#1248 KST - Round 9 Annotations

My loss to Alex Hu:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.27"] [Round "9"] [White "Moldovan, John"] [Black "Hu, Alex"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A03"] [WhiteElo "1814"] [BlackElo "1823"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1248"] [SourceDate "2017.07.29"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1 G/55+5 (delay) A03 Bird's Opening (by transposition - 4.f4)} 1. g3 Nf6 2. Bg2 d5 3. d3 (3. Nf3 {is more flexible.}) 3... e6 4. f4 (4. Nd2 c5 5. e4 { Pirc - Matanovic : Staunton Memorial, Birmingham, ENG 1951}) (4. c4 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 $140 6. Qxc4 Bc6 7. Nf3 {Mella - Norve : Norway 1992}) ({& the Reti-joining} 4. Nf3 {were good alternatives.}) 4... Bc5 $1 ({For} 4... Be7 { see my 2011 draw vs. Sherry.}) 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. c3 (6. e3 $142 O-O 7. O-O { M. Ali - Wei : Australian Open, Mount Buller 2004, though the Bc1 would object. }) 6... O-O 7. d4 Bd6 8. O-O c5 9. e3 (9. Ne5 $142 $11) 9... b5 $1 10. Ne5 Bb7 11. Nd2 b4 $6 (11... a5 $142 $15) 12. Ndf3 $2 $146 (12. Nxd7 $142 $1 Nxd7 { Spicak - Smola : Rewal 2011} (12... Qxd7 $143 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nb3 Bd6 15. cxb4) 13. cxb4 cxb4 14. Nc4 $11) 12... bxc3 13. bxc3 cxd4 (13... Ne4 $142 $17) 14. cxd4 Qc7 15. Qa4 Nb6 16. Qa5 (16. Qb3 $142 $15) 16... Ne4 $6 (16... Qe7 $142 $17) 17. Ba3 f6 18. Rfc1 Qe7 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. Nd3 Nc4 21. Qe1 Qa3 22. Bf1 (22. Rab1 $142 $1 Ba6 23. Rb3 $1 {Hu} Qxa2 24. Rb4) 22... a5 (22... Rab8 $142 $15) 23. Rc2 $2 (23. Nc5 $142 $1 Nxc5 24. Rc3 Qb4 25. dxc5 Qxc5 26. Nd2 $44) 23... Ba6 24. Rac1 Ncd6 $2 (24... Rfb8 $142 $17) 25. Nc5 $2 (25. Nd2 $142 $1 $11 Bxd3 $140 26. Nb1 Qb4 27. Bxd3) 25... Bxf1 26. Kxf1 Nc4 27. Nxe6 $4 (27. Kg1 $142 $8 Nxe3 (27... Nxc5 $143 28. dxc5 Qxc5 29. Qf2) 28. Re2 Nf5 29. Nxe4 Qxf3 30. Nc5 $17 {with chances to hold in Black's time pressure.}) 27... Nxe3+ 28. Kg1 Nxc2 29. Qe2 $2 ({I intended} 29. Rxc2 Qxf3 30. Nxf8 Kxf8 31. Qe2 { only to discover that Black has a N on e4 & comes out a piece ahead.}) 29... Qxc1+ {White resigns. Time left - Moldovan 10:08, Hu 4:32 Estimated time used - Moldovan 42:17, Hu 52:53 Longest thinks: White - 7 minutes for 27.Nxe6?? Black - 5 minutes for 9...b5 & 12...bxc3 This was my 1st loss in 22 games covering 4 months!} 0-1

#1247 KST - Round 9 Photos

Captions to follow.

#1246 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 9 Results

9th round results, by board number: 

1. Moldovan 0-1 Alex Hu
2. Mazzillo 1-0 Kernighan
3. Audrey Hu 1-0 Jun Tang
4. Dovydaitis 0-1 Vinson
    McCorkell 1-0 Vinson
5. Lowey 0-1 McAuliffe
    McAuliffe 1/2-1/2 Lowey
6. Scarola 0-1 Tomkovich
7. Anthony Tang 1-0 Benitez
8. Ruales 0-1 Gottlieb


Standings after round 9 of 14:

1. Moldovan 11.0
2. Kernighan 8.5
3. Mazzillo 7.0
4. Camejo 6.5
= 5-7. McAuliffe, Au. Hu, Vinson 6.0
8. Tomkovich 5.09. McCorkell 4.5
= 10-11. Benitez, Al. Hu 3.0
= 12-13. Al. Tang, Gottlieb 2.5
14. Lowey 1.5
= 15-19. Pelican, An. Tang, Renna, Levanda, Scarola 1.0
= 20-21. Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 22-25. E. Singh, Touhey, J. Tang, Dovydaitis 0.0

Photos and the autopsy of my first loss in 22 games (covering 4 months) to follow.

Registration has closed.

