I started coaching my 12 year old's chess team a few weeks back. We went to our 3rd tournament yesterday.The walls of the playing hall were adorned with chess quotes, ones like "Take care of your pieces and they will take care of you", "Chess is the gymnasium of the mind" etc. The one that caught my eye right away was this doozy "Castling is for sissies". I talked to the organizers and had it removed!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Could have should have........
A couple of week ago I had a chance to get my rating up to an all time high. All I had to do was win this game.
Wijetunge,I (1889) - Rodriguez,E (1717) [D70]
Corpus Christi Xtreme Chess G/60 (Rnd 3), 10.10.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 0-0 8.h3 [ 8.e5 Ng4 9.h3 Nh6 10.Bg5] 8...c6 9.0-0 b5 10.Bd3 b4 11.Na4 a5 12.Nc5 [ 12.Bd2] 12...Na6 13.Nxa6 Bxa6 14.Bxa6 Rxa6 15.Qd3 Ra8 16.Qc2 Rc8 17.Be3 Qc7 18.Rac1 Qb7 19.Nd2 Nd7 20.Nc4 Qa6 21.Qa4 Ra8 22.f3 Rfc8 23.Rfd1 Nb6 24.Nxb6 Qxb6 25.Rc5 Qa6 26.Qc2 e6 27.Rc1 Rab8 28.Qc4 [ 28.d5 exd5 29.exd5 b3 30.axb3 Re8 31.Rxc6 Qb5 32.Bf4] 28...Rb6 29.b3 Rd8 30.Qxa6 Rxa6 31.Rxc6 Rxc6 32.Rxc6 Bxd4 33.Bxd4 Rxd4 34.Ra6 Rd1+ 35.Kh2 Rd2 36.Rxa5 1/2-1/2
Click here to replay I stopped taking notation here, but this was the final position:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
75th Annual Southwest Open
GERGELY ANTAL Wins clear first in the Open with 6 points.
PHUNG N NGUYEN Wins the Under 2000 with 7-0.[Phung has a FIDE rating of 2123]
He started the tournament with a provisional rating of 1803 and finished with
a established rating of 1999! Look for Phung in a big money under 2000 event.10/19/2009 Update :
Phung beats a master and 2 experts at the Lone Star Open : Click here9/26/2009 Update :
Phung had another "fishy" result where he drops a boat load of points : Click hereResults
Replay games from the Open at Monroi : Click Here
I finished with 3-0=3 (Not so good since I was paired down in every game.)
- Draw vs Mark Marshall (1599) In a clearly drawn position I tried too hard and was losing, but managed to draw.
- Win vs Richard Herrington (1440)
- Draw vs Victoria Zhang(1726) I got to a rook and pawn ending, up a pawn with very good winning chances, but only manged a draw.
- Win vs Suchinder Kalyan(1696)
- Win vs Alfredo Garcia(1663)
- Draw vs James Ukoli (1860)
- Bye
Since I had a last round bye I had to win my 6th round game to finish in the money. I reached the following position as Black with White to play and agreed to a draw since I was in a little bit of time trouble. But I should have played to the bitter end à la Nakamura. 
I gained one rating point to end up at 1889.
10/1/2009 Update : I was pleasantly surprised to receive a check for $31.00 , I did finish in the money!
History
2009 Ft. Worth 49+82+29 = 160 (Particpants Open+Reserve+Novice)
Open: G ANTAL
Reserve: P NGUYEN
2008 Houston 62+94 = 156 (Particpants Open+Reserve)
Open: A RAMIREZ, J STOPA, P WANG, S BERCYS
Reserve: E LU
2007 Brownsville 43+33 = 76
Open: A BACHMANN, S BERCYS, A ALMEIDA, D FERNANDEZ, T VEDRICKAS
Reserve: V FLORES
2006 Ft. Worth 42+105 = 126
Open: D BOSKOVIC
Reserve : T GWAZE
2005 Dallas 55+101 = 156
Open: M ZIVANIC, J BRADFORD
Reserve : J CRAWFORD, F BRACK, K WANG
Saturday, August 22, 2009
San Antonio - Summer Slammer
7 rounds! of G/60
1st ERNESTO MALAZARTE(2125) with 6.0/7.0
2nd-4th ANDERSON, SELBY K(2234) , PAUL HANEY(2092), STANLEY, GREGG(2086) with 5.5/7.0
USCF Results
Top seeded LANGER, MICHAEL(2319) finished with 5.0/7.0 He lost to ERNESTO MALAZARTE & VERGARA, MITCHELL(2060)
46 players
2 Masters
6 Experts
7 A-Players
Rnd 7
1 ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE(5.0) vs ANDERSON, SELBY K(5.5) 1-0
2 STANLEY, GREGG (4.5) vs FLOURNOY, DONALD W (5.0) 1-0
3 VERGARA, MITCHELL(4.5) vs PAUL ANDREW HANEY (4.5) 0-1
Rnd 6
ANDERSON, SELBY K (4.5) vs VERGARA, MITCHELL(4.5) 1-0
LANGER, MICHAEL (4.0) vs ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE (4.0) 0-1
FLOURNOY, DONALD W (4.0) vs CARRIZALES, JUAN (4.0) 1-0
Rnd 5
ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE(3.5) vs VERGARA, MITCHELL (4.0) 1/2
ANDREW MINA ISTAFANOUS (3.5) vs ANDERSON, SELBY K (3.5) 0-1
PAUL ANDREW HANEY (3.5) vs LANGER, MICHAEL(3.0) 0-1
I finished with 4-2=1. Which was enough for a tie for first & second place in class A. (good for $90.00 and a performance rating of 2054)
1) Win DAVID PACHECO (1400)
2) Draw ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE (2125)
3) Loss FLOURNOY, DONALD W (2048)
4) Win HUNG, DANIEL (1913)
5) Win BRADLEY, ROBERT D (1945)
6) Loss PAUL ANDREW HANEY (2092)
7) Win HERBERT A BAUMANN (1788)
This position is from my 3rd round loss, All I have to do is move the rook to a7 or b7 and I should win without much trouble, but I played Rxe4 and managed to lose! That's what happens when you only have 12 seconds. (my opponent had around 2 min)
2nd-4th ANDERSON, SELBY K(2234) , PAUL HANEY(2092), STANLEY, GREGG(2086) with 5.5/7.0
USCF Results
Top seeded LANGER, MICHAEL(2319) finished with 5.0/7.0 He lost to ERNESTO MALAZARTE & VERGARA, MITCHELL(2060)
46 players
2 Masters
6 Experts
7 A-Players
Rnd 7
1 ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE(5.0) vs ANDERSON, SELBY K(5.5) 1-0
2 STANLEY, GREGG (4.5) vs FLOURNOY, DONALD W (5.0) 1-0
3 VERGARA, MITCHELL(4.5) vs PAUL ANDREW HANEY (4.5) 0-1
Rnd 6
ANDERSON, SELBY K (4.5) vs VERGARA, MITCHELL(4.5) 1-0
LANGER, MICHAEL (4.0) vs ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE (4.0) 0-1
FLOURNOY, DONALD W (4.0) vs CARRIZALES, JUAN (4.0) 1-0
Rnd 5
ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE(3.5) vs VERGARA, MITCHELL (4.0) 1/2
ANDREW MINA ISTAFANOUS (3.5) vs ANDERSON, SELBY K (3.5) 0-1
PAUL ANDREW HANEY (3.5) vs LANGER, MICHAEL(3.0) 0-1
I finished with 4-2=1. Which was enough for a tie for first & second place in class A. (good for $90.00 and a performance rating of 2054)
1) Win DAVID PACHECO (1400)
2) Draw ERNESTO LAGO MALAZARTE (2125)
3) Loss FLOURNOY, DONALD W (2048)
4) Win HUNG, DANIEL (1913)
5) Win BRADLEY, ROBERT D (1945)
6) Loss PAUL ANDREW HANEY (2092)
7) Win HERBERT A BAUMANN (1788)
This position is from my 3rd round loss, All I have to do is move the rook to a7 or b7 and I should win without much trouble, but I played Rxe4 and managed to lose! That's what happens when you only have 12 seconds. (my opponent had around 2 min)Friday, August 21, 2009
Sacrifice or not?
In my last USCF game in Wisconsin, I played Rc8 in the following position:
I called that move a sacrifice, but many did not agree. WI expert John Becker had this to say:
[It is a pleasing combination that forces the win of material based on taking advantage of overloaded and/or unprotected pieces, but in no way, shape or form can it be considered a "sac".]
To settle the issue I sent in the question to GM Larry Evans, and he replied in the current version of Chess Life for kids: Link here
If you can't get to the link here is the question and answer:
Q: Can you please settle this debate? In this position I played 26.Rc8. Does this move fit the definition of a sacrifice?
A: A sacrifice—whether sound or unsound—is generally understood as a move that gives up material intending to get something good in return. A gambit, for example, usually is a sacrifice in the opening that offers a pawn for speedy development. Here 26.Rc8! (ignoring the knight hanging on f3) could be defined as a temporary and sound sacrifice since after 26...Rxc8 27.Nxe7+ Kg7 28.Nxc8 Qc7 29.Qc2 Qxc2 30.Bxc2 gxf3 31.gxf3 White simplifies to a winning ending a pawn ahead.
I called that move a sacrifice, but many did not agree. WI expert John Becker had this to say:[It is a pleasing combination that forces the win of material based on taking advantage of overloaded and/or unprotected pieces, but in no way, shape or form can it be considered a "sac".]
