AprilMay 2004

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The First Move

The Official Newsletter of McHenry Area Chess

Volume 1 Number 3 www.McHenryAreaChess.org April - May 2004

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 1

- Purposes of the Organization

- May Tournament Announcement

- Elmhurst Chess Club temporarily closed

Page 2

- Chess Happenings

- March Quad ends in a tie

- Tournament schedule set for rest of year

Page 3-4

- Games and positions from the March Quad

Page 5

- Book Review: Understanding Chess Move by Move

Page 6

- Announcements

Purposes of the Organization

McHenry Area Chess is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a venue for players in the county to play chess competitively and for recreation.

Any and all profits from McHenry Area Chess (M.A.C.) events will be used for club operations or donated charitably.

We hope you enjoy receiving our monthly bulletin. If you wish to receive this bulletin via e-mail, please contact us at www.mchenryareachess.org, or speak to Bob, Andrew or Jeff in person.

May Tournament Announcement

Then next M.A.C. tournament will be held on May 15, at the Crystal Lake Park District Building. It will be a Four Round Swiss, with a time control of G/60 (G/55 with 5 second delay). Registration is from 8:30 to 9:15, and the first round is at 9:30. The entry fee is $10. You may pre-register by contacting Bob, Andrew or Jeff. Please see the flyer in this newsletter for more details.

Elmhurst Chess Club temporarily closed

Elmhurst Chess Club has announced that they have temporarily closed after losing their site at Elmhurst College. All club events for the next two months have been cancelled, and some classic events such as Master Challenge are in doubt.

We sincerely hope that Roger and Blair are able to find a new place to host their tournaments, or convince Elmhurst College to give back the privilege of using their facilities. We also are reminded of how grateful we should be that the Crystal Lake Park District is kind enough to let us use their facilities.

Future developments regarding Elmhurst Chess Club will be published in this newsletter as we learn about them.

Chess Happenings

McHenry Area Chess was featured in an article for the Daily Herald on Sunday, March 21, on the front page of the Community section.

Our Tuesday night Borders club was visited by students from Wauconda Middle School. They are attempting to raise money for their club through a simultaneous grandmaster exhibition on April 17^th.

Rockford Chess Association is hosting a tournament on May 1^st. We thank Glen Gratz for keeping us posted with this information. Learn more at www.rockfordchess.org. Many interesting links can be found on this website, including links to summer chess camps for kids.

Barrington High School has created a strong club and is hosting some excellent events, including a summer camp from June 9-14.

If you have information on area events, please e-mail us at Bob@mchenryareachess.org, or Andrew@mchenryareachess.org. We want to help chess get the publicity it deserves.

March Quad ends in a tie

Bill B. and Andrew W. each scored 2 points out of a possible 3 to tie for 1^st place at the March Quad. The two players split the $25 prize fund, receiving $12.50 each. Jeff C. won third place with a 1½ score, drawing 3 higher rated players in the process.

Although 4 of the six games were draws, there was lots of interesting play, and in a couple of games, one side had to hang on for dear life to avoid losing. Games can be found on pages 3-4.

Bill Andrew Jeff Bob

Bill B X ½ ½ 1

Andrew W. ½ X ½ 1

Jeff C. ½ ½ X ½

Bob C. 0 0 ½ X

Tournament schedule set for rest of year

Events have been scheduled for the rest of the year. All events have registration starting at 8:30, with the first round at 9:30. Except for the Crystal Lake Championships and December Quick Tournament, all entry fees are $10, and approximately 60% of entry fees will be used as a prize fund.

May 15: 4 round Swiss, Game/60

June: 4 round Swiss, Game/60

July: Quads, Game/80

August: McHenry County Championships

September: 4 round Swiss, Game/60

October: Quads, Game/80

November: 4 round Swiss, Game/60

December: 4 round Quick Tournament,

Game/20, entry fee $5.

January: Quads, Game/80

Game of the Month

Bob C. vs Andrew W.

This game has a tremendous amount of tactics, and strategically is interesting as well. The moral of the game is – when you sacrifice positional factors to build up an attack, you must follow through with that attack, even when it requires you to sacrifice!

I left out some tactical variations in order to keep things from getting too confusing.

1. e4 c6

2. d4 d5

3. Nc3 dxe4

4. Nxe4 Nd7

5. Ng5?!

This funny looking move is the best move, mainly because it prevents Black from developing normally. However, since I (AW) showed it to Bob, it is pretty risky for him to play it against me in a tournament!

