The Marshall Spectator
March 18, 2026
In This Issue:
From The Skittles Room
Recent Games Analyzed, by GM Aleksandr Lenderman
FM Nathan Resika is New York Senior State Champion
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.
The 2026 New York State Scholastic Championship was held in Saratoga Springs recently, and we would like to congratulate the New York State Middle School Championship team from Speyer Legacy School! They were led by top scorers Lev Shangin and Isaac Hart Statz who both scored 5 out of 6 to lead the team to victory. Top scoring individuals in that section were Sam Luger and Linxi Zhu, who both finished with a near perfect 5.5 out of 6 in the event. The 2026 NY State elementary champions are the team from P130k, led by top scorer Grayson Xiang who scored a near-perfect 5.5 out of 6 and also finished clear first as an individual in that section. The Primary Championship was won by the team from Lower Lab, led by top scorer Sebastian Goodrich, who achieved an impressive 5 out of 6 in a tough section. The Primary Championship individual winner was Max Mulholland who scored a perfect 6 out of 6 to win clear first place in the section. The K-1 Championship team was also from Speyer Legacy School, led by top scorer Leon Yiu who achieved an impressive 5 out of 6. The following players scored a near perfect 5.5 out of 6 to tie for 1st as individuals in the K-1 Championship section: Sean Stuart, Benjamin Robert Frye, Aidan Wang, and Isaac Xiong. You can see a complete list of all winners in all sections here.
The previous weekend was the High School Championship, which was won by the team from Hunter. They were led to victory by top scorer FM Bryan Lin who scored an impressive 5 out of 6 in a very tough section. The following players scored 5 out of 6 to tie for first as individuals in the event: FM Megan Paragua, FM Bryan Lin, Jason Jiang, and Priyansh Garg.
Looking abroad, we would also like to congratulate the 2025 Marshall Chess Club Rapid Champion, Nico Chasin, who achieved the aim of earning his third and final GM norm at the XTX Markets London Chess Classic in December, completing a remarkable 2025 for the talented junior. Having already crossed the 2500 rating threshold in October, Nico Chasin is now officially GM elect. This is a tremendous achievement and we look forward to seeing where his chess career takes him next.
This past week, we celebrated Women’s History Month with a special Panel on Women & Girls Chess on Tuesday, March 10. It was a well-attended event, with a lot of insightful commentary, inspirational anecdotes, and excellent game review from the esteemed panelists. If you were unable to attend the event you will be able to see it here soon.
Looking ahead on the calendar, we have a number of exciting events planned. Join us for a special evening on March 24, celebrating the new Grandmaster, Liam Putnam. Guests will enjoy a unique chess experience including a conversation with GM Putnam, a 26-board simul, and blitz games with invited titled players.
Schedule:
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM — Conversation & Lecture with GM Liam Putnam
7:00 PM — Simul begins & Blitz session
Tickets: Entry Fee — $50
Access to the event, including the conversation and casual blitz with invited titled players (GM Djurabek Khamrakulov, WIM Beatriz Marinello, NM Vlad Bugayev, and others). Pizza and soda included.
Entry Fee + Simul — $80
Full access to the event including participation in the simul with GM Liam Putnam (limited spots). Pizza and soda included.
All proceeds will support The Kibera Knights, helping develop chess programs for young players in Nairobi, Kenya. Limited tickets available — we hope many people will join us for this special evening. Thank you all for your support.
Looking ahead to next month, we’re thrilled to welcome Jennifer Shahade back to the Marshall Chess Club for a lecture and book signing for her newest book Thinking Sidways.
If you haven’t seen the documentary Queen of Chess, featuring the legendary Judit Polgár yet, you should! It is available to stream on Netflix now. Looking further ahead on the calendar, we’re thrilled to announce that her sister, Sofia Polgár, will be joining us on May 19th, along with renowned chess photographer David Llada for our inaugural Chess and Arts Fair. It promises to be a memorable event, and we look forward to celebrating this special occasion with all of you.
With Nationals just around the corner, sign up for our spring break camps to get in some more practice! Registration is open - please check out this link.
Looking back over the last two weeks, we have had a plethora of events for our members to participate in.
