Johnny B's Chess Connection

Blog Moved to Chess.com

2011-08-24T21:49:00.005-06:00

Yikes, it's been years since I've made a post on my own blog!

No, I haven't quit chess. On the contrary: I've made the game my profession! I'm now a full-time player and coach working towards my GM (Grandmaster) title.

I've decided to do all of my blogging over at chess.com. Feel free to follow the highs and lows of my chess career here: http://www.chess.com/members/view/Fins0905

If you've come here in search of coaching, please contact me via my Chess.com coaching profile: http://www.chess.com/coach/im-john-bartholomew

John

Dallas Destiny Repeat!

2008-12-15T21:10:00.006-06:00

Sorry for not posting something sooner, but finals and non-chess activities have kept me pretty occupied the past few weeks. Life often gets in the way of chess, as they say.

I am happy to report that the Dallas Destiny managed to become the first ever repeat USCL champions by virtue of beating the Boston Blitz on Saturday, December 6th. For all those who tuned in to ICC to watch the match, it turned out to be every bit as exciting as last year's final. The Destiny managed to prevail in a tiebreaker when GM-elect Davorin "Kul J" Kuljasevic took out SM Esserman, SM Sammour-Hasbun, and GM Christiansen in succession. Davorin's key win against Sammour-Hasbun in regulation was pivotal for our success, as was WFM Bayaraa "the Mongolian Power" Zorigt's demolition of Boston fourth board NM Ilya Krasik. FM Igor "Freshmans" Schneider and IM Marko "Zica" Zivanic were definitely disappointed with their results against Esserman and Christiansen (respectively), but I can state with 100% certainty that we would never have made the finals without their steady play during the regular season and playoffs. Congratulations also to Boston, who had another fine season.

Dallas Destiny members plus TD Michael Corallo. L to R: Michael Corallo, Igor Schneider, Bayaraa Zorigt, myself, Drasko Boskovic (2007 board one), and Davorin Kuljasevic.

It has been a real pleasure to manage and play for the Destiny these past two seasons. When I took over management of the team in the summer of 2007, I knew we had the players here at UTD to really make a run at the USCL championship. What has happened since has gone past any of our wildest expectations. We've been very fortunate to develop a close-knit group of players here who aren't big on ego and are always willing to back their teammates up. The attitude we've kept since the week one loss to San Francisco all the way through the final against Boston has been laid-back and relaxed. I would be remiss if I failed to mention two outstanding players, Bayaraa and Davorin, who have been the foundation of our success in 2007 and 2008. Their play has been nothing short of remarkable and I'm always amazed at the team spirit they have displayed. Watch out for them in the future!

Thanks to Greg Shahade and Arun Sharma for another great season. They do a lot of work and often (undeservedly!) take a lot of heat, but they do a fantastic job year in and year out. The USCL is going to get better and better under their guidance.

Also thanks to UTD coach Rade Milovanovic and all the Destiny Destiny fans - I know there are some of you out there!

I graduate in the spring, but with any luck I hope to be around to manage the 2009 Dallas Destiny...if they let me!

Cheers,
Johnny B

USCL Week 6 Recap

2008-10-06T17:00:00.004-06:00

I blew it this past week against Tennessee.

I had a comfortable edge out of the opening that translated into the win of an exchange with 25.Ng3!, a move that Todd doubtlessly missed. The win was still there all the way up until the dubious move 44.Rg2?! and the horrendous 45.Nf3??. Somehow I blanked out on the fact that my h3-pawn can simply be taken. As Greg Shahade pointed out, 44.Rf3 Be8 45.Rxe3! is simple and good.

This was a frustrating game in a non-chess sense. To make a long story short, I was forced to play on three different computers during the course of the game. The whole process of trying to find a suitable internet connection cost me a ton of time in disconnections, and - worse yet - put me in a pretty stressed mood for most of the game. Still, the position after 25.Ng3 is one in which I expect myself to win probably 95% of the time. I take full responsbility for our loss this week.

Marko, Igor, and Bayaraa all played solid chess. Marko in particular surprised a lot of people by easily neutralizing Jaan Ehlvest with the Black pieces, even obtaining a pawn-up ending. Igor did well to pull himself out of a passive position against Bereolos and Bayaraa recovered from an opening misstep to draw with McCarthy. These last two games can be viewed here and here

We have Philly this week. The lineups indicate a pretty evenly-contested match. The Destiny will definitely come out firing this week.

USCL Week 6 Predictions

2008-10-01T16:14:00.005-06:00

In leiu of making a meaningful update to this blog, I'm going to take the easy(!?) way out and predict the matchups for tonight.

Carloina Cobras vs. Queens Pioneers
Stripunsky must be busy this week because the undefeated Pioneers come with a much weaker lineup than normal. Lenderman is on fire, but Dima will have his hands full with Black against Milman. The lower boards swing Carolina's way. Carolina Cobras 2.5 - Queens Pioneers 1.5

New Jersey Knockouts vs. Baltimore Kingfisher
Both teams bring powerful lineups to the table. The top two boards look like a wash to me, but I like Jersey's chances with young guns Mack Molner and Victor Shen manning the bottom two boards.
New Jersey Knockouts 3 - Baltimore Kingfishers 1

Boston Blitz vs. Philadelphia Inventors
Several interesting matchups in this one. I like the solid Kudrin to finally stop the Jorge express, though a draw seems fair. Vigorito - Bartell could produce some fireworks while Shmelov should score the full point against Costigan. Bengston has gotta get the slight nod with White against Krasik. I'm still going to call this match in Boston's favor.
Boston 2.5 - Philadelphia Inventors 1.5

Chicago Blaze vs. Miami Sharks
This is probably the most evenly contested match of the night. Mitkov vs. Becerra will be a draw while anything can happen on board two. The ratings point to a Blaze edge on boards three and four, but having seen both Galofre and (especially)Rodriguez play recently I can't say that they are underdogs. Drawn match! Chicago Blaze 2 - Miami Sharks 2

Tennessee Tempo vs. Dallas Destiny
No predictions for this one. I like our chances, though.

USCL Weeks 1 and 2

2008-09-07T13:56:00.013-06:00

Week 1: Dallas Destiny 1.5 - San Francisco Mechanics 2.5
The Destiny got off to a slow start against San Francisco. We dropped the opener 1.5-2.5 in a match that was essentially decided on board 3. SF's Sam Shankland displayed some good French preparation to take down Igor "Freshmans" Schneider:

Igor has just played 15...Ng4, attacking h2 and anticipating a sacrifice on f2. However, the cool reply 16.g3! (far superior to 15.h3 Bh2+ 16.Kf1 Nxf2! as in Starostits - Laznicka, V Olomouc Valoz Cup 2002 and Braeuning - Kuemin, Bodensee Cup 2003.) forced Black's hand with 16...Nxf2? 17.Kxf2 Rxf3+ (17...Nxd4 18.Re3 isn't much better) 18.Qxf3 Rf8 19.Bf4 Bxf4 and now the simple 20.Kg2 left Igor completely lost. He resigned on the next move. In fact, the game Papin - De Ramos, Wch U16 Chalkidiki 2003 reached the same position on move 20 with an equally disastrous result for Black.