To settle the issue I sent in the question to GM Larry Evans, and he replied in the current version of Chess Life for kids: Link here
If you can't get to the link here is the question and answer:
Q: Can you please settle this debate? In this position I played 26.Rc8. Does this move fit the definition of a sacrifice?
A: A sacrifice—whether sound or unsound—is generally understood as a move that gives up material intending to get something good in return. A gambit, for example, usually is a sacrifice in the opening that offers a pawn for speedy development. Here 26.Rc8! (ignoring the knight hanging on f3) could be defined as a temporary and sound sacrifice since after 26...Rxc8 27.Nxe7+ Kg7 28.Nxc8 Qc7 29.Qc2 Qxc2 30.Bxc2 gxf3 31.gxf3 White simplifies to a winning ending a pawn ahead.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Pikes Peak Open
Brian is a very interesting Chess personality check out the following links:
http://brianwallchess.net/
http://www.walverine.com
http://chessville.com/Wall/index.htm
Wijetunge,I (1810) - Wall,B (2207) [A40]
Pikes Peak Open (3), 01.08.2009
1.d4 Nc6 2.Nf3 f6 3.c4 e5 4.d5 Nce7 5.e4 Ng6 6.Nc3 Bc5 7.Na4 Bb4+ 8.Nd2 Nh6 9.a3 Be7 10.g3 f5 11.Bg2 0-0 12.0-0 f4 13.Nf3 d6 14.Qd3 Bd7 15.Nc3 Qc8 16.Ne2 Bh3 17.Bd2 Rf7 18.Kh1 Qd7 19.Bxh3 Qxh3 20.Nfg1 Qd7 21.b4 Raf8 22.gxf4 exf4 23.Qh3 Qa4 24.Rac1 Bf6 25.Bc3 Qxa3 26.Ra1 Qb3 27.Bxf6 Qxc4 28.Bd4 [28.Bg5 Qxe4+ 29.Qf3 Qxb4 30.Bxh6 Ne5 31.Qc3 Qxc3 32.Nxc3 gxh6 33.Rxa7] 28...f3 29.Rfc1 Qxb4 30.Rab1 Qa4 31.Ra1 Qb4 32.Rab1 ½-½
Round 4 - Win by forfeit
Round 5
R ANDERSON #4 in Colorado (2251) vs me
Tied for first playing on board 1 in the last round, it doesn't get much better than that! I played a great game to reach this position with Black to play.
I preferred Black here, but failed to see the danger associated with the attack on e6 after I played ...Na5 and White plays Bd7. I should have played ...Nb8 or ...Bd8.USCF Results
Pikes Peak Open History
2009 34 R ANDERSON,J EVANS
2008 28 R ANDERSON
2007 30 R ANDERSON,B WALL,J HAMBLIN,S MACMILLAN
2006 27 I BARLAY,P ANDERSON
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Waukesha CC Round Robin
The tournament has been rated : Click here
First three rounds : Click here
Format : G/90 Double RR. 8 six person sections.
Location : Waukesha Chess Club
There are 48 players, making this the most attended tournament at the WCC.
Click here for schedule
Round 3
Cardenas widthraws. Since he has played less than half his games, results against him will not count toward section totals. The first three rounds have been rated, since Cardenas' member ship was to expire before the tournament ends. Click here for those results.
Round 1. (June 10)
James Coons ended Jake Kohlenberg's 15 game unbeaten streak.
Click here for the game.
This was Coons 7th straight win, but he lost the next day to Jerry Zhou at the SWCC.
First three rounds : Click here
Format : G/90 Double RR. 8 six person sections.
Location : Waukesha Chess Club
There are 48 players, making this the most attended tournament at the WCC.
Click here for schedule
Round 3
Cardenas widthraws. Since he has played less than half his games, results against him will not count toward section totals. The first three rounds have been rated, since Cardenas' member ship was to expire before the tournament ends. Click here for those results.
Round 1. (June 10)
James Coons ended Jake Kohlenberg's 15 game unbeaten streak.
Click here for the game.
This was Coons 7th straight win, but he lost the next day to Jerry Zhou at the SWCC.
| Player | Rating | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -- | -- | 6 | 6 | Total | |
1 | W. Williams | 2200 | ** | ** | .5 | .5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -- | -- | .5 | 1 | 4.5 |
2 | D. Paitrick | 2007 | .5 | .5 | ** | ** | .5 | .5 | 1 | U | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 5.0 |
3 | J. Kohlenberg | 1993 | 0 | 1 | .5 | .5 | ** | ** | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | .5 | 4.5 |
4 | J. Veech | 1972 | 1 | 0 | 0 | U | 0 | 0 | ** | ** | -- | -- | 1 | U | 2.0 |
6 | J. Coons | 1842 | .5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .5 | 0 | U | -- | -- | ** | ** | 2.0 |
| Player | Rating | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | Total | |
1 | J. Nickell | 1755 | ** | ** | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | .5 | 0 | 1.0 | ||
2 | R. Jayne | 1748 | 1 | 1 | ** | ** | 1 | .5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 | |||
3 | S. Garvin | 1739 | 1 | 0 | .5 | ** | ** | 0 | 1 | 0 | .5 | .5 | 1 | 4.5 | |
4 | A. Krause | 1724 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ** | ** | 0 | 0 | .5 | 1 | 6.5 |
5 | T. Schneider | 1714 | .5 | 0 | 1 | .5 | 1 | 1 | ** | ** | .5 | .5 | 5.0 | ||
6 | T. Zimmermann | 1676 | .5 | 1 | .5 | 0 | .5 | 0 | .5 | .5 | ** | ** | 3.5 |
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Chess in Texas
After leaving Wisconsin I played in the San Antonio City Championship and had a pretty good result. After that it has been all down hill. I usually don't play rated games with a time control faster than G/60, but since I did not have much options in Corpus Christi decided to play in 3 such events which brought my rating down from 1852 to 1821. (I am going to stick to G/60 of slower!)
I was looking forward to the Houston Open with a time control of G/120 to recover some pride, but it was not to be!
I played round 1 of the 3 day schedule and had the following position as Black.
Some times you lose because you do not see tactics, other time you lose because you see tactics that are not there. Can you guess Black's losing move. (Answer in comments)
I decided to re-enter the 2-day event and had 1.5/2.0 before I got to the following position with Black to play in round 3 . Here I had to make a decision:
a) ...Rxa4 and after Rb4 play Ra7
b) ...Rxa4 and give up the b pawn and activate the rook behind Whit's b pawn
c) ...Rb5 and go for the pawn endgame
I thought that all the options would lead to a draw and chose option c, but managed to lose. The reason I lost was because I did not play b6 to cut off the White king.
That loss was hard to take. In round 4 I some how managed to draw a position that evaluated to +4.5! (I was white)
I had the following position in round 5 after the moves ...Bc2 and Rf1.
I played ...h6, allowing White to play e4 and trap my Bishop. Although I could have complicated matters with ...Rfd8, I did not find that move during the game & lost.
I met fellow blogger Donnie from Liquid egg product who tied for 1st in the U1600 section. We played a few blitz games after the event.
My next tournament will be the Pike's Peak Open in Colorado Aug 1-2. That will be on our 2009 road trip.
Houston Open History
2009..153..JACEK STOPA
2008...94..KIRILL KUDERINOV
2007..156..AMON SIMUTOWE
2006..123..DANIEL FERNANDEZ
I was looking forward to the Houston Open with a time control of G/120 to recover some pride, but it was not to be!
I played round 1 of the 3 day schedule and had the following position as Black.
Some times you lose because you do not see tactics, other time you lose because you see tactics that are not there. Can you guess Black's losing move. (Answer in comments)I decided to re-enter the 2-day event and had 1.5/2.0 before I got to the following position with Black to play in round 3 . Here I had to make a decision:
a) ...Rxa4 and after Rb4 play Ra7b) ...Rxa4 and give up the b pawn and activate the rook behind Whit's b pawn
c) ...Rb5 and go for the pawn endgame
I thought that all the options would lead to a draw and chose option c, but managed to lose. The reason I lost was because I did not play b6 to cut off the White king.
That loss was hard to take. In round 4 I some how managed to draw a position that evaluated to +4.5! (I was white)
I had the following position in round 5 after the moves ...Bc2 and Rf1.
I played ...h6, allowing White to play e4 and trap my Bishop. Although I could have complicated matters with ...Rfd8, I did not find that move during the game & lost.
I met fellow blogger Donnie from Liquid egg product who tied for 1st in the U1600 section. We played a few blitz games after the event.My next tournament will be the Pike's Peak Open in Colorado Aug 1-2. That will be on our 2009 road trip.
Houston Open History
2009..153..JACEK STOPA
2008...94..KIRILL KUDERINOV
2007..156..AMON SIMUTOWE
2006..123..DANIEL FERNANDEZ
Saturday, July 18, 2009
World Open : Wisconsin's Alex Gianos-Steinberg wins $14,000
Alex Responds (see comments)
Alex won clear first with 8.0/9.0 ! in the U2000 section.
He is also Wisconsin's newest expert!
Who is Alex Gianos-Steinberg?
All I know about Alex is his MSA record at uscf. After his first tournament at the WCC in 2001, he has only played in the Chicago Open until now, with very good results.
2002 U1400 Tie for 26th
2003 U1400 Tie for 4th
2004 U1600 Tie for 22nd
2005 U1600 Clear 1st $5000
2006 U1800 Tie for 8th
2008 U1900 Clear 1st $5000
Saturday, June 20, 2009
San Antonio City Cahmpionship 2009
June 20, 21
San Antonio City Championship
48 players
1 Master
6 Experts
10 A-players
S ANDERSON & G STANLEY tie for first with 4.5/5.0
USCF Results
I finished with 3.5/5.0 I lost to the top seed NM Selby Anderson in round 2 & took a last round bye.
