Upsetting First Round at the European Individual Chess Championship 2023 Part Two

Life intervened yesterday and part one of what was supposed to be the only part was published in truncated form. A few moments ago the revision containing the game that was to go with the post was published. What follows was supposed to be part of that post.

The game which follows left me flummoxed. The general in charge of the white pieces simply refused to play Bd5, and the GM making decisions for the black pieces simply refused to move the knight off of the back rank.

Position after 13…Nd8

FM Mateusz Paszewski (2270) vs GM Sergey Grigoriants (2572)
European Individual Chess Championship 2023
Rd 1
C50 Giuoco Pianissimo
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 d6 7.c3 Bb6 8.Nbd2 Qe7 9.O-O Bg4 10.b4 g5 11.Bg3 Nh5 12.a4 a5 13.b5 Nd8 14.Re1 Nxg3 15.hxg3 h5 16.d4 h4 17.gxh4 gxh4 1/2-1/2
https://chess-results.com/PartieSuche.aspx?art=36&id=4645400

Draw?!

GM Aleksandar Kovacevic, rated 2489, of Serbia, began as the 122 seed out of almost 500 players in the 2023 EICC. Within the year Kovacevic will be eligible to play in Senior events. His opponent in the first round was Marius Gramb of Germany, rated only 2159, began as the 364th rated player. He was born in 1993 and will not be eligible for the Senior tournaments until 2043. On paper this should have been a walk over for the GM. Unfortunately for the GM the game was played on a board because Marius Gramb is a MCM, which is for “Male Candidate Master.” This is being done after recently seeing “WCM” and assuming, as did others with whom I was in contact, it was for “Woman Candidate Master.” If the Chess world is going to have such titles, then the least it can do is be consistent. This begs the question of why any title is prefaced with a “W”? A Chess player is either a Candidate Master or not. Using letters, like “W” only separates players according to gender. Why is this happening? The FIDE motto is Gens una sumus, Latin for “We are one Family” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDE). If we are one family then why is there a sexual division and why do so many female players consider it acceptable to be segregated from male players?

GM Aleksandar Kovacevic (2489) vs MCM Marius Gramb (2159)
European Individual Chess Championship 2023 Rd 1
B19 Caro-Kann, classical, 7…Nd7
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 e6 10.Bf4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Bb4 12.c3 Be7 13.c4 Qc7 14.Nh5 Bf8 15.Qe2 Ngf6 16.Nf4 Bd6 17.Nd3 c5 18.dxc5 Nxc5 19.Nxc5 Bxc5 20.Bc3 Be7 21.Ne5 Rc8 22.Rh3 Bd6 23.b3 Ke7 24.Rd1 Rhd8 25.Rhd3 Bxe5 26.Bxe5 Qc6 27.Kf1 Ke8 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Qe3 Rxd3 30.Rxd3 b5 31.cxb5 Qxb5 32.Kg1 Rc2 33.Qg3 Rc1+ 34.Kh2 Qe5 35.Rd6 Qxg3+ 36.Kxg3 Ke7 37.Ra6 Rc7 38.Kg4 Kf8 39.Kf4 Kg7 40.g4 h5 41.f3 Rb7 42.Ra4 Kg6 43.Ke3 hxg4 44.Rxg4+ Kh5 45.b4 f5 46.Rf4 Kg6 47.Rc4 f6 48.a4 Kh5 49.b5 e5 50.Rb4 f4+ 51.Ke4 Kxh4 52.Kf5 Kg3 53.Rb3 Rb6 54.a5 Rd6 55.b6 axb6 56.axb6 Rd8 57.b7 Rb8 58.Kxf6 e4 59.fxe4+ f3 60.e5 Kg2 61.e6 f2 62.Rb2 Rxb7 63.Rxf2+ Kxf2 64.e7 Rxe7 1/2-1/2
https://chess-results.com/PartieSuche.aspx?art=36&id=4645459