Destiny members IM Davorin Kuljasevic, IM Marko Zivanic, and FM Igor Schneider prepare for week 1 action

Our new player IM Marko Zivanic played a complicated game against GM Wolff that petered out to a draw, while Bayaraa also had to concede a half-point to FM Naroditsky. Davorin heroically sacrificed an exchange against GM-elect Friedel but couldn't make any headway. All told, hardly a terrible result against one of the best teams in the league. We know we are capable of better, though.

Week 2: Dallas Destiny 3 - Arizona Scorpions 1
Things improved in Week 2 against the Arizona Scorpions. The much-hyped expansion team performed well in their league debut and was obviously itching to start 2-0. Unfortunately, Arizona internet problems resulted in some lost time for the Scorpions before play even commenced.

Let's take a look at the matchups:

Board 1: IM Drasko Boskovic vs. IM Levon Altounian
Honestly, I thought a draw on this board would be a decent result. Altounian is a super-solid IM with very reliable openings - a style that Drasko may have some problems with. I rated our chances on boards 2-4 to be superior and a quick, low-risk draw (albeit with White) was not a major cause for concern.

IM Boskovic - IM Altounian, USCL 2008
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ng4 6. Qe2 Qe7 7. Bf4 f6 8. exf6 Nxf6 9. Nbd2 d6 10. Nb3 Bg4 11. Qxe7+ Bxe7 12. Nfxd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 d5 14.Be2 Bxe2 15. Kxe2 Kd7 16. Rhe1 Rhf8 17. Nf3 Rae8 18. Kf1 1/2-1/2

Drasko is a fan of Tic-Tacs.

Board 2: FM Danny Rensch vs. IM John Bartholomew
Danny and I last met at the 2007 World Open. Though I eventually got the better of him on that occasion, things weren't looking too hot for awhile. He is a good tactical player who isn't afraid to go for the jugular in the opening.

FM Rensch - IM Bartholomew, USCL 2008
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Nb6 9. Nc3 Qe6 10. Qe4 g6 11. Bg5!?N A new move, as far as I can tell. Rensch wants to position the dark squared bishop actively before committing to f4. 11...Bg7 12. f4 d5 13. O-O-O Cute, but in the game I was really worried about 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.Qb4!

Position after 14.Qb4 (Analysis)

An awkward move for Black to meet. Now my intended 14...Bxe5 is weak because of 15. Bb5+ Bd7 16.0-0! when Black's position is bordering on lost. Instead, I should probably prefer 14...c6 though White has a nice position after 15.0-0 or even 15.Ne2!? 13...h6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Bb5+ Best. 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.Rxd5 was also interesting. Now 16...hxg5 loses to 17.Bb5+ c6 18.Rd6, but the forcing line 16...Bb7! 17.Bb5+ Kf8 18.Qb4+ Kg8 19.Rd8+ Kh7 20.Rxh8+ Rxh8 results in a very active position for Black. White's far-flung bishops do not make a good impression and a2 is almost certainly falling. 15...c6 16. Nxd5? White had to act decisively here with 16.Rxd5! when 16...hxg5 17.Bxc6+ Qxc6 18.Rd8+ Kxd8 19.Qxc6 Bd7 20.Rd1 Rc8! 21.Qb7 Rc7 results in an absurdly complicated position. 16...Nxd5 17. Rxd5 O-O The king has escaped and Black can collect the hanging pieces. 18. Rd6 Qxa2 19. Be7 19.Bc4 Qa1+ 20.Kc2 Qxh1 21.Rxg6 hxg5 sees White running out of ammunition. 18...Bf5 20. Qa4 Qb1+ 21. Kd2 Qxb2+ 22. Ke1 cxb5 0-1

Board 3: FM Igor Schneider vs. FM Robby Adamson
You can bet that Igor was expecting something tricky from Adamson in the opening. A 3...Nc6 French Tarrasch was what he got (I seem to remember something about this being called the "Guimard Variation").

FM Schneider - FM Adamson, USCL 2008
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. c3 e5 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Ngf3 exd4 7. Bc4 Qh5 8. O-O Nf6 9. cxd4 Be7 10. Be2 Qf5 11. Nc4 O-O 12. Nce5 Nb4 13. a3 Nbd5 14. Nh4 Qe6 15. Bd3 Qd6 16. Qf3 Be6 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. Qxf5 Rad8 19. Bg5 c6 20. Rfe1 g6 21. Qf3 Nh5 22. Bh6 Ng7 23. Rad1 Qf6 24. Qg4 Qh4 25. Qxh4 Bxh4 26. Be4 Rfe8 27.g3 Be7 28. h4 Ne6 29. Bg2 Bf6 30. Ng4 Bg7 31. Bxg7 Kxg7 32. Ne3 Nxe3 33. fxe3 Nc7 34. b4 f5 35. Kf2 Nb5 36. Rd3 Rd7 37. Rc1 Nd6 1/2-1/2

Robby can definitely push this B vs. N ending, but the match was already decided. It was good to see Igor get on track after the pounding he took in Week 1.

Board 4: NM Warren Harper vs. WFM Bayaraa Zorigt
Bayaraa was absolutely critical to the Destiny's success in 2007 and will play an even bigger role in 2008. She consistently delivers in tough spots and that's why we love her!

Harper held a space advantage for most of the game, but now Bayaraa struck back with 31...h5! White's overextended position cannot be maintained after this blow. 32. g5 Bg4 33. Bf3 Bxf3 34. Qxf3 Rxe5 35. Qc3 Rxf4 36. Rde1 d4 37. Qh3 Rg4+ 38. Kh1 Rxe2 39. Rxe2 Qf4 40. Rh2 Qe4+ 0-1 Click to replay

Excellent play by Bayaraa that cemented a smooth 3-1 Destiny victory.

Mongolian power. Bayaraa during Week 1

Tomorrow night features an extremely important match against the Boston Blitz. We will be ready for a fight. Don't sleep on the Destiny!

