Thursday, August 8, 2019

GOING BACK IN TIME with Bob Cyr

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

On a warm and gorgeous, sunny August 26, the club held its grandest event of 2012 - the annual New Britain Summer Open Chess Championship. This year’s tournament was held at Wickham Park in Manchester.

In the years following our move from the New Britain Quartette Club (our former weekly meeting place), the officers have been trying to find a new permanent location to hold our club’s blockbuster summer outing.

In 2011 and 2010, two different country clubs were the venues of this tournament. And even though their facilities were beautiful, our players were not afforded many opportunities to play their games outside at these locations, which was a major attraction when these events were held under the QC pavilion. 

This year, however, the vivid memories of those open-air events at the QC from 2007-2009, with a barbecue lunch and casual time during rounds to play frisbee or engage in social interaction, were brought back to life as sixty-one players (third-highest turnout for an event held by the club) throughout the Nutmeg State and beyond gathered under the pavilion at Wickham Park to be a part of one of the most successful tournaments in the club’s history.

The credit for finding such a gem of a venue goes to USCF NM Derek Meredith. Keeping with the tradition of this tournament, a BBQ lunch was included.

And who else better to cater the lunch for our hungry crew other than NBCC Chef Kevin Zimmerman, Marie Juergens, and Mitch Daniels. This professional food staff prepared all of the famous summertime culinary delights from cheeseburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, antipasto salad, fresh garden salad, and baked beans, and they provided plenty of soda and water throughout the afternoon.

After lunch, our players were treated to cake to celebrate the marriage of our members Mike Fries and Bethany Sonstrom on September 1. Thanks to member Laurent Lafosse for his fine job in selecting the cake and delivering it to the event.

One of main reasons the tournament was so successful this year was attributed to Gert Hilhorst. As a result of his efforts to recruit members from the Simsbury Library Chess Club, a historic twenty-four scholastic (under 18) players participated in our tournament, shattering the old record of sixteen established at the “Andy Strazdins Over/Under 15 Quick Chess Tournament” in 2010.

The youth alone represented an impressive forty percent of the total turnout. In addition, I want to extend appreciation to Rob Roy, former Connecticut State Chess Association president, for advertising our tournament on numerous social media websites, and for taking photos for his website.

Our tournament directors that day, Doug Fiske and Bob Kozlowski, also deserve credit for doing a superb job with the handling of on-site registrations, making the pairings, being available for questions, and awarding of the prizes. The following people also deserve recognition for making this tournament one for the NBCC record books: Andy Strazdins, Brian Kosnoff, and Jerry Aiyathurai.

It is obvious that an event of this magnitude requires many hours of planning, but our volunteer staff was up to the challenge. Because of their hard work and dedication, we had another fantastic Summer Open.

Before closing, I do want to mention that a significant milestone occurred for FM Nelson Castaneda at this event. For tying for first place with FM Richard Bauer, Nelson has earned an honorable place, with Arkadijs Strazdins and Rick, in NBCC history for attaining twenty ties or wins for first place (even if non-cash prizes were awarded) in our club’s major tournaments.

So, friends, if you have never been a part of this extraordinary chess experience, or played in this event in recent years and could not this year, I really hope that you can join us at this event in 2019. I guarantee you will not want to miss it! 

 
 

2019 Charter Oak Open

 

Saturday September 28

 

$160-1st, $80-2nd. Guaranteed.
      
3 Round Swiss, G/60;d5 Affects both quick and regular rating. Round Times: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45.  Entry Fees: $35 Cash Only On-site Only: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. No Advance Entry of any kind. No USCF memberships sold or renewed.  One Section. Accelerated Pairings. Air-Conditioned. Wheelchair Accessible. USCF TLA

Site: Mill Brook Place1267 Main St., Coventry, CT 06238

Across street from Bidwell Tavern is our stone building at rear of parking lot 

Web Site:  https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com/ 

E-mail:     ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com 

 

 

 

SEPT. 28   2019 CHARTER OAK OPEN

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.  USCF TLA

 

OCT. 19   2019 CONNECTICUT HARVEST OPEN

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.  USCF TLA

 

NOV. 16   2019 YANKEE PEDDLER OPEN

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.  USCF TLA

 

DEC. 14   2019 HOLIDAY PARTY OPEN

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.  USCF TLA

 

2020 - COVENTRY CHESS

Mill Brook Place is reserved

for these dates in 2020:

JAN 18 . . . . . 
FEB 22 . . . .
MAR 21 . . . . 
APR 18 . . . 
MAY 9 . . . . .
JUNE 13 . . . .
JULY 11 . . . . 
AUG 15 . . . . . .
SEP 26 . . .
OCT 17 . . . .
NOV 14 . . . .
DEC 12 . . . .

