GM Ben Finegold Wins 2014 Southeastern FIDE Championship

The situation could not have been better going into the last round of the 2014 Southeastern FIDE Championship at the Charlotte Chess Center & Scholastic Academy (http://www.charlottechesscenter.org/) Sunday afternoon. The grizzled veteran GM Ben Finegold was a perfect 4-0 and his opponent, the young IM Kassa Korley, was a half-point behind. IM Korley had White and needed a win; there would be no early draw for the GM, who would have to stand and fight the young upstart in the way an old lion must face his much younger rival on the plains of Africa. Earlier this year in the Great State of North Carolina, at the Ron Simpson Memorial, GM Maurice Ashley lost a dramatic last round game against upstart Expert Sanjay Ghatti of Georgia.

Expert William Coe tested IM Korley in the second round by playing what 365chess.com (http://www.365chess.com/) has named the “Tennison (Lemberg, Zukertort) gambit.” The variation has been tested previously, but 5…Nbd7 is not shown on 365chess. After this move it is obvious that since Black has blocked the c8 Bishop, a piece sacrifice on e6 should be considered. The CBDB (http://database.chessbase.com/js/apps/database/) shows a few games with 5…Nbd7, but only one with 6 Bxe6.

William Coe (2166) – IM Kassa Korley (2474)
Rd 2 A06 Tennison (Lemberg, Zukertort) gambit

1. e4 d5 2. Nf3 dxe4 3. Ng5 Nf6 4. Bc4 e6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Ngxe4 Nb6 7. Bb3 Bd7 8. O-O Bc6 9. Re1 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Qh4 11. Qe2 Be7 12. d4 O-O-O 13. c3 Qxe4 14. Qxe4 Bxe4 15. Rxe4 Bf6 16. a4 Nd5 17. Bf4 Nxf4 18. Rxf4 Rd6 19. Bc2 h5 20. h4 c5 21. dxc5 Rd2 22. Rc1 Rhd8 23. Kf1 R8d7 24. g3 Rc7 25. Rc4 g5 26. b4 gxh4 27. gxh4 Rcd7 28. Ke1 Kc7 29. b5 Bg7 30. a5 Bh6 31. c6 bxc6 32. Rxc6 Kd8 33. b6 axb6 34. axb6 Rxf2 35. b7 Rxb7 36. Rd1 Ke7 37. Kxf2 Rb2 38. Rc7 Kf6 39. Kg3 Rxc2 40. Rf1 Kg6 41. Rfxf7 Rxc3 42. Rxc3 Kxf7 43. Kf3 Bg7 44. Rc5 1/2-1/2

In the penultimate round IM Korley dispatched NM Sam Copeland after 1 e4 g6 2 h4!? d5 3. exd5 Nf6 4. Nc3 when he decided to make it a gambit by playing 4…c6, a TN.

NM Sam Copeland – IM Kassa Korley
Rd 4 B06 Robatsch (modern) defence

1. e4 g6 2. h4 d5 3. exd5 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. dxc6 Nxc6 6. Be2 Nd4 7. Nf3 Nxe2 8. Qxe2 Bg7 9. Qb5 Qd7 10. Qxd7 Bxd7 11. d3 Rc8 12. Be3 b5 13. Kd2 b4 14. Ne2 a5 15. a3 Ng4 16. axb4 axb4 17. c3 Bc6 18. cxb4 Bxb2 19. Rab1 Bg7 20. b5 Bb7 21. Rhc1 Kd7 22. Ne1 f5 23. Rc4 Bd5 24. Ra4 Ra8 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Nc3 Bb7 27. Bc5 Ke6 28. f3 Ne5 29. Nc2 Rd8 30. Nb4 Nc4 31. Kc2 Na3 32. Kb3 Nxb1 33. Nxb1 Bf6 34. Na3 Bxh4 35. Nc4 Be1 36. d4 Bxb4 37. Kxb4 h5 38. Na5 Bd5 39. Nc6 Bxc6 40. bxc6 Kd5 41. Kb5 Rc8 0-1

Meanwhile, GM Finegold beat FM William Fisher in a QGA. Black varied from the game Milton Kasuo Okamura (2191) vs Ronny Knoch Gieseler, Brazil Championship, 2009, with 11…Nde7 in lieu of 11…Ncxe7.
Rd 4 D20 Queen’s gambit accepted