I thought that Black could hold this ending. Although White can create a passed pawn in the middle of the board, I thought that Black had enough resources to defend. I played ..Ng5 to go into a Bishop vs Knight ending. But I think that was was a mistake.
I went over the position with an Expert and he suggested ...a5.
History (year/players/winner(s))
2009 48 S ANDERSON, G STANLEY
2008 51 E MALAZARTE
2007 54 D SUTHERLAND, G STANLEY, A SMITH
2006 70 P YEH, J HYLTIN, A GUERRA
48 players
1 Master
6 Experts
10 A-players
S ANDERSON & G STANLEY tie for first with 4.5/5.0
USCF Results
I finished with 3.5/5.0 I lost to the top seed NM Selby Anderson in round 2 & took a last round bye.
I thought that Black could hold this ending. Although White can create a passed pawn in the middle of the board, I thought that Black had enough resources to defend. I played ..Ng5 to go into a Bishop vs Knight ending. But I think that was was a mistake.I went over the position with an Expert and he suggested ...a5.
History (year/players/winner(s))
2009 48 S ANDERSON, G STANLEY
2008 51 E MALAZARTE
2007 54 D SUTHERLAND, G STANLEY, A SMITH
2006 70 P YEH, J HYLTIN, A GUERRA
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Waukesha CC 4 Round G/90
36 Players
USCF Results
Final cross table
Rnd 4
1-0 Coons(3.0) vs Krause(3.0)
1-0 Kohlenberg(2.5) vs Reese(3.0)
1-0 Williams(2.0) vs Smith(2.5)
1-0 Wijetunge(2.0) vs Zimmermann (2.0)
Black just attacked my knight on f3, instead of doing something about it, I sac
After Rc8
Wjetunge(1848) vs Zimmermann(1676) June 3, 2009
1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Be7 5.Bd3 0-0 6.0-0 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.Nbd2 Bb7 9.c3 Nbd7 10.Rc1 c5 11.Re1 Rc8 12.Bb1 Re8 13.Qc2 b5 14.Ne5 Nf8 15.Ndf3 cxd4 16.exd4 b4 17.Qb3 a5 18.a3 Ba8 19.cxb4 Qb6 20.b5 g5 21.Bg3 Nh5 [21...g4 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Bh4 gxf3 24.Qxf3] 22.a4 Nxg3 23.hxg3 f6 24.Ng6 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 g4 26.Rc8 [26.Qe3 gxf3 27.Qxh6] 26...Rxc8 27.Nxe7+ Kg7 28.Nxc8 Qc7 29.Qc2 Qxc2 30.Bxc2 gxf3 31.gxf3 Nd7 32.Kf1 e5 33.Bf5 Nf8 34.Ke2 e4 35.Ke3 Kf7 36.fxe4 dxe4 37.Bxe4 Bxe4 38.Kxe4 Nd7 39.Kd5 Ke8 40.Kc6 Kd8 41.Nb6 Nf8 42.d5 Ng6 43.Nc4 f5 44.b6 Kc8 45.Nd6+ Kb8 46.Nxf5 Ne5+ 47.Kb5 Nd3 48.d6 Ne5 49.Nxh6 Kb7 50.b4 axb4 51.Kxb4 Kxb6 52.a5+ Kc6 53.f4 Nd3+ 54.Kc3 Nc5 55.Nf5 Nd7 56.Kc4 Nf6 57.Kd4 Nd7 58.g4 Nf8 59.g5 Kb5 60.Ne7 Kxa5 61.f5 Kb5 62.g6 Nd7 63.Nd5
Rnd 3
Many upsets today!
I obtained a very good position, but bad time management did me in.
Here I played Bd5 and White replied Ne1. Instead the best move for Black is Bxh3
Crosstable here
Waukesha Chess Club
USCF Results
Final cross table
Rnd 4
1-0 Coons(3.0) vs Krause(3.0)
1-0 Kohlenberg(2.5) vs Reese(3.0)
1-0 Williams(2.0) vs Smith(2.5)
1-0 Wijetunge(2.0) vs Zimmermann (2.0)
My last game (at least for a while) in WI was memorable since I got to play Rc8 in the following position:
Black just attacked my knight on f3, instead of doing something about it, I sac
After Rc81.d4 d5 2.Bg5 Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Be7 5.Bd3 0-0 6.0-0 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.Nbd2 Bb7 9.c3 Nbd7 10.Rc1 c5 11.Re1 Rc8 12.Bb1 Re8 13.Qc2 b5 14.Ne5 Nf8 15.Ndf3 cxd4 16.exd4 b4 17.Qb3 a5 18.a3 Ba8 19.cxb4 Qb6 20.b5 g5 21.Bg3 Nh5 [21...g4 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Bh4 gxf3 24.Qxf3] 22.a4 Nxg3 23.hxg3 f6 24.Ng6 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 g4 26.Rc8 [26.Qe3 gxf3 27.Qxh6] 26...Rxc8 27.Nxe7+ Kg7 28.Nxc8 Qc7 29.Qc2 Qxc2 30.Bxc2 gxf3 31.gxf3 Nd7 32.Kf1 e5 33.Bf5 Nf8 34.Ke2 e4 35.Ke3 Kf7 36.fxe4 dxe4 37.Bxe4 Bxe4 38.Kxe4 Nd7 39.Kd5 Ke8 40.Kc6 Kd8 41.Nb6 Nf8 42.d5 Ng6 43.Nc4 f5 44.b6 Kc8 45.Nd6+ Kb8 46.Nxf5 Ne5+ 47.Kb5 Nd3 48.d6 Ne5 49.Nxh6 Kb7 50.b4 axb4 51.Kxb4 Kxb6 52.a5+ Kc6 53.f4 Nd3+ 54.Kc3 Nc5 55.Nf5 Nd7 56.Kc4 Nf6 57.Kd4 Nd7 58.g4 Nf8 59.g5 Kb5 60.Ne7 Kxa5 61.f5 Kb5 62.g6 Nd7 63.Nd5
Rnd 3
Many upsets today!
1-0 A. Krause vs W. WilliamsRnd 2 (Reese Jr vs Wijetunge)
1-0 G. Reese Jr. vs C. McCutchin
0-1 T. Zimmermann vs J. Coons
0-1 Russ Montney vs J. Kohlenberg
1-0 J. Smith vs S. Garvin
1/2 R. Hayes vs R. Lauzums
0-1 Pranav Kulkarni vs Ivan Wijetunge
I obtained a very good position, but bad time management did me in.
Here I played Bd5 and White replied Ne1. Instead the best move for Black is Bxh3Crosstable here
Waukesha Chess Club
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
SW Chess Club Quads G/100
There are 6 Quads and a 5 person Swiss
Quad 1
Veech vs Wijetunge Rnd 2
I got a chance to play WI newest expert. (so new that he still had the "new expert smell") We played a crazy game with inaccuracies on both sides and pieces flying every where. The following position is right after Veech played Rxh5? I didn't find the winning move f5 here, but played Bc6 which should have lost if White finds the right continuation, but since he did not I still had chances to be slightly ahead or =. But in the end I lost with the clock ticking down.
Postion after Rxh5?
Wijetunge vs Becker Rnd 1
This is the position after I played Nf3xg5!!
The !! is not because it is the best move (I thought that Bg3 was the best move), it is because sometimes other factors also come in to play. Allen usually spends a long time on the first part of the game leaving him little time for the rest, and this game was no exception. One of the hardest things to do is defend with not much time on the clock. I give up a Knight for 2 pawns. In exchange I get:
Quad 1
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 1 | John Veech | 2040 | X | -0- | -1- | -1- | |
| 2 | Allen Becker | 2000 | -1- | X | -1- | -0- | |
| 3 | Daniel Munoz | 1854 | -0- | -0- | X |
| |
| 4 | Ivan Wijetunge | 1836 | -0- | -1- | .5 | X |
Veech vs Wijetunge Rnd 2
I got a chance to play WI newest expert. (so new that he still had the "new expert smell") We played a crazy game with inaccuracies on both sides and pieces flying every where. The following position is right after Veech played Rxh5? I didn't find the winning move f5 here, but played Bc6 which should have lost if White finds the right continuation, but since he did not I still had chances to be slightly ahead or =. But in the end I lost with the clock ticking down.
Postion after Rxh5?Wijetunge vs Becker Rnd 1
This is the position after I played Nf3xg5!!The !! is not because it is the best move (I thought that Bg3 was the best move), it is because sometimes other factors also come in to play. Allen usually spends a long time on the first part of the game leaving him little time for the rest, and this game was no exception. One of the hardest things to do is defend with not much time on the clock. I give up a Knight for 2 pawns. In exchange I get:
- an annoying pin of the f6 knight
- good attacking chances with a possible rook lift with f4 and Rf3
- force Black to play accurately in time trouble
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Sydney Chess
*Clicking on images will enlarge them
I had some time to checkout the the local chess scene today.
I first went by Hyde Park in down town Sydney where a lunch time crowd had gathered around the giant chess board. I didn't have time to wait around for a game today, I may get another chance later this week.
I had some time to checkout the the local chess scene today.
I first went by Hyde Park in down town Sydney where a lunch time crowd had gathered around the giant chess board. I didn't have time to wait around for a game today, I may get another chance later this week.
