#1231 KST - Round 4 Annotations

My win vs. Audrey Hu:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.22"] [Round "1"] [White "Hu, Audrey"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B10"] [WhiteElo "1223"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1231"] [SourceDate "2017.06.23"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.06.23"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1 G/55+5 (delay) B10 Caro-Kann Defense Hillbilly Attack} 1. e4 g6 { Back to this after notching a 519 point upset with the French on Saturday.} 2. Nf3 c6 3. Bc4 (3. d4 $142) 3... Nf6 $5 ({>= the straight-forward} 3... d5 4. exd5 cxd5) 4. Nc3 (4. e5 $142 d5 5. Be2 Nfd7 6. d4 Bg7 7. c3) 4... d5 5. Bd3 $146 (5. exd5 $142 cxd5 6. Bb3 Bg7 7. d4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Ne2 Bg4 {Rainford - Moldovan : Dr. Luzviminda Machan Open VII, Rahway 12/1/2012} 10. Qd3 $11) 5... Bg7 {[#]} 6. b3 $4 (6. O-O $142 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 e6 9. exd5 cxd5 10. Bb5+ Nc6 11. d4 $11) 6... dxe4 $19 7. Be2 {Instead of resigning & starting another game, White opts to play-out a hopeless, piece-down position for another 56 moves & 65 minutes.} ({Of course, if} 7. Nxe4 {then} Nxe4 8. Bxe4 Bxa1) 7... exf3 8. Bxf3 Na6 9. Bb2 Bf5 (9... Nc7 $142) 10. d3 O-O 11. Qd2 Qd7 (11... Nc5 $142) 12. O-O-O Ng4 $6 {/\ 13...Bh6, skewering the enemy Q.} ({However} 12... b5 $142) 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14. f3 Be6 15. g4 Nc7 16. h4 Nd5 (16... a5 $142) 17. h5 (17. Ne4 $142 Bxb2+ 18. Kxb2) 17... Nxc3 18. Bxc3 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 f6 $2 (19... Bd5 $142) 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Qe1 (21. Qd2 $142 Kf7 22. Rh7+ Ke8 23. Re1) 21... Kf7 22. Qe4 $2 (22. Rh7+ $142 Ke8 23. Qe4 Bf7 24. Re1 Qd6 25. Kb1) 22... Rh8 23. Rdg1 Qd5 24. c4 (24. Qe3 {, keeping the Qs on, was a better try. Maybe she was hoping to reach a R+B vs. R ending.}) 24... Qxe4 25. dxe4 Rxh1 26. Rxh1 Kg7 27. Rg1 b5 (27... Rh8 $142) 28. Rd1 $2 (28. cxb5 $142 cxb5 29. Kd2) 28... bxc4 29. bxc4 Bxc4 30. f4 Bxa2 31. g5 $2 (31. Rd7 $142 Kf7 32. Rc7) 31... fxg5 32. fxg5 Be6 33. Kb2 c5 34. Rc1 c4 (34... Rb8+ $142) 35. Kc3 a5 36. Kb2 a4 37. Ka3 Ra5 38. Rc3 Rxg5 (38... Rb5 $142 39. Kxa4 Rb3) 39. Kxa4 Kf6 40. Re3 Ke5 41. Kb4 Rg4 42. Kc3 Rxe4 43. Rf3 Bf5 44. Kd2 Rd4+ 45. Kc3 Rd3+ 46. Rxd3 cxd3 47. Kd2 Kf4 48. Ke1 Kf3 49. Kd1 Kf2 50. Kd2 e5 51. Kd1 e4 52. Kd2 e3+ 53. Kd1 g5 54. Kc1 Ke2 55. Kb2 d2 56. Kc3 d1=Q 57. Kb4 Qc2 58. Kb5 Kd3 59. Kb6 e2 60. Kb5 e1=Q 61. Ka6 Qeb1 62. Ka5 Qca2# {White is checkmated. Time left - Hu 16:08, Moldovan 25:55 Estimated time used - Hu 44:02, Moldovan 34:15 Longest thinks: White - 4 minutes for 7.Be2 & 24.c4 Black - 4 minutes for 16...Nd5} 0-1

#1230 KST - Round 4 Photos

Mauricio Camejo (maroon shirt) vs. Alex Hu.

Anthony Tang vs. Mark Kernighan.

Mark Levanda vs. Jun Tang.

Robert Vinson vs. Greg Tomkovich.

Mike Lowey vs. Vinson.

Geoff McAuliffe vs. Bob Pelican.

Pat Mazzillo (blue cap) playing Joseph Dovydaitis and Audrey Hu awaiting my reply to 5.Bd3.

Thanks to the Kenilworth Rotary for supplying pizza and beverages!

#1229 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 4 Results

Albert Tang (1780), Anthony Tang (1562) & Jun Tang (1389) joined.

Continuing last week's trend there were 4 upsets. The biggest was Robert Vinson (1200) over Mike Lowey (1588).

