Drawn Out

A draw was the result when Steve P. and Joe F. met for a championship tournament match last Tuesday. But the game offered high and low tides analyzed by Fritz after the break.

Coffee for 6

There were 6 for coffee and chess at Panera Bread this morning. James, Steph, Jerry, Andrew, Darren, and Bob L. filled 2 tables. Pretty soon we should be able to earn a tour bus discount. Next Saturday there will not be chess at Panera as everyone should be attending the Veterans' Tournament in Bardstown. We'll meet again on the following Saturday, Nov. 14

A Rook on the 7th

Bob L. (lenningrl) got the upper hand in a Caro-Kann against khob86 in the Battle for the Bluegrass against the Winchester club, giving our club the lead 4.5-3.5. When the rook went to the 7th on move 16 the die was cast. Too many pawns heading for queening squares forced White to eventually resign. Fritz analyzes after the break.

Out of Ideas

Our Kypatzer (Joe P.) faced a Sicilian Defense against Smartgenes in our Chess.com match against the Ashburn club and found himself in familiar territory. White seemed to be out of ideas with 20. h3 but the game seemed to remain fairly level. But ideas were short again with 28. Kh2 and this time Joe found a way to convert his advantage to an extra pawn and prove the win. See Fritz' analysis after the break.

Gimme More Stuff

Have you browsed the items on the righthand side of our blog? There are all sorts of tidbits there to lead you to more chess. For example, have you tried using TWIC - The Week in Chess (see the box labelled 'Where the Chess Is')? It's a great resource of all the top games played in the world each week. You can download the games as PGN or CBH (Chessbase) files. If you use the latest Chessbase Light 2009 (also listed on the righthand side) or Chessbase 10 or 11, you'll find an option on the Help menu called Get TWIC. Choosing this will automatically download the latest TWIC file(s) to your computer. Just choosing this option every week or two can keep you up to date will all the theory in latest practice. Then make yourself a new blank database and append each TWIC file to create a new collection of all the latest games.

Don't see your favorite chess site listed here? Send it to Bob to get it linked on our blog.

Tuesday Night Fights

Once again, turnout was great for a Tuesday night down at the chess club. Two championship boards were in play with Steve P. (W) and Joe F. (B) playing to a draw and Ernie earning a win with the Black pieces over Stan. The skittles room saw action from Johnny, Bob L., Andrew L, Jerry, Joe P., Nick, Kerry, Steve N., and Rudy. The library was open for business and lots of talk revolved around our online matches.

A Pawn Too Far

Ashburn's scjohnson went a pawn too far with 9. Nxe5, and our KYLion lit the dynamite. Some nice tactical possibilities ensued and White was compelled to resign after 16 moves. The win brings the club to a score of 2-1 in our match. Fritz analyzes below:

[Date "2009.10.18"]
[White "scjohnson"]
[Black "KYLion"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1928"]
[BlackElo "2242"]
[Annotator "Fritz 11 (30s)"]

{E11: Bogo-Indian} 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+ 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 O-O 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 d6 7. b4 {last book move}

e5 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 ??

(9. better is Bb2 = {is just about the only chance}) 9... Qd4 -+ 10. Bb2 (10. Ra2 {a fruitless try to alter the course of the game} Qxe5 11. Nf3 Qh5 -+ (11... Qxe4+ ?! 12. Re2 Bxb4+ 13. axb4 Qxc4 14. Bd2 -+)) 10... Qxb2 11. Nd3 Qd4 12. f3 (12. Be2 {does not win a prize} Nc6 -+) 12... Nc6 13. Rc1 (13. Nb3 {is not the saving move} Qc3+ 14. Kf2 Nd4 -+) 13... Rd8 14. Nb3 (14. Be2 {praying for a miracle} Ne5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. Qc2 -+) 14... Qe3+ 15. Be2

15... Ne5 ! {Deflection: d3} 16. Rc3 (16. Nxe5 Rxd1+ {Deflection Pinning}) (16. -- with the idea of Nxd3+ {Wins material}) 16... Nxe4 ! {Decoy: f1} (16... Nxe4 17. Qc1 (17. fxe4 Bh4+ 18. g3 Nf3+ 19. Kf1 Bh3#) 17... Nxd3+ 18. Rxd3 Rxd3 19. Qxe3 Rxe3 -+) 0-1

