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(9) Arthur van de Oudeweetering 256 pages - $24.95. Chess Structures Fundamentals for Post-Beginners Jörg Hickl 192 pages - $19.95. The sequel to the instant classic, with fresh building blocks to improve your middlegame skills.. ;" #.(' )-( -" (($#,&#+% 9 " ")- + ' ,-" ,-+0-0+ ,7 3)%#',-" -4)#% "+- +#,.,',"(2,-" )%', (+(-""#- ' Black.” – Harry Schaack, KARL magazine. ; +4)+.%') + - (+, % =,-049< ! !!""!$ , - ! ' &!"" %! $ .. ;(-,( 1%0% -+#'#'!% ,,(',7#')+.0%+#'+ , 2" + " ,, '!#' ,( +'(" %)9<>Harald Fietz, SchachMagazin 64. The Big Book of World Chess Championships. My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White. 46 Title Fights – from Steinitz to Carlsen André Schulz 352 pages - $24.95. */# / ! $ &" !" #' '-(+ - CAF)! ,=@CB9GD. Relive the magic of Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, +)(17,)+(17(4 #," +'-" (-" +,6 ;
(10) %#$ -" , % .('( -" !& ,'-" 3)%'.(', are easy to understand. But the best part is how the story is told, complete with historical backgrounds and lots of anecdotes.” – GM Karsten Müller. If you are trying to win in 20 moves, copy what’s in fashion &('!-()= ,(+& &(+#5 1+#.(',74(0+ 2,.'! 4(0+.& 9#' '-(+ -)+(1# ,(&)% - " ,, opening repertoire for White with a sound set of lines that ('(-- +)#%47('(-+ *0#+ & &(+#5.(''+ easy to digest for beginners and post-beginners.. New In Chess Magazine 2016#2. % %. The Club Player’s Magazine. )# 1 #$ #"#0. 106 pages - $12.99. ; +,-=+- + 2#-")% '-4( #',-+0.('%&- +#%9 (',# +%4 '%+! +(&-" +,- #.('9< #! $
(11) "#! " . A Chess Opening Repertoire for Blitz and Rapid. Mastering Chess Middlegames. Sharp, Surprising and Forcing Lines for Black and White Evgeny & Vladimir Sveshnikov 416 pages - $29.95. Lectures from the All-Russian School of Grandmasters Alexander Panchenko 272 pages - $24.95. A repertoire for club players that is forcing, both narrow and deep, and aggressive.. “The deeper I went into the book, the more fresh and ,#'.'!&- +#%
(12) (0'9< Sean March, CHESS Magazine. ;0"(($(',-+- !4",'(- '2+#/ ',#' Nimzowitsch.” Former Belgian champion GM Luc Winants. “The whole project is such a clever idea: Why hadn’t anyone else thought of this before?” – GM Glenn Flear. ;1 +4,4,- &.24( %(($#'!-" ,,&#% !& ,9 3-+ & %4#',-+0.1 72#-"&'4 + ," 3&)% ,9< GM Daniel King. ' #" .
(13) (" . (,!# * !$ Jimmy Adams. The Art of Taking Calculated Risks Vladimir Tukmakov. 750 pages - $49.50. "#,#,-" "0! %4 3)' , (' #.('( -" !& , (%% .(')0%#," #'BGFE9" #(!+)"#%&- +#%7 telling the story of Chigorin’s turbulent chess career, now runs to hundreds of pages. Furthermore, 100 extra games have been added, annotated by Chigorin and his contemporaries or more modern grandmasters. )% '#%030+4"+(1 + #.('. NEW!. CAF)! ,=$12.95. ''(-.(',4!'0,+%, '7'#," #+#73#& Vachier-Lagrave, Wei Yi, Hou Yifan and many others. Interview with Pal Benko, the man who knew Bobby Fischer best. On-site reports about Hikaru Nakamura’s 2#',9/" 2% +('(($,9#! %"(+-,('2(& ' #'" ,+1 ,9 0#-(%!+:,(%0&'9 !#:," ,, 4&9 And much more.. “There is lots of analysis AND lots of explanatory text.” Dennis Monokroussos, The Chess Mind. NEW!. NEW EDITION.
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(15). &. 224 pages - $26.95. +,-04#'!-"#,(($74(02#%%-"#'$-2# (+ 2,.'!'())(+-0'#-4-((2"--" !+ - ,-)%4 +,(8 %0 4(0+24-(1#-(+46 ;#,$?%0 #, '-,.<– Jeremy Silman “Probably the most recommendable middlegame book of the year.” 0!$"""
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(17) Main office: Crossville, TN (931) 787-1234 Advertising inquiries: (931) 787-1234, ext. 123 Tournament Life Announcements (TLAs): All TLAs should be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent to P.O. Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557-3967 Letters to the editor: Please submit to [email protected] Receiving Chess Life: To receive Chess Life as a Premium Member, join US Chess or enter a US Chess tournament, go to uschess.org or call 1-800-903-USCF (8723) Change of address: Please send to [email protected] Other inquiries: [email protected], (931) 787-1234, fax (931) 787-1200. US CHESS EXECUTIVE BOARD President Gary Walters Walters & Wasylyna LLC Shaker Finance PO Box 20554 Cleveland, OH 44120 [email protected]. Vice-President Randy Bauer 10990 NW 115th Avenue Granger, IA 50109 [email protected]. Chess Life EDITORIAL STAFF Chess Life Editor and Director of Publications, Daniel Lucas [email protected] Senior Digital Editor, Jennifer Shahade [email protected] Chess Life Kids Editor, Glenn Petersen [email protected] Senior Art Director, Frankie Butler [email protected] Editorial Assistant/Copy Editor, Alan Kantor [email protected] Editorial Assistant, Jo Anne Fatherly [email protected] Editorial Assistant, Natasha Roberts [email protected] Technical Editor, Ron Burnett. VP Finance Allen Priest 220 West Main Street Suite 2200 Louisville, KY 40202 [email protected]. TLA/Advertising, Joan DuBois [email protected]. US CHESS STAFF Executive Director, Jean Hoffman ext. 189 [email protected]. Secretary Mike Nietman 2 Boca Grande Way Madison, WI 53719 [email protected]. Member at Large Michael Atkins PO Box 4894 Baltimore, MD 21211 [email protected]. Member at Large Anjelina Belakovskaia 6890 E. Sunrise Dr. Ste. 120-118 Tucson, AZ 85750 [email protected]. Member at Large Ruth Haring US Chess Attn: Ruth Haring PO Box 3967 Crossville, TN 385573967 [email protected]. Director of Events, Francisco Guadalupe 713-530-7820 [email protected] FIDE Titles and Ratings, Tracey Vibbert [email protected] FIDE Youth Events, National Education Consultant & Special Projects, Jerry Nash ext. 137 [email protected] Scholastic Associate & Clubs, FIDE Associate and OTB Ratings, Susan Kantor ext. 136 [email protected] Computer Consultant, Mike Nolan [email protected] Director of Administration, Judy Misner ext. 126 [email protected] Affiliate Relations Associate, Joan DuBois ext. 123 [email protected] Senior Accountant, Debra Robison ext. 130 [email protected] Membership Services Supervisor, Cheryle Bruce ext. 147 [email protected] Mailing Lists/Membership Associate, Traci Lee ext. 143 [email protected] Correspondence Chess, Alex Dunne [email protected] Tournament Director Certification, Judy Misner/Jerry Nash [email protected]. 2 June 2016. | Chess Life.
