Chess Room Newsletter #970

Take on the Mechanics' Chess Staff Live on Twitch!

The chess room staff at the Mechanics' Institute are taking on all comers now weekly, as each of us will live stream an arena tournament where we will commentate our own games! You might be playing 3-time US Champion GM Nick de Firmian, or perhaps our commentator and instructor extraordinaire FM Paul Whitehead. 

Arenas are an hour long, and the chess staff will be paired against the first available player to play at the conclusion of their games. All other players will be paired with the next available opponent. This will continue for the whole hour. While there is no guarantee you will be paired against a chess staff member, you will have a very good chance at it, depending on the number of players playing. All games will be streamed live on our Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/mechanicschess

GM Nick de Firmian/FM Paul Whitehead Arena: Thursdays 5pm-6pm, 6/3: https://www.chess.com/live#r=1185695

See you in the arena!

Renew or Get your US Chess membership NOW before prices go up on June 1

Renew it through Mechanics' Institute and support your chess club!

Old memberships
Scholastic: Age 12&under: $17/one year; $30/two years
Youth: Age 15&under: $22/one year; $40/two years
Young Adult: Age 24&under: $26/one year; $48/two years
Adult: Age 25&over: $40/one year; $75/two years
Senior: Age 65&over: $40/one year; $75/two years

If you belong to the categories that are bolded, you could save by renewing your membership TODAY!

New membership structure effective from 6/1/2021:

Youth (≤ 18 years): $20/one year; $37/two years
Young Adult (19 – 24 years): $27/one year; $51/two years
Adult (25 – 64 years): $45/one year; $87/two years
Senior (65 years and older):  $40/one year; $77/two years

Renew it through us by Monday noon, and we'll take care of the submitting to US Chess.
https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineTournaments/USCFMemberships

If you are interested in renewing for 2 years, please email us to [email protected] and we will provide further instructions on what to do.

Mechanics' Institute

Summer Online Classes

Monday's 4:00-5:30PM - Mechanics' Chess Cafe
Ongoing casual meeting to talk about chess, life, and pretty much everything else of interest. Join 3-time US Champion GM Nick de Firmian and FM Paul Whitehead as they give a lecture and class in a fun casual atmosphere where you can discuss games, learn strategy, discuss chess current events and interact in a fun casual atmosphere. Enter our Monday chess café for the pure love of the game. Class suitable for ALL level of players and FREE for MI members.
FREE for Mechanics' members. $5 for non-members.
More information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/chess-cafe
Register: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2020OnlineClasses_120/ChessCafe

Monday's 6:00-7:00PM - Middle Game Strategy Through the Lens of the TNM

New session date: June 14 - July 26 (no class July 5)

Middle games can be very complex, trying to formulate plans, spot weaknesses, and developing instincts that guide when to initiate aggression or hold things static. These are just some of the topics as we discuss middle game strategy using game resources from a Mechanics' Institute tradition, the Tuesday Night Marathon (TNM). Using real games from our flagship event, we will look at concepts in middle game management to improve our game. Class will be taught by 3-time US Champion Nick de Firmian with support from FM Paul Whitehead. Relive the fun and action of the TNM, with games from our local players while learning to play better chess.
More information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/middle-game-strategy-through-lens-tnm
Register: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineClasses/MiddleGameStrategyThroughLensofTNMGameswithGMNickdeFirmian

Wednesday's 5:00-6:30PM - Free Adult Beginner Class for Mechanics' Members
New session date: June 9 - July 28
Are you an adult who wants to put learning chess on top of your New Year's resolution? Get a head start with us at the Mechanics' Institute! This virtual class is open to any MI member who has no knowledge of the game or who knows the very basics and wants to improve. Taught by MI Chess Director Abel Talamantez along with other MI staff, we will patiently walk through all the basics at a pace suitable for our class. Our goal is to teach piece movement basics, checkmate patterns, importance of development, and general strategy. We will also show students how to play online so they may practice. The goal of the class is to open a new world of fun and joy through the magic and beauty of chess, from one of the oldest and proudest chess clubs in the world.

Registration: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineClasses/FreeAdultBeginnerClassforMechanicsMembersJuneJuly2021
Free for MI members. Members will have to register online to secure their spot and to receive an email confirming the Zoom link.
More information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/free-adult-beginner-class-mechanics-members

Wednesdays 6:30-8PM -- Next Class by FM Paul Whitehead -- Endgame Lab
Course Dates: June 30 through Aug 4 (6 classes)
For tournament players looking to solve some of toughest situations they face, here is the class to help you learn the essentials to work out and win or save games.
FM Paul Whitehead’s Endgame Lab Class will focus solely on endgame techniques and will teach you the essentials in a 6-week course meant to build endgame skills you need to get your chess to the next level.
Information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/endgame-lab-fm-paul-whitehead
Register: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineClasses/EndgameLabbyFMPaulWhiteheadJunJul2021

