Colorado Springs Chess Newsletter
This Week In Chess
On May 5th, the CSCC had 9 members in attendance. The evening’s event was a 5-round, double-Round Robin, blitz tournament (G5). New Colorado expert Mitch Anderson blew through the field with only one loss. Here are the results:
Score Player
9.0 Mitch Anderson
6.5 David Meliti
6.0 Jeff Fox
4.5 Paul Anderson
3.0 James Powers
1.0 Bob Stanton
Fantasy Chess
This is the first year I have been watching the US Championship live. Needless to say, the main reason is the participation of our local boy, NM Tyler Hughes. I was very excited to see someone from our neck of the woods go up against the best players in the country. However, some of the pre-game commentary seemed to foreshadow nothing but doom. In the “No Realistic Chance” section of the May 2009 Chess Life preview, IM Greg Shahade wrote, “Expectations won’t be too high” (page 39). In addition, Dennis Monokroussos described Tyler this way, “Black? Tyler Hughes, a national master whose participation seemed rather dubious.” Well, I think it is safe to say that Tyler shattered expectations and proved he deserved to be there with a stunning upset in round one! Congratulations Tyler! Keep making us proud.
[Event “2009 U.S. Championship”]
[Site “St Louis”]
[Date “2009.05.08”]
[Round “1”]
[White “Gulko, Boris”]
[Black “Hughes, Tyler”]
[Result “0-1”]
[WhiteELO “2631”]
[WhiteTitle “GM”]
[BlackELO “2293”]
[BlackTitle “”]
[Source “MonRoi”]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bg5 d6 5.e3 O-O 6.Be2 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.d5 Bf5 9.f3 g5
10.Bf2 e6 11.h4 exd5 12.hxg5 hxg5 13.cxd5 Qa5 14.Bd3 Bxd3 15.Qxd3 Nbd7 16.Nge2
Rfe8 17.Kf1 Ne5 18.Qf5 Nc4 19.Qxg5 Re5 20.Qf4 Nxb2 21.Rb1 Nd3 22.Qc4 Nxf2
23.Kxf2 Rae8 24.e4 R5e7 25.Rh4 Nd7 26.Rxb7 Ne5 27.Rxe7 Rxe7 28.Qb3 Qd8 29.Nd1 c4
30.Qe3 Rb7 31.Rh5 Nd3+ 32.Kg3 Rb1 33.Nf2 Be5+ 34.Rxe5 Nxe5 35.Nd4 Qf6 36.Nf5 Rb3
37.Qf4 Qg6+ 38.Ng4 Qxg4+ 39.Qxg4+ Nxg4 40.Kxg4 c3 0-1
The other reason I am more interested in the US Championship this year is my participation in fantasy chess. Prizes for best score start today, so wish me luck. Here is how I am doing:
My score is 19.0. I am ranked 64 (possible points = actual points).
GM Gata Kamsky (2.0) < GM Hikaru Nakamura (1.5) 3 = 0
GM Alex Onischuk (1.5) < GM Yury Shulman (2.0) 2 = 2
GM Varuzhan Akobian (1.0) = GM Julio Becerra (1.0) 4 = 6
GM Larry Christiansen (0.5) > GM Alex Shabalov (0.0) 11 = 11
GM Joel Benjamin (1.5) = GM Gregory Kaidanov (0.5) 6 = 0
GM Jaan Ehlvest (1.5) < GM Ildar Ibragimov (0.5) 5 = 0
GM Boris Gulko (0.0) = GM Melikset Khachiyan (1.0) 7 = 0
GM Josh Friedel (1.5) > GM-elect Robert Hess (2.0) 8 = 0
IM Irina Krush (0.5) > IM Anna Zatonskih (0.5) 9 = 0
IM Ray Robson (1.0) > IM Sam Shankland (1.0) 10 = 0
IM Michael Brooks (1.0) * < IM Enrico Sevillano (1.0) 12 = 0
NM Tyler Hughes (1.0) = NM Charles Lawton (0.0) 1 = 0
I have selected GM Hikaru Nakamura to be the 2009 U.S. Champion. 7 = ?
