Where Organized Chess in America Began - New … · Where Organized Chess in America Began EMPIRE...
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Where Organized Chess in America Began EMPIRE CHESS Spring 2017 Volume XL, No. 1 $5.00 Checa Leads List of State Scholastic Champions Empire Chess P.O. Box 340969 Brooklyn, NY 11234
Transcript of Where Organized Chess in America Began - New … · Where Organized Chess in America Began EMPIRE...
Where Organized Chess in America Began
EMPIRE CHESS Spring 2017 Volume XL, No. 1 $5.00
Checa Leads List of State Scholastic Champions
Empire Chess
P.O. Box 340969
Brooklyn, NY 11234
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NEW YORK STATE CHESS ASSOCIATION, INC. www.nysca.net
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Membership Secretary Phyllis Benjamin P.O. Box 340969 Brooklyn, NY 11234-0511
Board of Directors Upstate Downstate William Townsend Phyllis Benjamin Bill Goichberg Dr. Frank Brady Shelby Lohrman Margarita Lanides Karl Heck Lenny Chipkin Ron Lohrman Ed Frumkin Brenda Goichberg Polly Wright
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Thousands of Players
The Winter Issue had glitches with the names and proofreading for two of the
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articles don’t fall through the cracks in the future.
The amazing 50th anniversary New York State Scholastics drew over 1,100
players to Saratoga Springs, a record for the event anywhere and likely the
largest chess tournament ever held in Upstate New York. The headline in the
local newspaper said it all, “Chess Players Take Over Spa City.” It was a
friendly takeover on a cold weekend, but chess was everywhere to be seen in
mid-March in Saratoga.
Along with quantity, the New York State Scholastics have always been
second to none in terms of player quality among State tournaments. Former
champion GM Joel Benjamin was back at the tournament as a coach. IM
Nicolas de Checa swept the High School section and has a rating of over
2500. As Checa is a ninth-grader and former New York State Champion as
well as Scholastic Champion, he will be a formidable road-block to others
seeking the title for three more years. He wasn’t even the highest-rated player
in the tournament. FM Olivier Chiku-Ratte was with a 2531 Quebec rating
entering the tournament. He tied for 10th.
Checa is the designated representative of New York for the Denker
Tournament of High School Champions, which will be held this year in
Norfolk, VA.
WFM Martha Samadashvili was the top Girl in the Championship section as a
seventh-grader with five points, tying for second overall one point behind
Checa, and is the designated representative of New York to the Girls’
Tournament of Champions, also held in Norfolk at the same time as the US
Open.
While younger than much of the competition, both Checa and Samadashvili
are seasoned tournament veterans with substantial amounts of international
experience that makes them formidable competitors at the National
Invitationals. Nine National Masters competed in the High School
Championship section this year, an impressive number for this type of event.
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EMPIRE CHESS Where organized chess began in America
Volume XL, Number 1
Spring 2017
Cover: The sweatshirt at the State Scholastics says it al l about the record-setting tournament in Saratoga
Springs, which drew over 1,100 players . Photo by Karl Heck
From the Editor 2
Table of Contents 3
Golden Anniversary State Scholastics Smashes Previous Records by Bill Townsend 4
51st Greater NY Scholastics Set Records by Colonel David Hater and Danny Rohde 12
The Closed Catalan by Neal Bellon 15
Over 200 Players Participate at NYS Girls Championship by Vanessa Sun 16
Isolated Queen Pawn by Zachary Calderon 19
Kratzat and Prieto Tie for First in Watertown Blitz Champiouship by Don Klug 20
Open Lines by Karl Heck 21
Notes from the Marshall from staff reports 24
Queens Chess Club Roundup: Bonin Wins Them All by Ed Frumkin 24
TRM 221 at Riverside by Brother John McManus 26
Evans Gambit: Normal Position by Richard Moody 27
New York Tournaments 29
Editor: Karl Heck, [email protected].
Webmaster: Daniel Heck, www.nysca.net.
Empire Chess, the official publication of the New York State Chess Association, Inc., is published quarterly. No liability is
assumed with respect to the use of any information contained herein, or for any advertised products. Opinions
expressed are solely those of the contributors, and not necessarily those of NYSCA. Empire Chess is COPYRIGHTED,
2015.
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unsolicited material. All material submitted for publication becomes the property of Empire Chess, and will not be
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subject to editing. Please send to: Karl Heck, [email protected].
Membership in the NYSCA: $20/year with four printed Empire Chess;
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NYSCA membership now gets you discounts at Continental Chess Association events in New York State and all New York State Championship tournaments.
Please send articles and advertisements in camera-ready format for publication. (TIF file, Adobe Photoshop, 100 lines per inch). Chess games should be in ChessBase, with boards and positions in final form. Articles should be sent via e-mail, in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman font, size 11. Deadline for the Summer issue is June 15, 2017, although earlier submissions are
appreciated, and will more easily guarantee a space in the next magazine.
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.
Golden Anniversary NY State Scholastics Smashes Previous
Records
Nicolas Checa and Justin Chen win HS and JHS championships
with perfect 6-0 scores by Bill Townsend
The 50th Annual New York State Scholastic
Championships took place March 11 and 12 in
Saratoga Springs. For years, the tournament has been
flirting with breaking into four digits, and this year it
finally did it, and how! My count is that 1,117
players competed in the 11 sections. Obviously this
crushes last year’s total of 925 and 2015’s record of
921. Not only that, it smashes the previous NYS
Scholastic Championship record of 990, set in 2000
at Pleasantville in Westchester County.
This is the 11th consecutive that the tournament has
been anchored at Saratoga, and it continues to mutate
as it grows. Initially the tournament was based at the
Saratoga Hilton, but had problems expanding into the
City Center next door because of competing events
being held there. To resolve this issue, last year the
event was moved from February to mid-March and
more sections were moved to the City Center. This
year there were actually no sections in the Hilton at
all, only team rooms. The sections were all in the
City Center, except for the two High School sections,
played a half mile down the road at the Courtyard
Marriott.
The winner of the 106-player High School
Championship section was IM Nicolas Checa. This is
the first time he has won the State Scholastics, but
not the first time he has been a New York State
Champion – he was the top New Yorker at the 2013
overall tournament, when he was just 11 years old.
By the same token, he’s not the first person to win
both championships in the reverse of the expected
order: IM Alex Ostrovskiy was overall State
champion in 2010, 2015 and 2016, but won the State
Scholastics in 2014.
In hindsight, Checa’s 6-0 result seems like an
inevitable march to victory, but it didn’t seem that
way while the tournament was going on. He didn’t
play on the top board until the final round, and while
he was the only player with 5-0 at the end of round 5,
if he hadn’t won his last-round game the finish could
have looked quite different.
Below: The new champion playing Lev
Paciorkowski in the last round.
Top seed Canadian FM Olivier Chikku-Ratte lost his
fifth round game to NM Lev Paciorkowski, who in
turn lost to Checa in the final round. Besides the
championship trophy, Checa wins free admission to
the overall championship in Albany over Labor Day
weekend, and is the New York entry to the Denker
Tournament of High School Champions held in
Norfolk, Virginia this summer.
Eight players placed second through ninth with 5-1.
scores. In tiebreak order they were NM William
Graif, NM Lev Paciorkowski, NM Warren Wang,
WFM Martha Samadashvili, Derek Chen, FM Shawn
Rodrigue-Lemieux, Max Li and FM Ethan Li. With
her fifth-place finish WFM Martha Samadashvili is
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the designated New York entry to the National Girls
Tournament of Champions held in Norfolk this
summer. Tenth and eleventh with 4½ were: FM
Olivier Chikku-Ratte and WIM Maili-Jade Ouellette.
Finishing twelfth through twenty-eighth with 4-2
were: NM Jacob Chen, Webster Kehoe, Gus Huston,
Brian Arthur, Ella Papanek, Mubassar Uddin, Diante
Davis, Nicholas Lombardi, Nathaniel Shuman,
Ananda Saha, Patrick Chernjavsky, Jack Wen, Wang
Chen, Li Heng Wang, Anthony Saquisili, Patrick
Shiels, and Danielle Sharp. Among these players
Lombardi was Top player Under 1900 while
Chernjavsky was second. Sharp was Top player
Under 1700 while Jonathan D’Alonzo was second
with 3½. Ryan Chang (3-3) was Top player Under
1500 while Malik Williams (2½) was second. Ashton
Keith (2½) was Top player Under 1300 while Amier
Hassan (2) was second.
In the team standings, Edgemont Junior/Senior High
School was clear first with 17½ points while Edward
R. Murrow was second with 16. NEST+m was third
with 15, Dalton School was fourth with 14½ beating
out Jericho High School on tiebreaks
Last year the High School and Junior High
Championships were held at the same place but this
year only the two High School sections were at the
Courtyard Marriot. The 114-player High School
Reserve section, for players rated under 1200,
finished with two perfect scores as James Lisowski
and Jia Wei Tang both finished with 6-0, with
Lisowski getting the trophy after a winning a playoff
game. Under New York State Scholastic rules,
perfect score ties are broken through a playoff game.
Third through eighth with 5-1 were: Carson Feero,
Dakota Amar, Dash Jaynes, Sakura Bellamy, Reanna
Phillips, and James Figueroa, Ninth through
fourteenth with 4½ were: Takanori Underwood,
Joshua Abbey, Jason Wu, Nathan Schiener,
Giovanny Vicento, and William Wu. From that list
Schiener was Top player Under 1000. Daniel
Brucker was second Under 1000 while Seylon
Gaspard was Top player Under 800 – both scored 4-
2. Jesus Muniz (3½) was second Under 800. Harold
Bandouveris was Top player Under 600 while
Matthew Lynch was second – both scored 3-3.
Andrew Vickery and Zachary Barkman were first and
second Unrated, both with 3-3 scores.
In this section Brooklyn’s IS 318 was top team with
18½ points while Success Academy was second, with
17½ points. Edward R. Murrow was third on
tiebreaks, also with 17½. East Side Community High
School was fourth with 16 points while Pioneer High
School was fifth with 15½.
There was a Mixed Doubles prize, only open to male
and female two-player teams from the two High
School sections. The clear winner here was Renee
Scorcia and FM Olivier Chiku-Ratte with 8½ points.
There were no fewer than five teams tied for second
with 7-5 and their places were determined by
tiebreaks. In order they were: Katherine Qi and
Henry Qi; Samantha Dong and Brian Arthur; Ella
Papanek and Matthieu Johnson-Constantin; Janell
Warner and Louis Rivera; Phunstok Kyizom and
James Figueroa.
It’s somewhat uncommon to have a lot of 6-0 results
in these big Swiss System sections, but shockingly
eight of the eleven sections finished that way. There
was another perfect score at the top of the 113-player
Junior High Championship as NM Justin Chen won
all his games to take clear first place. Justin came in
second in last year’s Junior High School
championship. Like Nicolas Checa, he is the New
York representative to national Barber K-8
Championship, the Barber tournament, also played
concurrently with the U.S. Open.
NM Vincent Tsay was clear second with 5½ points.
Seven players tied for third through ninth, their
places decided by tiebreaks. In order they were: NM
Wesley Wang (the second seed, who lost to Chen in
the final round), Justin Dalhouse, Katherine Davis,
Sophie Morris-Suzuki, Ethan Gu, Daniel Levkov, and
Sam Santora.
Tenth and eleventh with 4½ were Nico Chasin and
Liran Zhou. Another thing these two players had in
common is that they both were playing up a section:
Chasin is in fourth grade and Zhou is in third. If they
had both played in the Elementary championship
Chasin would have been first seed and Zhou would
have been third.
The other prize winners here were: Hugh Chapin (4-
2), Top Under 1800, Lavon Sykes (also 4-2), second
Under 1800, Alex Paiva (4), Top Under 1600,
Malcolm Whites (4), second Under 1600, Bally
Sissoko (3½), Top Under 1400, James Adams (3),
second Under 1400.
There was a dead heat for top team with Brooklyn’s
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IS 318 and NYC Lab Middle School for
Collaborative Studies both finishing with 17 points,
with IS 318 winning on tiebreaks. Columbia
Grammar and Preparatory School was third with 16
points, Success Academy Charter School Bronx 1
X493 was fourth with 12½, Success Academy
Charter School Harlem East was fifth with 11½,
There was yet another 6-0 score at the top of the 94-
player Middle School Reserve section, for players
rated Under 1000, as Nicholas Kim won all his
games to take clear first. Second through eighth with
5-1 were: Quinlan Alday, Nathan Booncharoen,
Shaan Cheruvu, Ann Goldey, Colin Senat, Aaryan
Chitnis, and Michael Korvyakov, Ninth through
twelfth with 4½ points were: Ethan Alexander, Quinn
Balber, Robert Marshall, and, Aryana Ramos-
Vazquez. This last named player won the trophy for
Top player rated Under 900. Second Under 900 was
Audrey Mallier with 4 points. Other prize winners:
Sebastian Stote (3½), Top Under 800, Aidan Puri (3),
Second Under 800, Amir Diego (3), Top Under 600,
Andrew Brucker, second Under 600, Benjamin
Shephard (2½), Top Under 400, Mason Bates (2½),
second Under 400, Skylar Gravel (2), Top Unrated
player, Komali Kollapudi (2) , second unrated.
Top team in this section was Success Academy
Charter School Union Square M174 with 17½ points.
