Gens Una Sumus!
Newsletter #975
July 3, 2021
Table of Contents
- June TNM Live Report
- Addison Memorial Report
- Thursday Night Marathon Report
- Tony's Teasers
- Events/Class Schedule
- FM Paul Whitehead's Column
- GM Nick de Frimian's Column
- Submit your piece or feedback
Tuesday Night Marathon Round 5 Report
by Abel Talamantez
The TNM concluded with a tight battle for 2nd place, as FM Kyron Griffith had already wrapped up a clear first. IM Elliott Winslow defeated Ako Heidari on board 1 to take his share of 2nd place with 4/5. Theo Biyiasas inched closer to master status (2200) with his win over Gary Harris, also netting him a share of 2nd place. Nicholas Weng also tied for 2nd after his last round defeat of Max Hao.
Theo Biyiasas got a decisive result in the final round to share 2nd place along with IM Elliott Winslow and Nicholas Weng.
In the under 1600 section, Joel Carron came from behind in the final round, defeating previously unbeaten Leon Quin to pass him up and take clear first place with 4.5/5. Four players tied for second place, including Quin, Paul Henry Reed, Andrew Imbens, and Andrew Ballantyne.
Joel Carron (right) came up big to take sole first in the under 1600
Congratulations to all the participants for supporting the Mechanics' Institute and the return to live chess! We look forward to the next TNM starting July 13, 7SS in 3 sections, FIDE and USCF rated. For details, please click HERE.
To watch the broadcast, click HERE.
Here are some games from the final round, annotated by GM Nick de Firmian
(1) Clemens,Kristian (1919) - Guo,Andrew (1707) [A38]
Mechanics' June TNM San Francisco (5.4), 30.06.2021
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.d3 Kristian plays a modest continuation instead of the full advance 7. d4. 7...d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bd2 Nxc3 10.bxc3 e5 11.Qc2 Rb8 12.Rfd1 h6 The opening phase is done and the chances are equal. 13.Be3 b6 14.Qd2 Kh7 15.Ng5+!? hxg5 16.Bxc6 Qc7 17.Bg2 g4
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The black pawn on g4 helps a little more with central control than it did when it was on h6. Black is just a tad more comfortable. 18.Rac1 f5 19.f4?! [19.Bg5] 19...gxf3 [19...Bb7 was also good. Black has more pawn control on the kingside.] 20.Bxf3 f4 21.Bf2 Bh6?! [21...fxg3! followed by 22...Bh6 would keep the kingside open and give Black a clear edge.] 22.g4! Kristian closes the kingside. The white king is safer now. 22...Bb7 23.Kg2 [23.Qc2!] 23...Rbd8 [23...c4! works toward opening lines] 24.Qc2 Qd7 25.h3 Bxf3+ 26.exf3 Qc6 27.Qe2 Rfe8 28.Qc2 Bg7 29.h4 c4! 30.dxc4 e4
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Suddenly the game has broken open. Andrew has an edge with pressure on the long white diagonal. 31.Rxd8 [31.fxe4?! Rxe4 32.Kh2 Rxd1 33.Rxd1 f3 would be clearly better for Black] 31...exf3+ 32.Kh3 Rxd8 33.h5 Re8 34.Re1?! [34.hxg6+] 34...Rxe1 35.Bxe1 f2 36.Qxg6+
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White captures with check attacking the black queen on c6. Clearly you don't have to think here as there is only one reasonable move right? 36...Qxg6? Going from advantage to trouble in one move. With [36...Kh8!! 37.Qxc6 (37.Bxf2 Qh1#) 37...fxe1Q Black has the advantage with the extra piece. White can make it difficult with a lot of checks, but it is only Black with winning chances. 38.Qc8+ Kh7 39.Qf5+ Kg8 40.Qd5+ Kf8 41.Qd6+ Qe7 42.Qxf4+ Kg8 etc.] 37.hxg6+ Kxg6 38.Bxf2 Bxc3 39.Kg2 Kg5 40.Kf3 All the black pawns are on dark squares like the bishop, so Black is struggling to draw. 40...Bb4 41.Bd4 Bd6 42.a4 Bc7 43.Bc3 Bd6 44.Bd2 Bc7 45.Bb4 Bb8 46.Be7+ Kg6 47.Ke4 Bc7 48.Bh4 Bd6 49.Kd5 Bc5 50.Ke4 Bd6 51.Bd8 Kf7? Oh no.This lets the bishop attack the f-pawn. Black should be able to hold after 51...Bb8 52.Bg5 f3 53.Kxf3 The bishop ending is easily won with the extra pawn. Kristian shows good technique to finish. 53...Kg6 54.Bf4 Bc5 55.Ke4 Kf7 56.Kf5 a6 57.g5 Ke7 58.Be5 Kf7 59.g6+ Ke7 60.Bc3 Bg1 61.Bb4+ Ke8 62.Ke6 Bd4 63.Bd6 Bg7 64.Bc7 Bf8 Black resigned as there is no hope here. 1-0
(3) IM Winslow,Elliott (2150) - Heidari,Ako (1783) [C09]
Mechanics' June TNM San Francisco (5.1), 30.06.2021
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.Bb5
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6...Qe7+!? A tricky move! Now a complicated tempo game transpires -- who loses time in all the maneuvers? [6...Bd6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.0-0 Nge7 9.Nb3 Bd6 (9...Bb6 10.Re1 0-0 11.Be3) 10.Re1 0-0 11.Bg5 was Karpov's path to some nice wins in the 70s.; 6...cxd4 7.Qe2+! White can play this game too.] 7.Be2! Qc7 8.0-0 Nf6 9.Re1 Be6!? [9...Be7?! 10.dxc5 sees White claiming his tempo.; 9...cxd4 10.Nb3 Bb4 (10...Be7 11.Nfxd4 0-0 12.Be3+/=) 11.Bd2 Bxd2 12.Qxd2 White is okay with those bishops coming off -- but it was a win for Black in Kotronias,V (2580)-Zvjaginsev,V (2655) Legnica 2013 (0-1, 59).] 10.h3
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The main problem with this, besides costing a move, is that if f2-f3 is needed down the line then g3 is weak. Pretty subtle stuff. [White also could try 10.Bd3!? when Black has the unusual 10...0-0-0!? (10...c4 11.Bf5!|^; 10...Be7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Nb3+/=) 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Be3 Certainly Black's king isn't so secure on this side.] 10...cxd4N [Predecessor: 10...Be7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Nbd4 0-0 14.c3 Rae8 15.Be3 Ne4 saw Black completing development and doing okay. 1/2-1/2 (31) Radzhabov,R (2329)-Urazayev,A (2450) Moscow 2019] 11.Nb3 Bb4 12.Bd2 Be7 13.Nbxd4 0-0 14.Bd3 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 Bc5 16.Be3 Rae8 17.c3 Bd7