The Premier Open on March 8 had 57 players and was won by GM David Brodsky and CM Kevin Zhao who scored a near perfect 4.5 out of 5 to win $750 each. Jonas Michael Zeutzius won a $250 class prize for his 4 out of 5 score, while Daniel Gish and IM Tejas Ramas shared in the remaining prize funds winning $125 each for their 4 out of 5 performance.
The Rated Beginner Open on March 8 had 22 players and was won by Axel York and Hannah Kuo who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $131.50 each.
The Morning Under 1600 on March 8 had 32 players registered and was won by the following players who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $181 each: Mingyang Li, Danylo Kotsiuba, and Ioane Paghava.
The Premier Under 2000 on March 8 had 39 registered players and was won by Audrey Zhou who scored 4.5 out of 5 to win the $650 first-place prize. Nicholas Frederick Beirne scored 4 out of 5 to win a $260 prize, while the following players won $32.50 each for their 3.5 score: Matthew Mark Shirvell, Gavin Liu, Mikhail Razygraev, Aileen Lou, Riju Bhattacharjee. Finally, Ripley Golden and Kavin Vairavan scored 3 out of 5 to share in a class prize, winning $97.50 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on March 7 had 42 players registered and was won by the following players who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $103 each: David Campbell, Adam Gordon, Sascha Mayers, Milo James Kong, and David Gelpi. The following players shared in the remaining class prize, winning $55.25 each for their 2 out of 3 score: Michael A Shea, Matthew Marin, Jessica Yongxin Liu, and Brij Bhandari.
The Morning Masters on March 7 had 6 players registered and was won by FM Aditeya Das who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win the $60 first-placed prize. FM Arun Dixit and Daniel Austin Wang scored 1.5 out of 3 to win $22.50 each.
The Afternoon Action on March 6 had 19 players registered and was won by FM Arun Dixit, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $143, while Sasha Arthur Kagle and John Silva won $47.50 each for their 2.5 out of 3 score.
The Thursday Action on March 5 had 21 players registered and was won by the following players who scored 3 out of 4 to win $56.20 each: Oliver Chernin, Jj Lang, Alec Choi, Joseph Otero, and John Mehler. Kristian Jacome won a $53 class prize for a 2.5 out of 4 performance.
The Sunday Game 50 Under 2000 March 1 had 40 players registered and was won by the following players who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $175.25 each: Julian Spedalieri, Brian Gilbert, Jose Devilla, and Pat Sukhum.
The Rated Beginner Open on March 1 had 22 players registered and was won by Ujaan Dey and Michael Lutsky, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $137.50 each.
The Morning Under 1600 on March 1 had 29 players registered and was won by Alex Jacobs and Jacky Weng who scored 3 out of 4 to win $175 each.
The Sunday Game 50 Open on March 1 had 10 players registered and concluded with the following players winning $44 each for their 2.5 out of 3 score: Ian Avery Singh, Julian Ma, Richardson Qiao, and Jesse Lee.
The Saturday Game 50 Open on February 28 had an even 40 players registered and was won by Aidan Ahram who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $240 first-place prize. Marissa Lu finished in clear second with 3.5 out of 4 to win $160, while Ari Drucker, Leqi Han, and Liam Siu scored 3 out of 4 to win $40 each.
The Saturday Game 50 Under 1800 on February 28 had 54 players and was won by Caleb Garcia and Nicholas Kan who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $270 each, while Charlie Rozenfeld scored 3.5 out of 4 to win a $162 class prize.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on February 28 had 51 players registered and was won by the following players who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $74.50 each: Jack Yang, Gavin Liu, Kyle Clayton, Marko Scekic, Hudson Belelieu, and Nikola Scekic. The following players shared in the remaining prize funds, winning a class prize of $27.43 each for their 2 out of 3 score: Jacob Yang, Atman Dev Prahlad, Gabriel Negussi, Noah Lee, Christopher Saless, Jordan Ko, and Nathan Zhang.
The Morning Masters on February 28 had 15 players registered and concluded with the following three players winning $62.67 each for their 2.5 out of 3 score: FM Arun Dixit, Winsley Wu, and Lucas Yang.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
Recent Games Analyzed
This March edition of the Marshall Premier has been won by GM David Brodsky and CM Kevin Zhao. For CM Kevin Zhao, it was an impressive 4/4 after a first-round bye, while David Brodsky gave up one draw to FM Aditeya (Adi) Das. Before I go over the winners’ games, I wanted to touch on an interesting critical moment from an upset win by a young rising star, Leandro Ulloa against IM Tejas Rama.
