Josh Flores replaces Patrick Cohen as secretary and Dan Wilson accepts general board position

There have been a couple of board changes. Patrick Cohen contacted me a couple of weeks ago to let me know he was going to resign in a couple of months due to his limited time to be available for meetings. I contacted Josh Flores to see if he would take over the secretary position, since he held it previously. He was willing to start in March and Patrick was willing to resign effective February 29. Patrick has informed me he will graciously assist the board with several behind-the-scenes efforts he does to help this great organization.

Daniel Wilson had previously  reached out to me to see if he could be part of the board. Since Josh was currently on board as a general collar county member, we now had an open position. The board offered Dan that position.

We now have a full board minus a downstate general board position. If anyone is interested please email Josh at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,

Thanks and please lets welcome Dan and Josh to their new positions and thank Patrick for his many years of service where I personally will miss his input and knowledge at meetings.

Steve

President Illinois Chess Association

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Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Chess State Championship 2024

 

Illinois High School Association (IHSA)

Chess State Championship 2024

Peoria, Illinois February 9-10, 2024




Firstly, I’d like to thank the organizers and the directors, along with all of the players for making this edition of the IHSA State Championship the best it could’ve been.

 

I myself played in the tournament, and I can confidently say that it was an amazing experience – more than simply being a tournament, but as a way to make friends and bond as a team.

 

After the first day, when we were 4/4, the anticipation for the possibilities of the following day was immense. And even though we didn’t end up performing as well as we hoped, the experience was all that mattered.

 

I’ve been to many tournaments throughout my life, but something about this one was special. The opportunity of being able to be with friends outside of the plain school environment, on top the combination of my own hobbies, made this an exceptionally special tournament.

 

Enough about that, onto the results of the tournament.



128 teams played in the tournament – after the first day, only 8 teams remained undefeated.

 

Round 5; Final 8 undefeated

Table 4: Aurora (IMSA) defeated Naperville (Neuqua) 56.5 vs 11.5

Table 3:Palatine (Fremd) defeated Naperville (Central) 39.5 vs 28.5

Table 2:Chicago (Payton)defeated Evanston (Twp.) 55 vs 13

Table 1:Lincolnshire (Stevenson) defeated Chicago (Whitney Young) 50 vs 18

 

Round 6; Final 4 undefeated

Table 2:Chicago (Payton) defeated Aurora (IMSA) 34.5 vs 33.5

Table 1:Lincolnshire (Stevenson) defeated Palatine (Fremd) 50.5 vs 17.5

 

Round 7, Final round; Final 2 undefeated

Table 1. After a long match, Stevenson and Payton finished the tournament with a draw in the final round. Stevenson eventually won on tiebreakers.

 

Here is the winning team:




Glenn Panner from Chess Weekend supplied individual award medals to all players with at least 5.5 points out of 7. Bronze was awarded with 5.5, Silver with 6, and gold with 6.5 or 7 points. Around 100 players received medals out of 1200.

 

The following participants were awarded medals.

 

Name

Total Points

Medal

Arthur Xu (Jr.)

7

Gold

Dario Pjevic (So.)

7

Gold

Gustavo Garcia (Fr.)

7

Gold

Makhi Fox (Fr.)

7

Gold

Ochirbat Lkhagvajamts (Jr.)

7

Gold

Owen Geraghty (Sr.)

7

Gold

Shakira Luster (Sr.)

7

Gold

Vrishank Ramnath (Jr.)

7

Gold

Benjamin McKendall (So.)

6.5

Gold

Chris Garcia (Sr.)

6.5

Gold

Connor Nance (So.)

6.5

Gold`

Daniel Avalos (Jr.)

6.5

Gold

Ekansh Mehrotra (Fr.)

6.5

Gold

Feolu Kolawole (Sr.)

6.5

Gold

Issac Padua (Jr.)

6.5

Gold

Paul Hanrahan (Jr.)

6.5

Gold

Saboor Khan (Fr.)

6.5

Gold

Sammy McCandless (Jr.)

6.5

Gold

Tate Morrison (Sr.)

6.5

Gold

Whitman Kosak (Jr.)

6.5

Gold

Adrian Montesino (Sr.)

6

Silver

Andre Dzwiniel (Fr.)

6

Silver

Andrew Coss (Jr.)

6

Silver

Andy Ordway (Sr.)

6

Silver

Andy Yuen (So.)

