The September Check is in the Mail
By Alex Dunne   
September 19, 2012
Doykos.jpgKen Doykos wins 2010 Colorado State Championship

Ken Doykos has won the 2010 Colorado State Championship with an undefeated 5-1 score.  Ken, 64, has been a USCF member since 1975.  His peak OTB rating was 2020 and though he had played some postal chess back in the Seventies, this was his first tournament.  Ken notes he had some good fortune along the way, but in chess fortune often comes to those who fight.

GAME OF THE MONTH
White dominates the first half of this game, but then a sudden mental shift from attacker to defender and Black takes over.

 
CARO-KANN (B16)

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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6 6.c3 Bf5 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.g3 e6 9.Bg2 Nd7 10.Nh4
White generally continues with 10. 00 and after 10...000 the prospect of capturing on g6 opening up the h-file is not desirable.  
10...Bg6 11.0-0 0-0-0  
The strategy for both sides is now very clear -- attack the King, but mind the center.
12.b4
A perfectly straightforward commencement of the attack.  An instructive miniature was Chiburdanidze-Borner, Biel 1991: 12. Qe2 Bd6 13. Be3 f5 14. Bg5 Rde8 15. c4 c5 16. b4! cxd4 17. c5 Bf6 18. Rac1 Nb8 19. b5 Bg7 20. b6 1-0
12...Kb8
This defensive move does not help Black at all.  The King is less safe in b8 (or a8) than on c8.  The b-file is the file most likely to open up and the King sits at the top of it.
13. a4 e5!?
White's attack is clearly ahead of Black's kingside action so Black tries his hand in the center.
14.b5
White also gets good play after 14.Qb3 exd4 15. cxd4  Bd6 16. a5 a6 17 Bb2 Rhe8 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Rfc1.
14...c5 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.dxe5
White misses how strong his position is after 16. d5 c4 17. a5 Nc5 18. b6 axb6 19. axb6 Qxb6 20. Be3 Bd6  21. Qe2
16...Nxe5 17.Qc2
Black has survived the main thrust of White's attack.  While it is true that the endgame with the two handsome White Bishops would be favorable, the endgame is a long way away and the middle game features a handsome Black Knight and two open files for the Black Rooks.
17...Qd7 18.Bf4 g5 19.Rad1
The other Rook makes more sense.  The f1 Rook hasn't much to do now.
19...Bd6 20.Be3 Qe6 21.Qe4 Rd7 22.Rd5? 
White is dreaming of Rfd1 followed by Rxd6 but there is a serious flaw in his reasoning.  Better was 22. a5 with the idea of a6, creating threats on the long white diagonal..
22...f5!
After a long and arduous defense, Doykos comes roaring back with a series of heavy blows to the White kingside.
23.Qc2
Better may be 23. Rxd6!? Qxd6 24. Qxf5 f6 25. a5 when White still has counterchances.
23...f4 24.Bxc5 Bxc5 25.Rxc5 f3! 26.Rxe5 Qxe5 27.Bxf3 f5 28.Bg2
White has sufficient material for the exchange (two Pawns) but Black's active Rooks and kingside pressure finally break White's spirit and he morphs into defensive mode. 
28...g4
Not the most efficient -- Black should first lure the f1 Rook away by 28...Rc7 29. Rc1 then 29...f4 30. c4 Rch7 31. c5 Rxh2 32. c6 Rxg2+! 33. Kxg2 Qd5+_ 34. f3 g4! and Black wins.
29.h4?
Again 29. c4 is better: 29. c4 Rdh7 30. c5 Rxh2 31. Qe4 f4 when White can still fight. [29.c4 Rdh7 30.c5 Rxh2 31.Qc4 f4]
29...gxh3 30.Bf3 Rhd8!
Now the power of the d-file will manifest itself.  Black is winning.
31.Qc1 Rd3 0-1

Black has a simple endgame win after 32. Re1 Qd6 33. Re3 Qh6 34. Kh2 Rxe3 35. Qxe3 Qxe3 36. fxe3 Rd3 37. c4 Rxe3 38. Bd5 Kc7 39. a5 b6 40. axb6+ Kxb6 41. Bf7 Kc5 42. Bg8 Rc3 43. Bf7 Rxc4

Gotay.jpg2010 Colorado State Championship

Alfredo Gotay wins 10W36

Alfredo Gotay, a professional photographer from Puerto Rico, won the 2010 Master/Expert Walter Muir Quad.  One of his wins was this Exchange Variation Ruy Lopez which featured the thematic duel of better Pawn structure versus the two Bishops.  This time the Bishops win.

