The Chess Coroner

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2010-04-03T23:28:00.001-04:00

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#654 Garden State League - Round 7

2010-04-03T22:25:00.005-04:00

Kenilworth's Kortchnois & Kramniks finished their campaigns on high notes, respectively edging league-champion Hamilton & the 2ndplace Karpovs by 2.5-1.5 scores.

See the GSCL blog for details.

The 2009-10 season wraps-up on Tuesday.

#653 Checkmate Ch. - Update

2010-03-31T00:01:00.002-04:00

Ari Minkov won a pawn-up Knight ending against Joe Renna on Sunday & leads NM Mark Kernighan by 0.55 points entering the final round.

For full standings & 4th round links, please visit the Checkmate CC site.

Thanks to TD Bob Sherry for his reports & game submission.

#652 Checkmate Ch. Games Added

2010-03-30T00:39:00.002-04:00

I have added 2 Checkmate Championship games to my PGN Archive for 2010 :

Minkov 1/2 Kernighan, from round 2; which you can replay &/or download
Mann 0-1 Sherry, from round 4; which you can copy here.

Updated standings & 4th round replay + zip to follow.

#651 Kenilworth Quads #3 - Wrap-Up

2010-03-30T00:24:00.003-04:00

Ken Chieu, Don Carrelli & Ted Mann won the Kenilworth Quads #3 held March 11-25th. Chieu's victory moves him close to the magic 2200 level.

Kenilworth Quads #3

Final Standings
& 3rd Round Results

Section 1

1. Ken Chieu (2180) 2.5
2. NM Mark Kernighan (2200) 1.5
3. Arthur Macaspac (2131) 1.0
3. Ari Minkov (1968) 1.0

3/25
Kernighan 0-1 Chieu
Minkov +- Macaspac (colors not chosen)

Section 2

1. Don Carrelli (1866) 3.0
2. Ian Mangion (1923) 1.0
2. Glen Hart (1707) 1.0
2. Joe Demetrick (1660) 1.0

3/25
Mangion 0-1 Carrelli
Demetrick 0-1 Hart

Section 3

1. Ted Mann (1515) 3.0
2. Lou Sturniolo (1507) 2.0
2. Gordon Agress (1331) 2.0
4. Dan Komunicky (1481) 1.0
4. Bert Shiffman (1315) 1.0
5. Jim Cole (1133) 0.0

3/25
Agress 0-1 Mann
Sturniolo +- Komunicky
Shiffman 1-0 Cole

Round 3 Replays
Round 3 PGN

#650 Hamilton Wins Garden State League

2010-03-25T17:20:00.007-04:00

Hamilton defeated Staten Island 3-1 last night & clinched the 2009-10 Garden State Chess League Championship.

#649 Checkmate Championship - Round 3

2010-03-22T13:41:00.002-04:00

Mark Kernighan & Ari Minkov won their games & remain tied for 1st with 2.5/3. Joe Renna is clear 3rd at 2.0.

For full standings & games, see the Checkmate CC site.

#648 Kenilworth Quads - Round 2

2010-03-22T13:17:00.007-04:00

Kenilworth Quads #3

Standings,
2nd Round Results,
& 3rd Round Pairings

Section 1

1. NM Mark Kernighan (2200) 1.5
1. Ken Chieu (2180) 1.5
3. Arthur Macaspac (2131) 1.0
4. Ari Minkov (1968) 0.0

3/18
Macaspac ½–½ Kernighan
Minkov 0-1 Chieu

3/25 (choose for colors)
Kernighan vs. Chieu
Macaspac vs. Minkov

Section 2

1. Don Carrelli (1866) 2.0
2. Joe Demetrick (1660) 1.0
2. Ian Mangion (1923) 1.0
4. Glen Hart (1707) 0.0

3/18
Hart 0-1 Mangion

3/22
Demetrick 0-1 Carrelli

3/25 (choose for colors)
Mangion vs. Carrelli
Hart vs. Demetrick

Section 3

1. Ted Mann (1515) 2.0
1. Gordon Agress (1331) 2.0
3. Dan Komunicky (1481) 1.0
3. Lou Sturniolo (1507) 1.0
5. Bert Shiffman (1315) 0.0
5. Jim Cole (1133) 0.0

3/18
Mann 1-0 Komunicky
Agress 1-0 Shiffman
Cole 0-1 Sturniolo

3/25
Agress - Mann
Sturniolo - Komunicky
Shiffman - Cole

Round 2 Replays link fixed 3/23 @ 8:10 a.m.
Round 2 PGN

Standings updated 3/23 @3:48 p.m.

