DCC December 2024 Report
2:08pm Sunday, December 29th, 2024
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The DCC is looking forward to bigger and better in 2025.
I'd like to start this year end DCC report by acknowledging the enormous contributions to the DCC that Chris Peterson and Dean Clow made. What they did, in my opinion, has resulted in the Denver Chess Club becoming one of the best chess clubs anywhere. Mr. Peterson created the DCC webpage to practice his self taught coding skills. Then showed the page to a tech company and was hired on the spot. Leaving that job - high tech I guess being too easy - Mr. Peterson is now enrolled in an Idaho medical school. Mr. Clow created caissachess after using SwissSys at the Tuesday night registration table and finding it lacking. Saying to me one night, "I can write something better than this", and did he ever. Thus, we not only have accurate DCC tournament pairings, but DCC tournament history and prize money payout going back to 2015.
Daniel Herman (b) vs. Eamon Montgomery (w) This photo shows why I'd rather have Shirley Herman taking DCC pictures.
Due to the Christmas Eve holiday, the DCC December Tuesday night tournament was only 3 rounds. Consequently, the prize money payout was somewhat lower than usual. In the Tuesday night Premier section, Eamon Montgomery took 1st place with a perfect 3-0 score that included a last round win over hard to beat, Daniel Herman. Thus earning 75 dollars and 73 cents to spend on Christmas presents.
Jarod Heap (1995) had a big last round upset win against LM (Life Master) Richard Shtivelband (2217) that won the 30 dollar 1st Upset Prize in addition to the 2nd place prize of 45 dollars and 44 cents. The 3rd place prize of 30 dollars and 28 cents was shared by NM Daniel Herman, CM Rhett Langseth, Alexander Steger, and Luis Jimenez. The 20 dollar 2nd Upset Prize was won by Jason Nigatu (1760) for his last round win over Austin Powell (1920)
Will Evans (b) vs. Andrew Starr (w)
In the Tuesday night U1900 section Will Evans (1602) also had a nice last round upset win when he won against Andrew Starr (1764) to finish with 3 points and take the 1st place prize of 72 dollars and 76 cents. With 2 wins and a 1st round bye. Both John Schoenke and Lee Petterson had 1st round byes, and then each player finished with 2 wins to share the combined 2nd and 3rd place prize of 72 dollars and 78 cents. In addition, Lee (1337) also won the 30 dollar 1st Upset prize for his round 3 win against Ricardo Bogaert (1700) On top of that, Lee also won the 20 dollar 2nd Upset Prize for his round 2 win against Charles Larimer (1570)
Andrew Nohrden (w) vs. Tyle Hickswright (b)
Andrew Nohrden ruled the Tuesday might U1500 section. Winning all three of his games, to put 72 dollars and 76 cents in his pocket. With a 1st round bye and two wins, Jackson Curry won the 2nd place prize of 43 dollars and 66 cents. 3rd place was shared by Kevin Eaton. Tyle Hickswright, and Tom Crabb, and each player won 7 dollars and 28 cents. Incredibly there was only one upset win in this section. I'm sure Shirley Herman (1083) is quite pleased to win 30 dollars for her Round 1 win over long time DCC player Joseph Aragon (1300).
Thursday night attendance is looking good. Photo by Shirley Herman
In the Thursday night Premier Section Rhett Langseth, with 3 wins and a round 2 bye, finished in 1st place and won 97 dollars and 30 cents. Alexander Steger - who only lost to Mr. Langseth in the last round - finished with 3 points and won the 2nd place prize of 72 dollars and 30 cents. There was a three way tie for 3rd place. NM Daniel Herman, Jared Heap, and Luis Jimenez, all ended up with 2.5 points and each player won 12 dollars and 16 cents.