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A standard Isolated Queen Pawn from the Tarrasch French with 3...d5. White can claim some nominal advantage (and Stockfish has it on the border between "slight" and "clear"), but it will be hard to make much of it objectively. 18.Qf3 Ne4 19.Re2 [Stockfish 13 suggests targeting the d-pawn already with 19.Bc2 and 20.Rad1.] 19...Re7 [It might seem radical, but 19...f5!? at least poses some uncomfortable problems for White regarding the kingside.] 20.Bf4 [White might have seen the blow 20.c4!? already.] 20...Qb6 21.Nb3 Bd6
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22.c4!? White grabs the moment to drastically alter the landscape -- probably better a few moves earlier, before the knight landed on b3. [22.Bxe4 dxe4 23.Rxe4 Rxe4 24.Qxe4 Bxf4 25.Qxf4 Qg6 26.Kh2 is in fact an extra pawn at hardly any cost.; Just 22.Rd1 to increase the pressure might be best.] 22...dxc4! 23.Bxe4 cxb3 24.Bxh7+? A miscalculation, leading to an equal position -- but Black started to get short on the clock. [24.Qd3!? is still some advantage. 24...Bxf4 25.Bxh7+ Kh8 26.Rxe7 But complicated!] 24...Kxh7 25.Rxe7 Bxe7 26.Qe4+ [26.Qd3+? Kg8 27.Qxd7 Bc5 pulls Black's way.] 26...Qg6 [26...Kg8 27.Qxe7 Bc6 (keeping an eye on b3) is also nothing for either side.] 27.Qxe7 Bc6 [Not 27...Bxh3?? 28.Qh4+] 28.Bg3 Re8 [The temporarily exciting 28...bxa2!? 29.Qxf8 Qb1+ 30.Rxb1 axb1Q+ 31.Kh2 f6 leads to the dreaded column of moves marked "0.00".] 29.Qh4+ Qh6 [29...Kg8 30.axb3 a6 is a worthless pawn up for White.] 30.Qc4!?
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There's still an annoyance factor... 30...Qe6 [30...Qd2 31.Qxb3 Bd5 32.Qc3 Qxc3 33.bxc3 is another of those pawn up but bishops of opposite colors and next to no future positions.] 31.axb3 a6! 32.f3 Qe3+?! [32...Qxc4 33.bxc4 Re2 34.b4 Rc2 35.c5 f6+/= And another.] 33.Bf2 Qd2?! 34.Qxf7+/-
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With the disappearance of this pawn, a new factor emerges -- Black's more exposed king. 34...Qxb2 [34...Re2 looks aggressive, but White has various ways to defend f2, and on ...Qxb2 the rook gets into the game with Rd1 as in the game.] 35.Rd1! [35.Ra5!? is a scare, but 35...Re5! avoids complete disaster. (35...Bb5?? 36.Rxb5; 35...b5? 36.Rxa6) 36.Rxe5 Qxe5 37.Qc4 is BOC with queens for a change, which favors White's winning chances on paper but any win would be long-winded.] 35...Qc2?? Missing the point. [Black absolutely must upset White's queen with 35...Qf6 36.Qh5+ (36.Qxf6!? gxf6 37.Rd6 is a tough ending as well.) 36...Kg8 and the game continues. (36...Qh6 37.Qc5) ] 36.Rd4! Out of nowhere -- threatening mate. 36...Qc1+ 37.Kh2 Re4 38.Rxe4 Bxe4 39.Qh5+ Qh6 40.Qxh6+ Kxh6 41.fxe4 Kg5 42.Kg3 g6 43.Bb6 1-0
(4) Argo,Guy (1928) - Mercado,Adam (1834) [C25]
Mechanics' June TNM San Francisco (5.6), 29.06.2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 Bc5?! [Stockfish 13 suggests 3...exf4 with a advantage for Black. So much for the Age of Romantic Chess.] 4.fxe5
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4...Nxe5? [This piece sacrifice makes it easy for White. Much trickier is 4...d6!? 5.exd6 Qxd6] 5.d4 Bb4 6.dxe5 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Qh4+ 8.Ke2 Qxe4+ 9.Be3 [9.Kf2!] 9...b6 10.Nf3 Ne7
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11.Qd3? Almost everything else is better, with practiaclly a winning position. 11...Qa4? [11...Ba6!! comes so close to turning the game around! Alas, White is still solidly better if not barely winning: 12.Qxa6 Nd5 13.Ke1! (13.Qd3?? Nf4+) 13...Qxe3+ 14.Be2 Qxc3+ (14...Nf4 15.Kf1 Qxc3 16.Rc1) 15.Kf2 Qe3+ 16.Kf1 Qc3 17.Re1 Qxc2 18.Qa3+/- Three pawns for the piece! But sooner or later that piece will be effective.] 12.Kd2 Bb7 13.Qc4 Qa5 Endgames are great for White of course. 14.Qb4 Qd5+ 15.Bd3 c5 16.Qb3 Qc6 17.c4 0-0 18.Bf4 Any rook-to-the-center was better 18...h6 19.Rae1 Qe6 20.Be4?! Bxe4 21.Rxe4 g5 [21...d5!? 22.cxd5 Nxd5 23.Kc1 b5 at least puts a scare in White.] 22.Bg3 f5
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23.exf6! Qxe4 24.Re1 Nice decisive play by Guy. Giving back material temporarily for a direct win. 24...Qxe1+ A better try than letting that pawn make it to e7 or further, but it's reached "futile." 25.Nxe1 [25.Bxe1! sending the bishop to the long diagonal.] 25...Rxf6 26.Nd3 Nc6 27.c3 Re8 28.Qd1 Re4 29.Qh5 Kf8?! 30.h4! That should, and does, break down the defences. 30...gxh4 31.Bxh4 Rfe6 32.Qf5+ Ke8 33.Nf4 Rd6+ 34.Kc1 Rxc4 35.Bf6 Nd8 36.Qg6+ 1-0
(5) Parsons,Stephen (1517) - Tsolias,Georgios (1679) [A21]
Mechanics' June TNM u1800 San Francisco (5.14), 29.06.2021
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 f5 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.e3 Be7 6.d4 0-0 7.Nge2 c6 8.0-0 Na6 Good play by both sides in this English Opening. The black knight has possibilities from the a6 square so is well posted for now. White is just a tad better, as is usual with the first move. 9.Bd2 Nc7 10.Qb3 Ne6 11.Rad1 Qc7 12.dxe5 Nc5?