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(19) JUNE. COLUMNS. 9. LOOKS AT BOOKS / UNDERSTANDING ROOK ENDGAMES. //////////////.',&()-.'*./++ /.'-$,( By John Hartmann. 16. CHESS TO ENJOY / ENTERTAINMENT. ..+)-)*+. -.' By GM Andy Soltis. 18. PHOTOS: DAVID LLADA, COURTESY OF CHESS INFORMANT. Chess Life. BACK TO BASICS / READER ANNOTATIONS. ///////////////+/ ,,/-/++'/!+,/&/)+/"*.'/ //////////////-/ ,)),&/!+, By GM Lev Alburt. 44. SOLITAIRE CHESS / INSTRUCTION. ////////////// ./%'/ -.*(#/-$, By Bruce Pandolfini. 20. COVER STORY / 2016 CANDIDATES. ///////////////////-& - *./ ,)/+/ #-%%,.,/ -&%(,. BY GM Alejandro Ramirez. Oh, so close for Caruana; Nakamura ties for 4th-7th place.. 46. THE PRACTICAL ENDGAME / INSTRUCTION. //////////////"-%(,/"&*,.'(. By GM Daniel Naroditsky. DEPARTMENTS. 6 8 10 12 14 50 71 71 72. INTERNATIONAL EVENTS / WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHP. ///////////////////*-./ +$*.-.) ///////////////////BY GM Ian Rogers. Hou takes women’s world championship title from Muzychuk, 6-3. JUNE PREVIEW / THIS MONTH IN CHESS LIFE AND US CHESS NEWS COUNTERPLAY / READERS RESPOND FIRST MOVES /. 34. COLLEGE CHESS / 2016 FINAL FOUR. ///////////////////,(),&/!- ,(/)/"+&/*./-/+/ ///////////////////BY Al Lawrence. Booz Allen Hamilton and Two Sigma Upgrade Final Four. CHESS NEWS FROM AROUND THE U.S. FACES ACROSS THE BOARD / BY AL LAWRENCE US CHESS AFFAIRS / NEWS FOR OUR MEMBERS TOURNAMENT LIFE / JUNE. 40. US CHESS NATIONAL EVENT / USA TEAM FINALS. ///////////////////+)/!-),
(20) /*.(/ /-)*+.-%/ #-$ *+.(#* ///////////////////ANNOTATIONS BY Vincent Do and Jacob Furfine ///////////////////In a playoff on ICC, the USAT North team takes the championship for the first time, dedicating their victory to the recently deceased Sevan Muradian.. CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE SOLUTIONS / JUNE MY BEST MOVE / PERSONALITIES THIS MONTH: FRANK JOHNSON. ON THE COVER GM Fabiano Caruana just missed a chance to create chess fever in the United States when he lost an exciting lastround game at the Candidates tournament to GM Sergey Karjakin. With the world championship match scheduled for November in New York City, Fabiano would have been our first American world championship contender since Gata Kamsky played Anatoly Karpov in 1996. PHOTO BY DAVID LLADA, COURTESY OF CHESS INFORMANT. 4. 30. June 2016 | Chess Life. The U.S. had two strong contenders to win the Candidates tournament and then face Magnus Carlsen to bring home the world championship. Ultimately, GM Fabiano Caruana (above) just missed and GM Hikaru Nakamura finished back in the pack..
(21) PARIS GRAND CHESS TOUR. JUNE 7-13, 2016 • PARIS, FRANCE • RAPID & BLITZ Levon Aronian • Fabiano Caruana • Anish Giri • Vladimir Kramnik Hikaru Nakamura • Wesley So • Veselin Topalov • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wildcards: Magnus Carlsen • Laurent Fressinet. YOUR NEXT MOVE. JUNE 15-21, 2016 • BRUSSELS-LEUVEN, BELGIUM • RAPID & BLITZ Viswanathan Anand • Levon Aronian • Fabiano Caruana • Anish Giri • Vladimir Kramnik Hikaru Nakamura • Wesley So • Veselin Topalov • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wildcard: Magnus Carlsen. SINQUEFIELD CUP. AUGUST 1-16, 2016 • SAINT LOUIS, USA • CLASSICAL Viswanathan Anand • Levon Aronian • Fabiano Caruana • Anish Giri • Vladimir Kramnik Hikaru Nakamura • Wesley So • Veselin Topalov • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wildcard: Ding Liren. LONDON CHESS CLASSIC. DECEMBER 7-20, 2016 • LONDON, ENGLAND • CLASSICAL Viswanathan Anand • Levon Aronian • Fabiano Caruana • Anish Giri • Vladimir Kramnik Hikaru Nakamura • Wesley So • Veselin Topalov • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wildcard: TBD. WATCH LIVE ON GRANDCHESSTOUR.ORG @GRANDCHESSTOUR. #GRANDCHESSTOUR. b a r.
(22) June Preview / This month in Chess Life and US Chess News. US CHESS NEWS PREVIEW VEGAS CHECKLIST The summer chess party kicks off in Vegas, with a host of events including the National Open, the Walter Browne Memorial Blitz tournament and the U.S. Quick (G/10) Championship. US Chess Editor Jen Shahade and Digital Assistant Vanessa West will both be at the event, so look for live updates on uschess.org as well as Twitter takeovers on our official account @USChess.. CHESS IN NOLA The U.S. Junior Open and U.S. Senior Open both head to the New Orleans area in Louisiana from June 16-19. Look for reports from Randy Hough.. JUNE CONTRIBUTORS GM ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ. (Candidates) is the coach of the upcoming collegiate chess team at Saint Louis University. He is a three-time Olympic player and has qualified for one World Championship and one World Cup. He enjoys StarCraft, anime, Hearthstone and most things that fall under the “nerdy” category. GM IAN ROGERS. (Women’s World Championship) is a frequent contributor of international event reports. AL LAWRENCE. TOP U.S. GIRLS FACE OFF The performance of players like Ashritha Eswaran and Carissa Yip (left) in the U.S. Women’s Championship as well as Maggie Feng’s capture of the National Junior High School title has everyone wondering how far our top female talent will go. Follow along for the U.S. Girls Junior Championship Invitational, set from June 25-29 in Manchester, New Hampshire.. (Final Four) is the former executive director of both the US Chess and the World Chess Hall of Fame. He is currently managing director for the US Chess Trust and chair of the US Chess college chess committee. His latest book, with GM Lev Alburt, is Chess for the Gifted and Busy.. FIREWORKS COMING. CONNECT WITH US. Toward the end of the month, chessplayers flock to Philadelphia for the World Open over 4th of July weekend. The big event is preceded by the Philadelphia International. Look for games and news from the event on our site.. Find @USChess on Twitter, @US_Chess on Instagram and facebook.com/uschess and look for increased activity during major events, including our national scholastics.. 6 June 2016. | Chess Life.
(23) 117th ANN NUAL U.S. OP PEN Marriott Indianapolis East, 7202 East 21st St., Indianapolis, IN 446219. Please check the U.S. Open we ebsite often for updates, new information, corrrections and other useful documents! (Coming soon) www.uschess.org/tournamentts/2016/usopen/ PHOTO BY SERGE MELKI. www.uschess.org. 7.
(24) Counterplay / Readers Respond. Corrections and Cooks MARCH ISSUE Due to an editing error, we gave an incorrect line in the Burnett Variation of the Sicilian Dragon in the "Looks at Books" column.. In the April 2016 Chess Life’s “April Fools’ Day Problems” by GM Pal Benko, problem 1A has a grossly different alternate solution.. Chiburdanidze. I was there as her second. Some WIM she is. Due to an editing error, we gave the wrong author for the Emory Tate poem; it should have listed Emory Tate, Jr., who penned the poem months before Tate’'s death. The article’s author, Dr. Daaim Shabbazz, tells us that Emory III, who we listed as the poet, was actually the one who released it to the public. On our Solutions page, the last line of Problem II’s solution from “The Practical Endgame” went missing. Here is the diagram and full solution again:. SERIAL HELPMATE IN 9 MOVES WHITE TO PLAY. The correct variation is: 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. 0-0-0 Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 b5 15. b3 b4!. APRIL ISSUE Our April cover mistakenly gave Harold Dondis’ death year as 2016; he died, as indicated within the article, on December 15, 2015. The "2016" error was also listed below the article's headline. In April's "Chess to Enjoy," we inadvertently repeated diagrams III and VI in the quiz section. Here is the correct diagram III and solution:. I found the given rook promotion solution (1. ... d5 2. ... d4 3. ... d3 4. ... dxc2 5. ... cxb1=R 6. ... Rxb2 7. ... Rxd2 8. ... Rd5 9. ... Re5 10. Qd3 mate.) and enjoyed it as well, considering a knight on e5 doesn’t allow the type of mate given as a solution, and solutions involving a knight promotion take one additional move. The alternate solution (technically alternate eight solutions as there are eight different bishop moves that can be played on the second-to-last move maintaining the solution) goes as follows: 1. ... d5 2. ... d4 3. ... d3 4. ... dxc2 5. ... cxd1=B! 6. ... Bxe2 7. ... Kd3 8. ... Kc2 9. ... Any bishop move (other then ... Bxf1) 10. ... Na3 mate, thus artistically boxing in the king, taking away Kd3 on the second-to-last move, and taking away ... Kxc1while simultaneously mating on the last move. GM Benko responds:. PROBLEM II: 2000 LEVEL GM Teimour Radjabov (FIDE 2726) GM Sergey Karjakin (FIDE 2767) Tashkent (variation), 2014. BLACK TO MOVE. White is up 400 pawns, and on the verge of promoting, but a beautiful (and quiet) move seals the perpetual. 