Saturday, March 31, 2012
Denker Round 3
I wish to apologize. My goal had to been to publish all the Denker games from each round at the same time but I find that I am missing Kogen-Dubin. I think I remember Josh leaving a copy of his scoresheet, but I seem to have mislaid it. If Josh or Jonathan sees this and can post a copy of the pgn in the comments, that would be great.
Barber Round 3
[Event "Youth Invitational"] [Site "?"] [Date "2012.03.31"] [Round "3"] [White "Heil, Sam"] [Black "Hrach, Jonathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A26"] [PlyCount "138"] [EventDate "2012.03.30"] [SourceDate "2012.03.30"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. d3 f5 7. Nge2 Nf6 8. O-O O-O 9. f4 Ne7 10. h3 c6 11. Be3 Be6 12. b3 Qd7 13. Kh2 b6 14. Qd2 Rad8 15. Rad1 Qc8 16. Qc2 h6 17. d4 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 fxe4 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. fxe5 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 g5 22. Bd4 c5 23. Bc3 Bf5 24. g4 Bg6 25. Bxe4 Qe6 26. Ng3 Rf4 27. Bxg6 Qxg6 28. Qd2 Kh7 29. Nh5 Qf7 30. Nxf4 gxf4 31. Qd3+ Ng6 32. Qe4 f3 33. e6 Qc7+ 34. Be5 Qxe5+ 35. Qxe5 Bxe5+ 36. Kg1 Bd4+ 37. Kf1 Kg7 38. Re1 f2 39. Re4 Kf6 40. h4 Ne5 41. g5+ hxg5 42. hxg5+ Kxe6 43. Rf4 Ng6 44. Rf3 Ke5 45. Rf7 Ke4 46. Rxa7 Nh4 47. Re7+ Kf4 48. g6 Nxg6 49. Rf7+ Ke4 50. Rb7 Ne5 51. Rxb6 Nf3 52. Re6+ Kd3 53. Kg2 Nd2 54. Rf6 Bxf6 55. Kxf2 Nxb3 56. axb3 Kc3 57. Ke2 Kxb3 58. Kd3 Bd4 59. Kd2 Kxc4 60. Kc2 Kb4 61. Kc1 Kc3 62. Kb1 Kd2 63. Ka2 c4 64. Kb1 c3 65. Ka1 c2+ 66. Ka2 c1=Q 67. Kb3 Qc5 68. Ka2 Qb6 69. Ka3 Bc3 0-1
Youth Invitationals: Third Round
Third Round Pairings:
Denker Qualifier
Kogen v. Dubin 1-0
Qazi v. Meduri 0-1
Moskwa v. Schmakel 1/2-1/2
Girls' Invitational
Padgett v. Liu 1/2-1/2
Xu v. Provine 1/2-1/2
Mangalam v. Harihara 0-1
Mangalam v. Harihara 0-1
Barber Qualifier
Kalgahtgi v. Li 0-1
Lehmann v. Adve 0-1
Do v. Bronfeyn 0-1
Do v. Bronfeyn 0-1
Gilchrist v. Parker-Turner 0-1
Sun v. Xiao 1-0
Heil v. Hrach 0-1.
4:05 PM: The third round is underway. Moskwa is playing the English Attack against Schmakel's Najdorf. Kogen's playing the Advance against Dubin's French. Qazi playing the Grand Prix Attack against Meduri's Sicilian.
4:10 PM: Padgett and Liu have a Queen's Gambit Declined. Xu played the Tarrasch against Provine's French and Black played the line with ...Qxd5. Mangalam played the Ruy Lopez and Harihara played a line with ...Bc5.
4:15 PM: Li is playing the Pirc against Kalgahtgi and Lehmann is playing a Ruy Lopez with an early d3.
4:15 PM: Bronfeyn played Alekhine's Defense. Gilchrist and Turner have your miscellaneous 1.d4 opening going. Sun is playing a Quiet Italian Game and Heil is playing the Botvinnik Variation in the English Opening.
4:25 PM: Kalgahtgi is going for the gusto against Li's Pirc. Sixteen moves in and he has pawns on d4, e5, f5, and g4.
4:50 PM: Liu is up a piece on Padgett. Dubin played ...f5 and Kogen is trying to pry things open with g4.
4:55 PM: Li repulsed Kalgahtgi's attack and exploited his over extended attack to win the game for the first result of round three.
5:00 PM: Moskwa is advancing his pawns on the kingside and his minor pieces on the queenside. He is either controlling both sides of the board or over extending on both sides.
5:05 PM: Kogen is building up an attack on the kingside. Sun has gone ahead by an exchange against Xiao.
5:15 PM: Now it's Kogen's turn to sacrifice a piece. Does he know that Dubin is in the habit of knocking off one 2100 player each time he plays in the Denker Qualifier? In 2009 it was Trevor Magness and Matt Wilber in 2010. Moskwa has gotten Schmakel to use forty more minutes on the clock.
5:25 PM: Lehman and Adve have an interesting endgame going. White has pawns on a2,b3,c4,d3,e4,f5 and h3. Black has pawns on a4,b5,c7,d4,e5,f6 and g5. Black has two knights and White has a knight and a bishop. Unfortunately it's a light squared bishop and every one of Black's pieces and pawns are on dark squares.