You can play through the positions with analysis here.
Round 1: Rama, Tejas - Leandro Nicholas Ulloa Centeno
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 Ng4 8. Bg5 f6 9. Bc1 Nc6 10. O-O exd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 f5 13. Qd5+ Kh8 14. exf5 Rxf5 15. Qe4 Ne5 16. Be3 White got an advantage from a chessable course line by GM Sam Shankland.
16… Rf7 17. Rad1 Qf8 18. Rd2 Nc6 19. Qc2 Bf5 20. Qb3 Na5?! Inaccuracy. b6 was best. 21. Qa4?! Inaccuracy. Qa3 was best.
21... b6 22. Nd5 Bd7 23. Qd1 c6 24. Nc3 Be6 25. Qa4 Be5 26. Ne4 Rf4 27. Qc2 d5 28. cxd5 cxd5 29. Bxf4 Qxf4 30. Ng3 Rg8 31. Re1 h5?! Inaccuracy. Rc8 was best. White is of course, totally winning up an exchange, but with his last move, black is trying to create counterplay. Here, notably, white spent about 6 of his 18 minutes, and likely calculated the sequence that followed after, but missed a key detail.
32. Bd3?! Inaccuracy. Bf3 was best. 32…h4 33. Rde2 Rc8 34. Qd2 Qxd2 35. Rxd2 hxg3.
36. Rxe5?? Blunder. hxg3 was best. This blunder was blitzed out, and this is a good reminder why we should always double check our calculations a few moves down the line, since it’s much easier to blunder something from 5 moves ahead than only 1-2 moves ahead. White could’ve still won here with the correct alternative. (36. hxg3 Nc6 37. Bb5 White has a decisive advantage.)
36…Rc1+ 37. Bf1 Rxf1+!
The shock! (37... Nc4 Including this would also work for Black.)
38. Kxf1 gxh2 39. Rxe6 h1=Q+ And Black won from here.
40. Ke2 Qxg2 41. Rd4 Qg5 42. b3 Kg7 43. Kf1 Nb7 44. b4 Kf7 45. Re1 Nd6 46. Re3 Nf5 47. Rf3 Qc1+ 48. Kg2 Ke6 49. Rg4 g5 50. Rh3 d4 51. Rh8 Qc6+ 52. Kg1 d3 53. Rd8 d2 Black wins. 0-1
GM David Brodsky had a very strong performance, giving up only one draw. He started the tournament with a bang with a very nice attacking game against the author of the US Chess Online articles.
Round 1: Brodsky, David - Jonathan J Lang
1. e4 { [%clk 0:02:00] } 1... c5 { [%clk 0:02:00] } 2. Nf3 { [%clk 0:02:30] } 2... e6 { [%clk 0:02:30] } 3. d4 { [%clk 0:03:00] } 3... cxd4 { [%clk 0:03:00] } 4. Nxd4 { [%clk 0:03:30] } 4... a6 { [%clk 0:03:30] } 5. Bd3 { [%clk 0:04:00] } 5... Ne7 A sideline (5... Nf6) (5... Bc5 Are seen more frequently.)
6. O-O Nbc6 7. c3!? Not the most popular line but seems very effective.
7…Ng6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Nd2 Qc7 10. a4 b6 11. f4 Bb7 12. Kh1?! Inaccuracy. Qh5 was best.
12… O-O 13. Qh5 Rfe8? Mistake. Nxd4 was best. Likely, too slow. Now, white’s attack will be too strong.
14. Rf3 Nf8 15. Rh3 g6 16. Qg4 d6 17. Rf1 Bf6 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. f5 Nd7?! Inaccuracy. Qe7 was best.
20. Bg5 exf5? Mistake. Bxg5 was best.
21. exf5 Bg7 22. Qh4 Nf8 23. f6 Bh8
24. Bh6? Mistake. Bxg6 was best. The only blemish on an excellent attacking game. White is still winning, but more decisive would be (24. Bxg6 Would be much more brutal. 24... fxg6 25. f7+ Qxf7 26. Rxf7 Kxf7 27. Qc4+ with a decisive advantage for White.)
24... Bd7?! Inaccuracy. Qb7 was best. (24... Qb7 Would be a bit more tenacious.)