 

 

OUR TOURNAMENTS ARE RATED BY USCF

CLICK HERE TO JOIN US CHESS FEDERATION

EACH PLAYER GETS A MEMBERSHIP ID #

PROVIDE YOUR ID# AT REGISTRATION

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New Britain Chess Club

Tuesdays 6:30 pm

Armenian Church, 1910 Stanley Street

CLICK HERE UPCOMING CHESS TOURNAMENTS IN CONN

 

PAST ISSUES OF   CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE

 

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK, by Alan Lasser

In this complex variation of the King’s Gambit, the queen must fight to keep the White king from being chased across the board by a swarm of pieces. For many moves, the computer thinks the unbalanced position is mostly equal, until the king finally goes to the wrong square.


GM Alexey Kislinsky(2429)-IM Lukas Cernousek(2438)
5/3/19
2019 Czech Championship
1.e4 e5
2.f4 exf4
3.Nf3 g5
4.h4 g4
5.Ne5 Nf6
6.Nxg4 Nxe4
7.d3 Ng3
8.Bxf4 Nxh1
9.Qe2+ Qe7 Not 9...Be7 10.Nf6 Kf8 11.Bh6 mate
10.Nf6+ Kd8
11.Bxc7+ Kxc7
12.Nd5+ Kd8
13.Nxe7 Bxe7
14.Qg4 d6
15.Qf4 Rg8
16.Qxf7?! -0.42/23
16.Nc3 Ng3 17.O-O-O Be6 18.d4 Rg4 19.Qf3 Nc6 20.Bc4 h5 21.Bxe6 fxe6 22.Qf7 Nf5 23.Qxe6 Nfxd4 24.Qf7 Kd7 = Stockfish
16.Be2 Rxg2 17.Nc3 17.Qf1 Bxh4+ 18.Kd2 Rxe2+ 19.Qxe2 Ng3 20.Qf3 Bg5+ 21.Kd1 Nf5 22.Qh5 Ne3+ 23.Kc1 h6 24.Qxf7 Bd7 25.Nc3 Nd5+ 26.Kb1 Nxc3+ 27.bxc3 Kc7 -0.24 Stockfish 17...Ng3 18.Bf3 Rg1+ 19.Kf2 Rxa1 20.Qxf7 Nd7 Not 20...Nf5 21. Qg8+ Kc7 22. Nd5+ Kd7 23. Bg4 Bxh4+ 24. Kg2 Na6 25. Bxf5+ Kc6 26. Bxc8 Rxc8 27. Qxc8+ Kxd5 28. Qc4+ Ke5 29. Qe4+ Kf6 30. Qxh4+ +7.23 Stockfish Another try is 20...Nh1 21. Kg2 Nd7 22. Nd5 Re1 23. Be4 Bf8 24. Nf4 Kc7 25. Ne6+ Kb8 26. Nxf8 Nc5 27. Bf3 a5 28. Qf6 Ne6 29. Nxe6 Rxe6 +2.61 Stockfish 21.Nd5 Nf5 22.Bh5 Bxh4+ 23.Kg2 Ne3+ 24.Nxe3 Nf6 25.Nd5 Nxd5 26.Qxd5 Be7 27.Qa5+ Kd7 28.Bg4+ Ke8 29.Bh5+ = Stockfish
16…Re8
17.Na3?! -1.10/22
17.Kd2 -0.40/21 17...Bxh4 17...Ng3 18. Qf4 Nxf1+ 19. Qxf1 Bg4 20. Nc3 h5 21. Re1 Rf8 22. Qh1 Nc6 23. Nd5 Kd7 24. Nxe7 Nxe7 -0.81 Stockfish 18.c4 Ng3 19.Nc3 Bg5+ 20.Kc2
17...Bxh4+?! -0.49/23
17...Ng3 -1.10/22 18.Be2 18. O-O-O Bg4 19. Re1 Bg5+ 20. hxg5 Rxe1+ 21. Kd2 Re7 22. Qf4 Nxf1+ 23. Qxf1 Nd7 24. g6 hxg6 -0.50 Stockfish 18...Bxh4 19.Kd1 Nxe2 20.Nb5 Be7 21.Kxe2 Nc6 22.Rh1 a6 23.Qxe8+ Kxe8 24.Nc7+ Kd8 25.Nxa8 Bf5 26.c3 Ne5 27.d4 Nd3 28.b3 Be4 29.Ke3 d5 30.Rh5 Bd6 31.Nb6 Nf4
18.Kd2 Bg5+
19.Kc3 Bd7
19...Nc6 20.Qg7 h6 21.Nb5 Bd7 22.Nxd6 Kc7 23.Nb5+ Kd8 = Stockfish
20.Nc4 Kc7
21.Qd5 Bf4
22.Qa5+?! -0.71/25
22.Na5 0.00/23 22...Nc6 23.Nxc6 bxc6 24.Qa5+ Kc8 25.d4 Re3+ 26.Bd3 Ng3 27.Re1 Be6 27...Ne4+ 28. Kb3 Rb8+ 29. Ka3 Rg3 30. b3 Rxd3 31. Qa6+ Kc7 32. Qxd3 d5 = Stockfish 28.Rxe3 Bxe3 29.Bxh7 Bf4 30.Qa6+ Kc7 31.Qa5+ Kd7 32.Qa6 Rc8 33.Qxa7+ Rc7 34.Qa8 Bd5 35.Bd3 Rc8 36.Qb7+ Rc7 37.Qa8
22…b6
23.Qh5 b5
24.Na5? -3.36/23
24.Qf3 -0.67/22 24...Bg5 25.Na5 Nc6 26.Nxc6 Bxc6 27.Qh5 Bf6+ 27...b4+ 28. Kb3 h6 29. Qxh1 a5 30. Rd1 Bd5+ 31. c4 bxc3+ 32. Kxc3 Bxa2 -1.01 Stockfish 28.Kb3 Ng3 29.Qf7+ Be7 30.Re1 Kd7 31.Be2 Nxe2 32.Rxe2 Kd8 33.Qxh7 Bd5+ 34.Ka3
24…b4+
25.Kb3 Na6?? +0.33/22
25...Re5 -3.37/24 26.Qf3 Rxa5 27.Qxf4 Nc6 27...Ba4+ 28. Kc4 Nc6 29. d4 Bxc2 30. Rc1 Rf8 31. Qh2 Rf2 32. Bd3 Ba4 33. a3 Rxb2 34. axb4 Rb5 35. Rxh1 R5xb4+ 36. Kd5 Rxd4+ 37. Ke6 Ne5 -6.76 Stockfish 28.a4 Rg8 29.Qf7 Rgg5 30.g3 Nxg3 31.Bh3 Nf5 32.c3 bxc3 33.bxc3 Ne5 34.Qxh7 Nxd3 35.Kc2 Nc5 36.Qf7 Rxa4 37.Rxa4 Nxa4
26.Qxh1?! 0.00/23
26.d4 +0.33/22 26...Ng3 26...Re3+ 27. c3 Ng3 28. Qf7 Nf5 29. a4 bxc3 30. Bxa6 Rb8+ 31. Bb5 Nxd4+ 32. Ka2 Nxb5 33. Qc4+ Kd8 34. Qxf4 Be6+ 35. Nc4 Bxc4+ 36. Qxc4 cxb2 37. Qg8+ Kc7 = Stockfish 27.Qf7 Nxf1 28.Rxf1 Bg5 29.Rf5 Be7 30.Rh5 Rab8 31.Rxh7 d5
26…Nc5+
27.Kxb4 Rab8+
28.Kc4?? #-11/21
28.Ka3 0.00/25 28...Rb5 29.Nc4 Re6 30.b3 30. Qh4 Bd2 31. c3 d5 32. Qg3+ Kb7 33. Nd6+ Rxd6 34. Qxd6 Ra5+ 35. Kb4 Rb5+ = Stockfish 30...d5 31.Qh4 Ra6+ 32.Kb2 Na4+ 33.Ka3 Nb6+ 34.Kb2 Na4+
28...d5+
29.Kc3 Na4+
30.Kd4 Be3+ 31.Kd5 Nb6 is checkmate 0-1

