Tag Archives: Sanjay Ghatti

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GM Alonso Zapata: Professional Chess Player

Grandmaster Alonso Zapata 

is a professional Chess player. He settled in Atlanta seven years ago, coming from Columbia, where he won the Colombian Chess championship eight times. He has been a GM since 1984. He was born in August 1958 and is, therefore a Senior. Alonso Zapata comes to play Chess.

He has played in all kinds of adverse conditions, including one tournament hosted by Thad Rogers

of American Chess Promotions that has become known as one of the latest “Sweat Box Opens.” There was no air conditioning and the conditions were life threatening, but Zapata played, and won the tournament despite the heat and stench emanating from the profusely perspiring players. (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/2013-hot-lanta-chess-championship/)

GM Zapata reminds me of IM of GM strength Boris Kogan because he, too, was a professional Chess player. The few times Boris lost in the first round of a tournament he did not withdraw but completed the event, finishing 4-1. He did this because it was his job and he always came to play Chess.

From December 27 through 29, 2019, GM Zapata played in the 49th Atlanta Open, another American Chess Promotions event. He tied for first with NM Matthew Puckett with a score of 4-1, after a second round draw with the up and coming NM Alexander Rutten and a fourth round draw with NM Sanjay Ghatti.

GM Zapata then hit the road traveling to the Charlotte Chess Center to play in the 2020 Charlotte Open, a grueling event of nine rounds played over a five day period from the first to the fifth of January. Because of his age one can question the efficacy of participating in both tournaments. Zapata played in both events because he is a professional Chess player. It is what he is and it is what he does. The GM won five games. Unfortunately, he lost four. There were no draws. He finished in the fifth score group, scoring 5-4. Zapata began with two wins before losing in the third round to the eventual winner of the tournament, IM Brandon Jacobson, young enough to be the grandchild of the GM. One of the most difficult things to do as a Chess player is to come back from a loss. Studies have proven that after the loss of a Chess game the testosterone of a male drops precipitously. This is mitigated somewhat if the next game is the next day, but if there are multiple games in the same day it is a different story. I can recall the time the Ol’ Swindler had been on a roll, winning many games in a row from the beginning of a tournament in New York, ‘back in the day’. The Legendary Georgia Ironman and I encountered the Swindler sitting alone away from the tournament, and were shocked to learn he had lost the previous round and withdrawn. “What?” exclaimed the Ironman. “You still have a chance to win some big money, Neal.” That mattered not to the Swindler because he had lost and simply could not face playing another game that day, or any other, for that matter.

After another win in the next round, versus FM Rohan Talukdar, Zapata the Chess player hit the proverbial wall, losing his next three games. Most Chess players, professional or not, would have withdrawn after the third loss in a row, and no one would have blamed him for withdrawing, but Alonso Zapata is not like most Chess players. Not only did he complete the event but he finished with a flourish by winning his last two games.

My hat is off to Grandmaster Alonso Zapata, who deserves the highest praise. The GM has set a tremendous example for the younger players of Georgia to emulate. The Atlanta area players have been fortunate to have such a fine example residing here and plying his trade. The young up and coming players may not realize it now but they will be much better Chessplayers for simply having been around a man like Alonso Zapata. What a boon he has been for the local Chess community. It is wonderful to have one classy Grandmaster in the Atlanta area. Every player, no matter what age, can learn from Alonso Zapata, just as those of my generation, and younger, learned from IM Boris Kogan. The Grandmaster has shown that it is how you play that matters.

This is the last round game versus Justin Paul,

a Zero born in 2003. The Professional Chess player had to face a Smith-Morra gambit.

2020 Charlotte Open

FM (2249) Justin Paul vs GM Alonso Zapata (2535)

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O a6 8. Qe2 Be7 9. Rd1 Bd7 10. Bf4 e5 11. Be3 Nf6 12. h3 O-O 13. Bg5 Be6 14. Rac1 Rc8

15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Nb8 17. b4 Nbd7 18. Be3 Ne4 19. Nd2 Nxd2 20. Qxd2 f5 21. f4 Bf6 22. Bb3 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 exf4 24. Bxf4 Be5 25. Bg5 Qb6+ 26. Kh1

h6? (26…Nf6) 27. Be3 Qd8 28. Bc2 Qh4 29. Rf1 Qg3 30. Bg1 f4 31. Rf3 Qg5 32. Qd3 Nf6 33. Bf2 Qh5 34. Qf5 Kh8 35. Be1 Qxf5 36. Bxf5 g5 37. Rb3 b5 38. Be6 Ne8 39. Bc8 Nc7 40. Bb7 Kg7 41. Bf2 Re8 42. Kg1 Kf6 43. Rb1 Re7 44. Bb6 Ne6 45. Bxa6 Bd4+ 46. Kf1 Bxb6 47. dxe6 Ra7 48. Bxb5 Rxa2 49. Be2 Rc2 50. Bf3 Kxe6 51. b5 Kd7 52. Bc6+ Kc7 53. Re1 Rf2+ 54. Kg1

54…Be3? (54…d5! )55. Kh2 Rd2 56. Bf3 Kb6 57. Re2 Rd4 58. Rb2 d5 59. h4 Rd3 60. hxg5 hxg5 61. Ra2

61…Bc5? (61…d4) 62. Ra8 Kc7 63. Rg8 Be7 64. Rg7 Kd6 65. b6 Rb3 66. Bxd5=

Kxd5 67. Rxe7 Rxb6 68. Rg7 Rh6+ 69. Kg1 Rh5 70. g4 Rh3 71. Rxg5+ Ke4 72. Ra5 Rb3 73. Kf2 Rb2+ 74. Kf1 f3

75. Ra8??? (The Zero cracks and tosses away the draw with this horrible blunder) 75…Kf4 76. Rf8+ Kg3 77. Re8 0-1

1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Nxc3 Nc6 (Far and away the most often played move, but is it the best? Komodo 19 @depth 34 plays the move, but Komodo 13.02 @depth 36 prefers 4…e6. Stockfish 10 @depth 54 plays 4 d6) 5 Nf3 d6 (SF 10 plays this move but Komodo is high on e6, which happens to be the most often played move according to the ChessBaseDataBase) 6 Bc4 e6 (The most often played move and the choice of Stockfish 310519 @depth 53, but SF 10 @depth 53 and Komodo 10 @depth 34 prefer 6…a6) 7. O-O (The most often played move but the SF program running over at the ChessBomb shows a move near and dear to the AW, 7 Qe2!) 7..a6 (7…Nf6 and 7…Be7 are the top two played moves but two different SF engines prefer the third most often played move, 7…a6 8. Qe2! (SF 050519 @depth 46 plays this move but Komodo 13.02 @depth 44 plays 8 Bf4) 8…Be7 (The only one of the top 3 engines listed at the CBDB, Komodo 10, plays 8…b5. The SF engine at ChessBomb shows 8…Nge7 best) 9. Rd1 Bd7 10. Bf4 e5 11. Be3 Nf6 12. h3 (SF 10 plays 12 Nd5) 12…O-O 13. Bg5 Be6 (The only game with 13 Bg5 shown, Senador vs Nanjo below, shows 13…Rc8. SF 10 would play 13 Rac1)

Emmanuel Senador (2380) vs Ryosuke Nanjo (2165)

Kuala Lumpur op 4th 2007

ECO: B21 Sicilian, Smith-Morra gambit, 2…cxd4 3.c3

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.O-O Be7 8.Qe2 a6 9.Rd1 Bd7 10.Bf4 e5 11.Be3 Nf6 12.h3 O-O 13.Bg5 Rc8 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Be6 16.Rac1 Bg5 17.Rc3 Bh6 18.a3 b5 19.Ba2 Ne7 20.Rxc8 Bxc8 21.Nc3 Qb6 22.Qd3 Nc6 23.Nd5 Qb8 24.g4 g6 25.Nf6+ Kh8 26.g5 Bg7 27.Qxd6 Qa8 28.Bd5 Bb7 29.Nd7 Rd8 30.Bxc6 Bxc6 31.Nfxe5 Bxd7 32.Nxf7+ Kg8 33.Nxd8 Qxd8 34.Qxd7 Qxg5+ 35.Kh1 Bxb2 36.Qe8+ Kg7 37.Rd7+ Kh6 38.Qf8+ 1-0

