Chess Room Newsletter #629

Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #629
May 22, 2013

What has always impressed me most of the young Lombardy was his flair for clear strategic play. Different from how young players normally develop their styles (first tactical, then strategic, finally universal), Lombardy’s early play was profoundly positional. This especially was evident with how he handled the English Opening.

I can think of no other player of his age having such mastery of this opening. Not Botvinnik, Karpov, not even Fischer. Even today, I enjoy playing over his games in this opening.

—Kevin Spraggett, at
http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.com/2009/02/william-lombardy-my-chess-friend.html

1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News

The Summer Tuesday Night Marathon begins next Tuesday night (May 28). The lecture that precedes each round of the TNM (5:15 pm to 6:15 pm) will have a special guest commentator on June 4, as Australian GM Ian Rogers discusses the recent super tournament in Norway.

Speaking of the Tuesday Night Marathon, Uyanga Byambaa has a blog that covers her games in past TNMs, which can be found at

http://uyangabyambaa.blogspot.com/2012_12_01_archive.html

Callaghan McCarty-Snead may be only 7 but he is already a regular in the TNM. Recently his victory in the State Scholastic championship was written up. Read about it at

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23207220/albany-second-grader-makes-right-moves-chess

Thursday Evening Class With Former U. S. Champion Nick de Firmian

Starting Thursday May 30th, 2013
7 weeks (May 30 and June 6, 13, 20, 27 and July 11 and 18) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This class, limited to a maximum of 8 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 seven classes is $210 for Mechanics’ Institute members and $240 for non-members.

Note: This class is normally 8 weeks with a cost of $240 (members) and $280 (non-members), but because July 4th falls on a Thursday, this session will instead be 7 weeks, with the MI member tuition lowered from $240 to $210.

The 2013 US Chess League season is just around the corner. The Mechanics’ schedule is as follows:

Every Wednesday evening is the time for the weekly round-robin blitz tournament at Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club. As always, the last entry is accepted at 6:40 pm, with sign-up beginning at 6:20 pm and games starting soon after. Entry is $7 with clock; $8 without clock. Non-member entry is $9 with clock; $10 without clock. Prizes are 50%, 30%, 20% of base entry fees ($7 per player) collected. Time control preferably is 3 minute, increment 2 seconds; otherwise 5 minutes, no increment.

Last week we had 8 players in the Blitz. The winners were

1st–Jules Jelinek $28
2nd–Elliott Winslow $16.80
3rd–Merim Mesic $11.20

See you tonight!

Jules Jelinek
Weekly Wednesday Night Blitz Coordinator

2) Reshevsky-Bisguier Training Match 1963

Sammy Reshevsky and Arthur Bisguier played a six-game training match in the fall of 1963 as part of Reshevsky’s preparations for the Interzonal to be held the following year. The final score of the match (4.5-1.5 for Reshevsky) and four of the games have long been known, but now, thanks to the archives of Jacqueline Piatigorsky, we have one more.

Sicilian Najdorf B92
Arthur Bisguier–Samuel Reshevsky
New York–Training Match (1), 1963

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.0–0 Be7 9.Be3 0–0 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Bf5 12.Qd2 Nd7 13.c4 h6 14.f4 exf4 15.Rxf4 Bg6 16.Rff1 Re8 17.Nd4 Bf6 18.Bf3 Nc5 19.Kh1 Ne4 20.Bxe4 Rxe4 21.Rae1 Qd7 22.b3 Rae8 23.Nf3 Bh5 24.Bf2 b5 25.Rxe4 Rxe4 26.cxb5 Qxb5 27.Qd1 Re5 28.a4 Qb7 29.Re1 Rxd5 30.Re8+ Kh7 31.Qc2+ Bg6 32.Qc4 Bd3 33.Qc1 Rf5 34.Qc8 Qxb3 35.Rh8+ Kg6 36.h4 Qc2 37.g4 Qd1+ 38.Kh2 Qxf3 39.gxf5+ Bxf5 0–1

Source: Samuel Reshevsky by Gordon, page 228

Queen’s Gambit Declined D42
Samuel Reshevsky–Arthur Bisguier
New York–Training Match (2), 1963

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3 c5 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Rb1 b6 10.a3 Bb7 11.Qc2 g6 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Rd1 Nxc3 14.Qxc3 Be7 15.Be2 Qc8 16.b4 Nd8 17.Qd4 Nc6 18.Qf4 Qb8 19.Qh6 Rd8 20.Bb2 Bf8 21.Qh4 Bg7 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.b5 Na5 24.Ng5 h6 25.Nxe6+ fxe6 26.Qe7+ Kg8 27.Qxe6+ Kg7 28.Rbc1 Rxd1+ 29.Rxd1 h5 30.Rd7+ Kh6 31.Qf7 Qg8 32.Qf4+ g5 33.Rd6+ 1–0

Source: Samuel Reshevsky by Gordon, page 228.