The Chess Game Of The Year: The Raven Versus Lucky Luka

To begin we must enter the time machine and go back…to the blog post of July 15, “2 Qe2, here we go!” (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2021/07/15/2-qe2-here-we-go/)
It had been my intention to post this immediately after the above post, but circumstances changed…This was how the post was to begin:

Raven Sturt Leads Paracin Open

American IM Raven Sturt

just moments ago defeated his Grandmaster opponent Luka Budisavljevic (2509)

Lucky Luke : Shoot & Hit (2014) – Jeu vidéo – SensCritique

of Serbia to take sole possession of first place in the Paracin Open taking place in Serbia (https://chess-results.com/tnr554482.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=6&turdet=YES&flag=30). After returning from the grocery store and resting I became enraptured with the game; transfixed for hours while swilling coffee. This was a thrilling game with more vicissitudes than the saga of the Trumpster! At one point I was yelling out loud, “Oh NO, Mr. Bill!!!” There were other moves that brought out a, “YES!” There may even have been a, “Take that, Luka!” There were times where I was pumping my fist and then feeling deflated like a balloon…You know it was one hellofa fight when the winner comes out looking like this:

Raven Sturt

As in pugilism when two players decide to fight it out in lieu of agreeing to a pusillanimous draw there is the combatant who lost the game,

but he is no loser because the only losers are those who do not play, because, as the song by Jackson Browne says: “The only time that seems too short/Is the time that we get to play” (https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jacksonbrowne/theloadout.html)

I have been following Raven Sturt for the first five rounds of the Paracin Open. What can I say? Raven is carrying the colors in a foreign land, and has been playing some good Chess that has been worth watching. I got caught up in the game and had a wonderful time today, the first in a week!
I wish the game had been at The Week In Chess (https://theweekinchess.com/) because although it appeared at ChessBomb.com and Chess24.com, I would prefer to watch a game without any kind of commentary or analysis. One can block the analysis at Chess24, but there is some white thing that moves around informing you of how good, or bad is the move. I cut a piece of cardboard and taped it on the computer screen to block out the needless, and useless moving thingamajig…Why is it necessary to go through those contortions?

After the Z Man’s 2 Qe2 put down the young Ravi Haria my complete attention was focused on the Raven’s game with Lucky Luka. Watching the two games was about all I did that day, and I am still here to tell you that I am a fortunate man to have been able to do so…What can I say? I got into it like watching Joe Frazier battle the G.O.A.T., Muhammad Ali.

The game transpired in at the Paracin Open in Serbia.

Great location

Paracin has excellent location in the middles of Serbia. Distance from Belgrade Airport is app. 170 km and from Nis Airport app. 80 km. We  can offer transfer to all interested participants. https://paracinchess.weebly.com/

I urge you to play over this game and THINK FOR YOURSELF. Break out the Chess board and move the pieces around while you take notes before going to one of the aforementioned websites and being spoon fed…You will learn more and be better for it in the long run…

These are the combatants:

I’m Luka Budisavljevic, the youngest Serbian Grandmaster ever. I fulfilled the conditions for GM Title at the age of 16. I was Serbian youth champion 6 times (U8 to U14) from 2012 to 2017 and Serbian U20 vice champion twice, at the age of 14 and 15. I represented Serbia on numerous European and World youth chess championships, as well as U16 World Youth Olympiads 2018 and 2019.
(https://www.chess.com/fr/member/luckyluka04)

I’m IM Raven Sturt from the USA. I like chess, working out, and learning languages. Some career highlights include making International Master in 2017 and being the most recent (2019) champion of the Catalan Circuit. Currently some of my goals are to make Grand Master, learn Turkish, and, Corona-permitting, doing the 2021 Iron Man. (https://www.chesspublishing.com/content/9/sep20.htm)