5:25 PM: Bronfeyn has gone up a piece against Do.
5:35 PM: Mangalam is down a piece against Harihara.
5:45 PM: No 2100 scalp for Dubin this year as he goes down to Kogen. Adve exploits Lehmann's bad bishop for the win. Harihara defeats Mangalam.
5:50 PM: Meduri is up a pawn on Qazi, but the position is fluid.
6:05 PM: Meduri has picked up a second pawn on Qazi and the postion is settling down.
6:10 PM: Moskwa has a knight stuck on a5 that Schmakel is trying to win. Sun defeats Xiao.
6:15 PM: Moskwa has finally managed to protect his knight with b4.
6:20 PM: Bronfeyn defeats Do.
6:25 PM: Schmakel is down to ten minutes on his clock against fifty for Moskwa. The knight on a5 is no longer loose, but Schmakel may be looking to weaken White's pawn structure by trading his bishop which would force Moskwa into his second queen and pawn ending in the tournament.
6:35 PM: Padgett and Liu draw.
6:40 PM: Provine has two bishops against Xu's bishop and knight. Pawns are even.
6:45 PM: Material is still even between Hrach and Heil but there is still a lot of it on the board. Hrach is under ten minutes and Heil is over thirty.
6:50 PM: It's a queen ending for Moskwa and Schmakel. Both players have six pawns. No passers yet. Six minutes for Schmakel. Thirty-nine for Moskwa.
7:10 PM: Schmakel and Moskwa agree to a draw. Qazi is down a pawn in a rook and pawn ending. I think that Meduri is still winning, but I suck at rook and pawn endings. Turner beat Gilchrist.
7:35 PM: Xu and Provine agree to a draw. Hrach has two minor pieces against a rook.
7:55 PM: Hrach defeats Heil.
8:05 PM: Meduri defeats Qazi.
9:35 PM: Have posted two Denker games, one Girl's Invitational game, and three Barber games from the third round. I don't know how much more I will get done tonight as I am very sleepy.
7:35 AM: All the games I have are posted.
Heil v. Hrach 0-1.
4:05 PM: The third round is underway. Moskwa is playing the English Attack against Schmakel's Najdorf. Kogen's playing the Advance against Dubin's French. Qazi playing the Grand Prix Attack against Meduri's Sicilian.
4:10 PM: Padgett and Liu have a Queen's Gambit Declined. Xu played the Tarrasch against Provine's French and Black played the line with ...Qxd5. Mangalam played the Ruy Lopez and Harihara played a line with ...Bc5.
4:15 PM: Li is playing the Pirc against Kalgahtgi and Lehmann is playing a Ruy Lopez with an early d3.
4:15 PM: Bronfeyn played Alekhine's Defense. Gilchrist and Turner have your miscellaneous 1.d4 opening going. Sun is playing a Quiet Italian Game and Heil is playing the Botvinnik Variation in the English Opening.
4:25 PM: Kalgahtgi is going for the gusto against Li's Pirc. Sixteen moves in and he has pawns on d4, e5, f5, and g4.
4:50 PM: Liu is up a piece on Padgett. Dubin played ...f5 and Kogen is trying to pry things open with g4.
4:55 PM: Li repulsed Kalgahtgi's attack and exploited his over extended attack to win the game for the first result of round three.
5:00 PM: Moskwa is advancing his pawns on the kingside and his minor pieces on the queenside. He is either controlling both sides of the board or over extending on both sides.
5:05 PM: Kogen is building up an attack on the kingside. Sun has gone ahead by an exchange against Xiao.
5:15 PM: Now it's Kogen's turn to sacrifice a piece. Does he know that Dubin is in the habit of knocking off one 2100 player each time he plays in the Denker Qualifier? In 2009 it was Trevor Magness and Matt Wilber in 2010. Moskwa has gotten Schmakel to use forty more minutes on the clock.
5:25 PM: Lehman and Adve have an interesting endgame going. White has pawns on a2,b3,c4,d3,e4,f5 and h3. Black has pawns on a4,b5,c7,d4,e5,f6 and g5. Black has two knights and White has a knight and a bishop. Unfortunately it's a light squared bishop and every one of Black's pieces and pawns are on dark squares.
5:25 PM: Bronfeyn has gone up a piece against Do.
5:35 PM: Mangalam is down a piece against Harihara.
5:45 PM: No 2100 scalp for Dubin this year as he goes down to Kogen. Adve exploits Lehmann's bad bishop for the win. Harihara defeats Mangalam.
5:50 PM: Meduri is up a pawn on Qazi, but the position is fluid.
6:05 PM: Meduri has picked up a second pawn on Qazi and the postion is settling down.
6:10 PM: Moskwa has a knight stuck on a5 that Schmakel is trying to win. Sun defeats Xiao.
6:15 PM: Moskwa has finally managed to protect his knight with b4.
6:20 PM: Bronfeyn defeats Do.
6:25 PM: Schmakel is down to ten minutes on his clock against fifty for Moskwa. The knight on a5 is no longer loose, but Schmakel may be looking to weaken White's pawn structure by trading his bishop which would force Moskwa into his second queen and pawn ending in the tournament.
