The Marshall Spectator
December 25, 2024 Christmas Edition
In This Issue: From The Skittles Room 108th Annual Edward Lasker Memorial Games Analyzed, by GM Lenderman The Christmas Tree variation of the Dutch, by Gary Patella 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.
Dear Marshall Members,
We welcome 2025 with a very special treat for you. On Wednesday, January 1st, we will have GM Sam Shankland doing a simul at the club. He is currently ranked 56 in the world and 10 in the US. The simul will start at 6:30pm and we will have a total of 35 boards at $75 per board. Don't miss your chance to play versus the 2018 US Chess Champion, GM Sam Shankland! You can register here.
Also, on Tuesday, January 7th at 7PM, we will host another very special guest; nine-time Marshall Chess Club champion GM Andy Soltis will have an author talk and book signing on his new memoir "Deadline Grandmaster." The event will be followed by a casual blitz tournament with prizes.
In other news, now that our camps are successfully off the ground, we are excited to share a series of tournaments with our scholastic players. The first tournament will be a 6 round, double swiss tournament played at a time control of G/3; +2 to be held on Saturday, January 11th. Any child who has attended at least three camp dates in 2024 will be eligible for a free entry (otherwise $100). There is still time if your child hasn't attended three camps yet- we will be having camps on December 23, 26, 27, 30, and 31. You can register for the camps here. Invitations will be sent out to eligible players a week prior to the tournament.
We also plan on providing live commentary on the top boards, with live commentary by GM Djurabek Khamrakulov for parents and spectators. Trophies will be handed out to the top finishers, in addition to prizes such as private lessons and free tournament entries. More information can be found in the event registration page here.
Yours in Chess,
Carlos Chavez, Executive Director of the Marshall Chess Club
Last week we held the 108th annual Edward Lasker Memorial and Marshall Chess Club championship. The event was one of the strongest club championships in recent memory, and we are thrilled to announce that IM Mykola Bortnyk retained his title of Marshall Club Champion following a thrilling tie-break playoff with GM Andrew Tang, which can be seen here with live commentary by IM Luis Henrique Coelho. The event was an incredible end to an amazing year in our chess community here at the Marshall.
Starting in January, we'll be highlighting some of our amazing members and their accomplishments! We'll start by showcasing those members who play the most tournaments in a month, as well as those who gain the most rating points– with a bonus section for the most active new member (someone who joined in the last year). Keep your eyes peeled for Spectator issues spotlighting members, as well as around the club.
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:
Format: 4 player Quad sections - Time Control: G/45, d5 Entry Fee: $50 Members; $65 Nonmembers - Prize: $20 Amazon gift card to Quad winners Location: The Speyer Legacy School, 925 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019. (Please don’t 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. All guests must be out of the building by 4:30 PM.
Other details: This event is only open to scholastic players (K-12) and invited adult players. This is not a drop off event, parents and guardians are responsible for their child for the whole duration of the tournament. Team rooms are available upon request!
The Marshall Spector would also like to recognize the Marshall Members who recently participated in the North American Youth event, an international open with direct titles and norms possible for top performers in each section. Congrats to the below players on their excellent results and new titles!
Under-18 Open Bronze: CM Aditeya Das 6½/9 automatic FM title Under-18 Girls Gold: Jasmine Su wins 8/9, automatic WIM title Under-16 Girls Bronze: Hema Vikas 6/9 automatic WCM title Under-14 Open Gold: CM Narayan Venkatesh, 7/9 automatic FM title Silver: Alexander Sukhiashvili 7/9 automatic CM title Bronze: Kevin Zhao 6½/9 automatic CM title Under-8 Open Gold: Grayson Xiang 6½/9 automatic CM title Silver: Milo Su 6½/9 automatic CM title Bronze: Winston Ruiying Chen 6/9 automatic CM title Under-8 Girls: Gold: Sarah Nguyen 8/9 automatic WCM title
Over the last two weeks we have had a plethora of events for our members to play in.
The Afternoon Action on December 20 had 10 players registered and was won by IM Justin Sarkar who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $75, while the following players scored 2 out of 3 to win $10 each: Arthur Tollefson, David Campbell, Myra Nigam, Jacky Zheng, and William Ren.
The After Game 50 on December 19 had 3 players registered and was won by IM Justin Sarkar who scored 2 points to win $15.
The Wesley Hellner Action on December 19 had 34 players registered and was won by FM Marcus Ming Miyasaka and IM Kevin Wang, who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $106.50 each. The following players won $10.67 each for their 3 out of 4 score: Bryan Weisz, IM Justin Sarkar, Thomas Knoff, Jack Levine, Misha Raitzin, and William Ren who also won the upset prize.
The ALTO Tuesday Rapid on December 17 had 8 players registered and was won by IM Justin Sarkar and Jehlan Eustache who both scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $18.33 each, while Jackson Shire scored 1 point to win a $13.33 class prize.