Montclair Sopranos – PRO CHESS LEAGUE
prochessleague.com

IM Raven Sturt (2500) USA vs GM Luka Budisavljevic (2509) GM SRB

Paracin Open 2021 round 06

A61 Benoni, Nimzovich (knight’s tour) variation

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Nd2 Bg7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O a6 11. a4 Nbd7 12. Re1 Ne5 13. f4 Neg4 14. Bf3 h5 15. Nc4 Nh7 16. Bxg4 Bxg4 17. Qd3 Bd4+ 18. Be3 Qf6 19. h3 Bd7 20. Nb6 Bxe3+ 21. Qxe3 Rad8 22. Rad1 Qg7 23. Nc4 Bc8 24. Qg3 f6 25. a5 Kh8 26. Kh2 g5 27. f5 Qe7 28. Kg1 Rg8 29. Re3 h4 30. Qh2 Rg7 31. Rde1 Qc7 32. Kh1 Qe7 33. R1e2 Rgg8 34. Kg1 Rg7 35. Kf1 Rgg8 36. Ke1 Rg7 37. Kd2 Nf8 38. Kc2 Nh7 39. Re1 Qc7 40. Kc1 Qe7 41. Rh1 Qf8 42. g3 Bd7 43. gxh4 Bb5 44. Nb6 gxh4 45. Qf2 Qe7 46. Qxh4 Qe5 47. Rf3 Rdg8 48. Rd1 Rg1 49. Qf2 R1g2 50. Qe3 Qh2 51. Nba4 Rc2+ 52. Kb1 Rgg2 53. Ka1 Qe5 54. Rg1 Bxa4 55. Rxg2 Rxg2 56. Nxa4 Qe8 57. Nc3 Qd8 58. Rg3 Qxa5+ 59. Kb1 Rxg3 60. Qxg3 Qc7 61. h4 Qe7 62. Qe3 Nf8 63. Ne2 Kh7 64. Nf4 Nd7 65. Ne6 Ne5 66. Qb3 b5 67. Qa3 Qa7 68. Qa5 Nf7 69. h5 c4 70. Qe1 Ne5 71. Qg3 Qe7 72. Qa3 Qf7 73. Qxa6 Qxh5 74. Qb7+ Nf7 75. Ka2 c3 76. bxc3 Kh6 77. Qxb5 Qd1 78. Ka3 Qa1+ 79. Kb4 Qb2+ 80. Ka5 Qxc3+ 81. Ka6 Qc8+ 82. Qb7 Qe8 83. Qc6 Qe7 84. Qc3 Ng5 85. Qg3 Kh7 86. Qh4+ Kg8 87. Qf4 Kf7 88. Qh4 Kg8 89. Kb6 Qe8 90. Nxg5 Qd8+ 91. Kc6 fxg5 92. Qh5 Qc8+ 93. Kxd6 Qd8+ 94. Ke6 Qc8+ 95. Kf6 Qd8+ 96. Kg6 Qe8+ 97. Kxg5 Qe7+ 98. Kf4 Qc7+ 99. Kg4 Qc2 100. Kg5 Qc1+ 101. Kg6 Qc7 102. f6 Qd7 103. Qf5 Qf7+ 104. Kg5 Kh8 105. Qh3+ Kg8 106. Qe6 Kh8 107. Qe7 Qg6+ 108. Kxg6 1-0
   https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-paracin-open/06-Sturt_Raven-Budisavljevic_Luka