#647 KCCC Awards Ceremony On 3/25

2010-03-17T01:20:00.002-04:00

The Kenilworth Chess Club Championship Awards ceremony will take place on March 25th, prior to the 3rd/final round of the ongoing Quads.

#646 Extended Hiatus Forthcoming

2010-03-16T22:52:00.007-04:00

Following a report on the April 1st GSCL matches, I'm shelving the Chess Coroner for at least 4 weeks. At this point, I have no damned idea where it's headed : Blogspot, WordPress or bye-bye.

The Blogger-forced move, the lack of a significant audience and a lingering desire to finally achieve an ICCF Master-rating (+ other things) have me, at the moment, leaning away for good but a long holiday may, once again, re-charge my batteries, keep me away from correspondence chess (the only vice Mikhail Tal didn't partake in!) and bring me back here.

As for my other blogs, the Checkmate site will be finished & turned over to a new administrator ASAP while the Garden State site will return in September; league & future employer permitting.

Garden State link fixed 3/22.

#645 Tutorial Postponed

2010-03-16T15:40:00.005-04:00

The ChessBase Tutorial scheduled for April 8th has been canceled.

If you would like it to be re-scheduled, please contact the KCC President.

#644 KCC April Calendar Update

2010-03-15T00:52:00.008-04:00

Here is the Kenilworth Chess Club's revised calendar for April:

April 1 - Garden State League : Hamilton-Kortchnois & Kramniks-Karpovs
April 8 - ChessBase Tutorial with John Moldovan. (Admission fee : TBA)
April 15 - Lecture by IM Marc Esserman on the Smith-Morra Gambit. ($10)
April 22 - Kenilworth Consultation Game #5, week 1
April 29 - Kenilworth Consultation Game #5, week 2

The Kenilworth Gauntlet knock-out tourney has been postponed. There should be room for it in September.

#643 Checkmate Championship - Round 2

2010-03-14T23:49:00.004-04:00

Ari Minkov & Mark Kernighan played to a draw & are tied for 1st with 1.5/2.

Ken Chieu & Don Carrelli were ejected for not late-registering via e-mail. I forfeited to the TD, in protest, & withdrew.

For other results & the full standings, see the Checkmate CC site. No game scores from this round, as yet.

It's doubtful I'll be able to cover the rest of the event, as I may play in the Only NJ Championship next weekend & will be directing at Chess Mates when they open.

#642 Kenilworth Quads - Round 1

2010-03-13T16:16:00.005-05:00

Kenilworth Quads #3

Standings after 1st round
+ Results & Pairings

Section 1

1. NM Mark Kernighan (2200) 1.0
2. Ken Chieu (2180) 0.5
2. Arthur Macaspac (2131) 0.5
4. Ari Minkov (1968) 0.0

3/11
Kernighan 1-0 Minkov
Chieu ½–½ Macaspac

3/18
Macaspac - Kernighan
Minkov - Chieu

3/25 (choose for colors)
Kernighan vs. Chieu
Macaspac vs. Minkov

Section 2

1. Don Carrelli (1866) 1.0
1. Joe Demetrick (1660) 1.0
3. Ian Mangion (1923) 0.0
3. Glen Hart (1707) 0.0

3/11
Mangion 0-1 Demetrick
Carrelli 1-0 Hart

3/18
Hart - Mangion

??
Demetrick - Carrelli*

* This game will be played at an alternate site.

3/25 (choose for colors)
Mangion vs. Carrelli
Hart vs. Demetrick

Section 3

1. Ted Mann (1515) 1.0
1. Dan Komunicky (1481) 1.0
1. Gordon Agress (1331) 1.0
4. Lou Sturniolo (1507) 0.0
4. Bert Shiffman (1315) 0.0
4. Jim Cole (1133) 0.0

3/11
Sturniolo 0-1 Agress
Shiffman 0-1 Mann (played with incorrect colors)
Komunicky 1-0 Cole

3/18
Mann - Komunicky
Agress - Shiffman
Cole - Sturniolo

3/25
Pairings & colors to be determined by round 2's results.

Java-replay
PGN

#641 Kenilworth G/60 Quads Start Tonight

2010-03-11T15:19:00.004-05:00

The Kenilworth Chess Club is running a USCF-rated, G/60 Quad from March 11th-25th (1 game per week).

You may register until 8:25 p.m.
The entry fee is $10.
Prizes : $30 to 1st in each quad.
USCF membership is required.

Last spring's event attracted 18 players while last fall's drew 12.

