California Journal

Another Year of the CalChess State Scholastic Championship Survived

ore than 900 players “Two main things affect at- hotel next door.” Azhar, who is — plus worried par- tendance,” said Azhar, “how committed to running the tour- Ments, bored siblings, much the coaches encourage nament through 2012 said his good and bad coaches, and a them to play in afterschool intent is to keep the state cham- harried tournament staff — sur- classes and in private lessons, pion at the Santa Clara site. vived the 35th CalChess State and how much the parents are CalChess president Tom Scholastic Chess Championship motivated. It’s a huge invest- held April 16–18 in Santa Clara. Langland served as chief direc- ment for parents.” tor for the first time, after long- According to organizer The tournament was back time chief John McCumiskey Salman Azhar, 900+ players in the Santa Clara Convention had already committed his represented an increase in at- Center after five years at other Sunday. “Tom did a very good tendance of about 100, follow- venues. “It’s a much better fit,” job on the floor and on the com- ing a few years of decline which said Azhar. “It’s centrally lo- puters,” said Azhar. followed the national economy, cated, with free parking and a he said. Continued on Page 5 From Tom Langland CalChess President’s Message

Welcome to the rebirth of the California Chess Journal, the California official magazine of CalChess. The award-winning Frisco Del Chess Rosario has returned as editor and we look forward to work- Journal ing with him for future issues. Summer 2010 State Scholastic Draws 900 ...... 1 To help support this effort, President’s Message ...... 2 CalChess membership ($5.00) Zierk Wins Denker Qualifier ...... 3 State Scholastic Prizewinners ...... 13 will now be required at any An Unusual Smothering ...... 16 state championship event. Capablanca: The Late Period ...... 18 CalChess Board While the Bay Area has always been a hotbed of chess activi- President: Tom Langland ties, recently we have seen the resurgence of larger prize fund Vice-President: Salman Azhar Treasurer: Paul Steiner tournaments including several $10,000+ tournaments orga- Secretary: Roger Poehlmann nized by Salman Azhar and even a $40,000 tournament by Bill Members at Large: David Lee Ken Zowal Goichberg! I hope you will keep on supporting these tournaments Lauren Goodkind Ruth Haring so they can endure! Our local talented scholastic players continue Scholastic Reps: Aditya Kumar to achieve remarkable results in national events. At the National Daniel Steiner Rohan Agarwal Elementary Championship, Daniel Liu was the K-6 co-champion, CCJ Editor: Frisco Del Rosario and Allen Beilen received the top prize in the K-5 section. Joanna The California Chess Journal is published Liu helped Weibel Elementary reel in the team co-champion- periodically by CalChess, the Northern California affiliate of the United ship in the K-3 division, and also won the under-8 division in the States Chess Federation. A CalChess USCF All-Girls Nationals. Steven Zierk will be playing in the US membership costs $5 for one year, and will include an email subscription to Invitational and Yian Liou will participate in the US Cadet the CCJ plus discounted entry fees into Championship. participating CalChess tournaments. Subscriptions, membership information, On the adult front, three local players were invited to play in the and related correspondence should be addressed to CalChess Membership at US Championship: Sam Shankland, Jesse Kraai and Vinay Bhat. 2046 Vivian Ct., Tracy, CA 95377-5395. The Mechanics Institute is gearing up to host an invitational The California Chess Journal accepts submissions pertaining to chess, tournament. I hope to see many of you at the US Open in Irvine especially chess in Northern California. while CalChess works to bring similar USCF National events to the Articles and photographs should be submitted in electronic form. Contact: Bay Area. The entire CalChess board is very interested in hearing [email protected]. from chess players as to how we can improve our chess commu- nity, while Ruth Haring is a member of the USCF Executive Board and your input can make changes happen!

Page 2 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 Zierk Wins N. California Qualifier to Denker Tourney of HS Champions

Los Gatos High School junior 9. ... Nc6 Steven Zierk scored 6-0 at the 10. g3?! N. California regional tourna- This is too slow. White wants ment held March 19–21 in San to play h5 as soon as possible, Jose. Zierk earned the right and only then g3 and Bh3. to represent CalChess in the Denker Tournament of High 10. ... Bd7 School Champions at the US 11. Bh3 O-O-O Open in August. Zierk, a USCF 12. Ne2 senior master, finished a full h5 now was still better. point ahead of second place in 12. ... f6 the 51-player field. 13. f4 Nge7 Qualification for the Denker 14. O-O?! is traditionally tied to the state Perhaps g4 was better, to 9-12 championship, but this prevent black from closing the year the CalChess event conflict- kingside too much. ed with the national high school tournament. 14. ... f5 15. Kg2 White: Evan Sandberg (2193) With the idea of Ng1-f3 and 18. g4 Black: Steven Zierk (2420) perhaps g5. Playing for some activity. 18. French Winawer 15. ... Qa5 Nf3?! Would be bad in view of Notes by SM Steven Zierk Now 16. Ng1? Would be …Bh5 when black’s knights are 1. e4 e6 answered with …Nxd4 winning far superior in the closed posi- 2. d4 d5 a , so Black prepares his tion. 3. Nc3 Bb4 queen transfer to the queenside 18. ... Bg6 4. e5 c5 with . Black does not want to give 5. a3 Bxc3+ 16. Qd1 Rdg8 white activity with 18... fxg4? 19. 6. bxc3 Qa5!? 17. Ng1 Be8 Bxg4 Bd7 (else f5 and white’s An unorthodox line which has w______w pieces break loose) 20. f5! (any- proven successful for me in past [wdkdbdr4] way!) exf5 21. Bf3 and White games. has decent chances due to his [0pdwhw0p] protected passer on e5 and open 7. Bd2 Qa4 [wdndpdwd] 8. Qb1 c4 space for his pieces, e.g. con- 9. h4 [1wdp)pdw] sider Ne2-f4 and Rg1. If Black [wdp)w)w)] plays …h6 to prepare …g5, then Since Black has the better h5! prevents getting connected on the queen- [)w)wdw)B] passed pawns, or if …g6 to side, White’s normal plan is to [wdPGwdKd] prepare …h6, then Bg5 or Bh6 expand on the kingside with his [$wdQdRHw] both suffice. In both this note own pawns. w------w

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 3 Senior Master Annotates and the next, the active position 20. ... hxg5 most, the decisive blow is struck is shown to be more important and the invasion begins. The key moves of the game than the pawn deficit. (14–20) are over and Black has 40. Rxh7 Qxh7 19. g5?! come out on top. White has 41. Kxf3 Qh5+ These past couple moves little activity, while Black pre- 42. Ke3 Qg4 have been the key moves of the pares for the decisive invasion 43. Bf3 Rh3 game, and white is fatally selling by making threats on both sides. w______w himself short on the kingside. 21. hxg5 Rh7?! [wdwdwdwd] He needed to try for counter- Black should play …Qa4, to [dwdwdwdw] play with 19. h5!? fxg4 20. hxg6 prevent some white activity on [k0wdpdpd] gxh3+ 21. Nxh3. Then after the a3-f8 diagonal via f4. [0ndp)p)w] 21…hxg6 22. Qg4 plus 23. Ng5, or 21…Nxg6 22. f5, White has 22. Nf3?! [ndp)w)qd] activity. White fails to play a4. Both [)w)wIBdr] sides repeat this mistake for the [RdPGwdwd] 19. ... h6 [dwdwQwdw] w______w next several moves. 22. ... Rgh8 w------w [wdkdwdr4] 44. Qf1 Qg3? 23. Rh1 Bh5 [0pdwhw0w] A serious oversight. Black was [wdndpdb0] 24. Nh4 g6 25. Be3 Qa4! so preoccupied with preventing [1wdp)p)w] any white activity he completely At last. Now White’s position missed 44... Rxf3+! 45. Qxf3 [wdp)w)w)] is hopeless — he has no counter- Qg1+ and 46... Qb1. [)w)wdwdB] play on the queenside due to his [wdPGwdKd] immobile pawn structure, while 45. Be1 Qh2 [$wdQdRHw] Black decides when the h-file 46. Qf2 Naxc3?! w------w will open. All White can do is Trying to prevent counterplay Black ensures an open h-file wait. prevented Black from seeing a on the kingside, because he can 26. Ra2 Kc7 nice win: 46...Rxf3+! 47. Kxf3 control it. 27. Bf2 Nc8 (47. Qxf3 Nbxc3 48. Bxc3 Nxc3 20. Qe1?! 28. Kg1 Nb6 49. Ra1 Qxc2 and White’s pieces are stuck — the queen due to 20. h5 was the last chance for 29. Bg2 a5 …Qe2 and …Qe4, the due activity. 20...hxg5! 21. hxg6 g4 30. Qb1 Na7 to …Nd1. White can only play 22. Bxg4 hxg4 23. Qxg4 Nf5 and 31. Be1 Qc6 Ra1-g1-h1 as Black carries out Black is better but White still 32. Nf3 Na4 …b4-b3-b2-b1Q) 47... Qh1+ has play. The game continua- 33. Bd2 Nb5 48. Ke3 Naxc3 49. Ra1 Nxa3!! tion leaves him with nothing at 34. Qe1 Kb6 and White is helpless (the main all. Although it seems as though 35. Ra1 Ka6 threat is …Qe4+ Kd2 Qxc2+ Ke3 White is making a lot of inaccu- 36. Kf2 b6 Qd3#). For instance, 50. Rxa3 racies, this is misleading; moves 37. Ra2 Qe8 Nd1+ or 50. Bxc3 Qe4+ 51. Kd2 10, 19, and 20 all stem from a 38. Ra1 Qe7 Qxc2+ followed by …Qxc3+ and failure to play h5, the key - 39. Ra2 Bxf3 …Qxa1. Still, the game continua- side move for White in this line. Now that Black’s position has tion is decisive. been strengthened to the ut-

