Ten Four

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's 4th Wednesday August Rapid OTB.  After playing in several Blitz tournaments, Will Wolf requested a longer time control of G/10+4.  The increment of 4 seconds seemed strange to me.  From where does that come?  Is Will secretly a trucker?

Actually, the "10-4" lingo comes from Police codes that were created in the 1940s.  Here are the first ten:

10-1 = Poor reception
10-2 = Good reception
10-3 = Stop transmitting
10-4 = Message received, affirmative, OK
10-5 = Relay this information to (name of a person, officer, etc.)
10-6 = Officer is busy
10-7 = Out of service, unavailable
10-8 = In-service
10-9 = Please repeat (please repeat the message)
10-10 = Negative (no)

Since I didn't want to discourage any chess players who didn't own a truck or were not a CB aficionado, I decided to steer away from the 10+4 time control.  I could have chosen a 10+10 time control since we have been playing that online but that seemed too negative.

So, we tried out a Rapid time control of G/10+5 (all chess players).  It seemed to be the most inviting.  Plus, the club clocks already have pre-set time controls with 5 second increment on them and makes for less work for me adjusting clocks at the start of the tournament.  This means that each player gets 10 minutes on their clock and will gain 5 seconds per move.  The games, on average, should last a little bit more than 15 minutes.

In the first round, I got paired with Rowen Oregel.  He is an up-and-coming scholastic player and has taken lessons from LM Lior Lapid, who told me about him.  He has played in a couple of the Colorado Springs Chess Club events, but since we haven't done anything rated since the pandemic hit, our ratings are just from what Swiss Sys calculates.  So, I knew his club rating was not a true reflection of how he was going to play.

10-78 = Need assistance

We both tried to keep score, but the time control is too fast to get all of a close endgame.  So, I tried to get Rowen's assistance after the game to re-create the ending.  We failed.  I can barely think during a Rapid game let alone remember what I was thinking after it is over.  However, we are pretty sure that the first 43 moves are accurate.  The ending is my best guess.  Rowen did remember this position, as he saw my best move.  I played the 10-3 best move, as my brain had turned off and stopped transmitting when I got under a minute on my clock.

Black to move

Ten Four

[Event "4th Wednesday August COATI"]

[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]

[Date "2021.08.25"]

[Round "1.1"]

[White "Oragel, Rowen"]

[Black "Anderson, Paul"]

[Result "0-1"]

[ECO "B06"]

[WhiteElo "1094"]

[BlackElo "1940"]

[PlyCount "142"]

[EventDate "2021.08.25"]

[TimeControl "600+5"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Be3 d5 5. e5 Nh6 6. Nbd2 f6 7. exf6 exf6 8.

Bxh6 Bxh6 9. Qe2+ Qe7 10. Qxe7+ Kxe7 11. O-O-O Bg4 12. Kb1 Nd7 13. c4 Nb6 14.

c5 Nd7 15. Re1+ Kf7 16. h3 Be6 17. Bd3 b6 18. Nb3 bxc5 19. dxc5 Nb8 20. Nfd4

Bd7 21. Na5 Re8 22. Nb7 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bf8 24. Nb3 Bc8 25. N7a5 a6 26. Rc1 Ra7

27. Nd4 Rc7 28. b4 Bh6 29. Re1 Bd2 30. Re2 Bxb4 31. Nab3 a5 32. Nc2 Bc3 33. Re3

a4 34. Nc1 Be5 35. Ne2 Rb7+ 36. Kc1 Re7 37. f4 Bb2+ 38. Kd2 Rxe3 39. Nxe3 Ba6

40. Bxa6 Nxa6 41. Kc2 a3 42. Nd1 Nxc5 43. Nxb2 axb2 44. Kxb2 Ke6 45. Kc3 Ne4+

46. Kd3 Kd6 47. a3 c5 48. Nc3 Nxc3 49. Kxc3 Kc6 50. g4 Kb5 51. h4 f5 52. gxf5

gxf5 53. h5 Ka4 54. Kc2 Kxa3 55. Kc3 Ka2 56. Kc2 d4 57. Kd3 Kb3 58. Kd2 c4 59.

Ke2 Kc2 60. Kf2 d3 61. Kg3 d2 62. Kh4 h6 63. Kg3 d1=Q 64. Kf2 Qd2+ 65. Kg3 Qe3+

66. Kg2 Kd3 67. Kh2 c3 68. Kg2 c2 69. Kh2 c1=R 70. Kg2 Rc2+ 71. Kf1 Qf2# 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=116879

This Week In Chess

On August 25th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held the 4th Wednesday August Rapid OTB (4SS, G/10+5).  Paul Anderson went unbeaten to grab 1st place, with Peter Barlay and Pret Bram tying for 2nd place.

Place, 4th Wednesday August Rapid OTB, Score

1 Paul D Anderson 3.5

2 Peter Barlay 3.0

3 Pret Bram 3.0

4 Koen Beaver 2.5

5 William Leo Wolf 2.0

6 Jose Llacza Magno 2.0

7 Rowen Oregel 2.0

8 Jayne Perry 2.0

9 Grayson Herrera 2.0

10 Erik Dali Svoboda 1.0

11 Forrest Harvin 1.0

12 Ethan Bastian 0.0

Silver Fox

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's Sunday night online events.  We have been meeting online since April of last year when the pandemic closed our physical location.  The registration starts at 6pm, and the first round starts at 7pm, mountain time.

The nice thing about these events is that they will run themselves.  The computer will handle all the tournament director tasks from closing the registration right at 7pm to making the pairings with only players who are online at the start of the round.  Also, it will hand out the prizes immediately.  Of course, the prizes are only virtual medals, but I have been tracking them since we started last year.

Now that the Olympics have started, it seemed appropriate to remind everyone about our medal count.  This chart is also on the home page of the Colorado Springs Chess News website.

The club found a secondary location for some over-the-board chess at COATI on 514 S Tejon St.  We are currently meeting on Wednesdays at the end of the month for unrated, blitz chess.  Of course, we are also looking into other locations that might be good for rated chess.

This week's game comes from Jeff Fox and Albert Gardner.  Both players had a chance to win and get into medal contention, but both players failed to stick the landing.  Jeff could have pulled into the lead on the total medal count and could have increased his stranglehold on the silvers if he had been just a touch more careful in this position.

White to move

Silver Fox

[Event "King Hunt Online"]

[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]

[Date "2021.07.25"]

[Round "3.3"]

[White "Fox, Jeff"]

[Black "Gardner, Albert"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[ECO "A16"]

[WhiteElo "1701"]

[BlackElo "1516"]

[PlyCount "106"]

[EventDate "2021.07.25"]

[TimeControl "600+10"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 b6 6. d4 Bb7 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5

Na5 9. Qd3 Ba6 10. Nd2 d6 11. b4 Nb7 12. b5 Nc5 13. Qc2 Bb7 14. e4 e6 15. Bb2

exd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. exd5 Re8 19. Rfe1 a6 20. bxa6 Bxa6 21. Ne4

Nxe4 22. Rxe4 Rxe4 23. Qxe4 Qe8 24. Qd4+ Qe5 25. Rd1 Re8 26. Qxe5+ Rxe5 27. Bf1

Re4 28. Rc1 f5 29. f3 Re3 30. Kf2 Ra3 31. Rc2 Kf6 32. f4 Ke7 33. h3 Kd7 34. g4

c6 35. Bg2 cxd5 36. cxd5 Bd3 37. Rd2 b5 38. Bf3 Bc4 39. gxf5 gxf5 40. Bh5 Rxh3

41. Bf7 Rh2+ 42. Ke3 Rxd2 43. Kxd2 Bxa2 44. Be6+ Ke7 45. Bxf5 Bxd5 46. Bxh7 Kf6

47. Kc3 Be6 48. Bd3 Bd7 49. Kb4 Ke6 50. Bxb5 Bxb5 51. Kxb5 d5 52. Kc5 Kf5 53.

Kxd5 Kxf4 1/2-1/2

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=116797

This Week In Chess

On July 25th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held the King Hunt Rapid Online (4SS, G/10+10).  Jose Llacza won the gold, and John Brezina earned the silver.

