Chess Room Newsletter #450

Paul Theroux writing about chess players at Keleti Station in Budapest (Ghost Train to the Eastern Star -page 26)

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1) Mechanics Institute Chess Club News
2) IM Sam Shankland ties for first in New York International
3) Hikaru Nakamura
4) Impressions of the Buenos Aires Chess Club by IM Jeremy Silman
5) Arthur Bisguier simul in San Diego (1965)

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Anthony Rosenvasser and Oleg Shakhnazarov share the lead in the Summer Tuesday Night Marathon with 4.5 from 5 with three rounds remaining.

IM Ricardo DeGuzmand and Expert Romulo Fuentes shared top honors in the William Addison Memorial G/45 held on June 20. The two natives of the Philippines both won their first four games before drawing in the final round. DeGuzman's key win was over Expert Evan Sandberg. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4 h6 8.Bd2 Qe7 9.Rg1 e5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.0–0–0 Nxc3 12.Bxc3 e4 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.h3 Be6 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Qxe4 Bxa2 17.Qxe7+ Kxe7 18.Bd3 Bb3 19.Bc2 Bxc2 20.Kxc2 f6 21.f4 g6 22.Rdf1 Rhf8 23.e4 Rad8 24.f5 gxf5 25.gxf520c5 26.e5 Bc7 27.Rg7+ Rf7 28.exf6+ Kxf6 29.dxc5+ Ke7 30.f6+ Kf8 31.Rfg1 Rxg7 32.Rxg7 Rc8 33.c6 bxc6 34.Bd2 Bb6 35.Bxh6 Rd8 36.Re7+ 1–0

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Sam Shankland, who recently graduated from high school, tied for first in the New York International held June 19-23 with GMs Georgi Kacheishvili, Alexander Stripunsky, Zybneil Hracek and IM Oliver Barbosa. The five winners, who scored 6 1/2 from 9, earned $2000 apiece for their efforts.

Here are two of Sam's games from the event. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Be6 11. Kb1 Qc7 12. h4 Rfc8 13. h5 Qa5 14.hxg6 hxg6 15. a3 Rab8 16. Bd3 Bc4 17. Be3 Bxd3 18. cxd3 Ng4 19. fxg4 Rxc3 20. bxc3 Bxc3 21. Rh8+ Kxh8 22. Bd4+ e5 23. Qxc3 Qa4 24. Be3 Qa6 25. Rh1+ Kg8 26. Qb3 b5 27. Bg5 1-0 1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 h6 10. Bh4 Nxe4 11. Qe1 Nf6 12. Nf5 Qa5 13. Nxd6+ Bxd6 14.Rxd6 O-O-O 15. Bg3 Ne7 16. Qe5 Qxe5 17. fxe5 Nh5 18. Bf2 Bc6 19. Rg1 Nf4 20.Bb6 Rxd6 21. exd6 Nf5 22. g3 Ng6 23. Bd3 Nxd6 24. Bxg6 fxg6 25. Re1 e5 26.Bc5 Nf7 27. a4 Kd7 28. Kd2 g5 29. Ke3 h5 30. b4 g4 31. b5 Bf3 32. bxa6 bxa6 33. a5 h4 34. Ne4 hxg3 35. hxg3 Rc8 36. Bb6 Bxe4 37. Kxe4 Ke6 38. Kd3 Nd6 39. Bd4 e4+ 40. Kd2 Kd5 41. Bxg7 Rc7 42. Bh6 Nc4+ 43. Ke2 Kd4 44. Rf1 Kc3 45. Rf4 Rh7 46. Rf6 Kxc2 47. Rxa6 Kb3 48. Rg6 Nxa5 1/2-1/2 IM Lev Millman, who faced a very strong field, made his third and final GM norm with a score of 6 from 9.

IM Sam Shankland , rated 2446 FIDE, turn in the following performance.

1 Molnar (2384) 1-0
2 Maltese (2222) adjusted to 2250 subject to 1.46 c 1-0
3 IM Arnold (2408) 1/2-1/2
4 IM Gerzhoy (2420) CAN 1-0
5 GM Stripunsky (2556) 1/2-1/2
6 FM Harper (2206) adjusted to 2250 subject to 1.46 c 1-0 TRI
7 IM Barbosa ( 2425) PHI 1-0
8 GM Hracek ( 2604) CZE 1/2-1/2
9 GM Kacheishvili (2613) GEO 0-1

Shankland's score of 6.5 from 9 was versus a field averaging 2434.4444 (2434.5 would have been rounded up), just sort of the required 2435 for the GM norm. In view of the closeness of the near miss (if any one of Sam's opponents were rated one point higher the average would have been 2435) this result might possibly count as a GM norm, especially if his next two GM norms are strong ones.