6

Silver

Arnav Karthikeyan (So.)

6

Silver

Beren Ozer (So.)

6

Silver

Caleb Valentino (Sr.)

6

Silver

David Yong (So.)

6

Silver

David Zappa (Sr.)

6

Silver

Emmett Lin (So.)

6

Silver

Ethan Tobias (So.)

6

Silver

Gavin Snopko (Jr.)

6

Silver

Hansen Du (So.)

6

Silver

Jacob Ang (Sr.)

6

Silver

Jacob Jensen (Sr.)

6

Silver

Jo Swan (So.)

6

Silver

Kayden Zhu (Jr.)

6

Silver

Konrad Kremper (Jr.)

6

Silver

Lazar Martic (So.)

6

Silver

Maddox Todd (Fr.)

6

Silver

Marc Ntumba-Mukadi (So.)

6

Silver

Michael Li (Fr.)

6

Silver

Neil Gani (Sr.)

6

Silver

Ray Sun (Jr.)

6

Silver

Ria Raj (So.)

6

Silver

Sadkrith Malladi (Jr.)

6

Silver

Shalen Chawla (Jr.)

6

Silver

Sohan Bendre (Sr.)

6

Silver

Sreekar Gangavarapu (So.)

6

Silver

Tugstumer Yesuntumur (Sr.)

6

Silver

Tyler Chen (Fr.)

6

Silver

Young Cha (Sr.)

6

Silver

Agastya Sapru (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Andrew Mazzio (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Anthony Tsyganov (Fr.)

5.5

Bronze

Asher Reedy (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Ayush Shah (Fr.)

5.5

Bronze

Bao Ta (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Brian Farkas (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Chase Brinkmann (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Christine Liu (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Cole Tupper (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Connor Osullivan (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Craven Andaya (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Daniel Arredondo (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Derek Wietelmann (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Dylan Zec (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Eduardo Mota (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Erik Garcia (Fr.)

5.5

Bronze

Ethan Montemayor (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Ethan Singerman (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Faris Pena (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Harrison Weinberger (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Iman Ansari (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Jack Drucker (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Jacob Plotnick (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Jake Wittman (Fr.)

5.5

Bronze

Jameson Tenopir (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Jamila Matovu (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Jerry Bauer (So.)

5.5

Bronze

John Waldo (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Jonathan Cheng (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Joshua Gravel (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Joshua Thorstenson (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Jovanni Juarez (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Junho Park (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Liam Whitecotton (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Madeline Green (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Matthew Erlec (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Max Lu (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Nolan Collins (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Pauline Yang (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Roman Kash (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Ryan Austin (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Sam Kemeny (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Sanad Abu Awad (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Seth Parent (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Soham Dongre (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

Taofeeq Amuda (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Vinay Sridhar (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Wentao Lin (So.)

5.5

Bronze

Wilbert Chu (Sr.)

5.5

Bronze

Yasin Kansu (Jr.)

5.5

Bronze

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2024 Kings and Queens (K-8) and High School CPS Championships

2024 Kings and Queens (K-8) and High School CPS Championships

Senn Park High School

January 20, 2024



The Kings and Queens tournament consisted of three sections – K-4, K-6, and K-8 – with almost 350 CPS players. The High School tournament consisted of two sections:  Junior Varsity and Varsity, which consisted of a combined 175 CPS high schoolers.

 

In the K-4 section, Edison–Blue finished with a perfect 4-0 for an uncontested first place. Three teams tied for second place with 3 points: Keller – Red, Decatur, and Edison – white.

 

Three players from the K-4 section won all 4 games: Natalie Huang from Decatur, Amay Sarupia from Edison – Blue, and Nurislam Ababakirov from Edison – Blue as well. A further three players finished with 3.5/4 points: Angel Salgado from Carson, Camilo Farinella from Edison – White, and Daniel Zheng from Keller – Blue.

 

In the K-6 section, Skinner North beat Pritzker to complete a perfect 4-0 for first place. Second place had a tie of three teams at 3 points, the teams were Lincoln, Edison – RGC, and Pritzker.

 

The K-6 had a remarkable seven players that went undefeated in all 4 games. They were Shrihaan Bathula from Decatur, Shane Thomas Veale and Ethan Villadiego playing for Edison – RGC, Esen Munkhtur and Vincent Yang from Lincoln, and Avida Biswas and Jonathan Cui from Skinner North.