#1245 McCorkell Annotates

Jack McCorkell has annotated his game vs. LM Mark Kernighan for us:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.20"] [Round "8"] [White "McCorkell, Jack"] [Black "Kernighan, Mark"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C37"] [WhiteElo "1455"] [BlackElo "2219"] [Annotator "McCorkell, Jack & Deep Fritz 14 x64 (60s)"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "McCorkell, Jack"] [SourceDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.21"] {C37: King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 {The CLASSICAL VARIATION} 4. Bc4 ({It is too late to halt Black's kingside advance with} 4. h3 {Murey-Kosashvili, Tel Aviv 1999, continued} Nc6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. d4 d6 7. Bc4 h6 8. a3 Nf6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nh5 $17 {Nick DeFirmian, MCO}) ({KGA CLASSICAL VARIATION ->} 4. h4 $1 g4 5. Ne5 $1 {the key position of the KIESERITZKY GAMBIT - White moves the knight several times but gains the g4 pawn or the one on f4, at times losing the e4 pawn. The pawn push to h4 weakens White's kingside (in some variations a black knight comes to g3 via h5), but Black's king is also in a rather precarious positon. As a result the continuations that result are tactically complex and have strategic possibilities for both players. Black can continue with 5...d6, sacrificing the g4 pawn in exchange for good piece play after 6. Nxg4 Nf6, 7. Nxf6 Qxf6, or he can play classical - notes from COE, New In Chess} Nf6 6. d4 d6 7. Nd3 Nxe4 8. Bxf4 {The key position of the Classical Variation of the KGA. It seems to go against common sense to concede the e4 pawn for the one on f4: in addition Black has an extra pawn and an active knight on e4. Nonetheless, White receives good compensation: Black's kingside has many weaknesses, the g4 pawn, even though a material advantage, has the negative quality of restricting black activity on the wing, and perhaps Black would be better off without it(as in the case in the 5 ... d6 variation). In addition, White's rooks on e1 and f1 will exert unpleasant and ongoing positional pressure. This is also the case in variations in which the queens are exchanged. Black almost always castles queenside. White sometimes castles queenside too, and on other occasions he moves the king to d2 or otherwise to f2. In conclusion, after 8 ... Qe7 or 8 ... Bg7, the position is dynamically balanced. - notes from Chess Openings Essentials, New In Chess, GM Komarov, GM Djuric and IM Pantaleoni}) 4... g4 5. Ne5 {SALVIO GAMBIT, Nick DeFirmian - MCO, is interesting} ({the MUZIO GAMBIT alternately continues} 5. O-O $5 gxf3 6. Qxf3 Qf6 7. e5 $6 (7. c3 $1 Nc6 8. d4 Nxd4 9. Bxf7+ Qxf7 10. cxd4 Bh6 11. Nc3 d6 12. Nd5 Be6 13. Nxf4 Bxf4 14. Bxf4 O-O-O 15. d5 Bd7 16. Qc3 Qf6 $11 {ECO}) 7... Qxe5 8. Bxf7+ (8. d3 $2 Bh6 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Bd2 Nbc6 11. Rae1 Qf5 12. Nd5 Kd8 13. Qe2 b5 $1 14. Nxe7 Qc5+ 15. Rf2 Nxe7 $1 $17 {Korchnoi}) 8... Kxf7 9. d4 Qxd4+ 10. Be3 Qf6 11. Bxf4 Ne7 $17 {BCO - Kasparov and Keene)} (11... Nc6) 12. Nc3 Nf5 13. Ne4 Qg6 14. g4 Be7 15. Kh1 Nh4 {(Shussler-Akvist, Sweden 1976)} 16. Qe3 Qc6 $13 (16... Kg8 $1 17. Be5 b6 {intending ... Bb7-/+})) 5... Qh4+ 6. Kf1 Nh6 {The LAST BOOK MOVE - Fritz} (6... Nc6 {is an interesting SALVIO GAMBIT continuation - Nick DeF} 7. Bxf7+ {7. Nxf7 is too dangerous} Ke7 8. Nxc6+ dxc6 9. Bb3 Nf6 10. d3 {the position is approximately even - Nick DeFirmian, MCO}) 7. Qe1 Qf6 8. d4 d6 {Black threatens to win material: d6xe5} 9. Qf2 $4 {the position is going down the drain} (9. Nd3 $142 Qxd4 10. Bb3 $15) 9... dxe5 $19 10. dxe5 Qxe5 11. Nc3 c6 (11... Be6 $5 {keeps an even firmer grip} 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Bxf4 $19) 12. Bxf4 Qh5 13. Qd4 (13. Re1 Nd7 $19) 13... Rg8 14. Rd1 Be7 (14... Nd7 {might be the shorter path} 15. e5 Be7 16. e6 $19) 15. Ne2 Be6 (15... Nd7 $142 $5 {makes it even easier for Black} 16. Ng3 Qh4 17. Ke2 $19) 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17. Ke1 Nf7 (17... Rg6 $142 $5 18. Qh8+ Ng8 $19) 18. Bxb8 $17 Rxb8 (18... Qa5+ 19. c3 Rxb8 20. Qd7+ Kf8 21. Nf4 $17) 19. Qd7+ Kf8 20. Nf4 Qa5+ 21. c3 (21. Ke2 $5 Rg6 22. Nxg6+ hxg6 23. Qxe6 Qb5+ 24. Rd3 $17) 21... Rg6 $1 {Black is still ahead} 22. Nxg6+ hxg6 23. Qxe6 Qg5 24. Rf1 $4 {(mercy suicide) but even a better move would not have saved the game} ({Deep Fritz 14 x64:} 24. Rd2 Re8 25. Qb3 {-2.22/28}) ({Deep Fritz 14 x64:} 24. Rd7 Rd8 25. Rxd8+ Nxd8 26. Rf1+ Kg7 27. Qd7 Qc1+ 28. Kf2 Qxb2+ 29. Kg1 Qb6+ 30. Kh1 Qc5 31. Qd4+ Qxd4 32. cxd4 c5 33. dxc5 Ne6 34. c6 bxc6 35. e5 c5 36. Kg1 Bg5 37. Rb1 c4 38. Rb7+ Kh6 39. Kf2 c3 {-1.55/29}) (24. Ke2 {Deep Fritz 14 x64:} Re8 25. Qd7 Qf4 26. Rd4 Bg5 27. Rhd1 c5 28. Rc4 Qe3+ 29. Kf1 Ne5 30. Qd6+ Kg7 31. Rxc5 Rf8+ 32. Qxf8+ Kxf8 33. Rxe5 Qf4+ {-3.14/21}) (24. Rd7 $142 Rd8 25. Rxd8+ Nxd8 26. Rf1+ Kg7 27. Qd7 Qc1+ 28. Kf2 Qxb2+ 29. Kg1 $17) 24... Qe3# 0-1

