R ank & File JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008 VOLUME XXXI, NO. 1 $3.00 43rd Annual American Open GM Alex Yermolinsky 25th Annual U.S. Amateur Team West February 16-18, 2008 LAX Hilton 5711 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90045 A Fun Tournament An Affordable Tournament A Tournament for Everyone! Four-player teams plus optional alternate, average rating of four highest must be U/2200. (Diference betrween boards 3 and 4 may noi exceed 1000 points. December 2007 rating list used.) Entry fee: : $118 per team if received by 2/15, $136 at site, Under age 18 $86/$100 Trophies and 4 clocks to top 3 teams, U2100, U2000, U1800, U1600, U1400/unr. Trophies to top college, industrial (if at least 3 teams), Junior (under 18), Senior (over 55), U1200. Clocks to best score each board and alternate. Gift certificate prizes for best team names (1st & 2nd). Registration 8-10 a.m. 2/17 Rounds 11-6, 11-6, 10-4:30 Hotel rate: $109, (310) 410-4000, mention chess. Reserve by Feb. 1 or rates may go up. Parking $10.. On-line entry, help in forming teams: www.westernchess.com Entries: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Place #1A, Los Angeles CA 90038 February 18 11TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOLASTIC AMATEUR TEAM. 4-SS, SD/45, LAX Hilton, 5711 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Four-player teams plus optional alternate, Grade 12/below, average rating of four highest must be U1200. (Dec. 2007 rating list used, Feb. 2008 used for previ- ously unrated players.) EF: $69 per team received by 2/15, $84 at site. Trophies (team & individual) to top 3 teams, top U1000, U800, U400/unr. Reg. 9:00-10 a.m. Rds. 10:30-1-2:45-4:30. Info, help in forming teams: Jim Bullock, 714-848-4377, [email protected]. Web site, advance entry list: www.westernchess.com. Parking: $10. Ent: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Place #1A, Los Angeles CA 90038. NS, NC, W. February 19 AT HEXES. 3-SS, G/90. LAX Hilton, 5711 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Six-player sec- tions by rating. EF: $20 if rec. by 2-15, $25 door. $$40-20-10 each section. Reg: 9:30-10:15 a.m. Rds 10:30-1:30-4:30. Ent: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Place #1A, Los Angeles CA 90038. on line at www.westernchess.com 2 RANK & FILE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008 AroundAround thethe NationNation The match will consist of twelve Reigning champion Anand won Amateur Team: games played under classical time the title in September 2007 at the Check, Mate controls. If there is a tie at the end World Championship tournament of these games a tiebreak will be in Mexico City. Kramnik, who fin- The U.S. Amateur Team West is played on October 30, 2008. The ished second in the tournament, almost here. Have you formed your prize fund, which will be split was entitled under the rules to a team yet? equally between the players, is 1.5 rematch. This year’s version, to be held million Euro (approximately 2.1 The official web site of the match February 16-18 at the LAX Hil- million US Dollars). is www.uep-worldchess.com. ton, once again offers an inexpen- — FIDE news release. sive and fun tournament, in which you and your friends can compete for trophies, clocks, and a shot at a national championship!. An on- line playoff with the winners of the East, North and South will take CONTENTSONTENTS place March 24. The event is open to four-player teams (plus an optional alternate) AROUNDAROUND THETHCE NATIONNONTENTSATION ........... .........................................................3 with an average rating below 2200, ............................... so everyone’s contribution matters! 443RDA3ROUNDRD AANNUALNN THEUAL NAMERICANAATIONMERIC .A . .N . OPENO. .P . .E . N. 35 Plus, there are prizes for each class, JJOSEPH21OSSTEP HA NNUALIILELETTOO MEMORIALM U.S.EMO ARIMATEURAL ..................................................... TEAM 1111 as well as best junior, senior, college and industrial team – and even a TTACTICS A WCTESTICS . 5 special prize for best team name! byby TIMIM HANKSANKS ................................. .....................................................................12 If you don’t have a team yet, WESTERN CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS . 10 what are you waiting for? For help CCHESSHESS LLESSONSESSONS TACTICS in forming teams (”… we need one byby GMGM MELIKSETELIKSET KHACHIYANHACHIYAN ... .......................................................15 more player rated 1743”), or to en- by Tim Hanks . 12 ter on line, go to www.westernchess. GGAMESAMES FFROMROM RRECENTECENT EEVENVENTTSS ....................................1717 com. Don’t be left out! HERE & THERE HHEREERE & THERETHERE ClubCClublub news,new news,s, locallocal tournaments,t olocalurnam etournaments,nts, World sscholcscholasticholaasticstic eeventsvents eventsaandnd mmoreore .............................................................................. 