With two points on the bottom boards, San Fran just needed a little help up top, and IM Vinay Bhat was able to provide his assistance, as he was able to hold Ramirez off with a quick draw after finding a perpetual attack on the young Grandmasters rook. Zilberstein lost his game, however it didn't matter, as San Francisco wrapped up the match 2.5-1.5. The Mechanics look to make it four in a row next week with a win over the division leading Miami Sharks. A victory in this match would give San Francisco the division title and draw odds in the playoffs.
In any case Miami and San Francisco will be playing for the next two weeks. Next week it'll be to determine the division winner, and the week after that it will be the first round of the playoffs. Miami was running away with the West and fans were just waiting to see if any of the other teams in the division could climb out of the basement. San Francisco managed to do so and has done a tremendous job of turning around their season with a 5/9 record (4.5 from their last 6) after an ugly 0.5/3 start.
1. GM Alejandro Ramirez (DAL) vs IM Vinay Bhat (SF) 1/2-1/2
2. FM Dmitry Zilberstein (SF) vs IM Peter Vavrak (DAL) 0-1
3. IM-elect Daniel Fernandez (DAL) vs FM David Pruess (SF) 0-1
4. NM Andy Lee (SF) vs Andres Suarez (DAL) 1-0
USCL Dallas vs San Francisco (9), 26.10.2005
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 a6 8.Bd3 e5 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Bb2 Bd7 13.Ne2 Rc8 14.Qd2 Qe7 15.Bxe5 Qxe5 16.Nd4 0-0 17.0-0 Qd6 18.Rad1 Rfe8 19.Bb1 Re5 20.Ne2 Bb5 21.Bd3 Bc6 22.Ng3 Ree8 23.Bf5 Rcd8 24.Qd4 g6 25.Bb1 Nd7 26.Qh4 Nc5 27.b4 Nd7 28.Rd4 Qe5 29.Rf4 Nf8 30.Rd1 Ne6 31.Rg4 Ba4 32.Rf1 Bb5 33.Re1 Qc3 34.Rd1 Ba4 35.Rf1 Bb5 36.Rd1 Ba4 1/2-1/2
Dmitry was extremely unlucky to lose this game against the young Slovak IM (John Donaldson)
Zilberstein,D (2435) - Vavrak,P (2476) [E12]
USCL Dallas vs
San Francisco (9), 26.10.2005
1.d4 e6
2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3
b6 4.Nc3
Bb7 5.Bg5
Bb4 6.e3 0-0
7.Bd3 h6 8.Bh4
d5 9.cxd5
exd5 10.Ne5
Be7 11.0-0
Nbd7 12.f4
c5 13.Bf5
Nxe5 14.dxe5
Ne8 15.Bxe7
Qxe7 16.Nxd5
Bxd5 17.Qxd5
Rd8 18.Qe4
g6 19.Bh3
Rd2 20.Rad1
Black has been completely outplayed.
20... Rxb2 21.e6
This is certainly not bad but 21.Rd7! Nf6 (21...Qh4 22.Be6 Qh5 23.Qd5) 22.Qxg6+ fxg6 23.Rxe7 Ne4 24.Be6+ Kh8 25.Rd1 would have won on the spot.
21... f5 22.Qe5 Rxa2 23.Rd7
23.Qd5 Re2 24.Qd7! Qg7 25.e7 again won on the spot.
23... Qf6 24.e7 Rf7 25.Rd8 Qc6 26.Rfd1 Kh7 27.e4?
There is still work to be done after 27.Rxe8 Qxe8 28.Rd8 Rxe7 29.Rxe8 Rxe5 30.Rxe5 but White should win. Dmitry was low on time here.
27... Re2 28.Rxe8 Qxe8 29.Rd8 Rxe7 30.Rxe8 Rxe5 31.fxe5
31.Rxe5 Rxe4 (31...fxe4 32.Kf1 Re3 33.Kf2) 32.Rxe4 fxe4 33.Kf2 might have been better.
32...Rxe4 32.g3 Kg7 33.Bg2 Kf7 34.Ra8 Rxe5 35.Rxa7+ Kf6 36.Rb7 Re6 37.Kf2 g5 38.Bf1 Ke5 39.Ke3 f4+ 40.gxf4+ gxf4+ 41.Kf3 Rf6 42.Rd7 Ke6 43.Rb7
43.Rd2 looks better keeping the King out.
Kd5 44.Rc7 Kd4 45.Bb5 Kc3 46.h4 Kb4 47.Rc6 Rxc6 48.Bxc6 c4 49.Kxf4 c3 50.Be4 b5 51.h5?
The last chance to hold might have been 51.Ke3 with the idea 51...Kb3 (51...Kc4 52.Bd3+) 52.Kd4 c2 53.Bxc2+ Kxc2 54.Kc5 Kd3 55.Kxb5 Ke3 56.Kc4 Kf3 57.Kd4 Kg3 58.Ke4 Kxh4 59.Kf4.
