Tuesday, July 28, 2015

August Quad

August Quad




WhenSaturday, Aug 1, 2015
Where40 Norris Street Cambridge, MA 02140 (map)
Description3RR. G/65 d5. Entry fee: $35; $20 for BCF members. Prizes: $50 First place in each quad. Registration: 9:15am - 9:45am. Rounds: 10:00am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

BCC 4SS "PLUS" GAME ANALYSIS BY STEVE STEPAK


BCC "PLUS SCORE" EVENT
ROUND 4: Steve Stepak vs Ed Chiu
Oh, the joys of realizing that:
1. you found the first move to the
brilliancy; and
2. you are not quite brilliant enough
to find the follow-up moves.
My aim in publishing games is always to
share knowledge and the essence of chess.
Let us learn together.
I used many sources for this analysis
including Uncle Houdini.
Let's discover together what looks like a good plan.
Stepak v Chiu, BCC 4SS Round 4, July 25, 2015 B18 (Caro Kann)
1.e4 c6; 2.d4 d5; 3.Nc3 de4; 4.Ne4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6; 6.h4 h6; 7.Nf3 e6;  8. h5 Bh7; 
9.Bd3 Bd3; 10.Qd3 Nf6 = 11.Bf4 Be7; 12. 0-0-0 Nbd7; 13. Kb1 0-0; 14.Ne5 Nd5=
15.Be3 Rfe8 [15. . . . Ne5 16.de5 Qc7 =] 16.Nf7 ! [Uncle Houdini actually took 10
seconds to find this move. I saw it right away. It sorta popped out in my mind.
Like, the black king is not being guarded sufficiently by his troops. Well, it just
looked inviting. So I did it!] 16. . . . Kf7 17.Qg6 Kf8; [17. . . . Kg8; 18.Bh6 Bf6; 19.Bc1 Nf8;
20.Qg4 Re7; 21.Ne4 with the idea of h6. Yet! Truth be told, this brings just a slight edge! [Note: after 21. . . . Rf7; 22.h6 g6!; 23.c4 Nb6; 24.Qe2 Be7; White enjoys just a small advantage which cannot create any winning chances! {I always wondered what the value of the move "h5" in the
Caro Kann was: some kind of "bind." But what?  Now I'm beginning to understand the
nature of this resource. So I thought if I could capture black's h and g pawns I could shove my
h-pawn down the file to queening. Yes? Well it felt like a plan. So . . . Actually, if black
had played 17. . . . Kg8, as I anticipated he might, I probably would have gained nothing but equality for my sacrifice. But as the great Mikhail Tal, the Magician of Riga, master of the sacrifice noted, the the very act of sacrificing is more than chess. It disrupts the equilibrium of the opponent. It jars
the sensibility and upsets the channels of concentration. Somehow shell-shock sets in.} With
equality in hand, I proceeded to advance my cause in the wake of my opponent's confusion.]
18.Bh6 Bf6; [Maybe 18 . . . gh6 19.Qh6 Kf7 20.Qg6 Kf8 with a perpetual check draw! The only hope for me to chessicly justify my sack on f7 is to play on with 21.c4! Nb6; 22.h6 Bf6;23. Ne4 Nc4;
24.Ng5 Nd6; 25.Rhe1 Qa5; 26.d5 cd5 27.h7 Qb4; 28.Qf6 Nf6; 29.h8=Q Ng8; 30.Qh5 Rac8;
31.Qf3 Kg7; 32.Ne6 Re6; 33.Re6 Nf7; 34.a3 Qc5; 35. Ree1 Qc2; 36.Ka1 Nf6 37.Re6 Ne4;
38.Re7 Ned6 39.Qd5 Kf8; 40.Ree1 Qf5; 41.Qf5 Nf5; 42.g4! N5d6; 43.g5 Ne8; 44.Rd7 Nfd6;
45.g6! a5; 46.f4 Rc7; 47.Rd8 Kg7; 48.Re6 Rc1; 49.Ka2 Rf1; 50.Rd7 Kg8; 51.Rdd6! Nd6;
52 Rd6 Kg7 53.Rb6 [trading down to a won rook and pawn ending] Rf4; 54.Rb7 Kg6;
55.Rb6 Kf5; (55. . . . Kf7; 56.Rb5 +-) 56.Rb5 +-!]
19.Bg7 ? Bg7 
[Here I had to be patient and find the move: 19.Bc1!!  Withdraw the bishop so
that it might live to fight again! For example: 19.Bc1 Kg8; 20.h6 Nf8;
