The Marshall Spectator
May 29, 2024 edition
In This Issue: From The Skittles Room Endgame Corner, by IM Silas Esben Lund 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 month of June is shaping up to be filled with unique events that may interest our members. We are looking forward to hosting Italian WFM Alessia Santeramo, a well known Twitch and YouTube chess streamer, who will be stopping by the club this Saturday June 1, at 1 pm, to play blitz games against anyone who wants to challenge her while streaming them on Twitch. Beverages and refreshments will be available. Round 1 of the Saturday G/50 will start at 2:30pm and the registered players are welcome to partake in the refreshments as well as play and spectate Alissa's blitz games. The G/50 rounds will be at 2:30, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30pm.
Looking ahead on the calendar, we are excited to announce to our readers that the FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship 2024 is being held in New York City, in partnership with the Marshall Chess Club. Are you ready to witness the minds of the business world clash on the 64 squares? The World Corporate Chess Championship brings together the sharpest strategic thinkers from leading companies across the globe. Tickets start at just $26, and super GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman will be among the spectators.
Another exciting event that we are planning is a lecture by famous GM and chess commentator Maurice Ashley. Drawing from his award winning Chessable course, GM Maurice Ashley will discuss principles of chess tactics in ways you may have never heard before. Beginning with the principles of collinearity, concurrency, and the Matrix board, GM Ashley sets the stage for more advanced ideas such as the Novotny theme, the deadly Zig-zag and more. Enjoy a fresh look at tactics with mind-blowing examples in a fun and entertaining evening.
Looking further ahead on the calendar to the month of July, we are eagerly anticipating the New York 1924 Centennial. This will be a 9 round, FIDE rated Swiss event held in July. For full details and an updated list of confirmed players check here. Also, be sure to check our teasers on youtube about the event too.
Over the last two weeks we have had a plethora of events for our members to play in.
The Rated Beginner Open on May 26 had 57 entrants and concluded with the following 6 players finishing with a perfect 3 out of 3 score, winning $116.67 each: August Prasertsom, Abilseit Marat, Sofia Hodzamkulyyeva, Vladimir Lionter, Dario Golden, and John Sloat.
The Sunday Game 50 Open on May 26 had 44 players registered and was won by GM Micahel Rohde, NM Aditeya Das, Kylan Huang, and Hoang Huynh who scored 3.5 to win $110 each. Shiv Dubey and Hudson Wong also had a great event, scoring 3 out of 4 to share in a class prize, winning $66 each.
The Sunday Game 50 Under 1600 on May 26 had 44 players registered, and was won by Milo Su, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $264 first place prize. Carlos Chavez and Winston Ruiying Chen scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $154 each. Â
The Saturday Game 50 Open on May 25 had 41 players registered and was won by IM Jay Bonin, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $234 first place prize. GM Michael Rohde, Nathan Peyton and Aidan Amin won $65 each for their near perfect 3.5 out of 4 score. Andrey Zubov also had an excellent event, winning a class prize of $78 for his 3 out of 4 score.
The Saturday Morning Under 2000 Action had 33 players registered and was won by Rochelle Ballantyne, Joseph Otero, Vasilev Arkadii, and Will Nieder who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $70 each. Leandro Almanzar, Viaan Suthar, Rama Smith, and Chris Diluccio shared in a class prize, winning $30 each for their 2 out of 3 performance. Â
The Morning Masters on May 25 had 11 players registered and was won by IM Liran Zhou who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win the $75 first place prize. NM Aditeya Das and Jamison Kao who scored 2 points to win $25.50 each.
The Adults Only Tournament Under 1700 on May 25 had 7 players registered, and was won by Robert Thorstad who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $77. Daniel Nambiar won a class prize of $39 for his score, while Richard Koppenaal won a $20 class prize for his performance.
