The Marshall Spectator
March 6, 2024 edition
In This Issue: From The Skittles Room Endgame Corner, by IM Silas 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 Marshall Chess Club is excited to kick off the first ever offsite scholastic tournament in partnership with the Speyer Legacy School. The first event will be held on Sunday, April 7. You can register your child in advance here. Here are some details of the event: Format: 4 player Quad sections Time Control: G/55, d5  Entry Fee: $45 Members; $60 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 AM Rd1 9:30AM Rd2 11:45AM 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). This is not a drop off event, parents and guardians are responsible for their child for the whole duration of the tournament. Â
Looking ahead to next week, we will start a new cycle of our monthly team event on March 12, after it was postponed due to the recent snow storm last month. This was a popular team event the last cycle, and we anticipate an excellent turnout for the event this time too.
Last month, we hosted a panel to celebrate Black History Month and to honor the remarkable rise of African American Chess Masters.
Jessica Hyatt, IM Brewington Hardaway, Jerald Times, Rochelle Ballantyne, IM Kassa Korley, and Adia Onyango reflected on the extraordinary achievements and contributions to the world of chess made by these players as well as the increase in new talent in the African American community. If you were unable to attend the event, a full recap video can be viewed here.Â
Over the last two weeks we have had a plethora of events for our members to play in.
The Saturday Under 2000 Morning Action on March 2 had 58 players registered and was won by Abisayo Abe, Lucas Fugate, and Claudio Martin Mariani who scored a perfect 3 out of 3 to win $169.33 each. The following 3 players scored 2 points to share in a class prize, winning $72.67 each: Kevin Pierson, Avery Whitaker, and Victor Kenny-Maheux.
The Andre Harding Action on February 29 had 47 players registered and was won by Joseph Zeltsan and IM Jay Bonin who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $162 each. Nura Baalla, CM Rachel Miller, and Mitchell Stern scored 3 points to share in a class prize, winning $36 each. The following 5 players scored 2.5 out of 4 to share in a class prize, winning $21.60 each: Andrew Colwell, Jack Yang, Harper Wallace, Elian Sonnenberg, and Matthew Biancuzzo. Â
The Saturday Game 50 Open on February 25 had 41 players registered and concluded with a 3-way tie. The following players scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $173.33 each: Bryan Weisz, Jason Jiang, and Ari Drucker.
The Sunday Game 50 Under 1600 on February 25 had 37 players registered and was won by Gabriel Wecht and Reginal Denis who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win $180 each. Aarush Bandreddi and Andrew Ferrante scored 3 points to share in a class prize winning $54 each.
The ALTO Open on February 24 had 9 players registered and was won by IM Jay Bonin and Andrew Colwell, who scored 2.5 out of 3 to win $44 each.
The Under 1400-1700 ALTO on February 24 had 10 players registered and concluded with a 4-way tie. The following four players scored 2 points to win $22 each: Robert Thorstad, Max Ranis, Gabe Wecht, and Robert Davis.
The Under 1500 ALTO on February 24 had 8 players registered and was won by Marquis Brown, who scored 3 out of 3 to win $63. Â There was a 3-way tie for the remaining prize funds among the following players who scored 2 points to win $25 each: Raymond Maldonado, Joseph Epstein, and Noah Zucker.
The FIDE Blitz on February 23 featured a packed house with 66 players registered. The event was won by out club champion, IM Mykola Bortnyk who scored a perfect 9 out of 9 to win the $330 first place prize. There was a 4-way tie for the remaining place prize money between the following players who all scored 7 points to win $61.88 each: GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez, IM Nico Chasin, FM Brewington Hardaway, and Jospeh Zeltsan.
The Weekly Thursday Open which concluded February 22 had 31 players registered and was won by Anthony Levin, who scored 5.5 out of 6 to win $310. Nkosi Nkululeko scored 5 points to come in clear second, earning $207 for his efforts, while George Berg scored 4.5 to win $104. Joseph Cuscianna Jr. scored 4 points to win a class prize of $104, while the brothers Leandro Ulloa and Luis Manuel Ulloa both scored 3.5 to share in a class prize winning $26 each.
The Andre Harding Action on February 22 had an impressive turnout, with 51 players registered. The event was won by Joseph Zeltsan and IM Alexander Katz who scored a perfect 4 out of 4 to win $180 each. There were 5 players who scored 3 points to share in a class prize of $48 each: Maahir Patel, Michail Kobanenko, Andrew Colwell, Jack Yang, and Sasha Schaefer.
The Marshall Masters on February 20 had 26 players registered and was won by IM Jay Bonin who scored 3.5 out of 4 to win the $217 first place prize. The following 4 players scored an even 3 points, winning $76 each: IM Maximillian Lu, Bryan Weisz, Michael Li, and Vladimir Bugayev.
The President’s Day Action on February 19 had an eye-popping 87 players, and was won by Jason Jiang who scored a nearly perfect 5.5 out of 6 to win $716. The following 6 players scored 5 out of 6 points winning $190.83 each: Robert Perez, Bryan Weisz, Ted Belanoff, Charlie Creswell, Rilwan Ameen, and Jack Yang. What’s more, there were 5 players who scored 4 points to share in a class prize, winning $57.20 each: Benito Kestelman, Ahnaf Shammo, Kiaan Javeri, David Yesilevich, and Alexander Berglund.
The Monthly Under 2400 which concluded February 18 had 21 players registered and was won by Jason Jiang and Aleksandr Gutnik, who both scored 4 out of 5 to win $245 each. Timothy Ng and Matthew Slesinski also had excellent results, finishing with 3.5 out of 5 to win $96.50 each, while Dazhen Lu scored an impressive 3 out of 5 to win a class prize of $105.
