Sunday, April 22, 2007

Hales Corners Challenge V

Emory Tate vs Anthony Parker

International Master Emory Tate and FM Alexander Stamnov tied for first with 4-0 in the 4 round G/60 event. Mr. Tate just returned from the Reykjavik International. He was on his way to a GM norm there but only scored 0-3=1 in the last 4 rounds.
Tournament Results


I went 1-1=1. I had the following postion against a 1905 player but could not find the move Nf5+ in bad time trouble. I still went into the endgame a piece up, but lost.

(6) Wijetunge,I (1850) - Wagner,R (1905) [D30]Hales Coreners V (2), 22.04.2007 G/55 with 5 sec. delay
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.e3 Nbd7 5.Bd3 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 0-0 7.0-0 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Qc2 Re8 10.Bd2 Bb7 11.a3 Bf8 12.b4 [ 12.Ng5 g6] 12...c5 13.bxc5 [ 13.Ng5 g6 14.bxc5 bxc5 15.Rfb1 c4 16.Rxb7 cxd3 17.Qxd3] 13...bxc5 14.dxc5 Nxc5 15.Bb5 Re6 16.Nd4 Rb6 17.a4 [ 17.Na4 Nxa4 18.Qxa4] 17...a6 18.a5 Rd6 [ 18...Rxb5 19.Ndxb5 axb5 20.Nxb5 Ba6] 19.Be2 g6 20.Na4 Nxa4 21.Qxa4 Rc8 22.Rab1 Rd7 23.Rb6 Ne4 24.Bb4 Bc5 25.Bxc5 Nxc5 26.Qb4 Rcc7 27.Rb1 Kg7 28.Bg4 Rd6 29.Qb2 Qf6 30.Rxd6 Nd3 31.Rxf6 [ 31.Nf5+] 31...Nxb2 32.Rc6 [ 32.Rb6] 32...Bxc6 33.Rxb2 * 0-1

(*at this stage I am down to a few seconds and stopped keeping score, and ended up making a few horrible moves)

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Waukesha Chess Club Tournament

I am the 2nd seed in an 8 person sectional. One game a week on Wednesdays. (G/90)

1) 3/14 Draw D. Wetzel (1630) vs Me
2) 3/21 Win Me vs J.Hetzel (1639)
3) 3/28 Win H. Lilly(1798) vs Me
4) 4/4 Me vs A. Walker (1824) - Postponed till 5/2
5) 4/11 Me vs R.Jayne (1595) - Postponed till 5/9
6) 4/18 Win J. Coons (1879) vs me
7) 4/25 Loss Me vs A Jensen (1620)

4) 5/2 Loss Me vs A. Walker (1824)
5) 5/9 Draw Me vs R.Jayne (1595)


Round 6 J. Coons (1879) vs me Win (Click here to replay)

I missed a few tactics, but the endgame was easily winning.
Here I missed 9...Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Qxd4 Here I missed 24...Nd3

(1) Coons,J (1845) - Wijetunge,I (1840)

1.Nf3 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Na6 6.e4 Bg4 7.Bxc4 e6 8.Be2 Nb4 9.h3 Bh5 [ 9...Bxf3 10.Bxf3] 10.0-0 a5 11.Bf4 Be7 12.Rc1 0-0 13.Re1 Rc8 14.Ne5 Bxe2 15.Rxe2 Nh5 16.Be3 Bg5 17.Qd2 h6 18.Nf3 Bxe3 19.Qxe3 Qf6 20.g3 Rce8 21.Ne5 Rd8 22.Nf3 Rfe8 23.e5 Qg6 24.g4 f5 [ 24...Nd3 25.Nh4 Qg5 26.Rd1] 25.Nh4 Qg5 26.Qxg5 hxg5 27.gxh5 gxh4 28.Rd1 Kf7 29.f4 Rh8 30.Rg2 Rxh5 31.Rdd2 Rg8 32.b3 g5 33.Ne2 g4 34.Kh2 Nd5 35.Rd3 Rh7 36.hxg4 fxg4 37.Kg1 Ne7 38.Nc3 h3 39.Rgg3 Nf5 40.Ne4 Nxg3 41.Rxg3 Rh4 42.Nd6+ Kg6 43.Nxb7 Kf5 44.Nxa5 Kxf4 45.Kh2 Rc8 46.b4 Rh7 47.Nc4 Rb8 48.Rb3 Rhb7 49.b5 cxb5 50.Nd6 Rc7 51.Rb2 b4 52.Rf2+ Kg5 0-1

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Brought back to earth in Rockford

In my last 14 rated games I had lost only two games, both to masters. I was the top seed and paired against a player more than 400 points below me. I spent my time getting the following position as black with black to play. Around this time my confidence had turned into over-confidence, and that is very dangerous place to be.

I went into a pawn endgame which I thought was a win for me, but with best play it was a draw, but I still had a chance to win with a4 in this position, but by this time I didn't have that much time left:I ended up losing, and was so rattled by this that I lost the next game to a 1700 player.

Well, back to the drawing board...

