Wednesday, April 29, 2009

April TNT has been rated

See crosstable

Congratulations to new rating highs achieved by:
Brian Evans
Ken Einarsson
Leah Green
Aaron Green
Arie Wasserman
Stephen Lipic
Saul Magnusson
Kris Trinidad
Ray Levesque

Friday, April 24, 2009

April 2009 TNT Round 3

Babb-Boron 0-1
Somewhere around move 18 my position seemed almost resignable, but I thought there is no harm in playing a few more moves to see what happens. I thought 20. Qxh7 gives a White a pawn over the game variation, and at the time I thought White could then shove his g-pawn or h-pawn down the board (Rybka 3 indicates even that is not hopeless for Black). In the game after 22. Qxc7+, Black has survived the worst of it, is only a pawn down, and has some chances for counterplay. After Black is able to play 29...Rxb2, his a-pawn will decide the game.

Kernetsky-Kaptsan DRAW
Pushing the pawn to e6 on move 17 or 18 would be a serious try for advantage.
Game score is muddled so I will reserve further comments until later.

Mundwiler-Pottinger 1-0
A game rich with tactics. While I was in dire straits on Board 1, I could observe this game with great interest at its critical stage. After 36... Rxb3

White has a lot choice here. I thought 37. Rxe7+ Qxe7 38. Nf5+ was winning, but I missed that after Rxg3+, Rh8 will mate White. The obvious 37. Bxb3 seems solid enough. White plays 37.Nh5+ which is also very good. But after 37...Kh8 38. Bxg6 Qxg6 provides resistance.
38. Rxf6 is much better, as 38...Nxf6 39.Qh6+ mates. Black has good chances of a draw in a R vs. N ending, but misses 51...c3.

Khedkar- Jim Green 1-0
15. Rae1 is the first new move. 33...Re7 is the beginning of the end, 33...Rc8 with dangerous counterplay is preferred.

Einarsson -Rutter 1-0
White holds a nagging edge throughout and grinds out the endgame.

Campbell - Aaron Green 0-1
17...b6 is a novelty. White is winning throughout until 37.Bxf6. If he played 37.Bf1, he would have still held an edge.

Greenberg - Magnusson DRAW
20...Rb8 would have likely netted the full point for Black.

Levesque - Arie Wasserman 0-1
White finesses himself into trouble. Simple chess with 22. Rxd6 and I still prefer White.
However, later Black allow White to play the nice 27. Nxd5+, which should win if followed up by 28.Qxd5+ with a long forced sequence that wins back the piece, and a few pawns.

Czarny- Leah Green 0-1
Simple chess. White allows Black into d2, Black wins a pawn, and pushes a passer to queen.
White surprised me by not playing 12. 0-0-0+ with Nd5 to follow, with a pleasant game.

Milord - Evans 0-1
Black's win of the exchange is enough.

Trinidad-Ott 1-0
Black get the classic trap position of the Albin Counter-Gambit but doesn't pull the trigger !
7...fxg1(N)+ is the winning move. White dodges that and goes on to win.

Kumaragamage - Leor Wasserman 0-1
White succumbs to a mating attack.

Lauritson-Lipic
Game score is muddled

Keer- Wierda 0-1
Incomplete game score

Menard-Gibbons 0-1
Lorne shows that he can play mistake free chess if he restrains his creative impulses.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Calgary International May 14-18

We received the following email from Alberta:
Hi Blair,

I am seeking strong players to play in the upcoming
Calgary International.I was hoping that you could
help me in contacting some of Manitoba's
stronger players who might be interested in this event.
You can find details on the tournament website
at www.albertachess.org/Calgary_International.html

Regards,

Tony Ficzere
Executive Director
Alberta Chess Association
www.albertachess.org

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

April Sectional Cancelled

The April Sectional has been cancelled due to insufficient entries.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

April 2009 TNT Round 2

Aaron Green - Babb 0-1
White has a typical small advantage that is characteristic of the Ruy Lopez Exchange. However, Black equalizes and easily wins the resulting endgame after simplification. Perhaps the pawn sacrifice 18. e5 was worthy of consideration, to take advantage of Black's uncastled king.

Kaptsan-Lauritson 1-0
Black initiates exchanges with 20...c5, but it just leaves him with a weak c-pawn that leads to the loss of the e-pawn. White wins the minor piece ending with solid technique, but also to be considered was the near zugszwang inducing 28. Re8+ Kh7 29. Bc3

Jim Green-Mundwiler DRAW
I was viewing this game live, and thought that Black must have something good to play around move 24, say 24...Qa8 (working on those Cecil Saturday puzzles gave me the inspiration for this). The engines agree. But in the game, by move 28 White had solved his problems and the players split the point.

Boron-Greenberg 1-0
I fully expected 9...Bxd3, as the game continuation drops a pawn Black. I intended to play 26. b3 which would have solved a lot of my later problems, but I think I hallucinated that 26...Nxe5 was possible. Instead 26. Rd1 ? just throws away White's advantage. However, Black returns the favour 3 moves later with 29...Qxc2 entering the endgame in the least favourable way.

Kernetsky-Levesque 1-0
Black is in a world of hurt after 18...g5.

Rutter - Leah Green 1-0
Black loses a rook to a tactical motive we have all fallen to, but misses her chance to embarass White after 20.Kh1
20...c6 21. Qc4 b5 and the queen is lost !

Evans - Khedkar 0-1
White loses a pawn to a little tactic in a roughly equal position (move 28).
28. c5 and it is still an interesting game with the outcome in question.

Pottinger-Trinidad 1-0
Game score is muddled according to Les. Unfortunate as there was some interesting tactics near the end culminating in mate.

