Kenilworth Kibitzer

West Orange Club Championship - Be there!

2012-01-18T23:01:00.001-05:00

From our friends at West Orange.....see the TLA announcement from Chess Life below. Can speak from experience that they run a good tournament.

6 Grand Prix Points

Mar 13 - May 8, 2012

West Orange CC 2012 Championship

West Orange, NJ

7 rds., G/100 (5 sec. delay),

Reg. 7-7:30 P.M., rds. start at 8:00.

EF: $30.00, members $25.00.

Prizes: 1st $150, 2nd $100, 3rd $75, Best under 1900 $60, 1700 $50, 1500 $40.

All prizes guaranteed.

Details: westorangechessclub.blogspot.com and buickchess@gmail.com or 973-736-3433.

Byes: Three 1/2 byes available in any rd; must know by the end of rd.4.

Address: Toby Katz Community Center, 650 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 07052.

Advance entrees welcome.

Chess Magnet School JGP.

The information shown above is based on information in USCF records prior to publication of the TLA in Chess Life (or Chess Life for Kids.)

As such, the information shown above is subject to change.

Please check the TLA in Chess Life (or Chess Life for Kids) for any corrections, updates or other changes.

In special cases, changes that are made after the publication of Chess Life may be found on the Tournament Listings by State page.

Sponsoring Affiliate: A6002020, WEST ORANGE CHESS CLUB.

Tell the TD you heard about this event via TLA Mail or saw it on the USCF website. TLA ID: 8594

Rating the Contenders

2012-01-15T17:21:00.011-05:00

Round 1 of the prestigious KCC Championship went 10-0 in favor of the higher rated players, proving once again that over a long enough timeline statistics are more valuable than invention, emotion, and the human spirit. From the leading group, here are a few to watch out for:

Mark Kernighan: (quiet guy on the left of the picture) Definitely the favorite. A common feeling from people playing Mark is 'I almost had him'. I've seen him slip out of bad positions with seconds on the clock (in Mark-speak, 'winning time' [my words not his]) often enough to know it's not a coincidence. 45% chance to win

Arthur Macaspac: The 2010 champion, who won the tournament after spotting the field a half point with a bye in the first round then cruising 4-0 to finish. This time he's in for al five rounds. A guy who sits next to GM Yudasin as much time as he does is bound to have learned a thing or two. Definitely a main contender. 35% chance to win

Mike Goeller: A welcome addition to the tournament. 'The Professor' is a strong attacking player and on his day can beat anyone. Although ironically in last year's event he took a draw with John Moldovan, breaking what had been a 2010-2011 streak of something like 50+ games in the club championship without a draw by any player. In his defense he may have been inebriated at the time. Actually he wasn't. 8% chance to win

Kevin Chen: The recently minted expert took a bye in round 1, can he replicate Arthur's 2010 run? Probably not, but a player with good chances to knock off one of the above players. 3% chance to win

Ian Mangion: 'The Doc' is undoubtedly the best spoken and most sartorially splendid member of the club. However, his path to the championship is paved with many pitfalls, including Lou 'Giant killer' Sturniolo, and a few players who are noticeably better than him. 2% chance to win

The Field: Lurking in the crowd are a few players who, with the right combination of circumstances, might be able to put together a winning run. Including Don 'Under 1900' Carrelli, John 'The Postman' Moldovan, and, despite his handicaps, Max 'The Kid' Sherer. 5% chance to win

Dark Horse Specials: Lou Sturniolo went on a tear in the Sy Fish memorial. Now there are even more overrated fogies to take down. Can he do it? Also, I'm predicting a breakout for Chris Constantino. Too many chances for him to pull an upset to miss out.

Predictions:

1st: Arthur Macaspac

2nd: Mark Kernighan

3rd: Kevin Chen

U2050: We give a prize for this??

U1800: John Moldovan

U1600: Dan Komunicky

U1400: Chris Constantino

Hail to the Chimp

2012-01-05T14:49:00.004-05:00

First order of business - the 2012 schedule for the club. NOTE: The club championship starts next week!! Details below. Previous champs such as Ken Chieu, Arthur Macaspac and Yaacov Norowitz are not likely to be in the running. So the field is wide open! Current prediction: Mark K. takes home the prize. Second prediction: M. Kernighan wins.

Lots of tournaments, plenty of blitz and something called Fischer random. Be there!

January 5

• Garden State Chess League match: Kenilworth Kortchnois vs. Summit

• Register for KCC Championship beginning 1/12.

January 12

• Kenilworth CC Championship, Round 1.

Tournament Details:

22nd Annual Kenilworth Chess Club Championship, starts January 12th at 8:20 pm

• USCF Rated

• 5-round Swiss

• G/90 time control.

• Rounds will commence at 8:20 p.m. every Thursday night for the duration of the event.

• Prizes : Tentative: Trophies for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Top U2050, Top U1800, Top U1600, Top U1400, Biggest upset

• Tiebreaks TBA

• EF: $10 entry fee + dues + $5 anti-forfeit deposit = $30 for most players.

• KCC memberships required: dues $7.50 for juniors U-18, $10 for seniors 65+, and $15 for all others.

• Register with TD Geoff McAuliffe during our 1/5 meeting or before 8:20 p.m. on 1/12 @ Kenilworth Community Center, 575 Boulevard, Kenilworth, N.J.

See 2005 Club Championship website and 2006 Championship website and the Chess Coroner blog for stories of past championships.

January 19 -Kenilworth Chess Club Championship, Round 2

January 26 - Kenilworth Chess Club Championship, Round 3

February

February 2 - Kenilworth Chess Club Championship, Round 4

February 9 - Kenilworth Chess Club Championship, Round 5 (final round)

February 16 - Garden State Chesss League matches: Staten Island vs. Kenilworth Kortchnois and Hamilton vs Summit

February 18-20 - World Amateur Teams and U.S. TEAM EAST, PARSIPPANY, NJ.

In 2005 we had two teams entered and won best NJ team. In 2006, our A-Team finished a respectable 21st in a field of 272. And in 2007, our A-Team played at Board #1 in Round 5 but lost a close match to the eventual tournament winner. We keep going up and up -- maybe 2012 will be the victory year? Stop by to visit if you are not playing. It is a great event. Parsippany Hilton 1 Hilton Ct., Parsippany,N.J. 07054.

February 23 - Kenilworth Blitz Championship, 7-round swiss, G/5, EF $5, prizes to 1st, 2nd, best U1800 and best U1500 (50%, 20%, 15% and 15%)

March

March 1 - Garden State Chess League: Chess Mates vs Summit, Karpovs vs Kortchnois, Hamilton vs Staten Island

March 8 - Kenilworth Quads #6, Round 1, USCF Rated, G/60, 3-RR, EF $10, Prizes $30 to first in each quad..

March 15 - Kenilworth Quads, Round 2

March 22 - Kenilworth Quads, Round 3

March 29 - Fischer Random Tournament Rounds 1 & 2, 4 rounds G/30, free to enter.

April

April 5 - Fischer Random Tournament 3 & 4, 4 rounds G/30, free to enter.

April 12 - Garden State Chess League match : Hamilton vs. Kenilworth Karpovs

April 19 - Irving Ellner Memorial, Round 1.

Tournament Details:

Irving Ellner Memorial, starts April 19th at 8:20 pm

• USCF Rated

• 6-round Swiss

• G/75 time control.

• Rounds will commence at 8:20 p.m. every Thursday night for the duration of the event.

• Prizes : 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25, best under 1900 $20, U1500 $20, all prizes guaranteed, higher if there are more entries.

• EF: $15 entry fee.

• KCC memberships required: dues $7.50 for juniors U-18, $10 for seniors 65+, and $15 for all others.

• Register with TD Geoff McAuliffe during our 1/5 meeting or before 8:20 p.m. on 1/12 @ Kenilworth Community Center, 575 Boulevard, Kenilworth, N.J.

April 26 - Irving Ellner Memorial, Round 2

May

May 3 - Garden State Chess League: Chess Mates vs Kenilworth Karpovs, DOCA Knights vs Summit, Hamilton vs Kortchnois

May 10 - Irving Ellner Memorial, Round 3

May 17 - Irving Ellner Memorial, Round 4

May 24 - Irving Ellner Memorial, Round 5

May 31 - Irving Ellner Memorial, Round 6

June

June 7 - Casual play or lecture TBA

June 14- - Start of Summer Tournament. Please submit your entry and pay your entry fee by this date. Here are the tentative rules of the tournament:

• Not rated

• Entry Fee is $5.00.

• The tournament will run from June 9 through August 25.

• The time control is G/60 or 55+5.

• You may play anyone in the tournament. The first time you play an opponent, the lower rated player has white, in subsequent games against the same opponent you alternate colors.

• You may not play the same opponent more than four times in the tournament.

• You get one point for a win, one half point for a draw, and zero for a loss.

• You may play as many or as few games as you like, but no more than two in one night. The more you play the more points you can win.

• All games are to be played at the Kenilworth Chess Club during normal operating hours.

• The winner is the person who has the most points at the end of the tournament.

• The prizes are 60% for first place, 30% for second, and 10% for third.

June 21- Kenilworth Summer Tournament

June 28- Kenilworth Summer Tournament

July

July 5 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

July 12 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

July 19 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

July 26 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

August

August 2 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

August 9 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

August 16 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

August 23 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament

August 30 - Kenilworth Summer Tournament, last round

September

September 6 - Kenilworth Fall Blitz, 7-round swiss, G/5, EF $5, prizes to 1st, 2nd, best U1800 and best U1500 (50%, 20%, 15% and 15%)

September 13 - Sy Fish Memorial #5, Round 1. USCF-rated, G/60, 5-SS, EF: $10. TD: Geoff McAuliffe (if available). Prize Fund: 90% of Entry Fees collected. Prizes: 1st place 30% of EF; 2nd place 20% of EF; 3rd place, U2050, U1750, U1525 each 10% of EF. Late-joins accepted until the 3rd round is paired. Late-joiners will receive a 1/2 point for each round missed but lose a bye-option. Two byes per player allowed. Byes may be taken in any round. Please inform the TD or Club President before that round is paired. Pairings for rounds 1-2 to be made on site. Pairings for rounds 3-5 to be made on the prior Friday. Register: On site 9/13, 9/20, 9/27 from 8:00-10:45 p.m.

September 20 - Sy Fish Memorial, Round 2.

September 27 - Sy Fish Memorial, Round 3.

October

October 4 - Garden State Chess League matches.

October 11 - Sy Fish Memorial, Round 4.

October 18 - Sy Fish Memorial, Round 5.

October 25 - Lecture TBA

November

November 1 - Garden State Chess League matches

November 8 - Consultation Match Week 1

November 15 - Consultation Match Week 2

November 22 - NO MEETING. Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday.

November 29 - Lecture TBA

December

December 6 - Garden State Chess League

December 13 - TBA

December 20 - Holiday Party and Business Meeting

December 27 - TBA

Short-Kasparov Game 16

2011-06-10T18:47:00.001-04:00

Enough of this drawing nonsense....let's try something better.

Short-Kasparov Game 10

2011-06-09T15:27:00.006-04:00

Short's third venture into the Fischer-Sozin (click here to follow along) gave him his best advantage out of the opening yet, as he varied his opening sequence yet again, following this with a stunning, though apparently flawed, queen sacrifice. Uncharacteristically, Kasparov misread the resulting position and found himself in a losing situation. However, Short's time trouble addiction (something that, more than anything else, hampered his performance in the match) made sure that the finish would not be clinical…

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 d6

3. d4 PxP

4. NxP Nf6

5. Nc3 a6

6. Bc4 e6

7. Bb3 Nbd7

8. f4 Nc5

9. Qf3

A third game, a third 9th move. After trying e5 and f5, Short tries a new plan with 9. Qf3. The basic idea is similar to 9. f5, where a key idea is opening the diagonal of the light-squared bishop. Here the queen supports f5 as well as indirect pressure on f6 in some cases (after Bg5). As we'll see Short had a more revolutionary idea in mind. Notice that Short consistently rejects the quiet lines, such as the perfectly acceptable 9. O-O.

