Back For More
Hello again! It has been a while since I have had to think about what to put into a chess newsletter, and it has been difficult to get started again. I guess it is best to not stop for a break once you get the boulder rolling.
Anyway, I was going to send out a newsletter last week, but it was too tough to think about which game of mine to choose for the game of the week. I would have been happy to choose one from my stockpile of games people sent me over the winter break, but when I checked the stockpile, there was nothing but bones.
So, this is your official reminder to send me games! If you have ever played a chess game in the Colorado Springs area, I want to know about it. And when I say the Colorado Springs area, I am talking about anything within a 2,000-mile radius.
Game Of The Week
Last week, I was having a hard time deciding how to pick a game to publish. I had just played 2 games in the beginning of the Cabin Fever Reliever and won both. I really struggled against Allan Ufer in my first game since I hadn't played a slow game since the Winter Springs Open (12/5/04). Then I rallied when he got into time pressure. So, that didn’t seem like a good choice.
My second game lasted only 18 moves after my opponent dropped his queen, and I didn’t want to embarrass him by publishing that one. Plus, the unnamed party would be really mad at me if anyone found out he lost his queen the first time he tried the Nimzo-Indian.
But this week was a different story. I was the lower rated player in both my games, so I scored 2 upsets and finished unbeaten to win sole possession of 1st place. I have won 2 of these kinds of tournaments outright before and I have made it through 6 previous Swiss tournaments without a loss, but never before have I ended with all wins. So, clearly I was not having a hard time deciding whether to publish one of these games. This was a story that just had to be told, and I am sure I can stretch it into a two-part, mini-series (should I not receive any games from other people by next week).
It all started after the second round. Dean Brown, as tournament director, records my victory over Richard Cordovano and tells me, “You will play Jeff Fox next week, assuming he shows up.” I thought, “Well, then there is hope.” The top rated player had lost in the 1st round, and Jeff knocked off the number two man in the second. So, we were the only two unbeatens left.
The year before, Jeff and I had met in round 4 on board 1. We played a close game that ate up both our clocks. But I felt things slipping away from me in the endgame as his knight and bishop forced my knight and bishop further and further back. But his clock was too far-gone, and he offered a draw. I was eager to accept, but thought I might not be as lucky next time. You would think that with the knowledge of my opponent, seventeen games with him in my database, and a week to prepare, I would have come up with a winning plan.
Well, I didn’t. My plan failed a couple minutes before the start of the game when Jeff showed up.
Now I had to resort to my old plan. The same plan I have every time I play Jeff. Beat him on time. Of course, that is easier said than done. We had played 36 times in our history and the victories were split right down the middle. However, I hadn’t beaten him in the last 6 games. He was on to the clock trick and making his opening moves quicker than me. I was trying to move as quick as I could but got myself cramped in. Finally, I decided I would try to trade off queens and open lines on the queenside for my rook and bishop. I sped up, he slowed down, and he lost on time.
 |
| Black to move |
Quick As A Fox
[Event "Cabin Fever Reliever"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2005.02.15"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Fox, Jeff"]
[Black "Anderson, Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A93"]
[WhiteElo "1867"]
[BlackElo "1806"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2005.02.08"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. b3 e6 4. Bb2 Nf6 5. g3 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 8. d4
Ne4 9. Nfd2 f5 10. f3 Ng5 11. e4 fxe4 12. fxe4 Rxf1+ 13. Qxf1 Nb6 14. c5 Nd7
15. e5 b6 16. b4 Qf8 17. h4 Qxf1+ 18. Kxf1 Nf7 19. Bh3 Ba6+ 20. Kf2 Nf8 21. Nf3
Nh6 22. Nc3 Bd3 23. Rd1 Bf5 24. Kg2 Ng4 25. Bc1 bxc5 26. bxc5 Rb8 27. Nh2 Nxh2
28. Kxh2 Bxh3 29. Kxh3 Kf7 30. Rf1+ Ke8 31. Rf2 Rb4 32. Be3 Nd7 33. Ne2 Bf8 34.
Nc1 Nb8 35. Nb3 Ra4 36. g4 Na6 37. Bd2 Rxa2 38. Na5 Nb8 39. Kg3 Be7 40. g5 Bd8
41. Nb3 a5 42. Bxa5 Ra3 43. Bxd8 Rxb3+ 44. Kg4 Kxd8 0-1
This Week In Chess
Tuesday February 22, 2005
On February 15, the CSCC concluded the 2-week Cabin Fever Reliever tournament. Ten members competed for the top prize by playing two games each week (G30) in a four round Swiss tournament. There were a number of upsets as the top 3 highest rated players all suffered losses, opening the door for me to finish first. Here are the results:
Paul Anderson
4.0
1st
$20
Jeff Fox
3.0
2nd
$15
Buck Buchanan
2.0
Anthony Telinbacco
2.0
Richard Cordovano
2.0
U1800
$10
Virgil McGuire
2.0
Peter Short
1.0
Renae Delaware
1.0
Tom Mullikin
1.0
U1400
$5
Allan Ufer
0.0
Announcement Of Tournament Site Change
By Buck Buchanan
Change in tournament location: Colorado Springs Fundraiser on April 2 will be in a new location. It is the New Life Church, 11025 Hwy 83, Colorado Springs, CO. Take Interquest Pkwy east off I-25 (exit 153), left on Voyager, enter church parking lot. The tournament is in the main building of the church.
CS Chess Pro-Bowl Selections
During my break from the chess website, I was running some football websites. So, as a transition back from football to chess, I am announcing my pro-bowl selections for the contributions made to the Game Of The Week column.
My gold medal contributor last year was Renae Delaware who sent in 3 games. My silver medal contributor was Brian Wall who sent in 2 games, but appeared in 5 games. My bronze medal contributor was Larry Wutt who sent in 2 games as well.
Honorable mention goes to those folks who gave me a game: Robert Kohler, Paul Cornelison, Dean Brown, Shaun MacMillan, Allan Ufer, and Tom Mullikin.
Upcoming Events
2/22 Team, 4SS, G15, CSCC
2/26 Ft Collins Free, FCCC
3/1 Speed, CSCC
3/5-3/6 CS Open, CSCA
3/8 Swiss, CSCC
4/30 School of Mines, DCC
Colorado Springs Chess Club: CSCC
Fort Collins Chess Club: FCCC
Denver Chess Club: DCC
Colorado State Chess Association: CSCA
No comments:
Post a Comment