Place, King Hunt Rapid Online, Score

1 "#1 JJ7X (1943)" 3.5

2 "#2 Czechmate1972 (1740)" 3.0

3 "#3 agapatos1 (1859)" 2.5

4 "#4 albertgardner (1527)" 2.5

5 "#5 BigBoyShaq12 (1671)" 2.0

6 "#6 pretbram (1573)" 2.0

7 "#7 Cocomcfrecal (1091)" 2.0

8 "#8 jfoxhoot (1689)" 1.5

9 "#9 caveTrog (1309)" 1.0

10 "#10 AluminumHD (1399)" 0.0

11 "- linuxguy1 (1889)" 2.0

12 "- Honeybrook (1390)" 0.0

13 "- tristancruz (1264)" 0.0

Lucky Charm

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's Sunday night event, Pin Is Mighty Rapid Online (4SS, G/10+10).  The game was played by Jeff Fox, ex-City Champ and ex-officer of the Colorado Springs Chess Club, and Ayush Vispute, current President of the Panda Chess Club.  I chose this game because Jeff hasn't had the best luck in regards to having his wins published in my blog.  He is currently in 25th place with two wins published.  

However, he is in 4th place by number of games published, which means most of his published games are losses.  The reason he got so many losses published was just bad luck.  It is not always easy to choose the Game Of The Week.  So, I came up with some themes to help me sort through my 1,027 USCF, rated-games database.  One theme was my Best Upsets.  Well, since I didn't travel to tournaments away from the club very often, it turns out that most of my upsets came from 2 players, Jeff Fox and Buck Buchanan.

Rank, Name, Rating, Wins/Games Published

  2 Anderson,Douglas                15.0/29

  3 McGough,Mark              1839  12.0/23

  7 Brown,Dean                1388   7.5/26

 25 Fox,Jeff                  1867   2.0/20

 26 Buchanan,Buck             2000   2.0/19

If 2020 was a lucky charm, it'd be a rabbit's foot.

Jeff must have found his lucky charm because I chose to publish his win from this Sunday where he won with 1. Nf3.  I was impressed enough to go over it, as it is an opening with which I have had a lot of bad luck.  I have been playing my version of LM Brian Wall's 40 Move Challenge (#40MC) the past 2 years in the Colorado Springs Chess Club's Sunday night events.  

The #40MC is to win with all legal opening moves for White and Black.  

I have been torn apart in 3 openings so far.

Move	Color	Attempts	Score	Success %
H3	White	7	2.0	28.57%
H6	Black	9	3.0	33.33%
Nf3	White	4	1.5	37.50%

I am not sure why I have been so unlucky with these openings, but I am looking for something to change my fortune.  I know a lot of sports professionals have their specific lucky charms and rituals like growing beards to rally caps.  

But what about chess players?  Do they subscribe to luck?  So, far my lucky charm has been failing me.

If you don't think luck plays a role in chess games, just look at Jeff's third time getting a win publish.  Like they say, "Third time is the charm."

Jeff only has a Pawn advantage with opposite-colored Bishops.  It could be hard to force the win if Ayush had found one of three lucky moves.  See if you can find them?

Black to move

Lucky Charm

[Event "Pin Is Mighty Online"]

[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]

[Date "2021.06.27"]

[Round "3.6"]

[White "Fox, Jeff"]

[Black "Vispute, Ayush"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "A37"]

[WhiteElo "1686"]

[BlackElo "1605"]

[PlyCount "65"]

[EventDate "2021.06.27"]

[TimeControl "600+10"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 e6 6. e4 Nge7 7. O-O a6 8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 Nd4 10. Qd2 d5 11. exd5 exd5 12. cxd5 Nef5 13. Bxd4 cxd4 14. Ne2 Qxd5 15. Nfxd4 Qe5 16. Nxf5 Bxf5 17. d4 Qb5 18. Nc3 Qb4 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. d5 Rd6 21. Ne4 Qxd2 22. Rxd2 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Re8 24. Bf3 Bh6 25. Rc2 Rf6 26. Kg2 Rd6 27. Rc7 b5 28. Rc6 Red8 29. Re1 Kg7 30. Re7 Bg5 31. Ra7 Bf6 32. b3 Bc3 33. Raxa6 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=116698

This Week In Chess

On June 27th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held the Pin Is Mighty Rapid Online (4SS, G/10+10). Jose Llacza won the silver, and I got the bronze.

Place, Pin Is Mighty Rapid Online, Score

1 "#1 RecurringMiss (2246)" 3.5
2 "#2 JJ7X (1948)" 3.5
3 "#3 cschessnews (1771)" 3.0
4 "#4 pretbram (1564)" 3.0
5 "#5 KingVed (1572)" 2.0
6 "#6 jfoxhoot (1691)" 2.0
7 "#7 bazinga2 (1566)" 1.5
8 "#8 Honeybrook (1335)" 1.5
9 "#9 linuxguy1 (1824)" 1.0
10 "#10 msmcgough (1612)" 1.0
11 "- GLeong (1757)" 1.0
12 "#11 albertgardner (1471)" 1.0
13 "- CosmicNovaGalaxy (1605)" 0.0

My 60 Memorable Upsets

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from my list of upsets.  In fact, it is my 60th upset I have published.  I created the list early on when I had limited access to other player's chess games, and I wanted an easy way to pick one of my games to publish for the newsletter.

I just filtered my database for games where my estimated rating change was +16 or higher.  I also had to remove the duplicates, as the Colorado Springs Chess Club had its own rating for a while and the USCF rates some time controls as dual-rated.  So, most of the games are standard time control of G/30 or longer, with the exception of a couple of quick-rated events at G/24+5.

I was surprised to see how few and far between the upsets were.  How did I get my peak USCF rating to 2102 when I rarely beat someone higher rated?  It was kind of a depressing report with drought years in 2018 and 2020 and single digits all over the place.

But these are the numbers.  And as a stat guy, you learn to face the data head-on.

Year, Upsets

2019 1
2017 2
2016 1
2015 2
2014 2
2013 3
2012 2
2011 1
2010 2
2009 3
2008 2
2007 3
2006 4
2005 3
2004 4
2003 5
2002 2
2001 6
2000 5
1999 2
1998 5

Grand Total 60

The numbers just kept getting worse when I looked at from where my multiple upsets were coming.  My top 2 upset opponents make up 1/3 of all my upsets.  I guess this is what you get when you only play at club.

My Opponent, # of Upsets, My Rating, Opp Rating

BUCHANAN 11 1896 2006
FOX, JEFF 9 1636 1759
BLOOMER 5 1933 2228
TELINBACCO 2 1824 1882
HORTILLOSA 2 1666 1936
ANDERSON, ROBERT 2 1534 1556

The only consolation I had was that my numbers are eerily similar to a young chess prodigy, as he was playing at his local club.