4th round results, by board number:

1. Au. Hu 0-1 Moldovan
2. Dovydaitis 0-1 Mazzillo
3. An. Tang 0-1 Kernighan
4. Vinson 0-1 Tomkovich
5. Al. Hu 0-1 Camejo
6. McAuliffe 1-0 Pelican
7. Levanda 1-0 J. Tang
8. Camejo 1-0 Kernighan
9. Vinson 1-0 Lowey

Standings after round 4 of 14:

1. Moldovan 4.5
2. Mazzillo 4.0
= 3-4. Kernighan, Vinson 3.0
= 5-6. Camejo, McAuliffe 2.5
= 7-8. Au. Hu, Tomkovich 2.0
= 9-10. Al. Hu, Gottlieb 1.5
= 11-14. Pelican, Lowey, McCorkell, Levanda 1.0
= 15-17. Benitez, Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 18-24. Al. Tang, Touhey, An. Tang, Renna, J. Tang, Dovydaitis, Scarola 0.0

Photos & my win will follow.

There are now 24 players but registration remains open. For event details, see post, #1219.

#1228 Smith & Privman Win Main Line Summer Swiss

GM Bryan Smith & FM Boris Privman won yesterday's Main Line Chess & Games Summer Swiss in Paoli, PA.

LM Todd Lunna was 3rd. Michael O'Connor was one of the U2000 prize winners. Michael Berrios, who scored 50%, & I rounded-out the Westfield CC contingent.

Lunna, Berrios & O'Connor

Here is my ugly, 1st round win over FM Karl Dehmelt:

[Event "Main Line Chess & Games Summer Swiss"] [Site "Paoli, PA"] [Date "2017.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Dehmelt, Karl"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C19"] [WhiteElo "2300"] [BlackElo "1781"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "138"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1228"] [SourceDate "2017.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 3 G/55+5 (delay) C19 French Defense Winawer Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 {This used to be the positional main line (c. 1975) but it has practically disappeared from practice & I have never faced it.} Qc7 (7... b6 8. Qg4 $140 Ng6 ({The Flohr-flavored} 8... Nf5 9. Bd3 h5 {(Illukka - Ribes : correspondence, Finland 1969) is another way to play.}) 9. h4 (9. Bb5+ Bd7 {Koenig - Betke : Suedwestfalen 2003} 10. Bd3 Qh4 {is little or no improvement.}) 9... h5 10. Qd1 Ba6 {(Dominguez - An. Rodriguez : Campinas 2013) & a good version of the 4... Ne7 + 6...b6 (C16) line, was an option.}) ({For} 7... Nbc6 {see Fischer - Larsen : Candidates Semi-Final match, game 1, Denver 1971.}) 8. Nf3 b6 9. Bb5+ ({For} 9. Bd3 {see my 2006 & 2007 games against S. Massey.}) 9... Bd7 10. Bd3 Nbc6 ({Of course, if} 10... O-O $4 {then} 11. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 12. Ng5+ $18 {->}) 11. O-O {[#]} c4 $6 {11...h6! = was right.} (11... h6 12. Qd2 O-O {0.16/26 Komodo 10.4 64-bit/Clare}) (11... h6 12. Ba3 Na5 {0.03/28 Komodo 10.3 64-bit/ TwoKnights}) (11... h6 12. Qd2 O-O {0.04/20 Fritz 15}) 12. Be2 O-O 13. Ba3 f6 ( 13... Rfe8 14. h4 Nf5 {0.35/27 Komodo 10 64-bit/Jorasch}) (13... f6 14. Re1 Rf7 {0.55/23 Houdini 5.01 x64}) (13... Rfe8 14. Nh4 Ng6 {0.04/27 Stockfish 251216/ dBSPL}) 14. exf6 $146 (14. Re1 Rf7 15. g3 {0.44/30 Komodo 11.01 64-bit}) (14. Bd6 Qd8 15. exf6 {0.36/23 Houdini 4 x64/steffan}) (14. a5 b5 15. Bd6 {0.15/23 Deep Fritz 14 x64/Clare}) ({Previously seen here were:} 14. Bd6 Qd8 15. exf6 Rxf6 16. Re1 (16. Qd2 Ng6 17. Rfe1 Be8 18. Bg3 $14 {Zielinski - Lindner : correspondence, DESC 2005}) 16... Ng6 17. Ng5 $14 {Goins - Peddie : correspondence, IECG 1996}) ({&} 14. Qd2 Rf7 15. Bd6 Qd8 16. exf6 Rxf6 $14 { S. Kourkoulos Arditis - Papasimakopoulos : Nikaia 2013}) 14... Rxf6 (14... gxf6 $143 15. Nh4) 15. Ne5 $1 Ng6 (15... Re8 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 {0.36/33 Komodo 11.01 64-bit}) (15... Nf5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 {0.45/26 Houdini 5.01 x64}) (15... Nxe5 16. Bxe7 Rf7 17. Bh4 Ng6 18. Bg3 Nf4) ({&} 15... Be8 16. Ng4 Rf8 17. Re1 {are also +/=.}) 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. g3 Nge7 18. f4 {This gives White a bind} ({but the engines prefer} 18. Bf3 $14) 18... Nf5 19. Qd2 Nd6 20. Bf3 Raf8 21. Bg2 {[#]} Ne7 (21... h5 $142 $11) (21... Re8 $11) 22. Qe2 R8f7 23. Qe5 (23. a5 $142 bxa5 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. Rxa5 $14) 23... Ndc8 24. Rfe1 Nc6 25. Qe2 Nd6 26. Qd2 Ne7 ( 26... h5 $142 $11) (26... Rf8 $11) 27. a5 Nb5 $6 (27... bxa5 $142 28. Bxd6 Qxd6 29. Rxa5 Nc6 30. Ra6 Qd7 $14) 28. axb6 axb6 $8 29. Bb4 (29. Bh3 $142) 29... h6 30. Ra8+ Kh7 31. Rb8 Qc7 32. Re8 Nd6 {[#]} 33. Bxd6 Qxd6 34. Bh3 Qc6 35. Rb8 Qc7 36. Ra8 Qb7 37. Rea1 Nf5 $6 (37... Nc6 $142) 38. Re8 $6 (38. Qe2 $142) 38... Re7 39. Rxe7 $2 (39. Rea8 $142 $16) 39... Qxe7 40. Qe2 Nd6 $6 (40... Qb7 $142 $14) 41. Qe5 Ne4 {[#]} 42. f5 $2 (42. Ra8 $142 $16) 42... Ng5 {For the 1st time in the game, Black has a threat: 43...Nf3+ 44.K moves Nxe5 -+.} 43. Bg4 h5 44. Bxh5 Rxf5 45. Qe2 Qf6 $4 {A blunder.} (45... Nh3+ $142 46. Kh1 Qf6 $15) 46. Kg2 $4 {White returns the favor.} (46. Bg4 {would've won the Exchange & game.}) 46... Ne4 47. Bf3 Nxc3 48. Qe3 Ne4 $2 (48... Nb5 $142 $15) 49. Bxe4 dxe4 50. Qxe4 g6 51. Ra7+ Kh6 52. Qe3+ Qg5 {[#]} 53. Qxe6 $4 (53. Qxg5+ $142 Kxg5 54. Rb7 $11) 53... Qd2+ $19 54. Kh3 $8 (54. Kg1 Qf2+ 55. Kh1 Qf1#) (54. Kh1 Rf1#) 54... Rh5+ 55. Kg4 $8 Qd1+ 56. Kf4 $8 Rf5+ $2 {This lets White extend the game.} (56... Qf1+ $142 57. Kg4 (57. Ke4 {/ Ke3} Qe1+ {58.K moves Qxe6}) 57... Qh3+ 58. Kf3 Qxe6 {59.0-1}) 57. Qxf5 $8 (57. Ke3 Qe1#) 57... gxf5 $6 (57... Qf1+ $142 58. Ke5 Qxf5+ 59. Kd6 Qxc2) 58. Kxf5 Qxc2+ {The rest is a re-construction. Some of it may not be accurate. So, I won't bother to annotate it.} 59. Ke5 Qxh2 60. Ra6 Qxg3+ 61. Kd5 c3 62. Rxb6+ Kg5 63. Rb5 c2 64. Rc5 Qb3+ 65. Ke4+ Kg4 66. Rc8 Qb2 67. Rg8+ Kh5 68. Kf5 Kh6 69. Rg6+ Kh7 { White resigned. Time left - Dehmelt 0:59, Moldovan 0:57 Estimated time used - Dehmelt 59:51, Moldovan 59:53 Longest thinks by White - 5 minutes for 13.Ba3 & 26.Qd2 Longest think by Black - 5 minutes for 22...R8f7 I had originally planned to play 2 of the 4 rounds but being already tired, with no bye apparently available, I withdrew. The win will put me back over 1800 for the 1st time in 10 months, somewhere around 1815.} 0-1

Additional photos will follow.