9. …. b5

As in games 6 and 8 Kasparov favors this positioning of the knight, although after this game Kasparov gave up the Nb8-d7-c5 maneuver altogether, having obtained difficult positions in all cases.

10. f5 Bd7

11. fxe6 fxe6 Short's pawn exchange is strategically incorrect, releasing pressure on e6 too early, but it's another question as to whether it is tactically justified…

12. Bg5 Be7

13. O-O-O O-O

14. e5?!

The product of Short's home analysis, though apprently he realized its flaw over the board, which led to an hour-long think that came back to cost him later in the game. Short's idea is the queen sacrifice which he ultimately executes in the game, however the concept could have been refuted. Kasparov: "…the simple 14. … Nd5 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Qg3 d5 leaves Nigel strategically lost because his bishop on b3 is out of play and I can win automatically by advancing my queenside pawns." But Short's uncertainty at the board may have bluffed Kasparov into thinking the loss of a queen had simply been missed during analysis.

14. … Nfe4? (….Nd5! See above)

15. Bxe7 Qxe7

16. Nxe4!!

But this is precisely the position Short had aimed for. A series of forcing moves gives White a winning position.

16. … Rxf3

17. exd6 Nxb3+

18. Nxb3 Qf8

19. gxf3 Qxf3

20. Nec5 Bc6

21. Rhe1 e5

22. d7 Rd8 and from here to the end, Kasparov is one pawn move away from disaster. For the queen Short has a rook, piece, and a monster passed pawn.

23. Rd6 a5

In Keene's book on this match, kindly provided by Lou, Kasparov points out that 23. … Bd6 is met strongly by the simple 24. Nd2 when Black's army gets disorganized, but it sets a trap for 24. Rd1 when 24. … Bxb3 25. Nxb3 e4 gives Black excellent, possibly winning play with his own passed pawn.

24. a3 a4

Likewise 24. Nxa5? gives up too much - 24. …Qf4+ 25. Kb1 Qb4

25. Nd2 Qg2

26. c3 Bd5

27. Nd3 Bb3

Now White is perilously close to a win, but Kasparov is giving himself potential lifelines with mating or perpetual checking threats against the White king which is exposed on the light squares. Also, Short by this time was already in significant time pressure.

28. Nxe5 Qxh2 The pawn on e5 was gold, the pawn on h2 was silver, a good transaction.

29. Nc6! Qxd6

30. Re8+ Kf7

31. Nxd8+ Kg6

With a clever tactical maneuver, Short eliminated Black's defense of d8 and exposed Black's king. For the next several moves, a modestly powered laptop can find winning variations for White…but for a human sitting across from the greatest player of all time with only minutes to play, the problem is more complex. Short: "[It was] possible to play 32. Re6+ Bxe6 33.Nxe6 Qxe6 (33. … Qxd7?? 34. Nf8+) 34. d8 = Q which is winning. However, I thought that Black may be able to cause some problems in my time pressure by running his h-pawn down the board so I preferred to try to win the game immediately. Indeed, the Q+N vs Q ending Short cites would undoubtedly have been tricky under these conditions.

32. Ne6!? Qh2 (again 32. … Qxd7?? 34. Nf8+)

33. Nf4+ Kh6 (33. d8=Q leads to a win…for Black! (mate in four) - you may see the problems Short was facing in making quick choices)

34. Nd3 Qg1+

Here the press center was calling for 35. Ne1?? which is very likely to have been what Short was planning in rerouting his knight from e6 to d3. However, this loses! 35. … Qg4! threatens the pawn on d7 and mate on d1, and after 36. NxB Qxd7 there is a fork winning back the piece, and the game.

35. Re1 Qg5 (covering d8 and pinning the knight)

36. Ne5? g6

The last simple win was here, when after 37. Rh1+ Kg6 38. Ne5+ Kf5 (38. … QxN?? 39. d8=Q) 39. Nc6 [Short] there are no mating threats and White will queen.

37. Rf1 Be6

38. Nf7+ Bxf7

39. Rxf7 Qd5

And with seconds left….

40. Re7?

An impulse move, moving the attacked rook. However, the rook was tactically defended because taking it would allow White to queen. Kasparov and Short agreed on the following line for White: 40. Ne4! Qd3 41. Rf2 Qxd7 42. Rh2+ Kg7 43. Rxh7+! Kxh7 44. Nf6+ followed by NxQ winning. If only it were move 41 I would think Short would have found this. As it was after…

40. … Qd6

41. Rf7 Qd3!

42. Ne4 Qe3+

43. Nd2 Qd3 a draw was agreed. White's king won't be able to find shelter enough to avoid perpetual check. Surely a bitterly disappointing result for Short, who had a great opportunity after a powerful queen sacrifice. Unfrotunately for Short, in this match his fighting spirit was not totally matched by high level execution, however for the third White game in a row he came close to taking Kasparov's number...

Short vs Kasparov 1993 Game 8

2011-06-04T07:48:00.002-04:00

After an exciting first outing for the Fischer-Sozin that Short controlled from start to finish, Short again came back to this opening for game 8 (click here to follow this game online), as he did for the rest of the match. In game 8, Short tried a different strategy - rather than try to open the a2-g8 diagonal with an early f5, he went straight for blasting open the center with an early e5, seemingly closing down the key diagonal. But all is not so simple...

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 d6

3. d4 PxP

4. NxP Nf6

5. Nc3 a6

6. Bc4 e6

7. Bb3 Nbd7

8. f4 Nc5 Reaching the same basic setup as in game 6, where 9. f5 was played.

9. e5!?

A rarer plan but one fully deserving of attention. Short intends to take advantage of Black's slowed development and the inconvenient location of the king in the center. Black has taken significant liberties with ...a6 and ...Nb8-d7-c5 so White can usually contemplate violent action in the center. e6 will be a target for piece sacrifices.

9. .... dxe5

10. fxe5 Nfd7

11. Bf4 b5

Having supported his e5 point, White can continue in the style of overprotection with Qe2 (most popular), or with Short's sharper choice in the game.

12. Qg4 h5!?

Kasparov responds to fire with fire. Black has a somewhat poor record in the 12. Qg4 line, see for example this master class in destruction: Kasparov tries to radically weaken White's center, after which Black might even gain an advantage with piece activity. However, with his superior development White will have the first say.

13. Qg3 h4

14. Qg4 g5

This is the unlikely conclusion to Black's idea - e5 is the target at any price. There is a tactical basis to this move of course - [ 15. Bxg5?! Nxe5 16. Qf4 Ncd3+ 17. cxd3 Nxd3+ 18. Kf1 Nxf4 19. Bxd8 Kxd8 favoring Black (Keene) ] However, we will follow Steve Stoyko's method and look for intermezzos or tactical alternatives to simply moving the attacked piece. With White's next move, he develops a fourth piece more than Black, which by Steve Stoyko's point counting system is enough to consider a decisive sacrifical attack. (This is a good opportunity to review Steve's system, and actually when one considers all the elements Steve cites, after Short's next he is as many as 9 points ahead....though he is hanging a piece.)

15. O-O-O!! Qe7

And the piece is not accepted. In what follows, notice how if Black takes the bishop, tactics are based on the utter lack of space around the Black king and queen - mate is constantly threatened as is trapping the queen. With ...Qe7 Kasparov shores up e6 which is otherwise a target for sacrifices. In the main variation - [ 15. ...gxf4? 16. Nxe6! Nxe6 17. Bxe6 Qe7 (on...fxe6? I'm guessing that 18. Qxe6+ Qe7 19. Qg6+ Qf7 20. Qe4 threatening the rook and a pawn fork is pretty bad; no computer used so consume with caution) 18. Bxd7+ Bxd7 19. Qf3 Rc8 20. Nd5 Bc6 21. Nf6+ Qxf6 22. exf6 Bxf3 23. Rhe1+ gives White an overwhelming position (Short) ]. By the way you can try out all these lines yourself on the chessgames.com game page (link at top of page) just by moving the pieces around creating variations, a very nice feature.

16. Nc6! Nxb3+ (Necessary else the queen has to retreat and disaster follows)

17. axb3 Qc5

18. Ne4 Qxc6 (A different piece sacrifice - Black is still poorly developed and with a weak king but....a piece ahead)

19. Bxg5 Bb7

Black is catching up, but it turns out White is now very close to a win. Using Yaacov's logic it is easy to see the Black is weak on the dark squares around his king. But how to exploit this? My first instinct was to try 20. Rxd7?, further attacking the dark squares and giving white Nf6+ later on. But of course 20.... KxR is near winning for Black since the king will hide on the queenside. Short's solution is elegant, combining attack on the dark squares with attack on the weak light squares near Black's king (temporarily and locally weak because of Black's misplaced queen and bishop).

20. Rd6!! Bxd6 (20. ....Qxe4?? 21. Rxe6+ fxe6 22. Qxe6+ Be7 23. Qxe7# (Short))

21. Nxd6+ Kf8

Now White is the total master of the dark squares, and Black must be precise to avoid a rout. Still, White is down a rook...

22. Rf1 Nxe5

23. Qxe6 Qd5

24. Rxf7+! Nxf7 (Pure power play - the Black king is running out of real estate and is being hunted by queen, bishop and knight.)

25. Be7+ Kg7

26. Qf6+ Kh7

27. Nxf7 Qh5

White is now down a rook and the exchange for a pawn, but Black's rooks are still not in the game and his king is in a horrid place. Naturally the game ends in...a draw!

28. Ng5+ Kg8

29. Qe6+ Kg7

30. Qf6+ Kg8

31. Qe6+ Kg7

32. Bf6+ Kh6

33. Nf7+ Kh7

34. Ng5+ Kh6 (Here Kasparov gives a detailed analysis of the bishop-of-opposite-color endgame arising from 34. Nxh8 Rxh8 35. Qe7+ Kg6 36. Bxh8 Qg5+ and though Black ends up two pawns down, apparently it is drawn with best play)

35. Bxh8+ Qg6

36. Nf7+ Kh7

37. Qe7 Qxg2?

38. Be5?

After an apparently sufficient defense, Kasparov slips and gives Short a winning shot. In time trouble, Short missed the paradoxical 38. Bd4! which prevents the perpetual check used in the game. The key line is 38. Bd4 Qh1+ 39. Kd2 Qxh2+ 40. Kc3 Rc8+ 41. Kb4 Rc7 42. Qg5 Qg6 43. Qxh4+ Kg8 44. Nh6+ Kf8 45. Qf4+ Ke7 46. Qc7+ Ke6 47. Qxb7 Qxh6 48. Qxa6+ +-. Simple, right?

38. ... Qf1+

39. Kd2 Qf2+

40. Kd3 Qf3+

41. Kd2 Qf2+ 1/2-1/2

Disappointing for Short, who had played an inspired attack and had his opportunity. A very instructive game combining several elements of attacking strategy.

Battle of the Branches

2011-05-31T15:17:00.015-04:00

Army, Air Force, Navy (teamed with the Coast Guard) and the Marine Corps will compete for the 2011 Inter-Service Chess Championship June 13th-17th at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. The Marine Corps Chess team will be led by Inter-Service and NATO chess veteran Master Guns James Adkins from Camp Lejeune. Showing up his second year at the Inter-Service, Sergeant Nicholas Wolff from Okinawa, Japan. The rest of the team will be made up by newcomers Corporal Antonio Jackson, Lance Corporal Chris Barnett, Lance Corporal Diego Gonzales, and Private First Class Jo Ann Ortiz. At minimum, one of these marines will get the chance to represent the United States in the 23rd NATO Chess Championship in Lithuania.