Page 4 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 47. Bxc3 Nxc3 48. Qxh2 Rxh2 State Scholastic 49. Ra1 b5 …Rxc2 also won, but Black is Championship Games sticking to his plan of prevent- ing any white activity following Continued from Page 1 more popular than the Najdorf Rh1. 5…a6 or the Scheveningen Annotations that follow by 5…e6 because “dragon” is an 50. Rh1 Rxh1 Frisco Del Rosario. evocative word, while people 51. Bxh1 b4 can’t pronounce “Najdorf” or 52. axb4 axb4 Paul Richter scored 5-1 to “Scheveningen”. 53. Kd2 Kb6 share the title of state champion 54. Bf3 in the 9-12 Varsity section. 6. Be2 White has tried about 20 dif- With White’s first strong White: Daniel Liu (2036) ferent moves here. 6. Bg5 was threat: Bh5. Black: Paul Richter (1798) most popular through the ‘60s. 54. ... Ne4+ Sicilian Dragon Then Karpov made 6. Be2 fash- 55. Kc1 Ng3 1. e4 c5 ionable in the ‘70s. In the ‘80s, 56. c3 b3 2. Nf3 d6 the British grandmasters caused White’s pieces are caged and 2. c3 and 2. b4 can be recom- 6. Be3 to surge in popularity. tied down, and it only remains mended as simpler moves that Weak players all around the to find the coup de grâce. aim for 3. d4. world embrace the trends, then 57. Kb1 Kc7 2. ... d6 as soon as they have to 58. Kc1 Kd7 3. d4 think of a move on their own. 59. Kb2 Nh5! One of the reasons I want to 6. ... e5 0-1 retire from chess teaching and Black equalizes the center w______w writing is that it’s depressing space, at the cost of making d5 [wdwdwdwd] to watch players recite these and d6 weak squares. If Black [dwdkdwdw] moves with little or no under- can comfortably achieve the [wdwdpdpd] standing of them. advance …d5, that move will [dwdp)p)n] 3. ... cxd4 correct his serious pawn weak- [wdp)w)wd] 4. Nxd4 ness while taking advantage in the center. [dp)wdBdw] White gained a little bit of [wIwdwdwd] time because his recapture 7. Nb3 [dwdwdwdw] brought a piece forward (4. Preferred to 7. Nf3 for a num- w------w Qxd4 gains even more time). ber of reasons: one, the f-pawn After 60. Bxh5 gxh5, Black Black lost a little bit of space is free to advance to f4; two, the can stop White’s g-pawn while because his advanced pawn b3- helps White clamp his h-pawn promotes, or if 60. disappeared. White’s slight ad- down on the queenside with Be2 Nxf4 61. Bf1, Black can win vantages in time and space are a4-a5; three, it’s less likely that the for the f-pawn, play useful to masters. Black can bother the e4-pawn …Nh5-g3-e4 when any trade 4. ... Nf6 with …Nbd7-c5; four, the knight is hopeless, or even play the 5. Nc3 a6 screens the b2-pawn from an attack by …Qb6. lengthy maneuver …Nh5-g7-e8- Chessplayers are slaves to c7-a6-b8-c6-d8-f7-xg5. Black’s fashion and marketing. I believe 7. ... Be7 kingside pawns will then win that the Dragon move 5…g6 is 8. O-O Be6 the game of their own accord.

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 5 Best Games from the State Scholastic

11. ... Qc7 The higher-rated player might One of Black’s chief positional have avoided 17. Rd1 Nxe3 18. ideas here is to knock out the Qxe3 because an attack for white f4-pawn, then posting a White is not evident, and if the knight on e5 (sometimes Black game moved into an ending, the takes the risk …h6 plus …g5 to opposite-colored bishops tend make that ). 11…Nbd7 is to make it most difficult for any- consistent with that theme. one to win. 12. Be3 17. ... Bd6 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 Suppose White tried to ex- 19. Qe4+ f5 ploit Black’s imprecise move or- der with 12. fxe5. Then 12…dxe5 19…Kg8 20. Qxd5 Nf6 21. 13. Qe1 Nbd7 14. Qg3 Kh8, and Qd3 e4 is a pawn that the on the e5-pawn enables ought to be considered. Black White to maneuver 15. Nd4 plus might regain his pawn on c2 or Nf5. f4, while he has gained a , and White’s pieces are 9-12 Varsity co-champion Paul 12. ... Nbd7 disorganized. 19…f5 does not Richter. Shorman photo 13. Qe1 Bc4 give up a pawn, but it is a riskier Disrupts White’s plan to play move for reasons of king safety. 14. Qg3 because 14…Bxe2 15. 9. Kh1 b5 20. Qxd5 exf4 Nxe2 loses the e4-pawn. 10. a3 21. Rf3 Rae8 In the same position, grand- 14. Bd3 w______w master Slobodjan played 10. 14. Rd1 Rac8 15. Nd2 Bxe2 16. [wdwdr4wd] a4, which threatens something, Qxe2 is equal. and even provokes …b4, while [dw1ndw0k] 14. ... d5 White in this game made a [pdwgwdwd] passive move to prevent …b4 Now the standard positional [dpdQdpdw] (Slobodjan-Gutman, German ch motif 14…exf4 15. Bxf4 Nxe5 [wdwdw0wd] 1997). threatens to win a pawn. [)NdwdRdw] 10. ... O-O 15. exd5 Bxd5 [w)PGwdP)] 11. f4 15…Nxd5 16. Bxc4 Nxe3 17. [$wdwdwdK] w______w Qxe3 bxc4 18. Nd5 Qd6 19. w------w [rhw1w4kd] Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Na5 looks like 22. Rc3 [dwdwgp0p] an uneasy equality, where both 22. Ba5 includes the benefit sides have something to like on that a future Rd1 will cooper- [pdw0bhwd] the queenside. White’s pawns ate with the queen on the d-file. [dpdw0wdw] are together, but the b2-pawn is White is doing well with 22. Ba5 [wdwdP)wd] backward on an , and Qb8 (22…Nb6 23. Rh3+ Kg6 24. [)NHwdwdw] restrained by the c4-pawn. Qd4 is even better) 23. Rd1 Rf6. [w)PdBdP)] 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. ... Qb8 [$wGQdRdK] 17. Bd2 23. Rh3+ Kg6 w------w