6:35 PM: Padgett and Liu draw.
6:40 PM: Provine has two bishops against Xu's bishop and knight. Pawns are even.
6:45 PM: Material is still even between Hrach and Heil but there is still a lot of it on the board. Hrach is under ten minutes and Heil is over thirty.
6:50 PM: It's a queen ending for Moskwa and Schmakel. Both players have six pawns. No passers yet. Six minutes for Schmakel. Thirty-nine for Moskwa.
7:10 PM: Schmakel and Moskwa agree to a draw. Qazi is down a pawn in a rook and pawn ending. I think that Meduri is still winning, but I suck at rook and pawn endings. Turner beat Gilchrist.
7:35 PM: Xu and Provine agree to a draw. Hrach has two minor pieces against a rook.
7:55 PM: Hrach defeats Heil.
8:05 PM: Meduri defeats Qazi.
9:35 PM: Have posted two Denker games, one Girl's Invitational game, and three Barber games from the third round. I don't know how much more I will get done tonight as I am very sleepy.
7:35 AM: All the games I have are posted.
Barber Round 2
Youth Invitationals: Second Round
Second Round Pairings:
Denker Qualifier
Dubin v. Moskwa 0-1
Meduri v. Kogen 0-1
Schmakel v. Qazi 1-0
Girls' Invitational
Harihara v. Padgett 1-0
Mangalam v. Xu 0-1
Provine v. Liu 0-1
Provine v. Liu 0-1
Barber Qualifier
Li v. Gilchrist 1-0
Bronfeyn v. Lehmann 0-1
Kalgahtgi v. Heil 1-0
Adve v. Sun 1/2-1/2
Kalgahtgi v. Heil 1-0
Adve v. Sun 1/2-1/2
Xiao v. Parker-Turner 1/2-1/2
Hrach v. Do 0-1
11:00 AM: The second round is underway. Aakaash Meduri is seeking to avenge his loss to Jonathan Kogen in last year's Denker Qualifier, which is the only previous meeting between the two. In the other two Denker matches the players are meeting for the first time.
11:15 AM: It's closed games in the Denker this morning. Schmakel plays the English and Qazi responds with 1...e5. Moskwa is playing the Grunfeld and Dubin goes with the Bf4 line. Meduri opened with 1.d4 and Kogen has put paws on d6, e6, and h6. I'm not sure what that variation is called.
11:20 AM: Harihara is playing the King's Indian Attack against Padgett French. Mangalam and Liu look to be playing the Four Knights Game. Provine started out with the Grand Prix Attack against Liu's Sicilian, but now they have transposed into the Scheveningen variation. Gilchrist is playing the Albin Counter-Gambit against Li (at least I think that's what it's called) while Lehmann simply played the Queen's Gambit Declined against Bronfeyn.
11:30 AM: Schamakel has invited Qazi to build up a big center with pawns on d5, e4, and f5. Kogen's defense seems to be in the Queen's Indian/Hedgehog neighbor, and Dubin snatched the c7 pawn.
11:35 AM: Mangalam has opened a little space around Xu's king with Bxf6 gxf6, but her king is on that side of the board. Provine castled long which means that fireworks may be forthcoming shortly.
11:40 AM: Kalgahtgi played an Open Sicilian against Heil while Hrach played a Closed Sicilian against Do. Adve and Sun are playing an Italian Game while Xiao and Turner are in the Vienna.
11:50 AM: I think that Kogen's defense can safely be called a Hedgehog at this point. Moskwa offered Dubin a bishop which was declined as he is already lagging in development. Mangalam is trying to open up the position to take advantage of Xu's drafty king position. Liu is leaving her king in the center for the time being. Li seems to have neutralized Gilchrist's gambit.
11:55 AM: Although Kalgahtgi played the Open Sicilian, it's Heil who's attacking on the kingside.
12:05 PM: Hrach is attacking aggressively although he is leaving quite of bit of space around his king to do it. Moskwa is trying his best to get at Dubin's uncastled king. Qazi played ...dxc4 and his center is looking slightly less imposing.
12:10 PM: Lehmann's got a pawn on e2 which is either going to be very very strong or very very weak. Xu seems to be thwarting Mangalam's attempts to open up the position.
12:15 PM: Gilchrist has recovered his pawn at the price of a cramped position. Provine is pressing forward in the center as Liu has refrained from castling.
12:25 PM: Meduri has finally decide to make contact with e5. Dubin is still ahead by a pawn but his king is trapped in the middle by his bishop on f1 and his queen on e2.
12:25 PM: First result: Lehmann defeats Bronfeyn. It turns out the pawn was very very strong.
12:35 PM: Xu has managed to turn the half-open g-file from a liability into an asset. Meduri is turning his space advantage into a kingside attack.
12:45 PM: Xu has broken open the g-file and Moskwa has gone up an exchange. Kalgahtgi v. Heil and Hrach v. Do are both in wide open attacks and I'm not sure who's ahead in either one.
12:50 PM: Meduri played Bxh6 and it doesn't look like Kogen can take it. I know these Hedgehog positions can be stronger than they look, but I wouldn't want to be defending it. Meduri also has a knight on c3 en prise to a pawn on d4 but it doesn't look like Kogen can take that either.
