Season Ending Thoughts

November 1st, 2007 Mark La Rocca

Who was it that said…”all good things must come to an end, Susan.” No offense to New Yorkers intended. But, that’s pretty much how I feel. Of course, we still have the playoffs… but, playoffs, though exciting, are not a good measure… they don’t really show the heart of a team… and that’s what I enjoyed most about this long, tough, stress filled season… watching the forging of a champion.

I also need to work in some talk of this weeks games… so, let’s start with this week’s first to finish and team “rock”, GM Larry Christiansen playing White against GM Sergey Kudrin.

Larry’s season was “rock” solid (5 – 3) with 2 wins and 2 draws as White and 4 draws as Black. This type of team anchor is a must on first board since the competition can be overwhelmingly strong. His calm approach to some difficult games seemed to steady the team letting others play more confidently knowing that first board was taken care of. When you look for team MVPs, many will look past Boston’s board one… but, not me… hands down, you give it to the QB. Great season Larry.

Larry’s game this week was a positional struggle where White pressed without risking too much. It started as an English and quickly transposed to the Maroczy Bind you see below.


Position after 8.Be2

GM Kudrin handled things well with 8…d5 gaining an equal game, leading to a rather simple, for GMs, endgame… although I must admit I was thinking that Larry had some problems due to Black’s rook on the 7th… but, that’s just my lower rated trust in Nimzowitch showing.


Position after 18…Qa5

It all looks so easy once you see the idea. Larry played 19.Bf3… and, of course, Black can’t take the pawn due to the Bc5 fork. GM Kudrin continued 19…Be6 and actually gained a better, although un-winnable, B + R vs B + R endgame. Draw agreed on move 32. Boston (0.5 – 0.5)

The second to finish was NM Chris Williams playing Black against NM Daniel Yeager and true to form Chris gave Boston draw odds once again.

You talk about a great season… Chris had one… although he might tell you that he was disappointed with his two losses. I’m sure his teammates certainly appreciate his efforts (5 – 2) with a sizzling four straight wins out of the gate that pushed Boston to the division lead… 3 wins and one loss as White and 2 wins and one loss as Black… He certainly deserves consideration for the league all-star team.

He capped off the season with a neat Semi-Slav featuring an early and equalizing 9…e5! When I saw this move, I felt pretty good about Chris’s winning chances as Black’s pieces are coming to life… and more importantly… pointing toward White’s King.


Position after 9…e5

And after 10.Rd1 Qe7 11.Bb3 e4 12.Ng5 Bxh2+ 13.Ng5 Ng4+ 14.Kg1 Qxg5 15.Qxe4… the game was afoot… with Black clustering around White’s King and White making due with more central space. Take a look…


Position after 17.e4

Here Fritz likes 17… Qh2+ 18.Kf1 b6! Why? Because, after the plausible, 19.Bc4 b5 20.Bd3 b4 21.Nb1… Black has the fantastic 21… Ne5 22.dxe5 Bg5 23.exf6 Qh1+ 24.Ke2 Qxg2 25.Nd2… and Black will have Queen + 2 pawns and the attack against three minor pieces… pretty wild. I think I can see why Chris rejected this and played 17…Be6 leading (not by force) to the following position…


Position after 28…Qh6

White mis-stepped with 28.f3 and Black’s 28…Qh6 threatens mate and will lead to the win of the knight after 29.Kf1 Nh2+ 30.Kg1 Rxf4. Now, the Knight cannot be captured because 31.Qxh2 Rh4 32.Qg3 f4 33.Qf2 Rh1 is mate. The best White can manage is winning back the Knight for a few pawns and reaching the lost endgame below.


Position after 37…Rxe6

White resigns on move 49. Way to go Chris… Boston (1.5 – 0.5)

In this round NM Denys Shmelov was White against a very strong veteran IM Richard Costigan. There were a few tense moments in this odd… let’s call it a Schlecter Slav… d-pawn opening.

Denys’s truly had an all-star, team MVP (if we ignore Larry) type of season… Posting a fantastic score of 6.5 out of 9 games, he went undefeated with a devastating record as White of 3 wins and 1 draw and a very tough 1 win and 4 draws as Black. (6.5 – 2.5) He is a force at third board… just ask IM Costigan.


Position after 23…c3!

Just when it looked like White was winning an easy pawn after a long series of very scary and awkward moves for Denys… IM Costigan makes things hard. He doesn’t recapture the piece, but instead threatens to jam a pawn down White’s throat. Now, best might be 24.Nd7… forcing Black to recapture and give up the pawn. But, this unexpected move was a bit upsetting to Denys and he played 24.Qe3… and meandered his way down to what should have been a draw…


Position after 28.Qe2

It should be a draw after 28…Qd4+ followed by either f5 or Rxa2 But Black misses the boat by playing 28…f5 out of order and now after 29.Rxc2 Rxc2 30.Bxc2 Qc5+ (if the queen were already on d4, then fxe4 would be drawn) 31.Kg3 fxe4 32.Bxe4 a5 33.Bf3…


Position after 33.Bf3

And now 33…Bxd5 is not good because of the pin 34.Qe5… and white will win the h-pawn with a better position. After the game’s 33…Bb7 34.Qe5… White is just a pawn up in a better position. The match is over… Boston (2.5 – 0.5)

The only sour note of the round was GM Eugene Perelshteyn’s loss as Black to IM Bryan Smith in a very tough Ruy Lopez. Eugene’s schedule only permitted him to play three games this season and I’m sure he was disappointed in his record (0.5 – 2.5) losing once and drawing with White and losing his only Black. Of course, this is far below his standards… one way to look at things is… he’s due to break out. I’m sure we can look forward to a strong playoff run if his schedule permits.

In this standard opening, both players seemed to be on cruise control to reach the position below…


Position after 16…Bg7

White now played the very unusual 17.h4?!… This seems incorrect as he has just played h3 a few moves ago. Now, Black can equalize with 17…d5 or 17…exd4 followed by 18…c5 or just 17…c5 with a comfortable game. But, Eugene reacted uncharacteristically by 17…h5 leaving a positional hole on g5 which White very nicely took advantage of; and after 18.Bg5 c6 19.Qd2 Qe7 20.Nh2 Qf8 21.f4 c5 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.d5… White had established a very nice passed pawn on d5 and Black was still very cramped.


Position after 23.d5

Now it became a maneuvering game with Black on the inferior side. Finally, White ventured a breakthrough sacrifice, 38.Bxh5!