Page 6 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 Given the exposure of the White: Joshua Cao (1797) 13. ... Rfd8 black king, it ought to be a Black: Colin Chow (1787) promising position for White, Benoni Defense w______w [rdw4wdkd] but the b3-knight and a1-rook 1. d4 Nf6 are out of play. 24. Nd4 is sen- [dwdn0pgp] 2. c4 c5 [bdw0whpd] sible, while 24. Bb4 Bxb4 25. 3. d5 axb4 looks to improve the rook [1B0PdwGw] 3. e3 and 3. Nf3 are reason- (26. Rxa6 is not a threat for the able, but less ambitious. [PdwdPdwd] vulnerable back rank.) [dwHwdNdw] 3. ... d6 24. Bxf4 [w)wdw)P)] Black will play …d6 in every It’s hard to like this move, [$wdQ$wIw] flavor of Benoni, eventually. At which doesn’t improve White’s w------w the moment, it’s more challeng- inactive pieces, unblocks the 14. Bxd7 ing to play 3…b5 or 3…e6, which black bishop, and dissipates 14 Qc2 is an appropriate force White to make some deci- White’s pressure on the d-file. move, while 14. Bxd7 feels sions. White was probably thinking wrong. For starters, the bish- that he was coercing an ex- 4. Nc3 g6 op is a more valuable piece. change before emerging with an 5. e4 Bg7 Second, in these Benko/Benoni- extra pawn. 6. Nf3 type positions, d3 and c4 are 24. ... Bxf4 White’s long-term chances dream squares for black pieces 25. Qxd7 Qe5 usually rest with the advances — Bxd7 takes one of the de- f2-f4 plus e4-e5, so some prefer fenders of those squares off the The first of two strong major 6. Bd3 plus 7. Nge2, leaving the board. Third, Black gains a bit piece moves. Black’s lead in mo- f-pawn unblocked. of time with his rook, which can bility means that White’s king is swing next to b7 to bear on the less secure than Black’s. 6. ... Qa5 . 7. Bd3 b5 26. Rf1 Rh8 8. cxb5 a6 14. ... Rxd7 27. Rxh8 Rxh8 9. O-O O-O 28. Qc6+ Kg5 Black would have preferred to 10. Re1 29. h3 Qe2 retake with …Nxd7 (on the way White ensures that if his to e5), but his knight is pinned. Threatening 30…Rxh3+!. queenside minors get involved 15. e5 Ne8 30. Rg1 in a skirmish on b5, his e4-pawn 15…Ng4 is much more in tune 30. Qf3 Rxh3+! shows the is guarded. 10. a4 and 10. Bd2 with the spirit of the opening. In white queen is overworked. could be better moves — an- the Benoni/Benko structures, ticipating a fight on b5, while 30. ... Bg3 e5 is an ideal square for a black discovered attacks appear on By blocking the g-file, Black knight, from which the knight the horizon. solves the problem of gxh3 dis- can jump to attack on d3 or c4. 10. ... axb5 covering a . 16. e6 fxe6 11. Bxb5 Ba6 31. Ra1 Rxh3+ 17. Rxe6 Nf6 12. a4 Nbd7 32. Kg1 Qf2# 13. Bg5 The counterattack 17. ... Rb8 0-1 is indicated, and then 18. Bxe7 That bishop probably belongs Rxb2, when Black would very on d2, threatening a discovery, Colin Chow scored 5-1 to much like to have his knight on and if White finds it useful to share the 4-6 Varsity champion- g4 instead of e8. ship. challenge the g7-bishop, then Bd2-c3 is made possible.

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 7 State Scholastic Games, Continued

21. Rd2 Black emerges from a long Again 21. Nd2 to chase the scuffle with a winning position. bishop back, and then 21…Ba6 27. Rxd4 Qxd4 22. Qe3 Rxb2 23. Rxf6! is a 28. Bh4 Nxf4 painful surprise for Black. 29. Qxd4 cxd4 21. ... h6? 30. Ne4 Bxd5 22. Bh4? 31. Nf6+ Kg7 32. Re1 Rf7 22. Bxf6 plus 23. Qe4 forking, 33. Ne8+ Kf8 and White pulls further ahead. 34. Nxd6 Rxb2 22. ... Kh7 35. Nxf7 Rxg2+ 23. Qe3 Bb3 36. Kf1 Bc4+ 24. Nh2 37. Re2 Bxe2+ A more direct way is 24. 38. Ke1 Kxf7 Bxf6 Bxf6 25. Ne4, ignoring 0-1 Black’s threat. Then if 25…Bxa4 26. Qf4, and White will break Neel Apte was also one of the 4-6 Varsity co-champion Colin through. White’s central - 4-6 Varsity champions. Chow. ade on d5 and e6 has sealed off White: Neel Apte (1804) Photo courtesy of Chow family every Black piece but the f6- Black: Richard Yi (1727) bishop. Dutch Defense 24. ... Qb4 1. d4 f5 18. Qe1 Raa7 25. f4 Nh5 19. Rd1 Bc4 w______w w______w [rhb1kgn4] w______w [wdwdwdwd] [wdwdwdkd] [0p0p0w0p] [drdr0wgk] [wdwdwdwd] [4wdr0wgp] [wdw0Rdp0] [wdw0Rhpd] [dwdwdpdw] [dw0Pdwdn] [wdw)wdwd] [1w0PdwGw] [P1wdw)wG] [Pdbdwdwd] [dwdwdwdw] [dbHwQwdP] [P)PdP)P)] [dwHwdNdw] [w)w$wdPH] [w)wdw)P)] [$NGQIBHR] [dwdwdwIw] w------w [dwdRQwIw] w------w� 2. c4

w------w 26. Bxe7 Kids today — who ought to be 20. h3 The drawback to “winning” fearless — play like stodgy old 20. Nd2 forces the bishop the e7-pawn is that the black men. The trouble is that they back to a6 because 20…Bxd5 21. rooks that were trapped behind are trying to play “good chess” Bxf6! Bxe6 22. Qxe6+ Kf8 23. it are suddenly free to move on when they lack the technique Bxg7+ Kxg7 24. Nf3 or 24. Nc4, the rank. An unclear position and experience to play good and the holes show in Black’s arises from 26. Re4 Bd4 27. chess — there’s one old coach position. Rdxd4 cxd4 28. Rxd4 Qa5. who wants his students to “play 20. ... Rab7 26. ... Bd4 bad chess well”.

