Chess Room Newsletter #326-351 (compilation)

"The vast majority of players will have some degree of laziness intheir thoughts both during and in between games; they talk about chessa lot, skim through lots of books but don't actually sit down, get a boardand pieces out and analyze chess positions."
Nigel Davies

The Mechanics' Chess Club will resume its regular scheduleon January 3rd with a lecture by GM Alex Yermolinsky. The WinterTuesday Night Marathon starts January 9 and runs eight rounds.The next G/45 event, the 7th Bob Burger Open, is January20.

Hikaru Nakamura appears to be heading for a smashing victorywith a round to go in the North American Open in Las Vegas. MI Grandmaster-in-ResidenceAlex Yermolinsky is well positioned for a strong finish and a spotin the US Championship.

North American Open (3) 2006
Sharavdorj - Shabalov

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Bb7 12.Bg2 Qc7 13.exf6 c5 14.d5 b4 15.d6Qb6 16.Ne4 O-O-O 17.O-O Bd5 18.Qe2 Qc6 19.b3 Nb6 20.Bf4 Bh6 21.Be5 Bd222.f4 c3 23.Nxd2 cxd2 24.Qxd2 Kb7 25.Rac1 Rc8 26.Rf2 a5 27.Qe3 Rhd8 28.h4c4 29.Bxd5 Nxd5 30.Qf3 c3 31.g4 a4 32.g5 axb3 33.axb3 Qa6 34.Rcc2 Qa3 35.f5Qxb3 36.fxe6 fxe6 37.f7 Qb1 38.Kh2 Qe1 39.Rce2 Qb1 40.d7 Ra8 41.f8Q Rxf842.Qxf8 Rxf8 43.Rxf8 Qd3 44.Ref2 Nf4 45.R8xf4 1-0

North American Open (5) 2006
Milov-Sharavdorj

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nge2 cxd4 7.exd4 d58.cxd5 Nxd5 9.a3 Bd6 10.Ne4 Be7 11.Bc2 O-O 12.Qd3 Qc7 13.O-O Rd8 14.Ng5g6 15.Qf3 Bf8 16.Rd1 Bg7 17.h4 h6 18.Ne4 Nce7 19.N4c3 Bd7 20.h5 g5 21.Nxd5Nxd5 22.Qd3 Bb5 23.Qh7 Kf8 24.Nc3 Bc6 25.Nxd5 Rxd5 26.a4 Re8 27.b3 f5 28.Ba3Kf7 29.Bd3 Qd7 30.Rac1 g4 31.Bc4 Qd8 32.Bxd5 Qxd5 33.Rxc6 Qxc6 34.d5 Qd71-0

North American Open (5) 2006
Yermolinsky - Onyekwere

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Rg8 12.h4 Rxg5 13.hxg5 Nd5 14.g6 fxg615.Qg4 Qe7 16.Bg2 Qf7 17.Be4 Ne7 18.Nxb5 cxb5 19.Bxa8 Nb6 20.Be4 Nbd5 21.f3Kd8 22.Kf2 Kc7 23.Rh8 Bg7 24.Rh7 Kb6 25.Rah1 Bd7 26.a3 a5 27.Qg5 Bc6 28.R1h4b4 29.axb4 axb4 30.Kg2 Qf8 31.Rh1 c3 32.bxc3 Nxc3 33.Bxc6 Nxc6 34.Qe3 Kb535.Qd3 Kb6 36.Qc4 Bxe5 37.Ra1 Nb5 38.Ra6 Kxa6 39.Qxc6 Ka5 40.Rb7 1-0

North American Open (6) 2006
Nakamura -Milov

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.O-O Nbc6 7.Nxc6Nxc6 8.f4 d6 9.Nd2 g6 10.Nf3 Bg7 11.c3 O-O 12.Qe2 Re8 13.Qf2 Qc7 14.Nh4b5 15.Be3 Bb7 16.Rad1 Qe7 17.Bb6 Bf6 18.Nf3 e5 19.g3 Bg7 20.Bb1 Nd8 21.f5Bf8 22.Nh4 Bc6 23.a3 Qb7 24.Ba2 g5 25.Ng6 Bxe4 26.Nxf8 d5 27.Qe3 h6 28.Nd71-0

The deadline for filing for the USCF Executive Board isJanuary 10 and presently it looks like there will be nine candidates forthe four vacant spots. These include Susan Polgar, Paul Truong, MikhailKorenman, Sam Sloan, Don Schultz, Randy Bauer, Joe Lux, Mike GoodallandJimBerry.

The latter, from Stillwater, Oklahoma, brings an interesting set ofskills to the EB race. A member of the USCF for over 40 years, James Berryis both a active player ( 225 tournaments since 1991) and director (72events since 1991). He and his twin brother Frank, who were mentoredby the late USCF President Jerry Spann in their youth, have madeOklahoma a mecca for top level chess the past fifteen years. Among theplayers to compete in their events are current US Champion Alex Onischukand runner-up Yury Shulman and the entire 2004 US Women's Olympiadteams including Susan Polgar.

Besides a lifelong interest in the game Mr. Berry has a varied businesscareer. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Stillwater NationalBank (OKSB on Nasdaq) and since 1988 has been the owner of Shading Concepts,which manufactures and sells solarium draperies. From 1973 to 1988, Mr.Berry was a stockbroker in Oklahoma City with a major Wall Street firm.

John Grefe, who tied for first with Lubosh Kavalek inthe 1973 US Championship, is trying to battle back from avery serious case of diabetes that caused him to be hospitalized for over6 weeks and lose over 70 libs the past half year. The New Jersey native,who has made the Bay Area his home since the late 1960s, is eager to hearfrom old friends. You can contact John at (415) 845-4038 or (510) 326-2390.

"Some consider that when I play I am excessively cautious, but itseems to me that the question may be a different one. I try to avoid chance.Those who rely on chance should play cards or roulette. Chess is somethingquite different."
Tigran Petrosian

The Winter Tuesday Night Marathon started on January 9 with 69entries. WIM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs and FM Frank Thornallyhead the field. It is still possible to enter the eight round event witha bye for round one.

Congratulations to Nicolas Yap who is the 2007 FalconerAward winner for the highest rated junior under 18 in NorthernCalifornia. Yap just edged out Matthew Ho 2280 to 2278 on the December2006 USCF rating list. Both players were limited in the number of tournamentsthey could play in 2006 due to academic responsibilities but Yap, coachedfor many years by IM Guillermo Rey, had a tremendous WorldOpen over the summer that made the difference and will receivea prize equal to his rating - $2280. This annual award is made possibleby the generosity of Mechanics' Trustee and Former California  OpenChampion Neil Falconer.

Nic Yap continued his good form at the North American Open in Las Vegasjust after Christmas scoring a undefeated 4 from 7 to move up to 2295.10-year-old Daniel Naroditsky tied for third in the blitz tournamentat the NAO in a field with several GMs and IMs and improved his regularrating to 2115 but older brother Alan also did very well. He scored5 from 7 in the Class A section going from 1864 to 1916.

America's Foundation for Chess, which had sponsored 5US Chess Championships since 2000 recently announced that it will no longerbe involved and will confine itself to its educational activities involving chess and children.

Mick Bighamian writes:

With great sadness, we were informed of unexpected passing away ofRazmikAbrahamyan, 52-year-old father of our local chess prodigy,TatevAbrahamyan. He encountered a severe stroke in Las Vegas last week,while accompanying her daughter at the North American Open Tournament.His unexpected departure was a major shock to the family members as wellas the chess community.

I first met Razmik as he brought Tatev to the LA Masters for the firsttime over a year ago. A very pleasant man, whose love for Tatev, and greatdedication to the game of chess, was clearly evident as he would wait forhours for her to finish each tournament. A task he took upon himself inevery tournament of hers; health permitting.