 

Similarly, K-8 was an uncontested victory with a perfect 4-0 by Whitney Young – Gold who beat Lane Tech – AC. Five additional teams tied for second with 3 points: Lane Tech – AC, Decatur, Taft – AC, Bateman, and Keller.

 

The K-8 also had seven players who went undefeated: Gabriel Jael and Kalen Anderson from Bateman, Kyle Mak from Keller, Christopher Vele from Nobel – Blue, and Mason Qiao and Gene Tcheng from Whitney Young – Gold.

 

The High School JV section had one uncontested winner with 4 points: Whitney Young – Orange who beat Whitney Young – Blue during the final round. Four teams also tied for second place with 3 points; Whitney Young - Blue, Walter Payton, Brooks - Blue, and Englewood – STEM Red.

 

Four players from the JV section finished with a perfect record of 4-0. June Vincent Lee Mino from Lincoln Park High – Blue, Alexander Alvarez from Whitney Young – Blue, Chetan Cherukuri and Vincent Pan from Whitney Young – Orange. Additionally, David Zachary Zurawski finished with 3.5 points.

 

Similarly, in the High School Varsity Section, Walter Payton won with a perfect 4-0 after defeating Lane Tech in the final round. Three teams tied for second with three points: Whitney Young, Lane Tech, and Brooks.

 

In the Varsity section, six players had a perfect four wins: Avi Kaplan and Whitman Kosak from Lane Tech, Marco Baldwin from Lincoln Park, Sohan Anup Bendre from Walter Payton, and Dimitrios Deligiannia and Nithin Ramasamy from Whitney Young.

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2024 Illinois K-8 State Chess Championship

The 2024 Illinois K-8 Championship will be both a team and individual event held by Chess Weekend, Inc. with the Illinois Chess Association on March 8-10, 2024 in Schaumburg, IL. The main event will consist of four sections based on grade level – K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8 – with seven rounds starting Saturday morning. Besides the main event, there will be numerous fun side events such as bughouse, blitz, and puzzle-solving contests. 

 

Over 200 trophies will be awarded on top of a commemorative medal or ribbon for all players. Additionally, a wonderful book and equipment vendor will be on site for all needs at the tournament. Though the tournament is an Illinois Championship, players from all states are welcome; but state championship titles go to Illinois players. Complete details of round times and entry fees can be found here.

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ICA Editor and Staff Writer Message

ICA Editor and Staff Writer  – receive any emails sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

My name is Jacob Plotnick and I am the new editor for ICA to write about their tournaments . As the editor and staff writer I will write articles for ICA tour events, state championships, and other larger tournaments. I will additionally take concerns of error into consideration and work to mend them ASAP. I can receive any such emails at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. My goal is to reply to any requests within 72 hours. 

 

I am currently a sophomore in high school and have been playing chess for almost seven years. Outside of chess, my main areas of study are math and engineering. Most recently, the de Rham cohomology, with hopes to pursue aerospace engineering in the future. 

 

If you notice any errors when reading one of my postings, please reach out at your soonest convenience. 

 

Jacob

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Tim Just Winter Open 2024

The Illinois Chess Association would like to congratulate Bill Buklis for successfully running the initial tournament of the 2024 year for the Illinois Chess Tour. The 40th annual Tim Just Winter Open was played from January 5th to January 7th and had six sections ranging from a U1300 to a Major section. There was a separate tournament on the 6th specifically for scholastic players with a further three sections. In total, the event had over 300 players.

 

Major

IM Sam Schmakel defeated Ankush Moolky in the final round to take outright first place. Tugstumur Yesuntumur drew Augusto Cesar Campos to tie for second place.

 

Click the image below to see the top games of round 5: 

U2100

Bryce McClanahan was the outright winner with 4.5/5 points. Artemii Khanbutaey, Steven Napoli, Aidan Baker and Andrey Dmitriev tied for second with a score of 4/5 points.

U1900

Aaron Anderson beat Aayush Thakker and Memanth Samayamantri beat Jack Drucker in their last matches to tie for first with 4.5/5

U1700

Carl John Gibson beat Carmelo S Napoli to finish as the  outright winner at 4.5/5. Carmelo ended with 4/5. Madison Lofts, Harrison Schilling and Nathaniel Bafia all joined Carmelo Carmelo in a four-way tie for second at 4/5.