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Deepak Aaron Wins Georgia Chess Championship

I went to the official website of the Georgia Chess Association (http://www.georgiachess.org/) to read about the recently completed Georgia State Chess Championship and found this:

The 2019 State Champions have been crowned. Congratulations to all the participants and the winners! “State Champions” was in red so I clicked on and was directed to Facebook, or as I prefer to think of it, “F—book.” Why should I have to go to F—book to read what should be contained at the website of the GCA? F—book is a reprehensible organization, having helped facilitate the Russians, for a price, to subvert the last Presidential election. F—book sells the information of We The People to the highest bidder, yet people, and organizations continue to use F—book. Why? Why is the GCA using F—book? Why would anyone in his right mind use F—book? Consider this article:
The Ugly Truth About How Facebook Uses Your Private Data

“In essence, Facebook are selling your private data to the highest bidder, even if they claim otherwise.” (https://thevpn.guru/how-facebook-uses-private-data/)

There’s ‘Little’ Privacy in Facebook’s Privacy Policy

“We collect the content and other information you provide when you use our Services, including when you sign up for an account, create or share, and message or communicate with others. This can include information in or about the content you provide, such as the location of a photo or the date a file was created. We also collect information about how you use our Services, such as the types of content you view or engage with or the frequency and duration of your activities.”

This is a snippet from Facebook’s privacy policy. Basically, Facebook knows everything about you. (https://thevpn.guru/how-facebook-uses-private-data/)

The following was found at F—book:

Georgia Chess Association

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 State Championship.
Championship
1st Deepak Aaron $1000 4 1/2

2nd Alonso Zapata $650 3 1/2

3rd Sanjay Ghatti & Benjamin Moon $200 3
1st/2nd U2300 Yury Barnakov & Damir Studen $325 3
1st U2100 Pradhyumna Kathapalli $350 3
2nd U2100 Harry Le, Doruk Emir & Vispy Pardiwalla $100 2 1/2

Amateur
1st/2nd/3rd Miles Melvin, Joseph Franklin & William Remick Jr $525 4
4th & 1st U1850 Sreekar Bommireddy & Pranit Mishra $237.50 3 1/2
2nd U1850 Zachary Stokes, Leon Cheng, Anthony Morse, Sant Muralidharan, Calavin Jackson & Parth Shinde $33.34 3

Reserve
1st Tyler Luo $800 5
2nd Rajat Ravi $450 4 1/2
3rd & 4th James Senarus, Ocean Liu, & Richard Jones $191.67 4
1st U1550 Gavin Zhou $225 3
2nd U1550 Dipti Ramnath & Andrew Spencer $100 2 1/2

Booster
1st Ramchandra Nadar $700 4 1/2
2nd/3rd/4th Alan Spektor, Andrew Downes, & Ronald Sanders II $341.67 4
1st/2nd U1250 Srihan Avirneni & Arjun Garg $212.50 3

Please send your address to treasurer@georgiachess.org if you did not pick up your check at the event.

(https://www.facebook.com/georgiachess/)

Only eighteen players competed for the title of Georgia State Chess Champion. The USCF MSA page (http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201905195972.0-10215994) shows a total of one hundred and one players participated in all sections of the tournament.

Michael Mulford sent an email containing the results of the election.

“We were visiting Becky’s son and so I popped in for a few minutes on the way to the airport (but before the vote. I saw Fun Fong was there.”

It seems a bad penny always turns up.

The GCA Bids Farewell to Dr. Fun Fong

Thought you might be interested.
President: Scott Parker – 41
William Remick – 6

1st VP: Dave Hater – 38
Thomas Harris -11

Secretary: Michael Muzquiz – 30
Mohana Venkataraja – 17

1st Member-at-Large:
Kindeya Scott 26
Thad Rogers -17
Parnell Watkins – 4

The new GCA board:

Congratulations to the new, and returning, members of the GCA board. No matter what happens in the next few years this board will be much better than that of the last two terms because it is not possible to fall below the bottom of the barrel.

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UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open: It Don’t Come Easy

FM Daniel Gurevich continue to impress the chess world not only with his results, but also with his stellar play. He finished +1, with a score of 5-4, leaving him in a tie for 14th place. Daniel exited the tournament on a winning note by playing this spectacular game:

FM Daniel Gurevich vs IM Keaton F Kiewra
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 9

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6.
g3 a6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O Bc5 9. Nxc6 dxc6 10. e5 Qxe5 11. Bf4 Qd4 12. Qe2 Be7
13. Rfd1 Qc5 14. Na4 Qa5 15. b3 O-O 16. Bd2 Qc7 17. Bf4 Qa5 18. Bd2 Bb4 19. c3
Be7 20. c4 Bb4 21. Be3 Nd7 22. Qc2 Be7 23. c5 Qc7 24. Nb6 Nxb6 25. cxb6 Qe5 26.
Bd4 Qa5 27. a3 Qh5 28. Qc3 f6 29. b4 e5 30. Bc5 Bxc5 31. Qc4+ Kh8 32. Qxc5 Bg4
33. Rd6 Rae8 34. a4 Qf7 35. h3 Bc8 36. b5 cxb5 37. axb5 axb5 38. Bd5 Qh5 39.
Bg2 f5 40. Ra8 f4 41. g4 Qh4 Stop!

However you intend on reviewing this game, take a moment to cogitate on White’s next move. As a hint let me say that after teaching budding chess Spuds to ask and answer three questions (1 “Why did my opponent make that move?” 2 “What move do I want, or need, to make, and why?” & 3 “Am I leaving anything en prise?”), the next thing I teach is to, “Examine all checks!” The remaining moves are given at the end of the article.

IM Denis Kadric vs FM Daniel Gurevich
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 6

1.d3 g6 2.g3 Bg7 3.Bg2 c5 4.e4 Nc6 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 e6 9.c3 Nge7 10.O-O O-O 11.Be3 Qd7 12.Rd1 Rac8 13.Na3 f5 14.Qe2 Kh8 15.Nc2 Qc7 16.Bf2 Rce8 17.d4 cxd4 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.cxd4 fxe4 20.Qxe4 Nd5 21.h4 Qf7 22.Rac1 Re7 23.a3 Rfe8 24.Qe2 Qf5 25.Be4 Qf7 26.Bf3 Rf8 27.Rd3 Bh6 28.Re1 Rfe8 29.Qf1 Bg7 30.Qg2 Nb6 31.Rd2 Nc4 32.Rde2 d5 33.h5 Nd6 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.Qh2 Kg8 36.g4 g5 37.f5 Ne4 38.Bxe4 dxe4 39.Rxe4 exf5 40.Rxe7 Rxe7 41.Rxe7 Qxe7 42.Qb8 Kh7 43.gxf5 Qe4 44.Qh2 Kg8 45.Qd6 Qg4 46.Kf1 1/2-1/2

FM Daniel Gurevich vs IM Kacper Drozdowski
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 7

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.g3 b5 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 b4 8.Na4 Nf6 9.O-O Bxe4 10.Bxe4 Nxe4 11.Re1 Nf6 12.c4 bxc3 13.Qb3 Nc6 14.Nxc6 dxc6 15.Qxc3 Rc8 16.Be3 Nd5 17.Qc4 Qa5 18.Bc5 Qb5 19.Rac1 Be7 20.Bxe7 Qxc4 21.Rxc4 Kxe7 22.Rec1 Kd6 23.Nc5 Rb8 24.b3 Rhc8 25.Ne4 Kd7 26.Nc5 Ke7 27.Nxa6 Ra8 28.Nb4 Nxb4 29.Rxb4 Rxa2 30.Rb7 Kf6 31.Rd1 Rc2 32.Rdd7 Rf8 33.h4 Kg6 34.Rdc7 h5 1/2-1/2

GM Nadezhda Kosintseva vs FM Daniel Gurevich
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 8

1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Bd7 10.Nxd7 Qxd7 11.O-O e6 12.Nc3 Rd8 13.Qb3 Be7 14.Be3 O-O 15.Rfd1 a6 16.Bxa6 bxa6 17.Qxb6 Nb4 18.Rac1 Rb8 19.Qa5 Rfd8 20.Rd2 Qb7 21.h3 Rbc8 22.a3 Nd5 23.Rdc2 Nb6 24.Na4 Rxc2 25.Rxc2 Nxa4 26.Qxa4 Bf6 27.Qc6 Qb3 28.Qc3 Qd5 29.Qc5 Qe4 30.Qc6 Qd3 31.Rd2 Qb5 32.Qxb5 axb5 33.Kf1 Kf8 34.Ke2 Ke7 35.Kd3 h5 36.b3 Ra8 37.Ra2 Rd8 38.Ke4 Kd6 39.a4 bxa4 40.Rxa4 Kc6 41.Ra7 h4 42.Rxf7 Rb8 43.Bf4 Rxb3 44.Be5 Rb2 45.Bxf6 Rxf2 46.Rxg7 Rxf6 47.Rg4 Rf2 48.Ke3 Ra2 49.Kf3 Ra3 50.Kf2 Ra2 51.Kg1 Kd5 52.Rxh4 Ra4 53.Rg4 Ra1 54.Kh2 Ra4 55.Kg3 Ra3 56.Kh4 e5 57.dxe5 Kxe5 58.Rg6 Kf4 59.Rf6 Ke5 60.Rf8 Ra4 61.g4 1-0

NM Michael Corallo, who has been playing excellent chess recently, finished with an even score, a half point behind Daniel.

