Chess Room Newsletter #754

Mechanics’ Institute Newsletter #754
July 8, 2016

We all blunder, and after doing so it’s important to get up from the board, time permitting, and clear your head – nothing good can happen if you're still in the midst of an emotional backlash. Forget about the earlier, happier, position and treat this new situation as a challenge. Hunker down, get tough and insist on finding a way to put up a long, grueling resistance!

—Jeremy Silman

16th Annual Charles Bagby Memorial G/45 this Saturday (July 9)

1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News

International Master Elliott Winslow and National Masters Tenzing Shaw and Josiah Stearman lead the Summer Tuesday Night Marathon with scores of 6–1, with one round remaining for the 128-player field.

Black to move (Stearman–Lee after 52 Ra8)	White to move (Walters–Wang after 18...Nd8)
White to move (Casares–Newey after 30...Bg7)	White to move (Shnaiderman–MacIntyre after 6...b6)
Black to move (Simpkins–Porlares after 16 Bxf3)	White to move (Starr–Batzel after 43...gxf5)
White to move (Adams–Lieberman after 19...Qb5)	For the solutions, see the game scores for round 7.

12-year-old Josiah Stearman has been on a hot streak of late (he beat top seed Andy Lee in round 6 of the Summer TNM) and won the July 4th weekend event in Sacramento in spectacular style, defeating Grandmaster Enrico Sevillano and International Master Ganbold Odondoo on the way to scoring 5–1 and raising his rating to 2280 USCF. The 81-player event was directed by John McCumiskey.

Congratulations to Fremont high school student Vignesh Panchanatham, whose score of 5.5-3.5 (+ GM Corralles, = GMs Bachmann and Zapata) gave him his third International Master norm. He only needs to raise his FIDE rating ten points to 2400 for the title.

Congratulations also to Foster City Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, who tied for first place in the third edition of the Porticcio International Open which took place in Porticcio, Corsica from 25 June to 1 July. The nine-round tournament, which had a prize fund of 15,000 Euros, attracted 15 Grandmasters, including 10 over 2600. Daniel, seeded number nine, improved his FIDE rating from 2634 to a personal best of 2641.

The time control for the event was 90 minutes for all moves, with a 30-second increment from move 1. For more information on the tournament go to the official website at www.corse-echecs.com .

The Chess Room has new chairs.

(Photos: Bobbie Monson)

Our Chess Room is the oldest dedicated chess club in the United States and needed new chairs. Many were broken or in poor condition after 80 years of constant use. Having replaced them, we need your help.

Take advantage of this opportunity to commemorate a loved one, or honor a person, family, or business, by naming a chair in either the world-renowned Chess Room or the Meeting Room of the Mechanics’ Institute.

Your gift will entitle you to an engraved, brass, personalized nameplate mounted on the back of a Mechanics’ Institute chair.

This opportunity is available for a donation of $500 per chair.

When you sponsor a seat, we will acknowledge your gift to the recipient of your choice. Chair donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

You can dedicate a chair

• As an individual, couple, or family
• For your children, grandchildren, or parents
• In memory of a loved one
• With the name of your business or organization
• Marking a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion
• To honor an employee, friend or colleague
• Or with your favorite quotation

Go to https://secure.milibrary.org/chair-appeal.php for more information.

International Master Elliott Winslow, who teaches a free beginner/intermediate class at the Mechanics’ every Saturday (11am to 1pm), tied for first with Ganesh Viswanath in the Louis Paulsen Memorial held May 6 to June 24 at the Berkeley Chess Club. Derek O’Connor and Mike Anderson were a half-point behind the winners’ 5–1 scores. The result brings O’Connor to 2039—quite impressive considering he was rated 1850 mid-May and is not a junior. Elizabeth Shaughnessy organized and Bryon Doyle directed the event.

2) July FIDE ratings

The July FIDE ratings are out, and they document the rise of U.S. chess, which currently has three players rated in the top ten in the world, and four more (Ray Robson #66 at 2674, Alex Onischuk #72 at 2668, Sam Shankland #84 at 2661 and Gata Kamsky #87 at 2660). Daniel Naroditsky and 15-year-old Jeffrey Xiong are not far from making the cutoff at 2641 (number 100 is currently 2654).