Position after 38.Bxh5

The attack is too strong if Black recaptures as the knight comes to f5 with tempo and g4 is a strong threat. Black played 38… Nhf8 but he is just a pawn down in a lost position.Boston (2.5 – 1.5)

But, let us not forget Boston’s other all-star SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun. Playing an undefeated and untied 4 games on second board and one draw on first board against GM Nakamura, Jorge’s 4.5 out of 5 included 2 wins and a draw as White and 2 wins as Black. (4.5 – 0.5). Who can touch this record against very strong competition?

Coming off the bench Boston has FM Bill Kelleher posting a (0.5 – 2.5) record against tough competition on second board. Both losses came with Black. His draw as White against Seattle was an important one in winning that match by a hair.

Vadim Martirisov’s only game was an important draw as White to draw the Baltimore match. (0.5 – 0.5)

And let’s not forget Ilya Krasik’s nerve racking (0.5 – 2.5) with two losses as Black (which were probably wins) and a very important draw to draw the match against Queens.

Oh… the alternates… luckily, Boston had some strong backup if needed.

NM Charles Riordan was a full fledged team member last year and his 2006 record of (4 – 1 – 1) could have been useful this year.

IM Igor Foygel’s schedule did not permit him to play this year. We also could have used his experience.

And Matt Phelps, of course, would have been no use at all as a player, I’m sure. But, he’s not bad as a manager… Yet, somehow, no manager should ever get any credit… so, let’s just not mention him at all… at least until he wins the big one.

Oops! I almost forgot to mention the hard working support team… Chris Bird, who’s tireless work provides the entertainment for the Blitz fans, Phillip Nutzman, whose ingenious first moves were the innovative force in Jorge’s play, and, last and least, myself, who without me there just would be no sense writing this stuff.

Overall, another great season… Congratulations to everyone. Let’s see what the playoffs will bring… go Sox… I mean Blitz!!

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Refuse to Lose?

October 25th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

The atmosphere in the clubhouse was tense… very business like. Not much joking around, not much “go Red Sox” talk. Chris Bird had the World Series game one on his PC during the match… but the lopsided (13–1) victory didn’t change the tone of the night… each Red Sox big inning seemed to bring another Blitz draw. The players (chess, that is) were in a zone. Maybe tightness was the problem as no player seemed to risk much (except for Ilya of course) and “refuse to lose” became “unable to win” as the Blitz drew all four boards and the match.

The night started with a GM Larry Christiansen venturing a Caro-Kann as Black against GM Alex Stripunsky’s Panov-Botvinnik attack. At one time, this opening seemed very sharp, but GMs today have it down pat. My favorite position, only because it somehow looks funny to me, is one with a check being blocked by a check and pieces and pawns attacked…


Position after 18.Qd4+

No danger here; after the exchanges things wind down to a Rook ending where Black has won a pawn… but cannot make use of it.


Position after 29.Re2

Here Black played 29…e6 and the draw was inevitable. Of course, taking the d pawn wouldn’t do much good either. Boston (0.5 – 0.5)

GM Eugene Perelshteyn played quite riskily in grabbing a pawn in this strange d-pawn opening against IM Eli Vovsha… obviously, his hope was to make use of the time it takes to win it back. But, Black’s space advantage made it a tough endgame… take a look…


Position after 13…e5

No way to hold it comfortably. After 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Ba6!, things seemed quite cramped for White. I couldn’t help but feel that Black was missing something as he exchanged down to the following interesting position…


Position after 25…Ra3

Now, I would probably have lost easily here as White and played 25.Qb2 thinking I was winning a Rook. But, Black is a tricky IM and has the very pretty 25…Rxc3 turning the tables and winning a pawn as 26.Qxc3 Qxc3 27.Rxc3 Bxd4+ just loses. But, GMs see these things (thank Caissa) and Eugene maintained a tense but ultimately un-winnable endgame…


Position after 31.Rb2

Draw agreed on move 42. Boston (1 – 1)

I have one word for both players in the game Ilya Krasik versus Michael Thaler… “Brave”… a wild Queens Gambit Botvinnik Attack with both players leaving caution behind. Actually, this game was the only one that Boston should have won. Credit Thaler for pulling out the draw.


Position after 21…axb5

In this position, Ilya thought a while before rejecting Ra6 and/or Ra7 both of which Fritz says win. But, no wonder… take a look at this variation… 22.Ra6 Ra8 23.Nxf6+ Qxf6 24.Rxa8 Bxa8 25.b3!… winning a pawn. Oops, Ilya missed this and played instead a move which wins the exchange, 22.Qc3!? Nxe4 23.Qxe5+ Qxe5
24.Bxe5 Bc5…


Position after 24…Bc5

And now, (do you see it?) 25.Nf6+! Nxf6 26.Bxb8… and White is up an exchange for a pawn. But, this is a little more complicated a win than the previously mentioned win of a pawn. Yet, Ilya reached the following winning position…


Position after 32…Kf8

There is a win after 33.Rd8+ Kg7 34.Rc8 Re6 35.Rh8 f5 36.Rcg8+ Kf6 37.Rxh6+ etc… But, Ilya missed this and the game wound it’s way down to the following cute ending….


Position after 52…Kxc3

This is a draw. I originally thought that 53.Rc4+ would win after 53…Kxc4 54.Kc2… but Black has 54…b1=Q+ 55.Kxb1 Kd3 56.Kb2 Ke2 57.f4 Kf2 and both pawns will Queen with a draw. Ilya played 53.Rb4 Kxb4 54.Kc2 Ka3 55.Kb1 Kb3 56.f4 Kc4 and Black’s King catches the f-pawn. Boston (1.5 – 1.5)

And now, the weight of the world (a Blitz win) fell on the shoulders of Superstar third board NM Denys Shmelov, playing Black in a Tarrasch French, against FM James Critelli.

By move 11 the position was devoid of life. I could see (and sometimes hear) Denys’s frustration. Try and win this one…


Position after 11…b6

Here White played the even more drawish 12.Ng5 Bb7 13.Ne4… when Black has nothing better than 13…Qe5 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Qxe5 Bxe5 and the players could agree to a draw. But, the match situation demanded that both play on. Of course, White does have the better of it with a queenside majority, which he very correctly began pushing.

With Denys straining to find winning chances, he probably pushed too hard and ended up on the tough side of a draw. Yet, my analysis with Fritz showed that he was never really lost.

In this position, the players shuffled rooks a few times from a7 to a8 and correspondingly from b7 to b8 before White retreated to continue. But, nothing eventful happened.


Position after 35…Rb7

Draw on move 67. Boston (2 – 2) match drawn.