This will be the first year that I will watch the tournament from the sidelines. It is a great opportunity for all the branches to get to know each other and build camaraderie. Many service members play chess, but don't know tournaments like this exist....so spread the word!

To follow along on Facebook with pictures and results, like Military Chess. Hopefully, Monroi will pick up and broadcast this tournament live. I do not see it on their upcoming tournament list yet, but they have done so in the past and covered the Navy and Army Chess Championships from this year.

Good luck to everyone...but a little bit more to the Marine team. Semper Fi!

I Drink Your Milkshake

2011-05-28T09:11:00.006-04:00

With apologies in advance to iconic NM Mark Kernighan, the most valuable member of the Kenilworth club, I'll probably never get another chance to do this so here goes. This week, on our episode of our regular show 'I Drink Your Milkshake,' we consider the following position:

'If I have a knight, and you have a knight, and my knight is on e5, see there it is, my knight reaches across the board and starts to take your pawn on f7, I drink your milkshake. I drink it up!'

To clarify:

For the truly impatient philistines it is possible to skip directly to 11:10 into the video. But why?

And I was fortunate enough to just pass the 2000 mark in the recent Kenilworth quads, something I will probably pass again in the other direction, but I took this picture of myself so I wouldn't forget. (That's a Memento reference. Am I the only one whose brain died sometime in the late nineties?)

Short-Kasparov Game 6

2011-05-22T10:27:00.002-04:00

Short's first attempt at the Fischer-Sozin came in game 6, which you can follow on your own with this link. After missing out on decent opportunities from the ultra-sharp 6. Bg5 lines against the Najdorf, Short opted for the nearly-as-sharp 6. Bc4, and with an early f4-f5, tried to crack open the long diagonal for the light-squared bishop. A subsequent ...e5 by Kasparov seemed a serious positional concession until Nigel's b4!? offered a concession in return for an attack. Fortunately you don't have to hear my nonsense about this game, because it was covered very well by others...

Short vs Kasparov 1993: Lessons in the Fischer-Sozin Sicilian

2011-05-21T07:27:00.007-04:00

Nigel Short's world championship match against Garry Kasparov worked out poorly for the Englishman, with a final tally of +1 -6 =13. However, the match was characterized by dramatic, tactical games that could have gone in either player's favor. Every game that Short had with the White pieces turned into a Sicilian, and in particular Short's relative success with the Fischer-Sozin variation (+1 =7) provided several instructive games on classical themes of the variation. Playing with attacking verve, Nigel undoubtedly just missed a few more wins in these games. I made a few notes on these games which I'll put out over the next couple months, but first we'll go over the basics of the opening (favored by, among others, giant killer Lou Sturniolo).

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 PxP 4. NxP Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 (or Nc6, e6) 6. Bc4

and one arrives at the basic starting position, with the key feature being the early development of the light-squared bishop to c4. Note that this position can have several starting points, from the Najdorf (a6), Scheveningen (e6) or Classical (Nc6) Sicilians, with transpositions possible amongst them. Here are a few basic themes:

1. Weakness/Strength of the a2-g8 diagonal:

Some of the attacking potential of this opening is founded on the position of the bishop, directly in line with where the Black king usually ends up (g8). Numerous tactical tricks rely on this uncomfortable arrangement, and in certain cases piece sacrifices on the diagonal (e6 or f7). If e6 is temporarily ignored, watch out for the old chestnut 1. Bxe6 fxe6 2. Nxe6 with a fork (or in certain circumstances in the opposite order, with an attack for the piece sacrifice).

2. Center fork trick:

One of the disadvantages of leaving the bishop on c4 is that it allows the well known center fork trick as in the position below: 1. .... Nxe4!? 2. Nxe4 d5 3. Bd3 PxN 4. Bxe4 Here Black has exchanged off a center pawn and a pair of knights (useful for defensive purposes), however it is far from clear that this leads to instant equality (as I found out against Dan Komunicky). Often White immediately retreats the bishop from c4 to b3 to avoid this tactic and keep pieces on the board.

3. Black's knight on c5 - to exchange or not to exchange?

To offset the power of White's bishop Black will often plant a knight on c5 (b8-d7-c5 or -a6-c5) in order to exchange the bishop if necessary. In the generic structure below each side must weigh the consequences of the exchange - the bishop capture is by no means necessarily unfavorable for White who can gain, after 1. .... NxB 2. axN, an open file for his rook on a1 and a very solid queenside pawn structure. Meanwhile, the knight on c5 (more usually developed to c6) cannot fulfill its normal task of keeping an eye on White's knight on d4, leaving it to start a kingside attack. Also, the knight on c5 has its own virtues, and Black is usually best to hold onto it until it is necessary to give it up.

4. The all or nothing attack:

As in any respectable Sicilian, one of White's main ways forward is to go for the barbarians at the gate approach, pushing forward with a kingside pawn storm or a sacrificial attack. From the structure below this can start with e4-e5, f4-f5, or g2-g4, or even minor piece maneuvers leaving the pawns behind. Each has its pros and cons, for example f4-f5 tries to lever open the a2-g8 diagonal but hands Black the fat e5 square... throughout the Short-Kasparov match there is a lot of option #4.

For some interesting reading material you can also check out this, with some interesting recent attacking games out of this opening.

45 45 League with Arnold

2011-05-18T22:31:00.007-04:00

Picture far above is from here. If you check out the article, you can see Kasparov took White (?!) against Arnold!

And now for something completely different

2011-04-13T20:40:00.002-04:00

This ought to remind everyone of grad school.... or remind them why they didn't go...

Or for those of you who had their last paper rejected, try this. (Note: not appropriate for children who want to become scientists)

Art Appreciation

2011-04-09T12:39:00.002-04:00

If I get the time I might post some notes on the 1993 Kasparov-Short world championship match, which, while seemingly one-sided, serves as a master class on the Sicilian defense. In the meantime, here's a series of videos on a clock simul that Kasparov played against 6 (!) of the top junior players in the US in 1988:

Does Fritz Dream of Electronic Patzers?

2011-04-02T07:53:00.004-04:00

G/25 controls lead to execrable games. No less was shown by myself and Greg Tomkovich in our hilarity-riddled "match". Observe the following...

Tomkovich-Mangion - Guess the move....

spoiler alert....

24. .... Rb2! leads to a significant advantage, and in seven moves the game ended (25. Qxb2 Nf3+ being the joke): 25. Qe3 Rxa2 26. h5 Ra3 27. Rd1 Nxc4 28. Qf3 N7e5 29. BxN NxB 30. Qe3 Bb5 31. Nc1 NxB 32. NxN Bd4 0-1

But in fairness Greg played well the next game and had a few opportunities, the best might have been:

Mangion-Tomkovich guess the move.... (Mark K missed this one.....though I only gave him 10 seconds ;)

spoiler alert...

.....Na5! and the queen is really pissed.

The Greatest Game I Never Played

2011-03-09T19:26:00.018-05:00

If we had to name our 'best' games and lay them out for public viewing under a microscope, we would inevitably find that our seamless masterpieces were in fact marred by either an ugly blunder from our opponent or perhaps several opportunities where our opponent could have drawn or even won the game with the right moves. Games that we thought were near perfect at the board will usually dissolve under computerized cross-examination. Why? Because we are not grandmasters. Most of us are not even experts. And so neither are our opponents. No, our best games only pretend at excellence, brief moments where we are elevated to a higher level of play only to sail back to Earth sooner or later.

One of my favorite games show both sides: a brief leap into the stratosphere of grandmasterly heights followed by what mathematicians might call a 'regression to the mean'.

As the Joker says,"Let's wind the clocks back a year..."

USATE 2010: An odd tournament for me, made especially puzzling by three games where I had large advantages against masters but failed convert this into something more memorable. Of these one sticks out.

Mangion (1942) - Chris Williams (2261)

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 e6

3. d4 cxd4

4. Nxd4 Nc6

5. Nb5 d6 (5. Nb5 is an interesting variation occasionally favored by Karpov, though of course there are many many options; these days I would prefer 5. Nc3 or 5. g3)

6. c4 a6

7. N5a3 Nf6

8. Nc3 Be7

9. Be2 O-O

10. O-O b6

11. Be3 Bb7

12. f3 Qc7

13. Rc1!?

My opponent was apparently taking this game somewhat casually, working in chain smoking breaks with surprising frequency. I decided to throw a trial balloon out there and see how reckless he might be willing to be.

13. ..... Nd7?

And the flippant response was made without a moment's thought. This is aiming for usual Taimanov play with Nf6-d7-c5/e5 with pressure on White's pawn structure and an elastic piece setup. However, in the given case this fails to an old tactical chestnut.

14. Nd5!

Which would be worth two exclamation points if it were an over the board conception, but of course this is a trick well known to hedgehog lovers - the awkward position of the queen across

from White's rook lends itself to cute tricks. Here 14....exd5? 15. exd5 Rfd8 16. dxc6 Bxc6 is not pleasant. Unless your head is itchy from the lobotomy scars you might evaluate the following as 'favorable for White':

Analysis after 14. .... exd5

14. ..... Qd8 (an unpleasant move, but Black of course is not down material and is still fighting)

15. Nxe7+ Qxe7

16. Nc2?! Rfd8 (although the knight is apparently out of play on a3 it does defend b5 so it may be worth keeping there to prevent the ...b5 break)

17. Qe1 Rb8

18. Qf2 Ba8

19. Rfd1 b5?! (and now it is Black's turn to play 'automatic' moves that are not in context - while this move is normally a mark of progress for Black in this variation Black also normally has a dark-squared bishop. It was at this point that a conception for the middlegame occurred to me that threatened to elevate my play into the non-ordinary. Note the bishop on a8.

20. cxb5 axb5

21. Nd4 Nxd4

22. Bxd4 d5 (another typical hedgehog move, but without Black's dark-squared bishop there is another possibility for White...)

23. e5!!

I'll let Tal handle the commentary here:

- "Terrible." "Anti-positional." "Incredible."....It might be supposed that the player who played White was absolutely unfamiliar with any chess book that writes about the game from White's point of view and it is actually impossible to play like this....

A key moment for the course of the game. White voluntarily shuts in his ace, the unopposed dark-squared bishop. Simultaneously he hands Black a protected passed pawn. Indeed this move nearly made Yaacov spit up his cheesecake...dacha; which is why I give it two exclams ;) And yet it is the strongest move on the board! I will always believe this. White has dynamic advantages that will outweigh his static deficits. This move put in motion my idea from the 19th move to turn Black's bishop on a8 into a a useless trinket.

[For reference on first sight Yaacov suggests 23. exd5 Bxd5 24. a3 with a position "where only White can win". And so it may be, but winning may yet be a difficult exercise...].

23. .... Nf8?! (With unclear motivations...Black has this last chance to play ...b4 and escape the bind although still in a poorer position)

24. Bc5 Qb7

25. b4 The realization of the plan - What precisely is the bishop on a8 meant to do?

25. .... Nd7

26. Bd4 Rbc8

27. Qf1 Rb8

28. Rc2 f6

29. f4! fxe5 (the blockade must be maintained, and the open lines can be used by White)

30. fxe5 Rf8

31. Qe1 Rbc8

32. Rdc1 Rxc2

33. Rxc2 Qb8

Even so the maneuvering of the last several moves has strengthened White's position further. Despite the reduced material White is close to full board domination! The bishop on d4 offsets the knight while White's light squared bishop has no opposition. Now was the time to find the win, although my primary concern was to maintai

n the blockade and...avoid losing.