25. Rg3 Qc6? Mistake. Re6 was best.
26. Nf3?! Inaccuracy. Bxf8 was best. Qxa4 27. Nd4 Qa5?! Inaccuracy. Re5 was best.
28. Bxf8 Rxf8 29. Rg5 b5 30. Rh5 Qd8 31. Rxh7 Bxf6 32. Rxf6 Qxf6 33. Qxf6 Kxh7 34. h4 A nice attacking game to start the tournament. 1-0
In the last round, David was in a must-win game if he wanted to win the tournament, so he chose the aggressive Kings Indian defense.
Round 5: Yi, Richard - Brodsky, David
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Be3 a5!? An interesting wrinkle. The most common move here is e5. (6... e5)
7. g4?! Inaccuracy. Nf3 was best. (7. Nf3 Probably, now, White should switch gears and choose a different system.)
7... c5 8. d5 a4 Black got what he wanted, a 3-result position without being objectively worse, while throwing White off their prep.
9. g5 Ne8 10. a3 f5 (10... e6!?) 11. gxf6 exf6
(11... Nxf6) 12. Bd3?? Blunder. h4 was best. White went astray quickly. These Kings Indian positions are hard to understand. (12. h4! f5 13. Qd2 and White has a slight advantage.) (12. Qd2 Would work in a similar way.)
12... f5! with an attack. From this point, Black doesn’t relinquish control of the game.
13. exf5 Bxf5 14. Bxf5 Rxf5 15. h4 Nd7 16. Rc1?! Inaccuracy. h5 was best.
16… Ne5 17. Ne4 Qa5+?! Inaccuracy. Qd7 was best.
18. Kf1 b5 19. cxb5?! Inaccuracy. h5 was best.
19…Qxb5+ 20. Kg2?! Inaccuracy. Qe2 was best.
20… Qxb2?! Inaccuracy. Nd3 was best.
21. Rh3 Qb3 22. Bg5 Qxd1 23. Rxd1 h6 24. Bc1 Rb8 25. Ne2 Rb3 26. N2c3?! Inaccuracy. Rg3 was best.
26... Ng4?! Inaccuracy. c4 was best.
27. f3?! Inaccuracy. Nxa4 was best.
27…Ngf6 28. Nxa4 Rxd5 29. Re1 Rd4 30. Nac3 Rd3 31. Na4?! Inaccuracy. a4 was best.
31…Nxe4 32. Rxe4 Nf6 33. Re7 Rd1 34. Rh1 Rxh1 35. Kxh1 Nd5 36. Re1 Rxf3 37. Kg2 Rd3 38. Re6 Kf7 39. Rxd6 Ne3+ 40. Bxe3 Rxd6 41. Nxc5 Bd4 42. Ne4 Re6 Congratulations to David on a very strong performance. 0-1
CM Kevin Zhao was able to tie for first with GM David Brodsky thanks to a strong 4/4 performance including two wins against FMs Leif Pressman and Adi Das.
Round 4: Pressman, Leif - Kevin Zhao
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Nc3 h6 7. O-O Nc6 An interesting line against the Catalan.
8. c5 (8. b3 Is the main line, and from here, black has several ways to play. 8... dxc4 (8... b6) (8... Re8))
8... Be7 9. a3 a5! Black prepares b6 without allowing b4.
10. Qc2 (10. Bf4 Is likely a bit more challenging. 10... b6 11. cxb6 cxb6 12. Rc1)
10... b6 11. cxb6 cxb6. Now, the White queen will be misplaced, once the black rook gets to c8.
12. Rd1 Ba6 13. e4 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Rc8
15. Nxf6+?! Normally, the side with an isolated pawn doesn’t want to trade minor pieces, and this position is not an exception. (15. Nc3)
15... Bxf6 16. Qe4 Bc4! 17. Be3 Ne7 18. Rac1 Nf5 19. Ne5?! Inaccuracy. Bf4 was best. (19. Bf4)
19... Bd5 Within a few moves, Black got a strategically winning position. White will lose the d4 pawn soon.
20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qd3 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Qb7+ 23. Kg1 Rd8 24. Qe2 Qd5 25. Nc4 Nxd4 26. Bxd4 Bxd4 27. Rd2 Rc8 28. Rc2? Mistake. b3 was best.
28... Qf5?! Inaccuracy. a4 was best.