SACBX1 was second with 17 while Browning
School was third with 16½. Pelham Middle School
was fourth with 14 points, Pioneer Middle School
was fifth with 12½,
Another perfect score won the 134-player Elementary
Championship as Hamilton Shillingford defeated top
seed Tyler Tanaka in the final round to finish with 6-
0. It’s a source of amazement to me that there can be
players rated over 1800 in Elementary School, but a
high rating isn’t a guarantee of victory: Shillingford’s
pre-tournament rating was 1676 and he was seeded
15th.
Second through tenth with 5-1 scores were: Tyler
Tanaka, Leonardo Liu, Yassamin Ehsani, Jonathan
Waldorf, Leo Richard, Ellen Wang, Adi Murgescu,
Joshua Luo, and Vicky Chen. Eleventh through
seventeenth with 4½ were: Toshinori Underwood,
Tashi Sherpa, Amy Sun, Nura Baalla, Hwarin Zoh,
David Craciun, and Alan Morris-Suzuki. Among
those players Sherpa and Sun were first and second
Under 1700 while Morris-Suzuki was Top player
Under 1500. Alan Smolansky (4) was second Under
1500. Kevin Zhang (3½) was Top player Under 1300,
and Austin Hom (3½), was second Under 1300.
In this section two teams tied for first at 16½ points
with Dalton School beating Brooklyn’s IS 318 on
tiebreaks. SACCH was third with 14 points while
SACMW was fourth also with 14 points. Teams five
through eight all had 13 points so their positions were
decided by tiebreaks. They were, in order: Lower Lab
School PS77, Chelsea Prep PS33, William T. Harris
PS11, and Avenues: The World School.
Below: Elementary players fill one of the big rooms
at the Saratoga Springs City Center.
Rohail Shah won the 115-player Elementary
Intermediate section, for players in sixth grade or less
rather less than 1200, with yet another perfect 6-0
record. Matthew Tai was clear second with 5½. Third
through seventh with 5-1 were: Ethan Striff-Cave,
Gabriel Espinal, Dale Janezic, Amenaide Brown, and
Simone Morden. Eighth through thirteenth with 4½
were: Michael Rubinov. Megha Kumar, Emma
Adams, Alex Agrawal, Dana Flores-Zeledon, and
Silverio Sencion.
From this list Argawal won the prize for Top player
Under 1100. Other prize winners: Jonathan Metzler
(4-2) was second Under 1100, Sicheng Yu (4) was
first Under 1000, Elijah Patterson (4) was second
Under 1000, Chellam Kothandaraman (4) was Top
player Under 900, Rose Morden (3½) was second
Under 900, Orion Caldwell (3½) was first Under 800,
Eli Nelson (2½) was second Under 800.
The op team in the Elementary Intermediate was
Chelsea Prep PS33 with 17 points while William T.
Harris PS11 was second with 16. Alexine A. Fenty
PS139 was third with 15, Success Academy Charter
School Union Square M174 was fourth with 14½,
Mary Lindley Murray School PS116 was fifth also
with 14½,
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The Elementary Reserve section, the largest of the 11
sections with 171 players, was limited to players
rated under 800 and it was won by Aliya Saldanha-
Suri with (guess what?) a perfect 6-0 score. Second
through fourth with 5½ were: Aarush Iyengar, Ryder
Lee, and Christopher Ortiz. Fifth through twelfth
with 5-1 were: Mikhail Bilokin, Burke Reynolds,
Rachel Prizant, Andrew Carragher, William Fahey,
Jake Van De Kieft, Sami Uyanik, and Marcella
Reyes-Rivera. The last named player won the prize
for best player Under 700.
Thirteenth through twenty-third with 4½ were:
Arthur Owens (second Under 700), Madison Olivia
Shum, Eli Goldstein, Collin Salem, Evan Eisenberg
(first Under 600), Taise Martinez, Ellyssan Park,
Tristan Perkins, Beckett Tratenberg, Ishaan Bhagat,
and Madison Williams. Other prize winners: Jonah
Falcon (3½) second Under 700, Dale Cotler (4) first
Under 500, Rylan Marinis (3½), second Under 500,
Ayden Wefer (2) ,first Under 400, Martine McKenzie
second Under 400, Mason Paul Riddle (2½), first
Under 300, Ana Dokianos second Under 300, Jayden
Bonilla (2½) first Unrated, and Elijah Robinson (2)
second Unrated.
Top team here was Chelsea Prep PS33 with 18 points
while Success Academy Charter School Union
Square M174 was second with 17. SACBX3 was
third with 16½ and Lower Lab School PS77 was
fourth with 16. Fifth through eighth with 15½ were:
Alexine A. Fenty PS139, Trinity School, NEST+m
School, and SACBSM.
The 91-player Primary Championship, for players in
grades three and below, was won by Liam Putnam
with a flawless 6-0 score. Second through fifth with
5-1 were: Thomas Fini, Romir Mukherjee, Dylan Ma,
and Brewington Hardaway. Sixth through twelfth
with 4½ were: Kevin Duong, Jed Sloan, Nathaniel
Mullodzhanov, Brendan Moran, Royal Buchanan,
Johji Nakada, and Jack Yang. All these other prize
winners scored 4-2: Alex Yan first Under 1400, Boris
Mccoy second Under 1400, Rohan Krishna first
Under 1200, Aston Roberts second Under 1200, and
Riya Kanury first Under 1000. George Bugayev was
second Under 1000 with 3-3.
Two teams tied for first place in this section, both
with 16 points. Dalton School edged NEST+m
School on tiebreaks. Third with 13½ was Lower Lab
School PS77, Avenues: The World School was fourth
with 12½, William T. Harris PS11 was fifth also with
12½.
The 120-pl;ayer Primary Reserve section, for K-3
players rated under 600, was won by Dashiell
Messinger with a 6-0 score. Clear second with 5½
was Ari Ghalili. Third through tenth with 5-1 were:
Eli Mandarano, Sophia Ng, George Athanasopoulos,
Sabella Faccio, Harper Wallace, Naveen Paruchuri,
Manasvin Sood, and Jack McAuley. Other trophy
winners were: Tyler McGowan (4½), first Under 500,
Levi Leven (4½), second Under 500, Luc Cacciatore
(4½), first Under 400, Benjamin Davis (4) second
Under 400, Padraig Scally (3½), first Under 300,
Drake Martin 3½) second Under 300, Caleb Wright
(3), first Under 200, Jacob Moon (3), second Under
200, Henry Dispenza (3½) first Unrated, and Dylan
Lubcker (3½), second Unrated.
Top team in this section was Browning School with
20 points, about as high a point total as it was
possible to get, but Columbia Grammar and
Preparatory School was right behind them with 19
points. Third with 14½ was Beekman Hill
International PS59, Packer Collegiate was fourth with
14, William T Harris PS11 was fifth with 13½,
The string of perfect scores was finally broken in the
33-player K-1 Championship, which finished in a
three-way tie for first place at 5-1. First on tiebreaks
was John Moon, followed by Reese Rutkoske and
Aliana Fausto. Fourth through sixth with 4½ were:
Oliver Boydell, Christoffer Lamtan, and David
Menzer. Seventh through tenth with 4-2 were:
Kabeer Arora, Ranbeer Arora, Ryan Ma, and Milo
Kong. Other prize winners: Charles Burton (3), first
Under 800, Amy Burton (3), second Under 800,
Lilian Zhou (2), first Under 600, Henry
Nieuwerburgh (2), second Under 600, Mathis Ricaud
(2), first Under 400, and Max McPeake (1½). Second
Under 400.
Among the teams in this section there was a two-way
tie for first with 14½ points. First on tiebreaks was
Collegiate School followed by Lower Lab School
PS77. Dalton School was third with 10 points,
NEST+m School was fourth also with 10, Greenwich
Village PS41 was fifth with 9.
The new section in this year’s tournament was the
60-player K-1 Reserve, for players rated under 400.
Clear first with 5½ was Christopher Meyers. Second
through fifth with 5-1 were: Alejandro Fernholz.
Lucas Achecar, Wyatt Santiago, and Sammy Gordon.
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Sixth through eighth with 4½ were: Evan Whelchel,
Loren Rogers, and Perry Sloan. Christopher Williams
and Quinn O’Brien were ninth and tenth with 4-2.
Other trophy winners: Mark Bragg (4), First Under
300, Anthony Rodriguez (4), second Under 300, Tse
Jing Lim (3) first Under 200, Nathaniel Chang (3)
second Under 200, Nathan Eppel (4) first Unrated,
and Rayden Wang (3) second Unrated.
Among the teams Columbia Grammar and
Preparatory School was clear first with 18½ points
with Avenues The World School second with 17.
Trinity School was third with 16½, Lower Lab
School PS77 was fourth with 11½, Park Slope PS282
was fifth with 9,
What would a scholastic tournament be without a
bughouse tournament? Well, there was a bughouse
tournament on Saturday night with fifteen two player
teams. In clear first with a perfect 4-0 score was
“Chiquitos” consisting of Wang Chen and Anthony
Saquisili. These two must know what they are doing
– they won last year’s bughouse tournament as well.
Second through fifth with 3-1 were: “Murrow” (Li
Wang & Samantha Dong), “Legalize Caruana” (Theo
Kogan & Daniel Levkov), “Hennysippin” (Edwin
Lucero & Jacob Correnza), and LOL (Toshi Sherpa
& Robbie Levin).
Finally, on Sunday there was a Parents and Friends
tournament for non-scholastic players, like parents
and coaches. Timothy Smolinski out-rated his nearest
competition by over 700 points so unsurprisingly he
finished with a perfect 4-0. Scott Meyers was second
with 3-1.
Running a tournament of this size and running it well
requires a lot of work. Chief tournament director was
Steve Immitt, assisted by various directors and other
helpers. Here is an incomplete list: David Hater,
Harold Stenzel, Susan Breeding, Bob Messenger, Al
LeCours, Jabari McGreen, Hector Rodriguez III,
Taraqur Rahman, Ron Young, Bill Townsend, Hector
Rodriguez IV, Brother John McManus, Anatoliy
Ostrovskiy, Santhosh Abraham, Karl Heck, Eric
Stenzel, Ernesto Rivera, Jace Jones, Steven Flores,
Jaimie Jones, Harold Scott, Mariah McGreen, Maya
McGreen, Kofi McGreen, Beena McGreen, Polly
Wright, Ebony Tyleer, Jessica MacArthur, and Dima
Teitelman. Tournament webmaster was Nils Grotnes.
Bill Goichberg and the Continental Chess
Association organized the event for the New York
State Chess Association.
In previous years I’ve only gotten a handful of games
from this event, but starting last year that began to
change and this year I got about 100, which is pretty
darn good for such a fast-paced tournament. Because
I was stationed at the hotel where the two high school
sections were running, nearly all the games I got are
from there. I got most of the games from the top
boards of the High School Championship, but wasn’t
nearly as lucky with the High School Reserve – most
of the top players there were using those hard-bound
scorebooks and were not inclined to turn in their
games.
As usual, I have to give this warning: the fast time
control of this tournament (Game in one hour with 10
second delay) means that many games ended in time
scrambles with the final moves not recorded.
Here is the game that decided first place in the High
School section. Throughout the tournament
Paciorkowski had been playing well, but here he
seemed a little hesitant, and that gave Checha the
opening he needed.
NM Lev Paciorkowski (2343)
IM Nicolas Checa (2507) [D15] Slav
NYS Scholastic Championships, Saratoga Springs
High School Championship
Round 6, March 12, 2017
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 Bf5 6.Bd3
Bg6 7.0–0 e6 8.Qe2 Bb4 9.Bd2 0–0 10.a3 Bxc3
11.Bxc3 Nbd7 12.Rfd1 Re8 13.a4
As we leave the opening, if White has an advantage,
it's tiny. Not a single piece has left the board.
13...Bh5 14.h3 Ne4 15.g4 Bg6 16.Be1 White already seems like he's retreating. I think he
should have played Bxg6 at an earlier point.
16...Qe7 17.Rac1 Rf8 18.Nd2 f5 19.f4 Nxd2
20.Qxd2 fxg4 21.hxg4 Bxd3 22.Qxd3 Qf7 23.Bb4
Rfd8 24.cxd5 exd5 25.g5 Re8 26.Bd6?! This looks like White taking advantage of Black's
weak dark squares, but he just seems to be
misplacing his Bishop.
26...Re4 27.b3 Qg6 28.Be5 h6 29.Rc2 Nxe5 30.dxe5
hxg5 31.Rg2 Qh5 32.Rxg5 Qf3 33.Rf1 White also loses a pawn after 33.Re1 Rxf4.
33...Qxe3+ 34.Qxe3 Rxe3 35.Kf2 Re4 36.Rfg1
Rxf4+ 37.Ke3 Rf7 White has some pressure, but it's not worth two
pawns.
38.Kd4 Re8 39.Rg6 Rfe7 40.e6 Rd8 41.Rh1 Rde8
42.Rhg1 Rd8 43.Rh1 c5+ Black does not want to repeat moves again, but
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43...a5 seems to be better.
44.Ke5?! 44.Kxc5 d4 45.Rd1 Kh7 46.Rg4 Rxe6 looks better for
White than the game.
44...d4 45.Rh2 d3 46.Rg1 Rde8 47.Rg6 b5 Black's Queenside pawn avalanche will win the game
for him.
48.axb5 axb5 49.Kd6 c4 50.bxc4 bxc4 51.Rd2 Kh7
52.Rg4 Rxe6+ 53.Kd5 Re2 54.Rd1 Re1 55.Rd2
R8e2 56.Rg2 Rxd2 57.Rxd2 c3 58.Rxd3 c2 0–1
Throughout the tournament I was waiting for the two
top seeds to play, FM Olivier Chiku-Ratte and IM
Nicolas Checa, but that matchup never happened due
to this round five upset.