USCL Title Defense - Week 1

2008-08-26T15:33:00.002-06:00

The Dallas Destiny kicks off their USCL title defense tomorrow (August 27) against the San Francisco Mechanics. The offseason proved to be a productive one for members of the 2007 squad as IM Davorin Kuljasevic and FM Keaton Kiewra both made Grandmaster norms in Europe. Our 2008 roster includes a few new faces and overall I am pleased with our depth and strength:

1. IM Marko Zivanic: 2506
2. IM Davorin Kuljasevic: 2517
3. IM Drasko Boskovic: 2508
4. IM John Bartholomew: 2485
5. FM Igor Schneider: 2392
6. NM Tautvydas Vedrickas: 2335
7. NM Chaitanya Vaidya: 2324
8. WFM Bayaraa Zorigt: 2219

Alternates:
1. FM Andrei Zaremba: 2366
2. WFM Karina Vazirova: 2108

The loss of Jacek Stopa and Keaton Kiewra due to conflicts with UTD class schedules was unfortunate, but I hope the trio of Schneider - Vedrickas - Vaidya can fill their shoes. Our most notable gain is at board 1, where Serbian IM Marko 'Zica' Zivanic will be a powerful force. Boskovic, Kuljasevic, Zorigt, and myself are all returning to round out the team.

It seems that the USCL blogosphere isn't giving us much credit again this year. In fact, not a single blog I've read has even picked us to win our first match. You know what? We're fine with flying under the radar. Expect the Destiny to calmly take care of business in 2008.

Log into ICC tomorrow at 7:30 CST for the opening week of our season! Check back here for Dallas Destiny pictures and player bios.

The Parade Was In Dallas

2007-12-04T12:34:00.000-06:00

Apologies to Denys Shmelov (who is apparently from Kharkov, Ukraine) - all the celebrations for the Dallas Destiny's 2007 USCL title took place right here in the DFW Metroplex.

The Destiny defeated the Boston Blitz in a thrilling 7 game tie-breaker that lasted well into last Thursday morning. Much has already been written of this match, so I won't overkill it. By all estimates, we were the underdogs - especially if the match was to reach the tie-breaker. With Boston having Dos Hermanas winner Jorge Sammour-Hasbun and legendary attacker GM Larry Christiansen in play, it was hard to disagree. Still, with four young, capable players we remained confident in our chances to get the job done...and we finally did when Christiansen eventually overpressed against Draks shortly after 1:00 AM CST.

Consistency and depth. That is the best way I can describe our success this season. Let's look at some highlights:

-IM Davorin Kuljasevic's 6.5/8 score and 2703 performance rating on board 2. By far the most well-prepared player on our roster
-Alternate FM Keaton Kiewra's key victories over FM Oleg Zaikov and FM Slava Mikhailuk in the regular season
-IM Drasko Boskovic's steady control over board 1 and power performance in the playoffs. If there is one Dallas player who I'd trust to play a blitz game when everything is on the line, it is Draks
-WFM Bayaraa Zorigt's clutch victory over NM Williams in the finals and solid play on board 4
-IM Jacek Stopa's numerous saves (think: blitz games vs. Williams and Shmelov) and All Star caliber
-NM Francisco Guadalupe's overall 2491(!) performance in important spots

It was a pleasure to play for this team, and as a first-time manager I couldn't be more happy with the result. UTD is sometimes viewed as strictly a "chess school," but the reality is that we put academics first. Not many knew that each of our players was immersed in final exams when the USCL Championship took place last week.

A big thank-you is due to Greg Shahade and Arun Sharma. I can't fathom how many hours they have invested into the USCL, and their efforts have created a truly exciting and viable league. Also, congratulations to the Boston Blitz for a great season.

See you all next year!

USCL Weeks 4,5, and 6

2007-10-04T19:14:00.000-06:00

I admit, I have been remiss in updating this blog over the past few weeks. Fortunately the Dallas Destiny has had much success of late! Let's get to it.

Week 4: Carolina is a dangerous squad that in my opinion is capable of knocking off any team in the league. IM Milman is a force on board 1 while FM Zaikov (board 3) is arguably as strong as the veteran IM Schroer (board 2). NM Craig Jones brings a lot of experience to board 4. I made the decision to bring in the alternate FM Keaton Kiewra to play on board 3, and the Nebraskan came up huge with a complete demolition of Zaikov in the 6.Bg5 Najdorf. IM Boskovic succumbed to Milman's pressure on board 1 while my game with Schroer was drawn. Our NM Francisco Guadalupe (making his league debut) played a wild game against Jones that was drawn after many twists and turn.

Result: a hard-fought 2-2 tie.

Week 5: The marquee Monday-night matchup against Miami was huge for us. I again decided to shake things up on boards 3 and 4, and the lineups came out like this:

Dallas Destiny Miami Sharks
1. IM Drasko Boskovic vs. GM Julio Becerra
2. IM John Bartholomew vs. FM Marcel Martinez
3. FM Andrei Zaremba vs. IM Alejandro Moreno Roman
4. NM Ryan Milisits vs. Roberto Socorregut

Things weren't looking so well for us after an hour or so of play. I had played a dubious (at best!) pawn sacrifice on move 5 against Martinez and emerged with a creaky position. On board 4, Ryan's King seemed to be a bit tied up on h1 when Socorregut's knight hopped into f3. What's more, Zaremba had passed up a likely draw in a R+B vs. R+B ending and was now worse. Drasko seemed to be holding his own against Becerra.

What happened next was the type of reversal that has helped us so much this season. Martinez inexplicably sacrificed an exchange against me, and Milisits sprung a nice combination to garner two minors for a rook. Zaremba did go on to lose, but Drasko emerged from some complications to reach a pawn-up rook ending. That game was eventually drawn while Ryan confidently reeled in the point. All eyes were on my game, where I had R+ c and d pawns vs. R + a pawn. I made a big mistake with 74. c6?? (74. Rc2 wins very easily) after which I believe Martinez can draw. Fortunately, he returned the favor and I managed to score the win. A nervy ending!

Result: 2.5-1.5 win

Week 6: This week we reverted to our most formidable lineup: three IMs and the underrated WFM Bayaraa Zorigt on board 4. Having IM Stopa on board 3 is obviously huge, as he almost always has a large rating edge (not to mention his record as an All Star playing boards 1+2 last season). The match started strangely when IM Bryan Smith offered a draw to IM Davorin Kuljasevic on move 6(!) with White(!!?). I'm not sure if Bryan was in a hurry to get somewhere or what, but this is a horrible match strategy. Davorin declined the offer and registered a seemingly effortless 24-move win. On Board 3, Jacek achieved an overwhelming position from the opening, but ran into trouble when he stranded his knight on a7. The game drifted into a R+B vs. R+N ending that should probably have been drawn, but was botched badly by IM Costigan. Thus, we pulled forward with an imposing 2-0 lead.

Drasko again struggled with White against the Sicilian and was duly ground down by GM Kudrin. The final game of the match saw Bayaraa and NM Elvin Wilson locked in a tense middlegame. Our team has come to expect big things from Bayaraa - she is simply tough as nails. Despite some bad pressure (to say nothing of the pressure of the match), she kept good control of a pawn-up position and eventually drew.