Alexander Steger (b) vs. Rhett Langseth (w) Photo by Shirley Herman
There were several surprising upsets in this section - Mr. Steger (2024) won against Richard Shtivelband (2217) - Luis Jimenez (1974) won against Murat Erkan (2187) - Brandon Stoyvanovich (1973) also won against Mr. Erkan. But the 20 dollar Premier Upset Prize went to Kristopher Zelkin (1791) for his last round win against none other than NM Brian Wall (2213) Mr. Zelkin also won the 36 dollars and 49 cents Premier section U1900 prize.
Nick Hvizda thinking about his next move. Photo by Shirley Herman
In the Thursday night U1600 and Unrated section Logan Stewmon and Nick Hvizda both finished with 3.5 points and they share the combined 1st and 2nd place prize of 170 dollars and 28 cents. With a 2.5 point score, Unrated Michael Silberberg took home the 3rd place prize of 36 dollars and 49 cents. Shirley Herman (1083) won the U1600/1300 prize of 36 dollars and 49 cents with two big upset wins against Russel Watterson (1540) and Abraham Romo (1590) Calvin Lee (979) won the 20 dollar U1600 Upset Prize when he also won against Mr. Watterson in round 2.
Eamon Montgomery making a move in I think his first Thursday night game. Photo by Shirley Herman
And here we have the DCC 2024 Tour prize winners. 18 players receive a year end prize bonus for playing well and often on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and in our four DCC weekend tournaments: the MLK, Spring and Fall Classic, and the Denver Open. The 2024 Tour prize fund amounted to 3280 dollars and 50 cents. Each USCF rating class receives an equal share of the prize fund, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awarded. (Points) are tracked and tabulated by Dean Clow's caissachess software. Prizes for each section were: 1st place: 273 dollars and 38 cents. 2nd place: 180 dollars and 43 cents. 3rd place: 92 dollars and 95 cents.
USCF Master/Expert 1st. Daniel Herman (1869) 2nd. Rhett Langseth (1386) 3rd. Eamon Montgomery (1378)
USCF Class A 1st. Luis Jimenez (1457) 2nd. Forrest Lundstrom (897) 3rd. Jarod Heap (846)
USCF Class B 1st. Kristophor Zelkin (1128) 2nd. Benjamin DeGuire (962) 3rd) Darshan Satishkumar (777)
USCF Class C 1st. John Schoenke (1247) 2nd. Tyler Poole (820) 3rd. Abhijay Balamurugan (771)
USCF Class D 1st. Enrico Moss (878) 2nd. Ashwin Mathimaran (790) 3rd. Weston Taylor (761)
USCF Class E 1st. Shirley Herman (1055) 2nd. Nick Hvizda (735) 3rd. Don Henry (609)
The DCC is looking forward to bigger and better in 2025. Congratulations to all the prize winners. Thanks to everyone who is making the DCC an outstanding place to play chess for pride, prize money, and rating points.
Games Section
Best Game
by NM Christofer Peterson
People are often amazed by the ability of chess players to play blindfolded or recall past games. While this may seem like an extraordinary feat of memory, it’s actually a skill that becomes relatively easy with enough practice. Most people instinctively doubt their own ability to do it, but the first step—like with many things—is to believe it’s possible and give it a try. For me, the key to recalling games, whether it’s a previous match or a blindfolded one, is to think of the game as a story.
When telling a story, you don’t always include every minor detail, nor is it usually necessary. Most of the time, the essential parts are the story beats—the key moments that give the narrative structure. For example, if you remember that the opening was a Najdorf Sicilian, there was an attack on your king, you defended, launched a counterattack, and eventually checkmated your opponent, you’ve already captured about 70% of the game. Admittedly, it takes experience to understand what terms like “Najdorf Sicilian” mean and to recognize patterns typical of such games, but framing the game as a story makes it much easier to recall.
This month’s best game exemplifies this storytelling approach. It begins with a familiar, almost clichéd start but quickly evolves into a masterpiece of positional play, sacrifices, and relentless attacking. The game also features valiant defense, perseverance under pressure, and missed opportunities on both sides, making it an unforgettable tale of chess.