21.Qg4 g6; 22.Ne4 with a slight edge in a sea of complexity!!]  20.h6  . . .  
20. . . . Nc3?? [It was unnecessary to give up a knight; the move
simply loses, objectively. But who knows what was going in in my opponent's heart.
Was he upset, put off balance by the sack?  Seem's so. Maybe 20. . . . Bh8!! (which my
opponent found 2 moves later) and 21.Qh7 Bf6 22.Ne4 Rd7! 23.Qg6 Qe8 24.Qg3 Rh7!!
and white can show no compensation for the sacked piece and is probably
stuck with a lost position. Neither side was in time pressure so: who knows?]    
21.bc3 Qb6+ 22.Ka1 22. . . . Bh8; 23.Ne4! 
[Now this move binds together both defensively and offensively
white's game.] 23. . . . Ne5?? [23. . . . Ke7; 24. Rb1 Qc7; 25.Ng5!! puts Black's
backfield in disarray. But what else?] 24.de5 Be5 25.Rd7! Rad8; [25. . . . Re7; 26.h7!
(fulfilling my imagined plan of queening the h-pawn!)
26. . . . Rd7; (26. . . . Rh7; 27. Rhh7 and #) 27. h8=Q Bh8; 28.Rh8 Ke7; 29.Qf6#]  
26.Qf7#
To me, the best lesson of this game is what "emanates" from the chess position as a
potential plan. It is a combination of a picture/brain image, a sense of the possibilities
and also the concrete calculations to test the plan. In this case: get rid of black's h and g
pawns and shoot my h-pawn down the h-file, supported by a rook on h1. Black's king is
blocked in by his own pieces. This I could see.  I just got sloppy in not saving my bishop
(19.Bc1) when given the chance.  What else is clear from this game is that in order to gain
any enduring advantage from a sacrifice, you have to get all your remaining pieces
moving at optimum speed, placing them on the most powerful squares. No laggards
in this scenario. I also learned that once the sack is made and the plan begins to
unfold, one has to be very patient not to rush into things too quickly. Preparation
is the key, now that the piece has been sacked.  Slowly, slowly!
Below is a game which contains all the ideas which I conceived in my game above,
played from the same opening by grandmasters, the final outcome of which
was a draw.
Slavojub Marjanovic (2565) v Daniel Campora (2550)
Bor, Yugoslavia 1983 
B18 Caro Kan Defense
1.e4 c6; 2.d4 d5; 3.Nc3 de4; 4.Ne4 Bf5; 5.Ng3 Bg6; 6.h4 h6; 7.h5 Bh7; 8.Bd3 Bd3; 9.Qd3 e6;
10.Nf3 Nf6; 11.Bf4 Bd6!;12.Bd6 Qd6=; 13.0-0-0 Nbd7; 14.Kb1 0-0; 15.Ne4 Ne4; 16.Qe4 Rfd8;
17.Qe2 Nf6; 18.Ne5 c5; 19.dc5 Qc5; 20.g4 Rac8; 21.c4 a6; 22.f3 Qc7; 23.Rhe1 Rd1; 24.Rd1 Rd8
25.f4 Ne4; 26.a3 f5 27.gf5 ef5; 28.c5 Kh7; 29.Rg1 Qe7; 30.Qg2 Nc5; 31.Qg6 Kg8; 32.Qf5 Qe6;
33.Qc2 Qd5; 34.Rg7 Kg7; 35.Qg6 Kf8; 36.Qh6 Ke8; 37.Qg6 Ke7; 38.Qg5 1/2 1/2
PRESS HERE TO PLAY OUT GAME
Notice that Black's h and g pawns have disappeared and White has the h-pawn, passed and
ready to queen (just like in my conceived plan). The difference is that Black has equal and compelling counterplay to keep White on the defense; 
so White must be content with a draw by perpetual check!
I found another example of this characteristic king-side attack which I thought
of in my game with Ed Chiu, this time in the Sicilian Defense B90: capture Black's g and h pawns 
and thrust White's h-pawn down the h-file to queening.   Adorjan-Ribli, Budapest, 1979, m=4:
PRESS HERE TO PLAY OUT GAME