Page 8 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 There’s a huge difference be- Nc6, White might aim at the w______w tween “playing good chess” and weak white squares with 8. Nh3 [wdw4qdwi] “playing bad chess well”. 2. c4 is followed by Ng5 or Nf4. a good move that tends to lead [0pdwdrgw] 6. ... O-O [wdw0wdp0] to dull positions. 2. e4 is a “bad” 7. Nf3 Qe8 move — it loses a pawn, oh no [dwdwdpdw] Playing …Qe8 in preparation — which forces White to play [wGw)w)wd] of …e7-e5 is a standard maneu- well to make up for it. [dPdw)N)w] ver in every flavor of the Dutch, 2. e4 is such a “good bad but it makes less sense in the [PdwQwdw)] move” that Capablanca recom- Leningrad setup because the [dw$wdKdw] mended it as the best move in g6-pawn blocks the queen’s way w------w the 1913 Havana tournament to g6 or h5. …c6, …Qc7, …Nbd7, 29. Kf2 Rfd7 book. Two of Capablanca’s …e5 is desirable, but if White Black squanders most of his most outstanding games were pokes at the white squares with resources to guard one silly both played against the Dutch moves like Qb3 and Ng5, then pawn, when his goal should be Defense — the enterprising 2. e4 Black might go …c6, …Na6, to activate his pieces. If Black vs. Masyutin at Kiev 1914, and …Nc7, and then …Qe8 fits. finds himself playing …d5, then the “good” 2. Nf3 plus 3. c4 vs. the hole on e5 is the cost of do- 8. O-O Nbd7 Tartakover at New York 1924. ing Dutch business. For in- 9. Nb5 Qd8 stance, 29. ... d5 prepares …Rf6 I venture that if the student 10. Ng5 Nb6 plus …Rc6. Then 30. Ne5 Bxe5 played through both of those 11. c5 Nbd5 31. dxe5 Rc8 32. Rxc8 Qxc8 33. masterpieces while guessing 12. cxd6 exd6 Capablanca’s moves that the Qxd5 Rd7 is probably heading 12. ... cxd6 13. Qb3 e6 keeps student would guess a higher for a . the b3-g8 diagonal closed and percentage of moves correctly in the d5-knight unpinned, there- 30. Qc2 Re7 the Masyutin game, and suggest fore. 31. Qd2 Red7 that students take that as a hint. 32. Qc2 Bf8? 13. Qb3 c6 2. ... Nf6 33. d5 14. Nc3 Kh8 3. Nc3 g6 Black has bunched two rooks 15. Nxd5 cxd5 and one bishop behind the im- Consider this typical King’s 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 mobile pawn, while White can Indian, where Black expends 17. Qxd5 Qf6 go about Nd4-e6. some effort in achieving the 18. e3 Rb8 …f7-f5 advance: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 19. Bd2 h6 33. ... Kh7 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 20. Nf3 Be6 34. Nd4 Bg7 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 For some reason, the players 35. Ne6 Rb8 Ne7 9. b4 Nh5 10. c5 f5. In the agreed in thinking that Black 36. Qc4 b5 Leningrad Dutch, Black gets shouldn’t play 21. Qxd6. 37. Qc2 …f5 in at move 1 — that would Despite White’s material 21. Qb5 Qf7 suggest that the Leningrad is disadvantage, his piece activity 22. b3 Bd5 pretty good, except that White probably gives him the advan- 23. Bb4 Rbd8 gets the chance to play 2. e4!. tage after 37. Qc6 Rb6 38. Qc8 24. Rac1 Bc6 4. g3 Bg7 Rb8 39. Qxe8 Rxe8 40. Rc6. 25. Qc4 Qe8 5. Bg2 d6 26. Qd3? Bb5 37. ... Rb6 6. f4 27. Qd2 Bxf1 When Steinitz said a knight Another way to restrain …e5 28. Kxf1 Rf7 on K6 is like a bone in the is 6. d5. Then after 6…e5 7. dxe6

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 9 Longest Weekend of the Chess Year throat, he was talking about White: Leyton Ho (1428) 9. h4 positions like this. Black can’t Black: Josiah Stearman (1376) Better is 9. Qd2. contest the c-file with …Rd8-c8 Sicilian Accelerated Dragon 9. ... h5 or …Rb7-c7 because of that e6- 1. e4 c5 10. Be2 knight. It is not the students to blame Unnecessary as a preparation 38. Ba5 Rbb7 for such widespread clueless- for g2-g4. Black would not reply 39. Qc6 Bf6 ness, it’s the chess teachers who …h5xg4 because that would en- 40. Bc7! Qc8 are peddling snake oil. Most able White’s h4-h5 advance. w______w chess teachers do not under- 10. ... d5 [wdqdwdwd] stand the basis for one’s chess [0rGrdwdk] aptitude, which is pattern recog- Good move. [wdQ0Ngp0] nition: a player’s ability to view 11. Nxc6 [dpdPdpdw] a tactic or a structure, store it Black was threatening 12… in memory, and recognize the dxe4 13. fxe4 Nxe4. [wdwdw)wd] same type of position when it [dPdw)w)w] arises again. 11. ... bxc6 12. e5 Nd7 [PdwdwIw)] A chessplayer who under- [dw$wdwdw] 13. f4 Rb8 stands that the biggest part of 14. Rb1 w------w chess ability is pattern recogni- 41. Nf8+ tion will logically expose himself A waste of a rook. 14. Na4 An inexact move order. 41. to as many patterns as he can. enables the rook free to play Qxd7+ Qxd7 42. Nf8+ wins a A competent chess teacher will actively. So does 14. b3, but whole rook. drill the importance of pattern White might have fretted about 14…Qa5. 41. ... Qxf8 recognition into his students, 42. Qxd7+ Be7 but many chess teachers col- 14. ... Nb6 15. b3 Black clings to that dumb lect lesson fees for giving the pawn as if it were keeping him children shiny objects — like a White felt more sure of b3 afloat and not dragging him few moves from an openings after Black blocked his queen’s down. Maybe there is some fight manual. line to a5. in 42. ... Bg7 43. Qe6 (43. Qc6 2. Nf3 Nc6 15. ... f6 Qf6 44. Rc2 Rxc7 45. Qxc7 Qa1 3. d4 cxd4 A double-edged move. Black ) 43. ... Qf6 44. Qxf6 Bxf6 45. 4. Nxd4 g6 wins control of the center, but Bxd6 Kg8. In this accelerated form of undoes his king shelter. Dragon, Black aims to achieve 43. Qc6 Qc8 16. exf6 44. Bxd6 Qd7 the equalizing …d5 advance in Had White moved a piece 45. Bxe7 Qxe7 one step instead of two. to d4 to guard e5, then Black 46. d6 Qg7 5. Be3 Bg7 would play 16…fxe5 plus 17… 47. Qxb7 1-0 6. Nc3 Nf6 Qc7. 7. f3 O-O Leyton Ho tied for first place 8. Bc4 a6 16. ... Bxf6 17. Bd4 e5 in the K-3 Varsity champion- Black might have stolen a 18. Bxe5 Bxh4+ ship. pawn with 8…Qb6, threatening 19. Kf1 Rb7 …Qxb2 or …Nxe4.

Page 10 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 w______w 26…Re7 is a more active [wdb1w4kd] move. White can effect the swap of a rook with 27. Bd6, but it’s [drdwdwdw] hard to judge whether to simpli- [phpdwdpd] fy or complicate in an endgame [dwdpGwdp] with opposite-colored bishops. [wdwdw)wg] Those are always difficult. [dPHwdwdw] 27. Bd6 Rff7 [PdPdBdPd] 27. ... Rg8 gives both black [dRdQdKdR] rooks the most scope, while re- w------w straining the white g-pawn. 20. Bxh5 Qg5 28. Ne2 Rh7 Black can accept the piece sacrifice, but his king position Black’s pieces are so tangled hangs by a thread: 20. ... gxh5 that 28…Rh7 seems to be direct- 21. Qxh5 Bf6. ed at exchanging in order to give himself some room to wiggle. 21. Bxg6 1-3 Varsity co-champion Leyton 29. Rxh7 Rxh7 White would’ve done better Ho. by breaking the pin on the f-file w______w Photo courtesy of Ho family by 21. Bf3 or 21. Qf3, but it’s [wdbiwdwd] easy to say that while sitting in [dwdwdwdr] a coffeeshop with no [phpGwdwd] 36. Bd6+ Nc7 ticking. [dwdpdwdw] 36…Kb7 37. Nc5 wins. 21. ... Qg3 [wdwdw)wd] 37. Nxc7 Rxc7 Black loses time and material [dPdwdwdw] White can’t be stopped from with this move. The position is [PdPdNdPd] reducing to a pure pawn end- still wildly unclear after 21. ... [dwdw$Kdw] game, the simplest type of end- Qxe5 22. Rxh4 Qxc3 23. Qh5 w------w ing. Qg7. 30. Nd4 Kd7 38. Ke2 Kb7 22. Qf3 Qxg6 30…Bd7 plus 31…Nc8 is a 39. Bxc7 Kxc7 23. Rxh4 Kf7 better way to unravel the black 40. Rxc8+ Kxc8 A curious aspect of this move mess. 41. f5 Kd8 42. g4 Ke7 is that it blocks both of Black’s 31. Bc5 Na8 rooks. 23…Rh7 is a better move. 43. g5 Kf7 31…Kc7 must be preferable. 44. g6+ Kf6 24. Qh5 32. Re6 Bb7 45. Kd3 c5 White should consider his At move 28, Black’s task was 46. c4 d4 king to be much safer than untangling his pieces. That 47. b4 cxb4 Black’s, and leave the queens on problem was worsened after 48. Kxd4 a5 the board for the attack. White White cornered his knight and 49. Kc5 a4 is winning after 24. f5 or 24. placed his bishop behind three 50. Kxb4 a3 Re1. pawns. 51. c5 1-0 24. ... Qxh5 33. Rd6+ Kc7 25. Rxh5 Ke8 Armaan Kalyanpur shared 1st 34. Ne6+ Kb8 26. Re1 Kd8 place in the 4-5 Varsity champi- 35. Rd8+ Bc8 onship.