 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

Sunday, August 4, 2019

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST by Rob Roy

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

REPORT FROM CSCA WEBSITE


The 2019 National High School (Denker), K-8 (Barber), Girls (Haring) and Senior Tournaments of Champions have started in Orlando, Florida. Representing Connecticut is.....

CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT ON CSCA WEBSITE


Standings and pairings      Live games   


Sevilla-Low with annotations   Sevillano-Koganov with annotations 

 

 

 

LATEST POSTINGS AT CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE


REMEMBERING MICHAEL CASELLA by Bob Cyr


POSTING BY NATIONAL EXPERT JOSEPH BIHLMEYER


LASSER ANALYZES HIS LOST GAME WITH ALEX WOODBURY


GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr, CONN CHESS HISTORIAN


REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT YANKEE OPEN

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 


Coventry Chess Club
Most Faithful Players

28 Joe Bihlmeyer
16 Rob Roy
15 Derek Meredith
15 Art Nagel
14 Mark Bourque
11 Dan Smith
10 Hayes Goodman
10 Joshua Berkun
9   Larry Laffose
8   Suhas Kodali
8   Daniel Zhou

 

 

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK  by Alan Lasser
 
   It was opening author Eric Schiller who dubbed it the “Frankenstein-Dracula Variation”, I can’t remember the last time I saw it in grandmaster play.  Even if the computer ever figures it out, the winning line is likely to be too complicated for humans to play.  Here, after duly making the exchange sacrifice, the pressure was on Black to find the attacking continuation, so he was an hour behind on the clock after the first 15 moves.
 