34. Bg4 Re8 (34....Qe8 looks more likely)

35. Qc1!

What makes this game so attractive (at least up to this point) is how White's moves are consistently strong and critical, not avoiding quality in favor of clarity. Now 35.... Nxe5 loses to 36. Rc7 when the knight is cut off from support yet

pinned as well.

35. .... Nb6?? Missing a key threat. When playing 35. Qc1 I had 36. Rc7 in mind, with the nagging feeling that a win was imminent.

36. Qe3?

Not a losing or even terrible move, but missing the killer blow! We'll come back to this, but for now let's say Rc7 has only one opportunity to be played and now is that time. If it is a good move (and logically it must be) then by the laws of chess there must be a tactical justification. At the last moment, nearing midnight on the second day of the tournament, I blinked fearing 36. .... Nc4 cutting off the rook.

36. .... Nc4 White still has a considerable advantage but I was fatigued and started to lose faith in the position.

37. Qh3 Qc8

38. Rc3 Bc6

39. Bh5? Rf8 (was I trying to trade off the light squared bishops and destroy all of my work?)

40. Rxf3 gxf3

And from this relatively equal position I managed to even lose in a further 35 moves (!)

Depressing stuff, but let's go back to what might have been had I followed my instincts...

35. .... Nb6??

36. Rc7! Nc4?

What might have been...

The position I 'feared' at the last second....and yet it may as well be an entry in '1001 Winning Sacrifices and Combinations'. In parallel universe bizzaroworld of course I followed with...

37. Rxg7+!! Kxg7

38. Qg5+ Kh8

39. Qf6+ Kf8

40. Bxe6+ Rxe6

41. Qxe6+ Kf8

42. Bc5+ With a massive advantage because all of Black's pieces are incapable of defending the Black king.

But of course playing such moves would be the mark of a stronger player...and therein lies the motivation. I find it hard to imagine the game where I string together a series of moves as strong as this with a novel positional conception but....maybe it can happen. And maybe when it does I will find the win... In the search for the perfect game the joy must be the search because the desiderata will prove elusive. That is why I play.

Karpovs Suck Acid

2011-03-02T07:42:00.003-05:00

Putting an indelible crimp in their otherwise dominant season, the Karpovs struggled at West Orange, recently minted winners of the USATE!

I picked up a consolation point for the visitors, but this may mean a rescheduling of our victory parade...to 2012.

Stoyko 0-1 Rosas

Mangion 1-0 Cohen

Sherer 1/2-1/2 Martinez

Demetrick 0-1 Arias

And above all patience...

2011-02-25T18:41:00.002-05:00

Because this is not a Jim West joint we show our losses with the same enthusiasm that we show wins, and here is a much delayed take on battle #320 vs Mark Kernighan, famous internet chess scammer. (Delayed mostly by 70 hour weeks at work, all worth it when the world's best insomnia drug comes to market, soon....)

Kernighan vs Charlie Murphy, KCC Championship 2011

In which an old dog learns new tricks...

2011-01-23T09:51:00.005-05:00

I dropped by Hamilton for one of their monthly quads for the first time in a year this weekend (last time I was very rudely treated with an 0-3 score). It helped shake the rust off for the upcoming USATE, but 10 or so straight hours of chess left me in full brain melt by the end. In my last game at varying times my opponent and I each thought we had won a piece from the other, and in a time scramble I won even though analysis after the game proved I was busted. Luckily my opponents were suffering from the same effects, and I acquitted myself well with a 1-1-1 score line in a quad of my peers. As often happens I got very good positions but...the higher you go the more the level of resistance, and the harder the accumulation of small advantages...the next breakthrough will take a qualitative leap in understanding.

Incidentally, I heard our talismanic master Mark Kernighan was in a car accident on the way to Hamilton, I hope the eternal flame of our club is uninjured and doing well.

On to happier things.... I won a game against Glen Hart in round 2 of the KCC club championship, though as always not without adventures. An unusual opening turned into an example of alternating color complex domination. Glen had white and is a good attacking player, but I was ready to play a Najdorf or Sveshnikov, or a King's Indian to meet iron with iron.

1. Nc3 Having played a lot of games the last few years I was surprised to be sent into a think on move 1. I've got no book on this move.

1. .... d5

2. e4 dxe

3. Nxe4 Is this an invitation to a Caro-Kann? Probably just off-the-cuff inspiration.

3. ..... Nf6

4. NxN gxN WWYD (What would Yaacov do? Take with g-pawn and bust you)

5. Bc4! else ....Bf5 is my next move. Already White has ideas of Qh5. Time to think some more. I think we used a total of an hour on the first 10 moves. Good stuff.

5. .... Nc6

6. Qh5 (played anyway!) Ne5

7. Be2? And now a mistake, whereas 7. Bb3 is optically dangerous after 7....Bg4 but the queen can't be trapped and Black still has a weaker structure, though it's easy to say that after the fact.

7. .... Qd5! And this is exactly the square Yaacov saves for his queen in the Caro-Kann, now g2 remains a target for the rest of the game. 8. Nf3 is bad because of 8.....Bg4, so White has problems. 8. f3?? gets hit with ....Nd3+.

8. Bf3 Nxf3?! (I forgot about the cute 8....Qc5 which threatens the c2 pawn. 9. c3?? Nd3+ causes havoc)

9. Qxf3 Be6

10. QxQ BxQ

11. f3 Rg8 And now Black focuses on g2 as the target for destruction. If f3 gets in the way of g2 then it too shall be destroyed. See Kotov-Boleslavsky.

12. Kf1 O-O-O

13. Ne2 d5 (necessary and strong because White now threatens to play d4 with some play. On the previous move this failed to ....Bc4+)

14. d3 Be7 Black begins to play on a one-dimensional plan to bash g2 by doubling the rooks, showing off his light-square domination. However, there is a flaw to the plan, and 14. .... f5 is already better. At the time I avoided this because of 15. f4 feeing White's game and leaving me with isolated doubled pawns but....and this is the important part....this is ultimately impossible because it critically weakens g2.

15. Be3 Rg6?!

16. h4? Glen has a plan to defend g2 but it will leave him uncoordinated. Instead 16. Ng3 was good. I saw this but thought I could ignore the unwanted visitor with 16. .... Rdg8 17. Nf5 Bd8? 18. Nh6? which leads nowhere for White. But 18. Nh4! shows Black who's boss of the dark squares. 18....R6g7 19. Bh6! and Black is ashamed.

16. .... Rdg8

17. Rh2 h5 and now Black wins more or less as he chooses, white's rook never escapes h2.

18. Nc3 Bc6 19. a3 f5 20. b4 b6 21. Bf2 Bf6 (Black has now shifted his attention to the dark squares) 22. Nd2 e4 (and briefly back to the light) 23. Nd4 Bd7 24. f4? c5 25. PxP PxP 26. Nxf5 BxN 27. Rd1 PxP 28. PxP Bd5 and White resigned 2 moves later.

Ted's Not So Excellent Adventure

2011-01-14T00:04:00.004-05:00

In my first game of the club championship I managed to win an interesting game against Ted Mann. Ted missed a tactical trick that wrecked his position, but he did try to get his king into the action.... starting on e8 it went, e8 - g8 - f7 - e6 - d7 - c6 - d7 - e6 - f6 - g5 - h5 - h6 - h7 - h6 - h5. All with heavy pieces on the board!

My own was luckier in its choice of companions, hesitantly starting e1 - c1 - b1....then, bestriding the board like a colossus, c2 - d3 - e4 - f5 - e6 - d7 (forward, always forward).

Fun fact: There were no draws last night at the club championship, and if memory serves me there were no draws in the five rounds last year. That's six rounds, roughly 54 games and no draws!! Only fighting chess at K-town, bring your A-game.

Karpovs dunk DOCA's

2011-01-07T07:20:00.002-05:00

The Kenilworth Karpovs kept up their punishing pace of victories with a 3.5-0.5 victory at the KCC last night over the DOCA Knights. Pancakes were served shortly after the match. Video footage and interviews here.

Consultation Game Redux

2010-12-31T13:14:00.006-05:00

For some thorough commentary on the recent Kenilworth Consultation Game (#6), see John's thorough analysis here. I figured there'd be no harm to add a few thoughts since, given where they're being written, there's no chance of anyone actually reading them.

For those that missed out, Yaacov Norowitz + ignorant rabble defeated Steve Stoyko & Mark Kernighan +ignorant rabble. Perhaps as expected given Yaacov's meteoric rise to best untitled player in the US (soon going for the world title). But the game itself was quite interesting, with chances for both sides, and the choices perhaps reflecting the tastes of the team leaders. Some key positions:

Here Black played Yaacov's 11....g6, which is a move Yaacov 'invented' even though he does not play the Sveshnikov sicilian. If you have this move in your database your database is better than mine (not unlikely). What to make of this? Black is preparing ...Bg7 and King's Indian style play after ...O-O with ...f5 etc. But it's not in theory so it must be bad!?

Compared to a normal Sveshnikov where the bishop goes to g5 to contest the key d5 square indirectly (knocking off a knight that goes a3-c2-e3), here Black seems to move his bishop to an inactive square and taking an extra tempo to do so. Yaacov's argument was that d5 is just one square and we could afford White that concession because our play was on the kingside. (I happen to disagree, but compare my rating with his and draw your own conclusions). However, ...g6 is generally played anyhow,so the real issue is does the bishop belong on g7 and if not, what can White do about it? Moves that are bad but are not refuted often become good. Yaacov likes this move because it preserves the bishop - and to Yaacov for whom bishops are a terrible weapon, "there is no such thing as a bad bishop".

White has two choices in this position if he is to make something of this positional 'blunder':

1. Take the bishop immediately. 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. Qd2 O-O 14. O-O-O is a poor idea based on winning the d6 pawn, which Black may even choose to sacrifice if he's in the mood. The White king gets smashed quickly on the queenside (see the work of DA Carrelli on this).

2. Let the bishop die a slow quiet death. In the style of Stoyko. Use the extra tempo to attack Black's queenside. White chose the second method in our game, but also burned a lot of clock looking for the refutation. Part of Black's strategy. Playing book moves would only play into White's hands.

Another key point. White has played the slightly anemic 16. Ncb4 and Black replied with the odd ....Bb7?!. Odd especially because we were hoping White would play Ncb4 so we could trade off a pair of knights. But Yaacov didn't like 16. ... Nxb4 17. Nxb4 Bb7? 18. Bd5 when White has a bind. We all missed 17. ... a5! 18. Bd5 Bd7 when Black has no problems.

So now White had an opportunity to play the simple 17. Nxa6 when we intended to play ...f5 and start our activity. Yaacov thought the resulting position roughly balanced, but Fischer is Fischer but a pawn is a pawn. However, characteristically White took a long time for their reply ("Long think, wrong think?"), whereas in our camp the decision to sack the pawn took two minutes because Yaacov was coaching that certain moves must be played and ...f5 was certainly one of those moves. Instead White came up with 17. Qe2? which evaporates his pressure on the queenside.

Finally, the position on resumption:

Anonymous teammates had come prepared with the computer response to White's sealed 31. f4; I had a particularly busy work week so I didn't even examine this possible move, but Rybka's ...exf ep is really counterintuitive. For once Yaacov and I were in agreement that ...Qe6 was the right move to sustain pressure, the passed pawn being a constant threat. (Conversely, try to find without computer assistance the win in the rook endgame resulting from ...exf). In an understandably difficult situation White ultimately crumbled under time pressure.

Finally, unsolicited opinions in response to some of John's provocative thoughts about the format (for anyone who stumbles across this accidentally while looking up the history of Kenilworth, England, please feel free to chime in on the comments section or in person at the Kenilworth, NJ chess club - meets Thursdays at 8pm, please come in the back).