#1244 KST - Round 8 Annotations

My wins over Anthony Tang & Joe Renna plus McCorkell-Kernighan:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.20"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Tang, Anthony"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E92"] [WhiteElo "1731"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1244"] [SourceDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1.1 G/55+5 (delay) E92 King's Indian Defense Petrosian System (7.d5)} 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Nf6 ({A switch from the} 2... Bg7 {& Modern Defense I played against Tomkovich in week 2.}) 3. Nc3 Bg7 (3... d5 {& a Gruenfeld was considered but I quickly re-gained my senses.}) 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 {This prevents the ultra-theoretical 7...Nc6 & slows the game's pace but yields the c5 square.} a5 {[#] Black safeguards the aforementioned outpost before bringing a N there.} 8. O-O {White usually delays castling & retains options} ({with} 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 $140 (9... Na6 $142 10. Nd2 Nc5) 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Nd2 Nxg3 $2 (11... Nf4 $11 {(Bielicki - Pilnik : Mar del Plata 1962) is right.}) 12. hxg3 $14 {Lapiccirelli - Orlando : Bernate 1999.}) 8... Nbd7 ( 8... Na6 {may be more accurate.}) 9. Ne1 (9. Bg5 {/\ meeting} h6 {with} 10. Be3 {(Evrard - Charlier : correspondence, France 1952) was still possible.}) 9... Nc5 {MegaBase classifies this position as E92 but it could easily be filed under E94, with the Classical lines.} 10. f3 (10. Qc2 Nfd7 11. Be3 {(Buerger - Koltanowski : London 1932) is a reasonable alternative.}) 10... Nh5 11. Nd3 ( 11. g3 $142 Bh3 12. Rf2 {Huss - Mascarinas : Suhr 1990}) 11... b6 (11... Nxd3 12. Bxd3 Nf4 13. Bc2 {(Vasiliu - Smokina : Sovata 1997) is okay but improves the position of White's light-squared B.}) 12. a3 Bd7 {[#]} (12... f5 13. Be3 { F. Schoenfeld - H. Schmidt : Germany 1998} (13. Nxc5 $142 bxc5 14. exf5) 13... Nf4 $1 $11 14. Nxf4 $140 exf4 15. Bxf4 fxe4 16. fxe4 Bd7 $44 {is playable.}) 13. b4 $2 $146 {This drops a P.} (13. Nxc5 $142 $146 bxc5 14. g3 {.}) (13. b3 Nf4 14. Rb1 {was played in Peev - Kots : Odessa 1968.}) 13... Nxd3 {Removing the b4 guard to take advantage of the pin against a3.} 14. Qxd3 $2 {This allows ...Nf4 with tempo.} (14. Bxd3 $142) 14... axb4 15. Nb5 Nf4 16. Qc2 bxa3 $2 (16... f5 $142) 17. Bxa3 (17. Rxa3 $142 Rxa3 18. Nxa3) 17... f5 18. Bb4 $4 ( 18. Bd3 $142 $17) 18... Rxa1 19. Rxa1 {[#]} Bxb5 $4 (19... fxe4 $142 $19 20. fxe4 Nxg2 $3 21. Kxg2 $140 Qg5+ 22. Kh1 ({Returning the piece with} 22. Bg4 { is of no assistance.}) 22... Rf2 23. Rg1 Rxh2+ $3 24. Kxh2 $8 Qh4+ 25. Kg2 $8 Bh3+ 26. Kf3 ({or} 26. Kh1 Bf1#) 26... Qf4#) 20. cxb5 Qg5 21. Bf1 $8 (21. g3 $143 $2 fxe4 $19 22. Qxe4 Nxe2+ 23. Qxe2 e4) 21... fxe4 22. fxe4 $4 (22. h4 $8 Qxh4 23. Be1 $8 Qg5 24. Qxe4 $8 $17 {was required.}) {Now Black a winning attack.} 22... Nh3+ 23. Kh1 $8 Nf2+ 24. Kg1 $8 Qe3 $1 25. Be2 {This allows a flashy finish but there was no defense.} (25. h3 Nd1+ 26. Kh2 Rxf1 $19 27. Rxd1 $140 {Otherwise White is a piece-down.} Qf4+ 28. g3 $8 Rf2+ 29. Qxf2 $8 (29. Kg1 Qxg3+ 30. Kh1 Qh2#) (29. Kh1 Qf3+ 30. Kg1 Qg2#) 29... Qxf2+ 30. Kh1 $8 Qf3+ ) (25. g3 Nd1+ 26. Kg2 Qf3+ $19 27. Kh3 $8 Qxf1+ 28. Kg4 (28. Kh4 Bf6+ 29. Kg4 $8 h5#) (28. Qg2 Nf2+ 29. Kh4 $8 Bf6#) 28... Ne3+ 29. Kg5 (29. Kh4 Bf6#) 29... Qf6#) (25. Bc4 {An. Tang} Ng4+ {Albert Tang} 26. Kh1 $8 Qf4 27. g3 $8 Nf2+ 28. Kg1 (28. Kg2 $8 Qf3+ 29. Kg1 $8 Qh1#) 28... Qf3 $19) (25. Qxc7 Nh3+ 26. Kh1 Qg1#) 25... Nh3+ 26. Kh1 $8 Qg1+ $1 {[#] &, instead of letting me deliver smothered mate, Anthony resigned. Time left - Tang 36:56, Moldovan 30:40 Estimated time used - Tang 20:14, Moldovan 26:30 Longest thinks: White - 4 minutes for 22.fxe4 Black - 3 minutes for 11...b6 & 22...Nh3+} (26... Qg1+ $1 27. Rxg1 Nf2#) 0-1 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.20"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Renna, Joe"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A41"] [WhiteElo "1459"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1244"] [SourceDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1.2 G/55+5 (delay) A41 Modern Defense Colle System} 1. d4 g6 {11 for 11! } 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. e3 d6 4. Bd3 ({For} 4. Be2) ({&} 4. c4 {see my wins against Kruglyak (KST 2009) & Vinson (KST 2012).}) 4... Nd7 5. O-O ({If} 5. b3 { Black has} e5 $1 6. Bb2 $140 Ngf6 $1 {Ferragut - Ravelo : San Cristobal 2012} 7. dxe5 Ng4 $11) 5... e5 (5... Ngf6 {makes a K's Indian.}) 6. dxe5 Nxe5 {[#]} 7. Nxe5 $146 ({Previously seen here were} 7. Nbd2 {1/2-1/2 Dibala - Stric : Slovakia 2008}) ({&} 7. Be2 Ne7 8. c3 O-O 9. Nxe5 Bxe5 10. Nd2 d5 $11 {Verich - Plummer : correspondence, LSS 2013}) 7... dxe5 {This lets White force an ending.} ({If this had been a rated or must-win game, I would've opted for} 7... Bxe5 8. Nd2 Bg7 {or varied earlier.}) 8. Bb5+ c6 (8... Bd7 9. Qxd7+ Qxd7 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 {was another way to play.}) 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Bc4 Ke7 {/\ ...Be6 } ({The engine prefers} 10... f5) 11. e4 ({Sacking an Exchange with} 11. b3 $1 e4 $140 (11... Be6 $2 12. Ba3+ Ke8 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Nd2 $16) 12. Ba3+ Ke8 13. Nd2 $5 (13. c3 $11) 13... Bxa1 14. Rxa1 $44 {was a very interesting alternative.}) 11... Be6 12. Bd3 ({I wanted} 12. Bxe6 Kxe6) ({& expected} 12. Nd2) 12... Bh6 $5 {Looking to trade-off my bad B is positionally desirable} ({ but} 12... Nf6 {, retaining a 2-step lead in development, was safer.}) 13. Nd2 Nf6 14. b3 Nd7 15. Ba3+ Ke8 {[#]} (15... Kd8 $142 16. Nc4 Bf8) 16. Bc4 $4 ({ Joe intended} 16. Nc4 $11 {but touched the light-squared B & had to move it.}) 16... Bxd2 $19 17. Bxe6 {Trying to make lemonade.} fxe6 18. Rad1 Bc3 (18... Bg5 $142) 19. Rd6 c5 (19... Nf8 $142) 20. Rfd1 Bd4 (20... Nf6 $142 $1 21. Bxc5 $140 $2 (21. Rxe6+ $143 $2 Kf7 22. Red6 Bd4) 21... Nxe4) 21. Kf1 $2 (21. c3 $142 Ke7 22. Rxd7+ Kxd7 23. Bxc5) 21... Rf8 22. f3 Ke7 (22... Nf6 $142 23. Rxe6+ (23. c3 $143 Nxe4 $1) 23... Kf7 24. Rd6 Rac8) 23. Rxd7+ Kxd7 24. Bxc5 $2 (24. c3 $142) 24... Rfc8 25. b4 $2 (25. Bxd4 $142 exd4 26. Rxd4+ Ke7 27. Rd2) 25... b6 (25... Ke8 $142) 26. Bxd4 exd4 27. Rxd4+ Ke7 28. c4 Rd8 29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Ke2 Rd4 { White resigns. Time left - Renna 36:53, Moldovan 38:17 Estimated time used - Renna 20:37, Moldovan 19:13 Longest thinks: White - 4 minutes for 16.Bc4?? Black - 3 minutes for 19...c5} 0-1 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.20"] [Round "8.2"] [White "McCorkell, Jack"] [Black "Kernighan, Mark"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C37"] [WhiteElo "1455"] [BlackElo "2219"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1244"] [SourceDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 2.2 G/60 C37 King's Gambit Salvio's Gambit (5.Ne5)} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 {[#]} 4. Bc4 $6 ({Kieseritsky's} 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 $44 {may White's only satisfactory continuation.}) 4... g4 5. Ne5 ({The engines say} 5. O-O { Muzio's Gambit} gxf3 6. Qxf3 Qf6 {is -/+.}) 5... Qh4+ 6. Kf1 Nh6 7. Qe1 (7. d4 $142 $15) 7... Qf6 (7... Qxe1+ $142 8. Kxe1 d6 9. Nd3 f3 10. gxf3 gxf3 $17) 8. d4 d6 {[#]} 9. Qf2 $4 $146 (9. Nd3 $142 Qxd4 10. Bb3 $15 {A. Leonard - G. O'Brien : correspondence, LSS 2008}) 9... dxe5 10. dxe5 Qxe5 11. Nc3 c6 $2 ({ Much} 11... Be6 $142) 12. Bxf4 Qh5 13. Qd4 Rg8 14. Rd1 Be7 15. Ne2 Be6 $6 ( 15... Nd7 $142) 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Ke1 Nf7 $2 (17... Rg6 $142 $19) 18. Bxb8 Rxb8 19. Qd7+ Kf8 20. Nf4 Qa5+ 21. c3 Rg6 22. Nxg6+ hxg6 23. Qxe6 Qg5 {[#]} 24. Rf1 $4 (24. Rd7 $142 $17) 24... Qe3# {White checkmated. Time left - McCorkell 6: 52, Kernighan 6:56} 0-1

#1243 KST - Round 8 Games

Replays & notes to follow.

#1242 KST - Round 8 Photos

Robert Vinson vs. Pat Mazzillo

Mark Kernighan vs. Alex Hu

■ Audrey Hu vs. Joseph Dovydaitis □

Jun Tang (□ near right) played Gilberto Benitez while Anthony Tang (center right) faced the tournament leader.

■ Greg Tomkovich vs. Luis Ruales □

■ Bob Sherry and Paul Gottlieb □ played a non-tournament game.

Joe Scarola vs. Anthony Tang

Jack McCorkell vs. Mark Kernighan, the last game of the night.

See post #1245 to play through it.

#1241 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 8 Results

8th round results, by board number: 

1. An. Tang 0-1 Moldovan
    Renna 0-1 Moldovan 
2. Kernighan 1-0 Al. Hu
    McCorkell 0-1 Kernighan
3. Vinson 0-1 Mazzillo
    Mazzillo 0-1 Vinson
4. Dovydaitis 0-1 Au. Hu
5. Ruales 0-1 Tomkovich
6. J. Tang 0-1 Benitez
7. Scarola 0-1 Al. Tang


Standings after round 8 of 14:

1. Moldovan 11.0
2. Kernighan 8.5
3. Camejo 6.5
4. Mazzillo 6.0
= 5-6. Au. Hu, Vinson 5.0
7. McAuliffe 4.5
8. Tomkovich 4.0
9. McCorkell 3.5
10. Benitez 3.0
11. Al. Tang 2.5
12. Al. Hu 2.0
13. Gottlieb 1.5
= 14-18. Pelican, Lowey, Renna, Levanda, Scarola 1.0
= 19-20. Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 21-25. E. Singh, Touhey, An. Tang, J. Tang, Dovydaitis 0.0

Photos and 3 games will follow.

