P Is For Pin IX

Game Of The Week

A couple years back, I came up with a method to organize chess tactics.  I called it the DROP Method (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2012/03/drop-method.html).  The DROP method is an acronym for the basic kinds of tactics.  It is meant to remind you not to drop your pieces and help you get your opponent to drop theirs.

I said that the DROP Method was a work in progress, and it was.  So, I thought I would revisit each of the four kinds of chess tactics to provide more examples.

• The first kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Discovery, which I revisited on May 10th (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2020/05/d-is-for-discovery-viii.html). 
• The second kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Removal, which I revisited on May 17th (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2020/05/r-is-for-removal-ix.html). 
•  The third kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Overload, which I revisited on June 21 (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2020/06/o-is-for-overload-ix.html)

The fourth kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Pin.

Pin is a chess move that immobilizes an opponent's piece.

The Pin is different from the other kinds of tactics in that it does not create multiple threats.  Its main function is to prevent a piece from moving.  A Pin on a target allows that target to be attacked by a lower value piece.  A Pin on a support allows the capture of the piece the support is guarding.

“The pin is mightier than the sword.”

Fred Reinfeld

The Pin works by threatening a low value piece that has a higher value piece (or an unguarded piece) behind it.  The low value piece is stuck (as if with a pin) to the higher value piece due to the loss of material should the low value piece move and allow the capture of the higher value piece.

If the higher value piece is the King, the low value piece is absolutely immobilized, as the rules of Chess do not allow moves where the King could be captured.  Otherwise the Pin is relative, as the opponent can actually move the low value piece if he is willing to accept the loss of material.  The other types of Pins are rare:

• Absolute (Pins a target to the King)
• Relative (Pins a low value target to a higher value piece)
• Cross (Multiple Pins on one piece)
• Cross-check (blocks check and counter-checks)

Here is an example from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's Sunday-night event:  CSCC Killer Bloodgood Rapid Online.  Alex Bozhenov was going for his first medal in our online summer games and trying to stay unbeaten in Rapid time control.  However, LM Brian Wall was trying to take the lead in the medal count and grabbed a Pawn in the opening.  Alex had a golden shot to win the game but picked the 2nd best move and ended up with the silver.

White to move

P Is For Pin IX

[Event "CSCC Killer Bloodgood Rapid Online"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2020.07.12"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Bozhenov, Alex"]
[Black "Wall, Brian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "1808"]
[BlackElo "1946"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2020.07.12"]
[TimeControl "600+10"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. d4 c5 6. Be2 d5 7. O-O Nc6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Qxd4 Bxd4 14. Rb1 b6 15. Bh6 Rd8 16. Rfc1 Rd7 17. Bb5 Bc5 18. Bxd7 Bxd7 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Be6 21. Rb2 Kg7 22. Rc7 Kf6 23. Kf2 g5 24. h3 h5 25. Kf3 h4 26. a4 Ke5 27. Rxe7 Kd6 28. Rb7 Kc6 29. Re7 Kd6 30. Rb7 Kc6 31. Re7 Kd6 1/2-1/2

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=115616

This Week In Chess

On July 12th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held the CSCC Killer Bloodgood Rapid Online event (4SS, G/10+10).

https://www.chess.com/tournament/live/cscc-killer-bloodgood-rapid-online-1313555

Place, CSCC Killer Bloodgood (4SS, G/10+10), Score

1 "#1 NM BrianWall (1958)" 3.5
2 "#2 bozhenoff (1788)" 3.0
3 "#3 cschessnews (1694)" 2.5
4 "#4 JJ7X (1771)" 2.0
5 "#5 KingVed (1471)" 2.0
6 "#6 Czechmate1972 (1569)" 2.0
7 "#7 CosmicNovaGalaxy (1342)" 1.0
8 "#8 liencam2 (1180)" 0.0
9 "- Navajo36us80917 (1130)" 1.0
10 "- msmcgough (1487)" 0.0

O Is For Overload IX

Game Of The Week

A couple years back, I came up with a method to organize chess tactics.  I called it the DROP Method (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2012/03/drop-method.html).  The DROP method is an acronym for the basic kinds of tactics.  It is meant to remind you not to drop your pieces and help you get your opponent to drop theirs.

I said that the DROP Method was a work in progress, and it was.  So, I thought I would revisit each of the four kinds of chess tactics to provide more examples.  The first kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Discovery, which I revisited on May 10th (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2020/05/d-is-for-discovery-viii.html).  The second kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Removal, which I revisited on May 17th (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2020/05/r-is-for-removal-ix.html).  The third kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Overload.

Overload is a chess move that attacks a target.

The Overload is played when the player creates a threat on a target that cannot be defended.  The classic example is choosing a target and piling more attackers on it than supports the defender can muster.  When the number of attackers are greater than the number of supports, material can be won through a series of captures.  Each capture creates a new target until the final support is exhausted and an unguarded target appears.

However, the Overload is, perhaps, the most broad kind of tactic.  Not only does it use multiple attackers on one target, but also it uses a single attacker on multiple targets.  The idea is the same:  to gain a target than cannot be defended.  So, most players will become familiar with the different types of Overload:

• Battery (Overload with multiple attackers on a file or diagonal)
• Fork (Overload with multiple targets by the Knight)
• Double Attack (Overload with multiple targets by the other pieces)
• Over-Worked Piece (Overload with multiple targets)
• Skewer (Overload with multiple targets where a high value piece is in front)

Here is a position from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's Corona, No Lime Rapid Online tournament. Since it is Father's Day, I chose one of my losses.  This one came at the hands of LM Brian Wall.  Sort of.  Part of the reason I lost was my blindness to the Overload tactic, which I finally saw on my fourth attempt.  See if you can spot it right away.

White to move

O Is For Overload IX

[Event "CSCC Corona, No Lime Online"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2020.04.26"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Anderson, Paul"]
[Black "Wall, Brian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D05"]
[WhiteElo "1728"]
[BlackElo "1911"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2020.04.26"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]

1. d4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. O-O d5 7. Bb5+ Nbd7 8. Ne5 a6 9. Be2 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Nd7 11. f4 Be7 12. Na3 O-O 13. Nc2 f6 14. exf6 gxf6 15. Bg4 f5 16. Be2 Nf6 17. Ne1 Ne4 18. Nf3 Bf6 19. Nd2 Kh8 20. Nxe4 fxe4 21. Bg4 e5 22. fxe5 Bxe5 23. Rxf8+ Qxf8 24. Qe2 Qd6 25. g3 Rf8 26. Bd2 d4 27. cxd4 cxd4 28. Rb1 d3 29. Qe1 Bd5 30. b3 Qa3 31. Bc3 Qd6 32. Rc1 Kg8 33. Bb4 Qf6 34. Bxf8 Kxf8 35. Qf2 Ke7 36. Qxf6+ Kxf6 37. Kf2 a5 38. Rc8 Bd6 39. Rd8 Ke5 40. Rh8 a4 41. Bd1 a3 42. Rxh7 Kf6 43. Rh6+ Ke7 44. h4 Bc6 45. g4 Bb5 46. Rxd6 Kxd6 47. Ke1 Bd7 48. Kd2 Be6 49. Kc3 Kc5 50. h5 b5 51. g5 b4+ 52. Kd2 Kd6 53. Ke1 Ke5 54. g6 Kf6 55. Kf2 Kg5 56. Kg3 Bd5 57. Bg4 Bxb3 58. axb3 Kh6 59. Bf5 d2 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=115541

This Week In Chess

On June 14th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held the CSCC Killer Pawn Rapid Online event (3SS, G/10+10).

https://www.chess.com/tournament/live/cscc-killer-pawn-rapid-online-1258826

Place, CSCC Killer Pawn (3SS, G/10+10), Score

1 "#1JJ7X (1840)" 3.0
2 "#2CosmicNovaGalaxy (1323)" 2.0
3 "#3cschessnews (1784)" 2.0
4 "#3RayFchess (1647)" 2.0
5 "#5linuxguy1 (1550)" 1.0
6 "#6HermitCrab0 (1464)" 1.0
7 "#7bestatcheckers7 (1498)" 1.0
8 "#8KingVed (1453)" 0.0

New Mexico Chess Champions: Josh Bloomer

Game Of The Week

By Matt Grinberg

Josh Bloomer won the 2017 New Mexico Open Chess Championship and was thus declared the New Mexico Chess Champion.  He took clear first place with 5.5 out of 6 and raised his rating to an impressive 2326.  His one draw was against Jesse Vicario of Las Cruces in the first round.  In clear second place with 5 was Brian Wall.  Brian lost the fourth round encounter with Josh, but won all his other games.

The outcome was a little unusual since both Josh and Brian live in Colorado.  States that decide their state championship in an open tournament usually specify that while the high scorer is the winner of the tournament, the state champion is the highest scoring player who resides in the state.  That was not done in this case, so Josh was rightfully declared the New Mexico State Chess Champion for 2017.

I had hoped to get a game played by Josh from the 2107 New Mexico Open, but apparently the score sheets were lost along with the NMCO computer that disappeared.  I thought I could get a game by contacting Josh, but an attempt through Facebook got no response.  So, I checked online and found the game below played between Josh Bloomer (White) and Brian Wall (Black) at the 2017 Fall Classic in Denver a month before they finished first and second in the New Mexico Open.  It is curious that the results of the Fall Classic mirrored the results of the New Mexico Open.  Here too Josh finished first giving up only a first round draw and Brian finished second losing only to Josh in round 4.