12:55 PM: Moskwa has gone up by a clean rook against Dubin.
1:00 PM: The dust is starting to settle and Kalgahtgi is up by two pawns. Turner has knight and two extra pawns against Xiao rook and pawns, but the extra pawns look pretty weak. Moskwa defeats Dubin.
1:05 PM: Liu seems to have weathered Provine's attack. She finally castled and she's up a pawn. Harihara is generating some serious pressure on Padgett's king.
1:05 PM: Li defeats Gilchrist
1:20 PM: Harihara converted her attack into a rook plus ending. Kogen finally took one of the pieces Meduri offered and he is hanging on.
1:25 PM: Adve looks like he has a winning king and pawn ending. Schmakel and Qazi have only played twenty moves and only traded a pair of pawns.
1:30 PM: Hrach has two rooks and five pawns against Do's rook, two bishop and four pawns. Adve is having trouble finding the right plan. Harihara defeats Padgett.
1:35 PM: Xu defeats Mangalam.
1:45 PM: Kogen appears to have consolidated the extra piece. Schmakel and Qazi have traded a couple pairs of minor pieces but there is still a lot of lumber on the board.
1:55 PM: Kalgahtgi defeats Heil. Adve and Sun draw.
2:05 PM: Schmakel has a queen, a good bishop and seven pawns against Qazi's queen, knight and seven pawns. Both players are approaching ten minutes on the clock. Liu defeats Provine. Do defeats Hrach.
2:10 PM: Kogen has rook, bishop and two pawns v. Meduri's rook and two pawns.
2:15 PM: Turner and Xiao are in an even pawn ending with all the major pieces still on the board. Turner is down to one minute on his clock.
2:25 PM: Turner and Xiao draw. Schmakel penetrates with his queen and picks off a couple pawns.
2:30 PM: Kogen defeats Meduri.
2:40 PM: Schmakel defeats Qazi.
Second Round Games are all posted: Denker, Girl's Invitational, Barber.
11:00 AM: The second round is underway. Aakaash Meduri is seeking to avenge his loss to Jonathan Kogen in last year's Denker Qualifier, which is the only previous meeting between the two. In the other two Denker matches the players are meeting for the first time.
11:15 AM: It's closed games in the Denker this morning. Schmakel plays the English and Qazi responds with 1...e5. Moskwa is playing the Grunfeld and Dubin goes with the Bf4 line. Meduri opened with 1.d4 and Kogen has put paws on d6, e6, and h6. I'm not sure what that variation is called.
11:20 AM: Harihara is playing the King's Indian Attack against Padgett French. Mangalam and Liu look to be playing the Four Knights Game. Provine started out with the Grand Prix Attack against Liu's Sicilian, but now they have transposed into the Scheveningen variation. Gilchrist is playing the Albin Counter-Gambit against Li (at least I think that's what it's called) while Lehmann simply played the Queen's Gambit Declined against Bronfeyn.
11:30 AM: Schamakel has invited Qazi to build up a big center with pawns on d5, e4, and f5. Kogen's defense seems to be in the Queen's Indian/Hedgehog neighbor, and Dubin snatched the c7 pawn.
11:35 AM: Mangalam has opened a little space around Xu's king with Bxf6 gxf6, but her king is on that side of the board. Provine castled long which means that fireworks may be forthcoming shortly.
11:40 AM: Kalgahtgi played an Open Sicilian against Heil while Hrach played a Closed Sicilian against Do. Adve and Sun are playing an Italian Game while Xiao and Turner are in the Vienna.
11:50 AM: I think that Kogen's defense can safely be called a Hedgehog at this point. Moskwa offered Dubin a bishop which was declined as he is already lagging in development. Mangalam is trying to open up the position to take advantage of Xu's drafty king position. Liu is leaving her king in the center for the time being. Li seems to have neutralized Gilchrist's gambit.
11:55 AM: Although Kalgahtgi played the Open Sicilian, it's Heil who's attacking on the kingside.
12:05 PM: Hrach is attacking aggressively although he is leaving quite of bit of space around his king to do it. Moskwa is trying his best to get at Dubin's uncastled king. Qazi played ...dxc4 and his center is looking slightly less imposing.
12:10 PM: Lehmann's got a pawn on e2 which is either going to be very very strong or very very weak. Xu seems to be thwarting Mangalam's attempts to open up the position.
12:15 PM: Gilchrist has recovered his pawn at the price of a cramped position. Provine is pressing forward in the center as Liu has refrained from castling.
12:25 PM: Meduri has finally decide to make contact with e5. Dubin is still ahead by a pawn but his king is trapped in the middle by his bishop on f1 and his queen on e2.
12:25 PM: First result: Lehmann defeats Bronfeyn. It turns out the pawn was very very strong.
12:35 PM: Xu has managed to turn the half-open g-file from a liability into an asset. Meduri is turning his space advantage into a kingside attack.
12:45 PM: Xu has broken open the g-file and Moskwa has gone up an exchange. Kalgahtgi v. Heil and Hrach v. Do are both in wide open attacks and I'm not sure who's ahead in either one.