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 11 Organizer Pleased to Bring State Championship Back to Santa Clara

White: Udit Iyengar (1691) 13. Ne2 e5 At moves 19 and 24, White Black: Armaan Kalyanpur (1514) 14. f4 Na5 showed his awareness of …d4- 15. f5 Nxb3 d3, so it’s hard to explain what he might have been thinking 1. e4 e5 w______w here. 2. Bc4 Nf6 [wdk4wdw4] 3. Nf3 [0p0qdw0w] 25. ... d3 Good move. Maybe White has [wdw0whw0] 26. Nc4 Qd4+ spent some time with NM Eric 27. Kh1 [dwdw0Pdw] It was necessary to play 27. Schiller, who advises 3…Nxe4 [wdw0Pdwd] 4. Nc3! with great practical Kh2 so …c2-c1 wouldn’t come chances. [dndPdwdP] with check. [P)PdNdPd] 3. ... Nc6 [$wdQdRIw] 27. ... dxc2 4. Nc3 28. Rf1 Qd1 w------w 29. Ra1 4. d4 and 4. Ng5 are both 16. axb3 preferable, because they are The only move. The players created an unbal- attacking moves. White might anced position, which — start- 29. ... Qxf3 have played 4. Nc3 in the hopes ing with that limp position at 30. gxf3 Ne2 of 4…Nxe4 5. O-O! (5. Nxe4 d5 move 5 — is an accomplish- 31. Rfe1 c1=Q is equal), but sometimes oppo- ment. 32. Raxc1 Nxc1 nents aren’t smart enough to fall 33. Rxc1 Rhe8 for a good trick. 16. ... a6 17. Ng3 d5 Black is threatening to in- 4. ... Bc5 18. Re1 dxe4 vade with …Rd3. The weakness A most lifeless position. Black 19. dxe4 h5 in White’s pawn formations should play 4…Nxe4, aiming further shows the strength of The logical followup would for equality after 5. Nxe4 d5. 26…d3. have been 19…d3, But if White played 5. O-O! White’s queenside pawn for- 34. Nb6+ instead, then Black should head mation, and making space for White’s best chance was prob- into 5…Nxc3 6. dxc3, and rely Black to encroach on the d-file. ably 34. Rg1. In any endgame on his tactical sense to see him with rooks, get an attacking through. This is why it’s vital 20. Qd3 rook. to be better at tactics than the White saw the value in Black’s opponents — the better attacker …d4-d3 advance, so shut it off. 34. ... Kb8 35. Nd5 c6 player is also a better defender. 20. ... h4 36. Nc3 Rd2 5. O-O d6 21. Nf1 Nh5 37. Rg1 6. h3 Be6 22. Ra5 Qe7 7. Bb3 Qd7 23. Qf3 Nf4 White’s a move behind where he would’ve been with 34. Rg1. 8. Ng5 h6 Putting …d4-d3 back in the Black is already in. 9. Nxe6 fxe6 picture. 10. d3 O-O-O 37. ... Rxb2 24. Rd1 Qd6 11. Be3 Bd4 38. Rxg7 Rxb3 25. Nd2 12. Bxd4 exd4 39. Na4 Rd8

Page 12 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 Very good. Black sees that 46. Kf2 Kd8 playing for mate will get the 47. Nxb7+ Ke8 white rook off the board, at 48. Nc5 Kf7 least. 49. Nxa6 Kxf6 40. Nc5 Rb1+ 50. Kxf3 Rg1 41. Rg1 Rdd1 51. Nb4 c5 42. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 52. Nd5+ Ke5 43. Kg2 Kc8 53. Ne7 Rg3+ 44. f4 54. Kf2 Kxe4 White’s best chance is to 55. Nc6 Rxh3 bring his e-pawn into the mix. 56. Kg2 Rg3+ 57. Kh2 c4 44. ... exf4 58. Nb4 c3 45. f6 f3+ 59. Nc2 Kd3 45. ... Kd8 46. Nxb7+ Ke8 47. 60. Nb4+ Kd2 Kf3 Kf7 48. e5 Rd5 49. Kxf4 Ke6 0-1 4-5 Varsity co-champion Armaan 50. Nd6 Rxd6 51. exd6 Kxf6 -+. Kalyanpur. Shorman photo CalChess State Scholastic Championship Prizewinners

9-12 Varsity 6 Anthony Chan 22 Andrew Peng 1 Paul Richter 7 Anton Dresler 23 Tyler Leswing 2 Andrew Yeh 8 Prithvi Akella 24 Max Feng 3 Samuel Sevian 9 Scott Lee 25 Jerry Wu 4 Michael Brown 10 Amrith Deepak 26 Warren Tian 5 Jack Zhu 11 Stuart Yee 7-8 Varsity Team 6 Brian Wai 12 Jimmy Tran 1 Hopkins 7 Arthur Liou 13 Iverson Chan 2 St. Marks 8 Benjamin Tong 9-12 Jr. Varsity Team 3 Egan 9 Samuel Bekker 1 Chaboya 7-8 Jr. Varsity 10 Daniel Liu 2 Evergreen Valley 1 Tiffany Wu 11 Andrew Chen 3 Palo Alto 2 Adam Jay Zorin 12 Kartik Chillakanti 7-8 Varsity 3 Steele Langland 13 Charles Sun 1 James Kwok 4 Telvin Zhong 14 Hayk Manvelyan 2 Edward Li 5 Hilarie Sit 15 Ojas Chinchwadkar 3 Navee Janarthanan 6 Jordan Langland 16 Kesav Viswanadha 4 Thomas Gonda III 7 Andrew Couse 17 Ted Xiao 5 Taylor McCreary 8 Yousef Azhar 18 Mukund Chillakanti 6 Roland Zhu 9 Auston Lee 19 Aditya Kumar 7 Aamir Ali Azhar 10 Valentine Mestman 20 Harsha Nukala 8 Tudor Muntean 11 Sabrina Moha Rafi 21 Kevin Garbe 9 Art Zhao 12 Avish Chakrabarty 22 Arun Giridharan 10 Audrey Jin 13 Brian Ho 23 Sudarsha Seshadri 11 Theo Caen 14 Sabrina Leung 9-12 Varsity Team 12 Eric L Chen 15 Patrick Dong 1 Saratoga 13 Hwai-ray Tung 16 Morte Rohaninejad 2 Mission San Jose 14 Alekhya Nandula 17 Akhil Ganti 3 Dougherty Valley 15 Nathanie Varghese 18 Mosta Rohaninejad 9-12 Jr. Varsity 16 Evan John Howard 19 Darshan Patil 1 Kevin Lin 17 Surya Ram 20 Jason Chen 2 Deva Borthwick 18 Aaron Wong 21 Rohith Krishna 3 Ketan Kapre 19 Arvind Sankar 22 Aaron Wong 4 Benny Shin 20 Prem Talwai 23 Jacky Lau 5 Navaneeth Kumaran 21 Ryan W Wong 24 Suleyman Saib