As you are aware, Tatev, 18, is on one of the most talented studentsof a great coach (IM Armen Ambartsoumian, AAA Club) and the youngesttop rated US woman's chess player. Among her many accomplishments are:

Tied for the 2005 U.S. Women's Chess Championship - came in 2nd in thenation in playoffs
Won the 2006 Pan American Championship for Girls Under 20
Holds the Woman International Master (WIM) title and is rated 2220by FIDE
Represented the US in the 2006 World Junior Championship - while makingher first WGM norm

Unfortunately, Razmik's untimely passing away has left the family indire financial situation; to the extent that they are even struggling withthe financial burden of funeral services preparation.

As such, LA Chess Club is hereby begging you, our selfless players,parents and coaches, to come forward and share a small token of your treasurewith this family.

May you and your family be blessed this and every year for your generouscontribution.

And what better way to start the New Year by lessening the tremendousgrief of a truly good family.

You may send your contributions directly to:
The Abrahamyan Family
123 W. Chevy Chase Drive, #4
Glandale, CA 91204

Or contact
Armen Ambartsoumian @ (818) 640-5974 or
Nshan Keshishian        @(323) 578-8424

International Arbiter and longtime Mechanics' Institute member MikeGoodall suffered a heart attack on Tuesday. Goodall, who was in a seriouscar accident last summer, is recovering from his latest setback and vowsto be back at the club soon.

FM Stephen Jones has announced his candidacy for the USCF ExecutiveBoard. The Los Angeles master, rated 2355, has been a USCF member for over40 years and is a practicing attorney.

The AF4C ran 4 US Championships as 64 player, 9 round, Swisses. Canyou name what player had the best overall record in them? Hint it isn'tGataKamsky, Alex Onischuk or Hikaru Nakamura ( each of whomdid not play in all four events). The answer is GM Alex Stripunsky who scored a very impressive +2, +3, +5 and +4.

GMs Jaan Ehlvest and Sergey Kudrin shared first withIMFabiano Caruna and Kazim Gulamali in the Eastern Open held overthe Christmas holidays with scores of 6 from 8. Among those tied for fifthat 5 1/2 were GM Alexander Ivanov, GM Alexander Stripunsky and IMStanislav Smetankin. Michael Atkins directed assisted by DavidMehler.

"The greatest skill in chess is not allowing the opponent to showyou what he can do."
 Garry Kasparov

Upsets seem to be the norm in the Winter Tuesday Night Marathon.LarrySnyder and Peter Grey fell to Evan Sandberg and IgorRoyzen respectively in round one and last night it was fellow ExpertsKimaniStancil and James Jones who lost toVadim Smelansky andDanLitowsky. Six rounds remain for the 71 contestants in the 8 round Swiss.

This Saturday the Mechanics' will host the 7th Annual Bob BurgerOpen to honor the Bay Area's noted problemist, author and chessmasterwho has been a fixture in California chess for over 50 years.

Martin Luther King Weekend marks the traditional start of the US Swisscircuit and this year was no different with Bill Goichberg's ContinentalChess Association organizing competing events in Philadelphia andAgoura Hills ( just outside Los Angeles).

The larger of the two, the Liberty Bell Open in Philly,attracted 330 players and saw GMs Jaan Ehlvest and AlexanderIvanov share first with 5.5 from 7 in the Open followed by GMs AlexShabalov and Sergey Kudrin and FMs Bryan Smith and MackenzieMolnar at 5. Steve Immitt and Sophia Rohde directed forthe CCA.

Agoura Hills saw the men from Glendale, Armenian-Americans GM MelikKhachiyan and IM Andranik Matikozian share first with 5.5 from7 followed by IM Enrico Sevillano and FM Matthew Beelby on5. Quite a few Bay Area players made the trip South and IM David Pruessand Mechanics' Grandmaster-in-Residence Alex Yermolinsky were inthe hunt for first until losses to Khachiyan ( round 7 for Pruess) andMatikozian ( round six for Yermo) removed them from contention. The Nestorof Southern California chess, Jerry Hanken, showed he still hassome sharp teeth as he scored 4.5 points in the top section. A total of179 players competed in the event directed by Bill Goichberg andRandyHough.

There is some good news to add to last week's report that America'sFoundation for Chess will not be sponsoring the 2007 US Championship.The first is that Erik Anderson, whose personal generosity contributedgreatly to the AF4C's ability to sponsor five Championships from 2000-2006,has given the USCF a gift of $25,000. The second is thatthe AF4C has not ruled out the possibility of organizing future Championships.

Who is the highest rated player in the Bay Area? Is it  GMsAlex Yermolinsky and Walter Browne or IM Josh Friedel?No, not today if we count provisionally rated players. The honor goes toDigeshShanker Malla who as an unrated player went 5-0 to win the9thCalifornia Classic on January 14 and earn a rating of 2596 forfive games. Expert Adarsh Konda was second with four points in the100 player multi-section event  organized and directed by SalmanAzhar and Jason Gurtovoy. The two dynamic duo plan to hold suchone day events on a monthly basis filling a big need for tournaments inthe South Bay area.

The January 2007 FIDE rating list shows Veselin Topalov andViswanathanAnand in a virtual tie for top position on the rating list. The latterhas been remarkably consistent for many years, and would have been an easynumber one, but for a disastrous result at the Turin Olympiad which makesone appreciate even more the stamina and skill Gata Kamsky and EtienneBacrot showed playing in Sofia and Turin back to back last spring.

Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
 1  Topalov, Veselin  g  BUL  2783 17  1975
 2  Anand, Viswanathan  g  IND  2779 0  1969
 3  Kramnik, Vladimir  g  RUS  2766 11  1975
 4  Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  g  AZE  2754 25  1985
 5  Ivanchuk, Vassily  g  UKR  2750 33  1969
 6  Leko, Peter  g  HUN  2749  9 1979
 7  Aronian, Levon  g  ARM  2744 13  1982
 8  Morozevich, Alexander  g  RUS  2741 15  1977
 9  Adams, Michael  g  ENG  2735 0  1971
 10  Gelfand, Boris  g  ISR  2733 19  1968
 11  Radjabov, Teimour  g  AZE  2729 6  1987
 12  Svidler, Peter  g  RUS  2728 28  1976
 13  Polgar, Judit  g  HUN  2727 6  1976
 14  Ponomariov, Ruslan  g  UKR  2723 15  1983
 15  Navara, David  g  CZE  2719 16  1985
 16  Grischuk, Alexander  g  RUS  2717 16  1983
 17  Shirov, Alexei  g  ESP  2715 21  1972
 18  Bacrot, Etienne  g  FRA  2705 0  1983
 19  Kamsky, Gata  g  USA  2705  0 1974
 20  Akopian, Vladimir  g  ARM  2700 15  1971
 21  Sasikiran, Krishnan  g  IND  2700 14  1981

The US top 10 average 2627 putting us equal number three in theWorld with Armenia behind Russia ( 2713) and Ukraine (2661)

# Name Title Fed Rating G B-Year
 1  Kamsky, Gata  g  USA  2705  0 1974
 2  Onischuk, Alexander  g  USA  2663 18  1975
 3  Nakamura, Hikaru  g  USA  2651 6  1987
 4  Seirawan, Yasser  g  USA  2638 0  1960
 5  Ehlvest, Jaan  g  USA  2610  21 1962
 6  Shulman, Yuri  g  USA  2604  4 1975
 7  Ibragimov, Ildar  g  USA  2602 22  1967
 7  Shabalov, Alexander  g  USA  2602 29  1967
 9  Kaidanov, Gregory S  g  USA  2595 0  1959
 10  Akobian, Varuzhan  g  USA  2588 21  1983

 Northern California Top Ten

1. GM Yermolinsky 2523
2. IM Friedel 2468
3. IM Bhat 2450
4. GM Browne 2447
5. IM Stein 2425
6. IM Pruess 2416
7. IM Donaldson 2413
8. IM Mezentsev 2412
9. IM Zilberstein 2411
10. IM De Guzman 2398

"We all blunder, and after doing so it’s important to get up fromthe board, time permitting, and clear your head – nothing good can happenif you're still in the midst of an emotional backlash. Forget about theearlier, happier, position and treat this new situation as a challenge.Hunker down, get tough and insist on finding a way to put up a long, gruelingresistance!"
IM Jeremy Silman                  page 222 of Reassess your Chess – Workbook

Three rounds into the Winter Tuesday Night Marathon sixplayers remain with perfect scores: NM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs, FM FrankThornally, Romulo Fuentes, Josh Gutman, Daniel Naroditsky and Salar Jahedi.

