US CHESS PRESIDENT ALLEN PRIEST ADDRESSES COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR ORGANIZATION May 2020 | USChess.org GM HUMPY KONERU 2020 Cairns Cup Champion The United States’ Largest Chess Specialty Retailer 888.51.CHESS (512.4377) www.USCFSales.com Swindling is a skill that can be trained NEW! tŚĞŶLJŽƵĨĞĞůůŝŬĞƌĞƐŝŐŶŝŶŐ͕ŝƚ͛ƐƟŵĞ ƚŽƐǁŝƚĐŚƚŽƐǁŝŶĚůĞŵŽĚĞ͊'DĂǀŝĚ ^ŵĞƌĚŽŶƐŚŽǁƐŚŽǁLJŽƵĐĂŶƵƐĞƚƌŝĐŬƐ ĨƌŽŵƉƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJƚŽĞdžƉůŽŝƚLJŽƵƌŽƉƉŽŶĞŶƚ͛Ɛ ďŝĂƐĞƐ͘tŝƚŚĂŶĂďƵŶĚĂŶĐĞŽĨĞLJĞͲƉŽƉƉŝŶŐ ĞdžĂŵƉůĞƐĂŶĚƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐĞdžĞƌĐŝƐĞƐ͕^ŵĞƌĚŽŶ ŝĚĞŶƟĮĞƐƚŚĞĨŽƵƌďĞƐƚĨƌŝĞŶĚƐŽĨĞǀĞƌLJ ĐŚĞƐƐƐǁŝŶĚůĞƌ͗LJŽƵƌŽƉƉŽŶĞŶƚ͛ƐŝŵƉĂƟĞŶĐĞ͕ ƚŚĞŝƌŚƵďƌŝƐ͕ƚŚĞŝƌĨĞĂƌ͕ĂŶĚƚŚĞŝƌŶĞĞĚƚŽ ƐƚĂLJŝŶĐŽŶƚƌŽů͘ DĂƐƚĞƌƚŚĞĂƌƚŽĨƉƌŽǀŽŬŝŶŐĞƌƌŽƌƐĂŶĚ LJŽƵǁŝůůďĞĂďůĞƚŽĞƐĐĂƉĞǁŝƚŚĂĚƌĂǁʹŽƌ ƐŽŵĞƟŵĞƐĞǀĞŶƐƚĞĂůƚŚĞĨƵůůƉŽŝŶƚ͊ ͞ƚƌƵůLJĞǀŝůŬ͘/ƚ͛ƐǁƌŝƩĞŶǁŝƚŚŚƵŵŽƌĂŶĚ ĐŽŵƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĂŶĚ/ŚŽƉĞ/ůĞĂƌŶĞĚĂůŽƚĨƌŽŵ ŝƚ͘>ŽƚƐŽĨůĂƵŐŚƐĂŶĚůŽƚƐŽĨĨƵŶ͕ƉĞƌĨĞĐƚƚŽ ƚĂŬĞŽƵƌŵŝŶĚƐŽīǁŚĂƚ͛ƐŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐŝŶƚŚĞ ƌĞĂůǁŽƌůĚ͘͟ 'ƌĂŶĚŵĂƐƚĞƌDĂƩŚĞǁ^ĂĚůĞƌ͕ ĂƵƚŚŽƌŽĨGame Changer ƉĂƉĞƌďĂĐŬͮ368ƉĂŐĞƐͮ$Ϯϰ͘ϵϱ ĨƌŽŵƚŚĞƉƵďůŝƐŚĞƌƐŽĨADĂŐĂnjŝŶĞ Free Ground Shipping On All Books, Software and DVDS at US Chess Sales $25.00 Minimum – Excludes Clearance, Shopworn and Items Otherwise Marked US Chess Membership Rates: Premium (P) and Regular (R) (U.S., CANADA, MEXICO) Type 1 yr 2 yr Adult P $49 $95 Adult R $40 $75 Senior (65+) $40 $75 Young Adult P (25 & UND)* $35 $65 Young Adult R (25 & UND)* $26 $48 Youth P (16 & UND)* $30 $55 Youth R (16 & UND)* $22 $40 Scholastic P (13 & UND)* $25 $45 Scholastic R (13 & UND)* $17 $30 Premium membership provides a printed copy of Chess Life (monthly) or Chess Life Kids ELPRQWKO\ SOXVDOORWKHUEHQHƛLWVRIUHJXODUPHPEHUVKLS 5HJXODUPHPEHUVKLSSURYLGHVRQOLQHRQO\DFFHVVWRChess Life and Chess Life Kids. Youth provides bimonthly Chess Life, Scholastic bimonthly Chess Life Kids, others listed above monthly Chess Life. See www. uschess.orgIRURWKHUPHPEHUVKLSFDWHJRULHV'XHVDUHQRWUHIXQGDEOHDQG PD\EHFKDQJHGZLWKRXWQRWLFH $JHVDWH[SLUDWLRQGDWHRIPHPEHUVKLSEHLQJSXUFKDVHG www.uschess.org 1 CHESS LIFE STAFF EXECUTIVE BOARD Melinda Matthews Allen Priest Publications Editor President [email protected] PO Box 436787 Louisville, KY 40253 Frankie Butler [email protected] CHESS LIFE magazine is published by the US Chess Federation Creative Director Main office:Crossville, TN (931) 787-1234 [email protected] Randy Bauer Vice President Natasha Roberts Press and Communications Inquiries: [email protected] (931) 200-5509 10990 NW 115th Avenue Creative Content Granger, IA 50109 Advertising inquiries: (931) 787-1234, ext. 123 Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] Letters to the editor: Please submit to [email protected] Chuck Unruh Alan Kantor VP Finance Tournament Life Announcements (TLAs): All TLAs should be emailed to tla@ Editorial Assistant/ P.O. Box 340 uschess.org or sent to P.O. 