Result: 2.5-1.5 win

So, to sum things up: after 6 weeks of play we are 5-1. Clear first in the West, tied with Boston for the overall lead. Not bad!

USCL Week 3: Dallas Destiny vs. Queens Pioneers

2007-09-16T13:17:00.000-06:00

It's hard to describe our victory last Wednesday as anything but an old-fashioned swindle. In all but one game (Stripunsky - Boskovic), we were clearly lost. Escaping with a 3-1 victory and moving to first place in the West was a welcome gift.

Here is a rundown of the games:

Board 1: GM Alexander Stripunsky (2626) vs. IM Drasko Boskovic (2532) 0-1
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/stripunskyboskovic07.htm

A great game by Drasko that was given hardly any credit by the Game of the Week judges. How could this have been ranked only the 6th best game of week 3?! I understand that Bhat - Nakamura from Monday night was an exciting game, but it was also riddled with errors from both sides. Boskovic defeated his extremely strong GM opponent (FIDE 2589) with black in a virtually flawless performance featuring an elegant concluding combination. The incredible 38...Rh1!! (the banal 38...Qxe4+ actually forces mate faster) is an extremely strong move, after which White will be mated. Leaving the queen en prise in such fashion is quite pleasing to the eye.

I think it is a real shame that the Game of the Week judges seem to favor a game's "hype" over its objective quality.

Board 2: IM Davorin Kuljasevic (2489) vs. IM Eli Vovsha (2501) 1/2-1/2
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/kuljasevicvovsha07.htm

This is one of those games that is difficult for both sides to play. The tension in the center and on the kingside was building for quite some time, and eventually it liquidated in Vovsha's favor. A position of material equality was reached, though Davorin's numerous pawn weaknessess and Vovsha's active pieces seemed to spell disaster for Dallas. Props to Kul J for some dogged defense that allowed him to eventually reach a drawn Q vs. Q+B ending.

Board 3: NM Parker Zhao (2196) vs. IM Jacek Stopa (2414) 1/2-1/2
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/zhaostopa07.htm

Given the rating disparity, this was obviously a game we were hoping to get a full point out of. Unfortunately, Jacek played a poor opening and was forced to part with a pawn early on. Zhao's position was getting better and better until he faltered with 37.Rg6?, conceding a draw by repetition. A narrow escape!

Board 4: WFM Bayaraa Zorigt (2196) vs. Michael Thaler (2058) 1-0
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/zorigtthaler07.htm

Unbelievable. That is the only word that comes to mind when you play through this one. Cliff notes: the game went from clearly better for Bayaraa, to equal, to lost, to drawn, to lost, and finally won! A real roller-coaster that saw Thaler throwing away an essentially unloseable rook ending with a 2-pawn advantage.

Our next match against the dangerous Carolina Cobras will feature a minor shakeup of the lineup. I hope to report on a victory.

-Johnny B

USCL Week 2: Dallas Destiny vs. San Francisco Mechanics

2007-09-08T11:30:00.000-06:00

I've been really busy with school this week, so this update will have to be brief. The Dallas Destiny battled to a 2-2 tie with the San Francisco Mechanics this past Wednesday. We remain undefeated!

Board 1: IM Drasko Boskovic (2532) vs. GM Patrick Wolff (2623) 1/2-1/2
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/boskovicwolff07.htm

Frankly, I thought Drasko was going to win pretty quickly after 20.Nd5. He seemed to have overwhelming compensation for the pawn. However, the wily veteran Patrick Wolff found the amazing continuation 20...Re8 21.Ne7+ Rxe7 22.Qxe7 Re8 23.Qxd6 Qc2!!, which is an extremely hard move to see in advance. Drasko was forced to fight with a rook for two knights, and Wolff later stumbled into a drawn Queen ending.

Board 2: IM Vinay Bhat (2465) vs. IM John Bartholomew (2476) 1-0
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/bhatbartholomew07.htm

What can I say...this game was like having teeth pulled! After the terrible move 33...Re8?? (I completely thought he had to move his bishop; 33...h4 should draw), I fully deserve to lose. Bhat showed very good technique in the opposite color bishop ending and I eventually succumbed to the pressure. These are the sort of endings where the 30-second increment is quite useful - the stronger side can always repeat the position and gain an extra minute or more of time.

Board 3: IM Jacek Stopa (2414) vs. IM David Pruess (2452) 1-0
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/stopapruess07.htm

It really doesn't seem to matter what board Jacek plays on...he always produces! This game looked completely one-sided from beginning to end. It was also the first game to finish, and putting up a quick win really helps out your teammates. Well played, Jacek!

Board 4: Gregory Young (2043) vs. WFM Bayaraa Zorigt (2196) 1/2-1/2
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/gyoungzorigt07.htm

A strange game! Bayaraa caught her young (that's not a pun; he is actually 12 years old!) opponent in a well-known Dragon trap...but messed up the move order! She played 17....Rxd4? first rather than 17...Nxe4 and then 18...Rxd4. She was very upset with herself after this, but just like last week she stuck with her position and even managed to reach an endgame with an extra pawn. Unfortunately, there were bishops of opposite color on the board and Young managed to escape with a draw.

All told, this was a match that we definitely could have won. Still, a tie with the defending USCL champs is a good result. We will try and build on this success next week against Queens!

USCL Week 1: Dallas Destiny vs. Tennessee Tempo

2007-08-29T22:18:00.000-06:00

I am pleased to report that the Dallas Destiny began the 2007 USCL season with a convincing 3-1 win over the Tennessee Tempo. On paper, this seemed like a routine win. Still, we knew Tennessee to be a tough squad that would come well-prepared.

Things started off a little shaky when the room we were supposed to be playing in was locked upon our arrival. It took the UTD Police Department about 30 minutes to come out and unlock it for us. In the meantime, we had started our games in the hallway (thank you, wireless internet!).

