2025 DCC Tribute to Martin Luther King

3:09pm Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025

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...at any DCC tournament you will find competition.  

Brian Wall and Eamon Montgomery games have been added to the Games Section

A tribute is a statement intended to show gratitude, respect, and admiration. Today, countless people would express exactly that when speaking of Martin Luther King. The Denver Chess Club naming a chess tournament in his honor is a small thing compared to what he did for countless people of color. Racism was once accepted as perfectly okay, particularly in the southern states. Rural country stores would have two water fountains. One for "Whites Only" and another set at a lower level, grungy, and labeled for "Coloreds". Which I've seen with my own eyes. The heading and all the photos used in this report are by John Brezina. Also note that his excellent photography is not necessarily related to the text. 

Not Rosa Parks, but Kaavya Sakthisaranan would not have gone to the back of the bus either. 

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and go to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama bus, Reverend King, and his friend Ralph Abernathy, organized a nationwide civil rights movement, which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A law that was intended to right the wrongs of racism. We have come a long way, but to say racism has been eradicated from American society would be wishful thinking.  

A record attendance of wall to wall chess players at the MLK.

I am pleased to note that the 2025 MLK attendance had a record registration of 154 players. Despite a cold snowing winter storm blowing outside. A significant increase from the 2024 registration of 134 players, when there wasn't a cold snowing winter storm blowing outside :-) Chess continues to grow in popularity here in America and worldwide. Chess.com has a registration of over 100 million members!! Internet chess is all well and good, but over the board, face to face against an opponent, in a tournament for prize money and USCF rating points is the real thing. 

NM Brian Wall (w) vs. NM Eamon Montgomery (b)

So then on to who won what at the DCC 2025 Tribute to MLK. The Premier section was especially strong with no less than six National Masters, and I'm sure Candidate Master, Rhett Langseth, will soon have the National Master title. So it is no surprise that NM Eamon Montgomery, NM Chris Peterson, NM Abhishek Mallela, NM Daniel Herman, and LM Brian Wall all finished with 4 points. LM is not a typo. Mr. Colorado Chess has been playing good chess for so long that he has earned the USCF Life Master title. Each player took home 290 dollars. Not bad money for sitting down and doing what they like to do anyway.  

Griffin McConnell is not at all camera shy.

Expert Luis Jimenez, Amitia Sebba, and Jason Nigatu all ended up with 3.5 points and they share the U2100 prize of 249 dollars and 99 cents. Luis had to hold NM Griffin McConnell to a last round draw to earn his share of the prize money. The 100 dollar Premier section Upset Prize went to Clifton Ford (1800) for his round 2 win against Daniel Herman (2115) Mr. Ford's other two wins were also big upsets. He only lost in the last round to NM Mallela. 

Poking at my brain helps me think. 

Krish Mathimaran ruled the U1800 section. Taking 1st place with 4.5 points that included two Upset wins and an Upset draw. This fine performance put 400 dollars in his pocket. Emmett Lignell and Enrico Moss finished with 4 points and share the combined 2nd and 3rd place prize of 500 dollars. All of Enrico's points, except for his last round win, were Upsets. The rating point difference totaled up to 413.5 points. (when it's a draw the rating point difference is halved.) The 100 dollar U1800 Upset Prize went to Neel Yadatore(1471) for his round 4 win against Andrew Starr (1765) Neel's other points were also from winning against higher rated players.  

Nick Hvizda - who I only recognize because he has been winning all his games at the DCC monthly Thursday night tournament.   

Nick Hvizda has been winning all his games at the DCC Thursday night monthly tournament, and here at the MLK, he allowed a last draw to end up taking 1st place in the U1600 section with 4.5 points and he took home 350 dollars. Joseph Reininger and Ryan Hajjali both finished with 4 points and incredibly their points were all from upsetting their opponents. The combined rating point difference of both players totaled up to an astounding 1177.5 points. Mr. Hajjali (1240) also won the 100 dollar U1600 Upset prize for his last round win against Andrew Robinchard (1578). 

Chewing my finger helps me think :-)

In the U1400 section, there was a three way tie for 1st place. Thus, Tarun Karthikeyan, Tristan Heikes, and Lucas Vasquez each won 216 dollars and 67 cents. Turan didn't have to upset anyone. Tristan (1323) had a last round Upset win over Devin Banks. (1326) and Lucas (1288) had to earn his prize money by upsetting three of his opponents. The rating point difference totaled up to 172 points. Not a big difference but upsetting is upsetting. The 100 dollar Upset prize went to Shri Sha Ramkumar (1057) when he won his round 4 against Nathan Hight (1337).

I know there is a good move somewhere in this position. 

Jason Wuu only allowed a last round draw to Noah Keene and won the U1200 section with 4.5 points. Which put a prize check of 300 dollars in his wallet. Mr. Keene, Jeremy Piech, and Viaan Kandelwal all won 100 dollars by scoring four out of five points. Anirudh Saibalian (831) won the 150 dollar U1200 prize by winning against higher rated Anaya Medu in round 4. The100 dollar U1200 Upset prize was won by Seam Mattews (367) for his round 1 win over Jonathan Reinhard (973). Mr. Mattews also had huge upset wins against Nicholas Brookins (843) and Dan Ruparel (703). 

By my count, there were 119 upset wins or draws at this DCC event. I like to highlight Upsets because anytime a player wins, or holds a draw against a higher rated player, it had to have been a good game. I think it's safe to say at any DCC tournament you will find competition. 

It was good to see Madeleine Finch, back at the chess board, pink hair and all :-) 

Youngster Charlie Kovacs playing USCF rated tournament chess. A possible future GM at the board.

 Shirley Herman is increasingly becoming a better player.

I've said before that the more women that get involved in chess the better it will be for the royal game. I'd like to see a single chess world championship and have a woman take the title from a man. It could happen and why not?

Thanks to DCC President Earle Wikle for organizing the tournament and setting up the DGT boards. Thanks to the Tournament Directors, Tom Nelson, and Peter Barlay. They got the pairings correct and the rounds started on time. Thanks to John Brezina for the photos used in this report. See all of Mr. Brezina's excellent photography . Thanks especially to the 154 players who registered to play in the tournament. We hope to see y'all at the 2026 MLK. Thanks to Chris Peterson for selecting a Best Game in addition to analyzing his own games from the tournament. 
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NM Chris Peterson. His analysis will improve your game. Post your games to DCC Games and it may be selected as a Best Game. 

Games from the Tournament

Best Game

by NM Christofer Peterson

There were many great games played at the tournament over the weekend. Some great struggles were being displayed live on DGT boards. Those games can be viewed on this website: DGT board games. I picked a game from one of those DGT broadcast games to be the best game of the MLK tribute tournament. The game features many complicated tactical positions that provide lessons on how to approach those kinds of situations. It also concludes with a satisfying king hunt.

