Time for props on another successful season for the Blitz… and first on the list is “Fearless Leader” aka. Matt Phelps… who fielded Boston’s strongest lineup in the last match of the year, even though this was not a critical match for us, resulting in a 3½-½  win over Queens, thus, allowing Carolina to sneak in as Eastern champs.  I’m sure Matt got some kind of kick-back from the Cobras for this… and he deserves it.  Matt does an enormous amount of work to setup and organize each match… he gives up his weekly chess club night at MCC… and usually gets rewarded with unfounded criticism and insane penalties when he forgets to do something… really a thankless job… except that he knows that all the players know and appreciate his efforts.

Next on my list is Chris Bird, who has done more to publicize and popularize the Blitz matches than anyone.  He puts in incredible amounts of time creating, maintaining, and writing for the Blitz website.  He even had live webcam coverage of the match and live games on the site for a while, until, disappointingly, for some of us, he just couldn’t continue this practice… due in no way to his unwillingness to do so.  Well, I’m told the webcam may be back for LIVE analysis of ongoing playoff games by Chris and guest analysts… if he can get set up in a secondary room so as not to disturb the players.  Keep your eyes on the Blitz page for confirmation… just another example of the insane amount of work this guy puts in for the team.

Thanks, also, to Philip Nutzman, who assists Matt with the setup and makes the random first move for board two.  He somehow fits time into his busy schedule to help out the team.

There seems to be no end to behind the scenes work.  There is the blogger group… Chris, Me and Ilya… Matt chimes in when he has time.

And last, but not least, the players who put an enourmous amount of prep time into their games and produce some gems for us patzers to enjoy.  But, hopefully, they will gather their thanks at the end in the form of championship glory… we’ll see.

Now, on to the games… as first to finish, GM Larry Christiansen, seems to be rounding into form at just the right time as evidenced by this fine attacking game against Queen’s IM Dmitry Schneider.

GM Larry Christiansen (BOS)  vs.  IM Dmitry Schneider (QNS)  –  Board 1

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. g3 d5 8.Bg2 Bxd4 9. cxd4 dxe4 10. Nc3 O-O 11. O-O Nf5

A relatively unknown move.

11… Rd8 trying to restrain the isolated pawn seems equal.  The game move is much more aggressive and threatens to win the d-pawn or gain back the two Bishops… for example,  12.d5 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Ne5 14.Qd4… and White is better due to Black’s lack of space and slightly awkward piece placement.

12. d5 Nce7 13. Bf4…

Also strong is 13.Bc5 Rd8 14.Bxe4 Nd6 15.Qf3!… When the exchange of Queens leads to an advantageous endgame for White and 15… Nxe4 16.Qxf6 Nxf6 17.Bxe7… is winning for White.

13… Nd6 14. Nxe4 Qg6?!

This move leads to trouble.

14… Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Bf5 16.Bg2 c6! (16.d6 Ng3 and Black should equalize) 17.dxc Nxc6 seems equal although White has the two Bishops and Queenside pressure.  The game move gives White a very strong initiative that is very close to winning.

15.Nxd6… Fritz gives 15.Re1!…  as winning outright here.  For example, 15… Nf5 16.Qc1… and the c-pawn falls.  Or, 15… Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Qb6 16.Qc2… and the c-pawn is toast.  Larry’s move also keeps a large advantage but allows Black the barely holding… 15… cxd 16.Re1 Qf6 and Black’s Knight is defended and may escape to g6.  Larry keeps up the pressure…

17.Qd2 h6?! 17… Ng6 was better… maybe the Knight can reach e5… yet,  Black is suffering terribly with little hope of counterplay.

18.Qb4 … dominating the queenside.  18… Rd8 19.Bd2!… now switching to a Kingside attack.  Black cannot defend all the threats.

19… Ng6 20. Bc3 Qg5 21. Re3 Qg4 22. f4 Qh5 23. Rae1 Bh3

All moves are losing here.

White has a wide choice of winning moves.  Of course he can take the b7 pawn… 24.Bxh3 Qxb7… but, Larry is too creative to do that…

24. Bh1 Qg4 25. Bf3 Qd7 26. Qd4 f6 27. Bh5 Nf8 Bad, but 28.Kh7 Bxg6 29.f5+… will win the Bishop and keep the attack. 29… Qxf5 30.g4 Bxg4 31.Rg3 h5 32.h3… etc…

28. Re7 Qf5

Who was it that said of Alekhine… “I could play combinations like that… If only I could reach such positions.”

For those playing along at home… cover the score and try to guess White’s next move.  I must admit, I didn’t see it during the game.

29.Rxg7+!!