The following was played on board one last night. Black is the top ratedeight-years-old in the US rated 1957.

Tuvshintugs, Batchimeg  - Nip,Nicholas  Sicilian NajdorfB98
Winter TNM San Francisco (3), 2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be78.Qf3 Qc7 9.0–0–0 Nc6 10.Kb1 Bd7 11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Bd3 b5 13.Rhe1 Rc8 14.Bxf6Bxf6 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.g4 0–0 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.g5 Qe7 19.Qh5 g6 20.Qh3 Bb721.f5 exf5 22.exf5 Qxg5 23.Rg1 Qf6 24.Rdf1 Qg7 25.f6 Qh8 26.Qh6 Bd5 27.b3Rfe8 28.h4 Re6 29.Qf4 Rc5 30.h5 Bb7 31.Qd4 a5 32.hxg6 hxg6 33.Rxg6+ fxg634.f7+ 1–0

It's easy to spot the young stars at the Mechanics', players like NicholasNip, Daniel Naroditsky and Gregory Young who occupy the numberone spot for age eight and the top two spots for age 11 respectively, butthe Institute is also the home of many honored veterans. An examinationof the February 2007 USCF Top over 65 list has six Mechanics' members headedby IM Walter Shipman and includes NM Igor Margulis, Experts Viktor Ossipovand  Peter Grey and high Class A players John Petrisonand Viktor Todortsev.

One player who isn't listed but whose achievements are quite remarkableis Dan Litowsky who will celebrate his 90 birthday this April. Dan hasonly been an active tournament play since his retirement in the early 1980sand his consistency has been impressive. During the past 15 years his ratinghas stayed in the 1700-1850 range at a time in life when a steady ratingdecline is the norm. Dan's win over Expert James Jones last week in theWinter Tuesday Night Marathon puts him around 1750. I know of no otherplayer in the country his age who is playing 60 tournament games a year.

NM Michael Aigner was the winner of the 7th Annual BobBurger Open G/45 held this past Saturday. Aigner scored 4.5 from5 to take home the top prize. His draw was in round four with AdarshKonda. Michael kindly sends his round five game.

Hello John,

If you want a sample of terrible chess, here's my last round game fromthe G/45.  It was a fun game, albeit far from perfect.  Withimpending time pressure, both players missed 37. Qxf4 Rxf4 38. e7 d2 39.e8Q and now the promoted white queen defends the rook on e1.  Thatmeans my move 35... Rxf4 deserves two question marks.
With under 2 minutes on my clock, I had calculated the variation 49.Rf3 Ke6! 50. Rxg3 hxg3+ 51.Kxg3 Ke5 52. Kg4? Kd4 53. Kg5 Kxc4 54. Kxg6Kb5 55. h4 c4 56. h5 b3! -+ and I queen on a1 before white gets to h8. But I missed that 52. Kf3 Kd4 53. h4 Kxc4 54. g4 Kd3 == and queens appearsimultaneously.  Luckily for me, my opponent played the vastly inferior49. Rf4? and quickly lost.

Fuentes,Romulo (2137) - Aigner,Michael (2300)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Nxf7 Nxf77. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Qxc5 d6 10. Qd5+ Be6 11. Qb5 a6 12. Qe2 Qf613. O-O Rhe8 14. f4 Kg7 15. b3 d5 16. e5 Qf5 17. Bb2 Nb4 18. Na3 c5 19.h3 h5 20. c3 Qd3 21. Qe1 dxc3 22. Bxc3 Nc6 23. Rd1 Qf5 24. Rc1 d4 25. Bd2b6 26. Nc4 Bxc4 27.bxc4 Rab8 28. Qe2 d3 29. Qf2 Nd4 30. Rce1 Qe6 31. Bc3Rbd8 32. Bxd4 Rxd4 33.Qf3 Rf8 34. Qe3 Qf5 35. e6 Rxf4 36. Rxf4 Qxf4 37.e7 Qxe3+ 38. Rxe3 Re8 39.Rxd3 Rxe7 40. Rd6 b5 41. Rxa6 b4 42. Rc6 Re5 43.Kf2 h4 44. Kf3 Rg5 45. Kf2Kf7 46. Rc7+ Ke6 47. Rc6+ Kd7 48. Rf6 Rg3 49.Rf4 Ra3 50. Rxh4 Rxa2+ 51. Kf3 Rc2 52. Rg4 b3 53. Rxg6 Rxc4 54. Rb6 Rb455. Ra6 b2 56. Ra7+ Kc6 57. h4 b1=Q 0-1

Taking for second at 4-1 in the 52-player event were NMs Batchimeg Tuvshintugsand Keith Vickers, Experts Romulo Fuentes, William Gray, Konda, and MichaelZhong plus rapidly improving Class A player Matt Zavortink. The latterearned his Experts ranking by defeating visiting German master SebastianSchuck and NM Daniel Schwartz.

Last Newsletter we ran a list of the top active FIDE rated Bay Areaplayers. Here is the latest USCF list. Note that IM Vinay Bhat's excellentseries of results in Europe last summer were not USCF rated hence the strangesituation where his FIDE and USCF ratings are practically identical ( normallythe USCF is about 50 points higher).

1. GM Alex Yermolinsky 2571
2. IM Josh Friedel 2544
3. GM Walter Browne 2520
4. IM John Donaldson 2466
5. IM Vinay Bhat 2465
6. IM Vladimir Mezentsev 2461
7. IM David Pruess 2461
8. IM Ricardo DeGuzman 2458
9. IM Alan Stein 2457
10. IM Dmitry Zilberstein 2451
11. FM Craig Mar 2425

This year's Corus tournament is producing lots of exciting chess andthe technology is improving all the time for spectators.
NM Michael Aigner writes:

Check out the following link for videos from the ongoing Corus (Wijkaan Zee) super-GM tournament.
After each round, the top GMs analyze their games for an audience.These have been recorded and
posted on YouTube. Check out Topalov, Kramnik, Anand, Radjabov andothers in English (with a thick
Russian accent)!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=corus&search=Search

Dates for the following FIDE events have just been made available. Hopefullymore information will be forthcoming.

Pan American Youth Festival, Medellín, Colombia, July 2-7
Absolute Continental Championship, Cali, Colombia, July 11-24
Pan American Juniors/Girls, Ecuador, September.
Ladies Continental, Venezuela, September.

Long-time Bay Area chess stalwart William Haines reports thata new club is Vallejo is forming. It will meet Friday's from 6:30pm to10:30pm at 601 Sacramento Street, Vallejo, CA. Start date unclear, butprobably middle of February. Call or email Mr. Haines for start updates- (707) 643-8012 and [email protected] . The playing site is the just refurbished Community Room at the Marina Towers, ground floor. Mr.Haines adds for those wishing to join, annual dues first year $20. foradults and $5. for students. No need to join immediately. USCF rated playavailable.

