24th WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OVERThe last game in the 24th World Championship went to 100 moves with Tansel Turgut, a cardiologist in Decatur, Illinois, playing for the win and a share of first place.
However, an iron defense by his opponent brought second place to Tansel, an outstanding achievement Tansel is a Turkish national though he has lived and worked in the United States for twenty years.
Another outstanding performance in the 24th World Championship was brought by GM Jason Bokar.
Jason Bokar of Greenville, South Carolina, finished the 24th Championship with an undefeated record, cementing a fifth place finish.
GAME OF THE MONTH
A game of chess can be thought of as a three way balance between material, structure, and development. Bokar surrenders superior material early and quickly. The superiority of structure and development, however, remain for a long time.
QUEEN’S GAMBIT DECLINED (D43)
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4
Modern practice is divided here between the Pawn sacrifice 6. Bh4 and the more positional 6. Bxf6. Bokar's choice is the more ambitious.
6...dxc4 7.e4 g5
Black can also play 7...b5 here leading into well-known channels after 8. e5 g5 9. Nxg5. By playing 7...g5 first, Black restricts White's options and the game enter into more positional territory.
8.Bg3 b5
The battle lines are drawn. Black has a pawn more but has possibly over extended himself on both wings, lags in development, and has ceded White the superior center. Still, a Pawn is a Pawn and White has to prove he has enough for it.
9.Ne5
The most common choice here is 9. Be2 accentuating White's lead in development, favored by Kramnik, Topalov, and Shirov among others.
9...h5
White has done well against 9...Bb7. One example is Jobava-Nikolarze, Tbilisi 1997: 10. h4 Bg7 11. hxg5 hxg5 12. Rxh8+ Bxh8 13. Bxc4! Besides Black's text move, 9...Bb4 has also been played here, Eljanor-Potklin, Chigorin Memorial 2002 continued 10. Qf3 Bb7 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. Be2 Qe7 13. 00 000 when White played 14. d5?! instead of 14. a3
10.h4 g4 11.Be2 Bb7
Caruana-Kobalia, Russia 2010, continued 11...b4 12. Na4 Nxe4 13. 00 Bg7 14. Bf4 Qxh4 when 15. Bxc4 would have given White an edge.
12.0–0 Nbd7 13.Qc2 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 Bg7
This natural looking move is the root of Black's further difficulties. The Knight on f6 is pinned, the c5 and d6 squares are weakened and castling kingside will just locate his King for White. Better may be 14...Rg8, but Black still has problems.
15.b3 cxb3
The passed Pawn is of little value after 15...b4 16, Na4 c3 17. Nc5 when White has improved the position of two of his pieces and queening the c3 Pawn is just a dream.
16.axb3 0–0
The Black King cannot stay on e7 for long, White will play Rad1 and (maybe) Rfe1 and then d5 explodes the center. A case can also be made here for 17. Rfd1.
17.Bg3
White now plans 18. e5 and Ne4 with play against d6, c5, f6 and g5.
17...Ne8
White is also better after 17....Qxd4 18. Rfd1 Qb6 19. e5 Nf5 20. Ne4 Rfd8 21. Ng5
18.e5 Qxd4 19.Rad1 Qc5 20.b4!
The Queen must be driven from attacking the e5 square.
20...Qxb4 21.Ne4 f5 22.exf6 Nxf6 23.Nc5
The Queen is cut off from helping the King.
23...Rf7 24.Rd6 Re8 25.Bd3 1–0
Three Pawns ahead, Black's game is untenable. A possible conclusion is 25...Rfe7 26. Bg6 Rf8 27. Rb1 Qa5 28. Nxe6 Ne8 29. Nxf8 Nxd6 30. Bh7+ Kxf8 31. Bxd6
So close and yet so far …Turgut’s last game struggle.
NEO-GRUNFELD (D76)
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24th World Championship
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
Quote: The Elo rating does not have the same importance in correspondence chess as in over the board and it is partially misleading. The true strength depends on how much time and energy one is able to spend on the games. -- Ivar Bern
JULY RESULTS
Palciauskas Tournament
Lawrence Gladding 11P02 5-1
Lawrence Gladding 11P03 5 ½-½
Swift Quad
Kevin Brown 12SQ02 5 ½-½
Juan Lopez 12SQ04 6-0
Juraj Beres 11SQ13 5-1
John Collins
Gerard Soricelli 10C12 4 ½-1 ½
Paul Ott 10C12 4 ½-1 ½
Thomas Spearman 11C11 5-1
Corey Karstetter 11C11 5-1
Lee Kemfort 10C17 5 ½-½
Keith Smith 11C03 6-0
Walter Muir
David Wright 12W10 5-1
John Wright 11W40 5-1
Michael Schulte 12W16 6-0
Daniel Trujillo 11W29 4 ½-1 ½
Robert Steiner 12W15 5 ½-½
Alfredo Gotay 10W36 4 ½-1 ½
Joseph Hawkins 12W07 5 ½-½
Gerald Thomas 12W12 6-0
Trophy Quad
Logan Ripley 10Q04 6-0
Express Tournament
Andrew Bussom 11ET01 5-1
19th USCCC has started
The 19th US Correspondence chess Championship has started with seventeen members. Two Senior Masters – Michael Proof and Thomas Biedermann (16th USCCC Champion) three international Masters, John Ballow (current US Champion) Carl Siefring, and Robert Rizzo, two Absolute Champions, David Sogin and Harry Ingersol, and a Golden Knights champion, Abe Wilson, are among the competitors.
OBITUARY
William Traylor of Whitehall, Ohio, was born November 24, 1943. William was active in USCF CC until 2008.
BUSINESSMAN’S OPENING (A45)
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Carl Waldrep, Jr. born August 4, 1943, died January 20, 2012. Carl was very active in many US organizations including USCF, APTB, APCT, CCLA, and internationally in ICCF and WCCF.
Carl demonstrates the fine art of the squeeze in this English where Black’s pieces are flattened to the last two ranks.
WADE DEFENSE (A41)
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Patrick W. Groves of Crestview Hills, Kentucky, born on October 7, 1945, died on May 27, 2012. Patrick played a lot of international play, though he did score 5 ½-½ in a 2002 Swift Quad event. Patrick was also the winner of a game that featured one of the wildest positions ever seen on a chessboard. Witness:
CARO KANN (B12)
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Marc Plum writes “I enjoy sacrificing Rooks on h7 and h8”. I am sure the reader will enjoy those sacs, too !
SCANDINAVIAN DEFENSE (B01)
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Lawrence Gladding took first place in the 2011 Palciauskas 11P02. Here is his win over the rating leader.
SICILIAN DEFENSE (B72)
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Bob Eisthen won 10C20 by virtue of strong endgame play. Witness his play here.
BIRD’S OPENING (A03)
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Thomas Connelly sends in this game to show how a strong Master, Abe Wilson, wins even when his opponent does not make an obvious mistake. Perhaps the reader can figure out where White went wrong.
ENGLISH OPENING (A29)
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When the White’s attack starts moving, it just keeps coming and coming.
KING’S INDIAN ATTACK (A06)
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See a pdf index of Alex Dunne's columns. Also login as a member to read his June Chess Life Magazine cover story on Abe Wilson, two-time Golden Knights champ.