This week, both local USCL teams face off with the West League in Interdivisional play.
New England Nor'easters vs. St. Louis Archbishops
New England gets White on Boards 1+3
New England Nor'easters St. Louis Archbishops
IM Sam Shankland: 2567 vs GM Ben Finegold: 2589
IM David Vigorito: 2524 vs IM Michael Brooks: 2411
FM Chris Chase: 2382 vs NM Jim Voelker: 2141
NM Carey Theil: 2251 vs Margaret Hua: 1770
Avg Rating: 2431 Avg Rating: 2228
St. Louis's lineup is still depleted by the Olympiad, where both GM Yuri Shulman and GM Hikaru Nakamura are doing well for team US. Perfect timing for the Nor'easters, as getting more than a draw from the 3 GM lineup might have been too much for our undefeated locals.
Instead the Nor'easters have their biggest ratings advantage yet, with an equal rating on board 1, a 100 point gap on board 2, a 250 point gap on board 3, and a 400+ gap on board 4.
The biggest challenge for the Nor'easters is the East Coast-(mid)West Coast change to a more rapid Game 75, 30 second delay from the G90 the team has used all season. This may especially affect the USCL neophytes on Boards 3+4, who have already given us some exciting clock adventures. I've seen both Chris and Carey get scalped by underdogs in our Boylston Club G60 cage matches, so watch out for upsets on these boards.
Doing the math, I see New England getting to the marginal 2.5-1.5 yet again this week. The Nor'easters may have dropped to #2 in the Bioniclime power rankings behind New York, but I'd rather be in first place then win an occasional match 4-0.
Come Wednesday to the Boylston Chess Club at 8PM (NOTE TIME CHANGE!) to watch the action live and hear color commentary from other club members.
Boston Blitz vs. San Francisco Mechanics
Boston has White on Boards 1+3
Boston Blitz San Francisco Mechanics
GM Larry Christiansen: 2665 vs GM Jesse Kraai: 2551
IM Marc Esserman: 2492 vs IM Dmitry Zilberstein: 2429
WGM Anya Corke: 2322 vs FM Steven Zierk: 2426
NM Ilya Krasik: 2253 vs NM Yian Liou: 2254
Avg Rating: 2433 Avg Rating: 2415
Kicking off at 8:30 PM, Boston faces a much more even battle.
On Board 1, GM Christiansen with the White pieces has been fearsome this year, while Jesse Kraai is making his 2010 debut as the 4th Mechanic to helm the top board. A testament to the incredible depth of the Mechanics; too bad they can't get all their top players on the Board at the same time. Not that they need it, with a 1st place spot in the West. Still, I say not a good week for Kraai to pick up USCL duties.
On Board 2, Esserman's Velociraptor tactics will be somewhat quelled by having the Black pieces. But Zilberstein's play in the USCL has always been a little tepid, and Marc will be hitting his personal circadian stride around 8:30PM, so....... fireworks could ensue.
On Board 3, San Fran's Zierk must have the edge against Corke, but his so-so results thus far in the League (1/3, two draws and a loss) don't match up well with Anya's stellar results (1.5/2 this year, 2/3 last year with ZERO losses). Small sample size, but I predict Anya to at least secure a draw with the White pieces in this one.
On Board 4, Ilya Krasik faces the insurmountable 1 rating point deficit against Yian Liou. Seriously, to that 1 rating point has to be added another 200 points for the rapidly improving 13 year old, Liou, who scored 6.5/10 last year and 2/3 this year with only 2 losses.
Added to that is an unheralded secret to the Mechanics success-- the early start time. 8:30 for the Blitz is only 5:30 for San Fran, right at the time a 13 year old is still wide awake. They are not only armed with improving players on Board 4, they are armed with AWAKE improving players on Board 4. We don't count Ilya down for the count, but a technical knockout is in the air.
Doing the math, I see a 2.0-2.0 drawn match. However, mixing in the Esserman Velociraptor methods and some make-nice points with Ilya, I'll make a final prediction of 2.25-1.75 for the Blitz.
The Blitz can be seen at the Harvard University Center for Astrophysics starting at 8:30 PM.
The Chess Blog of the Boylston Chess Club... The Boylston Chess Club (BCC) is a part of the Boylston Chess Foundation (BCF).
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Esserman and Dondis Rule the $10 Open
IM Mark Esserman won the open section (n=21) and the indefatigable Harold Dondis took the U1800 (n= 15) at Saturday's everpopular $10 Open at the BCC. 13 of the players took advantage of the $8 discounted rate for registration by our new PayPal account, a successful experiment.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Arcade Fire-- "Deep Blue" song mentions Kasparov
I was recently listening to the new Arcade Fire CD, The Suburbs, which debuted at #1 on the charts a few weeks ago. I came across the song "Deep Blue", which I of course assumed had no relation to the Deep Blue that we chessplayers all know and love/hate. Then they specifically sing: "Kasparov and Deep Blue, 1996."
A number 1 chart-topping album has a song about chess and not as a metaphor for war! Has that ever happened before?
Lyrically and muscially, this is a great album, by the way. Each song contributes to the theme in a way few albums do these days, but it is not exactly an overt concept album, where some blatant story is told. Thematically and musically, it's tight.
Pretty cool. Here are the complete lyrics to "Deep Blue", by the Arcade Fire:
Here
Are my place and time
And here in my own skin
I can finally begin
Let the century pass me by
Standing under night sky
Tomorrow means nothing
I was only a child then
Feeling barely alive when
I heard a song from the speaker of a passing car
And prayed to a dying star
The memory's fading
I can almost remember singing la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
We watched the end of the century
Compressed on a tiny screen
A dead star collapsing and we could see
That something was ending
Are you through pretending
We saw its signs in the suburbs
You could never have predicted
That he could see through you
Kasparov, Deep Blue, nineteen-ninety six
Your mind's pulling tricks now
The show is over so take a bow
We're living in the shadows la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
Hey
Put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey
Put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
Pretty cool. Here are the complete lyrics to "Deep Blue", by the Arcade Fire:
Here
Are my place and time
And here in my own skin
I can finally begin
Let the century pass me by
Standing under night sky
Tomorrow means nothing
I was only a child then
Feeling barely alive when
I heard a song from the speaker of a passing car
And prayed to a dying star
The memory's fading
I can almost remember singing la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
We watched the end of the century
Compressed on a tiny screen
A dead star collapsing and we could see
That something was ending
Are you through pretending
We saw its signs in the suburbs
You could never have predicted
That he could see through you
Kasparov, Deep Blue, nineteen-ninety six
Your mind's pulling tricks now
The show is over so take a bow
We're living in the shadows la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
Hey
Put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey
Put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
La la, la la, la la la la
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
NM Gregg Kaden is the 2010 BCF Blitz Champion
BCF Blitz Championship 2010
NM Greg Kaden is the BCF Blitz champion for 2010, with 12 of 14 points.He ruled the field on Tuesday, Sept 21. The club has been humming with chess - the evening before, the Noreasters', the BCC championship and the hauptturnier were all running.
