Thursday, September 29, 2011

#900 Fish Memorial Starts Tonight

The USCF-rated, Sy Fish Memorial chess tournament starts tonight at the Kenilworth Chess Club.

Registration will begin at 8 p.m. Details here.

#899 U.S. Loses To Ukraine

With a 63.5-34.5 lead, the Ukraine has clinched victory in its correspondence match with the United States.

Crosstable

Monday, September 26, 2011

#898 U.S. Defeats Argentina

With an insurmountable 27.5-10.5 lead, the United States has clinched victory in its 26-board correspondence match against Argentina.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

#897 Correspondence Updates

Match Scores:

United States 25.5 Argentina 10.5 (magic # for the U.S. is 1)
Ukraine 62 USA 34 (magic # for the UKR is 1.5)
Italy 35.5 USA 21.5 (magic # for ITA is 6)

My games:
E12 Queen's Indian Defense
Nimzo-Hybrid Variation

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.e3 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 0-0 9.Bd3 Bb7 10.0-0 d6 11.Nd2 Qe7 12.Qc2 (N) c5 13.a4! Nc6 14.Nb3! e5 15.d5 Na5 16.Nxa5 bxa5 17.Rfb1 Ba6 18.Rb2 Rab8 19.Rab1 Rxb2 20.Rxb2 e4 21.Bxe4 Bxc4 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.Qe4 Qxe4 24.Bxe4 Re8 25.Bf3 Ba6 26.h4 g5 27.Kh2 Kg7 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Kh2 Kf6 30.Kg3 Re7 31.Rb8 Rb7 32.Rxb7 Bxb7 33.c4 Ke5 34.Bd1 Ba6 35.Bb3 f6

D38 Queen's Gambit
Ragozin Defense

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bg5 0-0 7.Qb3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 c6 9.e3 b6 (N) 10.Bd3 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Ne5 c5 13.Ng4 Nc7 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.0-0 Qd7 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bxf6 Rfb8 18.Qc2 Qe6 19.Bh4 Qe4 20.Qxe4 dxe4 21.Bg3 Rb7 22.Rab1 Rxb1 23.Rxb1 Nd5 24.c4 Nb6 25.Bc7 Nxc4 26.Rb5 Rc8 27.Rxc5 Nb2 28.g4 Nd3 29.Rg5+ Kf8 30.Bd6+ Ke8 31.Ra5 Rc6 32.Bg3 a6 33.Ra4

PGN of all the CZE-USA games

Thursday, September 22, 2011

#896 Stoyko Lecture At KCC Tonight

FM Steve Stoyko will be lecturing at the Kenilworth Chess Club tonight, starting at 8:15 p.m. The subject is Bishop Endings. Admission is $5.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

#895 Random Quads

NM Mark Kernighan and Lou Sturniolo won the Random Opening Quads held at the Kenilworth Chess Club on September 8th.

Samritha Palakollu was a surprise runner-up in the top group.



Random Opening Quads
Kenilworth, NJ 09/08/2011

G/15+5 (delay)


Section 1


Player
USCF
1
2
3
4
Points
1
Mark Kernighan
2264

2.5
2
Samritha Palakollu
1612

1
2.0
3
Max Sherer
1797
0

1.0
4
John Moldovan
1809

0.5


Section 2


Player
USCF
R1
R2
R3
Points
1
Lou Sturniolo
1535
W5
W2
W4
3.0
2
Joe Demetrick
1661
W3
L1
W5
2.0
3
Joe Renna
1297
L2
W4
W6
2.0
4
Ted Mann
1511
W6
L3
L1
1.0
5
Bert Shiffman
1294
L1
W6
L2
1.0
6
Joe Azzarello
----
L4
L5
L3
0.0


Saturday, September 10, 2011

#894 KCC Fall Calendar

Kenilworth Chess Club
Calendar For 9/15 thru 12/31/2011

September 15 – Closed Ruy Lopez Thematic, 8:30 p.m. Non-rated, G/30, 2 rounds, EF: Free. Pairing format TBA.  All Games to begin 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 (Main Line Tchigorin). See diagram below.


September 22 - Lecture by FM Steve Stoyko on Bishop Endings, 8:15 p.m.  Admission: $5
September 29 – Sy Fish Memorial #4, Round 1, 8:30 p.m. USCF-rated. Time Controls: 40 moves in 50 minutes, then G/15. 5-SS, Entry Fee: $10. Prizes: 1st place 30% of EF; 2nd 20%; 3rd, U2050, U1750, U1525 10% each. Late-joins and byes allowed. More info: here and here.

October 6 - Garden State Chess League matches, 8:15 p.m. Teams TBA
October 13 - Sy Fish Memorial #4, Round 2, 8:30 p.m
October 20 - Sy Fish Memorial #4, Round 3, 8:30 p.m
October 27 - Sy Fish Memorial #4, Round 4, 8:30 p.m.

