DCC September 2024 Report

It is good to see so many new players at both locations

The heading photo is by Shirley Herman, who says Viaan Khandelwal is "conducting" :-)

I'd like to start this DCC report by quoting a New York Times article by Melissa Kirsch  Within the article, John Jeremiah Sullivan says "Tennis is as close as we come to physical chess, or a kind of chess in which the mind and body are at one in attacking essentially mathematical problems." Chess is being compared to a physical sport. Yes indeed. Serve and volley. Move and reply. Attack and defense in both sports. Chess has also long been compared to boxing. In all three sports, it's all you. We have all experienced an opponent's move that feels like a gut punch, and on the other hand, the thrill of victory when an opponent is down for the count. 

Matthew Wofford is contemplating his next winning move. Photo by Phil Brown 

So then, on to who won what in the DCC September over the board battles. In the Tuesday night Premier section, NM Matthew Wofford took a round 3 bye and won all his other games to take 1st place and take home 123 dollars and 24 cents. His last round win against Rhett Langseth sealed the deal.  Rhett, Daniel Herman, and Jarod Heap, all finished with 3 points and each player won 41 dollars and 8 cents. Of note is Mr. Heap's 200 point rating difference win over Mr. Herman in round 2. Rising star, Grayson Manuel (1792), won the 30 dollar Premier Upset Prize with his round 2 win against NM Richard Shtivelband (2261), who we all know is not at all easy to beat.

Jeff Nohrden is also contemplating his next winning move. Photo by Phil Brown.

Similar to Mr. Wofford, in the Tuesday night U1900 section, Jeff Nohrden took a 1st round bye then won three in a row to finish in 1st place, and take home 188 dollars and 88 cents. Tying for 2nd and 3rd place, new to the DCC, Steven Mendelsohn, along with DCC regular Niall Case, each won 59 dollars and 44 cents with 3 points. I think new to the DCC, Lee Petterson (1150) won the 30 dollar U1900 Upset Prize for his round 1 win against long time DCC Player Bill O'Neil (1650). Mr. Petterson also upset the DCC Thursday night TD, Weston Taylor.

Nivid Singhal is winning a Rook and Pawns endgame. Photo Shirley Herman.

Nivid Singhal (922) who I think must still be in grade school, ruled the Tuesday night U1500 section. All four of his wins were huge upsets against much higher rated players. The rating point difference totaled up 1273 points!! The youngster's fine play earned 118 dollars and 88 cents, in addition to the 30 dollar U1500 Upset Prize, for his piggy bank - if kids still have piggy banks :-) Bhaskar Rajaopal and Richard Fiet both ended up with 3 points and each player won 59 dollars and 44 cents. Mr. Fiet only lost to Mr. Rajaopal, who in turn only lost to Navid in the last round. Gera Cruz missed winning the Upset prize by 2 rating points. His last round 468 point rating difference win over Tom Needham was 1 point less than Nivid's last round 469 point rating difference win against Mr. Rajaopal.

Alex Steger (w) vs. Daniel Herman (b). Photo by Shirley Herman. 

In the Thursday night Premier section, Alexander Steger can certainly be pleased with his 1st place finish. Mr. Steger (2003) held Brian Wall 2208) to a round 2 draw, and won against Daniel Herman (2130) in the last round, to end up with 3.5 points. Which won the 103 dollar and 10 cents 1st place prize. Mr. Wall won the 2nd place prize of 77 dollars and 33 cents with a 3 point final score.

Mr. Herman, along with Grayson Manuel, and Kristopher Zelkin, all won 25 dollars and 77 cents with 2.5 points. The 20 dollar Premier Upset Prize was won by Jarod Heap (1930) when he beat Richard Shtivelband (2249) in round 1. Two tough losses for Mr. Shtivelband this month.

James Robertson (w) vs. Thursday night TD Weston Taylor. Photo by Shirley Herman.

