Gens Una Sumus!
(November 2, 2011)
Listen, I admire Karpov and Kasparov and so on. I’m also a chess player, and back in those days I was still at the 2400 level, but if you ask me whether Karpov can realistically help the Federation of Cyprus, for example, then I don’t think he’ll spend time on the second tier in chess. By their presence alone they’ve given a lot to our game, we owe them a lot, but if you try to convince the small federations and players that they’ll genuinely work for their benefit – that’s another story.
Georgios Makropoulos on why Karpov lost the 2010 FIDE Election for President
(http://www.whychess.org/node/2643)
1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News
FM Andy Lee, NM Romy Fuentes and Expert Oleg Shaknazarov are the only players with perfect scores after three rounds of the Fall Tuesday Night Marathon. Among those at 2.5 in the 61-player field is top-seed IM Elliott Winslow. It’s still possible to enter the nine round event with half-point byes for the first three rounds.
This weekend the Mechanics’ will host the 39th Carroll Capps Memorial. All current USCF members are welcome.
Jules Jelinek, MI Weekly Wednesday Night Blitz Coordinator, writes:
It's Wednesday! Time for the weekly blitz chess tournament at Mechanics' Institute Chess Club. As always, it starts no later than 6:40 pm with sign-up beginning at 6:20 pm. Entry is $10 with clock, or $11 without clock. Prizes are 50%, 30%, 20% of entry fees. Time control preferably is 3 minute, increment 2 seconds; otherwise 5 minutes, no increment.
Last week's winners were:
1st – IM Ray Kaufman
2nd - Carlos D'Avila
3rd - Jules Jelinek
Winners from two weeks ago were:
1st - Carlos D'Avila
2nd - Jules Jelinek
3rd - Arthur Ismakov
2) Mechanics’ qualify for US Chess League Playoffs
This past Monday the San Francisco Mechanics’ qualified for the sixth time for the playoffs in the seven-year history of the league by defeating the St. Louis Bishops 2.5-1.5. The victory moved the Mechanics’ into the third of four playoff spots in the Western Division and they will face second Los Angeles, giving draw odds, next Monday at 6 pm.
San Francisco 2.5 vs St. Louis 1.5
1. GM Jesse Kraai (SF) vs IM Goran Vojinovic (STL) 1-0
2. FM Joaquin Banawa (STL) vs IM Daniel Naroditsky (SF) 1/2-1/2
3. NM Yian Liou (SF) vs FM Doug Eckert (STL) 1-0
4. Nick Karlow (STL) vs Todd Rumph (SF) 1-0
Once again Berkeley GM Jesse Kraai led the way for the Mechanics’. Jesse scored 5.5 from 8 this season playing on boards one and two against opposition averaging over 2575 USCF.
French Tarrasch C06
Jesse Kraai – Goran Vojinovic
USCL (10) 2011
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7
3...Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Qb6 8.0–0 cxd4 9.cxd4 Be7 is another way to reach the game continuation.
4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 Nc6 8.0–0 cxd4 9.cxd4 Qb6 10.Nb3 a5 11.a4 Nb4 12.Bg5
XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+k+-tr(
7+p+nvlpzpp'
6-wq-+p+-+&
5zp-+pzP-vL-%
4Psn-zP-+-+$
3+N+L+N+-#
2-zP-+-zPPzP"
1tR-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy
A novelty specially prepared by Jesse for this game. Previously White has played 12.Bb5 in this position (seen in Rachels-Short, Manila (izt) 1990 and Adams-Vojinovic (!) Chicago 2010), though 12.Bb1 and 12.Be3 have also been tried. With the text White allows Black to exchange off his dangerous attacking bishop, but only at the cost of a substantial lead in development and likely control of the c-file.
12...Nxd3 13.Qxd3 Bb4 14.Rac1 0–0 15.Rc2 h6?
This mistake proves costly. Necessary was 15...Nb8 planning ...Nc6,...Bd7 and a rook to the c-file. This maneuver is similar to those arising in the main line Slav (9.Qe2) where White captures on d5 and Black retakes with the c-pawn.
16.Rfc1!
XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+-trk+(
7+p+n+pzp-'
6-wq-+p+-zp&
5zp-+pzP-vL-%
4Pvl-zP-+-+$
3+N+Q+N+-#
2-zPR+-zPPzP"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy
16...Re8
The tactical point of 16.Rfc1 is 16...hxg5 17.Nxg5 Re8 18.Qh7+ Kf8 19.Qh8+ Ke7 20.Qxg7 Rf8 21.Rxc8 Raxc8 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Qxf7+ Kd8 24.Nxe6+, winning.