NM Daniel Gater vs NM Michael Corallo
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 6

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.f5 Qc5 11.O-O-O g5 12.fxg6 Bg4 13.gxf7 Kxf7 14.Qd3 Bxd1 15.Nxd1 h5 16.Qb3 d5 17.Nf5 Nxe4 18.Bd3 Nf6 19.Re1 b5 20.Nh4 Bh6 21.Kb1 e6 22.Bg6 Ke7 23.Bf5 Qd4 24.Qg3 Ne4 25.Qc7 Kf6 26.Bxe4 1-0

FM Alex Getz vs NM Michael Corallo
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 8

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.O-O Be7 8.f4 O-O 9.Kh1 Qc7 10.a4 Nc6 11.Be3 Re8 12.Bf3 Na5 13.Nde2 e5 14.f5 Nc4 15.Bc1 d5 16.exd5 Bxf5 17.Ng3 Bg6 18.Nge4 Nd6 19.Re1 Rac8 20.Nxf6 Bxf6 21.Bg4 Rcd8 22.a5 Nc4 23.Ne4 Bh4 24.g3 Be7 25.Qf3 Nxa5 26.Bd2 Nc4 27.Bc3 Bf8 28.Rad1 Nd6 29.Nxd6 Bxd6 30.Bf5 b5 31.Ra1 b4 32.Bd2 Qc4 33.Bxg6 hxg6 34.Qd3 Qxd3 35.cxd3 Bf8 36.Ra5 f6 37.Re4 Rb8 38.Rxa6 Rb5 39.d6 Rd5 40.Bxb4 Rxd3 41.Rc4 e4 42.Rac6 e3 43.Rc8 Rxc8 44.Rxc8 Kf7 45.Kg2 Bxd6 46.Bxd6 Rxd6 47.Kf3 Rd2 48.Rc7 Kg8 49.Kxe3 Rxh2 50.b4 Rb2 51.Rc4 Rb3 52.Kd4 Rxg3 53.b5 Rb3 54.Kc5 Kf7 55.b6 Ke6 56.Re4 Kd7 57.Rd4 Kc8 58.Re4 Rc3 59.Kb5 Rb3 60.Kc6 Rc3 61.Kb5 1/2-1/2

Michael defeated IM Justin Sarkar in the last round.

NM Damir Studen finished on -2, with a score of 3 1/2-5 1/2.

NM Damir Studen vs GM Kayden W Troff
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 7

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 Nc6 6.
Nf3 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Na5 10. O-O c5 11. e5 cxd4 12. cxd4 Be6
13. Ng5 Bd5 14. Ne4 Rc8 15. Be3 b6 16. Qd2 Rc4 17. f3 Qd7 18. Qb2 Rfc8 19. Rfc1
Rxc1+ 20. Bxc1 Qa4 21. Bd2 Rc2 22. Qb4 Qxb4 23. Bxb4 Nc6 24. Be1 Bxe4 25. fxe4
Nxd4 26. Rd1 Bxe5 27. Bf2 Ne2+ 28. Kf1 Nc3 29. Rd7 Rxa2 30. Bf3 Kf8 31. h4 Ke8
32. Rb7 Kd8 33. Bg4 Bc7 34. e5 e6 35. Bf3 Nd5 0-1

WIM Mariam Danelia vs NM Damir Studen
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 7

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 a6 7.Qc2 Nbd7 8.h3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 10.Be2 c5 11.dxc5 Nxc5 12.O-O Bb7 13.Rfd1 Qb6 14.Be5 Rac8 15.Bd4 Qa5 16.a3 Nce4 17.Bd3 h6 18.Qe2 Nxc3 19.Bxc3 Qc7 20.e4 Rfd8 1/2-1/2

Damir lost to NM Jarod John M Pamatmat his last round game, thus violating LM Brian McCarthy’s rule of “Never leave the gym on a missed hoop!”

NM Sanjay Ghatti found that it don’t come easy in Dallas, scoring only 3 points, but hit nothing but net with his last round win over NM Abhishek Reddy Obili.

NM Sanjay Ghatti vs WFM Patrycja Labedz
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 8

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c4 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Qc7 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Bd3 Bb4 8.O-O Nc6 9.Be3 Ne5 10.Rc1 Neg4 11.g3 Nxe3 12.fxe3 b6 13.a3 Bd6 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.b4 h5 16.c5 bxc5 17.bxc5 Be5 18.Na4 h4 19.g4 h3 20.c6 dxc6 21.Kh1 Rh4 22.g5 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Rxe4 24.Nc5 Rxd4 25.exd4 Bxd4 26.g6 Bxc5 27.gxf7 Ke7 28.Rxc5 Qd6 29.Qf2 Rf8 30.Kg1 e5 31.Rxe5 Qxe5 32.Re1 Qxe1 33.Qxe1 Kxf7 34.Qb4 Bc8 35.Qc4 Kg6 36.Qxc6 Kh7 37.Qc5 Kg8 38.Qd5 Kh8 39.a4 Bf5 40.Qc5 Rf6 41.a5 Kh7 42.Kf2 Be4 43.Kg3 Bg2 44.Qc2 Kg8 45.Qc8 Kh7 1/2-1/2

The fact that three of the four Georgia players faced off against women in round eight illustrates the rise in the number of women players. The total score of the men vs women battle in the penultimate round went to the men, 2-1.

Since there were nine rounds the tale of the tournament can be told by breaking down the results into thirds:

1st 2nd 3rd
Gurevich 1 1/2 2 1 1/2
Corallo 1 1/2 1/2 2 1/2
Studen 1 2 1/2
Ghatti 1 1/2 1 1/2

Now for the conclusion of the FM Daniel Gurevich vs IM Keaton F Kiewra game:

42. Rc6 bxc6 43. b7 Qd8 44. b8=Q f3 45. Bf1 Rf6
46. Qcxe5 Rff8 47. Qc5 h6 48. Ra1 Qf6 49. Qba7 Re4 50. Bd3 Rf4 51. Qce7 Qc3 52.
Bf5 Rg8 53. Qee3 Qb4 54. Qc7 Rxf5 55. gxf5 Bxf5 56. Qcf4 Qb2 57. Qee5 1-0

Were you able to find a better move without checking with your “engine” of choice? Did you “examine all checks?”

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Georgians at UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open

FM Gurevich Daniel, NM Damir Studen, NM Michael Corallo, and NM Sanjay Ghatti travelled to Dallas, Texas, to participate in the UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014 chess tournament during the 51st anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, with the Coups d’état taking place in the heart of the city at Dealey Plaza, on Friday, November 22, 1963, a day that will live in infamy.