The game is fascinating!  The opening quickly goes out of book, typical for Brian, but the position looks normal, when Brian hands to Josh a common sacrifice that seems to force a win.  Brian manages to survive the initial onslaught, but when the dust settles Josh is a pawn up with a dominating center and Brian's king is still exposed - seemingly a clear win if Josh simply presses the attack in the center.

But then the game takes another unusual turn.  With all the major pieces on the board and bishops of opposite color and given the nature of the position, conventional wisdom would be that Josh should avoid exchanging major pieces and press home his attack.  The last thing he should do is trade off into a bishops of opposite color endgame where his extra pawn likely would not be enough to win.  And yet Josh deliberately heads for the bishop endgame!

I cannot say that the resulting endgame was a theoretical draw, but it is certainly difficult to find any winning plan other than waiting for Black to make a mistake.  On the other hand, if that was Josh's plan, it worked.  After a lot of maneuvering around, Brian finally makes the mistake that allows Josh's king to get into his position.

Pirc Defense

1. d4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. e4 d6 4. Bc4 c6 5. Nbd2 d5 6. Bb3 dxe4 7. Nxe4

7... Nd7??

This move amazes me.  Any experienced player would know that you cannot play Nd7 in a position like this.  It invites Josh's sacrifice on the next move because it blocks Black's queen bishop, thus making the e6 square weak.  I have no doubt that an experienced master like Brian is aware of this, but he does it anyway.  Brian has a reputation for playing unusual, provocative moves in the opening, but this is a bit much.

[White has a small edge due to his better center after 7... Nf6 8. Nxf6 Bxf6 9. O-O Bg4 10. Re1 O-O]

White to move

8. Bxf7!

[Also winning is the delayed sacrifice.  8. Neg5 Nh6 9. Bxf7! Nxf7 10. Ne6 Qb6 11. Nxg7 Kf8 12. Ne6 Kg8 13. O-O Black is down a pawn and his position is completely disrupted]

8... Kxf7 9. Nfg5!?

[9. Neg5 is better since it retains the option of playing the king knight to e5. 9... Ke8 10. Ne6 Qb6 11. Nxg7 Kf7 12. Ne6 h6 13. Qe2 Qb4 14. Bd2 Qd6 15. Nf4 Nf8 16. Ne5 With an extra pawn, better development and Black's king on the run, White is winning]

9... Ke8 10. Ne6

The reason 7... Nd7 was so bad is it blocked Black's queen bishop, thus making this move possible.

10... Qb6 11. Nxg7 Kf7

Oops!  The knight is trapped!  Perhaps Brian was correct in playing this line after all.

12. Ne6! h6

[Sorry, you can't win back the piece. 12... Kxe6?? 13. Ng5 Kd6 (13... Kf6 14. Qf3 Kg7 15. Qf7 Kh6 16. Ne4 Kh5 (16... g5 17. Bxg5#) 17. Qf3 Kh4 18. Bg5#) 14. Bf4 e5 15. dxe5 1-0, Borngaesser Rene (GER) 2345 - Lodes Hermann (GER) 2147, Germany 1989 15... Ke7 (15... Kc7 16. Ne6 Kb8 17. Qd6 Qc7 18. Qxc7#) 16. Qd6 Kd8 (16... Ke8 17. Qe6 Ne7 (17... Kd8 18. Nf7 Kc7 19. Qd6#) 18. Qf7 Kd8 19. Ne6#) 17. O-O-O c5 18. Ne6 Ke8 19. Nc7 Qxc7 (19... Kd8 20. Bg5 Ne7 21. Bxe7#; 19... Kf7 20. e6 Kf6 21. Ne8 Kf5 22. Rd5 Ne5 23. Qxe5 Kg4 24. Qg5#) 20. Qxc7 White wins]

13. Nf4

[The following is the only other game I know of in this line.  The end of the game is kind of nutty.  White is two pawns up and they are connected passed pawns on the queenside.  Plus White has two more pawns which could be decisive if he can divert Black into defending against the passed pawns.  Yes, the bishop on the open board is better than the knight and Black's king is better than White's king. But I can't see how that compensates for the connected passed pawns.  Even if White were to lose the passed pawns, he is in no danger of losing.  So why did he agree to a draw??? 13. N4c5 Nxc5 14. Nxc5 Nf6 15. O-O Bf5 16. Qe2 Rae8 17. Qc4 Nd5 18. c3 e5 19. dxe5 Rxe5 20. Bf4 Ree8 21. b4 Qb5 22. Qxb5 cxb5 23. Be3 Nxe3 24. fxe3 Kg7 25. Rae1 Re7 26. e4 Rhe8 27. Nxb7 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Bxe4 29. Nd6 Re6 30. Nxb5 Bd3 31. Nd4 Ra6 32. Rf2 Ra3 33. Nb3 Bb1 34. Rf1 Bf5 35. h3 Rxa2 36. Ra1 Rxa1 37. Nxa1 Kf6 38. Nb3 Be4 39. Nd4 Bd5 40. Nb5 Bc4 41. Nxa7 1/2-1/2, Chudinovskikh, Alexander M (RUS) 2263 - Jansen, Christof (LUX) 2250 , Brno 6/26/2012 It "Duras Open"]

13... Ngf6 14. Nxf6 Nxf6 15. O-O g5 16. Ne2 Bf5 17. Ng3 Bd7?!

Moving the bishop away from the exposed king does not look good.  The king needs all the help he can get.

[Better is 17... Bg6 but even then White has an extra pawn, safer king and better pawn structure]

18. c3 Rae8 19. Re1 Bc8 20. b3 Qd8 21. Qe2 Qd7 22. Bb2 Qg4 23. f3 Qd7 24. Ne4 Nxe4 25. fxe4 Qg4

White has an extra pawn, a dominating center well supported by his pieces and Black's king is still exposed.  The one problem White has is the bishops of opposite color, which makes a win difficult if the major pieces come off the board.  Consequently conventional wisdom would say that White should avoid exchanging major pieces and try to win in the middle game.

26. c4!?

As with Brian's 7th move, this amazes me.  Unlike Brian's move, I can't say this is a mistake, but Josh clearly doesn't believe in conventional wisdom.  The following sequence makes it clear that Josh not only doesn't fear the bishops of opposite color endgame, he actually is playing for a win by trading off to a bishops of opposite color endgame!

There may have been a good reason for this.  The time control was G90+30 and he may have already been short of time.  Josh may have been thinking that trying to win with the major pieces on the board was just too risky.  He may have judged that a substantial risk of a draw in the bishops of opposite endgame was better than a small risk of a loss in the middle game.

[Better is 26. Qe3 Kg6 27. d5! a6 28. c4! Here comes the attack!]

26... Qxe2 27. Rxe2 Rhf8 28. Rf1!?

He continues the plan of trading the major pieces.

[28. d5 is a good alternative]

28... Kg8 29. Ref2 Rxf2 30. Rxf2 Rf8 31. Rxf8!?

The last pair of rooks comes off the board.

[I would prefer 31. Re2 Bg4 32. Re3;

or 31. Rd2 Bd7 32. d5 But it is hard to see how either would lead to a win anyway]

31... Kxf8

So here we are in the bishops of opposite color endgame Josh aimed for.  He still has an extra pawn and a strong center, but there is no clear winning plan.  The problem is that Black's bishop dominates the light squares.  Even if White manages to create a passed pawn, White's king and bishop will easily blockade it.  The next phase of the game sees Josh jockeying for position, but with no detectable plan other than waiting for Brian to make a mistake.

32. Kf2 Bg4 33. Ke3 e6 34. Ba3 Ke8 35. Bd6 Bd1 36. Kd2 Bh5 37. Bb8 a6 38. Be5 Bg6 39. Ke3 h5?!

Black is worried about the two pawns on the same color square as White's bishop, but advancing the pawns when his king and bishop have limited scope has its own risks.

[39... Kf7 is better.  White's bishop is only a threat to Black's kingside pawns while it is e5.  But with Black's king on f7, that is not a threat anyway.  Nor can White's king attack with the bishop on e5 because the king is tied down to defending the e-pawn]

40. g4!?

White hopes he can win both of Black's kingside pawns by giving up the g-pawn.  But it isn't there.

[If White wants to win he should avoid trading off pawns, which only makes the defense easier.  After 40. Bf6 g4 Black's bishop is perpetually tied to the defense of the h-pawn and the squares f4, e5 and g5 have been opened to an invasion by White's king]

40... hxg4 41. Bf6 g3!

A clever move!  He sets up a position where White will not be able to win both pawns without giving up his e-pawn.

42. hxg3 g4

The g-pawn is secure!  If Whites takes it with his king, he will lose his e-pawn.  If he moves the e-pawn forward, then Black's bishop can defend both of his weak pawns from f5.  But on the other hand, with the pawn no longer on g5 the path is now open for White's king to invade via f4.  This is why the whole idea of playing h5 was dubious.

43. Kf4 Bh7 44. Ke5 Kd7 45. a3

With Black's king stuck on d7 and his bishop stuck on g6 and h7, White now embarks on a plan of simply advancing his queenside pawns.  He hopes to either find a way to break through or set up a better position for going after Black's g-pawn.

45... Bg6 46. Bg5 Bh7 47. Bd2 Bg6 48. Bb4 Bh7 49. Bc5 Bg6 50. Kf4 Ke8 51. a4 Bh7 52. a5 Bg6 53. Bd6 Bh7 54. b4 Kd7 55. c5 Ke8

56. Kxg4!

The only way to play for a win.