Bobby's Opponent, # of Upsets, Bobby's Rating, Opp Rating

Bisguier 11 1896 2006
Fox, Maurice 9 1636 1759
Alekhine 5 1933 2228
Tal 2 1824 1882
Hort 2 1666 1936
Byrne, Robert 2 1534 1556

White to move

My 60 Memorable Upsets

[Event "March Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2019.03.19"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Anderson, Paul"]
[Black "Bloomer, Josh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E68"]
[WhiteElo "1934"]
[BlackElo "2343"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2019.03.05"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. c4 Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4 c6 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Bc1 exd4 11. Nxd4 Nc5 12. b3 Ne5 13. Nde2 f5 14. Be3 fxe4 15. Bxc5 Nf3+ 16. Kh1 dxc5 17. Qxd8 Rxd8 18. Rad1 Bf5 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Rd1 Rxd1+ 21. Nxd1 b5 22. Ne3 Be6 23. Nf4 Kf7 24. Nxe6 Kxe6 25. Bh3+ Kd6 26. Bf1 b4 27. Bh3 Bd4 28. Nd1 Nd2 29. Bg4 a5 30. Ne3 Bxe3 31. fxe3 Nxc4 32. bxc4 a4 33. Bd1 b3 34. a3 h5 35. h3 Ke5 36. Kg2 g5 37. Kf2 h4 38. gxh4 gxh4 39. Ke1 Kf5 40. Kd2 Ke5 41. Kc3 Kd6 42. Bg4 Ke5 43. Bd7 Kd6 44. Be8 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=115698

This Week In Chess

On August 16th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held the CSCC Owen Nomore Rapid Online event (4SS, G/10+10).

https://www.chess.com/tournament/live/cscc-owen-nomore-rapid-online-1509808

Place, CSCC Owen Nomore (4SS, G/10+10), Score

1 "#1 bozhenoff (1737)" 4.0
2 "#2 Czechmate1972 (1608)" 3.0
3 "#3 jfoxhoot (1563)" 3.0
4 "#4 DuWayneL (1539)" 2.0
5 "#5 cschessnews (1627)" 2.0
6 "#5 tristancruz (1057)" 2.0
7 "#7 KingVed (1479)" 2.0
8 "#8 msmcgough (1468)" 2.0
9 "#9 Navajo36us80917 (1134)" 1.0
10 "- Honeybrook (1344)" 0.0
11 "- RecurringMiss (1889)" 0.0
12 "- Termenoil (1846)" 0.0

Final Nail

Game Of The Week

All good things come to an end.

My Father's Day tradition for the Colorado Springs Chess News website has been to publish a win from my dad during our email match together.  We started playing in 1996, before I ever went to the Colorado Springs Chess Club.  We finished the match after 53 games in 2010.

The match was even (+12-12=9) after this game in 2003.  However, it was also the final nail in the coffin for my dad.  He had purchased Fritz 8 for me as a Christmas gift.  Now, I had a tool to go over my games.  After this point, I won ten of the last twenty games (+10-3=7) to pull ahead in the match.

Going over your own chess games is key to improvement at chess.

I was reminded of this fact recently when I stopped by the Denver Open in April.  One of the invited masters was IM Danny Rensch, who was doing a lecture and simul the night I was there.  I caught part of his lecture where he talked about how to go over your games.  He stressed turning off the computer and finding three key moments on your own.

Of course, I didn't catch the lesson perfectly, as it is never easy to retain 100% when you are not taking notes or expecting to stay for the whole lecture.  I was only in Denver to meet with family and unprepared to catch some pearls of chess wisdom.

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

Luke 6:40 (KJV)

However, here is what I gleaned from IM Daniel Rensch's 3 Point System for analyzing games without a computer.  You are to find the moves where these main elements occurred:

• Out of Book
• Turning Point
• Final Nail

Since this game is also the final nail in the coffin of publishing wins for my dad and doesn't have a good tactical moment, I thought I would apply the 3 Point System to this game.

First, finding the point I got out of book was pretty easy.  I had just discovered LM Brian Wall's emails and the Fishing Pole was all the rage.  Of course, some might say the Fishing Pole move was also the final nail in the coffin of winning this game.

Second, the turning point was harder to choose.  I clearly missed the explanation of this item during the lecture.

Third, the final nail is that moment when the final result is set in stone.  If you play on, you are just hoping for a miracle.  It is that time when the masters say, "The rest is technique."  Here is the position I chose for this game.  Black has given up all hope for a win, but might have one last shot at a draw.  I didn't play the move.  You just have to find a better move than 34...Rf8.

I will let you be the judge on how well I found the 3 points.

Black to move

Final Nail

[Event "12-12-9"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2003.10.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anderson, Douglas"]
[Black "Anderson, Paul"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2003.08.16"]
[TimeControl "0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Ng4 5. h3 h5 6. d3 Bc5 7. Bg5 f6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 h4 10. Bxh4 gxh4 11. hxg4 Qe7 12. Nc3 a6 13. Ba4 Qg7 14. Nd5 Kd8 15. Nh2 d6 16. Kh1 h3 17. g3 b5 18. Bb3 Na5 19. f3 Nxb3 20. axb3 Bb7 21. b4 Bd4 22. c3 Bxd5 23. cxd4 Bb7 24. d5 f5 25. Qe2 fxg4 26. fxg4 Ke7 27. Rac1 Kd7 28. Rf5 Raf8 29. Qe3 Rhg8 30. Rcf1 Rxf5 31. Rxf5 Kd8 32. Rh5 Kc8 33. Rxh3 Kb8 34. Kg2 Rf8 35. g5 Rf7 36. Rh6 Rf8 37. Ng4 Rg8 38. Nf6 Qxg5 39. Qxg5 Rxg5 40. Kh3 Rg7 41. Kh4 Ka7 42. g4 Bc8 43. g5 Kb6 44. Rh8 Bh3 45. Ne8 Rxg5 46. Kxg5 Bf1 47. Rh7 Bxd3 48. Nxc7 a5 49. Na8+ Ka6 50. Kf5 a4 51. Rd7 a3 52. Rxd6+ Kb7 53. bxa3 Kxa8 54. Rc6 Kb7 55. Rc5 Kb6 56. d6 Bf1 57. Kxe5 Bh3 58. Kf6 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=114430

This Week In Chess

On June 11th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club continued the June Swiss 90 event (4SS, G/90+30).

Standings. June Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Tot Prize

1 Paul D Anderson 1950 W11 W4 2.0
2 Christophe Motley 1679 W5 W11 2.0
3 Joey Arispe 1259 W10 H--- 1.5
4 Mark McGough 1857 W9 L1 1.0
5 Richard Buchanan 2000 L2 W13 1.0
6 Peter Barlay 1906 W8 U--- 1.0
7 William Leo Wolf 1300 U--- W12 1.0
8 Dean W Brown 1460 L6 D9 0.5
9 Kenneth Macrae 1264 L4 D8 0.5
10 Michael Smith II 1713 L3 H--- 0.5
11 Grayson Ed Harris 1534 L1 L2 0.0
12 Joy Sato unr. U--- L7 0.0
13 Joseph Griffin 761 U--- L5 0.0

No GOATs Allowed!

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from round three of the Colorado Springs Chess Club's May Swiss 90 event.  It was played by Chris Motley and Mark McGough.  They have faced each other six times in the past year, mostly in Quick-rated tournaments.  They are even in Quick (+2-2=1).  This time they met with Turtle Time (G/90+30), a specialty of Mark's.