James Robertson dominated the Thursday night U1600 and Unrated section. His perfect 4-0 score won 103 dollars and 10 cents. Enrico Moss, TD Weston Taylor, and Nick Hvizda each won 51 dollars and 55 cents with 3 point final scores. Mr. Hvizda (1174) had a big last round upset win against Russell Watterson (1552) to earn his prize money. The actual 20 dollar Upset prize was won by Meir Neustadt (907) when he won his last round game against Darin Worthington (1327).

Thursday night is attracting new players to DCC tournament chess. 

It is good to see so many new DCC players at both locations, but especially on Thursday night. Seems like every week I'm giving a DCC card to a new DCC chess player. Of course, then the next week I'll try to give a card to the same player. Old man memory :-)

As always, thanks to the Denver Chess Club TD's, and of course to the players, who are making the DCC one of the best chess clubs in the United States...if not worldwide. Thanks also to Chris Peterson for his Best Game selection. His analysis is excellent and beneficial for anyone looking to improve their game. I should also mention that all along, Shirley Herman has proofread these reports and alerted me to typos and occasional errors of fact.  

Games Section

Best Game

by NM Christofer Peterson

There were many games submitted for game of the month consideration. It was truly a difficult decision. Each game was unique and had many lessons to be learned. I encourage everyone to look through them. There were technical masterclasses, inspiring upsets, tactical slugfests, dazzling sacrifices, and epic king hunts. In the end, I decided on a game that has a little bit of everything. The following game features an interesting opening struggle, a dynamic and exciting middle game, and a fascinating position-material imbalances. It truly was a back and forth struggle that could have gone either way.

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Andrew Robichaud (1511) - Cole Strong (1636)