#1227 KST - Round 3 Annotations

My win over Joseph Dovydaitis:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.15"] [Round "3"] [White "Dovydaitis, Joseph"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B08"] [BlackElo "1781"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1227"] [SourceDate "2017.06.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.06.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1 G/55+5 (delay) B08 Pirc Defense (by transposition)} 1. e4 g6 {Yet another Modern, my 4th in 4 games!} 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 ({I used to play} 3... c6 {/\ ...d5 but have preferred the text since 2012.}) 4. Bf4 {This stops an immediate ...e5} ({but} 4. c4) ({&} 4. Nc3 {are more natural replies.}) 4... Nc6 ({RR} 4... c6 5. Nc3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 (7. gxf3 $143 Qb6) 7... Bxd4 { C. Panuyas - Moldovan : skittles game, Springfield 4/28/2002} 8. Bc4 $44) 5. h3 $6 {This stops ...Bg4} ({but} 5. Bb5 $142 {threatening 6.d5}) ({or} 5. c3 { securing the center.}) 5... Nf6 (5... Nxd4 $142 $1 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Be3 exd4 8. Bxd4 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Qf3 {Menchik - Mieses : London (m/7) 1942} c6) 6. Nc3 O-O {This position is also reached via 1...d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h3 0-0 6.Bf4 Nc6.} 7. Bc4 $2 {[#]} (7. Be2 $142 $11) 7... Nxe4 $1 8. Nxe4 d5 9. Bd3 $146 (9. c3 $142 $146 dxe4 10. Ne5 $11) (9. Bxc7 $143 $2 Qxc7 10. Bxd5 { Ryan - J. Yates : 14th U.S. Correspondence Ch. Preliminaries 1998} Qa5+ 11. Nc3 Rd8 $17) (9. Bxd5 $2 Qxd5 10. Nc3 Qc4 $17 {Buyukasik - Bozhurt : Izmir 2006}) 9... dxe4 10. Bxe4 Nxd4 11. c3 $2 (11. Nxd4 $142 Bxd4 12. c3 $15) 11... Ne6 $2 (11... e5 $142 $1 12. cxd4 $140 exf4 $17) 12. Bd2 $4 (12. Be3 $142 $15) 12... Nc5 {Now White is lost.} 13. Bc2 Nd3+ 14. Bxd3 Qxd3 15. Be3 Qa6 16. Nd4 b6 ( 16... c5 $142 17. Nb3 b6) 17. Ne2 $2 (17. a4 $142 Bb7 18. f3) (17. Nc6 $143 $2 Bb7 18. Nxe7+ Kh8 {& the N is trapped.}) 17... Bb7 18. O-O Rfd8 {[#]} 19. Nd4 $2 {This loses a piece.} (19. Qc2 $142) 19... c5 20. Qe2 $2 (20. Qc2 $142 cxd4 {21.Resigns.}) 20... cxd4 21. Qxa6 Bxa6 22. cxd4 Bxf1 23. Rxf1 Bxd4 {I'm a R+P ahead now but my foe hasn't had enough.} 24. Bc1 Rac8 25. b3 $2 Rc2 26. a4 $2 Bxf2+ $1 27. Kh2 ({Of course, if} 27. Rxf2 {then} Rd1+ 28. Rf1 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Rxc1+) 27... Bc5 (27... Rd3 $142) 28. Bf4 Bd6 (28... f6 $142) 29. Bg3 Bxg3+ 30. Kxg3 Rd3+ 31. Rf3 Rxf3+ 32. gxf3 Rb2 33. h4 Rxb3 34. Kg4 Rb4+ 35. Kg5 Kg7 ( 35... f6+ $142 36. Kh6 Rxh4#) 36. f4 Rxa4 (36... h5 $142 37. f5 ({or} 37. a5 f6#) 37... Rg4#) 37. h5 Ra5+ (37... f5 {mates in 8, rather than 11.}) 38. f5 Rxf5+ 39. Kg4 Kf6 (39... Kh6 {mates in 7, instead of 8.}) 40. hxg6 hxg6 41. Kg3 Kg5 42. Kh3 e5 (42... Kf4 {mates in 4, rather than 5.}) 43. Kg3 e4 44. Kh3 e3 ( 44... Rf2 45. Kg3 $8 e3 46. Kh3 $8 Kf4 47. Kh4 $8 Rh2# {was a move faster.}) 45. Kg3 e2 46. Kh3 e1=Q 47. Kg2 Kg4 48. Kh2 Rf2# {White is checkmated. Time left - Dovydaitis 3:45, Moldovan 36:00 Estimated time used - Dovydaitis 55:15, Moldovan 23:00 Longest think by White - 7 minutes for 20.Qe2 Longest think by Black - 2 minutes for 16...b6} 0-1