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Sebba, Amitai (1865) - Sakthisaravanan, Kaavya (1767)

Round 5 of DCC Tribute to MLK 2025 [ 2025.01.18 ]

2025.01.22

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1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3The Smith-Morra is an interesting gambit. It is one of the more sound, true gambit openings. It is also a very popular anti-siclian weapon. A black player with any sicilian in their repretoire needs to have a response to this gambit. 3... Nf6This is one of many mainlines against the Smith-Morra because it transposes into the Alapin Sicilian. Studying the Alapin as black and using this transposition will allow you to consolidate your studying. This opening has the seal of approval of players like Carlsen, Giri, and Praggnanandhaa who all essayed it with success in recent years.( 3... dxc3My preferred method is to meet the gambit headon by capturing. My general plan is known as the Pin defense, where I rapidly play e6, Bb4, and castle kingside. A lot of the times I end up trading hte bishop for the knight and playing a quick d5 or f5. I have had quite a bit of success with it, even against leading Smith-Morra theoreticians like IM Marc Esserman. 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bb4 7. O-O Nge7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 Bxc3 10. bxc3 O-OI think black is doing very well here. White has to two bishops so some complications need to be navigated but black is solid and has many counterattacking possiblities. )( 3... d3This is another, more conservative option. It does not score as well as the other two. ) 4. e5Which ever response you decide to go with, make sure you look up the key ideas and main lines. Anyone who plays the Smith-Morra from the white side will be familliar with them. 4... Nd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 Nb6 8. Bb3 g6?!This move is a bit slow. It is important in the Alapin for black to play decisively in the center of the board quickly to avoid a plethora of traps.( 8... dxe5 9. d5 Na5 10. Nc3 Nxb3 11. Qxb3 e6 12. Nxe5 exd5 13. Be3 Bd6 14. Qb5+This is the line Anish Giri used as black to defeat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. ) 9. Ng5Putting immediate pressure on black's position. 9... e6?An understandable reaction but it is better to close lines rather than maintain the tension. Black's king is in danger and that overrides the principle of keeping tension in the position.( 9... d5 10. Nc3 h6This is the way to navigate the pressure and complications. White will be better due to the space advantage and superior piece coordination. 11. Nf3 Bg7 12. h3 Bf5 13. O-O± ) 10. Qf3! f5An overreaction but other moves don't provide much safety either.( 10... Qc7 11. Nc3Threatening Nb5 11... dxe5 12. O-O Nxd4 13. Qf6 Rg8 14. Nxh7 Bg7 15. Bg5!! Bxf6 16. Nxf6+ Kf8 17. Bh6+ Rg7( 17... Ke7 18. Nxg8+ Ke8 19. Nf6+ Ke7 20. Bg5 Kf8 21. Rac1+−Despite having a queen and pawn for a rook and bishop, black is completely lost. ) 18. Bxg7+ Ke7( 18... Kxg7 19. Ne8+ Kf8 20. Nxc7+− ) ) 11. exf6 Nxd4 12. f7+ Ke7 13. Qe4It is hard to say which square is best for the queen. I am partial to g3 as it keeps the queen sheltered from most of the attacks. 13... Nxb3??Black does not have time to capture this bishop. The king is too exposed.( 13... Bg7This defends the knight and protects the exposed h4-d8 diagonal. 14. O-O d5 15. Qd3 Kf8It is scary having the king so exposed but black is mitigating the damage in this line. ) 14. axb3White missed a big opportunity here. Skewer tactics are in the air due to the black king and queen being lined up on the h4-d8 diagonal.( 14. Nxe6! Bxe6There is no way to save the queen.( 14... Qd7 15. Nc5+ ) 15. Bg5+ Kxf7 16. Bxd8 Nxa1 17. Qxb7+ Kg8 18. Bxb6 Re8 19. O-O axb6 20. Nd2 Nc2 21. Qe4+−White will pick up the knight and be up a queen, knight, and pawn for rook and two bishops. Not the easiest material advantage to convert but white is clearly winning. ) 14... Bg7 15. O-O( 15. Nc3Games with an exposed king and many open lines are great because of the complex tactical ideas the come out of them. Studying these games helps you recognize tactical patterns which will help you win in the future. 15... d5 16. Qb4+ Qd6 17. Qh4 Kf8 18. Nb5 Qe7 19. Bd2Threatening Bb4 19... d4 20. Qg3Threatening Nc7 and eyeing d6. 20... h6 21. Nf3 Kxf7 22. Nd6+ Kg8 23. Nh4 e5 24. Nxc8 Nxc8 25. Nxg6Of course none of this is forced but there are so many complicated lines that the screen would be flooded and our brains would be overwhelmed. ) 15... e5?( 15... Kf8It is important to get the king and queen off the same diagonal. ) 16. Nxh7??Throwing away the advantage by giving black an easy plan to untangle and possibly counter attack down the h-file.( 16. Nc3 Kf8 17. Qb4 Qe7 18. Rd1 d5There are a ton of lines that could be explored because each move opens a new set of candidate moves. I wanted to show this one because of the queen sacrifice. 19. Qxb6!! axb6 20. Rxa8 Qxg5Black has nothing better( 20... Qd8 21. Rxd5+− )( 20... Bf6 21. Rxc8+ Kg7 22. Rxh8 Kxh8 23. Nxd5 Qd6 24. Ne4+−Absolutely devastating for white. ) 21. Bxg5 Kxf7 22. Nxd5+−White is just up a full rook. ) 16... Rxh7 17. Qxg6 Qh8 18. Bg5+ Kd7??It is counterintuitive to put the king in a box but here it is necessary. f8 is the only square where the king finds safety as black has all of his pieces nearby. Running the queenside is a mistake because there is no shelter over there. White has many open lines: the a-file, c-file, the f3-c6 diagonal, the h3-c8 diagonal plus many pieces to use those open lines.( 18... Kf8Here black is boxed in, yes, but there are no direct open lines to the king. Black will be able to consolidate and with a little care, round up the f-pawn. White also needs to beware of checkmating attacks down the h-file. 19. Nc3 Rxh2 20. Qxd6+ Kxf7 21. Qe7+Now white has nothing better than a perpetual. 21... Kg6( 21... Kg8 22. Qe8+ Bf8 23. Qg6+ Bg7 ) 22. Qd6+ Kf7 23. Qe7+ Kg6 24. Qd6+ ) 19. Qf5+And now the king hunt begins. 19... Kc7 20. Rc1+ Kb8 21. Be7( 21. Qc2Wins a little faster 21... Nd5 22. Be7 Rh6 23. f8=Q Qxf8( 23... Bxf8 24. Qxc8# ) 24. Bxf8 Bd7( 24... Bxf8 25. Qxc8# ) 25. Bxg7+−White is up a tremendous amount of material and still has a mating attack. ) 21... Rh6( 21... a6The last chance for black to maintain a little hope. 22. Bxd6+ Ka7 23. Nc3 Bd7( 23... Bxf5 24. Nb5# ) 24. Bc5 Rd8( 24... Bxf5It is a little funny how the queen is immune from capture. 25. Nb5+ Kb8 26. Bd6# ) )( 21... Bxf5 22. Bxd6# ) 22. Qc2 a6( 22... Nd5 23. f8=Q Qxf8 24. Bxf8 Bd7 25. Bxg7 Re6 26. Ra5 Re8 27. Rxd5 Rc8 28. Nc3I mean, do we really have to go through this? White is up a queen and a piece. ) 23. Qc7+ Ka7 24. Nc3( 24. Rc6Checkmates a little faster as Rxa6 and Qxb6# cannot be stopped. ) 24... Bd7 25. Rxa6+And white found the checkmating sequence. 25... Kxa6 26. Ra1+ Ba4 27. Nxa4 Nxa4 28. Rxa4+ Kb5 29. Qxb7+ Kc5 30. Rc4#An excellent attacking game from Amitai Sebba. There were many teachable moments within the complications and it was a pleasure going through the game. The key takeaways are to be afraid of open lines near your king and avoid trading when you are attacking. Amitai did a great job maintaining the pressure and continuing the attack. Garry Kasparov said if you maintain the initiative long enough, eventually your opponent will make a fatal mistake.1-0
Congratulations to Amitai Sebba on playing such a stellar attacking game. Amitai finished with 3.5/5 in a very strong open section, tying for the U2100 prize, and gaining 39 rating points. An excellent tournament result. Amitai's only loss was to a national master and that game also showed fighting spirit and an eye for tactics, even while in a bad position.

