In This Issue: From The Skittles Room Endgame Corner, by IM Silas Esben Lund An Interview with Jake Friedman, by Carlos Chavez Chess Toons En Passant Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George Editor's Note
Welcome back, fellow chess players, to this edition of the Marshall Chess Club's fortnightly bulletin, The Marshall Spectator.
Happy New Year from the Marshall Chess Club. To celebrate the new year we had a New Yearโs Day Action tournament, and as you can see in the photo below the event was well attended and a perfect way to mark the beginning of the year with a rated event in our historic space.
In other news, the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz came to New York City last week and brought with it a ton of amazing chess stars to our space. GMโs Daniel Naroditsky and Olexandr Bortnyk came to play in our FIDE Blitz event on Friday night, and many other officiants, arbiters, and officers from FIDE and USChess stopped by the club to say hello.
Another star who was in town for the event was GM Sam Shankland, who - after a remarkable performance at the world rapid and blitz - came to the Marshall Chess Club for a simultaneous display on New Yearโs Day.
For a full and in-depth report, check out this article by Marshall Chess Club member and simul participant, William Guskind, which even has many of the games.
In scholastic news, the Marshall Chess Club is excited to announce our next offsite scholastic tournament in partnership with the Speyer Legacy School. This event will be held on January 12, 2025. You can register your child in advance here.
Here are some details of the event:
Date: Sunday January 12 Format: 4 player Quad sections Time Control: G/45, d5 Entry Fee: $50 Marshall Chess Club Members; $65 Nonmembers Prize: $20 Amazon gift card to Quad winners Location: The Speyer Legacy School, 925 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019. (Please donโt come to the club!) Round Times: CHECK IN: 8:45 - 9:15 AM Rd1 10:00AM Rd2 12:00PM Rd3 2PM- Please note these round times are approximate. Rounds will begin approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the previous round. Register here.
Other details: This event is only open to scholastic players (K-12) and invited adult players. Free game analysis with one of three Speyer GM's: GM John Fedorowicz, GM Oliver Barbosa, or GM Brewington Hardaway. Boards and pieces are provided. Please bring a clock. This is not a drop-off event. Parents and guardians are responsible for their child for the duration of the tournament. Team/Hospitality rooms are available upon request! Email sohanlon@speyerlegacyschool.org
Looking ahead, we are also thrilled to announce a new class on Complex Endgames taught by IM Silas Esben Lund. Complex endgames are endgames with at least 2 pieces, with elements of the middlegame, and where difficult decisions still need to be made in terms of exchanges and pawn advances, before the position settles into something more familiar in terms of basic or technical endgames. We will analyze games from participants if submitted. Hand in at least 3 days before the day of class. Otherwise, we will analyze interesting endgames from chess history. The level in the class will be 1500+, but lower-rated players are welcome to sign up. For flexibility, the classes will be recorded in case some participants are unable to make it one Monday.
There are also a number of exciting updates to our tournaments this month. We have added new features to our Thursday FIDE Open tournament. Players will have the chance to win Grand Prix points towards our 2025 Club Championship! The winner of each Thursday night open (including ties) receives 3 points, second place receives 2 points and third place receives 1 point. The player with the most points through the last tournament ending before the Club Championship in December receives a free entry into the Championship. Must be a Club member to qualify.
ENHANCED PRIZE FUND ($1000 b/25) $500-200-100; U1800: $100-50; U1600 $50
Rounds: 7pm each Thurs. Max two byes; request by Rd 4. Register here.
On Saturday, January 11 we will have our very first Marshall Chess Academy Blitz Championship.
Here are the details:
12-SS, G/3 +2 Entry fee: $100; Members only Open to scholastic players only.
1500+ 1st Place- Trophy, lesson & tournament entry and title of Marshall Academy Blitz Champion 2nd Place- Trophy, lesson/ tournament entry 3rd Place- Trophy U1500
1st Place- Trophy, lesson & tournament entry and title of Marshall Academy U1500 Blitz Champion 2nd place- Trophy, lesson/ tournament entry 3rd Place- Trophy Top 1 U1200 Top 1 U1000 Rounds: Begin at 1:30pm & continue ASAP. No byes available.