48. ... Kf4!! Avoiding 48. ... Kg3, which would have lost to 49. Rxh3+!! Kxh3 50. f7 Kg3 51. Be5+. 49. f7 Rd1+ 50. Kf2 Rd2+, Draw agreed. Perpetual!. Mr. Stein is correct and has found a hidden cook in this problem. Thank you for your alertness and keep up the good solving.. WHITE TO PLAY. SOLUTION Munich, 1936: 15. Bxh6! gxh6 16. Qd2 Kh7 17. Bd3+ Ng6 18. h5 Rg8 19. hxg6+ fxg6 20. Ke2 or 20. Rh3 Qf8 21. Ng5+. Black played 15. ... Qa5+ 16. Ke2 gxh6 and lost after 17. Qc1.. Reader Jason Stein wrote us about GM Pal Benko’s April Fools’ Day problems:. 8. June 2016 | Chess Life. MAY ISSUE In our cover story on the U.S. Amateur Teams, we gave Irina Levitna the WIM title. She is actually a WGM, as GM Alex Yermolinsky wrote us: Irina had been among the world’s best female players for 20 years. She was USSR champion and many times a candidate. In 1994 she played a world championship match with Maia. Send your letters to
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(28) Looks at Books / Understanding Rook Endgames. Understanding Rook Endgames An attempt to teach the most common of endgames by pairing theoretical positions with strategic themes. By JOHN HARTMANN. THEORETICALLY DRAWN GM Alexander Onischuk (2745) GM Jeffery Xiong (2723) 2016 U.S. Championship (1), St. Louis, Missouri, 04.14.2016. AFTER 30. Rd1. 30. ... b3+! 31. Kc1 Ra6 32. Rd8+ Kh7 33. Kd2 Rxa4 34. Kc3 Ra1 35. Rd2 a5!? 36. Kxb3 a4+ 37. Kc4 a3! Müller, Karsten and Konoval, Yakov. Understanding Rook Endgames. Gambit Publications: 2016. ISBN: 9781-910093-81-8. 288 pages. Paperback. (Available from uscfsales.com, catalog number B0190GB, $26.95). T. here is something of a consensus among top authors and teachers about how to study the endgame. First, there are key technical positions that must be memorized. The precise number of these positions varies— for Dvoretsky, it is about 220, while for de la Villa and Smith it is 100—but the idea is that players should know certain terminal positions and aim for them in their analysis. This is to be coupled with a study of endgame strategy or typical endgame themes, with Shereshevsky’s Endgame Strategy typically recommended for this purpose. What comes of such a plan for improvement? Ask Jeffery Xiong, who—as I was writing this review—used his knowledge of rook endings both typical and theoretical in this round-one draw as black with Alexander Onischuk from the 2016 U.S. Chess Championship:. Heading for a theoretically drawn rook endgame with three pawns versus two on the kingside. After White’s 46th, the position is drawn according to the Lomosonov tablebases. 38. bxa3 Rxa3 39. Kxc5 h5! 40. Kd4 Ra5 41. Ke4 g6 42. f4 Kg7 43. h3 Kf7 44. Rd6 Ra2 45. g4 hxg4 46. hxg4 Ra7 47. g5 Rb7 48. Ke5 Ra7 49. Rf6+ Kg7 50. Rc6 Re7+ 51. Kd6 Re4 52. Rc7+ Kg8 53. Rc8+, Draw agreed.. With Understanding Rook Endgames, just out from Gambit, Karsten Müller and co-author Yakov Konoval aim to offer readers both elements of a proper education in rook endings. The first four chapters (p. 11-222) are an encyclopedic study of positions with up to seven pieces. The final four chapters (p. 223-244) treat broader themes, including basic principles of rook endings and theoretical positions with more than seven pieces. The stark differential in page count between the two ‘halves’ of the book is not incidental. On the whole, this is a book devoted to five-, six- and seven-piece rook endings. More than. half of its pages focus on rook and two pawns versus rook and pawn, with each and every position fully checked with new seven-piece tablebases. The analysis in the first four chapters is thus entirely correct, and this features prominently in the book’s advertising. Is analytical certainty important for the average reader? Perhaps. It is nice to know that what appears on the page can be trusted completely, but an excessive authorial fascination with the machines is not without certain risks. Müller and Konoval present immense amounts of computer-driven analysis throughout the book. There are long strings of analysis derived from the tablebases that lack sufficient explanation. Some positions are given with raw output from the tablebases—see §4.15, “Longest Wins”—and no effort is made to unpack the logic of the moves for the human player. Chapters 5-8 might leaven the narrow focus of the first four chapters were they not so brief. There are a total of 33 positions analyzed in these chapters, while there are 271 (and 58 section headings!) just in chapter four. There are also precious few principles and guidelines to be found here. Instead of another abbreviated account of the famous Kantorovich / Steckner position (6.04), why not include a more typical example of the four versus three with a-pawn ending and use it to explain key plans or ideas? Müller and Konoval write in the introduction to Understanding Rook Endgames that they adhere to the “dual philosophy” (p. 6) sketched at the beginning of this review. I don’t believe that they succeed in this task, as they lose sight of the proverbial forest for the trees. Chapters 1-4—73 percent of the book—contain too many theoretical positions and too much analysis to remember. Chapters 5-8—a mere eight percent of the book!— feel added solely to justify the book’s title. There is plenty of fascinating material to be found in Understanding Rook Endgames, but it is an encyclopedia of theoretical positions and not an instructional work. Non-masters hoping to understand rook endings should instead look to Emms’ The Survival Guide to Rook Endings or Mednis’ Practical Rook Endings. www.uschess.org. 9.
(29) First Moves / Chess news from around the U.S.. 2016 Inductees to U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame. i A. n induction ceremony on April 13, 2016, recognized five exceptional chess players as they take their places in history as members of the World Chess Hall of Fame and the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis. Representatives of the World Chess Federation (Fédération Internationale des Échecs or FIDE) nominated and selected David Bronstein, Sonja Graf-Stevenson and Howard Staunton for induction into the World Chess Hall of Fame. They join 24 other players who have received the honor since the World Chess Hall of Fame’s creation in 2001. Members of the World Chess Hall of Fame are chosen for their total contribution to the sport. Players as well as others who have made an impact as authors, journalists, organizers and in other ways are eligible for induction. “This year’s inductees into the World Chess Hall of Fame are recognized for their level of play as well as their overall contributions to the game,” Beatriz Marinello, FIDE Vice President, said. The US Chess Hall of Fame Committee considers and sends candidates for the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame to the US Chess Trust each year. The trustees then voted on candidates, selecting Grandmasters Maurice Ashley and Gata Kamsky to join the other 55 players currently in the U.S. Hall of Fame. “Ashley and Kamsky have both made a tremendous impact on the chess world. Both highly accomplished players, Ashley has broadened the visibility of chess among key audiences, and Kamsky has demonstrated the unique ability to sustain a high caliber of play over more than three decades. We are thrilled to celebrate these elite players,” Harold Winston, US Chess Trust Chairman, said. Each player is commemorated at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri with a plaque bearing their image and a biography of their notable contributions to the game. “The 2016 induction ceremony will recognize these important players of our time, their tremendous chess careers and their undeniable influence on the game,” said Chief Curator Shannon Bailey.. 10 June 2016. | Chess Life.
