Tag Archives: adult chess

World Open U1800 Game 8 and Thoughts

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tired 3[Event “World Open U 1800”]
[Date “2019.07.07”]
[Round “8”]
[White “Andrew Zhang”]
[Black “Mike Callaham”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “B07”]
[WhiteElo “1820”]
[BlackElo “1741”]
[Annotator “Scholarship,Chess”]

Game 8. It only took a few moves to realize that I was getting tired. I hadn’t played in 10 months! 1 loss out of 7 games still had me feeling good though. I also knew that I was working with part 4 of the rule. I decided to just draw on much discipline as I could, and hoped that would have to carry me through. I knew I had probably fallen out of any serious chance at 1st place, but that wasn’t why I was there. I wanted Scholarship Chess Business Center methods to carry me as far as my energy would allow. I’d never played 9 rounds straight before! As you will see, energy and discipline are heavily intertwined. I lasted 7.5 rounds! 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5?!world open 8-1This system has nuisance value but is considered by all of theory to be one of the weakest answers to the Philidor!} c6 6. Qd2 Qc7 7. O-O-O Be7 8. h4 b5 9. Bd3 a5world open 8-2It’s amazing to me how these young players find such good moves at times. Black has equalized and is slowly creeping up on the initiative. White’s next move is the computer’s top choice.  That for me is very instructive!} 10. Ne2! h6 11. dxe5? I know that calculating ed and de every turn is annoying!  It’s one of the features I like about this opening.  According to Kosten and the article I published in 2010, black has the better center because he has pawn control of d5 while white does not have control of d4. There are other benefits but hey, I’m not going to tell you everything and leave myself nothing to play?! LOL (11. Be3 Ng4 Black has a small advantage here. White had to play Ng3, Kb1, h5, Kb1, Nh2, or c3.  de was 11th on the list. 12. Ng3 Ndf6 13. Qe2 a4 14. a3 Bd7 15. Rhe1 O-O Black is definitely in the drivers seat.) 11… dxe5 12. Bxf6 {Just retreat the thing for crying out loud. This is where studying would have paid off.  This move aids my development and gives me the bishop pair! Nxf6 13. Qc3 Bd6
14. Ng3 O-O 15. Qd2world open 8-3

It appears that the pressure on f2 can begin now! That means no forward movement for either knight. That’s so cool!} Bg4?  (15… Bc5! 16. Nf1 Rd8 17. Qe2 a4 18. Ne3 a3 19. b3 Ng4 20. c3 Qa7 21. Rhe1 Be6 22. Kb1 Rab8 Putting the squeeze is better than what I played. I wanted to pin the knight down and maybe play rad8 but, that strategy is for when they are on the kingside!) 16. Kb1 Rfd8 17. Qe3 Be6 18. h5 {?!} Ng4 19. Qe2 world open 8-4Qb6?! According to the computer 19 …Bc5 is stronger and it’s also begging for a5-a4. I’m exhausted and I’m just relying on our methods and procedures to get me through the game!} (19… Bc5 20. Rdf1 a4 21. Nf5 a3 22. b3 Qa5 23. Qd2 Qa7 24. Qc3 b4 25. Qe1 Nxf2 26. Rh4 Rd7 27. Nxe5 Bxf5 28. exf5 Re8 29. f6 gxf6 30. Qd2 Rxe5 31. Qxh6 Rxd3  Wins the game!!) 20. Rhf1 Bc5 21. Rd2 a4 22. Nf5world open 8-5

Nxf2?? It was here that I got scared. I realized I was going blind.  That’s when you start having hind sight instead of foresight! LOL   The smoke and mirrors of chess exhaustion had began to show it’s ugly and repugnant head!!} (22… a3! 23. b3 Qa5 24. c3 Qxc3 25. Rc2 Qb4 26. Qd2 Bxf5 27. exf5 Qxd2 28. Rxd2 Bxf2 29. Be4 Rxd2 30. Nxd2 Rd8 31. Nf3 c5 32. Bc6 c4 33. Rc1 cxb3 34. axb3  Black is winning hard!) 23. Rxf2?? Mistakes come in pairs!! (23. N3h4 Qa5 24. a3 Nxd3 25. Rxd3 Bf8 26. Rg3 Kh8 27. Qf3 Qd2 28. Ne3 Rd7 29. Qd1 Qa5 30. Qe1 b4 31. Ka1 Rb7 32. Rgf3 bxa3 33. Qxa5 axb2+ 34. Kb1 Rxa5 Enough said) 23… Bxf5! Smoke and mirrors!! I actually thought that taking the rook was a better move. I expected this combination… (23… Bxf2 24. Qxf2 Qxf2 25. Rxf2 (25. Ne7!?+  Forgetting about this until I had looked at it again for a long time. Kf8 26. Ng6+ fxg6 27. Rxf2 Kg8) 25… Bxf5 26. exf5 e4 27. Be2 exf3 28. Bxf3 Rd6) 24. Rf1 Bg4 25. Qe1 a3 26. b3world open 8-6Be3?  What am I doing?? (26… Bb4 27. Qf2 Qa5 28. Rdd1 Bxh5 29. Qh4 Bd2 30. c3 Qxc3 31. Rxd2 Bxf3 32. Rc2 Qxd3 33. Rxf3 Qd1+ 34. Rc1 Qd4) 27. Re2 Bxf3 28. Rxe3 Bxh5 29. c4 bxc4 30. Bxc4 Rd1+ 31. Qxd1 Bxd1 32. Rxf7world open 8-7.jpg

I sat there for 20 minutes trying to figure out Q takes at e3 and thought I couldn’t move the g pawn.  I don’t need to move the g pawn with mate threats. lol  I was obviously confused so what did my opponent do?  what every smart one should, offer a draw.  I broke that rule too.  Whenever a kid offers you a draw it’s because they are losing.  double check very closely.  I was getting to tired and lost confidence and accepted the draw.  to be honest, if I hadn’t, I’d have probably taken the rook.  That’s winning too.  Until we got to the analysis board I didn’t know it was a win!} Kh8 33. Rg3 Qd4 34. Kc1 Bh5 Threatening mate!tired 2My last round won’t make it to the analysis. I could have simply withdrawn. I was absolutely useless. You could have set up 50 winning positions and if they were beyond a wbwbw//bwbwb I would have blown them all.  My 1st World Open was a smashing success for me and the principle I teach.  I’m very happy.  1/2-1/2

 

RCI Owner Becomes The Virginia Chess Federation Vice President

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On 2 September, by a vote of 3-2 by the board of directors of the Virginia Chess Federation, Michael A Callaham became the Vice President of the Virginia Chess Federation! Mr Callaham has a long history of service to chess players and deserves the opportunity to define this new position for the board and the organization as a whole. The VCF by-laws had been completely overhauled this year by Mr Callaham, and the other management of the VCF. The Vice President replaces dated Chairman and Vice Chariman positions that weakened the board and slowed both the acceptance and denial process. Mr Callaham’s duties read as follows: “In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall preside at all meetings of the Membership or the BOD and shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the BOD. The Vice President may sign in the name and on behalf of the corporation, any contracts or agreements authorized by the BOD.” Mr Callaham stills serves on the Board of Directors and is still the Commonwealth’s Scholastic Director. Mr Callaham also serves as the Secretary of the Virginia Scholastic Chess Association. He is a field liason for both organizations offering free training in all areas of how to run a club, train coaches, organize events, improve at the game of chess, fundraising, and marketing! We’re excited and anxious to see what standard of performance he will bring to this new position that is so important to chess in Virginia!