World Top 10 + 1

The United States has five women in the top hundred female players: Anna Zatonskih #36 at 2449, Irina Krush #40 at 2443, Tatev Abrahamyan #89 at 2373, Nazi Paikidze #97 at 2366 and Katerina Nemcova #99 at 2365.

US Juniors are doing particularly well, with seven in the top 51 players, and the first 4(!) born 2000 or after (Jeffrey Xiong 2641, Samuel Sevian 2595, John Burke 2571 and Ruifeng Li 2535). The United States has five players on the Girls Under 21 list, including local star Esritha Eswaran of San Jose.

3) Jeremy Silman—Part Two

More artifacts from Peter Grey’s archives, from the 1974 Carroll Capps Memorial.

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon B35
R. Price–Jeremy Silman
Carroll Capps Memorial (4), San Francisco 1974

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.0–0 0–0 9.Nb3 Qc7 10.Be2 d6 11.a4 b6 12.f4 Bb7 13.Kh1 Na5 14.Nxa5 bxa5 15.Bf3 Bc6 16.Qd3 Nd7 17.Rab1 Rab8 18.b3 Rfc8 19.Rbc1 Qb7 20.Ne2 Rc7 21.Ng3 Qb4 22.Bd2 Qb6 23.Be3 Qb4 24.Bd2 Qb6 25.Be3 Nc5 26.Bxc5 Qxc5 27.c4 Qa3 28.Rb1 Bxa4 29.Bd1 Rcb7 30.f5 Be8 31.Bc2 a4 32.bxa4 Qxd3 33.Bxd3 Rxb1 34.Bxb1 Bxa4 35.h3 Rb2 36.fxg6 hxg6 37.Bd3 Bc2 38.Rf3 Bxd3 39.Rxd3 Rb1+ 40.Kh2 Be5 41.h4 a5 42.Kh3 a4 43.Ne2 Bb2 44.c5 dxc5 45.Rd8+ Kg7 46.Rb8 a3 47.Ra8 c4 48.Kg4 Ra1 49.Kf3 c3 50.Nd4 Rd1 51.Nc2 Rc1 52.Nb4 c2 53.Kg4 Rg1 0–1

A study in concentration: Jeremy Silman in his prime, ca. 1990 (Photo: Gwen Feldman)

Pirc Austrian B09
Jeremy Silman–Dennis Waterman
Carroll Capps Memorial (5), San Francisco 1974

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 Ng4 9.Be4 f6 10.Bd5+ Kh8 11.h3 Nh6 12.exf6 exf6 13.0–0 Ne7 14.Bb3 g5 15.Re1 Nf7 16.Ne4 b6 17.c4 h6 18.d5 c5 19.dxc6 Nxc6 20.Qxd8 Ncxd8 21.Ng3 Nd6 22.Nh5 Nc6 23.Bd2 Bf5 24.Ba4 Rac8 25.Bxc6 Rxc6 26.Nxg7 Kxg7 27.b3 Ne4 28.Nd4 Nxd2 29.Nxc6 Ne4 30.Nd4 Nd6 31.Re7+ Kg6 32.Nxf5 Nxf5 33.Rxa7 Rd8 34.Rb7 Rd2 35.Rxb6 h5 36.c5 g4 37.hxg4 hxg4 38.Rb4 Kg5 39.Re1 g3 40.Rbe4 Nd4 41.Rxd4 Rxd4 42.c6 Rd2 43.Rc1 Rd8 44.c7 Rc8 45.b4 f5 46.b5 f4 47.b6 f3 48.gxf3 1–0

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon B35
Craig Barnes–Jeremy Silman
Carroll Capps Memorial (6), San Francisco 1974

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.f3 Qb4 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bb3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qd2 a5 13.Na4 Ba6 ½–½

4) Here and There

Former Mechanics’ member Mike Morris, who drew Bobby Fischer in a simul at the club in 1964, is one of the driving forces behind the 2016 Oregon Open, which will have a guaranteed prize fund of $10,000 ($2000 1st place). It will be held over Labor Day weekend (September 3–5). For more information go to: http://nwchess.com/calendar/OR_Open_flyer_2016.pdf.

