Harry Ingersol 2010 Absolute ChampionSixty-two year old Harry Ingersol (born 28 June 1949) is our 2010 Absolute Correspondence Chess Champion. Scoring an undefeated plus six, Harry's win crowned some previous important results - first place in the 2002 APCT King Championship and second place in the 2007 Electronic Knights.
Harry has been playing chess since high school and though he has played OTB for a number of years, his true interest has been correspondence play. Over the years he has played in NOST, APCT, IECG, IECC, ICCF, and USCF. Currently he has over fifty games in progress including play in the 2011 and 2012 Absolutes.
Harry is married with four children and has worked as a chemist for many years. Currently he is the Director of Quality Control for Cambrex, a pharmaceutical active ingredient manufacturer in Charles City, Iowa.
2010 Absolute Championship
GAME OF THE MONTH
When Black selects a dubious variation, Ingersol selects some powerful moves to refute it.
SEMI-SLAV DEFENSE (D46)
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e3
Certainly the safest line to navigate the complicated waters of the semi-slav and not without fair chances for an opening advantage.
4...Nf6 5.Nf3 Bd6
While this position of the Bishop looks right, as White usually gets e4 in before Black gets e5, it is normally deferred to Nbd7 and Be7.
6.Bd3 Nbd7 7.e4 dxc4 8.Bxc4 e5
This continuation does not have a very good track record.
9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Bxe5 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Bxf7 Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.0-0
This line actually goes back to an alternating simultaneous given by Alekhine and Bogoljubov, Berlin 1929. In that game Black played 14...Bf5 and after 15. Re1 Rf8 16. Bb3 h6? (White is slightly better after 16...Re8) 17. Ba3! and White won quickly.
14...Nxc3
Stretching his defensive chances perhaps a bit too far. After the better 14...Rf8 15. Bb3 Nxc3 16. Re1 Bd7 17. Bb2 White had an edge in Delchev-Benitah, Andorra 2010.
15.Re1
Also playable was 15. Bg5+ Kc7 16. Bf4+ Kd8 17. Be5 as in Salem-Hussein, Dubai 2004.
15...Nd5 16.Rb1
A contemporary CC game continued 16. Bg5+ Kc7 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Re7+ shortly won by White.
16...b6 17.Bg5+ Kc7 18.Bxd5 cxd5 19.Re7+ Kc6
Black is too tied up also after 19...Bd7 20. Bf4+ Kd8 21. Rxg7.
20.Bf4 d4 21.Rc7+ Kd5 22.Re1 d3 23.Re5+ Kd4 24.Rg5 1-0
The conclusion could be 24...Re8 25. Bd2 Re2 26. Bc3+ Ke4 27. Rc4 mate
Gary Walters
Second place was secured by Gary Walters. Gary earned his Masters rating with three first place finishes in Walter Muir events and then a tie for first in the 2009 Absolute. Only his loss to champion Harry Ingersol prevented Gary from repeating as 2010 Champion.
In the following game he shows why two Bishops are better than two Knights and then, to seal the point, he proves how one Bishop is better than no Knight.
RUY LOPEZ (C95 )
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Obituary
David Worthen of Sunnyvale, California, born 10 February 1924, died on December 11, 2011.
QUEEN'S INDIAN DEFENSE (E12)
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Henry Katzmarek 10SQ13
Henry Katzmarek of Mounds View, MN, took first place in the 2010 Swift Quad with an undefeated 5 ½- ½ score.
SLAV DEFENSE (D23)
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Thomas McKellop Tops
09C402009 John Collins 09C40
Thomas McKellop swept a perfect 6-0 in the all-Expert 2009 John Collins 09C40. McKellop of Auburn, New York, shows a mastery of tactics in this slasher.
DUTCH DEFENSE (A84)
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APRIL RESULTS
Walter Muir
David Wright 11W34 4 ½-1 ½
Viktor Zenkov 11W41 6-0
Inoel Cardenas 11W14 4 ½-1 ½
Bernard Miller 11W07 5-1
Trophy Quad
Michael Polonski 11Q01 5-1
Electronic Knights
Michael Caglioti 11EN08 5-1
Barry Manthe 11EN08 5-1
John Collins
John Bosse 09C35 6-0
Thomas Strow 10C33 5 ½-½
Swift Quad
Juan Lopez 11SQ17 6-0
Robert Beavan 11SQ16 5 ½-½
LEARN CHESS BY MAIL ! Lessons given by mail, telephone, ICC - many different ways. I specialize in players rated 800-2100 who would like to improve their game. Contact me for information. Alex Dunne, 324 West Lockhart St., Sayre, PA 18840 or[email protected]
Chess booklet for sale: 2004 Golden Knights Championship -- booklet of the 57th USCF CC Championship -- $10.00 postage paid. 35 pages, 90+ games
The Perfect Quad ? 11W17
Four players in a Walter Muir tournament faced off with a rating range of just over 100 points. All the games were decisive. Everybody won three games and everybody lost three games. Was this the perfect quad ?
Black handles the Knight and Pawn ending with finesse.
CENTER GAME (C22)
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Quote: OTB chess is a supplement to stay in form for correspondence chess - Sanakoev
Black's Queen shows remarkable versatility in its battle against the White Rooks.
FOUR KNIGHTS GAME (C47)
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White just keeps hitting Black until Black just falls down.
SICILIAN DEFENSE (B90)
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GAMES FROM THE 2010 ABSOLUTE
When Black puts his King on e7 on Move 16, it looks perfectly safe until White comes up with an intriguing Queen sacrifice that illustrates that safety is sometimes an illusion.
SEMI-SLAV DEFENSE (D47)
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Tartakower once said he had confidence in his pieces. Daves play shows some of that same trust.
ENGLISH OPENING (A11)
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Sometimes chess can be downright scary !
SICILIAN DEFENSE (B99)
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