Here is a summary of each matchup (click the hyperlinks to view):

Board 1: IM Davorin Kuljasevic (2489) vs. IM Ron Burnett (2407)
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/kuljasevicburnett07.htm
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 0–0 8.0–0 f5 9.Qc2 Na6 10.Rad1 Nb4 11.Qb1 Nxc3 12.Bxc3 Be4 13.Qa1 a5 14.Ne1 Bxg2 15.Nxg2 Bf6 16.Qb1 c6 17.a3 Na6 18.e4 fxe4 19.Qxe4 Nc7 20.Nf4 d5 21.Qe2 Qd7 22.Rfe1 Rae8 23.b3 c5 24.Qb2 a4 25.bxa4 cxd4 26.Bxd4 e5 27.Bxe5 Rxe5 28.Rxe5 Qd6 29.Rde1 dxc4 30.Qc3 Qc6 31.Nh5 Bxe5 32.Qxe5 Rf7 33.Rc1 Ne6 34.Re1 Nc7 35.Nf4 Rf8 36.Rc1 Re8 37.Qd4 Re4 38.Qb2 Ne6 39.Nxe6 Qxe6 40.Qb4 h6 41.Rb1 Re2 42.Kf1 Rc2 43.Re1 Qc6 44.Kg1 c3 45.Qb3+ 1-0

Burnett played the unfashionable yet solid 4...Bb7 in the g3-Queen's Indian. My feeling is that white can retain a small advantage for a very long time in this line, and that is exactly what Davorin was able to do! He opened up the position a bit with 18.e4!? and after 18...fxe4 19.Qxe4 Nc7 20.Nf4, Burnett responded with the commital 20...d5, inevitably leaving him with a weak central formation with the backward pawn on e6. To his credit, Burnett found an intriguing counter-attack with 26...e5!, which could have been quite successful if he had met 27.Bxe5 (27.Rxe5! looks dangerous for black) with 27...Bxe5! 28.Rxe5 Rxf4! (possible because of the loose rook on d1) 29.Rxe8+ Nxe8 30.Rxd5 Qg4. Instead, Davorin won a pawn and retained considerable pressure. After some mutual innaccuracies in time trouble, Burnett finally blundered with 44...c3??, inexplicably hanging his rook on c2. 44...Qf6 would have left him very much in the game. All in all, an interesting encounter that we were fortunate to win.

Board 2: FM Todd Andrews (2337) vs. IM John Bartholomew (2476)
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/andrewsbartholomew07.htm
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 dxc4 4.e3 Be6 5.Nc3 b5 6.Be2 Nf6 7.0–0 Bg4 8.a4 b4 9.Na2 e6 10.Ne5 Bxe2 11.Qxe2 Be7 12.Qxc4 Qd5 13.a5 Nfd7 14.Qxd5 cxd5 15.Nd3 Nc6 16.Bd2 Nxa5 17.Bxb4 Nb3 18.Rad1 a5 19.Bxe7 Kxe7 20.Nac1 Rab8 21.Nxb3 Rxb3 22.Rd2 Rc8 23.Ra1 Kd6 24.Kf1 Rb5 25.Ke2 f6 26.b4 axb4 27.Rb2 b3 28.Rab1 e5 29.Rxb3 Ra5 30.dxe5+ fxe5 31.R3b2 Ra3 32.Rd1 Ke6 33.Rdd2 1/2-1/2

My game was fairly quiet. I chose an off-beat Slav line with 3...dxc4!?, which I believe is better than its reputation. It was surprising to me that Andrews reacted so passively with 6.Be2 and 7.0-0. 6.a4 is a much stiffer test of black's opening. I obtained an equal position with 13...Nfd7!, which all but forces white to trade queens on d5. After a few more piece exchanges, I even held a slight initiative in the endgame. However, Todd alertly played 26.b4! and the draw was not far off.

Board 3: IM Jacek Stopa (2414) vs. FM Peter Bereolos (2317)
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/stopabereolos07.htm
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.d4 g6 3.e4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h3 c6 6.a4 Qc7 7.Be2 e5 8.0–0 0–0 9.Re1 Nbd7 10.Bf1 b6 11.b3 Bb7 12.Ba3 exd4 13.Nxd4 a6 14.Nde2 c5 15.f3 Rad8 16.Qd2 Bc6 17.Rad1 Ne5 18.f4 Ned7 19.Qxd6 Qxd6 20.Rxd6 Bxe4 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.Rc6 Nd2 23.Bc1 Nxf1 24.Kxf1 Rfe8 25.Rd1 Nf6 26.Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Ke1 Nd5 28.Bd2 a5 29.c4 Nb4 30.Bxb4 axb4 31.Rxb6 Bc3+ 32.Kf2 Rd2 33.a5 Ra2 34.a6 Kg7 35.Ke3 Be1 36.Rc6 Ra3 37.Nc1 Ra1 38.Nd3 Bc3 39.Nxc5 Re1+ 40.Kf2 Re7 41.Kf3 Bd4 42.g3 Re3+ 43.Kg2 Re2+ 44.Kf1 Rf2+ 45.Ke1 Ra2 46.Na4 Ra3 47.c5 Rxb3 48.a7 Re3+ 49.Kd2 Re8 50.Nb6 b3 51.a8Q b2 52.Qa2 Re3 53.Rc7 1-0

Jacek was incredible last season, scoring 6/9 on board 1+2 for a performance of 2600+. He has an unusually flexible style, as evidenced by his 1.Nc3. His opponent, FM Bereolos, steered the game into calm waters with a Pirc line that is unquestionably solid, albeit somehwhat passive. It seems to me that 16...Bc6?! was just a waste of time, as black could simply have played 16...Ne5 immediately. This brief reprieve allowed Jacek to bear down on the d6-pawn with 17.Rad1. Still, Bereolos's position looked fine up until 22...Nd2. This may be a very slight innaccurary. 22...f5! was interesting, anchoring the e4 knight and intending to challenge white's active rook with...Rf6. In the game, Jacek was able to win the b6 pawn and won comfortably. I suspect black's position was already lost after 25...Nf6.

Board 4: NM Jerry Wheeler (2200) vs. WFM Bayaraa Zorigt (2196)
http://www.uschessleague.com/games/wheelerzorigt07.htm
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 Be7 6.d5 0–0 7.e4 exd5 8.cxd5 Re8 9.Bd3 d6 10.0–0 Nbd7 11.Nd4 Nc5 12.Bb5 Ncd7 13.Re1 a6 14.Bc6 Qc8 15.f4 Bf8 16.Bxb7 Qxb7 17.Nc6 Nb8 18.Nxb8 Raxb8 19.Qf3 c6 20.Be3 c5 21.Bf2 Qc7 22.Rad1 Nd7 23.Bg3 g6 24.e5 f5 25.exf6 Nxf6 26.f5 Qg7 27.Re6 Rxe6 28.dxe6 Rd8 29.fxg6 hxg6 30.Rf1 Be7 31.Qc6 Qh6 32.Qxb6 Qe3+ 33.Kh1 Qxe6 34.Re1 Qf7 35.Qxa6 Nh5 36.Qd3 Kg7 37.Nd5 Nxg3+ 38.hxg3 Bf6 39.Nxf6 Qxf6 40.Qc3 Qxc3 41.bxc3 Ra8 42.Ra1 Ra4 43.Kg1 Kf6 44.Kf2 Ke5 45.Ke3 Kd5 46.Kd3 Rg4 47.Rd1 Rxg3+ 48.Kc2+ Kc6 49.Rd2 Kb5 50.Kb3 c4+ 51.Kb2 Kc6 52.a4 d5 53.Rc2 Kc5 54.Rd2 g5 55.Kc2 g4 56.Kb2 Re3 57.a5 g3 58.a6 Kb6 59.Rxd5 Re2+ 60.Ka3 Kxa6 61.Kb4 Rxg2 62.Rd6+ Kb7 63.Kxc4 Rg1 64.Rg6 g2 65.Kc5 Rc1 66.Rxg2 Rxc3+ 67.Kd4 1/2-1/2

