Chess Room Newsletter #645

Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club Newsletter #645
October 2, 2013

Russia belongs to Asia, the mother of all games. You do not teach Asiatics any game you learn from them.

—Emanuel Lasker (shortly after his arrival in the Soviet Union in 1933)

Source: A manuscript written by Lasker’s wife Martha that is in
the archives of the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis.
Among the tidbits she offers are that Lasker was deathly
afraid of dentists and that he was very serious about
eating his dinner on time. If guests were late he insisted
on starting without them.

This Saturday the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club is hosting the J.J. Dolan G/45 starting at 10 am.

1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club News

Congratulations go to Hayk Manvelyan, who won his second consecutive Tuesday Night Marathon last evening by drawing from a position of strength against top seed Paul Whitehead. The 19-year-old Fremont youth’s 8-1 score earned him $500 and raised his USCF rating to 2361.

IM Elliott Winslow was second in the 82-player field with an undefeated score of 7½ from 9, a full point ahead of a large group who tied for third: Experts David Klinetobe and Bryon Doyle, and Class A players Alex Steger and Michael Askin. All four had excellent tournaments but the award for the largest rating gain in the Neil Falconer Tuesday Night Marathon, a whopping 92 points, goes to 10-year-old Hans Niemann. Right behind him, and showing that Caissa favors all who work hard on their game no matter their age, was Steven Krasnov who jumped from 1862 to 1949—not bad for a player in his mid 60s!

The Fall Tuesday Night Marathon starts October 22 and rounds last nine weeks, ending December 17.

White to move (Bayaraa−Yamamoto after 33...Ra8)	White to move (Shnaiderman−Vichik after 14...h6)
White to move (Simpkins−Abraham after 12...0-0)	White to move (Simpkins−Abraham after 17...Kf7)
	For the solutions, see the game scores for round 9.
White to move (Askin−Andries after 41...Qxe6)

Thanks go to Gerardo Casasola for his very generous donation of chess books to the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club.

Jules Jelinek writes:

I wanted to remind everyone that now is the time start getting serious about blitz chess at Mechanics’ Institute, whether you are a member or a non-member!

Starting today, the next five Wednesday Night Blitz Tournaments at Mechanics’ Institute in October (2, 9, 16, 23, and 30) will each have, in memory of Jay Whitehead, a prize fund guarantee of $70 ($35-$21-$14) no matter how many players show up every week. If there are more than 10 players the prize fund will be increased by $7 for each additional player.

If those are not five good reasons to make sure that you and your friends come to play in the Wednesday Night Blitz, Kaimi Niemann has graciously donated an incredible 96"x96" quilt reproduction of a signed 1972 Fisher-Spassky World Championship poster valued at $280.

This will be awarded to the player that achieves the highest overall cumulative score during the entire month of October at the Wednesday Night Blitz Tournament

Every Wednesday evening is the time for the weekly round robin blitz tournament at Mechanics Institute Chess Club. As always, sign-up begins at 6:20 pm; playing starts by 6:40 pm and last entry accepted at 7 pm. Entry is $7 with clock; $8 without clock. Non-member entry is $9 with clock; $10 without clock. Prizes are 50%, 30%, 20% of base entry fees ($7 per player) collected. Time control preferably is 3 minute, increment 2 seconds; otherwise 5 minutes, no increment.

Last week’s winners were

1st – IM Ray Kaufman
2nd - Jules Jelinek
3rd – IM Elliott Winslow

2) A Chess Poem by Dennis Fritzinger

the physical pleasure of chess

the physical pleasure
of moving pieces,
like chopping wood
or sawing planks
to make a deck,
a desk, a chair.
using your arms
and upper body,
your nimble hands
grabbing a piece,
moving it, slamming
down the clock,
like digging a well
or building a path,
like making a wall
or patching a roof.
it’s the physical pleasure
of moving pieces
that draws you to spend
so much time with the game.

