 Nxh5 11.O-O Bd6 12.Na3 a6 13.Re1 O-O

14.Nc2 Nf4 15.Bf1 Nf6 16.Bxf4 Bxf4 17.Ne3 Ne4 18.Qc2 Rac8 19.Bd3 f5 20.Bxe4 fxe4 21.Ng4 h5 22.Ne5 Bxe5 23.dxe5 Qxe5 24.f3 Qg3 25.fxe4 d4 26.Rac1 dxc3 27.bxc3 Rf3 28.c4 b5 29.c5 Rcf8 30.Re2 b4 31.Qd2 a5

32.c6 Rd3 33.Qe1 Qc7 34.Rec2 Rc8 35.Qe2 Qb6+ 36.Kh1 Rd6 37.Qxh5 Rdxc6 38.Rxc6 Rxc6 39.Qe8+ Kh7 40.Qxc6, Black resigns.