The Adults Only Tournament 1700+ on May 25 had 16 players registered and was won by Aleksandr Gutnik, Steven Rand and Gianluca Montali who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $51.33 each
The FIDE Blitz on May 24 had 43 players registered and was won by our club champion, IM Mykola Bortnyk, who scored a near perfect 8 out of 9 to win the $215 first place prize. GM Aleksandr Lenderman and WFM Megan Paragua scored 7.5 out of 9 to win $80.63 each, while Gary Leschinsky scored 65 winning $53.75. Jason Jiang, Glenn Cabasso and Yusuf Mansurov scored 6 out of 9 to win $17.92 each, while Nicolas Marchese, Misha Raitzin, Ahston Bellur and Wan Qin Li scored 5 points to win $13.44 each.
The Brother John McManus Action on May 23 had 43 players registered and was won by IM Kevin Wang, NM Bryan Weisz and NM Vladimir Bugayev who scored 3.5 to win $114 each. Daniel Belenky, CM Rachel Miller and Jack Yang scored 3 points to win $26.33 each, while Nile Smith and Denis Suprun won $39.50 each for their 2.5 out of 4 score. Â
The Marshall Masters on May 21 had 24 players registered and was won by Joseph Zeltsan, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $320. Evan Rosenberg scored 3.5 points to win $220, while IM Gus Huston and IM Justin Sarkar scored 3 out of 4 to win $50. Mark DeDona won a class prize of $80 for his 2.5 performance.
The Adult Rapid on May 21 had 9 players registered and was won by Benjamin Medina and Sarah Budow, who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $18.75 each. Gabriel Leibowitz scored 2.5 points, winning $12.50.
The Monthly Under 2400 on May 19 had an even 50 players registered and was won by IM Justin Sarkar, who scored a nearly perfect 4.5 out of 5 to win the $834 first place prize. Max Manuel Rosenthal and Aleksandr Gutnik scored 4 points, winning $271.50 each. Robert Olsen, Nicole Zlotchevsky, Vincent Zhiwen Yu, and Connor Junda Wang scored 3.5 points to share in a class prize, winning $125 each.
The Monthly Under 1800 on May 19 had 22 players registered and was won by Mason Lou Zho, who scored 4.5 out of 5 to win $350. Aadit Mordani, Owen J Pang, adn Sarah Nguyen scored 3.5 points to win $111 each, while Lowell Brooks Begley and Skylan Lin scored 3 points to share in a class prize, winning $52.50 each. Â
The Rated Beginner Open on May 19 had 50 players registered and concluded with a 5-way tie: Cory Yau, John Modzelewski, Atreya Marballi, Bradley Camarda and Jowen Pichardo scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $95 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Masters on May 18 had 45 players registered and concluded in a 4-way tie: Alexander Wang, Lucas Fugate, Claudio Martin Mariani and Will Nieder scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $98.75 each. There was also a 5-way tie for a class prize: Noah Hsu, Ethan Deng, Tiffany Kian, Eugene Bang and Lucas Cristino scored 2 points, winning $33.80 each.
The Morning Masters on May 18 had 10 players registered and was won by IM Kevin Wang and Jessica Hyatt, who scored 2.5 out of 3 winning $51 each. IM Liran Zhou and Chenxuan Ling scored 2 points, winning $6 each.
The Friday Rapid on May 17 had 20 players registered and was won by WGM Chloe Gaw, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $100. Ted Belanoff and Linxi Zhu scored 3 out of 4 to win $25 each, while Anna Radchenko and Raul Erquiaga won $25 each scoring 2 points, Nathan Booncharoen and Isaac Statz won $12.50 each for their 2 out of 4 score, and Ethan Kozower won $8.33 for his 2.5 out of 4 performance.
The Brother John Mcmanus Action on May 16 had 58 players registered, and was won by IM Alexander Katz, FM Tanitoluwa Adewumi, and NM Bryan Weisz who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $151.67 each. Mark DeDona and Alec Hyunmook Choi scored 3 points, winning $105 each, and Advaith Muthu won the upset prize.