"At 32, I feel that I am in my prime and up to the task of becomingthe next American World Chess Champion."
 Gata Kamsky                  NY Times 11/26/06

The Winter Tuesday Night Marathon is half way done andonly two players have perfect scores. Top seeds NM Batchimeg Tuvshintugsand FM Frank Thornally will face off next week in a battle betweenyouth and experience. Batchimeg made a spectacular debut in the 2006US Championship, defeating three GMs. Frank represented the UStwice in the World Student Team Championship in the late1960s.

A half point behind the leaders at 3.5 from 4 are Romulo Fuentes,Salar Jahedi, Steve Gaffagan and Demetrius Goins. The lattertwo did it with upsets, Gaffagan beating NM Russell Wong and Goinsbeating Expert Victor Ossipov.

The Mechanics' Institute would like to thank House of Staunton( www.houseofstaunton.com) and DuelTimer ( www.dueltimer.com) for theirgenerous donations of chess sets and digital clocks. Remember book andequipment donations to the Mechanics' are always welcome. All donationsto the Mechanics' are tax deductible due to the M.I.'s 501(c) (3) nonprofitstatus. If you have any chess books or equipment that have been lying aroundunused for some time consider donating to the Mechanics'. You will notonly get a tax write off but also the satisfaction of seeing things putto good use.

A small squad of Americans including the Bay Area's NM Eric Schillerhave ventured to the other "Rock" to take part in the GibTelecomChess Festival which runs  January 23rd to February 1st February..

Standings after 7 of 9 rounds:

1 Sokolov, Ivan NED g 2652 6 2 Adams, Michael ENG g 2735 5½
3 Akopian, Vladimir ARM g 2700 5½
4 Areshchenko, Alexander UKR g 2644 5½
5 Efimenko, Zahar UKR g 2616 5½
6 Gurevich, Mikhail TUR g 2635 5½
7 Kuzubov, Yuriy UKR g 2554 5½
8 Milov, Vadim SUI g 2665 5½
9 Nakamura, Hikaru USA g 2651 5½
10 Sutovsky, Emil ISR g 2629 5½

Other top American scores:

18 Kaidanov, Gregory USA g 2595 5
25 Ehlvest, Jaan USA g 2610 4½
30 Krush, Irina USA m 2449 4½

IMs Dean Ippolito and Justin Sarkar and Expert Dale Sharphave 4, IM Joe Bradford has 3 1/2 and Dan Mayers has 1 1/2.

This past weekend a meeting of the FIDE Executive Board clarified andconfirmed several important matters.

World Chess Championship Tournament in Mexico City

The Presidential Board listened to and approved the report of the Organizerregarding the preparation for the World Chess Championshiptournament to be held on September 11 – October 1st, 2007 in Mexico City.All the key conditions in the contract have been fulfilled, the websiteof the event is: www.chessmexico.com.

World Cup 2007

The final contract between FIDE and the Organizer of the World Cup 2007to be held in Khanty-Mansiysk region has been signed. The preparation forthe 2007 event has been made in the proper manner and the Cup will takeplace at November 23-December 14th, 2007 in Ugra, Siberia, Russia. Thewebsite of the 2007 World Cup is: www.ugra-chess.ru

Candidate Matches

The Candidate Matches will be held on May 26-June 14th,2007 in Elista and sponsored jointly by the President and FIDE. The PresidentialBoard reviewed the Rules and Regulations of the Matches, the process ofthe preparation and the media plan for the event. The Internet communicationchannel can be found on the FIDE official website: www.fide.com

Other tournaments and bids for tournaments
 

The Presidential Board reviewed preparations and decided on bids regardingthe following chess tournaments:

-        Women’s World TeamChess Championship 2007 will be held on May 19-30th, 2007 in Yekaterinburg,Russia

-        Women’s World ChessChampionship 2008 will be held on March 8-25th, 2008 in Prague,Czech Republic

Congratulations to Bryan Smith, Salvijus Bercys and EmoryTate who just received their IM titles.

One new feature on the FIDE site can be found at http://www.fide.com/ratings/fedchange.phtml. There you can track what players are changing from one Federation toanother.
 

USCF Executive Board Member Beatriz Marinello reports

The Americas will produce a total of 19 qualifiers to the WorldCup.  These spots will come from all the Zonal Tournamentsand the Continental Championship.  The US Zone qualifies3 players into the World Cup.  I do not know the exact number of playerswho will qualify from the Continental Championship.  I just know lasttime this event produced 6 spots.

The exact dates of the Continental Championship are fromJuly 11-21, 2007 in Cali, Colombia.  The prize fund will be approx.$50,000.-  and the US has free accommodations for 5 official players. All US players must be endorsed by the USCF.  This event is an openevent for players with an ELO Rating over 2000

Check out IM Jesse Kraai's great article on the EBCCand the Mechanics' at http://beta.uschess.org/frontend/news_7_253.php
 

David Pruess writes:

The East Bay Chess club has three tournaments coming up in February:

February 3-4:  February Swiss
<<< A Grand Prix Event,  top 3 prizes guaranteed >>>
--------------------------------------------
Prizes: (Based on 40 full entries)
       Open Section $150, $100, $50;1st U2000: $100
       Reserve (U1800) Section $100,$75, $50; 1st U1600: $75;
                 1st U1400: $75
Entry fee: $35 if mailed before 1/27/07, $40 at site.
      $5 discount for East Bay Chess ClubMembers

  [Early entry fee applies through 1/29/07 if you register online
   and mention this email]

Rounds: 11 AM and 4:00 PM on both days
Time Control: 30/90, SD/1

February 11th: February Adult Quads
-----------------------------------------------------
Prizes: $40 to quad winner
Entry fee: $20 if mailed before 2/3/07, $25 at site.
      $5 discount for East Bay Chess ClubMembers
Rounds: 11 AM, 2:30 PM, and 5:30 PM
Time control: G/90

February 24th: February Scholastic Quads
------------------------------------------------------------
Prizes: Trophy to top finisher
Entry fee: $15 if mailed before 2/17/07, $20 at site.
      $5 discount for East Bay Chess ClubMembers
Rounds: 10 AM, 12 PM, and 1:30 PM
       All games will be over by 3:00PM.
Time control: G/45

For more details and to sign up online, please visit our website:
   http://www.eastbaychess.com

If you haven't been by in a while, please note that we have movedto
a new location in Oakland:
    7994 Capwell Dr.
    Oakland, CA 94621

It is a spacious location with plenty of free parking.  Come play in
one of our tournaments, stop by for some casual games, or sign upfor
lessons!  International Master Josh Friedel, one of the strongest
players in the country and the current Northern California Champion,
has joined our staff and is accepting new students!

"People knew about 110 years of chess history. Nowadays, nobody isable to tell you the name of the world champion of 2000."
Anatoly Karpov

WIM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs defeated FM Frank Thornallyin round five of the Mechanics' Winter Tuesday Night Marathonto gain sole possession of first place. Tied for second, a half point backat 4 1/2 are Salar Jahedi and Demetrius Goins. The latter,rated in the mid 1900s for the past few years, is threatening to finallybreak into the Expert ranks with wins over 2100 plus players the past tworounds.