The Rated Beginner Open on February 18 had 69 players and concluded with no fewer than 6 perfect scores. The following players scored a perfect 3 out of 3 and won $143.83 each: Joseph Solomon, Dave Vaval, Devyn Camp, Matteo Vicencio, Anna Tkach, and Aidan Fry.
The Saturday Under 2000 Morning Action on February 17 had 68 players registered and was concluded in a 7-way tie between the following players: David Campbell, Jack Yang, Mihir Bafna, Ari Drucker, Davin Chen, Mingrui Jui, and Dhruthi Rao. Each of these players scored a perfect 3 out of 3 and won $85 for their perfect performance.
We look forward to seeing you at the club soon!
Endgame Corner, by IM Silas Esben Lund
The subject this time is knight versus bishop - but this time where the knight is the superior minor piece. The point I want to make is that even with a vastly superior knight, it can be hard to win such endgames as the bishop has hidden potential and the knight is short-legged. My favorite Russian chess proverb explains it well: "Even the worst bishop is better than the best knight." You can play through the games here.
Henneberger, Walter vs. Nimzowitsch, Aron
Black to move transformed the position with 43... Bxc3. In the game, White recaptured with the pawn.
If he instead had played 44. Bxc3, Black has 2 ways to break through:
A) 44... a3
B) 44... Nf6 45. a3 Ne4 46. Be1 c3 47. bxc3 Kc4 48. Ke2 Nxc3+
In both cases, Black is breaking in. 45. Ke2 axb2 46. Bxb2 Kb4 followed by 47. c3 48. Bc1 Kc4
In this above position, it’s Black to move. Find a winning plan. The solution will be given below.
My question was deliberately a tricky one, because it's not easy to find and accurately describe a comprehensive winning plan - even under the most favorable of circumstances. I will give my step-by-step solution with in-depth explanation, and the lesson I want you to take away is exactly how hard it is to win these positions.
44... Kc6 45. Ke2 Nf6 46. Ke3 Ne4 47. Ke2 Kd5 48. Ke3.
So far, so good. Now Black triangulates to lose a move. This maneuver is possible due to White's lack of space.
48...Kd6 (For comparison: 48... Nd6 49. Bd2 Nb5 50. Be1 Na3 51. Bd2 If White were to move here, he would be in zugzwang and would have to make a concession and either place his bishop on a1 (like in the game) or allow it to be exchanged on e1. 52. Bc1 (Or 52. Be1 Nc2+ 53. Kd2 Nxe1 54. Kxe1 Ke4 55. Ke2 a3 22) 52... Nb1 53. Bb2 a3 54. Ba1)
49. Ke2 Kc6 1 50. Ke3 Kd5 It is now White to move. 51. Ke2 Nd6 52. Ke3 Nb5 53. Bd2 Na3
We have the position discussed above. 54. Bc1 Nb1 55. Bb2 (55. Bd2 Nxd2 56. Kxd2 Ke4 57. Ke2 a3)
55... a3 56. Ba1 With the bishop trapped in the corner, Black triangulates one more time to prepare to break in with the king.
56…Kd6 57. Ke2 Kc6 58. Kd1 The best option is to go for the trapped knight. (58. Kf2 allows Nd2) ( 58. Ke3 Kd5 allows the black king to e4.)
58... Kd5 59. Kc2 Ke4 60. Kxb1 Kf3 Sacrificing the knight in endgames with B vs N is rare, and only works if the circumstances are right. In our case, Black's positional superiority from the outset was overwhelming. On the other hand, a bishop sacrifice in such endgames is much more common. To me, this is one element that shows the bishop's superiority over the knight - materially speaking.
61. Bb2 White finds counter-play. This had to be anticipated. Now a pawn race ensues.
61…axb2 62. a4 Kxg3 63. a5 Kh2 64. a6 g3 65. a7 g2 66. a8=Q g1=Q+ 67. Kxb2 Qg2+ The resulting pawn endgame is winning. 68. Qxg2+ Kxg2 69. Ka3 Kf3 70. Kb4 Kxf4 71. Kxc4 Ke3 72. d5 exd5+ 73. Kxd5 f4 74. c4 f3 75. c5 f2 76. c6 f1=Q.
White resigned due to 77. c7 Qa6 The faint hope of a draw based on the c-pawn is an illusion as it is not properly supported by the king. 0-1
If you enjoy Silas Esben Lund’s writing, considering checking out some of his books. We are thrilled to have some of his recent titles now available in the club library.
IM Silas Lund, Spectator Columnist
Chess Toons
En Passant
One of the world's most prestigious tournaments is facing a significant hurdle as FIDE has announced a public appeal to the Canadian authorities to expedite the visa process for several players. Canadian Chess Federation President Vladimir Drkulec says there's a week to fix things and otherwise the tournament will be moved to Spain.
Nineteen-year-old GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov overtook GMs Alireza Firouzja and Ian Nepomniachtchi to enter the world top-five after a smooth win over GM Mateusz Bartel in round five of the Prague Masters.
If you checked your FIDE rating this month you may have noticed something. FIDE, the chess world-governing body, made a significant move in an attempt to combat rating deflation and improve the accuracy of the ranking system by adjusting the rating for hundreds of thousands of players.
Problems, Problems, curated by Alexander George
W. Steinitz, 1862
White to move and win.
A few weeks ago, we saw a problem that stumped Steinitz. And last week, a problem by a World Champion. Above, is (I believe) the only known sound problem by Steinitz himself. I can't say it's particularly interesting or pretty, but there you have it.Â
For the next few weeks, we'll explore some problems by World Champions. (If you know of any, please send them my way: mcc-chess@ahg.slmail.me.)Â
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Last issue’s problem: A. Karpov & E. Gik, 1981
Solution to A. Karpov & E. Gik, 1981: 1.O-O
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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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