3) Magnus Smith–Charles Blake match (Part two)
by Eduardo Bauza Mercere

Editor—before there was Magnus Carlsen there was another Magnus. In this two-part article noted Argentine chess historian and researcher Eduardo Bauza Mercere looks at a match involving the Icelandic-born Magnus Smith, who was Canadian champion from 1899 to 1906. You will find all of the games of this match except the 10th.

Those wanting to learn more about the life of Magnus Smith should check out the article by Myron Samsin, which can be found at www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles322.pdf.

Smith,Magnus–Blake,Charles W [C12]

Winnipeg m (6), 02.12.1905

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Nf3 c5 9.Be2 Nc6 10.h3 Qa5 11.c4 Nc3 12.0–0 Nxd1 13.Bxa5 Nxf2 14.Rxf2 Nxa5 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Bb5+ Ke7 17.dxc5 Be6 18.Nd4 Rac8 19.Raf1 Rxc5 20.Bd3 Rf8 21.Bf5 Nc6 22.c3 Nxd4 23.cxd4 Rc4 24.Bxe6 Kxe6 25.Rf4 Rc2 26.a3 Rc3 27.R1f3 Rxf3 28.Rxf3 f6 29.g4 Rf7 30.Re3 fxe5 31.Rxe5+ Kd6 32.Re3 Rf4 33.Rd3 b5 34.Kg2 a5 35.Kg3 g5 36.h4 Kc6 37.h5 a4 38.Re3 Rxd4 39.Re6+ Kc5 40.Rxh6 Rd3+ 41.Kf2 Rxa3 42.Rg6 Ra2+ 43.Kg3 Re2 44.Rxg5 a3 45.Rg8 Re4 46.h6 a2 47.Rc8+ Kd6 48.Rc1 b4 49.h7 Re8 50.g5 b3 51.g6 b2 0–1
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 4 DEC 1905, p. 18

Blake,Charles W–Smith,Magnus [C30]

Winnipeg m (7), 04.12.1905

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 d6 5.f4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nd4 9.Qg3 Qe7 10.Bb3 exf4 11.Bxf4 Nh5 12.Qg4 Nxf4 13.Qxf4 Bb4 14.0–0 Bxc3 15.Qxf7+ Qxf7 16.Bxf7+ Ke7 17.bxc3 Ne2+ 18.Kh2 Nxc3 19.Bd5 Nxd5 20.exd5 Rhf8 21.Rae1+ Kd7 22.Kg3 b5 23.Rb1 a6 24.Rxf8 Rxf8 25.c4 Rb8 26.cxb5 Rxb5 27.Rxb5 axb5 28.Kf4 c6 29.dxc6+ Kxc6 30.Ke4 d5+ 31.Ke5 Kc5 32.a3 g5 33.g4 h6 34.Ke6 Kd4 35.Kd6 Kxd3 36.Kxd5 Kc3 37.Kc5 Kb3 38.Kxb5 Kxa3 39.Kc4 Kb2 40.Kd3 Kc1 41.Ke4 Kd2 42.Kf5 Ke3 43.Kg6 Kf4 44.Kxh6 Kg3 45.Kxg5 Kxh3 46.Kh5 1–0
Source: ManitobaFree Press, 5 DEC 1905, p. 6

Smith,Magnus–Blake,Charles W [C67]

Winnipeg m (8), 06.12.1905

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Be7 6.Qe2 f5 7.dxe5 0–0 8.Bc4+ Kh8 9.Bd5 d6 10.Nbd2 Nxd2 11.Bxd2 Nxe5 12.Rfe1 Nxf3+ 13.Qxf3 c6 14.Bb3 Bf6 15.c3 Bd7 16.Bc2 Bg5 17.Bf4 Qf6 18.Rad1 Bxf4 19.Qxf4 Rae8 20.Kf1 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 g5 22.Qe3 Re8 23.Qxa7 Rxe1+ 24.Kxe1 Qe5+ 25.Kd1 Qd5+ 26.Kc1 Qxg2 27.Qb8+ Kg7 28.Qxb7 Qf1+ 29.Bd1 Qxf2 30.Qxd7+ Kg8 31.Qd8+ Kf7 32.Qxd6 Qe3+ 33.Qd2 Qxd2+ 34.Kxd2 g4 35.Ke3 h5 36.Kf4 Kf6 37.Bc2 1–0
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 7 DEC 1905, p. 7

