DCC November 2024 Report

The heading photo is DCC President, Earle Wikle. Who needs two computers to do everything he does for the DCC.

 DCC Tuesday night attendance has been slipping, quite possibly due to the 10 dollar entry fee. Some justification is due to rising DCC expenses, which are not unlike the rising prices of everything else. Last year the church board wanted to raise the rent to 600 dollars a month. Mainly thanks to Pastor Sheri Admiraal an agreement was reached to remain at 500 dollars through 2024, with the condition that the rent would increase to 600 dollars per month in 2025. Plus there is a 50 dollar monthly fee for the Deep Rock water dispenser. Other DCC expenses are required liability insurance, TD fees, USCF rating fees, and pens and scoresheets. The last sounds trivial but adds up. It's doubtful that the DCC could find another location for less or the same rent, that would match the excellent playing room and location we have now. This is all besides the 3300 dollar hotel rent for each of our four yearly weekend tournaments. Speaking of which, the DCC Tribute to Martin Luther King is January 18 -19, 2025. So then, that will be enough griping about the cost of everything. It is what it is. The DCC payouts a substantial prize fund each month, giving every player, regardless of their USCF rating, a chance to play for free and take home some walking around money. 

Tuesday night games in progress. Photo by Shirley Herman 

In the Tuesday night Premier section, with a 1st round bye and a last round upset win over NM Eamon Montgomery, Alex Steger took 1st place with 3.5 points and won 107 dollars and 35 cents. CM (Candidate Master) Rhett Langseth and Christopher Motley each ended up with 3 points, and each player won 53 dollars and 68 cents. Youngsters Grayson Manuel and Henry Kovacs both finished with 2 points that were all from winning against higher rated opponents. Grayson (1891) won the 30 dollar Premier 1st Upset Prize for his round 1 win over NM Daniel Herman (2179), in addition to winning the 20 dollar 2nd Upset Prize for his round 2 draw against NM Richard Shtivelband. (2208). Grayson also held Jarod Heap (1978) to a draw. I played Grayson in a Thursday night game a while back, and let's just say I suffered. :-)

Foreground: Grayson Manuel (w) vs. Rhett Langseth (b). Other board: Eamon Montgomery (b) vs. Alex Steger (w).

In the Tuesday Night U1900 section, there was a three way tie for 1st place. Kristopher Zelkin, Andrew Starr, and Sumanth Kaja all finished with 3 points, and they share the combined 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize of 206 dollars and 91 cents. Another young DCC player, Pranav Male (1308) won the 30 dollar 1st Upset Prize for his round 2 win against Bill O'Neil (1600). Joe Aragon (1300)  won the 20 dollar 2nd Upset prize when he beat Abhijay Balamurugan (1590) in the last round. 

In the Tuesday night U1500 section Kevin Eaton continued his winning ways this month. After a round 1 bye, he won three in a row to take 1st place and take home 103 dollars and 45 cents. Bhaskar Rajagopal lost in the last round to Mr. Eaton, but won the 2nd place prize of 62 dollars and 7 cents with 3 points. Tanay Kataru, James Anders, and Jackson Curry all ended up with 2.5 points and each player won 13 dollars and 79 cents. 

 Kevin Eaton (w) vs. Bhaskar Rajagopal (b)

I've previously mentioned that Shirley Herman (996) is upping her game. Proof of this is that she won the 30 dollar U1500 1st Upset prize for her win against William Moraja (1126) in round 2. In addition to taking the full point from William Trout (1068) in round 3. the 20 dollar 2nd Upset Prize was won by Ingle Makemson (1028) for his round 3 win against Arthur Taratuta (1157) 

A fine photo of Ms. Herman's hair and left hand while playing James Anders

Thursday night games in progress. Photo by Shirley Herman

In the Thursday night Premier section, The DCC Treasurer, Luis Jimenez, gets to write himself a 90 dollar 1st place check for his 3.5 point final score. CM Rhett Langseth, Jarod Heap, Forrest Lundstrom, and Tyler Poole all finished with 2.5 points and they share the combined 2nd and 3rd place prize, of 135 dollars. Mr. Lundstrom had big Upset wins against both Mr. Heap and Daniel Herman. But guess who won the 20 dollar Premier Upset Prize. Yes, Grayson Manuel.  Here for his round 1 win against once again, NM Daniel Herman. That's tugging on Superman's cape I'd say :-)

In the Thursday night U1600 and Unrated section, Nick Hvizda 1325) finished with a perfect 4-0 score that included a last round upset win against Jacob Zirin (1569). Thus, in addition to the 1st place prize of 90 dollars, Mr. Hvizda also won the 20 dollar Upset Prize. 