The Knight on the Left

Our own DerLinksspringer was ahead early and pressed his advantage against Winchester's backrow1720 to get the club a win in the Battle for the Bluegrass. For those who don't speak German, Darren opened with 1.Nc3. Black's 3 ... Bb4 got him into trouble and the rest was history. Fritz analyzes below:

[Date "2009.09.30"]
[White "DerLinksspringer"]
[Black "backrow1720"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "1863"]
[BlackElo "1675"]
[Annotator "Fritz 11 (30s)"]

{A00: Irregular Openings} 1. Nc3 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {last book move. White threatens to win material: d4xe5}

3 ... Bb4 (3... exd4 $5 {should be considered} 4. Nxd4 Nf6 +/=) 4. dxe5 +/- f6 5. exf6 (5. e4 !? +/-) 5... Nxf6 +/= 6. Qd3 d6 {Controls e5} (6... d5 7. Bg5 d4 8. a3 dxc3 9. axb4 Qxd3 10. exd3 cxb2 11. Rb1 Nxb4 12. c3 =) 7. Bd2 Be6 8. e4 {White has an active position} Qe7 9. O-O-O Bxc3 (9... O-O 10. Bg5 +/-) 10. Bxc3 +/- (10. bxc3 ?! O-O-O (not as good is 10... Bxa2 11. c4 +/-) 11. Nd4 Ne5 = (11... Bxa2 {Black again will not be able to digest the pawn} 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qa6+ Kb8 14. Qxa2 +-)) (10. Qxc3 ?! Nxe4 11. Qe3 Nxd2 (not as good is 11... Bxa2 12. Re1 d5 13. Nd4 +-) 12. Qxd2 O-O-O =) 10... Rd8 (10... O-O !? +/-) 11. Ng5 Ne5 ?? {an oversight. But Black was lost anyway.} (better is 11... Bd7 +-) 12. Bxe5 dxe5 13. Qb5+ (better is 13. Qxd8+ !? {might be the shorter path} Qxd8 14. Rxd8+ Kxd8 15. Nxe6+ Kd7 +-) 13... c6 ? (13... Bd7 14. Qxb7 O-O 15. Qxa7 h6 16. Bc4+ Kh8 +-) 14. Rxd8+ Kxd8 15. Nxe6+ (15. Qxe5 ?! Bc8 16. Qb8 Nd5 +-) 15... Qxe6 16. Qxb7 Re8 (16... Nxe4 {doesn't get the bull off the ice}

17. Bc4 ! {Double attack: a7/d8} Qh6+ 18. Kb1 Nd2+ 19. Ka1 Nxc4 20. Qb8+ Ke7 21. Qxh8 +-) 17. Qb8+ (better is 17. Bc4 ! {makes sure everything is clear} Qc8 18. Qxg7 Nd7 +-) 17... Ke7 18. Qxa7+ Kf8 19. f3 Nd7 20. Qa3+ Kg8 (20... Kf7 {is not much help} 21. b3 Qh6+ 22. Kb1 +-) 21. Qb3 Nc5 (21... Qxb3 {does not help much} 22. cxb3 Kf8 23. Kc2 +-) 22. Bc4 Nxb3+ 23. Bxb3 Qxb3 24. cxb3 ({Instead of} 24. axb3 Re6 +-) 24... Rd8 (24... Kf7 +- {desperation}) 25. Rd1 Ra8 26. a3 Kf7 (26... Ra6 {cannot change what is in store for Black} 27. b4 Kf8 28. Rd7 +-) 27. Rd7+ Kg8 (27... Ke6 {cannot change destiny} 28. Rc7 +-) 28. Kc2 Rb8 29. Kc3 Rb5 (29... Rc8 {does not win a prize} 30. b4 +-) 30. Kc4 Kf8 (30... Rb6 {is not the saving move} 31. b4 Ra6 32. Kc5 +-) 31. b4 Rb8 32. Kc5 (32. a4 !? {makes it even easier for White} Ra8 33. a5 Ra6 +-) 32... Rc8 (32... Ra8 {doesn't change the outcome of the game} 33. Kd6 +-) 33. a4 1-0

Try the Bagels

Saturday morning is always time for coffee and chess at Panera Bread. Be there at 10am, or stop by later for a turn at a board.