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

#1240 KST - Round 7 Annotations

My wins over Pat Mazzillo & Mike Lowey:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.13"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Mazzillo, Pat"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B15"] [WhiteElo "1258"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceDate "2017.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1.1 G/55+5 (delay) B15 Caro-Kann Defense Gurgenidze System} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 (4. Bc4 {would have prevented my reply.}) 4... d5 ({ In our 2015 game I opted for} 4... d6 {, transposed into the Pirc, failed to equalize & should've lost.}) 5. h3 Nf6 6. e5 (6. Bd3 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nxe4 8. Bxe4 {is less ambitious.}) 6... Ne4 7. Bd3 (7. Nxe4 dxe4 8. Ng5 {is best.}) 7... Nxc3 8. bxc3 {I had the same setup vs. Alex Hu in round 2 but here, with h3 & Bd3 in place of Be2 & 0-0, Black has few, if any, problems.} O-O ({The immediate} 8... c5 {may be more accurate.}) 9. O-O c5 10. Be3 (10. a4 Nc6 11. Ba3 c4 12. Be2 Qa5 13. Qd2 {(Pogonina - Kholopov : Samara 2011) is more thematic but no improvement.}) 10... Nc6 {Black has an excellent, Winawer French-like position. He still has his dark-squared B & the light-squared one isn't bad.} 11. Qd2 Qa5 {[#]} (11... c4 12. Be2 f6 {was even better.}) 12. Bh6 ({There have been 4 games with} 12. Rfb1) ({& 2 games with} 12. Rab1) 12... cxd4 (12... c4 $142 13. Be2 f6) 13. Bxg7 $2 {This drops a P.} (13. cxd4 $142 Qxd2 14. Bxd2 $11 {was required.}) 13... Kxg7 $8 14. cxd4 {What else?} (14. Nxd4 $4 {loses to} Nxd4 $19) 14... Qxd2 15. Nxd2 Nxd4 16. Rab1 b6 17. c3 $2 { [#]} (17. Nb3 $142 $17) 17... Bf5 $1 {Now I'm winning.} 18. Bxf5 ({Of course, if} 18. cxd4 $2 {then} Bxd3 {gains an Exchange.}) 18... Ne2+ $1 {This intermezzo pushes White's K toward the edge of the board, threatens 20...Nxc3 & improves my steed's position while 19...gxf5 strengthens my control of the center.} 19. Kh1 (19. Kh2 $142) 19... gxf5 20. c4 dxc4 21. Nxc4 Rac8 22. Ne3 e6 23. Rb2 Nf4 24. Kh2 (24. Rb4 $142) 24... Rc5 (24... Rfd8 $142) 25. Rd1 (25. Rb4 $142) 25... Ng6 26. Rd7 Ra5 (26... Ra8 $142) 27. Nc4 Ra4 {[#]} 28. Ne3 $2 (28. Rc7 $142) (28. Rc2 $143 $2 Rxc4 $1 29. Rxc4 Nxe5 30. Rcc7 Nxd7 31. Rxd7 a5 $1 32. Rb7 Rc8 33. Rxb6 Rc2) 28... Nxe5 {With a 2nd P annexed the rest is a matter of technique.} 29. Rc7 Kf6 (29... Rd8 $142) 30. Rbc2 Rd8 (30... b5 $142) 31. Rb7 $2 (31. Nc4 $142 Nxc4 32. R7xc4 Rxc4 33. Rxc4 Rd2 34. Ra4 a5 35. Kg1) 31... Rd7 (31... Rd3 $142) 32. Rxd7 Nxd7 33. Rc7 (33. Kg1 $142) 33... Nc5 { White resigns. Time left - Mazzillo 13:26, Moldovan 25:39 Estimated time used - Mazzillo 44:24, Moldovan 32:06 Longest thinks: White - 5 minutes for 12.Bh6 Black - 5 minutes for 11...Qa5} 0-1 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.13"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Lowey, Michael"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "1588"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "144"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "John Moldovan"] [SourceDate "2017.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1.2 G/55+5 (delay) B06 Modern Defense Hillbilly Attack (2.Bc4)} 1. e4 g6 2. Bc4 Nf6 (2... c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 d5 {is similar but, in that line, Black has to answer} 5. exd6 {with the Scandinavian-like} Qxd6 ({or non-dynamic} 5... exd6)) 3. e5 ({In round 1 Pelican played} 3. d3) 3... d5 4. Bb3 (4. exd6 $143 cxd6 $11 5. f4 $2 {Easton - Pero : correspondence, IECG 2000} d5 $15) (4. exf6 $2 dxc4 $15 5. Qe2 $2 Be6 $17 {Vassalam - Ghanbari : Teheran 2005}) 4... Nfd7 5. d4 (5. Bxd5 $143 Nxe5 $11) 5... Nb6 {[#]} (5... c5 $146 6. Bxd5 $140 Nb6 7. Be4 Qxd4 8. Qxd4 cxd4 {is a possible improvement.}) 6. Bg5 $146 ({Previously seen here were:} 6. h4 h5 7. Nh3 $11 {Busch - Schoenau : Baden-Baden 1990}) (6. c3 Bg7 7. Ne2 O-O 8. O-O $14 {Quinterod - Vallejo Pons : San Sebastian 2000}) ( {&} 6. Nd2 Bg7 7. Qf3 Be6 8. Ne2 $11 {Avdeev - Stepikov : Novokuznetsk 2014}) ( 6. Nc3 a5 7. a4 {is another option.}) 6... f6 $1 7. exf6 exf6 8. Qe2+ Kf7 $8 ({ Not} 8... Qe7 $2 9. Bxf6) 9. Qf3 $2 (9. Be3 $142 $11) 9... Nc6 $6 (9... h5 $142 $17) 10. c3 $2 (10. Be3 $142 $15) 10... Bg7 $2 (10... h5 $142 $17) 11. Nd2 Re8+ 12. Ne2 Kg8 (12... Bf5 $142) 13. Be3 Bf5 $6 (13... Na5 $142 14. Bc2 Nac4 $11) 14. Nf4 {[#]} Be6 $2 (14... Na5 $142 15. Bxd5+ Nxd5 16. Qxd5+ Qxd5 17. Nxd5 Rac8 $14) 15. O-O $6 (15. Nxe6 $142 Rxe6 16. h4 $16) 15... Bf7 16. Bc2 Qd7 $6 ( 16... Ne7 $142 $11) 17. Nb3 Bf8 $2 (17... Rad8 $142 $14) 18. Nd3 Qd8 $6 (18... Kg7 $142) 19. Nbc5 Rb8 (19... Na5 $142) 20. Qh3 $2 (20. Rae1 $142) 20... Nc4 21. Bf4 f5 $2 (21... Nd6 $142 $14) 22. Qg3 Bd6 23. b3 $2 (23. Rfe1 $142 $16) 23... Nd2 $1 24. Rfe1 Ne4 25. Nxe4 dxe4 $6 (25... fxe4 $142 $11) 26. Ne5 Bxe5 ( 26... Nxe5 $142 27. dxe5 Bf8) 27. dxe5 Qe7 28. Rad1 (28. e6 $142 Bxe6 29. Bxc7 Rbc8 30. Bf4 $14) 28... Nxe5 29. Bg5 (29. h3 $142 $14) 29... Qe6 $6 (29... Qc5 $142 $11) 30. Rd2 $6 (30. Bf4 $142 $14) 30... c5 $2 (30... b5 $142 $11) 31. f3 $2 {[#]} (31. Bf4 $142 $16) 31... exf3 $1 32. Bf4 $2 {This drops an Exchange.} (32. Rdd1 $142 $11) 32... f2+ $1 33. Rxf2 $8 (33. Qxf2 $2 Nf3+ $19) (33. Kxf2 $4 Nd3+ $19) 33... Nf3+ $1 34. Rxf3 $4 (34. Qxf3 $8 Qxe1+ 35. Rf1 $17 {was required.}) 34... Qxe1+ $19 35. Rf1 (35. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 36. Rf1 Rbe8 {was no better.}) 35... Qxg3 36. hxg3 Rbd8 37. Rf2 {Resigns was a good alternative.} Re1+ 38. Kh2 Rde8 (38... c4 $142) 39. Bd3 Rd8 40. Rd2 a6 41. c4 Kg7 (41... Be8 $142) 42. a3 h6 43. Bc7 Rd7 44. Ba5 Re3 45. Bc2 Rxd2 46. Bxd2 Re2 47. Bc3+ Kh7 48. Bd1 Re3 49. Bb2 $2 {This loses more material.} (49. Ba5 $142) 49... Rd3 50. Bf3 Rxb3 51. Be5 Bxc4 {[#]} 52. Bd6 {He's down Exchange + 3 Ps down & playing on?} b6 53. a4 Rd3 54. Bc7 b5 55. axb5 (55. Bb6 $143 bxa4 56. Bxc5 a3 57. Be7 a2) 55... Bxb5 56. Bb6 (56. g4 $142 fxg4 57. Bxg4) 56... c4 57. Be2 Rd2 58. Bf3 Rd3 (58... c3 $142 59. Ba5 Rd3) 59. Be2 Ra3 (59... Rd2 $142 60. Bf3 c3) 60. Bc5 Ra2 61. Bf3 c3 62. Bd5 c2 $1 63. Be3 (63. Bxa2 $143 $2 c1=Q) 63... Ra1 64. Bb3 ({If} 64. Bd4 {then} c1=Q 65. Bxa1 Qxa1) 64... c1=Q 65. Bxc1 Rxc1 {My margin is now a whole R + 2Ps.} 66. Kh3 $2 Bf1 $2 (66... Rh1# {would've shortened the game.}) 67. Bd5 $2 (67. Kh2 $142) 67... a5 $2 (67... Bc4 $142 {threatening mate & winning the enemy B.}) 68. g4 fxg4+ 69. Kxg4 a4 70. Kf3 Bc4 71. Be4 a3 72. Bc6 a2 {White resigns. Time left - Lowey 0:01, Moldovan 2:21 Estimated time used - Lowey 61:04, Moldovan 58:39 Longest thinks: White - 6 minutes for 23.b3? Black - 7 minutes for 18...Qd8?!} 0-1

