In This Issue: From The Skittles Room Endgame Corner, by IM Silas Lund Checkmate in Cyberspace, by Luka Glinsky and GM Alex Lenderman 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.
We are thrilled to announce that IM Jay Bonin has returned to be our resident game analyst on Thursday nights starting at 6pm, an hour before round 1 of the Thursday Night Action Tournament. Each Thursday evening, IM Jay Bonin will analyze your games for free. Be sure to take advantage of this complimentary game analysis the next time you plan on playing in the Thursday Night Action tournament.
Later this month, we are thrilled to invite Jennifer Shahade to our club for a Lecture and Book signing on Tuesday, November 28 from 7:00-8:30pm on the topic of Pawn Tactics and Becoming a Chess Queen.
Looking ahead on our calendar, we have a lot of special events coming up. Our historical Jerry Simon Memorial and Amateur Championship will be a 5 round tournament held on December 1, 2 and 3. We also have the 107th annual Edward Lasker Memorial and MCC Championship, which will be a 6 round tournament held over one weekend - December 7th through 10th - with a guaranteed prize fund of $10,000.
We are thrilled to host the first annual Mona Karff Memorial, November 17-19. This will be the Women’s Club Championship, 5 rounds, 90+30, FIDE rated event with $5,000 in prizes and the title of 2023 Marshall Chess Club Women’s Champion going to the highest placing club member. GM Irina Krush, WIM Beatriz Marinello, WFM Megan Paragua, WFM Laura Ross and WIM Dorothy Teasley are confirmed participants, with additional strong players expected! This event is open to all women and girls rated at least 1500 USCF - including non-members. IM Rusudan Goletiani will be the keynote speaker and give opening remarks to the players on Friday night at 7 pm to kick off the event. IM Rusudan Goletiani comes from a lineage of legendary Georgian champions and is a three-time World Youth Champion, a two-time Olympic medalist, the 2003 American continental Women's Champion and the 2005 Women's Champion. Beyond her chess accomplishments, Rusudan is a mom of three, a Columbia University business grad, and currently works in finance. Following her remarks, the top 4 boards will be broadcast live online and GM Alex Lenderman will be doing commentary of the first round of the event beginning at 8 pm on the Marshall Twitch channel.
In addition to a full calendar of tournaments, we have had many wonderful events over the last few weeks as a result of our hard working board members who are dedicated to elevating the value of membership by bringing top players and unique new learning opportunities to our space.
A couple weeks ago, the Marshall hosted a new kind of event: a puzzle solving contest, à la IRL Puzzle Rush. There was great enthusiasm among the participants-- and since the event took place on Halloween, puzzlers wore their spookiest costumes to the contest! Taking first place in the Scholastic section was Theodore Pimanoff, followed by a tie for 2nd and 3rd place between Abigail Zhou and Ian Singh, while the Adult section was won by Gabriel Inwood. We hope to organize many such events in the future, with puzzles and studies geared towards a variety of rating levels.
On Thursday November 9th, GM Maxim Vachier-Lagrave visited the Marshall for a lecture, reception, and sold out simultaneous display. The event was well attended and while MVL was able to complete all 32 games without a single loss, 3 of the challengers managed to hold the elite GM to a draw! To see some of the games with annotations, you can read William Guskind’s full report of the event on his chess.com blog, here. If you were unable to see the lecture, it will be posted to our website on the replay page, where all club events that are filmed can be reviewed.
In addition to the above events, we also were thrilled to host an online Match and Watch Party for the MCC vs Texas Chess Center Match, a lecture by well known Podcaster and author NM Ben Johnson and our first ever Adults only ALTO event, which had an incredible turnout of 55 players!
Over the past two weeks, we have had a full calendar of tournaments too.
The Sunday Game 50 Open on November 12 has 70 players registered, and was won by Alan Morris-Suzuki and Theodore Chachere who scored a perfect 4 points to win $340 each. Dzmitry Kharchykau and Sarah Budow shared in a class prize, winning $102 each for their 3.5 score.