1. Stopped clock for the first 5 moves: I once had the pleasure of watching 14 minutes tick off my clock while my team debated the merits of every possible response to 1.e4. Even a few moves into this game we were debating O'Kelly vs Najdorf vs Sveshnikov vs etc etc. Once we settled on an opening things went smoothly - I like this approach.

2. Time trouble: time is as crucial to these games as in a real game. The teams I've been on are 2-1, the wins coming with good clock management the loss coming with terrible clock management. Coincidence? Maybe, probably not. It's easy to say because we had a blitz superman on our team, but our strategy was to play briskly, maybe missing best moves but trying to play thematic, strong moves. And you will notice this led to an inferior position at points....but only on the board and not in the critical fourth dimension (which is time, for those of you who slept through that part of school). What can be done? You either lengthen the time control (already fairly long), make it a correspondence match (ugh) or accept that time is a crucial factor that must be managed appropriately.

3. Lack of creativity in the openings: Possibly true. Though I think not as bad as was suggested. 3 sicilians in 6 games? Try hanging out at Westfield - you might bat over .600 on sicilians. However, if it's democratic we're going to get a lot of main line stuff - we'll go straight to the common denominator whatever it is. (For the record I voted for 1. ....c6). However, it is ironic that John took offense at robotically following main line theory for 12-15 moves when the 'novelty' was on move 11 ;) As it was, when ...c5 was played I was the one who took the cheerleading role for the Sveshnikov. Do I know the theory that well? No, I was going for something spicy. Incidentally, if White wanted to go out of book he should have tried 9. Bxf6 - I thought Don could cover us on theory there but I may have been mistaken! :0

I think the real pleasure of these games is to hear what the masters have to say - a little insight into their infinite minds. That said, is once a year enough? Make your opinion known!

Happy holidays!!

Chess Duels and the Holiday Party

2010-12-15T16:44:00.005-05:00

While working my way through Chess Duels by GM Yasser Seirawan, I finally reached a section devoted to his battles with whom he considers to be the world's best chess player, both past and present; Garry Kasparov. Seirawan referenced Kasparov's only loss on his way to first place in the 1983 Niksic tournament. Observing the post-mortem between Kasparov and Spassky, he recalled, was jaw-dropping. He compares Kasparov's ability to calculate 12 move variations effortlessly leaving Spassky almost speechless to a video of Bruce Lee (?!) playing ping pong with Nunchaku sticks. You can't believe what you are seeing. This is ability on a superhuman level. Perhaps by watching this clip, we can appreciate Kasparov's talent a bit more.

This reminds me of the KCC Holiday Party coming up December 23rd. Bring your paddle (or Nunchucks??) if you got 'em. Ping pong tournament is in the works! More on ping pong and chess!

Back to the book...Seirawan's story telling style makes it a very entertaining read. Just a nudge more than halfway through, I can already whole-heartily recommend this book. For every giant at the chessboard he played, he includes a snippet into their life. You will appreciate the world champions from a different perspective. Thumbs up!

Kenilworth Chess Club Consultation Game

2010-12-10T13:27:00.010-05:00

The Kenilworth Chess Club held its second consultation game of the year. We tried something new with the time controls this year. First 5 moves, no time control! Then the next 25 moves in 60 minutes with 5 second delay. White sealed their 31st move going into next week's time control. Things became exciting once we got into Sveshnikov territory. Showing theory no respect, pawn offerings, backwards pawns, isolated pawns, the bishop pair...this game was riddled with imbalances.

The first 30 moves

The game will finish up next week. It isn't too late to join us at the KCC to see first hand how this battle ends.

Below, Yaacov discusses with the Black team how in certain positions, particular moves just "need" to be played. The position calls for it! Thanks to Dan K for the pic.

Instead of working with SM Yaacov Norowitz, get the chance to play against him! He will be giving a simul at the Marshall Chess Club Wednesday December 15th. Come one, come all.

A Bust to the Caro-Kann: The modern 7....Nf6

2010-12-04T17:43:00.005-05:00

I've grown weary of busting the Caro-Kann over and over again, so just one last look - this time into a more recent line after:

1. e4 c6

2. d4 d5

3. Nc3 PxP

4. NxP Bf5

5. Ng3 Bg6

6. h4 h6

7. Nf3 Nf6!?

This move order had not been well regarded for some time - it seemed that immediately conceding the e5 square to White's knight with tempo was too much of an indulgence. However, on further analysis it was realized that having the knight on e5 weakens White's grip on that e5 and d4 (as Gallagher wryly points out 'that's right, a knight on e5 doesn't control the square e5') , rather it offered Black a target to counterattack. Also, if White does not recognize the independent positional nuances of the position then Black gets a much improved version of his favorite opening. For example, White can try to ignore Black's creative effort and go back to the main line:

8. h5 Bh7

9. Bd3 BxB

10. QxB e6

11. Bf4 Bd6!

That's right, Black is happy to trade off his 'good' bishop because, after the exchange the position is already essentially equal. White's space advantage is almost meaningless because there are too few pieces on the board. Note this is not possible in the main line because a knight on d7 would be screening the queen from defending d6.

Or after:

11. Bd2 c5! White gets a taste of Black's main idea - c6-c5 not only can't be stopped, it is also strong!

12. O-O-O Nc6 and here Black has the unusual and important achievement of planting his knight on c6. Black has scored well from these positions.

After getting taken to the woodshed a few times in this way, two consensus main lines have appeared for White that try to take advantage of Black's creativity:

7. Nf3 Nf6!?

8. Ne5 Bh7

9. Bd3!? BxB (there are nasty tactical refutations to 9. .... Qxd4?? Try it blindfold)

10. Qxd3 e6

In comparing this position to the main line, the h-pawn is on h4 rather than h5 and the knight is on e5 rather than f3. White's task is to make the latter point important.

11. Bd2 Nbd7 (challenges the e5 knight, 12. NxN gives White nothing)

12. f4 Be7

13. O-O-O O-O

14. Qf3 Qc7

With sharp attacking play possible - White can, as in the main lines, aim for a g2-g4 push while Black will press with c6-c5 and use the semi-open c-file to attack the White king. White has generally scored well from this position, however.

White has another line at his disposal in which he aims to keep all his pieces on the board:

7. Nf3 Nf6!?

8. Ne5 Bh7

9. Bc4 e6 (In your mind's eye envision the consequences of 9. ... Nd7)

10. Qe2

Play in some way resembles certain lines of the Scandinavian defense. White aims for early pressure on the light squares, with ideas of a sacrifice on e6 or f7. However, Black does best with:

10. ... Nd5

11. Bb3 Nd7

12. Bd2 Nxe5

13. dxe5

where again White aims for an attack on the Black kingside, an attack that is strengthened by the presence of the light-squared bishop, but this bishop is a target for an attack by ....a7-a5-4, and White must weaken his queenside to stop this attack leading to sharp play. An attacking game along these lines is DeFirmian-Brunner 1995.

Conclusion: 7. ... Nf6 leads to interesting play that is independent from the main line. However, White seems to be doing well if he pays attention to Black's plan of ....c6-c5/Nc6.

There, that wasn't so hard, was it? You have all you need to know to bust the 'Kann, unless Black plays 4. ... Nd7 or 4. ... Nf6. In that case offer a draw, and if refused then quietly resign. In all seriousness it seems like a lot of theory but really all the moves can be distilled to positional objectives that are common across all the lines. The moves should flow gently like water....

Karpovs Retool Rahway

2010-12-03T22:51:00.004-05:00

With the top boards failing to produce a win and with Board 3 won by the Karpovs, everything rode on Joe "The Closer" Demetrick against Joe "Clutch Time" Renna. Feeling...confident, Joe D *ahem* sacrificed a piece and let his clock drift down to one second. 1st place in the league was hanging....

With his now standard last second heroics, Joe D put us over the top 3-1. More here.

A Bust to the Caro-Kann: Kingside Castling, Part 2

2010-11-29T18:52:00.005-05:00

Now for the 3rd out of 4 digressions into C-K theory - in part 4 we'll look at the modern 7....Nf6, but for now we'll stick with the main line and examine the consequences of an early ...Qa5+/...Bb4+, which have been tried as an improvement for Black.

Starting as always with the key position after 10. QxB:

now after...

10..... e6

11. Bf4 Bb4+!? is possible, on the premise that a c2-c3 advance is not in White's favor since it provides a lever for Black in a later pawn attack. And if White plays an eventual c3-c4 then the tempo that was 'sacrificed' is regained. And so,

12. c3 Be7 leaves White a choice - in the stem game Karpov-Larsen 1982 White chose the natural 13. Ne4 aimed at d6, but Larsen chose the surprising 13. .... Ngf6! when 14. Nd6+ BxN 15. BxB Qa5 left White with castling problems, though White did manage to win all the same.

More often is played 13. O-O-O when ....Ngf6 14. Kb1 a5 15. Ne5 leads to a slight edge for White - he does best to reserve c3-c4 for a later time.

More testing is:

11. Bf4 Qa5+

12. Bd2 Bb4 (12. c3 is not well regarded as the Black Queen is well posted on a5)

13. c3 Be7

14. c4 Qc7 (the persistent 14....Bb4 is not well regarded since after 15. Ne4 Black is under pressure to exchange into an unfavorable endgame)

15. O-O-O Ngf6

and now Black has induced c2-c3-c4 without apparent loss of tempo, he has the added move Qc7. However, this variation is strategically complex because the position of Black's queen is not always beneficial nor is the pawn on c4 always a burden. It sharpens the game, as Black's queenside breaks (c7-c5 or b7-b5, even a7-a5) get more bite, but White has more play in the center.

White has several options at move 16, I won't beat all of them to death, but here are a couple:

16. Ne4 O-O

17. NxN+ NxN

18. g4!? Nxg4 (note the thematic pawn sacrifice)

19. Rhg1 f5

with mixed results - this line is essentially identical to the early c4 lines in the last post where Black also has the sharp option of 16. .... b5!? when White often responds with 17. c5 and the game resembles Ivanchuk-Seirawan 1990 posted earlier.

In one notable game White even skipped 17. NxN+ and went for the immediate 17. g4?!?, and arrived in the following position in Bacrot-Leko 2008:

White to move....why so serious?

16. Qe2 O-O (16. Qe2 is an exceptionally tricky move that looks to take advantage of the weakness of Black's e-file - think of g2-g4 followed by Nxg4, Rhg1 f5, Qxe6+; also, a knight sacrifice on f5 is threatened because the bishop on e7 is undefended)

17. Kb1 Rfe8

18. Ne5 c5!?

19. Bf4 With a tiny edge to white who has placed his pieces well but his king is more exposed

16. Kb1 O-O as in other variations a quick Kb1 has become the vogue at the top level. Why? Flexibility - White can play on either the d-file, c-file, or g-file, and waits for Black's response. However, this is not the most critical move.

17. Ne4 Rad8

18. NxN+ Nxf6

19. g4!? follows the heavyweight matchup Carlsen-Kamsky 2008 which ended in a draw.

Another popular choice is 16. Rde1/Rhe1, putting pressure on e6/e7. Lots of choices! The theoretical debate is still going as can be seen from the recent games.

However, recently there's also been fights around a line that tries to underline a unique weakness in Black's approach - after

12. Bd2 Bb4

13. Ne4!? Pointing to the hole on d6 and giving Black the choice of either a slightly inferior endgame after exchanges on d2 or....

13. .... Ngf6!

14. Nd6+ Ke7

and it transpires that Black can get away with this audacious play because White will have difficulty mounting a strong attack against the Black king. White can 'win' a pawn with

15. Nxb7 Bxd2+

16. Nxd2 Qb4!

17. Qa3 QxQ

18. PxQ but it is difficult for White to make something of the extra pawn (although for Black to win is nearly impossible)

Alternatively the main line has become:

15. Nc4 Bxd2+

16. Nfxd2 Qc7

17. O-O-O Rhd8

where White has a slight edge because of his space advantage.

