Gens Una Sumus!
Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #702
March 20, 2015
I sometimes get nervous before a game, but once play starts I’m completely relaxed.
—Wesley So (Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club February 10, 2015)
The 15th Max Wilkerson G/45 is this Saturday
1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News
The 87-player Spring Tuesday Night Marathon includes International Master Elliott Winslow, who won the Winter TNM. It is still possible to enter the event with a half-point bye for the first round.
From round 1 of the Spring Tuesday Night Marathon:
 |  |
| White to move (Casares–Vickers after 14...O-O) | White to move (Tsodikova–LaGrotta after 21...Rfd8) |
 |  |
| White to move (Gaffagan–Magnuson after 22...N5g6) | White to move (Simpkins–Steger after 36...Nd4) |
 |  |
| White to move (Simpkins–Steger after 43...Rd8) | White to move (Robertson–Maser after 34...Rxf2) |
 |  |
| White to move (Newey–Paquette after 26...Bc7) | White to move (Gerwin–Kondakov after 21...Bf6) |
| For the solutions, see the game scores for round 1. |
Congratulations to 19-year-old Daniel Naroditsky, who reached 2640 FIDE by scoring an undefeated 7½ from 10 in the recently-concluded Reykjavik Open. His score, which tied for 4th in the powerful Open, was good for a 2663 FIDE rating performance and a seven-point rating gain.
Wednesday Night Blitz Chess News, by Jules Jelinek
2/25
1st – International Master Ray Kaufman
2nd / 3rd – Arthur Ismakov and Jules Jelinek
3/4
1st / 2nd – International Master Elliott Winslow and Jules Jelinek
3rd - Michael Askin
3/11
1st / 2nd / 3rd – Gady Costeff, Michael Askin, Nikolas Theiss
Be sure to mark May 3rd on your calendar. That is when the big Ray Schutt Blitz will be held at Mechanics’ Institute. Signup will be that day 12–12:45 pm, with the games getting under way around 1 pm.The prizes will be $400-$250-$150-$100-$100.
On Saturday March 28th at 1 pm, there will be a blitz tournament at the Discovery Bay Community Center, 1601 Discovery Bay Boulevard, Discovery Bay, CA 94505. Entry fee will be $25 and prizes (based on 12 participants) will be $100/$50 for 1st/2nd respectively. Those interested please contact Ana Hatarik ([email protected]).
Expert Jason Childress won the 40-player A.J. Fink Amateur (below 2200) held March 7 and 8, with a score of 5½ from 6. Risith Susarla was second with 5 points. Renate Otterbach, who won the top under-1200 prize, was the big rating point winner, gaining 153 points.
2) A Memorable Life: A Glimpse into the Complex Mind of Bobby Fischer explores the brilliant career of one of the greatest American chess players of all time.
Newly-donated artifacts from the collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame and never-before-exhibited materials from the Fischer Library of Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield highlight some of the chess champion’s most significant accomplishments.
You do not need to be a chess player to understand the impact that Bobby Fischer had on the game of chess. Born Robert James Fischer on March 9, 1943, he received a $1.00 chess set from his sister Joan when he was six, and his love of the game quickly blossomed. Already showing a proclivity for puzzles and advanced analytical thinking, a young Bobby began what his mother Regina referred to as an obsession for the game. Little did she know that this passion would eventually lead to her son becoming the World Chess Champion, ending 24 years of Soviet domination of the game in 1972 and changing the way the entire world would view chess.
A Memorable Life: A Glimpse into the Complex Mind of Bobby Fischer presents a few key moments in the storied life of a man who was both a source of intense admiration and controversy. Beginning with his rise to fame as a young boy, this exhibition includes material related to his early training with teachers Carmine Nigro and Jack Collins, many of the major tournaments in which he participated, as well as his historic World Chess Championship victory, and his later retirement from tournament play. Through artifacts generously loaned from the Fischer Library of Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, we are given unprecedented access to Fischer’s preparatory material for the 1972 world championship run, as well as the initial versions of his classic text My 60 Memorable Games. Never before exhibited, these materials supplement highlights from the collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, donated by the family of Jacqueline Piatigorsky, which include photographs, correspondence, and other artifacts related to his 1961 match against Samuel Reshevsky. These remarkable artifacts illuminate Fischer’s brilliance, showing how he revolutionized American chess.
Historic front page articles featuring coverage of Bobby Fischer’s landmark World Chess Championship victory have been provided to the World Chess Hall of Fame through the generous support of Historic Newspapers LTD. The company supplied valuable research support and discounted issues of newspapers from both the United States and the United Kingdom, including back issues of The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Daily Express. For more information about the company, please visit http://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/
—Shannon Bailey, Chief Curator, and Emily Allred, Assistant Curator, World Chess Hall of Fame
3) San Francisco GM Chess Invitational
Bay Area chess players will once again be treated to an outstanding event featuring great Soviet players of the past. The field will consist of the following players with the country they now represent in parenthesis.
Artur Yusupov (Germany), Verselav Eingorn (Ukraine), Evgeny Bareev (Russia), Evgeny Sveshnikov (Latvia), Anatoli Vaiser (France) and Mikhail Gurevich (Belgium).
The playing schedule for the rapid chess (G/25) event, held at the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel (2500 Mason), will be quite leisurely, with one round held on March 26 at 10 am and double rounds on the 27th and 28th at 10 am and 1 pm. The winner of the event will face Lev Alburt in a two-game G/10 match at 2 pm on the 29th.
Spectators are welcome to watch this event, organized by Sam Palatnik and directed by Eduard Dukhovny, free of charge.
4) Viktor Kortchnoi on World Champions
The following excerpt is from an interview which appears at http://en.chessbase.com/post/viktor-korchnoi-interview-true-to-himself.