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bxc4 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Bd3 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Bg5 Nd5 11. Bxe7 Ndxe7 12. Re1 h6 13. Be4 O-O 14. Rc1 Bd7 15. Na4 Ra7 16. Nc5 b6 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Rd8 20. Qb3 Qb5 21. Qxb5 axb5 22. Red1 Rad7 23. Rxd7 Rxd7 24. Kf1 Rd2 25. Rc2 Rd4 26. f3 g5 27. Ke2 Nd5 28. g3 Kg7 29. Rd2 Ra4 30. Bxd5 exd5 31. Rxd5 b4 32. Rb5 Rxa2 33. Rxb4 Ra6 34. Ke3 Kg6 35. Ke4 Kg7 36. Kf5 Kf8 37. f4 gxf4 38. gxf4 Kg7 39. Rb5 Kf8 40. Kf6 Kg8 41. f5 1-0

This brings us to the decisive last round battle, which followed the recent game Akshat Chandra (2472) vs Illya Nyzhnyk (2639) from the 3rd Washington Int 2014, played 08/13/2014, when Chandra played 14. a3.

IM Kassa Korley (2474) vs GM Benjamin Finegold (2581)
Rd 5

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. Re1 a6 6. Bf1 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. d4 Nf6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Be7 12. c4 Bd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qd3 O-O 15. Rad1 Qa5 16. Re5 Qc7 17. Qh3 Rfd8 18. Rg5 Kf8 19. Qe3 Rd7 20. Be5 Qd8 21. Rxd7 Bxd7 22. Qg3 g6 23. Bc7 Qe8 24. Bd6 Bxd6 25. Qxd6 Qe7 26. Qe5 Bc6 27. Rg4 Kg8 28. Rd4 Nd7 29. Qc7 Kf8 30. a3 a5 31. Nb5 a4 32. Qf4 Kg7 33. Qd2 e5 34. Rd6 Nc5 35. Qb4 Ne6 36. Nc3 Qg5 37. Nd5 Nd4 38. Qc3 Re8 39. f4 Qg4 40. h3 Qd1 41. Qd3 Qxd3 42. Bxd3 exf4 43. Nb4 Ne2 44. Kf2 Nc1 45. Bf1 Be4 46. Nd5 Bxd5 47. Rxd5 Nb3 48. Be2 Re3 49. Bd1 b6 50. Rb5 Nc5 51. Bc2 Re6 52. Kf3 g5 53. Rb4 h5 54. Kf2 g4 55. hxg4 hxg4 56. Kf1 g3 0-1

I watched this game with interest. It appeared the younger man had a small advantage, but was uncertain how to proceed. 39 f4 looked suspect, but the real culprit was the next move, 40 h3, when 40 fxe5 was expected. The IM vacillated and although there were many vicissitudes, from this point on Ben Finegold outplayed his opponent, showing why he is a GM. He took clear first and the $1000 prize.

Akshat Chandra (2472) vs Illya Nyzhnyk (2639)
3rd Washington Int 2014 Rd 8

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. Re1 a6 6. Bf1 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. d4 Nf6 9. Be3 Be7 10. c4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bd7 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. a3 a5 15. Qd3 Qc7 16. Be5 Qb6 17. Qg3 O-O 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Rxd8+ Qxd8 20. Rd1 Qb6 21. Bd4 Qb3 22. Rd3 Qc2 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 Nh5 25. Qe5 Bf6 26. Qxh5 Bxd4 27. Rxd4 Qxc3 28. Qa5 Re8 29. Qb6 e5 30. Rd6 Be4 31. b5 h6 32. h3 Ra8 33. Rd8+ Rxd8 34. Qxd8+ Kh7 35. Qd7 f5 36. Qd6 f4 37. c5 f3 38. g3 Qc1 39. h4 Qc3 40. h5 Qc1 41. c6 bxc6 42. bxc6 Qxc6 1/2-1/2

Reese Thompson, who represented Georgia in the Denker at the US Open, lost to FM William Fisher in the first round and drew with the volatile Expert Patrick McCartney (2185) in the third round, to go with his win over Saithanu Avirneni (1865) in the second round and Kevin Wang (1906) in the penultimate round. As things turned out a win in his last round game would tie for second place.

Reece Thompson (2116) vs Jonathan McNeill (2154)
Rd 5 C77 Ruy Lopez, Morphy defence