Wednesdays 7-8PM - Introduction to Openings for Developing Players
Course Dates: June 23 through August 25 (10 classes)

IM (International Master) Elliott Winslow will be teaching this course. Opening theory in chess is a big subject! But of course there's no avoiding it, you have to step forward, and you might as well make those important first moves count. In this course, we'll look into this world, sampling the various openings, with more than a bit of history of their development, plus we'll learn the basic principles of opening play as we go: Development, the Center, King Safety, Initiative, and Stopping the Opponent (from all those). We'll see a number of standard deployments and their counters, and maybe even find out what (and why!) is happening in the games of the best players (and how it could help our games). Lastly, this dynamics class will give players the opportunity to discuss their own choices of openings, obstacles and receive advice on how to get past them.

More information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/introduction-openings-developing-players
Register: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineClasses/IntroductiontoOpeningsfortheDevelopingPlayersWednesdays78PM

Sundays 10AM - 12PM -- Free Women's Online Chess Class by FIDE Trainer Sophie Adams

Come join us on Sundays as we are offering a free class for women from 10am-12pm(noon) online.
Coached by FIDE Trainer Sophie Adams, this class is for women and girls looking to develop their chess skills with a community of women. Knowledge of piece movements and mates is expected. Registration is required so we may send the links for players to join. Zoom will be required to participate, and we will include optional links to participate in online platforms like chess.com if players would like to play with each other online. Be sure to be a part of the Mechanics' Women's Chess Club on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/club/mechanics-womens-club

More information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/free-womens-online-chess-class
Class is free, but must register to receive class information: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineClasses/FREEWomensOnlineChessClassSundays1012
 

Mechanics' Institute Regular Online Events Schedule

The Mechanics' Institute Chess Club will continue to hold regular online events in various forms. Here is the upcoming schedule for players:

6/1 Tuesday - June 2021 Tuesday Night Marathon LIVE
Format: 5SS G/120;d5
Information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess-tournaments/tuesday-night-marathon-2021-june-person
Registration: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/Tournaments2021/TuesdayNightMarathonJune2021

 

Redesigned NEW Thursday Night Marathon
Starting June 24 through July 15
Since the Tuesday Night Marathon is back to OTB, we have redesigned the Thursday Night Marathon Online to offer two games a night. Increment has been increased to 5 second to give our players a bit more time to move the mouse. This tournament will stay our online main event, and our amazing broadcast team will cover the games just like the Tuesday Night Marathon Online.
Format: one Open section with 8SS G/35+5 - 2 games a night
Information: https://www.milibrary.org/chess-tournaments/first-new-thursday-night-marathon-online
Registration: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2021OnlineTournaments/ThefirstNewThursdayNightMarathonOnline

 

Past Club Tournament results are here:

https://www.chess.com/club/live-tournaments/mechanics-institute-chess-club-1

and here: https://www.milibrary.org/chess/tournament-game-archive

 

Before playing in our online tournaments, be sure to do the following:

1. Sign up and log in to chess.com

2. Sign up to be a member of Mechanics' Institute Chess Club at https://www.chess.com/club/mechanics-institute-chess-club-1. 

3. Please fill out the Google Form, so we know who you are, and can inform you about changes, and ad hoc events: https://forms.gle/UbE3ocC4TaLZV3ZK8

Any questions? [email protected]

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Scholastic Corner

Starting June 2021, the scholastic news will be covered in a dedicated, monthly publication:
Scholastic Monthly Diary

Please click the following link to read the first inaugural edition.
All of us at Mechanics' Institute would like to thank you for your support of our scholastic chess programming.
 

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Finishing Tactics from the World Championship Matches 16: Alekhine – Euwe 1937

FM Paul Whitehead

[email protected]

Taking on Max Euwe in the rematch two years later, Alexander Alekhine used a new and powerful weapon: sobriety.  Alekhine overwhelmed the Dutchman in the transitions to winning endgames, and was willing to take risks even in the opening, as this famous game illustrates:

Alekhine – Euwe, 6th Match Game 1937.

Queens Gambit Declined, Slav Defense

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.e4 e5 5.Bxc4 exd4.

Here Alekhine, a point behind in the match, stunned Euwe with the amazing 6.Nf3!? a sacrifice that should have been taken: 6…dxc3 7.Bxf7+ Ke7 8.Qb3 with wild complications. But he erred with 6…b5? and was mowed down: 7.Nxb5! Ba6 (7…cxb5 8.Bd5 wins) 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.0-0 Bxb5 10.Bxb5 Nf6 11.Bc4 Nbd7 12.Nxd4 Rb8 13.Qc2 Qc5 14.Nf5 Ne5 15.Bf4 Nh5 16.Bxf7+! Kxf7 17.Qxc5 Bxc5 18.Bxe5. Two pawns down, black can resign here. 18…Re5 19.Bd6 Bb6 20.b4 Rd8 21.Rad1 c5 22.bxc5 Bxc5 23.Rd5 1-0.