Wow!  Just a beautiful combination that magically appears…  that is, if you are a world class magician.

29. Rxg7+ Kxg7 30. Re7+ Kg8 31. Bf7+ Kh8 32. Qxf6+ Qxf6 33. Bxf6+ Kh7 34. Bh5+ 1-0

Even the final position had some audience members asking… “Why did he resign?”  Well, since one of the Game of The Week guys thought that Black’s not allowing a finish hurt this game in the voting… let me be the first to finish this gem…

Fritz gives …

34…Kg8 35. Rg7+ Kh8 36. Rxb7+ Kg8 37. Rg7+ Kh8 38. Rxa7+ Kg8 39. Rg7+ Kh8 40. Re7+ Kg8 41. Bf7+ Kh7 42. Be8+ Kg8 43. Rg7+ Kh8 44. Bf7…

I just had to show this pretty ending…

White has won several pawns and threatens mate. Thus the Rooks are traded and there is no counterplay.

45… Nd7 45. Rg8+ (double check winning a Rook) Kh7 46. Rxd8 Rxd8 47. Bxd8 Nc5

Four pawns and two Bishops is enough…

Great game… and my Game of the Match.  Boston (1-0)

Next to finish was the grudge game of the Match…

SM Marc Esserman (BOS)  vs.  IM Alex Lenderman (QNS)  –  Board 3

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c4…

I must say that I see nothing advantageous in this variation for White.  The few games where Grandmasters have played this show no advantage from the opening.  It’s only attribute seems to be surprise… and the fact that both players are on their own.

4… Nc6 5. dxc5 d4 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O Bxc5 9. Re1 Nge7 10. Bf4?!…

This move hands a large advantage to Black.  10.a3… seems equal.

White has played a careless move and now he pays the price…

10… Qb6! 11. Bf1?… After this White is lost.  11.Ng5 Bf5 12.Bh5 O-O 13.b3… seems to minimize the damage and White is struggling but in the game.

11… Ng6 12. Bg3 Bxf3 13. gxf3…

Ugly, but White did not like 13.Qxf3 Qxb2 14.Qb3 Qxa1 15.Qxb7 O-O 16.Qxc6… and Black has the exchange and a better game.

This is an remarkably bad position for White after only 13 moves in a Caro Kahn… Yet, incredibly, Marc makes slow progress and even drums up winning chances…

13… h5 14. h4 Be7?

With this move Black backs down… winning was the fearless, computer-like variation…

14…Qxb2 15.Nd2 Bb4 16.Ne4 Bxe1 17.Rb1 Qxa2 18.Nd6+ Kf8 19.Qxe1 Ngxe5 20.Qe4 Rh6 21.Rxb7 f5

Who but a computer would walk into this line.

22.Nxf5 exf5 23.Qxf5+ Kg8 24.Bxe5 Nxe5 25.Qxe5 Rg6+ 26.Bg2 Qxc4 27.Rc7 Qe6 28.Rxg7+ Kh8 29.Qxe6 Rxe6 30.Rd7 a5

And Black has consolidated with a win.  I can’t say I blame IM Lenderman for rejecting this… as one mis-step would be the end for Black.

After the game move, Black maintains a nice advantage… but, he has work to do.

15. Bd3 Nxh4 16. Nd2 Kf8?

This is the lemon… giving White equality.  Better was 16…O-O-O or even 16…g5.

17. Rc1 g6 18. c5 Qd8 19. Ne4…

White has been psychologically toying with Black… once he recognized Black’s reluctance to take the b2 pawn, he used this to play moves that simply dare him to take it or get an inferior position.  White now has the upper hand.

Miraculously, White is now better.

19… Nf5 20. Bh2 Nb4 21. Nd6?!…

This is equal.  Saving the Bishop from exchange, 21.Bc4…, kept the advantage as the wayward Knight must eventually retreat back to c6 as d5 is not the place to allow it to be traded.

21… Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Qc7 23. Qe4 Rb8 24. Red1 Rg8 25. c6?!…

Giving Black the advantage.  25.b4… kept White in the driver’s seat.

Frankly, after 25.b4… White’s threats to advance on the queenside seem unstoppable. The game move was probably spurred by time pressure.

25… bxc6 26. Rxc6 Qd7 27. Rdc1 Bd8?!

27…Rxb2 was the move and Black is better since after 28.Rc7 Qa4 White cannot take the Knight on f5.  Black is safe, up two pawns, and threatening another.

28. b3 Kg7 29. Kh1 Ne7?

White, with less than a minute left,  now misses the shot… 30.Qxd4 and the Rook is immune due to 31.Nf5+… winning the Queen on d7.  To give proper credit… this was spotted by Chris Bird during the game.

