This weekend 3 SCBC coaches played in the George Washington Open in Reston VA. Mike Callaham played in the Under 1800, Master Coach Jason Moorefield played in the Major, and Coach Avijith Rajan in the Under 2100. Mike earned 4/5 = 3 wins 2 draws and 0 losses, finishing 2nd, 2nd/61, Coach Jason earned 3.5/5 = 3w 1d 1l finishing 3rd, 8/64 and Coach Rajan earned 3/5 = 3w 0d 2l, finishing 4th, 12th/48! Our carpool of fun and laughs was from left to right; Mike Callaham, Mike Valentino, Patrick Spain, Avijith Rajan.
We came we saw and we did some damage. I’m never going to tell my students that with what we teach, it’s Ok to lose chess games. I see and hear it all the time! You can’t win them all, you have to get experience, you learn more from your losses… It’s all nonsense! I encourage my students by telling them, “Your opponent’s parents, coaches, friends and family expect them to lose games in this tournament! Your job is make sure you don’t disappoint them!! At SCBC we’ve got a formula that explains success and failure at the chess board! The formula can be used by anyone that knows when a chess game is over! Winning and losing are now a will or won’t not a can or can’t. As your rating increases and the opponents get harder, the only thing needed is more discipline! Why am I so serious?! For years I’ve been telling everyone around me, if you’re losing with the SCBC system, it’s because you don’t really care about winning! I’ve listened to student after student and class after class repeat word for word what they are supposed to be doing at the board. Then when they get to a tournament they’re as bad as a chef who keeps trying to turn, ‘over easy” eggs with a fork, a knife, spoon, an ice-pick, toothpick, or anything instead of a spatula?! Our system is so simple that if you’ve been taught it and won’t use it, it could be said that checks, captures, threats, and sacrifices just aren’t important to how you, “want” to play chess?! I don’t make this stuff up, I’m just reporting. lol
The looks my wife would give me if I told her we are going for a 2 hour drive to pay to enter a tournament, pay for lodging, pay for food, take up the whole family’s day or weekend, and I will habitually be ignoring checks, captures, threats, and sacrifices that exist for both sides!? LOL!
Our mantra has 4 parts! We gave out part 1 of the rule in 2011, then part 2 of the rule in lessons, classes, lectures, camps, training guides and videos. Rajesh Pandit’s whole family increased over 1200 points in just 6 months. We’ve had tremendous success at getting kids over 1000 but they have other activities and the proximity of events that will test them requires travel. I’m working on it and that’s beset with many unique and hidden challenges as well! We continue the never ending search for another Jason Morefield, Jennifer Yu or Praveen! Someone that wants to win and is willing to work! If parents, spouses, and coaches got the Mike’s wife face more often instead of coddling them with, ” Do you understand? “, that would cause their ratings to go up a lot faster!?
I’ve decided to just go get the examples of the system in action myself! Last year I set a goal to see just how unbeatable I can become using discipline and my SCBC System!!
The 6 points and 8 winning positions I produced in the World Open in July did little to change peoples behavior! They were still doing the chant without doing the dance!? So I decided that 1, whether they use it or not, I will teach it to my coaching staff. Then 2, I will lead by example!
At 57 the biggest challenges are fatigue, being able to make good decisions from the information my system gives me about the position, and having the fortitude, strength, discipline and character to fight relentlessly for a win, a draw, and no losses. I’m usually abhorrent about things like 5 hour energy and the like but for this tournament in addition to my CBD, I used our, “My Daily Choice” Boost and the Brain sprays before the beginning of each round. The change in my alertness was instantaneous, invigorating, and enduring. I didn’t have so much as 1 yawn while I was playing. The also helped me get to form faster! I should have used them at the World Open!! I won’t play in a tournament without them again! Don’t get me wrong, I need to be in better shape and I need to study, but it’s a relief knowing that I won’t be falling asleep at the board anymore!
I’ll be posting the games from the GWO just like I did for the games from the World Open! Round 2 and 5 may be of theoretical importance. Next stop is The Northern Va Open 20-22 March!!