(30) First Moves / Chess news from around the U.S.. (B. 1966) UNITED STATES – INDUCTED 2016 Maurice Ashley is not only the first African-American player to achieve the title of grandmaster, but one of the greatest ambassadors and promoters the game has ever known. Ashley is a world-class commentator who has covered many major competitions including the 1995 GM Garry Kasparov-GM Viswanathan Anand World Championship match as well as the 2013-2016 Sinquefield Cups. He has also organized some of the highest-stakes open tournaments worldwide, the HB Global Challenge (2005) and Millionaire Chess Open (2014, 2015), which featured record-setting prize funds. Formerly a Joint Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center and MIT’s Media Lab, Ashley is at the forefront of bringing the benefits of chess to a wider educational audience through the innovative use of technology. He is the author of the bestseller Chess for Success: Using an Old Game to Build New Strengths in Children and Teens (2005).. (1908-1965) WORLD HOF INDUCTED 2016. (1924-2006) WORLD HOF INDUCTED 2016. (1810-1874) WORLD HOF INDUCTED 2016. Sonja Graf-Stevenson was one of the best female chess players of the 1930s and the chief rival of Vera Menchik, who then reigned as Women’s World Chess Champion. She learned to play chess during her childhood and later trained with Siegbert Tarrasch. Graf-Stevenson competed in tournaments and matches against both men and women, earning attention for her daring and sometimes risky play. She played in four Women’s World Chess Championship tournaments and matches, nearly taking the title at the Buenos Aires tournament (1939). Graf-Stevenson remained in Argentina during World War II, but immigrated to the United States in 1947, where she won two U.S. Women’s Chess Championships (1957, 1964). Her legacy also includes writing one of the first chess books by a top female player, Así juega una mujer (This Is How a Woman Plays, 1941).. A top-ranked player for 30 years, David Bronstein tied with Mikhail Botvinnik in the 1951 World Chess Championship match. He also distinguished himself as one of the greatest thinkers and innovators in the history of chess. Bronstein pioneered the King’s Indian Defense, transforming it from an unknown and discredited defense into one of the most popular and dynamic openings. He was an early advocate of speeding up competitive chess and in 1973 introduced the idea of adding a time increment for each move made. Bronstein’s Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 (1979) routinely appears on lists of the greatest chess books ever written for its insights into how top players think.. Howard Staunton was a latecomer to chess, only starting to play seriously at the age of 26. Despite this obstacle, he developed into one of the best players of the 1840s and eventually worked to standardize rules of chess across nations. Staunton popularized his ideas in The ChessPlayer’s Handbook (1847), The Chess-Player’s Companion (1849), and Chess Praxis (1860) as well as in the Illustrated London News chess column he authored from 1845 until his death. Staunton also organized the first modern international tournament (London, 1851) and wrote a book about its events. The now-standard tournament chess piece design, first produced by Jaques of London and which Staunton helped to popularize, bears his name.. (B. 1974) UNITED STATES – INDUCTED 2016 Gata Kamsky is one of the greatest chess players to represent the United States. He is a five-time U.S. chess champion (1991, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014) and a six-time U.S. Olympiad team member (1992, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014). Kamsky also played board one on the only American team to win the World Team Chess Championship (Lucerne, 1993). He has been ranked number three in the chess world twice (1996, 2009) and is the only American after Bobby Fischer to compete in a match for the FIDE World Chess Championship (losing to Anatoly Karpov 7½ - 10½ in 1996). Kamsky is also the only U.S. player to win the FIDE World Cup, finishing ahead of 128 players at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (2007).. Gata Kamsky- Spectrum Studios, 2015 U.S. Championship; Maurice Ashley- Spectrum Studios, 2015 U.S. Championship; Sonja Graf-Stevenson - Rueb, Alexander. Scrapbooks. (1900-1957). Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Netherlands.; David Bronstein- New In Chess Archives; Howard Staunton- Courtesy of the John G. White Chess Collection at the Cleveland Public Library. www.uschess.org. 11.
(31) First Moves / Chess news from around the U.S.. World Chess Hall of Fame Celebrates 50,000th Visitor! By AL LAWRENCE. FACES. At the U.S. CHAMPS!. ACROSS THE BOARD. By AL LAWRENCE. ED GONSALVES PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND Championship “statisphiliac” Ed Gonsalves is the US Chess Championship’s sovereign of stats. Ask him which U.S. Championship holds the record for most games won against former champions, and he’ll tell you—perhaps after first consulting his massive database covering all the U.S. Championships since the first official one in 1936, including quite a lot of earlier info. He’s spent thousands of hours researching and compiling the files. Oldest and youngest champs?— piece of chess cake, Fischer and Reshevsky. Most last-round wins? Don’t make Ed laugh, of course it was Shabalov with nine. Longest draw?—Yawn, 164 moves in Akobian-Lapshun, 2003. Using his annual vacation time from his work with the U.S. Postal Service, Ed traveled to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis to visit his eighth U.S. Championship for a first-hand look. Oh, in case you didn’t know, the most wins over champions was 22, in 1996, when nine former title holders played in Parsippany, New Jersey. Don’t feel bad. Your writer didn’t know either, and he was US Chess’ executive director at the time.. SEAN MALONE. Better than being punched in the face. The Selberts live in Eureka, Missouri, a half hour’s drive from the Hall. “We had been talking about going for a while,” Craig, a software engineer, said—ever since Justin, “the real chess player of the family,” improved his game as part of a gifted program opportunity, College for Kids. So one day on spring break, they made a family outing to the new Ikea store. From there, it was a short trip. They lunched at a nearby deli and then dropped into 4652 Maryland Avenue.. Sean often rides his bicycle to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, where he’s played in more than 100 tournaments since moving to St. Louis in 2010. It’s a privilege “milling about with GMs,” the computer-repair specialist said. He’s awed by meeting stars like former world champ Garry Kasparov. At the Championships, Sean is an Irina Krush fan. “She’s been so dominant and is such a modest, nice person.”. “Much to our surprise, we were given free commemorative shirts and a personal tour.” On the first floor they saw a chess set created by Yoko Ono. On the second floor, Craig and Justin played chess on a Harry Potter-sized chess set inside a Magic Castle. “Justin won.” On the third floor, they saw the plaques commemorating the great players and an exhibit about other famous people who played chess, like Albert Einstein. “The staff was very kind and courteous. We received a tour of the club across the street. It’s a beautiful, impressive place. It was a lot of fun!”. Sean’s also a big fan of chess compositions. “They can be works of art, and give composers immortality.” Born in the Virgin Islands, Sean learned chess at seven when his mother brought home a chess set. At the time, “it was just one of many games,” but it became more important as Sean gravitated toward one-on-one combat “but didn’t want to get punched in the face.” Write to [email protected].. 12 June 2016. | Chess Life. PHOTO CREDIT: AL LAWRENCE. THE HALL OF FAME IN ST. LOUIS, which opened to the public on September 9, 2011, has attracted more visitors than all three of its predecessors combined since the first location opened in the basement of US Chess in New Windsor, New York, in 1988. In fact, on March 15, the Selbert family—Craig, his wife Stacy, 11-year-old son Justin, and 8year-old daughter Jenna put the Central West End attraction over the 50,000 mark.. UNIVERSITY CITY, MISSOURI.
(32) Be a US Chess Benefactor!. Benefactor Membership includes Life Membership, a special membership card, and recognition on a benefactor page of our website and periodically in Chess Life. The cost is $3,000, or $1,500 to existing Life Members. Half the funds collected will go to US Chess Life Member Assets Fund and half to assist US Chess operations. Become a Benefactor at uschess.org, by phone at 1-800-903-8723, or by mail to US Chess, PO Box 3967, Crossville TN 38557.. SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OUR BENEFACTORS! U S C he s s B e n e fa ct o r M e m b e r s a s o f F e b r u a r y 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 :. )#.,%,(+ ' | )#.&+ **% | * ,'.*$&, | *'(. !.-,(%,& | +)+(*.+- +(+ *(+"'+(.- #)&&,- | , -,$. +)% *( | +-")(. ,+( | ,((,"'. $ | )&&.*)',- *,-". !. | (.,#*-$. . +)%.+&+( | +)%.*'#+( | '-) "*',-.
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(34) !.,--), | '*#+ .!.'- ' | +-*&%.*--+(, '+-&, .(- ' | %+-%. $* . H E L P. P R O M O T E. A M E R I C A N. C H E S S www.uschess.org. 13.