You really gotta give Bayaraa credit for this game. After committing a known mistake in the opening with 5...Be7?! (surprisingly common if you check the database), she got down to business and grimly defended her position. Still, Wheeler remained in full control, and after 24.e5! (thematic and strong) things weren't looking good for the home team. Bayaraa resorted to drastic measures with 24...f5, accepting some chronic weaknesses in the process. She finally got some play when Wheeler tried 32.Qxb6?!, which allowed her to win the e-pawn. Instead, 32.Qb7! eyes up all of black's weaknesses (a6,b6, and now e7), and 32...Qe3+ would fail to 33.Bf2 Qxe6 34.Re1 +/-. White still held the upper-hand, but after some time-trouble innaccuracies culminating with 40.Qc3?, Bayaraa had turned the tables. She overlooked an excellent chance with 48...Kc4!, but by then the match had been won anyway.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Watch our for the Destiny this season! We are young (I was actually the oldest player competing today at 20 years of age), but hungry. Make no mistake - we will be ready to fight it out with San Francisco next week!

-Johnny B, manager

Come to UTD Chess Club!

2007-07-26T10:58:00.000-06:00

The UTD Chess Club is kicking off another year on Friday, August 17th from 3-5 pm in the Conference Center! A beginning-of-the-year party (with food and beverages, of course) will be held afterwards (site TBD). Students, faculty, and chess players of ALL skill levels are welcome!

Here is our complete meeting schedule for the Fall '07 semester. Note that all meetings take place from 3-5 pm.

Aug. 17: CN1.206; CN1.212
Aug. 24: CN1.206; CN1.212
Sep. 7: CN1.206; CN1.212
Sep. 14: CN1.206; CN1.212
Sep. 21: Galaxy Rooms, Student Union
Sep. 28: CN1.206; CN1.212
Oct. 5: CN1.206; CN1.212
Oct. 12: CN1.206; CN1.212
Oct. 19: CN1.206; CN1.212
Oct. 26: CN1.206; CN1.212
Nov. 2: CN1.206; CN1.212
Nov. 9: CN1.206; CN1.212
Nov. 16: CN1.206; CN1.212

E-mail me at jdb044000@utdallas.edu if you have any other questions.

Southwest Collegiate Championship

2007-03-22T12:22:00.000-06:00

Well, last weekend was pretty good for our team here at UTD. We took top honors at the Southwest Collegiate Championship in Dallas, TX.

Crosstable

This five round event was surprisingly strong. UT-Brownsville fielded a team that included IM Axel Bachmann (who apparently has 3 GM norms), IM Dan Fernandez, WIM Nadya Ortiz, and a number of experts and class A players. Our team consisted of myself, IM Jacek Stopa, FM Ali Morshedi, FM Igor Schneider, NM Alex Chua, and experts Michael Slepoy and Yash Gogte. Though it was an individual tournament, the top four finishers from each team would count towards an overall team score. Our team won convincingly with 16.5 points!

I was pleased with my performance. My first two rounds were pretty clean wins, but the third round against WIM Nadya Ortiz was a real dogfight. This girl can play! I tried 1.Nf3, and we quickly transposed into a King's Indian Defense. The Bayonet Attack appeared on the board and she replied with the very rare 9...Nh5 10.Re1 Kh8!?. This gave me an opportunity to play 11.a4, which in retrospect is probably a mistake (11.Nd2 is better). She missed a couple opportunities to put me to the test, and the game dragged on into a knight+queen vs. bishop+queen ending where I probably held a very slight advantage with my knight blockading her isolated d-pawn. We were playing with the G/90 +30 second increment time control, so it was a pretty big shock when she flagged! True, I had won a pawn by that time, but she retained some drawing chances.

After this round, I was black against my teammate FM Ali Morshedi, who sports a nice 2379 FIDE rating. He played a very aggressive line against my Scandinavian. Fortunately, I was well prepared. This game also went the distance, and I prevailed in a rook ending. The last round was a quick draw against my friend IM Dan Fernandez to guarantee us both a tie for first.

I played next to IM Axel Bachmann for most of the tournament. Though he had an off tournament (he drew with our Yash Gogte and lost to IM Jacek Stopa), he definitely seems like a strong player. I subsequently found out that he is "olimpus" on ICC - funny, as we've played dozens of games together. It's a small world.

Finally!

2007-02-27T13:27:00.000-06:00

I'm finally listed on the FIDE website as an International Master! Maybe someone saw my last post?

My rating card is here.

IM Title

2007-02-24T23:07:00.000-06:00

I never thought getting the IM title would be this difficult...off the board!

A lot of people have been asking me why I haven't received my title yet. The answer: I don't really know. Basically, I've been e-mailing back-and-forth with the USCF since I scored my final norm last June. I subsequently scored a fourth norm at the UTD Grandmaster Invitational in December.

Carol Jarecki e-mailed me a few days ago and said that FIDE has essentially confirmed my title, but it just hasn't shown up on the FIDE website.

This is all rather strange. Most title applications are listed on the FIDE website weeks or months before the congress meets to ratify them. My application has never been listed. For now, I'm just watching my rating card to see when (if ever!) I receive this elusive title.

Definitely Have to Blog Soon

2007-02-22T13:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, a two-week hiatus is long enough! Updates on the way...

Bust!? Schneider - Rohonyan cont'd

2007-02-07T14:57:00.000-06:00

I few days ago, I received the following e-mail from Tom Ewers of Minnesota:

In the Rohonyan - Schneider game I think you have overlooked something.
1.h4 gxh4 2.Bf1 Be3 (This is one of your notes) 3.g5 Ke7 4.Kc6 Kf6 5.Kb7 Kg6 6.a7 Bxa7 7.Kxa7 Kxg5 8. Kb6 e5 9.Bh3 (Here you give +-, but I'm not convinced) 9...e4 10.fxe4 f3 11.e5 Kf4 12.e6 Kg3 13.Bf1 h3 14.e7 h215.e8/Q h1/Q At this point, my Chess Engine (with endgame tablebases) is screaming that the position evaluates to 0.00. What do you think? Also, in some of the other variations, it seems to me that Black can put up better resistance by leaving his pawn on e6 to prevent the White Bishop from going to f5 after the White g pawn has advanced. You may want to revisit some of those variations also.