Sicilian Najdorf B92
Arthur Bisguier–Samuel Reshevsky
New York–Training Match (3), 1963

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Bg5 Nbd7 10.a4 h6 11.Bh4 Qc7 12.Nd2 g5 13.Bg3 Nc5 14.Re1 Ne6 15.Nc4 Nf4 16.Bf1 Be6 17.Ne3 Rad8 18.Bxf4 exf4 19.Ned5 Bxd5 20.Nxd5 Nxd5 21.Qxd5 Bf6 22.Qb3 Rc8 23.c3 ½–½

Source: Reshevsky’s scoresheet and Samuel Reshevsky by Gordon, page 228.

Sicilian C46
Arthur Bisguier–Samuel Reshevsky
New York–Training Match (5), 1963

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.d3 Nf6 6.Ng5 0–0 7.f4 exf4 8.Bxf4 Nh5 9.Bd2 Ne5 10.Bb3 d6 11.0–0 h6 12.Nf3 Nc6 13.Nd5 Kh7 14.Bc3 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Na5 16.Nd4 c6 17.Ne3 c5 18.Ne2 Nxb3 19.axb3 Be6 20.Nf4 Nxf4 21.Rxf4 Qg5 22.Rf3 Qe5 23.Qd2 a5 24.Raf1 Kg7 25.d4 Qh5 26.Qf2 d5 27.exd5 Bxd5 28.Nf5+ Kh7 29.Rh3 Qg5 30.Nxh6 Kg7 31.Nf5+ Kg8 32.Rg3 Qd8 33.Qf4 Be6 34.Qh6 Bxf5 35.Rxf5 1–0

Source: Samuel Reshevsky by Gordon, page 229.

Queen’s Gambit Declined D35
Samuel Reshevsky–Arthur Bisguier
New York–Training Match (either game 4 or 6) 1963

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.d4 c6 6.Bf4 Nbd7 7.Qc2 Be7 8.e3 Nf8 9.Bd3 Ng6 10.h3 0–0 11.Bh2 Bd6 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.g4 Re8 14.g5 Nd7 15.0–0–0 b5 16.h4 b4 17.Na4 a5 18.h5 Ngf8 19.g6 fxg6 20.hxg6 h6 21.Nh4 Ba6 22.Bxa6 Rxa6 23.Nf5 Qf6 24.f3 Nxg6 25.Rdg1 Ndf8 26.e4 Ra7 27.e5 Qd8 28.f4 Kh8 29.Rg4 Nxf4 30.Rxf4 Qg5 31.Qd2 Ne6 32.Rff1 Rf8 33.Qxg5 Nxg5 34.Nd6 Rxf1+ 35.Rxf1 Ne6 36.Rd1 g5 37.Kc2 Kh7 38.Kd3 h5 39.Ke3 g4 40.Rc1 Re7 41.Nc5 Ng5 42.Rh1 Kg6 43.Nd3 1–0

Source: Reshevsky’s undated scoresheet. This could be either game 4 or 6, as S.R. won both.

3) Here and There

The FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki has started with two Americans in the field. Playing in the event, which runs May 21 to June 4, are

Bacrot, Etienne FRA GM 2725
Caruana, Fabiano ITA GM 2774
Dominguez Perez, Leinier CUB GM 2723
Grischuk, Alexander RUS GM 2779
Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR GM 2755
Kamsky, Gata USA GM 2741
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam UZB GM 2699
Morozevich, Alexander RUS GM 2760
Nakamura, Hikaru USA GM 2775
Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR GM 2742
Svidler, Peter RUS GM 2769
Topalov, Veselin BUL GM 2793

Hikaru Nakamura is less than two points away from being ranked Number 4 in the world.

1. Carlsen -3.7 9 2864.3
2. Aronian +0.1 18 2813.1
3. Kramnik -7.8 9 2803.2
4. Anand +2.7 18 2785.7
5. Topalov -8.6 9 2784.4
6. Nakamura +9 9 2784
7. Karjakin +15 9 2782
8. Grischuk 0 2779
9. Caruana 0 2774
10. Morozevich 0 2760
11. Svidler -10.4 18 2758.6
12. Gelfand +10.9 9 2754.9
13. Ivanchuk -1.7 1 2753.3
14. Mamedyarov 0 2753
15. Wang Hao +9.1 13 2752.1
16. Ponomariov +1.1 2 2743.1
17. Kamsky +0.1 9 2741.1
18. Adams +10.6 12 2739.6
19. Leko 0 2737
20. Giri 0 2734

Chess players meet at Palo Alto Roasting Company located on Middlefield Road from 7pm to 9pm most Fridays.