My Games

As many of you know I decided to play in the tournament. There was a minor lull in my medical school obligations so I took the opportunity to try and play a chess tournament. While I am pleased with the result in such a strong section, I was not overly happy with my play. Considering I finished 4/5 there is not much to complain about but self-reflection and self-analysis is how we improve.

One of the best ways to improve your strength and consistency is to thoroughly analyze your games. The process of digging into the details of every move will deepen and solidify your knowledge of the positions and enhance your thinking the next time you're at the board. You will also find new ideas that you did not consider before, which will aid in pattern recognition the next time you're in a similar position. So with that in mind, I did some analyze of my four games from the event. I have provided some of the analysis here to hopefully entertain and educate a little bit.
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Peterson, Christofer (2234) - Wikle, Earle (1853)

Round 1 of DCC Tribute to MLK 2025 [ 2025.01.18 ]

2025.01.18

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1. Nf3I have played Earle many times over the years but my classical record against him is +4=1-1 so I have gotten the better of him. He is a very solid player that is well versed in theory on a handful of openings. He is also well read and knows many theoretical ideas. His rating has been over 2000 before so he is a dangerous opponent that cannot be underestimated. 1... d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 c5 5. O-OI wanted a tactical game but not a theoretical opening battle. I have not played in a tournament in over 2 years and I was feeling the rust. 5... Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. d4 Be7 8. b3( 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Bg5 O-O 10. Qc2 Be7 11. Rd1 Be6 12. Nc3 Rc8 13. Qa4 Qb6White should be better here but I am not very familiar with the plans and ideas in these positions. I am sure I could navigate it reasonably well, but I felt it was better to steer clear of bookish lines because Earle is a well read player. ) 8... O-O 9. Bb2I had a lot of success in the past with double fianchetto systems. I considered reprising it every game in the tournament but decided to play a variety of openings. Considering how those other games went, that may have been a mistake. 9... Bf5 10. Nbd2( 10. Nc3The knight is probably better placed on c3. I chose d2 so that I could both defend e4 and have my rook be unobstructed on c1. The knight on c3 applies immediate pressure to the soon-to-be-isolated d-pawn as well as covers e4. ) 10... Ne4 11. Rc1 Qa5One of several good moves:( 11... Rc8 )( 11... Bf6 )( 11... h5 )( 11... h6 )( 11... Qd7 )All of these moves are roughly equal and it is just stylistic. Earle wants to push pressure on the queenside and the knight on d2 to try and force some trades. Perhaps a little ill-advised as he will soon have an isolated queen pawn. The side with the IQP typically wants to keep pieces on the board and play for an attack. 12. a3 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. b4 Qb6( 14... Qa6Playing this immediately would save a tempo for black. That extra tempo would allow for black to equalize by immediately challenging whites control over the c-file. It also brings more venom to the ideas to the black knight coming to c3. ) 15. Nxe4( 15. Nb3This would have been better as it would leave white with an isolated queen pawn in the end. I was concerned about the complications that come out of: 15... Nc3 16. Bxc3 dxc3 17. Rxc3I did not like that I was giving up the two bishops on an open board. ) 15... dxe4 16. Bxd4 Qa6The queen does not belong here anymore as it is sidelined. While it does put pressure on a3 and e2, it is not clear what that pressure accomplishes one of those pawns can't be captured.( 16... Qe6Would do a better job at stifling white as it takes away the natural b3 square from white's queen. 17. Rc7 Rfb8It isn't pretty but black is holding and will soon untangle his pieces with moves like Bd6, Rd8, and Rac8. ) 17. Qb3!I am getting hesitant to sacrifice pawns in my old age. Eventually I settled on giving up the e-pawn, though. The activity white gets in return is well worth the investment. 17... Rac8Overlooking one of ideas behind Qb3.