Georgia players made their presence felt in the first round:

NM Michael P Corallo vs GM Kayden W Troff
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6.
Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qc7 8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 Nc5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. O-O-O Bd7 12. Qf4
Be7 13. Nf5 exf5 14. Nd5 Qc8 15. Nxe7 Kxe7 16. Qxd6+ Ke8 17. Qxf6 Nxb3+ 18.
axb3 Rg8 19. Qe5+ Kf8 20. Qd6+ Ke8 21. Qe5+ Kf8 22. Qd6+ 1/2 – 1/2

FM Daniel Gurevich vs GM Conrad Holt
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 1

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 O-O 8.O-O Nc6 9.h3 h6 10.a3 Bf5 11.Re1 Re8 12.Rxe8 Qxe8 13.Be3 Rd8 14.Qe2 Qd7 15.Rd1 Ne4 16.Nb5 Re8 17.d5 Ne5 18.Nxd6 Nxd6 19.Nxe5 Rxe5 20.Rd4 Qe7 21.g4 Bg6 22.Bd3 Bxd3 23.Qxd3 h5 24.Kg2 hxg4 25.hxg4 Qd7 26.Qd1 Nb5 27.Rd3 Re4 28.f3 Re8 29.d6 Nxd6 30.Bxa7 Qb5 31.Bd4 Nc4 32.a4 Qg5 33.Qc2 Nd6 34.Qd2 Qg6 35.Re3 Rxe3 36.Bxe3 f5 37.Qd5 Kh7 38.Bf4 fxg4 39.Bxd6 cxd6 40.Qxb7 Qc2 41.Kg3 gxf3 42.Qxf3 Qxa4 1/2-1/2

NM Damir Studen v GM Cristhian Cruz
The UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open 2014
Rd 1

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2
Be7 7. Bg2 d5 8. Ne5 c6 9. Bf4 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. e4 Bb4 13.
Qc2 e5 14. dxe5 dxc4 15. bxc4 Qe7 16. O-O Nxe5 17. Qa4 Nxc4 18. Qxa6 Nxd2 19.
Rfd1 Nxe4 20. Qc4 Nc3 21. Re1 Qc5 22. Qxc5 Bxc5 23. Bxc6 Rad8 24. Be5 Nd5 25.
a3 Ne7 26. Bb5 Rd2 27. Re2 Rfd8 28. Bc3 Rxe2 29. Bxe2 Nc6 30. Bb5 Nd4 31. Bxd4
Rxd4 32. Ra2 g6 33. a4 Kf8 34. Re2 a6 35. Bc6 Rd6 36. Re8+ Kg7 37. Bf3 Kf6 38.
Be2 Rd4 39. Bxa6 Rxa4 40. Be2 Ra2 41. Kf1 b5 42. f4 b4 43. Rb8 Rc2 44. h3 h5
45. Rb7 Ke6 46. Bd3 Rc1+ 47. Ke2 Be7 48. Be4 f5 49. Rb6+ Bd6 50. Bf3 Rc2+ 51.
Kd3 Rh2 52. Kd4 Rxh3 53. Bd5+ Kd7 54. Rb7+ Bc7 55. Kc5 Rxg3 56. Bc6+ Kc8 57.
Rxb4 Rg4 58. Be8 Kd8 59. Bc6 Bxf4 60. Rd4+ Ke7 61. Rd7+ Kf6 62. Kd4 1/2-1/2

Yet another escape from Damir, the Houdini of Georgia chess. He seems to have a penchant for holding a bad position, a good quality to possess.

GM Conrad Holt vs NM Michael P Corallo
The UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open 2014
Rd 2

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.a3 Bxc3 7.bxc3 c5 8.e5 dxe5 9.dxe5 Ng4 10.f4 f6 11.exf6 Qxf6 12.Bd3 e5 13.Nf3 exf4 14.Bxh7 Kh8 15.O-O Nc6 16.h3 Nh6 17.Bxf4 Qxf4 18.Nh4 Qe3 19.Kh1 Rxf1 20.Rxf1 g6 21.Nxg6 Kg7 22.Nf4 Qe8 23.Bg6 Qe3 24.Nh5 Kh8 25.Rf8 Ng8 26.Rf7 Nh6 27.Rf8 Ng8 28.Rf7 Nh6 29.Rh7 Kg8 30.Qd1 Bxh3 31.Qd5 1-0

FM Daniel Gurevich vs NM Christopher Toolin
The UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open 2014
Rd 3

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.Nf3 Bd6 11.O-O Qc7 12.Bg5 O-O 13.Bh4 g6 14.Bg3 Nh5 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.Bb5 Nd8 17.Ne5 Nf7 18.f4 Qb6 19.Qd3 Nd6 20.Ba4 Ne4 21.Bc2 Nhf6 22.g4 Bd7 23.a4 Bc6 24.Rab1 a5 25.Nc3 Rad8 26.Qe3 Nd6 27.Bd3 Nf7 28.h3 Nxe5 29.Qxe5 Rde8 30.Qe3 Qb4 31.Bc2 Nd7 32.Rf3 e5 33.Na2 Qxd4 34.fxe5 Nxe5 35.Rxf8 Rxf8 36.Qxd4 Nf3 37.Kg2 Nxd4 38.Bd1 Ne6 39.b4 d4 40.Kg3 Ng5 41.Rb2 Ne4 42.Kh2 Nc3 43.Bb3 Kg7 44.bxa5 Rf3 45.Nb4 Be4 46.Rd2 d3 47.Bc4 Nb1 48.Rxd3 Bxd3 49.Nxd3 Na3 50.a6 Nxc4 51.axb7 Rf8 52.Nc5 Na5 53.Ne6 Kg8 54.Nxf8 Nxb7 55.Ne6 Kf7 56.Ng5 Kg7 57.Kg3 h6 58.Ne4 Kf7 59.Kf4 1-0

FM Alec Getz vs FM Daniel Gurevich
The UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open 2014
Rd 4

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Nge2 e5 8.Nd5 (TN) Nge7 9.c3 O-O 10.O-O Nxd5 11.exd5 Ne7 12.a3 Nf5 13.Bd2 Bd7 14.b4 b6 15.Qb3 Qc7 16.Rfc1 Rfe8 17.Rab1 h5 18.b5 h4 19.Qc4 h3 20.Bh1 Qd8 21.a4 Bh6 22.Bxh6 Nxh6 23.Rc2 f5 24.Nc1 Qg5 25.Nb3 Ng4 26.Nd2 Re7 27.Re1 Rbe8 28.Qa2 Kg7 29.Nc4 Qf6 30.Rce2 e4 31.dxe4 fxe4 32.Bxe4 Rxe4 33.Rxe4 Qf3 0-1

GM Nadezhda Kosintseva vs NM Sanjay Ghatti
The UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open 2014
Rd 4

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.c3 a6 7.Bf4 (7. Be3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nxe5 9. Qd1 e6 10. Be2 Ne7 11. b4 Nf5 12. Bf4 Nc6 13. O-O g6 14. Bd3 Bg7 15. Bxf5 gxf5 16. Bd6 a5 17. bxa5 Rxa5 18. Nd2 Qd7 19. Nb3 Ra4 20. Nd2 Ra3 21. Rb1 Be5 22. Bxe5 Nxe5 23. Re1 Ng6 24. Qc1 Rxa2 25. Nf3 O-O 26. h4 f6 27. Rb6 e5 28. Qb1 Ra7 29. Rd6 Qc8 30. Rxd5 Ne7 31. Rd6 Qxc5 32. Qb3+ Kh8 33. Rd7 Ng6 34. Qe6 b5 35. Rxa7 Qxa7 36. Qxf5 Qg7 37. Rd1 Nf4 38. g3 Ne2+ 39. Kg2 Qg6 40. Qxg6 hxg6 41. Rd7 Nxc3 42. Rb7 Kg8 43. g4 Rd8 44. h5 g5 45. Nh2 Rd4 46. f3 Rd2+ 47. Kh1 Rb2 48. Nf1 e4 49. fxe4 Nxe4 50. Ne3 Rb3 51. Nd5 Nf2+ 52. Kg1 Nxg4 53. Ne7+ Kf8 54. Nf5 Rh3 55. h6 Nxh6 56. Kg2 g4 57. Nd4 Re3 58. Kf2 Re4 59. Nxb5 Rb4 60. Rh7 Rxb5 61. Rxh6 Kg7 62. Rh4 f5 63. Kg3 Kg6 64. Rh8 Rb3+ 65. Kg2 Kg5 0-1, Tatiana Kosintseva 2515 vs Alexandra Kosteniuk 2495, 63rd ch-RUS w 2013) 7… e6 8.b4 Nge7 9.Bd3 d4 10.h3 (This position was reached in the game Gulruhbegim Tokhirjonova 2126 vs Ekaterina Dyakonova 1928, 2013 WCh U14 Girls when 10 a3 was played-1-0 49) Bxf3 11.Qxf3 dxc3 12.Nxc3 Nxb4 13.Be4 Nec6 14.O-O Nd4 15.Qg4 Nbc6 16.Rfd1 Qc7 17.Bxc6 Nxc6 18.Ne4 h5 19.Qg3 Nb4 20.Nd6 Bxd6 21.cxd6 Qd7 22.Qxg7 O-O-O 23.Rac1 Nc6 24.Qg3 Kb8 25.Qb3 Rc8 26.Be3 b5 27.Bb6 Kb7 28.Bc7 Nxe5 29.Qe3 1-0