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[email protected] Sharon McClure Pete Karagianis Membership Associate Assistant Director of Events [email protected] Q [email protected] ext. 127 931-200-9477 Christine Green Christopher Bird Membership Associate ~ US CHESS VISION~ FIDE Events Manager [email protected] [email protected] ext. 138 Susan Kantor Alex Dunne Chess is recognized as an essential tool Scholastic Associate Correspondence Chess & Clubs, FIDE Associate [email protected] that is inclusive, benefits education and OTB Ratings [email protected] Tournament Director and rehabilitation, and promotes ext. 136 Certification [email protected] recreation and friendly competition. 2 May 2020 | Chess Life www.uschess.org 3 Chess Life MAY COLUMNS 18 CHESS TO ENJOY / ENTERTAINMENT Turing Test 2.0 BY GM ANDY SOLTIS 20 BACK TO BASICS / READER ANNOTATIONS Some Part of a Mistake is Always Correct BY GM LEV ALBURT 22 IN THE ARENA / PLAYER OF THE MONTH A Career Highlight BY GM ROBERT HESS 24 BOOKS AND BEYOND / SHOULD I BUY IT? Capturing Attention BY JOHN HARTMANN THE ARTS / CHESS AND DANCE 48 SOLITAIRE CHESS / INSTRUCTION 26 Patterns of Movement Tal in the Saddle BY BRUCE PANDOLFINI BY DR. ALEXEY ROOT, WIM AND WILLIAM ROOT Although they seem dissimilar, chess and dance have surprising connections. GM Daniel Naroditsky’s column, The Practical Endgame, will not appear in HISTORY / OHMAN this month’s issue. 30 Lost & Found BY JOHN HARTMANN A treasure trove of games by a former Nebraska state champion is DEPARTMENTS uncovered years after their disappearance. 5 COUNTERPLAY / READERS RESPOND CHESS JOURNALISM / 2020 CJA AWARDS 6 MAY PREVIEW / THIS MONTH IN 35 2020 Chess Journalists of America Awards CHESS LIFE AND CHESS LIFE ONLINE BY JOSHUA ANDERSON 8 FIRST MOVES / CHESS NEWS FROM AROUND THE U.S. 36 COVER STORY / CAIRNS CUP 9 FACES ACROSS THE BOARD / Koneru Captures Cairns Cup BY AL LAWRENCE BY WGM TATEV ABRAHAMYAN The second edition of the Cairns Cup was bigger, better, and even 12 US CHESS AFFAIRS / NEWS FOR OUR more star-studded. MEMBERS 16 ACROSS THE BOARD / PRESIDENT’S COVER STORY / CAIRNS CUP COLUMN 44 Petroff Goes to St. Louis 50 TOURNAMENT LIFE / MAY BY GM FRANCESCO RAMBALDI GM Mariya Muzychuk deployed and defended this popular opening at the 2020 Cairns Cup. 71 CLASSIFIEDS / MAY SOLUTIONS / MAY ON THE COVER GM Humpy Koneru made a splash in her Saint Louis 72 MY BEST MOVE / PERSONALITIES Chess Club debut by winning the 2020 Cairns Cup. COVER PHOTO AND THIS MONTH: GEORGE KVAKOVSZKY PHOTO ABOVE: LENNART OOTES, SAINT LOUIS CHESS CAMPUS 4 May 2020 | Chess Life Counterplay / Readers Respond BOARD FLIPPING On page 53 of the December 2019 issue of Chess Life, there are six mating net problems. In each one it is Black’s move, yet the boards