Chess Room Newsletter #567

Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #567
January 18, 2012

Tseshkovsky was a very interesting, original and unconventional chess player. Above all, he really loved chess. He was one of those rare people who could analyze any position. I remember his favorite pose: half-lying on the bed, supporting his head in his hands; in front of him—a magnetic chess set from Riga, which he always took with him. At junior championships when I returned to the room I could find him, for example, analyzing some game from the “64” magazine; let’s say, Rodriguez–Gutierrez from the Colombian Championship. If a position caught his interest he could analyze it for three or four hours. He moved the pieces, had a think, moved the pieces, and again had a think... That seemed a little strange to me and I once said: if you like analyzing so much perhaps it would be better to take some position from your repertoire? But he was ready to study any idea that caught his interest. That, of course, is a rare quality, found only among people who genuinely love chess!

Vladimir Kramnik, remembering his old coach (http://whychess.org/node/3617).

1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News

National Master Russell Wong, Experts Todd Rumph and Igor Traub and Class A players Praveeen Narayanan and Victor Todortsev are tied for first with perfect scores after 3 rounds of the Winter Tuesday Night Marathon. Among those half a point behind are International Master ElliottWinslow and National Master Romy Fuentes, who both took first-round byes. It is still possible to join the 66-player field with half-point byes for the first three rounds.

Jules Jelinek, M.I.Weekly Wednesday Night Blitz Coordinator writes:

Hello everyone,

My apologies for canceling on short notice last week. I am on the mend and back to running the weekly blitz tournament. Look forward to seeing everyone tonight at 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, $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.

2) Willis Lamb - Nobel Prize Physicist and Chess Player

Willis Lamb, who was one of the 1955 winners of the Nobel prize for physics, was also a good chess player, who beat Alekhine in a simul.

Queen’s Gambit - D10
Alexander Alekhine–Willis Lamb
Los Angeles (simul), 1932

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 Qd7 7.Nf3 e6 8.Ne5 Qc8 9.Bb5+ Nbd7 10.Bd2 Bd6 11.Rc1 Qd8 12.g4 Bxe5 13.gxf5 Bd6 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Bxd7+ Qxd7 16.Nb5 0-0 17.Nxd6 Qxd6 18.Bb4 Qd7 19.Bxf8 Rxf8 20.f3 Qf7 21.0-0 Qg6+ 22.Kh1 Ng4 23.e4 Nxh2 24.Rf2 Qh6 25.Rxh2 Qxc1+ 26.Kg2 Rf6 27.Rh4 Qd2+ 28.Kf1 Rg6 29.Rg4 Rh6 30.Qa4 b5 0-1

This was a rather lucky win by Lamb. More impressive was his second-place finish in the 1930 California state championship, held at the Mechanics’ Institute. The event was won by Henry Borochow with a score of 7-1, with Lamb right behind at 5.5 in the round-robin event, ahead of such well-known names as Bagby, Gross and Fink.

The following game against one of the founders of the California Chess Reporter has an exciting finish, with Black missing a miracle save.

Vienna Game C28
Willis Lamb–Dr. H. J. Ralston
San Luis Obispo (North-South Match) 1930

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bb4 5.Nge2 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.Bd2 Be6 8.Nxd5 Bxd2+ 9.Qxd2 Bxd5 10.Bxd5 Qxd5 11.Qg5 f6 12.Qxg7 0-0-0 13.Qg4+ Kb8 14.Nc3 Qa5 15.0-0 h5 16.Qh3 Rdg8 17.Kh1 Rg4 18.f3 Rg6 19.Rad1 Nd4 20.Rf2 f5 21.f4 Rg4 22.Re1 exf4 23.Qxh5 Rgg8 24.Qf7 Qb6 25.Nd5 Nf3

w________w
[wiwdwdr4]
[0p0wdQdw]
[w1wdwdwd]
[dwdNdpdw]
[wdwdw0wd]
[dwdPdndw]
[P)Pdw$P)]
[dwdw$wdK]
w--------w

Overlooking White’s reply. Black had the following pretty draw: 25...Rxh2+ 26.Kxh2 Nf3+ 27.Rxf3 Rh8+ 28.Rh3 Rxh3+ 29.gxh3 (If 29.Kxh3 Qh6+ 30.Qh5 Qxh5 mate) 29...Qf2+, and a draw by perpetual.

26.Qxg8+

The only move to win. If 26.Rxf3, 26...Rxh2+ draws (see previous note).

26...Rxg8 27.Nxb6 Nxe1 28.Nd7+ Kc8 29.Ne5 1-0

3) Justin Sarkar wins Golden State Open

New York International Master Justin Sarkar led the Golden State Open from start to finish, scoring 6 from 7 to win just under $1800. IM Enrico Sevillano was second at 5.5 in the event held January 14-16 at the Concord Hilton Hotel, site of the 1995 U.S. Open. Bill Goichberg was the organizer and chief tournament director of the event, which attracted approximately 260 players.

Grunfeld D99
IM Justin Sarkar - IM Milos Pavlovic
Golden State Open (5) Concord 2012

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 Nfd7 9.Qb3 c5 10.d5 Na6 11.Nd2 e6 12.d6 Bd4 13.Nc4 e5

w________w
[rdw1w4kd]
[0pdndpdp]
[ndw)wdpd]
[dw0w0wdw]
[wdNgPdbd]
[dQHwGwdw]
[P)wdw)P)]
[$wdwIBdR]
w--------w

14.h4!

This is the first new move of the game and quite a good one.

14... Be6 15.Bg5 f6 16.Be3 Nb6 17.Nb5 Kh8 18.Rc1

w________w
[rdw1w4wi]
[0pdwdwdp]
[nhw)b0pd]
[dN0w0wdw]
[wdNgPdw)]
[dQdwGwdw]
[P)wdw)Pd]
[dw$wIBdR]
w--------w

18...Qd7 19.Bh6 Rfe8 20.Nxb6 axb6 21.Bc4 Bxc4 22.Rxc4 Qg4??

w________w
[rdwdrdwi]
[dpdwdwdp]
[n0w)w0pG]
[dN0w0wdw]
[wdRgPdq)]
[dQdwdwdw]
[P)wdw)Pd]
[dwdwIwdR]
w--------w

23.Rxd4! Qh5 24.d7 exd4 25.dxe8Q+ Rxe8 26.Nd6 1-0