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Hitting the white queen, but overlooking the reply. 13.exd6! Bxd6 [13...Nxb3 14.dxc7 is clear pawn up ending] 14.Qc2 a5 15.a3 Be6 [15...a4! would fix the queenside pawns] 16.b3 Qf7 17.a4 Be5 18.Nd4 Bxd4 19.exd4 Nxb3!?
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Black is worse and tries to mix it up. Stephen finds a powerful continuation. 20.d5! cutting off the black bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal 20...cxd5 21.cxd5 Nxd5 22.Qxb3 Ne3 Black makes the most of the discovered attack on the white queen. It's still bad though. 23.Qxb7 Qxb7 24.Bxb7 Nxf1 25.Kxf1 Rab8 26.Bd5 Kf7 27.Bxe6+ Kxe6 28.Nb5
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The endgame may seem to offer Black chances for salvation, but the white pieces work well together. It's instructive to see how much better the bishop and knight are compared to a black rook. 28...Rbd8 29.Re1+ Kd7 30.Bg5! not bothering with taking the a-pawn. The initiative gains more than that here. 30...Rde8 31.Rd1+ Kc6 32.Rc1+ Kb6 33.Be3+
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Black must lose the exchange in any case. The resulting knight up endgame is an easy win for White. 33...Rxe3 34.fxe3 Rf7 35.Kf2 g6 36.h4 Rd7 37.Kf3 Rd2 38.Rc4 Rd1 39.Nd4 Rf1+ 40.Kg2 Rb1 41.Ne6 Rb4 42.Rd4 Rxd4 43.exd4 Kc6 44.Nf8 Kd5 45.Nxh7 Kxd4 46.Nf8 Kc4 47.Nxg6 Kb4 48.h5 Black resigned. A fine game by Stephen! 1-0
SwissSys Standings. 2021 June TNM: u1800
| # | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total | Prize |
| 1 | FM Kyron Griffith | 12860484 | 2493 | W11 | W9 | W3 | W2 | H--- | 4.5 | 350.00 |
| 2 | IM Elliott Winslow | 10363365 | 2278 | W17 | W21 | W10 | L1 | W7 | 4.0 | 128.33 |
| 3 | Theodore Biyiasas | 13989054 | 2155 | W18 | W14 | L1 | W6 | W10 | 4.0 | 128.33 |
| 4 | Nicholas Weng | 15499404 | 2013 | L10 | X--- | W18 | W16 | W12 | 4.0 | 128.33 |
| 5 | Kristian Clemens | 13901075 | 1997 | H--- | W12 | D15 | H--- | W16 | 3.5 | 105.00 |
| 6 | Abhinav Penagalapati | 15467440 | 2087 | H--- | W19 | W8 | L3 | H--- | 3.0 | |
| 7 | Ako Heidari | 15206848 | 1980 | X--- | L10 | W22 | W9 | L2 | 3.0 | |
| 8 | Guy Argo | 12517167 | 1928 | W13 | H--- | L6 | H--- | W18 | 3.0 | |
| 9 | Gaziz Makhanov | 16828914 | 1855 | W23 | L1 | W14 | L7 | W15 | 3.0 | |
| 10 | Gary Harris | 12834452 | 1827 | W4 | W7 | L2 | X15 | L3 | 3.0 | |
| 11 | Mark Drury | 12459313 | 1873 | L1 | L18 | B--- | W20 | D14 | 2.5 | |
| 12 | Max Hao | 16083648 | 1804 | D15 | L5 | W19 | X17 | L4 | 2.5 | |
| 13 | James Mahooti | 12621393 | 1800 | L8 | B--- | L16 | W21 | D17 | 2.5 | |
| 14 | David Rakonitz | 12931024 | 1622 | B--- | L3 | L9 | W19 | D11 | 2.5 | 105.00 |
| 15 | Rohan Rajaram | 15739716 | 1929 | D12 | W20 | D5 | F10 | L9 | 2.0 | |
| 16 | Andrew Guo | 16192001 | 1925 | D20 | D22 | W13 | L4 | L5 | 2.0 | |
| 17 | WCM Anika Rajaram | 15446678 | 1860 | L2 | D23 | W21 | F12 | D13 | 2.0 | |
| 18 | Adam Mercado | 16571026 | 1834 | L3 | W11 | L4 | W22 | L8 | 2.0 | |
| 19 | Kayven Riese | 12572270 | 1900 | D22 | L6 | L12 | L14 | B--- | 1.5 | |
| 20 | Alexander Huberts | 16419664 | 1794 | D16 | L15 | H--- | L11 | U--- | 1.0 | |
| 21 | Philip Gerstoft | 12913356 | 1788 | W24 | L2 | L17 | L13 | U--- | 1.0 | |
| 22 | Glenn Kaplan | 12680193 | 1776 | D19 | D16 | L7 | L18 | U--- | 1.0 | |
| 23 | Abhishek Mallela | 12888811 | 2159 | L9 | D17 | U--- | U--- | U--- | 0.5 | |
| 24 | Thomas Maser | 10490936 | 1900 | L21 | U--- | U--- | U--- | U--- | 0.0 |
SwissSys Standings. 2021 June TNM: under1800
| # | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total | Prize |
| 1 | Joel Carron | 16600505 | 1610 | H--- | W28 | W14 | W7 | W5 | 4.5 | 280.00 |
| 2 | Paul Henry Reed | 13373197 | 1322 | H--- | H--- | W23 | W8 | W13 | 4.0 | 113.75 |
