Gens Una Sumus!
Mechanics’ Institute Newsletter #751
June 17, 2016
With the proliferation of strong chess engines, it's become not only easy to analyze your games with them but hard to resist their use. They provide a merciless commentary on the tactics, which we all often miss, but have only a limited connection to what is actually happening when two human beings do battle across the chess board: and often skew the viewpoint of spectators when watching games online.
—Jonathan Speelman, https://en.chessbase.com/post/speelman-introducing-the-agony-column
The Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club will hold the 16th Annual William Addison Memorial this Saturday.
1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News
International Master Elliot Winslow and National Master James Sun are the only perfect scores after four rounds of the 120-player Summer Tuesday Night Marathon, and will meet in round five. There were upsets galore in round four, including Sun’s win over top-rated FIDE Master Andy Lee.
From round 4 of the Summer Tuesday Night Marathon:
 |  |
| White to move (Viswanath–Byambaa after 22...Nh6) | White to move (Wang–Porlares after 21...f6) |
 |  |
| White to move (Walters–Revi after 12...Qb8) | White to move (Kokish–Casares after 7...Bg4) |
 |  |
| White to move (Smith–Giridharan after 33...Qe7) | White to move (Morgan–Ochoa after 29...Rxh3) |
 | |
| White to move (Bender–Simpkins after 10...g6) | For the solutions, see the game scores for round 4. |
The last Wednesday Night Blitz before the summer break (resuming August 31) was held at the Mechanics’ Institute on Wednesday June 8. Arthur Ismakov was the winner, with Jules Jelinek and Derek O’Connor.
The Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club’s new chairs are arriving on June 29. These will mark the first new chairs in over 50 years.
The Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club hosts a free Women and Girls class every Sunday. Taught by Ewelina Krubnik, it is held between 11 am and 1 pm.
The 11th edition of the Edmonton International runs from June 17–26, with top seeds Grandmasters Alexey Shirov, Sam Shankland and Surya Ganguly. Follow the action at http://edmonton-international.com/.
Noted author, trainer and publisher (Quality Chess) Grandmaster Jacob Aagard will give a special lecture before round 8 of the Tuesday Night Marathon on July 12. All are welcome to attend this free event.
2) Walter Browne Memorial Blitz, by Janelle & Alan Losoff
We honor the memory of our friend, GM Walter Browne, by renaming our National Open Championship Blitz after him. Walter started the World Blitz Chess Association (WBCA) and always seemed to be in time trouble. His flag has fallen, but he will always be a champion to us. As long as we run this chess festival and have this blitz, his name will be on it.
Format: 7 Round Double Swiss – Play 14 games — white and black vs each opponent
Time Control: Game/3 minutes+2-second increment
Sections: Open and Reserve (under 1900)
USCF Blitz Rated
Open Section FIDE Blitz Rated
Entry Fee: $40 by June 3, 2016, $60 later
Registration: by 6:00 pm—Rd 1 at 7:30 pm; ½-point byes available in first 2 rounds.
Go to http://www.vegaschessfestival.com/side-events/national-open-blitz/ for more information.
3) A Chess Poem by Dennis Fritzinger
tiger chess
my method
of playing
was simple
i kept looking
for that one
slip-up
i could pounce on
like a tiger
4) 2016 US Chess Award Winners
The list of individuals honored by US Chess (formerly USCF) this year includes Northern Californian Tom Langland (Tournament Director of the Year). The Sacramento Chess Club was also recognized as Chess Club of the Year.
Distinguished Service Bill Goichberg (NY), Dewain Barber (SCA)
Outstanding Career Achievement Carl Dolson (IL), Riley Dan Driver (OH), Sharon Driver (OH), Larry Bell (KY), Roger Gotschall (IA) (Posthumously)
Special Services David Moody (MI), John Hilbert (NY), Dennis Monokroussos (IN), Guy Hoffman(WI), David and Sheila Heiser (IL)
Meritorious Services Mike Joelson (OH), Hans Multhopp (OH), Joe Riegsecker (IN), Roger Blaine (IN)
Committee of the Year Women's Chess Committee
Chess City of the Year Louisville, KY
Koltanowski Gold - i Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield and Rex Sinquefield (MO)
Koltanowski Gold - ii Frank P. Samford III (AL)
Scholastic Service (Individual) Kevin Fite (MI)
Organizer of the Year Alex Relyea (NH)
Frank J. Marshall Ambassador GM Alex Onischuk (TX), GM Irina Krush (NY)
Grandmaster of the Year GM Fabiano Caruana (MO)
Honorary Chess Mate David Grimaud (SC)
Chess Club of the Year Sacramento Chess Club
College of the Year Oberlin College (OH)
Tournament Director of the Year Tom Langland (NCA)
TD Lifetime Achievement Walter Brown (TN), Sevan Muradian (IL) (Posthumously)
Outstanding Player Achievement Jeffrey Xiong (TX)
Outstanding Team Performance 2015 World Team Championship (GM Sam Shankland, GM Alex Lenderman, GM Alex Onischuk, GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Varuzhan Akobian, Coach GM Gregory Kaidanov)
Woman Chessplayer of the Year Carissa Yip (MA)
Special Friend of US Chess Fracis Slay (MO)
5) More from the Peter Grey Archives
The following is a missing game from the 1966 U.S. Open in Seattle which turned up in the archives of Peter Grey. White (Elod Macskasy) was born in Hungary and learned his chess there, rising to the level of strong master. He left his homeland after the 1956 Hungarian revolution, settling in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he taught mathematics for many years at UBC. Among those taking his classes were future Grandmasters Duncan Suttles and Peter Biyiasas.