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 13 Cal Chess State Scholastic Prizewinners 7-8 Jr. Varsity Team 28 Mahim Chillakanti 28 Chris D Breeze 1 Egan 29 Goutham Yegappan 29 Vaseem Shah 2 Art Frieler 30 Luke Bugbee 30 Seleem Hussein Shaalan 3 Miller 31 Ujwal Aluru 31 Joel Aguilar 4-6 Varsity 4-6 Jr. Varsity Team 32 Mark Brent Larochelle 1 Neel Apte 1 Weibel 33 Nachiket Ingle 2 Colin Chow 2 MCDS 34 Eric Hou 3 Kyle Shin 3 TL Reedley 4-6 Unrated Team 4 Tanuj Vasudeva 4-6 Under 600 1 Eldomi 5 Joshua Cao 1 Liam McCormick 2 Mission San Jose 6 Daniel Ho 2 Victor Cheng 3 Eisenhower 7 Leland Yu 3 John Yao 4-5 Varsity 8 Hunter Klotz-Burwell 4 Pran Senthilkumar 1 Cameron Wheeler 9 Richard Yi 5 Kaelin Stock 2 Allan Beilin 10 Joel Alcaraz 6 Felix Li 3 Rahul Ram Mohan 11 Emily Zhu 7 Robert Shi 4 Armaan Kalyanpur 12 Sergey Gasparyan 8 Jahnavi Rati 5 Alex Yin 13 Alvin Kong 9 Ariya Olaee 6 Jeffrey Tao 14 Kory Hui 10 Shubham Gupta 7 Udit Iyengar 15 Russell Bik 11 Austin Cheng 8 Kevin Moy 16 Michael Lei Wang 12 Sarv Mayilvahanan 9 Matt Stecklow 17 Miranda Christ 13 Andrew Chen 10 Pranav Srihari 18 Jack Hirsch 14 Leonardo Tse 11 Shalin Shah 19 Sharvil Kekre 15 John M Fitzgerald 12 Aadeesh Shastry 20 Justin Wang 16 Marshall Hatfield 13 Leo Kitano 21 Srinath Goli 17 Tumend Tugsjargal 14 Brett M Wong 22 Andy Caen 18 Parsa Ganjooi 15 Siddharth G Banik 23 John Guiragossian 19 Michael Byun 16 Pranav Nagarajan 24 Nikhil Jaha 20 Benjamin Pearson 17 Bryan Huang 25 Austin Cheng 21 Vallab Karanam 18 Erik Wong 26 Levi Ormonde 22 Anthony Thom Laus 19 Mick Peterson 27 Amarinder Chahal 23 Colin M Davis 20 Steven Yuan 28 Aditya Kaushik 24 Brandon Ch Trahms 21 Andrew Lin 29 Brian Chan 25 Seth Castro 22 Aaron Ge 30 Vedaank Tiwari 4-6 Under 600 Team 23 Julie Yeung 4-6 Varsity Team 1 Warm Springs 24 Abhishek Handigol 1 Weibel 2 Weibel 25 Vigne Varadarajan 2 Mission San Jose 3 Bel Aire 1-3 Varsity 4-6 Jr. Varsity 4-6 Unrated 1 Michael Wang 1 Nathan Auyoung 1 Jeffrey Wei 2 Leyton Ho 2 Joshua Robles 2 Sayan Das 3 Rayan Taghizadeh 3 Vasu Gupta 3 Daniel Nisenzon 4 Evan Baldonado 4 Katelyn Loredo 4 Wesley Hardy 5 Charles Lin 5 Clayton Walker 5 Emily Reynoso 6 John L Canessa 6 Sei Chang 6 Marissa Joan Plante 7 Josiah P Stearman 7 Andrew Wan 7 Donald L Hollars 8 Arhant Katare 8 Brian Walker 8 Andy Cai 9 Rahul Swaminathan 9 Ritaank Tiwari 9 Shomil Jain 10 Akash Thiagarajan 10 Nilesh Gupta 10 Sascha Scheidegger 11 Seaver Dahlgren 11 Albert Sui 11 Paolo Puharic 12 Solomon Ge 12 Adam Stafford 12 Srik Venkataraman 13 Lawrence Wong 13 Harsh Harpalani 13 Kyle Zhang 14 Om Chinchwadkar 14 Nathan Yuen 14 Alexander Trenton Lam 15 Zachary P Ravel 15 Eric Liu 15 Manu Ritvij Saravanan 16 Drake Lin 16 Sangeetha Bharath 16 Aaron Schultz 17 William J Li 17 Suneet Bhandari 17 Spencer Gilson 18 Anthony Zhou 18 David Harler 18 Geoffrey Glass 19 Amit Sant 19 Gunnar Black 19 Maxime Raymond Oget 20 Gia Peterson 20 Benjamin Wang 20 Joshua Christopher Wang 1-3 Varsity Team 21 Ryan Chiang 21 Tej Gokhale 1 Mission San Jose 22 Jed Faalam 22 Brandon Cavestany 2 Weibel 23 Benjamin Gu Chen 23 Echo Sit 3 Duveneck 24 Tebrez Khan 24 Ashwin Ranade 1-3 Jr. Varsity 25 Ashritha Eswaran 25 Jared Yee 1 Jimmy Schaffer 26 Varun Anand 26 Hetav Gore 2 Nikhil Gupta 27 Te Veeramacheneni 27 Alexander E Bates 3 Maximo T Tribuzio

Page 14 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 4 Selena Wong 16 Christopher Tam 5 Luke Zhao 17 Kwans Kim Unusual 6 Aaron Lin 18 Zachary Carroll 7 Kasen Teoh 19 Zev E Kalechofsky 8 Divija Hasteer 20 Pranav Pata Queen 9 Serafina Show 1-3 Unrated Team 10 Phillip Chin 1 Merryh 11 Austin Chen 2 Eisenhower Smothering 12 Aditya Krishnan 3 Duveneck 13 Albert Hao Kindergarten 14 Sara Kaushik 1 Ben Rood Continued from Page 17 15 Ridd Ranjithkumar 2 Evan Cutler Leach 16 Charles Smith 3 Advait Budaraju 17 Charlie Jones 4 Soorya Kuppam Familiar! After 6. Qf3 Nxc2+, 18 Ian Matthew Wong 5 Josh Brettle Black won at move 29. OK, what 19 Saicha Bandikallu 6 Gia Peterson is the briefest, sensible way to 20 Abtin Olaee 7 Antarish Rautela 21 Andrew Xu 8 Anish Iyyavoo demonstrate this tactic?. 22 Joe Posthauer 9 Beaumont Zhang 23 Hari Kris Kumaran 10 Nico Cas Tribuzio There’s a clue — another 24 Nichol Cardarelli 11 Andrew J Warzecha recognizable pattern — in 4. 25 Vivek Iyer 12 Preston Shaw 26 Kaushi Shivakumar 13 Arul Papneja fxe5 Ng4. A sharp opening is 1-3 Jr. Varsity Team 14 Austin Willis Lisitsin’s against the 1 Mission San Jose 15 Jayes Thiagarajan 2 Weibel 16 Chinguun Bayaraa Dutch Defense: 3 Dilworth 17 Jack Chin 1. Nf3 f5 1-3 Under 500 18 Rory Xiao 1 Avyay Varadarajan 19 Jake Marshall 2. e4 fxe4 2 Toby Frank 20 Cem Adatepe 3. Ng5 3 Albert Qiu 21 Aaron Ng 4 Nicholas Evenden 22 Jack Albright Same movement as in the 5 Andrew Ng 23 Zarek Syed Azam 6 Brandon Chet Chan 24 Max Pflaging Labahn-Kaminski game. 7 Edward Liu 25 Peter Matsakis 3. ... Nf6 8 Benjamin Share 26 Anaiy Somalwar 9 Ethan Vincei Kho 27 Henry Huang In every game, White plays 4. 10 Devon Hu Whelpley 28 Edison Zhang 11 Haakon Black 29 Arya Dodeja d3 to attack the e4-pawn, and 12 Milena Mathew 30 Amy Chan if 4...exd3, then 5. Bxd3 aims 13 Eric Chang 31 Shreyash Gupta 14 Rowen Barnes 32 Jackson Gressler at the sensitive white squares 15 John Walk O’Neill 33 Bryan Mathia Wong around the black king. No one 16 Arvind Ragunathan 34 Trisha Godara has ever played: 17 Maxwell Manning 35 Coby Wagonfeld 18 Arunav Gupta 36 Nathan Ad Sacaria 4. Bb5 19 Andrew Paul 37 Miles Frank 20 Daniel H Hwang 38 William Qiu w______w 21 Arn Bhattacharjee 39 Amay Pai 1-3 Under 500 Team 40 Ashley Qiu [rhb1kgw4] 1 Neil Cummins 41 Michael Pflaging [0p0p0w0p] 2 Weibel 42 Samuel Boucher 3 MCDS 43 Evan Chen [wdwdwhwd] 1-3 Unrated 44 Albert Shi 1 Jeremiah Reynoso 45 Aditya Arora [dBdwdwHw] 2 Matthew S Sanchez 46 Andrew C Long [wdwdpdwd] 3 Aaron Chen 47 Brennan Sette 4 Daniel Kass 48 Eric Zhu [dwdwdwdw] 5 David Zhang 49 Allen Zichi Yan [P)P)w)P)] 6 Drew Mukherjee 50 William Fitzgerald 7 Raymond Ji 51 Alex W Wan [$NGQIwdR] 8 Victor Shu 52 Sophia Alexandra Atwell 9 Emily Su 53 Jeffrey Liu w------w 10 Christine Ma 54 Ansh Gandhi Threatening 5. Ne6!. 11 Ronit Pattanayak 55 Armaan Gulati 12 Colin R Schultz 56 Vandya Goel 13 Nathan Huang 57 Simran Mackrani 14 Gabriel Gordon-Berardi 58 Jayani Peterson 15 Maximill $p Gurevich 59 Ryan Sheng