17.Bd2
The positional point of 16.Rfc1 is that Black has no time to unravel with ...Nb8-c6, as the bishop on c8 will be unprotected.
17...Nf8 18.Nc5 Qa7?
The second and fatal mistake. Vojinovic decides to sacrifice a pawn for activity which fails to materialize. Necessary was 18...Bxc5 19.Rxc5 Bd7, but Black is suffering.
19.Bxb4 axb4 20.Qb5 Rd8 21.Qxb4 Ng6 22.b3 b6 23.Nd3 Ba6
This was Black's idea behind sacrificing the pawn, as his bishop now comes to life. Unfortunately he has no other pieces to assist it, and Jesse now finishes in style.
24.Rc7 Qb8
XABCDEFGHY
8rwq-tr-+k+(
7+-tR-+pzp-'
6lzp-+p+nzp&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4PwQ-zP-+-+$
3+P+N+N+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy
25.Nfe1!
A grandmasterly move. The heavy pieces belong on the c-file and the knights will come to b4 and d3.
25...Ra7 26.R7c6
When you have more space don't trade pieces. This old adage is quite apropos here.
26...Rb7
XABCDEFGHY
8-wq-tr-+k+(
7+r+-+pzp-'
6lzpR+p+nzp&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4PwQ-zP-+-+$
3+P+N+-+-#
2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+-tR-sN-mK-!
xabcdefghy
27.Qc3
Alekhine's gun, or a modified version of it. Alekhine-Nimzovich, San Remo 1930, saw White triple on the c-line with the queen as the trailing piece with devastating effect.
27...Ne7 28.Nb4 Qa8 29.Rd6 Rc8?
Ending the misery, which would have been prolonged after 29...Rbb8.
XABCDEFGHY
8q+r+-+k+(
7+r+-snpzp-'
6lzp-tRp+-zp&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4PsN-zP-+-+$
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2-+-+-zPPzP"
1+-tR-sN-mK-!
xabcdefghy
30.Qxc8+! Nxc8 31.Rd8+ Kh7 32.Rcxc8 1–0
Checkmate to the queen!
3) The Locations of the Manhattan Chess Club, by IM Walter Shipman
Editor - It’s no accident that two of the oldest clubs in the United States, the Mechanics’ (1854) and the Marshall (1915) own their own premises. Look at the many moves the Manhattan club was forced to make due to ever-rising rents.
Locations of the Manhattan Chess Club
1. 1877-1883 Cafe Logeling , 49 Bowery
2. 1883-1885 110 E. 14th Street
3. 1885-1889 22 E. 17th Street (the first five games of the first World Championship match between Steinitz and Zuckertort were held here.
4. 1889-1893 22 West 27th Street (During the 1880s and until his death in 1891, the Club's manager was Captain George H. Mackenzie, a Scottish soldier who fought in the American Civil War and remained here to become U.S. Chess Champion.
5. 1893-1903 United Charities Building which still stands at 105 E. 22nd
6. 1903-1918 Carnegie Hall N.E. corner of 7th Ave. and 56th Street
7. 1918-1933 On August 29th, 1918, the Manhattan Chess Club moved to the Sherman Square Hotel at Broadway and 71st Street.
8. 1933-1936 (or 1937) Hotel Alamac
9. 1936(1937) to 1940 Hotel Beacon Broadway and 75th Street and the 10. Mecca Temple , West 56th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue (I'm not sure which came first)
11. Maurice Wertheim's penthouse apartment – a desperate measure at the height of the Depression
12. 1940-1957 100 Central Park South. Future World Champion Bobby Fischer joined the club at this location in August 1955.
13. 1957-1962 In 1957 rising rents forced the club to move to the Hotel Woodrow 35 West 64th Street. Bobby Fischer won his first U.S. Championship here at age 14 in 1957/58.
14. 1962-1971 Henry Hudson Hotel - West 57th Street
15. 1971-1974 East 60th Street, next to Copacabana Night Club
16. 1974-1984 155 E. 55th Street
17. 1984-1992 Carnegie Recital (Weill) Hall
18. 1992-2000 353 West 46th Street
19. 2000-2002 Hotel New Yorker 8th Ave. and 34th Street
The Manhattan Chess Club closed in 2002.
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