Tom Rydstrom(2345)-Harald Logdahl(2269)
7/8/19
2019 Swedish Elite & Masters
 
53.c6 1-0



 

 

COVENTRY CHESS CLUB   by Rob Roy

 

 

 

 

<


Our region's chess tournaments
happen near these cities:

New Britain CT
Coventry CT
Windsor Locks CT
Springfield MA
Sturbridge MA
Worcester MA
Boston MA
Providence RI
Norwalk CT
Stamford CT

 

 

SEPT. 28   2019 Charter Oak Open

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.

 

OCT. 19   2019 Connecticut Harvest Open

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.

 

NOV. 16   2019 Yankee Peddler Open

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.

 

DEC. 14   2019 Holiday Party Open

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.

 

 

 

2020 - COVENTRY CHESS

JAN 18 . . . . . 
FEB 22 . . . .
MAR 21 . . . . 
APR 18 . . . 
MAY 9 . . . . .
JUNE 13 . . . .
JULY 11 . . . . 
AUG 15 . . . . . .
SEP 26 . . .
OCT 17 . . . .
NOV 14 . . . .
DEC 12 . . . .

 

 

 

 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

Friday, August 2, 2019

JIM CELONE's STROKE WAS ONE YEAR AGO

Hi my name is Linda Celone, I am Captain Jim’s wife.

On August 1, 2018, Jim suffered a major stroke.

He has been in and out of Yale Hospital, had several surgeries and quite honestly it was touch and go a few times. If you know Jim, he has overcome the ill effects of what seems to be a lifelong struggle with his health. Well, nothing holds him down... he somehow figures a way to handle these obstacles with a calm, quiet, focused vengeance. He always has plan B.

Today marks a year of an emotional rollercoaster for his family and friends both near and far. I am so proud of his accomplishments, today we played 2 full games (first time he has done this with no confusion), we split the wins in chess and dominoes...you can guess which way that went 😆.

I am hopeful that he will play chess on the boardwalk before summer’s end. Thank you all for the prayers, phone calls, visits and well wishes...they lift his spirits and brighten his outlook on life. He is not always up for visits, as he is not yet comfortable with his speech. It’s a long, bumpy road to recovery...I believe My Captain is up for the challenge!

His first mate, Linda

 

 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

BREAKING NEWS FROM CSCA WEBSITE

GM's Yaroslav Zherebukh and Alexander Ivanov tie for Bradley Open.

Visit CSCA website for section winners etc....

CT's Maximillian Lu wins U1600 Gold Medal at PanAm in Ecuador. 

CT's Top Jr., Hans Niemann, 15, tied for 6th at 2019 US Junior St Louis.

Visit CSCA website for details and photos etc....

 

 

CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE STATISTICS


Our website got 2,373 hits during July 2019.

Continuing at this same rate means we will

achieve 200,000 total website hits (since starting

May 2010) by May 2020, our 10 year anniversary.


Our focus is on tournament chess in Connecticut.

We get regular reports from New Britain Chess Club,

Coventry Chess Club, and Weston Chess Club.


Alan Lasser writes GAME OF THE WEEK column.

Bob Cyr, Connecticut's chess historian,

writes GOING BACK IN TIME column.


Norman Burtness and Suhas Kodali, report on

the New Britain Chess Club.  Rob Roy, newspaper

columnist from 1976 thru 2000, uploads an image

of an old column each week.


Subscribe to our Email Newsletter, it is free.

You can unsubscribe anytime.

 

 

Norman Burtness, President 

New Britain Chess Club

newbritainchessclub@gmail.com

www.newbritainchessclub.com

 
 
 
 

NEW  BRITAIN CHESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWS  Aug 2, 2019

 

 

Bughouse Tournament Results

The 1st bughouse tournament held in a number of years was a huge success.  While many of the stronger players took the week off, there were still 26 players that competed, with several new faces and nearly nearly half (12) the participants were kids!  The tournament also set a NBCC record for most females competing, with 5. After 6 rounds of play, Carter Clayton and Norman Burtness finished undefeated to win the tournament. Tied for 2nd place with 4 pts were Arijit and Kenzie, Sai and Mike, and Jithu and Jithya

Before the tournament, Michael Smith and Suhas Kodali explained the rules and had some  Bughouse puzzles the players to figure out. Michael Smith is one of the new TDs and ran a very efficient tournament.