This game was vying for the Game of the Week prize last week.  However, it lost, as Mark was a bit of a goat for failing to get me the pictures I requested that supplement this game quickly enough.  You see, I wanted to share the major milestone Mark has accomplished in his first year as the Colorado Springs Chess Club Treasurer:  He has re-segregated the bathrooms!

2019 Colorado Springs Chess Club Treasurer, Mark McGough, procures the key to the Men's room and reopens gender specific restroom service on May 28, 2019!

Every chess game tells a story.  Some have pictures.

The story with this game is like a fable with Mark as the Turtle and Chris as the GOAT.  One might call it, "The Tortoise and The GOAT."

Once upon a time there was a GOAT who, boasting how he could play chess better than anyone else, was forever teasing the tortoise for its slowness.  Then one day, the tortoise answered back: “Who do you think you are?  There’s no denying you’re good, but even you can be beaten!”  The tortoise squealed with laughter.

A game was paired, and the next day at the Colorado Springs Chess Club they stood at the board.  When the clock started, the GOAT jumped out to a huge lead in position and gained a massive time advantage.

When the dust settled, the tortoise had won.  "How is this possible?" the spectators asked.

“Slowly does it every time!  Especially when your opponent is Giving-up Overwhelming Advantages with a Time lead,” the tortoise said.

White to move

Mark found himself in the position above.  Undaunted with his King's Rook seemingly locked away, Mark channeled his experience as Key Master and set about the task of gaining freedom for his King-side pieces.  Yes, it took a long time, but he was able to make due with the Queen-side facilities for the time being.

When the dust settled, Mark had the winning Endgame and was living on turtle time.  Chris was not eager to resign after having thrown away a huge positional advantage with a massive time lead.  However, Mark reminded him of the new bathroom etiquette going into effect with the newly, re-opened Men's room.

After re-opening the restroom, Mark installed a couple of signs to remind chess players that we weren't using the Women's room anymore.  Now, we have to be on good behavior.  No more Thunder Dome.  Respect for others is the rule.  This rule applies to chess as well as bathrooms.  We call it PFTP.

There is a kind of code at the Colorado Springs Chess Club.  You can use terms and phrases that may seem strange in chess, but they are quite well understood here:

• Turtle = a chess player who thinks G/90;d/5 is blitz
• GOAT = G iving-up, O verwhelming, A dvantages with, T ime lead
• PFTP= Don't resign with Mate in 1

The second sign says, "No GOATs Allowed!"  I am not sure what that sign means, but Mark has threatened to close the Men's room if anyone violates it.

No GOATs Allowed!

[Event "May Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2019.05.21"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Motley, Chris"]
[Black "McGough, Mark"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B61"]
[WhiteElo "1662"]
[BlackElo "1823"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2019.05.07"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 Bd7 7. Qd2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Qa5 9. Bd2 Qc5 10. Qxc5 dxc5 11. e5 Ng4 12. Nb5 O-O-O 13. f4 a6 14. Na3 Bc6 15. h3 Nf2 16. Rg1 Ne4 17. Ba5  d4 18. c3 Rd2 19. Nc4 Rf2 20. Bd3 Rxf4 21. g3 Rf3 22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23. Nd2 Rd3 24. O-O-O Bc6 25.  c4 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 b5 27. Rd8+ Kb7 28. Ne3 g6 29. c4 Bg7 30. Rd2 Bxe5 31. Rf2 Bd4 32. Bd2 f5 33.  e2 Bf3 34. Re1 Be4 35. Nd5 e6 36. Ne3 h5 37. Bc3 Bxc3 38. bxc3 Rd8 39. cxb5 axb5 40. a4 bxa4 41.  c4 Rd3 42. Kb2 Rxg3 43. h4 Rg4 44. Ne5 Rxh4 45. Nxg6 Rh2+ 46. Ka3 h4 47. Nf4 Bd5 48. Nxd5 exd5  9. Re5 Rh3 50. Rxd5 Rxc3+ 51. Kxa4 f4 52. Rh5 Kc6 53. Rxh4 Kd5 54. Kb5 Ke4 55. Kc6 c4 56.  c5 Rc2 57. Kb4 Ke3 58. Rh8 f3 59. Re8+ Kf2 60. Rf8 Kg2 61. Rg8+ Kf1 62. Rf8 f2 63. Rf7 Ke1 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=114386

This Week In Chess

On May 28th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club finished the May Swiss 90 event (4SS, G/90+30).

Standings. May Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Tot Prize

1 Brian Jo Rountree 1962 W5 D3 W2 W4 3.5 $27.00 1st
2 Paul D Anderson 1950 W7 W4 L1 W5 3.0 $18.00 2nd
3 Christophe Motley 1662 W12 D1 L4 W7 2.5
4 Mark McGough 1823 W10 L2 W3 L1 2.0
5 Grayson Ed Harris 1466 L1 W12 W9 L2 2.0
6 Robert Kohler 1658 H--- H--- U--- W9 2.0 $5.00 GOW
7 Ayush Vispute 1365 L2 H--- W13 L3 1.5 $12.00 U1450
8 Peter Barlay 1906 H--- W11 U--- U--- 1.5
9 Dean W Brown 1442 U--- W10 L5 L6 1.0
10 Clinton Eads 1291 L4 L9 U--- W14 1.0
11 Joey Arispe 1259 H--- L8 U--- U--- 0.5
12 Daniel Rupp 1076 L3 L5 U--- U--- 0.0
13 William Leo Wolf 1300 U--- U--- L7 U--- 0.0
14 Joy Sato unr. U--- U--- U--- L10 0.0

I Like Quick

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's April Quick Six event.  We have 8 slow chess months and 4 special chess months each year on the club's calendar.  The slow months are G/90+30, month-long tournaments.  The special events are the Speed Chess Championship (January), Cabin Fever Reliever (April), July Mating Game (July), and City Championship (October).  Since the Cabin Fever Reliever and July Mating Game are only two week events, we fill in the extra Tuesdays with these Quick events.

Some of our Turtles don't like quick.  They take a break in April and July.  Some players like quick.  They come out in April and July.  Well, sometimes.

I like quick.

When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Chicago (Naperville), I would come home from school and make myself a glass of milk and add Nestle Quik.  Nestle Quik was a chocolate powder to turn ordinary milk into a magical potion!  My favorite thing to do was add the powder and then freeze the drink.  It turned into a type of fudgesicle that I would eat with a spoon, as I watched the Cubbies play.

So, these tournament are like turning chess into a magical dessert for me.  You can't have them all the time, but every once in a while, they are a nice treat.

Our newcomer, Jonathan Brown, enjoyed his treat by getting his first rated draw against Will Wolf.  However, he had a big advantage in this position and could have gotten the win if he found the surprising best move.

White to move

I Like Quick

[Event "April Quick Six"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2019.04.16"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Brown, Jonathan"]
[Black "Wolf, Will"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "1320"]
[BlackElo "1311"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2019.04.16"]
[TimeControl "1440"]

1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 e5 3. Nf3 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Bd3 Rb8 9. Rb1 Nd7 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Ne5 12. Re1 Nxd3 13. cxd3 O-O 14. h3 Qg5 15. Re3 f5 16. Rg3 Qh6 17. Qa4 Qd2 18. Qd4 Rf7 19. b3 fxe4 20. Nxe4 Qc2 21. Re1 Bf5 22. Nf6+ Kh8 23. Nh5 Bg6 24. Qxa7 Rbf8 25. Nxg7 Rxg7 26. Qd4 Qc5 1/2-1/2

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=114222

This Week In Chess

On April 16th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club started the April Quick Six event (6SS, G/24+5).