Well, at least the Red Sox won. Can another Boston team struggle to a division win… and then hit their stride in the playoffs? Tune in next week… it should be a good one… Boston vs Philly for the title and, of course, Big Mo (momentum, that it).

Go Sox!

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What Now “Tito?”

October 18th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

What’s a “slump?” I sure can’t define it, but I know one when I see one… and the Boston Blitz is smack dab in the middle of an unexplainable malaise, better known as an old fashion S-L-U-M-P. Of course, when the team is hot, the players get all the credit… and when the team is cold, the manager feels the heat in the form of nasty words from irate fans. Will he “stick by the guys that got him there”, or, will he give in to the pressure and bench “J.D.” (Game 6 might have been tough without him). My guess is that Matt “Tito” Phelps has the answers.

Last Wednesday’s match against the New Jersey Knockouts was not a disaster… just a bit of a disappointment, as Boston seemed to let a win slip away. This time things started well with GM Larry Christiansen battling on the Black side of Semi-Slav against GM Joel Benjamin’s tricky anti-meran system that began 1. d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.e4… Can White do this? First e3, then e4?


Position after 7.e4

Actually, this is more than legit as when Black captures (and he must since a fork on e5 is threatened), he will be suffering from “space deprivation”… how’s that for a new chess term? GM Benjamin did his best and worked the position into the endgame with a nasty Knight on d6. In Nimzowitsch’s day, such a Knight was usually enough for the win. Looks scary…


Position after 25…Ne7

White need only get his King Rook into the game… maybe Rf1 or Ke2… and the pressure would continue. But, he slipped up with 26.b5 and things quickly fizzled to a draw after 26…Bb3 27.Bd1 Bxd1 28.Kxd1 g6 29.Kc2 Nd5!


Position after 29…Nd5

The Rook endgame is drawn after 30.cxd5 Rxd6 31.dxe6 Rc8+! 32.Kd1 Rxe6 etc… A draw with Black against a strong GM, we’ll take it… Boston (0.5 – 0.5)

Then there was our third board, NM Denys Shmelov, playing Black against NM Evan Ju, letting the win get away. After playing a very nice, and very sharp, e6 Sicilian, Denys has reached what should be a won game with White’s Queen way off sides and in danger.


Position after 24.c4

He can finish things here with the very nice 24…Ke7 threatening to trap the White Queen. But, Denys played instead 24…O-O and only drew… But, wait.. you say. Doesn’t this threaten the same thing. Unfortunately not… White plays 25.Nb5 Nxb5 26.cxb5… and now 26… Ra8 will be answered by 27.b6 and the Queen escapes. Ah, but if the Black King is on e7 and the Black rook is still on h8 we would reach the following position after 27.b6 Qc6 28.Qe2


Analysis position after 28.Qe2

Now, you see, don’t you? With the Rook on h1, Black plays 28…e3 winning by an invasion on the h file. It’s missing these kinds of things that Slumps are made of… But, credit to Denys, his part of the “slump” ended in a draw. Boston (1 – 1)

Romantic chess is not dead… not as long as SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun is alive and well and playing one of the top boards for the Blitz. He came up with this “Blast from the past” Danish Gambit playing White against a very strong opponent, IM Dean Ippolito. My favorite position…


Position after 17.e5!

Now there are many possible moves for Black, most of which simply use up his time. For example, 17… Bxf3 18.exf6 g5 (d5 is better but not holding either) 19.Nxf3 gxh4 20. Qg4+ and mate on g7. The same is true of 17…d5 or 17…Bxd4. So, it comes down to… best is simply 17…dxe5 18.Nxe5 leading to…


Position after 18.Nxe5

Although the position looks scary for Black, he can maintain equality with the odd looking 18…Bc8. For example, 19.Re1 Bxd4 20.cxd4 Be6 21.Qb4 and the Bishop is out again with at least equality.

The trouble is that this move runs contrary to our thinking in the fight against gambits… undeveloping a piece in a tense position is just too much… and so, Black played the more natural and much inferior move 18…Bh5 and after 19.Nf5 Kh7 20.g4 Bg6? (g5 had to be played) 21.Rad1 Qe8 22.Bxf6 Bxf5 23.gxf5 Rg8 24.Nd7! gxf6+ 25.Kh1 Kh8 we reach my favorite position of the game…


Position after 25…Kh8

Now, White wins easily right?… with either 26.Rfe1 Qd8 27.Qh4 Rg7 28.Nxf6… and Black cannot avoid heavy losses or mate. Or, the forceful 26.Qh4 Rg7 27.Rg1 (favored by Ilya Krasik in post game analysis).

But, it was late, and Jorge was tired and irritated from the long traffic hassle he fought through to get here about 20 minutes late… and thus we explain how a tactical superstar misses such an easy tactic after playing so well to get there. He settled for winning the exchange and a pawn with 26.Qh4 Rg7 27.Qxh6+ Rh7 28.Qxf6+ Rg7 29.Qh6+ Rh7 30.Qxh7+ Kxh7 31.Nf6+… and wins back the Queen eventually reaching the following exchange up endgame.


Position after 33…Rh8

Best here seems to be activating the rooks with 34.Re7… if Black takes the f2 pawn he will lose to doubling rooks on the 7th. Jorge played the prosaic 34.Re2… making the win difficult… indeed, it took another 33 moves and some tense moments before he finally won.

So, Jorge’s contribution to Boston’s slump is a less than pretty win. I can take slumps like this. Boston (2 – 1)

On fourth board, NM Chris Williams was playing NM Victor Shen. Early on, Chris shuns the draw, offering an exchange sac that probably should lose. Check it out…


Position after 34.h4?!

White could have just retreated the rook or exchanged it with no harm done, but Chris seemed bent on winning. At this point, the match was still unclear and as it turned out, no harm done, as he reached this easily drawable endgame…


Position after 47…Qg7

White can play either Qc8 and continue with a policy of checks along this diagonal… or, Qd8 and ask Black to move. Either way, there is no way to lose this… no way but what Chris played… 48.Qxd6?? f5! and White can resign due to the double threat of RxQ or Qg4+ winning the Rook. Boston (2 – 2)

Too bad, as a draw would have won the match and put Boston in great shape in the division lead. But, such errors are slumps made of… Can Boston snap out of it?… Will there be a roster shakeup?… Will our manager be a hero, or, a @#$%? Only the blogs will tell.