 

Training Class 6:15-7:00

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, Expert Joe Bihlmeyer will have some useful chess puzzles to present.

 

Historical Report

NBCC Club Historian Bob Cyr has published the 6-month historical report for 2019.  Click on the link to view. 2019 6-month Historical Report

 

Norman Burtness, President 

New Britain Chess Club

newbritainchessclub@gmail.com

www.newbritainchessclub.com

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 


Coventry Chess Club
Most Faithful Players

28 Joe Bihlmeyer
16 Rob Roy
15 Derek Meredith
15 Art Nagel
14 Mark Bourque
11 Dan Smith
10 Hayes Goodman
10 Joshua Berkun
9   Larry Laffose
8   Suhas Kodali
8   Daniel Zhou

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

We are going back in time to a very special era in our club. The summer of 1991. Are you ready, time travelers? Let's ramp up that DeLorean of ours to 88mph and set our destination time to August 26, 1991 at 8:00 a.m. when the Hartford Courant published the article below about one of the luminaries of the NBCC, SM Michael Casella. It was a well-written biography about this legendary chess player, who I believe resides in California now and has transitioned from being a chess master to a poker player. 
 
According to Arkadijs Strazdins, Casella was "one of the best student players in New England." 
 
I still remember my father giving a ride home to Casella from one of the New England Chess Championships because he had no way to get home. During our ride, Mike talked to my father, Reggie, and me about his rise in the chess world and his love for the game, its players, and the club. If anyone has Mike's e-mail address, please forward this article to him.
 
Enjoy the article. I return you to August 1, 2019 at 6:10 p.m.
 
Your chess friend in time,
 
Bob Cyr (formerly known as Bob Kozlowski)

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK  by Alan Lasser

   I have been futilely trying to locate a picture of Nimzovitch standing on his head.  Even when I widened my internet search, I couldn't find photographs anywhere of dark-haired, bearded men standing upside down with their clothes on.  The internet only revealed a few photos of what looked to be gymnasts standing on their heads, people who had trained and knew the trick.   
    There are internet articles that say standing-on-your-head doses the brain cells with fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients, which increases your memory and concentration;  and there are other internet pages warning that the bones at that end of the spinal column are the weakest and they weren't designed to support your body weight.  After considering the risks and rewards of head-standing, most chess masters choose to think about the game exclusively right side up.  The official editorial position of GOTW is the safest, we recommend that chess players remain seated at all times.  

  The oldest player in at the Rosendale Chess Club is eighty-five year old Irv Polatsek.  The highlight of his chess career was probably his draw in a simul against Bent Larsen.  The Great Dane may have been surprised that someone had the nerve to play 1...b6 against him.
 
White Irv Polatsek
Black Alan Lasser
Event skittles
Site Rosendale Chess Club
Date 2013.03.20
Result 0-1
1 e4 Nc6
2 Nf3 d6
3 Bb5 . . .
(+0.31) +0.52 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 e5 5. d5 Ne7 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Qd2 Nxe3 8. fxe3 a6 9. O- O-O c6 10. Be2 cxd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Qxd5
3 . . . Bd7
4 Bxc6 . . .
(+0.14) +0.45 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bd3 e5 7. d5 Nd4 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. Ne2 c5 10. dxc6EP bxc6 11. Nxd4 Be7 12. a4 Bg4 13. f3
4 . . . Bxc6
5 Nc3 Nf6
6 d3 Qd7
(-0.23) +0.02 6... a5 7. O-O
7 O-O O-O-O
8 Re1 e5
9 Bg5 . . .
(+0.21) +0.53 9. a4 a5 10. d4 Qe8 11. d5 Bd7 12. Qd3 Be7 13. h3 h6 14. Be3 Kb8 15. b3 b6 16. Nd2 g5 17. Qa6
9 . . . Be7
10 Bxf6 . . .
(+0.09) +0.29 10. a4 h6 11. Bd2 Qe6 12. h3 Bd7 13. Be3 a6 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Qc4 16. f3 g5 17. a5
10 . . . Bxf6
11 Rb1 g5
12 h3 . . .
(-0.43) -0.21 12. d4 b6 13. Nd5 Bg7
12 . . . g4
13 hxg4 Qxg4
14 Nh2 Qg7
15 Qg4+ Bd7
16 Qxg7 Bxg7
17 b4 f5
18 b5 h5
 
