Gens Una Sumus!
Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #643
September 19, 2013
Do you think apart from the game, adapting to various conditions and environment, is a hallmark of a chess player or any sportsman?
As a sportsperson you have to put your sport first. I don’t really think about the venue, food or air. Give me a board and I will play. For a match you look for a degree of comfort but I can tell you during a match only the opponent is in your thoughts. Where you sleep, what you eat fade out after a day.
—Viswanathan Anand, from an E-mail interview with Ashok Venugopal
It can be found at http://newindianexpress.com/sport/No-fuss-no-frills/2013/08/25/article1750744.ece
1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News
Hayk Manvelyan is well-positioned to repeat as the winner of the Tuesday Night Marathon. The 19-year-old National Master has 6½ from 7 in the Neil Falconer TNM, half a point ahead of IM Elliott Winslow with two rounds go, but more importantly has defeated three of his chief rivals the last three rounds—NMs Natalya Tsodikova, Andy Lee and Albert Rich. Hayk drew with IM Winslow in round 4 and is starting to run out of opponents.
From round 7 of the Tuesday Night Marathon:
 |  |
| White to move (Hayk Manvelyan−Rich after 19...Bxc3) | White to move (Doyle−Hovik Manvelyan after 15...0-0) |
 |  |
| White to move (Drane−Nyangar after 29...Bd5) | White to move (Cole−Yamamoto after 26...Qxa3) |
 | For the solutions, see the game scores for round 7. |
| White to move (Ross−Kadri after 6...0-0) |
IM Ricardo DeGuzman won the 13th Howard Donnelly Open, held September 14 at the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club. The former Filipino Olympiad team member scored 5-0, defeating German FM Hennig Silber in the last. Tying for second in the 52-player event at 4-1 were Experts Udit Iyengar and Jamieson Pryor and Class A player Anthony Blessing.
Scotch C45
Hennig Silber–Ricardo De Guzman
San Francisco (5) 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4 Ne5 8.Be2 Qg6 9.0–0 h5
9...d6 is by far the most common move here, with 9...0–0 and 9...d5 the main alternatives. 9...Qxe4 10.Nd2 leaves White with a strong initiative. The text is not a novelty, GM Pavel Blatny having played it on several occasions, but it does not enjoy a good reputation.
10.Nb5
This is the critical test of Black’s play, but it has seldom been tested. Houdini 3 initially assesses this position as much in White’s favor, but after a few forced moves quickly becomes less enthusiastic. 10.Nd2 d5 is Black’s idea, although White has scored well.
10...Bxe3 11.Nxc7+ Kd8 12.Nxa8 Bf4 13.Nd2
This may be a novelty. Previous games have seen 13.Qa4.
13...b6 14.Nf3 Bb7 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.f4 Bb8 17.Bb5 d6 18.f5 Qf6 19.Nxb6 axb6 20.Re1 Qe5 21.Bd3?
21.Qd3 d5 22.Qh3 was essential with unclear play. Now Black starts the attack.
21...d5! 22.g3 h4 23.exd5 Qf6?
23...Qd6! looks stronger.
24.Be4?
24.g4 had to be played.
24...hxg3 25.hxg3 Rh3
… and Black won in a few moves.
0–1
The Mechanics’ entry in the US Chess League lost in round four to the New York Knights, but still lead the Pacific Division with a score of 3-1, having defeated Los Angeles 3-1, Arizona 3-1 and Carolina 2½-1½ the first three rounds.
Leading scorers for the M.I. are Daniel Naroditsky (3-0) and Siddarth Bannik (2-0).
Pacific Division
1. San Francisco (3.0 - 1.0)
2. Arizona (1½ - 2½)
3. Los Angeles (1.0 - 3.0)
4 .Seattle (½ - 3½)
Top scores at the MI Wednesday Blitz held September 11:
1st - Jules Jelinek
2nd - Hans Niemann
3rd -Edgar Solomonik
2) Upcoming Events in the Bay Area
Bay Area has several interesting events coming up besides the regular ones put on by the Mechanics’ and Bay Area Chess.
Blitz Tournament in Richmond
October 12, 2013
The West Coast Chess Alliance, in conjunction with Hilltop Mall, presents a National Chess Day Speed Chess Tournament on Saturday, October 12, 2013. All proceeds will benefit the “Chess in Richmond’s Schools Program.”