| # | Name/Rtng/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Tot |
| 1 | Blum, Tony | B 7 | W 6 | B 5 | W 4 | B 3 | W 2 | W 8 | ||
| 2085 12750331 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10.5 | ||
| 2 | Stepak, Steven Phi | B 6 | W 5 | B 4 | W 3 | W 8 | B 1 | W 7 | ||
| 1504 12437339 | 0 | 2F | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6.0 | ||
| 3 | Di Nosse, Anthony | B 5 | W 4 | W 8 | B 2 | W 1 | B 7 | W 6 | ||
| 1071 12922817 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| 4 | Lieberman, Seth | W 8 | B 3 | W 2 | B 1 | W 7 | B 6 | W 5 | ||
| 1643 12604895 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6.5 | ||
| 5 | Soares, Afranio C | W 3 | B 2 | W 1 | B 7 | W 6 | B 8 | B 4 | ||
| 1830 12596201 | 2 | 0F | 0 | .5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.5 | ||
| 6 | Theil, Carey Miles | W 2 | B 1 | W 7 | B 8 | B 5 | W 4 | B 3 | ||
| 2238 12594672 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9.0 | ||
| 7 | Mevs, Emmanuel | W 1 | B 8 | B 6 | W 5 | B 4 | W 3 | B 2 | ||
| 1900 12875341 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8.5 | ||
| 8 | Kaden, Gregory O | B 4 | W 7 | B 3 | W 6 | B 2 | W 5 | B 1 | ||
| 2207 12000550 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12. |
Annual Membership Meeting- Tuesday Sept 28th, 7PM
Attention Boylston Chess Club and Foundation members --
The Annual Membership meeting will be held at the Chess Club at 240 Elm Street, Room B9 in Davis Square on Tuesday, September 28th, 7PM.
The purpose of this meeting is to elect a new President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Board of Directors.
Please come to help us elect the people who not only keep the club running but also stive to give direction to chess in the greater Boston area.
The Annual Membership meeting will be held at the Chess Club at 240 Elm Street, Room B9 in Davis Square on Tuesday, September 28th, 7PM.
The purpose of this meeting is to elect a new President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Board of Directors.
Please come to help us elect the people who not only keep the club running but also stive to give direction to chess in the greater Boston area.
Boston Blitz take on New Jersey KOs
In local chess news, tonight the Boston Blitz take on the New Jersey KOs in a critical US Chess League battle for both teams. The Blitz really need to win to try to keep pace with the upstart newcomers to the USCL scene, the undefeated New England Nor'easters. The KOs need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
New Jersey Knockouts vs Boston Blitz
KOs have white on Boards 1 +3
GM Joel Benjamin: 2614 vs GM Larry Christiansen: 2665
IM Mackenzie Molner: 2548 vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn: 2568
IM Albert Kapengut: 2372 vs NM Vadim Martirosov: 2248
Anna Matlin: 2078 vs NM Evan Rabin: 2227
Avg Rating: 2403 Avg Rating: 2427
The Blitz have an overall ratings advantage, but don't let that fool you-- most of that comes from a lopsided matchup on Board 4 plus marginal plusses on Boards 1+2.
The marquee matchup on the top board transports us to the 80s, when GM Joel and GM Larry square off. Based on the matchups, a win for Joel appears critical, while Larry would probably be happy with a draw, especially with the Black pieces.
On Board 2, the Blitz hope that GM Eugene Perlshteyn's GM title can outclass IM Molner's IM title, even though they have similar ratings. Molner also has a good record in the USCL, so this one's a tossup, with a slight advantage to Eugene with the White pieces, where is record in the league is very good (excepting against a certain GM Pascal Charbonneau from the team-that-should-not-be-named).
On Board 3, IM Albert Kapengut must be a favorite over the Blitz's Vadim Martirosov. But Vadim has proven his staying power in this league with some great results. He'll be looking at Boards 1+2 late in the game to determine if a draw is good enough for the team, or if he needs to go all out for the win. IM Kapengut is 3-0 this season, so the Blitz have a tough matchup here.
On Board 4, the Blitz's Evan Rabin plays Anna Matlin. This is the most lopsided of the ratings advantages (but only 100 points or so) , and the Blitz must be eyeballing a win from Evan on this board. Let's hope that the pressures of Brandeis haven't built up too much yet.
New Jersey Knockouts vs Boston Blitz
KOs have white on Boards 1 +3
GM Joel Benjamin: 2614 vs GM Larry Christiansen: 2665
IM Mackenzie Molner: 2548 vs GM Eugene Perelshteyn: 2568
IM Albert Kapengut: 2372 vs NM Vadim Martirosov: 2248
Anna Matlin: 2078 vs NM Evan Rabin: 2227
Avg Rating: 2403 Avg Rating: 2427
The Blitz have an overall ratings advantage, but don't let that fool you-- most of that comes from a lopsided matchup on Board 4 plus marginal plusses on Boards 1+2.
The marquee matchup on the top board transports us to the 80s, when GM Joel and GM Larry square off. Based on the matchups, a win for Joel appears critical, while Larry would probably be happy with a draw, especially with the Black pieces.
On Board 2, the Blitz hope that GM Eugene Perlshteyn's GM title can outclass IM Molner's IM title, even though they have similar ratings. Molner also has a good record in the USCL, so this one's a tossup, with a slight advantage to Eugene with the White pieces, where is record in the league is very good (excepting against a certain GM Pascal Charbonneau from the team-that-should-not-be-named).
On Board 3, IM Albert Kapengut must be a favorite over the Blitz's Vadim Martirosov. But Vadim has proven his staying power in this league with some great results. He'll be looking at Boards 1+2 late in the game to determine if a draw is good enough for the team, or if he needs to go all out for the win. IM Kapengut is 3-0 this season, so the Blitz have a tough matchup here.
On Board 4, the Blitz's Evan Rabin plays Anna Matlin. This is the most lopsided of the ratings advantages (but only 100 points or so) , and the Blitz must be eyeballing a win from Evan on this board. Let's hope that the pressures of Brandeis haven't built up too much yet.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Not too late-- Sept. 25 only $8 if registering by Paypal
Dear chessplayers,
As a way to promote the use of Paypal to Donate to our club, this September's $10 Open will now only be $8 if you sign up through the Paypal button (see homepage, BCC calendar, below, or under Featured Events to the right). It is still $10 if you mail it in or otherwise pay in advance. We also must receive confirmation of your payment by Friday, September 24th to get the $8.00 rate. Make sure you specify $8.00 Open when you fill out the payment form.