The Marshall Masters on December 17 had 23 players registered and was won by GM Andrew Tang, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $267 first place prize. GM Aleksandr Lenderman scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $183, while Nathaniel Mullodzhanov scored $67 as a class prize for his 2.5 out of 4 performance. The following three players shared in the remaining prize funds, winning $27.67 each for their 3 out of 4 score: IM Joseph Zeltsan, IM Liam Putnam, and FM Zachary Chen Tanenbaum.
The 108th Edward Lasker Memorial and Marshall Chess Club Championship that concluded on December 15 had 53 players registered, and was won by the reigning club champion IM Mykola Bortnyk who scored 5.5 out of 7 and bested GM Andrew Tang in a thrilling blitz tie break. Both players won $3000 each for their performance. The following 5 players won $700 for their remarkable 5 out of 7 score: Aditeya Das, IM Liam Henry Putnam, FM Joshua Colas, GM Djurabek Khamrakulov, and Jasmine Su. Maahir Patel and Chase Knowles won a class prize of $166.67 each for their 3.5 score.
The Monday FIDE that concluded on December 9 had 29 players registered and was won by FM Grant Xu who scored a perfect 6 out of 6 to win $280. Ethan Jeremy Kozower scored 4.5 out of 6 to win $187, while Robert Li and Cameron Edward Hull won $94 each for their performances.
The Monday Under 1800 that concluded on December 9 had 23 players registered and was won by Andrew Ferrante who scored 5.5 out of 6 to win $147. Jack Murtagh scored $110 for his 4.5 out of 6 performances, and David Frankel scored 3.5 to win the $75 3rd place prize. Rayane Chertouk scored 3 out of 6 to win a class prize of $37, while Jacob Gordon, John Walton, Juan Gestoso, and Ryan Dugre shared in the remaining prize funds winning $18.50 each for their 3.5 out of 6 performance.
The Rated Beginner Open on December 8 had 37 players and concluded with the following 4 players winning $115.75 each for their perfect 3 out of 3 score: Mihir Subodh Tamhankar, Adrian Zhang, Eddie Lopez, and Jonathan Kao.
The FIDE Premier that concluded on December 8 had 17 players registered and was won by IM Justin Sarkar who scored a perfect 5 out of 5 to win the first place $400 prize. Santhosh Ayyappan scored 3.5 out of 5 to win $225, while Sasha Schaefer and Mason Li scored 3 out of 5 to win $62.50 each.
The FIDE Premier Under 2000 that concluded on December 8 had 18 players registered and was won by Ari Bluffstone who scored 4 out of 5 to win $300. Sourya Gurram scored 3.5 out of 5 to win $120, while Jacob Gordon and Robert Thorstad scored 3 out of 5 to win $45 each. Ryan Wang scored 2 out of 5 to win a class prize of $90, while Shawn Jiang won a class prize of $75 for his 1.5 out of 5 score.
The Morning Masters on December 7 had 7 players registered and finished with a 3-way tie for first. Chase Knowles, Max Manuel Rosenthal, and Evan Kauffmann scored 2 out of 3 to win $29.33 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on December 7 had 32 players registered and concluded with 4 players achieving a perfect 3 out of 3. Nate Wyeth won a class prize of $117 for his perfect performance, while Gautam Narula, Kenneth Fernandez, and Robert Cheng won $90.67 each for their 3 out of 3 score.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
Annotated Games by GM Aleksandr Lenderman
GM Andrew Tang needed a win to have a chance for at least a tie for first, and winning with black on demand is a very difficult task against a strong player. Many players would have great difficulty with this task, but Tang arguably played his best game of the tournament in the last round when it mattered the most.
You can play through the games with annotations here.
Round 7: George, Kevin - Tang, Andrew
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 This is an interesting fighting line.
5. O-O O-O 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. d4 Bd6 8. f4 Neg4 9. e5 Bb4 10. f5 Re8 11. Bf4?! The first rare move and probably, not the best move. (11. exf6 Is much more commonly played which leads to an interesting and complex fight.
11... Nxf6 12. Bg5 (12. Qf3!?) 11... c6! 12. Be2 Nxe5! 13. dxe5 Bxc3! 14. bxc3 Nd5 15. Qd2 Qa5 (15... Nxf4 16. Qxf4 d6 17. e6 fxe6 18. Rad1 e5 Was perhaps slightly more accurate.) 16. Bc4?! White makes a subtle error, and from there on, Tang doesn't miss a beat and plays more or less flawlessly to convert his advantage. (16. Bg3 Would lead to a roughly level position. 16... Qxc3 17. Qxc3 Nxc3 18. Bh5 g6 19. fxg6 hxg6 20. Bf3 b5 21. Rfe1 a5) (16. Bd3!? Also maintains rough equality with perfect play, but it's a 3-result game.)