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Langseth, Rhett (2104) - De Guire, Benjamin (1864)
Round 1 of DCC December Tuesdays 2024
2024.12.03
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1. Nf3 d5 2. d3 g6 3. Nbd2 Bg7 4. e4Rhett has been playing this system
religiously for both colors for as long as I have known him. Except for a
couple daliances with the London System and the Evan's Gambit, I don't recall
him playing anything else. He has it down to a near science. There are major
advantages and disadvantages to playing the same system ad naseum. A big
advantage is that you learn the nuances of the particular positions and plans
for the opening to such a depth that you will have an advantage over your
opponent. There are two major diasadvantages, though. First, you are severely
limiting your experience to new ideas making growth as a chess player more
difficult. My rating, for example, plateaued for a while and it was not until
I started expanding my opening repertoire that I was able to continue
improving. Secondly, it makes you very predictable. If someone knows you are
going to play a particular set of openings, that opponent can prepare and
indepth response. Having a diverse opening repertoire makes you a difficult
opponent to anticipate. 4... dxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. Bc4 O-O 7. O-O Nc6 8. c3 b6( 8... Na5 9. Be2 c5I like this plan to take space on the queen side with c5. White
has been relatively passive and by doing this, the natural expansion of b4 is
not as appealing and it helps control d4. It also does not shut out the
darksquared bishop like black does with e5 later. 10. e5 Ng4 11. e6 f5White can counter with some aggression down the center but his lack of
development and passively placed pieces is not very threatening. ) 9. Re1 e5?A major positional concession without any reason.( 9... Bb7 10. e5The only
reason I can think of black playing e5 was to prevent white from doing so. It
is an overextension from white, though, as he cannot coordinate an attack with
half of his pieces undeveloped. 10... Ng4 11. e6 f5Black is doing very well here. ) 10. b4!An excellent positional move. It takes space on the queenside but
more importantly, it prevents the black knight from challenging the
lightsquared bishop on c4 by taking away a5. Futhermore, the c5 square is a
natural square for minor pieces and pawn break. By taking that away, black's
position feels just a little more cramped. 10... Qe7 11. Qa4( 11. a4The queen is
a bit misplaced on a4. Continuing with the queenside expansion seems
reasonable instead. )( 11. Qc2The queen also finds usefull on c2 by watching
over e4, defending c3, and perhaps supporting a later Bb2 and c4 maneuver. It
is a very flexible move. )( 11. h3Another option would be to futher restrict
black's minor pieces. Taking away g4 from the knight and bishop further ties
down black's minors. ) 11... Bb7?Overlooking the danger.( 11... Nd8The knight is so poorly placed on c6 that it needs to be redirected. This also
protects against the sneaky skewer being set up by white. 12. Qc2( 12. b5 Nb7Heading for c5. ) 12... Ne8It is kind of funny but black's knights are so
poorly placed that they need to be rerouted urgently. This knight is headed
for d6 and the other may end up on e6. While temporarly on horrendous squares,
soon they will be much better placed. Thankfully white's peices are mostly
undeveloped or passive and black's pawns are relatively solid so black can get
away with these prolonged, awkward maneuvers. ) 12. b5 Na5 13. Ba3 Qd7 14. Bxf8 Bxf8 15. Rad1( 15. Bd5Is a nice move that sets up some tactics, sneaky
attacking ideas, and positional liquidations that white will be able to