56... Bxe4 57. Kf4

Now Black has to defend against two serious threats - the advance of the passed g-pawn and an invasion of White's king to attack the b-pawn.  This plus the need to defend the e-pawn will stretch Black's king and bishop to the limit.

57... Bd3 58. Ke5 Kf7 59. Bc7 Bb5?

White's king will now be able to get at Black's queenside pawns.

[He has to stop the invasion of White's king!  59... Ke7 60. Bd6 Kf7 61. g4 Advancing the g-pawn does White no good because Black's king and bishop will always control g6. 61... Bc4 62. Bc7 Ke7 63. g5 Bd3 64. Bd6 Kf7 65. Kf4 Bh7 66. Be5 Bc2 67. Bf6 Ke8 68. Kg4 Bd1 White cannot make progress]

60. Bd8?

As soon as he has it, White lets the win slip away again.

[While he has the chance, he must play 60. Kd6 Kf6 61. Kd7 Bf1 62. Be5 Kf7 63. Kc7 Bb5 64. Kxb7 White will win as in the game]

60... Be2?

The third successive bad move.  This time Josh doesn't let Brian off the hook.

[Black just barely holds after 60... Ke8! 61. Bh4 Kd7 62. g4 Bc4 63. Kf6 Ke8 64. Kg7 Be2 65. g5 Bb5 66. g6 Bd3 67. Be1 Be4 68. Kf6 Bd5 69. g7 e5!  Black gives up another pawn, but still holds because of bishops of opposite color.  70. Kxe5 (70. dxe5 Kd7= The position is drawn so long as Black keeps his king on d7 or e6 and his bishop on the a2 to g8 diagonal.  If White tries to promote the g-pawn by playing Kg6, Black stops him by playing Bg8, and if he tries to advance the e-pawn, Black will always be able to take with the bishop if White's king is defending e6 and he will always be able to take with the king if White's king is elsewhere) 70... Kd7 71. Kf6 Bg8 72. Kg6 Ke6 73. Bg3 Kd7 74. Bf4 Ke6 75. Be5 Ke7 76. d5 Ke8! Whether he takes, pushes or just leaves the pawn where it is, White still cannot make progress]

61. Kd6 Bd1 62. Kc7 Be2 63. Kxb7

Black is two pawns down, all his pawns are weak and White still has that pesky passed g-pawn.  In spite of the bishops of opposite colors, White wins.

63... Bb5 64. Bc7 Kf6 65. Be5 Ke7 66. Kc7 Ba4 67. g4 Bb5 68. g5 Kf7

[68... Ba4 69. Kb6 Bb5 70. g6!  Kf8 The king is forced to give way. 71. Bf6 Now the king can no longer defend the e-pawn. 71... Kg8 72. Kb7 Kf8 (72... Bd3 73. Kxc6 Bxg6 74. Be5 Kf7 75. Kd7 The c-pawn will cost Black his bishop) 73. Kc7 Ba4 74. Kd6 White wins because Black can no longer defend all the pawns]

69. Kd6 Ba4 70. g6 Kxg6 71. Kxe6 Bb5 72. Kd6 Kf7 73. d5! Ke8

[Or 73... cxd5 74. c6 Ke8 75. c7 Bd7 76. b5 Bc8 77. b6 Bb7 78. Ba1 Kf7 79. Kd7 d4 80. Bxd4 Kf8 81. c8=Q Bxc8 82. Kxc8 White wins]

74. Bf6 cxd5 75. c6 d4 76. c7 Bd7 77. Bxd4 Bc8 78. Kc6 Ke7 79. Be5 Ke6 80. Bg3 Ke7 81. Kb6 Kd7 82. Be5 Ke6 83. Bc3 Kd6 84. Bd2 Kd7 85. Bf4 Ke6 86. b5! One of White's pawns will queen. Black resigns. [1:0]

New Mexico Chess Champions: Josh Bloomer

[Event "Fall Classic"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2017.10.08"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Bloomer, Josh"]
[Black "Wall, Brian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2305"]
[BlackElo "2291"]
[PlyCount "171"]
[EventDate "2017.10.07"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. d4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. e4 d6 4. Bc4 c6 5. Nbd2 d5 6. Bb3 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nd7 8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. Nfg5+ Ke8 10. Ne6 Qb6 11. Nxg7+ Kf7 12. Ne6 h6 13. Nf4 Ngf6 14. Nxf6 Nxf6 15. O-O g5 16. Ne2 Bf5 17. Ng3 Bd7 18. c3 Rae8 19. Re1 Bc8 20. b3 Qd8 21. Qe2 Qd7 22. Bb2 Qg4 23. f3 Qd7 24. Ne4 Nxe4 25. fxe4 Qg4 26. c4 Qxe2 27. Rxe2 Rhf8 28. Rf1+ Kg8 29. Ref2 Rxf2 30. Rxf2 Rf8 31. Rxf8+ Kxf8 32. Kf2 Bg4 33. Ke3 e6 34. Ba3+ Ke8 35. Bd6 Bd1 36. Kd2 Bh5 37. Bb8 a6 38. Be5 Bg6 39. Ke3 h5 40. g4 hxg4 41. Bf6 g3 42. hxg3 g4 43. Kf4 Bh7 44. Ke5 Kd7 45. a3 Bg6 46. Bg5 Bh7 47. Bd2 Bg6 48. Bb4 Bh7 49. Bc5 Bg6 50. Kf4 Ke8 51. a4 Bh7 52. a5 Bg6 53. Bd6 Bh7 54. b4 Kd7 55. c5 Ke8 56. Kxg4 Bxe4 57. Kf4 Bd3 58. Ke5 Kf7 59. Bc7 Bb5 60. Bd8 Be2 61. Kd6 Bd1 62. Kc7 Be2 63. Kxb7 Bb5 64. Bc7 Kf6 65. Be5+ Ke7 66. Kc7 Ba4 67. g4 Bb5 68. g5 Kf7 69. Kd6 Ba4 70. g6+ Kxg6 71. Kxe6 Bb5 72. Kd6 Kf7 73. d5 Ke8 74. Bf6 cxd5 75. c6 d4 76. c7 Bd7 77. Bxd4 Bc8 78. Kc6 Ke7 79. Be5 Ke6 80. Bg3 Ke7 81. Kb6 Kd7 82. Be5 Ke6 83. Bc3 Kd6 84. Bd2 Kd7 85. Bf4 Ke6 86. b5 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=114478

This Missed Week In Chess

On June 25th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club finished 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 Paul D Anderson 1950 W6 W2 W3 W5 4.0 $30.00 1st
2 Mark McGough 1857 W10 L1 W5 W9 3.0 $25.00 2nd + GOW
3 Christophe Motley 1679 W4 W6 L1 U--- 2.0
4 Richard Buchanan 2000 L3 W12 U--- W10 2.0
5 Joey Arispe 1259 W11 H--- L2 L1 1.5 $13.00 U1600/unr
6 Grayson Ed Harris 1534 L1 L3 W9 U--- 1.0
7 William Leo Wolf 1300 U--- W13 U--- U--- 1.0
8 Peter Barlay 1906 W9 U--- U--- U--- 1.0
9 Dean W Brown 1460 L8 D10 L6 L2 0.5
10 Kenneth Macrae 1264 L2 D9 U--- L4 0.5
11 Michael Smith II 1713 L5 H--- U--- U--- 0.5
12 Joseph Griffin 761 U--- L4 U--- U--- 0.0
13 Joy Sato unr. U--- L7 U--- U--- 0.0

The Tortoise And The Raccoon

Game Of The Week

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

A game was planned, and the next day at the Colorado Springs Chess Club they stood at the board.  When the clock was winding down, the tortoise fell asleep because he was trying to stay at two minutes.

When the tortoise awoke, it was Mating.  "How is this possible?" the tortoise asked.

“The rabid raccoon makes King's Gambit players go insane and sacrifice pieces wildly!” 

LM Brian Wall

This week's game comes from Brian Rountree and his chess blog:

"I have to give credit to Mark, he can defend, and likes to combine attack with defense; in almost any irrational position, he whips up a defense and is quick to defend first.  Mark is more at home, when positions break down, than am I."

