In This Issue: From The Skittles Room King's Kibitzes, by FM Alex King Across the Table, with David Kantey 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.
On Tuesday, February 13 we will start a new cycle of our monthly team event. This was a popular team event the last cycle, and we anticipate an excellent turnout for the event.
Looking ahead, we have lots of exciting events scheduled on the calendar, including a panel discussion celebrating Black History Month.
2024 MCC Black History Month Celebration Topic: The Rise of the African American Chess Masters Date: February 20th, 2024 Time: 6:30-8:30pm Facilitator: Rochelle Ballantyne
Panelists: IM Kassa Korley, IM Justus Williams, IM Brewington Hardaway, NM Jerald Times, CM Jessica Hyatt, and Adia Onyango.
Come to the Marshall Chess Club to celebrate and honor the remarkable Rise of African American Chess Masters. As we reflect on their extraordinary achievements and contributions to the world of chess, we come together to applaud the resilience, strategic brilliance, and cultural impact these masters have brought to the game. From breaking barriers to inspiring future generations, this celebration is a testament to the rich culture and talent within the African American chess community. Let's come together to acknowledge their triumphs, celebrate diversity, and foster a future where chess knows no boundaries. Checkmate barriers, celebrate excellence!
Looking ahead to Women’s History Month in March, our Executive Director, Carlos Chavez, will be moderating a panel discussion on Tuesday, March 5 at 7pm. Following the panel, there will be a free unrated rapid tournament at 9 pm; 3 rounds - G/15 with book prizes. Both the panel and tournament are open to the public. We are thrilled to host several esteemed panelists for this event:
GM Irina Krush - Chess as a Professional; eight-time U.S. Women's Champion - at 14 years old became the youngest U.S. Women's Champion ever! 2023 Marshall Chess Club Women's Champion.
IM Rusudan Goletiani - Chess and Finance - 2005 U.S. Women's champion; foreign exchange trader at BlackRock, Inc.
WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni - Chess and Commentary - 2006 Turin Olympiad - individual gold medal; currently a commentator with chess.com.
WFM Ana Izoria - Chess and Education - Experienced chess teacher and Special Education teacher at Beacon High School.
Over the last two weeks we have had a plethora of events for our members to play in.
The Rated Beginner Open on February 4 had 43 players registered and concluded with a 4-way tie. The following 4 players scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $125 each: Kieran Sanchala, Jahongir Abduvaliev, John Mekus and Luka Emrashvili.
The FIDE Premier Under 2000 that concluded on February 4 had 57 players registered and was won by Theodore Chachere who scored a perfect 5 out of 5 to win the $950 first place prize. Leandro Ulloa and Hema Vikas scored 4 out of 5 to win $190 each, while Oscar Schlesinger won a class prize of $285 for his 4 out of 5 performance. Robert Davis and Sarah Nguyen also shared in a class prize, winning $142.50 each for their 2.5 out of 5 performance.
The FIDE Premier Open that concluded on February 4 had 43 players registered and featured the top 5 boards being broadcast live on chess.com. Our club champion, IM Mykola Bortnyk won clear first, scoring 4.5 to win $1,147. John Hughes took second place with a score of 4 out of 5, winning $645 for his performance, while CM Eshaan Hebbar and Pardhav Chakka won $179.50 each for their 3.5 out of 5 performance.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on February 3 had 67 players registered and concluded with 6 players getting a perfect score. Justin Dalhouse, Maxime Jaccon, Rhyan Grennan, Paul Calderon, and Theodore Shin scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $117.40 each, while Jack Boyer-Olson also had a perfect score and won the class prize of $252.
The Andre Harding Action on February 1 had 44 players registered and finished with 4 players scoring 3.5 out of 4. Joseph Zeltsan, IM Alexander Katz and FM Tanitoluwa Adewumi won $103.6 for their performance, while Andrew Colwell won a class prize of $104 for his 3.5 out of 4 score. Jonathan Ave Silverstein and Sasha Schaefer also shared in a class prize, winning $52 each for their 2.5 out of 4 performance.
The Rated Beginner Open on January 28 had 53 players registered and concluded in a 6-way tie. The following 6 players finished with a perfect score of 3 out of 3, winning $104.1 each: Robert Babbage, Caleb Louzolo Mbouilou, Emirhan Tidin, Nicolas Swenson, Riley Wong, and Garret Berghoff.
The Sunday Game 50 Under 1600 on January 28 had 36 players registered and was won by Alvin Lou and Riju Bhattacharjee who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $175 each. The following 4 players scored 3 out of 4 to win $26.25 each: Marissa Lu, Liam Chan, Callum Vonwiller and Mattingly Taveras.