NM Damir Studen vs FM Alec Getz
The UT Dallas Fall FIDE Open 2014
Rd 5

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5 Be7 8.e3 O-O 9.Be2 Nbd7 10.O-O Ne4 11.Bf4 Bd6 12.Bxd6 Nxc3 13.bxc3 cxd6 14.c4 Nf6 1/2-1/2

FM Daniel Gurevich vs GM Cristhian Cruz
UT Dallas Fall Fide 2014
Rd 5

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6.
h3 e6 7. g4 Be7 8. Bg2 Nfd7 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qe2 O-O 11. O-O-O Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5
13. e5 d5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bxd5 Rb8 16. Ba7 Rb7 17. Bxb7 Bxb7 18. Rhe1 Qc7 19.
e6 Nf6 20. Bd4 Nd5 21. Qe5 Qxe5 22. Rxe5 f6 23. Ree1 Re8 24. h4 Nf4 25. Bb6 Ng2
26. Rh1 Bc6 27. Rd4 Bf8 28. Rd8 Rxe6 29. Bc5 Be8 30. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. Kd2 Ke7 32.
Rd4 Bc6 33. Rh3 Ne1 34. Rf4 Kd6 35. b3 Ng2 36. Rd4+ Kc5 37. Rd8 Kb6 38. h5 h6
39. Rd4 a5 40. a3 Ne1 41. Rf4 Ng2 42. Rd4 Ne1 43. Rf4 Ng2 1/2-1/2

After five rounds FM Gurevich has 3 points; NMs Corallo and Studen have 2 points; and NM Ghatti has 1 1/2 points. Round 6 will be contested tonight, Monday, November 24, 5:00 p.m, CST. (http://www.utdallas.edu/chess/chess-team/fall-fide-open-2014.html)

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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

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FM Daniel Gurevich Adds Spice to Cup

FM Daniel Gurevich vs GM Illia Nyzhnyk
2014 Spice Cup Rd 1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 Nf6 6.
Nc3 e6 7. Bd3 d6 8. O-O Be7 9. Kh1 Qc7 10. f4 a6 11. Qf3 h5 12. a4 h4 13. Be3
Bd7 14. a5 Nb4 15. Bb6 Qc8 16. e5 Bc6 17. Qh3 dxe5 18. fxe5 Nh5 19. Nd4 Nxd3
20. cxd3 Rh6 21. Nxc6 Qxc6 22. Be3 Rh7 23. Ne4 Qb5 (Stop! Take time to answer the question of, “What move do I want, or need, to play?” The answer is from GM Kevin Spraggett. (http://kevinspraggettonchess.wordpress.com/)

“SPICE Cup Open Saint Louis USA 2014.10.21 Position after 23 moves. A quick glance at the position of Black’s pieces on the Kingside indicates that the higher rated player (Nyzhnyk) has taken some liberties. Clearly Black’s game lacks cohesion and harmony. Even so, one feels almost sorry for Black for the BRUTAL finish that White has in store…
WHITE TO PLAY AND CRUSH!”

“SPICE Cup Open Saint Louis USA 2014.10.21 Gurevich, Daniel–Nyzhnyk, Illya: 24.Rxf7!! A brilliant move that exposes the lack of harmony in Black’s game 24…Kxf7 ( 24…Qxe5 25.Raf1 paralyzes Black and is not better than the move played in the game ) 25.Rf1+ Nf6 ( Relatively best. If instead 25…Kg8 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Qxe7 Qe8 28.Qxe8+ Rxe8 29.Nd6 Rb8 30.e6 and the pawn must win: 30…g6 31.Bg5 etc or if instead 25…Ke8 26.Qxe6 with multiple threats) 26.exf6 Qxd3 ( 26…gxf6 27.Ng5+ ) And now the simplest is 27.Ng5+ Kg6 28.Qf3 gxf6 29.Nxe6 and Black is defenceless ) The game continuation was a bit imprecise, but good enough to win: 27.Qf3 gxf6 28.Nxf6 Bxf6 29.Qxf6+ Ke8 30.Qxe6+ Re7 31.Qg8+ Kd7 32.Qg4+ Kc6 33.Rc1+ Kd5 34.Qh5+ Ke6 35.Re1 Rae8 36.Bc5+ Kd7 37.Bxe7 Rxe7 38.Rd1 Kc7 39.Qc5+ 1-0 A pretty attacking game.” (http://kevinspraggettonchess.wordpress.com/page/2/)

Daniel has found the going rough since the opening round with three draws and three losses after round seven. His PR, including the first round stands at 2285 (http://chess-results.com/tnr149389.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=USA&turdet=YES&wi=984&snr=31)

Expert and Atlanta King member Sanjay Ghatti is also playing in the Spice Cup. He has also found tough going, having drawn three games in addition to four losses, which translates to a PR of only 1966. (http://chess-results.com/tnr149389.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=USA&turdet=YES&wi=984&snr=48)

Will It Pumpkin Spice?

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US Masters: All Over But The Shouting

The grueling ordeal that is the US Masters came to an end last night with GM Bartlomiej Macieja alone in first place at +6 while winning $5000. GM Yaroslav Zherebukh in second place at +5 and took home $3000. Six players tied for third at +4. They each won $850. If you think this a tremendous disparity between first and third, the winner of the ongoing Sinquefield Cup will win $100,000. It pays to be at the top.
GM Alonso Zapata drew with Damir Studen in the last round with both finishing with a +1 score of 5-4. Damir took home $114.29 as second U2300 while the GM went home empty-handed.

Michael Corallo drew his last game with Vladimir Romankenko to also finish at +1 and also won $114.29. IM Carlos Perdomo also finished with a +1 score, but took home only $75 after his last round draw with Nicolas D Checa.

Sanjay Ghatti lost in the last round to Gabriel Petesch to finish at -1, with a score, but yet took home 266.67 for the 2nd U2100. As is often the case in tournament chess it often pays to be a lower rated player.

The Frisco Kid, Richard Francisco, showing great fighting spirit when those around him were doing the “buddy-buddy shake,” won his last round game against Sam Copeland to finish with an even score and took home that home as consolation.

Michael Corallo (2300) vs Vladimir Romankenko (2548)
USM Rd 9
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f3 Be7 10. h4 h6 11. Be3 b5 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Kb1 Qc7 14. Ne2 d5 15. e5 Nd7 16. f4 Nc5 17. Bxc5 Bxc5 18. Nd4 Bd7 19. g4 O-O-O 20. h5 Kb7 21. Bg2 Ka7 22. Rhe1 Qb6 23. Nb3 Be7 24. Rh1 Rc8 1/2-1/2

Richard Francisco (2382) vs Sam Copeland (2302)
USM Rd 9
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d3 fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. Be3 Nxe4 7. O-O d6 8. Qd3 Bf5 9. Ng5 Nxg5 10. Qxf5 Be7 11. Bxg5 Bxg5 12. Qf3 h5 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Qxc6 Kf7 15. Nc3 Kg6 16. Rae1 Kh7 17. Nd5 Rc8 18. g3 Qe8 19. Qa6 c6 20. Nc3 Rc7 21. f4 Bd8 22. fxe5 dxe5 23. Qd3 Qg6 24. Rf5 Kh6 25. Rexe5 Bf6 26. Qe3 1-0

I was able to provide most of these games because I transcribed them myself, and enjoyed replaying them immensely. Unfortunately, the scoresheets for most of the last round games have not been provided on the website (http://www.carolinaschessinitiative.com/tournaments/US-Masters-NC-Open-2014/)
The disparity between the ratings shown is because the USCF rating is different, and usually higher, than the FIDE rating.

Shout – Otis Day & The Knights (Animal House 1978)

The Isley Brothers – Shout

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What Was Kazim Thinking?