Please also note, pushing the button also will give the option to pay by credit card, if you do not have a Paypal account.
As a way to promote the use of Paypal to Donate to our club, this September's $10 Open will now only be $8 if you sign up through the Paypal button (see homepage, BCC calendar, below, or under Featured Events to the right). It is still $10 if you mail it in or otherwise pay in advance. We also must receive confirmation of your payment by Friday, September 24th to get the $8.00 rate. Make sure you specify $8.00 Open when you fill out the payment form.
Please also note, pushing the button also will give the option to pay by credit card, if you do not have a Paypal account.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monster Chess
Sunday, September 19, 2010
New England Nor'easters vs. Philly Inventors, Monday! 7PM
Hi Ho! Welcomee to the Schwag Blah-g! No matter what I write, there is no way to produce a blog as obnoxious as Philly's! A few weeks ago, they wrote, "There is absolutely no way we could produce a blog as obnoxious as Boston’s. This year, the otherwise indecipherable prediction blog produced by Boston actually has the nerve to predict a 4-0 win. Sure, Boston…in your dreams!"
Now I'm switching to purple! Three minutes of typinggg and I get an awarddd !!! Ohh, is this too hard to read? How about this colorrrr! Maybe I should put it on a big blue background, too, like a junky Myspace page. Well, let's look at the matchups.
New England Nor'easters vs Philadelphia Inventors
IM David Vigorito: 2524 FM Tom Bartell: 2429
FM Charles Riordan: 2397 IM Jay Bonin: 2424
FM Braden Bournival: 2381 FM Karl Dehmelt: 2308
NM Alex Cherniack: 2288 NM Elvin Wilson: 2240
Avg Rating: 2398 Avg Rating: 2350
You know, I really like our chances.
I don't want to go predictingg too much, but Bartell's win over Gulko in Week 1 maybe isn't as impressive now that Gulko got crushed again this week. David can even spot his opponent's extra pawns in the opening and still win.
Jay, now playing for Philly, used to play tons of games, but Charles has a clear-minded, almost purely intellectual approach to the game that really speaks well of his chances.
Brad and Karl-- hard to say, neither of them really play that much in the League.
Evan Wilson vs. Alex Cherniack, Evan was once a Board 4 all star, but his performance has trailed off in recent years. Alex's play is up and down, good against Shen, dancing with death against Krasik last week.
I won't go so far as to say that New England is going to beat, Philly, but YEAH, New England is going to beat Philly! New England will BRING IT. Expect Philly to UN-invent some chess play this week. Philly, while flying a kite with a key on it, will indeed discover the electricity of the Nor'easter when it gets BURNED this week. Philly will be knocked back to 1776!
and END voice:
-------------------------------------------------------
Charles has a great recap/preview of the match at the New England Nor'easters homepage. I really like how his notes are easy to follow with just the help of the diagrams, instead of endless side computer variations with ( followed by [ followed by { and then } with a ] and a ).
Should be fun. Looking at the 3.5-0.5 match score compared to their total games score (at 59%, it is lower than 3rd place Baltimore), the Nor'easters have certainly been entertaining! These stats are exactly what a balanced team hopes for.
Come to the Boylston Chess Club to watch the match Monday. Concurrent with our club Championship, it is an opportunity to observe even more of our local talent live.
Now I'm switching to purple! Three minutes of typinggg and I get an awarddd !!! Ohh, is this too hard to read? How about this colorrrr! Maybe I should put it on a big blue background, too, like a junky Myspace page. Well, let's look at the matchups.
New England Nor'easters vs Philadelphia Inventors
IM David Vigorito: 2524 FM Tom Bartell: 2429
FM Charles Riordan: 2397 IM Jay Bonin: 2424
FM Braden Bournival: 2381 FM Karl Dehmelt: 2308
NM Alex Cherniack: 2288 NM Elvin Wilson: 2240
Avg Rating: 2398 Avg Rating: 2350
You know, I really like our chances.
I don't want to go predictingg too much, but Bartell's win over Gulko in Week 1 maybe isn't as impressive now that Gulko got crushed again this week. David can even spot his opponent's extra pawns in the opening and still win.
Jay, now playing for Philly, used to play tons of games, but Charles has a clear-minded, almost purely intellectual approach to the game that really speaks well of his chances.
Brad and Karl-- hard to say, neither of them really play that much in the League.
Evan Wilson vs. Alex Cherniack, Evan was once a Board 4 all star, but his performance has trailed off in recent years. Alex's play is up and down, good against Shen, dancing with death against Krasik last week.
I won't go so far as to say that New England is going to beat, Philly, but YEAH, New England is going to beat Philly! New England will BRING IT. Expect Philly to UN-invent some chess play this week. Philly, while flying a kite with a key on it, will indeed discover the electricity of the Nor'easter when it gets BURNED this week. Philly will be knocked back to 1776!
and END voice:
-------------------------------------------------------
Charles has a great recap/preview of the match at the New England Nor'easters homepage. I really like how his notes are easy to follow with just the help of the diagrams, instead of endless side computer variations with ( followed by [ followed by { and then } with a ] and a ).
Should be fun. Looking at the 3.5-0.5 match score compared to their total games score (at 59%, it is lower than 3rd place Baltimore), the Nor'easters have certainly been entertaining! These stats are exactly what a balanced team hopes for.
Come to the Boylston Chess Club to watch the match Monday. Concurrent with our club Championship, it is an opportunity to observe even more of our local talent live.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Blitz Championship
BOYLSTON CHESS FOUNDATION
Presents
240B Elm St. Suite B9
Somerville – MA – 02144
Tel. 617-629-3933
Presents
BCF Annual Blitz Championship
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
RR G/5’ (02” dl)
Registration: 6:30 – 6:55 PM
Rounds: 7 PM, ASAP
Possible sections.
EF: $10, $7 to BCF members
Prizes: $120/b20.
RR G/5’ (02” dl)
Registration: 6:30 – 6:55 PM
Rounds: 7 PM, ASAP
Possible sections.
EF: $10, $7 to BCF members
Prizes: $120/b20.
---------------------------------------------------------
240B Elm St. Suite B9
Somerville – MA – 02144
Tel. 617-629-3933
Monday, September 13, 2010
Blitz vs. Nor'easters WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY!!!
Tony Cortizas made this fine (and slightly disturbing) poster in honor of the Boston T-Party battle between the 3-0 upstarts New England Nor'easters and the mercurial, perennial favorite, the 2-1 Boston Blitz.