Conclusion: 11. .... Qa5+ is a topical line that is growing in theory, and is an interesting alternative for Black. However, White has many options to choose from in fighting it, and seems to be able to draw at will if he is so inclined. Meanwhile the sharp c4 lines are still scoring wins for White.

A Bust to the Caro-Kann: Kingside Castling, Part 1

2010-11-26T11:42:00.031-05:00

Now we come to the key variations in the modern game, where the Caro-Kann starts to resemble a Sicilian Defense with opposite side castling and pawn storms. In what Kasparov terms 'Larsen's revolution', it became clear that kingside castling was indeed possible for Black and may, in fact, provide him with more resources.
Starting from our main position after 10. Qxd3:

Kasparov notes that now:

Black most often plays 10....e6 and if 11. f4 - ...Ngf6 and ...Be7, completely rejecting the classical ideology of the variation, which was based on the following dogmas:
1) it is essential to play ...O-O-O, since on the kingside Black is castling into an attack
2) therefore ...Qc7 is essential, since otherwise the white bishop will occupy f4, which with queenside castling is dangerous
3) after completing his development, Black frees his game with ...c6-c5: he simply does not have any other plan.
Today, however, castling on opposite sides has become the norm, since Black has arrived at a new understanding: kingside castling is by no means an act of suicide!

We will see that this is true, yet all the same White has a variety of ways to put pressure on Black's position, ranging from sacrifical attacks to early endgames. The resulting positions are rich with possibilities. In part 2 we will look at non-cla

ssical variations with early ...Qa5+
and/or ....Bb4+ with kingside castling, but in part 1 we will see the main line:
10. .... e6

11. Bf4 Ngf6
12. O-O-O Be7 (12.... Nd5 13. Bd2 Nb4!? 14. Qb3 a5 15. Ne4 a4 16. Qa3! is rated as better for White, 15. Kb1 a4 16. Qe3 was also seen in Leko-Dreev 2002)

And now White has choices depending on stylistic preferences - 13. Kb1, 13. c4 and 13. Ne5.
We'll start with 13. Ne5, which was first thought to be critical and logically follows from Bf4. No discussion should avoid the amusing game Beliavsky-Larsen 1981:

Behold the pale horse. The man who sat on him was Death...and hell followed with him.

This game asks the question - what if Black 'passes' for two moves?
13. Ne5 a5
14. Rhe1 a4? ('Larsen is doing a wonderful impression of a beginner' - Gallagher)
15. Ng6! Nd5 (White even wins after ...fxg6 16. Qxg6+ Kf8 17. Rxe6 Qe8 18. Rde1!)
16. Nf5!! and White won in a further seven moves (see link above, it's fun to work through the variations)

Death rides a pale horse

This game demonstrates a key feature of kingside castling for Black - both sides must always consider the consequences of White dropping knights on f7, g6, or f5. These strategic risks do not exist in queenside castling lines.

However, after the unambitious 13. ... O-O it seems as though White has some trouble maintaining a meaningful initiative against good play from Black. For example the natural looking 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Qd5 already gives Black equality and White even lost the well known game DeFirmian-Korchnoi 1989 from this position. Why is this? 13. Ne5 is a dangerous looking move but does not slow Black's development or (against good play) meaningfully advance White's attack as the f7/g6/e7 squares are adequately covered.

13. c4 is another bold method to try to refute kingside castling. This highlights the absence of a Black rook from the d-file amongst other things - d4-d5 is one plan. Also, for once White does not simply allow Black use of the d5 square. But Black, ever inventive, notices a drawback...

13. .... b5!? (I would like my d5 square back please)

14. c5! O-O now follows Ivanchuck-Seirawa n 1990 (see link for Seirawan's own analysis) - Black has the d5 square but White has, importantly, closed off files on the queenside and maintains his space advantage.

15. Kb1 a5
16. Bc1 a4 with complicated play. An interesting follow-up to this game was Ivanchuk-Korchnoi 1993, where after ...a7-a5-a4, Korchnoi preferred to castle...queenside!
Black can avoid the committing 13 ... b5!? and prefer 13. ... O-O when the lines can transpose to other options described here. However, if not challenged White does best not to commit to piece exchanges and instead try to find ideal placements for his knights and initiate his kingside attack.
The more indirect 13. Kb1 in combination with 14. Ne4 has become popular at the GM level, although this is not to everyone's tastes - the main line leads to a quick endgame:

13. Kb1 O-O
14. Ne4 NxN
15. QxN Nf6
16. Qe2 Qd5!? (combines centralization with an attack on h5)
17. Ne5 Qe4
18. QxQ NxQ

A critical position (!?)

In this dry-looking position it turns out there are interesting tactical resources that give White a chance for an edge. For example, after 19. Rhe1! Nf6 (...Nxf2? 20. Rd2 Bh4 21. Ree2! and Black is embarrassed by his wandering knight) 20. g4!? and the endgame was executed to perfection by White in the stem game Kasparov-Anand 2003.
White also has the choice of a different and slightly favorable endgame after 19. Be3!? when the ...c5 break has been momentarily suppressed.
Key source games include Stefansson-S Kasparov 2001 and Kramnik-Bareev 2003.

However, if Black is not in the mood to defend a grueling endgame then more interesting play arises from 13. Kb1 O-O 14. Ne4 Qa5!?

Again Black targets the h5 pawn, a logical response to removing the knight from g3. However, now White can try a thematic and dangerous pawn sacrifice:

15. g4!? Nxg4

16. Ne5! Ndxe5!

17. dxe5 Rad8

18. Qh3! and this follows Motylev-Willemze 2003 where White converted his attack ultimately into a win, albeit in an endgame.

The fireworks were truly on display in Polgar-Anand 2003, where Anand came up with a shocking novelty in a related line, and Polgar managed to draw only with difficulty.

Conclusion: Kingside castling for Black carries strategic risks, but it is clearly not nearly as risky as was once thought - indeed the main line goes straight to an endgame. However, a patient player from the White side can either take their chances with the slight edge given to them there, or go for more entertaining fare, particularly 13. c4 where the verdict is unclear. It's not easy, but the 'Kann is all about pain tolerance, time to hit the gym and bulk up.

A Bust to the Caro-Kann: Black castles queenside

2010-11-21T13:05:00.009-05:00

Now it's time to get into some ugly theory. For reference, I'm working off of Gallagher's Starting Out: The Caro-Kann, McDonald's Main Line Caro-Kann, Jovanka Houska's Play the Caro-Kann, and Kasparov's On Modern Chess Part 1: Revolution in the 70's, as well as recent games from This Week in Chess.

This time we'll take a look at Black choosing (or feinting?) to castle queenside. This was originally not only most popular but essentially thought to be forced, as castling kingside was thought to be suicide. Bent Larsen, the tireless pioneer, has changed the evaluation entirely and now kingside castling is thought to give Black the best dynamic chances. Nonetheless, queenside castling is still popular at the amateur level as Black's defenses look very solid. To prove otherwise White must play with some verve.

Starting from our earlier position after 10. QxB:

Black is going to follow with the moves ...e6, ...Ngf6, ...Qc7 and then potentially ....O-O-O. Order doesn't matter much but note that castling is saved for last on first principles of maintaining flexibility - as we'll see he may change his mind.

10. .... Qc7 (note that ...e6 or ...Ngf6 can be met with 11. Bf4, but after ....Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Qc7 Black transposes back to the main line. 12. c3 is thought not to be best because the queen is well posted on a5 and Black can castle kingside safely).

11. Bd2 Ngf6

12. O-O-O e6

And now White has two critical choices - 13. Qe2 and 13. Ne4, with different underlying strategies...

13. Qe2!?

A concept first developed by Spassky and good enough to give him his first win in his 1966 world championship match versus Petrosian. The idea is simply to place a powerful knight on e5 as quickly as possible.

Spassky patiently explains the first bust to the Caro-Kann

13. ..... O-O-O

14. Ne5 Nb6 (..c5!? will be examined below; ...Nxe5 leads to a pawn formation that is typically poor for Black in either the middlegame or endgame).

A good move which attacks d4, defends f7, and prepares a knight jump to d5.

15. Ba5 Rd5 (15. c4!? is a dangerous gambit, meanwhile after 15. Ba5 c5?! 16. Rh4! Black faces possible problems with a rook bearing on the c-file skewering the queen after 16..... cxd 17. Rdxd4!)

16. BxN axB (16. b4 is exceptionally dangerous after the exchange sac ...Rxa5!)

17. c4 Rd8 (17....Ra5!? is also possible though risky with complications that are analyzed for a further 10 moves in Kasparov's excellent book)

Source games that expand on the position after 17 ....Rd8 include Spassky-Pomar 1968 and Mecking-Pomar 1968, where it was thought that Black had enough resources to hang on for a draw. However, in the modern treatment White does not exchange pieces as early is in the above games, and Black is getting hammered in both 17...Rd8 and 17...Ra5 (65% score for White).

Conclusion: After Spassky's 13. Qe2, 13... O-O-O is virtually busted.

13. .... c5!?

The key move, which required proof that castling kingside can be OK for Black in the Caro-Kann to be discovered. This is where flexibility pays - Black sees 13. Qe2 and decides to change plans, instead asking the question of why Qe2 is a good move?

14. Rh4!? Be7 (note the Rh4 maneuver again)

15. PxP NxP

16. Rd4 O-O

17. Bf4 Qa5

follows Karpov-Hort 1973 which was drawn 3 moves later.

Later Black began to play more ambitiously with 14....Rc8!, when his attack is more advanced than White's even though the Black king is still in the middle. White is not doing as well here in recent games, and 13. Qe2 has taken a back seat to a new concept....

13. Ne4! O-O-O (now ....c5 is just bad after 14. NxN+ NxN 15. Qb5+)

14. g3!

This move was Geller's novel conception - the simple but effective idea is to put the bishop on f4 and knights (if allowed) on e5 or even d6. The resulting line is the modern main line. Notice, incidentally, how Ne4 has reactivated White's worst placed piece. It may seem that this allows Black freeing exchanges, but watch how each of White's remaining pieces arrive at ideal squares before Black's.

14. .... Nxe4 (14.... Nc5 looks cute but after 15. NxN BxN 16. c4! Bd6 17. Bc3 Kb8 18. Qe2 and 19. Ne5 it seems White is having all the fun and is scoring better than 62% recently)

15. Qxe4 Nf6 (an important moment - the knight can also stay on d7, but this allows a strong line from White involving c2-c4 and d4-d5. See Frolov-Volzhin 2000 for details - although the game ends well for Black the opening looks strong for White. Though oddly Gallagher and McDonald come to opposite conclusions on the very same game.)

16. Qe2 Bd6 (16. ...c5!? 17. PxP Bxc5 18. Rh4! was part of a famous bust, Tal-Hubner 1979)

17. c4 c5!? (Black waits for the c4 square to be occupied before trying this)

18. Bc3 cxd4

19. Nxd4 a6 (preventing Nb5)

20. Kb1 Rd7

And the battleground has been set for a late middlegame where White looks to play on the c-file and the strongpoint on e5 after, say Nf3-e5 and Rc1. Meanwhile Black looks to play on the d-file. Notice how the pawn on g3 blunts Black's bishop, while the queen on e2 is perfectly placed to defend c4 and h5. White has been doing well here - scoring 60% by my database.

Conclusion: Black is under some pressure in Queenside castling lines. The line is a refuge for endgame sadists. But as the cop told the Joker in Dark Knight, 'I know you're going to enjoy this. I'm just going to have to try to enjoy it even more.'