Sam will have a busy summer competing in the Philly International, World Open, US Junior Closed and Chicago Class Championship.

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Hikaru Nakamura, who is now rated 2710 by FIDE and gearing up for the World Open and a strong tournament in San Sebastian, also has a book coming out this fall. Bullet Chess: One Minute To Mate, is co-authored with Vancouver FM Bruce Harper. Already available for pre-order on Amazon it is scheduled to be released on September 3rd. Go to http://www.amazon.com/Bullet-Chess-One-Minute-Mate/dp/1888690674/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245712290&sr=8-1 for more information.

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We recently received the following e-mail from Jeremy Silman who is vacationing in Argentina. The Zurich Chess Club is the oldest in operation in the world and recently celebrated its 200th anniversary ( it is the subject of a monumental book by IM Richard Foster - Schach-Gesellschaft Zurich 1809 bis 2009). The Mechanics' Institute Chess Club ( founded in 1854) is the oldest in continuous existence in the North America and possibly the Western Hemisphere but the Buenos Aires Chess Club appears to be the hands down winner for most sumptuous quarters.

Today I went to a very famous chess club ... they held the legendary Capablanca vs. Alekhine match there!

The club was AMAZING! It's in a very nice, but busy, area in the city with many restaurants and shops all around. Outside, the club has a nice permanent sign etched in the building's stone, and after going through the outer door of the club (a huge wood one), the inner is made of stained glass with many wonderful chess themes.

Once inside, you enter a large room where you check in. It leads to many other rooms:

One room takes you to a chess cafe called, CAPABLANCA! Going through that, you come to a huge playing room for scholastics ... dozens of photos are on the wall of kids trained there, some of whom became grandmasters. The walls everywhere have hundreds of rare chess photos and even chess paintings (originals by famous artists) of Najdorf and other greats.

I couldn't get enough of these photos since there are no copies ... you can only see them if you go to the club. Signed photos of Fischer, Capablanca, Alekhine, Najdorf, Larsen, and dozens of other grandmasters -- all of which I've never seen before. Amazing stuff!

Another room, with a huge painting of Najdorf over the entrance, is where the main tournaments are held (slow time controls) ... they do 3 a week, and a couple blitz tournaments a week too.

This playing hall is very large.

Upstairs is a chess library with chairs that allows the players to sit quietly and read the books or study from them.Another huge room was rented by a go club! Another room, which appears after the book selling room, has an area with tables and pieces so people can analyze and discuss games/positions.

Finally, my favorite room: a room that has the set, chess table, chess clock, and even chairs used by Alekhine and Capablanca in the ir match! Awesome. The room also has more rare photos, chess boards hanging that are signed by dozens of famous players, and rare documents (all safely behind glass, of course), like the contracts of the Capa - Alekhine match, signed by both, the original scoresheets of the event, each signed by both players, etc.

There are three floors to the club and many other rooms that I didn't go into.

Clearly, this is the greatest chess club on Earth!

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Thanks to John Alexander's son John Junior, for providing the following information.

GM Bisguier gave a clock simul on June 25, 1965, scoring +9, =1 ( NM Jose Tossas). The next day he scored +16, =4 ( David Book, Alfred Coles, John Hornung and Gary Davis) in a simul also given at Hornblend Hall in Pacfic Beach (San Diego). The event was sponsored by the newly formed Herman Steiner Chess group. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4=2 0Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 Bd7 7.Nbd2 g6 8.Nf1 Bg7 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 Ne7 11.Bb3 Be6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.Qb3 Qd7 14.Qxb7 0–0 15.Qb3 g5 16.Bg3 Rab8 17.Qc2 Ng6 18.Ne3 a5 19.0–0 Nh5 20.a4 Rxf3 21.gxf3 Qf7 22.Rab1 Nhf4 23.Bxf4 exf4 24.Ng2 Ne5 25.Ne1 Qh5 26.Qe2? 26.Qd1 g4 27.fxg4 Nxg4 28.Nf3 was winning. 26...g4 27.fxg4? 27.Qd2= 27...Nxg4? 27...f3! 28.Qd2 Qxg4+ 29.Kh1 Qh3 30.Rg1 Ng4 31.Rxg4 Qxg4 32.d4 Rf8 and Black is close to winning. 28.f3 Ne3 29.Ng2 Kh7 30.Kh1 Nxg2 31.Qxg2 c5 32.Rg1 Qf7 33.Qc2 Bf6 34.Rg4 Be7 35.Rbg1 Bf8 36.Qg2 d5 37.Rxf4 1–0