Standings. April Quick Six

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Tot Prize

1 Gunnar Andersen 2102 W10 W5 W2 3.0
2 Paul D Anderson 1939 W9 W7 L1 2.0
3 Aleksand Bozhenov 1891 L4 W8 W6 2.0
4 Ayush Vispute 1228 W3 L6 W13 2.0
5 Mark McGough 1722 W12 L1 W9 2.0
6 Earle P Wikle 1888 W14 W4 L3 2.0
7 Mitchell Anderson 1887 W11 L2 W10 2.0
8 Brian Jo Rountree 1669 H--- L3 W12 1.5
9 Joel Brown 1334 L2 W11 L5 1.0
10 Dean W Brown 1400 L1 W14 L7 1.0
11 Grayson Ed Harris 1007 L7 L9 W14 1.0
12 Jonathan Brown unr. L5 D13 L8 0.5
13 William Leo Wolf 1311 U--- D12 L4 0.5
14 Clinton Eads 1027 L6 L10 L11 0.0

There's Only One Way To...

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's August Swiss 90 (4SS, G/90+30).  It is the beginning of our turtle season at the club when we have five straight months of slow chess.

This game features Grayson Harris against Mark McGough.  Mark was on the losing side of last week's Game Of The Week and was not happy that I forgot to tell the newsletter readers that he did buy me beer after our blitz matches.  He didn't want anyone to get the impression that he is a lazy, freeloader.

So, when his game went the longest in the first round, I decided to make it up to him by picking his game for the Game Of The Week prize ($5.00).  He told me that Grayson had a draw but pushed too hard and gave away the game.  I figured I would use that position for my weekly chess diagram.

I thought I had found the position when the computer said there was only one drawing move.  Can you find the computer move?

White to move

There's Only One Way To...

[Event "August Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2018.08.07"]
[Round "1.5"]
[White "Harris, Grayson"]
[Black "McGough, Mark"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "1111"]
[BlackElo "1855"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2018.08.07"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. a3 Be7 7. Bf4 c6 8. Qd3 O-O 9. h4 Re8 10. Ng5 Nbd7 11. f3 Nf8 12. e4 dxe4 13. fxe4 Nd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. e5 Bg4 16. Qg3 Qd7 17. Rc1 Rac8 18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. Bb5 Qxb5 20. Qxg4 Qd7 21. Qxd7 Nxd7 22. Kd2 Bxg5 23. Bxg5 Rc4 24. Kd3 h6 25. b3 Rc6 26. Be7 Nf8 27. Re1 Ne6 28. g4 Nf4+ 29. Kd2 Rc7 30. Bd6 Rc6 31. Rc1 Rxc1 32. Kxc1 Ne2+ 33. Kd2 Nxd4 34. Kd3 Nxb3 35. Kc3 Na5 36. Kd4 Nc6+ 37. Kxd5 Nd8 38. h5 Kh7 39. Be7 Nc6 40. Kd6 Nxe7 41. Kxe7 Kg8 42. Kd7 Kf8 43. e6 fxe6 44. Kxe6 Ke8 45. Kd6 Kd8 46. a4 b6 47. Ke6 Ke8 48. Ke5 a6 49. Kd6 b5 50. axb5 axb5 51. Kc5 Kf7 52. Kxb5 Kf6 53. Kc4 Kg5 54. Kd4 Kxg4 55. Ke4 Kxh5 56. Kf4 Kh4 57. Kf3 Kh3 58. Kf2 g5 59. Kg1 g4 60. Kh1 g3 61. Kg1 g2 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=112997

This Week In Chess

On August 7th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club started the August Swiss 90 (4SS, G/90+30).

Standings. August Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Tot Prize

1 Paul D Anderson 1989 W7 1.0
2 Laurence Rob Wutt 1948 W8 1.0
3 Peter Barlay 1931 W9 1.0
4 Brian Jo Rountree 1893 W10 1.0
5 Mark McGough 1855 W11 1.0
6 Michael Smith II 1635 W12 1.0
7 William Leo Wolf 1515 L1 0.0
8 Ayush Vispute 1362 L2 0.0
9 Clinton D Eads 1268 L3 0.0
10 Joey Arispe 1140 L4 0.0
11 Grayson Ed Harris 1111 L5 0.0
12 Justin Parker unr. L6 0.0

Mobility Move

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from Tristan Cruz.  He is a newcomer to the Colorado Springs Chess Club on Tuesday nights.  He started chess back in 2014 as a youngster.  However, he didn't stick with it and took a 4 year break.  Now, he is in Colorado and looking to establish his rating.

Most of the time, I pick a Game Of The Week because of a tactical position I find in the game and can use as a chess diagram.  This week is different.

Chess Tactics are moves that can be played in one move and create a special pattern to cause a threat or threats that will result in a gain of material.  Sometimes these moves have to be strung together in a series of moves to actually realize the gain in material.  Then I call them Tactical Combinations.

However, these patterns can be used with Chess Strategy as well.  I simplify Chess Strategy into three kinds:  Mate, Material, and Mobility.  I call it the 3Ms of Chess.  Mobility refers to the speed and scope of your pieces (open files, open diagonals, outposts, etc.).

So, as I looked over Tristan's game, I thought that this position is not really a tactic but rather a strategic move that wins material.  See if you can find the Mobility Move.

Hint: Mobility Moves can not only increase your pieces' Mobility but also decrease your opponents' Mobility.

Black to move

Mobility Move

[Event "June Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2018.06.26"]
[Round "4.12"]
[White "Arispe, Joey"]
[Black "Cruz, Tristan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "1192"]
[BlackElo "745"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2018.06.05"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 f6 6. Bb5 Qb6 7. Bxc6+ Qxc6 8. Bf4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4+ 10. Nbd2 b6 11. Rc1 Qb5 12. Qc2 Ba6 13. Qc6+ Qxc6 14. Rxc6 Bc8 15. O-O Bd7 16. Rc7 g5 17. Be3 g4 18. Ne1 Bb5 19. Rg7 f5 20. Nc2 Bxf1 21. Nxb4 Bb5 22. Bg5 Rc8 23. Nb1 h6 24. Be3 a5 25. a4 Be2 26. Na2 Rc2 27. Nac3 Bd3 28. Na3 Rxb2 29. Nab5 Bxb5 30. axb5 a4 31. Rc7 Rc2 32. Nxd5 Rxc7 33. Nxc7+ Ke7 34. Na6 Kd7 35. Kf1 Ne7 36. Nb4 Nd5 37. Nxd5 exd5 38. Bc1 Ra8 39. Ba3 Ra5 40. Ke2 Rxb5 41. Kd2 Rb3 42. Bd6 a3 43. Kc2 a2 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=112813

This Week In Chess

On June 26th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club finised the June Swiss 90 event (4SS, G/90+30).