There was a spot about the board in today's news paper as well.
I then got a chance to play a few blitz games aginst fellow blogger Chee Tan [tanc (happyhippo) from Lousy at Chess]
Chee took me to the North Sydney Chess club, which is one of the strongest clubs in Australia. The club plays in the auditorium of the North Sydney Leagues Club, which has a casino, gym, restaurants etc. in a beautiful facility.Today the club played a 23 board match against another club (Manly). Below are the strongest members of the team. (Most of them did not play today)
I got to play blitz with Eyal Gur, a visitor from Israel, who said that although he does not play in tournaments anymore, was rated 2300 at one time. The score was 4-0 in his favor. I may have had drawing chances in one of them.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Moving to Corpus Christi,Texas etc.
World Youth Championship Qualifiers There are 2 WI juniors : A. Velikanov & B. Luo in the Boys Under 12 category
WI Tour, J.Veech will be in the sole lead after the HCC IX totals have been calculated.
FM A. Betaneli is now the highest rated active WI player at 2325, With Eric Santarius closing in on 2301. Sheldon still holds on to the # 2 spot despite going from 2342 to 2316.
I will be in Sydney Australia April 26-May 12. I plan to stop by the North Sydney Chess Club, and play a game with fellow blogger Lousy at Chess.
I will be re-locating to Corpus Christi, TX in June. The Corpus Christ Chess Club is just starting up.
I also plan to start a chess club and coach Roshan's school team at SMA.
I plan to play in 2 more events in the Midwest: The Chicago Open and the G/90 Spring Swiss at the Waukesha Chess Club.
WI Tour, J.Veech will be in the sole lead after the HCC IX totals have been calculated.
FM A. Betaneli is now the highest rated active WI player at 2325, With Eric Santarius closing in on 2301. Sheldon still holds on to the # 2 spot despite going from 2342 to 2316.
I will be in Sydney Australia April 26-May 12. I plan to stop by the North Sydney Chess Club, and play a game with fellow blogger Lousy at Chess.
I will be re-locating to Corpus Christi, TX in June. The Corpus Christ Chess Club is just starting up.
I also plan to start a chess club and coach Roshan's school team at SMA.
I plan to play in 2 more events in the Midwest: The Chicago Open and the G/90 Spring Swiss at the Waukesha Chess Club.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Hales Corners Challenge IX
April 25th, Milwaukee
Rnd. 3 David Jin(1920) vs me
I had a bad tournament. This is the position with Black to play. I was very happy with this position. I have a clear plan: minority attack. But in mutual time trouble I lost a drawn rook and pawn ending.
4 TENNANT
2 TATE,YOUNG,SANTARIUS,BURGESS,STAMNOV,BECKER
I had a bad tournament. This is the position with Black to play. I was very happy with this position. I have a clear plan: minority attack. But in mutual time trouble I lost a drawn rook and pawn ending.History: number of players (open+reserve) and the winner(s):
HCC IX...04/2009 (56+51=107)AMANOV,YOUNG,SANTARIUS,KOHLENBERG
HCC VIII.10/2008 (33+32=65) TATE,YOUNG,TENNANT,BECKER
HCC VII..04/2008 (22+30=52) BURGESS,TENNANT,PARKER
HCC VI...10/2007 (30+32=62) TENNANT, BREIDER,SANTARIUS
HCC V....04/2007 (40+22=62) TATE,STAMNOV
HCC IV...11/2006 (23+26=49) STAMNOV
HCC III..04/2006 (28+17=45) TENNANT
HCC II...10/2005 (20+18=38) BURGESS,BECKER
HCC I....04/2005 (34+36=70) BETANELI
4 TENNANT
2 TATE,YOUNG,SANTARIUS,BURGESS,STAMNOV,BECKER
Friday, April 17, 2009
Marshall Chess Club - NYC
We spent spring break in NYC and I got a chance to play at the Marshall Chess Club yesterday. It was 4 round G/30 event. It was a very strong event with 45 players. There was a GM, 3 IMs and a FM! along with several other masters and experts.I was paired against NM Oliver Chernin in the first round. He played the English and we reached the following position with Black to play, but I could not hold in mutual time trouble.
In round 2 I beat 1658 rated 5th grader Lilia Poteat who should be around #30 in the May Top Girls Under 16 list. She became the 2009 KCF All-Girls Nationals Under-12 Champion
I drew 1939 rated Marcus Fenner in round 3.
My 4th round opponent didn't show up! Giving me 2.5/4.0 and a share of the U2000 prize. (Which was a little less than the entry fee since it was a 4-way tie)
I have now played in 20 states.
USCF Cross table here.
Official Marshall Chess Club website here.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Concentrate! Concentrate? Concentrate.
The above is chapter 5 in "Chess for Zebras". I am convinced that lack of concentration has a lot to do with why I lose games.
After a couple of mediocre performances, I had a chance to go 3-1 last night in the Waukesha Chess Club Championship. A win would have given me a nice rating gain. But I lost and it cost me over 30 rating points.
I am Black with the move, and was very happy with my position. I was sure that I could put pressure on the White pawn center, plus I had an overwhelming time advantage.
White's last move was Qg4. My first thought was to play Kh8 to side step any tactical ideas based on Bh6, but since I had ...Bf8, I decided not to take a time out for defence and played ...c5.
But ...c5 is a blunder here as after Bb5! Black must lose the exchange!
After a couple of mediocre performances, I had a chance to go 3-1 last night in the Waukesha Chess Club Championship. A win would have given me a nice rating gain. But I lost and it cost me over 30 rating points.
I am Black with the move, and was very happy with my position. I was sure that I could put pressure on the White pawn center, plus I had an overwhelming time advantage.White's last move was Qg4. My first thought was to play Kh8 to side step any tactical ideas based on Bh6, but since I had ...Bf8, I decided not to take a time out for defence and played ...c5.
But ...c5 is a blunder here as after Bb5! Black must lose the exchange!
Monday, April 06, 2009
Supernationals 2009
Like they say, "you really had to be there". There is nothing quite like being in the midst of over 5000 chess players.
Click here for all the results.
Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
I got to meet Polly from Castling Queen Side
I played in the 4 rounds G/30 Parents & Friends event on Saturday.
USCF results here.
I don't usually play with rated games faster than G/60, but I had to make an exception. There were 75 players and I was the 9th seed. After winning the first 2 I had the following position in round 3. I am up a pawn, but could not come up with a plan and drew the game. After looking at the position later I came up with ...Nd3 with the idea of doubling rooks.
I was paired against expert Alan Kantor from TN in the last round. I had a great middle game position but we got to the following ending, where the queen-side pawn majority should give me the edge, but with less than 1 minute left on both clocks I managed to lose.
I added Tennessee to the list of States I have played in, to bring the count up to 19.
Click here for all the results.
Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
I got to meet Polly from Castling Queen Side
I played in the 4 rounds G/30 Parents & Friends event on Saturday.
USCF results here.
I don't usually play with rated games faster than G/60, but I had to make an exception. There were 75 players and I was the 9th seed. After winning the first 2 I had the following position in round 3. I am up a pawn, but could not come up with a plan and drew the game. After looking at the position later I came up with ...Nd3 with the idea of doubling rooks.
I was paired against expert Alan Kantor from TN in the last round. I had a great middle game position but we got to the following ending, where the queen-side pawn majority should give me the edge, but with less than 1 minute left on both clocks I managed to lose.
I added Tennessee to the list of States I have played in, to bring the count up to 19.Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Waukesha Chess Club Championship
4 Round Swiss, G/90. The Open Section has 20 players, the U-1600 18.
The last round is scheduled for April 8.
Rnd 2 (March 25) William Williams (2200) vs. me
The obvious move is N g4 when I think that Black has a small edge. For some reason that I can't understand I played f4?? , losing a pawn for nothing.
Rnd 1 (March 18) S.Dill (1533) vs. me
I had this very unbalanced & interesting position. I have an extra pawn, but my king is stuck in the middle, he has a bishop & I have a knight. It looks like I can make use of the open/half open files first. I was looking forward to a intriguing battle when he blundered with Rxd5.
The last round is scheduled for April 8.
CLARK O MCCUTCHIN Wins clear firstUSCF results hereRnd 2 (March 25) William Williams (2200) vs. me
The obvious move is N g4 when I think that Black has a small edge. For some reason that I can't understand I played f4?? , losing a pawn for nothing.
Rnd 1 (March 18) S.Dill (1533) vs. me
I had this very unbalanced & interesting position. I have an extra pawn, but my king is stuck in the middle, he has a bishop & I have a knight. It looks like I can make use of the open/half open files first. I was looking forward to a intriguing battle when he blundered with Rxd5.
Last year's tournament was held as 8 person round robins. Alexander Velikanov & William Williams tied for first with 6-1=0. That was also the section in which I lost all 7 games! Click here for the cross table.
Friday, March 27, 2009
This and that.
Chess is so frustrating.
I was on a 10 game unbeaten streak. My last loss coming on Jan. 25th. But I have lost 2 games in 2 days. The first, I am not too concerned about since it was against a master and I played pretty well. But yesterday's loss to Pokorski (1660) was inexcusable. It's probably one of the worst games I have played.
Click here for the game.
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Supernationals April 3-5
I plan to play in the Parents and friends tournament. This year it is a 4 round G/30 event. In the past its been G/45.
I hope to go to a Kasparov book signing. I wonder how he would react if I ask him to sign this book.