(35) US Chess Affairs / News for our Members. US CHESS. MISSION. Empowering people through chess one move at a time.. 2016 Scholar-Chess Player Awards By MIKE HOFFPAUIR, US CHESS SCHOLASTIC COUNCIL. US CHESS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE the five winners of the 2016 Scholar-Chess Player Awards. The Scholar-Chess Player awards are sponsored by the US Chess Trust and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. Chosen from among a highly competitive field of 20 applicants, the five winners—three seniors and two juniors—display a superb combination of scholarly accomplishments, chess achievements, and a record of consistent service to the chess playing community. Each winner receives a $1,500 scholarship created from donations to the US Chess Trust.. IM SAFAL BORA, MICHIGAN IM Bora is a senior at Troy High School in Troy, Michigan. After graduation he plans to attend the University of Michigan and pursue a degree in finance. Someday, Safal says, “I would like to form and promote an organizational network of executives/professionals working in various careers who have a heightened interest in chess. The organization’s mission will be to share ideas, experiences, and ways to bring recognition to the chess community and connect chess players to successful chess mentors in this network.”. WIM AGATA BYKOVTSEV, CALIFORNIA Agata is a home-schooled junior from Goleta, California. After graduation she plans to attend Stanford University. While WIM Bykovtsev has not decided upon her major, the fact that she already has completed all high school level math and physics available to her strongly suggests what direction she may choose. She believes that, “Giving back to my community is also important. Over the last year and a half,. US CHESS. VISION. 14 June 2016. | Chess Life. I have been a volunteer at the Isla Vista Afterschool Project where I have founded a chess program for underprivileged school children.”. IM AKSHAT CHANDRA, NEW JERSEY IM Chandra is a home-schooled senior from Iselin, New Jersey. Although he has not decided what college or university to attend or in what areas to focus, his strong achievements in math and the sciences point strongly toward a degree in one of those disciplines. IM Chandra has been coaching an individual who suffers from cerebral palsy and is also working with the local school district’s Reaching Individual Student Excellence (RISE) program, helping them learn critical “life skills so they can have the confidence and independence to assimilate in society.”. IM DANIEL GUREVICH, GEORGIA IM Gurevich is a home-schooled senior from Marietta, Georgia. He is undecided on where to attend college, but his composite ACT score of 36 (out of 36) and top scores on 10 Advanced Placement exams mean he is ready to excel in whatever direction he decides to go. He also has contributed articles to Georgia Chess, US Chess News (formerly Chess Life Online) and Chess Life Kids (CLK). “Following the news of the 2010 Haiti earthquake,” he says, “I organized my first simultaneous exhibition to raise funds for the victims. I will keep contributing to CLK, volunteering at local schools, and promoting chess in other ways.”. CHRISTOPHER YANG, PENNSYLVANIA Yang is a junior attending North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Following high school, Yang says he would like to attend. Harvard, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University or the University of Pennsylvania. After representing his home state in the 2015 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, Yang noted, “I remember … Mike Klein, the speaker, emphasizing that becoming a great chess player is only a small part of the goal. The real goal is to spread chess so that more people can enjoy it. I am determined to carry out this message!”. EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTION BALLOTS Ballots will be mailed on June 8 to US Chess members who were current members active as of May 5, 2016, who will be age 16 or older by June 30th, 2016, and who registered to vote by May 1, 2016. Ballots must be returned by July 21 at 3 p.m. to the address listed on the ballot. See https://secure2.uschess.org/ voter-registration.php. for more information and to check your registration status. In addition to the half-page statement on the opposite page, a 150-word statement from each candidate appeared in the April 2016 Chess Life and a half-page statement in the May 2016 Chess Life. These are available in the Chess Life archives on uschess.org.. Our vision is to enrich the lives of all persons and communities through increasing the play, study, and appreciation of the game of chess..
(36) US Chess Affairs / Candidate Statements. MIKE HOFFPAUIR. Fellow Chess Players, Parents, Coaches, Tournament Directors, Organizers, and enthusiasts of our beloved game, In April and May I highlighted my chess roots and a few of my more cherished chess accomplishments as a parent and tournament director. I won’t retread that ground. Rather, I’d like to talk about what I stand for in relation to the game and a possible position on the Executive Board. My message centers around three points: collaboration today, invest for tomorrow, and have fun. To. begin, my foremost belief for being a member of the Executive Board is that I stand for collaboration and discussion— deciding what is best in all things for chess in the United States is always open for dialogue and debate. That may seem a bit strange for someone who has 27 years of military experience, where “following orders” is the rule. True, but it’s how military leaders develop orders that is key—through collaboration and discussion. It’s for that reason—wanting to be involved in the discussions—that I became a delegate several years ago to represent my home state, Virginia, in the annual US Chess Delegates Meeting.. scholastic ranks, the talent rising to the top, and supporting what works. We can do this through grants for initiatives that have the right purpose, leadership, and sustainability. To me, it’s as much about instilling a love for the game as it is about providing a means to identify and nurture top players. Many of the great players often speak of how lessons over-the-board translate to lessons in life—e.g. making tough decisions and taking responsibility for them, thinking through the possibilities and their consequences, and spending time to improve oneself. Few goals in chess can be better than this type of “life training” for young players.. Next, I believe we need to invest more in the future of chess—the up and coming players in the. Third, I believe we have to have fun playing chess, organizing tournaments, and running clubs.. Yes, chess is a serious mindsport, but getting to know more about how each of us think, how to improve our thought processes, renewing old friendships, and making new ones at the board can also be quite fun. Chess is a game we can play for life, unlike the legs that have deserted me since my high school and college tennis playing days. My sincere wish is that in these few short sentences you know a little more about me, what I stand for, and the kind of person you would be supporting if you provide me with your vote. If elected, I will dedicate my energy, enthusiasm, experience and productivity to you. I humbly ask for your vote, and especially, your ideas as we move forward.. CHARLES D. UNRUH Chess and US Chess has been an important part of my life for half a century. I am a Benefactor Life Member and strongly believe in the positive US Chess mission. My chess leadership and volunteerism started in Ohio during the 1970s and continues at present with the Oklahoma state chapter. In the 2013 election, I was granted the opportunity to serve on the Executive Board by the membership. My comments in the May 2013 Chess Life presented a candidate with the following primary goal, “My election to the new board of directors means a voice for a more sustainable business cycle." In the election, the membership supported my fiscally conservative message. The 2013 election gave support to a team of leaders that guided US Chess to the strongest financial position of the last decade. My platform remains committed to continued US Chess financial strength. I respectfully ask for your support in the upcoming election.. www.uschess.org. 15.
(37) T. Chess to Enjoy / Entertainment. Annotation-Land A realm with its own quaint laws, tribal customs, and a form of language unknown anywhere else on the planet. By GM ANDY SOLTIS. IMAGINE THAT YOU GOT OFF A TRAIN in an unfamiliar city. You need directions so you stop a passerby and ask how to get to your destination. “Deserving attention is to go three blocks to the left,” he replies. Then he pauses and adds, “Also possible is one block to the right.” After another pause: “Worthy of consideration is four blocks straight ahead.” You’d think you were in a strange country. You are. You’re in Annotation-land. It’s a realm that has its own quaint laws, tribal customs and a form of language unknown anywhere else on the planet. The leading citizens of Annotation-land— they’re called annotators—once got away with analyzing chess games with useless comments like this. At the critical point in a game they would say, “Deserving attention is 17. ... Rc8” and then add, “Also possible is 17. ... Bg5.” Today these annotators have been shamed into doing better—somewhat better. But they still talk in ways that no one else does. Among their favorite terms: Psuedo-attacking move—This sounds like a move that hints at an attack but really has another purpose. But in Annotation-land “pseudo” just means “not good.” When an annotator writes about a “pseudoattacking move” he’s simply saying it’s a bad one. There’s nothing “pseudo” about it. But annotators love “pseudo” so off they go describing moves as “pseudo-defensive,” “pseudoprophylactic”, and so on. Technical win—This term replaced the hoary “a matter of technique” that even annotators felt embarrassed using. What the new term means is: “This so obviously a win to me that I won’t deign to explain it to you.” This follows an Annotation-land tradition. The higher-rated the annotator, the less he will explain, even when the position cries out for explanation.. 16 June 2016. | Chess Life. CLOSED RUY LOPEZ, BREYER VARIATION (C95) GM Alexander Morozevich (FIDE 2743, RUS) GM Krishnan Sasikiran (FIDE 2666, IND) 37th Biel International Chess Festival, Biel, Switzerland, 2004 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd3 c6 15. b3 g6 16. Bb2 Qb6 17. c4 Nh5 18. b4 Bg7 19. c5 Qc7 20. cxd6 Qxd6 21. dxe5. Deceptively simple position—The adverb is as bad as “pseudo” because it’s ambiguous. “Deceptively” could mean that the position is harder than it appears. Or it could mean that it is easier than it seems. Or it could also be that the annotator doesn’t understand what “deceptively” means. Or, that he doesn’t understand the position and is using an ambiguous word to hide it. How deceptive. Sac —This is a what grammarians call a back formation. “Sac” is a shortened form of “sacrifice.” For example, “Black threatens to sac a knight on f5.” I prefer inserting a “k” and spelling it “sack.” Purists claim that’s wrong because there is no “k” in “sacrifice.” I wonder what they do with their short form of “bicycle.” When you visit Annotation-land you will also encounter natives who express surprise at the least surprising events: FRENCH DEFENSE (C18). New In Chess gave this position a diagram so we will too. White annotated the game and his only comment here was: “My opponent missed this move.” There was no explanation of why Black couldn’t take the hanging bishop. Why? Well, in Annotation-land, bewildering readers is considered a good thing. World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik said this is “a subtle pedagogic ploy.” In the preface to a Russian edition of a José Capablanca book he said Capablanca “as a rule” didn’t explain simple tactical lines. Capablanca did this “for the sole reason of leaving the reader to find them for himself.” So in the previous diagram the annotator is doing you a favor by saying, “I’m not going to explain why 21. ... Qxd3 is bad.” That is, you’ll have to find 22. Re3 on your own. Another Annotation-land idiosyncrasy is:. GM Peter Leko (FIDE 2743, HUN) GM Alexander Khalifman (FIDE 2667, RUS) 34th Olympiad, Istanbul, Turkey, 10.30.2000 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. Qg4 Ne7 7. dxc5 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Ng6 9. Nf3 Nd7 10. Bd3 Qc7 11. 0-0 Nxc5 12. a4 0-0 13. Ba3 b6 14. Rfe1 f5 15. exf6 e.p. Nxd3 16. cxd3 Rxf6 17. Qg3. Black played 17. ... Qxg3 and White’s note was “A big surprise! I did not even consider this move ...” Huhh? You threaten to take the other guy’s queen and you didn’t consider queen-takesqueen? What White meant is that he didn’t look far beyond 18. hxg3 because he just felt White had to be better. Annotators are surprised by moves they didn’t calculate deeply. Concrete—This can mean anything from “forcing” to ... well, anything. “This move starts.