#640 1st Only New Jersey Championship

2010-03-10T16:11:00.013-05:00

On March 20th & 21st, the Dean Of Chess Academy in Branchburg will be hosting the 1st Only New Jersey Championship. Registration & Section details follow :

1st Only New Jersey Championship

March 20-21, 2010

Dean Of Chess Academy
3150 U.S. Route 22 West
Branchburg, NJ 08876

Registration :

Please enter online at http://entryfeesrus.com.
You can enter by mail, sending checks (payable to NJSCF) to Ken Thomas, 115 West Moore Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840-2233 or by making an on-site cash payment from 8:00-9:45 a.m. on Saturday 3/20.
But, due to space limitations, only the first 100 paid entries (total, regardless of section) will get to play.

Sections :

Masters-Experts (For those rated 2000 or higher)

Format : 4/SS
Time Controls : 40 moves/120, SD/60
Early entry fee : $35 for past N.J. State Champions, $70 for all others.
On-site/day of tourney entry fee : $80 for all. Cash-only!
$ Prizes : $500-300-200-100 (for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th), $100 to Top Expert
Trophies to 1st, 2nd, 3rd & Top Expert
Byes : One half-point bye allowed, only on Saturday 3/20
Rounds : Saturday 3/20 @ 10 a.m. & 4:30 p.m., Sunday 3/21 @ 9 a.m. & 4 p.m.

Class A-B (For those rated 1600-1999)

Format : 5/SS
Time Control : G/100
Early entry fee : $65
On-site/day of tourney entry fee : $75. Cash-only!
$ Prizes : $300-200-100 (for 1st, 2nd, 3rd), $100 to Top Class B
Trophies to 1st, 2nd, 3rd & Top Class B
Byes : Two half-point byes allowed in rounds 1-4
Rounds : Saturday 3/20 @ 10 a.m., 2 p.m. & 6 p.m., Sunday 3/21 @ 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.

Class C (For those U1600 & unrated)

Format : 5/SS
Time Control : G/100
Early entry fee : $65
On-site/day of tourney entry fee : $75. Cash-only!
$ Prizes : $300-200-100 (for 1st, 2nd, 3rd), $100 to Top Class D, Top Class E, Top Class F. Only rated players may win cash.
Trophies to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Top D, Top E, Top F, Top Unrated
Byes : Two half-point byes allowed in rounds 1-4
Rounds : Saturday 3/20 @ 10 a.m., 2 p.m. & 6 p.m., Sunday 3/21 @ 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.

Trophies will also be awarded to Top "Senior age 65" & "K-8".

Use of cell phones & ear coverings, by players & spectators, are restricted!

For more information, contact Ken (the Tournament Director), at acn@goes.com or (908)763-6468.

P.S. - I'm not sure if the K-8 means 1 trophy per grade or just 1 trophy for the 9 grades.

#639 Checkmate Championship - Round 1

2010-03-09T23:32:00.003-05:00

NM Mark Kernighan, Ken Chieu, Ari Minkov, Don Carrelli & I lead after 1 round of the 6th Checkmate CC Championship.

For more details, replays, PGN, 2nd round pairings, etc., please visit the Checkmate club's new site.

#638 Kenilworth Trio Eliminated From GSCL Race

2010-03-05T23:54:00.008-05:00

All 3 Kenilworth entries were knocked-out of Garden State Chess League contention this week.

First, the Kortchnois were eliminated by a forfeit loss to West Orange. Then, last night, the Kramniks were dispatched by Hamilton 2.5-1.5 and the Karpovs (who had beaten Sparta 3-1) were done-in by tiebreaks.

The season, at least for the KCC teams, wraps-up on April 1st with the Kramniks playing the Karpovs & the Kortchnois trying to be spoilers against Hamilton.

#637 Karpovs Need An U1889 To Fill-In

2010-03-02T14:11:00.006-05:00

This very late notice & probably won't be of any help but I'll give it a shot:

The Kenilworth Karpovs need an U1889 player for tonight's Garden State Chess League match versus Sparta.

If you fit the bill, please be at the West Orange Chess Club by 8 p.m.

#636 Chess Mates Opening Postponed

2010-02-25T21:49:00.002-05:00

The Chess Mates' Grand Opening, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed.

For details, visit the Chess Mates blog.

#635 Tonight's Meeting Canceled

2010-02-25T17:51:00.001-05:00

Tonight's Kenilworth Chess Club meeting has been canceled. Please joins us on March 4th for the Hamilton-Kramniks match.

#634 Rahway Club Opens Next Monday

2010-02-22T16:36:00.005-05:00

The Chess Mates Chess Club, located at 1523 Irving St. in Rahway, N.J. & owned/managed by new Kenilworth Champion Arthur Macaspac, will have its Grand Opening at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 1st.

There will be free lessons that day, a simul by GM/Former World Championship Candidate Leonid Yudasin, refreshments & a speed tournament starting at 7:00 p.m.