It was a brutal penultimate round for the intrepid players from Georgia. GM Zapata managed to draw his game with Levy Rozman (2287), as did IM Carlos Perdomo, who drew with Alexander Betaneli (2246). Damir Studen also drew his game with IM John Cox (2371) from the United Kingdom.

Damir Studen (2264) vs IM John Cox (2371)
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Qd4 f6 12. Rd1 g5 13. Bxe5 fxe5 14. Qe3 Be6 15. Nd2 h6 16. Nde4 Qb6 17. Qd3 O-O-O 18. Bg2 Nc5 19. Qxd8 Qxd8 20. Rxd8 Kxd8 21. Nxc5 Bxc5 22. Kd2 Bb3 23. Be4 Ke7 24. f3 Rd8 25. Bd3 a5 26. h4 Kd7 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. Rh7 Kc8 29. Rg7 Bf8 30. Rh7 Bb4 31. Rg7 Bxa4 32. Rxg5 e4 33. fxe4 Bb3 34. Kc1 Rh8 35. Bc2 Rh1 36. Kd2 Bf8 37. Rxa5 Bh6 38. Kd3 Be6 39. Ra8 Kd7 40. Rh8 b5 41. b3 Kd6 42. Nd1 Rh3 43. e3 Rh2 44. Nc3 Kc5 45. e5 Bf5 46. Ne4 Kb4 47. Bd1 Rh3 48. Bf3 Be6 49. g4 Rh4 50. Nd2 c5 51. Rh7 1/2-1/2

Unfortunately Michael Corallo lost again, this time to GM Elshan Moradiabad (2598). Michael had been having such a tremendous tournament that after losing back to back games he is still tied at +1, or 4 1/2 points, with those above named players, and will battle another GM, Vladimir Romanenko (2498) in the money round.

Sanjay Ghatti lost to Andrey Gorovets (2478) but still has an even score with 4 points.

Sanjay Ghatti (2024) vs Andrey Gorovets (2478)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be3 Qc7 8. Be2 Bb4 9. f3 d5 10. O-O Bxc3 11. bxc3 dxe4 12. fxe4 Nxe4 13. Qd3 f5 14. Nc5 Nf6 15. Qc4 Nd5 16. Bf4 Nxf4 17. Rxf4 Ne5 18. Qa4 Kf7 19. Ne4 Qb6 20. Qd4 Rd8 21. Ng5 Kg6 22. Qxb6 axb6 23. Nf3 Nxf3 24. Bxf3 Kf6 25. Rb4 Rd6 26. a4 Bd7 27. Bxb7 Ra7 28. Bf3 b5 29. c4 Rxa4 30. Raxa4 bxa4 31. c5 a3 32. Rb1 a2 33. Ra1 Ra6 34. Bb7 Ra7 35. c6 Ke7 36. cxd7 Rxb7 37. Rxa2 Rxd7 38. c4 Kd6 39. Ra6 Ke5 40. Rc6 g5 41. Kf2 Rd2 42. Kf3 h5 43. h3 g4 44. hxg4 hxg4 45. Kg3 f4 46. Kxg4 Rxg2 47. Kf3 Rg3 48. Kf2 Rc3 49. Ke2 Re3 50. Kf2 Kd4 51. Rc8 Rc3 52. Re8 e5 0-1

The Frisco Kid drew with Joshua Colas (2116) and is at -1, with 3 1/2 points, needing a win tonight against Sam Copeland (2153) to finish with an even score.

Kazim Gulamali lost his penultimate round game and also has 3 1/2 points.

Nicolas D Checa (2219) vs FM Kazim Gulamali (2283)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4

The game ended here and this was displayed on the website:
“White won (rated game). Cellphone went off”

It is beyond my comprehension how such a thing could occur. Why any player would even have a cellphone after what happened to GM Nigel Short when he lost a game, even though his gizmo was turned off, because it made a sound to signal its battery was low, disrupting the tournament, and violating the FIDE rule against gizmos making sounds. No players should ever, under any circumstance, have a gizmo with them in or around the tournament hall because of the appearance of having such device gives because of the possibility of cheating by using a gizmo. All chess organizations should have banned gizmos years ago for just this reason. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not, and would never accuse Kazim of cheating. Having known him for at least a decade I would not believe it if he were ever accused of cheating because he is a gentleman. I hate to write this, but his play this tournament could be considered prima-facie evidence that he did not cheat. It is more than a little obvious that Kazim had what is now called a “Dierks” moment.

Reece Thompson lost in the penultimate round and still has 3 points, but will play the last round game trying to finish with a -1 score.

Kapil Chandran (2382) vs Reece Thompson (2087)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 Nbd7 4. Nc3 c6 5. e4 e5 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2 Re8 9. d5 a5 10. h3 Qc7 11. Be3 Nc5 12. Rfd1 Bd7 13. Rac1 cxd5 14. cxd5 Rec8 15. Nd2 Qb8 16. Bxc5 Rxc5 17. a4 Be8 18. Qb1 Nd7 19. Nb3 Rc8 20. Nb5 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Bd8 22. Qc2 Bg5 23. Nc7 Bxc1 24. Nxa8 Be3 25. fxe3 Qxa8 26. Qc7 Qa7 27. Kf2 Nf6 28. Qd8 h6 29. Bb5 Kh7 30. Bxe8 Nxe4 31. Kf3 f5 32. Bd7 1-0
The schedule has been brutal as can be seen by the fact that 30% of the field will not play in the last round. The ones who do play will certainly be staggering at the finish line.

Dierks Bentley – What Was I Thinkin

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Sometimes You Take a Lesson, Sometimes You Give a Lesson

Awonder Liang (2327) vs Sanjay Ghatti (2024)

USM Rd 1

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. dxc5 Nc6 5. a3 e6 6. Nf3 Bxc5 7. b4 Bb6 8. Bd3 a5 9. b5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Bd4 11. Nxf7 Kxf7 12. Bg6 hxg6 13. Qxd4 Qf6 14. Bb2 Qxd4 15. Bxd4 a4 16. Nd2 Bd7 17. Rb1 Nh6 18. Nf3 Nf5 19. Ne5 Ke8 20. c3 Rh4 21. g4 Nxd4 22. cxd4 Ra5 23. b6 g5 24. f3 Rh6 25. Kf2 Rf6 26. Rbc1 Rb5 27. Nxd7 1-0

Sanjay Ghatti (2024) vs Chuck Cadman (2220)

USM Rd 2

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 Ne7 7. Nge2 Ng6 8. Ng3 dxc4 9. Nxf5 exf5 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Bb3 a5 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Qf3 Bxg5 14. hxg5 Qxg5 15. Nxb5 Nh4 16. Nd6 Kf8 17. Rxh4 Qxh4 18. Qxf5 Ra7 19. Qc8 Ke7 20. Nf5 1-0

Damir Studen (2264) vs Joshua Gutman (2134)

USM Rd 2

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. Qb3 Qe7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne5 a5 11. f3 c5 12. e4 cxd4 13. Na2 Bg6 14. Nxb4 axb4 15. Bd2 Rc8 16. Rfc1 Nc6 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Bb5 Rcc8 19. Bxb4 Qd8 20. a5 Ne8 21. Bd2 Nd6 22. Bd3 Qd7 23. Qb6 e5 24. Bb4 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Rc8 26. Rc5 f6 27. Qxd6 1-0

Erik Santarius (2329) vs Reece Thompson (2007)

USM Rd 2

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. c3 e5 5. dxe5 dxe4 6. Nxe4 Qxd1 7. Kxd1 Nxe5 8. Bf4 Bg4 9. f3 O-O-O 10. Kc2 Ng6 11. Bg5 Re8 12. fxg4 Rxe4 13. Bd3 Re8 14. Bf5 Kb8 15. Bd7 Re5 16. Bd2 Nf6 17. Bf5 Bc5 18. b4 Bb6 19. c4 Bxg1 20. Rhxg1 Ne4 21. Bc1 Nf2 22. Bb2 Re2 23. Kb3 Re3 24. Ka4 Rhe8 25. Bxg7 Ne5 26. Rac1 a6 27. c5 b5 28. cxb6 cxb6 29. Bh6 b5 30. Ka5 Nc4 31. Rxc4 bxc4 32. Bxe3 Rxe3 33. Kxa6 Kc7 34. Kb5 c3 35. Kc4 Re2 36. Kxc3 Rxa2 37. h3 Kb6 38. Kd4 1-0

Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) – School. Bospop 2011

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Georgians at the US Open

GM Alonso Zapata, FM Kazim Gulamali, and NM Sanjay Ghatti each finished with a score of 6-3 at the US Open to lead the contingent of players from the state of Georgia. There is a dearth of games thanks to Monroi.

