After over 40 years, I finally defeated a GM otb! Boris Kreiman was defeated at the Marshall, with the Marshall variation of the Exchange Slav, last Thursday.
Anyone else with a victory and a 500 point disadvantage?
All the best, Joe
“When you get into the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.” Congrats, Joe! 
I think my best win ever (pre-MSA, sadly) was when I defeated the defending Nebraska champion, who was a 2200 player. I was a mid-1500 player at the time.
Igor Ivanov lost to a 1300 player once.
I did have a pre-MSA win over the late SM Bill Colias once. I was around 1700 at the time. True, it was a G/30 swindlefest, but it’s a win nonetheless. 
I have two 500+ point upsets in my career.
First was a G/45 extra game, I was rated just under 1200, he was 1832. Earlier that tournament one of my opponents taught me about 12-15 moves of Grunfeld theory in our post-mortem analysis. The 1800 played the Grunfeld, and I was able to use my prep with it fresh in my mind.
Several years later I had an upset win in the 1st round of the US Open against a 2380 (I was rated about 1850). It was the highest board that had an upset win for that round and I thought that maybe it would get into Chesslife if it was the top upset of the tournament. Unfortunately (for me), I was upstaged in round 2 when an expert beat GM-elect Alex Lenderman.
Several of my opponents over the last few years.
Bill Smythe
Careful, Bill, or you’ll become the new poster child for players who should ask to have their floor lowered.
That expert is Matthew Michaelides from Houston, who is currently Columbia University Chess Club President. You can read his article about an Ivy League tournament in Chess Life Online. It was a wonderful game (vs. Lenderman).
My biggest upset was nowhere near 500 points, but it got published in Kavalek’s Washington Post column: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/01/AR2009030101679.html
It featured by far the most enjoyable move I ever played - 15. Be6! - that one move brightened my life for months afterwards.
Michael Langer
Game score?
I can claim a 380 point draw, but with some additional factors–only my 3rd long time control game after a nearly decade-long hiatus, and my first FIDE rated game ever, while suffering from an nasty cold (I actually agreed to a draw when up a pawn in a two rook endgame, because I was feeling so lousy). Last February, as a 1790, against Ben Katz (then 2170) at Marshall FIDE Mondays. That game score’s at returntochess.wordpress.com/2012 … continues/
Before that, I have to go back 15 years for a rapid chess win as a 1900 vs. Pappu Murthy, then 2272.
And I did beat a former Girls Under 18 national champion, though it was only a 100 point upset–but I did get to calculate a mate in 8 over the board, so that was something worth mentioning. That game’s at returntochess.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/winning/
Unfortunately, that’s a statement about Igor’s battle with alcoholism, which plagued him for much of his life. Igor was a wonderful person, with the innocence of a child, but sometimes he was not in any condition to play a tournament game. Amazingly, he still won or drew many such games, but not all of them.
Oh, Hal, was it really necessary to bring up such things about a player? Igor Ivanov was a great player. He certainly would have never given an excuse for any loss. He was warm and friendly with many players, regardless of their rating. He had many friends in the chess world. Lets leave it at that.
The designation of the Marshall variation of the Exchange Slav is mine.
- d4 d5, 2. c4 c6, 3. Nf3 Nf6, 4. cd cd, 5. Nc3 Nc6, 6. Qb3.
Marshall-Capablanca ended in a draw, back in the '20s. Kashdan tried it in one of the Olympiads during the '30s.
It is not easy development for Black, yet tricky for White to find the most affective development for an advantage. I have had mixed results with those about my rating, often pressing too hard to win.
About a year ago, I had an advantage over GM Paragua, but slipped. The week before Kreiman, I defeated Joshua Colas (2394) in this variation.
It pays to bring out old, discarded variations, and gain experience with them.
All the best, Joe
I beat a player rated 500 points above me just a few months ago.
In the 2012 World Open I beat Erik Santarius who was rated 2403. I was rated 1900 at the time.
uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201207085812.1
Of course, I had an unfair advantage as I was white and I played 1. g4 on the first move.
Like I said, experience counts!
Kudos 
is that like
- e4 f5 for black?
“Say it aint so Joe”. Only kidding, congratulations. My biggest upset occurred in the 1st round of the 1998 South Dakota Governor’s Cup Championship against GM Alexander Ivanov and at that time, it was something like a 600 point upset. I had the white side of an English, and sacrificed my queen to remove the guard to allow a fork and win back his queen, and then proceeded to outplay GM Ivanov in a Knight Vs. Bishop ending, where I even offered the knight as well, and if he took it, it would deflect his king too far from stopping my pawn from queening. I too, never thought I would score a win against a GM in a tournament game until that night. It did help that GM Ivanov was tired from 2 simuls he did that day, but as they say, “A Win is a Win”.
David A. Cole, USCF Life Member, Franklin, NJ