16... Nxf4! 17. Qxf4 Qc5+! This intermediate check is very important. (17... Qxe5? 18. Rae1 Qxe1 19. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 20. Kf2 Would lead to a huge initiative for White.)
18. Kh1 Qxe5! 19. Rae1 Qxe1 20. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21. Bf1
Now, the big difference is that White is forced to bring his active bishop on c4 back to f1, and Black has time to not only stabilize his position, but to create some initiative on his own. Tang does it wonderfully.
21... b6 22. h3? (22. Qf2! Was the only way to keep the game going. White is still worse but most likely with perfect play, White can hold.)
22... Ba6 23. c4 d5 24. Kh2 Bxc4 25. Bxc4 Re4 Now, Black wins. 26. Qg3 dxc4! (26... Rxc4?? 27. f6 g6 28. Qe3 Kh8 29. Qe7! Kg8 30. Qe3 Would lead to a draw.)
27. f6 g6 28. Qc7 (28. Qg5 Is now useless due to 28... Re6) 28... Re6 29. Qb7 Rf8 30. Qxa7 b5 31. Qd4 h6 32. a4? This was a mistake. h4 was best. (32. h4 Ra8 33. h5 Kh7 34. Qf4 Rg8 35. a4 bxa4 36. hxg6+ Rxg6 37. Qxc4 Rexf6)
32... bxa4 33. Qa7 Rxf6 34. Qxa4 Rd8 35. h4 Rd2 36. h5 gxh5 37. Kh3?! This was a mistake. 37.Qa8+ was best. (37. Qa8+ Kh7 38. Qe8 Rdf2 39. Qe3 R2f4 40. Kg1 Rg4 41. Qe7 Rff4 42. Qe5 h4) 37... Rg6 38. Qa8+ Kh7 39. Qb7?! Inaccuracy. Qa7 was best. (39. Qa7 Rg7 40. g3 Rd5 41. Kh2 Rdg5 42. Qd7 Rxg3 43. Qf5+ Kh8 44. Qc8+ Rg8) 39... Rf2 40. g3? Mistake. c3 was best. (40. c3 Kg7 41. Qb8 Rfxg2 42. Qe5+ Kh7 43. Qe4 Rg3+ 44. Kh2 Rg4 45. Qe7 Rf4) 40... Rf3? Mistake. Re6 was best. (40... Re6 41. Qb1 Ree2 42. c3+ Kg7 43. Qg1 Rh2+ 44. Qxh2 Rxh2+ 45. Kxh2 Kf6 46. Kg2) 41. Kh4? (41. c3 Rfxg3+ 42. Kh2 Rg2+ 43. Kh1 Rf2 44. Qb8 Rf1+ 45. Kh2 Rff6 46. Qb6 Rf4) 41... Rgxg3 42. Kxh5?! Checkmate is now unavoidable. Qd7 was best. (42. Qd7 Rh3+) 42... Rf4 0-1
A very clutch and accurate game by Tang. Tang is proving to be a very clutch player, also winning his last 3 games on demand in the Centennial Open, including a very high-level win in his last round. Given that he's also last year's US Open Champion, I'm sure we will see a lot more great chess from him in the future. Even though he ended up losing the playoff this year to Bortnyk, he still played excellent chess throughout the tournament, capping off with this great win to get to 5.5/7 and a playoff with IM Mykola Bortnyk.
Round 5: Bortnyk, Mykola - Tang, Andrew
IM Mykola Bortnyk was able to repeat as champion of the Marshall Chess Club after winning it last year. It didn't seem very likely mid-way through the tournament, since GM Tang was coasting through the tournament with 4/4, while Bortnyk already lost a game to Djurabek Khamrakulov in round 3, so he only had 3/4. However, in the marquee matchup between Bortnyk and Tang, Bortnyk was white and was able to get an advantage out of the opening and win a very clutch game, making the tournament wide open again.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. a4 Bb7 10. Re1 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nbd2 Qd7 (12... c4!? 13. dxc4 bxc4 Is quite interesting. Perhaps, Tang confused when he needed to play c4.)
13. Nf1 c4?! A novelty, but maybe, not the most accurate. (13... bxa4 Has been played before, and is the most testing line, likely.)
14. Ng3 (14. Bg5 Might've been slightly more accurate. 14... h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ne3)
14... Rfc8 (14... Bc6 15. Nf5 bxa4 Was a bit more accurate)
15. Nf5! Bf8 16. Bg5! Now, White has an unpleasant initiative. 16... Ne8 17. dxc4 h6??
A miscalculation. Perhaps, Tang expected that the bishop will move, and then, Black can capture on c4 under better circumstances. However, Bortnyk had other ideas. (17... Nxc4 Black's position is still difficult but with holding chances.)