12:50 PM: Meduri played Bxh6 and it doesn't look like Kogen can take it. I know these Hedgehog positions can be stronger than they look, but I wouldn't want to be defending it. Meduri also has a knight on c3 en prise to a pawn on d4 but it doesn't look like Kogen can take that either.
12:55 PM: Moskwa has gone up by a clean rook against Dubin.
1:00 PM: The dust is starting to settle and Kalgahtgi is up by two pawns. Turner has knight and two extra pawns against Xiao rook and pawns, but the extra pawns look pretty weak. Moskwa defeats Dubin.
1:05 PM: Liu seems to have weathered Provine's attack. She finally castled and she's up a pawn. Harihara is generating some serious pressure on Padgett's king.
1:05 PM: Li defeats Gilchrist
1:20 PM: Harihara converted her attack into a rook plus ending. Kogen finally took one of the pieces Meduri offered and he is hanging on.
1:25 PM: Adve looks like he has a winning king and pawn ending. Schmakel and Qazi have only played twenty moves and only traded a pair of pawns.
1:30 PM: Hrach has two rooks and five pawns against Do's rook, two bishop and four pawns. Adve is having trouble finding the right plan. Harihara defeats Padgett.
1:35 PM: Xu defeats Mangalam.
1:45 PM: Kogen appears to have consolidated the extra piece. Schmakel and Qazi have traded a couple pairs of minor pieces but there is still a lot of lumber on the board.
1:55 PM: Kalgahtgi defeats Heil. Adve and Sun draw.
2:05 PM: Schmakel has a queen, a good bishop and seven pawns against Qazi's queen, knight and seven pawns. Both players are approaching ten minutes on the clock. Liu defeats Provine. Do defeats Hrach.
2:10 PM: Kogen has rook, bishop and two pawns v. Meduri's rook and two pawns.
2:15 PM: Turner and Xiao are in an even pawn ending with all the major pieces still on the board. Turner is down to one minute on his clock.
2:25 PM: Turner and Xiao draw. Schmakel penetrates with his queen and picks off a couple pawns.
2:30 PM: Kogen defeats Meduri.
2:40 PM: Schmakel defeats Qazi.
Second Round Games are all posted: Denker, Girl's Invitational, Barber.
Round 1: Heil-Adve
From Heil-Adve after 22...Na2.
At first glance, one might think that this is just a typical position in K-8 chess with pieces en prise, kings in the middle, and development ignored. That would be a mistake.
This was in fact one of the most hard fought and interesting games of the first round. It wasn't that the players didn't understand basic opening principles. Rather, they understood them well enough to know that sometimes the tactical demands of the position take precedence. Not flawless, but great fun to watch.
Take a look.
Round 1: Xu-Harihara
I was going to title this post "Penny Xu, bloodthirsty killer," but thought better of it.
I've seen a few games of the winner of the 2012 Greater Peoria Open: kingside attacks are her thing!
I've seen a few games of the winner of the 2012 Greater Peoria Open: kingside attacks are her thing!
Xu-Harihara
White to play
The real attacking prowess was in building up this already-decisive position: Xu's execution is ruthless.
23.Bxh6 (OK, we all saw that) 23...Rg8 24.Rf1 Nac4 25.Bxc4 Nxc4
Xu-Harihara
White to play
26.Qf4 f6 27.Qh4 (she makes it look simple, no?) 27...gxh6
Xu-Harihara
White to play and crunch
28.Rxf6! and White won in a couple moves...
Round 1: Kogen-Qazi
Thanks to Vince Hart for his wonderful work in yesterday's posts! Please scroll below to read Vince's coverage.
The Jonathan Kogen—Rafeh Qazi game from the ICA Denker Qualifier (state invitational high school championship) was extremely well played by both sides, and a draw seems logical. Here are some nice moments:
The Jonathan Kogen—Rafeh Qazi game from the ICA Denker Qualifier (state invitational high school championship) was extremely well played by both sides, and a draw seems logical. Here are some nice moments:
Kogen-Qazi
White to play
With 25.Re3, White envisions an attack on h7. There's no mate (White would have to bring the bishop on c1 to the a3-f8 diagonal), but it's not necessarily fun for Black, either.
Qazi avoids this with the cool defensive move 25...Qe7! 26.Rh3 h5! If White doesn't take en passant, the h-file buildup was pointless, but in that case, Black can exchange queens. So 27.gxh6 (the g5 pawn takes the h5 pawn as if it had only moved one square to h6: our silly en passant rule is only an option immediately after the opponent's pawn has moved two squares) 27...Qxh4 28.Rxh4 Bf6
Kogen-Qazi
White to play
So White has to move the attacked Rh4, no? No! Kogen plays a cool move of his own: 29.Be4!?, with the point that 29...Bxh4 is answered by 30.Bxc6, forking a8 and e8, and recovering the Exchange.
