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| Club Secretary Don (L) and TD Ken paly a casual game at the Club. |
This is proof positive that no one wants to be around people
running for office!
Of course some of the people running for office were missing
tonight also – which is proof positive that people running for office - don’t like to be around other people running
for office either!
We had six players tonight for casual chess. And even a friendly Bughouse game broke out.
And THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Club to become Full Members. All funds will be used for the main purpose of growing the number of chess players and the Club in general.
To work on that goal, we will have four officers for next year. Elections are a mere formality as all four ran unopposed, and your humble scribe is voting for all of them – so that ends the election excitement.
Your officers for the Livingston County Chess Club for 2015
are:
Mike Nikitin – President
Vince Valente – Vice President/Treasurer
Secretary – Don Jones
Tournament Director – Ken Tack
Next year hopefully we get more nominees and we can at least separate the VP and Treasurer into two positions again.
The President will be calling a meeting of his ‘new’ cabinet
soon to discuss plans and actions for the Club in 2015.
Now back to chess!
This is a game from late in a small Michigan
tournament in 2002 where some of the lower rated players are now playing each other. It
may not be ‘perfect’ chess, but it is hard fought, entertaining and fun
chess! Thanks to Tim McGrew for most of
the notes – although your [humble scribe] contributes also.
1. Nf3 c6
2. d4 d5
3. c4 Nf6
4. Bg5 Nbd7
5. Nc3 e6
6. e3 Be7
7. Rc1 h6
8. Bh4 O-O
9. cxd5 exd5
10. Bd3 Re8
11. O-O g5?
Tarrasch used to call this “the suicide move” because it
exposes the king. 11. ….Bd6 would be more natural.
[The Black forces are not only not fully developed, but are
cut off from the king by his own and his enemy pawns. This is no time to
voluntarily move the king’s only protection forward.]
12. Bg3 Nh5?
13. Qc2 …….
 |
| Position after White move 13. Qc2. Black to move. |
There is a more forcing move [although it may be hard to see for beginners] that wins material! 13. Nxd5! Now if 13. ….cxd5?? then 14. Bc7! wins the queen. And if 13. Nxg3 then 14. Nxe7+, Qxe7 15. hxg3. The moral of the story is to always your captures and checks carefully, even if they look weird at first glance.
13……. Nxg3
14. fxg3? Nf8
It is difficult for the beginning player to tell which chess rule of thumb applies when. Here, the “open the file for the rook” rule is over-shadowed by the other rule of “usually capture with pawns towards the center” – and also the weakening of White’s e-pawn – which is now called a ‘backward pawn.” Notice it cannot move without capture and can’t be protected by a pawn. And it is a critical center pawn also!
[Actually, Stockfish 5 gives taking with the f-pawn a (+.5)
and taking with the h-pawn a (+.1). But Mr. McGrew was annotating before
computers were all the rage. Also, taking with the h-pawn is the safer – more
‘human’ move. A computer or a chess Master may have opted for the ‘better’
f-pawn instead.]
15. Rce1 Bd6
16. e4! dxe4
White correctly opens the center, which favors White both
because he is better developed and his king is safer.
[If your opponent’s king is exposed or in the center,
opening the center and any other lines is the right strategy.]
17. Nxe4 Be6
18. Qc3 Rc8
19. Nfxg5! hxg5
White’s ‘sacrifice’ works perfectly because White has d5+ to
pick up another piece.
20. Nf6+ Kg7
Now Black must regret pushing his g-pawn. Tarrasch knows
best!
21. Nxe8+ Kg8
That move is ok but 21. d5! would set up a crushing discovered check with 21. ….cxd5 22. Nxe8+, Kg8 23. Qg7++. But White gets it done anyway.
22. Nf6+ Kg7
23. d5! cxd5
24. Ne8+ Kh6
25. Qh8+ Nh7
26. Qxh7++
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