Kumaragamage - Einarsson 0-1
The more experienced player with Black swaps off most of the pieces, then wins an exchange.

Magnusson - Wierda 1-0
Black could have saved himself with 15...f6

Arie Wasserman - Menard 1-0
White displays an array of tactical motifs.

Gibbons - Czarny 0-1
Just wondering if the scoresheet is correct ? - 22...Ne5 drops a piece.

Campbell - Keer 1-0
Black doesn't respond carefully to White's threats.

Leor Wasserman - Milord - DRAW
Black's finds the shot 12...Nf2, but the way to benefit from it is 14...O-O-O. But White fails to capitalize with 17.b3...chasing the Q away from the c5 square when Bc5+ will result in a king hunt.

Cecil's Saturday Puzzle - April 11, 2009

from the Winnipeg Free Press
white to Mate in 3 (Shinkman)

1. Be2
now the new nicest lines are
1...Kb6 2. Qa5+ Kxa5 3. Bc7#
1...Kb7 2. Qc8+ Kxc8 3. Ba6#

Saturday, April 11, 2009

April 2009 TNT Round 1

Babb - Wasserman 1-0
Black get in big trouble after 6...Nc6

Czarny-Kaptsan 0-1
White is doing fine after 30 moves, but gives up the critical d3 pawn after which Black infiltrates.

Mundwiler- Campbell 1-0
White plays the speculative 11.Ng5. The computer finds a way to defend after 11...fxg5, but it would have been difficult to find over the board. I was looking at the game live and noticed that
14.Bg8+ is a mate in 4. White opted to win a rook - which is equally good.

Milord- Boron 0-1
White got his move order mixed up and drops a piece early.

Leor Wasserman - Kernetsky 0-1
If the scoresheet is correct - White overlooked Black's d5 pawn at move 15.

Lauritson- Magnusson 1-0
17...Be7 leads to material loss; 17...Ne6 had to be tried to block the attack on f7.

Wierda-Levesque 0-1
We have only the first 26 moves of the game

Menard- Green 0-1
White drops a piece early.

Greenberg-Gibbons 1-0
Despite Black's unorthodox opening, he still has a playable position until he blunders a rook.

Leah Green - Swift 1-0
I think this makes three blundered rooks for the round.

Lipic-Keer 1-0
White was in total control until he got too clever with 38.Ba3. After 38...Qe7 he has to win the game again in the queen ending.

Friday, April 10, 2009

March 2009 TNT Round 5

Entering the last round, Les Mundwiler had a perfect 4-0 score and a guaranteed piece of first place. Five players had three points.

Mundwiler-Boron 0-1
7...Bg4 is quite rare, and now I know why; the bishop gets buried on g6 when White expands on the kingside. White had a clear advantage, but errs with 21. Bd7+ as after 21...Kf8, several of White's pieces are hanging. 21. Bf4 is better, but it is still a game after 21...Qb6.

Khedkar-Wierda 1-0
I was observing this game and thought it was quite level for some time.
The computer finds a nice shot for Black in the position below:
30...Rxd4 31.Rxd4 b5! 32. Bxb5 Qa7 ---the point !
But Black missed that, and as often results on a Tuesday, he lost a piece a few moves later.

Kernetsky - Lauritson DRAW
White looks like he had a good chance to win this game, but he errs with 48.d5, allowing a draw by perpetual check.

Green, Aaron - Wiebe DRAW
White is up a pawn in the endgame, but agrees to a draw.

Green, Jim - de Groot 0-1
Black equalizes early; White's queenside pieces are on their original squares until move 17. It is hard to pinpoint where White went wrong (perhaps it is the N on c6 ?), but
White's position just falls apart after move 33; it appears that 33.Nxe5 is better Rxe5.

Rutter- Einarsson 1-0
White wins an exchange and has no problems converting.

Greenberg- Campbell 1-0
Black miscalculayes with 18...Bb5; White wins a pawn and the rest is easy.

Trinidad-Lipic 0-1
Black sacrifices a piece for a mating attack.

Magnusson - Arie Wasserman 1-0
The Fried Liver Attack ! When was the last time we saw that ?
White nets a pawn, then a few more on the way to victory.

Swift - Leor Wasserman 1-0
19...e5 is likely incorrect even if it didn't lose a piece

Trueman - Evans 0-1
White rejects regaining a pawn with 12.Nfxe5. Black grinds out a win with his material advantage.

Gibbons - Menard 0-1
White could have had a nice grip on the position with 18. Nb3.
Black(and White) misses that 19...Qxg4+ 20.hg4 Rh1 is mate.

Monday, April 6, 2009

April TNT Starts Tuesday April 7, 2009

Tuesday Night Tournaments are held every month of the year, (except for November and December when things are organized a little differently).

There is one game per week.

All of the TNTs are Swiss (pairing) style tournaments with a time control of G /120 minutes [Each player has 2 hours to complete their moves, the game will be be 4 hours maximum.]
The TNTs are typically 4 round events.

Start time is 7:00 pm and the TD will confirm costs ( $ 15 entry fee and CFC membership required)
Registration for tournament - April 7 - approximately 6:40 pm to 6:50 pm

Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 2B23
Contact: Lorne Gibbons, TD

1895

Our man Cecil found this gem in the Manitoba Morning Free Press, Tuesday, September 24, 1895,
announcing formation of a chess club for Winnipeg, the predecessor to the MCA. Membership fee $1, annual subscription $2.
"Ladies will be admitted as members on payment of an annual subscription of $1.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

March 2009 TNT has been rated

Less than 24 hours after completion ! See the cross-table here

Congrats to the following who established new high ratings:
Steven de Groot
Aaron Green
Saul Magnusson
Stephen Lipic
Ken Einarsson
Leah Green