1518 Championship: ESDITORIADTATEITOR ICALHAMPIONSHIP: FOREVERFOREVER WARW AQRUALIFIERS ....................................................... 1924 New Order? SSTATEGTAMESATE CHAMPIONSHIPC FHROMAMP IRONECENTSHIP QEUUALIFIERSVENTSALIFIE. R. .S . .................. 2125 The World Championship match THE LIGHTER SIDE . 24 between Viswanathan Anand and UUPCOMINGPCOMING EVENEVENTTSS ...............................................................................26 Vladimir Kramnik will be held . UPCOMING E ................................................VENTS .......................................................26 from October 11 to 30, 2008 in the CCHESSHESS QQUIZUIZ 28 Art and Exhibition Hall of the Fed- CHESS QUIZ. 24 eral Republic of Germany in Bonn, Germany. 3 RANK & FILE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008 World Cup: There’s still time ... Southern California Chess Kamsky Comeback ... to renew your SCCF mem- bership at the current rates! As of Federation And who will be the next chal- March 1, 2008, the cost of a 1-year President lenger to the winner of the Anand- membership will rise to $18/year Elliot Landaw Vice President Ron Rezendes Kramnik match? It could be Gata for adult, $10/year for juniors under Secretary Chuck Ensey Kamsky. By winning the World Cup, 18. But until then, for $14 adult, $9 held in December in Khanty-Man- Treasurer John Hillery junior! And, if you renew for more Executive Board siysk, Russia, Kamsky earned the than one year, you save even more! Randy Hough right to a final candidate’s match Get two years for $27, or three years Mike Nagaran against GM Veselin Topalov. for only $40. Send your renewal to Rick Aeria Kamsky, who had withdrawn SCCF, P.O. Box 205, Monterey Jim Bullock from chess in 1996 to attend college, Park, CA 91754, or on line at www. Mick Bighamian was clearly rusty when he returned scchess.com. Jerry Yee in 2004. Would he be able to regain Essam Mohamed his place among the top dozen play- Takashi Iwamoto ers in the world? This tournament National Youth proved the answer to be yes. In a Rank & File series of short matches, he defeated Action Editor John Hillery GMs Ahmed Adly, Boris Avrukh, The USCF)\ held the 2007 Na- 835 N. Wilton Pl. # Los Angeles CA 90038 Kiril Georgiev, Peter Svidler, Rus- tional Youth Action (NYA) tourna- [email protected] lan Ponomariov, Magnus Carlsen, ment on November 16-18 at the Mil- lennium Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. and Alexey Shirov. And he didn’t Publisher The event drew 476 players. David Argall lose a single game! Contributing Editors Here is the decisive game from The main event consisted of nine rounds of “Action” chess (30 min- Jack Peters the final match between Kamsky Tim Hanks utes per player for the game). There and Shirov: Al Pena were four sections: Primary (K-3), Contributors GM Gata Kamsky – GM Alexey Elementary (K-6), Junior High (K-9) Chuck Ensey Shirov and High School (K-12). Randy Hough World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk Cyrus Lakdawala 2007 Section Champions: Anthony Ong B30 SICILIAN DEFENSE, Closed K-12 Section: Stanley Yang, 8½- Jerry Yee Variation ½ 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 K-9 Section: Andrew Ng and Mat- Subscriptions/Address Changes 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.Nd2 Bg5 7.Qh5 thew Dahl, 8-1. Randy Hough, Membership Secretary Nh6 8.h3 Nd4 9.0–0 0–0 10.Nb3 K-6 Section: Kevin Bu, Kevin Y. P.O. Box 205 Bxc1 11.Raxc1 Ne6 12.Ne2 Qf6 Cao, Sean Vibbert, and Robert M. Monterey Park CA 9754 13.Nd2 Kh8 14.c3 g5 15.d4 Rg8 Perez, 7½-1½. (626) 282-742 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Nf3 Rg6 18.h4 Qg7 K-3 Section: Outeng He, 8½-½. [email protected] 19.Bxe6 Bxe6 20.hxg5 f6 21.gxf6 Rank & File — ISSN 8750-964 USPS Rxg2+ 22.Kh1 Qxf6 23.Qxe5 Qxe5 738-230, published bimonthly by the 24.Nxe5 Rg5 25.f4 Rh5+ 26.Kg1 Continued on page 22 ... Southern California Chess Federation, 300 Rg8+ 27.Kf2 Rh2+ 28.Ke3 Rgg2 Ballista, La Puente CA 9744. Periodical 29.Ng1 Rxb2 30.f5 Bxa2 31.Rcd1 postage paid at Industry, CA. POST- Rbc2 32.Rd8+ Ng8 33.Ngf3 Rxc3+ Photos: Cover, pp. 6, 7, 8, 9: John Hil- MASTER: Send changes of address to 34.Kf4 Rh6 35.Rg1 Rf6 36.Ng5 h6 lery. P. 10: Anthony Ong. SCCF, PO Box 205, Monterey Park CA 37.Ngf7+ 1–0 9754. Subscriptions: $4 adult, $9 junior. Copyright © SCCF 2008. One-time only publication rights have been obtained from signed contributors. All other rights are Advertising Rates: Full page $80, half page hereby assigned to the authors. The opinions $45, 1/4 page $25, 1/8 page $15, back cover (3/4 SCCF Online page) $80. (All rates are for camera-ready copy.) expressed are strictly those of the contribu- Flyer insert $50 (advertiser must supply flyers). The SCCF Web tors and do not necessarily reflect the views 50% discount for tournaments requiring SCCF of the SCCF, its officers or members. membership. Display ads should be sent to the page is located at: Editor, flyers to the Publisher (addresses at right). Payment should be sent with order to the Editor. www.scchess.com SCCF reserves the right to reject any advertising.