Black decided to work on the backward c-pawn instead: 29...Bxe4 30.Rxe4 Rac8 31.Bd2 (finally completing development!) 31...Red8 32.Re2 e4
Kogen-Qazi
White to play
White is temporarily a pawn up, but Black has the initiative. White played 33.Be1, which wasn't really necessary. White was probably concerned about the fork trick 33.a4 Rxd2? 34.Rxd2 Bxc3 (echoing the tactical theme of the previous diagram), but the pin 35.Rc1 wins. It doesn't really matter, however, as Black has plenty of activity after 33.a4 Bxc3 34.Bxc3 Rxc3 35.axb5 axb5 36.Rxe4 Rd2: in rook endings, rooks on the seventh rank often offer full compensation for a pawn.
Very well played!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Youth Invitationals: First Round
First Round Pairings are as follows:
Denker Qualifier
Dubin v. Schmakel 0-1
Moskwa v. Meduri 1/2-1/2
Kogen v. Qazi 1/2-1/2
Josh Dubin and Sam Schamel last played in 2003. Josh won. Robert Moskwa defeated Aakash Meduri at the 2012 Tim Just Winter Open. Jonathan Kogen and Rafeh Qazi have never played.
Girls' Invitational
Provine v. Padget 1/2-1/2
Liu v. Mangalam 1-0
Xu v. Harihara 1-0
Xu v. Harihara 1-0
Barber Qualifier
Parker-Turner v. Li 0-1
Sun v. Bronfeyn 0-1
Heil v. Adve 1/2-1/2
Lehmann v. Hrach 1-0
Gilchrist v. Xiao 1-0
Do v. Kalgahtgi 0-1
I will update this post as the round goes on.
6:30 PM: It's a half hour before the round and about there are about a half dozen players here so far, mostly from the Barber Qualifier.
7:00 PM: Jerry Neugarten, Chairman of the ICA Youth Committee pushes the first pawn and we are underway.
7:20 PM: Schmakel plays the Semi-Slav against Dubin. Meduri plays what looks like a Dragon/Najdorf hybrid against Moskwa. Qazi is playing the Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez against Kogen. Padget is playing the French against Provine and Liu and Mangalam have a Catalan going. Most of the Barber games have entered variations whose names I do not know.
7:40 PM: The players still seem to be feeling each other out. I'm not sure whether all the Denker games are still in book, but they look like fairly thematic positions. In the Girl's and Barber, there is a pawn up here and there, but no more than that.
7:45 PM: Heil v. Adve is the first game to heat up. Out of an English Opening, White is up the exchange and Black has lost the right to castle, but White's knight is trapped on a8.
7:55 PM: Do and Kalgahtgi have reached an ending where Black has 2 rooks, a bishop and 6 pawns against White's rook, knight, bishop, and 6 pawns. At this point, Black's rooks haven't found any open lines and White seems to have a good grip on the center. Moskwa is poised for the thematic kingside attack against Meduri's Dragon, but Black's hasn't castled yet.
8:15 PM: Heil v. Adve and Do v. Kalgahtgi are still the only games with a material difference greater than a single pawn. In the former, White's knight is still stuck on a8, but he is threatening to open some holes for it to get out with his b and c pawns. In the latter, Black seems to be finding some room for his rooks to operate. Lehmann and Hrach have castled on opposite sides out of a Petroff. Material is still even, but White's pawn storm seems to be farther along.
8:25 PM: Liu is the first player to go up by as much as a piece by forcing a Black knight to the side of the board where it was trapped.
8:30 PM: Schmakel has gone up a pawn on Dubin. Lehmann has got a pawn to g6. After shifting the focus to the center, Meduri finally played ...0-0.
8:35 PM: The first result is in. Provine and Padget agree to a draw. It looks like Provine forced a repetition. Qazi plays ...d5 against Kogen and it looks like things will get exciting.
8:50 PM: Kalgahtgi has managed to activate his rooks and picked up a pawn. Lehmann sacked a pawn and it's looking a bit drafty around Black's king.
9:00 PM: Second game to finish, Kalgahtgi defeats Do. Schmakel has gone up by a piece against Dubin. It looks like Kogen has sacked a pawn to lock up the center and gain some freedom to attack on the kingside.
9:15 PM: Dubin resigns against Schmakel.
9:25 PM: Kogen has gone ahead by a pawn on Qazi although it looks vulnerable. Lehmann converted his attack into a rook and pawns v. bishop and pawns endgame advantage. Heil still has a knight sitting on a8, but Adve has knights on a2 and b1. I'm not sure what's going on there. Meduri broke with ...d5 and Moskwa has an isolated pawn on g5 that may be a liability.
9:35 PM: Gilchrist defeats Xiao. Bronfeyn defeats Sun.
9:40 PM: Qazi got his pawn back and it's rook and pawns v. rook and pawns with Qazi's rook looking more active.
9:45 PM: Lehmann defeats Hrach and Li defeats Turner.
9:50 PM: Xu has developed a scary looking attack against Harihara's king.
10:00 PM: Kogen v. Qazi is starting to look like one of those rook and pawn endings where all the pawns are going to get eaten by the rooks. Meduri seems to have found a way to exploit Moskwa's pawn weaknesses.
10:05 PM: Kogen and Qazi agree to a draw. Meduri is up a pawn on Moskwa.
10:25 PM: Xu defeats Harihara.
10:45 PM: Liu defeats Mangalam. Heil has a rook and three pawns against Adve's two knights and three pawns. Moskwa and Meduri both have queen and three pawns.