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 15 Patterns to See and Learn Unusual Queen Smothering

It is critical to buy in to the Bay master Pickler went further idea that pattern recognition with 4...Bc5, offering a Danish Bad Wildbad 1990 — the ability to memorize a pat- Gambit as Black. White: Lothar Vogt (2505) Black: E. Bricard (2385) tern, then to recognize it at the 4. g3 board — is the biggest part of Vinogradov If White is going to spend one’s chess ability. 1. e4 e5 time on another pawn move, it 2. Nf3 Nc6 Learning a pattern in its should be 4. d3 to knock down 3. Bb5 barest form makes it easier to the cramping pawn on e4. find in harder positions. For 4. Bxc6 is not yet a mature instance, learning this one first 4. ... Nf6 threat because 4...dxc6 5. Nxe5 — 1. e4 g5 2. d4 f6 3. Qh5# 5. Nc3 Bb4 Qd4 regains the pawn while — helps in understanding the White is a move behind the keeping the bishop pair. (The operation 1. d4 f5 2. h3 Nf6 3. sequence 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. Ruy Lopez is a strong opening g4 fxg4 4. hxg4 Nxg4 5. Qd3 exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 Bb4, partly because Bxc6 eventually Nf6 6. Rxh7 1-0. where 6. Bd2 meets the excel- grows into a real threat.) lent line-opening sacrifice 6... 3. ... Qe7 White: A.N. Other e3! In the position at hand, Black: Mark Pifer Black would be delighted by 6. 3...Qe7 is a strikingly weird Falkbeer Countergambit d3 0-0 7. Bd2 e3!. move because the queen was already defending the e5-pawn, 1. e4 e5 6. Bg2 O-O albeit indirectly. 2. f4 7. Nge2 4. O-O Nd8 White is not really threaten- Capturing on e4 would lose a ing 3. fxe5 because 3...Qh4+ is piece. The thinking behind 3...Qe7 trouble. By recognizing an un- and 4...Nd8 is that Black avoid- 7. ... Nxd5 ed Bxc6, doubling his pawns, real threat, Black is at liberty to Now 7. Bxe4 is an equal game. play mostly as he likes, and it’s and he might build a sturdy fort a good idea to put two pawns in 8. Nxe4? Ne3! with ...c6 plus ...d6. The idea ap- the center. 0-1 pealed to IMs L. Day, D. Suttles, w______w and K. Shirazi, all of whom liked 2. ... d5 to blaze odd opening trails. 3. exd5 [rhb1w4kd] 5. d4 f6 The generally accepted move, [0p0wdp0p] but 3. Nf3 is an active piece [wdwdwdwd] Just when you think there move. An attacking piece move [dwdwdwdw] is nothing new under the sun, can almost always be preferred [wgwdN)wd] Bricard uncorked a novelty in to a pawn move, especially a [dwdwhw)w] the Vinogradov Lopez. pawn move that doesn’t help [P)P)NdB)] 6. Nc3 Nf7 one’s development. [$wGQIwdR] 7. Be3 3. ... e4 w------w Vogt kept getting his pieces Marshall and Nimzovich That’s not a trick one sees out, which works against most dared 3...c6. After 4. dxc6, East every day. offbeat openings.

Page 16 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 7. ... g6 4. c3 is more strongly indi- Perhaps Pifer’s Falkbeer min- 8. dxe5 cated than usual because the bishop on c5 makes a target for iature is the only instance of this With advantages in develop- White’s d2-d4 advance. pattern trapping a white queen, ment and king safety, White but Black won here also: opens the position. 4. ... f5 Berlin 1990 8. ... fxe5 Among California masters, White: Wolfgang Labahn 9. Nd5 Qd8 the Cordel line was played by D. Black: Marcin Kaminski (2315) 10. Ng5! Herscovici and A. Kobernat. Sokolsky Opening One possibility is 11. Nxf7 5. d4 exd4 1. b4 Kxf7 12. f4 with an attack. 5...fxe4 is better because When Capablanca played 1. 10. ... Ngh6? Black captures into the cen- b4, the greatest player of his ter, whereas 5...exd4 enables White is also ahead after time lost in 13 moves. It isn’t as White to capture into the center. 10. ... Nxg5 11. Bxg5 Qxg5 12. logical as, say, 1. b3. The first G. Lee-D. Herscovici, LERA Nxc7+. goal of the opening is to control Memorial Day 1993 contin- the center, and 1. f4 2. Nf3 3. 11. Ne6! 1-0 ued 5. ... fxe4 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. b3 4. Bb2 is a good shot at the w______w Nxe5 Bd6, a configuration very black squares. But when White [rdb1kgw4] much like the Queen Pawn plays 1. b4, he has to cope right [0p0pdndp] Countergambit 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 away with threatening moves [wdwdNdph] d5 3. Nxe5 Bd6 4. d4 dxe4. like 1...e5 or even 1...a5. [dBdN0wdw] 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 1. ... e5 [wdwdPdwd] 7. Nc3 2. Bb2 [dwdwGwdw] 7. Bd2 has more bite because 1. b4 holds some strange fas- [P)Pdw)P)] it threatens to capture on b4. cination for players rated 1400. [$wdQdRIw] 7. ... fxe4 Some of them will play 2. a3, w------w 8. Ng5 Nf6 and then Black has the better Black’s strategy was to gain of it after 2...d5. The attacking Bath 1963 center control by wiping out the developing move 2. Bb2 is much White: D.G. Levens e4-pawn. He must proceed logi- better. Black: Andrew Thomas cally with 8...d5. 2. ... Bxb4 Ruy Lopez Cordel 9. d5 Ne7? Black is willing to swap his 1. e4 e5 10. Ne6! 1-0 center pawn for the wing pawn 2. Nf3 Nc6 w______w because after 3. Bxe5 Nf6, Black 3. Bb5 Bc5 [rdb1kdw4] can gain some time with ...Nc6 Schliemann’s move 3...f5 will [0p0phw0p] or ...Nbd7. always have followers, but it is 3. f4 Nf6 logical to delay ...f5 until White [wdwdNhwd] White hinted at 3. ... exf4 4. plays c3, after which White [dBdPdwdw] Bxg7 Qh4+ 5. g3 fxg3 6. Bg2 can’t answer ...f5 with the sound [wgwdpdwd] gxh2+ 7. Kf1 hxg1=Q+ 8. Kxg1 development Nc3. Capablanca [dwHwdwdw] Qg5 9. Bxh8, where White has interpolated 3...a6 4. Ba4 d6 [P)wdw)P)] active pieces. and then 5. c3 f5. In the Cordel [$wGQIwdR] variation, Black develops his w------w 4. fxe5 Ng4 bishop actively before ...f5. 5. e4 Ne3 4. c3 Go back to Page 15

