Chess Room Newsletter #562 | Mechanics' Institute

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Chess Room Newsletter #562

Gens Una Sumus!

Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #562
November 30, 2011


I consider chess to be not only a sport, not only an art and not only a science. It’s a model of sorts for life, a method of thinking, a perception of the world.

Vassily Ivanchuk


1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News

IM Elliott Winslow and NM Hayk Manvelyan both won in round 7 and continue to lead the Fall Tuesday Night Marathon at 6-1, with two rounds to go. Right behind them, in clear third place, is veteran Peter Grey with 5.5. FM Andy Lee is top-rated among those at 5 points in the 63-player field.

GM Sam Shankland of Orinda took a break from his studies at Brandeis University to tie for second place in the Thanksgiving weekend tournament at the St. Louis Chess Club. Sam’s score of 5.5 from 7 included a win over Timur Gareev, and draws with Gregory Kaidanov and Alex Shabalov, and brought his rating over 2650 USCF for the first time. Alex Shabalov won the event, with Ray Robson sharing second.

Daniel Naroditsky scored 5.5 from 9 in a round robin in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, held as qualifier for the last place in Group C in the upcoming Tata Steel Festival. The 2507-FIDE performance netted Daniel 5 rating points, putting the newly-turned 16-year-old at a career high of 2477 FIDE.

The event was won by Indian GM Adibhan Baskaran with 6.5 points, with Daniel, fellow American Alex Lenderman and young Dutch IM Benjamin Bok sharing second.

Daniel did very well against the top half of the field, handing Baskaran his only loss, and also beating the top-seeded Lenderman (2581). Here is their exciting game.

Modern Defense B06
Daniel Naroditsky – Alex Lenderman
Wijk aan Zee (6), November 27, 2011

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Be3 Qb6 5.Qd2 Qxb2 6.Rb1 Qa3 7.Nf3 b5?

w________w
[rhbdkdn4]
[0wdp0pgp]
[wdpdwdpd]
[dpdwdwdw]
[wdw)Pdwd]
[1wHwGNdw]
[PdP!w)P)]
[dRdwIBdR]
w--------w

Here 7...d6 is met by 8.e5, making it hard for Black to complete his kingside development. The best move here is likely 7...Nf6. The text meets with a shocking reply.

8.Bxb5! cxb5

Black might have considered declining the gift with 8...Nf6.

9.Nxb5 Qxa2 10.Nc7+!?

This leads to a very interesting position, in which Black remains with a material advantage, but stays signifcantly behind in development. Possibly 10.Qc3 was stronger here.

10...Kd8 11.0–0 Kxc7

w________w
[rhbdwdn4]
[0wip0pgp]
[wdwdwdpd]
[dwdwdwdw]
[wdw)Pdwd]
[dwdwGNdw]
[qdP!w)P)]
[dRdwdRIw]
w--------w

12.Ra1 Qxa1

This was forced, as 12...Qe6 is met by 13.d5 and 14.Qa5+.

13.Rxa1 Nc6 14.e5 Kd8 15.Qc3

White is preparing the advance d5.

15...e6

This stops the d-pawn, but only at the cost of weakening Lenderman on the dark squares.

16.Ng5 Ke8 17.Ne4 f6?

The losing move. Ugly but necessary was 17...Nge7 18.Nd6+ Kf8.

18.d5!

w________w
[rdbdkdn4]
[0wdpdwgp]
[wdndp0pd]
[dwdP)wdw]
[wdwdNdwd]
[dw!wGwdw]
[wdPdw)P)]
[$wdwdwIw]
w--------w

18...exd5 19.Nd6+
19.exf6 Nxf6 20.Nd6+ Ke7 (20...Kf8 21.Bg5 d4 22.Qc4 Nd8 23.Nxc8) 21.Re1 was another way to win.
19...Kf8 20.Bc5 Nce7 21.exf6 Nxf6

w________w
[rdbdwiw4]
[0wdphwgp]
[wdwHwhpd]
[dwGpdwdw]
[wdwdwdwd]
[dw!wdwdw]
[wdPdw)P)]
[$wdwdwIw]
w--------w

22.Bd4 Neg8 23.Nxc8 Rxc8 24.Qxc8+ Kf7 25.Rxa7 Ne7 26.Qa6 Rb8 27.g3 1–0

Australian GM Ian Rogers will lecture next Tuesday night at the Mechanics’, from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm, on the game Anand–Nakamura from the London Chess Classic. All are welcome.


2) London Classic Pairings

Round one: December 3rd, starting at 14.00

Vladimir Kramnik – Hikaru Nakamura
Levon Aronian – Luke McShane
Magnus Carlsen – David Howell
Michael Adams – Viswanathan Anand

Nigel Short – bye, assisting the commentary


Round two: December 4th, starting at 14.00

David Howell – Michael Adams
Luke McShane – Magnus Carlsen
Hikaru Nakamura – Levon Aronian
Nigel Short – Vladimir Kramnik

Viswanathan Anand – bye, assisting the commentary


Round three
: December 5th, starting at 14.00

Levon Aronian – Nigel Short
Magnus Carlsen – Hikaru Nakamura
Michael Adams – Luke McShane
Viswanathan Anand – David Howell

Vladimir Kramnik – bye, assisting the commentary


Round four:
December 6th, starting at 16.00

Magnus Carlsen – Vladimir Kramnik

Michael Adams – Nigel Short
Viswanathan Anand – Hikaru Nakamura
David Howell – Luke McShane

Levon Aronian – bye, assisting the commentary


Rest day:
December 7th

Round five:
December 8th, starting at 14.00

Hikaru Nakamura – David Howell

Nigel Short – Viswanathan Anand
Vladimir Kramnik – Michael Adams
Levon Aronian – Magnus Carlsen

Luke McShane – bye, assisting the commentary


Round six: December 9th, starting at 14.00

Michael Adams – Levon Aronian

Viswanathan Anand – Vladimir Kramnik
David Howell – Nigel Short
Luke McShane – Hikaru Nakamura

Magnus Carlsen – bye, assisting the commentary


Round seven: December 10th, starting at 14.00

Nigel Short – Luke McShane

Vladimir Kramnik – David Howell
Levon Aronian – Viswanathan Anand
Magnus Carlsen – Michael Adams

Hikaru Nakamura – bye, assisting the commentary


Round eight: December 11th, starting at 14.00

Viswanathan Anand – Magnus Carlsen

David Howell – Levon Aronian
Luke McShane – Vladimir Kramnik
Hikaru Nakamura – Nigel Short

Michael Adams – bye, assisting the commentary


Round nine
: December 12th, starting at 12.00

Luke McShane – Viswanathan Anand

Hikaru Nakamura – Michael Adams
Nigel Short – Magnus Carlsen
Vladimir Kramnik – Levon Aronian

David Howell – bye, assisting the commentary


For clarification: As the lowest-rated player has pairing number 7, according to the tournament regulations, the round this player has the “bye” has been moved to be played as round 9.

Albert Vasse IA – Chief Arbiter


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