NM Lev Paciorkowski (2343)
FM Olivier Chiku-Ratte (2516) [E75] KID
NYS Scholastic Championships
High School section
Round 5, March 12, 2017
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0–0
6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.exd5 h6 10.Be3 Bf5
11.0–0 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Qd2 g5 14.Bd3 My computer likes 14.h4 then changes its mind after
14...g4 15.Nh2 Qxh4.
14...Bxd3 15.Qxd3 Nd7 16.Rab1 g4 17.Nd2 f5 18.f4
Qf6 19.Rfe1 a6 Black's position seems a bit loose, and attacking
ideas aren't easy to come by. This demonstration on
the Queenside winds up giving White an annoying
passed pawn.
20.a4 b6 21.Nf1 Qf7 22.Bf2 b5 23.axb5 axb5
24.cxb5 Ra4 25.b4 Rxb4 26.Rxb4 cxb4 27.Qc4 Nf6
28.Re6 Ne4 29.Be3 Qb7 30.b6! Uh oh, this pawn is going to be a problem. The same
can't really be said for Black's pawn on b4.
30...Kf7 Trying too hard to hold onto the b-pawn leads to
trouble: 30...Bc3 31.Ng3 Nxg3 32.hxg3.
31.Ng3 Rc8 32.Qd3 Rc3 This looks strong, but after this Black's position
quickly unravels. 32...Ra8 is better, but the plain fact
is that Black has no good moves.
33.Qb5 Qc8 34.Nxe4 fxe4 35.b7 Rc1+ 36.Kf2 Rc2+
37.Kg3 Qd8 38.Qe8+ Sure 38.b8Q wins too, but with time growing short
White wants a simpler position to play so off come
the Queens.
38...Qxe8 39.Rxe8 b3 40.b8Q b2 41.Re6 Bf6
42.Qe8+ Kg7 43.Rxf6 Kxf6 44.Bd4+ It's mate in one so Black gives up.1–0
Below: IM Nicolas Checa with the Championship
trophy.
Meanwhile, on Board Two, Checa was battling
Canadian player NM William Graif. The game pretty
quickly turned into a double rook ending, which
Graif should have been able to draw, technically.
Nevertheless, I think he had the harder position to
play, especially in this short time control.
IM Nicolas Checa (2507)
NMWilliam Graif (2257) [E17]
NYS Scholastic Championships
High School section
Round 5, March 12, 2017
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.0–0 Be7
6.d4 0–0 7.Re1 Qc8 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Nc3
d6 11.Rc1 Nd7 12.e4 Rd8 13.Qd2 a6 14.d5 c5
15.Bh3 Nf8 16.dxe6 Nxe6 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.cxd5
Ng5 19.Nxg5 Bxg5 20.Qxg5 hxg5 21.Bxc8 Raxc8
Already we've reached a double Rook ending. If
White has an advantage, it's very small.
22.Rc3 g4 23.h3 gxh3 24.Kh2 f6 25.Kxh3 Kf7
26.Kg4 Rh8 27.Ra3 Ra8 28.Rc1 Rh2 29.Kf3 Rh5
30.Re3 Re8 31.b4 f5 32.bxc5 fxe4+ An improvement for Black was 32...bxc5 and after
33.e5 Rxe5 34.Rxe5 dxe5 35.Rxc5 Rh6 the game
10
looks pretty close to even.
33.Kg4 Rxd5 34.cxb6 Rb5 35.Rc6 d5 36.a4 Rb4
37.Kf5 g6+?! 38.Rxg6 d4 39.Re1 Rxa4 40.Rd6 d3
41.Rd7+ Kg8 42.b7 Rb4 43.Rc1 Rf8+ 44.Ke5
Re8+? The game looks drawn after 44...d2! 45.Rc8 Rxb7
46.Rxf8+ Kxf8 47.Rxd2.
45.Kd6 d2 46.Rd1 Rb2? The final, irrevocable mistake. It looks like Black can
still draw after 46...Rb8 47.Kc6 Rb2 48.g4 a5 49.g5
a4 50.g6 a3 51.g7 Rc2+ but these sorts of tactics are
hard to navigate with limited time.
47.Kc7 a5 48.R1xd2 Rb1 49.Rd8 White wins major material, so Black gives up. 1–0
While we’re talking about endgames (Oh, let’s!) this
game caught my eye. WFM Martha Samadashvili is
the strongest scholastic player in the Capital District
and this win allowed her to tie for second overall and
qualify for the Girl’s Tournament of Champions.
While I was watching the game I was certain that her
opponent had missed a draw and Martha just
bamboozled him. However, the longer I looked at
the game, the more it seemed that White was indeed
lost which Martha very patiently proved.
Nathaniel Shuman (2124)
WFM Martha Samadashvili (2185)
[D02] QP Game
NYS Scholastic Championships
High School section
Round 6, March 12, 2017
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c6 4.Nf3 Qb6 5.b3 Bf5
6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 e6 8.0–0 Nbd7 9.c4 Be7 10.h3
Ne4 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.Qxc3 0–0 13.Nd2 Rfe8 14.e4
dxe4 15.Nxe4 Nf6 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 With this I would say that Black has equalized, but
perhaps that is White's plan - to drain the dynamism
out of the position and get a draw.
17.Be5 Bxe5 18.dxe5 Red8 19.Rfd1 c5 20.f4 Qc6?!
21.Qf3?! 21.Rd3 looks strong, seizing control of the d-file.
Again, White makes a second-best move aiming for a
draw.
21...Qxf3 22.gxf3 Kf8 23.Kf2 Ke7 24.Ke2 g6
25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Rd1?! With this White trades off the last pair of pieces,
therefore achieving his "goal." However it is my
experience that King-and-pawn endings require a lot
more caution than Rook and pawn endings and are
more often won by one side or the other. If drawing
was really White's goal, keeping a pair of Rooks was
a good idea.
26...Rxd1 27.Kxd1 Kf8 28.Ke2 Kg7 29.Kf2 Kh6
Another vote against the King-and-pawn ending here
is the fact that Black has the better pawn structure.
This might not be enough to win, but it definitely
improves Black's chances.
30.a3 a5 31.h4 Kh5 32.Kg3 h6 33.Kh3 g5 34.hxg5
hxg5 35.Kg3 gxf4+ 36.Kxf4 Kh4 37.Ke3 Here is the problem: eventually Black can force
White to play f3–f4 after which Black will find a way
(via h3 and h4) to gain the opposition over the White
king and stage a fatal invasion. For example: 37.Ke4
Kg5 38.Ke3 Kf5 39.f4 Kg4 40.Ke4 Kg3 41.Ke3 b6
42.a4 Kh3! 43.Kf3 Kh4 44.Kf2 Kg4 45.Ke3 Kg3
46.Ke4 Kf2 and Black wins.
37...Kg3 38.f4 Kh4! 39.Kd3 Kh3 40.Kd2 Kg4
41.Ke3 Kg3 42.a4 b6 43.Ke4 Kf2 And just like that, it's over. White must either give up
his f-pawn or allow the Black King access to the
queenside. White continues to wriggle, but the
outcome is not in doubt.
44.f5 Kg3 45.fxe6 fxe6 46.Ke3 Kg4 47.Ke4 Kg5
48.Kf3 Kf5 49.Ke2 Kxe5 50.Ke3 Kf5 51.Kf3 e5
52.Ke3 e4 53.Ke2 Kf4 54.Kf2 e3+ 55.Ke2 Ke4
56.Ke1 Kd3 57.Kd1 e2+ 58.Ke1 Ke3 So very harsh. White is not, in fact, stalemated - he
has to allow Black a mate with: 58...Ke3 59.b4 cxb4 ,
etc. 0–1
Before his mishap in round five Canadian player FM
Olivier Chiku-Ratte played some fine chess. He
showed his tactical alertness in this round three game
against Max Jiahua Li.
Max Jiahua Li (2124)
FM Olivier Chiku-Ratte (2516) [B25] Sicilian
NYS Scholastic Championships
High School section
Round 3, March 11, 2017
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 d6 5.h3 Bg7 6.g3 e6
7.d3 Nge7 8.Bg2 0–0 9.0–0 Already I would say that Black is a little better -
perhaps this is not quite the way for White to play the
Closed Sicilian.
9...b6 10.Ne2 Ba6 11.c3 Qd7 12.Qc2 Rac8 13.Rd1
Rfd8 14.Be3 d5 15.Bf2 dxe4 16.dxe4 Bd3! Surprise! This unexpected clerical visit somewhat
discombobulates White's pieces.
17.Qd2 Qb7 18.Qe3 Qa6 19.Nc1 Bc2 That darn Bishop just won't buzz off!
20.Rxd8+ Rxd8 21.Bf1 Qa4 22.Nd2 Na5 23.Be1
Nec6 23...c4 was pretty annoying too.
24.Nd3? This allows a nice tactic that Black doesn't miss.
11
24...Bxd3! 25.Bxd3 Nb4! 26.Bb1 The Knight is immune because of 26.cxb4 Bd4.
26...Qd1 27.Kg2 Nc2 28.Bxc2 Qxa1 Black has turned his superior position into a tangible
advantage, and White's pieces are still tied in knots.
29.Bb3 Qxb2 30.e5 c4 31.Bd1 Qxa2 32.Be2 Nb3
33.Nxc4 Nc1 34.Nd2 Nxe2 35.Qxe2 Qc2 36.c4 Bf8
37.Kf1 Rc8 38.Qf3 Bb4 39.Qb7 Qd3+ 40.Kf2 Bc5+
Black has a mate in four, so White gives up. 0–1
Like I mentioned before I hardly got any games from
the Junior High Championship because I simply
wasn’t in the room, but I did get the last round money
game, thanks to Alan LeCours. This is really only a
game fragment, but it’s obvious what happened,
Black’s superiority crumbled in time pressure.
NM Wesley Wang (2251)
NM Justin Chen (2264) [B70] Sicilian
NYS Scholastic Championships
Junior High School Championship
Round 6, March 12, 2017
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6
6.Be2 Nc6 7.Nb3 Bg7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Kh1 Bd7 10.f4
a6 11.a4 Na5 12.Nxa5 Qxa5 13.Be3 Rfc8 14.Bd4
Bc6 15.Bf3 e5! 16.Be3 Qb4 17.Qd3 Rd8 17...Qxb2? 18.Rfb1 and the Queen is trapped.
18.Ra3 exf4 19.Rb3 Qa5 20.Bb6 Qe5 21.Bxd8
Rxd8
White has the exchange for a pawn, not a very big
advantage given the position.
22.Rd1 h5 23.Nd5 Ng4 23...Nd7! with Nd7–c5 on the way is an ugly threat.
24.Qe2 Qg5 25.h3 Ne5 26.Qd2 Nc4 27.Qb4 Ne5
28.Qe1 Nd7 29.a5 Nc5 30.Rb4 Be5?! Allows White a tactic which the first player doesn't
miss.
31.h4! Qh6 32.Ne7+ Kh8 33.Nxc6 bxc6 34.Rb6 Qf8
35.Rxc6 0-1 This is all that was recorded. It certainly looks like
Black is getting the worst of this game, and it would
have been even more dire if White had played: 35.b4
Na4 36.Rxc6. However, the plain fact is that Black
won this game. The only clue we have aboutthe final
position that Al LeCours managed to record.
As you can see in the following diagram, the
situation has totally changed: some pieces have been
traded and White has lost a bunch of pawns, probably
thanks to Black’s marauding Queen. In fact, in this
position, which is obviously White to move, White
can’t avoid the loss of his Bishop no matter where he
moves his King. For example: 1.Kc4 Qc2+.
Wang-Chen, final position.
Here is an example of the play of second place
finisher Vincent Tsay, again courtesy of Al LeCours.
Vincent Tsay (2160)
Francis Durette (2189) [E94] KID
NYS Scholastic Championships
Junior High School Championship
Round 6, March 12, 2017
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 For some reason I saw a lot of King's Indians this
weekend. Are teenagers experiencing a wave of
1950s nostalgia in 2017? Okay, probably not.
6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 exd4 8.Nxd4 Re8 9.f3 Nc6 10.Be3
Nh5 11.Qd2 Nf4 12.Kh1 A common little tactical trick: if White takes the
apparently loose Knight on f4 he loses his Knight on
d4: 12.Bxf4 Nxd4.
12...Nxe2 13.Ncxe2 Ne5 14.Rac1 Qe7 15.Nf4 Be6
16.b3 a6 17.Rfd1 Rac8 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.cxd5 Very smooth: White has maneuvered his space
advantage into giving Black a backward pawn on an
open file.
19...Rb8 20.Qa5 Rec8 21.Rc2 Qd8 22.b4 Nd7
23.Rdc1 Nb6 24.Nb3 Be5 25.g3 Kg7 26.Kg2 h5?
Black misses a tactic, and it costs him. However, his
position is still uncomfortably passive after the
superior 26...Qd7.
27.Rxc7! Nd7 28.Rxc8 Rxc8 29.Qxd8 Rxd8 30.Rc7
White has an extra pawn, pressure and control of the
only open file. Black is all but lost.
30...b5 31.f4 Bb2 32.Bd4+ Bxd4 33.Nxd4 Nf8
34.Ne6+ Nxe6 35.dxe6 Kf6 36.exf7 Rf8 37.Kf3 Ke6
Black loses quickly after 37...Rxf7 38.Rxf7+ Kxf7
39.g4.