#1226 KST - Round 2 Annotations

My games against Greg Tomkovich & Alex Hu:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.08"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Tomkovich, Greg"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A42"] [WhiteElo "1648"] [BlackElo "1781"] [Annotator "Moldovan, John"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1226"] [SourceDate "2017.06.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.06.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 2 #1 of 2 simultaneous games G/60 A42 Modern Defense Averbakh System} 1. d4 g6 {I didn't want to play a Dutch or face some system again...} 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Nc6 5. Be3 e5 6. d5 Nce7 7. Bd3 f5 8. f4 {... but upon seeing this I realized we were re-tracing another path.} (8. exf5 $142 Nxf5 ({not} 8... gxf5 $2 9. Qh5+ Kf8 10. Qe2 $14) 9. Bd2 $11) ({or} 8. f3 {. For the latter, see my 2010 loss to Pawlowski.}) 8... exf4 (8... Nf6 $142 $1 9. fxe5 { T. Walter - E. Karst : Friedersdorf 1995} ({For} 9. Qc2 $2 {& full opening notes see our 2010 game.}) 9... Ng4 $1 {TN} 10. Bf4 fxe4 $1 11. Nxe4 O-O $1 12. Ne2 Nxe5 $11) 9. Bxf4 {[#]} Nh6 $2 $146 {A terrible move.} (9... Nf6 $142 $11 10. e5 $140 $2 Nh5 $17 {was right.}) 10. Nf3 Nf7 11. O-O fxe4 12. Bxe4 O-O 13. Qd2 Nf5 14. Rae1 Nh4 $4 (14... Bd7 $142 $16 {which is foul enough.}) 15. Ng5 Bf6 $2 (15... Ne5 $142) 16. Nxf7 $2 (16. Ne6 $142 $18 Bxe6 $140 17. dxe6 Ne5 18. Nd5) 16... Rxf7 17. Bg3 $2 (17. h3 $142 $16) 17... Nf5 18. Bf2 (18. Bf4 $142 $14) 18... Qf8 (18... Be5 $142 $11) 19. Ne2 Qg7 (19... Qh6 $142) 20. b3 Bd7 (20... Be5 $142 $11) 21. Qd3 (21. Bxf5 Bxf5 22. Bd4) 21... b6 $2 (21... Be5 $142 $11) 22. Nf4 Nd4 $4 (22... Raf8 $142 23. Ne6 Bxe6 24. dxe6 Re7 $16) 23. Kh1 $4 (23. Ne6 $142 $18) 23... Raf8 24. Ne2 $2 (24. g3 $142 $11) 24... Nxe2 25. Rxe2 Be5 26. Bf3 Qh6 {Threatening mate.} 27. Bg1 Bf5 (27... g5 $142 $1 $17 28. Ree1 $140 g4 29. Be2 g3) 28. Qd2 $2 (28. Qd1 $142 $15) 28... Qxd2 29. Rxd2 {[#]} Be4 $1 30. Be3 (30. Rdf2 $142) ({Obviously not} 30. Bxe4 $4 {as that drops the Exchange & the game to} Rxf1) 30... Bxf3 31. gxf3 Rxf3 32. Rxf3 Rxf3 33. Bg5 Bf6 34. Kg2 $4 (34. Bxf6 $142 Rxf6 35. Re2 Kf7 36. Kg2 $17) 34... Rf5 $4 (34... Bxg5 $19 35. Kxf3 $140 Bxd2) 35. Bh6 $4 (35. Bxf6 $142 Rxf6 36. Kg3 $17) 35... Kf7 $2 (35... g5 $19 {, /\ trapping the enemy B, would've forced White to cough-up his h-pawn.}) 36. Re2 $4 (36. Be3 $142 $19) 36... Re5 $4 ( 36... g5 $142 37. h4 gxh4 $19 {Black also had this at moves 37 & 38.}) 37. Rf2 $4 (37. Rxe5 $142 Bxe5 38. h4 $17) 37... Rf5 $4 38. Re2 $4 (38. Rxf5 $142 gxf5 39. Bd2 $15) 38... Be5 $4 39. Bd2 a5 $2 (39... g5 $142) 40. h3 $2 (40. h4) 40... g5 41. Rf2 $4 {The losing move.} (41. Be1 $17 {would've offered greater resistance.}) 41... Rxf2+ 42. Kxf2 Kg6 $19 43. Kf3 Kf5 44. a4 $2 {This makes the b3 P backwards &, as a result, weakens the other links in White's Q-side chain.} (44. Be1 $142) 44... h5 (44... Bf4 45. Bxf4 gxf4 46. Kf2 Ke4 47. Ke2 f3+ {was a good alternative. ...Bf4 could also have been played at moves 45 & 47.}) 45. Be3 Bc3 46. Bf2 Bd2 47. Bg3 Bc3 48. Bf2 Be5 49. Be1 g4+ 50. hxg4+ hxg4+ 51. Kg2 Ke4 52. Bh4 Kd3 53. Bd8 Kc3 54. Bxc7 Kxb3 55. Bxb6 Kxa4 56. c5 dxc5 57. Bxc5 Kb5 58. Be7 a4 59. d6 $2 Kc6 {White resigned. Time left - Tomkovich 25:00, Moldovan 9:31 Time used - Tomkovich 35:00, Moldovan 50:29 Longest think by White - 4 minutes for 30.Be3 Longest think by Black - 5 minutes for 22...Nd4??