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 (There is a battle between Stockfish 13, Stockfish 14, and Stockfish 110521, as to the best third move. SF 13 @depth 64, and SF 14 @depth 55, play the game move, but SF110521 going about as deep as possible without blowing circuits, all the way to depth 73, would play 3 Nc3) 3…c5 (According to the CBDB SF 13 @depth 75 would play 3…d5, but going down one more fathom it changes its computing, switching to 3…b6. Go figure…) 4. d5 d6 (Two different Stockfish programs and Deep Fritz all play 4…b5, which oughta tell you something…) 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Nd2 (Komodo, Fritz & Deep Fritz all play 7 Bf4. No word from the Fish…) 7…Bg7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2 Re8 (SF 11 @depth 45 plays this move, but the same program going 3 ply deeper changes to 9…Ne8. Meanwhile, SF 080121 @depth 52 plays 9…Na6) 10. O-O a6 (Komodo plays the most often played move, 10…Nbd7; Two different SF programs prefer 10…Na6) 11. a4 Nbd7 (SF 310720 & Fritz 15 play this, but SF 12 would play 11…h6, a move not contained in the CBDB) 12. Re1 (SF 280421 @depth 50 shows 12 h3; SF 310720 @depth 42 plays 12 f3. There are only 15 examples of this move in the CBDB) 12…Ne5 (SF plays this; Komodo prefers 12…Rb8) 13. f4 (SF 10 @depth 37 plays 13 Nf1; SF 12 @depth 29 gives 13 h3) 13…Neg4 14. Bf3 h5 (Although recommended by Stockfish there are no games with this move having been played contained in the CBDB) 15. Nc4 Nh7 (TN)

Gheorghiu, Florin (2535) vs Liu Wenzhe (2400)
Event: Luzern ol (Men)
Site: Luzern Date:1982
Round: 5
ECO: A61 Benoni, Nimzovich (knight’s tour) variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Nd2 Nbd7 8.e4 Bg7 9.Be2 O-O 10.O-O Re8 11.a4 Ne5 12.Re1 a6 13.f4 Neg4 14.Bf3 h5 15.Nc4 Nxe4 16.Rxe4 Bd4+ 17.Rxd4 cxd4 18.Ne4 Qh4 19.Ncxd6 Qxh2+ 20.Kf1 Bf5 21.Nxf5 gxf5 22.Nf2 d3 23.Qxd3 h4 24.Qxf5 Qg1+ 0-1
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?gid=2348602

Dedicated to the Legendary Georgia Ironman

How The World Sees The Trumpster

England

A man takes a picture of a mural by English street artist Bambi depicting British Prime Minister Theresa May dancing with US President Donald Trump in London on February 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP/Getty Images

A woman runs along a towpath near graffiti depicting U.S. President Donald Trump on a canal bridge in east London, Britain, February 18, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville[/caption]

Bulgaria

Mural depicting US President Donald Trump is seen on a wall as part of Mural Festival in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, Wednesday 26 July 2017. Outdoor murals on the walls of houses in the village of Staro Zhelezare feature local people alongside well known figures from the worlds of politics and religion. (Photo by Valentina Petrova/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

China

This photo taken on December 24, 2016 shows a giant chicken sculpture outside a shopping mall in Taiyuan, north China’s Shanxi province.
A Chinese shopping mall is ringing in the year of the cock with a giant sculpture of a chicken that looks like US president-elect Donald Trump. / AFP / STR / China OUT (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Brazil

Months after pro- and anti-Trump protesters clashed violently in São Paulo, displeased demonstrators returned to the streets on the day of his inauguration.

Indonesia

A man cycles past graffiti condemning US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on a street in Surabaya, Indonesia’s east Java on October 17, 2016. / AFP / JUNI KRISWANTO/AFP/Getty Images

Ireland

A mural lampooning US President Donald Trump in Dublin’s Temple Bar by artist ADW. (Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Israel

Tourists walk past a graffiti by street artist Lushsux, depicting US President Donald Trump kissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drawn on the controversial Israeli separation barrier separating the West Bank town of Bethlehem from Jerusalem, on October 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Musa AL SHAER/AFP/Getty Images

In the days after Trump’s election, a souvenir shop sold politically satirical merchandise in Jerusalem’s Old City, including items depicting Trump as a Hasidic Jew and Barack Obama donning a kaffiyeh. Israelis, on the whole, preferred Hillary Clinton in the election, but Hasidic Jews have expressed approval of Trump’s alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the fact that his daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism.