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Beware the Ominous Motto

October 11th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

“Play like a man… Die like a dog” was written on the chalk board when I first came into the room. (see picture on the website) “What was the meaning?”, I thought. “Play like a man” I understood… ruling out it’s sexist connotations and taking it as intended… “play bravely” made sense. But “die like a dog” kind of scared me… who wants to die like a dog? “Was it an omen?”, I thought once again. Yet, it was too late… it was the motto for the night. “Oh well, it’s only a joke”, I thought a third and last time.

Our first board match up was a good one, Jorge Sammour-Hasbun versus GM Hikaru Nakamura, two of the top tactical players in the country, and it didn’t disappoint. The first interesting position…


Position after 13…Qc8

GM Nakamura offers a pawn for some strong compensation. Fritz gives… 14…Rd8 15.Qa3 Rxd1+ 16.Nxd1 Nd7 17.Nc1 Nd4 as better for Black. And so, Jorge played the much superior 14.Nd5… giving White a dominant position and the struggle continued to my favorite… and the final position…


Position after 45…Rcc2

If White takes the Knight, the position is drawn by perpetual check. White’s only try is 46.Bf1… and the position will get very wild after 46…Nd3 47.Rf3 Ne1 48.Rg3 Rd2 49.e5 Rxa4 50.d6 Rf4 leading to this crazy position…


Analysis position after 50…Rf4

White still is on top and has winning chances. But, with only about a minute on his clock, Jorge didn’t risk it since we seemed, at the time, to be doing fine on the other boards. Boston (0.5 – 0.5)

On second board FM Bill Kelleher, as Black, ventured a unique accelerated dragon against GM Pascal Charbonneau reaching this position…


Position after 12.Be2

We’re out of the books here… I think. Now, Fritz gives 12…d5! With Black having the better side of equality after… 13.exd5 Rd8 14.Bf3 Be6… followed by the wild 15.dxe6… Queen sacrifice for Bishop and Rook. Bill played the safe 12…d6 and remained too cramped for the rest of the game becoming the first to “die” on this night of the ominous motto. Boston (0.5 – 1.5)

And now the pressure was on Boston’s all star 4th board, NM Chris Williams, playing Black against WFM Iryna Zenvuk. It was a wild Queen’s Gambit declined with both players playing well to reach this incredible position…


Position after 24.Rg5

White is threatening Black’s Queen and Rxg6+ but, Black can cope with the incredible 24…Bf5 and after 25.Rxf5 Qe7, Black actually has the advantage. Chris fell victim to the tension (a euphemism for “die”) and played 24…Bxb2+ and after 25.Kxb2 White is just a piece up.

This was the final spike… Boston going down… “Killed” by a woman? Coincidence? Boston (0.5 – 2.5)

In the last game to finish, NM Denys Shmelov, playing White against IM Jay Bonin, saved face, and tie break points, for the team playing this “Manly” (in keeping with our motto) Rook endgame. Just a quick look at it’s progression starting from the diagram below…


Position after 24.Rc4


Position after 41…Kg7


Position after 53.Rg3


Position after 60.a3!

Black is in zugzwang and should lose. But, it is late and both players were playing tired.


Position after 65…Kf4

Now, White can check to defend the f5 pawn and push e6 winning. Denys played instead 66.e6 Rxf5+ showing his fatigue and now the game should be a draw after 67.Kg6 Rg5+ 68.Kf6 Rf5+ 69.Kg6 Rg5+ 70.Kf6 Rf5+ (I believe this is a third repetition) 71.Ke7 Re5! And the game cannot be won by White. IM Bonin showed his own fatigue and played 51…c2? leading to the final position and some consolation for the team.


Position after 76.Kf7, Black resigns

Anatomy of a rook ending… they’re never easy for either the superior or inferior side. Another good game for Denys, a stalwart at third board. Boston (1.5 – 2.5)

What did we learn from this match? Never… no… always… no… just come up with a better motto and we’ll be fine.

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MVP? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ MVP

October 4th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

Ho Hum, just another night at the office as the Boston Blitz posted match win number four over the San Francisco Mechanics (2½-1½). Are you kidding me!?… I can’t take it; I swear, next match I will wait outside until its over and never look at the boards… pieces hanging… advantages shifting back and forth… it’s… it’s… chess at it’s best.

The night began well with Larry handing Bill Kelleher a mysterious bag and wishing him a happy birthday (September 30 was his !@#$ birthday) as he told him not to drink it before his game. That mysterious gift would become the impetus for a post match celebration… check out the unauthorized, uncensored pictures hidden somewhere on the website I’m sure. Now, on to the match…

Chris Williams, playing black on board 4 against young Gregory Young, really made my hair stand on end with a spectacular swindle in my favorite position of the season.


Position after 17.Nxe6

Of course, Black cannot play 17…fxe6 because of 18.Bg6 Kf8 19.fxe5+ and White is winning. But, in reality, it is Black who is winning in the above position. Would you believe it? The game ended with the forcing 17… Ng3+! 18.hxg3 hxg3+ 19.Kh1 Bc5+ 20.Nxc5 Rh1+! 21.Kxh1 Qh4+ 22.Kg1 Qh2#. Boston (1-0)

Again Chris gives Boston draw odds, and they needed it. With a 4-0 record this season, Chris is making a strong bid for team MVP. Finishing first with an early win is his specialty.

However, there is one person that most team members would point to as the MVP and that is GM Larry Christiansen. Playing White against former New Englander GM Patrick Wolff, Larry never let up the pressure offering a pawn in my favorite position…


Position after 20.g3!?

Larry is offering a pawn… and, of course, threatening to trap the Queen with Bf4… but, the position is pretty level if Black just retreats the Queen to any of the available three squares. GM Wolff accepts the poison and quickly gets into trouble from which he never recovers after 20…Qxg3 21.Rg1 Qh3 22.Bxh6 Nxh5 Larry’s attack is too strong and he quickly wins back his pawn and keeps the pressure in the following fantastic position…


Position after 27.Nd5!

There is no hope for Black now… 27…exd5 is out of the question because of the Bishop check on f5, forking the Black Queen… and so Black plays 27…Rd8 (why not develop the rook?) struggling on after 28.Nf6+ Kc8 29.Qxh5… White has won a piece. Eventually, Larry decided to sac the piece back reaching a very nice zugzwang type position.

Can you see the one move that forces Black to resign immediately? Check it out…


Position after 37…Qb7

Black has no useful moves and White can win rather easily with any move. However, I think it was Alekhine who said that the mark of the true master is to always play the “best” move. Do you see it? 38.c4!… Black resigns as the pawn cannot be taken and will march to c6 winning everything. Another great game by our unofficial unanimous MVP. Boston (2-0).