[Event “World Open U 1800”]
This 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 a5
It’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
Qb6?! 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. Nf5
Be3? 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. Rxf7
My 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
8. Bg5? This move is no good in the Nc3 London System. The best thing to do was keep
14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Be7 16. Qb3 (16. a3 This would have brought it back to dead equal!) 16… Nd5 17. Kb1 Qb6
18. Qxb6?! {I’d asked him if he was looking for a a draw with that move. he said he wanted to play on. Probably shouldn’t have taken. I didn’t know it was that good for him. (18. Qd3!? h5 19. g5 Nb4 20. Qb3 Nd5 21. Qd3 Nb4 22. Qb3 draw!) 18… axb6! 19. Rdg1 g6 20. Nf2!? (20. h5 g5 21. c4 Ne3 22. Rc1 f5 23. Rc3 Nxc4 24. gxf5 exf5 25. Rxc4 b5 26. Rc2 fxe4 27. fxe4 Kb8 =) 20… c5 (20… Kc7 21. Nd3 b5 22. Ng3 Kb6 23. h5 g5 24. Ne4 Nb4 25. Ne5 Rhf8 26. c3 Nd5= ) (20… h5 21. g5 Bd6 22. Ne4 Bf8 23. c3 b5 24. Nc1 He’s going to keep a small edge.) 21. c3 (21. Nd3 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Nb4 23. Nxb4 Rxd4 24. Nd3 h5 25. g5 just above equal) 21… c4 22. Ne4 b5 23. Nd2 Kd7
Looks like it’s time to attack the A file. It’s instructive how black takes over the file! 24. a4 Ra8 25. axb5 Ra4 26. f4 Rha8 27. Nf3 Bd6
28.Ne5+ {Diagram #} (28. Kc2 f6 29. g5 fxg5 30. hxg5 h5 31. Nh4 Rg8 32. Ra1 Rxa1
33. Ng3? (33. Rhf1 Kc7 34. Nd4 Rd8 35. Rg1 Kb6 36. Rge1 Nh6 37. Kc2 Rda8 38. Rbd1 R8a5 unclear) 33… Kc7 (33… R8a5 34. Ke2 Kc7 35. Rhd1 Rxb5 6. Rd2. The lead is a static pawn but it’s going to be hard getting it back!!) 34. Ne4 Rd8+ 35. Nd6 Nf2 36. Rhe1 Nd3 37. Re4 Nxb2 38. Ke3
All of blacks choices lead to an edge for white from here! This ending is
Diagram # Everyone knows the Philidor up to this point. Now they have all the other openings going through their heads. They can play Qe2, Qd3, Re1, a3, a4, Bb3, Be2, Be3, Bg5, h3, de, b3, b4, and Nh4. The more common of those choices appear in other openings. While there are several books on the Philidor, none of them really explain where the white pieces are supposed to be placed and where the black pieces should not be allowed to get to. If you want to read my article on the Philidor, go to 
Every double fianchetto player will tell you, this set up is wrong. You shouldn’t double fianchetto and have the knights on f3 and c3 or the knights on f6 and c6. In a double fianchetto, one of the wing pawns must stay mobile to attack the center and force the center pawns to move or exchange to open lines for the bishops!? Here, the center pawns are no match for black and he can choose to fight on either wing because his pawn structure is fluid and the opponent’s pawn structures are identical and static.} a5 14.
The 1st real mistake. White can’t exchange on e5 because black controls d5 but white
Ba3=, Rb1=, Ree1=, Rdd2=, Red2=, Qe3=, Qd2=, Qc4=, Ra1=, Rf1=, Rde1=, Kh1=. when I say equal, I mean equal. lol ) 16… bxc6 Black now has the initiative! 17. Rd2 Be6?! Wrong way?! Should have put it on c8 like I originally planned. 18. Qe2 Bg4 (18… d5 seemed rushed to me, and after 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Re1 Bf8 21. Nxd5 cxd5 22. Rc1 Bc5 or (22… Ne4 23. Rdd1 Bc5 24. Rf1 isn’t really accomplishing anything.) 23. Rdd1 Qb6 24. Bh3 Re7 25. Bf5 e4 26. Nd4 Ne5 27. Bc3 Under analysis, this does show how the bishops can play out of the holes!) 19. h3 Bc8 20. Rad1 Rd7 21. Nh2 Qb6 22. Nf1 Ba6 23. Qe3 Qb8
The last 5 moves have been like watching 2 computers play. lol it’s stil =,=,= and more equal!! 24. Kh2 Bd8 25. Ba3 {?!} Bb6 26. Qf3? Mistakes come in what? Pairs!?} (26. Qe1 Qa7 27. Ne3 Bc5 or (27… Bd4 28. Na2 Qb6 29. Nf5 d5 30. Nxd4 exd4 31. Rxd4 c5 32. R4d2 Nxe4 or (32… d4 33. Nc1 (33. f4 h5 34. f5 Ne5 35. Nc1 Rde7 36. c3 Nxe4 37. cxd4 Nxd2 38. Qxd2 Rd7 39. Bxc5 Qc7 40. Qg5 h4 41. Rg1=) 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34. Rxd5 Nf6 35. Bxc5 Qc7 36. Bd6 Rxe1 37. Bxc7 Nxd5 38. Bxd5 Re2 39. Bxa5 Rxf2+ 40. Kg1 Rxc2 41. Nb4 Rc1+ 42. Kf2 Rf1+ 43. Kg2 Rf5 44. Nxa6 Rxd5 45. b4 Black has a slight edge, but everybody better get over there!) 28. Bxc5 Qxc5 29. Nc4 Bxc4 30. bxc4 Qxc4 31. Rxd6 Rxd6 32. Rxd6 Nf8 33. Bf1 Qc5 34. Rd1 Rb8 35. Kg2 Ne6 {Black has the edge but it’s all still real tough to quantify!)