| 3 | Andrew Imbens | 30102682 | 1253 | W18 | W7 | L9 | X20 | W10 | 4.0 | 113.75 |
| 4 | Andrew Ballantyne | 17079795 | 1251 | D19 | H--- | W18 | W16 | W9 | 4.0 | 113.75 |
| 5 | Leon Quin | 30191497 | unr. | W11 | W8 | W16 | W10 | L1 | 4.0 | 113.75 |
| 6 | Simone Pagan Griso | 17322263 | 1098 | L7 | H--- | W19 | W28 | W11 | 3.5 | |
| 7 | Richard Hack | 12796129 | 1569 | W6 | L3 | W21 | L1 | W26 | 3.0 | |
| 8 | Stephen Parsons | 16566932 | 1517 | W30 | L5 | W29 | L2 | W18 | 3.0 | |
| 9 | Nursultan Uzakbaev | 17137317 | 1513 | W29 | W12 | W3 | U--- | L4 | 3.0 | |
| 10 | Sebastian Suarez | 16875347 | 1422 | W25 | W14 | W13 | L5 | L3 | 3.0 | |
| 11 | Jacob Morgan | 17099171 | 1365 | L5 | W30 | W31 | W26 | L6 | 3.0 | |
| 12 | Shiv Sohal | 30032729 | 1127 | W15 | L9 | H--- | X27 | H--- | 3.0 | |
| 13 | Nikhil Pimpalkhare | 30179081 | unr. | W32 | W27 | L10 | W15 | L2 | 3.0 | |
| 14 | Albert Starr | 12844781 | 1609 | W21 | L10 | L1 | W24 | D17 | 2.5 | |
| 15 | Nick Casares Jr | 10424364 | 1600 | L12 | D22 | W25 | L13 | W28 | 2.5 | |
| 16 | Kevin Sun | 16898540 | 1491 | W23 | W31 | L5 | L4 | D19 | 2.5 | |
| 17 | David Nichol | 30206324 | unr. | H--- | H--- | U--- | W22 | D14 | 2.5 | |
| 18 | Georgios Tsolias | 17266862 | 1679 | L3 | W19 | L4 | W29 | L8 | 2.0 | |
| 19 | Jim Cohee | 12423364 | 1612 | D4 | L18 | L6 | W31 | D16 | 2.0 | |
| 20 | Lee Cooper | 14563710 | 1529 | W22 | H--- | D26 | F3 | U--- | 2.0 | |
| 21 | Stephen Wilson | 12584515 | 1242 | L14 | W24 | L7 | D23 | H--- | 2.0 | |
| 22 | William Thibault | 16716976 | 1050 | L20 | D15 | H--- | L17 | B--- | 2.0 | |
| 23 | Danny Cao | 16939797 | 887 | L16 | B--- | L2 | D21 | D29 | 2.0 | |
| 24 | Andrejs Gulbis | 16741331 | 826 | L27 | L21 | X32 | L14 | W31 | 2.0 | |
| 25 | Trent Hancock | 30174249 | unr. | L10 | H--- | L15 | H--- | W30 | 2.0 | |
| 26 | Tobiahs Rex | 30164211 | unr. | H--- | X--- | D20 | L11 | L7 | 2.0 | |
| 27 | Joseph Roberts | 16864855 | 1448 | W24 | L13 | H--- | F12 | U--- | 1.5 | |
| 28 | Richard Ahrens | 16953298 | 1228 | H--- | L1 | W30 | L6 | L15 | 1.5 | |
| 29 | Aleksandra Singer | 12853158 | 949 | L9 | X32 | L8 | L18 | D23 | 1.5 | |
| 30 | Thomas Cunningham | 12923340 | 971 | L8 | L11 | L28 | B--- | L25 | 1.0 | |
| 31 | Justin Stimatze | 30189846 | unr. | B--- | L16 | L11 | L19 | L24 | 1.0 | |
| 32 | Charles James | 12448028 | 1368 | L13 | F29 | F24 | U--- | U--- | 0.0 |
20th IM William Addison Memorial Report
The 20th IM William Addison Memorial exceeded expectations, with 72 players registered in this four-round USCF rated event. Chess players were clearly missing over-the-board play, and it showed on that Saturday afternoon. IM Josiah Stearman was the overall top seed, who participated in this event as the result of a flight cancellation to the Philadelphia International. It was a weekend well spent for him, as he took sole first place with a perfect score of 4/4. There was a three-way tie for 2nd between Austin Mei, Tanmay Khattar, and Leyton Ho, all with 3/4.
IM Josiah Stearman (white) takes on Austin Mei in round 3
In the under 1800 section, there were 46 players in total, with many new unrated players. It was great to see new players and perhaps likely the result of more people playing online during the pandemic and coming out to live play for the first time. Despite 46 players and four rounds of play, there was only a 2-way tie for 1st place, as Adam Stafford and Stephen Parsons remained perfect with 4/4 to share the top prize. Vian Yang and Prabhmehar Sodhi were right behind with 3.5/4.
A busy Saturday afternoon at the Mechanics' Institute for the Addison Memorial
Join us for our next live weekend event, the 20th Charles Bagby Memorial on Sunday July 18, details can be found by clicking HERE.