The Saturday Game 50 Open on January 28 had 34 players registered and was won by Jason Jiang who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $192 first place prize. Second place went to Lucas Moina, who scored 3.5 to win $128. Ashton Bellur won a class prize of $96 for his 3 out of 4 performance.
The ALTO Open on January 27 had 23 players registered and was won by Steven Rand who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $125. David Timmerman won a $50 class prize for his 2 out of 3 performance, while the following players ended in a 4-way tie of players who scored 2.5 and won $12.50 each: Matheu Jefferson, Aleksandr Gutnik, Philiip E Ross and Robert Olsen.
The Under 1400-1700 ALTO on January 27 had 10 players registered and concluded with Daniel Zahzouhi and Gabe Wecht scoring 2.5 out of 3 to win $87.50 each.
The Under 1500 ALTO on January 27 had 18 players registered and concluded with Joe Buckley scoring 3 out of 3 to win the $125 first place prize, while Daniel Nambiar, Yelena Karangel and Luran He scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $33.33 each.
The FIDE Blitz on January 26 had a huge turnout, with 67 players registered to play. The event was won by our club champion, IM Mykola Bortnyk, who scored a perfect 9 out of 9 to win the $335 first place prize. FM Brewington Hardaway and FM Liam Putnuam scored 7 points out of 9 to win $125.63 each. IM Justin Sarkar won a class prize of $83.75 for his 6.5 out of 9 score, while WFM Chloe Gaw and Nirvaan Bharany scored 6 points to share in a class prize, winning $41.88 each.
The Andre Harding Action on January 25 had 47 players registered and was won by FM Leif Pressman, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $216 first place prize. IM Maximillian Lu and NM Bryan Weisz scored 3.5 to win $54 each, while Cameron Hull won a class prize of $108 for his 3 out of 4 score. Linxi Zhu and FM Jonathan Subervi also shared in a class prize, scoring 3 points and winning $54 each.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
King’s Kibitzes: Marshall U2400 Endgame Subtleties
The Marshall January U2400 saw 13th seed Max Manuel Rosenthal finish in clear first with 4.5/5, increasing his USCF rating from 2024 to 2081.
Both Rosenthal and top seed IM Jay Bonin took a first-round bye, but then Bonin was nicked for a draw in Round 3 from a pawn-up endgame that he even should have lost:
Ciprian Solomon (USCF 1965) - Jay Bonin (USCF 2266)
The weak d5- and f5-pawns make it difficult for Black to make progress, and in fact White soon develops threats of his own.
31. a4 g5 32. h4 g4 33. Rc8 b5 34. axb5 Rxb5 35. Rf4
Already White is winning back the pawn.
35…Ke6 36. Re8+ Kd6 37. Rxf5
37…Rc7?
It was better to expedite queenside counterplay with 37…a5 38. Ra8 Kc5.
38. Rg8?
Instead 38. Rg5! is winning for White, e.g. 38…a5 39. Ra8 Rc4 40. h5 +-.
38…Rc4?
Again correct was 38…a5!.
39. Rh5 Kc5 40. Rxh7 a5 41. Ra7 Kb4 42. h5 Rb6 43. Rg6 Rxg6 44. hxg6 Rc6 45. g7 Rg6
46. f4?
Too impatient. White had just enough time for 46. Kf1 a4 47. Ke2 a3 48. Kd3 Kb3 49. Rb7+! Ka4 50. e4 dxe4+ 51. Kxe4 a2 52. Kf5 a1Q 53. Ra7+ Kb5 54. Rxa1 Rxg7 55. Re1 cutting off Black’s king with a theoretical win.
46…gxf3 47. Kf2 a4 48. Kxf3 a3 49. Kf4 Kb3 1/2-1/2
White can no longer win, since he will have to spend too much time capturing the d5-pawn.
* * *
In Round 4 Rosenthal won against Jessica Hyatt despite allowing a study-like saving resource:
Max Rosenthal (USCF 2024) - Jessica Hyatt (USCF 2139)
Which square should White’s king move to?
35. Kc1?
Correct was 35. Kd1! preventing the idea in the following note.
35…Kc7 36. Nxc8 Rxh2 37. Rh8
37…Ra2?
After 37…Re2! White has no way to untrap his knight, e.g. 38. Kd1 Re6 39. Na7 Kb6! 40. Rh7 Re8 and White will have to sac the knight into a drawn 3-vs-2 rook ending.
38. Ne7 Rxa3 39. Kb2 Rb3+ 40. Kc2 Ra3 41. Rxh6
White has consolidated and goes on to convert his extra piece.