(38) Chess to Enjoy / Entertainment. 1966 Piatigorsky Cup If you ask players today about the Piatigorsky Cup of 1966, they might say, “Was that the one where Bobby Fischer screamed at Boris Spassky on the beach?” Actually, that was just an invention for the recent movie, “Pawn Sacrifice.” The real tournament, which began 50 years ago next month, was a dramatic event in which Fischer overcame a disastrous start and nearly caught Spassky in the race for first place. It was also remarkable because Tigran Petrosian managed only an even score—and he was the world champion. In this month’s quiz you are asked to find the fastest winning line of play in six Piatigorsky Cup positions. This will typically mean the forced win of a decisive amount of material, such as a rook or minor piece. For solutions, see page 71.. concrete play.” “This is a natural and concrete move.” “In this concrete position.” “I made a concrete decision.” What annotators mean by this, no one knows, including other annotators. There is a province of Annotation-land where symbols, not words are used. You’d think that would eliminate confusion over what they’re saying. Not quite: “--+” Jose Capablanca Max Euwe Match (5), The Netherlands, 1931. AFTER 27. Rxc1. In a collection of Capablanca’s games (published by Chess Stars in 1997), the annotators give a possibile continuation that runs 27. ... Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Re8 29. Qd2 Qxa2 30. f3 Qe6 31. Re1.. PROBLEM I GM Borislav Ivkov GM Boris Spassky. PROBLEM II GM Tigran Petrosian GM Miguel Najdorf. PROBLEM III GM Bent Larsen GM Bobby Fischer. BLACK TO PLAY. WHITE TO PLAY. BLACK TO PLAY. PROBLEM IV GM Jan Hein Donner GM Bobby Fischer. PROBLEM V GM Bent Larsen GM Wolfgang Unzicker. PROBLEM VI GM Boris Spassky GM Jan Hein Donner. BLACK TO PLAY. BLACK TO PLAY. WHITE TO PLAY. Then they added 31. ... b5 and “--+”. That means Black wins. Actually it isn’t so easy after 32. Kf2. But we get their meaning—after the best moves, ending with 31. ... b5, White is lost. The game actually went 27. ... Re8 28. Qd2 Bxg2 29. Kxg2 Qxa2 30. Re1 Qe6 31. f3. Look familiar? This is the same position that arose in the 27. ... Bxg2 variation. But in the game Black played 31. ... b6. That was awarded an exclamation point because it prepares 32. ... a5 followed by 33. ... a4 and 34. ... b5. How is that possible if the previous note said 31. ... b5 was best? The annotators weren’t done. They added a note after 30. Re1 to indicate that White could have done better with 30. f3 and then 30. ... Qe6 31. Re1. But how can he be doing better when this is the same position that they gave as winning for Black after 31. ... b5 or 31. ... b6 ? Computers were supposed to make annotation more accurate. Well, it is more accurate. The problem is that readers can be smothered by the glut of machine-driven data. SMOTHERED GM Anatoly Karpov GM Garry Kasparov World championship match, Leningrad, 1986, 16th game. AFTER 25. Nxe5. This is a very difficult position. (I almost said deceptively difficult.) Black played 25. ... Nbd3, White replied 26. Ng4 and eventually won. How much should an annotator say about these moves? The great annotator David Bronstein formulated a rule: Don’t give more analysis than you could reasonably calculate at the board, but almost no one follows Bronstein today in Annotation-land. In Kasparov vs. Karpov, 1986-1987, Garry Kasparov devoted more than five pages to analyzing Black’s 25th move and White’s reply. I’m sure it’s diligent work. But is there anyone who benefits from seeing two ways of drawing by perpetual check after 25. ... Ncd3! 26. Ng4 Qd4 27. Rg3 Bd6 28. Be3 Qxb2 29. Nxh6+ Kf8 30. Qh5 gxh6? Does it really help you to see analysis that runs through move 46? It does, but only in Annotation-land. www.uschess.org. 17.
(39) Back to Basics / Reader annotations. If You See a Good Move, Try to Find a Better One When the move you plan to make exposes your king to danger, always eliminate other options first. By GM LEV ALBURT. AN ATTRACTIVE TITLE IS A BIG DRAW. I instantly liked the title of this article, submitted to me by Kathy Lin—liked it so much that I decided to keep it! Of course, you can’t apply this wisdom when playing blitz; in blitz, you see a good move, you quickly make it! That’s why it’s so important to play, at least occasionally, longer time controls—including those with three minutes per move. Writes Kathy (my further comments are in italics):. 1. d4 d6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7. A bit about myself: I am currently a teacher in Columbus, Ohio, and started playing chess when I was six. However, I stopped playing in high school and college, and only got into chess again in my second year of teaching, in San Antonio, Texas. It was there that I really fell in love with the game. You actually analyzed the game of my former student, Hector Vera, in your July, 2014 column (definitely one of my proudest moments as a coach!). Once I moved back to Columbus two and a half years ago, I started playing again, and I have improved my rating from the high 900s to 1450. I love learning about the game and hope to spread the game throughout central Ohio.. I have recently started trying out the Queen’s Gambit in tournament play, [i.e. playing 1. d4 —L.A.] but this is the first time I saw this response for Black. I personally do not like this move because it is very passive and it prevents the c8-bishop from developing, which ... d7d6 created. I suppose Black wants to protect the knight on f6 when it is pinned. The purpose of 3. ... Nbd7 is to then play ... e7-e5 without allowing the trade of queens on d8 (nowadays, Black often plays 3. ... e5, not shying away from the trade.). OLD INDIAN DEFENSE (A53) Katherine Lin (1434) Peter Galupo (1431) BCC Thurs G/25 D5 (3), Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 02.11.2016. A chess mentor of mine once told me, “If you see a good move, try to find a better one.” I have taken his advice to heart, and more often than not, when I see I have a good move, I try to spot a better one. However, I realize now that I also have to keep his words in mind when looking for good moves for my opponent! In this game, my opponent had a ‘much better move,’ which would have completely changed the result of the game.. 18 June 2016. | Chess Life. 5. ... c6. I usually am a pretty aggressive player, which sometimes gets me into trouble. However, I saw that (after 5. ... c6), 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Bxf6+ gxf6, Black would have doubled pawns and my rook could control the d-file. 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. dxe5. 4. Bg5. White can play in a more direct manner: 4. e4 e5 5. d5 and, if 5. ... Nc5, then 6. f3, with a Saemisch-like position, and perhaps some edge. (German Grandmaster Friedrich Saemisch liked to support his e4-pawn with a pawn on f3.) But 4. Bg5 is also fine. 4. ... e5. In Bronstein-Petrosian (Zurich, 1953), Black equalized after 4. ... h6 (in fact, Kathy guessed, at least partly, right about the f6-knight being protected by his colleague) 5. Bh4 g5 6. Bg3 Nh5, planning to exchange White’s dark bishop. 5. Nd5. Tempting but not the best, as White spends time to achieve trades—trades which aren’t beneficial for White (rather neutral). After the “theoretical” 5. Nf3, White is a bit better.. 7. ... Qa5+. I had a feeling Black might try this (this is what I would probably do in the situation to avoid the above variation). I did not want my bishop to be attacked after he took the pawn on e5, so I retreated. 8. Bd2 Qxe5 9. Bc3. I like the placement of this bishop. It has a nice diagonal after the queen moves that aims at Black’s kingside. Nonetheless, Black stands better. 9. … Qf5 10. e3 (see diagram top of next column) 10. ... Be7. Black missed the opportunity to exchange White’s—truly strong—c3-bishop: 10: ... Ne4!, with advantage for Black. 11. Nf3 0-0 12. Bd3 Ne4.