} 0-1 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.08"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Hu, Alexander"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B15"] [WhiteElo "1700"] [BlackElo "1781"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1226"] [SourceDate "2017.06.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.06.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 3 #2 of 2 simultaneous games G/55+5 (delay) B15 Caro-Kann Defense Gurgenidze System} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Be2 Nf6 $5 { This position can also be reached via the Pirc, with 1...d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 c6.} (5... dxe4 $142 6. Nxe4 Nd7 7. O-O Ngf6 {Poltoranov - Petrovs : Swerdlovsk 1942}) 6. e5 Ne4 7. O-O (7. Nxe4 $142 dxe4 8. Ng5 c5 9. c3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 (10. cxd4 $143 Nc6 11. Be3 Qa5+ {Miloradovic - Ahrens : Chania 1994} 12. Kf1 O-O 13. Qb3 b6 14. Nxe4 Be6 $44 15. Qc3) 10... Qxd4 11. cxd4 Nc6 12. Be3 $14 {Felix - Spodny : Brno 2000}) 7... Nxc3 8. bxc3 O-O (8... Nd7 $142 9. e6 $140 $5 (9. Re1 Nb6 $11) 9... fxe6 10. Ng5 $44 Nf6) 9. Bf4 (9. Rb1 $142 Nd7 10. Re1 $14) 9... e6 $2 $146 (9... Nd7 $142 10. a4 Nb6 (10... f6 $143 11. exf6 (11. e6 $143 Nb8 12. Rb1 b6 {ChessCentaur - HydraAssasin : playchess.com 2007} 13. Re1 Bxe6 14. Ba6 Nxa6 15. Rxe6 $44 Rc8) 11... Nxf6 12. Be5 Ne4 13. Ra3 $14) 11. Bd3 Nc4 $11) 10. Qd2 (10. h4 $142 $14) 10... Nd7 (10... Qa5 { /\ ...b6 + ...Ba6 was considered.}) 11. Bg5 $2 (11. Qe3 $142 $14) 11... f6 12. exf6 Bxf6 $2 (12... Nxf6 $142 $1 $11 13. Ne5 $140 $2 Ne4 $1 14. Bxd8 Nxd2 15. Be7 Re8 16. Rfd1 Ne4 $15) 13. Bxf6 $6 (13. c4 $142 $16) 13... Qxf6 (13... Nxf6 $142) 14. Rae1 $2 (14. Qe3 $142 $16) 14... e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. c4 d4 (17... Qf4 $142 $11 18. Qxf4 $140 Rxf4 19. cxd5 cxd5) 18. Bf3 Qc5 19. Be2 $2 (19. Re4 $142 Qxc4 20. Rxd4 Qf7 21. Re1 $14) 19... Be6 20. Rd1 (20. h4 $142 $1 $11 Bxc4 $140 21. Bxc4+ Qxc4 22. Re7 $44) 20... Rad8 $6 (20... Bxc4 $142 21. Bxc4+ Qxc4 22. Qxd4 Qxa2 $15) 21. Qd3 Bf5 (21... Qf5 $142) 22. Qb3 b6 23. Bd3 Bxd3 (23... Be6 $142 $1) 24. cxd3 Kg7 25. Rfe1 Qf5 (25... Rde8 $142) 26. Re2 ( 26. Qb2 $142) 26... c5 27. Rde1 Rf7 $2 (27... Rde8 $142 $1 28. Qb2 $140 $4 Qxf2+ $3 {Dan Schaefer} 29. Rxf2 Rxe1+ 30. Rf1 Rfxf1#) 28. f3 Rdf8 29. a4 Rf6 ( 29... Qg5 {threatening ...Rxf3!}) 30. Re7+ (30. Re5 $142 Qf4 31. a5 $14) 30... R8f7 31. R7e2 h5 (31... Qg5 $142) 32. Re5 Qf4 33. Qc2 Rf5 34. R5e4 Qc7 (34... Qg5 $142) 35. Re8 R5f6 36. Qd2 Qf4 37. Qe2 Qf5 (37... Qg5 $142) 38. Re5 Qf4 39. Re4 Qf5 (39... Qg5 $142) 40. Re8 (40. Qd2 $142) 40... Qd7 (40... Qg5 $142) 41. Qd1 Qc6 42. Qb3 Qd7 (42... h4 $142) 43. Qb5 (43. Qc2 $142) 43... Qf5 44. Qb3 Qd7 (44... Qg5 $142) 45. R1e4 (45. Qc2 $142) 45... Rf4 46. Re1 R4f6 47. Qb5 ( 47. Qc2 $142) 47... Qf5 48. R8e4 Qg5 49. Kh1 Qd2 50. Qb3 (50. Qb1 $142) 50... Rf4 $2 (50... h4 $142 51. Rxh4 $140 $4 Qxe1#) 51. R4e2 Qa5 52. Qc2 Qb4 (52... Qa6 $142) 53. Rb1 $2 (53. h3 $142 $16) 53... Qa3 $2 (53... Qc3 $142 54. Qd1 ( 54. Qxc3 $143 dxc3 55. Rc2 Rd7 56. Rxc3 Rfd4 57. Rd1 Kf6 $44) 54... Kf8 $14) 54. Rbe1 Qb4 (54... Rf8 $142) 55. Rb1 $6 (55. h3 $142 $16) 55... Qa3 (55... Qc3 $142 $14) 56. Rbe1 $6 (56. h3 $142 $16) 56... Qb4 {Black claimed a draw by 3-fold repetition. Time left - Hu 0:19, Moldovan 7:16 Estimated time used - Hu 59:21, Moldovan 52:24 Longest think by White - 6 minutes for 13.Bxf6 Longest thinks by Black - 3 minutes for 20...Rad8 & 23...Bxd3} 1/2-1/2