November 3 - Garden State Chess League matches, 8:15 p.m. Teams TBA
November 10 - Sy Fish Memorial #4, Round 5, 8:30 p.m.
November 17 - Lecture by NM Scott Massey on Alexander Alekhine, 8:15 p.m. Admission: $5
November 24 - NO MEETING. The Community Center is closed due Thanksgiving.

December 1 - Garden State Chess League matches, 8:15 p.m. Teams TBA
December 8 – Consultation Game #7, week 1, 8:15 p.m
December 15 – Consultation Game #7, week 2, 8:15 p.m.
December 22 - Holiday Party, 8 p.m.
December 29 - Annual Business Meeting, 8:15 p.m.
 
The calendar will be updated when the 2011-12 GSCL schedule is finalized on September 25th.

#893 Stoyko & Massey To Lecture At KCC

The Kenilworth Chess Club will be hosting two lectures this fall.

On September 22nd, 6-time NJ Champion Steve Stoyko will speak about "Bishop Endings" and, on November 17th, 12-time KCC Champion Scott Massey will talk about World Champion "Alexander Alekhine".

Admission to each lecture is $5.

I am looking forward to both!

#892 Sy Fish Memorial Starts 9/29

4th Sy Fish Memorial

Dates : September 29
           October 13, 20, 27
           November 10
 
Site : Kenilworth Chess Club
 
Location: Kenilworth Community Center
              575 Kenilworth Boulevard
              Kenilworth, NJ 07033

Format : USCF-rated, 5-round swiss (over a 7-week span)
 
Time Controls : 40 moves in 50 minutes, followed by G/15

Rounds : 8:30 p.m. each week

Entry Fee : $10.00

Prize Fund: 90% of Entry fees collected

Prizes: 1st place 30% of EF; 2nd place 20% of EF;
          3rd place, U2050, U1750, U1525 each 10% of EF.

*EXAMPLE*
If there are 10 players, 1st place would get $30, 2nd place would receive $20. 3rd, U2050, U1750 & U1525 would be awarded $10 each.
(The KCC would reserve $10 for rating fees & scoresheet purchases)

Register : On site 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6 from 8:00-10:45 p.m.

Late-joins: Accepted until the 3rd round is paired. Late-joiners will receive a 1/2 point for each round missed but lose a bye-option.

Byes: Two per player allowed. Byes may be taken in any round. Please inform the TD or Club President before that round is paired.

Pairings: Pairings for rounds 1-2 to be made on site. Pairings for rounds 3-5 to be made on the prior Friday.

Register: On site 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6 from 8:00-10:45 p.m.

TD: Geoff McAuliffe (if available)

USCF membership required. Make sure yours is up-to-date.

#891 Chieu Simul Today

Weather permitting, NM Ken Chieu, reigning Kenilworth Chess Club Champion, will be giving a simultaneous exhibition today, starting at 11 a.m., at the Front St. Dunkin Donuts in Plainfield.

A blitz event will also be held.

For details, click on and enlarge the image below.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

#890 Team USA Correspondence Update

Here is an update on Team USA's ongoing correspondence matches, with crosstable links:

United States 24 Argentina 10 (magic # for the U.S. is 2.5)
Ukraine 60.5 USA 33.5 (magic # for the UKR is 3)
Italy 35 USA 21 (magic # for ITA is 6 6.5)


My games:
E12 Queen's Indian Defense
Nimzo-Hybrid Variation

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.e3 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 0-0 9.Bd3 Bb7 10.0-0 d6 11.Nd2 Qe7 12.Qc2 (N) c5 13.a4! Nc6 14.Nb3! e5 15.d5 Na5 16.Nxa5 bxa5 17.Rfb1 Ba6 18.Rb2 Rab8 19.Rab1 Rxb2 20.Rxb2 e4 21.Bxe4 Bxc4 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.Qe4 Qxe4 24.Bxe4 Re8 25.Bf3 Ba6 26.h4 g5 27.Kh2 Kg7 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Kh2 Kf6 30.Kg3 Re7 31.Rb8 Rb7 32.Rxb7 Bxb7 33.c4 Ke5

D38 Queen's Gambit
Ragozin Defense

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bg5 0-0 7.Qb3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 c6 9.e3 b6 (N) 10.Bd3 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Ne5 c5 13.Ng4 Nc7 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.0-0 Qd7 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bxf6 Rfb8 18.Qc2 Qe6 19.Bh4 Qe4 20.Qxe4 dxe4 21.Bg3 Rb7 22.Rab1 Rxb1 23.Rxb1 Nd5 24.c4 Nb6 25.Bc7 Nxc4 26.Rb5 Rc8 27.Rxc5 Nb2 28.g4 Nd3 29.Rg5+ Kf8 30.Bd6+ Ke8 31.Ra5

PGN of all the CZE-USA games

#889 Seven Tie For 1st At NJ Open

Dean Ippolito, Mikhail Zlotnikov, Tom Bartell, Dragan Milovanovic, Ed Allen, David Hua and Saurabh Deshpande tied for 1st at the 65th NJ Open, which was held at the Holiday in Somerset on September 3-5.