Game Of The Week
DuWayne Langseth started playing chess in 1972 and has been playing at the Colorado Springs Chess Club since the early 1990s. He teaches chess at a couple of scholastic clubs (Antelope Trail and Discovery Canyon). He has helped his son, Rhett, tie for the state title this year in the grade 7-9 category. So, when he wanted a win of mine for his website (coloradochessgames.com/), I wanted to come up with something he would really enjoy, as a way to thank him for all his contributions to the chess world.
Most people aren’t aware that chess games make excellent gifts. They don’t spoil, one size fits all, and black and white go with everything. In fact, I have been publishing one of my dad’s email chess victories over myself, as a Father’s Day gift for the past 4 years. In addition, even non-chess players can enjoy chess games as a gift. My mom likes hearing about my dad’s email chess defeats, and she doesn’t even play chess. Did I mention they are divorced? Anyway, I thought she would get a kick out of this game in lieu of flowers for Mother’s Day. It would have to be better than some of my other attempts to pick out the right gift for her. Who knew, when I bought her a large nightgown from Lane Bryant, that it was a store exclusively geared towards plus size women? It was more like a tarp than a nightgown.
So, I thought about what would DuWayne like, and I may have just now finally gotten the perfect gift for someone. Here is why:
DuWayne asked for a win of mine, “I would really like to add one of your games, and despite how interesting our game was, I don’t want to add another one of mine! And I want to put one on there that you won, so the Baffo game is out.”
DuWayne’s love of chess started with 5 years of postal chess, as he grew up too far away from over the board players in rural North Dakota. The closest thing to postal chess I have played is email chess with my dad. This one is from 8/4/98 to 2/8/99 when DuWayne was actually higher rater than me. He was a class A player (1804), and I was a class C player (1565).
DuWayne likes Colorado games for his website, and this one finished up at the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge, as my dad and I played out the ending on the hotel bed. I confessed to my dad that I had checked with the Reuben Fine’s Basic Chess Endings and saw how to complete the win. The book was actually given to me from my dad as a Christmas gift, and I finally had a chance to put it to use. For being so resourceful, I had felt like shouting from the turret of my tank in the voice of General Patton, “Dad, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!” After all, the saying goes, “All is fair in chess and war.”
But best of all, DuWayne really enjoys putting endgame positions into the many databases he has collected. Since this was the longest recorded win I have and came down to a pawn and bishop, it had the right characteristics to work in these databases. After all, you can only have 3 or 4 pieces on the board (besides the kings).
The Gift Of Chess (home.att.net/~cs.chess/games/and … 081999.htm)
(144) Anderson,Paul - Anderson,Douglas [D20]
6-4-2 Glenwood Springs, 08.02.1999
[Fritz 8 (120s)]
D20: Queen’s Gambit Accepted: 3 e3 and 3 e4