are printed to show the position from White’s Letters: perspective. Is there any reason why the boards can’t be flipped to show the position from Black’s perspective when it is Black’s move? ==?MMC<CFCNƑ;HčHMQ?Lż This is how things are done for online tactics training exercises, and doing so would make things easier for the reader. This is one of my pet peeves of chess books, specifically tactics books. I am new to Chess CHESS IS FOR ALL Your March article “Beyond Walls” about Life (I just joined US Chess in August), so I Princeton University’s chess club visiting a don’t know whether you have discussed this prison to play chess brought back pleasant matter in any reviews. memories. From 1967-1971, when I was in Paul Debbas my late 20s and living in Illinois, the Oak Park via email March 2020 USChess.org Chess Club made periodic visits to the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana to play This is an issue we discuss from time to time. their chess team, The Gambiteers. These were Very few publishers flip diagrams, and since our not simultaneous games but timed one-on-one Chess Life style is to not put coordinates around matches. My US Chess rating back then varied the board, there will be cases (particularly in between 1787 and 1873, and I normally played the endgame) where it’s not clear which side is board three or four for Oak Park. I don’t moving up the board. ~ editor remember the match outcomes; however, my notes from 1967 indicated that Oak Park and the Gambiteers split their two matches that year. ALTERNATE MOVE I don’t know what happened to this tradition after a job opportunity brought me permanently In the January 2020 issue of Chess Life, in to New York City in 1972; however, if any chess the article titled “The Goalkeeper’s Glory” by clubs/universities are looking for live chess [GM] Daniel Naroditsky, Daniel says, “What outside US Chess events, consider contacting a Jeffery had missed is that while the king might prison and see if they have an active chess club. be unassailable, the pawn on a5 is not.” I’m FC MAR 2020_03.indd 1 06/02/2020 14:36 Philip Lehpamer asking why can’t White go Rg6+? Our special issue dedicated to Accessibility via email Benjamin Sheperd generated some wonderful memories and even via email a little praise! Here is a sampling of the letters I am glad to see Albert Sandrin honored we received: [in the March 2020 Chess Life]. I knew him It looks like you are correct. GM Jeffery Xiong and his brother Angelo, when I handled the was winning until he played 62. Kd5, which I’m just a very casual chess player. I normally demonstration board [at a] Memorial Day allows a draw as shown in the game. But Rg6+ replay a game or two from the columns, tournament, 1965, in Chicago with Frank only comes in when he has to make sure to read a book review and then put down the Skoff as tournament director.