BCC 4SS "PLUS SCORE" EVENT: 25 PLAY // KIDS THRIVE // CARISSA YIP 1ST // 2-7TH PILE UP // 26 PLAY // ONE SECTION //

MAGIC LOLLI-POPP
NM Carissa Yip scored 3 wins and
a draw to take clear 1st place.
SHAKE !!
Carissa Yip smiles for the commencement of Round 2
with Luke Lung. Carissa won this encounter and was
+3 for a 2239 rating. Luke was +7 for a 1849 rating.
Luke scored 3 points for a share of 2-7th place. Bravo, both!
SERIOUS MOMENTS
The ever-diligent Joe Perl had his hands full defending against
NM Carissa Yip's 1.e4.  In a difficult middlegame, Carissa
found a plan and went on to win.  Joe finished with 3 points
for a share of 2-7th place.
PRE-GAME LEVITY
NM Carissa Yip ready to defend with black vs Brandon Wu,
Round 4. The game progressed solidly for both sides, reaching
equality. So: draw! Brandon scored 3 points to take a share
in the 2-7th place group and a +6 to 2009 rating.
CONCENTRATION
Jeff Weinstein, black v Boshen Li, Round 2.
(background, center): Arthur Emanuel Williams,
from the Virgin Islands, currently a Sophomore
at MIT majoring in bio-medical engineering. 
Arthur truly got a workout in this event
playing NM Carissa Yip in Round 1 and NM
Eric Godin in Round 4 and Jason Xiong in
Round 2.  Arthur was 2/4 for a +9 to 1621 rating.
This is the first time for Arthur at the BCC
Cambridge venue. Welcome, Arthur.
WRITING DOWN THE MOVES
NM Eric Godin plays Bob Oresick, Round 2: draw.
Eric scored 3 points to share 2-7th place. Bob notched 1.5
points.
THINK: OPENING STRATEGY
Nisha Deolalikar plays white vs Jason Tang, Round 4: draw!
Nisha scored 3 points for a share of 2-7th place and a +14 to 1900
rating. Brava, Nisha!  Jason also scored 3 points and a share
of 2-7th place for a +8 to 1943 rating. Bravo, Jason!
 THOUGHT WAVES CLASHING
David Milliern vs Dustin Liang, Round 3.
David scored 2 points for a +47 to 1601 rating.
Dustin also was 2/4 on the day.
SCENES FROM AROUND THE HALL
Stephen Savage, black vs Ed Chiu, Round 2.
Ray Behenna plays black vs Sammi Pan, Round 2.
Jeff Weinstein plays black, vs Boshen Li, Round 2.
Boshen was 2/4 on the day. Jeff scored 2.5 points
for a +106 to 1442 rating. Bravo, Jeff!
EXCHANGING SMILES
What could possibly be deciphered behind those
smiles? Loring Lauretti plays Brandon Wu,
Round 3. Brandon defended creatively and
won this encounter. Loring finished up the
event with 1.5 points.
PERSEVERANCE
Harold Dondis, Esq. prepares his score-book for the impending
battle.  Councilor was 2 for 4 and a +10 to 1644 on the day.
Bravo, Harold!
GREAT JOB!
This was Natasha Christiansen's first
solo as an event TD. Word around the
tournament hall was that she performed
both efficiently and in a friendly way. 
Brava, Natasha!
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

BCC "FRIDAY NIGHT BLITZ" MEGA MARATHON // BOTTA 1ST // SHAKET 2ND / 1ST U1800 // 10 PLAY // 2 x 9 = 18 GAMES !!