The Thursday Open that concluded on May 16 had 21 players registered and was won by Aleksandr Gutnik and Robert Li, who scored 4.5 out of 6 to win $167 each. FM Konstantin Dolgitser and George P Berg scored 4 points, winning $33.50 each, while Vincent W Au, Alan Frank McMichael, and Joseph Segich scored 3.5 to win $33.67 each.
The Sunday Game 50 Open on May 12 had 23 players registered and was won by IM Jay Bonin, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $138 first place prize. Alisher Podavonov and Robert Thorstad scored 3 out of 4 to win $80.50 each.
The Sunday Game 50 Under 1600 on May 12 had 33 players registered and was won by Andrew Zubov who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $198. Arlo Joshua Scherr and Kai Waters scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $66 each, while Nicholas Kan scored 3 points to win a $99 prize.
The Rated Beginner Open on May 12 had 32 players registered and finished in a 3-way tie: Reece Jackson, Patrizio Killian Mariani and Sam Parker scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $125 each.
The Saturday Game 50 Open on May 11 had 24 players registered and was won by Bryan Lin, who scored a perfect 4 out of 4, winning the $144 first place prize. Johji Nakada won clear second place, scoring 3.5 points and winning $96. Jack Yang scored 3 out of 4 to win a class prize of $72.
The Saturday Game 50 Under 1800 on May 11 had 39 players registered and was won by Leo Paas, who finished with a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $234. Zhijie Kuang, Jayden Feng, and Jason Zhao scored 3.5 to win $52 each, while Kimani Thompson, Robert Thorstad, and Eli Stern scored 3 points, sharing in a class prize and winning $39 each.
The Morning Masters on May 11 had 8 players registered and was won by Aakaash Meduri who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $60. Jessica Hyatt and Ian Nicholson scored 2 points, winning $20 each.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on May 11 had 38 players registered and was won by Mouhamadou Tall, Lucas Fugate and Denis Suprun who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $108.33 each. Emileo Martinez, Aaron Reyes, Connor Galvez, Ethan Deng and Leor Aronov scored 2 out of 3 to split a class prize 5 ways, winning $27.80 each.
The Friday Blitz on May 10 had 55 players registered and was won by IM Mykola Bortnyk, our club champion, who scored a remarkable 9 out of 9 to win the $275 first place prize. Max Mottola finished with 7 points, winning $138, while Qindong Yang, FM Marcus Miyasaka and Linxi Zhu scored 6.5 out of 9 to win $69 each. Corin Gartenlaub and Alexandra Lussie scored 5.5, sharing in a class prize and winning $34.50 each.
The Women & Girls’ Open on May 10 had 6 players registered and was won by Adele Nurmanbetov, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $36. Ula Chin, Emmi Gaskins and Shums Hassan scored 2 out of 3 to win $6 each.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
Endgame Corner, by IM Silas Esben Lund
The column this time is about endgames with R versus BN, with 3 pawns each on the kingside. Black to move in the following diagram: How should he arrange the pawns on the kingside for the best defence? The answer will be given later in the article. When you’re ready, you can play through all of the games with notes here.
IM Nikolaj Borge vs FM Poul Rewitz DM Svendborg 2021
Black to move
Capablanca, Jose Raul vs. Lasker, Emanuel St Petersburg final 1914
A model game for how to place the pawns as the defender.
This classic endgame serves as a direct model game for how Black should have played in the previous position. Here, he simply plays ...f6 and ...h6 (same color as the white bishop) and keep g7 as the only target. As it turns out, White is not really able to attack it. And if White wants to make a pawn break (on g5), Black will be able to exchange 2 set of pawns.
