Ho-Ho-Ho Swiss Tactics

Joseph, P

Hrop, S

White just played Qg3-g5 after Black's Bc5-d4 threatening to win the e5 pawn.

Find the winning move for Black.

Freeze Your Buns Swiss

Jan 3 - 31, 2011 Freeze Your Buns Swiss

5-SS. 40/90, SD/60 or 40/90, SD/30, inc-30 by agreement.
Hackettstown Community Center, 293 Main St. (Rte. 46), Hackettstown, NJ.
EF: $12. Prizes (b/16): $60/30/20, $20 each U1800, U1500.
Reg.: 7 pm 1/3. Rds.: 7:30 pm, each Monday.
INFO: ericmark4@gmail.com.

Ho Ho Ho Swiss Results

Steve Hrop won the December Swiss, with 2.5 out of 3. Steve made good his return to Monday-night chess following a 10-year hiatus with a tough last-round win against Steve Ferrero, in a marathon that ended in a tactical ending at 12:30 a.m.


Mr. Ferrero and Tom Ostrosky tied for second, while Todd Jobson and Jon Svendsen tied for the Under-1800 prize.

You view the complete tournament crosstable here

http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201012205181-12119310

November Tourney Results

You must take your opponent in a deep dark forest where 2+2=5 and the path leading out is only wide enough for one. - Mikhail Tal

Mark, E

Joseph, P

Black to Play and win

Eric Mark won the November Oh! No Not Another Swiss tournament.

Karl Dehmelt won the Only the Lonely G/10 Quick tournament.

In our 2nd round encounter Eric and I continued our theoretical dispute in the Riga variation of the Spanish opening.

 Joseph,Paul - Mark,Eric [C80] 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 exd4 7.Re1 d5

8.Bg5!?

This move is a novelty. The move has some merit as I was trying to prevent the Queen's jump to h4 to join in a King side attack.

 The main line 8.Nxd4 Bd6 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10.Kh1 Qh4 11.Rxe4+ dxe4 12.Qd8+ Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2  leads to a Queenless middle game

 8...f6

In a previous encounter which I prematurely called my best game, Eric played
8...Be7 9.Bxe7 Kxe7 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Be6 12.c4 c5  13.Qxg7!?  Qa5  14.Nc3 Nxc3 15.Rxe6+!

(15.bxc3! A less flashy but objectively better as suggested by NM Dennis Monokroussos. White keeps the advantage without any risk. 15...Qxa4 16.cxd5 Rag8 17.Qe5 Qg4 18.g3 h5 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.Qxc5+ Kf6)

15...Kxe6 16.Re1+ Ne4 17.cxd5+ Kd6 18.Rxe4 Kc7  19.Qxf7+ Kb6 20.d6 Ka7 21.Bc6 Rab8 22.Re7 Qb6 23.Bf3 Qxb2 24.g3 Rhf8 25.Qd5 Ka8  26.Kg2 Qf6  27.Re3 Rfd8 28.d7 Qg  29.Re6! Qg6 30.Rxg6 hxg6 31.Qd6
1–0 Joseph,P-Mark,E/Hackettstown Swiss 2006

 9.Bh4 Bc5 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Nxd4 0–0 12.Nxc6 Qd6 13.Nd4

 [13.Ne7+ Qxe7 14.Qxd5+ Be6 15.Qxe4 Rfe8 16.Nc3 Rab8 is equal]

13...Qf4 Eric gives 13...Qb6 as equalizing

14.Nf3 c6 15.Nbd2 Bg4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qd2 Qf5 18.Nd4 Qh5 19.Bg3 Rad8 20.c3 f5 21.h3 Bxh3 22.gxh3 Qxh3 23.Qf4

23.Rad1 to hold on to the pawn gives Black a strong attack after Rf6 24.Qg5 Bxd4 25.cxd4 f4 26.Bxf4 Rg6 27.Qxg6]

 23...Bxd4 24.cxd4 Rxd4 25.Rac1 Rfd8 26.Rxc6 Rd1 27.Rc1 R1d2 28.Rc7

I agree with Eric that 28.Bh4 activating the Bishop was best R8d7 29.Rc8+ Kf7 30.Rc3 R2d3 31.Rc5 g6]