BCC FRIDAY NIGHT BLITZ
July 24, 2015
                                                                             1860 AVERAGE RATING
Alejandro Botta 2200 1st
Lev Shaket 1664 2nd / 1st U1800 
NM Jesse Nicholas 2200 14
BCC BM 2200 Ilya Osher 13
Seth Lieberman 1700 10.5 2nd U1800
Steve Stepak 1740 7
Chris "Paul Morphy" 1680 6
Misha K 1640 4
Nikita Roldan-Levchenko 1660 3
Tony DiNosse 1300 1
CRITICAL GAME
Alejandro Botta, black vs Lev Shaket: last match of the
event to finish: they split the point ... 1: 1
LONG SHOT
Tony D v Nikita R-Levchenko
(background, left to right): Seth Lieberman, Misha plays
Ilya; SteveChess plays NM Botta. Photo: Chris D.
Lev Shaket vs Chris D; NM Jesse Nicholas vs NM
Alex Botta; Nikita vs Ilya.

SKY VIEW
(Top Down): Chris plays Lev.
Alej plays Jesse . . . 
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Misha K, Harvard Square Au Bon Pain Chess scene
regular plays Seth Lieberman. Seth took both games.
This is Misha's first time to the BCC Cambridge.
Welcome Misha! You have earned a 1640 rating for 
your efforts tonight!
 [In my games vs Seth Lieberman, I
can normally notch one game.  This time, Seth uncorked
a brilliant combination in each of our games to take 2
points clear.  Bravo, Seth! You are improving steadily!]

STEVE STEPAK TD
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

Monday, July 20, 2015

Plus Score Tournament

Plus Score Tournament
 
 
Sat, July 25
 




4SS, G/60 d10. 
 
One section. 
 
Entry fee: $35, $20 for BCF members. 
 
Prizes based on score: 4.0 = $100, 3.5 = $60, 3.0 = $40, 2.5 = $20. 
 
Max two half point byes (half point byes do not count for prizes). 
 
Registration: 9:15-9:45 AM. 
 
Rounds 10:00, 1:00, 3:15, 5:25.
 
 
 

Summer Scorcher Premier

Summer Scorcher Premier


Saturday, Jul 25, 2015

__________

The first leg of the Summer Scorcher Premier did not sizzle - lack of participants resulted in the cancellation of the first two rounds.  Whether it was because of the attraction of the competing Tornado or the excitement of the Bradley Open or the lure of the beach...for whatever reason, 1800s and above chose to spend the first Saturday of the Summer Scorcher Premier elsewhere.

Have no fear...the second leg will go on as planned on July 25, with two half-point byes for the first two rounds given to all participants and the same prize guarantees (1st $100, 2nd $50, U2000 $50).  Hope to see you then.
__________


4SS; 30/90, SD/30; d5. 
EF: $35, $20 BCF members in advance; $5 more at door. Advanced payment must be received by 7/16 or via PayPal by 7/17. 
Open to players rated 1800 and above. Higher of July supplement or live rating used for eligibility purposes. 
Prizes: $$200 guaranteed: $100, $50; U2000 $50. 
Registration 9:15 to 9:45. Rounds 10:30am, 3:30pm. 
Rds 1, 2 on 7/18; 
Rds 3, 4 on 7/25. 
This event is a BCF fundraiser - free entry coupons are not allowed.




If you can't make it to Biel, come to Cambridge ...


Blitz at Fanueil Hall Marketplace



Blitz 
at Faneuil Hall Marketplace

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/event/blitz-chess-tournament/2145458934

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/event/blitz-chess-tournament/2145458934

The information in the link may be of interest to Boylston players.  Blitz tournaments outdoors on Wednesday nights at Faneuil Hall this summer and fall, with good prizes, and directed by Corey Tolbert.