Here is the matchup:
Boston Blitz New England Nor'easters
GM Larry Christiansen: 2665 IM Sam Shankland: 2567
SM Denys Shmelov: 2471 IM Robert Hungaski: 2520
WGM Anya Corke: 2322 FM Christopher Chase: 2382
NM Ilya Krasik: 2253 NM Alex Cherniack: 2288
Avg Rating: 2428 Avg Rating: 2439
Come to the Boylston Chess Club at 240 Elm St. B9 to watch and discuss the action!
Who will win? To answer that question, I think back on the old Saturday Night Live, Bulls vs. Bears Chicago fan sketches. In a quiz show, they were simply asked the question Bulls vs. Bears. One contestant wrote:
"The senseless waste of pitting these two mighty forces of nature against each other, like matter vs. anti-matter, will be a tragedy, not only for the teams involved but for our planet. All nations must band together, to ensure that such a conflageration never takes place."
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Bryan Clark on Chess from Las Vegas
Bryan Clark, a life member of the BCC, is a professional poker player in Las Vegas:
I've got some material which you may be able to use for the Boyston Chess Club Weblog. Though, you should note that the article links are somewhat promotional for the magazine I edit.
Poker / Gaming Books and Strategy Forums
Welcome to Two Plus Two, the world's largest poker strategy resource online and in print. Our online poker forums, including sponsored poker site & affiliate support, and poker coaching are home to over 200,000 players. Two Plus Two publishes best selling poker books written by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Dan Harrington among others. Our strategy books are available online through both the 2+2 book store and our poker bonus program. For additional poker news, join us each week for the 2+2 Pokercast presented by Pokerstars VIP, and for poker strategy articles, check out our poker magazine published monthly.
1. Two very famous poker players have a proposition bet on a chess game.
The first player is Howard Lederer. He's won $5.5 million in tournament poker including two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and two World Poker Tour (WPT) titles. He's also the primary owner of Full Tilt Poker (though a company called Tiltware and later Pocket Kings).
Howard is a former chess player who had a peak rating over 2100. However, he hasn't played a tournament game since at least 1987 when his rating was 1951.The second player is Allen Cunningham. His career tournament winnings are over $10 million, including five WSOP bracelets.
Allen was a total novice at chess when the bet was made.
The bet was made in early 2010. The two of them will play a single game of chess in early 2011 (one year after the bet). Whoever wins the game, wins the bet. The stakes have been specified.
So, Allen Cunningham (the total novice) has one year to learn how to play chess well enough to beat Howard Lederer, the former Expert who hasn't played chess seriously in a couple decades.
Allen is putting tremendous effort into studying the game. Howard is not preparing at all.
This thread contains considerable information (including comments from Allen Cunningham as 'Allen C') about the bet and Allen's progress. I have posts in the thread under the name 'Dynasty'.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/140/chess-other-board-games/cunningham-prop-bet-get-2100-a-736080/
2. As the editor of an online poker magazine, I've published three chess articles recently.
All three of the articles are very good. I think the quality is at least as good was what you would expect from Chess Life or Chess Horizons (when it was good).
Due to the magazine's agreement with the author, you can't reproduce the articles on the BCC Weblog. But, you are certainly welcome to link to the articles if you think they're worthwhile.
September- Breakthrough in the Endgame
http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/issue69/pierre-boutquin-chess-breakthrough-endgame.php
July- The Weaker Minor Piece
http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/issue67/pierre-boutquin-chess-weaker-minor-piece.php
May- The Principle of Two Weaknesses
http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/issue65/pierre-boutquin-chess-principle-weaknesses.php
Monday, September 06, 2010
Boston Blitz-Manhattan Applesauce preview
Some days you just know not to get out of bed. A woman screaming outside your front door is one of those days. I kicked some pants on and stumbled to the door. I went through the rolodex of ex-lovers in my head trying to find the one whose heart I broke this time, and I came up with the same thing I had for dinner last night. Nothing. So I opened the door.
"What do you want? It's 3AM and I'm nursing a hangover that you wouldn't believe." Like the rest of this city, I muttered to myself.
"It's my friend, Eugene! He challenged the Strip to a mind battle this week!"
I've had my run-ins with the Strip before. A terminator of the chessboard. A steel mind with steel eyes and a steel nerve that will melt your brain. Greater players than Eugene have been turned into applesauce by the Strip. Eugene was in grave danger. Unless....
"He has the White icons, right?" Only a fool would challenge the Strip to the cyberspace mental squares otherwise.
"I'll give you 1 second at 1 second increment and knight odds to...." I cut him off with a swig of whiskey and told him about Eugene. But in a crazy city like this, you can barely finish a sentence without a fight breaking out. As we talked, Eli Vovsha crawled out of the shadows and into our lives.
"Mr. Esserman." Vovsha hissed. "Would you give me such odds?"
"Bring it, catdog. But no odds." Immediately, Marc and Eli locked in mortal combat, dueling with fists and kicks and minds and checks. I reached for my gun to help my old friend, but the woman touched my arm. "There's no time!" The last I saw, Esserman was holding his own, but they disappeared into a crazy tactical alleyway moments before we ducked into the train station.
Hopping on the train, we relaxed for a little while. "Why don't you tell me how this happened. How did Eugene get mixed up in all this?" I nursed my hangover by filling my empty belly with whiskey while the mystery woman caught me up on the tale.
Apparantly Anya got locked into a cybernet mental battle with a bad piece of work from Manhattan, Andrei Zaremba. Andrei had kicked Esserman to the curb last year, and Anya said she would take Andrei to the cleaners for good.
But Andrei pulled in some favors from the Cybernetic Overlord Shahade and ambushed Anya before she was fully prepared. Eugene stepped into the cybernet to help out his teammate, when the Strip showed up. Eugene had no choice but issue the challenge to Stripunsky to prevent Anya from facing two opponents at once.
The whiskey, the only food keeping me alive, was starting to sour. "So this means that the Blitz..."
"Jason, I was speedcar-ing it over to Eugene and Anya, when I got sideswiped by some thug I'd never heard of before." Vadim's image momentarily vanished as his attacker's photo scanned into my mental space.
"Hold on, Vadim, I'll pull up his vitals." Mentally, I turned away from the retina phone and starting tweaking on the cybernet. Datastreams filled my mind as I danced through the old USCL.comfiles. Although useless against mental bombs, my hand still clenched more tightly on my gun when I entered THAT irreputable space.
The train thundered on. My new lady friend was distraught. I took another draught. My gun grip was tighter still.
"What do you want? It's 3AM and I'm nursing a hangover that you wouldn't believe." Like the rest of this city, I muttered to myself.
"It's my friend, Eugene! He challenged the Strip to a mind battle this week!"
I've had my run-ins with the Strip before. A terminator of the chessboard. A steel mind with steel eyes and a steel nerve that will melt your brain. Greater players than Eugene have been turned into applesauce by the Strip. Eugene was in grave danger. Unless....