U1500

There was a two-way tie for first between Kostandinos Skoufos and Alastar WIlliam Keely-Walker, both ended with 4.5/5.

U1300

Hector Guifarro won outright with a perfect 5/5. Hector beat Andy Barrientos who ended up in a five-way tie for second at 4/5.

Scholastic Under 1200

Owen Yang finished in first with an uncontested 5/5. Owen Beat Andy Yu who finished in a four-way tie for second at 4/5.

Scholastic Under 800

Silas Judge and Poojith Jada both won their final games to finish tied with 4.5/5.

Scholastic Under 500

There was another perfect 5/5 by Joshua Anderson. Joshua beat Joseph Zachary Taylow who finished in a four-way tie at 4/5.



The Illinois Chess Association would also like to recognize the following scholastic players for increasing their USCF rating by over 50 points:

Joahua Anderson (U500)

Calvin Rivas (U500)

Joseph Zachary Taylor (U500)

Pierce Kruse (U500)

Joel Jonathan Boodu (U500)

Silas Judge (U800)

Poojith Jada (U800)

Sairam Manimaran (U800)

Aidan Michael Cassidy (U800)

Jotin Samayamantri (U800)

Rogelio Jorge Diaz-Portales (U800)

Neeraj Movva (U800)

Aarav Varshney (U800)

Owen Yang (U1200)

Andy YU (U1200)

Saketh Viswanadha (U1200)

Dane Allen Cooper (U1200)

Kevin McAleenan (U1200)

Nilan Velu (U1200)

Anish Itagi (U1200)

Sahasvath Indla (U1200)

James Patrick Budd (U1200)



If you have any questions or comments, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Jacob Plotnick accepts Position as ICA Editor and Staff Reporter

 

Jacob has graciously accepted the position as our editor and a new position as a staff reporter. Jacob is currently a sophomore at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. He is a former Illinois State Champion for the United States Chess Federation Jr. Grand Prix. In addition to being a Class "B" player, Jacob is also a certified local tournament director.

As our editor, Jacob fills a void that the ICA has had for a number of years. He will be reviewing, editing, and publishing articles sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Jacob will also have a staff position responsible for creating articles and working with organizers for our state championships, ICA tour events, and larger Illinois tournaments and events.

Please join us in welcoming Jacob to his new position.

 

 

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ICA Tour to restart in 2024

 

In July, the ICA conducted a survey among chess players with the intention of getting feedback to help us improve and shape the future of the ICA. We listened and are bringing back the ICA Tour! Details to follow. Our first tour tournament will be the Tim Just Winter Open, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg from Friday, January 5 to Sunday, January 7, 2024.

 

 

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ICA Elections - Nomination Period for 2023 Is Now Open!

The ICA is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the five general members of the Board of Directors. Directors will take office on January 1, 2024 and serve a two-year term.

Who Is Eligible to Be Nominated?

Under the ICA Bylaws, directors must be residents of Illinois and members of the ICA. At least two at-large directors must reside in Cook County or the Collar Counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will), and at least two must reside outside these counties.

Submitting Your Nomination

Any ICA member may submit a nomination. Self-nominations are also permitted and encouraged.
Nominations may be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Nominations must be seconded by 10 voting ICA members and the nominee must agree to serve. The deadline for submitting nominations is October 10, 2023.

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Mex Chess Champ, Age 12, Seeks Help to Compete in World Contest

Levi Kalani Fogo Esquivel, who hails from Tulum in Quintana Roo, is Mexico’s National Chess Champion in the Under-12 category. He earned a gold and two silver medals at the CONADE Games. (CONADE: Comisión Nacional de Cultura Física y Deporte.)

He also finished in first place in Las Vegas at the International Youth Championship as well as first in the Illinois Open Championship-Reserve Section. At the Illinois Open Blitz tournament, 3-minute games, he finished in second place in a group of twenty-six players. There he had two wins, and two losses, against two local Masters. Only George Li, an International Master, finished ahead of Kalani.

At the World Open tournaments in Philadelphia, he had outstanding performances which earned him some prizes.

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Hart,Vincent (2025) - Turgut,Tansel (2382) [A20]
Illinois Class Championships (1), 10.12.2011

[Brock,Bill]

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.d4

 

This line has a very good reputation against the Keres Attack.