Standings. June Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Tot Prize

1 Josh S Bloomer 2324 W17 W4 W3 W5 4.0 $46.00 1st
2 Daniel Herman 2051 W15 L5 W18 W8 3.0 $8.00 2nd
3 Sara Herman 1971 W11 W8 L1 W9 3.0 $8.00 2nd
4 Brian Jo Rountree 1822 W12 L1 W10 W13 3.0 $8.00 2nd
5 Mark McGough 1779 W20 W2 W6 L1 3.0 $8.00 2nd
6 Paul D Anderson 2032 D10 W14 L5 W18 2.5
7 Peter Barlay 1927 W19 W9 U--- U--- 2.0
8 Michael Smith II 1635 W22 L3 W20 L2 2.0
9 Dean W Brown 1571 W13 L7 W12 L3 2.0 $7.00 U1600/unr
10 Ayush Vispute 1207 D6 D15 L4 W14 2.0 $7.00 U1600/unr
11 Joey Arispe 1192 L3 L20 W22 W21 2.0 $7.00 U1600/unr
12 Grayson Ed Harris 1009 L4 W21 L9 W17 2.0 $7.00 U1600/unr
13 Joel Hicks unr. L9 W19 W17 L4 2.0 $7.00 U1600/unr
14 Scott Ch Williams 1243 H--- L6 W15 L10 1.5 $5.00 GOW
15 Gerardo Cruz 1214 L2 D10 L14 W20 1.5 $5.00 GOW
16 William Leo Wolf 1580 W21 U--- U--- U--- 1.0
17 Clinton D Eads 1310 L1 W22 L13 L12 1.0
18 Derek Eskeldson 1302 H--- H--- L2 L6 1.0
19 Shirley Herman 1105 L7 L13 L21 W22 1.0
20 Daniel J Rupp 973 L5 W11 L8 L15 1.0
21 Tristan Cruz 745 L16 L12 W19 L11 1.0 $5.00 GOW
22 Lawrence R Osborn 898 L8 L17 L11 L19 0.0

Cruz Control

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's June Swiss 90 event.  The tournament is one of two slow time control, monthly events the club does each quarter.  The first month of a quarter is scheduled for the club's special events, which are typically much faster time controls.

However, even with the slower time control (G/90+30), some games end well before the allotted time.  This can mean that someone who comes with another person then has to wait until the other person finishes his game.  And these games can go three to five hours, depending on the number of moves.

This week, I ran into another problem.  My game was played on another player's set, which looked similar to the club sets.  This player finished quickly while my game was the last to finish.  The player who was done wanted his set to leave.

I decided to offer the player an extra game.  Therefore, I would not have to interrupt my opponent to replace the board.  Of course, the only player available to play an extra game was Tristan Cruz, who was willing to play.  However, his father finished his game just after I got Tristan started on an extra game.

Now, Tristan's father would have to wait for his son to finish his second game of the night.  So, I arranged another extra game for Tristan's father, Gerardo Cruz.

It worked out well for Gerardo as he got to kill the time during Tristan's game with a victory of his own when he found the winning move in this position.

Black to move

Cruz Control

[Event "June Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2018.06.05"]
[Round "1.12"]
[White "Herman, Shirley"]
[Black "Cruz, Gerardo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A53"]
[WhiteElo "1105"]
[BlackElo "1214"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2018.06.05"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. d4 d6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 h6 4. Qb3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 c5 6. Nf3 g5 7. Bg3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc5 9. Qc2 e5 10. Nf3 Bg7 11. Rd1 Be6 12. Nxe5 O-O 13. b4 Na6 14. a3 Qe7 15. Nf3 Rfd8 16. e4 Rac8 17. Nb5 d5 18. Nxa7 Nxb4 19. axb4 Qxb4+ 20. Qd2 Qxd2+ 21. Rxd2 Ra8 22. Bc7 Nxe4 23. Bxd8 Nxd2 24. Nxd2 Rxd8 25. Be2 Bc3 26. Nb5 Bb4 27. Bd3 dxc4 28. Nc7 Rxd3 29. Nxe6 fxe6 30. Ke2 Rxd2+ 31. Ke3 c3 32. Ra1 Bc5+ 33. Ke4 c2 34. Rf1 Rd1 35. Ke5 Rxf1 36. h4 gxh4 37. g3 hxg3 38. f4 Rxf4 39. Kxe6 Kh7 40. Ke5 c1=Q 41. Ke6 Qe3+ 42. Kd7 Rd4+ 43. Kc8 Qe7 44. Kb8 Rd8# 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=112754

This Week In Chess

On June 5th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club started its June Swiss 90 event (4SS, G/90+30).

Standings. June Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Tot Prize

1 Josh S Bloomer 2324 W12 1.0
2 Daniel Herman 2051 W13 1.0
3 Sara Herman 1971 W14 1.0
4 Peter Barlay 1927 W15 1.0
5 Brian Jo Rountree 1822 W16 1.0
6 Mark McGough 1779 W17 1.0
7 Michael Smith II 1635 W18 1.0
8 William Leo Wolf 1580 W19 1.0
9 Dean W Brown 1571 W20 1.0
10 Paul D Anderson 2032 D11 0.5
11 Ayush Vispute 1207 D10 0.5
12 Clinton D Eads 1310 L1 0.0
13 Gerardo Cruz 1214 L2 0.0
14 Joey Arispe 1192 L3 0.0
15 Shirley Herman 1105 L4 0.0
16 Grayson Ed Harris 1009 L5 0.0
17 Daniel J Rupp 973 L6 0.0
18 Lawrence R Osborn 898 L7 0.0
19 Tristan Cruz 745 L8 0.0
20 Joel Hicks unr. L9 0.0

The Threat Is Stronger Than The Execution

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's March Swiss 90.  The event is a month-long tournament with one game per night.  The club officers have scheduled eight of these types of events in the second and third month of each quarter.  In the first month of each quarter, the club holds special events.  January is Speed Chess.  April and July are Quick-rated and Dual rated.  Finally, October is the City Chess Championship, which will be in its 54th year.

The new schedule has stabilized attendance.  We don't seem to have the wild swings in numbers we used to have.  However, last week was an exception.  But a good one.  For the first time in several years, the Colorado Springs Chess Club had to use three pages for the wall chart.  That means we had over 20 players in the monthly event!

With so many games going on last week, my usual job of going over all the games is getting a little more time consuming.  However, it gives me a lot of choices for the Game Of The Week.

I found one I liked from Joey Arispe vs Ayush Vispute.  When I entered the game into my computer, I was surprised that a Knight was hanging for so long.  Sometimes when you enter a game into the computer, you guess at the moves rather than read them from the score sheet because the moves look so automatic.  When you go back to reading the moves you realize that the game you entered makes no sense since the players didn't play the automatic moves.

It turns out the Knight is not an automatic capture.  There is a better threat.

There is a story about Aron Nimzowitsch that when an opponent laid an unlit cigar on the table, he complained to the tournament arbiters, "He is threatening to smoke, and as an old player you must know that the threat is stronger than the execution."