#1239 KST - Round 7 Photos

Captions to follow.

#1238 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 7 Results

7th round results, by board number: 

1. Mazzillo 0-1 Moldovan
    Lowey 0-1 Moldovan
2. Errol Singh 0-1 Kernighan
3. Vinson 0-1 Benitez
    Vinson 0-1 McAuliffe
4. Ruales 0-1 Renna
5. Renna 0-1 Camejo
6. Ruales 0-1 McCorkell
7. Kernighan 1-0 Camejo

Note: Singh played as a filler.

Standings after round 7 of 14:

1. Moldovan 9.0
= 2-3. Kernighan, Camejo 6.5
4. Mazzillo 5.0
5. McAuliffe 4.5
= 6-7. Au. Hu, Vinson 4.0
8. McCorkell 3.5
9. Tomkovich 3.0
= 10-11. Benitez, Al. Hu 2.0
= 12-13. Al. Tang, Gottlieb 1.5
= 13-18. Pelican, Lowey, Renna, Levanda, Scarola 1.0
= 19-20. Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 21-25. E. Singh, Touhey, An. Tang, J. Tang, Dovydaitis 0.0

Photos and my games will follow.

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

#1237 KST - Round 6 Annotations

Another week. Another simul. More uneven play. At any rate, whether they're of entertainment value or not, here are my win over Jun Tang and draw vs. Gilberto Benitez:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.06"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Tang, Jun"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A41"] [WhiteElo "1389"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1237"] [SourceDate "2017.07.08"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.08"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 2 G/55+5 (delay) A41 Modern Defense London System} 1. d4 g6 {Yet again! If I'm boring you by playing this over & over ... let me know.} 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Bf4 d6 4. c3 ({RR} 4. e3 Nd7 5. Nc3 (5. h3 e5 6. Bh2 Qe7 7. Be2 Nh6 (7... Ngf6 $142) 8. O-O O-O 9. c4 {Privman - Moldovan : Quick Tournament (G/15+5), Rahway 5/6/2015} f5 $11) 5... c6 6. Be2 Qc7 $146 7. O-O Ngf6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. e4 e5 10. Bh6 Re8 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. d5 Nc5 $11 {J. Demetrick - Moldovan : Kenilworth Summer Tournament 7/17/2014}) 4... Nd7 5. e4 e5 6. Bg3 Qe7 (6... Ngf6 $5 $146 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. exd6 Nxg3 9. hxg3 O-O 10. dxc7 Qxc7 $44 {was an option.}) 7. Bd3 Ngf6 {[#]} 8. Nbd2 $146 (8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 Nh5 10. Qc2 Nb6 $11 11. dxe5 $6 dxe5 12. Nbd2 Nxg3 13. hxg3 Be6 14. Rad1 Rfd8 15. b3 a5 16. a4 f6 $15 {was played in Nettesheim - Eskandary : Dresden 2010.}) 8... Nh5 9. Qe2 (9. Bh4 $142 ) 9... Nxg3 10. hxg3 a6 (10... exd4 $142 $1 11. cxd4 c5 $1) 11. Nb3 $6 (11. Nc4 $142 b6 12. dxe5 ({or} 12. d5 Nc5 13. Bc2 $11) 12... Nxe5 13. Nfxe5 dxe5 14. a4 $11) 11... b6 (11... exd4 $142 $1 12. cxd4 c5 $1 $15) 12. d5 Nc5 $6 (12... Bb7 $142 $11) 13. Nxc5 bxc5 14. Bc2 $6 (14. b4 $142 cxb4 15. cxb4 $14) 14... O-O 15. Nd2 (15. Ba4 $142) 15... Rb8 16. Nc4 Bd7 (16... Qg5 $142) 17. Bd3 Bb5 $6 ( 17... h5 $142 $11) 18. O-O-O $6 (18. a4 $142 Bxc4 19. Bxc4 $14) 18... Bxc4 $6 ( 18... f5 $142 $11) 19. Bxc4 a5 20. Bb5 $6 (20. g4 $142 $14) 20... Qg5+ $6 ( 20... f5 $142 $11) 21. Kb1 f5 {[#]} 22. exf5 $2 {This lets me fork Jun's K & f2P.} (22. Rh4 $142 f4 23. Rdh1 fxg3 24. Rg4 Qf6 25. f3 Qe7 26. Rxg3 $14) 22... Qxf5+ 23. Qd3 $4 {This self-pins the Q &, as a result, hangs the B.} (23. Ka1 $142 Qxf2 24. Rdf1 Qxg3 25. a3 $17) 23... Rxb5 $1 {White resigns. Time left - Tang 29:34, Moldovan 29:19 Estimated time used - Tang 27:21, Moldovan 27:36 Longest thinks - White: 7 minutes for 23...Qd3?? Black: 3 minutes for 7... Ngf6, 8...Nh5 & 14...0-0} 0-1 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.07.06"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Moldovan, John"] [Black "Benitez, Gilberto"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D96"] [WhiteElo "1814"] [BlackElo "1835"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "The Chess Coroner #1237"] [SourceDate "2017.07.08"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.08"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1 G/55+5 (delay) D96 Gruenfeld Defense Russian System (by transposition - 6.Qb3 )} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. d4 d5 5. Bg5 c6 (5... Ne4 $142) ({ or} 5... dxc4) 6. Qb3 $6 {Repeating the mistake I made last week against Al. Tang.} (6. cxd5 cxd5 $140 (6... Nxd5 7. e4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 {(Kaposztas - Kanya : Salgotarjan 1978) is also +/=.}) 7. Qb3 Nc6 8. e3 $14 {(Petrovs - S. Landau : Kemeri 1937) is right.}) 6... dxc4 7. Qxc4 Be6 (7... h6 $142 {Feigins - Flohr : Kemeri 1939}) 8. Qd3 Na6 ({RR} 8... O-O 9. e4 Nbd7 $146 (9... b5 $146 { Moldovan - Fortune : G/5, Summit 2/1/2010} 10. Be2 $14) 10. h3 $14 {Moldovan - Tomkovich : KST 2006.}) (8... h6 $142 $11 {Alburt - Frymer : U.S. Open, Chicago 1989}) 9. e4 h6 {[#]} 10. Be3 $146 (10. Bf4 $142 Qa5 {Toikkanen - Salokangas : Finland 1997} (10... g5 11. Be5 $14 {is no improvement.}) 11. a3 $14 Nb4 $140 $2 12. Qb1 Na6 13. Bd3 $16) 10... O-O $2 (10... Ng4 $142 11. Be2 ( {Not} 11. Bc1 $2 Nb4 12. Qd1 Bxd4 $1 13. Nxd4 (13. Qxd4 $4 Nc2+ $19) 13... Qxd4 $1 14. Qxd4 Nc2+ 15. Kd2 Nxd4 $17) 11... Nxe3 12. fxe3 O-O $11) 11. h3 $1 Qa5 ( 11... c5 $142 12. d5 Nb4 13. Qb1 Nxe4 $5 14. Nxe4 Nxd5) 12. Qd2 Kh7 13. Be2 Nc7 $6 (13... Ne8 $142) 14. g4 $2 (14. O-O $142 $16) 14... Nfe8 15. h4 $5 (15. a3 $142 $14) 15... Nd6 $2 (15... Bxg4 $142 16. Ng5+ hxg5 17. Bxg4 gxh4 18. Rxh4+ Kg8 19. Bh6 Bf6 20. Rh3 Rd8 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Rd3 e5 23. d5 cxd5 24. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 25. Kxd2 Nxd5 26. Rxd5 Rxd5+ 27. exd5 Bg5+ $44) 16. Kf1 $2 (16. h5 $142 $16) 16... Bc4 $2 (16... Nc4 $142 17. Bxc4 Bxc4+ 18. Kg2 Rad8 $15) 17. e5 Bxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Nc8 (18... Ndb5 $142) 19. h5 Qa6 $6 (19... g5 $142 $16) 20. hxg6+ fxg6 { [#]} 21. Qxa6 $18 Nxa6 $2 (21... bxa6 $142 22. Ne4 Nb6 23. Rc1 Rab8 24. Rxc6 Nbd5) 22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Ne6 Re8 24. Nxg7 $2 (24. Bxh6 $142 Bh8 (24... Bxh6 $143 $2 25. Rxh6 Kf7 $2 26. Ng5+) 25. f4 {/\ f5}) 24... Kxg7 25. Bxh6+ Kf7 26. Bg5 Ke6 (26... Nb6 $142) 27. Kg2 Nb4 28. Rh6 Rg8 29. Ne2 (29. f4 $142 Nc2 $140 $2 30. d5+ cxd5 31. Rc1 Ne3+ 32. Kf3 Nc4 33. b3) 29... Kd5 $2 (29... Nd5 $142) 30. Be3 $2 (30. Rh3 $142) 30... Nc2 31. Rc1 Nxe3+ 32. fxe3 Ke4 {[#]} (32... Nb6 $142) 33. Rc3 $2 (33. Rd1 $142 $1 Kxe3 $140 34. Rh3+ Ke4 35. Nc3+ Kf4 36. Rf1+ Kg5 37. Ne4+ Kxg4 38. Rg3+ Kh5 39. Rh1#) 33... Nb6 34. Ng3+ Kd5 35. Rc5+ Ke6 36. Ne4 Rg7 $2 (36... Nd5 $142) 37. Ng5+ $2 (37. Rc2 $142) 37... Kd7 38. e4 e6 39. Nh7 (39. Kg3 $142 $18) 39... Ke7 40. Nf6 $2 (40. Ng5 $142 $18) 40... Nd7 41. Nxd7 Kxd7 42. Rc3 Rf8 $2 (42... Rd8 $142 $16) 43. Rf3 $18 Rxf3 (43... Rc8 $142) 44. Kxf3 b6 (44... a5 $142) 45. b4 Rf7+ (45... a5 $142 46. bxa5 bxa5 47. g5) 46. Ke3 Rg7 (46... g5 $142 47. Rg6 Rf1 48. Rxg5 Re1+) 47. a4 a6 {[#]} ( 47... a5 $142 48. bxa5 bxa5) 48. Rh8 Kc7 (48... Rf7 $142 49. Ra8 Rf1 50. Rxa6 Re1+ 51. Kf4 Rd1 52. Rxb6 Rxd4) 49. Ra8 Kb7 50. Re8 c5 (50... g5 $142) 51. bxc5 bxc5 52. Rxe6 cxd4+ (52... Rc7 $142) 53. Kxd4 Rg8 54. Kd5 g5 (54... Kc7 $142) 55. Rd6 Re8 56. Rg6 $6 (56. e6 $142) 56... Rd8+ 57. Ke6 Rd4 (57... Re8+ $142) 58. Kf5 Rxa4 59. Rxg5 Kc7 (59... Rc4 $142) 60. Kf6 $6 (60. e6 $142 {but I touched the K & had to move it.}) 60... Rxe4 61. e6 $6 (61. Rg7+ $142 Kd8 62. g5) 61... Kd6 62. Ra5 Rxe6+ {[#]} 63. Kf5 $4 {This blunders a half-point away.} (63. Kf7 {would've won.}) 63... Ke7 64. g5 Rb6 65. g6 Kf8 66. Rc5 Rb5 67. Rxb5 axb5 68. Ke5 b4 69. Kd4 b3 70. Kc3 b2 71. Kxb2 Kg7 {Black offers a draw. White accepts. Game drawn by agreement. Time left - Moldovan 2:30, Benitez 1: 53 Estimated time used - Moldovan 58:25, Benitez 59:02 Longest thinks: White - 6 minutes for 15.h4 Black - 8 minutes for 6...dxc4.} 1/2-1/2

#1236 KST - Round 6 Photos

Captions to follow.

#1235 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 6 Results

6th round results, by board number: 

1. Moldovan 1/2-1/2 Benitez
2. J. Tang 0-1 Moldovan
3. Camejo 1-0 Al. Hu
4. Mazzillo 1-0 Ruales
5. Au. Hu 1-0 Vinson
6. Tomkovich 0-1 Kernighan
7. Renna 0-1 Al. Tang
8. Dovydaitis 0-1 Scarola
9. McCorkell 1-0 Vinson

Standings after round 6 of 14:

1. Moldovan 7.0
2. Camejo 5.5
3. Mazzillo 5.0
4. Kernighan 4.5
= 5-6. Au. Hu, Vinson 4.0
7. McAuliffe 3.5
8. Tomkovich 3.0
9. McCorkell 2.5
10. Al. Hu 2.0
= 11-12. Al. Tang, Gottlieb 1.5
= 13-17. Benitez, Pelican, Lowey, Levanda, Scarola 1.0
= 18-19. Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 20-24. Touhey, An. Tang, Renna, J. Tang, Dovydaitis 0.0

Photos and my games will follow.