(40) Back to Basics / Reader annotations. The threat to g7 is more important, thus: 15. ... Nxc3, and the game goes on.. 25. Rhg1. 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. Bxf5 h6. My pieces are occupying the center, so instead of Black giving up more of the center, he wants to simultaneously block the attack and put pressure on my bishop. 13. Nd4??. 25. ... Rad8 26. Bxg6! fxg6. At this point, I realize that the black queen does not have very many squares to flee to if I moved a rook to the g-file. At first, I considered moving the rook on h1, which would allow Black to take the pawn on h2. However, I then realized I had a better move—I could move the other rook to g1! If you see a good move, find a better one … 18. Bxf6!. Or 18. Rdg1! Qf3 19. Bxf6—a perfect transposition. 18. ... Bxf6 19. Rdg1 Qf3 20. Bg4 Bxb2+. This is the move I alluded to in the introduction. I thought I could attack the queen with my knight, and since the knight would be hanging, Black has to protect the knight by moving the queen to either g4 or g6. Until analyzing this game, I didn’t see 13. ... Qxf2 mate!! I definitely got a huge break, and should have been looking for the ‘better moves’ my opponent had. I am a chess coach, and I tell my students that they should castle before starting an attack. I should have taken my own advice! Another move I could do in this position would be 13. Qc2. The rule “castle before starting the attack,” even if such a rule ever existed, is more prominent by exceptions to it. The rule Kathy ignored here was: see if the move you plan exposes your position, your men, and above all your king, to some dangers, or overlooks pre-existing dangers.. The only option Black has to save his queen. 21. Qxb2. I took with the queen to put pressure on the g7-square. Correct. 21. … Qe4. Black is busted, and I am taking advantage of the weak g7-square. 28. Rg7+ Qxg7 29. Qxg7+ Ke8 30. Qe5+ Kd7 31. Rg7+ Kc8 32. Qc7 mate.. In this game, both players had their strong and weak (even tragic) moments. Both missed that 13. Nd4?? can be answered by 13. ... Qxf2 mate, and 14. ... Qxg2?? by 15. Bxe4. I’d recommend Kathy, and Peter, to play for a while mostly with longer time controls; where they would be able to weed out the most obvious blunders. Also—even if you don’t submit your game for publication—analyze it well, first yourself, then—with an engine, to show you blunders missed.. Send in your games!. Back to Basics, c/o Chess Life PO Box 3967 Crossville, TN 38557-3967 Or e-mail your material to [email protected]. 22. Be2. While I knew I was potentially going to lose the pawn of g2, I figured moving a rook to g1 would be worth the loss, especially with the bishop on c3. Black decides to go pawn grabbing, which I think may have cost him the game. Black’s only defense here was 14. ... f5, as 14. ... Qxg2 loses a piece (for only one pawn) after the simple 15. Bxe4—getting the black knight while protecting the h1-rook.. Simultaneously protecting the pawn on c4 and threatening mate on g7! Many people would prefer 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. Bf5+ (not 23. Bf3+?? Qg6), with an easy endgame win.. Black retreated to protect the pawn on h7.. 27. Rxg6+ Kf7. If you are unrated or rated 1799 or below, then GM Lev Alburt invites you to send your most instructive game with notes to:. 13. … Qg6 14. Qc2!? Qxg2. 15. 0-0-0 Nf6. A bishop sacrifice to open up the kingside even more.. 22. … Qh7 23. Bd3 g6 24. Rg3 d5. Not much Black can do at this point. My pieces are becoming coordinated and he is running out of defenders. Maybe it would have been better to put a rook on the seventh rank. Indeed, White is winning.. GM Alburt will select the “most instructive” game and Chess Life will award an autographed copy of Lev’s newest book, Platonov’s Chess Academy (by Lev Alburt and Sam Palatnik) to the person submitting the most instructive game and annotations. Make sure your game (or part of it) and your notes will be of interest to other readers. Writing skills are a plus, but instructiveness is a must! Do not send games with only a few notes, as they are of little instructive value and can’t be used. www.ChessWithLev.com. www.uschess.org. 19.
(41) Karjakin Set To Challenge Carlsen Caruana just misses; Nakamura ties for 4th-7th place By GM ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ | Photos by DAVID LLADA*. O. ur chess world at the very top, for better or for worse, has always revolved around its highest title: the World Championship. Yes, of course, there are other important events. Winning Wijk aan Zee is pretty cool, The new Grand Chess Tour has brought a lot of money to the table for the elite players, there are several other tournaments like those that come to mind. However, if you. put all of them together, their importance both financially and in terms of status pales in comparison to the World Championship cycle and its pinnacle: the World Championship Match. With a minimum prize fund of Euro 1,000,000 and an expectation that this number will be doubled, just qualifying for this event is usually worth more than winning most of the top tournaments in the entire year. After a. long process, eight players were finally selected to participate in the Candidates Tournament, the winner of which would challenge Magnus Carlsen for all the glory. It's difficult to talk about the Candidates without first explaining how the players qualified. The first person to be automatically placed in the Candidates was Vishy Anand, the loser of the 2014 World Championship match..
(42) * COURTESY OF CHESS INFORMANT. GM Sergey Karjakin: He found the killing punches, kept his nerve, and now will face Carlsen in New York City in November.. The first two qualification spots went to Americans. Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, who finished 1-2 in the 2014-15 Grand Prix series. After that two Russians qualified: Sergey Karjakin and Peter Svidler battled it out in Baku and placed 1-2 at the World Cup, Karjakin was the winner after a heartbreaking performance by Svidler in the final match, but both of them reached the. Candidates nonetheless. The next qualifying spots would go to the top two players by their average rating in 2015 that had not yet qualified and who played either the Grand Prix Series or the World Cup. This went to Veselin Topalov and Anish Giri, leaving Vladimir Kramnik just out of the picture. Finally, the organizers choice, or a wildcard. With the main sponsor for the tournament being the Tashir. Group, a Russian-Armenian real-estate company headed by an Armenian billionaire, it was little surprise that this spot went to Levon Aronian, though a lot of people expected it to go to Kramnik due to the location of the event. The participants of this event prepared for months. Nakamura was very vocal about the fact that none of his performances before the Candidates really mattered, it was all down to.
(43) Above, GM Fabiano Caruana. Facing, clockwise from top left: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Levon Aronian, GM Veselin Topalov, GM Peter Svidler, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Anish Giri.. the tournament in March. As usual with any event that FIDE gets their hands on, there was a fair share of controversy surrounding the event. Some were relatively minor, like Topalov complaining that Russia was hosting the Candidates for the third time in a row, but the main point of contention was with the company called AGON. AGON has been marred by controversy and accusations of corruption since its inception. Whether these claims are true or not is a subject matter for another article. For now, it is clear that AGON has been accorded the “long-term, exclusive rights to organize and commercialize the World Chess Championship by FIDE”. And AGON took that to heart. They banned websites around the world to relay the moves played in the Candidates, claiming that only AGON had exclusive rights for the live relay of these moves. A previous attempt to restrict the relay of moves had been attempted by the Sofia organizers for the TopalovKamsky match. ChessBase, the German company that runs playchess.com and produces that database program you likely have on your computer, took their chances in court, relayed the moves nonetheless, and was found non-culpable in the lawsuit. A similar attitude was taken by many of the websites around the world. With a stale broadcast that went down consistently on the official website, it was no wonder that chess24, Chessbomb and other websites ignored the warnings from AGON’s lawyers and continued their transmission. What happens in court is yet to be seen, but I hope for the sake of chess that AGON never gets exclusive rights to do anything again, or at the very least they do it so well that everyone WANTS to watch their show,. 22 June 2016. | Chess Life.
(44) www.uschess.org. 23. PHOTOS BY DAVID LLADA / COURTESY OF CHESS INFORMANT.