Registration closes 2 hours prior to the start of the event. The top boards of the tournament will be broadcasted online and GM Djurabek Khamrakulov will provide live commentary on our Youtube and Twitch channels.
January 11 will be a day of chess galore as we will also have our very first Saturday Night Action: 4-SS, G/25 d5 Entry fee: $25; Members only GMs Free
Prizes: ($500 b/40): $150-100-75; U2200, U1900: $75; Biggest upset: $25.
Rounds: 7-8:10-9:20-10:30pm. Max one bye, for Rd 1 or 4 only; request at entry.
Registration closes 30 minutes prior to the start of the event.
January 12th we will also have our Adults Only Tournament at the club:
4-SS, G/45 d5 Entry fee: $25; Non-MCC Member: Additional $10 fee. Must be at least 20 years old. GMs Free Two Sections: 1700+ and U1700. May be combined into one section or adjust the rating cutoff at TDโs discretion. Prizes 1700+: ($250 b/20): $125-75; U1900: $50. U1700: ($250 b/20): $125-75; U1400: $50.
Rounds: 12:30-2:30-4:30-6:30pm. Max one bye; request at entry.
Registration closes 30 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Finally, we kick off our 3rd edition of the Team Tournament on Tuesday, January 14th. There is still time to assemble your team and register by emailing us at td@marshallchessclub.org with your team name and players.
G/60 +30. 6 Rds: 7pm each second Tuesday of the month.
We have chess for everyone and we look forward to a very successful 2025 for our members and chess community!
Looking back over the last two weeks, we have had a plethora of events for our members to play in.
The Rated Beginner Open on January 5 had 37 players registered and concluded with the following 4 players winning $104.25 for their perfect 3 out of 3 score: Milan Chadha, Sangbae Lee, Ophelia Guan, and Ziheng Yu.
The Morning Masters on January 4 had 5 players registered and was won by Aditeya Das who scored 2 out of 3 to win the $30 first place prize, while Ryan G Thurlow and Miguel Garcia scored 1.5 out of 3 to win $10 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on January 4 had 44 players registered and was won by Mouhamadou Tall, Jephson Mathew, Gautam Naruma and Eduardo Degering who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $96.25 each.
The Afternoon Action on January 3 had 4 players registered and was won by Arthur Tollefson, who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $30, while Nicholas Karas won $20 for his 2 out of 3 score.
The Thursday Action on January 2 had 48 players registered and was won by IM Hari Madhavan N B and Kiren Nasta, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $144 each. Mike Ching won a class prize of $87 for his 2.5 score, while Aditeya Das and GM Michael Rohde won $43.50 for their near-perfect, 3.5 out of 4 score. Finally, the following 3 players won $29 for their3 out of 4 performance: Sarathi Ray, Jack Levine, and Andrew Colwell.
The Thursday Open that concluded on January 2 had 11 players registered and was won by George Berg, who scored 5 out of 6 to win $150. Daniel Yassky and Nirupam Kushalnagar both won $75 for their 4.5 out of 6 score, while Serge Adelson won $50 for his 4 out of 6 score. Finally, Vladimir Lionter and John Brendel scored 3 out of 6 to win $12.50 each.
The Afternoon Game 50 on January 2 had 11 players registered and was won by Dyaln Rossi and Charles Huang, who scored 2 out of 2 to win $15 each.
The New Yearโs Day Action on January 1 had 56 players registered and was won by FM Justin Chen, who scored 5.5 out of 6 to win the $441 first place prize. IM Liam Putnam and CM Ethan Guo scored 4 out of 5 to win $219.83. Kevin Xu won a $176.66 class prize for his 4 out of 6, while Elliot Goodrich and IM Jay Bonin won $44.16 each for their 4.5 out of 6 score. The following 6 players won $29.44 each for their performance: Joseph Otero, Isaac Statz, Lucas Yang, Rishan Malhotra, Robert Thorstad, and Misha Raitzin.
The Last Blunder of the Year $500 Blitz on December 31 had 29 players and was won by Daler Vakhidov who scored 7.5 out of 9 to win the $135 first place prize. IM Maximillian Lu scored 7 out of 9 to win $67.50. Aakaash Meduri scored 6.5 out of 9 to win $33.75, and Albert Li also won a $33.75 class prize for his performance. The following 4 players shared in a class prize, winning $16.88 each: Nicholas Karas, Miguel Garcia, Lucas Yang, and WCM Arabella Fang.