30. R6c4 Bb6 31. Bf4 Nd5 32. Bg5 Kh7 33. Qh4 f5 34. Kg2 ½-½ draw agreed.

White seems slightly better in this final position.  But, there is really no danger for Black.

With innocuous moves, such as, 34…  Qg7  Black can defend and hope for a White blunder in time pressure.  Black had roughly 20 minutes to White’s 2.  Why not play on since a win might give his team first place in the division?

The answer… the MVP award.  By not risking a loss, IM Lenderman all but locks up the award.  So, it seems that if GM Perelshteyn would have accepted a draw on second board, in a winning position, he probably would have been suspended for allowing Queens to win the division and giving Boston a supposedly easier opponent in the first playoff round.  But, if IM lenderman gives a draw and thereby lets his team finish second, assuring himself an MVP prize and his team a rematch with Boston… well, that’s just fine.  Where are these ethical league officials when you need them…

Regardless, the game is indeed a draw… if we ignore outside factors. Boston (1.5-0.5)

Benjamin Katz (QNS)  vs.  NM Ilya Krasik (BOS)  –  Board 4

Next to finish was Boston superstar fourth board Ilya Krasik… I won’t review this game, since Ilya has done so… but, I would point to a beautiful drawing position…

White is a piece down and still may draw with proper play.

27… Bh3 28. Nxg6 hxg6 29. Qxe5+ Kh6? This allows a draw with 30.Rf4 Rxf4 31.Qxf4+ as Ilya pointed out in his analysis… but even with best play 29… Kg8 30. Qg5 Qa6 31. Rxf8+ Rxf8 32. Rxf8+ Kxf8 33. Qh6+ Kg8 34. Qxh3… is a Queen ending that is darn near impossible to win…

A wonderful effort by Katz… too bad he didn’t follow through properly.
Boston (2.5-0.5)

IM Eli Vovsha  vs.  GM Eugene Perelshteyn  –  Board 2

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 d6

In his book, Chess Openings for Black, Explained, GM Perelshteyn recommends 6…d6 instead of the games 6… Nxd4.  He told me after the game that he played this order to avoid 6…d6 7.Nc2… a line that he also looks at in depth in his book.  Just a tip to keep in mind, if you don’t like this line.

8. Bg5 Bg7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Bd3 Be6 11. O-O Nd7 12. Rac1 a5 13. b3 Nc5 14. Bb1 Re8 15. Be3 Bd7 16. f4 Bc6 17. f5 e6!

Eugene told me after the game that White’s 17.f5… only helps Black with his counterplay begun by 17…e6  This shows the difference in GM thinking and computer thinking… as Fritz likes White here by about +80 after 18.Rcd1…  The game tends to back GM Perelshteyn’s assessment.

18… Bxd4+ 19. Qxd4 exf5 20. exf5 Qg5 21. Rc2 Qe3+ 22. Qxe3 Rxe3 23. Nd1…

Fritz rates the position equal… Yet, Eugene proceeds to show that his judgement was correct.

White is just a little passive.

23… Re5 24. Nc3 gxf5 25. Rcf2 Ne4 26. Nxe4 fxe4 27. Rxf7 Rae8 28. Rc7 Rg5 29. g3…

Eugene’s patient style sometimes amazes me…  Fritz now gives Black a slight (-.40) advantage… but, I’m sure Eugene thought Black was much better.

How to make progress… 29… h5 I think I see a pattern here… in Rook and minor piece endgames, GM Perelshteyn likes to push h-pawns.

30. Kf2 h4 31. Rg1 h3 32. Bc2 Rf5+ 33. Ke1?…

According to Fritz, this is the klunker.

White had to play 33.Ke2 Ref8 34.Ke3… to fight on.  Now, Eugene doesn’t miss a trick.

33… Ref8 34. Bd1 Rf2 35. Be2 Rxh2 36. Rf1 e3 37. Bg4 Rxf1+ 38. Kxf1 Rf2+ 0-1

A very nice positional win…  This type of game never gets considered for Game of the Week.  I believe that it deserved consideration… but, since we often see slightly better moves for the losing side… we tend to think that White only blundered the game… that he could have drawn.  But, it seems to me, he never had a chance.
Boston (3.5-0.5)

Well, it’s Queens again… this time in the playoffs… and this time they have draw odds…  I only hope that Fearless Leader has a good plan in mind… I’m sure he does… Of course, he never gets Moose and Squirrel… but, he seems to be good at chess matches…. Really… who needs Moose and Squirrel anyway… this is chess… we’ll take Queens.