19 exf5 . . .
(-0.37) -0.09 19. Nd5 Rde8 20. Rb3 Rhf8 21. Nf3 Bh6 22. Reb1 Be6 23. c4 Bxd5
19 . . . Bxf5
20 Nd5 Rde8
21 Nf3 Be6
22 c4 Bf5
23 Red1 . . .
(-0.62) -0.02 23. Rb3 Bh6 24. Nh4 Bh7 25. Ra3 Bg5 26. Nf3 Bd8 27. Rxa7 Bxd3 28. Nd2 e4 29. Ra3 Kd7 30. Nc3 e3 31. Rxe3 Rxe3 32. fxe3
23 . . . e4
24 dxe4 Bxe4
25 Rb4 Bxf3
26 gxf3 Re2
27 a4 . . .
(-0.80) -0.53 27. Rb3 Rc2 28. Ra3 Kb8 29. Ne3 Re2 30. f4 h4 31. f5 h3 32. Ng4
27 . . . h4
28 Nf4 . . .
(-1.22) -0.80 28. f4 h3
28 . . . Rc2
29 Kg2 . . .
(-1.75) -1.25 29. Nd5 h3 30. Rbb1
29 . . . Be5
30 Nd3 h3+
31 Kh1 Bf6
32 Rf1 b6
(+1.44) +1.83 32... Rc3 33. Rd1 h2 34. Nf4 Rxf3 35. Nd5 Bh4 36. Rb2 Bxf2 37. Rf1 Rhf8 38. Re2 c6 39. bxc6 bxc6 40. Ne7 Kc7 41. Kxh2 Bg3
33 Nf4 . . .
(-1.70) -1.44 33. Rc1 Ra2 34. Rb3 Bd4 35. f4 Rxa4 36. Kh2 Ra2 37. Rh1 c5 38. bxc6EP Bxf2 39. Rb2 Rxb2 40. Nxb2 Bd4 41. Nd3 Kc7 42. Kg3
33 . . . Rh4
(+1.18) +1.70 33... Bd4 34. Rbb1 Rxc4 35. Rbe1 Rxa4 36. Re4 Rh4 37. Rg1 h2 38. Rd1 Ra1 39. Rxa1 Bxa1 40. Ne6 Rh6 41. f4 Bf6 42. Ra4 Kb7
34 Nd5 Bd4
35 Ne7+ . . .
(-1.40) -1.18 35. f4 Kd7
35 . . . Kd7
36 Nf5 Rf4
37 Nxd4 Rxd4
38 Kh2 Rcxc4
39 Rxc4 Rxc4
40 Kxh3 . . .
(-1.54) -1.26 40. Ra1 Rc3
40 . . . Rxa4
41 Rb1 a5
42 Kg3?? . . .
(-3.50) -1.62 42. bxa6EP Rxa6 43. f4 c5 44. f5 c4 45. Kg4 c3
42 . . . Rb4
43 Ra1 Rxb5
44 f4 Ke6
(+3.78) +3.99 44... c5 45. Kf3 c4
45 Kg4 Kf6
46 f3 . . .
(-4.14) -3.78 46. Ra3 Rc5 47. f3 Rc4 48. Re3 a4 49. Re8 d5 50. Rf8 Ke7 51. Ra8 d4 52. f5 d3 53. Kg5
46 . . . d5
47 Rc1 c5
48 Re1? . . .
(-6.37) -5.10 48. Ra1 c4 49. f5 c3
48 . . . a4
(+5.96) +6.37 48... c4
49 f5?? . . .
(-7.69) -5.96 49. Re5 a3
49 . . . a3
50 f4? . . .
(-8.95) -8.11 50. Ra1 Ra5
50 . . . a2
51 Re6+?? . . .
(-23.06) -12.50 51. Ra1 Rb2 52. Kf3 b5
51 . . . Kf7
52 Re1 Ra5??
(+13.62) +mate 9 52... Rb1 53. Rxb1 axb1=Q 54. Kg3 Qd3 55. Kf2 Qd2 56. Kg3 Qe3 57. Kh2 Qf2 58. Kh1 Qe1 59. Kg2
53 Ra1 b5
54 Kf3 b4
 
 




Our region's chess tournaments
happen near these cities:

New Britain CT
Coventry CT
Windsor Locks CT
Springfield MA
Sturbridge MA
Worcester MA
Boston MA
Providence RI
Norwalk CT
Stamford CT

 

 

Hi Rob,

    I used to be an active chess player when I first started in Hartford Connecticut. I thought you might be interested in seeing my games from the Connecticut State Championship in 1950.