"He has the White icons, right?" Only a fool would challenge the Strip to the cyberspace mental squares otherwise."No, Eugene has Black!" she wailed.
"We've got to get down there!" I grabbed my gun, my whiskey, and the girl. We raced to the 101 train as fast as my tired legs and her stiletto heels could go. We didn't get very far.
"Where you all goin', catdog?" curdled a voice behind me. I knew that voice. Marc Esserman had been hustling me since we were wearing short pants down at the Big H. He could *feel* my money burning a hole in my pocket. In his mind, it was already his.
"I'll give you 1 second at 1 second increment and knight odds to...." I cut him off with a swig of whiskey and told him about Eugene. But in a crazy city like this, you can barely finish a sentence without a fight breaking out. As we talked, Eli Vovsha crawled out of the shadows and into our lives."Mr. Esserman." Vovsha hissed. "Would you give me such odds?"
"Bring it, catdog. But no odds." Immediately, Marc and Eli locked in mortal combat, dueling with fists and kicks and minds and checks. I reached for my gun to help my old friend, but the woman touched my arm. "There's no time!" The last I saw, Esserman was holding his own, but they disappeared into a crazy tactical alleyway moments before we ducked into the train station.Hopping on the train, we relaxed for a little while. "Why don't you tell me how this happened. How did Eugene get mixed up in all this?" I nursed my hangover by filling my empty belly with whiskey while the mystery woman caught me up on the tale.
"It actually started when WGM Anya Corke ...."
Apparantly Anya got locked into a cybernet mental battle with a bad piece of work from Manhattan, Andrei Zaremba. Andrei had kicked Esserman to the curb last year, and Anya said she would take Andrei to the cleaners for good.
But Andrei pulled in some favors from the Cybernetic Overlord Shahade and ambushed Anya before she was fully prepared. Eugene stepped into the cybernet to help out his teammate, when the Strip showed up. Eugene had no choice but issue the challenge to Stripunsky to prevent Anya from facing two opponents at once.The whiskey, the only food keeping me alive, was starting to sour. "So this means that the Blitz..."
"Are in grave danger, yes."
As the train barreled underneath the fetid streets of that decaying city, I wondered if the Blitz were finished.
Before I could complete that thought, my retina-phone started silently ringing in my peripheral vision. I scanned my eye to the lower left corner and mentally answered. Vadim Martirosov's face and voice filled my mental space:
"Jason, I was speedcar-ing it over to Eugene and Anya, when I got sideswiped by some thug I'd never heard of before." Vadim's image momentarily vanished as his attacker's photo scanned into my mental space.
"Hold on, Vadim, I'll pull up his vitals." Mentally, I turned away from the retina phone and starting tweaking on the cybernet. Datastreams filled my mind as I danced through the old USCL.comfiles. Although useless against mental bombs, my hand still clenched more tightly on my gun when I entered THAT irreputable space. "Vadim-- you are up against Shaun Smith. Age-20. Score 0.5 of 4. Affilation, uh-oh, he's one of Strips guys. Mental rating- 2000. Vadim, he'll counter with...."
Just then static filled my brain. Disoriented, I thought ruefully that it was the whiskey, but it was just a lost connection. "Even in the future, nothing works," I spat.
The train thundered on. My new lady friend was distraught. I took another draught. My gun grip was tighter still.
HOW WILL THIS END?
FIND OUT-- WEDNESDAY!
Nor'easters -- New Jersey KOs preview
This is Sam Shankland. He is a chessplayer for team Wind and Rain.
Sam used to live far, far away. Do not worry about him. He is not lost. He is visiting.
On Wednesday, Sam will play Joel Benjamin in a game of chess. Joel is a grandmaster. That means he is very good. A long time ago, Joel was even United States Champion. That means he is REALLY good. How will Sam do against GM Joel? You will have to wait and see.
This is Jan Van de Mortel. You might know a Jan, but she is a girl. This Jan is a boy. Sometimes people from other places have different kinds of names.
Jan plays for Team Wind and Rain now. Jan used to play for a team in Chicago. Do not worry about Jan. He is not lost, either!
Jan will play a game of chess with Dean Ippolito. Dean works hard on his chess. Dean also works hard on making his muscles strong. When you grow up, will you have strong muscles? 
This is Chris Chase. You may think that Chris likes to run and run and run. Chase is just a last name. What is your last name? What would you chase if you ran? A squirrel? A dog? What about a King?
Chris will play a game of chess with Victor Shen. How can they play chess if they live so far away? They will use a computer. With a computer, you can play chess with anyone, anywhere. 
This is Alex Cherniack. He has played chess many times. This will be the first time he plays for the Team of Wind and Rain. Alex is excited about his game. Do you get excited when you do something new?
Alex will play a game of chess with Arthur Shen. Arthur is a little boy. Anyone can play chess! Young people can play chess. Old people can play chess. Girls can play chess. Boys can play chess. YOU can play chess, too!
Each team has four players. The team that wins the most games wins the match! We will wait to see who wins the chess match.
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Serb Fest Chess Tournament- Sept 19-20th
SerbFest asked us to pass along this info-- sounds like fun!
Dear friends,
This year for the first time we are organizing a chess tournament at the SerbFest on September 19 and 20 at the St. Sava Church in Cambridge, starting at 2:00pm. The tournament will be held by the Swiss System, and the number of rounds will depend on the total number of participants.
The games will be 5 chess clock minutes long, and the winner will receive a small gift. Suggested donations for participation are $10 for Saturday, September 18, and $10 for Sunday, September 20.
If interested, please send your application with the following information to Jovan Bošković at jovan@comcast.net:
1. First and last name
2. Level of play (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
We look forward to seeing you at the festival. With warm regards,
SerbFest Committee
It would be nice if you can post this information on your website.
Thank you
Alex Velickovic
(617) 572-1915
Dear friends,
This year for the first time we are organizing a chess tournament at the SerbFest on September 19 and 20 at the St. Sava Church in Cambridge, starting at 2:00pm. The tournament will be held by the Swiss System, and the number of rounds will depend on the total number of participants.
The games will be 5 chess clock minutes long, and the winner will receive a small gift. Suggested donations for participation are $10 for Saturday, September 18, and $10 for Sunday, September 20.
If interested, please send your application with the following information to Jovan Bošković at jovan@comcast.net:
1. First and last name
2. Level of play (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
We look forward to seeing you at the festival. With warm regards,
SerbFest Committee
It would be nice if you can post this information on your website.
Thank you
Alex Velickovic
(617) 572-1915
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Recap of the Boston Blitz-Inventors
The Inventors were 99% perspiration, but lacked that 1% inspiration last night against the Boston Blitz. Here is a recap of the events as I remember them.