I'm Never Board With Chess

Just when you thought it was safe to put the chessboard away, our club has started another challenge match. This time our rival is Republic of Newfoundland (yes, Canada has secessionists too) and the match is called Old Town. (old town .... do they mean us?) We mustered 5 boards almost as soon as I clicked the accept button. Johnny will lead us on board 1 against Twan709. James O. is close behind on the second board against WarrenPeace (nice nick). Our Joe P. will be facing SaintNick, which hardly seems fair with Christmas just around the corner. And Darren is facing off against Dougrob (a Grob fanatic?). Our newest member Andrew will face off against Freydisdottir. (forget that her name is Jennifer, just beat her!)

Only in America?

Leave it to we Americans to try our hand at Vote Chess. We've started a contest at Chess.com against our friends at the Winchester Club. Just sign up to play and you get to vote on our moves. Of course, this will be a non-partisan contest.

The Lion Reaches 2146

Our own KYLion (Johnny) has reached an online rating of 2146 with his win against timrox in the Battle for the Bluegrass, our match against the Winchester club. He flushes out the Black king and then ensnares him in a mating net. Check it out with analysis by Fritz:

[Date "2009.09.30"]
[White "KYLion"]
[Black "timrox"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2146"]
[BlackElo "1678"]
[Annotator "Fritz 11 (30s)"]

{D02: 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4}

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 {last book move}

4 ... a6 {Consolidates b5} 5. c3 {Covers b4} Bd6 6. Nbd2 Nf6 7. Bd3 b5 (7... O-O 8. O-O +/=) 8. O-O +/- Bb7 9. b4 O-O 10. a4 {White threatens to win material: a4xb5} Re8 (10... Bxf4 11. exf4 Qd6 12. Ne5 +/-) 11. axb5 axb5 12. Bxb5 Re7 (12... Rxa1 !? 13. Qxa1 Bxf4 14. exf4 Qd6 +/-) 13. Rxa8 Qxa8 14. Bg5 Kf8 (14... Re8 !? +-) 15. Qc2 h6 ? (15... Kg8 +-) 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qh7 Ke8 (17... Rd7 {cannot change what is in store for Black} 18. Qxh6+ Kg8 19. Bd3 +-) 18. c4 dxc4 19. Ne4 Kd8

20. Qh8+ Re8 21. Qxf6+ Be7 (21... Kc8 {cannot undo what has already been done} 22. Qxf7 Rd8 23. Nc5 +-) 22. Qxf7 Kd7 (22... Rf8 {otherwise it's curtains at once} 23. Qxe6 Nb8 +-) 23. Nc5+ Kd8 (23... Kc8 {does not improve anything} 24. Qxe8+ Bd8 25. Nxb7 Na5 26. Nxa5 c6 27. Ne5 Qa7 28. Ba6+ Qxa6 29. Qd7+ Kb8 30. Nexc6+ Qxc6 31. Nxc6+ Ka8 32. Qa7#) 24. Nxe6+ Kd7 (24... Kc8 {doesn't change anything anymore} 25. Qxe8+ Bd8 26. Nxd8 Nxd8 27. Bd7+ Kb8 28. Qxd8+ Bc8 29. Qxc8+ Ka7 30. Qxc7+ Qb7 31. Ra1#) 25. Ne5+ Kd6 (25... Kc8 {does not win a prize} 26. Qxe8+ Nd8 27. Qd7+ Kb8 28. Qxc7+ Ka7 29. Ra1#) 26. Nc5 Qc8 (26... Nxe5 {doesn't get the cat off the tree} 27. Qe6#) 27. Nxc4# 1-0

A Call to Arms

We need more chess stuff! Got a game that's worth showing off? Send it to Bob L. to see it here in bright lights. Got some words of chess wisdom that you'd like to pass on to the club? Get with Bob L. and be added as a blog author. Found a fabulous chess site? Share it with Bob L. and it will be linked to here on our blog. Pitch in and help to make our blog something worth reading.

All Hands on Deck

Turnout was great for the club tonight. James, Bob L., Rudy, Joe P., Andrew L., and Nick held down the skittles room and kept 3 boards busy. Johnny, Jerry, Bob K., Kerry, Dave, and Ernie played championship matches with Owens, Weaver, and Fatula coming up winners. Johnny and Jerry also split a point. Steve and Joe F. were also there but didn't get their game started.