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 17 Capablanca: The Late Period Second to Keres at Margate 1939 By Frisco Del Rosario Capablanca’s games at age should have given him a shot at bishop pawns because they’re 13 have been my models since I a match with world champion so useful for center control. On was a kid, but his most powerful Alekhine, but World War II was 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4, games from the 1920s seemed breaking out. The Soviets occu- White gains space and time, and beyond my grasp. The games he pied Keres’ homeland Estonia, has unblocked the f-pawn, but played at the end of his career disrupting match negotiations. at the cost of giving up center had no effect on me at all. In tournament play, Keres pawn for wing pawn. 2. Ne2 My old teacher said I might beat every world champion from leaves the f-pawn free, while change my mind about the late Capablanca to Fischer (with two preserving the option of 3. d4 period, but I disagreed. The draws against Karpov), but he cxd4 4. Nxd4. Mostly unhelp- music and movies I liked when never got to play for the world fully, Capablanca said 2. Ne2 I was a teenager are still my title. was the best move against the favorite — why wouldn’t I prefer Sicilian, but also said it wasn’t the same chess games? Margate 1939 important for us to know why. While I was writing White: J.R. Capablanca 2. ... d6 Capablanca: A Primer of Black: R. Wheatcroft Black’s desired move in the , I reviewed Capa’s Sicilian Defense Sicilian is usually …d5, but late games just to be thorough. I 1. e4 2…d5 3. exd5 Nf6 4. d4 enables glanced at Capablanca-Mikenas, Given these three primary White a quicker development Buenos Aires olympiad 1939, positional concerns — center in a suddenly-open position on a Monday. For some reason, control, development, king (Keres-Opocensky, Prague I thought on Tuesday that I safety — 1. e4 and 1. d4 do about 1943). should look again. the same for center control and 3. g3 In Capablanca’s last years, the development, but 1. e4 enables White’s offbeat 2. Ne2 meant fire of a young master’s com- White to castle one move ear- the Moscow Variation — 3. binations is gone. His avoid- lier. Bb5+ — is impossible, but that’s ance of complications — which 1. ... c5 all that was lost. his detractors always hated — seemed to be more important Whether Black plays symmet- 3. ... Nc6 than ever, because a difficult rically with 1…e5 or unbalances Black’s units cooperate on the chess game would get in the way the game with 1…c5, White can dark squares, but his kingside of a good nap. sooner or later gain a space ad- development lags, which results vantage with d2-d4. When Black in poorer king safety. At Margate 1939 — his final can play …c5xd4, he’s swapping round-robin — a less valuable pawn— the dis- 4. Bg2 Capablanca finished 2nd behind advantage is that 1…c5 does less Naturally. 23-year-old Paul Keres. Keres for Black’s development. was probably the strongest 4. ... g6 player in the world at that time. 2. Ne2 The white king bishop was The year before, Keres won Philidor wrote in the 1750s hemmed in by the e2-knight, so the AVRO tournament, which that we shouldn’t block the it developed by . The

Page 18 California Chess Journal Summer 2010 black king bishop is blocked by with his d-pawn. From d4, The simplest developing three pawns, so it also fianchet- White can swap pawns, which move. If 8…Qxd1, then 9. Rxd1 tos, in order to develop “outside shows Black’s weakness on the gains time. The side who wins the pawn chain”. d-file . a materially-equal is 5. c3 7. dxc5 the side whose pieces develop as result of the recapture. In event of d2-d4 c5xd4, On 7. dxe5, Black is not White can recapture with a restricted to one recapture. 8. ... Be6 pawn. In the same spirit, 2. Perhaps White saw some an- Black has the same notion c3 is a good move against the noyance in 7…Nxe5 followed by — 9. Qxd8 Rxd8 gains a move Sicilian, but there White is un- …Bg4. — but he’s still neglecting the developed. 7. ... dxc5 kingside. 5. ... Bg7 Otherwise Black is a pawn 9. Be3 It’s a little strange that even down — maybe even two — for Whenever possible, make though all of Black’s moves were nothing. a good developing move designed to grab the central 8. O-O black squares, White has no dif- ficulty achieving d2-d4. 6. d4 “Frisco Del Rosario describes For getting two pawns into and explains the great games the center, the great chess of Capablanca in a very teacher Purdy would say White entertaining style.” – GM has a leg up—in other words, Peter Biyiasas advantage. From the back cover: w______w In this groundbreaking [rdb1kdn4] work, chess coach and [0pdw0pgp] author Frisco Del Rosario [wdn0wdpd] shines a long-overdue light on a neglected aspect [dw0wdwdw] of Capablanca’s record: [wdw)Pdwd] the attack against the [dw)wdw)w] enemy king. He illustrates [P)wdN)B)] how Capablanca used [$NGQIwdR] positional concepts to build w------w up irresistible king hunts, 6. ... e5 embodying the principles A game from the 2007 of good play advocated Minnesota state championship by the unrivaled teacher, began 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d3 C.J.S. Purdy. The author g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 e5 6. Nbd2 also identifies an overlooked Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8. c3 d6. The checkmate pattern annotator wrote: “Arguably, – Capablanca’s Mate – that aspiring attackers can add the Botvinnik Triangle re- Coming in September to the standard catalogue in sponds well to the King’s Indian Preorder with a 10% discount Attack”. In the Minnesota game, Renaud and Kahn’s The Art of the Checkmate. at https://mongoosepress.com/ White didn’t play as actively newsite

Summer 2010 California Chess Journal Page 19 Not the Seeds of Another Capa Book which threatens something. the a1-rook — Black might play mining the knight, and the black Grandmaster Fine wrote that in …Rxd1+, and the queen rook king has a better regard to the opening, but it ap- activates for free. with 17. Nc7+ Kf7. plies to the whole game. 12. ... Bc4 16. ... Kf6 9. ... Qxd1 12…Rd7 was the best move. The only move. Black didn’t like the looks of Then 13. Rxd7 Kxd7 14. Rd1+ 17. Rad1 9…b6 (9…Qb6 loses a pawn) 10. Kc8, and White’s still searching Threatens to move in strongly Qa4 Ne7 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. Na3 for something concrete. Instead, with 18. Rd6+. O-O 13. Nb5, but in spite of the Black was attracted to the bish- pressure Black feels on the d- op . w______w file, the position is mostly equal. 13. Nc7+ [wdw4wdw4] 10. Rxd1 The neat aspect of White’s [0wHwhpgp] White has gained time. centralizing maneuver is that it [w0ndwipd] [dw0w0wdw] 10. ... b6 enables him to double his rooks. 13. ... Ke7 [wdbdPdwd] 10…Bf8 is a rotten move. [dw)wGw)w] 10…c4 looks very bad, but 13…Kf8 keeps the black rooks White cannot immediately dem- disconnected longer. [P)w$N)B)] [dwdRdwIw] onstrate that Black has overex- 14. Nd5+ tended. w------w The first real evidence of the 17. ... Rxd2 11. Na3 weak squares left in the wake of 17…Bxe2?? 18. Rd6+ Rxd6 19. After 11. Nd2, there are no Botvinnik’s pawn triangle. Rxd6 is mate. threats in sight, but there is 14. ... Ke6 some potential in 11. Na3 plus 18. Rxd2 Not 14…Bxd5, for 15. exd5 Nb5. 18. Bxd2 is a horrible blunder. gives White a passed pawn w______w while extending the range of 18. ... Rd8 [rdwdkdn4] White’s suddenly-unopposed 18…Bxe2 19. Rd6# was still [0wdwdpgp] light bishop. If Black could com- in the air. With 18…Rd8, Black [w0ndbdpd] plete his development in com- thinks he has finally completed [dw0w0wdw] fort, he might be pleased with his development, and he even [wdwdPdwd] his king activity. threatens to win a piece by [Hw)wGw)w] 15. Rd2 19…Rxd2 plus 20…Bxe2. [P)wdN)B)] 15. Bf3 isn’t as mindful of the 19. Rxd8 [$wdRdwIw] queen rook. Removing the guard. w------w 15. ... Nge7 19. ... Nxd8 11. ... Rd8 15…Bxe2 doesn’t disrupt Resigning was acceptable. If 11…a6, then 12. Rd6, and White’s development: 16. Rxe2 20. Ne8+ Black falls further behind in Nge7 17. Rd1. Terrible is 15… piece activity. Nf6?? 16. Bh3+. A surprising fork. 12. Nb5 16. Nc7+ 1-0 White goes where the threats More precise than 16. Rad1. are. There’s no hurry to move Black can answer 16…f5, under-

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