Chess Room Newsletter #565

Mechanics’ Institute Newsletter #565
January 4, 2012

The only reason why the King’s Gambit is playable is because Black has about ten good lines,but he can only play one at a time, that’s actually why it’s OK.

GM Nigel Short
Dec 15, 2011 on Chess Life Online

1) Mechanics’ Chess Club News

The Winter Tuesday Night Marathon started last night.The eight-round event is both USCF- and FIDE-rated, and half point byes are available for round one.
The first round of the Tuesday Night Marathon normally follows the form charts, but every so often an upset occurs. That's what happens here, as Arthur Dembling, who took his lumps in 2011, dropping 100 rating points, starts the new year in style.

French C02
Arthur Dembling (1736) - Jeff McCann (2058)
Winter TNM (1) 2012

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Be3 Qb6 6.Qd2 Nh6 7.Bd3 Bd7 8.Ne2?!

White invariably plays 8.Nf3 in this position, and after 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 Black chooses between 9...Nf5 and 9...Nb4. The tricky text doesn’t lose a piece, but the resulting complications lead to a position in which Black’s “bad” French bishop becomes a strong piece—surely not what White was hoping for.

8...c4 9.Bxc4 dxc4 10.d5 Bc5 11.dxc6 Bxc6 12.Bxc5 Qxc5 13.Qd4

w________w
[rdwdkdw4]
[0pdwdp0p]
[wdbdpdwh]
[dw1w)wdw]
[wdp!wdwd]
[dw)wdwdw]
[P)wdN)P)]
[$NdwIwdR]
w--------w

13...Qxd4?

The wrong decision. Black should keep the queens on. After 13...Qb5! he has a clear advantage.

14.Nxd4 Bxg2 15.Rg1 Be4 16.Nd2

w________w
[rdwdkdw4]
[0pdwdp0p]
[wdwdpdwh]
[dwdw)wdw]
[wdpHbdwd]
[dw)wdwdw]
[P)wHw)w)]
[$wdwIw$w]
w--------w

16...Bg6?

This preserves the wrong pawn. Correct was 16...Bd3 with equality.

17.Nxc4 0-0 18.0-0-0 Rfc8 19.Nd6 Rc7 20.f4

An alternative plan was 20.Kd2 Nf5 21.N6xf5 Bxf5 22.Ke3, working around the bishop.

20...a6 21.Rg3 Nf5 22.N6xf5 Bxf5 23.Nxf5 exf5

w________w
[rdwdwdkd]
[dp4wdp0p]
[pdwdwdwd]
[dwdw)pdw]
[wdwdw)wd]
[dw)wdw$w]
[P)wdwdw)]
[dwIRdwdw]
w--------w

24.Rd4

This preserves a small pull for White, but 24.Rd6 was even better, as it allows Rb6 and discourages ...f6.

24...Kf8 25.Rgd3 Ke7 26.Kd2 Rac8 27.Ke3?!

Now 27.Rd6 was essential.

27...f6

Black has equalized.

28.exf6+ Kxf6 29.Rd6+ Ke7 30.Kf2 g6 31.Kg3 Ke8 32.Kh4 Re7 33.Rd2 Kf7 34.Kg5 Kg7 35.Kh4 Rc4 36.Kg3 Rce4 37.Rd7 Re3+ 38.Kf2

Arthur admits that the king invasion has not led to anything.

w________w
[wdwdwdwd]
[dpdR4wip]
[pdwdwdpd]
[dwdwdpdw]
[wdwdw)wd]
[dw)w4wdw]
[P)w$wIw)]
[dwdwdwdw]
w--------w

38...Kf7

38...Re2+ was safer.

39.Rxe7+

Black just holds after 39.Rxb7 Rh3 40.Rxe7+ Kxe7 41.Kg2 Re3, due to his active rook.

39...Rxe7 40.Kf3 Kg7 41.c4 Kh6

This does not look right; instead 41...Kf6 was more natural.

42.Rd5 Kh5 43.b3 Kh4 44.Rd2 Kh3 45.b4 Kh4 46.h3 g5 47.fxg5 Kxg5
48.Rd4 h6 49.c5 h5

w________w
[wdwdwdwd]
[dpdw4wdw]
[pdwdwdwd]
[dw)wdpip]
[w)w$wdwd]
[dwdwdKdP]
[Pdwdwdwd]
[dwdwdwdw]
w--------w

50.h4+!

Black’s last half-dozen moves have been indifferent at best, and White now grabs his chance.

50...Kf6 51.Kf4 Rg7 52.Rd6+ Ke7 53.Kxf5 Rg4 54.Rb6 Rxh4 55.Rxb7+ Kd8 56.Kg5

56.Ke6 was equally valid, bringing the king to the queenside.

56...Rh2 57.a4 Ra2 58.a5

White played the concluding phase of the ending very well.