4...exd4 5.Qxd4 d5 6.cxd5

6.Nf3 makes more sense to me: why give Black the c6 square? The tempo offsets the isolated pawn. 6...Be7 (6...dxc4 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 is an ending in which both sides can play for the win.) 7.cxd5 This move order subtlety I don't understand: does the exchange make more sense after Black has committed the bishop to the modest e7 square? 7...cxd5 8.0–0 Nc6 9.Qa4 0–0 10.Be3 has been played by Topalov.
 

6...cxd5 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Qa4 Be6 9.0–0 Bc5 10.Nbd2

10.Bg5 0–0 11.Nc3 h6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Ne1 Rad8 14.Nd3 Bd4 15.Rac1 Rfe8 16.Nf4 Seirawan-I. Sokolov, Wijk aan Zee 1995
 

10...a6

Maybe 10...0–0 improves, as the played with the isolated queen pawn generally prefers a complex middlegame.
 

11.Ne5 Qa5 12.Qxa5 Nxa5 13.Ndf3

An isolated pawn could be bothersome in an ending. But this is a queenless middlegame.

13...Rc8 14.Nd3 Ba7 15.Bd2 Nc6 16.Rac1 Ne4 17.Nf4 Ke7

Black hopes to make use of a more active king in an ending.

18.Nxe6 fxe6 19.Bc3 Nxc3 20.Rxc3 Nd4 21.Re1

21.Nxd4!?
 

21...Rxc3

Dr. Turgut suggests 21...Rhf8!? 

22.bxc3 Nb5! =/+

23.e4!

White prefers counterplay to passive defense.

23...d4

The following lines are obviously computer-assisted, but the idea of getting rid of the knights and relying on the increased drawing resources of opposite-colored bishops is an obvious one. 23...dxe4 may improve, but White has 24.Nd2! (24.Rxe4 Nxc3 25.Rc4 Nd5 gives Black good winning chances) 24...Nxc3 25.Nxe4 Rf8 I don't know if I could summon the courage to play Houdini's choice for the next move in tournament play: it seems so wrong to move the king to the corner. 26.Kh1! (Not 26.Nxc3 Bxf2+ 27.Kf1 Bxg3+ 28.Ke2 Bxe1 29.Kxe1 b5) 26...Nxa2 (26...Nxe4 27.Bxe4 Bxf2 (27...Rxf2 28.Bxb7 Rxa2 29.Bd5) ) 27.Ng5 Rf6 28.Bxb7 Bxf2 29.Ra1 Nb4 30.Ra4 and kindly take the following variations as more of a fantasy than objective best play: 30...Nd3 (30...Nd5 31.Nxh7 Rh6 32.Kg2 Rxh7 33.Kxf2 Rxh2+ 34.Kf3) 31.Rxa6! (looks bad) 31...Nc5 (looks strong!) 32.Ra7! It seems amazing that White can get away with this! 32...Be3 (32...Nxb7? 33.Rxb7+²; 32...h6 33.Nh7 Inhuman! 33...Rf5 34.Be4+ Nd7 35.Rb7) 33.Nxh7 Rf1+ 34.Kg2 Rf2+ 35.Kh3 Nd3 36.Ra3 Rd2 37.Kg4 and White survives.

24.cxd4 Nxd4 25.Nxd4 Bxd4 26.Rc1 e5 27.Kf1

Why not 27.Rc7+ the computer asks? I imagine the humans were looking at the f2 square, but Rxb7-Rb3-Rf3(+) is one way to consolidate. 27...Kf6 (27...Kd6 28.Rxg7 Rc8 29.Rxh7 Rc2 30.Rf7 Rxa2 31.h4 Ke6 32.Rf3) 28.Rxb7 Rc8 29.Rb3

27...Kd6

And here Dr. Turgut suggests 27...Rf8 as an improvement.
 

28.Ke2 b5 29.Bh3

Threatening Rc8 with exchange of rooks and a very drawish position.

29...Rb8 30.Rc8 Rb6 31.f4 Rc6 32.fxe5+ Bxe5 33.Rxc6+ Kxc6

Black is effectively a pawn up for the moment, as the Be5 can't be dislodged, and the g3 and e4 pawns are paralyzed. But it's not enough to win.

34.Kd3 Kc5 35.Be6 Kb4 36.Kc2 a5 37.Bd5

 Passive defense is sufficient.