( 17... Qxe2 18. Rc7 Bf6 19. Bc5 Rac8 20. Rxb7Black's queenside is falling and white has tremendous pressure on the 7th rank and the a2-g8 diagonal. If black can sacrifice the exchange and make use of the e-pawn he may be able to hold. This is a long line but hopefully instructive in terms of Brian Wall's gyroscope theory. 20... Qd3 21. Qxd3 exd3 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 23. Rxa7 d2 24. Ra8 Rxa8 25. Bxa8 Bg4 26. f3 Be6 27. Rd1 Bc3 28. Kf1 Bb3 29. Ke2 Bxd1+ 30. Kxd1According to Brian Wall's gyroscope theory, in tactically complex positions, the material on a chess board will tend to correct itself back to equality with relatively accurate play. Here the pendulum of material swung in white's favor and has nearly corrected itself. White is still up a pawn but now that it is opposite colored bishops, black has excellent drawing chances. ) 18. Qe3Winning a pawn as e4 and h7 are both under attack. 18... Qh6?Essentially forcing the queens of the board but trading when down material makes the defensive task more difficult as it increases the material deficit ratio.( 18... Rfe8 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Qxe4 Bf8Sure black is down a pawn, but it will not be easy to make progress without opening up attacking lines. aready white has to defend the a-pawn and black is potentially infiltrating with Qc4 or Qa4 with Rc2. ) 19. Qxh6 gxh6 20. Bxa7 Ra8 21. Bc5 Rfe8 22. Bxe7 Rxe7 23. Rc3From a far it may look like black has good pressure on the a-pawn but white has some clever tactical shots. 23... b6 24. Rfc1Setting a trap for black if he tries to continue with his plan. It is imperative to play chess with plan. Because chess is a game of perfect information, you must always be reevaluating and recalcuating your plan. There is a very real possiblity your opponent is aware of your plan and is actively trying to stop it. 24... Rea7??( 24... h5Black could have taken a move or two to prepare his plan. There really was no rush. ) 25. g4!This move guarantees white will be up at least one pawn and removes most of black's counterplay. 25... Bg6( 25... Bxg4 26. Rg3 f5 27. f3 h5 28. fxg4 hxg4 29. Rf1Easily winning for white ) 26. h4 h5 27. gxh5 Bxh5 28. Bxe4 Re8 29. f3 f5 30. Bd3 Rea8 31. Rc8+ Rxc8 32. Rxc8+ Kg7 33. Rc3The tactics are over and white has successfully protected the material advantage. The rest is a matter of technique and I am happy to say that my technique was not great but at least it was sufficient. 33... Kf6 34. Kf2 Ke5 35. e3 f4 36. Be4 Bg6 37. Bxg6Trades make converting these endings easier. 37... hxg6 38. exf4+ Kxf4 39. Rc6 Rxa3 40. Rf6+ Ke5 41. Rxg6 b5 42. Rg4 Rc3 43. Kg3 Rc4 44. h5( 44. Rxc4I saw this idea and figured it wins a little faster. I was just too lazy to calculate the king and pawn ending. 44... bxc4 45. Kf2White's king is in the square and the only square. Black could try and escort the pawn in by placing his king on b2 but that allows an eventual b8=Q+ or h8=Q+. For example: 45... Kd4 46. Ke2 Kc3 47. b5 Kb2 48. b6 c3 49. b7 c2 50. b8=Q+ Kc3 51. Qc7+ Kb2 52. Qb6+ Ka1 53. Qa5+ Kb2 54. Qb4+ Ka1 55. Qa3+ Kb1 56. Qb3+ Ka1 57. Qa3+( 57. Qxc2Definitely do not want to allow a stalemate. ) 57... Kb1 58. h5 c1=Q 59. Qxc1+ Kxc1 ) 44... Rc1 45. Rg5+ Kf6 46. Rxb5 Rb1 47. Kf4 Rb3 48. Rb6+ Kg7Earle mentioned a potential drawing construction during the postmortum. It is something like a bishop and rook pawn in a rook ending is drawn in certain scenarios. It is worth looking up if you're interested in getting better at rook endings. Fortunately I have an extra b-pawn so it does not apply in this case. For the sake of argument, let's take a look if white freely gave up the b-pawn. 49. Kg4( 49. Rc6 Rxb4+ 50. Kg5 Rb5+ 51. Kg4 Rb1The computer gives equality here. White cannot make progress because he is unable to find permenant shelter from the checks. ) 49... Rb1 50. Kf5 Rh1 51. h6+ Kh7 52. f4 Rh5+ 53. Ke4 Rh1 54. b5 Re1+ 55. Kf5 Rb1 56. Kf6( 56. Rc6 Rxb5+Amazingly, it is still drawn here if white gives up the b-pawn. 57. Kf6 ) 56... Rh1 57. Rb7+ Kxh6 58. b6 Rd1 59. Rb8 Rd6+ 60. Ke7Black resigns( 60. Kf7 Rc6 61. Rd8 Rxb6 62. f5 Kg5 63. Rd5And it is still drawn here which is pretty fascinating. Rook endings are amazingly complicated. Anyone who wants to get good should study rook endings. They provide a solid foundation for a lot of endgame principles, they will teach you how to maximize your pieces, and they will instill in you a sense of defiance which is absolutely critical for having consistent results. )1-0
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Simberg, Benjamin (1677) - Peterson, Christofer (2234)

Round 2 of DCC Tribute to MLK 2025 [ 2025.01.18 ]