38.Ke3 d5 39.e5 Rd8 40.Kd4 Rf8 41.Rc6+ Kxf7
42.Rf6+ Ke7 43.Rxf8 Kxf8 44.Kxd5 Kf7 45.Kd6
Ke8 46.e6 Kd8 47.e7+ Ke8 48.a3 1–0
12
51st Greater NY Scholastic Championship Breaks Records by Colonel David A. Hater and Danny Rohde
The 51st Greater New York Scholastic
Championship, sponsored by the Kasparov Chess
Foundation in association with the Chess Center of
New York and Little House of Chess, shattered
previous attendance records with 1,478 players
participating in 14 separate sections. The attendance
this year was over two hundred players higher than
last year’s attendance of 1,263. This year was a
resounding success as the organizers made several
tweaks in terms of staffing and format which led to
all rounds starting pretty much on time and a positive
experience for all the tournament players. The
tournament also remains the USCF’s longest-running
rated scholastic tournament. We also believe this is
the largest rated event ever held in New York State.
The Kasparov Chess Foundation sponsors several
events around the country. The Chicago event had
432 players and the Baltimore event had 250 players.
The New York City even enjoyed a visit by former
World Champion GM Garry Kasparov on both days.
Garry walked around the tournament room and team
rooms and was a true ambassador of chess giving of
his time to numerous fans and signing lots of
autographs. Garry also made several ceremonial first
moves. On Saturday, he made first moves in the
High School Championship and Elementary
Championship. On Sunday, he made first moves in
the Primary Championship and Primary Under 600.
In the Primary Under 600, the lucky player was
Casey Peckham. This board was chosen because it
was her birthday, and she enjoyed a once in a lifetime
experience (picture below):
Photo: Vanessa Sun
This scholastic tournament draws many of the best
players in the region, which is the strongest chess
region in the United States. This year, there were six
National Masters participating, including two FIDE
Masters. Part of the reason that the higher-rated
players show up is to play for a significant prize: free
entry for an entire year into all Continental Chess
Association (CCA) tournaments that have a
guaranteed prize fund! This entry is potentially
worth several thousand dollars. The big winner of
CCA free entries was Malcolm Galpern of Brooklyn
Tech High School. He went 5-0 in the Under 1900
High School section and won the playoff match, led
his team to the team championship, and took second
place mixed doubles with his partner Nancy Wang.
He has free entries until October 2nd
, 2018! Pulling
off a three-peat and winning free entries in every
available category is impressive.
Another big winner was Meghana Kancharla. On
Saturday, she scored 4 ½ out of 5 in the High School
Under 1200 section to take Third Place, top Eighth
grade and below, and four months of free entries to
CCA tournaments. She came back Sunday and
scored 4-1 to take fifth place and top grade 6 and
below in the Junior High School Under 1300 section.
She tied for fourth. On the third tiebreak system, she
fell short by half a point or she would have won two
more months of free entries! She traveled from New
Hampshire for this tournament and took 113 rating
points back home with her!
The free entries were exactly the motivation for the
tournament’s top seed FM Hans Niemann. Hans
commented that he has not won a trophy in several
years and has not won a state or national scholastic
championship because he concentrates his
tournament activity on major tournaments that draw
titled players, especially events that offer norm
opportunities. For players at Niemann’s level, the
typical scholastic offers almost no gain.
Hans is only in eighth grade and played in the Junior
High School Championship section. While he started
on Board One and stayed there the entire tournament,
he did face the second, fourth, and fifth seeded
players en route to his victory. He started 5-0 and
secured clear first with a quick last-round draw.
Hans’s fourth round game against second seed NM
13
Justin Chen features a nice sacrificial attack. Can
you find the continuation?
Shown below is the key position for one of the big
games in the tournament: the battle between National
Master Justin Chen and FIDE Master Hans Niemann.
The key position is highlighted, and the full game is
shown below.
25…Bg4 !
After 26.hxg4 there are several possible
continuations, but Black’s attack is unstoppable.
{Event;51st Greater NYC Scholastic Championship]
[Date:2017.02.05]
[Round 4]
[White: NM Chen, Justin (2264)]
[Black: FM Niemann, Hans (2402)]
[Result: 0-1]
[ECO;A61]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6.
Nf3 g6 7. Bf4 a6 8. a4 Bg7 9. h3 O-O 10. e3 Nh5
11. Bh2 f5 12. Be2 f4 13. e4 Nd7 14. O-O Qe7 15.
Nd2 Qg5 16. Nc4 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Qd3 Bd7
19. Kh1 Nf6 20. Rfb1 Rfc8 21. Qf3 h5 22. Ra3 Rc7
23. Bf1 Rf8 24. Na2 c4 25. a5 Bg4 26. hxg4 hxg4
27. Qe2 Rh7 28. Rh3 gxh3 29. f3 hxg2+ 30. Bxg2
Bd4 31. Qxc4 Rxh2+ 0-1
The 51st GNYCC also coincided with the 51
st Super
Bowl or Super Bowl LI. That must have had special
significance as the top three finishers in the High
School Championship section were all named Li!
The top seeded player was FM Ethan Li, and he lived
up to his billing he spent the entire tournament on
Board One, facing the second, fourth, and eighth
seeds on the way to his clear first-place finish. In the
last round, he faced fourth-seeded NM Dennis Li.
Ethan Li only needed a draw for clear first place, but
he clearly wanted more. The game was a poisoned
pawn Sicilian and at one point Ethan was up four
pawns and could have won. However, White did
have a dangerous attack, and the game eventually
ended in a perpetual check.
{Event: 51st Greater NYC Scholastic Championship]
[Round;6]
[White NM ;Li, Dennis (2206)]
[Black; FM Li, Ethan (2394)]
[Result;1/2-1/2]
[ECO;B97]
1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6
6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5
Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. e5 dxe5 14.
Bxf6 gxf6 15. Ne4 Qxa2 16. Rd1 Be7 17. Be2 O-O
18. Rf1 Ra7 19. Rf3 Kh8 20. Qh6 Qxc2 21. Rxf6
Rg8 22. Ng5 Bb4+ 23. Kf1 Bd2 24. Rxd2 Qxd2 25.
Rf7 Qc1+ 26. Kf2 Qc5+ 27. Kf1 Qc1+ 1/2-1/2
The participants and friends all have a great time –
one even dressed up as a chessboard from head to
toe!
Photo: Vanessa Sun
14
In addition to the tournament activities, there are
several other notable events. The US Chess Women’s
Committee sets up a booth each year and there are
displays from our sponsors such as Chess Stars and
book sales from Rochester Chess Center.
A tournament this large and involved is a massive
effort to organize and direct, and takes a significant
staff to manage Chief TD Steve Immitt, who along
with Sophia Rohde is in his 32nd
year of running this
tournament, assembled an “A” team of 40 personnel
including seven National Tournament Directors, one
Associate National Tournament Director, four
International Arbiters, two FIDE Arbiters and two
International Organizers. Two families account for
nearly 25% of the staff and have been staffing this
event for a number of years.
The Rodriguez family: Hector, Hector, and Steven
have been on staff for 13 years.
The Rodriguez family. Photo: David Hater
However, the staffing record goes to the McGreen
family: Kofi, Beena, Jabari, Maya, and Mariah. They
have been on staff for 19 years. This family could
even be larger as Najee McGreen has been on staff
many years but current professional obligations keep
him too busy to be on staff in recent years.
Event coordinator Danny Rohde started playing in the
tournament in Kkindergarten!
The McGreen family. Photo: David Hater
After Sunday’s last round, many of the TDs adjourned
to a team room lounge to watch the Super Bowl. I
wasn’t sure who the majority of the staff was routing
for, but all had a great time watching an exciting game.
Photo: David Hater
For more information, visit the Kasparov Chess
Foundation Website, the tournament results, and the
rating report. on uschess.com. The Greater NY
Scholastics not only grows older, it gets bigger,
stronger and greater with each passing tournament.
15
The Closed Catalan by Neal Bellon ([email protected])
The Catalan is a popular opening for White at all
levels. The basic idea is that White opens with 1.d4
and follows with an early g3 and a fianchetto of his
King’s Bishop, putting pressure on Black’s center. In
a sense it’s a combination of the Reti Opening and
Queen’s Gambit.
A typical sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3, although
the opening can occur through a variety of move
orders. Early in my tournament career I always had
trouble as Black when facing this opening, but that
changed when I started playing the Closed Catalan
variation. Here, Black plays an early ...d5 and does
not capture the c4-pawn, and generally chooses ...c6
instead, keeping things closed and bolstering the d5-
square. Black’s position ends up somewhat cramped
but is very solid.
The game below was played at the Long Island Chess
Club in East Meadow, NY back in Oct. 2016. The
annotations in italics are mine. T. Masotti (1862) - N. Bellon (1847) Long Island Chess Club Sept. Open 10/6/16, Round 5 of 5, G/90;d5
1. d4 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2 d5 An important move, stopping e4, and blocking the
long diagonal.
4. Nf3 e6 5. O-O Be7 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. Ne5 This Knight may look
annoying for Black but it's not an issue.
8...c6! (diagram)
Support is added to d5 and White's g2 Bishop is
blunted. Black is a bit cramped but accepts that for a
solid position.
9. cxd5 cxd5 10. a4 Nc6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 Here, as Black, I was
fully equalized with a comfortable position and an
open c-file.
12. Bf4 a6 13.
Qd3 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. a5?! To me, this is a bit of an overextension and
my response was almost automatic.
15...b5 16. Na2 b4! (diagram)
Gaining space on the "correct" side of the board
where all the play is while shutting out the knight.
17. Qd2 Rab818. Nc1 Rfc8 I felt I was better here as Black, though Fritz has it as
theoretically equal. 19. Nd3 Ne4!
Hitting the Queen with no worries about 20. Bxe4
dxe4 and the doubled pawns. The resulting doubled
Black pawn on e4 is excellent.
20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Nc5 Qd5 A sneaky "tournament" move, setting up the game
winning ...e3, attacking the Queen while threatening
mate.
22. e3 Bb5 23. Rfc1 Bc4 Threatening ...Rxc5! I was feeling very tactical here,
different from my usual stodgy positional style, but
the board was allowing me to safely do
so.
24. Qc2 Bb5 25. Qd2 Bc4 (continued on page 29)
16
Over 200 Girls Attend New York State Girls Championships By Vanessa Sun
The First New York State Girls Team and Individual
Championships was full of friendly faces. Girls
said hello to each other, made jokes, and
complimented each other. Camaraderie and
sportsmanship reigned, even as the girls were about
to face off in fierce battles over the board.
Over 220 girls (226, to be exact) played at the
tournament, dispersed into seven categories: K-12
Championship, K-12 Under 1200, K-6
Championship,
K-6 Under 900,K-3 Championship, K-3 Under 600
K-1 Championship
This year, trophies and plaques were awarded to top
players, but what stood out about the tournament
prizes was that the winners of the championship
sections also gained free entries to two Continental
Chess tournaments from a select list, including the
World Open! First introduced at the Greater New
York Scholastic Chess Championships, these prizes
are “meant to encourage, motivate, and promote girls
playing in more serious and open tournaments,”
according to Steve Immitt, the chief tournament
director and co-organizer.
Sophie Morris Suzuki, Photo Vanessa Sun (below)
Such prizes were the initial reasons K-12 champion
Sophie Morris-Suzuki decided to play. She also had a
lot of friends playing in the tournament, but pointed
out the free entries provided an extra motivation
beyond the plaques and trophies usually given out at
Scholastics. Sophie, who is a US Chess Expert, also
wanted to be a part of what she called a “historic
event,” and ended up taking down clear first.
Here is one of Sophie’s games from the event:
Sophie Morris-Suzuki
Katrina Wang
Queen’s Indian Defense
1.d4 e6 2. e4 b6 3. Bd3 Bb7 4. Nf3 f5 5. exf5 Nf6 6.
fxe6 dxe6 7. O-O Bd6 8. Qe2 Qe7 9. Re1 O-O 10.
Bg5 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. Bg3 Bxg3
14. hxg3 Ng4 15. Qxe6+ Qxe6 16. Rxe6 Rae8 17.
Rae1 Rxe6 18. Rxe6 Ngf6 19. c4 Kf7 20. Re1 Re8
21. Rxe8 Kxe8 22. Kf1 Ke7 23. Ke2 Ke6 24. d5+
Kd6 25. Ne4+ Nxe4 26. Bxe4 Nc5 27. Bc2 Ba6 28.
b3 b5 29. Bd3 Nxd3 30. Kxd3 bxc4+ 31. bxc4 Kc5
32. Ne5 h5 33. Kc3 g4 34. Nd3+ Kd6 35. Kd4 Bc8
36. c5+ Ke7 37. Nf4 Bf5 38. Nxh5 Bb1 39. a3 Bf5
40. Ke5 Bd3 41. Nf6 Bf1 42. Nxg4 Bxg2 43. f4 Bh3
44. Nf6 {White wins} 1-0
Some girls had other reasons play in the tournament.
Amy Sun, the top seed but second place winner in the
K-6 Championship section, wanted to play in the
tournament as preparation for the All-Girls National
Championship held in April. This event promoted the
much bigger Chicago event by making several
announcements about it and handing out flyers.
Amy Sun, Photo Vanessa Sun
A major highlight of the event was GM Irina Krush’s
appearance and her game analysis.
17
GM Krush hoped to inspire and said, “all girl’s
tournaments could be part of every girl’s journey into
chess.” She was particularly adamant that there is a
social aspect to chess and that all girl’s tournaments
are a good way to get 200 girls together and make
more friends. It could eventually be what makes
chess more fun in the long run, and encourage more
girls to compete beyond elementary or middle school.
