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Sunday, March 31, 2013

English Opening Reversed Sicilian-Spassky

The ...f4 Pawn Sacrifice Plan
Ex-world champion sacrificed a pawn here with 14...f4 for dark square counterplay and eventually won against another great chess fighter GM Bent Larsen.


14.Qd2

More on Larsen


Here is the feature game.

Larsen,Bent (2610) - Spassky,Boris V (2635)
English Reversed Sicilian[A25]
Linares, 1981

Position 1
Black has been defending actively. How should black continue now after the check has been blocked with 40.Qf3?

Black to Play
40.Qf3

Saturday, March 30, 2013

English Opening,GM Spassky

Symmetrical English Botvinnik System vs Botvinnik System
Here is a relatively unknown game by Ex-World Champion Boris Spassky.


Black used the Botvinnik structure to defend against white's initially passive formation but later white also adopted the Botvinnik formation for an equal game.

11.e4

The Ex-World Champion Spassky used his patience and experience in a long defence to outlast his opponent. Spassky did nothing special except adopt a solid formation and keep the position equal. When black tried to make something happen Spassky hung tough and made no additional weaknesses.


Spassky,Boris V (2545) - Zhu Chen (2480)
Symmetical English Mutual Botvnnik System[A36]
Cancan Veterans-Women Roquebrune (1), 07.09.1998


Position 1

The position looks quite equal. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play

71...Bb4

Friday, March 29, 2013

Vietnamese Chess

The Sad Story of Vietnamese Chess Vietnamnet Vietnamese-chess
VietNamNet Bridge – Chess is the sport with the highest number of “prodigies.” However, most of the prodigies were not cared for thoroughly so their talent gradually faded.

HD Bank 2013
Le Quang Liem’s gold medal at the HD Bank 2013 tournament makes Vietnam’s chess circle bittersweet. That tournament had the participation of the "quartet" of chess geniuses over a decade in Vietnam, including: Le Quang Liem, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Tran Minh Thang and Nguyen Anh Khoi. As the guest players are not too strong, the local fans expected that the competition for the championship would be among Vietnamese athletes.




 Quang Liem (right) had a lower starting point than Truong Son (left)

However, after a few rounds, except for Le Quang Liem, the rest were soon knocked out of the race. 

Nguyen Anh Khoi
The U10 world champion - Nguyen Anh Khoi was "forced" to give up the tournament halfway to attend the 2012 outstanding athlete award ceremony in Hanoi. 


Nguyen Anh Khoi


After the event, many people feel happy for Quang Liem, when his dream of winning this cup became reality after three years, but they feel pity for the fate of other chess prodigies who are sinking into oblivion.

Nguyen Ngoc TruongAlthough he does not win a lot of championship titles, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son is highly appreciated by chess experts. In the eyes of experts, Son is considered a rare genius of Vietnam for more than a decade. Even in terms of qualities, Son is more highly appreciated than the world super-great grandmaster Le Quang Liem.


After winning two gold medals at the Asian Championships and the World Championships 2000, a big investment plan on Truong San was worked out by competent agencies. However, what Son has received in fact is far less than the original promise. At the most important stage for a chess player, Son was not cared thoughtfully, and as a result, his talent has been thwarted.


Tran Minh Thang
Another case is Tran Minh Thang. Five years ago, at the world young chess championship held in Vietnam, Thang became the phenomenon after winning a gold medal for the under 8 players. The Hanoi authorities pledged to create favorable conditions for this prodigy to follow the success of the elder generation - Quang Liem and Truong Son.

Tran Minh Thang
However, over the past five years, what Minh Thang has gotten is just a training trip to Hungary, which was not really effective. Consequently, the talent of the former world champion is at a standstill.

Tran Minh Thang at First Saturday
The prodigies like Truong Son, Minh Thang and now Anh Khoi have been facing “abandoning.” Lack of money has been always an excuse that the sports authorities have taken to "justify" for the fate of "stillborn" genius. But that reason is not true.

Money is not the whole reason. In November 2011, both Quang Liem and Truong Son received the funding of $50,000 for four years. Half of the time has passed but Truong Son has not shown any improvement, while Le Quang Liem has become the top chess player of Vietnam.