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/event/blitz-chess-tournament/2145458934

Sunday, July 19, 2015

BCC TORNADO NO. 120 :: NM LAWYER TIMES 1ST // JOE PERL 2ND // BOSHEN LI PERFECT 4-0 1ST U1800 //

BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB
CAMBRIDGE, MA
4SS IN 2 SECTIONS
OPEN SECTION
NM Lawyer Times plays white vs Brandon Wu, Round 2.
Lawyer scored 3 wins + a 1st round half point bye request,
for a total of 3.5, good for 1st place.
Joe Perl, black vs NM Jesse Nicholas, Round 2. With 3
wins and a loss to NM Times, Joe scored 3 points to take
clear 2nd place in the event.  Jesse was 2/4 on the day.
NM Andrew Hoy, black vs Bob Oresick. Andrew scored
2.5 points for clear 3rd place and Bob, playing up,
scored an even 2/4 for a +22 to 1652 rating. Bravo, Bob!
VIEW OF THE HALL
Mateos Sahakian plays John Archibald, Round 2.
(background, left to right): NM Lawyer Times v
Brandon Wu; NM Andrew Hoy plays Bob Oresick;
Jerry Lee, white vs Pinyi Hu; Skyler Zhou plays
David Martin; Boshen Li plays Lawrence Tu.
U1800 SECTION
CHECKMATE!
Boshen Li plays a perfect 4-0 tournament for clear 1st place.
Here we see the result of his 1st round game with Ed Chiu.
Lawrence Tu, black vs Boshen Li, Round 2.
Lawrence scored 1.5 points for a +101 to 1096 rating.
(background): David Martin, Jerry Li, Mateos Sahakian,
Joe Perl black, vs NM Jesse Nicholas
Reema Dawar vs Stephen Savage, Round 2. Stephen
scored 2.5 points for 2-6th place. (background):
Ria Dawar, Reema's older sister who won the first
MACA Girls Open Chess Championship, 2015, held earlier
in the year, at the BCC, Cambridge venue, plays Ed Chiu. 
Welcome, Dawar sisters!
NM ANDREW HOY, TD
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK
LATE BREAKING NEWS:
THE GENERL IS OFF TO 
NEW JERSEY FRONT
FOR IMPENDING CHESS BATTLES
Terrence Fricker, BCC
Veteran Chess player, and
BCC board member is 
relocating to New Jersey
for new assignments.
Terrence, you are a gentleman
and a scholar and we shall
miss you dearly!
Take care of yourself
and come back to visit 
us when you can!

BCC FRIDAY NIGHT BLITZ: 7 2RR = 14 GAMES // ANDREW HOY PERFECT 14 POINTS 1ST PLACE // ALEJANDRO BOTTA 2ND // NIKITA ROLDAN-LEVCHENKO 1ST U1800 //