GM Zapata was upset in the second round by a young girl, Expert Jessica Regam. She played the GM tough enough to win when the GM could not make time control. The game score shows the GM making his last move, but since he lost on time I have no idea why the move is given.

Jessica Regam (2125) vs GM Alonso Zapata (2555)
Rd 2 2014 US Open

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.O-O Qc7 7.Qe2 d6 8.c4 g6 9.Nc3 Bg7 10.Be3 O-O 11.Rac1 Nbd7 12.f4 Re8 13.h3 b6 14.b4 Bb7 15.Nb3 Rac8 16.Qf2 Ba8 17.Rc2 Qb8 18.Rfc1 Bc6 19.Nd4 Bb7 20.Nf3 Ba8 21.Nd2 Bc6 22.Rb1 h6 23.Qf1 Bb7 24.Qf2 Ba8
25.Nb3 d5 26.cxd5 Rxc3 27.Rxc3 Nxe4 28.Bxe4 Bxc3 29.dxe6 Bxe4 30.exd7 Bxb1 31.dxe8Q Qxe8 32.Bxb6 Bxb4 33.Bd4 Bf8 34.Nc5 a5 35.Qd2 Qb5 36.Nb3 a4 37.Nc1 Qc4 38.Qb2 Be4 39.Qd2 Bd5 40.Qb2 a3 1-0

Alsonso Zapata 2549 vs Karthik Ramachandran 2257
Rd 6 2014 US Open

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Qc7 6.h3 Nf6 7.Nf3 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.Re1 O-O 10.Nbd2 Re8 11.Nf1 Nh5 12.Ne3 Nf4 13.Bf1 e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Nd4 Bd7 16.Nec2 Ne6 17.Nxe6 Rxe6 18.Bf4 Qc5 19.Nd4 Ree8 20.Qb3 Bc6 21.Be3 Qd6 22.Rad1 a5 23.a4 Qd7
24.Nb5 Qd8b25.Bd4 Re6 26.f4 Nd7 27.Rxe6 fxe6 28.Bxg7 Kxg7 29.Nd4 Qb6 30.Qxb6 Nxb6 31.b3 Re8 32.Re1 Kf7 33.Bb5 Bxb5
34.Nxb5 Rd8 35.Kf2 Nc8 36.Ke3 Nd6 37.Kd4 Ne4 38.Re2 Ng3 39.Re1 b6 40.Ke5 Ke7 41.Nd4 Rd6 42.Re3 Ne4 43.Nb5 Rd8 44.Nd4 Rd6 45.Nb5 Rd8 46.g4 Nc5 47.f5 Nxb3 48.fxe6 Nc5 49.Nc7 Nxa4 1-0

GM Zapata went into the penultimate round tied for first with nine other players while having White versus the seventeen year-old GM Illia Nyzhnyk of Ukraine. Since he is listed on the wallchart as being from Missouri, I assume he is one of the chess mercenaries at one of the colleges in the show me state.

Zapata (2555) vs Nyzhnyk (2743)
Rd 8 2014 US Open

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Nb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.O-O d6 9.Kh1 a6 10.a4 Qc7 11.f4 b6 12.Bd2 Bb7 13.Qe2 h5
14.Rae1 h4 15.Kg1 Nb4 16.Nb5 axb5 17.Bxb4 bxa4 18.Nd4 h3 19.Rf3 hxg2 20.Qxg2 Kf8 21.Rh3 Rg8 22.c3 Nd7 23.Bb1 Nc5 24.Qf2 Qd7 25.Rh7 e5 26.Nf5 Bxe4 27.fxe5 Qxf5 28.Qxf5 Bxf5 29.Bxf5 d5 30.Rf1 Ke8 31.Rd1 Rd8 32.Bc2 Nb3 33.Bxe7 Kxe7 34.Rh4 Nc5 35.Bxa4 Ke6 36.Bc6 Ne4 37.c4 Kxe5 38.Bxd5 f5 39.Re1 Rh8 40.Rxh8 Rxh8 41.Ra1 Rh3 42.Ra7 g5 43.Re7 Kf4 44.Re6 Rb3 45.c5 Rb5
46.Bxe4 fxe4 47.Rf6 Ke3 48.cxb6 Rxb2 49.Rg6 Kd3 50.Rd6 Ke2 51.Rg6 e3 52.Rxg5 Kd3 53.Rd5 Ke4 54.Rd1 Rxb6 55.Ra1 Kf3 0-1

After the teen GM played 14…h4 I thought back to a time when IM Boris Kogan was presenting a game from the US Championship when, in an analogous position his opponent had played his King Rook pawn across the Rubicon, just as Nyzhnyk. Boris moved his King Rook pawn to h3, and said while grinning, “He come no further!” I was flummoxed when GM Zapata did not move his Rook pawn, allowing his opponent to “come on down.” I was even more flummoxed when the youngster did NOT play h3 on his next move! I had been expecting the thematic 16 f5 when the much older GM played the cheap trick, 16 Nb5, losing a pawn. This move gave the advantage to the younger player. GM Zapata fought hard and after many vicissitudes had a chance to draw the game, but did not take advantage of the presented opportunities, and lost. Possibly demoralized, and certainly fatigued, the Senior GM lost his last round game with Black against NM Carl Haessler from Oregon. This was a fine win for the underdog out rated by more than five hundred points. Hopefully the game will be published in a future edition of the excellent Northwest Chess Magazine (http://www.nwchess.com/nwcmag/index.htm).

Kazim Gulamali also had a chance to finish in the second score group only a half point behind the co-champions, but alas, he too was upset in the last round, losing to Expert Mariano Sana of Tennessee. Check out this picture of Kazim in the blitz tournament here (http://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2014/07/30/2014-u-s-open-orlando-usa/). Once again, there is no game, so I will present one of the few games to appear on Monroi:

Kazim Gulamali (2397) vs Sir Jalen Wang (2206)
Rd 7 2014 US Open

1.d4 a6 2.e4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.e5 c5 6.a3 cxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qg4 Bf8 9.Bd3 d4 10.Ne2 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qa5 12.Bd2 Qxe5 13.Qxd4 Qxd4 14.Nxd4 Nf6 15.O-O Bd7 16.Rfe1 Bc5 17.Nb3 Bb6 18.Na5 O-O-O 19.Nc4 Bc7 20.Ne5 Be8 21.Rad1 Nd7 22.Nc4 Nc5 23.Bf1 Bc6 24.Be3 Ne4 25.f3 Nd6 26.Nb6 Kb8 1/2-1/2

I featured the other Georgia to score six points, NM Sanjay Ghatti, in a previous post (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/nm-sanjay-ghatti-battles-french-with-2-qe2/). Here is another game:

Sanjay Ghatti (2206) vs Dakota Dixon (2131)
Rd 6 2014 US Open
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Bd3 b6 7.O-O Bb7 8.b3 c5 9.Bb2 Nc6 10.Re1 Rc8 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Bf5 Rb8 13.Rc1 g6
14.Bb1 cxd4 15.exd4 Rc8 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Ne8 18.Ne2 Ng7 19.Nd4 Bc5 20.Bd3 Ne6 21.Nf3 Qe7 22.Rc2 Rfd8 23.Bc1 d4 24.Qe2 Bb4 25.Rd1 Rxc2 26.Bxc2 Qc7 27.Bd3 Bxf3 28.gxf3 Rd5 29.f4 Rc5 30.Bc4 b5 31.Bxe6 Rxc1 32.Bd5 Qc3 33.Be4 Rxd1 34.Qxd1 Qd2
35.Qxd2 Bxd2 36.f5 Bf4 37.e6 fxe6 38.fxg6 hxg6 39.Bxg6 Kg7 40.Bd3 1/2-1/2

Benjamin Barry Moon finished only a half point behind those above, scoring five and a half points, with four wins, threed draws, and two losses. BB gained sixty rating points, improving from 2084 to 2144.