SwissSys Standings. 2021 Addison Memorial: 20th Addison Memorial Open
| # | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Total | Prize |
| 1 | IM Josiah Stearman | 14006506 | 2482 | W14 | W22 | W2 | W6 | 4.0 | 425 |
| 2 | Austin Mei | 16090452 | 2149 | W18 | W4 | L1 | W13 | 3.0 | 121 |
| 3 | Tanmay Khattar | 13833487 | 2147 | W23 | D16 | D8 | W20 | 3.0 | 121 |
| 4 | Leyton Ho | 13850433 | 1841 | W12 | L2 | W22 | W16 | 3.0 | 121 |
| 5 | FM Andrew Boekhoff | 12685687 | 2333 | W15 | D13 | W19 | U--- | 2.5 | |
| 6 | NM Yashodhan Gogte | 13531225 | 2192 | W17 | D19 | W21 | L1 | 2.5 | |
| 7 | Henry Deng | 16681298 | 2112 | L20 | W23 | D16 | W21 | 2.5 | |
| 8 | Lucas Lesniewski | 17039584 | 1886 | D10 | W26 | D3 | H--- | 2.5 | |
| 9 | NM Arman Baradaran | 14466706 | 2208 | L16 | W15 | D12 | D14 | 2.0 | |
| 10 | Shawnak Shivakumar | 15641965 | 2178 | D8 | D20 | D14 | D17 | 2.0 | |
| 11 | Christophe Bambou | 12734479 | 2121 | L19 | D17 | W26 | H--- | 2.0 | |
| 12 | Alan Finkelstein | 14958842 | 2069 | L4 | W18 | D9 | D19 | 2.0 | |
| 13 | Daniel Lin | 15176393 | 1983 | W25 | D5 | D20 | L2 | 2.0 | |
| 14 | Ako Heidari | 15206848 | 1980 | L1 | W24 | D10 | D9 | 2.0 | |
| 15 | Advay Bansal | 16068511 | 1974 | L5 | L9 | W24 | W25 | 2.0 | |
| 16 | Andrew Guo | 16192001 | 1925 | W9 | D3 | D7 | L4 | 2.0 | |
| 17 | Nathan Yan | 16430495 | 1895 | L6 | D11 | W25 | D10 | 2.0 | |
| 18 | Alejandro Canales | 16913725 | 1878 | L2 | L12 | W23 | W22 | 2.0 | |
| 19 | Rithwik Narendra | 14903560 | 1849 | W11 | D6 | L5 | D12 | 2.0 | |
| 20 | Patrick Liu | 16667410 | 1847 | W7 | D10 | D13 | L3 | 2.0 | |
| 21 | Max Hao | 16083648 | 1818 | W27 | H--- | L6 | L7 | 1.5 | |
| 22 | Jacob Chiang | 16093205 | 1991 | W24 | L1 | L4 | L18 | 1.0 | |
| 23 | Mikhail Molodyk | 13573825 | 1876 | L3 | L7 | L18 | W26 | 1.0 | |
| 24 | Jason Ochoa | 12440572 | 1759 | L22 | L14 | L15 | B--- | 1.0 | |
| 25 | Jeff Andersen | 11296106 | 1643 | L13 | W27 | L17 | L15 | 1.0 | |
| 26 | Mohammad Soltani | 12889183 | 1745 | H--- | L8 | L11 | L23 | 0.5 | |
| 27 | Alek Pensky | 13214867 | 2000 | L21 | L25 | U--- | U--- | 0.0 |
SwissSys Standings. 2021 Addison Memorial: 20th Addison Memorial u/1800
| # | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Total | Prize |
| 1 | Stephen Parsons | 16566932 | 1517 | W37 | W10 | W9 | W12 | 4.0 | 190 |
| 2 | Adam Stafford | 14257838 | 1372 | W38 | W13 | W16 | W6 | 4.0 | 190 |
| 3 | Vian Yang | 15804394 | 1620 | W25 | W8 | D14 | W16 | 3.5 | 53 |
| 4 | Prabhmehar Sodhi | 17272541 | 1570 | W35 | W22 | W11 | H--- | 3.5 | 53 |
| 5 | Aryan Morasa | 15873486 | 1566 | W45 | L9 | W35 | W14 | 3.0 | |
| 6 | Arjun Sankar | 14542170 | 1555 | W36 | W32 | W24 | L2 | 3.0 | |
| 7 | Ethan Sun | 16964125 | 1488 | W46 | L12 | W40 | W26 | 3.0 | |
| 8 | Gabriel Ngam | 13553308 | 1359 | W39 | L3 | W29 | W24 | 3.0 | |
| 9 | Aryan Soni | 15167321 | 1284 | W42 | W5 | L1 | W30 | 3.0 | |
| 10 | Matthew Perez | 16711456 | 1230 | W30 | L1 | W31 | W18 | 3.0 | |
| 11 | Elliott Regan | 15032065 | 1215 | W31 | W18 | L4 | W20 | 3.0 | |
| 12 | Matt Long | 13377410 | 1179 | W33 | W7 | W17 | L1 | 3.0 | |
| 13 | Leon Quin | 30191497 | unr. | W23 | L2 | W22 | W21 | 3.0 | |
| 14 | Carliteau Leger | 12841454 | 1487 | W28 | W29 | D3 | L5 | 2.5 | |
| 15 | Isaac Sterling | 14316046 | 1236 | H--- | L17 | W43 | W32 | 2.5 | |
| 16 | Albert Starr | 12844781 | 1609 | W26 | W21 | L2 | L3 | 2.0 | |
| 17 | Daniel Wang | 15361305 | 1573 | D43 | W15 | L12 | D19 | 2.0 | |
| 18 | Jonas Shomorony | 15097261 | 1558 | W27 | L11 | W36 | L10 | 2.0 | |
| 19 | Daniel Perlov | 16465203 | 1555 | X--- | L24 | D32 | D17 | 2.0 | |
| 20 | Nursultan Uzakbaev | 17137317 | 1500 | L32 | W28 | W39 | L11 | 2.0 | |
| 21 | Paul Reed | 13373197 | 1322 | W40 | L16 | W42 | L13 | 2.0 | |
| 22 | Andrew Imbens | 30102682 | 1296 | W41 | L4 | L13 | W40 | 2.0 | |
| 23 | Keith Ballinger | 12779932 | 1251 | L13 | W37 | L30 | B--- | 2.0 | |
| 24 | Adam Ellner | 12925276 | 1164 | W44 | W19 | L6 | L8 | 2.0 | |
| 25 | Swaminathan Sankar | 14080777 | 1116 | L3 | L42 | X46 | W39 | 2.0 | |
| 26 | Adithya Chitta | 16695036 | 1100 | L16 | W46 | W33 | L7 | 2.0 | |
| 27 | Brandon Conchas | 13352116 | 696 | L18 | L40 | W38 | W42 | 2.0 | |
| 28 | Noah Johnson | 30182833 | unr. | L14 | L20 | W45 | W34 | 2.0 | |
| 29 | Jonathan Moore | 30214849 | unr. | W34 | L14 | L8 | W43 | 2.0 | |
| 30 | Kai Sharpe | 17304795 | unr. | L10 | W45 | W23 | L9 | 2.0 | |
| 31 | Luka Vyatkin | 30209432 | unr. | L11 | B--- | L10 | W36 | 2.0 | |
| 32 | Zakir Ahmad | 30208449 | unr. | W20 | L6 | D19 | L15 | 1.5 | |
| 33 | David Trestor | 12525828 | 1769 | L12 | W43 | L26 | U--- | 1.0 | |
| 34 | Abhi Kulgod | 13306912 | 1317 | L29 | L39 | W37 | L28 | 1.0 | |
| 35 | JJ Ziebart | 30166361 | 1072 | L4 | W38 | L5 | U--- | 1.0 | |
| 36 | Kadhir Suresh | 15721954 | 658 | L6 | W41 | L18 | L31 | 1.0 | |
| 37 | Krish Agarwal | 30198066 | unr. | L1 | L23 | L34 | W45 | 1.0 | |
| 38 | Tyler Johnson | 30212590 | unr. | L2 | L35 | L27 | W41 | 1.0 | |
| 39 | Alexia Laffin | 30211880 | unr. | L8 | W34 | L20 | L25 | 1.0 | |
| 40 | Aaron Metyko | 30209636 | unr. | L21 | W27 | L7 | L22 | 1.0 | |
| 41 | Chester O'Neal | 30205708 | unr. | L22 | L36 | B--- | L38 | 1.0 | |
| 42 | Sam Pearce | 30205827 | unr. | L9 | W25 | L21 | L27 | 1.0 | |
| 43 | Simone Pagan-Griso | 17322263 | 1098 | D17 | L33 | L15 | L29 | 0.5 | |
| 44 | Mohammad Soltani | 12889183 | 1745 | L24 | U--- | U--- | U--- | 0.0 | |
| 45 | Tobiah Rex | 30164211 | 992 | L5 | L30 | L28 | L37 | 0.0 | |
| 46 | Andrea Fossati | 30206267 | unr. | L7 | L26 | F25 | U--- | 0.0 |
New Thursday Night Marathon Rounds 3&4 Report
by Abel Talamantez
The Thursday Night Marathon finished rounds 3&4, with GM Alex Lenderman taking two half-point byes as he is playing the World Open in Philadelphia. The action was in high gear however, and GM Gadir Guseinov showed again just how strong a player he is, quickly defeating two very strong players: FM Max Gedajlovic and IM Bala Chandra Dhulipalla. Only two players remain with perfect scores after four rounds, as Sina Mohammadi joins Guseinov in perfection after he defeated IM Elliott Winslow in round 4, taking advantage of a blunder by Winslow in time pressure, in a position where Winslow went from slightly better to losing.