Tuvshintugs - Thornally       Petroff  C42
Winter Tuesday Night Marathon (5), 2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-00-0 8.c4 c6 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Bg4 12.h3 Bh5 13.Rb1 b5 14.Bd3Nd7 15.Be4 Rc8 16.Qd3 Bg6 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.c4
This position has been tested a fair number of times with 18.Bg5receiving preference.
18...bxc4 19.Qxc4 Nb6 20.Qa6 Rc7 21.Ba3 Re8
21...Bxa3 22.Qxa3 Re8 was played in Braga-Zsu. Polgar, Wijk aanZee (B) 1986.
22.Rbc1 Re6
22...Bxa3 23.Qxa3 Nd5 was another option.
23.Rfe1 Bxa3 24.Qxa3 Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Qf8 26.Qa5 Nd5 27.Ne5 Qd628.Nd3 Re7 29.Rc1 f6
29...Nf4! 30.Nxf4 Qxf4 was a clear route to equality.
30.Qa6
Black holds the e-file after 30.Qa4 Rc7 31.Re1 with 31...Re7.
30...Rc7 31.Re1 Ne7?!
31...Re7 32.Rc1 Nb6 was necessary with equal chances,
32.Qc4+ Qd5?! 33.Qb4! Kf7?
33...Qd8 was forced.
34.Nf4 Qxa2?
34...Qd7 was the last chance to resist
35.Qd6! Qa5 36.Qe6+ Ke8 37.d5 1-0

This Saturday the Mechanics' is hosting the 7th Annual Henry GrossMemorial G/45. Last month's event attracted 53 players and we areexpecting a similar turnout for the Gross.

We report with sadness the passing of NM Ray Schutt who diedin Boulder City, Nevada, in late January. A native of Hayward, whose fatherwas one of the founding members of the Hayward Chess Clubat the Green Shutter Hotel in the late 1940s,  Ray started playingin the early 1960s and quickly became one of the best players in the area,representing the Bay Area in the California State Closed Championship severaltimes in the late 1960s. Around this time Ray was a low Master and it wasnot until the 1980s that he reached his peak, consistently maintaininghis rating in the 2300s with a personal best of 2359 ( May 1987). Amongthe titles he was awarded were Southwest Open Champion (withC.BillJones and a young Walter Browne) in 1967 and US Senior Openchampion in 1995 ( he tied for first with GM Eduard Gufeld but beathim 2-0 in the blitz playoff for the title ).

Ray was an accomplished correspondence player who played ICCF by mailand later switched to playing via e-mail - IECC. Here he defeats ZoltanGyimesi, today a +2600 GM and over 2500 FIDE at the time this game washeld.

Sicilian Dragon B78
Zoltan Gyimesi - Ray Schutt
IECC Correspondence 1997

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.O-O-O

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.Bb3 h5 12.O-O-O Ne5 13.Bg5 Rc5 14.g4 (14.Kb1b5 15.g4 a5 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.gxh5 a4 0-1 Kure-Schutt, IEECC 1997 )14...hxg4 15.f4 Nc4 16.Qe2 Qc8 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Nd5 b5 19.h5 g5 20.Bxc4 bxc421.Qe3 Rxd5 22.exd5 gxf4 23.Qxf4 c3 24.Rhf1 Qc4 25.bxc3 Qxa2 26.Nb3 Bxc327.Rd3 Bf6 28.Kd1 Rc8 29.Rf2 a5 30.Rg3 a4 31.c4 Rxc4 0-1 Mukhrjee-Schutt,IECC 1997.

9...d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Re8 14.Ne4 Be615.h4 h6 16.g4 Qc7 17.g5 h5 18.Bc4 Red8 19.Qf2 Nf4 20.Bxe6 Nxe6 21.Bd6Qb6 22.Rd2 Qxf2 23.Rxf2 Rd7 24.Rd1 Rad8 25.c3 f5 26.gxf6 Bf8 27.Rfd2 Bh628.Bxe5 Bxd2+ 29.Rxd2 Rxd2 30.Nxd2 Rd5 31.Bg3 g5 32.Kd1 gxh4 33.Bxh4 Ng50-1

Unfortunately there is only a small unrepresentative selection of Ray'sover the board games available in Mega 2007 and at the Chessdryad website.
Ray was trained as a mathematician but employed professionally in thecomputer science field. Among his employers were Hughes Aircraft, LockheedSunnyvale and TRW. Ray's work took him all over the United States fromCalifornia to Texas to Connecticut and even England. He played chess whereverhe went including several stints at the Marshall and Manhattan clubs.
Since moving to Boulder City two years ago Ray wasn't often seen inthe Bay Area but he did make it to Mike Goodall's Christmas Party thispast December.
If you go to http://www.chessdryad.com/photos/sanrafael/goodall_06/index.htmyou will find a picture of him ( Ray is DSCN8890)
A picture of Ray from the 1980s can be found at http://www.chessdryad.com/photos/paloalto/1983/pg_04.htm
Ray Schutt was a private person but much loved and admired by thosewho knew him well. Chris Mavraedis writes, Ray was a great chess player,a great friend and an even greater person! I will miss him terribly!
Raymond W. Schutt is survived by his brother Bill.

Armenian GM Vladimir Akopian rebounded from a first round lossto IM Irina Krush, scoring 7.5 from his last 8 games, to win theGibralterOpen. Hikaru Nakamura shared second a half point back inthe event which attracted a lot of American players. Go tohttp://beta.uschess.org/frontend/news_7_264.phpto read Irina's report on the event.

Nakamura,H (2651) - Epishin,V (2561) [B42] Gibtelecom Masters Gibraltar(7), 30.01.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.Be3 d5 8.exd5 Qxd5 9.Nc3 Qxg2 10.Be4 Qh3 11.Qd4 Nf6 12.0-0-0 Nbd7 13.Rhg1 g6 14.Rg3Qh5 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bf3 Qxh2 17.Be3 e5 18.Qa4 e4 19.Nxe4 Nxe4 20.Bxe4 Qh421.Nc5 b5 22.Qd4 Bf6 23.Qd5 Nxc5 24.Bxc5 1-0
 

Zhu Chen (2518) - Ehlvest,J (2610) [B81]
Gibtelecom Masters Gibraltar (9), 01.02.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 Nc6 8.Rg1h5 9.gxh5 Nxh5 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Qd2 Qb6 12.Nb3 a6 13.0-0-0 Bd7 14.Rg3 Qc715.Bg2 Nh5 16.Rh3 Rc8 17.Kb1 b5 18.a3 b4 19.axb4 Nxb4 20.Bf1 e5 21.Rh2Rb8 22.Bh3 Bc6 23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.exd5 Be7 25.Qc3 Qb6 26.Be3 Qb5 27.Bf1 Qa428.Ba7 Ra8 29.Qc7 0-0 30.Qxe7 Rfc8 31.f3 Qa2+ 32.Kc1 Qxb3 33.Rdd2 Qa2 34.Kd1Qb1+ 35.Ke2 Ng3+ 36.Kf2 Nxf1 37.Rh1 Rxc2 38.Rxc2 Nd3+ 39.Kg2 Nf4+ 0-1

It must be a sign of age, but I find nothing more heartening than tosee players from my generation continuing to achieve good results. YasserSeirawan formally announced his retirement from serious competitionseveral years ago. He now keeps busy with his work as a commentator forChessBase and coaching ( GM Daniel Stellwagen is among his pupils)but he does still play. Principally this means Rapid and Blitz events butalso the Dutch Team competition which is played at a regular time controland FIDE rated. Yasser has played quite successfully for his club and paradoxicallyhis rating is rising in "retirement". The following game, played last weekend,puts him over 2640 FIDE, not far from his peak rating of 2653 achievedin 1999 at age 39 though some might say his true peak was in the secondhalf of the 1980s when he was twice a Candidate for the World Championship.