V. Korchnoi: My opinion about the current World Champion is not that high.
E. Surov: Well, then let’s talk about Kasparov and Karpov. Who do you appreciate more as a chess player?
V. Korchnoi: Kasparov’s chess is much better than Karpov’s.
G. Sosonko: Better even than Fischer’s?
V. Korchnoi: (smiling, with a characteristic smooth hand gesture) Fischer... Fischer is in a class by himself.
5) Here and There
14-year-old National Master Roland Feng is the new Washington State champion. The youngster scored 6½ from 9 in the 10-player round robin held this past February. Top seed FIDE Master Costin Cozianu scored 6 points, followed by National Masters Bryce Tiglon and Curt Collyer with 5½.
79-year-old Viktors Pupols, who played in the 1954 Washington State Championship, finished last in this tournament, but had many tough games. The 60-year span between events (he has played over 35 total) has to be some sort of record. The Washington Chess Federation has held an annual round robin since 1932(!) to determine its state champion. For more information go to http://www.nwchess.com/articles/history/WA_chess_champions.htm.
Thanks to Andy Ansel for sending along the following game.
Sicilian B29
Lubosh Kavalek–Arturo Meyer
Washington DC Open, 1971
Notes by Arturo Meyer
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxd5 Qxd5 7.Be3
If 7.c4? then 7...Qe4+ 8.Be3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 e5 and Black has an excellent position - 10.Nb5? Bb4+!
7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qa5+ 9.c3
Boleslavsky recommends 9.Qd2 as best for White 9...Qxd2+ 10.Kxd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 f6 12.f4 Bf5 13.Rd1 e6 14.Be2 0–0–0 15.Kc1 Bd6 16.g3 a6 and White has a slight edge in the endgame.
9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 e5 11.Qe2?!
This move and the following are considered the refutation of Black’s supposedly premature ...e5. However Blacks moves 13 and 14 cast some doubt on the soundness of White’s play against the Black pawn on e5.
11...Bd6 12.f4
Gligoric and Sokolov only got this far and comment “in White’s favor”.
12...0–0 13.fxe5?!
13.Bxe5 Bxe5 14.Qxe5 Qxe5+ 15.fxe5 Bg4 the position looks drawish.
13...Bd7
13...Re8 fails to 14.Qb5 Qxb5 15.Bxb5 Re7 16.0–0–0! and Black cannot recapture the pawn.
14.b4?
Kavalek thought for an hour on this move and tries to divert some of the pressure on e5.. However this move creates a new weakness and commits White to a very inferior position.
14.exd6 Rfe8 15.Be3 Re4 (15...Rxe3 fails 16.Qxe3 Re8 17.Qxe8+ Bxe8 18.0–0–0) 16.Kf2 Rae8 17.Re1 Rxe3 18.Qxe3 Rxe3 19.Rxe3 Qc5 20.Bd3 Qxd6 21.Rhe1 Be6 and again the position looks drawish and if anything White has the upper hand.
14...Qa3 15.Kf2 Rae8 16.Re1 f6?!
After this move Black is lost. I should have played:
16...Bxe5! 17.Bxe5 f6 and Black ends up with a clear advantage in all variations 18.Kg1 (18.Qc4+ Be6 19.Qe2 (19.Qd3 fxe5+ 20.Kg1 Qxa2 21.Re2 Qa1 22.Rf2 Qe1) 19...fxe5+ 20.Kg1 Qxc3) 18...Rxe5 19.Qd2 Rxe1 20.Qxe1 Qxa2 winning a pawn and Blacks pieces will get into action immediately.
17.Qc4+ Be6 18.exd6! Bxc4 19.Bxc4+ Kh8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8 21.d7 Qb2+?
This move accelerates Black’s defeat.
22.Kf3 Rf8 23.Re1 g5 24.Re8 g4+ 25.Kg3 1–0
Source: The King’s File, April 1971.
April 24-26 or 25-26
Western Pacific Open
5SS, 30/90, SD/60, d/5 (2-day option, rds 1-2 G/75, d/5). Site: Hilton Irvine, 18800 MacArthur Blvd, Irvine, CA 92612. Prizes: $$10,000 b/165, 70% of each prize guaranteed. 3 sections. Open: $$1700-750-400-300-200, U2400: $400, U2200: $$700-300-200. Premier: U2000 $$750-300-200-100 U1800 $$750-300- 200-100. Reserve Under 1600/UNR: $$750-300-200-100. U1400 $$450-250-150, UNR $150. (Unrated may win Unrated prize only.) EF: $89 by 3/20, $105 by 4/19, $119 after 4/19. UNR EF: $50 (includes USCF membership). GM/IMs free, $89 from prize. Re-entry $60 in all sections. 3-day schedule: Reg ends Fri 6pm, rds: Fri 7pm, Sat 11 & 6, Sun 10 & 4:30. 2-day schedule: Reg ends Sat 10:00 am, rds. Sat 11-2:30-6, Sun 10 & 4:15. All: Half point byes OK, limit 2, must commit before rd 3. SCCF membership ($18, $13 jrs [or $3 no magazine jr version] required for rated Southern Californians.) HR: $116-116, 1-(800-445-8667). Free wireless in public areas, 24-hour airport shuttle. Info: [email protected]. Web site, On-line entry: http://www.metrochessla.com/www.metrochessla.com/wpo Ent: Metropolitan Chess, PO Box 25112, Los Angeles, CA 90025-0112. $15 service charge for refunds.
6) This is the end
This position is from a 1996 Grandmaster game.
White to move
White has two knights for a rook; can he convert this advantage, or does Black have some unexpected resource?
Show solution
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