The action game of the evening came in round 3 between IM Dhulipalla and Austin Mei. Possibilities galore in this game, and GM Nick de Firmian has annotated the game on short notice for our readers entertainment!
(6) IM Dhulipalla (Swarnapuri),Bala Chandra (2423) - Mei (TitanChess666),Austin (2267) [A48]
Mechanics' ThNMo June/July Chess.com (3.2), 01.07.2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 The London System. So popular these days. 2...g6 Austin chooses a dynamic continuation with options for central breaks. 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.0-0 Nc6 7.h3 e5! 8.Bh2 [8.dxe5 Ne4! gets the pawn back with equal chances and an open position] 8...Nd7!? 9.c4 f5!? These last two moves are a little provacative and give White some central opportunities. 10.Nc3 exd4 11.exd4 g5 Clearly Austin is in an aggressive mood. 12.d5 Nce5 13.Nd4 Nb6 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 Re8 16.Qb3 Kh8 17.Bh5!
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would be a fascinating positon. Black has full value for the queen. Both 33...Rf8+ and 33...Rg8 are equal.] 31.Qe4 Qf8 32.Rc8! Pinning the queen decides the game. There is no attack for Black now and White wraps up the point. 32...Rh1+ 33.Kxg2 Rxc1 34.Rxa8! Rc2+ 35.Kg3 Bxf4+ 36.Qxf4 Rg2+ [36...Qxa8 37.Qf6#] 37.Kh4 Rh2+ 38.Qxh2 Qxa8 39.Qxd6 Qh1+ 40.Kxg4 Qg2+ 41.Kf5 Qf2+ 42.Ke6 Qe3+ 43.Qe5+ Qxe5+ 44.Kxe5 Kg7 45.Nc8 h5 46.Nxa7 Kg6 47.Kf4 Kf6 48.Nc8 b5 49.Na7 b4 50.Nc6 b3 51.axb3 Ke6 52.Nd4+ Kd5 53.Nc2 h4 54.b4 Kc4 55.Kg4 h3 56.Kxh3 Kb3 57.b5 Kxc2 Swarnapuri won by resignation 1-0
To watch the broadcast of the evenings rounds, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfm_j86EG1k
Here are the standings going into next week
SwissSys Standings. NewThNM: Open
| # | Name | Handle | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Total | Prize |
| 1 | GM Gadir Guseinov | gguseinov | 17343590 | 2651 | W25 | W10 | W5 | W4 | 4.0 | |||||
| 2 | Sina Mohammadi | sina101 | 14116846 | 2163 | W26 | W24 | W14 | W12 | 4.0 | |||||
| 3 | GM Alex Lenderman | alexanderl | 12787646 | 2703 | W18 | W9 | H--- | H--- | 3.0 | |||||
| 4 | IM Bala Chandra Dhulipalla | swarnapuri | 30100858 | 2523 | W31 | W23 | W7 | L1 | 3.0 | |||||
| 5 | FM Max Gedajlovic | mmsanchez | 14947382 | 2213 | W33 | W27 | L1 | W13 | 3.0 | |||||
| 6 | NM Michael Walder | flightsoffancy | 10345120 | 2157 | L27 | W34 | W33 | W23 | 3.0 | |||||
| 7 | Austin Mei | titanchess666 | 16090452 | 2149 | W28 | W17 | L4 | W25 | 3.0 | |||||
| 8 | Jason Ochoa | barok44 | 12440572 | 1759 | X45 | W36 | H--- | H--- | 3.0 | |||||
| 9 | Callaghan McCarty-Snead | doctorbanner | 14948275 | 1700 | W43 | L3 | W26 | W27 | 3.0 | |||||
| 10 | Jeff Andersen | zenwabi | 11296106 | 1643 | W46 | L1 | W29 | W28 | 3.0 | |||||
| 11 | Katherine Sunny Lu | 2nf31-0 | 16425316 | 1085 | W20 | D15 | D16 | W31 | 3.0 | |||||
| 12 | IM Elliott Winslow | ecwinslow | 10363365 | 2278 | D42 | W39 | W45 | L2 | 2.5 | |||||
| 13 | Nathan Fong | nathanf314 | 13001390 | 2004 | W34 | H--- | W15 | L5 | H--- | H--- | 2.5 | |||
| 14 | Jonah Busch | kondsaga | 12469525 | 1934 | W35 | W29 | L2 | D18 | 2.5 | |||||
| 15 | Aaron Nicoski | kingsmasher35 | 12797931 | 1789 | W37 | D11 | L13 | W32 | 2.5 | |||||
| 16 | Fong Kevin | chessappeals | 17254586 | 1783 | H--- | W42 | D11 | D17 | 2.5 | |||||
| 17 | Akshaj Pulijala | loltheawesomedude | 16497860 | 1531 | W41 | L7 | W35 | D16 | 2.5 | |||||
| 18 | Ethan Sun | sfdeals | 16964125 | 1488 | L3 | W43 | W30 | D14 | 2.5 | |||||
| 19 | Cailen Melville | mangonel | 14006141 | 1940 | F29 | L35 | X36 | W37 | 2.0 | |||||
| 20 | NM Tom Maser | talenuf | 10490936 | 1900 | L11 | F28 | W46 | W35 | 2.0 | |||||
| 21 | Robert Smith | maturner | 12463327 | 1853 | W36 | X45 | F27 | U--- | 2.0 | |||||
| 22 | William Kelly | wkelly | 30161947 | 1677 | H--- | H--- | L28 | W38 | 2.0 | |||||
| 23 | Ethan Mei | erm999 | 16090467 | 1585 | W32 | L4 | W37 | L6 | 2.0 | |||||
| 24 | Bryan Hood | fiddleleaf | 12839763 | 1574 | W38 | L2 | H--- | H--- | 2.0 | |||||
| 25 | Marina Xiao | programmingmax | 16380642 | 1481 | L1 | W46 | W40 | L7 | 2.0 | |||||
| 26 | Sarvagnya Brahmanapally | bsarvagnya | 16466227 | 1323 | L2 | W41 | L9 | W40 | 2.0 | |||||
| 27 | Casimir Dudek | thechesskid2021 | 30101045 | 1284 | W6 | L5 | X21 | L9 | 2.0 | |||||
| 28 | Sean Wu | dum2020areeews | 16802870 | 1220 | L7 | X20 | W22 | L10 | 2.0 | |||||