28...Rd1 29.Rc1

White is up a piece but there are a lot of pitfalls as this variation shows 29.Qe3 R8d3 30.Qe2 R1d2 31.Qf1 Rxg3+ 32.fxg3 Qh2#

29...R1d2 30.Qc7 Qg4 

31.Qe7 [31.b4 h5 32.Qf4 Qxf4 33.Bxf4 Rxa2; 31.Kf1 Rf8]

 31...Rf8

 32.Qe6+

[32.Rc8! Rxc8 33.Qe6+ Kf8 34.Qxc8+ Kf7 35.Qc4+ Ke8 36.Qxa6 f4 37.Rxe4+]

32...Kh8 33.Rc8 Rdd8 34.Rxd8 Rxd8 35.Qe7

[35.Qxa6 f4 36.Qa5 Rg8 37.Rxe4 Qd1+ 38.Re1 Qg4 39.Qb4 Qh5]

35...Rc8 36.Qd7 Rg8 37.Qe7

[37.b4 Qg5 38.Qf7 h5 39.Kg2 Qg4 40.Rh1 Qf3+ 41.Kg1 Qd1+ 42.Kh2 Qf3 43.Rc1 h4 44.Rh1 hxg3+ 45.Kg1+ Qh5 46.Rxh5#]

37...Rc8 38.Qe6 Rg8 39.Rc1 h6

I noticed Black had a draw by perpetual check after the brute 40 Rc8 Qd1+ 41 Kg2 Qf3+

40.Kf1? Qf3=

I made time control hoping to work out the win.  Fritz assesses the position as equal despite my material advantage.  May be Fritz really means  there is equal opportunity in this position for either side to go wrong.  I believe White can convert the advantage by striving to exchange Queen.

41.Kg1 f4  42.Bh2  Rd8

White commits the final blunder faced with stiff resistance.

43.Qxa6? e3! 44.Rf1 e2 45.Re1 Qg4+ 46.Kh1 f3 47.Rg1 e1Q 48.Bg3 Qh3+ 0–1

Dec 6 - 20, 2010 Ho, Ho, Ho Quads

Our next weekly event is the
Dec 6 - 20, 2010 Ho, Ho, Ho Quads
3-SS 40/90, SD/60 or 40/90, G/30, inc-30 by agreement.
Hackettstown Community Center, 293 Main St. (Rte. 46), Hackettstown, NJ. EF: $8; $25 1st each section. Reg.: 7 pm 12/6. Rds.: 7:30 pm each Monday.
INFO: ericmark4@gmail.com.

Solution to Tactical Vision

Joseph Paul

Jeff Chiesa

Black to Move

The unprotected Knight on b2 appears to be safe in a closed position.

Black plays Bxf3 to weaken the dark squares. 14.Bxf3 (after gxf3 white can settle for a difficult position  15 Bh4+ Kf1 with weakened dark squares and uncastled King.)

14 ... Nxe5! a sacrifice targeting the unprotected Knight.

15.fxe5 Qxe5+ 16.Kf2 Qxb2 17.Qa4+ Kf8 18.Ke2 Bg5 19.Rad1 a6 20.Rhf1 Qe5+ 21.Be4 Bxd2 22.Rxd2 Nf6 23.Rf3 Nxe4 24.dxe4 Qxe4+ 25.Re3 Qxg2+ 0–1



October HCC Tourney Results

Angelo Depalma earned an Expert Rating by tying for First with Tom Otrosky in the Good Bye Summer Swiss.
Eric Marc and Larry Noone tied for 1st in the club first G/40 one night event. We return to our First Monday Monthly Swiss tournament in November. You can check out  here the TLA's for our next event Oh No Not Another Swiss.

It's Cool Again G/40 Quad

Oct. 25 It's Cool Again G/40 Quad
3-RR, G/40. Sections by rating. Hackettstown Community Center, 293 Main St., (Rte. 46), Hackettstown, NJ. EF: $10. Prize: $25 top in each section. Reg.: 6:30-7:00 pm, Monday, Oct. 25. Rds.: 7:00 pm, ASAP thereafter. Info: ericmark4@gmail.com, 570-872-6880.