11:15 PM: Heil and Adve draw. Meduri has queen and two pawns v. Moskwa's queen and one pawn.
11:30 PM: Moskwa and Meduri draw.
I hope to get most of the games posted tonight when I get home.
12:02 AM: I'm home and I'll post the Denker games as soon as I input Robert and Aakaash's 81 move draw. Then we'll see how many more I can get posted before I fall asleep.
12:27 AM: Denker Round 1 is posted.
12:55 AM: Here's the Girl's Invitational Round 1.
1:05 AM: Here are three games from the Barber Round 1. I think that's all I've got in me for tonight.
11:10 AM: All the first round Barber games have been posted.
6:30 PM: It's a half hour before the round and about there are about a half dozen players here so far, mostly from the Barber Qualifier.
7:00 PM: Jerry Neugarten, Chairman of the ICA Youth Committee pushes the first pawn and we are underway.
7:20 PM: Schmakel plays the Semi-Slav against Dubin. Meduri plays what looks like a Dragon/Najdorf hybrid against Moskwa. Qazi is playing the Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez against Kogen. Padget is playing the French against Provine and Liu and Mangalam have a Catalan going. Most of the Barber games have entered variations whose names I do not know.
7:40 PM: The players still seem to be feeling each other out. I'm not sure whether all the Denker games are still in book, but they look like fairly thematic positions. In the Girl's and Barber, there is a pawn up here and there, but no more than that.
7:45 PM: Heil v. Adve is the first game to heat up. Out of an English Opening, White is up the exchange and Black has lost the right to castle, but White's knight is trapped on a8.
7:55 PM: Do and Kalgahtgi have reached an ending where Black has 2 rooks, a bishop and 6 pawns against White's rook, knight, bishop, and 6 pawns. At this point, Black's rooks haven't found any open lines and White seems to have a good grip on the center. Moskwa is poised for the thematic kingside attack against Meduri's Dragon, but Black's hasn't castled yet.
8:15 PM: Heil v. Adve and Do v. Kalgahtgi are still the only games with a material difference greater than a single pawn. In the former, White's knight is still stuck on a8, but he is threatening to open some holes for it to get out with his b and c pawns. In the latter, Black seems to be finding some room for his rooks to operate. Lehmann and Hrach have castled on opposite sides out of a Petroff. Material is still even, but White's pawn storm seems to be farther along.
8:25 PM: Liu is the first player to go up by as much as a piece by forcing a Black knight to the side of the board where it was trapped.
8:30 PM: Schmakel has gone up a pawn on Dubin. Lehmann has got a pawn to g6. After shifting the focus to the center, Meduri finally played ...0-0.
8:35 PM: The first result is in. Provine and Padget agree to a draw. It looks like Provine forced a repetition. Qazi plays ...d5 against Kogen and it looks like things will get exciting.
8:50 PM: Kalgahtgi has managed to activate his rooks and picked up a pawn. Lehmann sacked a pawn and it's looking a bit drafty around Black's king.
9:00 PM: Second game to finish, Kalgahtgi defeats Do. Schmakel has gone up by a piece against Dubin. It looks like Kogen has sacked a pawn to lock up the center and gain some freedom to attack on the kingside.
9:15 PM: Dubin resigns against Schmakel.
9:25 PM: Kogen has gone ahead by a pawn on Qazi although it looks vulnerable. Lehmann converted his attack into a rook and pawns v. bishop and pawns endgame advantage. Heil still has a knight sitting on a8, but Adve has knights on a2 and b1. I'm not sure what's going on there. Meduri broke with ...d5 and Moskwa has an isolated pawn on g5 that may be a liability.
9:35 PM: Gilchrist defeats Xiao. Bronfeyn defeats Sun.
9:40 PM: Qazi got his pawn back and it's rook and pawns v. rook and pawns with Qazi's rook looking more active.
9:45 PM: Lehmann defeats Hrach and Li defeats Turner.
9:50 PM: Xu has developed a scary looking attack against Harihara's king.
10:00 PM: Kogen v. Qazi is starting to look like one of those rook and pawn endings where all the pawns are going to get eaten by the rooks. Meduri seems to have found a way to exploit Moskwa's pawn weaknesses.
10:05 PM: Kogen and Qazi agree to a draw. Meduri is up a pawn on Moskwa.
10:25 PM: Xu defeats Harihara.
10:45 PM: Liu defeats Mangalam. Heil has a rook and three pawns against Adve's two knights and three pawns. Moskwa and Meduri both have queen and three pawns.
11:15 PM: Heil and Adve draw. Meduri has queen and two pawns v. Moskwa's queen and one pawn.
11:30 PM: Moskwa and Meduri draw.
I hope to get most of the games posted tonight when I get home.
12:02 AM: I'm home and I'll post the Denker games as soon as I input Robert and Aakaash's 81 move draw. Then we'll see how many more I can get posted before I fall asleep.
12:27 AM: Denker Round 1 is posted.
12:55 AM: Here's the Girl's Invitational Round 1.
1:05 AM: Here are three games from the Barber Round 1. I think that's all I've got in me for tonight.