(45) Cover Story / 2016 Candidates. rather than be forced to it. No one wanted to see a website that had names and positions mixed up, English-language commentators that clearly did not master the language, and an overall production team that never had the audience’s best interest in mind. It was not unusual at press conferences for grandmasters to throw moves at each other without anyone explaining to the audience what was going on, not even placing them on a chessboard for someone to follow. With most of the controversy out of the way (well, it is still ongoing with the legal battle, hopefully resolved before the World Championship match), let’s get on with what happened over the chessboard. The entire tournament was rather close. No one had a substantial lead at any point in the tournament, not until the very last round was. NAKAMURA MISCALCULATES? GM Sergey Karjakin (FIDE 2760, RUS) GM Hikaru Nakamura (FIDE 2790, USA) FIDE Candidates Tournament 2016 (2), Moscow, Russia, 03.12.2016. finished. From the get-go, however, one thing was clear: Topalov was the sucker at the poker table. He lost his first game in the tournament to Anand. The game wasn’t the best quality, with Topalov missing a superb blow on move 20 that would have given him a nice advantage, and instead he did nothing and ended up losing a pawn which Anand converted in the endgame. The duel between the Americans was also a premonition of what would come of the tournament. Caruana with black had some difficulties from the opening, but Nakamura was unable to do anything with it and the game petered out to a draw. Round two saw a key decisive result. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it just wasn’t his day, but Nakamura did the most un-Nakamura thing possible: he miscalculated.. Suddenly it is all over. It is White that comes up with his own fork at the end of the variation, and picks up a full piece for free. The game is over. 34. ... f5 35. Rxb7 h6 36. Bxd5+ Kh7 37. Bg2 Re2 38. Bf1, Black resigned.. AFTER 29. h4. Black’s position is very unpleasant. White has a nice blockade on d4 and some pressure on d5. If Black simplifies the position on the d4-square he will be saddled with a weak bishop on b7, and if White ever installs a knight on c5 it will be impossible to get rid of it without giving White a great positional advantage. For example: 29. ... Nxd4 30. Bxd4 Bxd4 31. exd4 Qf6 32. Qb2 h6 33. Nc5 Black’s position isn’t the hippest thing I’ve encountered in my life, but there are chances to hold it. However, Nakamura chose .... All the other games were drawn, so Karjakin and Anand led after two rounds with +1 (1½/2). Round three was rather wild. Giri sacrificed two knights against Karjakin, but it was only good enough for a perpetual. Caruana was in real trouble positionally against Anand, which was something that happened repeatedly in this tournament. Caruana was always in problems it seems, but he managed to wiggle himself out of it consistently. Anand on the other hand misused his advantage and the game evaporated into a draw. Peter Svidler clearly outprepared Nakamura in the opening, and pushed very hard for a win. Also typical of this tournament was Svidler having good positions and squandering them! Unfortunately it was also typical for Nakamura for this tournament: simply having bad positions. Meanwhile, Aronian capitalized on Topalov’s poor form:. 17. ... Nxe4! 18. Bb2?!. The move 18. Bxe4 was surely Topalov’s intention, but it doesn’t work 18. ... Qf6 and now White cannot protect his bishop on e4 and his rook on a1. Black emerges up at least a clear pawn ahead. 18. ... Qe7 19. b4 a6 20. Qc2 f6 21. Rac1 Rad8 22. Bf1 Rd7 23. f3 Nd6 24. Re1 Qf7. By this point White’s compensation has mainly dissipated. Aronian went on to win with his two extra pawns.. AFTER 16. ... Nc6. The players had a rest day after every three rounds, so this was the first time that they had the opportunity to regain some energies and try to improve upon the tournament so far. Round four saw an absolutely key game. Sergey Karjakin, faced off against one of the other tournament leaders, Vishy Anand. It was the Russian that came ahead in a long positional struggle. The game is quite instructive, not flashy at all but it was clear that Anand was suffering the entire time. Another key result at the end of the tournament was the following miss by Caruana:. 30. fxg3 Nxd4 31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. exd4 Qe3+. This is the shot that Black was obviously counting on. Black forks the king and knight, and if the knight retreats to block than c1 is hanging. Things, however, are not that easy.. | Chess Life. Pinning the d-pawn and protecting e4. Or so one would think. 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Bb2 Nb6 19. Qb5 keeps all three results possible.. GM Veselin Topalov (FIDE 2780, BUL) GM Levon Aronian (FIDE 2786, ARM) FIDE Candidates Tournament 2016 (3), Moscow, Russia, 03.13.2016. ARONIAN POUNCES. This simply loses on the spot. Did Nakamura think Karjakin missed this? Did he miscalculate? It is entirely unclear.. 24 June 2016. 17. Rd1?. 25. Bd3 g5 26. Ng2 Nc4 27. f4 Nxb2 28. Qxb2 Bh3 29. a4 h6 30. b5 axb5 31. axb5 Ne7 32. Qf2 Nf5 33. Qf3 Kg7 34. Kh1 Re7 35. Rxe7 Qxe7 36. Qh5 Bxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Ne3+ 38. Kg1 f5 39. Qe2 Rf6 40. Qb2 gxf4 41. gxf4 Kh7 42. Kh1 Qg7 43. Qe2 d4 44. Qf3 c6 45. bxc6 bxc6 46. h3 Rg6 47. Rb1 Rg3 48. Qh5 Qd7 49. Kh2 Rg2+ 50. Kh1 Qd5, White resigned.. 29. ... Nxg3??. 33. Qf2! Qxd3 34. Rc7. A strange position. White is down a pawn but he has the pair of bishops and some nagging pressure on the center. His next move seems natural, but is only natural if you are completely off-form..
(46) Cover Story / 2016 Candidates 74. ... Kf8 75. Kf6 Ra6+ 76. Rd6 Ra8 77. h5 Kg8 78. f5 Rb8 79. Rd7 Rb6+ 80. Ke7. CARUANA MISSES GM Fabiano Caruana (FIDE 2794, USA) GM Veselin Topalov (FIDE 2780, BUL) FIDE Candidates Tournament 2016 (4), Moscow, Russia, 03.15.2016. The line 80. e6 fxe6 81. Rd8+ Kh7 82. fxe6 is good enough as well. 80. ... Rb5 81. Rd8+ Kh7 82. Kf6 Rb6+ 83. Rd6. The continuation 83. Kxf7 Rf6+! 84. Ke7! Rxf5 is also lost, but there is no need for this. 83. ... Rb7, Black resigned.. his opponent. 45. Rc6? Re8 46. Rcxc5 e4. Black’s passed e-pawn is enough counterplay to hold the draw. AFTER 34. Ra3. After a long time of having next to nothing Caruana has slowly worked himself up to an edge. His control over the b-file is worth more than the f-file. 34. ... fxe4 35. Nxe4 Bf5 36. Rab3 Bg6 37. Rb6 Qe7?. Too optimistic in time trouble, this move doesn’t come close to working. 38. Nxd6 Nxh3+ 39. Qxh3 Rf6 40. Nc8! Qd8. 47. d6 Rd8 48. Rc6 Rd1 49. c5 e3 50. Rb2 Rd2 51. Rb1 e2 52. Re1 Rf8, Draw agreed.. Round five was relatively uneventful. All the games were drawn, despite Caruana essaying the cool Benoni against Aronian. Round six, however, was far more interesting. Nakamura’s tournament hopes really went downhill in one of the most tragic occurrences of the tournament. After defending uncomfortably for many, many, moves, the following position was reached:. Simply tragic for Nakamura, whose nerves simply faltered him in the first half of the tournament. (See sidebar, “Touch-move,” for more on this.) Meanwhile, Anand played a masterpiece: ANAND'S MASTERPIECE GM Viswanathan Anand (FIDE 2762, IND) GM Peter Svidler (FIDE 2757, RUS) FIDE Candidates Tournament 2016 (6), Moscow, Russia, 03.17.2016. A NAKAMURA TRAGEDY GM Levon Aronian (FIDE 2786, ARM) GM Hikaru Nakamura (FIDE 2790, USA) FIDE Candidates Tournament 2016 (6), Moscow, Russia, 03.17.2016. AFTER 17. ... dxe4. 18. Rxe4!. Beautiful! Anand gives up his rook to preserve his powerful Spanish bishop. Capturing the other way, 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Rxe4 Qd5 is almost nothing for White. 18. ... Nb3?. The time control was reached, and one would think that Caruana can find the winning continuation from here. A lot of his pieces are under attack, but he can defend them all. 41. R1b5?. The continuation 41. Rxf6 Qxf6 42. Rb2 was completely winning. Black doesn’t even have ... Bf5 42. ... Bf5 43. Qxf5 (43. Qe3 Rxc8 is even better than the game continuation, but let’s not get into that.) 43. ... Qxf5 44. Ne7+ nets a piece; The line 41. R1b2 Bf5 42. Qe3 Qxc8 43. Rxf6 Rxf6 44. Rb5 was also close to winning, actually. 41. ... Rxf2 42. Rxg6 Rxf1+ 43. Kh2 Qxc8 44. Qxc8 Rxc8 (see diagram next column). White is still better in this endgame, but there are major conversion issues. Caruana did not come close to posing any real problems for. AFTER 74. Rd7. Black is down a pawn, but as a strong old guy said once, all rook endgames are drawn. This one is no exception, as Maxime VachierLagrave proved through strong and detailed analysis on chess.com. I won’t bore you with the details, just with what happened. Nakamura can hold by moving his rook: e2 and a5 both seem to work, and probably a6 is also OK. Moving the king is fatal. In time pressure, Nakamura touched his king clearly intending to move. He tried to say, “j'adoube,” but was called out by Aronian. The arbiter forced Nakamura to move his king, and that leads to a hopeless position.. Based on a miscalculation. Anand does not forgive. The followup 18. ... Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Ra6 20. Bxh7+!? is complicated but works for White. Figure it out yourself! 19. Rxa8 Bxa8 20. Ng5! Nxc1 21. Qh5!. Amount of pieces do not matter any more,. www.uschess.org. 25.
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