18. cxb5!! It turns out that the bishop is immune since 18... Qc7 (18... hxg5 19. Nxe5!) 19. bxa6 Rxa6 20. Bh4 Now, White is simply up two pawns for no compensation.
20... Nc4 21. Qe2 g6 22. Ne3 Nxe3 23. Qxe3 Kh7 24. Bb3 Rb6 25. Nd2 Rb8 26. a5 Rb5 27. a6 Ba8?! (27... Bc6 28. Ba4 R5b6 29. a7 Ra8 30. Bxc6 Rxc6 31. Ra2 h5 32. Rea1 Qd7 33. Nf1)
28. a7 Rc8 29. Ra2?! (29. Bc4 Rxb2 30. Ba6 d5 31. exd5 Bc5 32. Qxe5 Rxd2 33. Bxc8 Qxc8 34. Qxe8 Qf5)
29... Qb7 30. Bc4 Rxb2 31. Ba6 Rxa2 32. Bxb7 Bxb7 33. Qb6 Rc7?! (33... Ra8 34. Qxb7 R8xa7 35. Qd5 Kg8 36. Qd3 Nc7 37. Nc4 Ne6 38. Qf1 h5 39. Bg3)
34. Bd8! The most convincing way to win. 34... Rd7 35. Qb5 Bc8 36. Ba5 Nc7?! (36... Rxa7 37. Qxe8 Kg7 38. Qxc8 R7xa5 39. Nf3 Be7 40. h4 Bf6 41. Qc4 R2a4 42. Qd3) 37. Qb8 A very clutch win by Bortnyk. 1-0
Round 7: Khamrakulov, Djurabek - Das, Aditeya
Djurabek Khamrakulov had a chance to join the co-leaders at 5.5/7. He needed to win with white against a strong junior player, Aditeya (Adi) Das in the last round.
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Djurabek's bread and butter opening d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Be3 Bg4 7. Be2 e6 8. h3 Bh5 9. O-O Be7!? The first slightly rare move. The idea makes sense though, to not take on d4 immediately in order to not allow white's knight to c3 with a tempo. (9... cxd4 Is much more common in this position.)
10. Nbd2 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 (11... Bxe2 12. Qxe2 O-O Can be a tad more accurate.)
12. Bxd4 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 O-O 14. Rfd1 Rfd8 15. a4 b6 (15... Qc6) 16. a5 Qc6 17. Nc4 Nd5?! (17... Nd7) 18. Ne5 Qc7 19. c4 Nf6 20. a6 Nd7?! (20... Ne8) 21. Qe4?! (21. Nxd7 Rxd7 22. Be5 Bd6 23. Rxd6 Rxd6 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. Rd1 Qc6 26. b3 g6)
21... Rac8? (21... Nc5 22. Bxc5) 22. Nxd7 Rxd7 23. Be5 Qxc4 24. Qxc4 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rxc4 26. Rd7 Bf6 After several inaccuracies by Adi, Dhurabek was able to achieve a winning position. However, here, he miscalculates.
27. Bd6?? (27. Kf1 h5 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Rxa7 Rc1+ 30. Ke2 Rc2+ 31. Kd3! This is the only move that wins, and perhaps, is what Djurabek overlooked. 31... Rxb2 32. Kc4! The point. Now, with the support of the white king, White will be able to promote his pawn and win the game.) (27. g4 h6 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Rxa7 Rc1+ 30. Kg2 Ra1 31. Ra8+ Kg7 32. Kf3 Also wins for White)
27... h5 28. Rxa7 Bxb2 29. Rd7 Ra4 30. a7 Kh7 31. Rxf7 Ra1+ 32. Kh2 Bd4 33. Kg3 b5 34. Bb8 b4 35. Rd7 Bc5 36. Rb7 b3 37. f3 Ra4 38. f4 b2 39. Rxb2 Bxa7 40. Bxa7 Rxa7
Black has objectively equalized, but white pieces are still more active and White can still ask some questions. 41. Rb6 Re7 42. Kh4 g6 43. Kg5 Kg7 44. Ra6 Rf7 45. g4 hxg4 46. hxg4 Re7 47. Rb6 Kf7 48. Rb5 Kg7 49. Re5 Re8 50. Re2 Re7 51. Re1 Re8 52. Re4 Re7 53. Re3 Re8 54. Ra3 Re7 55. Ra6 Kf7 56. Kh6 e5?? After many moves of very accurate defense, Adi errs, and it's a very instructive mistake, since we could've gotten an endgame similar to a famous endgame in the 1959 Candidates between Gligoric and Fischer, which GM Joel Benjamin covered in one of his recent articles in the endgame school column. (56... Rd7 Black could've continued to wait and White wouldn't be able to make headway. A sample line can be 57. g5 Rc7 58. Ra8 Rb7 59. Rh8 Rb4 60. Rh7+ Kf8 61. Kxg6 Rxf4 62. Rh8+ Ke7 63. Kg7 e5 And Black still has the e5 pawn, which will give black enough counterplay for a draw.) (56... Rc7) (56... Rb7 Would, of course, also be fine.)