It should be added that Le Quang Liem’s success comes from his personal efforts, interest, and his family’s support and investment, not the assistance of sports agencies.

Obviously, improper care for athletes means the waste of talent and genius.

The 1.c4 e5 ..Bb4xNc3 Plan of Smyslov

The 1.c4 e5 ..Bb4xNc3 Plan of Smyslov
Static doubled c-pawns are usually thought of as targets but Smyslov had other ideas in the following key position.

10.Nxf3

Smsylov refined the plan of anti-doubled pawn play with 10...d5! 11.cd Qxd5! and continued with fluid piece play.


More on Smyslov


Here is the feature game.

Sigurjonsson,Gudmundur - Smyslov,Vassily
English 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 e4 7.Ng5 [A29]
Reykjavik, 1974


Position 1
Concrete play is require from black otherwise the weak queenside pawns will eventually be targeted and fall. What do you recommend for black?

Black to Play

16.Rb1

The 1.c4 e5 ..Bb4xNc3 Plan of Smyslov

The 1.c4 e5 ..Bb4xNc3 Plan of Smyslov
Giving up the dark bishop for doubled c-pawns gives counterplay in similar style to the Nimzo-Indian.


10...d6

More on Smyslov





Here is the feature game from Ex-World Champion Smyslov, played in the year I was born(!).

Olafsson,Fridrik - Smyslov,Vassily 
English 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Bb4
4.Bg2 0–0 5.Nf3 Re8 6.0–0 e4 7.Nd4 [A29]
Candidates Tournament Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade (27), 26.10.1959


Position 1
Black is better with the active QR on the 2nd rank. What do you recommend for black now?

Black to Play

32.Rc1

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Texas Scholastic Chess Ch 2013

Champions  ElPasoTimes Henderson Champs
Story by Aaron Bracamontes

Texas Scholastic Chess Tournament championship-McAllen,Texas
Six students from Henderson Middle School showed flashes of brilliance this past weekend, capturing the 2013 Texas Scholastic Chess Tournament championship in McAllen, Texas.
The Henderson team, made up of seventh- and eighth-graders, placed every one of its players within the top 12 individually.
After three days of playing, 
  • Carlos Rios placed third, the highest on the team. 
  • Humberto Hernandez was fourth, 
  • Juan Ruiz was sixth, Miguel Gonzalez was seventh, 
  • Kevin Madriles was eighth 
  • Jazzlyn De La Rosa was 12th.
Henderson Middle School Team
Not only was it the team's first state championship; it was their first state tournament.
Saul Ramirez, the students' teacher and coach, started the chess club at Henderson only two years ago.
"I played chess myself growing up in South El Paso," said Ramirez, who graduated from Bowie High School. "Throughout years of experience I figured out that chess helps a student to reach their dreams and with their education."
Ramirez said at first his students were intimidated to go against about 15 of the best teams in the state and more than 80 of the best players.
But by the end of the tournament his players were at the advanced tables.
"It is very intimidating to walk into that room and see all those kids," Ramirez said. "But I have confidence in our students. I knew we were going to place, but I never thought we were going to win."
De La Rosa said she was excited to meet players from around the state, but admitted she was intimidated because she didn't know how good they were.
"I was really nervous going into the first round because I wasn't sure what we were going to face," De La Rosa said.
Ruiz it was difficult to stay relaxed.
"The toughest thing about this competition was trying not to get nervous," Ruiz said. "My secret was to try not to think about it too much. That way you don't feel like you have the weight of the world."
In the final round, four of the students had to face each other because they were all near the top of the leader board.
"I was kind of worried and nervous because I was going against my teammate," said Rios, who played Hernandez. "And I know how good he is."
Hernandez has played chess since he was in elementary school.
"When I was a kid, my mom taught me how to play and I just kept up with it," Hernandez said. "She was very happy that we won, because I was worried I wouldn't win."
While Hernandez has played for years, other members of the team barely began to take gambits two years ago when the Henderson chess club was born.
"They catch on very quickly," Ramirez said. Winning the tournament "was an amazing feeling. It brought back so many memories from when I used to play."
All six students earned a trophy individually, along with the team championship trophy.
"The best part was probably when everyone started getting their trophies," Gonzalez said. "We already knew we had gotten a lot of them, but it was great to see them."
Ruiz, Rios and Hernandez will move on to high school next year, while Gonzalez, De La Rosa and Madriles already want to start planning for next year's state competition.
"I was a bit nervous but excited at the same time because I got to see some of the best players outside of El Paso," Madriles said. "I like chess because you get to think a lot. Of course I want to keep playing and come back."
Ramirez added that the championship is not an endgame. It might just be the beginning.
"Now we have to start fundraising for next year," he said.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