Board 1 Larry Christiansen had White
(All the great photos courtesy of Tony Cortizas, Jr.)
Larry played an unusual looking queen sortie in the early middlegame, but eventually liquidated into a +1 pawn rook and pawn endgame. Eventually, his GM opponent liquidated into a drawn endgame. 1/2-1/2
Meanwhile, Ilya Krasik, free to roam the halls, actually threatened, in front of several people, to punch me in the face. Over a few jokes on the blog. I cannot be more serious right now.
Board 2 Eugene had Black.
This game looked topsy-turvy, and then Eugene liquidated into an a+c pawn and rook vs. rook endgames. I know this can be drawn in some circumstances, but the technique is a monster. I'm not sure if the actual position allowed for such draws, but Eugene converted this into a win. 1.5-0.5 for the Blitz.
In related news, Krasik rasied his voice and said some curse words and suggested physical violence to my person. Directly in front of other people. Loudly. Frankly, it made some of these people less comfortable than it made me. And I am, rather famously, a wuss.
Board 3 Shmelov had White.
I didn't follow this game too closely, but it appeared that Shmelov tried that f3 Nimzo that got him in trouble last week. Bartell of the Inventors converted what appeared to be a strong front to back win, his second strong performance in a row. Inventors 1.5- Blitz 1.5
I could be wrong, because I was distracted by my musing. I have to wonder if the Boston Blitz, as an entity, condone such behavior from one of their players. I'm sure kids and parents would love to come and support the team, grab a snack, meet some grandmasters, and witness verbal and physical abuse from a national master.
Board 4 Grant Xu had Black
Grant impresses on his chess league debut. In a closed, opposite colored bishop and rook position, Grant slowly but inexorably found in-roads to convert his extra pawn. Nicely done. Blitz win, 2.5-1.5
Less nicely done was Krasik's greeting. I don't think someone has threatened to punch me in the face with any serious intent since the 7th grade. It was a real joy to be back in middle school for a night. And all these years, fans have wondered why the Blitz don't showcase more talented middle schoolers on Board 4-- little did they know, they always have !
Well, here it is. I'm sorry that "Krasik loses" became an internet meme that spread like wildfire, that I used it as a shorthand to an inside joke for USCL fans. In my defence, I supported Ilya many times, as well. Back in 2008, when he tore through the league, single-handedly dragging the Blitz's butts into the playoffs, I was first on board to call him the League's Board 4 MVP. I put credit where credit is due.
But I am not sorry for trying to bring a little light-hearted fun into the coverage of the Boston Blitz, the New England Nor'easters, and the USCL. Contrast my gentle teasing with the caustic remarks Krasik has left on message board after message board. His flaming wars in comment sections are legendary around the league. And now, he spews actual physical violence at me.
Why now? Did Matt Phelps yell,
"Release the Kraskin?"
The Kraskin emerges:
Overall, great job by the players tonight to grind out a much needed 2.5-1.5 victory.
Board 1 Larry Christiansen had White
(All the great photos courtesy of Tony Cortizas, Jr.)
Larry played an unusual looking queen sortie in the early middlegame, but eventually liquidated into a +1 pawn rook and pawn endgame. Eventually, his GM opponent liquidated into a drawn endgame. 1/2-1/2
Meanwhile, Ilya Krasik, free to roam the halls, actually threatened, in front of several people, to punch me in the face. Over a few jokes on the blog. I cannot be more serious right now.
Board 2 Eugene had Black.
This game looked topsy-turvy, and then Eugene liquidated into an a+c pawn and rook vs. rook endgames. I know this can be drawn in some circumstances, but the technique is a monster. I'm not sure if the actual position allowed for such draws, but Eugene converted this into a win. 1.5-0.5 for the Blitz.
In related news, Krasik rasied his voice and said some curse words and suggested physical violence to my person. Directly in front of other people. Loudly. Frankly, it made some of these people less comfortable than it made me. And I am, rather famously, a wuss.
Board 3 Shmelov had White.
I didn't follow this game too closely, but it appeared that Shmelov tried that f3 Nimzo that got him in trouble last week. Bartell of the Inventors converted what appeared to be a strong front to back win, his second strong performance in a row. Inventors 1.5- Blitz 1.5
I could be wrong, because I was distracted by my musing. I have to wonder if the Boston Blitz, as an entity, condone such behavior from one of their players. I'm sure kids and parents would love to come and support the team, grab a snack, meet some grandmasters, and witness verbal and physical abuse from a national master.
Board 4 Grant Xu had Black
Grant impresses on his chess league debut. In a closed, opposite colored bishop and rook position, Grant slowly but inexorably found in-roads to convert his extra pawn. Nicely done. Blitz win, 2.5-1.5
Less nicely done was Krasik's greeting. I don't think someone has threatened to punch me in the face with any serious intent since the 7th grade. It was a real joy to be back in middle school for a night. And all these years, fans have wondered why the Blitz don't showcase more talented middle schoolers on Board 4-- little did they know, they always have !
Well, here it is. I'm sorry that "Krasik loses" became an internet meme that spread like wildfire, that I used it as a shorthand to an inside joke for USCL fans. In my defence, I supported Ilya many times, as well. Back in 2008, when he tore through the league, single-handedly dragging the Blitz's butts into the playoffs, I was first on board to call him the League's Board 4 MVP. I put credit where credit is due.
But I am not sorry for trying to bring a little light-hearted fun into the coverage of the Boston Blitz, the New England Nor'easters, and the USCL. Contrast my gentle teasing with the caustic remarks Krasik has left on message board after message board. His flaming wars in comment sections are legendary around the league. And now, he spews actual physical violence at me.
Why now? Did Matt Phelps yell,
"Release the Kraskin?"
The Kraskin emerges:
Overall, great job by the players tonight to grind out a much needed 2.5-1.5 victory.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Nor'easters-Cobras recap
On Monday, the swirling wind and rain of the New England Nor'easters coalesced into a gnashing mongoose that slayed the Carolina Cobras. The vaporous Rikki Tikki Tavi took a few fanged flesh wounds, but the lethal posion failed to find the bloodstream. The Nor'easters won 2.5-1.5 with a heroic roller-coaster (see my previous post) comeback from Dave Vigorito, a fine perpetual check from Hungaski, and a tempo-punishing victory by Charles Riordan.
To give the feel for the somber mood of the 10-12 live spectators, just look at the game positions projected on the wall in the following photo. This is what the crowd was staring at:
In the upper left, Hungaski (Black) has a solid looking position, but White has more space-- maybe this one was still OK. On Board 2 (lower left), Vigorito was already in a pawn-down positionally busted game by move 17. On Board 3, (lower right), no one had confidence in Charles's (Black) play on the queenside White squares. On Board 4 (upper right), Carey's (White) setup just felt wrong. None of the games had reached move 20, and already the masters-in-residence and patzers-in-house were concerned about a 3.5-0.5 venom blast.