The facility, conveniently located near the Rahway train station, will be open 7 days & 4 nights per week. Some 20 USCF-rated events will be run every month!!:

Sundays... 5-SS, G/45
Mondays... 4-SS, G/25 (1st & 2nd weeks of the month)
Tuesdays... 3-Round Quads, G/30
Wednesdays... 4-SS, G/30
Friday... 4-SS, 30 moves in 90 + SD/60 (one game per week)
Saturday... 4-SS, G/60 for U2400s

There will be monthly lessons & simuls by Yudasin, plus weekday afternoon skittles (Mon.-Thurs.) for seniors (12:30-2:15 p.m.) & children (2:30-4:15 p.m.).

For tournament details, the full schedule, lesson rates, membership fees, etc., visit the Chess Mates site.

I may not attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony but will be there in the evening. Hope you can make it, as well.

#633 Karpovs Upset by Staten Island 3-1

2010-02-19T18:03:00.006-05:00

In GSCL action on Thursday, the Kenilworth Karpovs lost to previously winless Staten Island 3-1.

For more details, visit my Garden State League blog.

#632 Checkmate Championship Starts 3/7

2010-02-19T17:56:00.003-05:00

6th Checkmate Chess Club Championship

starts Sunday, March 7th, 2010
non-rated
5-SS
Rounds : March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th & April 4th... all starting at 9:00 p.m.
Time Control : G/45+0 or G/40 + 5 second delay. Black gets to choose.
A player may request a 0.45 point bye for any round but the request must reach the TD 4 hours before the round.
No entry fee or prizes
To register, send an e-mail to Tournament Director Bob Sherry by March 6th.

#631 My USATE Games

2010-02-16T11:52:00.014-05:00

Over the weekend, I reluctantly played in the 40th U.S. Amateur Team East tourney at Parsippany & scored 3.5/6.

Here's the day by day rundown:

Saturday

I blundered a piece to FIDE Master/opera singer Nathan Resika on move 12 but beat a 1400 in 17 moves.

Sunday

I defeated a 1300-rated octogenarian in 14 moves & lost an exciting game to 11-year-old expert Justus Williams, of the famous I.S. 318 in Brooklyn :

J. Williams 2066 - J. Moldovan 1824

A13 English Opening
Dutch Defense

1. Nf3 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O Nf6 6. d3 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Qc2 Bb4!? (N) 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Qxc3 Qe7 11. b4 d6 12. Bb2 Nbd7 13. h3 e5 14. Rae1 a5 15. Kh2 axb4 16. axb4 Ra7 17. Rg1 Qe8 18. Nh4 Bxg2 19. Rxg2 Qh5 20. e4 fxe4 21. dxe4 Raa8 22. Nf5?

22...Nxe4! 23. Ne7+ Kf7 24. Rxe4 Kxe7 25. f4 Nf6 26. Re1 Ng4+ 27. Kg1 Qxh3 28. c5 Rac8 29. Rge2

29...Kd8?? (29...Rf5! =+) 30. fxe5 Nxe5 31. Rxe5 dxe5 32. Qxe5 Qd7 33. Qg5+ 1-0

Yesterday

I dispatched a fellow 1800 in 17 moves & drew U.S. Correspondence Champion Paul Fielding!!

J. Moldovan 1824 - P. Fielding 2209

D23 Queen's Gambit
Mannheim Variation

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. Qa4+ c6 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 Nbd7 7. Bg2 Nb6 8. Qb3 e6 9. O-O Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Bg5 Ne4 (N) 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Rfd1 Rac8 14. Nh4 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Bg4 16. Rd2 c5 17. Rad1 cxd4 18. cxd4 Rc7 19. Bf3 Bh3 20. Ng2 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rfc8 22. e4 Rc3 23. Qb1 Qa3 24. Rd3 g6 25. d5 Qd6 26. dxe6 Qxe6??

White is winning here but I only saw 7 moves of a very long sequence, not the 3 subtle follow-ups required by the Q & R.

27. Rxc3 Rxc3 28. Rd8+ Kg7 29. Qb4!! Rc8 30. Qf8+ Kf6 31. Qh8+ Ke7 32. Qf8+ Kf6 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Rxc8 Nxc8 35. Qxh7 Nd6 36. Qh4+ Ke8 37. Qh8+ Ke7 38. Qh4+ Ke8 39. Qh8+ (+-) 1/2-1/2

Of course, the Q+B & 5 should overcome Q, N & 4 but I didn't feel like grinding for another 2 hours.

The Williams & Fielding games will likely be re-visited at a future date but, for now, here is the complete set of 6, with light notes, in java-replay & zipped PGN.