(2) Romano,R (1430) - Wijetunge,I (1874) [B16]Rockford (1), 14.04.2007
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.gxf3 e6 9.Be3 Nd7 10.f4 f5 11.Bc4 Nb6 12.Bb3 Qh4 13.Qf3 Nd5 14.Bxd5 cxd5 15.0-0-0 Qd8 16.Rd3 Rc8 17.Rb3 Qd7 18.Qe2 Rg8 19.Qb5 Qxb5 20.Rxb5 Rc7 21.Rd1 Kd7 22.Rb3 Be7 23.Rbd3 Rg2 24.Rh1 Rc8 25.Rdd1 Bh4 26.Rdf1 b5 27.Kd2 b4 28.Rhg1 Rcg8 29.Rxg2 Rxg2 30.Ke2 Bf6 31.Rh1 Kc6 32.Kd3 Bh4 33.Ke2 Kb5 34.b3 Rg8 35.Kd3 a5 36.Rc1 Rc8 37.c4+ bxc3 38.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 39.Kxc3 Be7 40.Kc2 Bb4 41.Bd2 Bxd2 42.Kxd2 Kb4 43.Kc2 Ka3 44.Kb1 f6 45.f3 h6 46.h4 h5 47.Ka1 Kb4? [ 47...a4 Wins! for black 48.bxa4 Kxa4 49.Kb2 Kb4 50.Kc2 Kc4 51.Kb2 Kxd4 52.a4 Kc5 53.Kb3 d4 54.a5 d3 55.Kc3 Kb5 56.Kxd3 Kxa5 57.Kd4 Kb4 58.Kd3] 48.Kb2 Kb5 49.a3 a4 50.Kc3 Ka5 51.bxa4 Kxa4 52.Kb2 Kb5 53.Kb3 1-0

Thursday, April 12, 2007

This and that...

I was going to play in the Great Lakes Open in Michgan, but decided against it because of the low prize to entry fee ratio and distance to the event from Milwaukee.

Instead I decided to play in 2 one day events this month:

April 14 Rockford 2nd Saturday Open (Illinois)
EF $20 by April 9, $25 at site.
4SS, G/80,
Our Master’s United Methodist Church, 5973 Darlene Dr., Rockford 61109. Free parking.

Prizes Fund: 70% of EF’s, 30% first. No Smoking.

Schedule: Reg. 8:30-9:30 am. ANY reg. after 9:50 am must take 1/2 point bye in 1st rd.

Rds. 10:00, 1, 3:30, 6:30. Bye: 1/2 pt avail. in rds. 1-3, max. 1 bye. Ent: (Check Payable to) Rockford Chess Association, 2764 Panorama Drive, Rockford, IL 61109. http://www.rockfordchess.com/ Questions: 815-397-9186. Email: mabarkdoll@gmail.com BRING CLOCKS—NONE PROVIDED.

Apr. 21 Hales Corners Challenge V GPP: 10 (Wisconsin)
4SS, G/60. Two Sections: Open & Reserve (under 1600).

Village Hall, 5635 S. New Berlin Rd., Hales Corners, WI (Milwaukee Area).

EF: $35-Open, $25-Reserve, both $5 more after 4/18. Comp EF for USCF 2200+, contact TD for details.

$$Open (b/25)=1st-$325 (guaranteed), 2nd-$175 (guaranteed), A-$100, B and Below-$75;

$$ Reserve (b/25)=1st-$100, 2nd-$75, D-$50, E & Below-$40. Reg: 8:30-9:30, Rds: 10-1-3:30-6. Ent: Payable to Southwest Chess Club, c/o Allen Becker, 6105 Thorncrest Drive, Greendale, WI 53129. (allenbecker@wi.rr.com). Questions to TD Gary Wright 414-315-0043.

According to the TD, International Master Emory Tate will most probably play in this event.

I had a very interesting game against Mr. Tate in a G/90 side event at the US Open last year.

Click here to replay. (I am playing White)

Me (1800) - Tate,E (2447) [A40]
Chicago G/90 (2), 05.08.2006

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 b6 3.Bg5 f6 4.Bh4 Bb7 5.e3 Nh6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.c3 Ne7 8.Nbd2 Nhf5 9.Bg3 h5 10.e4 h4 11.Bf4 Ng6 12.Be3 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Qe7 14.Qa4 a6 15.Rf1 c5 16.Rc1 b5 17.Qd1 cxd4 18.cxd4 Qb4 19.Qb3 Qa5 20.Ke2 Be7 21.a3 h3 22.g3 0-0 23.Ng1 Rab8 24.Nxh3 b4 25.Rf5 Qd8 26.a4 d5 27.Rf2 Qe8 28.Kf1 Rc8 29.Rc2 [ 29.Rxc8 Qxc8 30.Kg2 Qc1 31.Nf4 Nxf4+ 32.exf4 Rc8] 29...Qd7 30.e5 f5 31.Nf4 Nxf4 32.exf4 Bc6 33.Qa2 [ 33.Bxa6 Bxa4 ( 33...Ra8 34.Bb5 Bxb5+ 35.axb5 Qxb5+) 34.Bxc8 Bxb3] 33...Bxa4 34.b3 Bb5 35.Rf3 [ 35.Bxb5 Qxb5+ 36.Kg2 g5] 35...Rc3 [ 35...Bxd3+ 36.Rxd3 Qb5 37.Ke2] 36.Bxb5 [ 36.Rxc3 bxc3 37.Nb1 Rc8 38.Qc2 Bxd3+ 39.Rxd3 Qb5 40.Nxc3 Bb4] 36...Qxb5+ 37.Kg2 Rfc8 38.Rb2 [ 38.Rcxc3 bxc3 39.Qc2 Qe2+ 40.Rf2 Qe3 41.Nf3 Qe4] 38...g5 39.Rf2 gxf4 40.Rxf4 Bg5 41.Rf1 Be3 42.Nf3 Qd3 0-1


I am pretty excited about the Chicago Open. It's not often that I get to be one of the top seeds.(1874 in the Under-1900 Section) I am playing in the 4 day event with a bye in round 1, that way I get 2 games a day and one less night to spend in Chicago.


I am almost done with the very entertaining book Kings of New York. It will be interesting to see how the team does this w-end at the National High School (K12) Championship . It will be the last time their 2 stars Bercys, Salvijus (2491) and Lenderman, Alex (2471) compete.

There are 1436 players from 37 states registered so far!