RUY LOPEZ (C69)

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Quote: Correspondence chess is an excellent tool, but one which is often misunderstood.  When I suggest that this form of the game is a good way to improve, they often react by saying that everyone uses computers so what's the point ?  While this is not altogether true -- there are correspondence chess players who agree to play without silicon assistance -- I take the view that extensive use of computers is actually a good thing.

The point is that it vastly enhances the quality of your opponent's play thus forcing you to raise your own level. -- 10 Great Ways to Get Better at Chess by Nigel Davis


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

A smooth performance by the 2007 Champion.

KING'S INDIAN DEFENSE (E61)

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Beres.jpgJuraj Beres wins 11SQ13

Juraj was born December 2, 1975 in Slovakia, EU.  He began to play CC when he was 12 years old.  He moved to Florida, graduated with a BS in Accounting from the University of South Florida and lives in Parrish, Florida with his wife and 17 month old son.

DUTCH DEFENSE (A90)

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AUGUST RESULTS

Walter Muir
            Sachin Singhal   5-1  12W11
            Rexford Cristal  6-0   11W33

John Collins
            Mark Meibers      4-2   10C03
            Matthew Bennett 4-2  10C03
            Dennis Ambler     5-1  11C18
            Robert Eisthen     6-0   11C01
            Joseph Korman    5 ½-½  10C27
            Benjamin Wilreker 6-0  10C24
            Robert Both            4-2   10C13

Swift Quad
            Hiram Bodon      6-0         10SQ12
            Roger Pedersen   6-0        12SQ08
            Michael Serovey 4½-1½  12W09

Trophy Quad
            Joel Sokoloff        6-0   11Q16
            Peter Swan           6-0   11Q06

The perils of Pawn snatching are well documented here.

ENGLISH OPENING (A30)

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Top 25 US ICCF Correspondence Players
.
1. GM Alik Samulovich Zilberberg 2613
2. GM Jason Bokar 2579
2. GM Stephen E. Ham 2579
4. GM Daniel M. Fleetwood 2577
5. SM Tim Murray 2555
6. GM Edward P. Duliba 2539
7. SM Jon Edwards 2525
8. GM Jon Ostriker 2520
9. SM Gary L. Kubach 2505
10. SM Keith Holzmueller 2502
11. SM Dan Perry 2488
12. SM Michael C. Proof 2486
13 SM Michael Millstone 2481
13. SM Jerry Weisskohl 2481
15. GM Vytas Victor Palciauskas 2479
16. SM Kenneth M. Reinhart 2470
17. GM Joseph A. DeMauro 2454
18. SM Thomas Biedermann 2449
19. Wieland Belka 2440
20. Gary Walters 2437
21. Wesley C. Green 2434
22. IM Carl L. Siefring 2433
23. IM Hisham N. Sunna 2431
24. IM Mehran Divanbaigyzand 2422
25. Lawrence Coplin 2417


Kovats demonstrates a positional trap in the Zukertort Variation.

ZUKERTORT VARIATION (D05)

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One of Kasparov's early trainers, Aleksandr Shakarov, was well-known for his brilliant CC play.  Here is an example:

NIMZO-INDIAN DEFENSE (E59)

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Pins and needles, needles and pins -- the early part of this game is sharp!

CENTER COUNTER GAME (B01)

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The Colorado Championship was not won easily by Ken Doykos.  Here he had to face a determined Master in the decisive game.  A win by Baffo would have given him the title.

SICILIAN DEFENSE (B51)

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