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 ( (365chess shows this position has been reached most often by GM Alonso Zapata, with 22 games) Nxe4 6.Qe2 (! Regular readers know I applaud this move! Reese, my MAN!) f5 7. d5 Ne7 (The engines prefer 7…Na5) 8. Nxe5 g6 (And here the Houdini plays 8…Nxd5) 9. g4 (?! Reese decides to play fast and loose in this last round game. 9 f3 is more circumspect. For example, 9. f3 Nf6 10. d6 cxd6 11. Nc4 Kf7 12. Nxd6+ Kg7 13. Bh6+ Kg8 14. Bb3+ Ned5 15. Ne8 Bxh6 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. Bxd5+ Kg7 18. Nc3 Rb8 19. O-O b5 20. Bb3 Qd4+ 21. Kh1 Qe3 22. Rae1 Qxe2 23. Rxe2 Bg5 Blaich,G-Strugies, S/Waldshut 1991/GER/1-0 (41) 9…Nc5? (9…c6!) 10. gxf5 Nxa4? (With this move he lets go of the rope. 10…Bg7 is much better. Now it is all over but the shouting.) 11. f6 Bg7 12. fxg7 Rg8 13. d6 cxd6 14. Nc4 Qc7 15. Bf4 Qc6 16. Nxd6+ Kd8 17. Rg1 Rxg7 18. Qe5 Qc5 19. Qxg7 Qb4+ 20. Bd2 Qxd6 21. Qf8+ 1-0

With this win Mr. Thompson tied for second place, along with five others, Kassa Korley; Edward J Lu; Peter Bereolos; Samuel S Copeland; and Aaron S Balleisen. They all took home $275 for their efforts.
Grant Oen, the owner of the Atlanta Kings, lost to Peter Bereolos in the first round, then lost to Atlantan Carter Peatman in the second round. That was followed by a win and a draw with another Atlanta area player, Arthur Guo, in the penultimate round. Mr. Oen took out veteran Keith Eubanks in the last round, winning more money than the players who finished a half-point ahead of him, tied for second place! Grant tied for eleventh place, along with three others, who also went home empty-handed.

The Tokens – The Lion Sleeps Tonight

IM Emory Tate Delivers

When asked to name the player I most enjoy replaying their games, I have surprised most are surprised when I reply, “IM Emory Tate.” When asked why I have answered, “There is a reason he is called “Wild Man Tate.” Emory continually comes up with some of the strangest looking, most outlandish, moves ever made on a chess board. It would be fair to say Emory is an inventive player. Many of his games are tactical in nature, which is why he has accrued the reputation of being thought of as a “sharp” player. His games are always interesting.
After a game with IM Tate at the House of Pain one opponent was heard to say, “A game with Tate is like being in a knife fight.” From the way it was said I surmised the fellow had felt the cold, hard steel of the blade. The peripatetic player has been all over the country. Upon moving to Louisville and playing in a Monday night tournament one of the first things I heard was, “IM Emory Tate has played in our tournament. He has family over in Indiana.” Every week the usual suspects would come to the big box store lunch room, but when an unusual suspect would appear you could bet your sweet bippy he would hear about the time IM Emory Tate previously played in the event.
This caught my attention, “Emory Tate Delivers a Legendary Performance at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp.”
“International Master Emory Tate stunned the Bay Area’s best young chess players by achieving a perfect score in a massive simultaneous chess exhibition at the Torres Chess and Music Academy’s Fremont Summer Chess Camp.”
Fremont, California (PRWEB) July 13, 2014
“For all those unaware of what a great chess player International Master Emory Tate truly is, the Torres Chess and Music Academy recommends playing through his recent win over Grandmaster Maurice Ashley in just 22 moves! For the children who participated in his simultaneous exhibition chess event on July 10th, Emory has achieved a legendary status.
Nearly 50 opponents, many of whom are some of the top ranked young chess players in the United States, took on the famed International Chess Master simultaneously. Emory Tate, who only had the white pieces in a few of the games, played for 5 hours and a walked nearly 2 miles while completing his simultaneous chess exhibition! During the course of this momentous task, Emory Tate emerged victorious on every single board.” (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/07/prweb12014019.htm)
Earlier this month I spotted this headline, “Famed Chess Coach Aims to Make California’s Best Chess Camp Even Better” on the excellent chess blog, “The Chess Drum.” (http://www.thechessdrum.net/)
“The Torres Chess and Music Academy is excited to announce the addition of International Master Emory Tate to our roster of famed chess instructors. Over the board, Tate is widely regarded as one of the greatest attacking chess players of our time. Emory first received national recognition as the best chess player in the United States Air force and by winning the All-Armed Services tournament five different times, setting a record which may never be broken.
After the Cold War ended in 92, Tate went into civilian life in Indiana. During these years, he became Indiana State champion a total of six different times and then Alabama State Chess Champion twice. Tate currently holds the FIDE title of International Master which is only one step below the highest title of Grandmaster. However, Emory makes it a regular habit to defeat top grandmasters at the prestigious chess tournaments in which he often participates.” (
http://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2014/06/06/emory-tate-cali-chess-camp/)
IM Emory Tate – GM Maurice Ashley
2014 National Open 3d round
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 a6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Qc7 7.Be3 d6 8.Qf3 Nf6 9.Bd3 Be7 10.Qg3 Bd7 11.0–0 0–0 12.Rae1 Rac8 13.a3 g6 14.Kh1 Kh8 15.Nf3 Rg8 16.e5 Nh5 17.Qh3 f5 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Ng5 Rcf8 20.Nxe6 Qc8 21.f5 gxf5 22.Bxf5 Rf7 23.Bh6 1-0