I currently publish the the Florida State Chess Magazine, floridaCHESS. PDFs of the magazine are available on www.floridachess.org

Harvey

 

(4) Lerman,Harvey (1950) - Hand (New Haven) [D00]

Connecticut Championship (1), 03.03.1957

1.d4 Nf6 2.e3 d5 3.Bd3 c5 4.c3 c4 5.Bc2 Nc6 6.f4 Bg4 7.Nf3 Ne4 8.Nbd2 f5 9.0–0 e6 10.Qe1 Be7 11.Nxe4 fxe4 This was one of my favorite openings and Black misplays it leading to a quick win for me. 12.Ne5 Diagram 

XIIIIIIIIY
8r+-wqk+-tr0
7zpp+-vl-zpp0
6-+n+p+-+0
5+-+psN-+-0
4-+pzPpzPl+0
3+-zP-zP-+-0
2PzPL+-+PzP0
1tR-vL-wQRmK-0
xabcdefghy

12...Nxe5? 13.fxe5 Bh4?? 14.Ba4+ Ke7 15.Qxh4+ This was the 1st game to finish in this Championship tournament and took only 45 minutes. This was a good start for me. 1–0

 

(5) Edelbaum (2100) - Lerman,Harvey (1950) [A03]

Connecticut Championship (2), 03.03.1957

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Bf5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Be2 g6 5.0–0 Bg7 6.Ne5 0–0 7.g4 Bd7 8.Qe1 Nc6 9.Nxc6 Bxc6 10.d3 e6 11.Nd2 Qe7 12.Qh4 Edelbaum was the defending state champion, so I expected this game would be a challenge for me. 12...d4 13.e4 Diagram 

 

XIIIIIIIIY
8r+-+-trk+0
7zppzp-wqpvlp0
6-+l+psnp+0
5+-+-+-+-0
4-+-zpPzPPwQ0
3+-+P+-+-0
2PzPPsNL+-zP0
1tR-vL-+RmK-0
xabcdefghy

13...Nd5 14.g5?! Ne3 15.Rf3 f5 16.Rh3 Bh8 17.b3 Nxc2 18.Rb1 Rf7 19.Bb2 fxe4 20.dxe4 Raf8 21.Rf3 Qd6 22.Nc4 Diagram 

 

XIIIIIIIIY
8-+-+-trkvl0
7zppzp-+r+p0
6-+lwqp+p+0
5+-+-+-zP-0
4-+NzpPzP-wQ0
3+P+-+R+-0
2PvLn+L+-zP0
1+R+-+-mK-0
xabcdefghy

22...Rxf4 23.Nxd6 Rxh4 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.Rf1+ Kg8 26.Bc4 Rg4+ 27.Kh1 Bxe4+ 28.Nxe4 Being 3 pawns ahead, I should be able to pull off this upset, so I need to be careful! 28...Rxe4 Diagram 

 

XIIIIIIIIY
8-+-+-+kvl0
7zppzp-+-+p0
6-+-+p+p+0
5+-+-+-zP-0
4-+Lzpr+-+0
3+P+-+-+-0
2PvLn+-+-zP0
1+-+-+R+K0
xabcdefghy

29.Bd3 Re1 30.Kg1 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 Ne3+ 32.Ke1 c5 33.Bc1 Nd5 34.Bc4 Kf7 35.Kf2 Be5 36.h4 Ke7 37.Kf3 Kd6 38.Bd3 Nb4 39.Bb1 b5 40.Bd2 Nd5 41.Bd3 Nc3 42.Bxc3 Bishops of opposite colors sometimes is a problem to win against a strong player. 42...dxc3 Diagram 

 

XIIIIIIIIY
8-+-+-+-+0
7zp-+-+-+p0
6-+-mkp+p+0
5+pzp-vl-zP-0
4-+-+-+-zP0
3+PzpL+K+-0
2P+-+-+-+0
1+-+-+-+-0
xabcdefghy

43.h5 gxh5 44.Bxh7 Kd5 45.Bc2 Kd4 46.Ke2 Bg7 47.Bg6 h4 48.Bh5 a5 49.Be8 b4 50.Bf7 e5 51.Be6 e4 52.Bg4 Be5 53.g6 e3 54.Kd1 c4 55.Bd7 cxb3 56.axb3 Ke4 57.Be6 Kf3 58.Bc4 Yes, I see the winning move! 58...c2+ Diagram 

 

XIIIIIIIIY
8-+-+-+-+0
7+-+-+-+-0
6-+-+-+P+0
5zp-+-vl-+-0
4-zpL+-+-zp0
3+P+-zpk+-0
2-+p+-+-+0
1+-+K+-+-0
xabcdefghy