Macskasy’s best results in his new home including winning the 1958 Canadian Open (ahead of Larry Evans) and tying for second in the very strong Vancouver 1975 tournament, behind only the tournament winner Paul Keres (the last event the latter played in). Affectionately known as “the Doc”, Macskasy died in 1990. Numerous tributes to him can be found at https://www.scribd.com/doc/36334967/Elod-Macskasy-Special.
Elod Mackasy deep in thought (Photo: Nathan Divinsky)
Macskasy’s opponent in the following game, Walter Dobrich of Toronto, was a strong master, and is best known in the chess world for publishing the excellent monthly magazine Chess Canada in the early 1970s.
Nimzo-Indian E20
Elod Macskasy–Walter Dobrich
US Open Seattle (3) August 16, 1966
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd2 c5 5.a3 cxd4
5...Bxc3 6.Bxc3 Ne4 is the way this position was handled by Hubner and other Grandmasters.
6.axb4 dxc3 7.Bxc3 0–0 8.e3 Ne4
This novelty leads to a brief flurry of tactics that favor White.
9.Bxg7 Nxf2
9...Kxg7 10.Qg4+ Ng5 11.h4 h6 12.Nf3 f6 13.hxg5 hxg5 14.Ra5! leads to a winning attack. If 14...Rh8 (as 14...Nc6 is met by 15.Nxg5! fxg5 16.Rxg5+) 15.Rxg5+! fxg5 16.Qd4+ Qf6 17.Qxf6+ Kxf6 18.Rxh8.
10.Kxf2 Kxg7 11.Qg4+
11.Qd6 was a strong alternative.
11...Kh8 12.Qd4+ Kg8
13.b5!
White takes the time to prevent ...Nc6.
13...b6 14.Be2 Bb7 15.Bf3 Qc7 16.h4!
White advances the h-pawn to probe Black’s kingside and prepare Rh3.
16...f6 17.Rh3 Rf7 18.Rg3+ Rg7 19.Rxg7+ Kxg7 20.Bxb7 Qxb7 21.h5 d5
22.h6+! Kf7 23.Qg4 Qe7 24.cxd5 Nd7 25.d6! Qxd6 26.Rd1 Qe7
27.Rxd7! Qxd7 28.Qg7+ Ke8 29.Qg8+ Ke7 30.Qxa8 Qc7 31.Ne2 1–0
6) Magnus Carlsen to face Tigran Petrosian in Chess.com Match
The reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen will face a grandmaster named for a former world champion in the next Chess.com GM Blitz Battle on June 23.
GM Tigran L. Petrosian of Armenia bested a field of 99 players in a $5,000 blitz tournament on Tuesday, qualifying to face Carlsen this month.
Carlsen and seven other top chess masters make the first Chess.com GM Blitz Battle Championship the strongest chess tournament ever held on the Internet.
The 2016 Chess.com GM Blitz Battle Championship is a bracket-style competition with seven online matches starting in April and culminating with the final in December. The total prize pool is $40,000.
Each round, two of the best chess players in the world will play three hours of blitz and bullet chess in a knockout match, with the winner advancing to the next round.
The tournament bracket includes the world’s top four blitz players and the top two American grandmasters:
1. Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
2. Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
3. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)
4. Alexander Grischuk (Russia)
5. Levon Aronian (Armenia)
6. Fabiano Caruana (USA)
7. Pentala Harikrishna (India)
8. Tigran L. Petrosian (Armenia)
Nakamura, Vachier-Lagrave, and Grischuk have already won their first-round matches on Chess.com to advance to the final four of the bracket. The winner of the Carlsen-Petrosian match on June 23 will face Alexander Grischuk in round two.
The American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura will next play France’s number-one grandmaster, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Chess.com is broadcasting all matches live with grandmaster commentary on Chess.com/TV and Twitch.tv/chess.
7) This is the end
The solution to this study involves a lot of to-and-fro. We’ll leave it to you to determine who is dancing, and why.
White to move
Show solution
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