Italy

Many Italians see Trump as the American version of Silvio Berlusconi, the flamboyant media tycoon turned prime minister. In late October, artist Dario Gambarin remade a cornfield outside Verona into a colossal portrait of Trump. “In Italy, we say ‘ciao’ to say hello and goodbye,” Gambarin told Inside Edition. “I am saying hello if he becomes president and goodbye if he doesn’t.” Trump, he added, “would not make a good president.”
Dario Gambarin | Getty Images

The Carnival of Viareggio, an annual Mardis Gras parade hosted by the Tuscan city of Viareggio, is traditionally celebrated with giant papier-mâché floats depicting caricatures of popular characters and politicians. This year, parade floats featured elaborate masks of Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Getty Images

Mexico

Detail of the mural paint made by Mexican artist Luis Sotelo called “We are migrants not criminals” (Somos migrantes no delincuentes) in Tonatico, Mexico, on 25 June 2016.
The mural is part of the cultural movement “Stop Trump”. / AFP / MARIO VAZQUEZ/AFP/Getty Images

View of a graffiti painted against US President Donald Trump in Mexico City on June 27, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty Images

In Mexico City, graffiti denounced Trump on the day of his inauguration.
Getty Images

Picture of a graffiti against US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump painted by an unknown artist on the embankment of the Bravo River on the border with the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, on June 28, 2016. / AFP / JESUS ALCAZAR/AFP/Getty Images

A mural reading “Todos somos migrantes” (“We are all migrants”) in Tijuana sits close to the U.S.-Mexican border.
Getty Images

Spain

A man takes pictures of a graffiti of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Barcelona on June 7, 2016. / AFP / JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images

Lithuania

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA – MARCH 17: A mural of U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘shotgunning’ a marijuana joint is seen on March 17, 2017 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Trump has decreased his tweeting of praise for his Russian counterpart as the former’s administration has found itself on the defensive amidst investigations into Russia’s meddling in U.S. elections last year. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Serbia

The Cyrillic words at the center of this painting of Trump and Putin in Belgrade read “Kosovo is Serbia,” a nod to Serbia’s, and Russia’s, refusal to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty. Trump’s candidacy has renewed enthusiasm for the United States among Serbia’s ultranationalists, many of whom see him as an ally in their opposition to globalization.
Getty Images

Russia

In Russia, where Trump’s friendliness with Putin has been well-received, Trump has begun to appear in commercial contexts, including on a commemorative smartphone case released shortly after his election and on sugar boxes at a supermarket in the city of Tula.
Getty Images

USA

A Donald Trump mural covers a building in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida, on October 27, 2016.
The Anti-Trump, batman themed mural was created by the artists of the Bushwick Collective ahead of the US presidential election. / AFP / RHONA WISE /AFP/Getty Images

GM Nigel Short Questions Andrew Paulson, Agon and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

There is an interview with GM Nigel Short by WGM Maria Manakova of Serbia on You Tube that should be watched by any and everyone who cares about the Royal game. It is difficult for me to believe the interview has only been seen by a few thousand viewers.
The always outspoken GM Short has many questions about the current state of affairs in the world of chess. For example, he says, “The real question for me is Andrew Paulson’s exact relationship with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.” Nigel asks, “Who owns Agon?” He says, “It is a company that’s supposed to make payments to FIDE but has not been doing…” Then he asks, “Why is a company that is in breech with FIDE allowed to continue with FIDE?” Nigel uses words like immoral and illegal while questioning FIDE. When asked whom he intends on supporting for President of FIDE in the coming election, he says, “I am the delegate of England and will support Kasparov.” He adds, “The vast majority of chess players in England do not like Ilyumzhinov.” Nigel could have substituted the word “world” for “England.”
I strongly urge anyone reading this to watch the eight and a half minute interview, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6UtU78pAgc