The Sunday Game Under 1600 on November 12 had 21 players registered and was won by Callum Vonwiller, who scored 3.5 points to win the $120 first place prize. The following players won $35, sharing in the remaining prize funds for their even 3 out of 5 score: Stevie McSween, Oliver Cooke, Ethan Deng, and Harry Lai.
The Sunday Rated Beginner Open on November 12 had an even 40 players registered and finished in a two-way tie between Idan Zhong and Terrance Zhang, who won $250 each for their perfect 3 out of 3 score.
The Friday FIDE Blitz on November 10 had an even 40 players registered and concluded with a three way tie: Daniel Cremisi, Roman Malyshev and Alan Morris-Suzuki scored 7.5 out of 9 to win$116.67 each. Nicholas Marchese won a $50 class prize for his 6 out of 9 performance, and the following players won $25 each for the same score: Ted Belanoff, Philip Gomory Keisler, Antonio Cordero and Linxi Zhu.
The Marshall Women and Girls’ Open on November 10 had 8 players registered and was won by Alexandra Lussie, who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $48. Ula Chin, Tiffany Kian and Daria Pilipenko scored 2 out of 3 to tie for second, winning $8 each.
The Marshall Premier FIDE Open on November 5 had $37 players registered and was won by IM Mykola Bortnyk who scored a perfect 5 out of 5 to win the first place prize of $880. There was a 6 way tie for the remaining prize funds, with each of the following players winning $128.33 for their 3.5 out of 5 score: FM Liam Putnam, Dwight Dans, Andrew Feng, Max Mottola, Ethan Kozower and Ian Nicholson.
The Marshall Premier Under 2000 on November 5 had 36 players registered and was won by Mihir Bafna, who scored a near perfect 4.5 out of 5 to win the $409 first place prize. Kenji Goto came in second, scoring 4 points to win $175, while Sawyer Sarwar Alexis Von Donnersmarck shared in a class prize, scoring 3.5 to win $73 each.
The Sunday Rated Beginner Open on November 5 had 24 players registered and finished with two players winning all 3 games: Joseph Licalzi and Aaron Gonner had perfect scores and won $144 each for their performance.
The Under 2000 Morning Action on November 4 had 61 players registered and was won by Miles Hinson, Mihir Bafna, Ben Lazaroff, Pat Sukhum and Alexis Donnersmarck who scored 3 out of 3 to win $105 each. Noah Michael Feldman finished with 2.5 to win the class prize of $225.
The Nagib Gebran Action on November 2 had 44 players registered was won by NM Joseph Zeltsan who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win the $202 first place prize. IM Jay Bonin and Michael Li scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $101, while Harper Wallace, Alec Hyunmook Choi and Nathan Bolkhovitinov shared in a class prize for the 2.5 score, winning $33.67 each.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
IM Silas Lund: Endgame Corner
This week's endgame column is about positions with bishop versus knight where the knight side must seek dynamic counterplay to keep the balance. As we shall see, this is very hard to do in a practical game. Even if the game is balanced (in terms of evaluation), it is often easier to play the bishop side who can try to control the game with the bishop. So, in practice, the bishop might win 8/10 games in such a position that is evaluated as even. The 2 examples below will show these ideas, first try to solve them as puzzles. You can play through the games with annotations here.
Alexander Alekhine vs Gideon Stahlberg Buenos Aires, 1939 - Olympiad Position after 47.g5. Black to move.
Fabiano Caruana vs Dariusz Swiercz Saint Louis, 2023 - U.S. Chess Championship Position after 59.Ke3. Black to move.
Let’s take a look at the first diagram featuring a position from the world champion, Alexander Alekhine.