1-0

Jules Jelinek, Weekly Wednesday Night Blitz Coordinator, writes:

Hello everyone,

It’s Wednesday! Time for the weekly blitz chess tournament at Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club. As always, it starts no later than 6:40 pm, with sign-up beginning at 6:20 pm. Entry is $10 with clock, $11 without clock. Prizes are 50%, 30%, 20% of entry fees. Time control preferably is 3 minute, increment 2 seconds; otherwise 5 minutes, no increment.

Last week’s winners were
1st        Arthur Ismakov
2nd        Jules Jelinek
3rd        Merim Mesic

IM Daniel Naroditsky, who turned 16 last month, scored 5.5 from 9 in the Groningen Open, held at the end of December. His performance was exactly to expectation, based on his current FIDE rating of 2470. New York GM Robert Hess took a break from his studies at Yale to tie for first with a score of 7 from 9, raising his FIDE rating to 2635.

The San Rafael and Fairfax chess groups have joined forces to form a Marin County Chess Team, and have challenged the Mechanics’ Institute to a friendly, non-rated, two-game match on Saturday, January 28th. The event, played with a time control of G/60, starts at 9:30 am and finishes at 3 pm, with a one-hour lunch break. The event is planned as a ten-player-per-side affair, for players from roughly Class A to Class C. There is a sign-up sheet for MI members on the Chess Room bulletin board.

IM Daniel Naroditsky will receive the 2012 Neil Falconer Award for the highest rated player under 18 in Northern California on Tuesday, January 17th at 5 pm, at Mechanics’. Daniel’s prize is equivalent to his rating on the December 2011 USCF supplement - $2546.


2) Ted Yudacufski (1930-2011)

Ted Yudacufsksi, whom older Bay Area players well remember from his Monterey Chess Center and assisting Isaac Kashdan at Lone Pine died on Christmas Eve. The following tribute was written by his family.

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Ted Yudacufski, “Mr. Yu”, 81, and a Monterey resident for over fifty years, passed away on Saturday, December 24, after suffering a heart attack while visiting his family for the holidays in Pasadena, CA.

Ted was born on October 5, 1930, in Frackville, PA, to Isadore and Estelle Yudacufski. He received his B.A. from Penn State University in Liberal Arts and served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1963. His military service took him around the world to Germany and eventually to Fort Ord and the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, where he remained for the rest of his life. He was an avid fan of the arts, culture and languages, and during his travels and army service, he learned to speak Russian, German, French, Portuguese and Korean.

While living in Monterey, Ted met the love of his life, Ruby, whom he married in 1961. Together, they followed Ted’s other passion: games, particularly chess and darts, and opened the Monterey Chess Center in 1966. The center was a beloved Monterey institution and landmark for almost forty years until Ted had to close its doors in 2003. At the center, the community came together to enjoy social and intellectual conversation over chess, darts, backgammon, go, table tennis, pool and other games. Ted himself was an expert at chess and darts, and he taught both to students of every age. In fact, he continued to teach chess privately and in the local schools up until his death, and was scheduled to teach two classes at Carmel River School in January. Through his work at the Chess Center, in schools and with organizations and local hang-outs from the American Legion to donut shops, Ted touched and impacted the lives of thousands of people in Monterey and beyond.

Ted was most proud of his family, including his two daughters, Naomi Estolas and Daria Yudacufski. After his wife Ruby passed away in 1978, he had to raise Daria, who was 7 years old at the time, on his own. He is survived by his daughters, their spouses, Elpidio Estolas and Mark Sogomian, and three grandchildren, Brendyn Estolas (15), Ruby Estolas (8) and Sophie Sogomian (2).

Though his death was sudden and unexpected, he spent his last day doing what he loved most. He was surrounded by his family for a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner and his final moments were spent playing chess with his grandson.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 5, from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m., at Mission Mortuary, 450 Camino El Estero, Monterey, CA 93940.
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The web site Chess Dryad (www.chessdryad.com) has Ted Yudacufski in its California Chess Hall of Fame, where the following appears:

TED YUDACUFSKI (1930-2011): Co-founder (with his first wife Ruby), director, and the in-house chess instructor for the Monterey Chess Club (1966 to 2003), which was one of only two Northern California chess clubs that were open every day. This National Director organized and directed most of the Annual Monterey Fort Ord Chess Championships, and the Monterey Chess Club tournaments (including the Monterey International Open). Outside of Monterey, he has directed the Annual Lera Class tournament in Sunnyvale (1973-2000, taking over from George Koltanowski), the San Mateo US Amateur, many of the Paul Masson tournaments, and was co-chief assistant (to Kashdan) for two or three of the Lone Pine Opens. As he was a Darts Master as well, he invented Darts Chess; in which a throw of the dart decides which chess piece is to move. The first U.S. Open Darts Chess Championship was played in San Mateo at the (chess) U.S. Open at Palo Alto in 1981, which Ted directed. He also taught chess classes at Monterey Peninsula College.