Here is the game by game recap, in order of importance and crowd suspense.
Board 4 Carey Theil had White vs. Craig Jones
Before the match started, Carey entrusted me with an important sheet of paper-- his preparation for Craig Jones-- to ensure there is no question about the provenance of his over-the-board play. Looking at the crib note, I was concerned when I saw: 1. e4 d5 on the paper, but 1. e4 c5 on the big screen. So much for Carey's preparation this match! I'll leave detailed analysis to others, but the main trouble for Carey started when he let his center get liquidated without much play:
After 13. e5 (diagram), the center got liquidated, and Black has probably already equalized. Still, the tide really started to turn a few moves later, when he played from the following position.
Here Carey played 18. Nd4, allowing 18...Nxd4 19.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 20.Qxd4 Bf5, when White does not have an easy time holding the b-pawn (see next diagram).
Here Carey could have tried to hold on with the slightly awkward but playable looking 21. Qxd8 Rfxd8 22. Rbd1 Rxd1 23. Nxd1, but instead he tried the far riskier (and the dubious suggestion of your humble blogger) 21. Qxa7, sacking the exchange for a drafty king and three rather slow passed pawns on the queenside. However, once the queens got traded by move 28, the evaluation flutters around possible chances for White-- without threats to the White King, those pawns do look menacing!
Carey's pawns after the queen trade-- they look dangerous, but Black's pawn can also advance quickly. Black eventually converts what will be the Cobra's only win.
That makes two losses for the Nor'easters on Board 4. Hopefully this is only USCL beginner's nerves for Chris and Carey.
Board 1. Hungaski had Black
After jumping to a huge time advantage, Hungaski entered a very long think in the following position:
With the other games looking very bad at this point, the long think worried us. We thought the only thing to think about was- "Gee, my knight is going to look stupid when I play Nh8."
Instead, Hungaski sprang 22...Ne4, which the crowd dismissed as losing material by force after 23. Ne4 23. Nxe4 Rxf3 24. Nc3 Qd6 25. Qxg6. Our collective heart skipped a beat of dispair until Bournival chess rapped (alas, only figuratively for now) that Black has a perpetual after 25... Rg3+ 26. fxg3 Qxg3+ 27. Kh1 Qxh3 28. Kg1 etc. This is indeed what happened. 1/2-1/2
Board 3 -- Charles Riordan had Black
With the draw on Board 1 and disasters on Boards 2 and 4, Charles's game loomed large. And the angry mob did not like what we saw. After the game, Charles assured me that he had seen similar positions before, and he thought it was quite playable. Best I brush up on my Catalan.
Charles chose a setup where his pawns are on the white squares, hemming in his bishop, and his queen dances around on an open file, then also gets hemmed in on the light squares:
Position after 12...Qc8, part of a plan dismissed by the crowd.
Surely, White had some advantage, but then wasted a key tempo with 17. h3, allowing Charles to clarify the issue on the queenside.
Here White played 17. h3....
when Black has time to get things moving with 17. Bb7 18.Qd3 a5 19. bxa5 Rxa5 and White errs with 20. a4? (diagram) when after 20...bxa4, the pawn can't be touched yet because of discovered attacks on the c1 rook.
A few moves more, 21. Rcb1 Ba6 22. Qd1 Qc6 23. Nxa4 Bxe2 24. Qxe2 Rxa4 25. Rxa4 Qxa4 26. Qd1 Qxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Ne4 and Black has consolidated with his extra material and wins cleanly. Nor'easters and Cobras were tied up 1.5-1.5.
Board 2. Vigorito had White
Dave confused everyone when he delved into an early long think in the following position:
In the audience, Tony Cortizas (who took all the great photos for this post) asked about the move, 10. c5. Everyone immediately pointed out that it hangs a pawn after 10. Bxe5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Nfd7 12. Qc1 Na6 13. Nd2 Qxc5 14. Qxc5 Ndxc5 15. Rfc1 Nd7.
So, our jaws dropped to the floor when Dave pushed 10. c5? What had we missed, certainly something? No-- the game continued as described and White was just down a pawn in this ugly position:
At this point, Bournival hip-hopped out that, if you were shown this position and asked to evaluate the ratings of the person wielding the White pieces, an average chessplayer might guess 1400-1800. Certainly not an IM of 2500+!
Play continued toward the inevitable for many moves, when Dave found a clever, if futile plan to generate some counterplay on the h file. (Props to Paul MacIntyre for suggesting such a plan to the crowd).
After 25. Rah1, White pins down Black's rook with the forced 25... Rh8
The position after 38...Bg6 has a nice blockade, AND an active plan of White's own after 39. Rf2
Nf8 40. f5 Bf7 41. Rc2 Ra7 42. a4 Kg8 43. f6. This doesn't quite turn out to be enough by itself, and after 43...h5 44. g5 h4+ 45. Kh3 Bg6 46. Rf2 Rh5 47. Bc1 Kf7 48. Bd2 Ra8 49. Rc1 Black is still doing well. However, after playing 49...Bf5?, White replies with the line opening 50. Rxf5! (diagram), and now Black is in big trouble.
There followed 50...exf5 51.Bc4+ Kg6 52.e6 (diagram)
When Black gives material back with 52... Nxe6 53. Bxe6 Rxa4 when Black's menacing three passed pawns and material deficit visually reflected the action on Board 4.
In the end, David manages to weave a pretty mating net with his extra material (diagram), and bring home a second victory for the Nor'easters!
After 62. Be4, Black is forced to give up the rook on f6 to prevent the threatened mate of Re7. If instead, Black tried Re8, then White simply plays 63. f7 Rd8 64. g6 and White cashes in. A few moves later, and the Nor'easters celebrated with Dave's long-unexpected 1-0, surely cutting the hearts out of Cobra Commander, Destro, and other snake fans everywhere.
To give the feel for the somber mood of the 10-12 live spectators, just look at the game positions projected on the wall in the following photo. This is what the crowd was staring at:
In the upper left, Hungaski (Black) has a solid looking position, but White has more space-- maybe this one was still OK. On Board 2 (lower left), Vigorito was already in a pawn-down positionally busted game by move 17. On Board 3, (lower right), no one had confidence in Charles's (Black) play on the queenside White squares. On Board 4 (upper right), Carey's (White) setup just felt wrong. None of the games had reached move 20, and already the masters-in-residence and patzers-in-house were concerned about a 3.5-0.5 venom blast.Here is the game by game recap, in order of importance and crowd suspense.