Prize Fund $400 (Guaranteed): 1st - $200 / 2nd - $120 / 3rd - $80
Location: Hilltop Mall Center Court
2200 Hilltop Mall Road
Richmond, CA
5-round Tournament
Entry Fee: $10.00
1st Round: 1:00 PM
Registration: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
2 games per opponent (1 white /1 black) each round
Time Control: G/5 (Game in 5 minutes, no delay)
• Tournament limited to first 40 registered players
• Non-rated tournament, USCF Rules
• Chess sets provided
• Chess clocks not provided
• Pre-registration Encouraged
Tournament Director: Scott Mason
To download the Flyer, click here.
For more information contact: TC Ball at (510)439-6311 or [email protected]
Registration: Make checks payable to: Trendell Ball Consultants
Mail to: West Coast Chess Alliance
P.O. Box 20111
El Sobrante, CA 94820
31st Annual Sands Regency Reno-Western States Open - October 18-20, 2013
AMERICAN CLASSIC AND HERITAGE EVENT! $26,000 PRIZE FUND!!! for this Six Round Swiss in Six Sections (based on 275 paid players, $16,750 Guaranteed). Large prize fund made possible by the generosity of the Sands Regency Casino Hotel.
Time control 40/2, G/60 d5. Entry $147 or less with early entry.
ADDITIONAL PRIZES! Senior and Club money prizes. Trophies awarded to top three places in sections A through D, top unrated player, top Senior and top Club. Open Section is FIDE rated and worth 150 Grand Prix Points. Free entry to main tournament for GMs and IMs. Free entry for unrated players paying USCF dues.
RUB ELBOWS WITH THE MASTERS: $30 GM Sergey Kudrin clock simul on Wednesday evening PLUS game analysis the following day. Free lecture by IM John Donaldson on Thursday evening. $20 GM Alexander Ivanov simul on Thursday evening. FREE IM John Donaldson Game/Position Analysis Clinic on Saturday afternoon.
TWO ADDITIONAL SIDE EVENTS: Five Minute Blitz Tournament on Thursday night with 80% of entries returned as prizes.
Those wanting to compete for Grandmaster and International Master usually have to travel across the country but that will not be the case this coming January when Salman Azhar and Arun Sharma put on the Bay Area International.
http://sfinternationalchess.org/
The event is shaping up very well so far and should be very strong. Grandmasters who have signed up to date include 2600 rated Michael Roiz of Isreal, Anton Kovalyov of Canada, the Bay Area’s own Sam Shankland and Arthur Ipatov of Turkey.
3) Here and There
The U.S. Chess Federation has named Jean Hoffman of Arizona its Executive Director, to begin a two-year contract Nov. 1 at the national headquarters in Crossville, Tenn. She is the first female to hold this position in the history of the U.S.C.F. which was founded in 1939 and has had an Executive Director for over 40 years.
US Chess School founder IM Greg Shahade recently announced a new site for the organization at www.uschessschool.com.
Eduardo Bauza-Mercere provides this reconstructed crosstable, which is not to be found in Gaige or Di Felice’s reference works. The final results (no crosstable) were published inthe NY Tribune, 7 JAN 1901, p. 4, and the Brooklyn Eagle, 10 JAN 1901, p. 13.
The contemporary Brooklyn Eagle, NY Tribune and New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung were also useful references in providing results and game scores.
1900/01
New York
Manhattan Chess Club-ch
3 DEC – 6 JAN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1. Marshall, Frank James * 0 1 1 1 1 = + 5½ 2. Hanham, James Moore 1 * 0 0 1 = 1 + 4½ 3. Raubitschek, Robert 0 1 * = = = 1 = 4 4. Schmidt, Louis 0 1 = * = 0 1 1 4 5. Finn, Julius 0 0 = = * 1 = + 3½ 6. Roething, Otto 0 = = 1 0 * = 1 3½ 7. Simonson, Gustave = 0 0 0 = = * = 2 8. Delmar, Eugene - - = 0 - 0 = * 1 9. Baird, David Graham - 0 - - - 0 - -10. Halpern, Jacob C. 0 - - - - - - -
Halpern lost to Marshall and withdrew. Baird also withdrew; he lost Hanham and Roething and may have played one more game. Delmar forfeited three games (to Hanham, Finn and Marshall).
Chess made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle today (September 18) with the closing down of “street chess”. Read about it at http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2013/09/17/police-shut-down-chess-games-on-market-street/
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