41…Ra2+ 42. Kb1 Re2 43. Nd5+ Kb7 44. Kc1 Re5 45. Rd6 Re2 46. Kd1 Ra2 47. Re6 Rg2 48. Ne3 Ra2 49. Nc2 a5 50. bxa5 Rxa5 51. Nb4 Ra1+ 52. Kd2 1-0
* * *
Round 5 again saw Rosenthal up a knight, with tricky decisions faced by both sides:
Luc Hoffmann (USCF 2150) - Max Rosenthal (USCF 2024)
56. d5?
It was better to wait with 56. Ke2, after which Black can only make progress by sidelining his king or knight, e.g. 56…Kg5 57. Ke3 Ng2+ 58. Ke2 Nf4+ 59. Ke3 Nxh3 60. d5 and Black will have to accept liquidation with 60…cxd5 since 60…c5? 61. d6 Kf6 62. e5+ is even winning for White.
56…c5!
Now Black can afford this since his king and knight are more actively placed than in the previous note.
57. d6 Ng2+?
Correct was 57…Kf7! when 58. e5 would allow 58…Nxf5+.
58. Kf2 Nf4
59. e5+?
White first needed to throw in 59. Ke3! Nh5 60. e5+ after which Black would have to retreat with 60…Kf7 in order to stop the d-pawn. The position would then be dynamically balanced though still tricky, with one of many possible continuations being 61. e6+ Kf6 62. Ke4 b4 63. Kd5 b3 64. d7 Ke7 65. Kc6 Nf6! 66. Kc7 Nd5+ 67. Kc8 Nb6+ 68. Kc7 Nd5+ with a repetition.
59…Kxf5! 60. d7 Ne6! 61. h4 Kxe5
Black has safely picked off two of White’s pawns and disconnected the remaining ones. The position is now hopeless for White, and Black soon won:
62. h5 Kf6 63. Ke3 Kg5 64. Ke4 b4 65. Kd5 Nd8 0-1
Congratulations to Max on his fighting success in the tournament, and we wish him some simpler extra-piece conversions in the future!
FM Alex King, Spectator columnist and endgame enjoyer
Across the Table, with David Kantey
Q: When did you start playing chess and how did you learn?
I started when I was six and my father taught me. Later, when I was at Teaneck High School I belonged to the chess club there. We had six players on the team, and I am still friends with all but one. The Fisher/Spassky Match got me really interested in chess.
Q: How long have you been a member of the club?
For a really long time....don't remember when I started. I used to play at the Manhattan also when it was at Carnegie hall, and when it was on restaurant row. I think I started playing at the Manhattan before the Marshall.
Q: What's your favorite opening trap?
I don’t really have a favorite opening trap, but the Sicilian Defense is my favorite opening for White and Black.
Q: Any great game you've played at the Marshall you'd like to share?
I have played a lot of games I was proud of, but not one in particular. I beat a few masters, though none of those wins were at the Marshall. They were at the Ridgewood chess club. I actually beat Arthur Feuerstein in a game, who was a pretty famous player. Actually, he drew a game with Bobby Fischer, so winning that game was a real kudos for me.
Q: What about yourself would you like other members to know, that we may not know. Any surprising facts?
I worked at The Chess Shop in Greenwich Village for several years, and recently published a novel called "The Chess Shop."
Chess Toons
En Passant
The Saint Louis Chess Club has banned GM Hans Niemann for the remainder of 2024, citing alleged inappropriate behavior and damage to private property. The grandmaster has dismissed the accusations as "blatant disinformation."
Good news for chess fans all over the world, and especially for those in Germany. The largest chess tournament in Europe, the Grenke Open, and the elite Grenke Classic are back. Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren, Vincent Keymer, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Richard Rapport and Daniel Fridman will play in the Classic.
The history of the Candidates Tournaments and Candidates Matches dates back to 1950. In its anniversary year, FIDE is looking forward to the Candidates Tournaments in Toronto in April 2024 and provides an overview of the history of these competitions.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
Walter Pulitzer, 1907
White to mate in 2.
William Steinitz said of this two-mover: "I thought that no two-move nut could be too hard for my evening dessert. However, after puzzling in vain for over a quarter of an hour, I came to the conclusion that there must be a mistake about it, and therefore looked for the key; and sure enough, there was a mistake - namely, my own! The problem is sound, original, difficult and beautifully constructed. Altogether a gem! So far as I can remember, this is the first time (probably in thirty-five years) that I have failed to solve a two-move problem within fifteen minutes."
Give yourself fifteen minutes and see if you can best Steinitz!
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Euwe, 1920
Solution to Euwe, 1920: 1. Qd6.
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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!
The Marshall Chess Club
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