Constantine Xanthos (2218) vs Benjamin Barry Moon (2084)
Rd 5

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.f4 d6 8.Nf3 Bg7 9.e4 Bxf1 10.Rxf1 O-O 11.Kf2 Nbd7 12.Kg1 Qb6 13.Qe2 Rfb8 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Ng4 16.e6 fxe6 17.h3 Nge5 18.dxe6 Qxe6 19.Ng5 Qc4 20.Re1 Qxe2 21.Rxe2 Nd3 22.Rxe7 Re8 23.Rxe8 Rxe8 24.Nf3 N7e5 25.Nxe5 Bxe5 1/2-1/2

Reece Thompson, who represented the Great State of Georgia in the Denker tournament of High School players, also scored five and a half points by winning five, drawing one, and losing three.

Reece Thompson (2089) vs Paul Joseph (1931)
Rd 4
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 d6 8.O-O Be7 9.h3 Nbd7 10.a4 Nb6 11.f4 g6 12.g4 Bd7 13.Kh1 e5 14.Nde2 Bc6 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 exf4 17.Bxf4 Nfd7 18.b3 Bf6 19.a5 Nc8 20.Ng3 Ne5 21.Ne4 Bg7 22.c4 O-O 23.Qd2 Qe7 24.Rae1 f6
25.c5 Qd7 26.c6 Qc7 27.Rc1 Rb8 28.Bxe5 fxe5 29.Ng5 Qe7 30.Rxf8 Bxf8 31.Ne6 Bg7 32.cxb7 Na7 33.Rc7 Qxc7 34.Nxc7 Rxb7 35.Ne6 Rxb3 36.Qg5 Rb7 37.Qd8 Kf7 38.Ng5 1-0

Carter Peatman also scored five and a half points by also winning five, drawing one, and losing three. A picture of Reece can be found here (http://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2014/07/30/2014-u-s-open-orlando-usa/). Just look to the immediate left of the number 134. Unfortunately, the only game I found was this loss:

Carter Peatman (1972) vs Andrew Rea (2103)
Rd 6

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.Bc4 Qf6 8.Nd5 Qg6 9.O-O c6 10.Nc3 Qd6 11.Qh5 g6 12.Qf3 Qf6
13.Qd3 b5 14.Bb3 a5 15.a4 b4 16.Nd1 Bc7 17.Be3 Ne7 18.f4 O-O 19.c4 d5 20.cxd5 cxd5 21.Bd4 Bb6 22.e5 Qc6 23.Rf2 Ba6 24.Qd2 Nf5 25.Rc1 Qxc1 26.Qxc1 Nxd4 27.Ne3 Nxb3 28.Qe1 Rac8 0-1

Alex Little scored five points with three wins, four draws, and only two losses. He went from 1634 to 1792, gaining a whopping 154 points! Again it is unfortunate, but I have no game to present.

Kevin Schmuggerow, the owner of the North Georgia Chess Center (http://www.northgachesscenter.com/) scored four and a half points, taking a half point bye in the last round. Schmuggy. a floored NM, won three, lost three, and drew two.

Daaim Shabazz (2093) vs Kevin Schmuggerow (2000)
Rd 6 2015 US Open

1.e4 e6 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 b5 4.a4 b4 5.Ne2 e5 6.O-O g5 7.c3 Ba6 8.d4 Nc6 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.f4 Nd3 11.Be3 Nf6 12.h3 Nxb2 13.Qc2 Nc4 14.Bf2 b3 15.Qxb3 Rb8 16.Qd1 gxf4 17.gxf4 Rg8 18.Qd3 Rb6 19.Qf3 Qa8 20.Ng3 Bb7 21.Re1 Re6 22.Kh1 d5 23.Qd3 Rxg3 24.Bxg3 Nd6 25.exd5 c4 26.Rxe6 fxe6 27.Qe2 Bxd5 28.Nd2 Nfe4 29.Nxe4 Nxe4 30.Bh2 Nxc3 31.Qxe6 Bxe6 32.Bxa8 Bxh3 33.Rc1 Bg7 34.Bg1 a6 35.Bc5 Bd7 36.a5 Bb5 37.Bb4 Ne2 38.Re1 c3 39.Bf3 c2 40.Bxe2 Bc6 41.Bf3 1-0

Jeffery Rymuza scored an even fifty % with four wins and losses to go with a single draw. The beautiful Elena Gratskaya also scored fifty % by also winning and losing four while drawing one. Her opponent in this game is the man behind the excellent Chess Drum website (http://www.thechessdrum.net/), Dr. Daaim Shabazz, who has played at the House of Pain. Elena did cross over into class “A” territory, now rated 1819. A couple of hundred more points and she may be invited to participate in the US Women’s Championship.

Daaim Shabazz (2093) vs Elena Gratskaya (1792)
Rd 4 2014 US Open

1.e4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg2 d4 5.Nce2 c5 6.d3 Nc6 7.f4 e5 8.h3 b5 9.a4 b4 10.Nf3 Bd6 11.O-O O-O 12.b3 Rb8 13.Kh1 Nh5 14.f5 h6
15.g4 Nf6 16.Qe1 c4 17.dxc4 Na5 18.Nd2 Bb7 19.Ng3 Bc5 20.Qe2 Qe7 21.Nf3 Rfd8 22.Qd3 Ba8 23.g5 hxg5 24.Bxg5 Qd6 25.Rad1 Bb6 26.Ne1 Nb7 27.Qe2 Rd7 28.Nd3 Nh7 29.Bd2 a5 30.Nh5 Nf6 31.Rg1 Nc5 32.Nxf6 Qxf633.Qg4 Bd8 34.Nxc5 1-0

Over 350 pages in the new book, “The Modern French: A Complete Guide for Black,” by Dejan Antic & Branimir Maksimovic and not one word on the second move of g3. Two Georgia players succumbed to the “Shabazz.” This sent me to the CBDB where I found this recent game:

Carlsen, Magnus (2881) vs Rodriguez Vila, Andres (2437)
Four Player Festa da Uva 2014 03/06/2014

1. e4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 dxe4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Bxe4 Nd7 7. Bg2 c5 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. d4 cxd4 11. Qxd4 Nc5 12. Rd1 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 a6 14. a4 e5 15. Ne2 Be6 16. b4 Bc4 17. bxc5 Bxe2 18. Rd5 Bc4 19. Rxe5 Bf6 20. Bf4 Rac8 21. Bxb7 Bxe5 22. Bxe5 Rxc5 23. Bd6 Rfc8 24. Bxc5 Rxc5 25. a5 f5 26. c3 Bb5 27. Ra3 Kf7 28. f4 Ke6 29. Kf2 h6 30. Ke3 g5 31. Bf3 Kd6 32. Rb3 Ke6 33. Kd2 Kd6 34. Rb4 Kc7 35. fxg5 hxg5 36. h4 gxh4 37. gxh4 Be8 38. h5 Rxa5 39. Rh4 Ra2+ 40. Kd3 Bb5+ 41. c4 Ra3+ 42. Ke2 Ra4 43. Bd5 Kd6 44. h6 1-0

Thomas Jackson Campbell scored four and a half points by winning three, losing three, drawing one, and availing himself of two half-point byes. Sujay Jagadeesh also scored four and a half by winning three, drawing and losing two, with one half-point bye. Prateek Mishra won his last two games to finish with an even score, while Samhitha Dasari won and lost three to go with one draw and a half-point draw to also finish with an even score. GCA President Fun Fong also scored four and a half points by winning three, drawing one, while losing four. Michael Mulford, Steven Boshears, Ainesh Balaga, and Srihitha Dasari all finished with four points. Tom Kayma, Tyler Schmuggerow, Steven Eisenhauer, Skyler Kelly, and Shyam Dasari each scored three and a half points. Dhruv Rajaganesh finished with three points. Pranit Mishra and Sanjay Jagadeesh each scored two and a half. Anish Kumar finished with a point and a half, as did Pranav Devalapalli. By my count that makes twenty-nine players from the Great State of Georgia at the 2014 US Open, the majority of whom are children, with a few adults, most of whom are eligible to play in the US Senior. This closely matches the current demographic profile of the USCF. It is obvious from the names of many of the players that it is a good thing that Vishy Anand has been World Human Chess Champion recently. I shutter to think of what the USCF would be without the influx of Indian players.