U.S. National Junior Chess Congress San Francisco 2013

Fresnobee Coalinga-chess-club
 - The Fresno Bee


Pictured from left, Blake, Brett, Bryce and Alexa Wong. 
Bryan Wong (with his right arm raised) is in the background.


U.S. National Junior Chess Congress
The Coalinga Chess Club won a national championship for the third straight year at a tournament in San Francisco last weekend.

20 and Under

  • 1-2= Coalinga CC and Fremont
  • 3rd Mendota
The club's 20 and under team tied for first place with the Bay Area Chess team of Fremont at the U.S. National Junior Chess Congress tournament Saturday and Sunday and will share the title, Coalinga coach Ed Wong said.

The Mendota Chess Team, coached by Vaness French, placed third in the same division.

Wong's sons -Blake, 14, Brett, 12, and Bryce, 11- made up the winning 20 and under Coalinga team. In the individual competition, Blake tied for second, Bryce placed fourth and Brett was fifth.

The Coalinga club won the 18 and under national championship at the same tournament the past two years.

"We were very fortunate this time," Ed Wong said. "Our players had to come from behind against stiff competition in the last two rounds."

The Bay Area team also draws players from the San Jose area, Wong said.

"This was a club competition, so we basically were playing all-star teams," he said.

Bryan Wong, 8, another of Wong's sons, tied for 17th in the 8 and under division.

Coalinga also has won 12 Southern California Scholastic State Chess Championships titles in the past six years.


Mendota Team
Members of the Mendota team that finished third in San Francisco in the 20 and under division were Sergio Mayares, 17, and Joel Montalvo and Julian Estrada, both 19.

Mendota placed second in the 18 and under division. Team members were Charles Ledesma and Kevin Romero, both 17, and Lizzy Gonzalez, 18. Ledesma was fifth in the individual competition.

16 and Under

In the 16 and under division, Mendota was fourth. Team members were Jose Caldedrio and Luis Castro, both 16, Gaston Aganza and Anthonio Rojas, both 15, and William Yim, 14. Caldedrio placed highest -- 15th -- in the individual competition.

The Bg2xNc6 for Doubled c-Pawns Plan
The positon after 8...Be6(diagram) seems fairly innocuous.

8...Be6

Ex-World Champion Tigran Petrosian came up with the remarkable 9.Bxc6!? idea, giving up the strong bishop to play against the broken queenside pawns.

Ex-World Champion Petrosian,Tigran V
Here is the feature game.

Petrosian,Tigran V (2640) - Szabo,Laszlo (2565)
English 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nc7 [A34]
IBM Amsterdam (1), 1973


Position 1
Black is playing hard to exploit white's uncastled king and has given a piece for a pawn. White wants to neutralize black's threats as efficiently as possible. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play
19...Rd8

English Reversed Sicilian-Petrosian,T

The facing f-pawns plan(with Nh3)
The plan of f4 vs f5 facing f-pawn is an important defensive idea. Petrosian played 11.f4 to prevent the ...f4 idea and restrain Bc8, when black would have typical counterplay. The unique part of Petrosian's idea was to prepare and support f4 with Nh3.


11.f4

Here is the feature game.

Petrosian,Tigran V - Hort,Vlastimil 

English Reversed Sicilian[A25]
EU-chT (Men) Oberhausen (8.3), 29.06.1961

Position 1
Black is vulnerable but it is not easy to see exactly where. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play
17..de