29. b3 Rd8 30. a4 g6 31. Kg2?! Inaccuracy. Rc1 was best. A blunder in a tough position, which Black catches.
31... Bxf2 32. Qxf2?! Inaccuracy. Nxa5 was best.
32…Qe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd5! The point! 34. Ne5?! Inaccuracy. Qe2 was best.
34…Rxe5 35. g4 Qd3+ 36. Kg2 Qe4+ 37. Kh3 h5 38. Rc4 Qd3+ 39. Kh4? Checkmate is now unavoidable. Kg2 was best. 39... g5+ A very impressive strategical win with Black. 0-1
Round 5: Kevin Zhao - Das, Aditeya
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5 g6?! A rare sideline which is probably based on a blunder/misevaluation, and will probably not get a lot of followers. (6... Bd7 Is by far, the main line with complex play.)
7. e5! White has dominant results here in the masters database. 7…dxe5 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Nxe5 Ke8 11. O-O (11. Bd2 With the idea of 0-0-0 might be even stronger)
11... Bb7?! Inaccuracy. Nd5 was best. (11... Nd5 Seemed necessary to avoid getting a much worse position.)
12. Na4 (12. Re1 As seen in a GM game between Christiansen and Ehlvest is also strong for White. 12... Nd5 13. Ne4 (13. Nc4) 13... f6 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. Nd6+ Kd7 16. Nxb7 +- { 1-0 (54) Christiansen,J (2633)-Ehlvest,J (2528) Chess.com INT 2024)
12... e6?! Inaccuracy. Nd5 was best.
13. Be3 (13. Rd1)
13... Nd5 14. Bc5 f6 15. Bxf8 Kxf8 16. Nc5 fxe5 17. Nxb7 Rb8 18. Nc5 Ke7?! Inaccuracy. Rxb2 was best. (18... Rxb2 Would give Black some counter-play.)
19. b3 Nc3 20. Rfe1 Rb5 21. Nd3 Kf6? Mistake. e4 was best. (21... e4) 22. Re3 Rd8?! Inaccuracy. Rd5 was best.
23. Nb2 Within a few moves, black’s position collapsed. Black is losing material by force now.
23…Nd5 24. Rf3+ Kg7 25. c4 e4 26. Rg3 Ra5 27. cxd5 exd5 28. Kf1 Rc5 29. Na4 Rc2 30. Rc3 Rxc3 31. Nxc3 Kf6 32. Ke2 Ke5 33. Rc1 g5 34. Na4 Rd6 35. f3 g4 36. fxe4 Kxe4 37. Rc3 Rh6 38. h3 Rg6 39. Re3+ Kd4 40. h4 g3 41. Rd3+ Ke5 42. Kf3 h5 43. Nc3 Rg4 44. Ne2 Rxh4 45. Re3+ Kd6 46. Nxg3 Rh2?! Inaccuracy. Kc5 was best.
47. Nf5+ Kc7 48. Re1 h4 49. Ne3 h3 50. Kg3 hxg2 51. Kxh2 g1=Q+ 52. Kxg1 Congratulations to Kevin on an amazing performance. 1-0
GM Aleksandr Lenderman, Marshall Spectator Contributor
FM Nathan Resika Wins 2026 NY State Senior Championship and Moves On to Irwin Finals with an Eye on Saint Louis
In about May of 2025, Realizing I would be turning 65 on October 2nd, I decided to start working on chess again. Having had a blessed career as a musician, chess teacher, and part-time player, as well as being a father, I had to take stock of this fast approaching milestone of Old age. I like to call it “late youth.” My serious opera career was slowing down, I’m working on a Popera Caberet act among other projects and gigs, and my kids are finally in college, so, I had a little more time on my hands. I started playing in tournaments at the Marshall again. Then went to Budapest last summer and played in some round robins. All with the goal of the world over 65 championships in Italy. It was a fantastic time in Italy. I scored 50% tied with some well known US IMs, but still disappointing. But I realized I’d only been in my “comeback” for 6 months, so I had to keep plugging away.