The game is annotated by Chris Torres, the author of the aforementioned press releases and can be found here: (https://chessmusings.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/a-modern-classic-in-the-grand-prix-attack/)
He writes, “In the entire recorded history of chess, this move has only been played once previously in a nice win for white. See Michael Link vs Daniel Schlecht from Germany, 1993.”
I found this strange game on the Chessbase database (http://database.chessbase.com/js/apps/onlinedb/):

Horak,Martin (1797) – Moravec,Vit (2120) [B82]
Kouty nad Desnau, 01.01.2013

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Qc7 6.
Be3 Nf6 7. f4 d6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Qf3 Be7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. O-O-O b5 12. e5 Nxd4 13.
Bxd4 dxe5 14. Bxe5 Qa5 15. Kb1 Bb7 16. Bxh7+ Kxh7 17. Rd7 Bc6 18. Rxe7 b4 19.
Qh4+ Kg8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qg3+ Kh7 22. Qh4+ Kg7 23. Qg4+ Kh6 24. Qh4+ Kg7 1/2-1/2

It has been good to see the return of GM Ashley to the arena. Like others who have taken a break from competitive action he has found the going difficult. He played in the Ron Simpson Memorial, in Cary, NC, back in March. Maurice won his first four games, as did his last round opponent, Sanjay Ghatti, a young expert from Atlanta. I had been watching the games over the internet and was extremely disappointed when “technical difficulties” prevented the last round game between the two players in the top section with an unblemished record. Mr. Ghatti pulled a gigantic upset over the Grandmaster while becoming a NM. I have looked in vain for the game on the NCCA website. I did, however, managed to follow a few of the earlier games and am left with the memory of Maurice playing the Modern, “rope a dope” style with Black. It is obvious that in the game with IM Tate he could have improved with the b5 break on move seven. White has scored well against the defensive scheme used by GM Ashley and the programs show it as best. GM Ashley could have played another move n lieu of 11…0-0; 11… g6 12. Kh1 O-O 13. f5 Kh8 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15.Bh6 Rg8 16. fxe6 fxe6 17. Qh3 g5 18. e5 g4 19. Qh4 Ne4 20. Qe1 Ng5 21. exd6 Bxd6 22. Bxg5 Rxg5 23. Qxe6 Rg7 24. Rf6 Bxh2 25. Raf1 Rag8 26. Rh6
as in Vera (2430)-Velez (2410) Cuba 1982, 1-0 (37). Playing passively against “Wild Man” Tate did not work this time. This thrust of the sharp edge put GM Ashley out of the National Open.

Booming Interest in Amateur Chess?