47... a5 The correct continuation is 47... hxg5 48. hxg5 fxg5 49. fxg5 Even if Black is unsure how to defend the g7-pawn against the White king invading, the idea of exchanging pawns for defensive purposes should be considered and given highest priority. Exchanging pawns to possibly edge closer to a draw should be the default decision in such a situation. However, next Black faces another tough question: will it be possible to sacrifice the knight on White's g-pawn, to try to secure the draw on the queenside, by exchanging off White's last a-pawn? The question of whether or not it is possible to sacrifice the (minor) piece for the last pawn is something we dealt with in an earlier endgame column (the Sept 12, 2023 Spectator issue.) Kb6 50. Kd6 a5 51. Ke7 Nb7 The answer turns out to be a 'yes'. Even 51... Nc6+ is possible, with similar knight movements. 52. Kf8 Nc5 53. g6 (53. Kxg7 Ne6+) 53... Ne6+ 54. Kf7 Nf4 Mission accomplished. 55. Kxg7 Kc5 56. Kf6 Nxg6 57. Kxg6 Kd4 58. Kf5 Kc3 59. Ba4 Kb2 60. Bb3 a4.
48. g6 This pawn on the 6th rank gives White a winning position. And with 3 pawns left on the kingside, the knight will not be able to sacrifice itself on the last pawn.
48…h5 49. Ba4 Nb7 50. Bd1 Here, White could have sacrificed the bishop to support the g-pawn: 50. Ke6 Nc5+ 51. Kf7 Nxa4 52. Kxg7 Nc5 53. Kh8 Ne6 54. f5)
50... Kd7 51. Bxh5 a4 Now Black switches plan: the goal is to eliminate the a2-pawn and draw the position with 3 versus 2 pawns on the kingside.
52. Kc4 b3 53. axb3 Nd6+ 54. Kb4 axb3 55. Kxb3 Ke7 with pawns on only one side of the board - 83 moves. 1/2-1/2
For the solution to puzzle 2, let's start a few moves earlier to show that it is Black who faces the tougher choices in the quest for a draw in this even endgame. Already it is clear that White will target the b6-pawn, so how to proceed from here?
54... Kg4 55. Bb8 f5 Exchanging pawns is once again a sensible strategy.
56. exf5 Kxf5 57. Ba7 Nd4 58. Bxb6 Nxb3 59. Ke3 So far so good. But now Black needs to react to the white king approaching the knight on b3, leaving the pawns on a5 and c5 vulnerable.
59...g4 After this move, Black needs to be on the guard constantly in this fluid position, where White can create multiple threats. Thus, the defense is harder, and it's easier to make a mistake. The best continuation is to enter the pawn race: 59... Kg4 60. Bc7 Kh3 61. Kd3 g4 62. Kc3 Nd4 63. Bxa5 Kxg3 64. Bb6 Ne6 65. a5 Kf2 66. a6 g3 67. a7 g2 68. a8=Q g1=Q This line was of a more forcing character, which is what you want to look for when you are trying to draw the game: it gives a clear direction to the defensive task.
60. Bc7 Ke6 61. Ke4 Nd2+ 62. Kd3 Nb3 63. Bf4 Kf5 (63... Nd4 was called for.) 64. Be3 Ke5 65. Bh6 Kf5 66. Bg7 Nc1+ 67. Kd2 Nb3+ 68. Ke3 Kg6 69. Bb2 Kf5 70. Bc3 Zugzwang. In such positions, the bishop shows its strength. The white king will advance.
70...Kg5 71. Ke4 Kg6 72. Kf4 Kh5 73. Kf5 Nc1 74. Bxa5 Ne2 75. Bc7 Nd4+ 76. Ke4
Nc6 77. Bd6 Na5 78. Kd5 Kg6 79. Bxc5 Kf5 80. Bb6 1-0
As a reminder, you can play through the games with annotations here.