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

#1234 KST - Round 5 Annotations

Greg Tomkovich's win over Joseph Dovydaitis + my draws vs. Albert Tang & Jack McCorkell:

[Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.29"] [Round "5"] [White "Dovydaitis, Joseph"] [Black "Tomkovich, Greg"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B77"] [BlackElo "1648"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceDate "2017.01.07"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.07"] {G/60 B77 Sicilian Defense Dragon Variation Yugoslav Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {I haven't seen Greg play the Dragon in years. In recent ones he's preferred the Pin Variation.} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 {I don't remember Joseph ever playing a main line, let alone something this razor-sharp. } O-O 8. Qd2 {[#]} Re8 {(?! Goeller, ! Tomkovich) This preserves the Bg7} ({but } 8... Nc6 {does it better as} 9. Nxc6 bxc6 $11 10. Bh6 $6 Bxh6 11. Qxh6 Qa5 { /\ ...d5 favors Black.}) 9. Bc4 (9. O-O-O $142 $16 {as in Camenares - Tomkovich : KST 6/22/2006}) ({or} 9. g4 $16) 9... Nc6 10. Bb3 {White has time for this retreat in the Sozin but here?... I don't know.} (10. O-O-O $142) 10... Bd7 11. Nxc6 {As pointed-out at move 8, this trade usually benefits Black.} (11. O-O-O $142) 11... bxc6 12. O-O-O Qa5 {[#]} 13. Bd4 $146 (13. Bh6 $142 {as played in Margenstern - Lebreton : Clichy 2002 & Benedek - R. Moldovan : Calimanesti 2013. (No. The latter & I are not related.)}) 13... c5 14. Be3 (14. Bxf6 $142 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Qxd2+ 16. Rxd2 Bg7 17. c3 $11) 14... Rec8 15. a3 $2 (15. e5 $142 c4 16. Bxc4 Rxc4 17. exf6 $8 Bxf6 18. Qd5 $8 Bxc3 19. Qxa8+ Kg7 20. Rd3 $8 Qxa2 21. Rxc3 $8 Rxc3 $8 22. Qxa7 Qxa7 23. Bxa7 $11) 15... Rab8 $2 (15... Qa6 $142 $19) 16. Ba2 $2 (16. e5 $142 dxe5 17. Nd5 Qxd2+ 18. Rxd2 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 $17) 16... Rb6 $2 (16... Qb6 $142 17. b3 Qa6 18. Kb2 Ne8 $19) 17. Bf4 $4 (17. e5 $142 $1 {[]} dxe5 18. Ne4 Qxd2+ 19. Rxd2 $44) 17... Rcb8 18. e5 $2 {[#] This allows a decisive attack.} (18. Nd5 $142 Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 Rxb2 21. Rc1 {with just a losing ending.}) 18... Rxb2 $1 19. exf6 {What else?} Rxa2 $1 {Threatening # in 2.} 20. Nb1 {This allows a crowning Q sac but there was no defense.} Qxa3+ $1 21. Nxa3 $8 Ra1+ 22. Nb1 Rbxb1# {White is checkmated. Not a perfect game but still a crowd-pleaser.} ({The winner's scoresheet had the ambiguous 22.RxN mate. So, he may have played} 22... Raxb1# {, instead.}) 0-1 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.29"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Moldovan, John"] [Black "Tang, Albert"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D96"] [WhiteElo "1814"] [BlackElo "1819"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "John Moldovan"] [SourceDate "2017.01.07"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.07"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1 G/55+5 (delay) D96 Gruenfeld Defense Russian System (by transposition - 5.Nc3 )} 1. Nf3 ({In our other games (2014, 2015) I opted for} 1. Nc3) ({&} 1. d4 {which respectively led to an offbeat French & a Rubenstein Nimzo-Indian. }) 1... d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Qb3 {I've played this a lot in the last 5 years: 13 times!} ({So, perhaps a return to the main line} 4. Nc3 {is in order. }) 4... g6 {Instead of inserting 12 game-quotes here (we'll get to them another day), I'll just state that} ({previous opponents answered} 4... dxc4 { 6x}) (4... e6 {2x}) (4... Qc7 {2x}) (4... Qb6 {1x}) ({&} 4... Nbd7 {1x}) 5. Nc3 ({Premature is} 5. cxd5 Qxd5 $11 {Gausel - Renet : European Team Championship, Debrecen 1992}) 5... Bg7 $6 {[#]} (5... Qb6 $142 $11 {W. Schmidt - Sygulski : Polish Championshyp, Piotrkow Trybunalski 1983}) 6. Bg5 $2 (6. cxd5 $142 $1 cxd5 ({or} 6... Nxd5 7. e4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 {Rosetto - Kashdan : Hollywood, CA 1945 }) 7. Bg5 {(Dus Chotimirsky - Schlechter : Karlsbad 1911) which I noted nearly 11 years ago but did not commit to memory!}) 6... e6 $2 (6... dxc4 $142 { as played by Tomkovich in 2006.}) 7. e3 (7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 $14 h6 $140 $2 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 {B.H. Wood - Zita : Buenos Aires (ol) 1939} 11. g3 $16 {was a good alternative.}) 7... O-O 8. h4 (8. Be2 $142 $14 {B. Vladimirov - Seleznev : Perm 1960}) 8... Nbd7 $146 ({Previously seen here were:} 8... h6 9. Bf4 (9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. h5 g5 11. O-O-O $11 {Jacq - Carral : Nancy 2013}) 9... Nbd7 10. Bd6 Re8 $11 {S. Hess - Nickel : Hanau 2011}) ({&} 8... Qb6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. cxd5 Qxb3 11. Nxb3 exd5 $11 {Rombaldoni - Luciani : Montebelluna 2007}) 9. h5 Re8 10. hxg6 hxg6 11. Bd3 $5 ({Better & simpler was} 11. O-O-O) 11... Qb6 { [#]} 12. Qxb6 (12. Qc2 $142 $1 {/\ Bxg6} e5 13. Bxf6 $1 ({I only considered} 13. Bxg6 $4 fxg6 $19 14. Qxg6 $2) 13... Bxf6 (13... e4 $4 14. Bxg7 exd3 15. Qd2 $1 Kxg7 16. e4 $3 dxe4 17. Qh6+ $18 Kf6 18. Qg5+ Kg7 19. O-O-O $3 exf3 20. Qh6+ Kf6 21. Qh4+ Kg7 22. Qh7+ $18) 14. Bxg6 $1 e4 (14... fxg6 $4 15. Qxg6+ $18 Kf8 (15... Bg7 $143 16. Ng5 {& White mates in 2.}) 16. Ng5 $1 $18 {->}) 15. Bh7+ Kg7 16. O-O-O Nf8 (16... exf3 $143 $2 17. gxf3 $16) 17. Bxe4 $1 dxe4 18. Nd2 $14) 12... Nxb6 $6 (12... axb6 $142 $11) 13. Ne5 Nfd7 14. Nxd7 (14. f4 dxc4 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Bxc4 {is also +/=.