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Chess Life Online 2010 December The December Check is in the Mail
Chess Life Online 2010 December The December Check is in the Mail | The December Check is in the Mail |
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| By Alex Dunne | |
| December 6, 2010 | |
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GM
Jon Ostriker Jon Ostriker has become the tenth United States International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster, receiving the title in Antalya, Turkey. Jon achieved the title by scoring above the GM norm in two events, the Championship Candidates Tournament and the 23rd World Championship Finals. In both events he exceeded the GM norm. The 23rd World Championship is not yet over though Jon has completed his schedule. His +4 undefeated performance was good for a tie for third place. GAME OF THE MONTH There is little doubt that Grandmaster performance requires a high level of technique. Here is an example of Jon at work versus GM Conny Persson at the World Championship level. MODERN DEFENSE (B06) 5118 White: Jon Ostriker (2471) Black: Conny Persson (2605) World Championship 23 Final 1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.e5 c5 8.Ng5 Persson has faced 8. Be3 b4 in Geenen-Persson, drawn, and 8. Be4 Rb8, Martin Clemente-Persson, 1-0, both in the 23 World Championship Finals. 8...Nh6 9.e6 Yemelin-Mehmedovic, Neum 2002, played what Yemelin considered an improvement with 9. Qf3. 9...Nf6 10.dxc5 Bxe6 Yemelin-Chepuraitis, St. Petersburg 2001, continued 10...dxc5 11. Be3 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.cxd6 exd6 13.Qe2 Qe7 14.Bd2 0-0 15.0-0-0 b4 16.Na4 Rab8 17.Rhg1 Nf5 18.Bxf5 Weak is 18. Bxa6 Nd4 19. Qd3 Nd5 winning for Black. 18...gxf5 19.h3 Qd7 20.b3 Ne4 21.g4 Qb5 22.Qf3 Kh8 23.Be3 Rbc8 24.Rg2 Rg8 25.h4 Qc6 26.g5 d5 27.Rd3 a5 28.Qf1 Rge8 29.h5 Kg8 30.Kb1 Re7 31.h6 Bh8 32.Qg1 Black will have to be concerned about the future opening of the g-file with g6. 32...Qc7 33.Qh2 d4 34.Bc1 The d-pawn is forbidden: 34. Bxd4 Rd7 35. Qg1 Bxd4 36. Rxd4 Rxd4 37. Qxd4 Rd8 38. Qg1 Rd2 39. Rxd2 Nxd2+ 40. Kb2 Qxf4 is good for Black. 34...Kf7 35.Qh5+ Kf8 36.Qh1 Rd7 37.Bb2 Ke8 38.Qh5+ Ke7 39.g6 hxg6 40.Qxg6 Rf8 41.h7 This pawn will remain paused one move from queening for sixteen moves. 41...Qxf4 42.Bc1 Qe5 43.Nb6 Rdd8 44.Nc4 Qf6 45.Qh5 Qf7 46.Qh1 Rd5 47.Rh3 f4 48.Re2  48...Nc3+ 49.Rxc3 f3 Not 49...dxc3 50. Qxd5 50.Nb6 bxc3 51.Nxd5+ Kd7 52.Rf2 exd5 53.Ba3 d3 After 53...Re8 54. Rxf3 the Black King is too exposed. 54.Bxf8 dxc2+ 55.Rxc2 Qxf8 56.Qf1 Qg7 57.a4 Qxh7 58.Qxf3 Kd6 59.Qf8+ Kd7 60.Qc5 Qd3 61.Qb5+ White transposes into a winning, but difficult, endgame. 61...Qxb5 62.axb5 Be5 63.Rf2 d4 64.Kc2 Kc7 65.Kd3 Kb6 66.Rf1 Ka7 67.Ke4 Bh8 68.Rh1 Bf6 69.Rh2 Kb7 70.Kd3 Bg5 Black has to abandon the Pawn -- 70...Be5 71. Rh7+ Kb8 72. Rd7 Bf6 73. Rd6 Be5 74. Rb6+ Kc7 75. Rc6+ Kb8 76. Ke4 Bg7 77. Rg6 wins. 71.Kxd4 Bd2 72.Kd3 Kb6 73.Rh5 Be1 74.Rd5 Bd2 75.Re5 Bf4 76.Re6+ Kxb5 77.Kxc3 The game now enters the realm of the Nalimov endgame databases: White wins in 50 moves against perfect defense.. 