I get my inspiration from so many before me. For example: the fictitious character Rocky Balboa. “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Also Muhammad Ali, who was a major influence for over 45 years. He always kept things in perspective and found humor in all setbacks. Within a week of my return to the USA, I tied for second in the Marshall Senior, over 50, championships. Learning so much in my last round, 5 hour epic battle against Gutnik, (possibly the most solid and sharpest of seniors in NYC.) Later, I took on many young prodigies - I believe most are quite underrated- in the next month or two and managed to finish 4 from 7 in the Marshall Championships proper ( my 1st 4 opponents combined age did not equal mine,) as well as plus scores or prizes in some other events. I felt ready when I headed to Saratoga for the NY state senior, over 50 Championship. It’s funny. In only about 2 years, a 50 year old will be young enough to be my son. New York Sate Senior Championships, Rd3, Board 3, found me paired against Al Lawrence. Al is a very accomplished and distinguished gentleman in several fields. A chess expert with vast experience, he holds a Bronze star for military service, was awarded chess journalist of the year in 2000, and led Texas Techs chess department, among many other accomplishments. Here we go.
Nathan Resika vs.Albert Lawrence NY State Senior Championship, 2026
You can play through the game with my annotations here.
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 The reversed dragon!
4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 (5... e4? 6. Qa4+) 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 exd4 (standard is 7... e4 8. Ne5 f5 9. Nxc6 bxc6 with chances for both sides... the text move gives White an initiative)
8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Nf6 (9... Nb4? 10. Qxg7 Bf6 11. Qh6 Nc2 12. Nc3 Nxa1 13. Rd1 +-)
10. Qa4+ (10. Qxd8+!? Bxd8 11. Nc3 c6 12. Bf4 Be6 13. e4+=)
10... c6 (10... Qd7!?)
11. Rd1 Qb6 12. Be3! Qc7 (12... Qxb2 I had intended Bxc6! with the better game by far.)
13. Bf4 Qb6 14. Be3 (My computer found Nd2! 14. Nd2 Qxb2 (14... O-O 15. Nc4-+) 15. Bxc6+)
14... Qc7 15. Nc3 (15. Nd2 this Nd2 idea seems better than the stereo typed Nc3 as on d2 it eyes the c4 and weakened d6 square among others.)
15... O-O 16. Rac1 My early Morphy influence made me develop to the max before proceeding, I showed this game to 2 grandmasters, one of them said that our play for both sides for the next few moves was always the computer’s first choice. And that there might might be whispers of cheating. I guess thats sort of a compliment! Watch as the game gets interesting.
16…Be6
17. Nb5! Qe5! (17... cxb5 18. Rxc7 bxa4 19. Rxe7 Rfd8 20. Rd4 Rxd4 21. Bxd4 Rc8 22. Rxb7 Rc1+ 23. Bf1 h5 24. Rb8+ Kh7 25. Kg2 +- White has a decisive advantage. I didn’t see this whole variation; but my gut told me White would be on top due to White’s rook invasions and 2 bishops.)
18. Nd4 Bd5 19. Bf4 Qh5
20. f3! This was White’s idea. It may look ugly but I wanted to keep the pieces on and kick blacks pieces out, and thought this structure would defend me well.
20…c5! Al comes up with the strongest reply. Things are getting very sharp.
21. g4! Allowing a piece sac. But I had little choice (21. Nb5?! Rfd8 22. e4 Bc6 didn’t appeal to me for good reason)
21... Nxg4
I was thinking I was going to lose about now… because I realized my intended fxg4 Qxg4 Nf3 failed to...b5. (Actually Bc6 is lights out… fritz 13). (The loose f4 bishop is a problem.... so I went into a big think, realizing that this was a critical moment. (21... Qg6?? 22. Nf5)
22. Nf5!! When I found this move, all the trials and efforts of the past year seemed worth it. Just because I cant remember ever seeing this exact kind of a tactic before. Unless early onset “senior” dementia caused me to forget? I can only describe this as a combination of a zwischenzug AND a double, discovered attack, as well as a decoy: 3 motifs in one shot! The knight must be taken and White will temporarily be up a piece with huge activity. (22. fxg4?? Qxg4 23. Nf3 Bc6! 24. Qc4 (24. h3?? Qxg2+) 24... b5+-)
22... Qxf5 23. fxg4 Qxg4 24. Rxd5
24…g5! Again, My opponent finds the strongest move. This will win back the piece. (24... b5?? 25. Qe4 and the piece is saved because the queen is protected, freeing the f4 bishop.)