37...Kc5 38.Kd3 h6 39.Bg8 a4 40.Bf7 g5 41.Bd5 b4 42.Bf7 b3

Maybe 42...g4 first, but this can't be enough.
 

43.axb3 a3

44.b4+!

Simplest: give the pawn right back.

44...Kxb4 45.Bd5 Kc5 46.Bf7 g4

Black prepares to harvest White's kingside.

47.Bd5 Bd4

Dr. Turgut points out that 47...h5 may be a more serious winning try. (Still rather drawish.)
 

48.Kc2 Kb4 49.Be6 Bg1 50.Bxg4 Bxh2 51.Be6 Bxg3 52.Kd3! Kc5 53.Ke2 Kd4 54.Kf3 Be5 55.Bd5 h5 56.Kg2 Bf4 57.Kh3 Bg5 58.Kg3 Ke3 59.Kh3 Kf4 60.Kh2 Ke3 61.e5

This pawn is irrelevant.

61...Bf4+ 62.Kh1 Bxe5 63.Bg8 Kf3 64.Ba2

Sans tablebase, your stupid computer probably thinks Black is winning. But of course this is a dead draw. The White king wisely headed for the h1 square (it can't be evicted because the dark-square bishop doesn't control the h-pawn's queening square). White's bishop will continue to frolic along the a2-g8 diagonal until the Black king strolls to b2. When the pawn is pushed to a2, the bishop gladly sacrifices itself. ½–½

 

 

Hrach,Jonathan (1531) - Dolson,Carl (1555) [A03]
Illinois Class Championships (1), 10.12.2011

[Brock,Bill]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 Nf6 6.f4 0–0 7.Nf3 d5!

Why not?

8.0–0

If 8.e5 Black can contest the dark squares with 8...Ng4 9.0–0 f6! as in Arapovic-Uhlmann, Sarajevo 1982
 

8...dxe4

8...d4! 9.Na4 b6 10.e5 Nd5³
 

9.Nxe4 Nxe4

9...Qb6 taking aim at White's dark-square weaknesses is also sensible.
 

10.dxe4 e5

Black must be worried about 11. e4-e5, but I don't think it's a big deal.

11.c3 Qb6 12.Qe2 exf4 13.Bxf4 Re8 14.Ng5

 

14...h6

Time for modesty: 14...Rf8 followed by ...h6 and Black is OK.
 

15.Nxf7! Kh7

15...Kxf7 16.Bc7+ loses immediately
 

16.Qd2!

Game over.

16...h5 17.Bh6 Ne5 18.Bxg7 Nxf7 19.Rxf7 Kg8 20.Raf1 Bf5

and I can't make out the final moves, but the end is near. 1–0

 

 

Ulrich,Rachel (1735) - Peng,David (1896) [B45]
Illinois Class Championships (2), 10.12.2011

[Brock,Bill]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6

 

6.Bg5

When I was a kid, we were all taught by Fischer that White's path to advantage was 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 (I don't think that Fischer ever reached precisely this position, but he was willing to waste a tempo to get similar positions! See for example Fischer-Najdorf, Santa Monica 1966.) But then Sveshnikov proved that 7...e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Na3 f5! was perfectly playable, and the world changed. It changed for us patzers, too: I remember losing a game to Ken Walter at the Chicago Chess Center circa 1980 and having no idea what had just hit me.
 

6...Bb4 7.f3

In combination with 6.Bg5, this is a bit much to ask of White's position. The dark squares are weak. 7.Ndb5 0–0 (7...d6 8.a3) 8.a3=
 

7...Qa5 8.Qd2
Again, perhaps 8.Ndb5.
 

8...Nxd4 9.Bxf6

9...Nxc2+!

Desperado! The knight is lost anyway, so get a pawn for it.

10.Qxc2 gxf6

White doesn't have enough compensation for the pawn.

11.Bd3 b6 12.0–0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qc5+ 14.Kh1 Bb7 15.Rab1 Bc6 16.c4

16...Ke7!

Black correctly judges that his king is perfectly safe on e7.

17.Rfe1 Rac8 18.Qd2 d6 19.f4 Rhg8 20.f5 Rg5! 21.Qe2 e5?!

Unnecessary. 21...Rcg8! 22.Rg1 Qe5! and Black rules the board, while White's pieces look nice but are totally ineffective.

22.Qf3 Bb7 23.Rb3 Ba6 24.Rc1 Rc7 25.Be2 Rg8

Black wants to bring more artillery to bear on c4.