Now, a draw on any board gives Boston the match win. Yet, the chess Gods are cruel and stole one from us on Board 2, where Boston’s FM Bill Kelleher (Black) was playing a very nice game against League MVP candidate IM Vinay Bhat… reaching a fairly even position.


Position after 29.Bb3

The game is very drawish if Black plays defensively with moves like 29…Qd6 followed by …e4 and …Bd5. But, I’m sure Bill felt that he could keep the better half of a draw with what he played in the game 29… Rd2. However, this allows White’s Rook into the game and IM Bhat shows his MVP form with 30.Re1 e4? After this White is winning. Boston (2-1)

That left everything up to our third board and team MVP candidate, Denys Shmelov, playing White against a formidable opponent, IM John Donaldson. My favorite position, the final one…


Position after 47…Nc6

White has more space and the better pawn structure. Black has been shuffling his knight from c6 to a7 to b5 and back again. White will again defend his b-pawn. With a draw meaning a win in the match, Denys, very unselfishly, refuses to weaken his position and a draw is agreed. Great game Denys. Boston wins the match (2½-1½)

Well, with so many MVPs to choose from… Jorge Sammour-Hasbun at 3-0 on second board being another one… Boston has a problem. Who really is the team MVP?

MVP? We don’t need no stinkin’ MVP… now pass the birthday present.

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“Ali” Wins Again

September 27th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

I found myself daydreaming, in almost a trance-like state, during this match with the Baltimore Kingfishers. Why? Because I was watching the very strange and tense struggle between SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun and FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat. Don’t try to say this at home; we are professionals.

I was thinking… what a strange and pretty style Jorge has… yes, “pretty.” I could only think to compare it to Muhammed Ali… and all of a sudden… I was in Zaire and the crowd was chanting… “Ali! Ali! Ali!” A younger Ali would dance and drop his left daring his opponent to throw the right haymaker… then he would lean back avoiding the blow and whirl his right in big circles shouting “that all you got, Sucka?!” Then a flick of a jab and a quick right and, BOOM!, the fight was over…

Whoa! Sorry, I’m back now. What’s this got to do with Jorge’s game? Well, let’s take things in order today. First to finish was NM Vadim Martirosov’s game with WGM Katerina Rohonyan. Vadim looked to be winning a pawn in my favorite position…


position after 14…Rde8

Now White can win a pawn after 15.dxc4 as Black cannot recapture due to the Knight fork at d6. Now if 15…Bc6 then 16.Bf6 (see Larry Christianson and Vadim in the analysis video) eliminating the two bishops with advantage.

Vadim chose to win a pawn in a different and slightly and more dangerous way. From the diagram he played 15.Qh5 Bc6 (there is no good way to defend the pawn) 16.Qxf7 Qxf7 17.Nd6+ Kd7 18.Nxf7. White has won a pawn, but he has trouble extricating the knight and eventually cannot hold on to his extra pawn, finally ending up in a drawn bishop of opposite color endgame. (Score 0.5 – 0.5)

GM Larry Christiansen’s game with GM Pavel Blehm was an “edge-of-the-seater”. Just as I would say “Now, how’s he going to win this?” Larry would make another startling move to keep the edge. Check out my favorite positions…


position after 25.f5!

What a brilliant concept. Larry seems to specialize in this break (see his week 2 game with GM Ibragimov). Now if 25…exf5, Larry picks up the kingside pawns and keeps the attack after trading rooks and checking on h8 with the queen. And, if 25….gxf5, White has a big edge, for example, 26.Rh4 Kg8 27.Rh5! and White wins.

So, GM Blehm played 25…e5 to stop the onslaught leading eventually to…


position after 32.f3!

Of course, Black loses the king and pawn ending if he trades… Why didn’t I see that? It would have made me more relaxed. At least I could have left my seat to get a coffee.

Finally, the game boiled down to this winning (for White) king and pawn ending. Larry was a little low on time. Yet, normally, he wouldn’t miss it. He confessed after the game that he was a bit tired after all the work he has been doing on the World Championship tournament. Take a look…


position after 50.h5!

Another great move by Larry. Now, GM Blehm was forced to play 50…b4 because 50… gxh5 51.axb5! simply wins for White.

After 50…b4 Larry quickly played 51.h6 which only draws. Do you see the win? Neither did anyone at the match. But, Fritz shows that 51.hxg6! is a winner… leading, through various move orders, to the position below…

Analysis position

If I knew how to spell Zugzwang, I would say this is such a position. Black must advance his pawns… b3+ after which White will take and soon check on f7 winning. Too bad… but, still, a great game, Larry. (Score 1-1)

Now, on to Ali’s… I mean Jorge’s game. Boy it’s hard to get out of a fantasy. First, Jorge drop’s his left… daring his opponent to land the big right, in my favorite position…


position after 11…h4

I don’t think I have ever seen this position arise out of a d-pawn opening. Jorge offers a pawn and his opponent, FM Enkhbat, takes it… leading to some dancing. By that I mean Jorge seems to make unusual moves and let’s his clock run down… Why? He is just one of the best speed players in the country (heck… the world) yet he seems to get into time trouble on purpose… I swear… that’s the dancing part. He makes his opponent think he can win, as he explained jokingly after the match… “First you trick ‘em, then you stick ‘em!” (Typical Ali tactic, let your opponent pile up points while you dance!)

All the dancing leads to this position…


position after 19…c5

White is in no real danger here. He is up a pawn and the game is just about level. Yet, White is lured into trying to “trick” his all too tricky opponent.

And after, 20.e3 cxd4, White mistakenly recaptures with the Queen because he thinks that Black has not seen far enough… 21.Qxd4 Nc6 22.Na4


position after 22.Na4

White is threatening mate with Nb6+ but Black merely leans back while whirling his right and thinking… “that all you got, Sucka?!”

I remember that I was thinking after each move in this series… “Oh, Jorge wins… No! Jorge loses… Oh, no Jorge wins… etc…” Well, it was late and I couldn’t think straight. But, you get the idea… I never saw Jorge’s great move… 22…Nxe5! 23.Nb6+ Kc7 24.Nxd7 Nf3+ 25.Kd1 Nxd4 26.Nxf8

Which brings us to the coup de grâce… that’s French… and probably spelled wrong.


position after 26.Nxf8

The trick… Black plays 26…Nf3 and White’s knight is doomed.