77...Bc7 78.Re4 Bd6 79.Kb2 1-0 CLASSIFIED ADS 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] CRANE, TSENG WIN COLLINS 09C11  Wilbur Tseng BUDAPEST GAMBIT (A52) 5120 Matthew Crane When Hiber tries too hard to generate an attack on the castled King, Crane finds a clear simplifying combination to shut down the attack. TWO KNIGHTS DEFENSE 5121 MEINERS TOPS WALTER MUIR 10W06  Edwin Meiners When Black discovers he can't take the h1 Rook by 20...Nxh1 because of 21. g6! It is too late to stop Meiner's sacrificial barrage that follows. SICILIAN DEFENSE (B80) 5122 NOVEMBER RESULTS Trophy Quad Joseph Daudish 09Q01 6-0 Philip DeAugustino 08Q08 4 ½-1 ½ John Collins Brian Turano 08C39 5-1 Leonard Carter 08C39 5-1 Jim Humphrey 09C21 6-0 Gary Gallagher 09C25 5-1 Walter Muir Joshua Mankey 10W12 5 ½-½ Edwin Meiners 10W06 4 ½-1 ½ Phillip Green 10W18 6-0 TSENG TAKES EXPRESS TOURNEY 09ET03  The Black Pawn majorities never seem to get moving in this game. The White Pawn majority is a different story. GRUNFELD DEFENSE (D85) 5123 Quote: Postal chess is fun -- Tom Booth Obituary: Susan Lamn Susan Lamn was born on 12 June 1948 and died August 27, 2010. A life-long dog fancier, Susan taught martial arts in her youth and was an avid chess player. CARO-KANN DEFENSE (B12) 5124 Obituary: Dick Vandenberg Richard Vandenburg was born January 19, 1930 and died November 7, 2010. Dick was a 59-year veteran of CCLA carrying an Expert's rating there. Dick was president of CCLA for ten years as well as a number of other posts and was instrumental in setting up a meeting in San Francisco to establish ICCF/US. FRENCH DEFENSE (C06) 5126 PLAY A PRISONER, PLEASE Most states do not allow prisoners to play other prisoners. As postal play gives way to email and server chess, a larger and larger percentage of postal players are prisoners. Snail mail postal matches pile up and sometimes prisoners have to wait a year or more for a simple postal match. Do a good deed - sign up for a postal match ANGELS WANTED ! The 2011 Absolute Championship will be held again in the upcoming year. This is our strongest event with our best Masters competing in it. If there are any chess aficionados who would like to donate money for an Absolute purse, please send your donations to me or Joan DuBois (made out to USCF - Absolute Prize) PO Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557 or Alex Dunne, PO Box 367, Sayre, PA 18840. These excellent players should be rewarded! AND NOW - OUR ANNUAL COLLECTION OF MINIATURE GAMES PROVING ONCE AGAIN THAT CHESS CAN BE FUN ! One leap by a Knight and it is all over. SCOTCH OPENING (C43) 5127 Some miniatures need not be commented on - just sit back and be entertained TROMPOWSKY OPENING (A45) 5129 What is it that Shakespeare said - when troubles come they come not single file ? In this game Black hits White all over the board from every direction. TROMPOWSKY OPENING (A45) 5130 White's 12th move must have come as a complete surprise to Black. KING'S INDIAN DEFENSE (E60) 5131 This game is like when the dentist says, "Open wide, this won't hurt a bit!" NIMZOINDIAN DEFENSE (E21) 5132 Black's last moves send thunder into White's sunny day. FRENCH DEFENSE (C11) 5133 The King's in danger but it is the Queen that falls. NIMZOVICH DEFENSE (B00) 5134 White's pieces gallop up the chessboard only to find they are lost. SICILIAN DEFENSE (B22) 5135 After 15...exf5, there is a whole other diagonal for White to exploit with 16. Bb3+ CARO-KANN DEFENSE (B15) 5136 Check out an archive of Alex Dunne's postal chess columns here |