Seirawan,Yasser (2638) - Kritz,Leonid (2578) English A27
Dutch Team Championship 2007

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.g3Ne7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 d6 10.Bg5 f6 11.Bf4 Rb8 12.c5 d5 13.Qa4 g5 14.Bc1 Rb715.e4 dxe4 16.Rd1 Qe8 17.Qxe4 f5 18.Qe2 h6 19.Re1 Bf6 20.b3 Qf7 21.Bb2f4
White has achieved a positional advantage but how to increase it?Yasser was quite critical of his next two moves which he characterizedas both "lazy and poor".
22.Rad1?! Rb4 23.h3?! Qg7
23...g4!, with good counter-play.
24.Na4 Nd5 25.Bxf6 Qxf6 26.Qe5 Qg6 27.Nc3
27.Rxd5! cxd5 (27...fxg3 28.Rd2) 28.Bxd5+ Kh7 29.Qc3 Qf6 30.Qxb4fxg3 31.fxg3 Qf2+ 32.Kh1 was a clear and clean win. White is still muchbetter after the text but there is work to do.
27...Nf6 28.Qxc7 fxg3 29.fxg3 Qc2 30.Rd8 Qxc3 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Qxc8+Kg7 33.Qc7+
33.Re7+ Kg6 34.Qf8 was quicker.
33...Kg6 34.Qe5 Qxe5 35.Rxe5 Nd7 36.Re6+ Kf5 37.Rxc6 Rd4 38.Rc7Ne5 39.Rxa7 Rd1+ 40.Kf2 Rd2+ 41.Kf1 1-0

Siles Press invites you to a Simultaneous Chess Exhibition and Booksigning Party at Samuel French Theatre & Film Bookshop (11963 VenturaBlvd. [1 block east of Laurel Cyn.] Studio City, CA 91604 • (818) 762-0535) to celebrate the publication of International Master Jeremy Silman's Complete Endgame Course.

Tuesday Evening February 20th - 5-9pm . The simultaneous chess exhibitionwill begin promptly at 5pm.
If you would like to play IM Jeremy Silman in this exhibition you mustreserve a board prior to the event (simul will be limited to 20 players)by calling Siles Press at (323) 661-9922 or
email: [email protected]

Entry Fee to play in simul = the purchase of 1 copy of Silman’s CompleteEndgame Course at the event.

The President's Day weekend is always a big one for American chess.From the US Amateur East in New Jersey to the People'sOpen in Berkeley there is something for every chess player.Thisyear taking center stage will be the President’s Day FIDE Open in Stillwater, Oklahoma, organized by FIDE International Organizer FrankBerry and his twin brother Jim Berry, who is running for theUSCFExecutive Board. Among the GMs competing are Alex Shabalov,Magesh Panchanathan and Pascal Charbonneau. There will be plentyof IMs to give them a run for their money including Irina Krush( fresh from a near GM norm in Gibralter), Peter Vavrak, Jacek Stopa,Stanislav Kriventsov, Davorin Kuljasevic and Marko Zivanic.

What really makes the event unique is the large number of  FIDEtitled women playing, attracted by the excellent conditions the Berry brothersare offering. Odds are good that this will be the strongest gathering offemale chess talent ever gathered in North America bar none. Flying theMechanics' flag in Stillwater will be WGM Camille Baginskaite andWIMBatchimeg Tuvshintugs.

Games from the event can be watched live from the Monroi website (www.monroi.com)and likely the ICC will be offering coverage as well. Look for a 4 1/2page report of the event by Jerry Hanken in Chess Life this springand coverage in IM Jack Peters' column in the Los Angeles Times.

US Chess League Czar IM Greg Shahade writes:

New Jersey and Queens have been granted the two newexpansion teams, as is now publicized on the USCL Website. We were hopingto add one Eastern team and one Western team to the mix this year, butthese two teams simply brought too much to the table for us to ignore.Along with their high rated players and young superstars, these teams alsoare receiving sponsorship.
In any case I just wanted to briefly explain our decision, as itmay seem strange for the league to have accepted two teams that are insuch close proximity to each other and to other teams in the league. Infuture years it will be increasingly difficult for a North Eastern teamto join the league, so encourage anyone on the West Coast, in the Southor in the Midwest to get ready for next year's expansion process.

The league is also not guaranteed to expand again for 2008. Thiswill depend on the amount of interest we get from around the country. Ifwe have four serious bids, then we will probably expand once again, butif not we will likely stand pat.

On the USCL website ( www.uschessleague.com) IM Shahade adds:

New Jersey will be led by GM Joel Benjamin with other confirmedplayers being IM Dean Ippolito, the #2 15 year old in the nationNMEvan Ju, and the former New York Knight, NM Mackenzie Molner

Queens, NY will be led by GM Alexander Stripunsky and GMIldar Ibragimov while the rest of the team will be filled with promisingyoung juniors, such as the #2 16 year old in the nation NM James Critelli,and the #2 ranked 12 year old in the nation Parker Zhao.

Dear Chess Player,

I would like to invite you to participate in the New England Masters,a 9 round FIDE Swiss with norm opportunities, that will take place nearBoston, Massachusetts, USA from August 13-17, 2007.

The tournament is being organized by me, Chris Bird, and willfollow the same structure as the very successful Las Vegas Mastersthat I organized in June, 2006 (http://www.clarkcountychessclub.com/masters).
However, I want this year's event to be even better and so have implementeda couple of improvements!  This event will be at a hotel, the HolidayInn Peabody, which is located just 12 miles from Boston's Logan Airport. This in turn means we are not just limited to 36 players and can probablyhandle around 60 or maybe more this year!
Not only does the host hotel have an indoor pool and fitness facilitiesbut they are also guaranteeing a $69/night room rate (based on up to fourpeople) so long as you book by July 23, 2007!
We have also changed the rounds times to 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm each day(except the first day which is just one round starting at 7:00 pm) to allowfor a more relaxing time and plenty of sleep!  The time control hasalso changed from the sudden death finishes we had last time to Game/90with an additional 30 seconds per move added from move 1.
To find out more information regarding the New England Masters, enterthe tournament and book your hotel room, please visit our special websiteat http://www.NewEnglandMasters.com.
I look forward to adding your name to the confirmed list of entriessoon and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Chris Bird
Organizer, New England Masters Chess Tournament
http://www.newenglandmasters.com/

The Millennium Chess Festival has returned and will beheld in early March (see details below). GMs Nick deFirmian andJohnFedorowicz will play a special exhibition game in the middle of theevent.

The next two weekends the Washington State Championshipwill be held as a round robin tournament, a tradition that goes back over70 years. History will be made with this event which will feature boththe youngest ( recently turned 13-year-old NM Michael Lee) and oldest( 72-year-old NM Viktors Pupols) players ever to participate.

Dear Chess Enthusiast:

The North American Chess Association (NACA) in collaboration with someof the top chess talent across North America proudly offers Internet basedgroup lessons. Online courses in Openings, Middle Game, End Game and Tacticsare available for the beginner (rating of 1200-1600) and intermediate (1601-2000)chess enthusiast.  Online courses are also available for players ratedunder 1000.

To view our full press release please visit http://www.nachess.org/grouplessons

Please feel free to pass this email along to your chess network.

Good Chess to All:

Sevan A. Muradian, President
North American Chess Association

"He has contributed a few notorious drawing variations to chess theoryand obviously holds to the firm belief that winning or losing is an abnormalend to a chess game. (on Trifunovic)."
Jan Hein Donner

WIM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs defeated Salar Jahedi last nightand now leads the Winter Tuesday Night Marathon with 6 from6, a point ahead of FM Frank Thornally and Expert Felix Rudyak,with two rounds remaining.