Alekhine went on to win the next two games as well, effectively deciding the match. The final score of +10 -4 =11 for the challenger hid another grim statistic: Euwe could not buy even one lousy game with the black pieces.

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1. Euwe – Alekhine, 5th Match Game 1937.

White moves.  A one-two punch sends Alekhine reeling.

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2. Euwe – Alekhine, 7^th Match Game 1937.

Black moves.  What to do about the threat of f5?

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3. Alekhine – Euwe, 8^th Match Game 1937.

White moves.  What to do about the threat of 1…b5?

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4. Alekhine – Euwe, 10^th Match Game 1937.

White moves.  Wrap it up.

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5. Euwe – Alekhine, 25^th Match Game 1937.

Black moves.  Be the spoilsport.

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GM Nick de Firmian

Crypto Chess

Major chess tournaments around the world have often been sponsored by financial Institutions. The great Lloyds Bank tournaments of London and the Credit Suisse tournament of Switzerland easily come to mind. Thus it is not surprising to see a major tournament that is now played being sponsored by crypto currency. The FTX Crypto Cup has $320,000 in prize money plus extra bonus funds of $100,000 in bitcoin.

This event saw 16 of the world’s best players in the preliminary phase, whereupon the 8 qualifiers played off in mini-matches.  A great surprise of the preliminaries was the bare qualification of World Champion Magnus. He had a very drawn position in the final round against the solid Radjabov and a draw would have seen him booted out of the tournament with the 7 other bottom finishers. That is like seeing Tiger Woods miss the cut at a golf tournament.  Somehow Magnus managed to win that dead drawn game against a top ten player and get to the playoff stage where he met longtime blitz rival Hikaru Nakamura.

Despite this uneven qualifying performance the champ produced a brilliant and entertaining game against the Russian Alexander Grischuck. We give this game below, and one with the same opening that also involved the reigning world champion and best Scandinavian player in the world. That game was 51 years ago, but was an absolute classic. The game played  this week was a sequel to that dramatic story.

(1) Carlsen,Magnus - Grischuck,Alexander [A01]
Crypto Prelimns, 24.05.2021

1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Bc5 6.Nf5! A new move after 51 years (see next game). This certainly gets to entertaining positions. 6...d5?! [6...0-0! 7.Nc3!? (7.Ng3 is safe and equal) 7...d5 is wild and crazy but should be no worse for Black] 7.Nxg7+ Kf8 8.cxd5 Bd4

9.Nc3! Ne7 [9...Nb4 may be better but White still holds the edge after 10.Nh5 Nxh5 11.e3] 10.e3 Bxc3 11.dxc3! Kxg7 12.c4 Black has won a piece but Magnus has tremendous compensation with the powerful bishop on the long dark diagonal and the strong central pawns. Larsen would be proud of his Scandinavian colleague. 12...Ng6 13.g4 h6 14.h4 c5 It's hard to offer good advice for Black. This at least prevents the white queen from coming to d4. 15.Be2 [Not 15.g5? hxg5 16.hxg5 Qa5+ followed by ...Rxh1 wins for Black] 15...Kg8 16.Qc2 Rh7 17.0-0-0 Nxg4 I think most anyone would greatly enjoy playing the white side here. So you've lost some material - you've got all very active pieces and a continuing attack against the black king. 18.h5 18...Nf8 19.Qxe4 f5 [19...Nxf2 20.Rdg1+ Ng6 21.hxg6 Nxe4 22.gxh7+ Kxh7 23.Rg7+ Kh8 24.Rxh6# would be a pretty finish] 20.Qc2 Nxf2 21.Rhg1+ Kf7 22.Rdf1 Qh4 [22...Nh3 23.Rxf5+ Bxf5 24.Qxf5+ Ke8 25.Qxh3 would be a crushing advantage] 23.Be5?! This is imprecise in an otherwise superb game. Now Grischuck could get some defensive chances with 23...Qe7 though he would still be under great pressure. Instead 23. Rg2 should win fairly easily. 23...Qe4?! 24.Qc3 Nh3 25.Rg4! Grischuck resigned as his queen is trapped. A most entertaining game from the World Champion, even from a tournament where he is a little off form. 1-0

(2) Larsen,Bent - Spassky,Boris V [A01]
Belgrade URS-World Belgrade (2.1), 31.03.1970

Larsen plays the opening that bears his name. 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Bc5