..Ngf6

Black can’t play ..h6 anytime soon, because of Ne6! Many games have been lost this way, including the infamous final game of Deep Blue – Kasparov, where Kasparov played ..h6 on move 7 and ended up resigning on move 19 – his most humiliating loss ever!

6. Bc4 e6

7. Ne2?!

The book move is Qe2. Ne2 is winding up for a sacrifice on e6, but doesn’t mix well with Ng5.

..h6

8. Nf3 Bd6

9. 0-0 0-0

10. Re1 c5

The standard and necessary break in the position

11. Nf4 Qc7

12. Qd2?

White is in positional trouble, because of the threat cxd4 followed by e5. In order for his opening play to make sense, White has to sacrifice on e6, and there are two possibilities:

A. 12.Bxe6? Bxf4! wins at least a piece for a pawn.

B. 12.Nxe6! is the only way to keep an equal position. 12. ..fxe6 13.Bxe6+ Kh8 14.Nh4!

Analysis after 14. Nh4!

The position is very double-edged, and I will just give Fritz’s main line: 14. ..g5 15.Ng6+ Kg7 16.Nxf8 Nxf8 17.Bxc8 Rxc8 with an unclear position.

12. ..cxd4!

13. Ng6?

Taking the pawn loses: 13.Nxd4? Qxc4 and 13.Qxd4? e5! both win a piece.

13.Nxe6! is best, as it wins one more pawn for the piece. However, Black’s extra move provides some more defensive options, compared to 12.Nxe6. After Fritz’s main line – 13. ..fxe6 14.Bxe6 Kh8 15.Nh4 Re8 16.Ng6+ Kh7 17.Qd3 Rxe6! 18.Nf8++ Kg8 19.Nxe6, Black can play ..Nc5!! with an advantage.

14. Bxe6 Kh7!

15. Qxd4 Nc5

16. Bc4 Bf5

17. Qh4!?

The only way to keep the attack going.

..Nce4

18. Bd3 Rae8

Black’s pieces are becoming very active, so White forces the issue.

19. g4!?

White’s position is losing, so he has to do something to force a mistake.

..Nxg4

20. Bxe4 Bxh2?

Black loses his nerve and tries exchanging into an endgame that may not have been winning. Instead, 20. ..Bxc5 is crushing – wrapping things up by using the threat on f2.

21. Kg2?

One too many random moves. 21.Nxh2 Qxh2+ 22.Qxh2 Nxh2 23.Kxh2 Bxe4 leaves Black only a pawn up.

..Bxe4

22. Rxe4

…Rxf3!?

23. Kxf3? Qxf7!

24. Bf4

24.Rf4 Qd5+! checkmates in 7!

...Rxe4!

0-1

After Kxe4 Qxf4, White can’t avoid losing his queen.

Please feel free to review all the games and annotations on our website!

Positions from the games

Andrew W vs. Bill B

after 50. ..f6?

Black was winning before this move, but now White has a chance to draw. How?

51. exf6 Kxf6

52. Re4!

This trades down to a theoretically drawn King and pawn endgame..

..Kf5

53. Rxd4 Rxd4

54. Kxd4

When it is a king and pawn vs. king endgame, the side that can get the king in front of the pawn almost always gets what they want. Here, White gets his king in front of the pawn, and gets the draw.

Andrew W vs. Bill B

after 25.Rb1?

Black is a pawn ahead. What should he do in this position?

It looks like 25. ..Rc2+ loses to 26. Kd3, forking the bishop and rook. But Black has the move

26. ..Rxb2! Now he’s won a pawn, and if White plays Kxd4 he loses his rook! So White is forced to play Rxb2, and Black’s two pawn advantage should be enough to win the game.

Book Review: Understanding Chess Move by Move, by John Nunn

by Andrew Wang

Modern chess has advanced tremendously in the last 50 years. Yet, modern books about the middle game have lagged behind. In fact, the “classic” middle game book is still My System, written in 1925. What about the advances in the last 75 years?

A recent group of authors has attempted to bridge the gap. Two modern middle game books well worth reading are Reassess Your Chess by Silman and (for advanced players) Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by Watson. The book I’m reviewing, Understanding Chess Move by Move, covers modern middle game advances in a different way – by using modern games to demonstrate them. Of the 30 games, 27 have taken place since 1990, and the games are extremely well annotated and analyzed.