Let's take a look at Tom's analysis. The critical position arises after 9.Bh3:

In my original analysis here, I assumed that this position was lost for black. Let's continue. 9...e4 10.fxe4 f3 11.e5 Kf4 12.e6 Kg3

Here, Tom's line above with 12.Bf1 does lead to a draw. I tried the more obvious 13.e7, but this too seems to end peacefully after 13...Kxh3 14.e8Q f2 15.Qe2 Kg2 16.Kc5

Now 16...Kg1! is a draw, i.e. 17.Qg4+ Kh2 18.Qxh4+ Kg2= with the famous bishop-pawn vs. queen endgame. Note that black's other try 16...h3 actually loses to 17.Kd4! h2 18.Ke3 h1Q 19.Qxf2+ Kh3 20.Qf5+ Kh2 21.Qf4+ Kh3 22.Qh6+ Kg2 23. Qg5+ Kf1 (if 23...Kh2, then 24.Kf2) 24.Qf4+ Kg2 (24...Ke1 25.Qf2+ Kd1 26.Qd2#) 25.Qg4+ Kh2 26.Kf2 with mate to follow.

This all looks pretty convincing to me. Simply waiting with a move like 2...Be3 is black's best plan. Now, where can we find an improvement for white!?

Thanks again to Tom for sending in his findings about this complex ending.

Updates Coming

2007-02-07T02:21:00.000-06:00

School has had me on lockdown the past week or so. Two exams and six quizzes since last Monday! Anyways, I am free now...so expect new blog entries soon! Keep those e-mails coming.

Akopian Takes Gibtelecom Masters

2007-02-01T13:41:00.000-06:00

The 5th Gibraltar Chess Festival has just concluded. Congratulations to Vladimir Akopian of Armenia! The 35 year-old Grandmaster rebounded fantastically from a first round loss to Irina Krush to take clear first in this very strong tournament with 7.5/9. In the last round he decimated 16 year-old GM Yuri Kuzubov in 23 moves:

Black looks pretty solid here, right? Two bishops, a better pawn structure... 18.Nxc6! Boom shakalaka! 18.Nd5 also wins, but is much less fun. 18...Kxc6 19.Nd5! The point! The knight is immune from capture and the black king is starting to feel exposed. 19...Qe8 If 19...Qc5, then 20.b4! is decisive 20.Qa6 Bf8 21.Qxa7 Bc5 22.b4 Qd7 23.Qa6 1-0

The winner: GM Vladimir Akopian

The complete crosstable can be found here.

A Fascinating Endgame

2007-01-28T02:32:00.000-06:00

The following game took place at the Pan-American Championships in Washington, D.C. between Christmas and New Years. The "Pan-Ams" is the most competitive team tournament of its kind and is open to any college or university in the Americas. This year, both teams we fielded here at UTD tied for first without dropping a single individual game! One of our critical matches took place in round 4, when UMBC-A squared off against UTD-B. The opposite-color bishop endgame that resulted on board 3 is of interest to any student of the game (WGM Katerina Rohonyan plays for UMBC and IM Dmitry Schneider plays for UTD).

Rohonyan, K (2354) - Schneider, D (2517) [A13]
Pan-American Championships (4), 29.12.2006
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Qa4 c6 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qc2 Bb7 8.O-O a6 9.d4 Nbd7 10.Rd1 c5 11.Bg5 Qb6 12.Nc3 Rc8 13.Qd2 c4 14.d5 Nxd5 15.e4 N5f6 16.Bxf6 Nxf6 17.e5 Nd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Ng5 h6 20.Bxd5 hxg5 21.Be4 Qc7 22.Qxg5 g6 23.Qf6 Rg8 24.Qf3 Be7 25.Bb7 Rd8 26.Bxa6 Qxe5 27.Qc6 Kf8 28.Qxb5 Qxb5 29.Bxb5 Rb8 30.a4 Bf6 31.Rac1 Bxb2 32.Rxc4 Rb7 33.Rb1 Be5 34.Rc8 Kg7 35.Rxg8 Kxg8 36.a5 Bd4 37.Kf1 Rc7 38.Bd3 Rc3 39.Rd1 Bc5 40.a6 Ra3 41.Rd2 g5 42.Ke2 Kg7 43.Bc4 Rc3 44.Bd3 Ra3 45.Rc2 Bb6 46.h3 Kf6 47.Bc4 Kg7 48.Ra2 Rc3 49.Bd3 Ba7 50.Ra5 Kf6 51.Kd2 Rc5 52.Rxc5 Bxc5 53.f3 Ke5 54.Kc3 f5 55.Kc4 Bf2 56.Kb5 f4 57.g4 Kd6 58.Bf1?? Kc7 59.Bc4 Kb8 1/2-1/2

58.Bf1 was far too accommodating. White can play for a win with 58.h4!

This is the position that IM Dmitry Schneider, GM Magesh Panchanathan (second board for UTD-A), and I spent quite some time analyzing in D.C. The play after 58...gxh4 59.Bf1 is extremely complex. I can't recall what conclusion we reached, but the consensus was that black is struggling. My personal analysis (see below) seems to support this.

So, if you really want a challenge...try to find a way for black to hold this! It's best to analyze these sort of endings with a group or with the aid of a strong chess engine. Post your comments if you find something good.

All of my analysis is here. It should save you quite a bit of time! Beware though...it is possible that black is simply lost.

Good luck!

Elista Revisited

2007-01-27T21:14:00.000-06:00

The much-anticipated Topalov - Kramnik game ended in a draw today. Veselin was the one pressing for the full point, but Kramnik played like....well, Kramnik. The draw was agreed on move 49.

Topalov, V (2783) - Kramnik, V (2766) [D37]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (12), 27.01.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3 Qa5 10.0-0-0 Be7 11.h4 Rd8 12.Nd2 dxc4 13.Nxc4 Rxd1+ 14.Qxd1 Qd8 15.Qxd8+ Nxd8 16.Be2 Bd7 17.e4 Bc6 18.f3 Nh5 19.Bc7 Rc8 20.Be5 Bf6 21.Nd6 Ra8 22.Bxf6 Nxf6 23.Rd1 Kf8 24.Kd2 Ne8 25.Nc4 f6 26.Ke3 b6 27.f4 Nf7 28.g4 h6 29.g5 hxg5 30.hxg5 Ke7 31.gxf6+ Nxf6 32.Rg1 Rg8 33.Rg6 Bb7 34.a4 Nh8 35.Rg1 Nf7 36.a5 g5 37.fxg5 Rxg5 38.Rxg5 Nxg5 39.e5 Nd7 40.Nd6 Bf3 41.axb6 axb6 42.Bxf3 Nxf3 43.Nc8+ Kd8 44.Kxf3 Nxe5+ 45.Ke4 Nc4 46.Kd4 Nxb2 47.Nxb6 Kc7 48.Nc4 Nxc4 49.Kxc4 1/2-1/2

Actually, the pregame antics from both players were much more entertaining than the game itself. Take a look at this 3 minute video shot by Chessvibes.