Now Larsen captures the knight on c6 to double the pawns, but this gives Black quick development. No grandmaster dared play the opening again for white until Magnus showed there was real potential to his fellow Scandinavian's opening idea. 6.Nxc6?! dxc6 7.e3 Bf5 8.Qc2 Qe7 9.Be2 0-0-0 10.f4? White advances the f-pawn as Black cannot capture en passant with the bishop on f5. Yet this gives Black the last tempo needed to break through the poorly developed white position. It takes incredible aggression to succeed though. 10...Ng4! 11.g3 Preventing 11...Qh4+ 11...h5! 12.h3 12...h4! 13.hxg4 hxg3 14.Rg1

14...Rh1!! This fabulous move brings the game to a historic level. After sacrificing a piece Spassky throws a whole rook in for the sake of one tempo. 15.Rxh1 g2 That tempo is absolutely decisive. The white rook must move and the black queen invades. 16.Rf1 [16.Rg1 Qh4+ 17.Kd1 Qh1 is the end] 16...Qh4+ 17.Kd1 gxf1Q+ Larsen resigned as it is mate in three. Now we have two classic games from this variation. I hope a world champion of the future will venture into this line again. 0-1

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Solutions to Paul Whitehead's Column

1. Euwe – Alekhine, 5th Match Game 1937.

1.f4! Sends the bishop out of orbit... 1…Bxb2 (1…Bb8 2.Bc6 wins) and 2.Rf3! …salvages it for scrap. The twin threats of 3.Rd8+ followed by 4.Rg3+, and the simple 3.Rb3 snagging the bishop are too much for black. After 2…Bb7 3.Rg3! threatening 4.Bc5# it was all over but the crying. Alekhine tried the funny 3…Ba3, as 3…Rc8 lost instantly to 4.Rd8+! but the rest was too painful: 4.Rxa3 Rg8 5.Rg3 Rxg3 6.hxg3 Bd5 7.Bb3 Bxb3 8.axb3 Ke8 9.b4 Rb8 10.Bc5 Rc8 11.Ra1 Rc6 12.Kf2 f5 13.Ke3 f6 14.Kd4 Kf7 15.Kc4 Kg6 16.Rd1 Kh5 17.Rd6 Rxd6 18.Bxd6 Kg4 19.Be7 Kg3 20.Bxf6 Kxf4 21.Kc5 1-0.

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2. Euwe – Alekhine, 7^th Match Game 1937.

The powerful centralization with 1…Rad8! 2.f5 exf5 3.exf5 Rfe8! put black firmly in the driver’s seat. White wins the piece with 4.Qg2 Qxg4 5.fxg6 but black has 3 pawns for it after 4…hxg6 and a raging initiative despite the queens coming off.  The rest was actually a rout: 5.Bd1Qxg2+ 6.Kxg2 Rd4 7.Nf3 Rg4+ 8.Kh3 Rd8 9.Bg5 Rb4 10.Bd2 Re4 11.Bb3 Re2 12.Bc3 Rd3 13.Kh4 Rxf3! A little combination decides matters quickly. 14.Rxf3 Rh2+ 15.Rh3  (15.Kg5 Rh5#)  15…g5+ 16.Kxg5 Rxh3 17.Bd1 Ne4+ 0-1.

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3. Alekhine – Euwe, 8^th Match Game 1937.

Yet again Alekhine ignores the threat and blows open the center: 1.e4! b5 2.Qf4! Hits the rook on b8. 2…Rb6 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Rhe1+ Be6 5.Rac1! The end is near, with the deadly threat of 6.Rc8+. 5…f6 6.Rc7 Kd8 (He can take the pesky bishop with 6…Rxa6 but then is mated after 7.Re7+ Kd8 8.Qc7#) 7.Rxa7 1-0.

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4. Alekhine – Euwe, 10^th Match Game 1937.

1.Kg2! threatens to snag the queen with 2.Nf3, and black is busted. Euwe bailed out in the only way he could with 1…Nxe5 2.dxe5, but oops, the knight has nowhere to go. Black resisted for a while, but without any real hope: 2…Nh5 3.gxh5 Rxc4 4.Qf3 Rf8 5.h6 f5 6.Qg3 Qxg3+ 7.fxg3 Rfc8 8.hxg7 Rc2+ 9.Kf3 R2c3+ 10.Be3 Rxa3 11.Rd7 Rc4 12.Kf2 Rc2+ 13.Re2 Raa2 14.Rxc2 Rxc2+ 15.Kf3 a5 16.Bh6 Rc8 17.Ra7 1-0.

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5. Euwe – Alekhine, 25^th Match Game 1937.

1…Rxf5! returning the exchange, leaves white in a hopeless position. The World Championship Match ended with Euwe’s king being chased around the board: 2.Kxf5 Qxh5+ 3.Kf4 Qh4+ 4.Kf3 Qh3+ 5.Ke4 Re8+ 6.Kd5 Qb3+ 7.Kd4 Qxa3 0-1.

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