Blake,Charles W–Smith,Magnus [C30]

Winnipeg m (9), 09.12.1905

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nc6 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Qe7 9.Ne2 0–0–0 10.c3 Rhe8 11.b4 Bb6 12.a4 exf4 13.Bxf4 d5 14.Bxd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Rxd5 16.Ra2 Rf5 17.Qg4 Qe6 18.Rb2 h5 19.Qg3 g5 20.a5 gxf4 21.Qf3 Be3 22.a6 Qd5 23.axb7+ Kb8 24.Qxd5 Rxd5 25.d4 Rg5 26.Kf1 Ne7 27.c4 Reg8 28.Rh2 Nf5 29.d5 Kxb7 0–1
Source: ManitobaFree Press, 11 DEC 1905, p. 7; Lasker Chess Magazine, 12/1905, p. 71

Smith,Magnus–Blake,Charles W

Winnipeg m (10), 11.12.1905

Game score not available; adjourned in a favorable position for Smith, and left unplayed.
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 18 DEC 1905, p. 6

Blake,Charles W–Smith,Magnus [C30]

Winnipeg m (11), 13.12.1905

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nc6 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Qe7 9.Ne2 0–0–0 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 exf4 12.Qxf4 d5 13.Bxd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Rxd5 15.Kd2 g5 16.Qf3 Re5 17.Rae1 Re8 18.Qf2 f5 19.Nc3 Nd4 20.Rxe5 Qxe5 21.Re1 Qxe1+ 22.Qxe1 Rxe1 23.Kxe1 Nxc2+ 24.Kd2 Nd4 25.Nd5 Kd8 26.Ke3 c5 27.Nf6 h6 28.h4 Ke7 29.Ng8+ Ke6 30.Nxh6 gxh4 31.Kf4 Kf6 32.b4 cxb4 33.Ke3 Nc6 34.d4 Ne7 35.Kf4 Kg6 36.Ng4 fxg4 37.Kxg4 a5 38.Kf3 Kf5 0–1
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 14 DEC 1905, p. 6

4) Here and There

FIDE October Rating List

Top 20:

1. Carlsen (NOR) 2870
2. Kramnik (RUS) 2796
3. Aronian (ARM) 2795
4. Grischuk (RUS) 2786
5. Nakamura (USA) 2783
6. Caruana (ITA) 2779
7. Anand (IND) 2775
8. Topalov (BUL) 2771
9. Gelfand (ISR) 2765
10. Karjakin (RUS) 2762
11. Mamedyarov (AZE) 2759
12. Dominguez (CUB) 2753
13. Adams (ENG) 2753
14. Ponomariov (UKR) 2751
15. Giri (NED) 2749
16. Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) 2742
17. Svidler (RUS) 2740
18. Morozevich (RUS) 2734
19. Ivanchuk (UKR) 2733
20. Wang Hao (CHN) 2733

As this is written (October 2) Hikaru has jumped past Grischuk, and with two rounds left in the Paris Grand Prix is 2794.2, less than 2 points from the world number-two spot.

Eduardo Bauza Mercere has another fine match which is not to be found in Gaige or Di Felice’s reference works.

1898/99
Washington DC m
19 OCT–25 FEB

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2Hanna, E. P. 1 1 0 1 0 1 = 1 1 = 0 1 8Walker, Frank Baker 0 0 1 0 1 0 = 0 0 = 1 0 4