33... Re2 34. Bf2 f6 35. Kf1 Ra2 36. g4 Kf7 37. Ne4 h6 38. Kg2 Ra3 39. f4 Rb3 40. Ng3 Ra3 41. Nf1 Rd3 42. Ne3 Rc3 43. Kf3 Ra3 44. f5 Ra2 45. Nd5 Rb2 46. Nf4 Ra2 47. h4 Ra5 48. Bd4 Ra3+ 49. Be3 Ra5 50. Nh5 Ra4 51. Ng3 Kg8 52. Ne4 Kf7 53. Bd2 Ra1 54. Bc3 Rf1+ 55. Nf2 Rc1 56. Bd4 Re1 57. Ne4 Rf1+ 58. Bf2 Ra1 59. Kf4 Ra4 60. Bc5 Rc4 61. Kf3 Rc1 62. Bf2 Ra1 63. Kf4 Ra4 64. Kf3 Ra3+ 65. Be3 Ra5 66. Nc5 Ra1 67. Ne6 Ra3 68. Ke4 Ra4+ 69. Bd4 Rb4 70. Kd3 Rb3+ 71. Ke4 Rb4 72. Kd5 Rb1
See Secrets of Chess Training p. 120 73. g5 hxg5 74. hxg5 fxg5 75. Nxg5+ (75. Nxg7 Rf1) (75. Bxg7 Rf1 Black attacks f5 white White is out of balance.) 75... Kg8 76. Ne6 Rd1 77. Ke4 (77. Nxg7 Rxd4+ 78. Kxd4 Kxg7 79. Ke5 Kf7) 77... Kf7 (Or 77... Re1+) 78. Ng5+ (78. Bxg7 Re1+ 79. Kd5 Rf1) 78... Kg8 79. Ke5 Re1+ 80. Kf4 Rf1+ 81. Kg4 Rd1 82. Nf3 Rf1 83. Be5 Kf7 84. Kf4 Kg8 85. Ke4 Rd1 86. Ng5 Re1+ 87. Kd5 Rd1+ 88. Ke6 Re1 89. Nh3 Rb1 90. Nf4 Rb6+ 91. Ke7 Rb5 92. Ng6 Rb6 93. Bd6 Ra6 94. Ke6 Rb6 95. Ne7+ Kh7 96. Nc8 Ra6 97. Ne7 Rb6 98. Nd5 Ra6 99. Nc3 Kg8 100. Ne4 Rb6 1/2-1/2
Romanishin, Oleg M vs. Dvoretzky, Mark Leningrad, 1974
For reference on how to place the pawn as the defender.
41... Rg3 See Secrets of Chess Training p. 119-122. Dvoretsky has shown that even with the black pawns on the 6th and 5th ranks, White is not able to get to b6 (in this case). He tries in the game, but Black creates counterplay against the white pawns. Notice how vulnerable the white pawns are, now that they are not so easily defended by the bishop. 42. Kf4 Rh3 43. Kf5 Rg3 44. Bf4 Rg2 45. Be5 Kc6 46. Ne3 Re2 47. Nd5 Rc2 48. Ne3 Re2 49. Ng4 Rc2 50. Bc3 Re2 51. Nf6 Kd6 52. Nd5 Kc6 53. Nf4 Re3 54. Be5 Re1 55. Bf6 Rf1 56. Bc3 Kd6 57. Ke4 Rf2 58. Nd5 Kc6 59. Ke5 Re2+ 60. Kf5 Kb7 61. Nf4 Rf2 62. Ke4 Kc6 63. Ke5 Kd7 64. Nd3 Rf3 65. Ke4 Rh3 66. Nf4 Rh1 67. Ke5 Rh4 68. Kf5 Kc6 69. Bf6 Rh2 70. Ke6 Rc2 71. Bc3 Rf2 72. Nd3 Rf1 73. Ne5+ Kc7 74. Nf7 Rd1 75. Be5+ Kb7 76. a4 Rd2 77. Nd6+ Kc6 78. Nf5 Rd1 79. Ne7+ Kb7 80. Nd5 Kc6 81. Bc7 Re1+ 82. Kf5 Rc1 83. b3 Rb1 84. Bxb6 Rxb3 85. Bd8 Rd3 86. Bxa5 Rxd5+ 1/2-1/2
IM Nikolaj Borge vs. FM Poul Rewitz DM Svendborg 2021
Answer to the puzzle at the beginning of the article: 53... h5 Not a mistake in itself but part of faulty plan as the next move will show. Black can simply let the pawns stay on the dark squares as we saw in the Capablanca - Lasker game. (Black should simply keep the pawns where they are: on the dark squares, same as the bishop. He could play a move like 53... Rd8+)
54. Ke4 g6 Black is planning to arrange the pawns on the light squares. 55. h4 Ra1 56. Bd4 Rb1 57. Nd6+ Ke6 58. Ne8 Re1+ 59. Kd3 Rd1+ 60. Ke3 f5 (The last chance is 60... Rh1 61. g3 g5) 61. Nc7+ Kf7 62. Nb5 Re1+ 63. Kf3 Rb1 64. Nc3 Rb4 65. Ne2 Ra4 66. g3
The problem of placing the pawns on light squares - opposite the bishop - is two-fold: 1) White can block Black's pawns on the dark squares, same as the bishop - which means that they are easily defended by the (Double-Edged) bishop. 2) With the bishop as the goalkeeper, the white king and knight are freed up for attacking purposes, and g6 is a huge target.