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2009 Wisconsin Tour
Latest standings after 2 events: here
I was on a 10 game unbeaten streak. My last loss coming on Jan. 25th. But I have lost 2 games in 2 days. The first, I am not too concerned about since it was against a master and I played pretty well. But yesterday's loss to Pokorski (1660) was inexcusable. It's probably one of the worst games I have played.
Click here for the game.
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Supernationals April 3-5
I plan to play in the Parents and friends tournament. This year it is a 4 round G/30 event. In the past its been G/45.
I hope to go to a Kasparov book signing. I wonder how he would react if I ask him to sign this book.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009 Wisconsin Tour
Latest standings after 2 events: here
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Jr. vs Jr. form the 2009 Waukesha Memorial
This is the 3rd round clash: Nolan Hendrickson vs Alexander Velikanov, with annotations by Nolan.
Alexander Velikanov (left) [the #6 rated 11 year old in the nation] vs Nolan Hendrickson [the #86 rated 15 year old in the nation] . Nolan has increased his rating in every tournament he has played in. (Except for one where he finished even)
Alexander Velikanov (left) [the #6 rated 11 year old in the nation] vs Nolan Hendrickson [the #86 rated 15 year old in the nation] . Nolan has increased his rating in every tournament he has played in. (Except for one where he finished even)
My round 3 win from the Waukesha Memorial
Please click here.
Below is my last game againts the same opponent (Jason vs Ivan Jan. 25th 2009)
Black to move after Whites 26th move. A few days before this game I was reading a book where it taked about how the good players can feel it when there is a winning sacrifice. I decided to sac the exchange and played Bxh4,[ instead of that Rb8 and Black is much better because he at least wins the b pawn, since the Knight on h5 is hanging]. Well, that proves that I am not a good player yet!
Flanders, Jason (1628) - Wijetunge,Ivan (1883) [B13]
NEO Neenah 25.01.2009
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 e6 [6...Bg4 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Qa4+ Bd7; 6...Bf5 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qc2 Nxc4] 7.Rc1 Be7 8.a3 a5 [8...0–0 9.b4 dxc4 10.Bxc4 a5 11.b5 Nb8 12.a4 Nd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Bd3 Bb4+ 15.Bd2 Qg5 16.Bxb4 axb4 17.Bf1 Re8+ 18.Ne2 Nd7 19.g3 Nb6 20.Bg2 Nxa4] 9.Nf3 0–0 10.Qc2 Bd7 11.cxd5 exd5 [11...Nxd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Bd3 Bg4 (13...Rc8 14.Qb3 Bg4 15.Qxb7 Rc7 16.Qb6 Bxf3 17.gxf3) 14.Bxh7+ Kh8 15.Bd3 Bxf3 16.gxf3] 12.Bd3 h6 13.0–0 Rc8 14.Qb3 Bg4 15.Nd2 [15.Ne5 Nxe5 16.dxe5 d4 17.exf6 Bxf6] 15...Qd7 16.Bb5 Bf5 17.Qa4 Bd8 [17...Ng4 18.Bxc6 bxc6 19.Qxa5 Ra8] 18.Ne2 Ng4 19.Ng3 Be6 20.Nf3 g5 21.h3 Nxe3 22.fxe3 Qd6 23.Nh5 f6 24.Bxc6 bxc6 25.Qc2 Bf7 26.Qf5 Bxh5?? [26...Rb8 27.g4 Rxb2 28.Rf2 Rb6 29.Rc5 a4 30.Qc2 Re8 31.Re2 Bxh5 32.gxh5 Qg3+; 26...Rc7 27.g4 Re8 28.Rc3] 27.Qxc8 Bxf3 28.Rxf3 Bc7 29.Qf5 Kg7 30.Rcf1 Qh2+ 31.Kf2 1–0
Below is my last game againts the same opponent (Jason vs Ivan Jan. 25th 2009)
Black to move after Whites 26th move. A few days before this game I was reading a book where it taked about how the good players can feel it when there is a winning sacrifice. I decided to sac the exchange and played Bxh4,[ instead of that Rb8 and Black is much better because he at least wins the b pawn, since the Knight on h5 is hanging]. Well, that proves that I am not a good player yet!Flanders, Jason (1628) - Wijetunge,Ivan (1883) [B13]
NEO Neenah 25.01.2009
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 e6 [6...Bg4 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Qa4+ Bd7; 6...Bf5 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qc2 Nxc4] 7.Rc1 Be7 8.a3 a5 [8...0–0 9.b4 dxc4 10.Bxc4 a5 11.b5 Nb8 12.a4 Nd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Bd3 Bb4+ 15.Bd2 Qg5 16.Bxb4 axb4 17.Bf1 Re8+ 18.Ne2 Nd7 19.g3 Nb6 20.Bg2 Nxa4] 9.Nf3 0–0 10.Qc2 Bd7 11.cxd5 exd5 [11...Nxd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Bd3 Bg4 (13...Rc8 14.Qb3 Bg4 15.Qxb7 Rc7 16.Qb6 Bxf3 17.gxf3) 14.Bxh7+ Kh8 15.Bd3 Bxf3 16.gxf3] 12.Bd3 h6 13.0–0 Rc8 14.Qb3 Bg4 15.Nd2 [15.Ne5 Nxe5 16.dxe5 d4 17.exf6 Bxf6] 15...Qd7 16.Bb5 Bf5 17.Qa4 Bd8 [17...Ng4 18.Bxc6 bxc6 19.Qxa5 Ra8] 18.Ne2 Ng4 19.Ng3 Be6 20.Nf3 g5 21.h3 Nxe3 22.fxe3 Qd6 23.Nh5 f6 24.Bxc6 bxc6 25.Qc2 Bf7 26.Qf5 Bxh5?? [26...Rb8 27.g4 Rxb2 28.Rf2 Rb6 29.Rc5 a4 30.Qc2 Re8 31.Re2 Bxh5 32.gxh5 Qg3+; 26...Rc7 27.g4 Re8 28.Rc3] 27.Qxc8 Bxf3 28.Rxf3 Bc7 29.Qf5 Kg7 30.Rcf1 Qh2+ 31.Kf2 1–0
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
27th Annual Waukesha Memorial
February 28
Open Results
4.0 R BRUCH
3.5 J VEECH, J PRENOT, N HENDRICKSON, I WIJETUNGE, J ROMICH
*The main event has been rated, click here
*The blitz event has been rated, click here
The tournament was a huge success with a record 75 players.
*The main event has been rated, click here
*The blitz event has been rated, click here
The tournament was a huge success with a record 75 players.
Open winner ROBERT M BRUCH getting his travelling trophy from Jim Nickell
On the left is Top seed Alexander Velikanov [the #6 rated 11 year old in the nation] who was upset by Nolan Hendrickson [the #86 rated 15 year old in the nation] in 3rd round.
Last round board 2: On the right is unrated Thomas Irvin who was 3-0 before losing the "Battle of the Shaven heads" to J. Prenot . Looking on from board 1 is Wade Christensen , who lost to the tournament winner Robert Bruch.
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The blitz tournament was a very successful with 20 players. Thanks to Jim Rowe for his help in running this event. The tournament has been rated. Click here.
3 finished with 3-0
A. Velikanov
N. Hendrickson
J. Romich
History
2009 75 R BRUCH
2008 52 M WALLER, J KOHLENBERG, D CARDENAS
2007 47 P FRICANO
2006 38 P FRICANO
2005 42 A VAJA
2004 38 N GLEASON
Monday, February 09, 2009
U.S. Amateur Team - North
The Indiana quartet of "Jimmy Runs Deep" takes the North.
Scholastic results here
Blitz results here
Jim analyzing his last round draw with top seed FM Dennis Monokroussos
Amateur Team Winners
North 144 Players, 34 Teams
"Jimmy Runs Deep"
2219 JIM H DEAN
2132 GARRETT L SMITH
2083 DREW D HOLLINBERGER
1942 DANIEL GATER
South 121 Players, ~29 Teams
"My girl is pissed!"
2485 Bruci Lopez
2210 Ernesto Alvarez
2069 Gilberto Luna II
2009 Makaio W Krienke
East 1201 Players, 283 Teams
"Palin Gambit: I can see checkmate"
2320 Paul Mac Intyre
2210 Brian Hulse
2189 Libardo Rueda
2052 Alan Price
West 335 Players, ~79 Teams
"ACA BEASTS!"
2412 John Daniel Bryant
2147 Michael Yee
2158 Vincent Huang
2049 Santy Wong
Monday, January 26, 2009
UW-Winter Open, Madison WI,
Feb. 7, 8
Tex De Wit goes 5-0
Click here for the Winner's report
Click here for a few positions from his games at the event *Added 2/13/2009
USCF results
Click here for the Winner's report
Click here for a few positions from his games at the event *Added 2/13/2009
USCF results
Tex De Wit 2243 is an exchange student from Holland studying in Iowa City
Playing Hall
The "Cool Shades" sectionHistory
2009 54 (NM Tex De Wit)
2008 53 (J ROMICH)
2007 58 (NM A BETANELI)
2006 58 (A VAJA, B LUO)
2005 57 (NM A BETANELI, E SANTARIUS , J RICHARDS)
2004 51 (IM S SMIATANKIN, NM R JOYNT)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
45th Northeastern Open Chess Championships
Jan. 24, 25 Neenah, WI
This has been the most attended yearly event in Wisconsin. (non-scholastic)History
year / players / winner(s)
2009 98 (NM E SANTARIUS, H PAN)
2008 95 (IM M AMANOV, NM A BETANELI, E SANTARIUS)
2007 97 (FM A STAMNOV)
2006 116 (A VAJA , G ARANOVICH)
2005 100 (FM A STAMNOV, E SANTARIUS)
2004 108 (IM S SMIATANKIN, NM A BETANELI, J ROWE)
I had a horrible 2nd day. I was telling someone the other day how I had not made any really bad blunders in a long time. I may have jinxed myelf. In round 4 after
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.e3 Ne4 4.Bf4 e6 5.Nd2 c6 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Bc4 Nd7 8.Ne2 g5 9.Bg3 Qa5+ 10.c3 Nb6 11.Bb3 h5 12.Be5 Rh6 13.h4 g4 14.Bf4 Rh7 15.Bc7 f5
I had the following position as White against J BECKER (2053) . Black's last move was f5. I was so eager to put a Knight on f4, that I overlooked Rxc7.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The ritziest chess club in the world?
