This was a night that didn’t count… didn’t count unless you considered pride and rivalry, and, yes, a slight bit of hatred… for the NY symbol of course… not personal at all. The team could never relax and just play chess… not against NY. So, again the tension was palpable… the audience, the standard crew, true and loyal Bostonites… here to watch the demise of the enemy from that city where they talk even funnier that we do. No, there was no let up in this match… on either side. In the analysis room, Ilya was pounding his fist on the table with every bad move his teammates made… and, for that matter, every good one. It’s a strange thing this rivalry… Boston and New York… kind of like Superman and Lex Luther… surely, the bad guys can’t win… not ever.

Our first game to finish, seemed to promote this thought… as Super Vadim walked through his opponents hail of bullets… without even working up a sweat.


NM Evan Rosenberg (NY) vs. NM Vadim Matirisov (BOS)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Bf5 7.a3…

Not a good novelty, better is… 7.Nge2 0–0 8.Ng3 Be6

7…c6 8.Nf3 0–0 9.Qb3 Qb6 10.Qxb6 axb6 11.Be2 Nbd7 12.h3 b5 13.0–0 Nb6 14.Ne5 Ne4 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Rfc1?…

Black is already better, but this move loses a piece. White should try… 16.f3 f6 17.Ng4 Nd5 18.Nf2 Nxf4 19.exf4 exf3 20.Bxf3 Rfd8 with a bad, but playable game.

16…f6

We all saw this one… could it be so easy?

17.Ng4…

Fritz gives the best way to lose the piece as 17.Nxc6 bxc6 18.Rxc6 Nd5 19.Bd6 Bd7 20.Rc5 Bxd6 21.Rxd5 Ra6 22.Bxb5 Bxb5 23.Rxb5 Rc8 with three pawns for the piece and, who knows, some chances (=/+0.65). But, my money is on Black. After the game move, things are rather easy… tricky… but, easy.

17…h5 18.Nxf6+ gxf6 19.Bxh5 Nd5 20.Bg3 Rfd8 21.Bd1 Bd6 22.Bxd6 Rxd6 23.g4 Bg6 24.Bb3 Kg7 25.Kg2 f5 26.g5 f4 27.Bxd5 Rxd5 28.h4 Rh8 29.Rh1 Bh5 30.Rh2 Bf3+ 31.Kg1 Kg6 32.b4 Kf5 White resigns 0–1

Boston (1 – 0)

We were on our way as Anya seemed, as always, in control. But, her tricky opponent turned the tables… and actually seemed better at the end… although it was opposite color Bishops. As it turns out, he should have kept playing.

WGM Anya Corke (BOS) vs. NM Yaacov Norowitz (NY)

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Qd2 e5 7.Nd5…

My database gives 7.Nf3 c6 8.Be2 Be7 9.0–0 0–0 10.Nd1 exd4 11.Nxd4 Re8 12.f4…
But I like Anya’s move better, as it maintains a pawn center.

7…Qd8 8.c3 g6 9.Bd3 Bg7 10.Ne2 0–0 11.0–0 c6 12.Ne3 d5

This gives White a big advantage. Better is 12…exd4 13.cxd4… and White has a smaller edge.

13.exd5 exd4 14.Nxd4 cxd5 15.Bb5 Qd6 16.Ne2 [16.Nf3 Rd8 17.Rfd1 Be6 18.Bc4] 16…Be6 17.Rad1 Rd8

18.Ba4…

Anya told me after the game that 18. Bc4… did not work because of 18… Be5
However, some quick analysis with Fritz shows that 19.Nxd5 Bxh2+ 20.Kh1 Be5 21.Qxh6… gives White a winning game. However, Fritz also suggests as best….18.Bc4 Nc6 19.Bxd5 Ne7 20.c4 Nxd5 21.cxd5 Rac8 22.Qa5 Bd7 with the two bishops as compensation for the lost pawn.

After the game move, Black eliminates the isolated pawn and the game moves to a draw.

18…Nc6 19.Nc2 d4 20.Ncxd4 Bc4 21.Rfe1 Bxe2 22.Qxe2 Nxd4 23.cxd4 Bxd4 24.Bb5 Qb6 25.Bc4 Rd7 26.Kh1 Rad8 27.Rd2 Kg7 28.Red1 Qf6 29.h3 a6 30.Rd3… Game drawn by mutual agreement ½–½

Black is better… but the opposite color Bishops make it a likely draw. Another solid performance from Anya.

Boston (1.5 – 0.5)

All seemed right in Mudville… until Boston’s Superstar first board went down swinging.

SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS) vs. GM Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY)

1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 e6 6.Bg5 Bb4 7.e4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qa5 9.Bxf6…

Jorge’s home analysis, perhaps better is
9.e5 Ne4 B/0 0 10.Bd2 Qd5 and White has compensation for the pawn.

9…Qxc3+ 10.Nd2 gxf6 11.Bxc4 Qxd4 12.0–0 Nd7 13.Qe2 Ne5 14.Kh1 h5 15.f4 Ng4 16.Ra3 Bd7 17.Rd3 Qc5 18.e5 f5 19.Ba2 0–0–0 20.Nc4 Kb8 21.Nd6 Bc8

Jorge has battled back and Fritz now considers the game equal… meaning White’s attack is worth two pawns… which means, at least to me, that Jorge should win this.

22.Qb2…

Fritz like 22.h3… not to take the Knight, as it is immune right now, but to give White’s King a place to go in some lines… and also, to tie Black’s Queen to the g1-a7 diagonal, or Black may indeed lose his Knight. One example…

22.h3 f6 23.Nxc8 Rxd3 24.Qxd3 Kxc8 25.Bxe6+ Kb8 26.Qd6+ Qxd6 27.exd6… =

22…b6 23.Qd2?…

Probably the losing move.
Better was 23.Rd4 Ba6 24.Rc1 Nf2+ 25.Kg1 Nd3 26.Rxc5 Nxb2 27.Rxc6… (+/- 0.95)

23…f6 24.Rc3 Qb4 25.Qc2…

There are just no good moves from here… 25.Rb1 Qxa4 26.Rc4 Qa6 27.Qb2 fxe5 28.fxe5 Qa5 gives Black a winning advantage.

25…Ba6 26.Bc4 Bxc4 27.Rxc4 Ne3 28.Rxb4 Nxc2 29.Rb2 Rxd6 30.exd6 Nd4 31.a5 31…Kb7 32.axb6 axb6 33.Rfb1 b5 34.Rd1 c5 35.Ra2 Rd8 36.Rc1 Kb6 37.Rca1 c4 White resigns 0–1

Boston (1.5 – 1.5)

Well, Jorge did prove that this wild variation is playable… but practical is another matter. It puts the pressure on White to find the perfect moves right from the beginning. Meanwhile, we all thought Denys was lost… and, of course, this meant he would surely win.

IM Irina Krush (NY) vs. SM Denys Shmelov (BOS)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Bd3 Bb7 6.Nf3 0–0 7.0–0 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5 Bd6 10.f4 c5 11.Qf3 Nc6 12.Qh3 g6 13.Bd2 cxd4 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.exd4 Ne4 16.Bxe4 dxe4 17.f5 Re8

Would you believe? 17…Bc5 18.Be3 (18.dxc5 Qxd2 19.Rad1=) 18…Bxd4 19.Rad1 Bxe3+ 20.Qxe3 Qf6 +/= White has a slight advantage.

18.Bh6 Bf8 19.d5 Bd7 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.Nxe4 Bxf5 22.Rxf5 gxf5 23.Qxf5 f6 24.Rf1 Qe7 25.d6 Qf7 26.Nxf6+ Kh8 27.Qe5 Qg7 28.d7 Rad8 29.h4 Rf7

30.Rf4?…

White is winning after 30.Rf3 [or 30.Rf2…] h6 31.Kh2 Re7 32.Qd6 Rexd7 (32…Rf7 33.Ne8) 33.Nxd7 Rxd7 34.Qc6 Qe5+ (34…Rd2 35.Rg3) 35.Rg3 Rg7 36.Qxh6+ Kg8 37.Qxg7+ Qxg7 38.Rxg7+ Kxg7

After the game move, White is losing.

30…Rdxd7 31.Rf5 Rde7 32.Qf4 Re6 33.Nh5 Rxf5 34.Qxf5 Qd4+ 35.Kf1 Qd1+ 36.Kf2 Qe1+ 37.Kf3 White resigns 0–1

Denys is definitely the best squirmer on the Boston team. Give him a bad position and he will definitely make the most of it.

Boston (2.5 – 1.5)

Not bad for a meaningless match… if you take out the grudge factor. But, in reality, it just doesn’t matter… why can’t we just forget about who we are playing and simply play chess… is that too much to ask?

Looking forward… Boston meets this same team in round one of the playoffs… Of course, the rosters for both teams will be different… but, the X factor will still be there… Could the bad guys win?… Never!