Lion in Wait - Another 19 Moves

Johnny (KYLion (2132)) has scored another 19 move win, this time against timrox of the Winchester Club in our Battle for the Bluegrass. Tim offered a Colle System, but trying to turn it into a Zukertort with 12.Bb2 didn't work out too well, so Johnny decided to do some kingside attacking of his own.

[Date "2009.09.30"]
[White "timrox"]
[Black "KYLion"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1703"]
[BlackElo "2132"]
[Annotator "Fritz 11 (30s)"]

{D05: Colle System with ...e6}

1. d4 e6 2. e3 d5 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3 Bd6 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 {last book move} cxd4 9. exd4 Re8 10. Re1 e5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12. Bb2 ?? (12. Nxe5 is better {and would bring relief}Bxe5 13. Bb2 =/+)

12... Nxd3 -+ 13. Rxe8+ Qxe8 14. Bc1 (14. c4 {there is nothing else anyway}Nxb2 15. Qc2 Nxc4 16. bxc4 -+) 14... Ng4 15. h3 (15. Nf1 {no good, but what else?} Ngxf2 16. Qc2 -+) 15... Ngxf2 16. Qf1 Qe3 17. Nc4 Nxh3+ 18. Kh1 Ndf2+ ( 18... dxc4 ? {doesn't lead to the expected results} 19. Bxe3 Nhf4 20. Bxf4 ( 20. bxc4 ?! Bf5 +/-) 20... Bxf4 21. Ne1 +-) 19. Qxf2 Nxf2+ (19... Nxf2+ 20. Kg1 Nh3+ 21. Kh1 Qg1+ 22. Nxg1 Nf2#) 0-1

Queen Sac

Our own Johnny (KYLion on Chess.com) has scored a big win in 19 moves against scjohnson in our club's match against the Ashburn (VA) Chess Club. Analysis by Fritz shows how crushing the win was.

[Date "2009.09.30"]
[White "KYLion"]
[Black "scjohnson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2113"]
[BlackElo "1939"]
[Annotator "Fritz 11 (30s)"]

{D02: 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4}

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. Nf3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 {last book move} 5. dxc5 a5 (5... Ne4 6. b4 =) 6. Na3 +/= Nh5 (6... e5 7. Nxe5 Bxc5 8. e3 +/=) 7. Qa4 +/- Bd7 8. O-O-O e6 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. Qg4 g6 12. Qh4 f6 ?? {causes further problems for Black} (better is 12... Qc7 13. g4 Qf4+ 14. Nd2 e5 +/-) 13. g4 +/- Nf4 14. Qxf6 Rf8 15.Qg7 Qc7 16. Ne5 g5 (16... O-O-O {is not much help}

17. Nxd7 (not as good is 17. Qxe7  Qxe5 18. e3 Rfe8 +-) 17... Qxd7 18. e3 +-) 17. Nac4! {Deflection: d5} Qxc5 (17... dxc4 18. Rxd7 {Deflection Pinning})

18. Qxf8+ !! {the crowning sacrifice} Kxf8 19. Nxd7+ Ke8 1-0

Playing for Bread

Panera Bread saw action both Thursday night (with Stephanie, Bob L., Sal, and everyone in Nick's family except Nick plus Dominic's friend Bryce and his mom) and Saturday morning (with Jerry, Stephanie, Bob L., and Darren). James was given an official pardon for not being there Saturday because it was his anniversary.

Action is also fast for our club at Chess.com. Stan has now joined up and we've got 13 on our team. A recent club attendee, James Osborne, has also stopped by to see us online. He should be on our group list shortly. We are down 3 games against Winchester, so the remaining boards will have to try to hang tough. No games are yet completed against the Ashburn club.

We have also received a match challenge from Republic of Newfoundland and a vote chess challenge from the Winchester Club. We need more players to express an interest before accepting.

Not Just Another Tuesday Night

It was a busy night down at the E-Town club tonight. Eight players lined up for 2nd Tuesday Swiss assignments, enough for 2 sections. The players included Johnny, Jerry, Steve P., Ernie, Stephanie, Rudy, Sal, and James. Steve and Rudy ripped up the competition to score 3 points each in their sections. Get a look at the official crosstable here.