I'll cut off discussion here because 1. I have a day job and 2. If you ever reach this position, you know you are and are most likely playing a master/Caro-Kann fanatic as you are now 20 moves into theory. That said, I find theory in the mainline Caro-Kann flows like water...one move flows seamlessly into the next....

Next time: kingside castling, the modern way.

A Bust to the Caro-Kann

2010-11-20T10:02:00.001-05:00

The Caro-Kann is a venerable defense to 1. e4 with history dating back to 1886, when Horatio Caro and Marcus Kann jointly analyzed the inauspicious looking 1....c6. Nowadays the Caro-Kann is favored by gray-haired ex-Soviets with a high tolerance for pain. There are several principled variations White can choose from against the 'Kann, so players from the Black side have to be prepared for any of them. Not necessarily different from other openings in that respect, but the 'Kann more than others is built on defensive rather than counterattacking principles, and favors the player who is not averse to long grinds and opening-to-endgame transitions (along with occasional transpositions to 1. d4 openings such as the Queen's Gambit or Nimzo-Indian defense). On the other hand the Caro-Kann has been a deadly weapon in the hands of positional masters like Karpov and Petrosian, and no less than Bobby Fischer famously had terrible problems from the White side - in his youth the Soviets discovered this flaw and bashed him with it relentlessly.

I'll play 1. e4 if you promise not to play 1....c6. Deal?

Since Bobby never saw fit to extend his excellent "Bust to the Openings" series beyond the King's Gambit, we'll take a look at one of his most troubled openings for a clear bust. Much to my surprise, a total refutation exists in the much-studied classical, or Capablanca, variation. Long thought to have been analyzed to a virtual draw, we will now prove this line to end in disaster for Black in all variations. Computer analysis and world champions may disagree, but rather than personally defeat the naysayers on the way to world fame I will share my insights with you, so together we can wreak havoc on the weekend quads of America.

1. e4!

Best by test

1... c6 2. d4 d5

White has the precious pawn duo but Black smartly responds in the center

3. Nc3 dxe

Not much choice for Black here - either he has to go into a Modern with 3....g6 or he will have trouble developing his pieces without the pawn exchange. Now the question - Black gives White's knight a free ride the center, but what is it worth?

4. Nxe4 Bf5

The main move, most challenging. Black gets his light-squared bishop out of prison with tempo, and looks to play a favorable version of the Slav. Also possible are ....Nd7 or ....Nf6, though I think those lines lead to comfortable edges to White as a rule. Perhaps we'll return to those later.

5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4!? h6

Alekhine once considered h4!? too exotic and thought that Bd3, O-O and c3 were enough to give White a plus. However, in the church of Yaacov we have faith in Black's position where Black will build light bricks on c6 and e6 leaving his dark-squared bishop happy. Conversely White's remaining bishop stares forlornly at c3 and d4, and asks 'Why??'. No, more concessions must be extracted from Black and a kingside bind with h4-h5 is thought to be the ticket, though of course the h-pawn can become a weakness. ('A typical dilemma in modern opening play' -Kasparov)

7. Nf3 Nd7

In recent times Black has also been trying ...Nf6!?, letting the White knight jump into e5 with the threat to snap the bishop on g6. However, the bishop can retreat to h7 and Black seeks to prove that the knight on e5 is a weakness. Black delays the development of the knight on b8 with the hopes of getting in ...c5 and ...Nc6 (Gallagher points out that this move is a rare achivement for Black in the Caro-Kann). A subtlety worth exploring? This is one of the challenges in fighting the Caro-Kann - one must have the same tolerance for pain that a Caro player has. Again, perhaps we'll return to this later.

8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 BxB 10. QxB

And so Black has not only got his light-squared bishop into play but has exchanged it for White's LSB, a strong achievement! However, white concedes this as a prerequisite for queenside castling, which is the only way to leverage the advanced h-pawn in his favor through future kingside pawn advances. Now Black is at a crossroads with several choices that we will take a look at in the future. Where to castle? How to develop? 10 moves of theory but we're only halfway there. Tolerance for pain - respect it in your opponent, nurture it in yourself. Positional understanding must prove victorious. More later.

Marathon and Chess...Sorry, No Golf!

2010-11-10T15:59:00.007-05:00

Last Sunday, KCC member Mike Wojcio runs his 114th marathon! Below, Mike taking a quick break at the 17 mile mark.

A quick visit to cheer Mike on then off to Barnes and Nobles on 86th and Lex for a Kasparov book signing. I didn't have any books by Garry, so I decided to crack and buy one for him to sign....

Here I am giving Garry some pointers on his opening repertoire. Then came Ian....

Garry scribbled...Next time, wait at the end of the line.

Anand-Leko: Denouement

2010-11-05T18:07:00.004-04:00

In the last round, Anand had his fate in his control. The task was simple - draw, and the title was his. For the third time in the tournament Anand faced the potentially dangerous Marshall attack, but he had a plan to pour cold water on the attack.

Anand has firsthand evidence that it does, in fact, feel good to be a gangster

With this draw, Anand finished in 1st by a clear point over the field. My impressions: Anand played critical lines in sharp openings round after round, and did not vary from this strategy even when he pulled into the lead. Well into the era of computer analysis, Anand continued to debate unclear positions with positional and material imbalances. He was rewarded with an impressive +4 overall score, including +1 =2 against the Marshall Attack and +1 =2 in the razor-sharp Anti-Moscow Gambit. Three of those draws came in tournament situations where a draw was a strategic victory. His only shortcoming came against the Petroff where he was not able to pose any problems against the world's experts in Kramnik and Gelfand. For their part, Kramnik and Gelfand can perhaps be faulted for a lack of ambition. Each finished 2nd on +2, but in the end settled for draws in those same Petroff games where they had their best practical chances against the future champion.

All this could be seen in evidence later in the fascinating Anand-Kramnik world championship match of 2008, where Anand scored blistering wins from the Black side in sharp openings whereas Kramnik played no less than the Exchange Variation of the Slav in game 1 with a quick draw. Anand represents a departure from the reign of Kramnik, playing in the universal style of Spassky which is comfortable both in attack and on defense, playing for complications where it is demanded. He proved as much by adopting a constricting positional style three years later in his successful match against Topalov. Luckily, the story is not finished, and we'll see another championship match from Anand in the future...

This Is Not Sparta

2010-11-02T23:39:00.003-04:00

The Kenilworth Karpovs held off the barbarians of Sparta in their second Garden State Chess League match at West Orange. A press photo from the event is shown below:

Board by board results:

Steve 'MVP' Stoyko (B) 1-0 Tom Murray

Ian Mangion (W) 1-0 Mark Van der Veen

'Mad' Max Sherer (B) 1-0 Rick Schluter

'Mad' Mike Wojcio (W) 0-1 Russ Avarella

Karpovs 3-1 Sparta

Tactics fun on board 2....here in a tough position Black played 32...Ba3!? (cheapo alert), what is the cleanest way to end the game after 33. Bd4 Bd6? See comments for answer.

Grischuk-Anand: Round 13

2010-11-01T20:56:00.004-04:00

In the penultimate round, Grischuk displayed admirable fighting spirit by playing for the win and threatening to spoil Anand's championship run. Meanwhile Gelfand still had chances for overall victory and played a tense game against Kramnik on the next board.

Looking for the kill....is it there?

After this close escape, Anand was one step from the title. The only way he could fail is to lose and for Gelfand to win. But at least this meant the last round would be a fighting round.

Anand 8.5

Gelfand 7.5

Kramnik 7.0

Leko 6.5

Aronian 6.0

Morozevich 5.5

Grischuk 5.5

Svidler 5.5

Svidler-Anand: Round 12

2010-10-30T09:55:00.003-04:00

In round 12, Anand was in the position of being able to guarantee at least a tie for first with three straight draws. Only Gelfand could catch him and that would require three consecutive wins or an Anand loss. But Gelfand came up with a sparkling win with the Black pieces, meaning there was still all to play for.

Svidler had a cricket match he really wanted to watch

Anand 8.0

Gelfand 7.0

Kramnik 6.5

Leko 5.5

Aronian 5.5

Morozevich 5.5

Grischuk 5.0

Svidler 5.0

Anand-Morozevich: Round 11

2010-10-29T18:05:00.003-04:00

A point ahead of his nearest competitors with 4 rounds to go, Anand could have tried to cruise in with draws but....was facing Morozevich, who probablydoesn't know the meaning of Grandmaster draw.

Vishy does not back down from a fight

With the rest of the field drawing, Vishy had a commanding 1.5 point lead with just three rounds to go. But a bloody round 12 was in store...

Anand 7.5

Gelfand 6.0

Kramnik 5.5

Leko 5.5

Aronian 5.5

Grischuk 5.0

Morozevich 4.5

Svidler 4.5

Kramnik-Anand: Round 10

2010-10-26T18:01:00.003-04:00

Going into round 10, Kramnik needed a win against Anand to give himself a shot at winning. With 5 rounds left, he and Gelfand trailed by 1.5 points, and Anand was going to have to meet each of them with the Black pieces. A final exam for a potential champion!

When an irresistible force meets an immovable object...

4 rounds remained, and Gelfand had a matchup with Anand scheduled for the 12th round...a Gelfand win there would throw things into chaos, so Anand looked for something special in round 11....

Anand 6.5

Gelfand 5.5

Kramnik 5.0

Leko 5.0

Aronian 5.0

Grischuk 4.5

Morozevich 4.5

Svidler 4.0

Gelfand-Anand and Anand-Aronian: Rounds 8 and 9

2010-10-22T16:28:00.005-04:00

Leading the tournament by half a point over Gelfand going into the second half of the tournament, Anand faced a crucial matchup against the second-placed Gelfand in a game with big implications for deciding the winner:

After this painless draw Anand may have had dangerous ambitions against Aronian in the next round, where another Marshall Attack was in store...

The recording cut out, but the finish was 16...Qd7 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Nd2 Bd3 19. Re3 Bg6 20. Nf1 a5 21. a3?! and the game was agreed drawn.

Black was slightly for choice in this position with the bishop pair and typically better piece activity in the MarshallAttack, though still down a pawn. However, the draw suited Anand who remained the leader and perhaps Aronian who was already effectively out of the race and may have been battling illness.

After two quick but interesting draws, Anand benefited greatly from Morozevich upsetting Kramnik in round 9 and Grischuk bouncing back with a win over Gelfand, giving Anand a commanding lead over the field. Meanw

hile, the key game for the tournament was shaping up for round 10, where Kramnik was to have the white pieces against Anand in a must-wingame.

Anand 6.0

Gelfand 5.0

Kramnik 4.5

Grischuk 4.5

Leko 4.5

Aronian 4.0

Morozevich 4.0

Svidler 3.5

Contemplating 1. d4?! against Anand

Anand-Grischuk: Round 7

2010-10-15T14:12:00.005-04:00

Anand proves more than happy to play both sides of the Ruy Lopez, coming up with another positional gem against an interesting opening idea from Grischuk.

Anand ponders 1. f4....but waits for move 29.

All other games were drawn in this round, reestablishing Anand as the sole leader at the halfway mark at +3.

Anand 5.0

Gelfand 4.5

Kramnik 4.0

Grischuk 3.5

Aronian 3.0

Leko 3.0

Morozevich 2.5

Svidler 2.5

Leko-Anand: Round 6

2010-10-13T17:07:00.003-04:00

In round 6 Anand played the Black side of the Ruy Lopez, not fearing to use an opening he had just disgraced with the White pieces...

1. e4! Then...offer a draw

Meanwhile Gelfand won an interesting battle against Morozevich, moving him into a tie with Anand for the lead.