26.Ra3 Bc8 27.Rb3 Bb7 28.Qd3 Rgc8 29.Rd1 Ba6 30.Rc3 Rc6

White has defended well.

 

31.Rdc1?!

Natural, but wrong.

31...Qd4! 32.Qc2

32.Qxd4 exd4 33.R3c2 Rc5 and White's bishop is miserable, while Black's two sets of double isolated pawn are not bad at all!
 

32...b5

Right idea, but there's an even better move. 32...Bxc4! 33.Bxc4 (33.Rxc4 Rxc4 34.Bxc4 b5) 33...b5
 

33.Rd1 Qc5 34.Rc1 bxc4

34...b4! 35.Rf3 Bxc4 is quicker
 

35.Rh3 c3! 36.Bxa6 Rxa6 37.Rxh7

37.Rxc3 Qxc3 38.Qxc3 Rxc3 39.Rxc3 Rxa2 40.Kg1 offers more resistance, but should be lost.
 

37...Rb6 38.Rh3 Rb2 39.Qa4 c2 40.Rb3 Rb8! 41.h4 R8xb3 42.axb3 Rb1 0–1

 

 

Fei,Andrew (1579) - Craigmile,Charles (1713) [C42]
Illinois Class Championships (2), 10.12.2011

[Brock,Bill]

There's an old football saying: "A tie is like kissing your sister." But sometimes kissing your sister is OK!

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2

The Petroff is a tough nut to crack. At the amateur level, Spassky's 5.Qe2 is a great choice, especially if you enjoy playing rook endings.

5...Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nc3

7.Bg5 is more commonly played. 7...Qxe2+ 8.Bxe2 Be7 (If you're playing Black and want to win, try Bronstein's 8...Nbd7 . But if you're playing Black and want to win, why were you playing the Petroff in the first place?) 9.Nc3 c6 10.0–0–0 Na6 11.Rhe1 Nc7= and 1/2–1/2 a few moves later, Spassky-Petrosian, Moscow World Championship 1969. At the amateur level, both sides can play for the win from here.
 

7...Bg4 8.Qxe7+ Bxe7 9.Be2

White lost a tempo over the normal line, but the bishops on e2 and e7 are not optimally placed.

9...Nc6 10.Be3 0–0–0 11.0–0–0 d5 12.d4 a6 13.h3 Bh5 14.g4 Bg6 15.Ne5 Nxd4

A cute idea: Black is hoping to execute a pawn fork. But it's refuted by the game continuation.

16.Bxd4 c5 17.Nxg6

The Be7 is hanging with check.

17...hxg6 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nxd5+-

The next thirty-four moves are flawless technique. But Black still manages a miracle save!

19...Bd4 20.Ne3 Rde8 21.Rd3 f5 22.c3 Bf6 23.gxf5 gxf5 24.Bf3 g6 25.Kc2 Bh4 26.Nc4 Re6 27.Rd6 Rxd6 28.Nxd6+ Kc7 29.Nxb7 Bxf2 30.Bg2 f4 31.Rf1 Be3 32.Na5 g5 33.Nc4 Re8 34.Nxe3 Rxe3 35.Kb3 Rg3 36.Rf2 Re3 37.h4 gxh4 38.Rxf4 h3 39.Bf1 h2 40.Rh4 Re4 41.Rxh2 a5 42.Rh7+ Kb6 43.Rh6+ Kc7 44.Ra6 Rf4 45.Bc4 a4+ 46.Rxa4

Yes, Black drew this.

46...Kb6 47.Ra6+ Kb7 48.Rh6 Kc7 49.a4 Kb7 50.a5 Ka7 51.Rh7+ Kb8 52.a6 Rf5 53.a7+ Ka8

Mate is so close that White can taste it. But will it be checkmate or stalemate?

54.Bb5!?

Perfectly good if White has foreseen Black's reply and prepared for it.

54...c4+!

When your opponent drops a surprise on you, it's human nature to want to reply immediately.  Stop and think instead!

55.Bxc4?

55.Ka4! avoids the rampaging rook 55...Rxb5 is no longer check, and 56.Rh8+ Kxa7 57.Kxb5 wins.

