The November Check is in the Mail
By Alex Dunne   
November 3, 2010
NEW ICCM TITILIST: Mehran Divanbaigyzand

Mehran Divanbaigyzand was born July 29, 1959 in Iran.  He moved to the United States and received his BS degree from the University of Southern California in 1981.  Mehran now teaches math at the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.  Off the chessboard, Mehran is a political activist, deeply concerned about the execution and torture of political prisoners in Iran. 

Mehran was awarded the title of International Correspondence Chess Master at the ICCF Congress in Antalya, Turkey last month.  His norms came in the Friendship of the Americas where he scored 9-5, exceeding the IM norm by a full point and the ICCF Webserver Master Tournament where his 8-4 result (second to Thomas Biedermann) fulfilled his final ICCM norm.

GAME OF THE MONTH
Mehran submitted this game as "the one that got away".  Where, he wonders, did White lose the win ?  Interested readers are invited to submit analysis to show where White might have won this game.

SEMI SLAV DEFENSE (D44)

5023

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Bb7 12.Bg2 Rg8 13.h4 Rxg5 14.hxg5 Nd5 15.Qg4
The usual move here is 15. g6.  This may be a TN.
15...Nxc3 16.bxc3 Qa5 17.0-0 Qxc3 18.g6 Qd2 
Black may be able to play 18...Bg7 here as after 19. a4, a6 looks like a fair fight.
19.g7 Bxg7 20.Qxg7 Qxd4 21.Qg8+ Nf8 22.Rfe1 Rd8
Black dominates the queenside but after White's next, the d-file will play an important role.  Chances seem to favor White.
23.Bf3! Qc5 24.Bh5 Rd7 25.Rad1 Qe7 26.Rxd7 Kxd7 27.Rd1+ Kc7 28.Qxf7 Qxf7 29.Bxf7 c5 30.f4 b4 31.Kf2 c3 32.g4 a5 33.Ke3 a4 34.Re1
Two candidates for the missed win might be 34. Be8 Bd5 35. Bxa4 Bxa2 36. f5 +- and 34. g5 Be4 35. Ke3.  Interested readers might want to work out a complete win scenario from one of these ideas or better ones.
34...Ba6 35.Be8 Nd7 36.g5 b3 37.Bg6 Nb6 38.axb3 Nd5+ 39.Kf2 axb3 40.Be4 Nxf4 41.g6 Nh5 42.Rg1 Ng7 43.Rc1 c2 44.Bxc2 bxc2 45.Rxc2 Kc6 46.Rd2 Bb5 47.Rd8 c4 48.Rg8 c3 49.Rc8+ Kd7 50.Rxc3 Ke7 51.Rc7+ Kf8 52.Ke3 Be8 53.Rc8 Ke7 54.Rc7+ ½-½

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]

Quote: Correspondence chess should be played for its own sake -- Purdy

Hillery225.jpgObituary:  John Hillery
John Hillery, born August 3, 1952, died in 2010 after an illness of several months.  John was a longtime editor of The Chess Journalist and Rank & File. John also served as Assistant Editor of Chess Life in the early Nineties.  He was a "Double Master" - holding the title both OTB and CC.  John placed seventh in the 2002 Golden Knights. 

The Albin Counter Gambit is known as an attacking weapon for Black. In the following game John shows it is also one for White.

ALBIN COUNTER GAMBIT (D09)

5024

Richard Labonte ICCM
Richard Labonte of Canada also received the ICCM title in Antalya, Turkey this year.  Richard's latest achievement was a (probable - the tournament is not yet over) second place, undefeated, finish in the 11th North American Invitational Championship, 

Richard is also the author of the newly published Set Sail for Murder part of the Polly Pepper mystery series under the pseudonym of R. T. Jordan.  Congratulations, Richard !

The following game shows Labonte at his counterpunching best.  When he finally tames the c-Pawn, there are no more chances for White.

SEMI-SLAV DEFENSE (D47)

5025


OCTOBER RESULTS
Swift Quad
Leroy Sims            10SQ01      6-0
Cameron  Leslie  10SQ07      6-0
Jimmie Blevins    10SQ06     6-0

Walter Muir

Joseph Korman   09W31   4 ½-1 ½
Sergio Flores       10W17   6-0
Inoel Cardenas       10W25      5-1
Omar Al-Mutlaq   10W19   5-1

John Collins

Frank Spooner     09C16    5 ½- ½
Bruce Elkins         08C29    4 ½-1 ½
Thomas Woods   08C11    6-0
Matthew Crane   09C11    5-1
Wilbur Tseng      09C11    5-1

Express Tournament

Wilbur Tseng     09ET03    6-0

Palciauskas Tournament

Jerome Lewis      09P04    5 ½-½

NEW SIM TITLISTS

Congratulations to Tom Biedermann, Keith Holzmueller and Kristo Miettinen who received their Senior International Master title at the ICCF Congress in Turkey last month. 

This trio of titlists play some mean chess as demonstrated below in their handling of three Sveshnikov Sicilians.

SICILIAN DEFENSE (B32)

5026

SICILIAN DEFENSE (33 )

5027

SICILIAN DEFENSE (B33)

5028

GOLD MEDALS FOR PAN AM TEAM

The four members of our successful 9th PanAm Team were awarded gold medals at the ICCF Congress in Turkey.  The winners in board order are Ted Brandhorst, Michael Millstone, Michael Proof, and Corky Schakel.  Congratulations to the team and its gold medal winners once again!

SMACK POSTAL

Michael Ware of Shirley, MA suggests a correspondence chess contest of smack talk, also known as trash talk, where the opponents insult each other move by move. The idea is to throw your opponent off his game.  Personally I do not think it is a good idea, not when making strong on-the-board chess moves can accomplish the same thing.  And if you are losing, such insults have a very hollow ring to them. 

Maybe the words of W. P. Shipley should be quoted here: "Then again, the pleasures of correspondence chess are by no means confined to the mere analysis of the game; the side remarks of his opponent are often most entertainment, and give a respite to the heavier work". - W. P. Shipley

NO POSTAL INCREASE

The panel that oversees the US Post Office voted unanimously against the proposed 2011 postal increase.  The Post Office lost 3.8 billion dollars last year, mainly due to the 5.5 billion dollar a year health benefits payment.

The Post Office has the option of a legal appeal or seeking a lesser increase than the requested first class (and post cards!) two cent increase.

There has been no announced decision about the possibility of eliminating Saturday deliveries.

In the following game Black learns that the punishment for stealing a Pawn in the opening is to have a White Knight hop all over you.

PETROFF DEFENSE (C42)

5029

Hang on!  There is lots of excitement in this one.

ALEKHINE'S DEFENSE (B02)

5030 

From the winner of Walter Muir 10W25 comes this struggle.

KING'S KNIGHT OPENING (A04)

5031

Newcomer to the Absolutes, James Rhodes, shows he is well-seasoned.

KING'S INDIAN DEFENSE (E67)

5032

While White develops his pieces forward, Black develops his backwards.  The result is a foregone conclusion

MODERN DEFENSE  (B07)

5033

White decided that the endgame battle against the two connected passed queenside Pawns to come after  34...Rc2+ and  35...Rxa2 would be somewhat less than challenging.

COLLE OPENING (D05)

5034