convert in an easy endgame. 15... Nxd5( 15... Bxd5 16. Nxe5 Qd6 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. c4 Nf6 19. Rad1 Qc5 20. Qc2 Re8 )( 15... Bd6 16. Bxb7 Nxb7 17. Nc4 Nc5 18. Qc2 ) 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Rad1! Bb7 18. Nxe5 Qf5 19. Nf1 Re8 20. Ng3 Qc8 21. Ng4 Bg7 22. Qf4Suddenly black's king seems very exposed. ) 15... Qe8 16. Bd3 Rd8 17. Nb3 Nxb3 18. axb3 Ra8I found it quite sad that this was black's best move. The
poor rook is stuck guarding the a-pawn. The last thing that it wants to do. 19. Bc4 h6 20. Bxf7+?!A bold, interesting, and entirely unnecessary
sacrifice.( 20. Bd5 Nxd5 21. exd5 f6 22. Qe4 Bd6 23. Nd4The game might last
longer this route, but black is going to have little to no play and be
exhaustively defending against every trade and infiltration. ) 20... Kxf7?Black decides to blunder right back.( 20... Qxf7 21. Nxe5 Qe6 22. Nxg6I imagine black was afraid of losing more material but activity trumps
material almost every time. 22... Bc5I think black failed to realize how powerful
his active pieces would be had he taken this way. The loss of the additional
pawn really does not mean a whole lote. 23. b4This also practically forces
white to shut his queen out of the game. 23... Bxf2+And there are counter
sacrifices! 24. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 25. Kg1 Qxg6This position looks way better than
what happened in the game. The bishop is a monster, white's king is exposed
and black has multiple attacking lines with active pieces. Black has taken the
initiative and has a real chance at turning the game around. All three results
are possible from here. ) 21. Qc4+ Qe6??Throwing away the game immediately. 22. Nxe5+ Ke7 23. Nxg6+ Kf7 24. Ne5+ Ke7 25. Qxc7+ Ke8 26. Qxb7Now white is
up the exchange again with four pawns. On top of that, he has a huge
initiative and attack. 26... Rc8 27. Rd7 Nxd7There is no other defense( 27... Rd8 28. Rxd8+ Kxd8 29. Rd1+ Ke8 30. Qa8+ Ke7 31. Qd8# ) 28. Qxc8+ Ke7 29. Rd1Sometimes I think chess players would make good interrogators. We have some of
the most enhanced interrogation techniques on the planet. Here Rhett is
putting them to full use by applying as much pain and suffering on his
opponent as he can.( 29. Nc6+ Kf6 30. e5+ Kg6 31. Nd4 Qe7 32. Qc6+ Kh7 33. Nf5 Qe8 34. e6Black is getting completely pushed around ) 29... Nxe5 30. Qd8+ Kf7 31. f4 Bc5+ 32. Kh1 Ng4One of my pasttimes is to watch videos on the
psychology of police interrogations. One of the techniques is to give the
suspect a little hope. That ray of sunshine is enough for them to confess to
what they believe is a lesser crime in the hopes of getting convicted of a
lesser crime. Rhett does it masterfully here by giving black just a smidgen of
counterplay. But it is an illusion as he has it all under control. 33. Rd7+ Be7 34. e5! Nf2+ 35. Kg1 Ne4 36. Qc7He is still playing with his food.( 36. Rxe7+ Qxe7 37. Qd5+ Qe6 38. Qxe4 ) 36... Kf8 37. Qc8+ Kf7 38. Rxe7+ Kxe7 39. Qb7+ Qd7 40. Qxe4 Qxb5 41. Qb4+The king and pawn ending is hopelessly lost
for black. Three pawns down with connected passers is impossible to defend.1-0
Congratulations to Rhett Langseth for winning the December 2024 Denver Chess Club’s Game of the Month award! Rhett’s performance stood out among many compelling games, showcasing exceptional skill and creativity. We also want to highlight some of the other fascinating games submitted for consideration this month. Each one brought its own unique flair and strategic depth.
1) Andrew Robichaud vs. Brentt Marlowe. Final Position. NM Peterson's comment: A well fought complex attacking game with a crazy material imbalance. It ended up being a draw but still a great game.
2) Naill Case vs. Bill O'Neil. Final position After 41. Kg1-h2. NM Peterson's comment: An interesting delayed poisoned pawn that leads to some maneuvering and a sudden end when one side fails to see the danger.