White to move

The Threat Is Stronger Than The Execution

[Event "March Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2018.03.13"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Vispute, Ayush"]
[Black "Arispe, Joey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1209"]
[BlackElo "1123"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2018.03.06"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. cxd4 e6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Nc3 d5 7. e5 Nd7 8. Bd3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. a3 b6 12. b4 f6 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qxc6 Rb8 15. Qxd5+ Kh8 16. e6 Rb7 17. Ba6 Rc7 18. Bxc8 Qxc8 19. exd7 Rxd7 20. Qe6 g5 21. d5 Kg7 22. Rd1 Bd6 23. Nd4 Be5 24. Nf5+ Kh7 25. Rb1 Re8 26. Nd6 Rxd6 27. Qf7+ Kh8 28. Qxa7 Bd4 29. Bxg5 Qc2 30. Rbc1 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 hxg5 32. Qc7 Be5 33. Qf7 Rdd8 34. Qh5+ Kg7 35. d6 Bxd6 36. Rf1 Qh4 37. Qxh4 gxh4 38. Rc6 Be5 39. Rxb6 Rd2 40. Rb7+ Kg6 41. a4 Rb8 42. Rxb8 Bxb8 43. a5 Rb2 44. a6 Rxb4 45. Ra1 Ba7 46. g3 hxg3 47. hxg3 Kg5 48. Kg2 Kg4 49. Ra2 f5 50. Ra1 Rb2+ 51. Kf1 Kxg3 52. Ra3+ Kg4 53. Ke1 f4 54. Kf1 f3 55. Ra1 Rh2 56. Ra4+ Kg3 57. Rg4+ Kxg4 58. Ke1 Kf4 59. Kd1 Ke3 60. Kc1 Kd3 61. Kb1 Kc3 62. Ka1 Kb3 63. Kb1 Rh1# 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=112299

This Week In Chess

On March 13th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club continued its March Swiss 90 (4SS, G90+30).

Standings. March Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Tot Prize

1 Brian Jo Rountree 1854 W9 W8 2.0
2 Calvin P Dejong 1837 W11 D3 1.5
3 Paul D Anderson 2045 W18 D2 1.5
4 Josh S Bloomer 2353 H--- W10 1.5
5 Daniel Herman 2107 H--- W15 1.5
6 Sara Herman 1942 H--- W16 1.5
7 Michael St Filppu 1654 W19 H--- 1.5
8 Mark McGough 1804 W12 L1 1.0
9 Scott Ch Williams 1203 L1 W19 1.0
10 Dean W Brown 1422 W21 L4 1.0
11 Joseph Reininger 1193 L2 W21 1.0
12 Joey Arispe 1123 L8 W20 1.0
13 Peter Barlay 1925 W20 U--- 1.0
14 Shirley Herman 1115 U--- W18 1.0
15 Edward D Boldt 1836 H--- L5 0.5
16 Michael Smith II 1644 H--- L6 0.5
17 Austin Cl Harbach 1576 H--- U--- 0.5
18 Clinton D Eads 1250 L3 L14 0.0
19 Grayson Ed Harris 1002 L7 L9 0.0
20 Ayush Pan Vispute 1209 L13 L12 0.0
21 Lawrence R Osborn 974 L10 L11 0.0

Remove The Attacker

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's August Swiss 90.  It will be a five round event this month and good preparation for our city championship coming up in October.

A couple of Brians met for the first time.  One is a regular at the club and this time control.  One is new to slow chess.  One has over 1,000 rated chess games under his belt.  One has 4 games in the bank.  One has been playing USCF chess for close to 25 years.  One has just started.

Despite the glaring difference in experience, the newby decided to castle opposite from the veteran.  Chess games where the Kings are located on different sides of the board are often a race to see which player can Pawn Storm the other player's King the fastest.  The veteran won that race.

With open files pointing towards the King and pieces pouring in the holes, the old Brian put the pressure on the new Brian to see how well he could rally his defence.

While chess tactics are most commonly thought of as offensive weapons, similar ideas can be used as defensive weapons.  A chess player can remove the defender to gain material or get to the King. However, when too many of your opponent's pieces are assembling around your King, it just might be time to deploy the counter measures.

See if you can find the moves to salvage this position.

White to move

Remove The Attacker

[Event "August Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2017.08.01"]
[Round "1.5"]
[White "Baum, Brian"]
[Black "Rountree, Brian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "643"]
[BlackElo "1856"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2017.08.01"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e3 e5 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. Ne2 Bd6 5. b3 Ne7 6. Bb2 Be6 7. d4 e4 8. Nbc3 O-O 9. Qd2 b5 10. Nf4 Nd7 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. O-O-O a5 13. a4 Bb4 14. Qe2 Nb6 15. axb5 a4 16. Bh3 Rf6 17. bxc6 axb3 18. Qb5 Ba3 19. Qxb3 Nc4 20. Na4 Bxb2+ 21. Nxb2 Ra1# 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=111016

This Week In Chess

On August 1st, the Colorado Springs Chess Club started the August Swiss 90 (5SS, G/90+30).

Standings. August Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Tot Prize

1 Paul D Anderson 2001 W7 1.0
2 Aleksand Bozhenov 1994 W8 1.0
3 Peter Barlay 1912 W9 1.0
4 Mark McGough 1876 W10 1.0
5 Brian Jo Rountree 1856 W11 1.0
6 Michael Smith II 1573 W12 1.0
7 Derek Eskeldson 1270 L1 0.0
8 Scott Ch Williams 1233 L2 0.0
9 Clinton D Eads 1229 L3 0.0
10 Daniel J Rupp 989 L4 0.0
11 Brian Henry Baum 643 L5 0.0
12 Douglas N Clark 159 L6 0.0

Game Of The Year XIII

End Of The Season

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Well, another chess season has come to a close for me.  It is time for me to move on to managing the website for my other hobby (https://spamfootball.blogspot.com/), but I will return after the football season ends.  Before I go, I wanted to clean up some loose ends.

Of course, you can still send in news items or articles during the off-season, and I will email them along to the subscribers.  Any games I receive will be stored at the Colorado Springs Chess News’ Yahoo! group.  You can also join the group to keep receiving chess games all year round.

So, before I finish typing my chess thoughts for another year, I want to thank all the people who sent in games and articles, all the people who took the time to tell me something nice about the newsletter, and all the people who take the time to read this.

Game Of The Year

Usually at this time, I look over the past year's statistics to see if it was a good or bad year for me.  Looking over the statistics helps me get past the bad feelings that linger from my losses.  They bring me back into balance and force me to look at what I did right and what I did wrong.  While 2015 sets some records, this year looks to be an off year:

• 2053 peak USCF rating (record: 2015 - 2102)
• 2055 peak BLITZ rating (record: 2015 - 2055)
• 2054 peak CLUB rating (record: 2013 - 2127)
• 71.43% USCF winning percentage (record: 2012 - 79.31%)
• 74.14% CLUB winning percentage (record: 2013 - 87.86%)
• 18 projected prizes won (record: 2014 - 20)
• 23 projected USCF-rated wins (record: 2013 - 75.5)
• 1 upset (record: 2001 - 6)

However, I found a new report on the USCF website that can quickly give you an idea of how the year went.  The nice thing is that I still have to the end of the year to make this a positive year.

Year, Peak Rating, Gain

1998 1680 +
1999 1580 -
2000 1567 -
2001 1695 +
2002 1757 +
2003 1772 +
2004 1805 +
2005 1864 +
2006 1882 +
2007 1897 +
2008 1962 +
2009 2003 +
2010 1977 -
2011 2000 +
2012 2043 +
2013 2058 +
2014 2098 +
2015 2102 +
2016 2053 ?

Total: 15 positive years and 3 negative years

So, as far as my favorite game of the year goes, the obvious choice would be the one upset I had this year.  The problem is that I have already published that game when I was trying to help promote the chess movie:  The Dark Horse (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-dark-horse.html).  It was supposed to be re-released in some select cities this year.

However, the movie was like my chess upsets; never to be seen again.

Without any other good wins from which to choose, I decided it was time to pick a draw for the Game Of The Year.  This will be the first time I have chosen one of my draws for the game of the year.  However, it was not without excitement, as I missed my best shot at a win.