Checkmate in Cyberspace: Marshall Chess Club Triumphs in Epic Online Clash with Texas Chess Center
Last week, the Marshall Chess Club faced off against the Texas Chess Center in a gripping online match. The electrifying showdown was broadcast on ChessTV to a record-breaking audience of over 2,000 fans—an unprecedented viewership for any event in the history of the Marshall– and GM Benjamin Bok, former Dutch National Champion, provided expert commentary alongside FM Chris Toolin, the organizer for the Texas Chess Center.
The battle featured a rare all-titled matchup, with each side fielding one GM, IM, FM, NM, and a top female player. The Texas Chess Center was represented by a formidable team of GM Rahul Peddi, IM Shaksam Rautela, FM Sharvesh Deviprasath, NM Nelson Lopez, and WGM Anastasia Paramzina. The Marshall Chess Club's dream team was comprised of GM Alexander Lenderman, IM Mykola Bortnyk, FM Aaron Jacobson, NM Zachary Tanenbaum, and WIM Beatriz Marinello.
The format, featuring four games per board with a time control of G/10+2, kept the action fast-paced and dynamic. To add an extra layer of drama, it was agreed that a single additional tiebreaker game per board would be played if the match score was still level by the end. The Marshall team, however, had other plans. Grandmaster Lenderman led the charge, securing a dominant 3.5 - 0.5 victory in his matchup that featured an unusual selection of openings including a Benoni, Reti, and English. Not to be outdone, IM Bortnyk followed suit, sweeping his match with an impressive 4 - 0 score in a series of sharp strategic battles. FM Jacobson displayed his prowess with a commanding 3 - 1 performance, prevailing in several tactical duels that even included a dynamic king march to the center. NM Tanenbaum demonstrated that there was no shortage of fireworks, sacrificing pieces and leaning into double-edged positions on his way to a perfect 4 - 0 sweep. WIM Marinello had her work cut out for her, facing off against a higher rated player who has regularly taken down GMs as of late. But in a showcase of grit and tenacity, Marinello held her ground admirably and wrapped up her match with an excellent 2 - 2 finish.
The final score reflected the dominance of the Marshall team, with an overwhelming 16.5 - 3.5 victory. The team's stellar performance solidified the Marshall’s reputation as a force to be reckoned with in an online rapid format, and paved the way for fielding future challenges from the country’s best players.
As a special treat for our readers, GM Lenderman has graciously provided annotations for some of his standout games in the match. You can play through his games with commentary here. My personal favorite, was a game that began as a sharp Modern Benoni but resolved into a technically winning Rook and Pawn ending.
Alexander vs Nakachuk
Marhsall Chess Club vs Texas Chess Center Match, 2023
Board 1, Round 4
1. d4 I decided to switch here. 1...Nf6 2. c4 c5 My opponent decided to go for a complex fight. It's possible he was a bit tilted this game given how tough of a loss he had last game and that by this point, Marshall more or less secured the win.
3. d5 e6 Choosing the razor-sharp Benoni. 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. h3 Bg7 8. Bf4 O-O 9. e3 a6 10. a4 Ne8 11. Be2 Nd7 12. O-O (12. a5 Ne5 13. Bxe5 Bxe5 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Qd2) 12... Ne5 13. Bxe5
Interestingly enough, we are following two relevant games, one of my games, and one of my opponent's OTB games.
13…Bxe5 Still my opponent's prep, given that he's played it before. Interestingly enough, it improves on Razvan Preotu's game, who at some point, recently, also, studied at UTD Dallas. I wonder if at any point Rahul and Razvan have discussed this Benoni line in any sort of depth. (13... dxe5 Might be less accurate since 14. a5 Nd6 15. Nd2 Bf5 16. e4 Bd7 17. Nc4 {1-0 (41) Lenderman,A (2623)-Preotu,R (2468) Manchester 2016 Led to an advantage)
14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. a5 I was out of my prep here. I ended up deviating from the following game, which I did NOT study before the game. (15. Ne4 b6 16. Nd2 Nd6 17. e4 Ra7 18. Qc2 a5 19. Nc4 Re7 20. Ra3 Nxc4 21. Bxc4 Qd6 22. Re3 Jacobson,A (2343)-Rahul,S (2481) Rockville 2023.)