66…Ra2 67. Nf4 Ra3+ 68. Ke2 Rb3 69. Nd3 Rb1 70. Ne5+ Kg7 71. Kf3 Kh7 72. Nd7 Rb4 73. Ke3 Ra4 74. Kd3 Kh6 75. Nf6 Ra2 76. Kc4 Ra5 77. Kb4 Ra2 78. Kc5 Ra4 79. Ng8+ Kh7 80. Ne7 Ra6 81. Kd5 Kh6 82. Ng8+ Kh7 83. Nf6+ Kh6 84. Ne8 Kh7 85. Nd6 Ra4 86. Be3 Kg7 87. Ke6 Ra6 88. Bf4 Ra2 89. Be5+ Kh7 90. f3 Ra3 91. Nf7 Ra6+ 92. Ke7 Ra7+ 93. Kf6 Ra6+ 94. Kg5 Ra3 95. Nh8 Rxf3 96. Nxg6 Re3 97. Bf4 Again a perfect setup of bishop and pawns for White. With g6 gone, the pawns on f5 and h5 are up for grabs.
97…Ra3 98. Kxh5 Ra8 99. Kg5 Ra5 100. Ne7 Rb5 101. Nxf5 Ra5 102. g4 Rb5 103. Bd6 Ra5 104. Kf6 Kg8 105. g5 Ra1 106. h5 Rh1 107. Kg6 Re1 108. Nh6+ Kh8 109. Be5+ 1-0
IM Silas Esben Lund, Marshall Chess Club Spectator columnist
Chess Toons
En Passant
12-year-old GM-elect Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has established himself as one of the world's greatest prodigies, breaking GM Judit Polgar's 35-year-old record as the highest-rated player before the age of 13.
The 8th Youth Chess Composing Challenge is on the way! The youngest contributors to chess art (born 2001 and younger) were offered three different sections to inspire their creations till June 10, with five special prizes of 500 Euros vouchers each for the best representatives of the five most successful countries.
Justin Reid wins Chess Tournament for Charity. Reid bested several other current NFL players on his way to the title of champion, defeating Tennessee Titans’ cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver Mack Hollins before topping Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray in the final round.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
M. Botvinnik, 1939
White to move and win.
Moving on to the sixth World Champion, Mikhail Botvinnik (1948-57, 1958-60, 1961-63), we have the above practical endgame. Again, not a composed study, but undoubtedly something inspired by an actual game.
(If you have any problems by World Champions—or any feedback at all—please send them my way: mcc-chess@ahg.slmail.me.)
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Last issue’s problem: Max Euwe, 1941
Solution to Euwe 1941: 1.Na5 Kc2 2.Kg2 Kb4 3.Kf3 Kxa5 4.Ke4 Kb6 5.Kd5 Kc7 6.Kc5 and wins.
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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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