| 29 | Pratyush Bhingarkar | greenninja2019 | 30015889 | 1165 | X19 | L14 | L10 | W41 | 2.0 | |||||
| 30 | Jimolee Gray | grayj43 | 30172836 | unr. | H--- | H--- | L18 | W33 | 2.0 | |||||
| 31 | Michael Xiao | swimgrass | 16380636 | 1363 | L4 | D32 | W39 | L11 | 1.5 | |||||
| 32 | Adithya Shankar Katepalli | 2021adi | 30153861 | 824 | L23 | D31 | X42 | L15 | 1.5 | |||||
| 33 | Ivan Zong | ivanzong | 30131397 | 1335 | L5 | W38 | L6 | L30 | 1.0 | |||||
| 34 | Aditha Chitta | adichi | 16695036 | 1185 | L13 | L6 | L41 | W39 | 1.0 | |||||
| 35 | Kevin Thompson | acalbear | 13110777 | 1120 | L14 | W19 | L17 | L20 | 1.0 | |||||
| 36 | JJ Ziebart | tomatosoupgirl | 30166361 | 1072 | L21 | L8 | F19 | W46 | 1.0 | |||||
| 37 | Bruce Hedman | bruce_hedman | 17344551 | 1055 | L15 | W44 | L23 | L19 | 1.0 | |||||
| 38 | Victor Beauchamp | greatboomer | 30154650 | 807 | L24 | L33 | X44 | L22 | 1.0 | |||||
| 39 | Ishan Goteti | aurex79 | 17016988 | 615 | W44 | L12 | L31 | L34 | 1.0 | |||||
| 40 | Cleveland W Lee | Vincitore51745 | 12814843 | unr. | H--- | H--- | L25 | L26 | 1.0 | |||||
| 41 | Jonathan Rice | ricejonathanc | 30205348 | unr. | L17 | L26 | W34 | L29 | 1.0 | |||||
| 42 | Paul Krezanoski | pjkrizzle | 16897133 | 1346 | D12 | L16 | F32 | U--- | 0.5 | |||||
| 43 | Thomas Cunningham | banjotom | 12923340 | 971 | L9 | L18 | H--- | U--- | H--- | H--- | 0.5 | |||
| 44 | James Hamlett | james_hamlett_IV | 12374510 | 1561 | L39 | L37 | F38 | U--- | 0.0 | |||||
| 45 | Jerry Li | figsnoring | 16551291 | 1015 | F8 | F21 | L12 | U--- | 0.0 | |||||
| 46 | Arumin Ravisankar | aruminchess | 30025152 | 869 | L10 | L25 | L20 | L36 | 0.0 | |
Tony's Teasers
Here is a mate in three from longtime Mechanics' Institute player Tony Lama. This should occupy a good chunk of your time this weekend!
White to move and mate in 3. Kenneth Howard, 1927.
Mechanics' Institute Events Schedule
The Mechanics' Institute will continue to hold regular and online events. Here is our upcoming schedule for players:
July 13-August 24: Tuesday Night Marathon Live; 7 rounds, FIDE & USCF rated, G/120;d5 - Live @ Mechanics': https://www.milibrary.org/chess-tournaments/tuesday-night-marathon-2021-jul-aug-person
July 18: Charles Bagby Memorial; 4 rounds, USCF rated, G/45;d5 - Live @ Mechanics': https://www.milibrary.org/chess-tournaments/20th-bagby-memorial-championship-g45-person
Mechanics' Institute Class Schedule
Click HERE to see our full slate of specialty chess classes, we offer something for everyone!
Scholastic Bulletin
The scholastic news will be covered in a dedicated, monthly publication:
Scholastic Chess Bulletin
Please click the following LINK to read our latest edition.
All of us at Mechanics' Institute would like to thank you for your support of our scholastic chess programming.
FM Paul Whitehead's Column
[email protected]
Finishing Tactics from the World Championship Matches 18: Botvinnik – Smyslov 1954
Vassily Smyslov was Botvinnik’s next challenger, after decisively winning the Zurich 1953 Candidates Tournament - two points ahead of David Bronstein.
Bronstein’s book of that tournament is considered one of the all-time great chess books.
Once again Botvinnik escaped by the skin of his teeth, retaining the title in a drawn match of +7 -7 =10.
The games were sharp and interesting, and at one point down the middle there were eight decisive results in a row!
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1. Smyslov – Botvinnik, 9th Match Game 1954.
White moves. How do you deal with this rook check?
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2. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 10th Match Game 1954.
Black moves. Bust loose.
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3. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 12th Match Game 1954.
White moves. When all else fails…
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4. Smyslov – Botvinnik, 13th Match Game 1954.
White resigned, but why? What happens after 1.Rxb5?
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5. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 14th Match Game 1954.
Black moves. 1…Qe2? Or something else?
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6. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 16th Match Game 1954.
White moves. Win a little something.