Incidentally, for those who are curious, the going rate to play Bobby in his 1964 transcontinental simul tour was $5, which seems like an incredible bargain until you factor inflation in. Then the cost (in 2016 dollars) would be close to $40. Fischer’s fee of $250 for 40 boards would be about $2000 an exhibition today.

Among the artifacts in the late Peter Grey’s chess archives were addresses of Bay Area Chess players in the late 1960s. Two names residing in San Francisco that pop out are Jude Acers, who lived right around the corner from the Mechanics’ at 66 Geary (the Hotel Greystone, which is still in operation) and Irving Chernev, who lived at 1961 Chestnut in the Marina district. Chernev is also featured in “This is the End”, below.

5) This is the end

This endgame comes from a simultaneous exhibition by Capablanca.

White to move

Show solution

26 g4!



Black to move

The point of this move is to control f5 and h5, reducing the number of moves Black has available without moving his king.

The straightforward race to promote is chancy: 26 Kf5 Kd5 27 Kf6 c5 28 Kg7



Black to move (analysis, after 28 Kg7)

28 ... Kc4 29 Kxh7 Kc3 30 Kg7 Kxc2



White to move (analysis, after 30 ... Kxc2)

31 h4 c4 32 h5 c3 33 h6 Kb2 34 h7 c2 35 h8=Q c1=Q is unclear.



White to move (analysis, after 35 ... c1=Q)

White could also choose 28 Kxf7 Kd4 29 g4 Kc3 30 g5 Kxc2 31 Kg7 Kd3 32 Kxh7 c4 33 g6 c3 34 g7 c2 35 g8=Q c1=Q 36 Qd5+ Ke2 37 Qxe5+ Kxf2 38 Qg3+ Ke2 39 h4, which is also unclear.



Black to move (analysis, after 39 h4)

26 ... Ke6
27 h4 f6



White to move

If Black tried 27 ... h5, then 28 g5 (28 gxh5? f5+ –+) 28 ... c5 29 c4 a6 30 a3 a5 31 a4



Black to move (analysis, after 31 a4)

31 ... f5+ 32 gxf6 Kxf6 33 f4 exf4 34 Kxf4 Kg6 35 Ke5 Kh6 36 Kf6 winning.



Black to move (analysis, after 36 Kf6)

Just as good was 36 Kd5.

Now back to the game, from the third diagram above.

28 f4!

Chernev says this is “the key move, which wins in all variations”.

28 ... exf4

Black’s alternative 28 ... h6 29 fxe5 fxe5 30 g5 hxg5 31 hxg5 loses:



Black to move (analysis, after 31 hxg5)

White will win with his outside passer.

29 Kxf4



Black to move

Now Black has four isolated pawns.

29 ... h6

Weakens g6.

30 c3!

White will put Black into zugzwang so his king can penetrate. 30 c4? would give Black an extra move.

30 ... a6
31 a3 a5
32 a4



Black to move

32 ... Ke7
33 Kf5



Black to move

33 ... c5
34 c4



Black to move

Black resigned, because after 34 ... Kf7 35 h5, White will win either the f- or h-pawn.



Black to move (analysis, after 35 h5)

The game is Capablanca–Shipley, Philadelphia simul, 1924. The game and its analysis appear in Chernev’s 1978 book Capablanca’s Best Chess Endings, reprinted by Dover.

Chernev actually analyzes the ending beginning with this position:

White to move

and the problem position was then reached after

18.Be4 Bc6
19.Bxc6 bxc6
20.Rb3 Kc7
21.Rab1 Rb8
22.Rxb8 Rxb8
23.Rxb8 Kxb8
24.Kd3 Kc7
25.Ke4 Kd6