Anand 4.0

Gelfand 4.0

Kramnik 3.5

Grischuk 3.5

Aronian 2.5

Leko 2.5

Morozevich 2.0

Svidler 2.0

Karpovs top Summit

2010-10-12T09:37:00.001-04:00

In their season opener for the GSCL, the Karpovs pulled out a tight away match against their Route 22 rivals, Summit. With league MVP Steve Stoyko suffering his first loss in well over a year after a surprise mistake, the pressure was on the lower boards. Max 'the young executioner' Sherer let his man off the hook on board 3 after being two pawns up in an opposite color bishop endgame, so with the match tied at 1.5 each, everything rode on Joe 'The Closer' Demetrick on board 4, with time pressure looming. And then...

As they said, take a bow, son, take a bow.

Fun fact #1: Black scored 3.5/4 in the match

Fun fact #2: Two queens were simultaneously hanging for two moves each on board 2. Caliente!

Anand-Svidler: Round 5

2010-10-05T20:08:00.003-04:00

Not one to dwell on disappointment, Anand made the most of round 5 by pouring cold water over Svidler's Marshall Attack....

Round 5 was bloody, with 3 out of 4 games being decisive, and one leader emerging:

Anand 3.5

Kramnik 3.0

Gelfand 3.0

Grischuk 3.0

Aronian 2.0

Morozevich 2.0

Leko 2.0

Svidler 1.5

National Chess Day - October 9th

2010-10-05T00:30:00.004-04:00

Michael Atkins from the USCF website writes:

National Chess Day has been around as a concept since 1976. President Ford issued a letter in support of National Chess Day but it slowly faded away over the years. It became a half-remembered celebration because it wasn't official. It became "more official" on September 29, 2010 when the US Senate, in S Res #672, proclaimed Oct 9, 2010 as National Chess Day...

Check out the rest of the article to see how chess made its way to Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. And as the weekend nears, think about introducing chess to someone new!

Additional Info:
S.Res 672 - A resolution designating October 9, 2010, as "National Chess Day" to enhance awareness and encourage students and adults to engage in a game known to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Morozevich-Anand: Round 4

2010-10-03T16:28:00.003-04:00

In round 4, Anand faced the tournament's resident loose cannon, and interesting play developed....

...should I ask the TD how the horse moves again?

After this near miss, Anand still had the lead, after Kramnik squandered a likewise beautiful position against Grischuk. Aronian bounced back by thrashing Leko.

Anand 2.5

Kramnik 2.5

Aronian 2.0

Gelfand 2.0

Grischuk 2.0

Morozevich 2.0

Leko 1.5

Svidler 1.5

Millburn Chess

2010-09-30T16:24:00.004-04:00

The fall chess program starts at the Millburn Library on the 2nd floor October 2 and continues every Saturday until December 18. Kenilworth Chess Club members National Master Scott Massey and Mike Wojcio will be teaching the classes again.

The classes run from 1PM to 2:15PM for beginners, from 2:20PM to 3:15PM for intermediates, and from 3:20PM to 4:55PM for the advanced players.

The students will be taught the rules of chess, sportsmanship, tactics, strategy, and chess notation. NM Scott Massey and Mike Wojcio will also go over games and certain positions to teach the children. All children from 5 yrs. to 16 yrs. are invited to attend these classes. When students become more serious, there are tournaments like the 31st Millburn Library Chess Tournament on February 12th 2011 and the US Amateur Team every February.

The cost is $20 per class. Please make the checks made out to the "Friends of the Millburn Library".

For more information, please comment here or contact Mike Wojcio in email listed in comments.

Anand-Kramnik: Round 3

2010-09-29T14:53:00.003-04:00

The third round featured the matchup of the top two contenders, Anand and Kramnik. Faithfully playing 1. e4, Anand had to be prepared to offer a new challenge to Kramnik's patented Petroff defense. After failing to achieve anything against Gelfand in the first round, Anand varied his opening, and tried a new line...

"We came to an agreement that Vladimir plays wussy chess..."

On the other boards, Morozevich outfoxed Svidler in an offbeat variation of the Scotch Game, bringing himself into the pack chasing the leaders.

Anand 2.0

Kramnik 2.0

Gelfand 1.5

Grischuk 1.5

Leko 1.5

Morozevich 1.5

Svidler 1.0

Aronian 1.0

USCF Game Statistics

2010-09-25T15:57:00.004-04:00

If you haven't noticed yet, USCF added a few more bits of information about their members.

Search for yourself. After you find yourself, the first screen will have your general information. Mine looks like this. Notice the "Show Game Statistics" link. It has a record of your wins, losses, and draws vs your opponents broken down by their rating. Note in my game statistics, I have 151 games total. 70W 19D and 62L. Ian (aka "I offer you a draw”) has 160 total games. 37 of which are draws. Ahh, this reminded me of our time at the Amateur Team East tournament two years ago when our team- Ian, Mike's friend, Mike, and myself, needed the full point to fight for U1900 prize. We all know what happened!

I offer you a draw.

Round 2: Aronian-Anand

2010-09-24T18:42:00.007-04:00

After a slightly disappointing start, Anand faced one of his most dangerous opponents, Levon Aronian. The Armenian grandmaster is one of a very few players who seem to have Anand's number, with a healthy winning ratio against him. Moreover, Levon never backs down from a fight. The result? Informator's game of the year, and the subject of a 12-page analysis in a recent book called "Modern Chess Classics".

The board, pre-soaked in gasoline for today's matchup...

Touch the d-pawn and I will eat you, Johnny Cash

After his emphatic victory, Anand found himself tied at the top with his elite rival, Vladimir Kramnik, who made borscht out of Morozevich:

Anand 1.5

Kramnik 1.5

Gelfand 1.0

Grischuk 1.0

Leko 1.0

Svidler 1.0

Aronian 0.5

Morozevich 0.5

Round 1: Anand-Gelfand

2010-09-20T15:17:00.004-04:00

1. e4!

Anand, at that time an inveterate 1. e4 player, squared off in Round 1 against one of two leading experts in the Petroff at the tournament. Players at Anand's level are constantly pressed to show an advantage for White in the Petroff, so it was interesting to see what Anand decided to try...

After a tactical but ultimately uneventful draw, Anand was tied with the pack as all games from the first round were draws:

Anand 0.5

Aronian 0.5

Gelfand 0.5

Grischuk 0.5

Kramnik 0.5

Leko 0.5

Morozevich 0.5

Svidler 0.5

I am so tired of the Petroff...

Anand goes to Mexico, 2007

2010-09-18T07:42:00.006-04:00

It's been three years since Vishy Anand started his reign as undisputed world champion. His journey that is remarkable in retrospect, since to earn his years at the top required not only beating his two premier generational rivals (Kramnik, Topalov) in matches, but also winning one of the more difficult tournaments since AVRO 1938. The world championship tournament held in Mexico City in 2007 brought together eight of the strongest players in the world including then-champion Kramnik, as well as Gelfand, Leko, Svidler, Morozevich, Grischuk and Aronian. The eight players would then play a double round robin (14 rounds) with the winner becoming world champion, and in the event that winner was not Kramnik he would have the right to a match against the winner.
A high quality account of this tournament does not yet exist, although there is this book for bathroom reading: Presented without editorial comment is the sales pitch:
Julian Simpole, Steve Giddins and Raymond Keene managed to pull of the tournament book four days after 'Mexico 2007' was finished!

Grandmaster Ray Keene was, perhaps, the first see the oppotunities created by computer technology in chess publishing. Formerly players had to wait months, even years, to see a tournament book. Computers revolutionised publishing and made it possible to telescope the entire process into a few days. Keene invented the 'instant book' and this effort is perhaps the most spectacular of all his achievements.

To make up for this glaring gap in the literature, this struggling class A player will do what even Ray Keene could not, and provide the most worthless account of the world championship yet written. Over the next two months we'll take a look at all of Anand's games from this event, win, lose or draw.

Ziggy and Chess

2010-09-15T11:41:00.005-04:00

One of the comments reads....

Newenglandah said, 10 days ago

"For this move, Ziggy will be ok if he stays on a black square."

Of course, Newenglandah means Ziggy will be ok if he goes on a light square. On White's next move, the knight can move to a light square only attacking the dark squares. So Ziggy is safe on light! An important feature to remember when looking at this similar position below.

Black to move and draw....

(Solution in comments)

2010 US Armed Forces Chess Open

2010-08-17T15:37:00.006-04:00

WHAT: 51st Annual US Armed Forces Open Chess Championship
WHEN: 9-11 October 2010
WHERE: Community Airmen's Center, 1442 Concord Avenue, Joint Base Andrews, MD 20762
WHO: Open to all Active Duty, Reservists, Military Retirees, Cadets, and ROTC (with DOD ID) who have a USCF Membership. Trophies: Top 3, top by branch, top by class, and numerous special categories.
HOW: EF: FREE 6rounds. All skill levels welcome. Our unique system allows you to compete individually AND on your service team! Registration: 08:00-08:45, Rounds: Sat. 0900-1230-1600, Sun. 0900-1400, Mon. 0900. Two ½ point byes available. No smoking & no computers. Bring your clocks! 6SS, Rds 1-2 G/90, Rds 3-4 G/2, Rds 5-6 30/90, SD/1.
BILLETING: $39.00 http://dodlodging.net/VT_Andrews.htm. TLF also available for Cadets & Midshipmen
ENTRIES /INFORMATION: Please use the entry form on the website if possible http://www.usmilitarychess.org/usafo2010.html or print the form and mail to Mike Hoffpauir ATTN: USAFO, 405 Hounds Chase, Yorktown, VA 23693 with Rank, Name, USCF ID #, current rating/rank, and branch of service. NC. NS. W. Send all questions to Mike Hoffpauir or call (757) 846-4805 mhoffpauir@aol.com

Join the community http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/militarychess

Chicago Chess Pavilion

2010-08-09T00:17:00.007-04:00

After my grueling Inter Service Chess Championship performance, I got the chance to hit the Chicago chess scene. Flanked by one of the great lakes and the Hancock Observatory, the scene was picturesque. The Chess Pavilion is located right off of Lakefront Trail. There was a constant flow of people playing and watching.

Here is a shot of one of my games against an energetic fellow which reminded me of one of Alekhine's games. The park had some good players, so unless you know what you are doing, be prepared to drop a couple bucks!

2010 U.S. Inter-service Championship Concludes

2010-08-08T12:05:00.000-04:00

The 2010 U.S. Interservice Chess Championship concluded this week, with Don Carrelli playing Arthur Macaspac in the penultimate round. It was an unfortunate opening choice for Don (why not the Left Hook Grand Prix, man?) and it was not a good tournament for him overall. But this game did give Arthur the chance to demonstrate how important it is to use your King in Queen and pawn endings.

Macaspac is both the reigning Army Champion and the Kenilworth Chess Club champion. He has won the Army title three times. Based on his performance in the tournament, Macaspac should have placed very well. I have not seen a definite account of the final standings yet, however, to say whether or not he will be playing in the NATO championship (for which this tournament is the qualifier). If anyone has a link to final standings, please post a reply here and I can update this post.

Arthur also won his final round game. For the second time in the tournament, he managed to force mate in the ending -- this time with Knight, King and Rook attacking his opponent's King.

Chess with Vets

2010-07-31T18:22:00.003-04:00

NM Scott Massey and the Kenilworth Chess Club's President Donald Carrelli showed up at the Lyons VA today.

Facing the camera- Scott on left plays simultaneously with a handful of veterans. Next to him is Sgt Carrelli playing against another Marine veteran. One of the games Scott shared with us was one of Paul Morphy's classic games.

FYI - NM Scott Massey offers scholastic chess lessons at the Milburn Public Library during Saturday afternoons. He also heads the Tewksbury Chess Club Wednesday evenings.

Thanks to Scott for sharing some stories, playing a simul, and going over some new ideas for everyone to enjoy. A couple people have reached out to me about joining us at the VA. I plan on going once a month, so please contact me if interested.