I got the opportunity to stop by the Saint Louis Chess Club a couple of weeks ago.
I had heard a lot about this club and had seen several pictures, but one has to be there to really appreciate it.
Tony Rich - Executive Director
Friday, January 09, 2009
NAO Las Vegas
So close, yet so far...
I had a great time at the 2008 NAO. It was a chance to meet old friends and make new ones. It was also a chance to see if my #3 seed status in the U1900 section was justified.
Take 1
I arrived for the first round late because of a flight delay, and also with very little sleep the two previous nights. Despite these handicaps I managed to get the following position as White.
I had the opportunity to see some of his games since he was sitting next to me in several previous rounds. He was winning most of his games very easily in tactic heavy positions. In fact we became friends and he helped me analyze a couple of my games.
He was the only opponent I did not want to face in round 7. When we were paired in the last round I was already at a psychological disadvantage.
I then got the following position as White and was sure that Black had to repeat moves. I was happy with a draw, but he was not!
Instead of playing the expected ...Rb8 (3-fold repetition draw), he played ...cxd!? My best move after that is to take the rook and play Ke2 after the Bishop check, but I played Be2.
He won around $2500.00, and me $75.00! Michael did bye me dinner after the game though!
Old guy 4, young guys 0
Take 1
I arrived for the first round late because of a flight delay, and also with very little sleep the two previous nights. Despite these handicaps I managed to get the following position as White.
In bad time trouble I played Rg1?! , instead the obvious f4 was much better. I managed to lose this game.
Take 2
I decided to re-enter with a bye for the first round, and scored 4.5/5.0 in rounds 2-6
My best game was in round five where I played Bg6 as White in the following position against Daniel Pecherski . After ...f6, Nf7+ Rxf7, Bxf7 Qxf7, Rd8+ Bf8, Bxb8 Black is paralyzed.
I found Re2 as Black in round four vs Roland Zhu in bad time trouble (Thanks CTS)
Round 7
Win = $2500.00
Draw=$1000.00
Loss=$75.00
My last round opponent was Michael G Da-cruz from California. He has been rated as high as 2048 in the past.
I had the opportunity to see some of his games since he was sitting next to me in several previous rounds. He was winning most of his games very easily in tactic heavy positions. In fact we became friends and he helped me analyze a couple of my games.
He was the only opponent I did not want to face in round 7. When we were paired in the last round I was already at a psychological disadvantage.
I then got the following position as White and was sure that Black had to repeat moves. I was happy with a draw, but he was not!
Instead of playing the expected ...Rb8 (3-fold repetition draw), he played ...cxd!? My best move after that is to take the rook and play Ke2 after the Bishop check, but I played Be2.He won around $2500.00, and me $75.00! Michael did bye me dinner after the game though!
Old guy 4, young guys 0
As an adult player I am envious of the young guys, they mostly:
- have more time to study
- improve faster
- have experienced coaches
- don't have to worry about finances etc.
In this tournament I am happy to report that I won all four games against younger opponents.
My round three draw was against Daniel Mallaghan who came all the way from Ireland!
CCA Results etc. here
USCF results here
CCA Results etc. here
USCF results here
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Wisconsin State Quick Chess Championship
Saturday Dec. 13
Erik Santarius Wins his 3rd WI title of the year!
He is now:
WI State Champion
WI State Blitz Champion
WI State Quick Champion
75! (51 in the scholastic) players showed up for the last tournament at Union South. The building will be demolished to make way for a new student union.
Erik Santarius Wins his 3rd WI title of the year!He is now:
WI State Champion
WI State Blitz Champion
WI State Quick Champion
75! (51 in the scholastic) players showed up for the last tournament at Union South. The building will be demolished to make way for a new student union.
Friday, December 05, 2008
This and that..
It looks like I will be able to play in the North American Open, after an 11 year break. In 1997 I scored 2.5/5.0 in the U1800 section.
I started coaching my son's scholastic chess team on a volunteer basis. I am enjoying the experience especially since I have a very enthusiastic group.(7 new USCF members)
We play in our 3rd tournament tomorrow. We placed 3rd in our very first, and tied for 4th the second time around.
Click here for the coaching blog.
I started coaching my son's scholastic chess team on a volunteer basis. I am enjoying the experience especially since I have a very enthusiastic group.(7 new USCF members)
We play in our 3rd tournament tomorrow. We placed 3rd in our very first, and tied for 4th the second time around.
Click here for the coaching blog.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Dissapointed
*Updated 11/18 - Pictures can be clicked to enlarge.
King's Island Open
Click here for CCA results, Click here for USCF reults
King's Island Open
Click here for CCA results, Click here for USCF reults
I went 3-2=0 in the U1900 section. The losses were hard to take as they were both in great positions, complicated by time trouble. I have to work on better time management!
It's ironic but my best games were my losses. Here is a position from my 3rd round loss to Daniel, who tied for first.
I am White here and if I played Nc6 Black can resign.Click here to replay game
This is the a position from the last round, where a win would have won $267
I played f4, which is still winning, but Nf5 is much strongerClick here to replay game
Four of us made the trip. Derek Paitrick had a great event in the U2100 section winning $320 and becoming Wisconsin's newest expert. Paul Fricano had a sub par effort in the Open Section with 1-4=0, but had winning positions in his first two losses, including one against GM Anatoly Lein. Ryan Jayne went 3-1=1, and won $18 in the U1700 section.
Derek Paitrick during his last round draw. (He has a notebook with pencil)
We went to eat around 1am on Friday and ran in to the top two seeds GM Darmen Sadvakasov 2638 (and girlfriend) and GM Alexander Shabalov 2632
Last round action.Front: IM Bryan G Smith(Right) upset GM Darmen Sadvakasov
Back: GM Alexander Shabalov(Right) beat IM Kirill Kuderinov.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Kings Island Open 2008
Click here for Tournament Information
Click here for pre-Entries (221)
Four of us will be travelling together (The only WI participants that have pre-registered)
Open Section - 2011 Paul Fricano 1-4=0
Under 2100 - 1940 Derek Paitrick 3-0=2
Under 1900 - 1883 Ivan Wijetunge 3-2=0
Under 1700 - 1692 Ryan Jayne 3-1=1
I played in the Under 2000 section in 2006 and scored 2.5/5.0
Click here for pre-Entries (221)
Four of us will be travelling together (The only WI participants that have pre-registered)
Open Section - 2011 Paul Fricano 1-4=0
Under 2100 - 1940 Derek Paitrick 3-0=2
Under 1900 - 1883 Ivan Wijetunge 3-2=0
Under 1700 - 1692 Ryan Jayne 3-1=1
I played in the Under 2000 section in 2006 and scored 2.5/5.0
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Elusive 1900
I was hoping to use last week's tournament as training before the Kings Island Open. I was in a confident mood, since I had a good chance of reaching 1900, but a first round draw put a dent in my confidence, and I could not recover ending with a dismal 1-1=3. If nothing else I got a good lesson in humility. 
The above position is from my loss. I am Black with the move.
My best performance in a chess tournament came a week after a dismal one, so I am hoping that history will repeat itself!
As training for the Kings Island Open I plan to:
The above position is from my loss. I am Black with the move. Some observations:
My Bishop is better, therefore I should try to exchange off other pieces, I can challenge the e-pawn with either c5 or e5. If I had taken my time I would have seen that White's main idea is to put a Knight on e5, and as long as I have a Knight on d7, I can chop it off. In the game I instinctively played 15...Nf6 ?!
1. Nc3 c6 2. d4 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bf5 5. Nf3 h6 6. Nd2 e6 7. O-O Bd6 8.e4 dxe4 9. Ncxe4 O-O 10. Re1 Be7 11. c3 Nbd7 12. Qe2 Re8 13. Nc4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Bxe4 15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qc2 Rc8 17. Bf4 c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Rad1 Qe7?? 20. Bd6 +-
17...Nd5 was better
19...Nd5 =
My best performance in a chess tournament came a week after a dismal one, so I am hoping that history will repeat itself!
As training for the Kings Island Open I plan to:
- do 45 min./day of aerobic training
- get at least 7 hrs of sleep/day
- play a G/90 game against Master William Williams
- do 250 problems/day on the Chess Tactics Server
WCC Double Round Quads - G/90
Waukesha Chess Club
There are 6 quads and a 5 person section for a total of 31
Click here for results (Quads 1 & 2)
Click here for my uninspiring draw against Raymond Hayes. (I was behind on time and didn't really like my position so I took the draw that was offered)
I am White. We analyzed the game using Coon's quad-core 64bit machine running Rybka 3, and these are improvements she found:
9. d x e5
11. a3
12. B x f4
13. B x f4
15. Q d2 (e5 probably the worst move I made)
19. R e5
There are 6 quads and a 5 person section for a total of 31
Click here for results (Quads 1 & 2)
Click here for my uninspiring draw against Raymond Hayes. (I was behind on time and didn't really like my position so I took the draw that was offered)
I am White. We analyzed the game using Coon's quad-core 64bit machine running Rybka 3, and these are improvements she found:
9. d x e5
11. a3
12. B x f4
13. B x f4
15. Q d2 (e5 probably the worst move I made)
19. R e5
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wisconsin Junior Open / Veteran's Tournament
In the Junior Open HONGKAI PAN went 5-0. He will be Wisconsin's Denker representative at the US Open in 2009.