NM Andrew Hoy (right) on the move vs Tony DiNosse.
(background): Lev Shaket, black vs Alejandro Botta.
Andrew scored a perfect 14 points to take clear 1st place.
Bravo, bravissimo, Andrew!
Nikita Roldan Levchenko, black vs Dan Aldrich.
Nikita took the U1800 prize with 7.5 points. Bravo, Nikita!
NEW FACE AT THE BCC FRIDAY NIGHT BLITZ
Lev Shaket (right), plays black vs Alejandro Botta.
This is Lev's first visit to the BCC, Cambridge. Lev scored
7 points just a half point shy of sharing the U1800 prize.
Welcome, Lev!
A SHOT OF CHESS HISTORY
Edgar Walther (2400) vs Bobby Fischer (2600)
at the Zurich International, Round 15, 1959.
Note how nicely GM Mikhail Tal is dressed in
his double-breasted suit. Bobby is wearing his
signature flannel shirt and cords.  The real story
of this photo is that Walther had a beautiful win
with zugzwang, had he made the suggested move.
Bobby said: ". . . if 38.Re8 ! +- I would have resigned!"
["Zurich"][Date "1959.05.19"][Round "15"][Result "1/2-1/2"]
[White "Edgar Walther"][Black "Robert James Fischer"][ECO "B99"]
[WhiteElo "2400"][BlackElo "2600"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6
7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Nbd7 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. Bd3 b5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6
12. Rhe1 Bb7 13. Kb1 Rc8 14. g4 Nd7 15. g5 Nb6 16. f5 e5
17. f6 gxf6 18. gxf6 Bf8 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Kd8 21. Nc6+
Bxc6 22. dxc6 Qxc6 23. Be4 Qb6 24. Qh5 Kc7 25. Bf5 Rd8
26. Qxf7+ Kb8 27. Qe6 Qc7 28. Re3 Bh6 29. Rc3 Qb7 30. f7 Bg7
31. Rcd3 Bf8 32. Qxe5 dxe5 33. Rxd8+ Ka7 34. R1d7 h5 35. Rxb7+
Kxb7 36. c3 Kc7 37. Ra8 Kd6 38. Rxa6?!+ (38.Re8 ! + -) Ke7
39. Re6+ Kxf7 40. Rxe5 b4 41. cxb4 Bxb4 42. h3 Kf6 43. Rb5 Bd6
44. Be4 Re8 45. Rf5+ Kg7 46. Bf3 Re1+ 47. Kc2 Rf1 48. Rd5 Rf2+
49. Rd2 Rxd2+ 50. Kxd2 h4 51. Kd3 Kf6 52. Kc4 Ke7 53. Kb5 Kd7
54. a4 Kc7 55. b4 Kb8 56. a5 Ka7 57. Kc4 Bg3 58. b5 Bf2
59. Be2 Be3 60. Kb3 Bd2 61. b6+ Kb7 62. Ka4 Kc6 63. Bb5+ Kc5
1/2-1/2
A SHOT FROM HARVARD SQUARE CHESS TABLES JULY 2015
NM Chris Williams entertains the crowd,
Australians on holiday, fascinated by
the blitz chess action . . . 
Au Bon Pain Chess Cafe, Harvard Sq. Cambridge MA 

Friday, July 17, 2015

Summer Scorcher Premier

Summer Scorcher Premier


Saturday, Jul 18, 2015



4SS; 30/90, SD/30; d5. 
EF: $35, $20 BCF members in advance; $5 more at door. Advanced payment must be received by 7/16 or via PayPal by 7/17. 
Open to players rated 1800 and above. Higher of July supplement or live rating used for eligibility purposes. 
Prizes: $$200 guaranteed: $100, $50; U2000 $50. 
Registration 9:15 to 9:45. Rounds 10:30am, 3:30pm. 
Rds 1, 2 on 7/18; 
Rds 3, 4 on 7/25. 
This event is a BCF fundraiser - free entry coupons are not allowed.

BCC Tornado #120

  
BCF Tornado #120

Saturday, Jul 18, 2015
4SS; G/60, d10. 
EF $35, $20 BCF members. 
Sections: Open, U1800; Minimum 12 players each section otherwise one section. 
Prizes: $240 based on 20 paid entries" Open $100-$60, U1800 $50-$30. 
Registration 9:15 to 9:55. Rounds: 10:00, 1:00, 3:15, and 5:25.

BCC needs TDs

The Boylston Chess Club Needs Your Help

We urgently need more tournament directors to keep offering a wide variety of tournaments each month.

Please consider becoming a certified USCF tournament director (TD), if only to act as an assistant TD from time to time.

The certification process is extremely straightforward: 

1)  Read the USCF rulebook ("USCF Official Rules of Chess), available at the club or online, e.g., on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/United-States-Chess-Federations-Official/dp/0375724001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437142481&sr=8-1&keywords=rules+of+chess).

2) Fill out and return the following form to the USCF:

Inline image 1
Image result for andrew hoy chess pairings



Players, please consider helping out as a TD from occasionally to keep the tournaments we all enjoy running smoothly.  Parents, perhaps you can help direct while your child plays.

Please feel free to contact me or any other TD if you have any questions.  We look forward to working with you.

   -Andrew Hoy, Chairman of the Tournament Committee




Photos:  Steve Stepak