3} Eamon Montgomery vs. Daniel Herman. Final Position. Checkmate. NM Peterson's comment: This game between two masters is well-analyzed and includes some flashy tactics as well as a king hunt.
4) Alex Steger vs. Eamon Montgomery. Final Position. NM Peterson's comment: A nice positional game that turned into tragedy after pulling the trigger too early and misplaying the endgame.
5) Eamon Montgomery vs. Luis Jimenez. Final position. NM Peterson's comment: Another positional lesson, this time with the defending side making desperation sacrifices.
Mr. Mongomery also selected positions from his games for this report:
1) Eamon Montgomery vs. Luis Jimenez Tuesday. Round 1. In this position after 14...Be7-f6 NM Montgomery says, "White to play and win." How would you continue?
2) Alex Steger vs. Eamon Montgomery Tuesday. Round 2. After 31...Kh8-g8 Instead of 32. Rf7xc7, how could White, as Eamon says, "have drawn easily"
3) Eamon Montgomery vs. Daniel Herman Tuesday. Round 3. After 25...Rb6-b1 NM Montgomery unleashes a terrific mating attack. How would you begin?
In addition, NM Peterson encourages all DCC players to submit their games with this comment: "Now, as we move into 2025, we’re calling on all players to submit their best games from the January 2025 tournaments. Whether it’s a hard-fought battle, a clever tactical victory, or a positional masterpiece, we want to see it. Share your games for a chance to win the January 2025 Game of the Month and inspire the Denver Chess Club community. All games will be considered regardless of the player ratings or technical expertise. Remember that first and foremost I am looking for games with teachable moments. Submissions can be sent through the game upload form. Just remember to include the name of the tournament in the PGN."
Now, of course, we have some NM Brian Wall games.
6) Tanya Prabhu vs. Brian Wall. Colorado Open. Round 1. Final Position. White lost on time. NM Wall says: "The game was fairly even throughout but Gurpur moves too slow"
7) Brian Wall vs. Murat Erkan. DCC Thursday Round 2. After 32...Qa5-a2 A frustrated Brian Wall says, "I have squandered all my time, tactical and positional advantages and worse, I didn't know how. The rest was disheartening."
8) Christopher Lee vs. Brian Wall Summit Series #4. Round 1. More frustration is heard in this comment by NM Wall: "I was getting nowhere for 20 moves so I sacced an exchange to create an imbalance" Then saying "Christopher immediately sacced the exchange back which was a big mistake. Then we immediately both blundered in the Rook ending." Nevertheless, NM Wall, of course, went on to win.
9) 7) Brian Wall vs. Levi Kaklauskas Summit Series #4. Round 2. Why was 29... c5-c4 a mistake?
10) Sullivan McConnell vs. Brian Wall Summit Series #4. Round 3. Everyone knows the McConnell brothers are hard to beat, Sullivan especially. Nevertheless, Brian Wall still has some bite to go with his bark. Here after 17 ...Qa5xb5 capturing a pawn Brain says "Sullivan makes a brave decision to decline the draw..."
11) Brian Wall vs. Kristopher Zelkin. Also playing a simul against Austin Powell. Thursday night. Round 4. Final Position. Brian says "I had so many wins it doesn't really feel like a loss."
12) Austin Powell vs. Brian Wall. Final position. Draw agreed. Brian's comment: "Against Austin neither one of us seemed to find anything constructive to do despite a board full of pieces."
13) Griffin McConnell vs. Brian Wall Summit Series #4 Round 4. Final position. Brian says this was a "Mutual Respect" draw.
14) Grayson Manuel vs. Brian Wall After 30. Qf3-e2. How does NM Wall win a piece in this position?
15) Andrew Robichaud vs. Brett Marlowe Tuesday. Round 1. After 45. Qh6-f4. You don't see a position like this every day. As NM Peterson said in diagram #1, "...with a crazy material imbalance."
Thanks again to all,
J.C. MacNeil