Of course, a flick of the jab… then a quick right… and BOOM! Down goes Enkhbat. All I can remember now is hearing the crowd chanting… “Jorge! Jorge! Jorge!” (Score Boston up 2-1)

This put a lot of pressure on Ilya to draw his game and win the match. Ilya has been in a bit of a slump… in his own words… “too much Internet and not enough over the board” has made him a bit rusty. Of course, Matt handicaps Ilya by always making him play Black… probably because he is a grinder as we see in the hedgehog position below from his game with WIM Tsaagan Batsettseg.


position after 18…d5

Black has played what should be the equalizer. White tries to confuse things with 19.cxd5 exd5 20.Bf4 Bd6 (perhaps 20…Qa8 is safer) 21.Bg5… threatening to win the knight.


position after 21.Bg5

During the game, I thought that the piece sacrifice 21…dxe4 would give winning chances for Black and, at least, keep things dynamically equal. Fritz thinks (yes, Fritz is alive) that either 21…Be5 or 21…dxe4 would be slightly better for Black. Let’s look at what could happen after the piece sacrifice…

21…dxe4 22.Bxf6 Nxf6 23.Qxf6 exf3 24.Nxf3? Be7 trapping the queen (both 25.Qe5 or 25.Qd4 is met by 25…Bc5)

Analysis

position after 24…Be7

I think I’ve said this about Ilya’s last game… who, but a computer, or a GM, could see all this… a case of playing too good for your own good.

If you’re not a computer, you would probably play as Ilya did, saving the knight with 24…Nh5, but leading to a much inferior, and eventually losing, endgame. A good game by both Ilya and his opponent WIM Batsettseg. Match drawn, 2-2.

See you next Wednesday, our Monday night match was moved.

I’m off to my fantasy world… where was I?… Oh yeah…

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A Stormy Night

September 18th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

It was a dark and stormy night… that’s the best way I can describe the match between the New York Knights and the Boston Blitz… as a storm was brewing on every board. There were no easy draws… no careful Leko-like play… no… every board seemed set on fire. I became so absorbed in watching the games that I found I couldn’t get out of my seat… I chewed my nails and bit my coffee cup so hard that I spilled much of it over my shirt. Well, that woke me up and I filed off to the bathroom shaking my head. What was I worried about?… take a look…

On first board, former wunderkind (now a veteran at age 20) GM Hikaru Nakamura, the league’s highest rated player at 2742, was playing Boston’s highest rated GM Larry Christiansen in a battle of tactical titans with both players known for their creative styles.

This game was the highest rated match-up in league history. For that matter, so was the match.

In the diagram, Hikaru had some pressure and was threatening the a-pawn and, more importantly, a check winning the exchange when Larry very quickly played the beautiful 20…e3!!


position after 20…e3!!

What’s the point? Sure Black gets the c-pawn and maybe the f-pawn… well, I still was a bit worried knowing the tactical skill of Hikaru. I should have had more faith in our own wizard.

After 22.Nd6+ Rxd6 23.Rxd6… they quickly reached this dynamic, puzzle-like position… so, let’s ask…


position after 23.Rxd6

What’s the best move?

Nothing so simple as 22…exf2 or 22…Nxc2, both of which give White a large advantage… rather, the spectacular and immediately obvious (to Larry) 22. Nxa2+!!  Of course, now it is Black who has the edge after 23.Nxa2 Rxc2+ 24. Kd1 (only move as the discovered check is too costly) 24…Rxb2.

Now, Hikaru must give the knight back as 25. Nc3 is inferior due to 25…exf2 26.Rh1 Bh6 27.Kc1 Bg2 and Black will end up with rook and four pawns vs. rook and knight when all is said and done.

Hikaru very quickly decided to give back the Knight with 25.Rxe3 Rxa2 and after some tricky endgame play, Black had rook, bishop and 3 pawns against White’s two rooks and pawn with neither side able to make progress.

Great combinative play and a much need draw. Boston (1.5 – 0.5)

Larry’s was the second game to finish as Chris (super 4th) Williams had given everyone draw odds with another fine yet stormy game as shown in my favorite position…


position after 25…f4?

Black, WFM Elizabeth Vicary, has just played the poor 25…f4? She had some pressure with the pawn on f5 threatening bxc4 and piling up on the c-pawn combined with a build up on the kingside. But, after this, Chris quickly took over the game with 26.cxb5 axb5 27.Ne1! threatening to drive Black back, which he did very nicely after 27…Ng6 28.Nd3 Qc7 and White took control from there. Giving Boston a nice 1-0 cushion… and, of course, letting Larry’s draw put Boston in a good match position.

If it weren’t for Boston’s nemesis… GM Pascal Charbonneau…

This was a long, hard fought game. I won’t bore you with details. Boston’s second board, GM Eugene Perelshteyn, sacked a piece to reach this endgame. It is probably possible to draw this. But, according to Eugene “practically it’s just too tough.” Beginning with my favorite position… and one in which I held some hope for a draw and a Boston win…


position after 56…Ke3

Black has three pieces against two. Studies show that most rook + knight vs rook endings are a draw and about 40% of rook + bishop vs rook are computer analyzed wins, some in over 50 moves, but realistically a draw in human games… But what about rook + knight + bishop against rook + bishop? Not much computer help here. Are certain positions drawable?

After fine technique, Eugene’s opponent, GM Charbonneau reached the final position below.


final position – White resigns

This was the last game to finish and I’m sure it was a hard loss for Eugene. This gave New York the match draw. Boston 2 – New York 2.

Oh, I am bouncing back and fourth and taking things out of order here… and I did fail to mention a most important, pawn down, draw by our defensive genius and Boston third board, Denys Shmelov. In Denys’s own words “ I was crushed.”

He played Black against veteran, and the world’s most experienced chess player, Jay Bonin. Jay, I’m told, plays on average at least one rated game per day… yet, Denys kept grinding and finally tricked him into the perpetual shown in the diagram.

My favorite position…


final position – draw by perpetual

White must play Kh7… after which Black checks and repeats. Nice save Denys.

This game had team members gesturing with elation in wild silence (Eugene was still playing) since it assured at least a draw on this dark and stormy night…

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Nothing Went Right… Except The Games

September 13th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

It was a night that seemed to be working against us. First, the DGT board refused to relay Black’s moves… White’s were fine, but not Black’s. Since we were using this electronic monster on first board (GM Sergey Kudrin vs. GM Eugene Perelshteyn), this meant that their GM could make moves but not ours. Chris Bird and Matt Phelps worked hard on it right up to game time, but no luck. Back to the old relay method… not allowing Eugene to make moves was just too big a handicap.