2025.01.18

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1. d4I did not know anything about Benjamin going into this game. He looked pretty young, though. Playing tournaments with young players is like walking through a field of landmines. 1... Nf6 2. c4 Nc6I have had a lot of success with this opening at the club level. It was first introduced to me by Robert Ramirez years ago. It does not do very well against really high rated players, but against lower rated players it is a nice weapon. It tends to immediately take players out of book and create confusing, rarely seen positions. That is exactly what I want against a lower rated player. With luck, they will be out of their depth and make a series of small mistakes that will lead to a bad position. 3. Nc3 e5 4. e3I don't see this response very often. The white player tends to try and punish the black knights by seizing space with d5 and e4. There are traps to navigate along the way:( 4. d5 Ne7 5. e4 Ng6 6. Bd3 Bc5 7. Nge2?? Ng4 8. O-O Qh4This is a trap in the opening that white falls into embarrassingly often. It is easy to do, though, because it is a natural plan for white to develop in this manner. ) 4... Bb4 5. d5 Ne7And here is the namesake of the opening: The Two Knights Tango. Black's knights tend to dance around the board creating threats, bewildering the white player. 6. Bd2 O-O 7. Nge2 d6 8. a3 Bc5( 8... Ba5 9. b4 Bb6 10. Na4 c6This would have been a better way to go about dealing with the threats on the bishop. 11. Nxb6 axb6 ) 9. Na4 Ng6?And I immediately make a mistake in my own opening. I have done this to myself several times in online games as well.( 9... Bb6 10. Nxb6 axb6Would roughly transpose into the other line. 11. Nc3 c6 ) 10. Nxc5( 10. b4 b5( 10... Bb6?? 11. c5wins the bishop ) 11. Nac3 Bb6 12. cxb5( 12. Nxb5? Ne4! 13. Ng3 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 f5And black has compensation in the form of the two bishops and white's awkward pieces. ) ) 10... dxc5 11. Qc2 Qd6 12. O-O-OI was surprised to see white castle queenside. Since pawns have been moved on that side of the board, the king is naturally less safe. It is understandable, however, as black's knights are menancingly placed on the kingside. The two knights strike again. 12... Bd7 13. Ng3 a6 14. Bc3?!( 14. h4Opposite side castling positions are primarily about who can attack faster. Here white should start attacking by throwing the h-pawn forward. Anything else just gives black time to attack first. ) 14... b5 15. Ba5A nice move but probably a slight overreaction. White's best defense is going to be a strong counterattack. Start throwing that h-pawn down the board. 15... Rfe8 16. Bd3 Rab8 17. Bf5?!The culmination of a bad plan. Players at the lower ratings have a fascination with trading pieces. My theory is that the plan is easy to implement and does not take a lot of creativity. Since chess is the pain of thinking vs the pain of losing, it is easy to sacrifice a little thought when you feel your position is better. This leads to players choosing the path of least resistance. Coupled with the lack of experience to realize they are giving up their advantage, it is easy to see why players are so eager to trade. 17... e4!?A pawn sacrifice that I felt freed my pieces. I really wanted to get my knights into the attack but I felt the maneuvers would take too much time. This move provided a much faster route.( 17... bxc4 18. Qxc4 Ne7 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. Bxe4 Nc8I considered a plan similar to this during the game. Considering white was not pressuring my king, I felt it was safe to move my defenders away. The knight could end up on c4, a4, or d6 depending how I need to respond. I just did not like how slow it was going to be and how quickly white could stir up trouble. ) 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. cxb5 Ne5In the postmortem, my opponent asked me if this was just a blunder. Absolutely it gives up a pawn but I was trying to give that pawn away last move, too. Thinking this is a blunder shows a lack of spidey sense when it comes to king safety. 20. Nxe4 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 Qxb5?I misjudged the speed at which I needed to execute my attack. Because white has not put any pressure at all, black can recapture with the a-pawn and play for b4.( 21... axb5 22. Bc3There was a threat to trap the bishop. 22... Ng6 23. Qf3 b4White's king is going to be stripped of its protection. ) 22. Bc3 Nc4 23. Qc2I completely overlooked this move. I thought white would have to play Qd3 or Qg4.( 23. Qg4 f6 24. Bxf6 Re7!! 25. Bc3 Nxb2Black is breaking through. White will have to give up a lot of material to stave off the attack. )( 23. Qd3 Qa4( 23... Nxb2 24. Qxb5 ) 24. Qc2 Rb3 25. Rhe1 Reb8Black has a tremendous amount of pressure in this position. The breakthrough isn't clear but black must have compenstation for pawn and the damaged structure if not outright winning. ) 23... Rb6 24. a4This move looks good because of the tactical implications of leaving the black knight undefended. I wonder if it just helps black a little, though. The material is not a major concern for black and by forcing the black queen away, it let's black lead the attack down the b-file with a rook rather than the more valuable queen.( 24. Rhe1 Reb8 25. Re2This may have been a safer way to defend. ) 24... Qd7 25. Bxg7Without this shot to win a second pawn, I would have said white was losing. Since he is getting a second pawn, trading off an attacker, and exposing black's king, he must be doing fine. The position is still wildly complicated. White will need precise play to survive the ensuing attack. 25... Kxg7 26. Qxc4 Rb4I needed to drive the white queen away to prevent perpetual check ideas. With my king so exposed, it would be easy for white to initiate checks on g5 and f6. By pushing the queen back, it makes it a little bit harder. 27. Qxc5Now white is up three pawns. 27... Qxa4 28. Qc3+ Kg8 29. Kd2This position is so complicated and counterintuitive that it is easy to make a mistake. Here white had to paradoxically move into danger rather than try to run away.( 29. Kb1 Reb8 30. Rd4If white can trade off a pair of rooks, he will be completely winning. Black's best chance is to go into a queen vs two rook ending: 30... Rxb2+ 31. Qxb2 Rxb2+ 32. Kxb2 Qb5+ 33. Kc3 Qa5+This ending can go for a long time but the computer assures me that it is equal. With the passed a-pawn, exposed white king, and temporarily sidelined rook on a1, I can see how black might hold this ending. ) 29... Reb8?It is just as complicated for black to play.( 29... Qb5!This keeps the white king contained and threatens two pawns. 30. Rb1 Rc4 31. Qd3 Re5 32. b3 Qa5+ 33. Ke2 Rc3 34. Qd4 Rc2+ 35. Kf3 Rxd5This is a very complex line. The basic idea is black is trying to maintain the initiative while white's rook is stuck on a1. ) 30. Ke2 Rxb2+ 31. Rd2??( 31. Kf3This was the last chance for white to continue the fight. Another paradoxical move. Players tend to have a visceral aversion to bringing their king toward the center like this. Here it works because black does not have a clear way to get at the king. 31... f5Threatening mate on g4. 32. Rd4 Qa2 33. Rf1Finally the a1 rook got involved. 33... Rc2The white queen is surprisingly short of squares. 34. Qd3( 34. Qe1 Rbb2 35. Kg3 Re2 36. Qa1 Qxa1 37. Rxa1 Rxf2 38. h4 Rxg2+ 39. Kf4 Rbf2+ 40. Ke5 Rf3 41. Ra3 Rg4Black is actually up a pawn here. It is very dangerous, though, as white's d-pawn is very advanced and white's king is very active. ) 34... Rbb2 35. Kg3 Rxf2 36. Rxf2 Rxf2 37. d6 Rxg2+ 38. Kf4 Rg4+ 39. Kxf5 Rxd4 40. Qxd4 cxd6 41. Qxd6And now we are back to gyroscope theory. Somehow material is back to equal. ) 31... Qg4+White boxed in his own king and now must give up massive amounts of material. 32. f3( 32. Ke1 Rb1+ 33. Qc1 Rxc1+ 34. Rd1 Rxd1# )( 32. Kf1 Rb1+ 33. Qc1 Rxc1+ 34. Rd1 Qxd1# )( 32. Kd3 R2b3 ) 32... Qxg2+ 33. Kd3 Rxd2+ 34. Qxd2( 34. Ke4 Qg6+ 35. Kf4 Rxd5Checkmate is coming soon. ) 34... Rb3+( 34... Qxh1Might be a little faster but winning white's queen seemed like a clean way to finish a sloppy game. ) 35. Kc2 Rb2+ 36. Kxb2 Qxd2+ 37. Ka1 Qxe3 38. Rf1 Qa3+ 39. Kb1 Qd3+White resigns0-1

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Peterson, Christofer (2234) - McConnell, Griffin (2198)

Round 4 of DCC Tribute to MLK 2025 [ 2025.01.18 ]