#1225 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 3 Results

NM Mauricio Camejo (2066), Mike Lowey (1588), Chris Constantino (1235) & Mark Levanda joined.

In the 8 games played there were 6 upsets!! Alex Hu's victory over LM Mark Kernighan was the most notable.

3rd round results, by board number:

1. Dovydaitis 0-1 Moldovan
2. Kernighan 0-1 Al. Hu
3. Mazzillo 1-0 Au. Hu
4. Vinson 1/2-1/2 Gottlieb
5. Benitez 1/2-1/2 Camejo
6. Scarola 0-1 Lowey
7. Ruales 1/2-1/2 Constantino
8. Vinson 1/2-1/2 McCorkell

Standings after round 3 of 14:

1. Moldovan 3.5
2. Mazzillo 3.0
= 3-5. Kernighan, Au. Hu, Vinson 2.0
= 6-8. Al. Hu, Gottlieb, McAuliffe 1.5
= 9-12. Tomkovich, Pelican, Lowey, McCorkell 1.0
= 13-16. Camejo, Benitez, Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 17-21. Touhey, Renna, Levanda, Dovydaitis, Scarola 0.0

No photos this week but my win over Dovydaitis will follow.

Registration remains open. For event details, see post, #1219.

#1224 KST - Round 2 Photos

4 photos from round 2 of the Kenilworth Summer Tournament:

Mark Kernighan played the Petrov against Gilberto Benitez.

Pat Mazzillo countered Luis Ruales' Stonewall with a Gruenfeld setup.

Joe Scarpola played a London System against Paul Gottlieb.

Joseph Dovydaitis played the Scots' vs. Bob Pelican, who answered 3...d6?!

#1223 Kenilworth Summer Tourney - Round 2 Results

Gilbero Benitez (1835) & Joe Scarpola (unrated) joined.

I played badly but scored 1.5 from 2 simultaneous games to take the lead.

2nd round results, by board number:

1. Benitez 0-1 Kernighan
2. Tomkovich 0-1 Moldovan
3. Al. Hu 1/2-1/2 Moldovan
4. McCorkell 1/2-1/2 McAuliffe
5. Ruales 0-1 Mazzillo
6. Vinson 0-1 Au. Hu
7. Dovydaitis 0-1 Pelican
8. Scarola 0-1 Gottlieb
 
Standings after round 2 of 14:

1. Moldovan 2.5
= 2-4. Kenighan, Au. Hu, Mazzillo 2.0
5. McAuliffe 1.5
= 6-9. Tomkovich, Pelican, Gottlieb, Vinson 1.0
= 10-11. Al. Hu, McCorkell
= 12-17. Benitez, Touhey, Renna, Ruales, Scarola 0.0

Photos & my games to follow.

Registration remains open. For event details, see post, #1219.