Then there was second board, SM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun vs IM Bryan Smith…. Philip Nutzman, rated expert and technical genius, was busily working with three laptops to somehow get Jorge connected to start his game. When he finally did, Jorge had 5 minutes deducted off his clock as the league rules regarding starting games on time were enforced.

After some deep thought, Jorge played 1.d4 on the board in front of him. Philip quickly turned from his other computer and made the move 1.e4 on the ICC board. A mouse slip on the first move! “No problem” said Philip, a little embarrassed… he could fix it quickly… but, Jorge, always the gentlemen, insisted “No… I’ll play that move. It’s a sign.”

At this point, most of us watching the game were laughing hysterically. My only comment was “I wish I were that good.” Jorge walked over to me and calmly explained that David Harris and he had prepared furiously for 3 hours the night before against the King’s Indian. But, Jorge refused to allow Philip to fix the mistake… After all, signs are signs… and Jorge is not one to fight the fates.

So, Jorge had gone from playing a d-pawn opening to what turned out to be a Yugoslav vs. Black’s Sicilian Dragon, then transposing to some type of odd Najdorf setup. Now that’s a versatile chess player.

Finally, there was our third board… or was there? NM Denys Shmelov was scheduled to play Black against Philly’s NM Daniel Yeager. But, Denys was no where to be found… first 10 minutes, then 15, then 20 minutes, gone on his clock. I was a bit nervous thinking something serious had happened. Finally, Denys arrived… just a little flustered from a very speedy drive… nothing serious. Oddly, his game started last and finished first. He played, in my humble opinion, the best opening (Benoni) of the night posting a beautiful win. My favorite position from his game… the final one.


position after 27…Qb7

White’s queen is trapped in the middle of the board and he resigns. Once again, an early win gave the other team members draw odds. Everyone could relax and not press. (Boston 1-0)

Everyone except the always exciting NM Chris Williams. Playing Philly’s NM Elvin Wilson, he has just played a sound piece sac against his opponent’s French to reach my favorite position…


position after 16.Bxa6

If 16… bxa6 17.Qxa6+…

Analysis by Fritz 9:
1. +- (4.85): 17…Kc7 18.Qa7+ Kc8 19.b5 Qd5 20.Nxe6 Qxe6 21.Rfe1 Bc5
2. +- (#9): 17…Kb8 18.Qb6+ Ka8 19.Nc6 etc.

Now, Black played a good move… 16…Bd6 maintaining a playable and probably equal game, though White has the pressure. White continued 17.g3 stopping the mate on h2. And then Black faltered with 17…Bc7?!, allowing 18.Qe4 Qd5 (to stop mate on b7) 19.Qxd5 with the better, probably winning, endgame for White. Chris played very well from here on out to garner another full point. (Boston 2-0)

Now, back to Jorge’s game. First, there was a bit of tactics in which he won a pawn.  My favorite position…


position after 19.Bxa6

Analysis by Fritz 9:
+- (1.45): 19…Bxa6 20.g5 Ng8 21.Nd5+ Kd7 22.Nxc7 Nxh6 23.Nxa6 Ng8 24.Nb4 White has won a pawn.

At the end, he was under a bit of time pressure, under 2 minutes. But, this is nothing to the winner of “Ciudad de Dos Hermanas” the top Internet Chess Speed tournament. Players like Kamsky, Nakamura, Mamedyarov… could not keep up with him. Great game Jorge! It should be mentioned that he gives all the credit to Philip Nutzman for playing that ingenious first move for him… way to go Philip. (Boston 3-0)

When it comes to GM games, I can only sit and admire their unbounded positional skill.  I had the privilege to be the relay for much of the time in the board one game. (Check out the photo gallery from week 3 to see the reason why!) It was certainly fascinating… and hard to pick a favorite position… so, I picked two. In this very difficult Giuoco Piano or Pianissimo (I know I misspelled something there), Eugene has just played the equalizing move 11…d5.


position after 11…d5

Watching the game, I thought… boy, this leads to a very tough ending for Black. I forgot that if you take the queens off the board (and later the rooks) GMs just don’t make many mistakes in simplified positions. This brings us to the position below.


position after 15…Bd6

Black has just coolly played 15…Bd6 protecting his e-pawn and effectively saying… “Go ahead, make my day… give me the two bishops… do you feel lucky… do ya, Sergey?”

Sergey never did play Bxc6… and that move sat there for quite some time. Some wonderful endgame play from Eugene… definitely worth taking a look. I was impressed.  From here on out it fizzled to a draw… Boston winning 3.5-0.5. Great match.

We have a good team here in Boston… no, let me say great… and it doesn’t matter what first move we play either… :)

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Blitz Play “On The Edge”

September 6th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

The atmosphere at the beginning of the second round seemed electric… of course, it could have been the static from David Harris’ hair. David had driven in with (soon to be) game of the week star Jorge Sammour-Hasbun. But, in any case, the team mood was light as always, though the players paced tensely at times awaiting the start of the round.

The final 3-1 score in favor of the Blitz was no indication of how tough this match with Queens Pioneers really was. Every board was a Korchnoi like, “on the edge” position. The diagrams I have chosen for each game show the tense struggle that each board had. Strangely, the only Blitz board to lose was the only one with a clear advantage… well maybe not so clear… but we’ll get to that.

First board, GM Larry Christiansen playing White against top notch GM Ildar Ibragimov seemed to effortlessly put more and more pressure on his opponent until, in the diagrammed position, Ibragimov played 25…exf5 grabbing the offered pawn. What’s the idea… can you guess Larry’s move?


position after 25.f5

After 25.f5 exf5, Larry uncorks… 26.Qb3!… pressurizing the game. Now the rook can’t move because of 27.Qxf7+ and the threat is 27. Nxc6 gaining back the pawn with complications favoring White. Later analysis (by me) with Fritz shows that 25…f6 would have been the way for Black to go, with a tough game still ahead.

In the game line, Ibragimov now faltered with 26…Rxe5 giving up the exchange to relieve the pressure and Larry proceeded to show impeccable technique in ending Black’s hopes by move 40. A fine game.
Now, on to the “Game of the Week.” Jorge was still shaking his head after the game… though he won, he had the “feeling that I was lost”… and no wonder. In my favorite position from the game, White has sacked a piece for a dangerous attack. Take a look…


position after 20…Bg7

No wonder Jorge was wondering “What if…” White can now settle for rook and two pawns and an attack with 21.Nxf7+… and, by the way, still keep the attack… or, as played in the game, he can continue to press for mate. Fritz prefers 21.Nxf7+ and based on how the game went, I would have to agree. Take the bird in the hand…

White continued… 21.Ng4 and after some great only moves… Jorge repulsed the attack and won the game… certainly a game worthy of its awarded title.