}) 14... Nxd7 15. Kd2 (15. cxd5 $142 exd5 16. Kd2 $14) 15... dxc4 16. Bxc4 e5 17. d5 Nb6 $6 (17... e4 $142 18. d6 b5 19. Bb3 a5 $11) 18. Bb3 cxd5 {[#]} 19. Nxd5 $2 (19. e4 $142 $1 $14 dxe4 $140 $2 (19... d4 $143 20. Nb5) 20. Nxe4 $16) 19... Nxd5 20. Bxd5 Rb8 $2 (20... e4 $142 21. Bc4 Be6 $15) 21. e4 Be6 22. Bxe6 Rxe6 23. Rac1 f6 (23... Ra6 $142 24. a3 b5 $11 ) 24. Be3 Rd8+ 25. Ke2 a6 $2 {[#]} (25... Red6 $142 $14) 26. Rc7 b5 27. Rhc1 Red6 (27... Rde8 $142) 28. Rb7 R8d7 (28... Bf8 $142) 29. Rcc7 $2 (29. Rxd7 $142 Rxd7 30. Rc6) 29... Rxc7 30. Rxc7 f5 31. f3 fxe4 32. fxe4 Bf6 (32... Rf6 $142) 33. Bc5 Re6 34. Rd7 $2 (34. b3 $142 $16) 34... Rc6 35. b4 Bg5 36. Kd3 (36. Kf3 $142 Bc1 37. g3) 36... Bc1 37. Rd6 {White offers a draw. Black accepts. Game drawn by agreement. Time left - Moldovan 22:12, Tang 18:55 Estimated time used - Moldovan 35:53, Tang 39:10 Longest thinks: White - 8 minutes for 12. Qxb6 Black - 4 minutes for 37...1/2-1/2 & 3 minutes for 18....cxd5.} ({After} 37. Rd6 Rxd6+ 38. Bxd6 {there's little play left. For example:} Bb2 39. Ke2 Kf7 40. Kf3 Ke6 41. Bc5 Bc3 42. Kg4 Bd2 43. Kf3 a5 44. bxa5 Bxa5 $11) (37. Kc2 $142 Be3 38. Rd5 $14 Bxc5 $140 $4 39. bxc5 $8 $18) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Kenilworth Summer Tournament"] [Site "Kenilworth, NJ"] [Date "2017.06.29"] [Round "5.2"] [White "McCorkell, Jack"] [Black "Moldovan, John"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B10"] [WhiteElo "1545"] [BlackElo "1814"] [Annotator "Moldovan,John"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2017.06.01"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source "John Moldovan"] [SourceDate "2017.01.07"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.07"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Board 1 G/55+5 (delay) B10 Caro-Kann Defense Closed System (by transposition - 7...c6)} 1. e4 g6 {I've had 6 Blacks in this event & started this way every time. Am I going to the well too often?} 2. Nf3 Bg7 {Varying from last week's} (2... c6) 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 Nd7 {Jack seemed surpised by this.} ({Perhaps he expected me to go into a Sicilian via} 4... c5 {&, after} 5. O-O Nc6 6. d3 { , transpose into our (skittles simul) game of 2/11/2016 with} e6 (6... e5 $1) 7. Re1 Nge7 {. See also my 2006 loss to Potts &amp 2014 ICCF win over Saxena.}) 5. O-O ({The ending resulting from} 5. d4 e5 6. dxe5 Nxe5 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {(Zabystrzan - Macicek : Czechia 2007) brings White no advantage. For example:} 9. Nc3 c6 10. Bg5+ Kc7 11. O-O-O Bh6 $11) 5... Ngf6 6. d3 (6. Nc3 O-O (6... c5 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 O-O {is an unusual Dragon.}) 7. d4 e5 {makes a Pirc.}) 6... O-O 7. Nbd2 c6 (7... c5 {(A05 Reti)} 8. Re1 b6 $5 {Cucancic - Doric : Rijeka 2014} 9. e5 $140 $146 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Bxa8 $2 (11. Rxe5 $142 Rb8 $11) 11... Nd5 $1 $15 {, threat: 12...Bg4, was playable.}) ({Likewise} 7... b6 $5 8. e5 dxe5 9. Nd4 (9. Nxe5 $2 Nxe5 10. Bxa8 Bg4 11. f3 Bh3 $15) 9... exd4 10. Bxa8 Nc5 $44) 8. Re1 ({RR} 8. Rb1 Qc7 9. b3 a5 $146 10. a4 e5 11. Ba3 b5 12. axb5 cxb5 $11 { Williams - Moldovan : March G/90, Rahway 3/12/2014}) (8. a4 {(by transposition) } a5 9. Re1 Qc7 10. c3 e5 11. Qc2 b6 $146 12. Nf1 Ba6 13. b4 Rfe8 14. h3 d5 $11 {J. West - Moldovan : Thomas Elberling Memorial, Rahway 12/20/2014}) 8... Qc7 9. Nf1 b6 {[#]} ({For} 9... e5 {see my 2009 win over Sturniolo.}) (9... a5 10. c3 b5 {(Rubio - Valero : Malaga 2001), /\ ..a5 + ...b4, also looks good.}) 10. c3 $146 (10. Rb1 e5 11. b4 c5 12. c3 Bb7 13. Ne3 Rfe8 14. a3 $11 {was played in Gehlen - Weidinger : Hoeheinoed 2008.}) 10... e5 11. Ne3 a5 {This is okay but ...d5, here or on the next 2 turns, was more thematic.} 12. Rb1 Ba6 13. b3 Nc5 14. c4 {Now my ...Ba6 bites on granite.} Ne6 15. Bb2 Nd7 ({>= the mundane, symmetrical} 15... c5 { trading the d5 square for d4} 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Nd4) 16. Qe2 {[#]} (16. d4 $142 {with a K's Indian-type position.}) 16... f5 $4 {My pieces are poorly placed to support this.} (16... b5 $11 {was the right way to chip at White's center.}) 17. exf5 gxf5 18. Rec1 $4 (18. Bh3 $142 $18) 18... Rae8 $6 (18... f4 $142 19. Bh3 Rae8 20. Nf5 Bb7 $11) 19. Qd1 $2 (19. Nh4 $142 $14) 19... f4 20. Nc2 Bc8 21. Qe1 $2 (21. Nh4 $142 $15) (21. Qd2) ({or} 21. b4) 21... Ndc5 22. Rd1 {[#]} Nd4 $2 (22... Nxd3 $142 $1 23. Rxd3 e4 $17) 23. Ncxd4 exd4 24. Qd2 fxg3 (24... Bg4 $142 25. Nxd4 Bxd1 26. Rxd1 Ne6) 25. fxg3 Bg4 (25... Bf5 26. Bxd4 Nxd3 { was simpler.}) 26. Rf1 {[#]} Ne6 $2 (26... Bxf3 $142 $1 {Addressing the d4 problem.} 27. Bxf3 ({or} 27. Rxf3 Rxf3 28. Bxf3 Re3) 27... Re3 $11) 27. Ng5 $1 Nxg5 $2 (27... Nc5 $142 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Re1 Qd7 30. Ne4 Bf5 $14) 28. Qxg5 { With the double attack on g4 & d4, I have no time for ...c5 & must lose a P.} Be2 $2 (28... Rxf1+ $142 29. Bxf1 Qd7) 29. Rxf8+ Rxf8 $2 (29... Kxf8 $142 $16) 30. Bxd4 $2 (30. Re1 $142 $18) 30... Bxd3 31. Bxg7 $6 (31. Re1 $142) 31... Qxg7 $2 (31... Bxb1 $142 32. Bxf8+ Kxf8 $16) 32. Qxg7+ Kxg7 33. Rd1 $18 Be2 $2 ( 33... Bf5 $142 34. Bxc6 Rf6) 34. Rxd6 {& here Jack offered a draw-gift, which I duly accepted. Time left - McCorkell 21:44, Moldovan 31:35 Estimated time used - McCorkell 36:06, Moldovan 26:15 Longest thinks: White - 6 minutes for 21.Qe1? Black - 4 minutes for 26...Ne6?} ({After} 34. Rxd6 b5 35. Rd7+ Kg8 36. Bxc6 bxc4 37. Bd5+ Kh8 38. Re7 Bd3 39. bxc4 $18 {Black is 2 Ps down for no compensation.}) 1/2-1/2