2025.01.19

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1. d4Griffin and I have played several times. I have been lucky to get the better of him in all of the games up until now with a record of +5=0-0. He is an extremly dangerous opponent as all chess masters are. My last two games against him were complex tactical struggles. I did not feel quite up to the challenge on this day. Being two years since my last tournament and recovering from a cold, I was definitely not in my prime. 1... Nf6 2. Bf4I could not decide which opening to play and settled on a system I have played for a long time just for the familiarity. It also puts a lot of pressure on black which makes it easy for a solid, risk-averse player like Griffin to make mistakes. 2... d5 3. e3 g6 4. Nc3This signals that I am aiming to launch a quick kingside attack. 4... Bg7 5. f3 O-O 6. Qd2The idea behind Qd2 is two fold: clear the way for castling and anticipate the c5 break. If black plays c5 and then takes on d4, the Queen-bishop battery will be opened up without me having to spend time figuring how to play e4. 6... c6 7. g4 Nbd7 8. h4"It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety." -- Isaac Asimov 8... h5An understandable overreaction. Because white has not yet castled, it is risky to throw the kingside pawns foward. Here black could just play to strike in the center and be just fine. The best defense against a flank attack is a counterattack in the middle.( 8... Re8 9. h5 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5Black is doing great. ) 9. Bd3( 9. O-O-O ) 9... Nb6?This sends the knight in the wrong direction. Since white is attacking on the flank, black should be breaking in the center.( 9... Re8 10. O-O-O e5 ) 10. O-O-O Re8 11. Nge2?( 11. Be5!I played this a little later but it is a nice move to delay black's break. 11... Nc4 12. Bxc4 dxc4 13. gxh5 Nxh5 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Nge2White will have lasting pressure on the kingside. ) 11... Nc4?It is so easy to make mistakes in this type of strategic positions that borders on explosive tactics.( 11... hxg4 12. h5 Nxh5 13. fxg4 Bxg4 14. Rdg1 Qd7This is the best computer line but it looks terrifying from a human perspective. The defenses look so tenuous. ) 12. Bxc4The knight is too dangerous to keep alive. From c4 it exerts a lot of pressure on e3 and b2. 12... dxc4 13. Be5( 13. gxh5 Nxh5 14. Ng3 Nxf4 15. exf4I considered this sequence during the game but I could not bring myself to do this to my pawn structure. It reminded me a little bit too much of the last game. At least in this game, I didn't have to sacrifice a pawn to get a horrible pawn structure. ) 13... hxg4 14. fxg4 Nxg4 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Rdg1In retrospect, this move did not accomplish anything.( 16. Ng3 ) 16... e5!Here Griffin offered a draw. It was a reasonable draw offer that I considered taking. I really dislike taking early draws but white's attack is fairly well neutralized if black can strike at the center with e5 with impunity. I spent a lot of time here and ended up deciding to continue the attack. I planned to offer a draw if I did not feel like I made significant progress in the next few moves. 17. Ng3 Be6( 17... f5It is a little counter intuitive to push pawns near the king but here it really solidifies the g4 knight. With the attacking lanes clogged up, it will be difficult for white to break through. ) 18. h5 Rh8( 18... g5Allow the h-file to open could quickly lead to disaster. Black should be trying to keep lines closed as much as possible. ) 19. Nce4At this point I felt like I had made some progress towards an attack. The nitty-gritty details are not clear but white's pieces are certainly menancing. 19... Qd5( 19... Qe7May have been a little more solid. Griffin is a solid player but his style of solid includes a flair of activity. ) 20. c3?!( 20. Ng5 Rae8( 20... c3A little queen deflection makes a big different. It shows how complicated and nuanced the position is. 21. Qxc3The white queen gets a little sidelined which changes the tactics down the line. Here black has extra pressure on the a2 pawn which could prove valuable. ) 21. hxg6 Rxh1 22. Rxh1 fxg6 23. e4 Qd8( 23... Qxd4?? 24. Nxe6+ Rxe6 25. Nf5+!!Opening the flood gates. 25... gxf5 26. Qg5+ Rg6 27. Qe7+ Kg8 28. Qe8+ Kg7 29. Qh8+ Kf7 30. Rh7+ Ke6 31. Qe8+ Kd6( 31... Kf6 32. Qe7# ) 32. Qe7# ) 24. Rh7+ Kg8 25. Rxb7 Bc8 26. Rxa7White has lasting pressure but it is probably close to equal because of how quickly black is able to counterattack. 26... exd4 27. Qf4 Rf8 28. Rf7 Re8The position is balanced on a razor thin edge. It is so unclear who will come out on top. )( 20. Nc5I considered this move but felt that moving the knight away from the black king was the going in the wrong direction. 20... Rae8 21. Nxe6+ Qxe6 22. Kb1White still has some lasting pressure. With the bishop gone, white should be a little more comfortable should the game turn towards and ending. ) 20... Rag8?! 21. Qe2I ended up offering a draw here. I could feel myself losing the thread of the position and did not want to risk going down a tactical line that I was unsure of. The best move in the position is also counterintuitive as it seems to close off lines. While I am disappointed I could not maintain my winning streak against Griffin, I am happy that it did not end with a loss. All in all, it was an interesting game that will help me be more successful with future attempts with this opening.( 21. h6+ Kf8( 21... Nxh6 22. Nh5+ Kf8 23. Nhf6+− )( 21... Rxh6 22. Rxh6 Kxh6 23. Nf6 Qd8 24. e4+ Kg7 25. Ngh5+! gxh5( 25... Kf8 26. Nh7+ Ke7 27. Qg5+ Kd7 28. N5f6+ Nxf6 29. Nxf6+ Kc8 30. Nxg8 Qxg8 31. Qxe5+− ) 26. Qg5+ Kf8 27. Qxg8+ Ke7 28. Qxd8+ Kxd8 29. Nxh5+− ) )1/2-1/2
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Langseth, Rhett (2134) - Peterson, Christofer (2234)

Round 5 of DCC Tribute to MLK 2025 [ 2025.01.18 ]