The Rated Beginner Open on December 29 had 30 players registered and was won by Julian Cho, Benjamin Abramowitz, and Alston Lin who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 each to win $109 each.
The Saturday G/50 Open on December 28 had 40 players registered and was won by FM Justin Chen and Grayson Xiang, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $180 first-place prize. Aiden Amin scored 3.5 points, and Owen Mak scored 3, and both players to won $80 each.
The Morning Masters on December 28 had 7 players registered and was won by Mark DeDona and CM Aditeya Das who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $44 each.
The ALTO on December 28 had 13 players registered and was won by William Whitworth who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win the $65 first place prize, while the following 4 players scored 2 points winning $24.38 each: Ken Jennings, Mihir Subodh Tamhankar, Dylan Amaro, and Ben Davar.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on December 28 had 23 players registered and was won by Seojin Ryan Park and Mihir Subodh Tamhankar scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $110.50, while John Hartmann scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $55.
The $500 FIDE Blitz on December 27 had 47 players registered and was won by GM Olexandr Bortnyk who scored a near perfect 8 out of 9 to win the $235 first place prize. GM Daniel Naroditsky scored 7.5 out of 9 to finish in 2nd place to win the $117.50 second place prize. Daler Vakhidov and IM Aaron Jacobson scored 7 out of 9 to win $58.75, while Neil Samant and Brandon Vila scored 6 points to win $29.38 each. Finally, Siddharth Manikandan, Noah Hsu, and John Kian Oneill scored 5 out of 9 to win $19.58.
The Afternoon Action on December 27 had 38 players registered and was won by FM Marcus Miyasaka and Michael Li, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $119 each. Jack Levine scored 3.5 out of 5 in this event, winning a $72 prize, while Rishan Malhotra, Kenneth Fernandez, and Ateeq Panjwani scored 3 points to win $48 each.
The Wesley Hellner Action on December 26 had an impressive turnout with 55 players registered, and concluded with 5 players scoring a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $130 each: Keneth Kyei-Baffour, Sam Canfield, Lve Wang, Anderson Antoine, Ziheng Yu.
The Monthly Under 1800 that concluded on December 22 had 37 players registered and was won by Krish Karthik, who scored 4.5 out of 5 to win the $617 first place prize. Sourya Gurram scored 4 points to win the $247 second place prize, while Samuel Reznikov scored 3 out of 5 to win a $185 place prize. The following 6 players scored 3.5 out of 5 to win $56.67 each: Mihir Subodh Tamhankar, Kirill Tsydypov, Marissa Lu, Kyle Cheng, Chris Weldon, Paul Kariuki.
The Monthly Under 2400 that concluded on December 22 had 47 players registered and was won by Nkosi Nkululeko who scored 4.5 out of 5 to win $784. George Berg and Dazhen Lu scored 4 out of 5 to win $274.50 each. Aleksandr Gutnik and Charlie Creswell scored 3.5 out of 5 to win $98 each. Finally, the following 10 players won $23.50 for their 3 out of 5 score: Maximilian Mills-Wren, Lucas Lu, WCM Abigail Zhou, Nicholas Bear, Sawyer L Sarwar, Armaan C Jain, Grant Liu, Rishan Malhotra, Matt Chan, and Bhavya Thakur.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on December 21 had 54 players registered and was won by the following 5 players who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $89.40 each: Ateeq Panjwani, Armaan C Jain, Owen Mak, Davin Chen, and Aaron Kudryavsky. Jonathan Hsieh and Terrance Zeng shared in a class prize, scoring 2.5 out of 3 to win $96 each.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
Endgame Corner by IM Silas Esben Lund
I will use a recent game of mine to introduce the configuration of bishop pair versus bishop and knight in the endgame. We shall see a typical example of the power of the 2 bishops, and how this advantage influences other areas of the board, which makes it easier for the BB-side to increase the advantage. Most transformations that can take place usually favor the BB-side, as we shall see - putting extra pressure on Black from a practical viewpoint as well. First, try to answer the questions to the 4 diagrams. The solutions will be given at the end of the article.