#1222 KST - Round 1 Annotations

My win over Bob Pelican:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.01"] [Round "1"] [White "Pelican, Bob"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B10"] [WhiteElo "1635"] [BlackElo "1781"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1222"] [SourceDate "2017.06.03"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.06.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 2 G/55+5 (delay) B10 Caro-Kann Defense Hillbilly Attack (by transposition - 3...c6)} 1. e4 g6 {The Modern Defense is a good choice for those seeking dynamic play & don't want to bother knowing 20 moves of theory.} ({In our previous games, I opted for} 1... c5) ({&} 1... c6) 2. Bc4 Nf6 { A new move for me.} ({I've played} 2... c6 {6x. Here's 1 example:} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 d5 $1 5. exd5 cxd5 6. Bb3 Bg7 7. d4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Ne2 $146 Bg4 $11 { Rainford - Moldovan : Dr. Luzviminda Machan Open VII, Rahway 12/1/2012}) 3. d3 (3. e5 $142 d5 $132 4. Bb3 (4. exd6 $143 cxd6) (4. exf6 $2 dxc4 $17) 4... Nfd7 5. d4 {Michailow - Labahn : Ratzeberg 1997} (5. Bxd5 $143 Nxe5) (5. f4 Nc5)) ( 3. Qf3 $143 $2 Nc6 $15) 3... c6 4. Nc3 $146 ({There have been 3 games with} 4. Nf3 {, including the following:} d5 5. exd5 cxd5 6. Bb3 $146 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. d4 Nc6 9. c3 Bg4 10. Nbd2 e6 11. Qe1 Qc7 12. h3 Bf5 $11 {UK-BOB-1978 vs. Moldovan : G/15+10, Chess.com 12/26/2014}) 4... d5 5. Bb3 ({Another game of mine went} 5. exd5 cxd5 6. Bb3 Bg7 $146 7. d4 O-O 8. h3 Nc6 9. Nf3 a6 10. a3 Bf5 $11 {Dovydaitis - Moldovan : Skittles game (1 of 2 simultaneous), Kenilworth 2/26/2015}) 5... dxe4 {[#]} 6. Nge2 $2 {This just gives a P away.} ( {There was nothing wrong with} 6. Nxe4 Nxe4 7. dxe4 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 $11) 6... exd3 7. Qxd3 {Why is he trading Qs?} (7. cxd3 $15 {, being a P-down, with a weak idP on a half-open file, is bad enough}) 7... Qxd3 8. cxd3 Bg7 {I'm going to finish my K-side development before deciding where to put the Nb8 & Bc8.} 9. Bd2 (9. d4 $142) 9... O-O 10. O-O Rd8 {[#]} 11. Bc2 $2 (11. d4 $142 $17 { was required.}) 11... Bf5 {Now White is lost.} 12. Nc1 $6 {After this Black's game essentially plays itself.} (12. Rad1 $142 Na6 13. Ne4 {was a better try.}) 12... Na6 {With either ...Nc5 or ...Nb4 coming, the isolated d3P is doomed.} 13. Bb1 Nb4 14. Be3 (14. Rd1 $142 Nxd3 15. Nxd3 Bxd3 16. Bxd3 Rxd3 17. Be3 { although} Rxd1+ {transposes to the game.}) (14. Ne4 $143 $2 Nxe4 15. Bxb4 Bxb2) 14... Nxd3 (14... Nfd5 $142) 15. Bxd3 Bxd3 16. Nxd3 Rxd3 17. Rfd1 Rxd1+ (17... Rdd8 $142 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Bxa7 Nd5 {& Black will soon restore his 2P margin. }) 18. Rxd1 b6 19. h3 {To stop ...Ng4.} Kf8 {/\ challenging White's control of the d-file, with ...Ke8 + ...Rd8.} 20. b3 Ke8 21. Rd2 Rd8 22. Rc2 c5 23. Bf4 ( 23. Kf1 $142) 23... Nd5 {This forces a minor piece trade.} 24. Nxd5 Rxd5 25. Bb8 $2 (25. Kf1 $142) 25... Be5 {This saves the a7P & forces the Bs off} ({but } 25... Kd7 $142 26. Bxa7 $140 $2 Kc7 {& White's cleric is trapped.}) 26. Bxe5 $8 ({Of course, if} 26. Bxa7 $2 {then} Rd1#) 26... Rxe5 {&, rather than play-out the lost ending, Bob resigned. Time left - Pelican 27:40, Moldovan 42:22 Estimated time used - Pelican 29:30, Moldovan 14:48 Longest think by White - 6 minutes for 14.Be3 Longest thinks by Black - 2 minutes for 10... Rd8 & 14...Nxd3} 0-1

#1221 KST - Round 1 Photos

Here are 6 photos from the Kenilworth Summer Tournament's opening round:

 Mark Kernighan ponders an answer Alex Hu's 1.e4. His remedy: 1...e5 & a Petrov.

 Paul Gottlieb played the French against Pat Mazzillo.

 Robert Vinson seems quite happy that his Alekhine transposed to the Pirc against Joseph Dovydaitis.

 Greg Tomkovich played a Sicilian against Alec Touhey.

After staring-down Joe Renna, Audrey Hu smashed his Scheveningen.

Luis Ruales & Geoff McAuliffe getting ready to begin.

#1220 Kenilworth Summer Tourney - Round 1 Results

The Kenilworth Summer Tournament got underway on Thursday night with a 15 player field.

Here is the full list of participants, by rating:

1. LM Mark Kernighan 2217
2. John Moldovan 1781
3. Alex Hu 1737
4. Greg Tomkovich 1648
5. Bob Pelican 1635
6. Paul Gottlieb 1623
7. Geoff McAuliffe 1606
8. Alec Touhey 1579
9. Joe Renna 1458
10. Jack McCorkell 1455
11. Audrey Hu 1332
12. Pat Mazzillo 1258
13. Robert Vinson 1200
14. Luis Ruales 661
15. Joseph Dovydaitis ----

Opening round results, by board number:

1. Al. Hu 0-1 Kernighan
2. Pelican 0-1 Moldovan
3. Touhey 0-1 Tomkovich
4. Mazzillo 1-0 Gottlieb
5. Ruales 0-1 McAuliffe
6. Au. Hu 1-0 Renna
7. Dovydaitis 0-1 Vinson

Standings after round 1 of 14:

= 1-7 Kernighan, Moldovan, Tomkovich, McAuliffe, Au. Hu, Mazzillo, Vinson 1.0
= 8-15. Al. Hu, Pelican, Gottlieb, Touhey, Renna, McCorkell,  Ruales, Dovydaitis 0.0

Photos & my win will follow.

Registration remains open. For event details, see post, #1219.

Mazzillo-Gottlieb result corrected 6/5/2017 @ 5:42 a.m.