55...Rb5+!! 56.Kc2 Rxb2+ 57.Kd3 Rd2+ 58.Ke3 Rd3+ 

58...Rd3+ 59.Ke2 (59.Ke4 Rd4+ 60.Ke5 Rxc4 is a theoretical draw, as White still has to lift the stalemate.) 59...Rd2+ 60.Kf1 Rf2+ 61.Kg1 Rg2+ 62.Kh1 Rg1+ 63.Kh2 Rg2+ 64.Kh3 Rg3+ 65.Kh4 Rh3+! forces White's hand. Chess is a cruel game. ½–½

 

 

Bale,Les (1765) - Hart,Vince (2025) [C51]
Illinois Class Championship (2), 10.12.2011

[Brock,Bill]

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6

This is the move order recommended by Marin.

3.Nf3 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Be7

Here, Marin's recommendation is 5...Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.0–0 Nge7 8.Ng5 (8.cxd4 d5= but Albert Chow made me suffer at the US Game/ 30 Championships.) 8...d5 9.exd5 Ne5=
 

6.d4 Na5 7.Bd3 exd4

The classical way to break a gambit is to grab the pawn, then give it back in return for development: 7...d6! 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Nf6 10.0–0 0–0 11.Nd2 Ng4! 12.Ndf3 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Bf6 14.Bf4 Re8 But this is just equal: the Evans Gambit is for real!
 

8.cxd4 d5 9.e5

I do not like Black's position: the pieces don't coordinate, as White's d4-e5 wedge splits the board.

9...Be6 10.0–0 Nc6 11.Nc3 Qd7 12.Be3 Nh6 13.Rb1 Rb8

There goes queenside castling, so....

14.Bxh6! gxh6 15.Qd2 Bf8 16.Ne2 Ne7 17.Ng3 Bg4

 

18.Nh4!

White continues the attack by positional means.

18...Ng6 19.Nhf5 h5 20.h3! h4 21.hxg4 hxg3 22.fxg3


These are the best-looking tripled g-pawns I've ever seen! The f-file is open, the g4 pawn supports the f5 square, the g3 pawn dominates the Ng6, and the g2 pawn covers the White king just in case.

22...h6 23.Rf3 Rg8 24.Rbf1 Nh8 25.Nxh6 Bxh6 26.Qxh6 Qxg4

That's OK: White has two more g-pawns.

27.Bh7 Qg5 28.Qh3 Ke7 29.Bxg8 1–0

 

Bungo,Greg (2034) - Kogen,Jonathan (2157) [D01]
Illinois Class Championships (2), 10.12.2011

[Brock,Bill]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 c6 4.Qd2 Bf5 5.f3 Nbd7 6.0–0–0 Qa5 7.e4

Looking at Greg's games makes me want to start playing the Veresov!

7...dxe4 8.fxe4 Bg6 9.d5 0–0–0 10.dxc6 bxc6 11.e5 Ne8 12.Nf3 Nc7 13.Bc4 h6 14.Bh4 Bh5 15.Rhf1 g5 16.Bg3 Bg7 17.Qe3 Qc5 18.Qe4 g4

18...Bxf3!? 19.gxf3 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Qxe5 (20...Bxe5?? 21.b4!) 21.Qxc6 is equalish
 

19.Bf2 Qa5

19...Qb4


20.Nd4 Nxe5 21.Nxc6 Nxc6 22.Qxc6 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Bxc3

24.Rd5!

Ouch! 24.bxc3? Rd8 25.Rxd8+ Kxd8 26.Qxh6 Qxc3 isn't so clear


24...Bxb2+ 25.Kb1 Qa3 26.Bc5

Ouch again.

26...Qa5

27.Bd4?

Right idea, wrong square. The primitive mate threat 27.Bd6! just wins.
 

27...Qe1+?

27...Qxd5! allows Black to escape: 28.Bxd5 Bxd4 29.Qb7+ Kd7 30.Bb3 (30.Qc6+ Kd8 and the checks are over.) 30...Bb6 31.Ba4+ Ke6 32.Qe4+ Kf6 33.Qf4+ Kg6 34.Qe4+ Kf6 (34...f5 35.Qxe7÷) 35.Qf4+=
 

28.Kxb2 Qb4+ 29.Bb3 Rd8 30.Bc3

Adventure time is over: the White king is safe in his little house.

30...Qb8 31.Rxh5 Rd6 32.Qc4 Qa8 33.Qxg4+ e6 34.Qg8+ Rd8 35.Qxf7 1–0