Board 4 Carey Theil had White vs. Craig Jones
Before the match started, Carey entrusted me with an important sheet of paper-- his preparation for Craig Jones-- to ensure there is no question about the provenance of his over-the-board play. Looking at the crib note, I was concerned when I saw: 1. e4 d5 on the paper, but 1. e4 c5 on the big screen. So much for Carey's preparation this match! I'll leave detailed analysis to others, but the main trouble for Carey started when he let his center get liquidated without much play:
After 13. e5 (diagram), the center got liquidated, and Black has probably already equalized. Still, the tide really started to turn a few moves later, when he played from the following position.
Here Carey played 18. Nd4, allowing 18...Nxd4 19.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 20.Qxd4 Bf5, when White does not have an easy time holding the b-pawn (see next diagram).
Here Carey could have tried to hold on with the slightly awkward but playable looking 21. Qxd8 Rfxd8 22. Rbd1 Rxd1 23. Nxd1, but instead he tried the far riskier (and the dubious suggestion of your humble blogger) 21. Qxa7, sacking the exchange for a drafty king and three rather slow passed pawns on the queenside. However, once the queens got traded by move 28, the evaluation flutters around possible chances for White-- without threats to the White King, those pawns do look menacing!
Carey's pawns after the queen trade-- they look dangerous, but Black's pawn can also advance quickly. Black eventually converts what will be the Cobra's only win.That makes two losses for the Nor'easters on Board 4. Hopefully this is only USCL beginner's nerves for Chris and Carey.
Board 1. Hungaski had Black
After jumping to a huge time advantage, Hungaski entered a very long think in the following position:
With the other games looking very bad at this point, the long think worried us. We thought the only thing to think about was- "Gee, my knight is going to look stupid when I play Nh8."Instead, Hungaski sprang 22...Ne4, which the crowd dismissed as losing material by force after 23. Ne4 23. Nxe4 Rxf3 24. Nc3 Qd6 25. Qxg6. Our collective heart skipped a beat of dispair until Bournival chess rapped (alas, only figuratively for now) that Black has a perpetual after 25... Rg3+ 26. fxg3 Qxg3+ 27. Kh1 Qxh3 28. Kg1 etc. This is indeed what happened. 1/2-1/2
Afterward, I asked Hungaski why he didn't play the optically ugly Nh8, and he replied that he evaluated the resulting positions as much worse for Black. While this may be true, from a team standpoint, I wonder if taking the draw was the best decision-- after all, two of the other boards still looked pretty bad for the Nor'easters at this point. Of course, with hindsight, this draw was critical for the team's victory, so maybe second guessing this choice is unfair. Also, maybe this reflects the pure professionalism that IMs and GMs bring to the game-- objective choices based on their positions-- that rewards them in the grueling Swiss system tournaments. In a match, though, the requirements of the team can trump normal chessic considerations, so the real question becomes, "How are my teammates doing right now? What are the odds that I'll need a full point instead of a half?"
OK, let's get out of the theoretical clouds (a Nor'easter cloud? [groan] ) and back to the action.
Board 3 -- Charles Riordan had Black
With the draw on Board 1 and disasters on Boards 2 and 4, Charles's game loomed large. And the angry mob did not like what we saw. After the game, Charles assured me that he had seen similar positions before, and he thought it was quite playable. Best I brush up on my Catalan.Charles chose a setup where his pawns are on the white squares, hemming in his bishop, and his queen dances around on an open file, then also gets hemmed in on the light squares:
Position after 12...Qc8, part of a plan dismissed by the crowd.
Surely, White had some advantage, but then wasted a key tempo with 17. h3, allowing Charles to clarify the issue on the queenside.Here White played 17. h3....
when Black has time to get things moving with 17. Bb7 18.Qd3 a5 19. bxa5 Rxa5 and White errs with 20. a4? (diagram) when after 20...bxa4, the pawn can't be touched yet because of discovered attacks on the c1 rook.
A few moves more, 21. Rcb1 Ba6 22. Qd1 Qc6 23. Nxa4 Bxe2 24. Qxe2 Rxa4 25. Rxa4 Qxa4 26. Qd1 Qxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Ne4 and Black has consolidated with his extra material and wins cleanly. Nor'easters and Cobras were tied up 1.5-1.5.Board 2. Vigorito had White
Dave confused everyone when he delved into an early long think in the following position:
In the audience, Tony Cortizas (who took all the great photos for this post) asked about the move, 10. c5. Everyone immediately pointed out that it hangs a pawn after 10. Bxe5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Nfd7 12. Qc1 Na6 13. Nd2 Qxc5 14. Qxc5 Ndxc5 15. Rfc1 Nd7.So, our jaws dropped to the floor when Dave pushed 10. c5? What had we missed, certainly something? No-- the game continued as described and White was just down a pawn in this ugly position:
At this point, Bournival hip-hopped out that, if you were shown this position and asked to evaluate the ratings of the person wielding the White pieces, an average chessplayer might guess 1400-1800. Certainly not an IM of 2500+!Play continued toward the inevitable for many moves, when Dave found a clever, if futile plan to generate some counterplay on the h file. (Props to Paul MacIntyre for suggesting such a plan to the crowd).
After 25. Rah1, White pins down Black's rook with the forced 25... Rh8Dave keeps fighting, and fighting, and ..... suddenly the clouds started to lift a little bit (a Nor'easter cloud? [groan] ) when Dave managed the following hard-to-crack blockade:
The position after 38...Bg6 has a nice blockade, AND an active plan of White's own after 39. Rf2Nf8 40. f5 Bf7 41. Rc2 Ra7 42. a4 Kg8 43. f6. This doesn't quite turn out to be enough by itself, and after 43...h5 44. g5 h4+ 45. Kh3 Bg6 46. Rf2 Rh5 47. Bc1 Kf7 48. Bd2 Ra8 49. Rc1 Black is still doing well. However, after playing 49...Bf5?, White replies with the line opening 50. Rxf5! (diagram), and now Black is in big trouble.
There followed 50...exf5 51.Bc4+ Kg6 52.e6 (diagram)
When Black gives material back with 52... Nxe6 53. Bxe6 Rxa4 when Black's menacing three passed pawns and material deficit visually reflected the action on Board 4.
In the end, David manages to weave a pretty mating net with his extra material (diagram), and bring home a second victory for the Nor'easters!
After 62. Be4, Black is forced to give up the rook on f6 to prevent the threatened mate of Re7. If instead, Black tried Re8, then White simply plays 63. f7 Rd8 64. g6 and White cashes in. A few moves later, and the Nor'easters celebrated with Dave's long-unexpected 1-0, surely cutting the hearts out of Cobra Commander, Destro, and other snake fans everywhere.
Join us next week, when the Noreasters hope to continue their winning ways against the New Jersey Knockouts.
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