WIM Beatriz Marinello, a famous coach, former US
Chess Federation president, and a current FIDE Vice
president, also felt the effects of all girl’s
tournaments can be extremely beneficial to female
chess players. For a long time, Ms. Marinello
considered that “having girl’s tournaments was
giving girls a ceiling,” but she has slowly come to
change her mind, thinking that all-girls tournaments
such as these gives a lot of energy and prove to be a
good experience to girls.
The Dalton team shows their excitement for their big
K-6 Championship win-Julia Miyasaka, Veda
Safranek, Langley Beaudoin and Lauren Nam (not
pictured), Photo Vanessa Sun
Sophia Rohde, a well-known international organizer
and member of the USCF Women’s Committee came
up with the idea for this tournament and organized it.
Another member of the Women’s Committee,
Kimberly Doo McVay, said of the organizing:
“Sophia had dreamed about this tournament for a
long time and made it happen through
professionalism and contacts.”
The right venue it was! Held at The Hewitt School in
Manhattan, the highest sections had the honor of
playing in the school’s gorgeous library, while others
played in the gymnasium, classroom, and
performance center.
Noelle Kay, K-6 Under 900, Photo Vanessa Sun
Juliette Shang, who came in ninth place in the K-12
Championship, and Erica Li, who came in tenth place
in the K-12 Championship, talked admirably about
the venue and library as something that stood out to
them about this event, while GM Irina Krush admired
the spiral staircases and pictures against the wall of
graduating classes.
A last huge highlight of the tournament also included
a new function to that improved organization and
efficiency: pairings and standings emailed or texted
to players and their parents before each round. This
made the flow of the tournament much easier and
faster, and many coaches said it helped show how
well organized a tournament could be with the help
of technology.
Sophie and Erica (pre rating: 1565, post rating:
1628)
Of course, there are always new improvements to be
made. Next year, the organizers hope that there will
be more players, which may require a bigger venue.
They would also like to be the qualifying event to
determine the state representative for the National
18
Girls Tournament of Champions instead of the New
York State Scholastic Championship Tournament.
With high hopes of expansion and progress, the First
New York State All Girls Team and Individual
Championships was a resounding success.
Standings
Individual: K-1 Championship Stephanie Weinberg
K-3 Under 600: Lia Skarabot and Chloe Stark each
won all 5 games; Lia won the speed playoff for First
over Chloe
K-3 Championship: Lilian Wang won on
(secondary) tiebreaks over Maya Figelman
K-6 Under 900; Ella Mettke won Clear First
K-6 Championship; Julia Miyasaka won Clear First
(6-0)
K-12 Under 1200: Larisa Bresken Won Clear First
K-12 Championship: Sophie Morris-Suzuki won
Clear First
Teams: K-1 Championship: Lower Lab School PS 77
K-3 Under 600: Chelsea Prep PS 33
K-3 Championship: Chelsea Prep PS 33
K-6 Under 900:
K-6 Championship: The Dalton School
K-12 Under 1200: East Side Community High
School
K-12 Championship: IS 318
You can see the full results at chessgirls.win.
This tournament was made possible because of
contributors, The Hewitt School, the New York State
Chess Association, Little House of Chess, and The
Chess Center of New York. Find MSA crosstable for
the event here. Find out about the All-Girls
Nationals here.
w n
Chelsea Prep with GM Krush, Photo Angel Lopez
IS 318- left to right: Chhoten Sherpa, Sakura
Laporte, Vicky Chen, Katrina Wong and IS 318
alumni Vicki Yang & Nancy Wang- Photo IM Alex
Ostrovsky
Support Support chess from Montauk to Niagara! New York State Chess Association
membership is only $20 with four printed issues, and $12 with two printed issues.
www.nysca.net
19
Isolated Queen Pawn: Positional Structures By Zachary Calderon
In the chess openings, there are many very
recognizable pawn structure. One of the most unique,
however, must be the Isolated Queen Pawn, or so
IQP.
This dynamic pawn structure can be played with
either color, and has its plusses and minuses. The
weakness of the structure should be obvious; the
d4/d5 pawn is isolated and weak. The dynamic
advantage of having an IQP, however, should not be
under-estimated. In this article, I will aim to show
you how to both play with the IQP and against it.
Before getting into our model games, we should first
identify what squares each side is aiming to control.
If White has the IQP, he will be aiming to anchor a
Knight on the e5 square. Likewise, if Black has the
IQP, he will want to control e4. If Black is playing
against the IQP, he will be trying to anchor and
blockade the d4 pawn by solidifying a Knight on d5.
If it is White who is facing the IQP, he will want to
secure d4. The open file will be an avenue for the
Rooks to enter the game as well and join the attack.
The first game we will look at is a miniature by
former World Championship contender Viktor
Korchnoi. Although primarily known for his
positional prowess, Korchnoi was a tactical genius as
well, and wasn't afraid to reach messy positions or
use the /…c5 variation of the Tarrasch French, which
generally generates the isolated d-pawn in exchange
for freeing the light-squared Bishop, which is often
cramped in the French Defense.
His opponent in this game was Stefano Tatai. The
game began
1. e4
e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 c5
Already, we can begin to see the IQP position
forming.
5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Qe2+ Be7 7. dxc5 Nf6 8. h3
Aiming to prevent Bg4, but this move weakens the
Kingside as we will soon see.
8...0-0 9. 0-0 Bxc5 10. c3
As discussed previously, White is aiming to control
d4, however in this case it will be too slow.
10...Re8 11. Qc2 Qd6
Korchnoi centralizes his Queen
12. Nbd2? Qg3!
The Queen is untouchable because the f2 pawn is
pinned by the Bishop. Clearly, had the pawn
remained on h2, Qg3 would not be a problem.
13. Bf5
20
Aimed to prevent Bxh3
13...Re2!
Black threatens nothing more than to capture on f2.
14. Nd4?? Nxd4 0-1
White attempted to sever the connection between the
Bishop and the f2 pawn, but after 15. fxg3 Nxc2+ and
Nxa1 Black is ahead a Rook and a piece.
Unfortunately, games that demonstrate how to
successfully counter the IQP are too long for this
article, as they are often long, drawn-out games that
end long into the endgame.
The basic strategy is this: Secure d5, and then trade
as many pieces as possible. The less pieces your
opponent has, the less firepower he has to attack you
and it is tougher for that player to defend the isolated
pawn, which has to be defended with pieces instead
of pawns.
This is his main trump, and you should aim to water
down his assault. Once you are in an endgame, the
IQP really will be a weakness, as pawn structure
becomes more significant as more pieces come off
the board and the IQP can be more easily blockaded
by the King or other pieces, preferably Knights.
The IQP positions come and go in favor, and
openings such as the Catalan and Queen’s Gambit
can evolve to IQP positions on the White side.
Kratzat and Prieto Tie for Watertown Blitz Championship
Adolfo Prieto (center) of Watertown and Bob Kratzat of Carthage split their two games and tied at +7-1=0 for the
for the 2017 Watertown Chess Club Blitz Chess Championship on February 21st. This is the third tie in the past
five years between the two players for the Championship. Mr. Prieto has won four titles while Mr. Kratzat has won
three since the club initiated the Blitz Championship in 2011.
The Watertown Chess Club has been the largest active chess club in the North Country for over a decade.
21
Open Lines..tidbits about the chess world
By Karl Heck
IM Walter Shipman, a New York chess star in the 20
th Century, died in San Francisco on February 28
th.
Shipman was one of the top American players during the 1950s, and was a fixture at the Manhattan Chess
Club and the Metropolitan Chess League. Shipman won the Manhattan Chess Club title six times: 1972,
1974, 1984, 1985, 1994 and 1995.Shipman also served as an administrator for the U. S. Chess Federation
and the Manhattan Chess Club, allowing a waiver of the Manhattan Chess Club rules to allow 12-year-old
Bobby Fischer to join the club under the age limit.
Shipman was extremely successful in the U.S. Open, tying for third in 1950 and tying for second in 1995 at
the age of 66. Shipman achieving the International Master title in 1982 at the age of 53 is a record unlikely
to be broken. Along with being a great player, Shipman was a gentleman who brought civility and dignity
to any competition, and many chess fans on both coasts and beyond The picture below is courtesy of
Chess Life Online.
Walter Shipman and Louis Levy about to start play. James Sherwin and Paul Brandts are in the background with
the black pieces. Circa 1966.
GM’s Hikaru Nakamura (seeded third) and Gata Kamsky (seeded seventh) represent New York chess in the
U.S. Chess Championship, being held from March 28 to April 10 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center
of Saint Louis. The 12-player, all-Grandmaster event features players with an average rating of 2727, and
is headlined by GM Fabiano Caruana, a former New York resident who recently returned to the US. The
twelve competitors will battle for $194,000 in prize money, qualification into the World Championship
cycle and the 2017 US Champino title.
22
New Yorker and seven-time US Women’s Champion GM Irina Krush is the top seed in the 2017 Women’s
Championship. IM Anna Zatonskih (second seeded and a four-time Women’s Champion) is also
representing New York in the Women’s Championship. $100,000 in prize money and qualification into the
Women’s World Championship cycle is up for grabs in this event.
Full coverage of both the US Championship and the US Women’s Championship will be provided at
www.uschesschamps.com, with a commentary team highlighted by veterans GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM
Jennifer Shahade and GM Maurice Ashley.
The World Amateur Team Championship, the annual President’s Weekend spectacular held in Parsippany,
NJ, was won for the second straight year by the Summer Chess Academy of Talented Youth. The
Academy is an all-star team of New York scholastic stars: NM Warren Wang, FM Ethan Li, NM Wesley
Wang, along with Jason Li, an Expert. The Academy was the only perfect 6-0 score in the 306 total teams
in the tournament. Wesley Wang was the team MVP with 5 ½ individual points in six games. Warren
Wang, his brother, also had an undefeated 5 ½ point socre. Top Board FM Ethan Li was 3 ½-2 ½, but his
role was extremely valuable often facing higher-rated opposition. Fourth board Jason Li scored 4 ½- 1 ½,
for an impressive total team score of 19-5.
In the World Amateur Team, the average rating of the four players cannot be higher than 2200, which
results in various strategies in the development of teams. The Summer Chess Academy had an average
rating of 2197, and was seeded sixth entering the tournament. Summer Chess Academy was a relatively
“balanced” team. There have been winners in the past formed with three Grandmasters and a low-rated
fourth player to attempt to have large rating advantages on three boards while largely conceding the fourth
board.
Picture courtesy of Vanessa Sun: Warren Wang, Board 3, Jason Li, board 4, Ethan Li, Board 1, and
Wesley Wang, Board 2
The second-place team in the tournament also had a heavy New York Scholastic player contingent. “We
Make the Best Team Names: Everybody Loves Them: was headed by FM David Brodsky, along with FM
Aravind Kumar, WFM Martha Samadashvili, and Dexin Li.
Two Cornell University teams also placed in the prizes. Cornell A finished fourth overall, and Cornell D
won the Top Under 1400 prize. GM Mark Paragua and FM Leif Pressman were 6-0 board prize winners.
Congratulations to all the winners!
23
The 415-player Empire City Open, the annual post-Christmas tournament held December 27-29 at the
Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan, was a triumph for FM Levy Rozman and scholastic star FM David
Brodsky, both of whom ended the tournament with five points after drawing in the last round. Brodsky
earned his first IM norm during this event. Both players won $1,000 for their efforts, with Rozman
winning $100 extra for having the better tiebreaks. There was a four-way tie for third place with 4 ½ points
among GM’s Alexander Stripunsky and Sergey Kudrin, and New York State Champion IM Aleksandr
Ostrovskiy and IM Joerg Wegerle. Five players tied for the Under 2300 prize: NM Richard Shtivelband,
NM Ernest Colding (who pulled a major upset of GM Alexander Stripunsky in the first round), The 60-
player Open section included three Grandmasters, five International Masters, seven FM’s, one WFM and
14 NM’s.
Class prize winners were Ethan Gu in the Under 2100 section with 5 ½ points. Wang Chen and Samantha
Dong tied for first in the Under 1900 section with 5 ½ points. Laron McBryde won the Under 1700 section
with 5 ½ points. Robert Cheng won the Under 1500 section with 5 ½ points. Steven Reddy swept the
Under 1300 section with a perfect 6-0 score, and Charles Orbison swept the Under 1100 section with a
prefect 6-0 score as well. Malina Parlova and Charles Orbison won the Miexd Doubles prize with 10 ½
points. Alikhan Irgaliyev won the Blitz tournament with 7 ½ points.
The tournament was directed by National Tournament Director and organizing powerhouse Steve Immitt
for the Continental Chess Association, with assistance from Harold Stenzel, Jabari McGreen, Danny Rohde
and Anand Dommalapati.
US Chess Executive Director Jean Hoffman announced her resignation from her position, and US Chess
will begin the search for a new Executive Director. Hoffman, a native New Yorker, executed a strong
turnaround in US Chess finances and marketing.
US Chess President Gary Walters highlights the many achievements during Jean’s tenure at the federation,
from, the Fall of 2013 and set to continue through approximately November 2017.