Quick Chess Month Wrap Up

Richard Blank won the Strousburgundian Invasion Quick G/10 and Rich Buschgans won the Lights Out Quicker G/7 to wrap up a month of Quick Chess.
We return to regular Chess in October with our Good Bye Summer Swiss. Click here for our complete TLAs of upcoming tournaments.

Fairfarren Dennis

Dennis Dawley, a veteran Hackettstown Chess Club member, has relocated to warmer climate. Dennis was also doing double duty as Tournament Director.  We certainly wish Dennis well. Dennis still plan to visit the club when he is in the area as he did recently at our recent Quick chess tournament.

I found this game in my Chess Life archives that was originally published in the October 1993 issue where Dennis as the US Amateur East Champion faced off the US Amateur West Champion David Mathys for the US Amateur title. In a pre internet era the moves of the G/60 playoff were relayed over the phone.

Dennis came back from being  an exchange down to claim the title by accepting a draw offer with not enough time left on his clock to convert a winning position.  I posted the original game with analysis provided by Dennis Dawley and David Mathys.

Mathys, David - Dawley, Dennis [A59]
US Amateur Playoff, 1993

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.e4 Bxf1 8.Kxf1 d6
9.g4 A move favored by Yasser Seirawan.
9...Qc8 10.h3

 [10.g5 Nh5 11.Kg2 Bg7] (Dawley)

10...Bg7 11.Kg2 h5

 [11...0–0 12.Nge2 Na6 13.Be3 Qb7 14.Qd2 Nc7 15.f3 Rfb8 16.b3 Nb5 17.Rac1 Seirawan-Gurevich, New York Open 1987]

12.g5 Nfd7 13.Nf3 Na6 14.Bf4 Rb8 15.Rb1 0–0 16.Re1 Qc7 17.Qe2 Qa5

Dennis took a 20 minutes think here trying to stop e5 which lead to his time trouble later on.

18.e5 Rb4 19.Bd2 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Bxe5

Dennis has 15 minutes remaining and Mathys 34 minutes.

21.Ne4 Qxa2 22.Bxb4

[22.Ra1 Qxd5 23.Rxa6 Rxe4 24.Qxe4 Qxd2 25.h4 Qxb2] (Dawley)

22...Nxb4 23.Nxc5 Nxd5 eyeing f4. 24.Nd3 Qc4 25.Kf1

[25.Qe4 Qxd3 26.Qxd3 Nf4+ 27.Kf1 Nxd3] (Mathys)

25...Nf4 26.Nxf4 Qxf4 27.Qe3 Qc4+

Dennis had a minute left to White's 13 minutes.

28.Kg1 e6 29.Qe4 Qb3 30.Qe3?

[30.Re3 Qb5 31.b4 and the passed pawn gets rolling.] (Mathys)

30...Rb8

Dennis has less than a minute on his clock and David has 11 minutes.

31.Qxb3 Rxb3 32.Re2 Bf4

[32...Rxh3? 33.b4 Bf4 34.b5 Bxg5 35.b6 Bf4 36.b7 d5 37.b8Q+ Bxb8 38.Rxb8+] (Dawley)

33.h4 d5 34.Kg2 Kf8 35.Ra1 d4 36.Re4 e5 37.Rxf4? exf4 38.Rd1 d3 39.Rd2 Ke7 40.Kf3

White is hoping to win on time as Dennis only had 20 seconds left.

40...Ke6 41.Kxf4 Rb4+ 42.Ke3 Rxh4

Now Dennis has a passer as well.

43.Rxd3 Rb4

Black is now better but Dennis only has a few seconds left on his clock.

44.b3 Kf5 45.Rd5+ Kg4 46.Rd4+? Rxd4 47.Kxd4

Black will queen first but Dennis accepts the draw offer as he has no time left to convert the advantage. ½–½

You can replay the game in the game viewer below. Click the down arrow in the notation window to select a variation to play in the viewer or A to see comments.