Black to Mate In 5

The Tortoise And The Raccoon

[Event "May Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2018.05.22"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Rountree, Brian"]
[Black "McGough, Mark"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C34"]
[WhiteElo "1868"]
[BlackElo "1770"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2018.05.01"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 h5 4. Bc4 h4 5. d4 g5 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. O-O Bxc3 8. bxc3 d6 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Nxg5+ Qxg5 11. Bxf4 Qh5 12. Qd3 Kg6 13. Qc4 Nf6 14. e5 Ne8 15. exd6 Nxd6 16. Qxc7 Nf5 17. Rae1 Nc6 18. Bd2 Rh7 19. Qf4 Bd7 20. d5 Nce7 21. c4 Rc8 22. Re4 a6 23. Rb1 b5 24. d6 Ng8 25. c5 Rxc5 26. c3 Nf6 27. Re7 Nxe7 28. dxe7 Rxe7 29. Qd6 Qe5 30. Qd3+ Bf5 31. Qf1 Bxb1 32. Qxb1+ Qe4 33. Qb3 Rd5 34. Qb2 Rxd2 35. Qxd2 Qe3+ 36. Qxe3 Rxe3 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=112702

This Week In Chess

On May 22nd, the Colorado Springs Chess Club finished its 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 Daniel Herman 2056 W8 D9 W4 D2 3.0 $26.75 1st
2 Sara Herman 1995 W15 W3 D5 D1 3.0 $26.75 1st
3 Mark McGough 1770 W21 L2 W14 W5 3.0 $26.75 1st + $5.00 GOW
4 Michael Smith II 1617 W13 W19 L1 W8 3.0 $26.75 1st + $5.00 GOW
5 Brian Jo Rountree 1868 W18 W6 D2 L3 2.5
6 Paul D Anderson 2032 W14 L5 D9 W13 2.5
7 Josh S Bloomer 2328 W11 H--- U--- W10 2.5
8 Clinton D Eads 1310 L1 W21 W13 L4 2.0
9 Calvin P Dejong 1872 W16 D1 D6 U--- 2.0
10 Derek Eskeldson 1302 H--- H--- W17 L7 2.0
11 Christophe Motley 1541 L7 H--- W20 U--- 1.5
12 Ross Inman unr. H--- U--- U--- W19 1.5
13 Lawrence R Osborn 905 L4 W16 L8 L6 1.0 $3.75 U1300
14 Scott Ch Williams 1243 L6 W18 L3 U--- 1.0 $3.75 U1300
15 Joey Arispe 1192 L2 L17 W21 U--- 1.0 $3.75 U1300
16 Ayush Pan Vispute 1185 L9 L13 W18 U--- 1.0 $3.75 U1300 + $5.00 GOW
17 William Leo Wolf 1550 U--- W15 L10 U--- 1.0
18 Shirley Herman 1174 L5 L14 L16 D20 0.5
19 Grayson Ed Harris 1010 H--- L4 U--- L12 0.5
20 Dean W Brown 1598 U--- U--- L11 D18 0.5
21 Daniel J Rupp 973 L3 L8 L15 U--- 0.0

Revengers Insanity War

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the May Swiss 90 event at the Colorado Springs Chess Club.  It was won by my new hero, the Panda! 

For some reason, the Swiss Sys pairing program has to shorten players names, especially those who registered with a middle name.  In this case, it abbreviated Ayush Vispute's middle name to Pan. 

Ayush wanted me to know that was not his real middle name.  I took a stab in the dark and made a guess at what his name could be:  Panda.  It is an inside joke, as many of the abbreviations are quite comical.  Ayush noticed that Scott Williams looked like "Scottch" Williams, and I always think Brian Rountree is from Petticoat Junction, as his name is listed as "Brian Jo" Rountree.

I hope Ayush doesn't mind my nickname for him.  It makes him seem like a super hero to me.  Kind of like Ant Man, only with the power to eat bamboo.

Well, this super hero just took down the club's nemesis, Shirley Herman.  Shirley is the chess equivalent of Thanos The Mad Titan in Marvel Comic's "Avengers:  Infinity War."  She is on a mission to kill half of the chess clubs in the universe, abuse half the tournament directors (TDs), destroy half the volunteers, and make half the children cry.

We thought we were in the half to be killed when she was suspended from the Colorado Springs Chess Club for a profanity-lace rant in 2016.  However, we may have gained a reprieve, as the Denver Chess Club's board voted to suspend  her on May 15th, and she is already on hostile terms with Club Chess!!, who she actively attacks on social media.

Now, she is going after volunteer TD, Earle Wikle.

In time, you will know what it's like to lose, to feel, so desperately, that you're right, yet to fail all the same.  Dread it!  Run from it!  Destiny still arrives!

However, it is my hope that I can assemble the revengers and come to Earle's aid.

Evacuate the playing hall!  Engage all suspensions!  And get this man a shield!

Captain Earle

The first blow was struck by the Panda, but it may take more united action to end this threat to half the chess clubs.  God be with us!

White to move

Revengers Insanity War

 

[Event "May Swiss 90"]

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

[Date "2018.05.15"]

[Round "3.9"]

[White "Vispute, Ayush"]

[Black "Herman, Shirley"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "B15"]

[WhiteElo "1185"]

[BlackElo "1174"]

[PlyCount "33"]

[EventDate "2018.05.01"]

[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Bc4 Bf5 5. f3 e6 6. fxe4 Bg6 7. Nf3 Bb4 8. Qd3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nf6 10. Qe3 Bxe4 11. Ng5 Bxg2 12. Nxf7 Qe7 13. Rg1 Kxf7 14. Rxg2 Nbd7 15. Ba3 Qxa3 16. Qxe6+ Kf8 17. Qf7# 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=112687

This Week In Chess

On May 15th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club continued the May Swiss 90 event (4SS, G/90+30).

Standings. May Swiss 90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Tot Prize

1 Sara Herman 1995 W13 W6 D3 2.5

2 Daniel Herman 2056 W7 D4 W5 2.5

3 Brian Jo Rountree 1868 W19 W9 D1 2.5

4 Calvin P Dejong 1872 W16 D2 D9 2.0

5 Michael Smith II 1617 W12 W17 L2 2.0 $5.00 GOW

6 Mark McGough 1770 W18 L1 W14 2.0

7 Clinton D Eads 1310 L2 W18 W12 2.0

8 Derek Eskeldson 1302 H--- H--- W15 2.0

9 Paul D Anderson 2032 W14 L3 D4 1.5

10 Christophe Motley 1541 L11 H--- W20 1.5

11 Josh S Bloomer 2328 W10 H--- U--- 1.5

12 Lawrence R Osborn 905 L5 W16 L7 1.0

13 Joey Arispe 1192 L1 L15 W18 1.0

14 Scott Ch Williams 1243 L9 W19 L6 1.0

15 William Leo Wolf 1550 U--- W13 L8 1.0

16 Ayush Pan Vispute 1185 L4 L12 W19 1.0

17 Grayson Ed Harris 1010 H--- L5 U--- 0.5

18 Daniel J Rupp 973 L6 L7 L13 0.0

19 Shirley Herman 1174 L3 L14 L16 0.0

20 Dean W Brown 1598 U--- U--- L10 0.0

Projected Prizes: 1st $44.00; 2nd $29.00; U1800 $19.00; U1300 $13.00

Comments

BrianWall

11:39 PM on May 21, 2018

 

Top 10 email - read it 10 times. Timeline - May 15 2018 My son Devon took GED tests all day. To celebrate we enjoyed Indian Buffet with Jeremy Good. After banning Shirley and beating Kevin Seidler I took Devon to see Infinity Wars. The next day Devon took more GED classes. Devon passed all tests with flying colors and signed up for Front Range Community College in Fort Collins in a week.

BrianWall

2:28 AM on May 22, 2018

 

Dylan Thomas spent all day just changing one word.  This email was like a poem, each word, each move, was beautifully crafted.

BrianWall

5:17 AM on May 24, 2018 

Displace one note and there would be diminishment, displace one phrase and the structure would fall. Salieri Amadeus

The Defibrillator

Game Of The Week

This week's game is my attempt to resurrect the Jim Burden Award for 2017.  LM Brian Wall created this award back in 2005 and promised us, "I will post all entries and announce the winner every April 1."  While Brian is one of the most creative chess authors and organizers, he is not the most discipline fellow.

His creativity has finally helped him get the recognition he deserves.  You can see him in the 2017 Spring issue of American Chess Magazine.

However, as I was playing my typical April Fools joke on Matthew Hansen about a fortnight ago, I realized I had missed the 2017 Jim Burden Award winner.  As I looked through my spam folder to find my Brian Walls emails, I could not find any information on the current winner.

Did Brian forget again?

In 2010, I was still trying to win this award and had to select the winners for 2007 and 2008 just to get this thing back on track.  Now, it appears that the award has gone back into cardiac arrest.

So, here is a game from Dean Brown and Alex Bozhenov that I like to call "The Defibrillator!"

I am counting on Brian's other promise that the winning game is "chosen mostly for humorous content."  This game had Peter Barlay cracking up at the board and Kathy Schneider biting her fingernails.

It all started in this position.  Dean found the shocking move and awoke Alex from his coma.

White to move

While Dean didn't actually get the Queen, he should have.  Saving the Queen is actually worse, and Dean continued to build on his lead until he was close to +15.  However, by that time both players got in time pressure and the score sheet went flatline.

However, I could see that the game was not the peaceful transition into the loss column for Alex.  I was sitting across the tournament hall, but it was clear from Dean's reactions that Alex's position was coming back to life.

Peter Barlay does impresssions of different Colorado chess players as they are losing.  He showed me his Dean Brown mannerism, where Dean picks up a piece, does not place it down, but rather brings it closer for inspection with a look on his face that says, "Why, on earth, did I pick up this piece?"

Now, Dean was living it out, with a Bishop in his hand, tapping it against his head, trying to find a square for it.  Soon a Rook was gone, as well as several Pawns.  Finally, the stone was rolled away and Alex came out with the win.

The Defibrillator

[Event "Cabin Fever Reliever"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2017.04.11"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Brown, Dean"]
[Black "Bozhenov, Alex"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "1517"]
[BlackElo "1914"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2017.04.04"]
[TimeControl "2700"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Na5 4. Nf3 a6 5. Be2 b5 6. b3 Bb7 7. d3 e6 8. O-O Qc7 9. g3 f6 10. Bb2 h5 11. Nh4 O-O-O 12. Bxh5 g5 13. Ng6 Rh6 14. Nxf8 Rxf8 15. Bf3 Ne7 16. Ne2 e5 17. Kg2 f5 18. h3 Rfh8 19. Rh1 g4 20. hxg4 Rxh1 21. Qxh1 Rxh1 22. Rxh1 Qd6 23. gxf5 Qf6 24. g4 Nac6 25. c3 b4 26. c4 Nd8 27. Bc1 Nf7 28. Rh5 Qd6 29. Be3 Kc7 30. Nc1 Nc6 31. g5 Ne7 32. Bg4 Nd8 33. Rh6 Ne6 34. fxe6 dxe6 35. Rxe6 Qd8 36. Bxc5 Nc6 37. Rf6 Qg8 38. g6 Nd8 39. Bd6+ Kb6 40. Bxe5+ Bc6 41. Bd4+ Kb7 42. c5 a5 43. Rd6 a4 44. g7 Nf7 45. Re6 Ng5 46. Re7+ Ka8 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=110131

This Week In Chess

On April 11th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club finished its Cabin Fever Reliever (4SS, G/45;d10).