“Jean leaves the Federation better in every conceivable way compared to the day she arrived. To only
scratch the surface, the Federation is now securely in the black for the first time in several decades,
membership has grown significantly, women’s chess had advanced leaps and bounds, more rated games
have been played each year of her tenure than the year before, we have undergone the complex transition
from a 501(c)(4) to a (c)(3), and we are now known as “US Chess,” a descriptive name change that makes
us instantly recognizable to everyone in the country. In four years, she has made us remarkably better. Her
steady hand has further made working for US Chess fun again, and it is once more a pleasure to serve on
the Executive Board. We will not be able to fully express our gratitude to Jean, but let’s try. She will be
with us for several more months. As you encounter Jean around the country, on the phone, or in written
communications, please say thank you. She is going to be sorely missed by us all.”
The search for a new Executive Director will begin soon.
* The St. Louis Arch Bishops won the first-year championship of the PRO Chess League, a worldwide
expansion of the former US Chess League. The PRO Chess League had seven rounds in the regular
season, followed by a playoff weekend. The Arch Bishops beat the Montreal ChessBrahs in the semifinals
and the Norway Gnomes in the final to secure the title. GM Wesley So was the League MVP , scoring 36
½ out of 41 points in a match format that involves rapid play at different speeds during one match. So’s
tournament performance rating was 2848.
24
Notes from the Marshall from staff reports
The Marshall March Masters drew 23 players to the
club on the second day of Spring, and GM Oliver
Barbosa won the event outright with 3 ½ points in a
very-closely contested event. Barbosa drew fellow
GM Aleksandr Lenderman in the last round with
“draw odds” to guarantee first place.
Lenderman, WIM Alina Bivol and GM Irina Krush
tied for second with 3-1 scores. Lenderman yielded
draws to Barbosa and FM Leif Pressman. Bivol and
Krush were also undefeated, with Krush drawing
Pressman as well along with WFM Ekaterina
Bogdan.
The event was directed by Gregory Keener for the
Marshall.
The Marshall February Masters drew 20 players to
the world-famous club on February 21, and the event
was a victory for SM Raven Sturt, who won the
tournament with 3 ½ points. Sturt won his first three
games before drawing IM Yaacov Norowtiz in the
last round to secure a clear first place.
Norowitz, GM Aleksandr Lenderman, GM Michael
Rohde, and NM Aaron Jacobson all tied for second
with 3-1 scores. Veteran FM Asa Hoffmann was
clear sixth with 2 ½ points.
The tournament was directed by Gregory Keener
with assistance from Jermaine Reid.
Four players tied for first in the Marshall March
FIDE Weekend held March 3-5. They were GM
Vladimir Romanenko, New York State Hall of Famer
IM Jay Bonin, current New York State Junior High
Champion NM Justin Chen, and former New York
State Junior High Champion FM Marcus Ming
Miyasaka, all with 4-1 scores. All four players were
undefeated. Rimanenko won three games and took
two byes. Bonin took one bye and drew Miyasaka in
the last round. Chen drew NM Steve Barrett in
Round Three, and Miyisaka drew rising junior Nico
Werner Chasin in the first round.
IM Justin Sarkar, NM Jeremiah Smith, NM Sarathi
Ray, Chasin, Szymon Rudowski and Wesley Hellner
all tied for fifth with 3 ½ points.
Gregory Keener directed the 45-player tournament
for the Marshall.
February 24 was the monthly FIDE Blitz at the
Marshall, and the 31-player event was won by
Georgian IM Levan Bregadze with a 7 ½- 1/12 score,
besting the field by half a point. Bregadze lost to
rising NM Andrew Ryba in the seventh round, but
won his last two games to hold the top spot.
Ryba and SM Anton Osinenko tied for second with
7-2 scores, both drew their own game in Round 8,
and drawing Bregadze and losing to GM Aleksandr
Lenderman, who withdrew with a 4-2 score after
Round Six.
SM Raven Sturt was clear fourth with 6 ½ rounds,
and GM Michael Rohde was clear fifth with a 6-3
score. Gregory Keener directed.
The Marshall January FIFDE Blitz drew 35 players
on January 27, and was won by GM Aleksandr
Lenderman with an 8-1 score. Lenderman lost in
Round Five to GM Michael Rohde, and won all of
his other games to win the tournament by a full point.
GM Maxim Dlugy and GM Anatoly Bykhovsky tied
for second with 7-2 scores, both losing to the
champion of the tournament. Bykhovsky beat the
former U.S. Champion in Round Eight but had a half-
point bye in Round One and conceded a draw to GM
Michael Rohde in Round Four. Rohde was clear
fourth with a 6-3 score. Gregory Keener directed.
A total of 22 players contested the February 23
Marshall Action tournament, and the event was won
by GM Michael Rohde and IM Justin Sarkar with 3
½ points. Sarkar took a half-point bye in the last
round, while Rohde drew NM Juan Sena while trying
to close out the tournament.
Sena, Daniel Yassky and NM Justin Chen tied for
third with 3-1 scores. Sena took a half-point bye in
the first round along with the last-round draw, while
Chen lost to Rohde in the third round. Chen beat
Yassky in Round Two.
Raven Sturt directed the tournament with assistance
from Jermaine Reid.
25
Queens Chess Club Roundup: Bonin Wins Them All! By Ed Frumkin
Since winning his eleventh solo Club Championship
on November 18, 2015, New York State Chess Hall
of Famer IM Jay Bonin has won all six subsequent
tournaments we have held. The December Open held
from December 2-23 was perhaps the only “close
call”. There were 22 entrants and Jay gave half a
point to the field by taking a bye in Round 2 due to a
conflict with the Marshall Chess Club’s
championship (spoiler alert—he didn’t win that one,
although he has won it a few times, too), so after
three rounds there was a four-way tie for the lead at
2½-½ among Jay (2402), 2014 champ NM Payam
Parhami (2205), Club vice- president Joe Felber
(2000) and club secretary Jay Kleinman (1950). Joe
had committed to a Round 4 bye to spend Christmas
in DC with his sister, so the pairings came up Bonin-
Parhami and Harold Scott (2087)-Kleinman, Parhami
having been nicked for half a point by Dick Murphy
(1997) in Round 2, Kleinman having drawn Felber
and beaten Bill Arluck (2080) while Scott had taken
two byes, the second speculated to have been
strategic “Bonin avoidance” after having been
crushed by Jay at the Nassau Chess Club earlier in
the week.
Jay and Harold both won, so Jay’s 3½ points won
$125 as Scott, Frumkin (2021), Felber, Al Casanova
(1884) and Mulazim (Doc) Muwwakkil (1850) split
second and third ($95-$80, $35 each). Doc beat Bill
Arluck in Round 2. Frumkin took a Round 1 bye due
to a conflict with his daughter’s wedding. The story
of this one was the debut of Vincent Anderson, a 53-
year-old first-timer who joined in Round 2, drawing
Frumkin, beating Dave Spigel (1900) and losing to
Casanova for a 1944/3 starter rating. He took the
Under 1700/unrated prize of $75.
The 87th Speedy Open, a four-round, Game/15
tournament held on December 30, drew only 10 on a
weekend we usually don’t meet. Jay Bonin won the
tournament when he went 3½-½ with a clinching
draw with Bill Arluck to take home $50. Edgar
Cimafranca (1936) was clear second at 3-1 for $25
and Suriyan Nathan (1574), the lowest-ranked
entrant, won $25 as Top Under 1900 with 2½-1½,
beating Cimafranca and Frumkin, losing to Bonin
(doesn’t everyone?) and drawing Ed Kopiecki
(2007).
The January G/45 tournament, held on January 6 and
13, drew 17 players with four rounds spread over
two Fridays. Once again IM Bonin had 3½-½
(winning $130) with a last-round draw with Parhami
clinching first place. Parhami, Arluck and Brian
Lawson (2024) won $27 each for their 3-1 scores,
with Parhani missing the first round and taking a
half-point bye. Arluck lost to Clayton Glad (1580) in
Round 1 while Brian lost to Jay in Round 3. Clay
also drew with Ed Frumkin (2000) in Round 3 but
missed out on the Under 1750 prize ($70) when
Wayne Steele (1725) upset Ed Kopiecki (2048) to
reach 2½-1½.
The Winter Open, held from January 20 to February
10, drew 21 players. This time IM Bonin had to
come from behind with a win to finish with his usual
3½-½ ($130)) as Black from NM Parhami after
giving up a draw to Brian Lawson in Round 2.
Players two through six on the crosstable: NM
Parhami, Arluck, Kopiecki, Felber and Lawson all
went 3-1 to win $32 each. Clay Glad won the $60
Top Under 1600 prize with 2-2.
The 88th Speedy Open on February 17 drew only six
players, while an equal number of regulars went to
New Jersey early for the US Amateur Team. IM
Bonin lapped the field with a perfect 4-0 score, as the
next highest-ranked players were Charles Hua and
Vincent Anderson. Hua went 3-1 and Mikhail
Mordukhay was Top Under 1600 with 2½-1½.
The Spring “Soccer” G/45, held from February 24 to
March 10, drew 21 players and gave three points for
a win and only one for a draw or bye, which should
have discouraged draws. IM Jay Bonin went the
Swiss Gambit route with a first-round draw with Ira
Cohen (1895) before running the table with five
straight wins to finish with 16 out of a possible 18
points. Brian Lawson (2038) pulled off a Swiss
Gambit of his own with a Round 2 loss to Jay
Kleinman (1957) and a Round 3 draw with Edgar
Cimafranca (1902) to finish second with 13 points.
Four players came in during week 2, so with only
two points out of six were paired among themselves,
the lowest-ranked three-pointer (loss-win) and
highest ranked zero.
(continued on page 31)
26
Leap & Live TRM#221 February 12 at Riverbank State Park By Brother John McManus
Freezing February temperatures could not deter the competition as new groups grow increasingly in reponse to
needs. The Under 600 Reserve (for grades 2 and under) formed a new separate section, and the Awe section
welcoming adults into the Grade 8 & Above has worked superbly.
Open- NEXT+M took the First Place Team Certificate with three points. Pardhave Chakka (First Place) defeated
Jordan Zamor (two points, Third Place) as Dylan Ma won Second Place with two points. (9 players: G/45;d5,
three rounds.
Under 1400- Dalton (4.5 points), Midwood (3 points) and Brooklyn Tech (3 points) won the First, Second and
Third Place team certificates respectively. Justin Cao and Jasmine Yang won the First and Second Individual
trophies with perfect scores of 3 points each. Matthew Tai won the Third Place trophy over Jonathon Nallengara
and John Chandler, each with 2 1/2 pts. (29 players: G/45;d5, three rounds.
Under 1000- 323Q and Edward R Murrow each scored seven team points to each win First Place team
certificates. PS166 and PS3 each scored 4 1/2 team points to tie for the Third Place team certificates. Priscilla Lee
took undisputed First Place with four points as Kieran Covington stood alone in Second Place with 3 1/2 points.
Arthur Terehoff led a field of nine players tied with three points to win the Third Place trophy on tie-break points.
The section had 34 players; G/30;d5, four rounds.
Under 600- PS75 won the First Place Team Trophy with 11 points. PS166 won the Second Place Team Certificate
with six points as Edward R Murrow, Energy Tech and PS119x each tied for the Third Place Team Certificate
with five points. Yifeng Zheng, Zachary Gray and Bruno Ratzan had perfect scores and accepted the First,
Second and Third Place trophies awarded based on tie-break points. The section had 34 players; G/30;d5, four
rounds.
Under 600 Reserve (USCF Grades Two and Under)- Brooklyn School of Inquiry (12 points) captured the First
Place trophy, chased by Rosalyn Yalow Charter School (eight points, Second Place Team Certificate) and
NEST+M (six points, Third Place Team Certificate). Andrew Levitski and Oliver Ma (4 points each) took First
and Second Place trophies on tie-break points while Jasmine Thiessen topped a field of five players tied with three
poimts to take the 3rd
Place trophy. The section had 31 players; G/30;d5, four rounds.
Grades 4-7- MS80 (14 points) edged PS119x (13 points) as their teams won the First and Second Place
Trophy=ies, respectively. TUFSD won the Third Place Team Certificate with five points. Willie Cruz (4.5 points,
First Place Trophy) topped four players with four points each: Fatema Juhora (Second Place), Sankalp Tripathi
(Third Place), Stephanie Trache and Tanbeer Isalm. The section had 24 players; G/20;d0, five rounds.
Grades 2-3- Brooklyn School of Inquiry (16.5 poimts) captured the First Place Team Trophy. Rosalyn Yalow
Charter School followed with 8 ½ points (Second Place) as PS 9 had 6 1/2 pts (Third Place). Nathan Eppel won
the individual First Place Trophy with the only perfect 5-0 score. Jonathan Zorman (Second Place) and Ryan Mui
(Third Place) won trophies over Alex de la Nuez, after each player scored four points. The section had 28 players;
G/20;d0 five rounds.
Grade 8 & Above Awe (Adults Welcome)- John Paul Garcia (5-0) won the First Place Medal while James Curry
(3 ½ points) took the sole Second Place Medal. Jonathan Doyle, Jeffrey Sosa, Druss Notis and Aleksandr
Nepomnyashchiy all won medals with three points in the 14-player section; G/20;d0, five rounds.
The 137-player event, like all Make the Right Move tournaments, was organized by Brother John McManus and the
head tournament director was Yvonne Scorcia. Make the Right Move organizes monthly free chess tournaments in
New York City and the Capital Region of New York.
27
Evans Gambit: Normal Position by Richard Moody Jr.