Salar Jahedi - Batchimeg Tuvshintugs D91
Winter Tuesday Night Marathon (6)  2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.b4 0-0 10.e3 c6 11.Be2 Qd6 12.Qb3 a5 13.b5 Be6 14.0-0 Nd715.Rac1 h6 16.Na4 Rfc8 17.bxc6 bxc6 18.Nc5?!
18.Qc3 Qb4 19.Nc5 looks more exact. Now Black grabs the b-file.
18...Rcb8 19.Qc3 Nxc5 20.Qxc5 Qxc5 21.Rxc5 Rb2 22.Bd3 Bd7
22...Rxa2 23.Rxc6 a4 looks strong . If 24.Bxg6 fxg6 25.Rxe6 a3 andthe pawn looks unstoppable.
23.Rc2 Rab8 24.Rfc1 a4 25.Kf1 a3 26.h3
Another possibility was to immediately transfer the Knight to theQueenside but this seems to fail.: 26.Nd2 c5 27.dxc5 Ba4 28.Rxb2 axb2 29.Rb1Rc8 30.Nb3 Bxb3 31.axb3 Rxc5 32.b4 Rc1+ 33.Ke2 Kf8 34.b5 Ke7 White is totallytied up. Black will advance his King towards a2. When White plays b6 Blackhas ...Rc6 picking up the pawn.
26...Bf6
26...c5 27.dxc5 Ba4 28.Re2 Rxe2 29.Kxe2 Bb2 30.Rb1 Rc8 would besimilar to the game.
27.Ke1 c5! 28.dxc5 Ba4 29.Rd2 Rxd2 30.Nxd2 Bb2
Necessary as 30...Rb2 is met by 31.c6
31.Rb1 Rc8 32.Nf3 Rxc5 33.Nd4 Rc8 34.Kd2 Kg7 35.Bb5
Another possibility was to try to hold the position with. 35.h4Black would then bring her King to the center.
35...Bxb5 36.Nxb5 Kf6 37.Kd3 Rc5 38.Nd4 Rc3+ 39.Kd2 Rc4 40.Ne2
Another possibility was 40.Kd3 asking Black to show how to makeprogress.
40...Kf5 41.Nf4 d4 42.Ne2 dxe3+ 43.Kxe3 Rc2 44.Kd3 Rc8 45.Nd4+
This is a major decision by White who offers to go into a pawn downRook ending to activate his Rook. The other possibility was holding steadywith  45.Ke3.
45...Bxd4 46.Kxd4 Rc2 47.Ke3 Rxa2 48.Rb5+
White decides to immediately get behind the a-pawn.
48...Ke6 49.Ra5 Ra1 50.h4 Kd6 51.Kf4?
It's simpler to have the King on f3 defending f2. 51.Ra7 hittingf7 makes sense. The threat to capture is not yet there because of the unfortunateposition of the King on e3 but once it goes to the file it will be.
51...Kc6 52.Ra8?
Once again 52.Ra7 suggests itself. The formation Kf3, pawns on f2,g3, h4 and threatening to capture Black's Kingside pawns should have heldthe draw in Lerner-Dorfman, Tashkent 1980 ( see supplemental game).
52...Kb5 53.f3
53.Ke5 Re1+! 54.Kf6 Re6+ 55.Kxf7 Ra6; 53.Ra7 was the best try.
53...Kb4 54.Rb8+ Kc3 55.Rc8+ Kb2 56.Rb8+ Ka2 57.Rf8 Rb1 58.Ke5..Rb459.Kf6 Kb3 0-1

Konstantin Lerner - Josif  Dorfman D94
Tashkent, 1980

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd2 c5 7.dxc5 Na68.cxd5 Nxc5 9.Bc4 Bf5 10.0-0 Rc8 11.Nd4 Bd3 12.Bxd3 Nxd3 13.Qe2 Nxb2 14.Rab1Nc4 15.Rxb7 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Rxe7 Bxd4 18.exd4 Nxd2 19.Qxd2 Rc4 20.Rxa7Rxd4 21.Qe3 Rd3 22.Qe7 Rd2 23.a3 Rd1 24.h3 Rxf1+ 25.Kxf1 Qc4+ 26.Qe2 Qc1+27.Qe1 Rc8 28.Qxc1 Rxc1+ 29.Ke2 Ra1 30.Kf3 Kg7 31.Ra5 h6 32.g3 Ra2 33.Ra8Ra1 34.Ra7 Ra2 35.Kg2 Ra1 36.Ra6 Ra2 37.Ra5 Ra1 38.Kf3 Ra2 39.Ke3 Ra1 40.Ra4Ra2 41.Ra5 Ra1 42.h4 h5 43.Ra4 Ra2 44.Ra5 Ra1 45.Ra6 Re1+ 46.Kf3 Rc1 47.Ra4Ra1 48.Ra8 Ra2 49.Ke3 Ra1 50.Kf4 Ra2 51.f3 Ra1 52.a4 Kf6 53.Ra6+ Kg7 54.Ra7Kf6 55.Ra8 Kg7 56.a5 Ra4+ 57.Ke5 Ra3 58.Ke4 Ra4+ 59.Kd5 Ra3 60.a6 Rxf3?
60...Kf6! 61.Kc6 Rxf3 62.Rb8 Ra3 63.Rb6 Kf5 64.Kb7 Kg4 65.a7 Rxa7+66.Kxa7 Kxg3 67.Rb4 f6 68.Kb6 g5 69.hxg5 fxg5 70.Kc5 h4 71.Kd4 h3 drawing- Anikaev.
61.Rb8! Ra3 62.Rb6 Rxg3 63.Kc6 Ra3 64.Kb7 g5
White also wins after 64...f6 65.a7 Rxa7+ 66.Kxa7 g5 67.Ka6! Kg668.Kb5 Kf5 69.Kc4 gxh4 70.Kd3 h3 71.Ke3 h2 72.Rb1 Kg4 73.Kf2 - Emms.
65.hxg5 h4 66.a7 h3 67.a8Q Rxa8 68.Kxa8 h2 69.Rh6 f6 70.Rxh2fxg5 71.Rf2!!
 An incredible move which is the only way to win. White losesone tempo but prevents Black from shouldering his KIng.
71.Kb7 Kf6 72.Kc6 Ke5 73.Rg2 Kf4 74.Kd5 g4 75.Rf2+ Ke3 76.Ra2g3 77.Ke5 Kf3 78.Ra3+ Kf2 79.Kf4 g2 80.Ra2+ Kg1 81.Kg3 Kh1] 71...Kh6 72.Kb7g4 73.Kc6 Kg5 74.Kd5 g3 75.Rf8 Kg4 76.Ke4 1-0

Another interesting game to examine on this theme, albeit one wherethe superior side's King is not as well placed in the Rook ending, is Fedorowicz-Yermolinsky,1997US ch. That game and Lerner-Dorfman are analyzed in John Emmsexcellent book The Survival Guide to Rook Endings.

Thornally,F - Goins,D [D36]
Winter Tuesday Night Marathon (6) .2007

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3c6 8.Qc2 Nbd7 9.Nge2 h6 10.Bh4 Re8 11.f3 Nf8 12.0-0 Nh5 13.Bf2 Bh4 14.g3Bg5 15.e4 dxe4 16.Nxe4 Nf6 17.h4 Nxe4 18.fxe4 Be7 19.Be3 Be6 20.Rf2 f621.Raf1 Qd6 22.Nf4 Bd8 23.d5 cxd5 24.Bc5 Qd7 25.exd5 Bh3 26.Nxh3 Qxh3 27.Rg2Qd7 28.Qb3 Re5 29.Bb5 Qf7 30.Re2 Rxe2 31.Bxe2 Nd7 32.Bf2 Bb6 33.Bg4 Nc534.Qc4 Kh8??
34...Qg6 had to be played.
35.Bxc5 Qc7 36.b4 Qxg3+ 37.Kh1 Qxh4+ 38.Kg2 Rc8 39.Qf4 Bc7 40.d6Bxd6 41.Bxd6 Rc2+ 42.Kg1 Rd2 43.Rc1 1-0

The Seventh Annual Henry Gross Memorial held on February10th saw 15-year-old NM Sam Shankland take home the $250 first prizefor his 5-0 score.  Kartik Viswanathan was second at 4.5 followedby fellow Experts Daniel Naroditsky, Adarsh Konda, James Jones andAlexanderSamak at 4. The latter was visiting from Germany. A total of 58 playerscompeted in the tournaments continuing an upward trend in the monthly G/45events.