25. Rf1 gxf4 26. Rxf4 suddenly I’m transported to my old Evans Gambit days, my structure stinks and I’m down a pawn… but who cares? Look at the rook’s activity! I assumed I was much better. But as it turns out, it’s about equal.
26…Qc8? (26... Qe6 This was the only move playable! But probably good enough to draw or even win is White messes up. 27. Re4 Qf6 White has sufficient compensation.) (26... Qxe2?? 27. Re4 Winning a whole bishop...excessive greed punished, no checks either)
27. Rd7 now the bishop is dominated… plus white’s bishop may get involved against blacks kingside.
27 … b5 (27... c4 would have been a good shot if we were in blitz mode cause. 28. Rxe7?? (28. Rxc4 Bc5+ 29. Kf1+- but this is Black’s most practical try.) 28... Qc5+)
28. Qxb5 Rb8 29. Qd3 Qe8 Black’s lost any way, so no moves are much better (29... Rxb2 30. Qg3+ Kh8 31. Qc3+ f6 32. Rxe7)
30. Re4 Rd8 31. Qg3+ Kh8 32. Rexe7 Rxd7 33. Qc3+ f6 34. Rxe8 Rxe8 35. Qxf6+ Kg8 36. Qg5+ Rg7 37. Qd5+ Kh8 38. Kf1 Rf8+ 39. Bf3 Rfg8 40. Qxc5 (Notes by FM Nathan Resika.) 1-0
After the game my gracious opponent told me “I don’t mind losing like that” referring to Nf5. I’m very fortunate to have won this game though... but finding a move like that with my back to the wall just gave me more inspiration and self-belief. We can all still keep learning about this game because it’s so rich in possibilities. It’s games like this that make me want to keep getting back up after getting knocked down. My opponents were all gracious sportsmen. My next round was a smooth win with Black in a closed Sicilian vs old friend and expert Jeremy Larsen, a young whippersnapper at only 55. He had knocked off the number one seed, Daniel Green (2250 FIDE) -Thanks Jeremy!
So, going into the final round I was the only 4 and 0. I played Connecticut Legend FM Nelson Castaneda (who had drawn his game against tough Rohde Island senior champ Mike Carey.) I was White in a Reti. It was nerve wracking but I managed to trade off all of the pieces except for rooks and 7 pawns with a somewhat locked structure, without handing him the initiative. We drew and I took clear first in the NY state Senior. The prize was 900$, plus 100$ mixed doubles with the ever resilient Polly Wright, who played in some of my first ever tournaments when I was 24 back in 1984. I now also receive a 1000$ stipend to represent New York in the Irwin tournament of state champions in August. The winner of that gets seeded into the legends tournament in Saint Louis! I am going to give it my best shot for sure! I’d like to thank the Marshall club for playing a part in my success so far. Thanks to the Marshall also for holding a Senior Championship! May there be many more. And many thanks to Steve Immitt, Sophia and Danny Rohde and Co. for running the tournament so well for us Seniors. Finally, thanks to my wife Judit for her amazing patience in dealing with my two passionate obsessions: singing (see sample) and chess.
FM Nathan Resika, Marshall Chess Club Member & Spectator Contributor
Chess Toons
En Passant
Netflix has released the teaser for its upcoming documentary, Untold: Chess Mates, sparking widespread reactions across the chess world less than a month before its full release.
GM Wesley So won his maiden title in The American Cup 2026 on Wednesday. After winning the first game against GM Levon Aronian the previous day, he held the necessary draw in game two to secure the match.
The women's title at the American Cup was only decided after the Grand Final Reset on Thursday, as Alice Lee defeated Carissa Yip to claim the title. Lee won the first rapid game with the black pieces and then secured a 117-move draw to clinch her third consecutive triumph in the event.
The FIDE Candidates Tournament is one of the most important tournaments of the year and determines who will be the next challenger to reigning World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
Jan Timman, 2011
Black to move; how does White draw?
GM Jan Timman, a giant in our world, one of the strongest players throughout the 1980s, recently died. He was a great lover of endgames and composed many, which you can find collected in his 2011 book, The Art of the Endgame.
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Solution to last issue’s problem (Emanuel Lasker, 1895):
White to move and win.
1.b4 Nc2 2.b5 Na3 3.b6 Nc4 4.b7 Na5 5.b8=N! and wins.
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Alexander George
Editor’s Note
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