Standings. CFR

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

1 Richard Buchanan 2000 W6 W2 W3 W8 4.0 $24.00 1st
2 Brian Jo Rountree 1832 W5 L1 W6 W7 3.0 $16.00 2nd
3 Aleksand Bozhenov 1914 W7 L4 L1 W6 2.0
4 Mark McGough 1848 W9 W3 U--- U--- 2.0
5 Clinton D Eads 1168 L2 D9 L8 W10 1.5 $10.00 U1800
6 Dean W Brown 1517 L1 W7 L2 L3 1.0
7 Michael Smith II 1332 L3 L6 W10 L2 1.0
8 Alemayeh Mekonnen 1507 U--- U--- W5 L1 1.0
9 Scott Ch Williams 1273 L4 D5 U--- U--- 0.5
10 Daniel J Rupp 1013 U--- U--- L7 L5 0.0

Wall's Comet

Game Of The Week

It just could be the end of the world as we know it!

Life Master Brian Wall has made the cover of a national magazine, American Chess Magazine, as co-author with NM Lior Lapid and put Colorado on the chess map.

Last time Brian received so much attention was for his discovery of a rare occurance in the chess world.  It was like a sign in the sky of terrible times ahead.  A 1300 tore through the Wyoming Open like a fireball!

Wall's comet first appeared on May 5, 2006 and was described in LM Brian Wall's article:  The Day 1300s Ruled the Earth.  The comet has the effect of increasing the playing strength of 1300s exponentially.  However, the duration of the effect is only short term, and the 1300s soon return to their rightful place as the butt of chess jokes.

Since it has been over 10 years when the comet last appeared, many new players may not be aware of the firestorm that was set off during its last visit.  Randy Reynolds was the editor of the Colorado Chess Informant and an active tournament chess player at that time.  Now, he has decided to leave chess, and I thought it would be nice to relive his most controversial editorial choice (see below).

And now, the comet has returned!

The 1300s have taken over the March Swiss 90 at the Colorado Springs Chess Club.  Matthew Hansen (1300) scored his first win over a National Master.  Mike Smith (1332) was winning against an 1800 when an eclipse blocked the comet and he settled for the draw.  Finally, Scott Williams (1365 peak) set up this mating problem against his most common foe, Dean Brown.  What would you announce?

Black to mate

Wall's Comet

[Event "March Swiss 90"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2017.03.21"]
[Round "3.5"]
[White "Brown, Dean"]
[Black "Williams, Scott"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "1467"]
[BlackElo "1231"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2017.03.07"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bxc6 bxc6 6. O-O g6 7. d4 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. dxc5 Bb7 10. Be3 Bg7 11. Bd4 O-O 12. Re1 Rc8 13. Qe2 Re8 14. Qe5 Nh5 15. Qe3 Bxd4 16. Qxd4 e6 17. b4 Ng7 18. g4 Rf8 19. Ne2 Bc6 20. a4 Ra8 21. Ng3 Bb7 22. h4 Bc8 23. g5 Nf5 24. Nxf5 exf5 25. Re5 Be6 26. Rae1 Qd7 27. Ra1 Rfe8 28. Ne1 f4 29. Qxf4 Bh3 30. Nd3 Bf5 31. Qd4 Bxd3 32. cxd3 Rxe5 33. Qxe5 Re8 34. Qc3 Qg4+ 35. Kf1 Qxh4 36. f3 Qh3+ 37. Kg1 Re2 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=110018

This Week In Chess

On March 21st, the Colorado Springs Chess Club continued its March Swiss 90 (4SS, G90+30) with 5 boards.

Standings. March Swiss 90: MS90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Tot Prize

1 Aleksand Bozhenov 1923 W11 W2 W4 3.0
2 Mark McGough 1848 W6 L1 W7 2.0
3 Paul D Anderson 2041 L4 W5 W9 2.0
4 Calvin P Dejong 1754 W3 H--- L1 1.5
5 Brian Jo Rountree 1802 W8 L3 D6 1.5
6 Michael Smith II 1332 L2 W11 D5 1.5 GOW $5.00
7 Alemayeh Mekonnen 1528 L10 W8 L2 1.0 GOW $5.00
8 Scott Ch Williams 1231 L5 L7 W11 1.0
9 Sam Bridle 1800 H--- H--- L3 1.0
10 Peter Barlay 1949 W7 U--- U--- 1.0
11 Dean W Brown 1467 L1 L6 L8 0.0

Projected Prizes: 1st $24.00, 2nd $16.00

1300 Jokes Reloaded

By Randy Reynolds

Paul Anderson, author of the football-pre-empted Colorado Springs Chess Newsletter, was the only one who submitted some new 1300 jokes for this issue.  I guess no one had anything funny to say about Master players, either, since nothing came in from that front (at least, nothing that could pass the censorship board).  Here are just a few of Paul’s creations:

How does a 1300 make a sacrifice?

He loans out his chess clock.

How does a 1300 find a fork?

He looks next to the spoons.

What do you call a 1300 with a minor piece advantage (+3)?

Slightly worse.

What is a 1300’s favorite opening as white?

d5...oh wait, the board is backward...let me turn this around, and then I can tell you.

Why are 1300 jokes like potato chips?

You can’t stop with one.

You can view many more in the July 2006 Colorado Chess Informant.

Pawn Wave Guy

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the "Pawn Wave Guy."  He is also known as Life Master Brian Wall.  He is the wind beneath my chess wings.  He is the one who got me started writing about my chess games and has supported me with his material over the years.

Here are some of his Colorado Springs Chess News Statistics:

• Game Of The Year XI (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2014/08/game-of-year-xi.html)
• 2nd Place in Wins (9; 1st place = 11, Douglas Anderson)
• 4th Place in Games (15; 1st place = 20, Douglas Anderson, 2nd place = 16, Dean Brown & Jeff Fox, 4th place = 15, Brian Wall, Buck Buchanan, & Anthea Carson)
• Silver Medal Contributor: 2004, 2005

He even had a photo gallery all to himself!

One of the reasons he had a photo gallery all to himself is that he plays in virtually every chess tournament in Colorado.  So, when I show up to take some pictures, he is there.

Here is one from the Colorado State Bughouse Championship.  His partner was Renae Delaware, and they chose the team name, Code Red.  The name reminded me of the movie A Few Good Men.  I could imagine Brian sitting in the witness box shouting, "You can't handle the truth!  Son, we live in a world that has Walls..."

One of the things I like about Brian is his brutal honesty.  It is not easy to handle when he is going over your chess game.  He often says, "I admire your courage to play on" when you get a losing position.  However, if you are willing to humble yourself, then...

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32

Here is a position from our last encounter when I forgot the nickname of the guy I was playing.  Just when I thought I had gotten back into the game, the truth hit me.

Black to move

Pawn Wave Guy

[Event "August Panera Wednesday"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2014.08.27"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Anderson, Paul"]
[Black "Wall, Brian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2009"]
[BlackElo "2232"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2014.08.06"]
[TimeControl "5400"]

1. d4 Na6 2. Nf3 f5 3. b3 Nf6 4. Bb2 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Be2 b6 8. O-O c5 9. c3 d6 10. Ng5 Nc7 11. Bc4+ e6 12. f4 Qe7 13. Be2 h6 14. Nh3 e5 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Bf3 e4 17. Be2 Nfd5 18. Bc4 Be6 19. Qe1 Nxc3 20. Bxe6+ Qxe6 21. Nc4 N3d5 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qd2 Rad8 24. Rfd1 Qf6 25. Qe1 Nb4 26. Qe2 Ncd5 27. Qf2 Nc3 28. Rf1 Nd3 29. Qc2 b5 30. Nb2 Rd7 31. Nf2 Rfd8 32. Nbxd3 exd3 33. Qd2 c4 34. bxc4 bxc4 35. a4 Ne2+ 36. Kh1 c3 37. Qa2 Qf7 38. Nxd3 Qxa2 39. Rxa2 Rxd3 40. Rxe2 Rd2 41. Ree1 c2 42. Rc1 Rd1 43. Kg1 Rxc1 44. Rxc1 Rd1+ 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=102782

This Week In Chess

On July 14th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club hosted the July Swiss 90 (4SS, G/90+30, $10 entry).  10 players joined the event.

Here are the results:

Standings. 2015 July Swiss

# Name ID Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Tot Prize

1 Mark McGough 11366481 1857 W10 W5 2.0
2 Brian Jo Rountree 12477167 1807 W7 W4 2.0
3 Paul Dou Anderson 12728345 2084 W6 H--- 1.5
4 Duwayne Langseth 11197175 1974 W8 L2 1.0
5 Aleksand Bozhenov 15525004 1908 W9 L1 1.0
6 Michael St Filppu 12915820 1706 L3 W10 1.0
7 Clark T Stroh 12761284 unr. L2 W9 1.0
8 Geo Krasnopolskiy 12730517 1609 L4 H--- 0.5
9 Dean W Brown 10224098 1595 L5 L7 0.0
10 Scott Ch Williams 15755696 1338 L1 L6 0.0

Game Of The Year XI

End Of The Season

Friday, August 22, 2014

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.