Round 2 of September 2024 DCC Tuesdays

2024.09.11

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1. e4 c5 2. Ne2An interesting attempt at a transposition trick. Depending on black's response, white can opt to go into a closed or open sicilian set up by playing d4 or g3 in response. The knight on e2 is not misplaced in those scenarios. 2... e5This is an attempt to punish white for not playing the traditional Nf3 move. It prevents white from playing d4 immediately. Because white is not pressuring e5 with his slighly more passive knight on e2, black can get away with this. It is likely not the best approach for black, though, as it limits the dynamism that makes the sicilian such a popular defense. 3. c3This move feels a little passive for white. Unless he intends to play d4 in the next couple of moves, white may regret taking the c3 square away from the b1 knight. 3... Nc6( 3... Nf6 ) 4. Ng3 Nf6 5. Bb5 a6 6. Ba4 b5The knight on g3 is poorly placed and is a target. Black should be paying h5 to punish white's awkwardly placed pieces. 7. Bc2 g6It is not entirely clear where the f8 bishop belongs. Black could consider putting in on c5 which seems like a much better diagonal considering the long diagonal is blocked by the e5 pawn.( 7... c4is a bit premature as white can strike at the center with the immediate d4. )( 7... d5looks promising. White has a space and development disadvantage. By playing d5, black can seize the center and drum up an initiative. ) 8. O-O Bg7 9. d3 O-O 10. Be3 d6 11. h3 Be6 12. Nd2It took quite a bit of shuffling but white has managed to develop all of his minor pieces. Some of them are quite menancingly placed, as well. The Ng3, the Bc2 and the Be3 are all well placed for a kingside attack. 12... Nd7There really is no rush to play f5 here. Black should consider improving his position, first. Simple moves like Rc8 or Qe7 look perfectly reasonable. 13. Nf3 f5? 14. Ng5( 14. exf5 gxf5 15. d4This is difficult to evaluate for both sides but white is going to end up much better. Let's look a few of the lines. 15... Ne7( 15... f4?? 16. d5 fxe3 17. dxe6 exf2+ 18. Rxf2 Nf6 19. Ng5+−White has a raging kingside attack. There is pressure on h7, d6, and the queen and knight are coming to h5. Black is in serious trouble. ) 16. dxe5These lines get very complicated but white is going to be winning material or have a huge attack. 16... Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5( 17... dxe5 18. Bxc5 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Rf7 20. Bxe7 Rxe7 21. Nxf5 Bxf5 22. Bxf5White is up two pawns and should be easily winning. ) 18. Bh6 Rf7( 18... Bg7 19. Re1 Bxh6( 19... Bf7 20. Bg5 Re8 21. Nxf5The pin is deadly. 21... Bf8 22. Bxe7 Bxe7 23. Nh6+ Kf8 24. Nxf7 Kxf7 25. Qh5+ Kf8 26. Qh6+ Kf7 27. Qxh7+ Kf8 28. Bg6It is fascinating how quickly black's kingside defense is liquidated. ) 20. Rxe6 ) 19. Re1+− Qd7( 19... Bxg3 20. Rxe6 Be5 21. Bg5There's that pin again. 21... Kh8( 21... Qd7 22. Rxe5Oops, there's another pin ) 22. f4 Bg7 23. Qe2 Ra7 24. Re1 Bf8 25. Qh5 Kg8 26. Rf6 Rg7 27. Rxf5 ) 20. f4 Bg7 21. Bxg7 Rxg7 22. Bxf5 Nxf5 23. Nxf5 Bxf5 24. Qd5+Loose pieces drop off. Black's rook in the corner is a goner. ) 14... Qf6?The f6 square is what I like to call a focal point for black's pieces. There are four pieces that all interact with the f6 square: the bishop, knight, queen, and rook. By putting the queen on f6, it restricts the movement of the other three pieces thus reducing the overall flexibility of the position. A move like Qe7 would provide better defense because it allows for a variety of pieces to go through f6 if necessary. Futher, this exposes black's queen to attack from a lot of different angles. The f-file may open, the g3 knight may land on h5 in some lines. It is better to keep the position flexible and the queen tucked safely back on e7.( 14... Qe7 ) 15. Nxe6?( 15. exf5 gxf5 16. d4!This d4 move is a recurring theme in white's position. It is a natural move to make for white given the c3 precursor. White may have been scared to play it because of the impending f4 fork, but black just does not have time to execute that tactical motif. 16... f4( 16... exd4 17. cxd4 Nxd4 18. Qh5 Bh6( 18... h6 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. Bxd4 Bxd4 21. Nxf5+− ) 19. Nxe6 Nxc2 20. Nxf8 Nxf8 21. Rad1 Bxe3 22. Qf3 Re8 23. Nxf5 Bg5 24. Qb3+Another fork thanks to black's exposed king. ) 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. d5 Qf7 19. dxc6And the knight on d7 is hanging. ) 15... Qxe6 16. exf5 gxf5 17. Qh5?( 17. f4It is important for white to prevent the f4 move, now. The trades that happened took a lot of the sting out of white's position. ) 17... f4 18. d4 Nf6 19. Qg5 fxe3( 19... fxg3 ) 20. Nf5 Ra7 21. fxe3 cxd4 22. Rf3 e4?( 22... dxe3 23. Rg3 Rff7A great way to slow down an opponent's initiative is to give them back some material. By trading off or distracting an active piece, your oppponent's attack will be slowed down signficiantly. A lot of times to the point where your counterplay can take effect. In this case black can give back an exchange to ensure he has a safe king and a winning position. 24. Nh6+ Kh8 25. Nxf7+ Rxf7 26. Qxe3 e4Black is much better here. He has two pieces for the rook and an advanced passed pawn. ) 23. Rg3 Nh5??( 23... Rff7Again, better to give back a little material to arrest white's attack. ) 24. Bb3 d5 25. Bxd5??Major missed opportunity from white.( 25. Nxg7! Rxg7 26. Bxd5These tactics can be difficult to work out because of the unnatural capture sequence. White is capturing the black queen with check so the tactics work out in his favor. 26... Nxg3( 26... Rxg5 27. Bxe6+ Kh8 28. Rxg5 dxc3 29. Rxh5 cxb2 30. Rb1 Re8 31. Bd5+− ) 27. Bxe6+ Kh8 28. Qc5More forks! 28... Ne7 29. cxd4+−Black has very little counterplay here. ) 25... Qxd5 26. Nh6+ Kh8 27. Qxd5 Nxg3 28. Qxc6 dxe3?( 28... Ne2+ 29. Kh1 d3Black can set up a strong forward position that white will have a hard time breaking down. Black should be able to hold this position. ) 29. Re1?The dust has settled as far as tactics and trades. Taking stock, material is pretty close to even. Black has a rook and bishop for white's queen. Black has an extremely strong position, though. The advanced e-pawn, aggressive knight, and weakened white king makes this position drawable for black. White missed an opportunity here to take away black's counterplay.( 29. Qd6! Ne2+ 30. Kh1 Raa8 31. Re1 Nf4 32. Rxe3With the e-pawns under control, white can breathe a sigh of relief. ) 29... e2 30. Kh2 Be5??Black should take the draw:( 30... Nf1+ 31. Kg1 Ng3Black could force a draw here by bouncing the knight between f1 and g3. ) 31. Ng4??A terrible blunder that allows black a tempo to consolidate his pieces. The a-rook will join on f7 or g7 and white's king is in horrible shape.( 31. Qc5 Nf1+ 32. Kg1 Bh2+ 33. Kh1 Rfa8 34. Nf5+−With the rooks tied up and the e-pawn about to fall, black is nearly out of counterplay. ) 31... Bb8 32. h4 Rg7 33. Kh3 Rfg8 34. Nh6 Nh5 35. g4( 35. Nxg8 Rg3+ 36. Kh2 Rxc3+ 37. Kg1 Rxc6Black is just up too much material. ) 35... Nf4+ 36. Kh2 Nd3+?? 37. Kh3( 37. Kh1Amazingly white can salvage a draw here with a perpetual check. 37... Nxe1 38. Qf6!This threatens a smothered mate which does not allow enough time to prevent the perpetual check. 38... Re8 39. Nf7+ Kg8 40. Nh6+ ) 37... Rf8 38. Rxe2 Nf4+Now there is no hope for white. Black's pieces are too active and white's king is too weak. 39. Kg3 Nxe2+ 40. Kg2 e3 41. g5 Nf4+ 42. Kf1 Re7 43. Qf6+ Rxf6 44. gxf6 e2+ 45. Ke1 Nd3+And with that, black wins the game.0-1