Four players put in time over the board for championship games. Joe Farrell took 2 points in contests against Stan Mullins and Kerry Fatula scored a point against Bob Kilmer. Eleven players had results in the last crosstable, with Ernie picking up 4 points. Find the latest update to offical results here.

Bob L. manned the library and hosted the club's newest member, Andrew Lee. Andrew scored 1 point in 3 games against club players, proving that he'll fit right in. He already plays online at Chess.com and will soon join our club page there. Be sure to welcome Andrew to the club when you meet him.

More Coffee?

You knew it would happen sooner or later! The Bardstown crowd is coming to E-Town to show us what they've got! It's another Panera Special Invitational on Thursday night at 6:30pm. You don't want to miss this! Join us for an after dinner coffee and some friendly chess.

Where the Boys (and Girl) Are

Our club now has 11 members playing online at Chess.com. If you aren't there, you're missing out on a lot of fun.

Many individual challenges are in progress, and our club is playing challenge matches against the Winchester (KY) Chess Club and the Ashburn (VA) Chess Club. We are just 1 game down in our Winchester match. There are no finished games yet  in the Ashburn match.

Bob L. has won his section in the first round of the 8th Chess.com Tournament (1601-1800) , and Johnny needs to finish just one more regular game before beginning his online tournament career.

Johnny is currently the club's ratings leader at 2027. Joe P. is following closely at 1982, and Darren has moved into third place at 1843. Our club average is a respectable 1493.

If It's Tuesday ...

If it's Tuesday, it's chess night in Elizabethtown. And this week we're having our 2nd Tuesday Swiss tournament. For just a $1 entry fee you get three rounds of G/30 5 rated action. Be sure to get there early if you haven't pre-registered.

My Three Sons

OK ... two sons. James brought his son Damien and Jerry brought his son John to the Saturday morning Panera Invitational. Damien tried his hand at the board and said he might just come to a Tuesday night meeting. Bob L. and Stephanie also came ready to push wood. Two boards saw lots of action. The coffee, the company, and the chess were all good. Darren promises to be back next week, so start preparing your special lines for him now.

National Chess Day

James, Stephanie, and Bob L. celebrated National Chess Day early with chess and coffee at a Special Panera Invitational yesterday morning. Plenty of good games were had, and Bob K. stopped by and checked out the action. (He also has recently joined us on Chess.com.) You can celebrate the holiday tomorrow by joining us for another Panera Invitational at 10am. It's great fun and a great chance to practice your game.

If you'd like to give yourself a present in celebration, Chess.com has announced that members will receive a free chess book with any order from USCF Sales. Just use the coupon code "CHESSCOM" when you check out. Get a book that you've been wanting, or get a title that you know is great and donate it to our club chess library.

Tuesday Night Fights

Don't forget our regular 2nd Tuesday of the month tournament on Oct. 13. It's 3 rounds of Swiss system action at a G/30 time control with a 5 second delay. Register in advance with Johnny to reserve your spot, or be sure to be there early for registration. Entry fee is $1; USCF membership is required.

No Champs Yet

The whole room was for skittles last night as no championship games were played. Attending were Jerry, Nick, James, Steve P., Steve N., Dave, Kerry, Bob L., and Rudy. Everyone got in at least one game. Bob L. and Dave turned in a draw. It was a good warmup for next week's 2nd Tuesday tournament.

Turning Wood

Stephanie, James, and Jerry took turns pushing wood at yesterday's weekly Panera Invitational. Good games were had on a sunny Saturday morning. Seven different club members have attended on various Saturdays now. When will you stop in and see what you are missing?

No RSVP Required

It's almost Saturday morning and time for the weekly Panera Invitational. It's coffee and casual chess at Panera Bread and this is your invitation. We start at ten, but we might not leave till they throw us out.

Strike Another Match

Here we go again! The Battle for the Bluegrass against the Winchester Chess Club / Anywheretownfieldville Chess Club is underway. It's five boards of double action, ten games at once. Our lenningrl signed on to face khob86 1862 Chess.com / 908P USCF on board one. KYLion is on board two against timrox 1735 Chess.com. DerLinksspringer is going head to head against backrow1720 1675 Chess.com / 1319 USCF, while wpgriffon will face off against boyerbcb77 1665 Chess.com. Our fifth board will feature wildangels against jahnknight 1410 Chess.com / 939P USCF. Watch the action live and support our club on Chess.com.