White to move

I was playing Alex Bozhenov on board one at the Colorado Springs Chess Club's monthly event.  I thought he played well and felt that I had messed up the ending when he caught me by surprise getting a Passed Pawn on move 42.  I tried not to panic and use my time advantage to solve the problem he had given me.

I thought I had figured out a way to salvage a draw.  He was very low in time and had a naked King.  So, I am sure he was happy with a draw.  I, however, was not convinced I had given up the victory, but I was very nervous that I would push for a win and blunder the draw.  I have done this before.  Typically, this happens when I use up my time advantage and fall below my opponent on the clock.

I decided to keep pressing for the win despite falling behind in time and allowing his Pawn to get one square away from Promotion because I had a 30 second increment.  My clock would get under 1 minute, but I would make a move and jump back over a minute.  It was giving me a false sense of security.  I thought I could go on like this forever.

I gained a 2 Pawn Advantage and thought I had to have a win somehow.  But I tried to remind myself to hold the draw.  I found myself in the position below with seconds clicking off the clock.

I was tortured by being up 2 Pawns.  I had always thought somebody said, "Two Paws are winning." How could I offer a draw?

Finally, I decided this position was above my pay grade.  I was going to have to leave it in the hands of the long-drawn-out-endgame masters, DuWayne Langseth and LM Brian Wall.

I wasn't going to figure this out with just 30 seconds to think or by making random moves.  So, I tried to remember the rules about making a draw offer.  In my case, it was a little more difficult because I have to take off my headphones and my opponent doesn't speak English.

After offering the draw, I almost forgot to hit my clock.  When I finally pressed the button, I realized I was at 1 second.

Game Of The Year XIII

[Event "August Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2016.08.09"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Anderson, Paul"]
[Black "Bozhenov, Alex"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2036"]
[BlackElo "1955"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2016.08.02"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c6 4. c3 d5 5. Nd2 Nxd2 6. Qxd2 Bf5 7. Nf3 h6 8. e3 e6 9. Be2 Be7 10. O-O Nd7 11. Rfc1 O-O 12. c4 Nf6 13. h3 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. b4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Rad8 17. Qb2 Nd5 18. a3 a6 19. Ne5 f6 20. Nd3 b6 21. Ne1 Kh8 22. Nf3 b5 23. Bxd5 cxd5 24. Rc5 Bd3 25. Qc3 Bc4 26. Nh4 Rf7 27. Nf3 Re8 28. a4 bxa4 29. Rxa4 e5 30. Raa5 e4 31. Nd2 Bb5 32. Nb1 Rb7 33. Na3 Reb8 34. Nxb5 Rxb5 35. Raxb5 Rxb5 36. Rxb5 axb5 37. Qc5 Qd7 38. Kh2 Kh7 39. f3 f5 40. Kg3 g5 41. Qb6 f4+ 42. exf4 e3 43. fxg5 hxg5 44. Qf6 Qc7+ 45. f4 gxf4+ 46. Kf3 Qc2 47. Qf7+ Kh8 48. Qh5+ Kg7 49. Qe5+ Kh7 50. Qh5+ Kg7 51. Qg4+ Kh7 52. Kxf4 e2 53. Qh5+ Kg8 54. Qxd5+ Kh7 55. Qh5+ Kg8 56. Qe8+ Kh7 57. Qf7+ Kh6 58. Qf6+ Kh7 59. Qe7+ Kg8 60. Qe6+ Kh7 1/2-1/2

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=108045

This Week In Chess

On September 6th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club hosted the September Swiss 90 (4SS, G/90+30, $10 entry).  12 players joined the event.

Standings. September

# Name ID Rtng Rd 1 Tot Prize

1 Josh S Bloomer 12626102 2276 W7 1.0
2 Paul D Anderson 12728345 2036 W8 1.0
3 Mitchell Anderson 12788878 1991 W9 1.0
4 Aleksand Bozhenov 15525004 1955 W10 1.0
5 Peter Barlay 14700831 1890 W11 1.0
6 Mark McGough 11366481 1809 W12 1.0
7 Brian Jo Rountree 12477167 1801 L1 0.0
8 Dean W Brown 10224098 1400 L2 0.0
9 Daniel J Rupp 15768473 921 L3 0.0
10 Douglas N Clark 15941617 379 L4 0.0
11 Ken Ahlstrom unr. L5 0.0
12 Rob Lorenzen 16065265 unr. L6 0.0

Russian Gold

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Tuesday night event at the Colorado Springs Chess Club:  August Swiss 90.  We had 8 players join the tournament.  So, as TD (tournament director), I had 4 games to choose from for the Game Of The Week.

Of course, one of the games was mine.  While Alex Freeman played a great game, I ended up winning after dropping a Pawn in the middle game.  So, I didn't want to publish another win of mine, as I have had plenty of my victories already published this year.  In fact, I am 2 games behind on my goal of published losses of mine.  Maybe next week I will get one of those out of the way.

I decided I liked the game from Alex Bozhenov the best.  He is a Russian that visited Colorado Springs last year when his daughter got married and became an American citizen.

Alex Bozhenov receives a shirt

The Russians have been getting a lot of negative press about doping and cheating recently.  I thought that they could use some good press.  While the International Olympic Committee left it up to me to allow Alex to play in Tuesday's event, I have no reason to believe that he has been using performance enhancing drugs and allowed him to compete.

After my game with Alex Freeman, he would be the one I would most suspect.

Anyway, the toughest part of picking the Game Of The Week is reading the score sheets.  As I was entering Alex's game, I put in the wrong fourth move.  My instinct was different than what Alex played.  Soon I realized my choice couldn't work with the rest of the moves.  So, I had to go back and fix it.  However, I was curious if my choice was better.

So, I let the computer run on this golden position.  What is your instinct?

White to move

Russian Gold

[Event "August Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2016.08.02"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Bozhenov, Alex"]
[Black "Carson, Anthea"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C29"]
[WhiteElo "1929"]
[BlackElo "1739"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2016.08.02"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 Bb4 4. fxe5 Bxc3 5. bxc3 Nxe4 6. Nf3 Ng5 7. d4 Nxf3+ 8. Qxf3 O-O 9. Bc4 Nc6 10. O-O Qe7 11. Qg3 Kh8 12. Bg5 Qe8 13. Rf6 Ne7 14. Raf1 d5 15. exd6 Nf5 16. R6xf5 Bxf5 17. Rxf5 cxd6 18. h3 Rc8 19. Bd3 f6 20. Bd2 g6 21. Rd5 Rd8 22. Rxd6 Rxd6 23. Qxd6 Qd8 24. Qxd8 Rxd8 25. a4 a6 26. Be4 Rd7 27. Kf2 Kg7 28. Ke3 f5 29. Bf3 Kf6 30. c4 g5 31. c5 f4+ 32. Kd3 h6 33. c4 Rc7 34. Ba5 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=107707

This Week In Chess

On August 2nd, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held a USCF event (6SS, G/90+30).  8 players joined.

Standings. August Swiss 90

# Name ID Rtng Rd 1 Tot Prize

1 Paul D Anderson 12728345 2036 W6 1.0
2 Aleksand Bozhenov 15525004 1929 W7 1.0
3 Mark McGough 11366481 1809 W8 1.0
4 Brian Jo Rountree 12477167 1829 D5 0.5
5 Calvin P Dejong 15617641 1698 D4 0.5
6 Alexander Freeman 14201087 1775 L1 0.0
7 Anthea Jan Carson 12614322 1739 L2 0.0
8 Douglas N Clark 15941617 379 L3 0.0