11:10 AM: All the first round Barber games have been posted.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Youth Invitationals this Weekend
Three different invitational tournaments will be held Friday through Sunday at the North Shore Chess Center. The Denker Qualifier and the Barber Qualifier will determine the Illinois representatives at the Denker Tournament of High School Champions and the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions both of which will be held during the U.S. Open in Vancouver Washington in August. The winner of each qualifier receive a travel stipend to attend the national tournaments. There is also Girl's Invitational whose winner will receive a travel stipend to a designated national event.
Participants in the Denker Qualifier will be Sam Schmakel, Jonathan Kogen, Aakaash Meduri, Robert Moskwa, Josh Dubin, and Rafeh Qazi. The Girls Invitational will feature Yue (Penny) Xu, Adele Padgett, Shayna Provine, Caeley Harihara, Miranda Liu, and Shreya Mangalam. George Li, Abe Sun, Anshul Adve, Spencer Lehmann, Jack Xiao, Vincent Do, Phillip Parker Turner, Daniel Bronfeyn, Samuel Heil, Jonathan Hrach, Ian Gilchrist, Haoyang Yu will be playing in the Barber Qualifier.
I will be attending the events and blogging about it here.
Participants in the Denker Qualifier will be Sam Schmakel, Jonathan Kogen, Aakaash Meduri, Robert Moskwa, Josh Dubin, and Rafeh Qazi. The Girls Invitational will feature Yue (Penny) Xu, Adele Padgett, Shayna Provine, Caeley Harihara, Miranda Liu, and Shreya Mangalam. George Li, Abe Sun, Anshul Adve, Spencer Lehmann, Jack Xiao, Vincent Do, Phillip Parker Turner, Daniel Bronfeyn, Samuel Heil, Jonathan Hrach, Ian Gilchrist, Haoyang Yu will be playing in the Barber Qualifier.
I will be attending the events and blogging about it here.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Earlybird entry fee for Chicago Open due tomorrow!
Time to open the piggy bank! The Chicago Open will held in Wheeling May 24th to May 28th. Only the Open Section has a 5-day schedule; most of us will be playing a 4-day, 3-day, or 2-day schedule. Info here.
For the top seven sections, you can enter by tomorrow for $205 to $207; preregistration will cost about 10% more after tomorrow, and onsite registration will cost $250.
Players over 65 get a $100 discount; the Under 1100 and Under 900 sections are significantly less expensive. Players who have never been rated over 2200 FIDE (like me) would have to pay an extra $100 to play in the Open Section.
While your primary goal in the Chicago Open is to have fun playing chess, a good secondary goal is to take more money from Bill Goichberg than you give him. So enter early: it's good for you and good for him!
Enter online here. Before you complete your entry, you can renew your Illinois Chess Association membership (I just did!. Then, back on CCA's Chicago Open entry website, click the radio button that looks like the one below to receive $5 off on your Chicago Open entry fee AND be eligible for Illinois Tour prizes!
For the top seven sections, you can enter by tomorrow for $205 to $207; preregistration will cost about 10% more after tomorrow, and onsite registration will cost $250.
Players over 65 get a $100 discount; the Under 1100 and Under 900 sections are significantly less expensive. Players who have never been rated over 2200 FIDE (like me) would have to pay an extra $100 to play in the Open Section.
While your primary goal in the Chicago Open is to have fun playing chess, a good secondary goal is to take more money from Bill Goichberg than you give him. So enter early: it's good for you and good for him!
Enter online here. Before you complete your entry, you can renew your Illinois Chess Association membership (I just did!. Then, back on CCA's Chicago Open entry website, click the radio button that looks like the one below to receive $5 off on your Chicago Open entry fee AND be eligible for Illinois Tour prizes!
| ICA member with paid entry?: |
|
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Glenwood March Chess Tournament this Saturday, March 31st
Registration begins at noon on Saturday: info on the ICA website.
Sounds like a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
Sounds like a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
"Awonder Liang, the eight-year-old chess prodigy"
Hat tip to GM Mesgen Amanov, who also makes an appearance in the video.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Another review of Brooklyn Castle
Let's do this (the chess program, not necessarily the documentary) in Chicago, and let's do this on a large scale.
Soon to be a major motion picture: Charlize Theron is Elizabeth Vicary.
More support for ICA's Chicago Public Schools proposal
Chess teaches children many of the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in an information economy. So let's bring chess to Chicago's Title I schools. (Generally, at least 40% of students in Title I schools come from low-income families.) Schools that can afford to pay service providers will of course be able to continue their current relationships.
Personal reflection: when I was a teenager, my family lived in public housing in an Appalachian coal mining town. I wound up getting a scholarship to MIT. Would this have happened without chess? My decades-belated thanks to Mr. Reed, Mr. Dombrowski, Mr. Meyers, and many others in Shamokin, Pennsylvania: debts like this can only be paid forward.
Personal reflection: when I was a teenager, my family lived in public housing in an Appalachian coal mining town. I wound up getting a scholarship to MIT. Would this have happened without chess? My decades-belated thanks to Mr. Reed, Mr. Dombrowski, Mr. Meyers, and many others in Shamokin, Pennsylvania: debts like this can only be paid forward.
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