#1233 KST - Round 5 Photos

 

Robert Vinson vs. Jun Tang.

Joe Scarola vs. Audrey Hu.

Pat Mazzillo vs. Mauricio Camejo.

Albert Tang (top left) watches Alex Hu vs. Mark Kernighan (green shirt) and Joseph Dovydaitis (white shirt) vs. Greg Tomkovich while Anthony Tang (top right) plays on chess.com.

#1232 Kenilworth Summer Tournament - Round 5 Results

5th round results, by board number:

1. Moldovan 1/2-1/2 Al. Tang
2. Mazzillo 0-1 Camejo
3. Al. Hu 1/2-1/2 Kernighan
4. Vinson 1-0 J. Tang
5. Ruales 1-0 McAuliffe
6. Dovydaitis 0-1 Tomkovich
7. Scarola 0-1 Au. Hu
8. Lowey 0-1 Camejo
9. McCorkell 1/2-1/2 Moldovan

Standings after round 5 of 14:

1. Moldovan 5.5
2. Camejo 4.5
= 3-4. Mazzillo, Vinson 4.0
= 5-6. Kernighan, McAuliffe 3.5
= 7-8. Au. Hu, Tomkovich 3.0
9. Al. Hu 2.0
= 10-11. Gottlieb, McCorkell 1.5
= 12-14. Pelican, Lowey, Levanda 1.0
= 15-18. Benitez, Al. Tang, Constantino, Ruales 0.5
= 19-24. Touhey, An. Tang, Renna, J. Tang, Dovydaitis, Scarola 0.0

Photos & 3 games will follow.

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