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 c5 4.d5 e6 5.Bxc4 last book move 5…e5 6.Nf3 Bd6 In the style of Nimzovich 7.Nc3 a6 Prevents intrusion on b5 8.0-0 h6 Secures g5 9.Be3 Bg4 10.Qa4+ Nd7 Black should quickly conclude development. 11.Be2 Ngf6 12.Qc2 0-0 13.Nh4 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Nxd5 Clearance to allow d8-h4. 15.Nxd5?? White has let it slip away [15.exd5 Qxh4 ] 15…Qxh4= 16.Rad1 Bb8 [16…Rae8!? 17.f3 Re6= ] 17.g3 Qh3 18.Ne7+ Kh7 19.Nf5 Nf6 20.Bxc5 Re8 21.f3 Controls g4 21…b5 22.Qe3 g6 23.Qb3 Kg8 24.Nd6 Bxd6 25.Rxd6 Kg7 26.Rfd1 Qc8 27.Be3 Ng8 28.Qd5 Re7 29.Rc1 Qb7 30.Rcc6 f6 31.Rb6 Qc8 32.Rdc6 Qh3 [32…Qd7 33.Qxd7 Rxd7 34.Rxa6 Rxa6 35.Rxa6+/- ] 33.Rxf6 [33.Bc5 Qd7 34.Bxe7 Qxe7 35.Rxa6± ] 33…Nxf6+/- 34.Qxa8 Rd7 35.Rb7 Qe6 36.Rxd7+ Nxd7 [>=36…Qxd7!? 37.Qxa6 Qd1+ 38.Kf2 g5± ] 37.Bxh6+!± Demolishes the pawn shield 37…Kf7 [37…Kxh6 A deflection 38.Qh8+ A beautiful mate combination] 38.Qb7 Kf6 39.b3 Qd6 40.Qa7 Qc6 41.Be3 Qd6 42.Bf2 Qc6 43.Qe3 Qe6 44.h4 Ke7 45.Qg5+ Kf7 46.g4 Nf6 47.Kg2 a5 48.Qd2 a4 49.bxa4 bxa4 50.Bc5 Nxe4 51.fxe4 Qxg4+ 52.Kf1 Qxe4 53.Qd7+ Kg8 54.Qe8+ Kh7 55.Qf7+ Kh6 56.Be7 Kh5 57.Bg5 Qf5+? [>=57…Kg4± ] 58.Qxf5 gxf5 59.Kf2 Kg4 60.Bf6 f4 61.Bd8 [>=61.Bxe5 and White can already relax 61…Kxh4 62.Bxf4 Kg4± ] 61…e4 62.Bc7 [>=62.Be7± ] 62…Kxh4?? cause more grief [>=62…f3+/- ] 63.Bxf4±
DuWayne found an online database that has all the possible outcomes for any chess game with 6 men left on the board. The FEN input tells the computer where the pieces are on the board.
shredderchess.com/online-che … abase.html
Here is the 6-piece FEN input:
8/8/8/8/p3pB1k/8/P4K2/8 b - - 0 63
This is mate in 61 and the furthest back the database goes. Despite the fact that the database can accurately play out a 61 move mating line, it cannot find 63. Bxf4 just one move earlier. This demonstrates the fact that a lot of computer chess is not about out-thinking humans but rather about out-researching humans.
63…Kg4 64.Ke3 Kf5 65.Bh2 Ke6 66.Kxe4
Now the 5-piece database can look up the ending and play out a mate in 57.
Here is the 5-piece FEN input:
8/8/4k3/8/p3K3/8/P6B/8 b - - 0 66
Of course, as humans, we probably did not play the best move always, but I still got the last black pawn before the 50 move draw rule would have applied, and since it was against my dad, I opted not to announce mate in 57.
66…Kd7 67.Kd5 Kc8 68.Kc6 Kd8 69.Bd6 Ke8 70.Kc7 Kf7 71.Kd7 Kf6 72.Be7+ Ke5 73.Bd8 Kd5 74.Bb6 Ke5 75.Bc7+ Kf6 76.Kd6 Kf7 77.Bd8 Ke8 78.Be7 Kf7 79.Kd7 Kg6 80.Ke6 Kg7 81.Bd6 Kg6 82.Bf8 Kg5 83.Bg7 Kg6 84.Bf6 Kh6 85.Kf7 Kh5 86.Be7 Kg4 87.Kf6 Kf4 88.Ke6 Ke4 89.Bf6 Kf4 90.Bh4 Kg4 91.Be7 Kh5 92.Kf5 Kh6 93.Bf8+ Kh5 94.Bg7 Kh4 95.Bh6 Kg3 96.Bg5 Kf3 97.Bf4 Kf2 98.Ke4 Kg2 99.Kd4 Kf3 100.Bh2 Kg4 101.Kc4 Kf5 102.Kb4 Ke6 103.Kxa4 Kd7 104.Ka5 Kc8 105.Ka6 1-0
Upcoming Events
5/12 Thematic tourn. King’s Indian Defense: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6, CSCC
5/13,20,27 Poor Richard’s May Open, CSCC
5/13 Boulder May Blitz Tournament, CSCA
5/16 DCC May Flowers, CSCA
5/16 casual chess at Agia Sophia coffee house, 2902 W Colorado, 8:00 PM., CSCC
5/19 Quads - 4 RR, G/30 if rated, G/20 if not, CSCC
For event details and additional events, see the following websites:
Colorado Springs Chess Club: CSCC (springschess.org/)
Boulder Chess Club: BCC (geocities.com/boulderchessclub/)
Colorado State Chess Association: CSCA (colorado-chess.com/)
Wyoming Chess Association: WCA (wyomingchess.com/)
Kansas Chess Association: KCA (kansaschess.org/)