Marshall g/30: Justus beats Asa Hoffman!

I took Alexis, Pobo, Shawn, Rashawn, Azeez, Rawn, Miguel, Justus, James, and Danny to the Marshall to play in the g/30 tournament today.

Shawn Swindell (now 1798!)

...was white against Sam Barsky. What crushing move did he miss here?

This is the position six or ten moves later. What's white's best course of action?

Justus won 3.5/5 and $107. He beat Asa Hoffman, a 1900 and a 1400, drew Boris Privman, and lost to Jay Bonin; his new rating is 2128. (also he's eleven!)

Williams, Justus - Hoffman, Asa [B07]
17.10.2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 Qa5 5.Qf3 e5 6.fxe5 dxe5 7.dxe5 Ng4 8.Bd2 Nxe5 9.Qg3 Nbd7 10.0–0–0 Qd8 11.Nf3

11... Qe7 12.h4 h5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Bf4 f6 15.Bxe5 Qxe5 16.Qg6+ Ke7

17.Bc4 Be6 18.Bxe6 Kxe6 19.Rhf1 Rh6 20.Qf5+ Qxf5 21.exf5+ Kf7 22.Rd7+ Kg8 23.Rxb7 Bd6 24.Ne4 Be5 25.Rd1 g6 26.Rdd7 gxf5 27.Rg7+ Kh8 28.Nc5 Bd4 29.Ne6 Be3+ 30.Kd1 Re8 31.Rge7 Rxe7 32.Rxe7 f4 etc. 1–0 　


Answers to Shawn's Game's Questions

1.Nh4!! is devastating. The only moves to stop 2. Nxg6# are : 1... Bh8 2.Nxg6+ Kg7 3.Rxd8 Rxd8 4.Rxd8 Qxd8 5.Nxh8 Kxh8 6.Qe6 or 1...Ne7 2.Qd3 Ra8 3.Rd7.


After the game, Shawn and I found the simplifying idea 1.Qb3+ Ke8 2.Ncd4! (forcing the exchange of queens-- white is up two pawns and winning a5 immediately) Qxb3 3.Nxb3

During the game, Shawn chose the good move 1.Na3 Qe2 but then let it slip away with 2.Nxe5+? Bxe5 3.Qxe5 Qxf2 4.Nc4?? (4.Qc3!) 4...Qg3+ 5.Kh1 Qe1+=
　　

James Black

more photos of kids on facebook or picasa

new Endgame t shirt!

The talented John O'Brien at Endgame Clothing has released a new t shirt design: bishop vs. knight ("a hand drawn design inspired by the classic fight posters of the 50's.") Just in time for the National Chess Congress!

I play in the Bankers League

Tonight was my first game on the JP Morgan Banker's League Chess Team. I was white against Peter Roberts (2050, BMCC). My opening play was better than I thought at the time, and by move 27,


I liked my position. I have a nice bishop and the d file. It's true that my dark squares (f2, e3, f4) are a bit weak and he has some space because of the e5 pawn. But overall I was quite happy and feeling very determined to win.

It became apparent about now that my result would matter for the team: our board two was completely winning but then got tricked in a queen and knight attack on the king, our board three (his name is Dale X. Hammer!) was up a rook and board four was a rook ending that looked slightly better but mostly drawish. So it would be 1.5-1.5 (board five= double forfeit!). On the other hand, I don't really care how the team does. I'm there just to play a nice game of chess.

27.Qd5 Qf2
28.Qd2 Qc5
29.Bc2 Ne3

white to move and win!

Of course I played Bc2 with this hope, but actually it's not so easy to find an ok square for the knight (it had been on f5). I threaten some queen invasions, like 29... Nh4 30. Qh6! (and 30...Qe7 31. Rd7!) or 29... Ne7 30. Qd7. He could just leave the knight and let me take it, but most people in endgames try to avoid making weaknesses, so I figured my last move (29. Bc2) was a good attempt at provoking a mistake.

'

30.b4! Qc4
31.Qxe3 Qxa2

find the quickest win

This is a picture of me playing in the USCL, but my bankers league team is pretty much the same people.