That looks more like the day after a nasty break-up with your girlfriend than the beginning of a top-class chess game. Those are two opponents who truly despise one another. No handshake, no talking, no smiling...even gazing into the general direction of the other player was taboo.

You really can't blame Kramnik. He has had to deal with more whining, complaining, and mud-slinging from the Topalov camp post-Elista than is warranted. I'm sure Vladdy couldn't hide a smile when the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung published allegations of cheating by Topalov and his (crazy) manager Silvio Danailov in rounds 2 and 3 at Corus. Chessbase has a nice english translation of this article. It is a fascinating and incriminating read.

Gibtelecom Masters

2007-01-27T00:56:00.000-06:00

Well I promised that this wouldn't be just a chess "news" blog, and here I am making another tournament post! My bad. Anyways, you should scope out the Gibtelecom Masters, a very strong 9-round Swiss currently underway in Gibraltar. GM Ivan Sokolov has jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but he will have a tough time dealing with the host of Grandmasters nipping at his heels. A notable competitor at 3.5 points is Super-GM Michael Adams of England, who sports an intimidating 2735 FIDE. Shouldn't he be at Corus or something?!

Michael Adams

Our own Hikaru Nakamura is also in the field. He seems to have recovered after a first round loss to Ketevan Arakhamia of Georgia (the country, not the state), and I certainly hope he can continue to climb the leaderboard.

I'll try and annotate some of the games from this tournament for my next update. Meanwhile, Monroi can satisfy your live viewing needs.

The Najdorf in Corus: Part IV

2007-01-27T00:03:00.000-06:00

Fresh, round 11 action from Corus today. Svidler - Topalov saw another English attack, this time with the prophylactic 10...h5!?

To be honest, I find this approach to be extremely attractive for black. Investing a tempo to shut down g2-g4 is often a good idea. Following 11.Kb1 Qc7, Svidler tried 12.Bd3. A curious choice, considering that Karjakin obtained a promising game against Topalov in round 3 with the simple 12.h3. Svidler misplayed the position and allowed the former world champion to build a decisive attack:

Would you believe that Topalov was the one who was lost in only 15 more moves? Have a look at the disaster here.

The Najdorf in Corus: Part III

2007-01-26T14:33:00.000-06:00

Yet another theoretical battle in the English Attack! This Round 10 match pitted young Sergey Karjakin against Vishy Anand. Everyone predicted this game to be exciting - both players are considered to be leading opening theoreticians.

This position was reached after white's 23rd move. Those of you with a good memory may recall seeing it before...Karjakin certainly has! At Corus 2006, he was on the black side of it against Peter Leko. There he chose 23...Qc6 and the game ended in a premature draw. Here, Anand showed his subtle understanding of the position by playing 23...Nb5!. After an exchange of rooks, Karjakin's pieces became tied down and he was forced to resign on move 63.

As usual, you can download my notes to the game here.

The Najdorf in Corus: Part II

2007-01-25T13:17:00.000-06:00

Last update saw Anand wheeling out 6.Bg5, a line that is less popular these days. Here we will examine another Round 9 matchup featuring the more "modern" English Attack. It would be easy to expect Alexei Shirov (white) to settle for a quick draw in this line, but the Latvian showed his fighting spirit.

In this position, Ponomariov (black) played 19...Bd8?!, a move I have always thought was inferior to 19...0-0. The turning point of the game was reached after the subsequent 20.b3! 0-0 21.Na2 e4!? 22.Nxb4! Re8 23.Kd1 e3

Where to put the queen? Tapan Sammalvuo makes a case for 24.Qe2! in his 2004 book "The English Attack," and I agree that this is probably best. Unfortunately, Shirov chose 24.Qc3?! and the game liquidated into a drawn opposite-colored bishop endgame.

You can download my CB notes to this game here.

The Najdorf in Corus: Part I

2007-01-25T02:07:00.000-06:00

Lately, I have annotated several games from the A-group at Corus. As usual, the Najdorf Sicilian has featured prominently in these top-level encounters. Have a look at Anand - van Wely from round 9, in which the dutchman essayed the highly theoretical Poisoned Pawn variation:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 A standard position for this variation. Anand now played the lively 10.e5!?

Amusingly, the players followed Motylev - Anand(!) from Round 2 until move 20:

Instead of trying to duplicate Anand's success with 20...Rd8, van Wely - presumably spooked by some home preparation from Vishy - tried 20...Nc6?! and lost quickly.

I uploaded my comments on this game in Chessbase format to FileDen. Download it here.

Another Najdorf game on the way for tomorrow!

Blog Launch... Plus A Little Background Info

2007-01-24T01:27:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog! My name is John Bartholomew, and I am a 20 year-old IM-elect from Eagan, Minnesota. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Texas-Dallas (UTD) pursuing a degree in Business Administration. I have played competitive chess on the American circuit for the past 10 years. Some of my accomplishments include a tie for first in the 2001 National Junior High School tournament, clear first in the 2002 National High School tournament, and the accumulation of 4 International Master norms from tournaments in Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Dallas.

More than anything though, I am a chess fan. This crazy game has already provided me with so many opportunities in life that I somehow feel obligated to return the favor.

The origin for this blog is a 250+ page Word document of mine that is roughly five years old and has survived on more than a few laptops and flash drives. It contains the sum of my chess experiences: my thoughts, analysis, games, goals...you name it! I've never shown it to anyone, nor do I plan to in the future (I'm sure all of you are oh so eager to see it anyways). Writing is one of my passions, and this "living" document will always be a work in progress.

Oh right...the blog! The blog you're reading now will hopefully be my small contribution to the promotion, discussion, and appreciation of anything having to do with chess. I hope to translate much of what I have written about privately to a more public forum. I will do my best to update it frequently, but with a full class schedule and social college life I can hardly make such promises! I don't intend for this to read strictly as a chess "news" site, though current events in chess will certainly be featured. Rather, I intend to post things that will most interest casual or competitive players: game analysis, chess psychology, first-hand tournament reports, openings theory...the possibilities are endless.

I will end my first post with a plea to you, the reader: please, please, please give me your feedback! I don't claim to know everything about chess, nor do I want to give that impression. I'm simply an experienced player who hopes to use my knowledge of the game to make a site like this work. I want to know what you think! E-mail me your questions, things you want to see discussed...anything. Heck, just introduce yourself. You can reach me at: john.bartholomew@student.utdallas.edu

Thanks again for reading. Check back soon!