In the Veteran's event TIMOTHY P VOIGT & CHRISTOPHER BAUMGARTNER tied for first with 4.5/5.0
Although I was the 3rd seed I played poorly to end with 1-1=3! I don't have an explanation for this poor showing. I think I let the first round draw get to me, although I tried not to let it. My record in this event now is 12-3=8
Click here for USCF results
Round 5:
DEREK D SACHS(1767) vs HONGKAI PAN(1895) 0-1 and
JAMES FAN WU (2040) vs JOSHUA D MILLER (1610) 0-1 (closest to camera)
In the Veteran's event TIMOTHY P VOIGT & CHRISTOPHER BAUMGARTNER tied for first with 4.5/5.0
Although I was the 3rd seed I played poorly to end with 1-1=3! I don't have an explanation for this poor showing. I think I let the first round draw get to me, although I tried not to let it. My record in this event now is 12-3=8
Click here for USCF results
History - Number of players and the winner(s)
2008 34 TIMOTHY P VOIGT, CHRISTOPHER BAUMGARTNER
2007 45 ALEX BETANELI, TATIANA VAYSERBERG
2006 42 DANIEL L LINDQUIST
2005 29 GUY G HOFFMAN
2004 34 WILLIAM ELGER , WILLIAM R OLK, IVAN WIJETUNGE
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Coach
I decided to volunteer as chess coach at my son's school. We've had only 2 lessons, and today the kids played in their first tournament as a team. (It was the first tournament experience for 3 out of the 4 team members)
We won third place!
Click here for the the team blog
We won third place!
Click here for the the team blog
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Conrad Holt
I got a chance to ask Conrad a few questions, at the Midwest Class Championships but before we get to that a few facts:Age : 15
Rating : 2262
Home town : Wichita, Kansas
Number of tournaments to get from 1600-2000 : six in 10 months
Number of tournaments to get from 2000-2200 : nine in 8 months
Click here for Conrad's USCF history
You seem to have made the difficult transition from expert to master fairly easily, what helped you most to achieve this?
Conrad: Playing on ICC (mostly 3, 5 and 15 min. games) & studying opening books.
Do you have a coach?
Conrad: No
What's your record against GMs?
Conrad: I played GM for the fist time in round 1 and drew him. (Dmitry Gurevich)
(Conrad finished with 2.5/5.0 with losses to Yury Shulman & Benjamin Finegold)
Click here to see Fingold's analysis of his win over Holt
When do you think you will become a GM?
Conrad: In 2 years.
When is your next tournament?
Conrad: Not sure, but I will participate in the next US Chess School
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
HCC VIII
I finished with 2-1=1 and lost 3 rating points. The loss was to co-champion Allen Becker. I misplayed the middle game, but reached the following equal position as Black. But in mutual time trouble played Qxc4??, which loses a piece to Bxe4. 
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Hales Corners Challenge VIII
Nolan Hendrickson vs Angelo Young & Emory Tate vs David Sagunsky round 1
History: number of players (open+reserve) and the winner(s):
HCC VIII.10/2008 (33+32=65) TATE, YOUNG, TENNANT, BECKER
HCC VII..04/2008 (22+30=52) BURGESS, TENNANT, PARKER
HCC VI...10/2007 (30+32=62) TENNANT, BREIDER, SANTARIUS
HCC V....04/2007 (40+22=62) TATE, STAMNOV
HCC IV...11/2006 (23+26=49) STAMNOV
HCC III..04/2006 (28+17=45) TENNANT
HCC II...10/2005 (20+18=38) BURGESS, BECKER
HCC I....04/2005 (34+36=70) BETANELI
Most wins:
4 TENNANT
2 TATE, BURGESS, STAMNOV, BECKER
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
1900?
There have been several times in the past when I was close enough to 1900 where a decent performance would have put me over. But each time I underperformed to fall further behind(Madison, Neenah, Rockford, Kansas City, Grand Rapids).
I am at that point again(1883). Since I plan to play in the u1900 section at the Kings Island Open, Nov. 14-16, I decided to wait till the cut-off for the November supplement(Oct 3), before I play again. (Just in case I cross over!)
I know, I know....ratings don't mean much, what really matters is playing good moves.
I have been re-reading Jeramy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess . I am getting much more out of it this time around.
I have also been working on tactics(Understanding Chess Tactics, CTS) and openings.
My next week-end tournament will be the Hales Corners Challenge VIII . (Oct. 4)
And then the WI Veteran's Tournament (Nov. 8, 9)
I am at that point again(1883). Since I plan to play in the u1900 section at the Kings Island Open, Nov. 14-16, I decided to wait till the cut-off for the November supplement(Oct 3), before I play again. (Just in case I cross over!)
I know, I know....ratings don't mean much, what really matters is playing good moves.
I have been re-reading Jeramy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess . I am getting much more out of it this time around.
I have also been working on tactics(Understanding Chess Tactics, CTS) and openings.
My next week-end tournament will be the Hales Corners Challenge VIII . (Oct. 4)
And then the WI Veteran's Tournament (Nov. 8, 9)
I also plan to play in a couple of one game a week events at the SWCC & WCC
4 Round Swiss G/100 (Sep. 25, Oct. 2, 9, 16)
Double RR Quads G/90 (Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26 Dec. 3, 10)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Upcoming Wisconsin Events
Sep 27th, 28th 2008 Greg Knutson Memorial
Oct 4th Hales Corners Challenge VIII
Oct 18th Wisconsin State Blitz Championship
Nov 8th, 9th WI Junior Open/Veteran's Tournament
Oct 4th Hales Corners Challenge VIII
Oct 18th Wisconsin State Blitz Championship
Nov 8th, 9th WI Junior Open/Veteran's Tournament
Sunday, September 21, 2008
LEPers II Champion
I am proud to announce that I am the LEPers II Champion. I am eagerly awaiting invitations to prestigious chess events as a result of this :)The LEPers II tournament was an online (FICS) tournament for Bloggers conducted by Donnie (Liquid Egg Product). That's where the name LEPers came from. The time control was 15 min. with a 30 sec. increment.
Click here for more information on who took part.
Click here for the final game against Polly(Castling Queenside).
Thanks Donnie for running the event. I can't wait for LEPers III.
Polly's account of the final is here.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
WCC Team Tournament [5 Rnds G/90]
The winning team: Back row M Politowski, M Lawrence, Me
Front row C Schneider, Greg Reese Jr and Ryan Jayne(not pictured) .
*Updated 9/08 (Final team results)
36 players participated.
Team Selection
Once the team captains were selected(top 6 rated players), the lowest rated captain got the first pick. In each successive round the lowest(cumulative) rated team got first pick. 
Jim directing the team selection process.
July 16My team(Team-2) won 5-0. (The opposing team had a missing player)
I beat Stanley Garvin (1776). The game started 1.d4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. cd cd 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 This was getting pretty boring and I wanted to break the symmetry and played 6... e6 although I knew that 6...Bf5 was the best move. Stanley took too much time in the opening and dropped a piece with about 12 min left. (I had around 40 min left).
July 23
My team lost 2-3=1. I lost to top seed William Williams(2200) on board 1. Ryan Jayne was upset by James Nickell on board 2.
July 30
No team results since there were many missing participants. Williams was upset by J Kohlenberg
Aug. 6th
My team went 6-0!
I beat J Veech on board 1. Since I hadn't played the White side of the Grunfeld in a while I opted for a passive line with e3.
1.d4 Nf3 2. Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5.e3 0-0 6.cd Nxd5 7.Bc4 Nxc3 8.bc c5
I thought I had a slight edge after the opening phase, but after many exchanges, Black may have had a slight advantage in the ending. The deciding factor was going to be the clock, since I was way behind. Luckily for me a bishop was gifted to me on move 39.
Aug 20
Three weeks of make-up games began today.
I drew J Coons(1840), but Ryan was upset by Aaron Krause.
Aug 27
I lost to J Kohlenberg(1907) But Cludia Schneider's won a great game over T.Kulkarni to gave the team a win. Team 2 will at least tie for 1st.
I am White here. Instead of playing Re8, I decided to complicate matters since my opponent was short on time and played Ne5, But I am the one who later got into time trouble and lost!
Friday, September 05, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Iowa Open - What could have been.
I had great fun playing at the Iowa Open. Since I had lived there in the past it was a chance to meet up with old friends. James Hodina ran a great tournament and the playing conditions were excellent.
Round 1 - Win
I won against a 2200 player, but since he is at his floor and not currently playing at the Master level I did not attach too much significance to the win.
Round 2 - Loss
I was paired against 2116 rated Matthew Dahl from Minnesota. I had Black in the following position.
USCF Results
Sean Nagle won the tournament with 4.5/5. He beat 2 time Iowa champion Pete Karagianis in round 4 and 3 time current Iowa champion Tim McEntee in round 5. Matt Anzis was second with 4/5. 3rd was shared by McEntee, Matt Dahl, Robert Keating, and Tatiana Vayserberg at 3.5/5
Round 1 - Win
I won against a 2200 player, but since he is at his floor and not currently playing at the Master level I did not attach too much significance to the win.