GM Nick de Firmian's Column
So Good! So Nice! So Wesley Fabulous!
Like the lyrics to the famous James Brown song “I Got You,” we have reason to celebrate. Chess in America has the strongest top players we have ever had, with Caruana, Dominguez, Nakamura and new arrival Aronian in the top 20, Not to mention the talented young 2700 plus players Sam Shankland and Jeffery Xiong. The American player who is making the biggest splash though is the US Champion, Wesley So.
The latest show from So was total domination of the world’s top players at the Chess Tour in Paris. The star-studded field included his great rivals Fabiano Caruana (#2 rating in the world), challenger Ian Nempomniachtchi, MVL, young superstar Alireza Firoujza, Aronian and even Vladimir Kramnik. Here Wesley gave anther World Champion style performance. He finishing a remarkable two and a half points ahead of the field. This is reminiscent of Alekhine in San Remo 1930. Yet we must also remember that So is the only player who evenly trades blows with Carlsen on a regular basis - winning these online matches against the champ as often as he loses.
The rules for making a challenge to the World Championship would have worked well for Wesley in the 1930s when Alekhine was the champion. His string of victories would gain the attention of a sponsor and thus he could directly challenge the champ to a match with the appropriate purse. The hard fact of the chess world today is that even with all these tournament victories Wesley will have a difficult time getting a challenge match. He must go through the official FIDE system, and hence first he must qualify into the 2022 Candidates Tournament when there are only a couple of routes available. No player qualifies on rating anymore, so Wesley must finish first or second in the World Cup or FIDE Grand Prix just to get a spot in the eight player Candidates in 2022. It is a hard job winning the Candidates Tournament even if you get there as form and luck have a lot to do with it. Still, one should just tune into James Brown – So Good! So Nice! (Good luck Wesley!)
(1) Firouzja,Alizera - So,Wesley [D00]
Paris Grand Chess Tour, 21.06.2021
Young Firouzja is the most promising teenager on the planet. Will he be like Bobby Fischer or Kasparov? That remains to be seen. Just now he seems to be learning from the very best and not yet their equal. 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 The Trompowsky Opening is as good as most. 2...d5 3.e3 c5! An exclamation mark for aggression. Typical of So. 4.Bxf6 gxf6 5.dxc5
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(2) So,Wesley - Vachier-Lagrave,Maxim [D85]
Paris Chess Tour, 25.06.2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 MVL is an expert on the Grunfeld. Wesley doesn't back down and plays the most challenging line - the Exchange Variation. 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.h3 0-0 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Be3 cxd4 11.cxd4 f5 [11...Qa5+ can be meet by 12. Kf1, 12. Qd2 with an endgame coming, or the move I expect So would have played, 12. Bd2.] 12.Bc4+ Kh8
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Black needed to play 26....Qf7 to get out of the skewer. This allows a winning blow. 27.Rc8! Black must lose the queen or the rook. MVL resigned. 1-0
Solutions to FM Paul Whitehead's Column
1. Smyslov – Botvinnik, 9th Match Game 1954.
1.Rxe4! rocked the World Champion back on his heels. After 1…dxe4 2.Rb8+ Bc8 3.Bb5+! aced it. Botvinnik played on the exchange down for a few moves before resigning: 3…Qxb5 4.Rxb5 Ne6 5.Bf6 Rxg2 6.h5 Ba6 7.h6 1-0.
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2. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 10th Match Game 1954.
1…Nxe5! wins a crucial pawn and frees up black’s game. If now 2.fxe5? then 2…Qxe4+ wins on the spot. Botvinnik opted for a slow death: 2.Qe3 Ng4 3.Qg3 Qxg3 4.fxg3 Nf2! 5.Kxf2 Rxd2+ 6.Ke3 Rxb2 7.Rb1 Rxb1 8.Rxb1 c5 9.Rd1 Ra8 10.Rd6 Rb8 11.Kd2 c4 12.Kc2 g6 13.Rc6 c3 14.Kb3 Rc8 0-1.
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3. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 12th Match Game 1954.
1.f7+! takes the tiger by the tail. 2…Rxf7 Also losing is 1…Kxf7 2.Qxg7+ Ke8 3.Qh8+ Ke7 4.Rg7+ Kd6 5.Rg6+ winning the queen. 3.Qd8+ Kh7 (3…Rf8 4.Bxd5+) 4.Bxd5 Nf2+ 5.Kg2 Qf6 6.Qxf6 Rxf6 7.Kxf2 Rxf5+ 8.Bf3 Rf4 9.Rg4 1-0.
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4. Smyslov – Botvinnik, 13th Match Game 1954.
Smyslov resigned, as mate is unavoidable. If 1.Rxb5 g3! 2.hxg3 Ne3! followed by …Rh8#. Or 1.Nf4 Rg5#.
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5. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 14th Match Game 1954.
If 1…Qe2? 2.Bxb7 Nxg5 black is the exchange down and the attack has fizzled out. Smyslov kept it going with 1…Bxa8!! 2.Rxb2 Nxg5+ 3.Kh2 Nf3+ 4.Kh3 Bxb2. The white queen has no targets, and the three minor pieces buzz and hound the white king without mercy: 5.Qxa7 Be4 6.a4 Kg7 7.Rd1 Be5 8.Qe7 Rc8 9.a5 Rc2 10.Kg2. White is helpless. 10…Nd4+ 11.Kf1 Bf3 12.Rb1 Nc6 0-1. Coming up is …Bd4.
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6. Botvinnik – Smyslov, 16th Match Game 1954.
Simply trading everything with 1.Rxd8 Rxd8 2.Rxd8 Nxd8 followed by 3.Nf6+ Kg7 and then attacking the b-pawn with 4.Nd5 forcing 4…b5 and finally 5.Nc7 wins a pawn - and ultimately the game: 5…g5 6.Kf3 gxf4 7.gxf4 c4 8.bxc4 bxc4 9.Nxa6 f6 10.Nc7 fxe5 11.fxe5 Kg6 12.Ke4 Kg5 13.a4 Kh4 14.a5 Nc6 15.a6 Kxh3 16.Nb5 c3 Trying to slow white down. 17.Nbxc3 Kg4 18.Nd4 Na7 19.Nd5 h5 20.Nf6+ 1-0. This was Botvinnik’s last win of the match. Smyslov won two more, with six draws, but it wasn’t enough to take the title.
Solution To Tony's Teaser
1. Rf7!! Re8, 2.R7xf6 Bb5, 3.R6f4#
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