answers!!

1. Swindell,Shawn (1528) - Thomas,Patrick (1496) [C56]
Grade Nationals 6th (6), 19.12.2008
a) 9.Ng5 Qxf6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Qh5+ Qf7 12.Qxc5
b) black should play 9... Qd5! 10. Nc3! Qf5 (10... dxc3? 11. Qxd5!) 11. g4!? Qg6! (11... Qxf6? 12.Nd5! Qd8 13. Rxe6 fxe6 14. Nxe6 +/-) 12. Nce4.

Notice that 9... 0-0? loses to 10. fxg7 Kxg7 11. Rxe6 fxe6 12. Nxe6! and 9... Qd6 loses to 10. Rxe6 fxe6 11. Qh5+ Kd7 12. Ne4!

2) Russell,Samuel (1322) - Palha,Mitasha (977) [C02]
Grade Nationals 6th, 19.12.2008
14.Bd4?? Nxd4! 15.a3 [15.Nxd4 Bb4#!!] 15...Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 and black won in 40 moves (She didn't play badly, just the kid played to mate) 0–1

3) Stebbins,Gideon (1569) - Garcia,Miguel (695) [A05]

11.Ne3 Nc3!? Unfortunately, it isn't so bad for white to have doubled b pawns, because the rook on the b file coordinates well with the Bg2 to attack b7. But I thought it was funny.

12.bxc3 Qxg5 13.Nc4 Qe7 14.Qe2 e5 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Bf4 Be6 17.Nxe5 Bh3 18.Rfe1 Rfe8 19.d4 f6 20.Ng4 Qxe2 21.Nh6+ Bxh6 22.Rxe2 Rxe2 23.Bxh6 Rae8 24.Be3 R2xe3 25.fxe3 Rxe3 26.dxc5 Rxc3 27.Rb1 Rxc2 28.Rb8+ Kg7 29.Rb7+ Kh6 30.Rxa7 Rxc5 31.a4 Rf5 32.Rxh7+ Kxh7 33.Kh1 Rf1# 0–1

4) Garcia,John Paul (1402) - Austin,Dylan (832) [C50]
Grade Nationals 6th (4), 19.12.2008
39.Nxb7! Rxb7 40.Rc7 Rxc7 41.bxc7 Nfd7 42.c8Q Kg7 43.Rxd7 Nxd7 44.Qxa8 1–0

5) Morrero,Jose (1220) - Martinez,Justin (1563) [D12]
Grade Nationals 6th, 19.12.2008
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Bf5 3.e3 Nf6 4.c4 c6 5.Nc3 e6 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Ne5 Nbd7 8.g4! Bg6 9.h4 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Ne4 11.Qa4+ Ke7 12.Qb4+ Ke8 13.Bb5+ Qd7 14.Bxd7+ Kxd7 15.Qxb7+ 1-0

The only decent move after 7. Ne5 is 7... Nfd7.

6) Ameer should have played 1. b4! If 1...Qxb4 2. Rb1 Q moves 3. Bxc5 Qxc5 4. Rxb7

7) Ameer found 1... Qf6! which threatens Ra1 and Qa1 and guards the h8 square against 2. Rh8+. The game ended 2. c3 Qf2#

8) White should bring his king to the center, fast, leaving his rook on the c file to cut off the black king. The best black can do is:
1. Kf1 Rd8 2.Ke1 d3 3.Rc3 Re8+ 4.Kd2 Re2+ 5.Kxd3 Rxf2 6.Rc2 when white has reaosnable winning chances.

9) Black should play 1... c4. The important ideas here are that:
a) the side trying to win wants to keep as many pawns on the board as possible (since pawns=potential queens=potential winning chances)
b) Both sides want to fix the opponents' pawns on dark squares, in order to make the enemy bishop bad. 1... c4 gets a black pawn off a dark square and makes sure the b4 pawn won't move.

As a bonus for finishing, here are some song lyrics that struck me:

you were no ordinary drain on her defenses
and she was no ordinary girl
Oh, Inverted World
if every moment of our lives were cradled softly in the hands of some strange and gentle child
i'd not roll my eyes so.

the shins, "one by one all day"