2025.01.19

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1. d3Rhett is another dangerous opponent that I have played many times in the past. My record in classical chess against him going into this game was +6=2-3. A relatively back and forth struggle. Going back through the games, they were all decently complicated and this game is no different. 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. e4 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. c3I am well accustomed to facing Rhett's system. Each time I seem to play against it differently, though. 5... d6 6. Qc1?! b5?I am not sure what I was thinking. The response is so obvious I struggle to think how I missed it. Probably just moving too quickly and a bit of brain fog from being under the weather.( 6... e5Apparently this is a strong positional move for black. I am not sure I fully understand the purpose and I suspect that Rhett has a continuation already planned for this move. ) 7. d4! c4( 7... a6 8. dxc5 Nf6 9. cxd6( 9. Nbd2 dxc5 10. Bxc5Rhett is a strong player but one of his weaknesses is material greed. He will take material if it is offered. Something he may have inherited from his dad. Here it just distracts from his development and his pieces are too passive to justify snatching a pawn. 10... O-O 11. Be2 Bh6More to cut off the white bishop's retreat than to pin the knight. 12. Qc2 Nd7 13. Ba3 Qb6White has had to contort his dark-squared bishop onto a terrible square, will have awkward pieces, and black has fairly free development. White is probably still better but black can't feel too bad about the pawn deficit. ) 9... Nxe4 10. dxe7 Nxe7This would have been an interesting continuation. Black is still down a pawn but the peices are so active and well placed. Especially once the bishop lands on b7 and the knight on f5. ) 8. a4 Qa5What am I doing??? It is like I want to put myself in the worst position possible. 9. Nbd2 Nf6 10. axb5 Qxb5 11. Nxc4Finally at this point I snapped out of it and started playing better chess. I think Rhett put the fear of god into me and it awoke some kind of immortal demon. Despite being at least -3.00, I was able to find a way to fight back. My only saving grace is that the majority of my disadvantage is still abstract. Rhett works much better with concrete material advantages than abstract ones. 11... Qb8 12. d5( 12. Bd3While there is nothing wrong with d5, per se, a simple developing move would keep white's play simpler. ) 12... Nd8 13. Bd3 O-O 14. O-O e6 15. Bf4( 15. Nxd6 Qxd6During the game, I thought white should go in for this. I couldn't quite figure it out, but it seemed like the right way to punish black's poorly placed pieces. 16. e5 Qd7( 16... Qxd5 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Rd1 Qh5( 18... Qc6 19. Nd4+−Black can't stay on the long diagonal to set up a battery. ) 19. Bh6 Re8 20. Qf4A nasty move that wins material. The bishop is hit and the threat is Be4 winning the rook in the corner. 20... Bg7 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Be4 Bb7 23. Bxb7 Nxb7 24. Rd7+− ) 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Bh6 Bg7( 18... Re8 19. Qf4! Bg7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Ne5 Qd6 22. Rfd1Black's pieces look more ridiculous after every move. ) ) 15... Nb7 16. Ne3?A clear mistake. The knight was well positioned on c4 as it put pressure on d6. Relieving that pressure gives black just enough time to find a decent home for the b7 knight.( 16. b4During the game I was dreading this move as it makes my b7 knight look compltely ludicrous. ) 16... Nc5 17. Qc2 a5I wanted to maintain the c5 knight as best I could. 18. Nc4Tacitly admiting that Ne3 was a mistake. 18... Nxd3??I had another brain fog moment and made two mental mistakes. First I hallucinated a queen trap line and then I transposed the move order!( 18... exd5 19. Bxd6 dxc4 20. Bxb8 cxd3 21. Qd2 Rxb8I doubt this would have happened but it would have been an interesting line to go down. )( 18... e5I originally intended this move. 19. Be3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Ba6Assuming I realized at the last minute that white's queen was not trapped, I likely would have played for this pin instead. White is still clearly winning but I have to keep up the pressure as best I can. Afterall, this is a massive improvement over what I had just a few moves ago.( 20... Nxe4My intention was to take here thinking Qxe4 ran into Bf5 trapping the queen. Thankfully I didn't play into it since the queen still has h4. 21. Qxe4 Bf5 22. Qh4+− ) ) 19. Bxd6 Qb5 20. Qxd3 exd5I thought I was being clever here but it turns out we both missed an easy winning move for white. 21. Bxf8 dxc4 22. Qd4??( 22. Qd6! ) 22... Kxf8Somehow I have made a complete comeback. Unfortunately the game is still very complicated. Black has two pieces vs a rook and a pawn. Classically it is better for the two pieces but the conversion is not easy. I also have a history of failing to convert these types of positions. 23. Qd6+ Kg8 24. Nd4 Qd7 25. Qc6A cheeky little tickle move trying to get the knight deeper into the position. 25... Bb7 26. Qxd7 Nxd7With the queens off, it should be a matter of technique. The biggest advantages for black are the two bishops and the fixed targets on white's queen side. Getting rid of b2, for example, will clear the way for the a-pawn to queen. 27. f3 Nc5 28. Rfd1 Kf8( 28... a4This would have done a better job fixing the b2 weakness. Without it, anytime I try to attack b2 with Nd3, the simple move b3 will undermine the knight. ) 29. Nb5 Bc6 30. Nc7 Ra7 31. Nd5 Nd3 32. Nb6 Bb5 33. Nc8While my plan was to fix and target the weakness on b2, Rhett was busying dancing with his knight. Now he got the knight trapped on the edge of the board. 33... Ra6 34. Ra3 Bd7?I rushed to capture the knight. I should have defended the d3 knight with a4, first. 35. b3 Bxc8 36. bxc4 Be6( 36... Nc5 37. Rd8+ Ke7 38. Rxc8I was losing the peice either way. I figured it was better to keep the two bishops. ) 37. Rxd3 Bxc4( 37... Ke7Would have been cleaner as it prevents the rook from infiltrating. ) 38. Rd8+ Ke7 39. Rc8 Be6 40. Rc5 a4 41. Kf2 Kd7 42. Rb5 Bf8 43. Ra1 Kc6 44. Rb8 Bd6The two bishops are great at bullying rooks. 45. Rbb1 a3The highly advanced a-pawn acts to tie down one of the rooks leaving my other bishop and rook free to do whatever they need to do. 46. Ke3 Kc5 47. Kd3 Bc4+ 48. Kc2 h5 49. g3 Be2 50. f4 Kc4The king is a fighting piece in the ending so I brought it as close as I could. 51. Kd2 Bd3 52. Rb7 Bxe4 53. Rxf7 Bc5 54. Rc7 a2 55. Kc1 Bb1Unnecessary but I was getting impatient. Losing patience is the quickest way to throw away a win or a draw. 56. Rxb1 axb1=Q+ 57. Kxb1 Re6 58. Kc1 Kd5( 58... Re2This wins much quicker by creating mating nets against the white king. 59. Rc6 Rxh2 60. Rxg6 Kxc3 61. Kb1 Rb2+ 62. Kc1 Be3+ 63. Kd1 Kd3 64. Rd6+ Bd4 65. Kc1 Ra2Now white must give up his rook. ) 59. Kd2 Bg1 60. f5A clever shot attempting to get rid of my pawns. 60... gxf5 61. Rh7 Be3+ 62. Kd3 Bh6Thankfully the bishop completed his secret service body guard training and is willing to use himself as a human shield for the sack of the h-pawn. 63. c4+ Ke5 64. h3 Rg6 65. Ke2 h4!Creating a passed pawn is the quickest way to win. 66. gxh4 Kf4 67. c5 Bf8 68. Rc7 Rg2+The goal in these types of endings is to try and simplify to a position that you know. I have no idea how to win a bishop-rook-pawn vs rook-pawn. What I do know how to win is rook vs rook with an advanced passed pawn. My next series of decisions was to eliminate white's h-pawns and coax white's king as far away from f1 as possible. Ideally far enough away to be cut off by my rook. Once that is done, I can safely sacrifice my bishop for the c-pawn. 69. Kd3 Rg3+ 70. Kd2 Rxh3 71. c6 Rxh4Phase 1 complete. 72. Rf7 Bd6 73. c7 Rh2+ 74. Kd3 Rh3+ 75. Kc4 Rh8Phase 2 complete. 76. Kd5 Bxc7And there is phase 3. 77. Rxc7 Re8This is lucina position and is just a matter of technique. 78. Rc1 Kg3 79. Rc3+ Kg4 80. Kd4 f4 81. Rc1 f3 82. Rg1+ Kf4 83. Kd3 Rd8+ 84. Kc2 f2 85. Rg7 Rd5Important to prevent a skewer after I queen. 86. Kc3 f1=Q 87. Rf7+ Rf5 88. Rd7The rest is Rhett being stubborn. 88... Rc5+ 89. Kb2 Qc1+ 90. Ka2 Rc2+ 91. Kb3 Qb1+ 92. Ka3 Ra2#The tournament was a little shaky for me but tying for first place, gaining a handful of rating points, and not losing any games is not bad for being a couple years removed since my last competition.0-1