Kevin Chen, who scored 2.5/6 in the event, asked me to share links to his photos of rounds 3 and 4.

Sunday, September 04, 2011

#888 Summer Tourney - Round 12

Open Section

Mark Kernighan defeated Ian Mangion to clinch 1st place. I sealed the 2nd spot by drawing Max Sherer and beating Chris Constantino, in yet another simul. Greg Tomkovich wrapped-up 3rd with a draw vs. Joe Demetrick.

Lou Sturniolo & Joe Renna finished with victories. Pat Mazzillo and Wayne Burnett drew.

Results:

Mangion 0-1 Kernighan
Sherer 1/2-1/2 Moldovan (annotated)
Constantino 0-1 Moldovan (annotated)
Tomkovich 1/2-1/2 Demetrick
McAuliffe 0-1 Sturniolo
Burnett 1/2-1/2 Mazzillo
Renna 1-0 Shiffman

Final Standings:

1. Kernighan 10.5
2. Moldovan 9.0
3. Tomkovich 7.5
4. Mangion 6.0
5. McAuliffe 5.5
6. Shiffman 5.0
= 7-8. Mazzillo, Renna 4.5
9. Balakrishnan 4.0
10. Goeller, 3.5
= 11-12. Carrelli, Reinoso 3.0
= 13-15. M. Sherer, Sturniolo, Constantino 2.5
16.  Demetrick 2.0
= 17-19. Chen, Liesch, Gadgil 1.5
= 20-22. Kumar, Mann, Burnett 1.0
= 23-24. Stoyko, Hart 0.0


U1200 Section

Andy Altamirano & Aleksey Senyatkin split a pair of games, to secure first and the runner-up position. Antonio Altamirano bested & overtook Joe Azzarello in the battle for 3rd place.

Results:

Senyatkin 1-0 Andy A.
Andy A. 1-0 Senyatkin
Azzarello 0-1 Antonio A.
L. Sefia 0-1 Tomkovich *
P. Sefia 0-1 Sturniolo *
L. Sefia 1/2-1/2 Antonio A.
Azzarello 1-0 P. Sefia

* Indicates intersection games. As per the event rules, Greg and Lou's wins will not be counted.

Standings:

1. Andy Altamirano 14.0
2. Senyatkin 12.0
3. Antonio Altamirano 11.0
4. Azzarello 10.5
5. L. Sefia 9.5
6. P. Sefia 2.5
= 7-8. Matta, Ruales 0.0

PGN for round 12
Crosstables

PGN for rounds 1-12

replay & pgn of McAuliffe-Sturniolo corrected 9/6 @ 11:24 p.m.

Saturday, September 03, 2011

#887 Correspondence Update

Here's an update on my ICCF games:

E12 Queen's Indian Defense
Nimzo-Hybrid Variation

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.e3 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 0-0 9.Bd3 Bb7 10.0-0 d6 11.Nd2 Qe7 12.Qc2 (N) c5 13.a4! Nc6 14.Nb3! e5 15.d5 Na5 16.Nxa5 bxa5 17.Rfb1 Ba6 18.Rb2 Rab8 19.Rab1 Rxb2 20.Rxb2 e4 21.Bxe4 Bxc4 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.Qe4 Qxe4 24.Bxe4 Re8 25.Bf3 Ba6 26.h4 g5 27.Kh2 Kg7 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Kh2 Kf6 30.Kg3 Re7 31.Rb8 Rb7





D38 Queen's Gambit
Ragozin Defense

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bg5 0-0 7.Qb3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 c6 9.e3 b6 (N) 10.Bd3 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Ne5 c5 13.Ng4 Nc7 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.0-0 Qd7 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bxf6 Rfb8 18.Qc2 Qe6 19.Bh4 Qe4 20.Qxe4 dxe4 21.Bg3 Rb7 22.Rab1 Rxb1 23.Rxb1 Nd5 24.c4 Nb6 25.Bc7 Nxc4 26.Rb5 Rc8 27.Rxc5 Nb2 28.g4 Nd3 29.Rg5+



PGN of all the CZE-USA games

post revised Sun. 9/4 @ 8:03 a.m.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

#886 Kernighan Wins Summer Tourney

NM Mark Kernighan won the Kenilworth Summer Tournament ahead of yours truly and Greg Tomkovich.

Andy Altamirano won the event's U1200 section.

For the complete standings & more details, see Greg's post on the KCC Minutes blog.