32.Qh6 Kg8
33.Rd7 1–0 　

Amp Can gives simul

It's a GM in disguise. I don't actually know who -- any guesses?

I feel like he behaves/ carries himself like a European.

pictures from the CIS Columbus Day tournament

Jehron won the tournament (4-0). Alexis came 4th or 5th with 3.5/4.

D'Andrea




Anita

Alex

Manuela

Sekou

Lisa



Emmanuel

more photos are on picasa or facebook

Saturday at High Line

I spent today at a new park in progress called High Line. It is built on the old railroad tracks that run up the west side of Manhattan. It starts at 12 street and is supposed to go up to 34th street, but they've only built as far as 23rd street so far.

it has nice grass

somehow west 4th street and 13th street intersect here


This is a reference to our mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who got the legislature to abolish term limits so he could run for a third time. Despite the fact that I find this disturbing, I'm probably voting for Bloomberg because he seems to be doing a great job.



Greg



Dima bet Andrei that he could beat StrongBach (C) 5 games in a row at 1 1. Whoever lost had to fire the cleaning lady. Also Andrei bet me that his baseline body temperature was greater than 98.9 (average of three readings). Dima lost game 2 and Andrei's temperatures were 97.5, 98.2 and 98.9.

more photos here or here

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Slim Thug's Music Video - Still a Boss
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

weird opening choices in the US Women's, weird fried food

Maybe I'm not understanding the practical realities they face, and of course they are all better than I am, but I have to say I'm surprised at some of the low-level opening prep at the US Women's. First Fan-Foisor -- I don't play the accelerated dragon or know a lot of opening theory, but I know this trap.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.f3? 　

8... Qb4! and black just wins a pawn at least: 9.Bb3 Nxe4 10.Nxc6 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxc3+ 12.Ke2 dxc6 13.Bd4 [13.fxe4 Bg4+] 13...e5


But Foisor, who knows this trap, surely (?), plays 8...a6.

Then today Krush plays the O'Kelly, which she does occasionally, and has played in prominent games in the US Women's before. The whole point of the O'Kelly is that with 2... a6, you deprive the white knight on d4 of the b5 square after you play ...e5:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5
　

black continues with moves like ...Bb4 and ...0-0 and ...d5

White is supposed to play 3.c3 or 3. Nc3. Again, I don't play this for either side. But Tsagaan, despite having a whole rest day to prepare, goes right into the bad lines. What's going on?

In the fried food equivalent, fried balls of butter: "balls of butter, dipped in dough and cooked in a vat of boiling oil. Fried butter, in other words. The balls were dusted with a thin coat of powdered sugar. When bitten, they collapsed with an unctuous squelch."

from the same guy who brought you fried coke: (frozen Coca-Cola-flavored batter which is deep-fried and then topped with Coca-Cola syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, and a cherry.)

finally, I enjoyed this article from last week's economist on the Obama administration's relations with Europe.

awesome uscl threads you may have missed

1. Joel's funny/mean halfway report and Ilya's hilarious comment 6
2. the innocuous Chicago blaze report and Bryan Smith's angry response
3. the USCL blog's game of week 5. Notice how Jeff Ashton achieves what I would have thought was impossible: getting Ilya Krasik, Hikaru Nakamura, and John Bartholomew all to agree.

a few tactics from today's scholastic tournament

Lequasiah Lawrence went 4-0 and won the reserve section. Her fourth round game reached the following position:

Lequaisiah's white. Do any of her attacking tries (9. Nf6, 9. Qg4, 9. Qh5, 9. Bxh6) work? Which is best?




same game. White to move?


Henry Cali's last move, 7. Bc4, was a mistake.
Where should his opponent (black) have moved?
His opponent actually played 7... Qd8. How does that lose tactically?
Does 7... Qd6 lose to the same tactic?

Sebastian Dabrowski won his first three games before losing to 3rd place finisher and 318 alumnus Rochelle Ballantyne. What classic tactic did Sebastian (white) find against (also 318 alum!) Ezequiel Quinones?

Thanks Mig!!

Mig Greengard donated a bunch of his old chess books to IS 318. He's having a big book recycling drive and would like you to participate. I would like you to just give them to my kids. We were very excited to recieve Mig's. More photos here.