15... Nd6 16. Qd2 Bd7 17. e4 Rc8 18. Rfc1 Finally, novelty. (18. Qe3 Might be more accurate as was seen in Ter Sahakyan,S (2598)-Alonso Rosell,A (2570) Chess.com INT 2023 18...Qh4 19. Bd3 Rfe8 20. Rfc1 f5 21. f3 Rf8 22. exf5 Bxf5 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24. Qf2 Qd8 25. Re1 Qd6 26. Re4.)
18... Rc7 (18... f5) 19. Qe3 Qe7 20. Nb1 Rfc8 21. b3 f5 22. Nd2 f4 23. Qc3 Bb5 24. Bxb5
(Better was 24. Bg4)
24... Nxb5 25. Qd3 (25. Qb2) 25... Nd4 26. Rc4 g5 27. Rac1 (27. Nf3 h5 28. Nxd4 cxd4 29. Qe2) 27... h5 28. Nf3 g4 29. Nxd4 cxd4 30. hxg4 hxg4 31. Qe2 (31. Qd1) 31... f3 32. gxf3 gxf3 (32... Rxc4 33. Rxc4 Rf8 34. fxg4 Qh4 Gave Black good counterplay.) 33. Qxf3 Qg5+ 34. Qg3 Qxg3+ 35. fxg3 Rxc4 36. Rxc4 Rf8 37. Kg2 Rf7 38. Rc8+ Kg7 39. b4
This is now, a technically winning endgame. 39…Kg6 40. Rc5 Kg7 41. b5 axb5 42. Rxb5 Kg6 43. Rb6+ Kg5 Making things a bit easier for me. (43... Kg7 Was also losing but a bit more tenacious.) 44. Re6 Calculating out the win 44...d3 45. Rxe5+ Kg4 46. d6 Rf3 (46... d2 47. Rd5) 47. Rg5+ Alexander won by resignation.
I felt like my opponent might've been a bit titled last round. Nonetheless, I was still happy to have finished on a good note, and overall performing at a fairly high level. Thank you to the Marshall Chess Club for giving me a chance to represent them in this very prestigious event. 1-0
Chess Toons
En Passant
GM Vidit Gujrathi has been confirmed as the winner of the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss after defeating GM Alexandr Predke and finishing on 8.5/11 in what has been described as one of the strongest open tournaments of all time. Along with receiving $80,000 for first place, Vidit secured his spot at the 2024 Candidates tournament and will be joined by the second-placed GM Hikaru Nakamura, who won $60,000 for his 8/11 score.
GM Ding Liren has withdrawn from several events since becoming world champion. Now the Chinese star reveals to Chess.com that an unspecified illness is the cause of his absence and that he intends to return to tournament play in 2024.
After two rounds in the open section of the European Team Championship, six teams are sharing first place with 4/4 match points: Germany, France, the Netherlands, Serbia, Poland and Israel. Among the six teams standing a match point behind is Austria, who stunned Norway despite Valentin Dragnev failing to make the most of an advantageous position over Magnus Carlsen. In the women’s section, Azerbaijan, France, Poland, Spain and Serbia are sharing the lead, with Spain joining the leading pack after beating the top seeds from Georgia.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
B. Larsson, 1943
White to mate in 2:
a. diagram; b. move White rook to c7; c. move White rook to g7; d. move White rook to f7.
In the chess problem world, this theme (which you'll appreciate upon solving this beauty) is called Allumwandlung. For a discussion, and more examples, of this theme, see Siegfried Hornecker's article here.
---
Solution to last issue's problem: T. Kardos, 1971
Solution to Kardos, 1971: 1.Ra8+, 1.Rab1, 1.Rd1, 1.Ka6, 1.Kc6.
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
23 West Tenth Street New York, NY 10011
212.477.3716