Several of the following games "feature" one move blunders as a reminder to us all to look before we leap :-)

1) Brian Wall vs. Alex Steger Round 2. Thursday. Final position. NM Wall's comment: "Sometimes a draw feels like a win."

2) Mike Maloney vs. Brian Wall Round 1. Thursday. White has just played 31. Ng3-f1. Brian says, "Mike was doing fine until he got down to one minute and gave me Two Bishops for a Rook." Do you see how NM Wall continues?

3) Daniel Herman vs. Brian Wall Thursday. Round 3. NM Wall says "I was satisfied to force a draw on Move 27. If Daniel avoids a Rook trade after 27 ... Rd8 then 28 ... Nd3

4) Brian Wall vs. Turpana Molina. Thursday. Round 4. After 19...Bc7-b8, Brian says of his next move, "This killer shot pretty much ruins Turpana for the rest of the game." What did NM Wall play in this position?

5) Jarod Heap vs. Daniel Herman. Tuesday. Round 2. Black has just played 21... Ra8-d8. A rare losing blunder by Mr. Herman. How would you continue?

7) Brian Hood vs. Gera Cruz. Thursday. Round 2. After 19. Qd1-d2 find a winning move for Black.

10) Andrew Robichaud vs. Enrico Moss. Tuesday. Round 4. Black has just played  19... Nc6-e5. Why was that the wrong Knight? 

13) Shirley Herman vs. Gera Cruz. Thursday. Round 4. Ms. Herman had played a good game up until 35. Qd5xb7, capturing a pawn, but dropping the Rook.

14) Viaan Khandelwal vs. David Greaves. Thursday. Round 4. After 23. e4xf5, capturing a pawn, either Black Rook can go to f8. Why is one better than the other?

Thanks again to all,

J.C. MacNeil