57. f5?? Djurabek misses a golden opportunity to win and tie for first. To be fair though, he was in time pressure, with only about two minutes left. (57. fxe5! Rxe5 58. Rxg6 Re3 Perhaps, the players evaluated this position as drawn, since against a knight pawn, the defending side has more defensive ideas, including passive defense with both the king and the rook on the 8th rank. The only problem for Black is that he will not be able to get to that position after the following idea for White 59. Rg7+! This check is very important and the only way to win. (59. g5?? Rh3# Would be an embarrassing way for White to lose.) (59. Ra6? Rh3+ 60. Kg5 Rb3 61. Ra7+ Kg8 62. Kg6 Rb8 Is a sample line showing how the passive defense works against a knight pawn. (62... Rb6+ 63. Kh5 Rc6 Of course, black can also hold with the Phillidor defense. ) 63. g5 Rc8 64. Kh6 Kh8 65. g6 Kg8 66. Rg7+ Kh8 67. Rh7+ Kg8 And now, the key point is that, there is no i-file, and the board ends, which means that White cannot make any more progress. 68. g7?? Rc6+ Would also be embarrassing for White.) 59... Kf8 60. g5 Now, the point is that white gets to keep the rook on g7, and the black king remains cut-off from the g-file, and cannot get in front of the g-pawn. 60... Ra3 61. Kg6 Ra2 62. Rc7 Rg2 63. Rc8+ Ke7 64. Rg8 Rg1 65. Kh7 Kf7 66. g6+ Ke7 67. Kg7 Rg2 68. Ra8 Rg1 69. Ra2 Rg3 70. Re2+ Kd7 71. Kf7 Rf3+ 72. Kg8 Rg3 73. g7 And eventually, White wins with the Lucena position. 73... Rh3 74. Re4 Rh1 75. Kf7 Rf1+ 76. Kg6 Rg1+ 77. Kf6 Rf1+ 78. Kg5 Rg1+ 79. Rg4 Is a sample line of how white builds the bridge and wins the game.)
57... gxf5 58. g5 Re8! The only move to draw. 59. Kh7 f4 60. g6+ Ke7 61. g7 f3 62. Kg6 e4 63. Rf6 Rg8 64. Rf4 Rxg7+ 65. Kxg7 Ke6! Once again, precise play. Only move to draw. 66. Kg6 (66. Rxe4+ Kf5) 66... Ke5 67. Kg5 e3! Again, only move to draw. 68. Rxf3 Ke4 69. Kg4 e2 70. Rf8 Kd3 71. Re8 Kd2 72. Rxe2+ Kxe2
A very clutch defensive effort on Adi's part, and a tough miss for Djurabek, who still had a very decent tournament, scoring 4/5 with two byes, and having played both of the players who tied for first and scoring 1.5/2 against them. 1/2-½
Round 3: Goodrich, Elliott - Bonin, Jay
In addition to the interesting endgame between Djurabek and Adi, I also found this endgame between young player Elliott Goodrich (who just tied for first at the Grade Nationals the week before in the 6th grade section) and the legendary Iron Man, IM Jay Bonin quite instructive.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Bd3 Bb5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bf8? (8... Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Bf8 10. O-O Nc6 11. Be3 Qc7 12. Na3 a6 13. c4 Bxb4 14. cxd5)
9. O-O? (9. Be3 Qa6 10. Bc2 Bc4 11. a4 Nd7 12. Na3 Rc8 13. Bd4 Ne7 14. h4 h5) 9... Ne7 10. Be3 Qa6 11. Bxb5+ Qxb5 12. Nd4 Qd7 13. Nd2 Nbc6 14. N2f3 Ng6 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Qd3 Be7 17. Rfe1 O-O 18. a3 Qc7 19. Bc5 Bxc5 20. bxc5 Qa5 21. Qe3 Rab8 22. h4 Ne7 23. Rab1?! (23. g4 Rb3) 23... Nf5 24. Qd3 Qxc5 25. Ng5 h6 26. g4 hxg5 27. gxf5 Qc4? (27... Rxb1 28. Rxb1 Qe7 29. f6 gxf6 30. hxg5 fxg5 31. Kg2 f6 32. Rh1 fxe5 33. Qg6+)
28. Qxc4 dxc4 29. hxg5 Rb3 30. Rbc1 exf5 31. Red1 Re8 32. f4 Rb2?! (32... Rxa3 33. Rd6) 33. Rd4 Kh7 34. Rxc4 Kg6 35. Rxc6+ Kh5 36. Rd1? (36. g6 fxg6)
36... Kg4? (36... g6) 37. g6 fxg6 38. Rxg6+ Kxf4 39. Rf1+ Ke4 40. Re1+Kd5 41. Rxg7 f4 42. Rg2 Rxg2+ 43. Kxg2 Rxe5 After a very interesting up-and-down battle, we reached an instructive endgame. Objectively, the endgame is equal, but Black is on the better side and White has to answer some questions.