John Nunn splits the book into 4 parts: Opening Themes, Attack and Defense, Positional Play, and Endgame Themes. Each game covers one theme, like “Basic Attacking Ideas”, “Don’t Panic”, “Weak Color Complex”, and “The Power of Passed Pawns.” A major idea in the book is that each position has its own rules and ideas, and that general rules don’t apply in every position. Nunn thoroughly explains why great players break general rules – he spends over 1 ½ pages explaining why Kasparov sacrifices the exchange in game 20. The games themselves are excellent, exciting and sometimes surprising. If you think you understand modern chess, wait until you see game 13, where Khalifman sacrifices his queen on move 15 and wins without ever moving his king, king’s bishop or king’s rook!

I strongly recommend this book for players rated above 1000, or adult players who love to study chess. This book will teach you a lot about how modern players play the middle game, and help advance your understanding of chess. I found it extremely entertaining to read, and well worth the money.

McHenry Area Chess Membership Info

McHenry Area Chess members receive the online newsletter for free, and can pre-register for our events without paying in advance (just call or e-mail). In addition, if you renew your membership through our club you will receive the “affiliate” discount for USCF membership.

Area schools with chess clubs will receive a free mailed newsletter. For all other members, we ask that you provide $10 printing and postage if you wish to receive a printed copy of the newsletter through the mail.

To sign up, please visit our website, mail us at the address below (please include a $10 check if you wish to receive a mailed newsletter) or meet us at Borders in Crystal Lake on Tuesday night, or in McHenry on Thursday night.

Come On Out!

Join us for some casual play during the week. We meet every Tuesday night from 7 PM to 10 PM at the Borders Bookstore on Route 14 in Crystal Lake (815-455-0302) and at the Borders on Route 31 (North of Route 120, 815- 578-9330) in McHenry for the same times every Thursday. There are no fees to play, and you don’t have to be in the USCF. You don’t even have to bring a set, though it’s good if you have one.

We have players at varying strengths from beginners to very experienced, and people of all ages attend. It’s common to see one of our players helping out some of the kids who show up, and it’s not uncommon to see some of the kids in fierce competition against an older player. Sometimes people practice particular openings with a friend. Some people like to play Blitz, and others prefer to play without a clock. Occasionally you can get involved in a game of Bughouse Chess, an amusing variant of team chess where players can use pieces captured by their partner, leading to some truly wacky play.

If you prefer rated competition, come to our monthly tournaments. They’re held on the third Saturday of every month in the Crystal Lake

Park District administration building. We offer cash prizes, except at our August Championship tournament when we give out trophy prizes. We return a majority of the entrance fees in prizes, only reserving a little to cover expenses and to build our annual scholarship fund. See our website for more details about this program.

So whether you prefer your chess serious or silly, you can always find people interested in sharing their enjoyment of the game at our meetings.

Special thanks

McHenry Area Chess appreciates the generous contribution of Reprographics in the printing of last month’s newsletter. Located on Virginia Road in Crystal Lake 815-477-1018, they can meet all your copying and blueprinting needs. They also carry a full line of art supplies. Be sure to mention you read about them here the next time you visit their stores.

McHenry Area Chess

Presents a rated chess tournament.

When: May 15, 2004

Where: Crystal Lake Park District Building

1 E. Crystal Lake Ave.

Crystal Lake, IL 60014

What: A “Swiss” tournament

Four rounds of play

Game/60 time controls

- Registration: 8:30 – 9:15. First round begins at 9:30

Tournament ends by 6:30 PM.

- Entry Fee: $10. Players must be members of USCF.

Join the USCF on site and receive a discount.

- Prizes: $45 for 1^st place

$30 for 2^nd place

$15 for 3^rd place

$15 for top under 1200

$15 for biggest upset win.

Prize fund based on 20 entries

To pre-register for the tournament, or if you have questions, please contact Andrew at:

(847) 458-0789

Andrew@mchenryareachess.org, or

P.O. Box 1579, Crystal Lake, IL 60039

Please see www.mchenryareachess.org for more details

McHenry Area Chess is a non-profit group dedicated to promoting chess activity in the McHenry County area. Officers are Bob Cairone, Andrew Wang and Jeff Colwell. Visit our website at www.mchenryareachess.org for more information. Meet us at Borders in Crystal Lake on Tuesday, or Borders in McHenry on Thursday. We look forward to meeting you.