The “Normal Position” of the Evans Gambit was
called this because of its routine appearance in 19th
Century games which was eclipsed by an early Qb3
in more modern games. In terms of practical results
just like other variations of the Evans Gambit, White
scores quite well here. However, GM Sammy
Reshevsky when I contacted him with an Evans
Gambit question thought that Lasker's Defense
refuted the Evans Gambit. Lasker's Defense is
another name for the Normal Position. Unless
otherwise indicated these games come from Mark
Ishee's Evans Gambit Games. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5
6.d4 exd4 7.O-O Bb6 8.cxd4 d6 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Bg5
Ne7?! (f6 =/+) 11.Bxf7+! Kxf7 12.Nd5 Re8 13.Bxe7
Rxe7 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15.Qh5 h6 16.Qg6 & Black
cannot escape the checks. Analyzed by Chigorin
from the game Gunsberg-Chigorin Havana, 1890. 9.d5 Ne5 (Morphy-Lowenthal, London, 1859:
10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Bb2 Qe7 12.Bb5+ Bd7 13.Bxd7+
Kxd7 14.Qg4+ f5 15.Qxf5+ +- 1-0:31 Morphy-Kennedy, London, 1859: 9.d5 Nce7 10.e5
Ng6 11.e6 dxe6 12.dxe6 N8e7 13.Nc3 c6? +/-
14.Ng5 Ne5? 15.Nf7 +- 1-0:21 Thompson-Morphy, New York, 1857, 9.d5 Nce7
10.e5 Ng6 11.Ng5? (e6=) N8e7 (Nxe5 -/+) 12.Re1
O-O -/+:0-1:26. White can try an early h3 to prohibit Bg4: 9.h3 Nf6
10.Re1 O-O 11.Nc3 h6 12.Bf4 Ba5 13.Rc1 Ne7
14.Bd2 c6 15.Qc2 d5 16.e5 Ne8 17.Bd3 Nc7
18.Bh7+ Kh8 19.Bd3 (Inviting a draw by repetition
but Black is slightly better and should decline the
draw) Ne6 20.Ne2 Bd7 21.Qb2 Qb6 22.Qa3 Bxd2
23.Nxd2 Rfe8 24.Nb3 a5 25.Nc5 Nxc5 26.Rxc5 &
Black has his extra pawn with useful simplification.
This is =/+ but a long way from a decision. White can try to get in an early e5. Here is some
analysis from Harding, Evans Gambit and a System
Versus Two Knights' Defense, 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Bd3
Nge7 11.e5 Bg4 12.exd6 Qxd6 13.Ne4 Qd7 14.Neg5
O-O-O is critical according to Harding. Actually this
throws away most of Black's advantage. After
14...Bxd4 15.Rb1 f6 16.Qc2 fxg5 17.Nxd4 Qxd4
18.Re1 Nac6 19.Rxb7 O-O -/+ Here are some additional games: Neumann-Hirtler,
Berlin, 1866: 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-
O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9. d5 Nce7 10. e5 Bg4 11. Qa4+
Kf8 12. Nbd2 dxe5 13. Nxe5 Bd4 14. Nxg4 Bxa1
15. Ba3 h5 16. Rxa1 hxg4 17. Re1 a6 18. Bb3 b6
19. Qf4 Rh6 20. d6 Rf6 21.dxe7+ Nxe7 22. Qe4 c5
23. Bb2 Rf5 24. Nc4 b5 25. Nd6 c4 26. Nxf5 Nxf5
27. Qxf5 cxb3 28. Qh7 f6 29. Ba3+ Kf7 30. axb3 1-
0 Here we see a defensive gem from Anderssen-
Steinitz, London, 1862 9. d5 Nce7 10. e5 Ng6 11. Bb2 N8e7 12. Qa4+ Bd7
13. Qa3 dxe5 14. Nxe5 O-O 15. Qc3 Nf5 16. Nxd7
Qxd7 17. g4 Bd4 18. Qc2 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Nfh4 20.
f3 Nxf3+ 21. Kh1 Nfe5 22. Bb3 Qxg4 23. Nd2 Nd3
24. Qc3 Nh4 0-1 In this game White did not have adequate
compensation for the pawn for much of the
middlegame, but one blunder by Black and it was
game over. Anderssen-Zukertort, Barmen, 1869: 9.d5
Na5 10. Bb2 Ne7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Nc3 Ng6 13. Ne2
c5 14. Qd2 f6 15. Kh1 Bc7 16. Rac1 Rb8 17. Ng3
b5 18. Nf5 b4 19. Rg1 Bb6 20. g4 Ne5 21. Bxe5
dxe5 22. Rg3 Rf7 23. g5 Bxf5 24. exf5 Qxd5 25.
gxf6 Rd8? 26. Rcg1 Kh8 27. fxg7+ Kg8 28. Qh6
Qd6 29. Qxh7+ Kxh7 30. f6+ Kg8 31. Bh7+ Kxh7
32. Rh3+ Kg8 33. Rh8# Consultation games often yield higher quality
chess due to the ability of both players to avoid
blind spots leading to blunders. Here we see four
Grandmaster level players where White made one
positional mistake that Black exploited ruthlessly:
Staunton/Barnes-Bird/Owen: London, 1858 9.d5
Na5 10.Ne2 Ne7 11.Bb2 f6 12.Qd2 O-O 13.Nd4
Ng6 14.Kh1 Bd7 15.f4 c5 16.Nc2? (Ne6 Bxe6 17.
dxe6 Nc6 18.Nc3 +/=) Rc8 17.Nba3 Bc7 18.Rae1
Re8 19.Bf3 b5 -/+ The c-pawn proved unstoppable. Here is the game Morozevich-Adams, Wijk aan Zee,
2001 5.c3 Ba5 6.O-O d6 7.d4 Bb6 8.dxe5 dxe5
9.Qb3 (9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.Nxe5 Be6 11.Be2 Ne7
12.Nc4 Ndc6 13.Bf4 = Anageliev-V. Ivanov,
28
Ashgabat, 1995, from MCO 15) Qf6 10.Bg5 Qg6
11.Bd5 f6 12.Bxg8 fxg5 (Here is a nice win by the
former World Champion: Kogan-Anand, Venaco
Rapid, 2005 13.Nxg5 Kf8 14.Ne6+ Kxg8 15.Nxc7+
Kf8 16.Nxa8 Bh3 17.g3 Qxe4 0-1) =/+ Here is Zukertort-Anderssen, Breslau, 1865: 9. d5
Na5 10. Bb2 Ne7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Nc3 Ng6 13. Ne2
c5 14. Qd2 f6 15. Kh1 Bc7 16. Rac1 Rb8 17. Ng3
Rf7 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. exf5 Ne5 20. Nxe5 dxe5
21. Be4 Qd6 22. Rc3 b5 23. Qe2 c4 (Both sides
prosecute their respective plans; White a Kingside
attack and Black pushes his Queenside pawns.) 24.
Rh3 h6 25. f4 b4 26. Rff3 c3 27. Bc1 Nb7 28. fxe5
fxe5 29. Rfg3 Kf8 30. Rg6 Rf6 31. Bxh6 Rxg6 32.
fxg6 gxh6 33. Qf3+ Ke7 34. Qf7+ Kd8 35. g7 1-0 According to Botterill Black is slightly better in this
move order: 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O Nge7 8.cxd4
d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Ba3 Be6 11.Bb5 f6 12.Qa4 Bb6
13.Bxc6+ bxc6 14.Qxc6 Kf7 =/+ White can steer for complications that does not turn
out well 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O Nge7 8.Ng5 d5!
9.Bxd5? Nxd5 10.Qh5 g6 11.Qh6 Be6 -+ Estrin-
Kondali, Corr. 1971 From BCO 2
When I had Deep Fritz 14 play both sides of the
position, it picked up a pawn in the middlegame and
endgame without any winning chances because it was
a Rook and Pawn endgame where there was no way
to Queen the pawn. If White plays aggressively Black
never gets to mobilize his Queenside pawns, thus I
would tend to prefer to play White. There is no
reason either side should avoid the Normal Position;
it's a matter of taste.
Catalan (from page 15) I was hoping to induce a mistake here (which I
did) but had to watch out for threefold repetition.
26. Rc2?
This appears to stop my tactical idea of taking the
Knight, but White missed my next move
in his analysis.
26...b3 (diagram)
27. Rxc4 Forced. White can't avoid losing the
Exchange. Any other move is worse.
27...Qxc4 28. Rc1 Qb5!
Defending while preventing any Nd7 ideas by White.
I remember taking quite a bit of time on
this move.
29. Nxe4 Rxc1+ The start of a basic tactical sequence that wins a
pawn back.
30. Qxc1 Qxa5 31. Nc5! White's best, though Black is winning
here.
31...Qb5 Simple and solid, a "tightening up" move. My thought
process here was to stop counterplay and grind out
the win with my material advantage. I
also had to watch for any back-rank mate ideas.
32. Qc3 h6 Providing so-called "luft" for my King.
33. e4 Rc8 Pinning the knight and setting up a
possible ...e5
34. f4 This is typical in this situation. White is throwing
everything towards my King hoping for something.
34...a5! Black's best.
35. Kf2 a4 36. Qc1 Qb4
Continuing the pawn push with ...a3 is probably best,
but this is also good.
29
Upcoming NYSCA-Sponsored and Major Tournaments
APR 1,8, 15, 22,29, MAY 6, 13, 20,27 , JUN 3, 10, 17. 24 Rochester Chess Center Saturday Tournaments! 3-SS, G/60 d5. Rochester CC, 221 Norris Dr., Rochester, NY 14610. 585-442-2430. Prizes based on
entries. EF: $15, RCC members $13. $2 less for HS and Pre-HS. Reg.: 1-1:45 pm. Rds.: 2-4-6. One bye available,
request at entry. www.nychess.org. Also, Youth tournament, G/30 d5, every Saturday morning 10am-1pm, trophies
and prizes. EF: $5.
APR. 13, 20, 27 , MAY 11, 18, 25, JUN 15, 29 Marshall Thursday Action!
4-SS, G/25 d5. ($375 b/25): $150-100, U2200: $75, U1900: $50. EF: $40, MCC Mbrs $25. GMs Free. Reg.: 6:15-
6:45pm. Rds.: 7-8:15-9:30-10:45pm. Max one bye, for round 1 or 4 only. Request at entry. 23 W. 10th St., NYC.
212-477-3716, www.marshallchessclub.org.
APR 18, MAY 16, JUN 20 Marshall Masters
TROPHIES PLUS GRAND PRIX POINTS: 10 3-SS, G/25 d5. Open to 2000+ players. FIDE Rapid rated. $750 GTD: 250-150-100. Top U2400 125, Top U2300
100, Biggest upset $25. EF:$40, MCC Mbrs $30. GMs Free. Reg.: 6:15-6:45pm. Rds.: 7-8:15-9:30-10:45pm. Max
one bye, for round 1 or 4 only. Request at entry. 23 W. 10th St., NYC. 212-477-3716. www.marshallchessclub.org.
A Heritage Event!
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
Apr. 1-2 39th Annual Marchand Open
US Chess Grand Prix Points: 150 (Enhanced)
Dr. Erich Marchand "requested that his friends play chess in his memory." 5SS, G/115, d5. Location: Strong National
Museum of Play, One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY 14607. $16,440 Gtd. Open Section: $3000-2000-1300-800-
500-300. Under 2200 & U2000 each $750-450. FIDE Rated. EF: $85. U1800 Section: $1100-750-450. Under 1600
$750-450. EF: $70. U1400 Section: $500-300-200. Under 1200 $300-200. EF $60. U1000 Section: $400-250-160.
Under 800 $200-130. EF: $50. Unrated players in the U1800 section can only win $375, in U1400 $175 & U1000
$125. No limit in Open. Balance to next prize winners. EF refunded and $100 appearance award to all GM and IM if
paid by 3/20/2017. All: EF add $20 after 3/20/2017. NYSCA members deduct $3. All sections USCF rated. Ratings
as in April Supplement. Bring sets, boards, and clocks – none provided. Food court and chess books & equipment
sales available onsite. No smoking allowed on The Strong campus. Free parking. Reg.: 8:30-9:15am. Rds.: Sat. 10-
2:15-6:30, Sun. 10-2:15. One 1/2 point bye available in rd. 1, 2, 3, or 4 if requested at entry. Optional first round
Friday, 3/31/2017 at 7pm played at Rochester Chess Center (register by 6:30pm). Info: 585-442-2430. Mail entry to:
Rochester Chess Center, 221 Norris Dr., Rochester, NY 14610. Web: nychess.org. Store: chessset.com.
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
May 1, 8, 15, 22 31st Nassau Amateur Team
4-SS, 40/80 d0. 1st Presbyterian Church, 1st & Main Sts., Mineola. Open to teams of 3 (+ optional alternate). Ave
rating must be U1900. Teams play in rating order. EF: $54/team by 4/28, $75 at site, $10 more per non-memb. $$
(504 b/12 teams) 252, U1700, 1500/UR each 126. Team byes 1-4 (Last rd bye must be req before rd 3 and is
irrevocable). Teams seeking players call 631 218-4440 or [email protected]. Players looking for teams $18 by
4/28, $25 at site, $10 more for non-memb. Reg. ends 7:15 PM. Rds.: 7:15 each Mon. Ent: Harold Stenzel, 80 Amy
Dr., Sayville, NY 11782.
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
May 6 2017 Watertown Open Chess Tournament
4 round-Swiss System Pairings, G/75+delay 5 seconds, Half pt. bye rds. 1-3 available with advance notice. Sponsored
by the Watertown Chess Club, see our web site at: www/watertownchessclub.com. Location: American Red Cross,
second floor. Conference Rm., 203 N. Hamilton St., Watertown, NY 13601. A United States Chess Federation
Sponsored Event, USCF membership required. $125 Prize fund b/10 total paid entries. First $75, 2nd $30, & class
$20. Registration: 8:30-9:20 AM, Rds.:9:30 AM, 12:15, 3 and 5:30 PM. EF: $25, ($22 for WCC members), send to
Don Klug, 518 Sherman St., Watertown, NY 13601. Don Klug 315-785-8800.