44. Rb1?
Of course, this move still draws, but it is definitely a step in the wrong direction, given that Elliott had a very simple path to a draw. (44. Rxe5+ Kxe5 45. Kf3 Kd5 46. Kxf4 Kc4 47. Ke3 Kxc3 48. a4 a5 49. Ke2 Kb3 50. Kd2 Kxa4 51. Kc2 Would be the simplest way to force a draw. The general lesson from this is that whenever there is a chance to force a pawn endgame, it is best to calculate it, since if it works out in white's favor, it will be the easiest way to draw, and no more calculations will be needed in the game. Therefore, it is usually a good idea in such a situation to calculate it out, especially since here, the calculation is quite straightforward, with only one important branch to calculate.) (44. c4+ Kd4 45. Rxe5 Kxe5 46. Kf3 Would of course, still be fine.)
44... Kc4 45. Rb4+ Kxc3 46. Rxf4 Ra5 47. a4 Kb3 48. Kf2 Rxa4 Now, trading the rooks is already losing, and white is forced to keep the rooks on the board, which is still a draw, but a bit more challenging to defend than the pawn endgame where black would only have the a-pawn. 49. Rf8? This still draws, but it makes the draw significantly harder, where after black plays the best try, white will be forced to find a bunch of only moves to maintain the draw. (49. Rxa4?? Kxa4 50. Ke3 Kb3 51. Kd2 Kb2! 52. Kd3 a5) (49. Rf7! Was an important move, since white is tying black down to the a-pawn, not allowing black to play Re4, cutting off white's king. 49... a5 50. Ra7 Ra2+ 51. Ke1 a4 52. Kd1 Ra1+ 53. Kd2 a3 54. Rb7+ Ka2 55. Kc2 Is still a fairly straightforward draw.)
49... Re4! A very strong try by Jay, cutting off White's king.
50. Kf3?? This is a mistake that officially makes the position from drawing to losing. (50. Rf5!! Was the only way to draw. The point is that white is trying to prevent Black from advancing the a-pawn. 50... Kb4 51. Kf3! Attacking the rook. Now, something has to give, either the 4th rank, or the e-file. 51... Re8 (51... Rc4 52. Ke2 Would lead to an easy draw.) 52. Rf4+! Kb3 53. Rf5! Ra8 54. Ke2 As soon as black's rook leaves the e-file, the white king gets back into the game.)
50... Re6?? Jay gives Elliott one last chance to draw. (50... Re5! Was winning 51. Kf4 Re7 52. Rf5 Kb4 53. Kg4 a5 54. Rf4+ Kb3 55. Rf3+ Kc2 56. Rf2+) (50... Re1! 51. Kf2 Re5 Was also winning.)
51. Rb8+?? Missing the last drawing chance in the game. (51. Rf5! Ka4 52. Rf4+ Kb5 53. Rf5+) 51... Ka4 52. Rb1 a5 53. Ra1+ Kb4 54. Rb1+ Kc3! Black finds the right winning plan.
55. Ra1 Ra6 56. Ke3 a4 57. Rc1+Kb2 58. Rc7 Rb6 59. Kd2 Rd6+! Gaining another tempo and cutting off the white king.
60. Ke3 a3 61. Rb7+ Kc3! Very strong play by Jay. (61... Ka1? Would be the most obvious continuation, but the rule is, that in order for the position with the pawn on a2 and king on a1 with the king being cut-off on the b-file to be winning, the white king needs to be cut-off by a minimum of 4 ranks, and here, the king is only cut-off 3 ranks. 62. Ke2! a2 63. Rb8 Rh6 64. Kd2 Rh1 65. Kc2 Rb1 66. Ra8 And white holds.)
62. Ra7 (62. Rc7+ This wouldn't help either since 62... Kb4 63. Rb7+ (63. Ra7 Rd5 Would also build a bridge.) 63... Ka5 64. Ra7+ Ra6 65. Rh7 a2 66. Rh1 Kb4 67. Kd2 Kb3 And Black wins.)
62... Re6+! Now, the white king gets cut-off by 4 ranks! As a result, black is now winning.