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 (and I had a bunch of them).  They bring me back into balance and force me to look at what I did right and what I did wrong.  While 2013 was a record-setting year for me, this year actually broke several of those marks before ending on a down note:

• Same number of upsets as last year (2)
• 2098 peak USCF rating (record: 2013 - 2058)
• 2039 peak BLITZ rating (record: 2013 - 1973)
• 2127 peak CLUB rating (record: 2013 - 2116)
• 18 projected prizes won (record: 2013 - 15)
• 71.59% CLUB winning percentage (record: 2013 - 87.86%)
• 77.27% USCF winning percentage (record: 2012 - 79.31%)
• 64 projected USCF-rated wins (record: 2013 - 75.5)

In addition to the statistics, I authored 3 more articles for the Colorado Chess Informant, including one about my upset victory over LM Brian Wall.  It was a great milestone for me!  His humorous chess emails inspired me to write about chess and helped me become an expert.  The win was my first over Brian in rated play and set a new record for my highest rated win (old record: NM Josh Bloomer - 2222).

2014 Colorado Chess Informant Articles:

• The Pawn (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-pawn.html)
• The King (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-king.html)
• The Bishop (see below)

The Bishop

• Name: Bishop
• Alias: Elephant (in medieval chess it could only leap 2 squares diagonally restricting it to only 8 squares and unable to capture the opponent’s Elephant), Crocodile, Archer, Runner, Messenger, Fool, Jester, Hunter, Officer
• Number: 2
• Starting Square: 1st rank, C and F files
• Motto: “We are Close Friends!”
• Move: Any squares, diagonally
• Capture: Any squares, diagonally Speed: Fast
• Special Ability: None
• Material Value: 3
• Mobility Preference: Open Diagonals
• Spiritual Value: Faith
• Song: Faithfully, Journey
• Verse: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (KJV)

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up

If anyone sets his heart on being a Bishop, he desires a noble task.  For the Bishops are the most faithful of all the pieces.  Whatever color square they start on, they will never leave it.

Now the Bishops must be next to the King or Queen and be the pieces of but one color.  While the other pieces may move from one color to another, the Bishops will always be faithful.

Since he cannot move onto the other color, he can only touch half the squares of the board.  He needs a friend to cover the rest of the squares.  He can capture any enemy piece that gets on his diagonal with lightning speed.  He darts at an angle as many squares as he wants.  However, he makes sure not to touch the other color.

The Bishop will take on any mission.  He will defend the King, he will lay down his life, and he will capture his King's enemies.  But most importantly, he relies on his friends to help him go where he cannot.  How will you use the bishop?  You will have to play to find out!

Here is a position from my game with LM Brian Wall where I keep the Bishop pair and get the win against a master:

White to move

Anderson,Paul (2043) - Wall,Brian (2241) [A40]

Jason's Deli Colorado Springs (2.1), 20.01.2014

1.d4 Na6 2.e4 c5 3.c3 e6 4.Nf3 d5 5.e5 Nh6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nb4 8.Bb5+ Nc6 9.0–0 Nf5 10.a3 Bd7

The past couple of years Brian has entertained and challenged himself by playing the same opening in every game.  This year’s edition has been The Lemming (1. Anything Na6) and The Double Lemming (1. Anything Na6 2. Almost Anything …and eventually Nh6).  By move 3, we were out of book and by move 5, I got to play against the Double Lemming!

Also, I decided not to trade off my better Bishop for one of his Lemmings.

11.Nc3 Rc8 12.Qd3 Be7 13.Ba4 f6 14.g4 Nfxd4 15.Nxd4 fxe5 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.f3 0–0 18.Bc2 g6 19.Qd2 Rf7 20.b4 a5

Now Brian opts to keep his Bishop pair to support his Pawn center.  Since he already sacrificed a Knight for a couple of Pawns and is down in material, it was an understandable choice.  You want to trade Pawns not pieces when down material.

In hindsight, he might regret not getting rid of my light-squared Bishop.  I was pretty happy with his sacrifice and having the Bishop pair, as I was just hoping for a draw in a new time control.

A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it.

Wilhelm Steinitz

21.Na4 axb4 22.axb4 Qf8 23.Ba3 Rxf3 24.Rxf3 Qxf3 25.Bd1 Qe4 26.Nc5 Bxc5+ 27.bxc5 Ra8 28.Bb2 Rxa1 29.Bxa1 d4 30.Kf2 Qd5

The Pawns are getting scary now, but my hopes for a draw are still alive with the Bishop pair that can get to his King if those Pawns move out of the center or my Queen can wreck havoc on the back rank.

31.Qa5 e4 32.Qb4 e5 33.Bb3 1–0

The Pin is mightier than the sword.

Fred Reinfeld

Tim Brennan was so inspired by my victory over LM Brian Wall that he was moved poetically:

I wrote a song verse for you to use if you decide to publish your game against Brian from Shirley's MLK tournament (which I am sure you will).

Mia's daughter is constantly singing "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, and I saw a funny tweet during the super bowl, which inspired me as well...

♫ I came in like a wrecking ball ♫

♫ In my game against Brian Wall ♫

♫ All I wanted was to give my all ♫

♫ Was it good enough for Tactics Time 3? ♫

Game Of The Year XI

[Event "Jason's Deli"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2014.01.20"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Anderson, Paul"]
[Black "Wall, Brian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2043"]
[BlackElo "2241"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2014.01.20"]
[TimeControl "2700"]

1. d4 Na6 2. e4 c5 3. c3 e6 4. Nf3 d5 5. e5 Nh6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nb4 8. Bb5+ Nc6 9. O-O Nf5 10. a3 Bd7 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. Qd3 Be7 13. Ba4 f6 14. g4 Nfxd4 15. Nxd4 fxe5 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. f3 O-O 18. Bc2 g6 19. Qd2 Rf7 20. b4 a5 21. Na4 axb4 22. axb4 Qf8 23. Ba3 Rxf3 24. Rxf3 Qxf3 25. Bd1 Qe4 26. Nc5 Bxc5+ 27. bxc5 Ra8 28. Bb2 Rxa1 29. Bxa1 d4 30. Kf2 Qd5 31. Qa5 e4 32. Qb4 e5 33. Bb3 1-0

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=94395

This Week In Chess

On August 19th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held its 3rd Tuesday of the month event:  Quick Swiss.  However, the players agreed to change the Swiss tournament to a Round Robin tournament after Jeff Fox's suggestion and extended the delay to 5 seconds after Earle Wikle's preference.  Earle's change paid bigger dividends, as he tied with NM Buck Buchanan for the 1st place tour points.

8/19 Quick Round Robin (RR, G15d5):

4.0 NM Buck Buchanan
4.0 Earle Wikle
3.5 Jeff Fox
2.0 Paul Anderson
1.0 Dean Brown
0.5 Mark McGough

Tuesday Night Chess Tour Cumulative and 3rd Quarter Standings

Current Standings (rank, name, total, quarter):

# MAX POSSIBLE 128.00 32.00

1 Paul Anderson 80.70 16.50
2 Daniel Herman 50.33 0.00
3 Mark McGough 43.12 9.25
4 Richard Buchanan 40.75 8.75
5 Koji DelConte 36.00 11.00
6 Earle Wikle 25.75 10.75
7 Shirley Herman 23.00 0.00
8 Jeff Fox 21.50 10.00
9 Joe Pahk 20.45 4.75
10 William Benedek 20.03 1.00
11 Dean Brown 19.50 2.00
12 Imre Barlay 15.50 3.50
13 Katie Wise 14.20 2.00
14 Gunnar Andersen 13.50 7.00
15 Sara Herman 11.33 0.00
16 Larry Kledzik 10.00 2.00
17 Mike Madsen 10.00 3.00
18 Eugin Pahk 8.50 2.50
19 Josh Bloomer 8.00 0.00
20 Anthony Thomason 8.00 0.00
21 Mike Makinney 8.00 1.00
22 Ben Matthews 6.00 0.00
23 Alex Freeman 5.33 0.00
24 Peter Barlay 5.00 0.00
25 Paul Protheroe 5.00 0.00
26 Rezheen Hamid 5.00 0.00
27 Richard Brown 5.00 2.50
28 Kevin Kaaoush 4.00 0.00
29 Alex Torres 4.00 0.00
30 Arthur Knize 4.00 0.00
31 Derick Arellano 4.00 4.00
32 Kurt Kondracki 3.50 3.50
33 Mitch Vincent 3.00 0.00
34 Peter Wise 3.00 0.00
35 David Silva 3.00 0.00
36 Spencer Shook 3.00 0.00
37 Gary Atkinson 2.00 0.00
38 John Byrne 2.00 0.00
39 Robert Jimenez 2.00 0.00
40 Ron Dotson 2.00 0.00
41 Chris Wynkoop 2.00 0.00
42 Isaac Martinez 2.00 0.00
43 Tim Brennan 2.00 0.00
44 Brian Wall 2.00 0.00
45 Luke Thurman 2.00 0.00
46 Steven Readel 2.00 0.00
47 Tara Martinez 2.00 0.00
48 Bobby Dzagen 1.00 0.00
49 Adam Metzger 1.00 0.00
50 Web McNairy 1.00 0.00
51 Jeremy Hawks 1.00 0.00
52 Phil Van Hawk 1.00 0.00
53 Brandon Hilliard 1.00 0.00
54 Dragan Plakalovic 1.00 0.00
55 Thomas Mullikin 1.00 0.00
56 Daniel Cabrera 1.00 0.00
57 Anthea Carson 1.00 0.00
58 Tikila Nichols 1.00 1.00

You Shook Me All Night Long

Game Of The Week

This week's game comes from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's annual June event:  The June Mating Game.  It is one of several 2 week events at the club, which means that players can join during the middle of the event.