Nick Hvizda in deep thought. Photo by Shirley Herman

Isaac Richardson and Logan Stewmon are both unrated and they played very well to finish tied for 2nd and 3rd place with 3 points, and they each won 50 dollars and 63 cents. Petra Lambert Gorwyn won the U1600/U1300 prize of 33 dollars and 75 cents with a final score of 2.5 points. 

Rhett Langseth was paired against Grayson Manuel (b) and also took on Vangel Yurkov (w) as an extra game. Mr. Langseth won both games. Welcome to the DCC Mr. Yurkov.   

As always thanks first and foremost to the players who fight for prize money and USCF rating points at DCC tournaments. Thanks also to the DCC Tournament Directors who show up every week at both DCC locations and get the pairings right. Thanks to the DCC Treasurer, Luis Jimenez, for writing prize money checks that don't bounce :-)

TD Weston Taylor playing a game with really classy pieces. Photo by Shirley Herman 

...and here are a few more of Ms. Herman's crisp clear photos 

Tuesday night Premier section top boards. Photo by Shirley Herman

Jacob Zirin figuring things out. Photo by Shirley Herman

We have room for at least 30 more players on Thursday night...   Photo by Shirley Herman

...and plenty of room for more on Tuesday night. Photo by Shirley Herman. Thanks again to Ms. Herman for the pictures that are used in these DCC reports. My pictures don't measure up. 

Games Section

Best Game

by NM Christofer Peterson

The winner of this month's best game prize is Alex Steger. He won a nice game over NM Eamon Montgomery, the current Colorado State Champion. That game was a little too technical for my liking, however. Instead, I chose his victory over Luis Jiminez. The game has a lot of teachable moments in it. I hope my analysis provides some insight and helps you bring your game to the next level.

Hide game details

Steger, Alex (2054) - Jiminez, Luis (1973)

Round 3 of DCC Tuesday Nights [ 11.19.2024 ]