You can play through the positions with annotations here.
Silas Lund vs Daniel Halpern
32... Be6 Question 1: Why was Black's last move 32...Bd7-e6 a mistake?
Silas Lund vs Daniel Halpern
Question 2: Should White be patient and play 38. Kg2 (or transform the position into one with OCB with 38. Bxe4?)
Silas Lund vs Daniel Halpern
Question 3: White to move - find the strongest continuation.
Silas Lund vs Daniel Halpern
Question 4: Find the win for White.
Silas Lund vs Daniel Halpern
Let's start our analysis at this point. White now grabs space on the kingside.
26. g4 h6 Black decides to just stay put on the kingside and let White grab space. The alternative is to fight for space over there. (26... h5 27. gxh5) (26... g5 In a game, it is probably the best practical chance to fight for space. However, White should be confident that the space that the BN-side grabs will leave weaknesses behind for him to attack later. White can continue to improve with for instance 27. Bb3 (Instead, 27. Kg3 h6 28. h4 f5 gives Black great counterplay.) 27... Nc4 28. Ke2 with the idea of bringing the king to d3-d4, and only then try to open up the position further with pawn breaks.) 27. h4 Nc4 (Talking about space: in case of 27... b5 28. a5 the pawn on a6 has now been singled out as a future target. Is this worse than leaving a target on b7 after White's a4-a5 as it happened in the game? Such are the dilemmas that the BN-side is facing.) 28. h5 The g7-pawn is now a target. 28โฆNe5 29. Bc2 Nc4 30. Kg3 Ne5 31. Bc5 Ke8 32. a5 Be6 (I wasn't entirely sure how to continue after a move like 32... Kf7 White has a clear advantage and is making progress, but the breakthrough plan has to be worked out.)
Question 1: 33. f4 Nc4 (33... Nxg4 doesn't work now due to 34. f5) (33... Nd7 34. Bd6 with domination.) 34. Bg6+ Bf7 (34... Kd7 35. Bf8 Nxe3 36. f5 Bg8 37. Bxg7) 35. Bf5 The b7-pawn is also vulnerable! Kd8 36. Kf2 Nd2 37. Bf8 Ne4+
Question 2: 38. Kg2 The position is still won after this move, but I missed a transformation to a winning position without counterplay. (38. Bxe4 dxe4 39. Bxg7 f5 40. Kg3 This was the move I didn't see, or didn't take the time to look for. 40โฆfxg4 41. Kxg4 White will win h6, with two extra passed pawns on the f- and h-file. That in itself does not secure victory (many basic positions in OCB with 2 extra pawns are drawn), but there are an additional 3 pawns on the board, and therefore additional weaknesses to target.) 38... Ke8 39. Bxg7 Nd6 40. Bd3 f5
Question 3:} 41. gxf5 (41. g5 I wanted to play this move, but wasn't sure.} hxg5 (41... Bxh5 42. gxh6) 42. h6 Bg6 43. fxg5 Ne4 This was the move I was worried about, but the following transformation works for White: 44. Kf3 Nxg5+ 45. Kf4 A pawn sacrifice to activate the king. Ne6+ 46. Ke5 Nxg7 47. hxg7 The SCB ending is winning for White, who has an active king. All Black's pawns are also on the color of the bishops. 47โฆKf7 48. Bxf5 Bh5 (48... Bxf5 49. Kxf5 The pawn endgame is easily winning for White.) 49. Be6+ (49. Bc8) 49... Kxg7 50. Bxd5) 41... Bxh5 42. Be5 (Better than 42. Bxh6 Bg4 43. f6 Kf7 that leaves the White pieces slightly uncoordinated.) 42... Ne4 43. b5 axb5 44. Bxb5+ Ke7 (44... Kd8 was necessary.)