Congratulations to NM Nicholas Yap, a seventeen year-old seniorSan Francisco high school student, who is the winner of the 2007Falconer Award, given to the top rated player in Northern Californiaunder age 18. Last night he was presented a check for $2280 - his December2006 USCF rating - by the award's benefactor Neil Falconer. Thisis the second time Nicholas has won and was his last year of eligibility.The front runner for 2008 is NM Sam Shankland of Orinda.

Previous Falconer Award Winners

2000 Vinay Bhat
2001 Vinay Bhat
2002 Vinay Vhat
2003 Michael Pearson
2004 Nicholas Yap
2005 Matthew Ho
2006 Mathew Ho
2007 Nicholas Yap

We reported briefly on the passing of NM Ray Schutt in MI Newsletter#331. We continue our tribute to the Hayward Master.

Ray's sister Nancy provides some biographical details.

Ray was born September 14, 1944, in Hayward. He graduated from SunsetHigh School in June 1962. Ray received  a bachelors in Math within3 years from San Jose State College then his Masters in Math the next year.Shortly after he began his career in the aerospace industry. His son Billywas born in November of 1970.

John:

I am saddened to learn of the passing of Ray Schutt.  I lastsaw him in Las Vegas in 1999, and he did not play in the tournament. He and I were undergraduate and
graduate students at San Jose State in the 60s, he in mathematicsand I in geology.  Ray and I were team mates on the winning intercollegiate
chess team in 1964.

Erik Osbun
 

John Trivet of Las Vegas writes:

Here is a game from the Senior Op. 1995, where he beat Gufeld I thinkits the 2nd playoff game. This was a playoff game he won 2-0. Afterwards, Gufeld
was wandering around screaming 'this is not chess, this is not chess!!'.

Ray Schutt  - Eduard Gufeld E74
Las Vegas 1995

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 h6 8.Bf4b5
9.cxb5 a6 10.bxa6 Qa5 11.Bd2 Bxa6 12.Bxa6 Qxa6 13.Nge2 Nbd7 14.0-0c4
15.Be3 Rfb8 16.Qd2 Kh7 17.h3 Rb7 18.Rab1 Ne5 19.Rfd1 Rab8 20.Bd4Nfd7 21.Kh1 Nd3
22.Bxg7 Nxf2+ 23.Kh2 Kxg7 24.Qd4+ Ne5 25.Qxf2 Rxb2 26.Rxb2 Rxb227.Rb1 Rxb1
28.Nxb1 Qxa2 29.Nbc3 Qc2 30.Qa7 Kf6 31.Qf2+ Kg7 32.Qh4 f6 33.Qg3g5 34.Qe3
Nd3 35.Nb5 Ne5 36.Nbd4 Qd3 37.Nf5+ Kf8 38.Qa7 Nf3+ 39.gxf3 Qxe2+40.Kg3
Qe1+ 41.Kg4 Qg1+ 42.Qxg1 1-0
 
 

Ray figured in two incidents in the 1969 California State Championship.The following report comes from THE CALIFORNIA CHESS REPORTER (Vol. XVIIINo. 4) January-February 1969. We found it on the excellent website www.chessdryad.comwhich is entirely to the history of chess in California.

DAVID BLOHM WINS CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

David Blohm of San Francisco won the title by a score of 4.5-1.5 ina tournament which was distinguished by acrimony and the Hong Kong Flu.George Kane and Ray Schutt tied for second, 4-2. The tournament was heldat the Mechanics' Institute and was directed by Charles Savery.

   The tournament, in which 11 players had originally qualified,was badly weakened by illness and other reasons which cut down the field.Oddly enough, the reduction made for larger prizes for those who were ableto finish. Felled by illness were Charles Henin, Tibor Weinberger, GeorgeHunnex and Rex Wilcox (John Blackstone was also ill, but managed to finishanyhow) and cut down by technicalities were Ray Schutt and Jude Acers.For the Schutt story, we quote Isaac Kashdan:

   "The final game between Blohm and Ray Schutt of Los Angeleslasted just half a move. At the time Blohm had 4-1 and needed only a drawto win the championship. Schutt, with 3.5-1.5, could win if he defeatedBlohm. A draw in the crucial game would drop Schutt to a tie for 2nd and3rd with George Kane. A loss for Schutt would be even worse. Kane wouldthen take second and Schutt and Julius Loftsson would tie for 3rd and 4th.

   "Blohm, with the white pieces, moved 1. P-K4. Schutt, insteadof replying on the board, made a verbal gambit. He asked "David, are youplaying for a draw?" Former California junior champion Blohm, evidentlymore conversant with the rules of chess, claimed that the question wasin effect an offer of a draw, which he accepted. Tournament director CharlesSavery, called upon a decision, ruled that Blohm was right and that thegame was drawn.

   "The rule has been in effect for some 30 years, on thetheory that a player has no right to ask for his opponent's intentionsby such queries, as, 'Are you playing for a win?' or 'Are you playing fora draw?' Any remark to that effect is construed as an offer of a draw.

   "On the other hand, players should consider that decisionsin chess should be arrived at over the board, not by technicalities. Blohmwould have added to his reputation by continuing the game rather than takingadvantage of a query that Schutt did not think had any significance."

   We are informed that there actually was another move made.Schutt made a move after the decision had been made, intending to protest.(The move was 1... P-KKt3) Schutt then protested to the president of theCalifornia State Chess Federation, Isaac Kashdan, with copies of his letterto the executive director of the United States Chess Federation, Ed Edmondson,Gordon S. Barrett, Chairman of the southern section of the CSCF tournamentcommittee, the writer, who is chairman of the northern section of the tournamentcommittee as well as editor of the California Chess Reporter, and to theplayers in the tournament. As the previous quotation from Isaac Kashdanshows, the protest was overruled.

   The tournament director, Charles Savery, was not supportedfrom every quarter, however. Gordon Barrett wrote in Terrachess that theoffer of a draw was not made according to the rules of chess, mainly becauseSchutt had not moved and the rule covering the offer of a draw requiresthe player to make the offer just as he makes his move. Col Edmondson wroteus that because neither player had made a move the draw offer was totallyagainst the rules of chess.

    In our opinion, the law covering the offering ofa draw does not apply in this case. It is instead, the law defining thepowers and duties of the tournament director.

   The other dispute occurred in the previous round. JudeAcers and Schutt arrived at the adjournment time with some play left (Acerswas ahead a pawn). Schutt wrote down a move, placed it in the envelopeand stopped his clock. Acers objected to this because the envelope wasnot yet sealed. The tournament director was called and Acers claimed thegame because of breach of the rules. The tournament director ruled thatSchutt should forfeit some time on his clock but not the game. The rulingwas that Schutt should lose 20 minutes. Acers refused to play under theruling and was therefore deemed to be forfeited. He was also forfeitedin the next round, the last round of the tournament, and was not awardedhis share of the prize for the sixth place.
CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 1968
1.David Blohm 4.5-1.5
2. George Kane 4-23. Ray Schutt 4-24. Julius Loftsson 3.5-2.55.Walter Dorne 2-46. Jude Acers 1.5-4.57. John Blackstone 1.5-4.5