0–1

(6) Weil,William (2000) - Lerman,Harvey (1950) [A85]

Connecticut Championship (4), 17.03.1957

[Lerman,Harvey]

1.d4 f5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0–0 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.0–0 d6 9.Re1 e5 10.e3 e4 11.Nd2 Kh8 12.f3 Qe7 13.Qc2 exf3 14.Bxf3 Bd7 15.Ba3 Rae8 16.c5 d5 17.c4 Qf7 18.cxd5 Nxd5 19.Nc4 Nf6 20.Rab1 Be6 21.Bxc6 bxc6 22.Ne5 Qh5 23.Nxc6 Bd5 24.Ne5 Diagram 

XIIIIIIIIY
8-+-+rtr-mk0
7zp-zp-+-zpp0
6-+-+-sn-+0
5+-zPlsNp+q0
4-+-zP-+-+0
3vL-+-zP-zP-0
2P+Q+-+-zP0
1+R+-tR-mK-0
xabcdefghy

24...Rxe5 [24...Be4] 25.dxe5 Qf3 26.e4 Nxe4 27.Rb3 Bxb3 28.axb3 Rd8 29.Bc1 Rd2= Diagram 

XIIIIIIIIY
8-+-+-+-mk0
7zp-zp-+-zpp0
6-+-+-+-+0
5+-zP-zPp+-0
4-+-+n+-+0
3+P+-+qzP-0
2-+Qtr-+-zP0
1+-vL-tR-mK-0
xabcdefghy

 If now 30.BxR Nf2. 31.h4 30.Bxd2 But not 30...Nf2 [30...Qf2+ Draws] 31.h4 Qxg3+ 32.Kf1+- ½–½



NBCC membership page and PayPal link

 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

JOE BIHLMEYER WRITES A CHESS COLUMN

 
 
 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

BREAKING NEWS FROM CSCA WEBSITE

GM's Yaroslav Zherebukh and Alexander Ivanov tie for Bradley Open.

Visit CSCA website for section winners etc....

CT's Maximillian Lu wins U1600 Gold Medal at PanAm in Ecuador. 

CT's Top Jr., Hans Niemann, 15, tied for 6th at 2019 US Junior St Louis.

Visit CSCA website for details and photos etc....

 

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK  by Alan Lasser

This is the latest in the game that I have ever seen a “Benko-file”, which is what I call full files appearing in chess games because of the way they resemble similar arrangements in some Benko puzzles.  Here we have one on move twenty-six.

Khherdekar Sauravh(2235)-Orelvis Perez Mitjans(2416)
7/15/19
2019 Sant Marti Open
1.d4 e6 
4.g3 c5
 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

 

Friday, July 26, 2019

LASSER ANALYZES LOSS TO WOODBURY

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser
 
  My loss in the recent Connecticut Yankee Open, hosted by the ever-active Rob Roy, was to the second place finisher Alex Woodbury, who will be a freshman at RPI next fall.  I lost my way in a complicated position where both kings were under attack.

It was the sort of defeat that makes one feel good;  I first met my opponent three years ago at the Westerly Chess Club and he became a subscriber to my Game of the Week column, so now I get the torch-passing satisfaction.

 
Alex Woodbury (1364)-Alan Lasser (1995)
2019 Connecticut Yankee Open
7/13/19
 
 
1-0
 
 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

 
We are getting ready to say goodbye to July and move onto August, here is a blast from the past. Enjoy this article. USCF NM (lifetime) James M. Bolton was one very strong player in during his day. He also ranks in the Top 10 players in all-time history, which includes Arkadijs Strazdins, FM Nelson Castaneda, FM Richard Bauer, Bob Milardo, NM Dennis Prawira, Edmund Roman (club president in the 40s and 50s), John Baclawski, USCF NM Derek Meredith, and now joining this elite group, fresh off his tie for first place in the July Swiss Tournament, Joseph Bilhmeyer. 
 
The article is below this chart. 
 
Safe travels,
 
Your friend in time,
 
Bob Cyr
NBCC Historian 
 
 
Rank Member # Year First Achieved Year Last Achieved Span
1 Arkadijs Strazdins
72
1952
1999
47
2 FM Nelson Castaneda
39
2002
2019
17
3 FM Richard Bauer
30
1987
2019
32
4 Robert Milardo
16
1972
2001
29
5 NM Dennis Prawira
13
2007
2017
10
6 Edmund Roman
12
1946
1951
5
7 John Baclawski
10
1979
2010
31
8 NM James Bolton
8
1975
1997
22
9 tie NM Derek Meredith
6
1981
2012
31
9 tie Joseph Bihlmeyer
6
2005
2019
14
 
 
 


 
 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.