Round 2 - Loss
I was paired against 2116 rated Matthew Dahl from Minnesota. I had Black in the following position.
All have to do is play Rb8, and White's best move is probably to resign! But I got greedy and completely overlooked the Rook check on h7 (after the check on c8). I never thought of it that way, but because of the check White essentially got to play two moves in a row. Even after the move I played, I had several chances to draw, but botched it. After this narrow escape Matthew went on draw 2425 rated top seed Sean Nagle in round 3 and beat 2144 rated Tatiana Veyserburg in round 4, but he was beaten by Matt Anzis in round 5. Matt finished clear second with 4.0/5.0 and gained 50 points to get his rating up to 1960.
Round 3 - Draw
After the set back in round 2 I was in no mood to play round 3. I was White and played the exchange variation of the King's Indian. We agreed to a draw around move 20. My opponent was 1981 rated Robert Keating.
Round 4 - Loss
I was paired against a 1999 player who had not played in a long while. I managed to build a huge time advantage. (in the neighbourhood of 1 hour!) The time control was G/120 with 15 second delay. I had an opening initiative, but lost my way and once Black got his knight to c3 I thought that Black was better. At the end when Black was desperately low on time, I missed the tactic that not only won him a pawn, but forced the exchange of queens and left my pieces badly placed.
Click here to replay rounds 2 and 4.
I can't help but wonder what could have been, had I won round 2!
USCF Results
Sean Nagle won the tournament with 4.5/5. He beat 2 time Iowa champion Pete Karagianis in round 4 and 3 time current Iowa champion Tim McEntee in round 5. Matt Anzis was second with 4/5. 3rd was shared by McEntee, Matt Dahl, Robert Keating, and Tatiana Vayserberg at 3.5/5
Friday, August 29, 2008
Iowa Open 2008
USCF Results
Sean Nagle won the tournament with 4.5/5. He beat 2 time Iowa champion Pete Karagianis in round 4 and 3 time current Iowa champion Tim McEntee in round 5. Matt Anzis was second with 4/5. 3rd was shared by McEntee, Matt Dahl, Robert Keating, and Tatiana Vayserberg at 3.5/5
History (year/# of players/ winners)
2007 32 P KARAGIANIS, R BUTROS, J HODINA, A APPLEBAUM
2006 27 A BETANELI, J BURGESS, R REYNOLDS
2005 26 J ZULIC, D VASTO, D ROCKLIN, R REYNOLDS
2007 32 P KARAGIANIS, R BUTROS, J HODINA, A APPLEBAUM
2006 27 A BETANELI, J BURGESS, R REYNOLDS
2005 26 J ZULIC, D VASTO, D ROCKLIN, R REYNOLDS
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Labor Day Events
Labor day is big w-end for chess in most states.
Illinois - Illinois Open Championships
Wisconsin pre-entries include:
2168 Kane, Jeremy
2066 Velikanov, Alexander (He will also be playing in the World Youth Champ. in Vietnam!)
1833 Veech, John
1770 Pan, Hongkai
1723 Jin, David
1717 Kane, Jonathan M
1601 Gorectke, Andrew
1530 Zhang, Tianye
1432 Schneider, Thomas
1415 Jing, Aaron
1192 Gorectke, Samuel
Iowa - 54th Iowa Open
Michigan - 2008 MICHIGAN OPEN
Ohio - 64th Ohio Chess Congress
Illinois - Illinois Open Championships
Wisconsin pre-entries include:
2168 Kane, Jeremy
2066 Velikanov, Alexander (He will also be playing in the World Youth Champ. in Vietnam!)
1833 Veech, John
1770 Pan, Hongkai
1723 Jin, David
1717 Kane, Jonathan M
1601 Gorectke, Andrew
1530 Zhang, Tianye
1432 Schneider, Thomas
1415 Jing, Aaron
1192 Gorectke, Samuel
Iowa - 54th Iowa Open
Michigan - 2008 MICHIGAN OPEN
Ohio - 64th Ohio Chess Congress
Monday, August 25, 2008
Professor Arpad E. Elo – a fond remembrance
Don't miss this article which has references to Milwaukee/Western Open etc.
Link to chess base article
Link to chess base article
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
No "Western Open" this year
Arlen Walker came by and gave the news. This event has a rich history.( Fischer played in the 1957 edition )
Sunday, August 17, 2008
More Chicago Chess
When I was in Chicago, I stopped by Angelo Young's Chess Club where Chris Baumgartner was running a FIDE/USCF rated event. Anthony Parker picked up a FIDE rating norm at this event.
USCF Results
USCF Results
IM Angelo Young's Touch Move Chess Center
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
3 Days 4 events
Aug. 15 Indiana State Blitz Championship Kokomo, Indiana ResultsAug. 15 Indiana State Quick Championship Kokomo, Indiana Results
Aug. 16 Indiana State Class Championships Kokomo, Indiana Results
I scored 1-1=2. This is a position I had in the loss. 
I am black. Here I had 23...cxd4 24.cxd4 fxe5 if then 25.fxe5 I have Nxd4! if then Bxd4 Bg5+ wins.
But inaccurate play on my part cost me the game.
Aug. 17 Blitz Chess Tournament Skokie, Illinois
Final results from the Skokie Blitz event. 
IM Amanov vs IM Kapengut,
IM Amanov vs IM Kapengut, FM Kaushansky vs FM Stamnov (shaking hands)
Friday, August 08, 2008
SWCC Club Championship - Anthony Parker goes 6-0
Southwest Chess Club
Anthony playing the wing gambit against the Sicilian defense in his last round game.
Final results
USCF results
Anthony playing the wing gambit against the Sicilian defense in his last round game. Final results
USCF results
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Chicago Class Championships - WI Players
There were some outstanding performances by the following players in the lower sections, but WI names were noticeably missing from the top of the upper sections.
Class B HONGKAI PAN Tie for 3rd
Round 2
I am Black. Here I should have played Kf7 and I think I am slightly better, I played Qa2 missing ef, but even after that I should have been able to hold the draw, but my opponent had a lot of extra time and that proved decisive.
Round 3
I am Black. White had just played Rxd6, and with Rxd6 I would win in a few moves, but I played the lemon Ba6+????
Round 5 (forced bye in round 4)
I am playing White here, but could not come up with a good plan and the game ended in a draw.
Class B HONGKAI PAN Tie for 3rd
Class C NEIL THOMAS STRUGNELL Tie for 1st
Class E QIANG CHANG Clear 1st
Round 1
I am playing White against a 1963 player, and with Na4 (I missed that I could play Bb3 if Qc2), I have a great game, but I played Ne2 and in mutual time trouble threw it all away.
Round 2
I am Black. Here I should have played Kf7 and I think I am slightly better, I played Qa2 missing ef, but even after that I should have been able to hold the draw, but my opponent had a lot of extra time and that proved decisive. Round 3
I am Black. White had just played Rxd6, and with Rxd6 I would win in a few moves, but I played the lemon Ba6+???? Round 5 (forced bye in round 4)
I am playing White here, but could not come up with a good plan and the game ended in a draw. Although I had a very poor final score, I am pretty happy with my play. I was not outplayed in any of the games, more like I outplayed myself. The first round loss was a tough pill to swallow, and had I won that I am sure that I would have finished strong. I made the trip with 5 others and we had a great time in Chicago although only one of us managed an even score.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Chicago Class Championships
USCF Results
IM Kirill Kudeinov(Right) tied for first with Yermo. He beat Gurevich in round 3. 
The battle of the generations in the U2200 section. Alexander Velikanov (10) battling Erik Karklins (94 years young) in round 3. Experience won out this time. Erik had a chance to tie for first going into the last round. He gained almost 50 points. You can see Erik's son Andrew Karklins playing in the Master section above and to the left of Erik's head. 
WI top juniors, Brian Luo(2069) and Alexander Velikanov(2027) #2 and #3 in the age 10 list. They played each other to a draw in the last round, and finished with 2.0/5.0
Pink squares and cool shades in the U1000 section
Six of us rode together, and except for Paitrick who finished 2-2=1 playing up in the U2200 section, the rest of us performed well below our capabilities.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Alan Schaefer
Alan with his niece and sister Alan Schaefer was a regular at the Waukesha Chess Club. In fact he played in the last tournament I played there. That’s why I was surprised to hear that he was in bad health.
I visited him a few days ago, and we talked about his chess history. Alan moved back to Wisconsin in June 2007, after spending many years in Massachusetts. He got into chess as an adult, and got more than he bargained for when he visited the local chess club for the first time. Not only did he find himself signed up as a USCF member, he also got to play his first rated game against a strong opponent. Although he was soundly beaten, he was determined to get better. In time, he was able to get his rating up to class B.
Alan says that one of the main reasons he didn't get better was the fact that he didn't take the game seriously enough. He recalled a game where at one point, 7 pieces were lined up on the same file. Instead of trying to find the best move, he was intent on putting an 8th piece on the vacant square. He lost two moves later!
Alan currently resides at the Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc, (920) 474-7800, he welcomes visitors and/or email alan_schaefer@hotmail.com
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Spring Swiss [4 Rnds. - G/90]
WILLIAMS, WILLIAM P (2200) won clear first with 4.0, I was clear second with 3.5 (1 bye)
Prior to today my record against SOUVIK ROYCHOUDHURY (1985) was 0-4, I finally won one.
USCF Results
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