63. Kf2 Kb2 64. Rb7+ Ka1 65. Rb8 a2 66. Rb7 Rc6 4 ranks, and Black demonstrates the winning plan flawlessly.
67. Ke2 Rc1 68. Kd3!? The most tenacious defense. (68. Kd2 Would also not save since 68... Rb1 69. Ra7 Kb2 70. Rb7+ Ka3 71. Ra7+ Kb3 72. Rb7+ Kc4 The king escapes via c4 and Black wins.)
68... Rb1 69. Ra7 Kb2 70. Rb7+ Kc1 (70... Ka3 Would not make progress 71. Ra7+ Kb3 72. Rb7+)
71. Rc7+ Kd1 72. Rh7 Rb3+! 73. Kc4 Rc3+! (73... Ra3?? Would be a blunder since 74. Rh1+ Kc2 (74... Kd2 75. Rh2+ Ke1 76. Rh1+ Ke2 77. Ra1 Kd2 78. Kb4 Ra8 79. Kb3 Rb8+ 80. Kc4!! (80. Kxa2 Not this though due to 80... Kc2) 80... Rb2 81. Rh1) 75. Rh2+ Kb1 76. Rh1+ Gives White a perpetual check.)
74. Kd4?! (74. Kxc3 a1=Q+ Now, Black queens with check.) (74. Kb4 Rc1)
74... Ra3 Only now, black plays this, since, black has the all-important b3 square for his king to escape.
75. Rh1+ Kc2 76. Rh2+?! Kb3 77. Rh3+ Kb4 78. Rxa3 Kxa3 A very clutch and instructive endgame win by Jay. Jay has made quite a career winning equal endgames against younger players, and this game is certainly, no exception. Endgames may seem very simple on the surface, but as we see from this endgame, and also, the last round game between Djurabek and Adi (with much higher tournament implications), they are quite complex when you dig deeper. Even simple theoretical endgames can be a challenge, especially when players are low on time. Also, as we saw in the World Championship match, which just ended, even a World Championship match can be decided on an endgame blunder. So, the conclusion is, make sure to study your endgames! 0-1
GM Aleksandr Lenderman, Marshall Spectator Contributor
Christmas Tree Variation of the Dutch Defense, by Gary Patella
The holiday season is upon us, and despite the vast number of chess openings and variations, there seems to be only one opening with a holiday-themed name: The Christmas Tree Dutch. This opening is rarely seen, taking a back seat to the three mainline Dutch variations (i.e., the Leningrad Dutch, the Classical Dutch, and the Stonewall Dutch).
The Christmas Tree Dutch can be seen as a combination of the Leningrad Dutch and the Classical Dutch. It is characterized by the black pawns on g6, f5, and e6, which does resemble the shape of a Christmas Tree (see image below).
Black will develop Nf6, Bg7, O-O, d6 and try to get in the move e5 (a common theme in both the Leningrad Dutch and the Classical Dutch). As with any opening, there are both pros and cons associated with the Christmas Tree Dutch.
Pros:
1) It is relatively unknown, which means there is a very high chance that you will know more about the opening than your opponent
2) The pawn being placed on e6 first can have some major advantages over some other lines. For example, in the Leningrad Dutch one of the main lines goes 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Qe8 with the idea of pushing the pawn to e5. In such a position, white often plays 8. d5 which stops black from gaining a big center with pawns on f5 and e5, since the pawn push to e5 will be met with an en passant capture. By playing e6 first, the pawn move d5 contains no venom as black can simply bypass the pawn by play e6-e5 with no worries.
3) It is extremely flexible. The position can be arrived at through a variety of move orders. For example, French Defense players may chose to start the game with 1. d4 e6 and only play f5 on move 2 to avoid various Anti Dutch lines such as 1. d4 f5 2. e4 or 1. d4 f5 2. Bg5
Cons:
1) First playing the pawn to e6 and then to e5 does waste a tempo, and white may take advantage of this.
2) This particular Dutch set up is a bit less sound than the more mainline Dutch set ups. I currently know of two critical lines for white that try to take advantage of these offbeat moves.
Now that we know the basic pawn structure and ideas, we should look at some games to get a better feel for how the games play out in tournament practice. The following game took place in 2016 in the Dutch Championship Qualifier (how apropos!) and was played between two grandmasters. Sipke Ernst had the white pieces and Friso Nijboer had the black pieces. The game went as follows:
Ernst, Sipke vs Nijboer, Friso
ch-NED Qualifier 2016
1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 e6 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 (if 9. d5 Nb4 10. Qb3 Na6 11. dxe6 Nc5 12. Qc2 Bxe6 and black has excellent piece activity)
9…Qe7 (9…Qe8 is possibly more accurate to avoid any Nd5 jumps after pushing e5)
10. Be3 Nd8! (This is a great maneuver. The knight is headed to f7 where it will exert control over g5, e5, and d6)
11. b4 Nf7 12. Rac1 Bd7 13. a4 Rac8 14. a5 b6 15. Ra1 e5 16. axb6 axb6 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. c5 e4 19. Nd2 Ng4 (It is now clear that black is the attacker)
20. Nf1 Nxe3 21. Nxe3 Ne5 22. Ncd5 Qf7 23. Ra7 bxc5 24. Qxc5 Kh8 25. b5 g5 (Nijboer ignores what’s happening on the queenside and goes straight for the king)
26. Nf1 f4 27. Bxe4 f3 28. exf3 Nxf3+ 29. Kh1 Bg4 30. Nfe3 Nxh2! (Unleashing an attack on the rook)
31. Qc2 Qh5 32. f4 Nf1+ 33. Kg1 Nxe3 34. Nxe3 Bxd1 35. Qc5 gxf4 36. Qxh5 Bxh5 37. Nd5 and White resigned before Black could play 37…Bd4+ picking up the rook on a7.