30
A Heritage Event!
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
MAY 19-21 or 20-21 25th annual New York State Open
US Chess Grand Prix Points: 20 (Enhanced)
5SS, 40/100, SD/30 d10 (2-day option, rds. 1-2 G/60 d10). Tiki Resort, 2 Canada St., Lake George, NY 12845. $$G
3200. In 4 sections. Open: $$ 400-200-150, top Under 2010/Unr $240-120, top Under 1810 $200-100. Senior, open to
under 1910 or unrated born before 5/21/67. $$ 300-150-100, top Under 1710 $140-70. Under 1610: $$ 250-125-75,
Under 1410 $120-60, unrated limit $150. Under 1210: $100-60-40, plaques to top 3, 1st U1000, U800, U600, Unr.
Mixed doubles bonus prize: best male/female 2-player “team” combined score among all sections: $200. Team
average must be under 2200; teammates may play in different sections; teams must register (no extra fee) by 2 pm
5/20. Top 3 sections EF: $79 online at chessaction.com by 5/17, $85 phoned to 406-896-2038 by 5/15 (entry only, no
questions), 3-day $83, 2-day $82 mailed by 5/10, $90 online until 2 hours before round 1 or at site. Under 1210
Section EF: all $40 less than top 3 sections EF. All: Advance or online entry $7 less to NYSCA members (NYSCA
dues $12/year with 2 issues Empire Chess, $20/year with 4 issues, may be paid with entry fee). No checks at site,
credit cards OK. Special 1 year USCF dues with magazine if paid with entry- online at chesstour.com, Adult $35,
Young Adult $22, Scholastic $15. Mailed, phoned or paid at site, Adult $40, Young Adult $25, Scholastic $17. Re-
entry $40, not available in Open Section. GMs, IMs & WGMs free, $60 deducted from prize. 3-day schedule: Reg
ends Fri 6 pm, rds. Fri 7, Sat 11 & 5, Sun 10 & 3:15. 2-day schedule: Reg ends Sat 10 am, rds. Sat 11, 2 &, 5, Sun 10
& 3:15. Half point byes OK all, must commit before rd. 2; limit 2 byes (limit 1 bye if under 1810/unr in Open). HR:
$80-80, call 518-668-5744 Mon-Fri 9 am-5pm, reserve by 4/29 or rate may increase. Car rental: Avis, 800-331-1600,
use AWD #D657633, or reserve car online through chesstour.com. Unofficial uschess.org ratings usually used if
otherwise unrated. Ent: chessaction.com or Continental Chess, Box 8482, Pelham, NY 10803. Questions:
www.chesstour.com, DirectorAtChess.us, 347-201-2269. $15 service charge for refunds. Advance entries posted at
chessaction.com (online entries posted instantly). Blitz tournament Sat 9:30 pm, reg. ends 9:15 pm.
MAY 26 Marshall $500 FIDE Blitz (BLZ)
US Chess Grand Prix Points: 6
9-SS, G/3 +2. FIDE Blitz rated. $500: $200-100, top U2400/unr, U2200, U2000, U1800: $50. USCF regular rating
used for pairings & prizes. EF: $30, MCC Mbrs $20. GMs Free. Reg.: 6:15-6:45. Rds.: 7-7:30-7:50-8:10-8:40-9-
9:20-9:40-10pm. Max three byes. Request at entry. 23 W. 10th St., NYC. 212-477-3716, www.marshallchessclub.org.
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
MAY 28 73rd Binghamton Open
NEW ENTRY FEE - $10.00. 4SS, G/65 d5. Cordisco's Chess Center, 308 Chenango St., Binghamton, NY 13901,
(607) 772-8782. EF: $10. Two sections: Open & U1700. PRIZES: Winner of each section will receive a free entry
into a future tournament! REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE. Schedule: Reg. on site 8:45-9:15AM. Rounds: 9:30-
12Noon-2:30-4:45. Please bring clocks, none supplied.
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
JUN 8-11 or 10-11 10th New York International – Under 2200 Section
7-SS, 40/90, SD/30 +30. Open to all players rated Under 2200 and unrated. No FIDE ratings over 2200. USCF
Ratings used for pairings and prizes. FIDE Rated. Prizes $8,000 based on 70 paid entries. $3000-2000-1000, U1900:
$1000-500, U1600: $500. Entry Fee: $200 if received by May 31; $250 in June. $25 less for MCC members.
Schedules: 4-day: Thurs. 7pm, Fri. – Sun. 12:30pm & 6pm. 2-day: Sat. 9-10:10-11:20am (G/25 d5) then merge with
4-day. Byes: 2 byes available, must commit before round 3. Playing site: The historic Marshall Chess Club.
Registration: Call MCC with credit card, mail check, or online. Limited to 70 players! Register early!
www.marshallchessclub.org. 23 W. 10th St., NYC. 212-477-3716
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
JUN 21-25 10th New York International - CHAMPIONSHIP SECTION
9-SS, 40/90, SD/30 +30. Only open to players currently rated 2000+ (USCF or FIDE). FIDE ratings used for pairings
and prizes. FIDE rated. Prizes $9,000 unconditionally guaranteed! $4000-2000-1000, U2400 FIDE: $1000-500,
31
U2300 FIDE $500. Entry Fee: $200. Players not rated USCF or FIDE over 2200: $300. GMs/Foreign IMs: Free.
Local IMs: $125. $25 less for MCC members. All $50 more if received after June 15. Foreign players who play all 9
rounds receive $75. Schedule: Wed. 7pm, Thurs. – Sun. 11am & 6pm. Byes: 2 byes available, must commit before
round 3; limit 1 bye in rounds 8-9. FIDE GM/IM norms possible; must play all rounds. Last year 3 norms were
achieved! Playing site: The historic Marshall Chess Club. Registration: Call MCC with credit card, mail check, or
online. Limited to 70 players! Register early! 23 W. 10th St., NYC. 212-477-3716, www.marshallchessclub.org.
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
AUG 18-20 or 19-20 16th annual Manhattan Open
US Chess Grand Prix Points: 120 (Enhanced)
5SS, 40/100, SD/30 d10 (2-day option, rds. 1-2 G/60 d10). Hotel Pennsylvania, 401 7th Ave. (32-33 St., across from
Penn Station), New York 10001. $20,000 guaranteed prizes. 8 sections. Open: Open to all; U1800/Unr EF $100
more. $2000-1000-600-400, clear/tiebreak win $100 bonus, top Under 2400/Unr $600-300. FIDE. Under 2200:
$1300-700-400-200. Under 2000: $1300-700-400-200. Under 1800: $1300-700-400-200. Under 1600: $1000-500-
300-200. Under 1400: $1000-500-300-200. Under 1200: $500-250-150-100. Under 1000: $500-250-150-100.
Mixed doubles: best male/female 2-player “team” combined score among all sections: $600-400-200. Must average
under 2200; may play in different sections; register (no extra fee) by 2 pm 8/19. Unrated may enter any section, with
prize limit U1800 $600, U1600 $400, U1400 $300, U1200 $200, U1000 $100; balance goes to next player(s) in line.
Top 6 sections EF: $128 at chessaction.com by 8/16, 3-day $133, 2-day $132 if check mailed by 8/9, all $150 (no
checks, credit cards OK) at site, or online until 2 hours before rd 1. GMs free; $100 from prize. Under 1000 or U1200
Section EF: all $50 less than top 6 sections EF. Online entry $5 less to NYSCA members ($12/yr with 2 issues
Empire Chess, $20/yr 4 issues, may join with entry). Re-entry $60, not available in Open. No checks at site, credit
cards OK. Unofficial uschess.org ratings usually used if otherwise unrated. Special 1 year USCF dues with
magazine if paid with entry. Online at chessaction.com, Adult $35, Young Adult $22, Scholastic $15. Mailed, phoned
or at site, Adult $40, Young Adult $25, Scholastic $17. 3-Day Schedule: Reg. ends Fri 6 pm. Rds. Fri 7, Sat 11 & 5,
Sun 10 & 3:15. 2-Day Schedule: Reg. ends Sat 10 am. Rds. Sat 11, 2 & 5, Sun 10 & 3:15. Half point byes available
all rounds, limit 2 byes, Open must commit before rd. 2, others before rd. 3. Ent: chessaction.com or Continental
Chess, Box 8482, Pelham, NY 10803. $15 service charge for refunds. Questions: chesstour.com, chesstour.info,
DirectorAtChess.US, 347-201-2269. Advance entries posted at chessaction.com (online entries posted instantly). Blitz
tournament Sat 9:30 pm, enter by 9:15 pm.
Queens Chess (from page 25)
Muwwakkil, Cimafranca and Frumkin before losing to Bonin. His post-event rating was 2005. Another of the late
additions was Antonio Lorenzo (1963), who had been inactive since a stellar 2016 Club Championship in which he
gained over 100 points. Tony beat Philip Mathew (1419, the aforementioned low three-pointer), drew Ken Sasmor
(1849) and beat Dave Spigel (1873) and Al Casanova (1925) to grab third prize of $65 with 12 points. Anderson had
11 points and I suspect Bonin offered him an early draw (see Jay Bonin’s book Active Pieces for advice on how to
escape bad situations when your rating is higher than your opponent’s). Clay Glad and Mikhail Mordukhay split the
$55 Top Under 1700 prize with 6 points each. There were 8 draws, four involving Joe Felber (2-0-4), giving him the
same 10 points as others who went 3-2-1.
These events were directed by a combination of Ed Frumkin, Jay Kleinman and Joe Felber.
We suspect that Jay hasn’t lost a game at Queens since Round 5 of the 2015 Championship to Devlin Sinclair. That
win put Devlin a point up on the field with two rounds to play, but he then lost to Andrew Ryba and Danny Kopec
(who became co-champions without playing each other) to somehow avoid winning a prize, although he regained his
National Master rating but hasn’t played in the US since. Kopec’s win in Round 7 was his final tournament game, as
he left us on June 12, 2016 and gave a (final) lecture at the club on April 1, 2016.
32
A Heritage Event!
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
September 1-4, 2-4 or 3-4
139th annual NY State Championship US Chess Grand Prix Points: 100 (Enhanced)
Out of state welcome. 6-SS, 40/100, SD/30 d10 (T wo-day option in Under 2100 & below, rounds 1-3
G/40 d10). Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Rd., Albany 12205 (Thruway Exit 24, I-87 north to Wolf Rd.,
Exit 4). Free parking, free airport shuttle, indoor/outdoor pool, fitness center, many restaurants
nearby. $13,000 guaranteed prizes.
In 5 sections.
Championship, open to 1800/above. $1500-700-500-300, Top Under 2300/Unrated $800-400. State title & $100
bonus to top NYS resident (both decided on tiebreak if tied).
Under 2100: $1000-500-300-200, Top Under 1900 $400-200.
Under 1800: $1000-500-300-200, Top Under 1600 $400-200.
Under 1500: $700-400-200-100, Top Under 1300 $300-150.
Under 1200: $400-200-100-50, plaque to first 3, Top Under 1000, Under 800, Under 600, Unrated.
Mixed doubles bonus prizes: Best male/female two-player “team” combined score among all sections: $600-300.
Must average under 2200; may play in different sections; register (no extra fee) before both players begin round 2.
Unrated may not win over $150 in Under 1200, $300 Under 1500 or $500 Under 1800.
Top 3 sections EF: $99 online at chessaction.com by 8/30, 4-day $109, 3-day $108, 2-day $107 if check mailed by
8/23, all $120 at site, or online until 2 hours before round 1. GMs $90 from prize.
Under 1500 Section EF: All $20 less than top 3 sections.
Under 1200 Section EF: All $40 less than top 3 sections.
All: Online entry $7 less to NYSCA members (dues $12/year with 2 issues Empire Chess or $20/year with 4 issues;
join/renew with entry.) Unofficial uschess.org ratings usually used if otherwise unrated. Special 1 year USCF with
magazine if paid with entry. Online at chessaction.com, Adult $35, Young Adult $22, Scholastic $15. Mailed or at
site, Adult $40, Young Adult $25, Scholastic $17. Re-entry $60, all but Championship. No checks at site, credit cards
OK.
3-day schedule: Registration ends Saturday 11 am, rounds. Sat 12 & 6, Sun 12 & 6, Mon 10 & 3:15.
4-day schedule: Registration ends Friday 6 pm, rounds. Friday 7 pm, merges with 3-day Sat 6 pm.
2-day schedule: Registration ends Sunday 10 am, rounds. Sun 11, 1:30, 3:30, 6, Monday 10 & 3:15, no 2-day
Championship.
Bye: all, limit 2, Championship must commit before Round 2, others before Round 4.
HR: $102-102, 800-443-8952, 518-458-8444, reserve by 8/25 or rate may increase. NYSCA meeting 9 am Sun. Car
rental: 800-331-1600, use AWD D657633, or reserve car online through chesstour.com.
Entries: chessaction.com or Continental Chess, Box 8482, Pelham, NY 10803. Questions: www.chesstour.com,
DirectorAtChess.US, 347-201-2269. Entries posted at chessaction.com (online entries posted instantly). $15 service
charge for refunds.
NYS Blitz Championship Sun 10 p.m., enter by 9:45 p.m.
