Chess Room Newsletter #585

Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #585
May 23, 2012

I imagine Vlady sitting in his flat 12 years ago and deciding: “Why don’t I work out some openings for the next 12 years”. And he did. It seems as though even back then he was playing the Makogonov-Tartakower-Bondarevsky variation and the Berlin. And just take a look at the openings now—only those two! His work on the opening stage of the game is simply stunning.

—Viswanathan Anand, talking about Vladimir Kramnik

1)Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News

The Summer Tuesday Night Marathon has 63 players entered so far, headed by International Master Elliott Winslow and Fide Masters Andy Lee and Frank Thornally. Normally the first round is pretty much pro forma, with the forms charts holding true. This was not true last night, when the underdogs scored one victory and five draws, including David Miller splitting the point with IM Winslow.

David, rated 1809, spotted Elliott over 500 rating points, and had the black pieces to boot, but it was he who confused his famous opponent with a sideline in the Petroff: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4. After 4.Qe2 Qe7 5.Qxe4 d6 6.d4 dxe5 7.dxe5 Nc6 Elliott played 8. Bf4 (8.Bb5 is much more common, but after 8...Bd7 9.Nc3 0-0-0 it is not so easy for White to show an advantage) and 8...g5 innocently played 9.Bg3??, only to lose a piece after 9...f5!

Elliott managed to squeak out a draw and afterwards David explained that this was a pet line of his that he had analyzed extensively with Chicago FM Albert Chow.

While 3...Nxe4 cannot be completely sound, it is tricky and the peripatetic 19-year-old Ukrainian-Spanish-Turkish Grandmaster Alexander Ipatov has played it several times, while it is one of the main weapons of the Austrian IM Friedrich Volkmann. Its greatest champion is the 2646-rated Russian FM Vladimir Afromeev, who amassed a tremendous plus score with it. Of course the results of these games are in question, as Afromeev, a deal-maker extraordinaire, is most famous for his comment that he could make his dog an International Master.

It is still possible to enter the Summer Marathon, with a half-point bye for round one.

8 weeks (May 24, 31; June 7, 14, 21, 28; and July 5, 12) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This class, limited to a maximum of eight students, is aimed at players below 2000, and is a perfect fit for the Tuesday night regular who has been stuck for a long time at the same rating. Three-time U.S. Champion de Firmian will offer hands-on instruction, including an in-depth analysis of the students’ games.

The cost for the eight classes is $240 for Mechanics’ Institute members and $270 for non-members.

2) Nakamura wins 2012 US Championship

Hikaru Nakamura played well and with great determination in winning the US Championship in fine style. Gata Kamsky also played nicely, as both players added to their positions in the top 15 players in the world (Nakamura = 5^th with Anand at 2783, and Kamsky number 13 at 2744.)

1. Nakamura (2775) - 8½/11,
2. Kamsky (2741) - 7½,
3. Onischuk (2660) - 6½,
4-6. Akobian (2625), Lenderman(2587) and Shulman (2571) - 6,
7. Robson (2614) - 5½,
8. Hess (2635) - 5,
9-10. Kaidanov (2594) and Ramirez (2593) - 4,
11-12. Seirawan (2643) and Stripunsky (2562) - 3½.

3) Remembering Victor Frias and Jerry Hanken

Jerry Hanken (1934-2009) was a mainstay of South California chess for close to 50 years. Victor Frias (1956-2005) was associated primarily with chess on the East Coast, but lived for a time in Los Angeles, and had friends in San Francisco and family in Davis. Both were important figures in American chess.

The following game was decisive in determining the winner of the Golden West Open held in the fall of 1980. The game was published in the Pacific Chess Journal (volume 2, issue 1), edited by Paul Motta.

Queen’s Indian E16
Victor Frias – Jerry Hanken
Los Angeles 1980

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.d4 b6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.Nc3 0–0 8.0–0

w________w
[rhw1w4kd]
[0b0pgp0p]
[w0wdphwd]
[dwdwdwdw]
[wdP)wdwd]
[dwHwdN)w]
[P)wGP)B)]
[$wdQdRIw]
w--------w

8...c5?!

This move, which leads to an inferior Benoni, and 8...Ne4, which lands Black in a theoretical position a tempo down, are to be avoided. Fully playable are 8...d5, 8...Na6 and 8...c6.

9.d5 exd5 10.Nh4 Ne4 11.Nf5 Re8?!

w________w
[rhw1rdkd]
[0bdpgp0p]
[w0wdwdwd]
[dw0pdNdw]
[wdPdndwd]
[dwHwdw)w]
[P)wGP)B)]
[$wdQdRIw]
w--------w

It’s better to preserve the bishop with 11...Bf6 12.cxd5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 d6.

12.Nxd5

The alternative was 12.cxd5 Nxd2 13.d6 Bxg2 14.dxe7 Rxe7 15.Qxd2 Re5 (15...Bxf1? 16.Qg5) 16.Nh6+ gxh6 17.Kxg2 with a small advantage to White.

12...Bxd5 13.cxd5 Nd6?

w________w
[rhw1rdkd]
[0wdpgp0p]
[w0whwdwd]
[dw0PdNdw]
[wdwdwdwd]
[dwdwdw)w]
[P)wGP)B)]
[$wdQdRIw]
w--------w

Instead 13...Nxd2 14.Qxd2 d6 kept White’s advantage to a minimum.

14.Nxe7+ Qxe7 15.e4 Na6 16.Re1 f6 17.Bc3 Nb5 18.Qa4

The immediate 18.d6 was also possible.

18...Nac7

w________w
[rdwdrdkd]
[0whp1w0p]
[w0wdw0wd]
[dn0Pdwdw]
[QdwdPdwd]
[dwGwdw)w]
[P)wdw)B)]
[$wdw$wIw]
w--------w

19.d6! Nxc3 20.bxc3 Qxd6 21.e5 fxe5 22.Bxa8 Nxa8 23.Rad1 Qc6 24.Qxc6 dxc6 25.Rd7 b5 26.Rxa7 Nb6

w________w
[wdwdrdkd]
[$wdwdw0p]
[whpdwdwd]
[dp0w0wdw]
[wdwdwdwd]
[dw)wdw)w]
[Pdwdw)w)]
[dwdw$wIw]
w--------w

27.Ra6 Nd5 28.Rxc6 c4 29.Rc1 Kf7 30.Rc5 Ke6 31.Rxb5 Ra8

w________w
[rdwdwdwd]
[dwdwdw0p]
[wdwdkdwd]
[dRdn0wdw]
[wdpdwdwd]
[dw)wdw)w]
[Pdwdw)w)]
[dw$wdwIw]
w--------w

32.f4! e4 33.f5+ Ke5 34.Rd1 1–0

4 ) Here and There

Eduardo Bauzá Mercére has made another important find of a missing Frank Marshall crosstable.

NYSCA-ch
New York, 22 FEB 1898

Source: American Chess Magazine, 2/1898, p. 514