I was a bit worried for Denys in his game. Although he had been chasing Black’s king around quite a bit… in my favorite position of the game… it looked like Black was the only one with winning chances if he played… 53…Nxg5. As Denys, I’m sure, pondered on what to do next should Black play this, his opponent, in severe time pressure, shocked the world with 53…Qe7 giving up the queen and the game after 54.Bxe7. This was the famous “mouse slip” and the only major controversy, so far, this season. But, as Denys points out, any Queen move is a mistake and, even if his opponent meant to play 53…Qd7 then 54.Bf6+ gives White a big edge in the time scramble.

The league disallowed the “mouse slip” appeal… and the result of this final game gave Boston the match.


position after 53.Qf4

The third game to finish was fourth board, master Teddy Coleman vs Ilya Krasik. I truly enjoyed this game. Ilya, as always, played sharply and for a win to reach the incredible position (and my favorite of the match) below…


position after 25.Qa3

Black seems doomed… He is already an exchange down and another bishop for R\rook exchange is threatened. Fritz gives Black as better after 25…Nc7!! check this out…

If now 25.Bxf8 Bxf8! attacking the Queen. Now 26.Qa4 (forced) is followed by 26… Nb5!! which wins due to the double threat of 27…Nxc6 and the mate threat of 27. …Qb6+ and smothered mate after Whites forced 28.Kh1….

Who but a computer (or a GM) would see all this? Ilya played differently beginning with 25…Bxc6 and after a few mistakes by his opponent, wound up in this beautiful complex position…


position after 31.Kg1

White is losing his bishop and Black is winning after either 31…Nxh6 or 31…d3 (as 32.Rxc4 is answered by the pawn push and queens). Ilya played 31…Bb5 which still keeps a draw, but he eventually lost a tense struggle. A very exciting game marred by time pressure mistakes.

The loss here put Queens back in the match (for a possible draw) at 2-1 Boston. But… oh those mice are tricky things… thank you Denys.

I don’t think I can take much more excitement… But, I’m sure there’s more ahead with undefeated and Eastern Conference co-leader (tied with our Blitz) Philadelphia coming in next week… Oh well, see you there.

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Week 1’s Action, from a Fans View

August 30th, 2007 Mark La Rocca

Chris Williams arrived well before the start of Wednesday’s match with Seattle. Studying intensely, he was searching for an answer to the Yugoslav move order.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0–0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0–0–0


position after 9.0–0–0

White does without 9.Bc4 in hopes of saving a tempo for the vaunted Yugoslav Attack. But, what to do if Black plays 9…d5 taking advantage of the fact that White has neglected to prevent this.

As the other players filtered in, Chris would show them the position and some further analysis and ask for any ideas on how to sharpen White’s play. The first to suffer through this was third board and Metrowest Champ, Denys Shmelov. His conclusion was a shoulder shrug, as if to say “There’s only about 50 years of Grandmaster analysis on this position, how should I know?”

Next it was GM Larry Christiansen, noted master of attack, who looked at the position and quickly suggested a switch to the classical 6.Be2 avoiding the issue. His final words… “Play whatever you want.”

Luckily, Chris did exactly that and in the position above his opponent, Michael Lee, played 9…Nxd4. The problem with this move for Black is lack of counter play after the dragon bishop is removed. However, Black did manage to get a complex and playable position (I thought); yet, when asked later, Chris, with all the confidence of youth, dismissed Black’s chances.

My favorite position of the game…


position after 25.c3

Here I thought “White can’t win this, can he?” Chris did a wonderful job from here on out and after a few mistakes by Black won the game and the match.

It can’t be overstated how important this win was. His game ended before the other three games, and each player now knew that he could keep the draw in hand and not overplay a position and risk losing.

Meanwhile, GM Christiansen was transposing a King’s Indian to a Benko type position against his opponent, GM Gregory Serper.

My favorite position…


position after 25.Bf4

Wow, try and win this for either side. Black’s bad bishop gives White an advantage. But, there just isn’t enough material left to cause concern. However, strangely this was the last game going and hopelessly drawn. However, GM Serper was compelled to play on as a draw meant the loss of the match. Finally, after many useless repetitions, the game ended and the match was over.

FM Bill Kelleher played his infamous c3 Sicilian as White against FM Slava Mikhailuk. Bill’s opponent must have known to prepare for this; yet, the game took no special turns and Bill got his usual attacking game.

My favorite position…


position after 21…Qxd4

Black has just played 21…Qxd4 and seems to have won a pawn and the exchange when Bill calmly plays 22.Nxf7! (not 22.Qxf4? Bxg5 23.Bxg5 Bxe4 24.Qxe4 Qxe4 25.Rxe4 Rd1+ with mate to follow.)

The game proceeded 22…Qxe4 23.Qxe4 Bxe4 24.Nxd8 Rxd8 25.Bxf4 with White having the better side of a draw due to the pawn structure.

Then there was FM Loren Schmidt vs. NM Denys Shmelov. Denys told me before that match that he had “special” preparation for a unique Queen’s Indian position. I begged him to show me…

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 f5 8.0–0 0–0 9.Qc2


position after 9.Qc2

Alas, he would only say that this is the position he was looking for. Well, needless to say, I was following the opening anxiously awaiting the moment, when White hesitated on move nine for quite a bit of time and played 9.Rc1.


position after 9.Rc1

From here White rapidly assumed the advantage and reached an endgame that seemed to give him winning chances. However, in the greatest tradition of Russians whose last name ends in “ov,” Denys tenaciously defended to reach my favorite position…


position after 25…Nd8

Black’s pieces are on the back rank and undeveloped yet, he holds this position. Wow! Great job Denys.

So, that’s my report from the battlefield. I am looking forward to a great season. As you can see, we Boston fans have a “gutsy” group to root for… so, come on down and get the inside scoop for yourself. It’s great fun and Matt Phelps, team manager, has arranged a beautiful 4 screen display with plenty of seating for spectators. You can relax… have a non-alcoholic beverage, and watch the players sweat. You can’t beat it. See you there.

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Boston Blitz Team


Jorge Sammour
Manager
Larry Christiansen
GM
Eugene Perelshteyn
GM
Denys Shmelov
 

Marc Esserman
IM
Vadim Martirosov
 
Anya Corke
WGM
Ilya Krasik
 

Andrew Wang
 
David Vigorito
IM (Alternate)
Stuart Finney
(Alternate)
Matt Phelps
Assistant Manager

Blitz Benefactors