Question 4: 45. Bc6 Bf7 (45... bxc6 46. a6) (45... Nc5 46. Bxb7 Nxb7 47. a6 is a typical trick.) 46. Bxb7 Nc5 47. a6 To recap, the most important transformations we saw in this game were: * Into Opposite-Colored Bishops * Into Same-Colored Bishops * Pawn sacrifice to activate the king Also, the BB-side can more easily grab both pawn space and king space. If the BN-side fights for pawn space, it is likely to create weaknesses for the BB-side to attack. By king space I mean the fact that the White king is more likely to break through forward to the fourth or fifth rank, mainly because the knight has a harder time controlling one color squares, in our case the dark squares. In the game, we saw how the White king broke through to e5 via f4, with the help of a pawn sacrifice. We will explore these concepts more in the next endgame column. 1-0
IM Silas Esben Lund, Marshall Spectator Contributor
An Interview with Jake Friedman, by Carlos Chavez
Dear Marshall Members,
Happy New Year and best wishes for 2025! The Marshall Chess Club had a very successful 2024. We had many special events, including a Parent BBQ, an author talk with Kyla Zhao, and an end-of-the-year holiday party. Some of our biggest tournaments included the 1924 Centennial, in which two IM norms were achieved, and our first edition of the Rapid and Blitz Championship, second edition of the Mona Karff Women's Championship, third edition of the Senior Championship, and our flagship annual Edward Lasker Club Championship. We also started our Marshall Academy Chess Camps led by GM Djurabek Khamrakulov and became more active on our Twitch, YouTube channels, and social media Instagram, Facebook, and X. Make sure to subscribe and follow us. Thank you for your valuable membership. I look forward to working with a talented, dedicated staff to create a professional, all-inclusive, welcoming chess club.
I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a special member of the club: Jake Friedman.
It was my pleasure to virtually interview Jake for the fundraising event he did for the Marshall Foundation as part of his Bar Mitzvah project. Jake's story is very inspiring and I hope it has a motivating influence on all our members, especially the youth and scholastic. I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get familiar with the Marshall Foundation and its mission.
On behalf of the Marshall Chess Club and Marshall Foundation we thank you Jake!
You can read Jake's message below and make sure to watch the interview:
It was so rewarding to raise $2000 for the Marshall Chess Club. Iโm excited to now be a member! I can't wait to join some of the online tournaments and to stop by next time Iโm in New York City. Thanks for spreading the benefits of chess with your community and beyond. - Jake Friedman
Carlos Chavez, Marshall Chess Club Executive Director
Chess Toons
En Passant
During my visit to New York earlier this year, while waiting at passport control at JFK airport, I noticed one of the officers briefly checking a chess game on his phone. We started chatting, and he told me that chess is very popular in New York and to make sure I visit Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, where hustlers play every day. - Milan Dinic, FIDE Press Officer
GM Robert Huebner, the best German chess player since Emanuel Lasker, a four-time world championship candidate, Olympic board one gold medalist, former world number-three, master analyst, writer, polyglot, and papyrologist, has died at the age of 76 after a long illness.
The reign of GM Magnus Carlsen as the king of chess now includes a queen. The Norwegian star has tied the knot with Ella Victoria Malone in a ceremony packed with guests on a sunny winter day in Oslo.
The second day of the World Blitz Chess Championships, held in New York, provided thrilling action as the knockout stages decided the champions in both the open and women's sections. Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi decided to share the open title after an epic 7-game final, marking Carlsen's eighth blitz crown and Nepo's first.
Victor Wembanyama, the 20-year-old basketball sensation and unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year, recently turned heads off the court during a visit to New York City. Known as "Wemby", the San Antonio Spurs star revealed his passion for chess, taking to Washington Square Park to play in its famous open-air chess scene.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
Ernest Clement Mortimer, 1991 (version by A. Frolkin)
This is the position after Black's 4th move. How did the game go?
This is a shortest proof game problem: the goal is to find a path from the initial position to the given position in the given number of moves. Obviously, the problem will be more valued if the path is unique and if there is something interesting (beautiful, paradoxical, or unexpected) in the solution.
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Last issueโs puzzle: Birger Knudsen, 1932
White to mate in 2.
Solution to Knudsen 1932: 1.Qe4! An unusual problem because the key preserves the symmetry of the original position. There follows 21 symmetry-breaking moves by Black, each followed by mate.
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Alexander George
Editor's Note
As always, if you have any feedback, comments, or would like to submit an article please contact us directly at td@marshallchessclub.org.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
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