Now that we have seen how even grandmasters can fall prey to the Christmas Tree Dutch, let’s look at a game where White plays one of the critical lines against it. This game was played between Dmitry Jakovenko with the white pieces and Simon Williams (aka The Ginger GM) with the black pieces. This game went as follows:
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 g6 5. O-O Bg7 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 d6 8. Re1 Ne4 (This prevents white from pushing the pawn to e4)
9. Qc2 Nxc3 10. bxc3 e5 11. e4! (This is one of the most testing variations against the Christmas Tree Dutch)
11…f4 (The pawn push from f5 to f4 occurs in a lot of Dutch positions and is commonly referred to as the Dutch lance. However, this thematic move was not the right decision here according to Williams himself)
12. gxf4 exf4 13. Ba3 g5 14. e5 g4 (Black is clearly counterattacking here. But with all of those pieces sitting on the back rank, there are not enough pieces in the game for this to succeed)
15. Nd2 f3 16. Bf1 Bh6 17. Ne4 Bf5 18. Qb3 Nd7 19. c5+ Kh8 20. cxd6 g3 21. Nxg3 Qh4 22. dxc7 Rg8 23. Qxb7 Qg4 24. e6 Nf6 25. Bd6 Bf4 26. Bxf4 Qxf4 27. Qb5 and Williams had to resign.
While this does perhaps point out some flaws in this opening, black could have played differently to keep White’s advantage to a minimum. After 11. e4 Nc6 may be an improvement where black is worse but still fighting after 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Qb3 Rb8.
I should mention that the other critical line arises after 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 e6 8. b4 which is given an exclamation mark in the 2009 Everyman Chess publication Dangerous Weapons: The Dutch. The suggested move for black in this position is 8…Ne4 which may still give chances to hold the balance.
To summarize, the Christmas Tree Dutch is an offbeat and unexplored variation that may catch your opponents off guard. The setup can arise from various move orders, but we see the final setup after move 7 in all of the examples. Ideas include getting a nice center by pushing the pawn from e6 to e5, responding to 8. Re1 with 8…Ne4 to prevent white from playing e4, and responding to 8. Qc2 with 8…Nc6 as the queen can be attacked with Nb4 if they push the pawn to d5. During this holiday season, maybe you can try this variation yourself in some on-line games. Or perhaps…if you’re brave enough, you can even try it out in a tournament. Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope you enjoyed exploring this fascinating opening.
Gary Patella, Marshall Chess Club Member
Chess Toons
En Passant
The era of India's GM Gukesh Dommaraju as chess world champion has begun, after an incredibly hard-fought 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore suddenly ended when the Chinese reigning champion GM Ding Liren blundered in the final classical game.
Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, had a rapturous reception from Indian fans when he flew back to Chennai after deposing China’s Ding Liren for the world title 7.5-6.5 by winning their 14th and final game in Singapore.
GM Magnus Carlsen defeated GM Ian Nepomniachtchi 4-1 to win the 2024 Champions Chess Tour Finals and his fifth consecutive Champions Chess Tour title. Again earning the $200,000 first prize, Carlsen has won every edition of the Champions Chess Tour since it began.
This holiday season, New York City’s financial district will transform into a battleground for the world's greatest chess minds in the 2024 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship. The tournament, sponsored by Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC), will be held December 26-31 featuring fast-paced, high-stakes games and not the typical hours-long battles.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
Birger Knudsen, 1932
White to mate in 2.
A Christmas tree? A person? A star? Most certainly: a very neat chess problem whose solution might come as a surprise. Count the number of Black responses - you'll need more than two hands!
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Last issue’s puzzle: L. Prokes, 1941
White to move and win.
Solution to L. Prokes, 1941:
1.d7 Ra1+/Rd1/Rh8 2.Ba2/Bd5/Bg8. The bishop sacrifices itself three times! To what end? To give White the chance to play e6, after which Black is lost.
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Alexander George
Editor's Note
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