This sets an obvious trap! The queen has one escape square, so taking on d5 really isn’t an option! On the other hand I could have tried the straight forward Bd4, but I knew he was going to chop it just to relieve the pressure! The other factor plays out in analysis that sooner or later I have to give back a piece for some pawns. So it would just be equal anyway and I couldn’t see any advantage in that. The piece is active and I want to keep it for a while. (26… Bd4 27. Rxd4 exd4 28. Rxd4 c5 29. Rd1 Ne5 30. Qf5 c4 31. Nd2 or (31. f4? This traps the queen! Nfg4+ 32. hxg4 g6 33. Qxd7 Nxd7 34. bxc4 ) 31… cxb3 32. Nxb3 Qc7 33. Bb2 Bc4 34. Nd4 Qb6 35. Ndb5 Be6 36. Qf4 Rc8 holding on to a nagging advantage!) 27. Bh1?? This is not good better would have been (27. Ne3 d4 28. Nf5 Kh7 29. Ne2 Nf8 30. Bxf8 Rxf8 Finally compelling him to part with a bishop would have been good for now!) ( 27. exd5 {?? The trap} e4 28. Qf5 Re5 29. Qxd7 Nxd7 30. dxc6 Nf6 31. Bd6 Qe8
This gives back a lot, but I just liked everyone where they were. The trap is gone and now ed is the best move. That’s funny. lol 30. Qg2?? (30. exd5 cxd5 31. Nb5 I’d always considered he’d take the Bishop too. (31. Rxd4 exd4 32. Nb5 Bxb5 33. axb5 This is a must move in both lines. The knight going back to d4 is definitely a better blockader than the Bishop! Qxc2 34. Bxd4 Ne4 35. Bg2 Ng5 36. Qd3 Qxd3 37. Rxd3 Ne6) 31… Bxb5 32. axb5 Bxa1 33. Rxa1 Ne4 34. Qd3 Nxd2 35. Qxd2 Another static exchange!) 30… Bxc3 31. Bxc3 Nxe4 32. f3?? or (32. Qf3 f5 (32… Nxd2 33. Bxd2 c5 34. Qc3 Bxf1 35. Rxf1 Ra8 36. Qd3 e4 37. Qe2 Ne5 38. f3 exf3 39. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 40. Rxf3 is winning.) 33. Re1 Rd6 34. Rdd1 f4 35. Nd2 Qb6 36. gxf4 Nxc3 37. Qxc3 Qxf2+ 38. Bg2 Nxf4 39. Qf3 Qh4 40. Qg4 Qf6 works for me too!) 32… Nxc3 33. Re1 e4 34. Rf2 Nh4
A move from the Philidor campaign as late as move 34!! At this point, it’s time to take as much material as I can and then exchange down to a won ending.} 35. Qg1 exf3 36. Bxf3 Ne4 37. Bxe4 dxe4 38. Re3 Nf3+ 39. Rexf3 exf3 40. Rxf3 Bxf1 41. Rxf1 Rd2+ 42. Kh1 Qd6 43. Qa7 Qd5+ 44. Kg1 Qg2# It was a game right out of the Philidor campaign. This brought me to 5.5 out of 6! Still got 3 games left. Time for my CBD and a nap to get ready for round 7.
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