I was given a gift of a coffee mug with the logo of the Economist magazine. It was filled with java at a Borders bookstore as I awaited a student when a young fellow walked over after seeing the mug. He began talking to me as if I were an arch conservative. I mostly nodded and grinned, preferring at that time to not engage the fellow in a political discussion. Every time I saw the man after that he would smile and say hello. I always feared the offer of some kind of secret handshake to which I would not know how to respond. Fortunately, it was not forthcoming. My conservative friends find some of my views too liberal; my liberal friends think me too conservative.
Because of the upcoming World Championship there is an article about chess in the latest edition of the Economist magazine. The title is, “Professional chess has a chequered history. Fans hope to revive it.” http://www.economist.com/news/international/21587245-professional-chess-has-chequered-history-fans-hope-revive-it-sporting-chance The article comes sans byline, at least in the online edition. It is written that, “Match organizers see a chance to turn a struggling sport into a global brand.” Good luck with that…
The article continues, “Time was when the world stopped for professional chess. Millions watched Bobby Fischer, an American, beat the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky in 1972. In the 1990s a pair of matches between Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue, a computer, recaptured some of that suspense. Yet despite booming interest in the amateur game, top-level chess has become obscure again, hobbled by squabbles and eccentric leadership.”
Come on, get real! The so-called “matches” Kasparov played versus the computer program captured none of the suspense of the Fischer-Spassky match! This is what happens when someone who was probably not alive in 1972 writes about chess. I started playing tournament chess in 1970 and am here to tell you the excitement was palpable. I have experienced nothing remotely similar since that time. Chess was in the news and on the minds of almost everyone in the world. All of a sudden it was “cool” to play chess, and I was no longer considered “weird” for playing the Royal game. Chess sets were everywhere and hardly a party I attended did not see people playing a game. The only “suspense” in the series of games between Deep Blue and Kasparov was how much bigger a fool the later would make of himself as the games continued. With the last game debacle Kasparov went out with a whimper. The “bang” was created when he made an ass of himself. Chess has never recovered from the damage done to the game by the human player known as Kasparov. When someone learns I play and teach chess they ask, “Why? I thought chess ended when that machine beat the Russian. What was his name?” Mostly they recall Kasparov’s histrionics and “sour grapes” attitude, along with the fact that he was the human that lost to a machine. People still write that Kasparov was “the greatest of all-time,” but the simple fact is that he will always and forever be known for losing to a machine. It overshadows everything he accomplished in the world of chess. There was a time when people talked in hushed tones about the possibility Kasparov took a dive in the series of games with Deep Blue. Now people speak of it overtly.
The article can be considered as gauge of public opinion concerning the state of chess today. Perception is reality and the perception is best illustrated by the following, “Critics gripe about mercurial decision-making within FIDE. The sport’s governing body gets by on some $2m a year (FIFA, football’s federation, spent more than $1 billion in 2012) and has had only two presidents in 31 years. Its boss since 1995 has been Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who also ran Kalmykia, one of Russia’s poorest regions, until 2010. That year Mr Ilyumzhinov said he was once contacted by aliens; in 2011 he played chess with Muammar Qaddafi.”
The perception meets reality when it comes to the official chess body of the world, FIDE, being led by a nut-job.
Then there is this, “A deeper challenge is that watching chess is less fun than playing it. A single game can last six hours; its most riveting moment may be a strategic nuance known as the Yugoslav variation on the Sicilian. “Good chess leads to draws,” says Maurice Ashley, an American grandmaster. Mr Ashley believes that new game and tournament formats could attract a wider audience. Competitors in blitz chess must finish their games in half an hour. Matches lasting minutes make popular footage online. Yet many players resist fast games, arguing that they reward low-quality chess. FIDE’s enthusiasm for shorter championships in the 1990s and 2000s prolonged the professional game’s split.”
I wrote recently about Jude Acers pontificating at length a quarter of a century ago about how quick games would revolutionize chess, putting money in every master’s pocket. The only thing that has put money in the pockets of master’s, and far too many who know too little about the game, is teaching chess to children, who then give up the game around puberty.
I was eating at one of my favorite spots, the Mediterranean Grill, while wearing a Chicago Open Tee-shirt from 2002. The owner, Sam Moussa, walked over and began a conversation about chess, telling me he had lived in Chicago for a couple of decades before moving to the South. “Chess is getting younger,” Sam said, before walking away. The people know. Back in the early seventies there were the same number of members of the USCF as now, except the vast majority of them were adults. Now the vast majority are children. The proliferation of children has driven most adults away from the game. There is a pronounced disparity in the ages of the competitors one can see at any large tournament. The players are either very young or very old. So-called “adult” tournaments consist of mostly children. Seniors comprise the second largest group, and they are leaving the chess world every day, because death happens. When Bobby beat Boris in 1972 the percentage of children playing in “adult” tournaments was miniscule, with only the very best children challenging the elders. Chess is now perceived, rightly, as a game for children.
The thing about being fortunate enough to grow older is one can see, upon reflection, the changes that have taken place in our world. It is common for anyone to think the way things are now is the way they have always been. Such is not the case, and especially in the world of chess. Most, if not all, of those coming into the chess world today have no clue as to how much the world of chess has changed. If all of those children who have come into the chess world had stayed I would be writing of what a huge success the move toward the United States Scholastic Chess Federation has been. Unfortunately, it has not. Statistics prove beyond any doubt that not enough children stay with chess to justify what has transpired in the world of chess. Yet, like the Republicans who still continue to advocate trickle-down economics when it has been proven in practice to work only for the very few at the top of the economic ladder, the chess F.I.P.s (Fools In Power) continue their “In for a penny, in for a pound,” moves on the chess board, even when faced with statistics proving it has not previously worked. They continue to advocate speeding up the time controls when the evidence shows it has only served to drive adult players, and members, out of the game. Even sadder is the fact that the F.I.P.s has done little for the second largest segment of members, Seniors. Granted, the latter group pales in comparison to the hefty numbers of spuds, but still Seniors do constitute the second largest group in number. What goes for Senior chess in this country is basically an insult to Seniors. Or, as one fellow Senior put it, “Senior chess in the USCF is a joke!”