11.19.2024

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

8

7

7

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2

1

1

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

FEN

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3I have always preferred Bf4 first when playing the London system. It keeps everything a little more dynamic as it keeps the options open to play f3-e4 later. Here with black already committed with e6, it is not likely he will be doing a king-side fianchetto which the e4 break would be targeted against. 2... d5 3. Bf4The London System has always had a solid reputation. It can be the bane of aggressive, tactical players. It creates a difficult to break down central structure with the b2-d4-f2 pawn triangle. The piece placement is so natural that anyone can play the moves, in just about any order, and still get a decent position. The white player has to be careful, though. If he is up against a savvy opponent, these features may get them into trouble. The easy play is so repeatable that it can lull the white player into a false sense of security which may result in a damage pawn structure or worse. 3... c5One of the key ways to attack the London system is to strike at the center immediately. White tends to be lacsidasical with the way they develop in this system. Introducing dynamics in the position, especially the pawn structure, can open avenues of attack that a symmetrical pawn structure would not allow. 4. c3( 4. e3May have been better to deter black's next move. Here white opens up the queen to allow for a potential Qh5 maneuver. If black tries to challenge the dark-squared bishop, white can plop the knight on e5. It also defends the bishop which allows for more of the tactical lines to play into white's favor. For example: 4... Bd6 5. Bb5+ Nc6( 5... Bd7 6. Bxd6 Bxb5 7. dxc5This looks very bad for black. ) 6. dxc5 Bxc5( 6... Bxf4 7. exf4And black will have a hard time recovering the c-pawn. ) 7. c4And white successfully avoids trades, maintains pressure in the center, and will enjoy more natural development. 7... Bb4+ 8. Nbd2 Nge7 9. O-O O-O 10. Rc1Black will have a difficult time effectively developing his light-squared bishop. ) 4... Bd6 5. e3 Nf6 6. Nbd2( 6. Ne5I tend to throw the knight into e5 early in the London. Here it may not be as good, though, because black's queen knight is still undeveloped. 6... Qc7 7. Na3 a6 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. Bb5 Nc6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6Black seems fine here and may even have a target on b2 to work against. ) 6... Bxf4 7. exf4These double pawn positions have some interesting quirks to them. The black side may think they have won a minor victor in that white's pawns are damaged. It is double-edged, though. The f4 pawn provides extra support over e5, black's natural pawn break to free his light-squared bishop. The pawn also provides extra protection for the white king and a launching pad for attacks with either an f5 push or Ng5. I have a general principle that I follow when it comes to these kinds of trades: "To take is a mistake". The basic idea is that whoever captures first, usually gets the worst end of the deal. There must be a compelling reason for a trade to be initiated. There does not seem to be a good justification. Black could have used the tempo to futher develop with Nc6 or 0-0. Black is by no means worse in this position, it is quite equal, but it does remove some of the dynamism from black's position. 7... cxd4 8. cxd4An unnecessary concession. White would have been much better served to retake with the knight. Again black is making the mistake of initating a capture. White can take advantage of that by allow the recapture to pull the knight into the center. By recapturing with the c-pawn, it creates another pawn weakness on d4. The main benefit is that it keeps control over e5 but the threat of an e5 break is already stifled by the f4 pawn. 8... Nc6 9. Bd3 Qb6 10. Nb3Now white has to respond to black's threats. 10... a5 11. Qc1?Black has been doing a good job exerting pressure on white's position. This move may have seemed necessary because of the precariousness of white's pawns. However, it is very common in these types of openings to gambit the queenside pawns. The black queen is often in danger of being trapped and the extra tempi that white can extract can fuel a powerful kingside attack.( 11. Rc1 a4 12. Nc5 Qxb2 13. O-O O-O 14. Re1 Qxa2?! 15. Re3Black's queen is now trapped. 15... b6( 15... g6Attempts to save the queen are futile. 16. Ra1 Qb2 17. Rb1 Qc3 18. Bxg6 Qa5 19. Bc2 a3 20. Ne5 a2 21. Ra1 Ne7 22. g4As scary as black's position looks, he has hit a roadblock. Meanwhile, white is going to steamroll the kingside. ) 16. Rc2 ) 11... Nb4( 11... a4 12. Qc5 Qb4+ 13. Qxb4 Nxb4 14. Nc1 Bd7With the queens off, black is doing very well. White has a fractured pawn structure and awkward piece placement. The opening could have not have gone any better for black. Sometimes it can be difficult for aggressive players to find the right time to trade their initiative in for position advantages. I know from experience that going from an exciting, tactical slugfest to a relatively dull technical grind is disheartening. It is important to look at things objectively, though. Emotions over the 64 squares will only lead to bad decisions. ) 12. Bb1 Qb5 13. Ne5 Bd7?!( 13... a4I think black was trying to avoid a queen trade at all costs. I know the feeling. I love my queen and never want to trade her. Here, though, black's position is screaming for a queen trade. He has all of the positional advantages for a technically winnable endgame. There is no way white is happy with how the opening turned out. Black did a tremendous job breaking down the London system but is now throwing it away because he doesn't want to trade queens. It is a painful realty that I have faced way too many times. 14. Qc5 Qxc5 15. Nxc5Again black is slightly better in this queenless middlegame/endgame. Black can target the weakness on d4 and has play on the c-file. If black can trade a couple of minor pieces and kick the knight out of e5 and it is clear that black is playing for just two results. ) 14. a4! Qb6( 14... Nd3+ 15. Bxd3 Qxb3 16. Qc5 Rc8 17. Qd6Suddenly black is wishing he traded queens. White's is being such a menace. ) 15. O-O O-O 16. Nc5With the queens still on the board, the pawn structure and white's knights are very dangerous. White also has an easy rook lift possibility through a3. Black's spidey senses should be tingling from the danger his king is in. Just look at all the firepower a couple moves away from his king. 16... Bc6 17. f5While good, this is probably a tad premature. It does allow for the white queen to quickly access black's king but it could have waited for a bit more reinforcement.( 17. Ra3!This rook belongs on g3 or h3. ) 17... exf5 18. Bxf5 Ne4??Another folley of the aggressive payer. It is difficult to find strong retreating moves. Here black's best chance to is to seek trades. The Nb4 looks well placed but black is miles away from making any meaningful progress on the queenside. He also has glaring weaknesses on the kingside. His best chance is to look to trade pieces. The absolute last thing he should be doing is moving pieces away from his king.( 18... Na6 19. Nxa6( 19. Ra3 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Qc7And black's position is starting to make sense again. ) 19... Rxa6 20. Qe3( 20. Qf4 Qxb2 ) 20... Re8 21. Ra3 g6 22. Rc1 Qd8Repositioning the pieces will make the kingside defense easier.( 22... gxf5 23. Qg5+ ) ) 19. Ra3!I think this rook's target is obvious and it is now too late for black to mount a sufficient defense. 19... Qc7 20. Rh3 g6 21. Qh6( 21. Nxe4This speeds up the process a little by removing a potential defender of the black king. 21... dxe4 22. Qh6 f6 23. Be6+ Rf7 24. Nxg6Mate on h7 or h8 next. ) 21... Nf6 22. Ng4 Nh5 23. Rxh5It is absolutely amazing how fast this attack came against black's king. Each of white's last 6 moves brought a piece closer to black's king. Black's only hope was to see it coming before playing Ne4. Seeing an attack coming from so far away comes with experience from being on both sides of these types of attacks. Sometimes it can feel like it comes out of nowhere. In this case, white was telegraphing it with the moves a4 and f5. Black had a couple of key moments that he could have slowed the attack down. Either his radar was malfunctioning that day or he misjudged his defensive resources. 23... f6 24. Be6+( 24. Nd7Would have ended it a little bit faster. 24... Kf7 25. Re1 Rh8 26. Qxh7+ Rxh7 27. Rxh7+ Kg8 28. Ngxf6# ) 24... Kh8 25. Rh3( 25. Nd7Again a missed opportunity for flare. 25... gxh5 26. Ngxf6 Rxf6 27. Qxf6# ) 25... b6 26. Nd7Ok, he found his flare eventually. A really nice game that had a little back and forth. Black played a great opening but pressed his advantage a little too hard. White did a great job holding off the pressure and capitalizing on his long range pieces to launch a devastating kingside attack.1-0