Diagrams



8/8/7P/6P1/5k1K/2q5/8/8 w - - 54 108
1Evan McCormick vs. Jason Nigali MLK. Round 1. Final position. Mr. McCormick credits his opponent by saying "...a very sharp tactically kid" in addition, Evan's comments throughout the game are illuminating. 

r4rk1/pp3pp1/1npb3p/7q/3P2bN/2PB2P1/P1QB1P1P/R4RK1 b - - 17 33
2Ted Doykos vs. Evan McCormick MLK. Round 5. Evan's comment on this position after 17. g3-g3 is "Here I severely overestimated my position." Haven't we all?
Brian Wall's Games 

8/1pp4k/1p1p2qp/3P1b2/5P1Q/2P1p2P/1P5R/4KBr1 b - - 35 69
3Aaron Gindi vs. Brian Wall. MLK. Round 1. 35 ... Bd3 led to a winning endgame for Black after36 Qe7+  Qg7  37 Qxg7+  Kxg7  38 Rg2+  Rxg2  39 Bxg2  Kf6. There is a nastier win with35 ... Rxf1+!!  36 Kxf1  Bd3+  37 Re2  Qe4!!  mating.

r6r/1bqnnk2/p2b1p1p/1pp1pPp1/2PpP1P1/PP1P1NNP/4QKB1/R1B4R w - - 19 38
4) Brian Wall vs. Sean Pearson. MLK. Round 2. 20 h4!!  +2.22 is based on the positional Chess concept of Favorable Tension on h4-g5. Sean does not want to ever play ... g5xh4 because that exposes the h6-pawn and allows me to play g5 sometimes. If the h-pawns stay where they are then Sean can double heavy pieces on the h-file but I can triple. In addition I can sac pieces on g5 if I want to and roll my Kingside pawns forward.There is no defense to all this pressure like a steam kettle on a hot stove.

1rbq1rk1/4bppn/3pN1n1/1ppPp2p/7P/PPN3P1/2QBPPB1/R4RK1 b - - 16 31
5) Clifton Ford vs. Brian Wall MLK Round 3. 16 Ne6!! NM Wall says "was a nasty surprise opening up all the light squares for Clifton's pieces. Clifton had already beaten Turpana Molina and Daniel Herman earlier that day."

1r3rk1/6p1/3pPnn1/1ppNpp1p/P6q/1P6/2QBPPB1/R4RK1 w - - 20 40
5a) the same game Clifton took a draw in one second due to my fearsome reputation but21 Nxf6+!!, Qc3!!  or Qd3!!  is +3
Maybe my transparent threat of 21 ... Ng4  shook him.

rn2k2r/5p2/p3pp1p/1p4N1/8/1P4P1/P3PPKP/R2R4 w - - 18 36
6Brian Wall vs. Alexander Steger. MLK Round 4.  My Knight is attacked twice but the zwischenzug 19 Rac1!!  +4  threatens the brutal  20 Rc8+. The only piece Alex has moved is his King which invalidates the best move 19 ... O-O.

r3r1k1/1q1b1pb1/p2p1np1/1n1P2Bp/NQ2P2P/5P2/4BNP1/R3R1K1 b - - 21 41
7) Brian Wall vs. Eamon Mongomery MLK. Round 5. After 21. Qd2-b4 Find what NM Montgomery says was "Such a vicious shot I almost resigned. NM Wall comment: "After "22 exd5!  Rxe2  23 Rxe2!  Bxa1!  24 Ne4!! = I already had full compensation. Eamon's problem here is in most cases I can trade off his a1-Bishop with Knight or Bishop to f6." In addition Brian says, " After  21 ... Nxd5!!  22 exd5!  Bxa1!!  23 Ne4??  Rxe4  24 Qxe4  Bg7!! material is almost even but for some computer reason Black is +4.5 After  21 ... Nxd5!!  22 exd5!  Bxa1!!  23 Rxa1!  Rxe224 Nc3 a5  25 Rxa5  Rxa5  26 Ne2  Qa7 27 Bf6 Ra2  28 Qe4.Eamon is +1 but who could find these moves?

Eamon Montgomery's other games. 

8/8/8/8/8/1P4P1/1Q2Q2K/5k2 b - - 78 155
8) Eamon Montgomery vs. Rhett Langseth. MLK Round 4. As a courtesy Mr. Langseth has allowed mate on the board.

8/7R/8/6pp/5p1k/6rP/6K1/8 w - - 57 114
9Derek Yin vs. Eamon Mongomery MLK. Round 3. Final position. The Black pieces have overwhelmed the White King position. 

1R3Q2/1p1q3p/2p2p1k/8/r1P5/6PP/P2p2BK/8 b - - 44 87
10) Eamon Montgomery vs. Grayson Manuel. MLK Round 2 Final position. Draw agreed. Quoting NM Montgomery "... then devolved into chaos with both sides missing many wins" 

r3rbk1/3n1p1p/q5pP/3pPR2/8/1P2B1Q1/1NP3P1/1K1R4 b - - 27 53
11Anthony Whitt vs. Eamon Montgomery. MLK Round 1. After 23. Nd3xb2 capturing a pawn. Find mate in 1. I know it's difficult but don't give up :-)

Thanks again to all,
J.C. MacNeil






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