This time LM Brian Wall announced that he was going to play in the final 2 rounds.  This had the effect of drawing four more players who also came out for the final 2 rounds.  Some of the players clearly came out just for a shot to play one of a handful of active Colorado masters, none of which are from the Springs.

However, Spencer Shook, a rising Colorado Springs scholastic player, was not one of them.  His reaction to being paired against the Life Master in the third round of an event where he only had half a point:

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!"

Despite the surprise, Spencer fought well and survived a long time in extreme time pressure against the master.  Brian stayed all night at the club and regailed us with the tale of how he won the game (along with many others).

Here is a position from the game when both players were getting into time pressure.

White to move

I thought this was a clever trap and a good example of not trying to play perfect chess.  Brian had Spencer in time pressure for a long time but began to run out of time himself looking for the best lines.  He began to realize that Spencer could live on his 5 second delay forever.

Instead of trying to keep his large material lead, Brian decided to sacrifice a Pawn to reduce Spencer's forces and eliminate perpetual checks threats.

This is a great way to manage your clock by finding an easier, weaker line that you can play quickly, rather than run the risk of running out of time searching for mates or blundering into a draw (or a loss) by moving too fast in a complicated line.

You Shook Me All Night Long

[Event "June Mating Game"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2014.06.17"]
[Round "3.4"]
[White "Shook, Spencer"]
[Black "Wall, Brian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B00"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2014.06.10"]
[TimeControl "1800"]

1. e4 Na6 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. Be3 d6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Qb3 c5 8. Bc4 cxd4 9. Bxd4 e5 10. Be3 b6 11. O-O h6 12. Rfd1 Qc7 13. Nh4 Kh7 14. h3 Bb7 15. Bd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 f5 17. f4 exf4 18. Bd4 Bxd4+ 19. cxd4 Rae8 20. Re1 Qg7 21. Qa4 Nc7 22. Rxe8 Rxe8 23. Rc1 Re2 24. Ndf3 Nxd5 25. Kf1 Rxb2 26. Qa3 Rc2 27. Re1 Ne3+ 28. Rxe3 fxe3 29. Qxe3 Bxf3 30. Nxf3 Rc7 31. Qd2 Qe7 32. d5 Qe4 33. Ne1 Rc5 34. Qb2 Qxd5 35. Qf6 Qe5 36. Qf7+ Qg7 37. Qe6 Qc7 38. Nf3 Rc2 39. Kg1 Rc1+ 40. Kh2 Qg7 41. Qxd6 Qc7 42. Qxc7+ Rxc7 43. Ne5 Rc2 44. Kg3 Rxa2 45. Kf4 Rxg2 46. Nf3 Rf2 47. Kg3 Rxf3+ 48. Kxf3 g5 49. h4 Kg6 50. h5+ Kxh5 51. Kg3 a5 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=93275

This Week In Chess

On June 17th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club finished its annual June event:  The June Mating Game.  It is a 2-week event, and five players joined for the final 2 rounds.  Jeff Fox, Daniel Herman, and I all beat each other to tie for 1st place.

June Mating Game (4SS, G30):

3.0 Jeff Fox 1st, $16
3.0 Daniel Herman 1st, $16
3.0 Paul Anderson 1st, $16
2.5 LM Brian Wall
2.5 Mark McGough
2.0 Luke Thurman U1700, $11
2.0 Shirley Herman U1700, $11
1.5 Arthur Knize
1.5 Isaac Martinez
1.5 Timothy Brennan
1.5 Spencer Shook
1.0 Sara Herman
1.0 Steven Readel
0.5 Dean Brown
0.5 Tara Martinez

Tuesday Night Chess Tour Cumulative and 2nd Quarter Standings

# MAX POSSIBLE 92.00 48.00

1 Paul Anderson 60.20 28.70
2 Daniel Herman 49.33 29.00
3 Richard Buchanan 32.00 8.50
4 Mark McGough 30.87 17.53
5 Koji DelConte 25.00 10.00
6 Shirley Herman 22.00 10.00
7 William Benedek 19.03 9.53
8 Joe Pahk 15.70 2.20
9 Dean Brown 15.50 10.50
10 Earle Wikle 15.00 10.00
11 Katie Wise 12.20 8.20
12 Imre Barlay 12.00 6.00
13 Jeff Fox 11.50 11.50
14 Sara Herman 10.33 6.33
15 Josh Bloomer 8.00 0.00
16 Anthony Thomason 8.00 8.00
17 Larry Kledzik 7.00 2.00
18 Mike Makinney 7.00 7.00
19 Mike Madsen 7.00 2.00
20 Gunnar Andersen 6.50 3.50
21 Eugin Pahk 6.00 0.00
22 Ben Matthews 6.00 2.00
23 Alex Freeman 5.33 0.00
24 Peter Barlay 5.00 3.00
25 Paul Protheroe 5.00 5.00
26 Rezheen Hamid 5.00 5.00
27 Kevin Kaaoush 4.00 1.00
28 Alex Torres 4.00 1.00
29 Arthur Knize 4.00 4.00
30 Mitch Vincent 3.00 3.00
31 Peter Wise 3.00 1.00
32 David Silva 3.00 3.00
33 Richard Brown 2.50 2.50
34 Gary Atkinson 2.00 0.00
35 John Byrne 2.00 0.00
36 Robert Jimenez 2.00 0.00
37 Ron Dotson 2.00 0.00
38 Chris Wynkoop 2.00 0.00
39 Isaac Martinez 2.00 2.00
40 Tim Brennan 2.00 2.00
41 Brian Wall 2.00 2.00
42 Luke Thurman 2.00 2.00
43 Spencer Shook 2.00 2.00
44 Steven Readel 2.00 2.00
45 Tara Martinez 2.00 2.00
46 Bobby Dzagen 1.00 0.00
47 Adam Metzger 1.00 0.00
48 Web McNairy 1.00 0.00
49 Jeremy Hawks 1.00 1.00
50 Phil Van Hawk 1.00 1.00
51 Brandon Hilliard 1.00 1.00
52 Dragan Plakalovic 1.00 1.00
53 Thomas Mullikin 1.00 1.00
54 Daniel Cabrera 1.00 1.00
55 Anthea Carson 1.00 1.00

Online Chess Lessons

By George Krasnopolskiy

We are doing online chess lessons this summer, we can teach through PC, Mac, IPad, and even X Box.  The lessons are one on one with an instructor who comes up with an ICED (Individualized Chess Education Plan).  We have instructors from education experts to international chess masters who would be more than glad to help your kids learn or get better at chess this summer, from the comfort of your own home.

Thank you,

George Krasnopolskiy, www.CheckMatesUSA.com

Game Of The Year X

End Of The Season

Monday, August 12, 2013

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

Wow!  It has been 10 years of the Colorado Springs Chess Newsletter.  I didn't notice until the Game Of The Year, which is now the tenth one.  Usually at this time, I look over the past year's statistics to see if it was a good or bad year for me.  With completing my 10th year, one would think it was good, but I don't always feel that way.

Looking over the statistics helps me get past the bad feelings that linger from my losses (and I had a bunch of them).  They bring me back into balance and force me to look at what I did right and what I did wrong.  This year, they gave me mostly good news:

• Same number of upsets as last year (2)
• 81.88% overall winning percentage (record: 2012 - 78.48%)
• 2116 peak CLUB rating (record: 2012 - 2067)
• 89.02% CLUB winning percentage (record: 2011 - 83.33%)
• 2058 peak USCF rating (record: 2012 - 2029)
• 48.5 most USCF-rated wins (record: 2012 - 46.0)
• 4.5 fewest CLUB-rated losses (record: 2011 - 7.5)
• 9 prizes won (record: 2001 - 12)

In addition to the statistics, I also earned my 1st invitation to the Colorado Closed Challenger and tied for 1st place, just missing out on tie breaks for an automatic invitation to the 2014 Colorado Closed.  It was my best tournament ever, and I selected my best game from the event as the Game Of The Year, which I wrote about for the Colorado Chess Informant earlier this year.

2013 Colorado Chess Informant Articles:

• 3 Ms Of Chess: Mate (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2013/05/3-ms-of-chess-mate.html)
• 3 Ms Of Chess: Material (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2013/06/3-ms-of-chess-material.html)
• 3 Ms Of Chess: Mobility (see below)

Black to move

When I started playing tournament chess, I read a pamphlet from GM Arthur Bisguier about how to improve at chess.  Since I had been crushed by him in a simul, I was more than willing to take his advice, even though I knew little about what a GM was.  He had a list of 10 principles to keep in mind when playing.  I thought that was a little too complicated for me to remember.

So, I condensed those ideas into what I considered the 3 strategies of chess.  I also wanted something easy to remember so I decided to use the trick of alliteration to make them even more unforgettable.  I called them the 3 Ms of chess:

• Mate
• Material
• Mobility

The idea was that every chess move was an attempt to accomplish one of these three strategies and provided an ordered thought process in choosing a move.