1) Daniel Herman vs. Brian Wall IHOP Quick chess. Round 1.  White has just played 13. Rf1xf3, capturing a Bishop. NM Wall's comment: "Game Over, White is collapsing.

1a) the same game White has just played 15. Nc3-d1. Black to play and open the line of communication between the Queens. 

2) Brian Wall vs. Isaak Parpiev  IHOP Quick chess. Round 2.  This is the same 14 year old Isaac Parpiev from Moscow who won the DCC 2024 Fall Classic with a 5-0 score. This game made the kid's score against Daniel Herman, Brian Wall, and Richard Shtivelband 7- 0. Seven wins, no loses against Colorado's best.  NM Wall says "I should have played 7. e4xd5 e6xd5 8. Qd1-e2+ with a better game. My 7. e5 was a positional mistake. The game just got worse and worse after this." Brian says the youngster has now moved to Virginia. Hopefully, he will occasionally return to Colorado to play in DCC tournaments.

4) Alexander Steger vs. Eamon Mongomery Tuesday. Round 4. Final Position. Black resigned. White is a couple of pawns up, and any time your Queen is tied up defending a pawn it can't be good. Now compare this analysis with NM Peterson's Best Game analysis and tell me who knows more about chess :-)

Thanks again to all,

J.C. MacNeil