The 1st priority chess strategy (Mate) was to protect your King from checkmate.  Once you decide your King is not in harm, you can plan to get your opponents King.  However, in most chess positions checkmate is a long way off.  So, now what do you do?

The 2nd priority chess strategy (Material) was to gain a more powerful army than your opponent.  This idea involved not only a simple piece count, but also the understanding that each piece has a different value.  Learning tactics was the key tool to implementing this strategy.  However, in most chess positions you cannot capture a more valuable piece.  So, now what do you do?

The 3rd priority chess strategy (Mobility) was to gain more territory for your army and make it faster than your opponent.  This strategy was far harder to understand than the others as it involved both the ideas of space and time.  Understanding how to maximize the movement of different pieces was not easy, but it was all there was left.  If I wasn’t moving a piece to Mate my opponent’s King or capture Material, then the move should have been improving its Mobility.

I soon began to notice that the different Material value of the pieces was directly related to their level of Mobility.  The fastest piece, the Queen, was worth far more than the slowest, the Pawn.  However, there was no Mobility Value Chart that told me how to maximize each piece.

Of course, many games and the lessons from losses gave me the feeling that the different pieces liked different things in regards to Mobility.  So, I created my own chart:

Mobility Preferences Of The Pieces:

• King likes Endgames
• Pawns like being Passed
• Rooks like Open Files
• Bishops like Open Diagonals
• Knights like Outposts
• Queens dislike Openings

As I began to understand these preferences, I realized that a lot of creating Mobility is related to the Pawn structure.  A Pawn is Passed when it has no opposing Pawns in its path and the adjacent files.  Similarly, a Knight has an outpost when it is supported by a Pawn and has no opposing Pawns in the adjacent files which can attack it.  Open Files and Open Diagonals are a line of squares that contain no Pawns.

The King and Queen were a little different, as their very high Material values discouraged their Mobility in the Opening.  However, the Queen becomes useful in the Middle Game as it can activate like a Rook or Bishop.  The King almost always waits until the Endgame.

I also noticed that the different phases of the game favor different pieces.  The Middle Game is the time to activate the more mobile pieces (Rooks & Bishops).  While the Endgame is the time to activate the less mobile pieces (King & Pawns).

Of course, I realized that I could also move a piece to reduce my opponent’s Mobility too.

"Though most people love to look at the games of the great attacking masters, some of the most successful players in history have been the quiet positional players.  They slowly grind you down by taking away your space, tying up your pieces, and leaving you with virtually nothing to do!"

Yasser Seirawan

Here is an example:

Hartsook,David (2077) -Anderson,Paul (1999) [B06]

Colorado Closed Challenger Colorado Springs (4.3), 21.04.2013

1.e4 c6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bc4 d6 5.Be3 Nd7 6.Qd2 b5 7.Bb3 Bb7 8.f3 a5 9.a4 b4 10.Nd1 Ba6 11.Ne2 c5 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Bd5 Rc8 14.Nd4 Qb6 15.Nb3 e6 16.Nxc5 dxc5 17.Ba2 Qc6 18.Bb1 Nf6 19.c3 0–0 20.Kf2 b3 21.Re1 Rfd8 22.Qc1 Nd7 23.Bg5 f6 24.Bh6 Ne5 25.Bxg7 Kxg7 26.Kg1 c4

“I noticed a long time ago that Josh Bloomer has an uncanny knack for keeping his opponent's pieces restricted.  Magnus Carlsen described that as his style on Charlie Rose.  There are many terms for keeping your opponent's pieces on the back rank.”

LM Brian Wall

• “The Sheep Pen” – LM Brian Wall
• “The Couch” – NM Josh Bloomer
• “The Police Lineup” – Paul Anderson

“Paul shackled all of David's pieces to the back rank - they looked like seated prisoners in a police transport van.

Paul asked me for advice for the 2013 Colorado Adult Challenger tournament.

‘Look at all their games and try not to be terrified when you play them,’ - Brian to Paul.

Tim Brennan gave Paul hundreds of database games to look at.

I didn't know if my advice would help, maybe Paul would get slaughtered tactically every game like his game against Chris Peterson.  Paul ended up surprising everyone by tying for first.”

LM Brian Wall

27.Qe3 Rd7 28.Nf2 Rcd8 29.f4 Nf7 30.h4 e5 31.h5 Qd6 32.Re2 exf4 33.Qh3 Qe5 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.Ng4 Qc5+ 0–1

Game Of The Year X

[Event "Colorado Closed Challenger"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2013.04.21"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Hartsook, David"]
[Black "Anderson, Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2077"]
[BlackElo "1999"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2013.04.19"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bc4 d6 5. Be3 Nd7 6. Qd2 b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. f3 a5 9. a4 b4 10. Nd1 Ba6 11. Ne2 c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Bd5 Rc8 14. Nd4 Qb6 15. Nb3 e6 16. Nxc5 dxc5 17. Ba2 Qc6 18. Bb1 Nf6 19. c3 O-O 20. Kf2 b3 21. Re1 Rfd8 22. Qc1 Nd7 23. Bg5 f6 24. Bh6 Ne5 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Kg1 c4 27. Qe3 Rd7 28. Nf2 Rcd8 29. f4 Nf7 30. h4 e5 31. h5 Qd6 32. Re2 exf4 33. Qh3 Qe5 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Ng4 Qc5+ 0-1

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=83049

This Week In Chess

On August 6th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club held a Speed event (2RR, G3d2).  Eight players joined this unrated tournament.

Daniel Herman destroyed the field only losing one game to claim the 1st place tour points.

Here are the results:

Score, Player

13.0 Daniel Herman
10.0 Paul Anderson
10.0 Alex Torres
9.0 Mark McGough
8.0 Mike Madsen
4.0 Kevin Kaaoush
2.0 Dean Brown
0.0 Shirley Herman

Tuesday Night Chess Tour Cumulative and 3rd Quarter Standings

Current Standings (rank, name, total, quarter):

MAX POSSIBLE 104.00 24.00

1 Paul Anderson 76.00 15.50
2 Mark McGough 45.00 11.75
3 Isaac Martinez 42.00 4.50
4 Mike Madsen 27.50 3.00
5 Alex Torres 24.75 9.75
6 Daniel Herman 23.00 4.00
7 Dean Brown 17.75 3.25
8 Jeff Fox 17.25 2.50
9 Joe Pahk 17.00 4.00
10 Shirley Herman 15.50 1.00
11 Koji DelConte 14.75 1.25
12 Gunnar Andersen 14.50 7.50
13 Tim Brennan 14.00 2.00
14 Kevin Kaaoush 13.25 6.25
15 Peter Grigg 12.00 0.00
16 Richard Buchanan 11.75 2.00
17 Josh Divine 10.75 6.50
18 Josh Bloomer 10.50 0.00
19 Eugin Pahk 9.50 2.50
20 Tom Richardson 9.00 2.00
21 Alex Freeman 8.50 0.00
22 Sara Herman 7.00 0.00
23 Randy Canton 6.00 0.00
24 Brian Rountree 6.00 0.00
25 Scott Williams 4.00 0.00
26 Kathy Schneider 4.00 0.00
27 Nick Curott 4.00 4.00
28 Peter Barlay 3.50 0.00
29 Joe Polanco 3.00 0.00
30 Anthea Carson 2.00 0.00
31 Mike Wanek 2.00 0.00
32 James Powers 2.00 0.00
33 Wes Smith 2.00 0.00
34 William Wilken 2.00 0.00
35 Imre Barlay 2.00 0.00
36 Laurence Wutt 2.00 2.00
37 Rebecca Herman 1.50 0.00
38 Mike Toth 1.00 0.00
39 Buddy Diamond 1.00 0.00
40 Curits Holsinger 1.00 0.00
41 Evan Baron 1.00 0.00
42 Teppei Monjiyama 1.00 0.00
43 Nicholas Wyle 1.00 0.00
44 Katie Wise 1.00 0.00
45 Joseph Stafford 1.00 1.00
46 Istvan Hornyak 1.00 1.00

Pikes Peak Open Standings

By Buck Buchanan

4.5 Brian Wall
4.0 Jackson Chen
4.0 Kevin Seidler
4.0 Tim Brennan
4.0 Mark Schlagenhauf
3.5 Chris Peterson
3.5 Timothy Sage
3.5 Karl Irons
3.5 Mark Krowczyk
3.5 DuWayne Langseth
3.5 Ron Rossi
3.0 Joshua Samuel
3.0 Katie Wise
3.0 Jeff Baffo
3.0 Brady Barkemeyer
3.0 Victor Huang
3.0 Eric Barkemeyer
3.0 Andrew Lin
3.0 Isaac Martinez
3.0 Spencer Shook
2.5 Rhett Langseth
2.5 Justin Alter
2.5 Brian Rountree
2.5 Alex Freeman
2.5 John Krue
2.5 Lennon Gashwazra
2.5 Joe Pahk
2.0 Andy Wu
2.0 Daniel Herman
2.0 Cory Foster
2.0 Mihaly Toth
2.0 Ken MacRae
2.0 Rebecca Herman
2.0 Mike Madsen
2.0 Eugin Pahk
1.5 Alex Cacas
1.5 Kathy Schneider
1.5 Dean Brown
1.5 Victor Creazzi
1.5 Tara Martinez
1.0 Anthea Carson
1.0 Sara Herman
1.0 Tom Richardson
1.0 Shirley Herman
0.5 Trevor Sotosanti
0.5 Dustin Hoppe