51...Ka3 52.Ke5 b4 53.Kd4 Kb2 54.Kc4 b3 0-1
Fernandez,D (2389) - Pruess,D (2432) [B10]
USCL Dallas vs
San Francisco (9), 26.10.2005
1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Bc5 6.Ngf3 0-0 7.0-0 Re8 8.Qe2 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.Re1 Nbd7 11.Nf1 Qc7 12.g4 Bg6 13.Ng3 Nf8 14.Nh4 Ne6 15.g5 Nd7 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bxd5 Nd4 18.Qd1 e4 19.Be3 exd3 20.cxd3 Ne5 21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.Rc1 Qd6 23.Be4 Rad8 24.Kg2 b6 25.f4 Nec6 26.Bxd4 Nxd4 27.Qg4 Ne6 28.Rf1 Be3 29.Rc6 Nxf4+ 30.Kh1 Qd4 31.Rc4 Qxb2 32.Qf3 Qd2 33.Rc7 b5 34.Rb7 Rc8 35.Bd5 Rc2 36.Bxf7+ Kf8 37.Ne2 Qxe2 38.Qxe2 Rxe2 39.Bxg6 Rc8 40.Bh5 Rd2 41.Rd7 Rcc2 42.Rd8+ Ke7 43.Re8+ Kd7 0-1
Lee,A (2231) - Suarez,A (2087) [D45]
USCL Dallas vs San
Francisco (9), 26.10.2005
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nc3 Bd6 6.Qc2 Nbd7 7.g4 Nxg4 8.Rg1 Nxh2 9.Nxh2 Bxh2 10.Rxg7 Nf8 11.Rg2 Bc7 12.Bd2 Ng6 13.0-0-0 Nh4 14.Rg1 Qf6 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.Qxc7 Qc6+ 18.Qxc6+ bxc6 19.Rh1 Ng6 20.Bd3 Ke7 21.Rdg1 Be6 22.f4 f5 23.Rh5 Kf6 24.Rgh1 Raf8 25.Rxh7 Rxh7 26.Rxh7 Rf7 27.Rxf7+ Kxf7 28.Ba6 Ne7 29.Bb4 Nc8 30.Bc5 Kg6 31.a4 Kh5 32.Kd2 Kg4 33.a5 Kf3 34.Be2+ Kf2 35.Bh5 Bd7 36.Bf7 Kf3 37.b4 Kg4 38.b5 cxb5 39.Bxd5 Kg3 40.Bb7 Kf2 41.d5 Kf3 42.Kd3 Kg4 43.Kd4 Kf3 44.Ke5 b4 45.d6+ Ke2 46.Bxb4 Kxe3 47.Bc5+ Kd3 48.Bd5 a6 49.Be6 Bxe6 50.Kxe6 Nxd6 51.Bxd6 1-0
| EASTERN DIVISION | W |
L |
Pts./36
games |
| !! New York |
7 |
2 |
22
(61%) |
| ! Baltimore
|
5.5 | 3.5 | 21.5
(60%)
|
| Boston | 4 | 5 | 16.5 (46%) |
| Philadelphia | 3.5 |
5.5 |
15 (42%) |
| WESTERN DIVISION | W |
L |
Pts./36
games |
| ! Miami |
5.5
|
3.5
|
19
(53%)
|
| ! San Francisco | 5 | 4 |
19
(53%) |
| Carolina | 3 | 6 | 15.5 (43%) |
| Dallas | 2.5 |
6.5 |
15.5 (43%) |
!! = Clinched Division Title
(5.5-3.5) Miami Sharks vs San Francisco Mechanics (5.0-4.0) (Season Record in Parenthesis)
Starts at 8:30 PM ET Time Control - Game 60 with 30 second increment
| Miami
Sharks
|
San Francisco
Mechanics | ||
| GM Julio Becerra - 2622 | IM Vince McCambridge - 2502 | ||
| FM Marcel Martinez - 2469 | FM Dmitry Zilberstein - 2435 | ||
| IM Blas Lugo - 2426 | FM David Pruess - 2432 | ||
| Jose Cabrera - 2093 | NM Mark Pinto - 2200 | ||
| Avg
Rating - 2401 |
Avg
Rating - 2392 | ||
| Miami Total ------- |
------- San Francisco
Total |
The 10th Annual Governor's Cup took place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last weekend. There were many upsets in the open section which was won by Alex Yermolinsky, Jaan Ehlvest and Amon Simutowe with 4 from 5. Jeff Barth organized, De and David Knudsen fund raised and Jill and Terry Liken's directed the 109 player multi-section event which may have marked the last appearance of Bob Long (Chessco/Thinkers Press) as a weekend book and equipment seller. Long is getting out of the business after almost 40 years.
Final Standings:
1-3. GM Ehlvest (EST) 2618, GM Yermolinsky 2549 (USA) and IM Simutowe 2458 (ZAM) 4/5 3-6. GM Kudrin 2551 (USA), IM Donaldson 2405 (USA) and FM Karklins (USA) 2246 3.5 =7. GM Wojtkiewicz(USA) 2570, IM Kustar (HUN) 2375 .... 3
3) Daniel Schwarz wins October East Bay Swiss
1750). Roughly half of the participants were juniors, mostly in the junior high and high school
range but also a couple elementary school age.
Perhaps appropriately, the open section was won by one of those juniors. Daniel Schwarz (2138) of
Sacramento celebrated his 16th birthday in style, scoring 3.5 out of 4 for clear first place. In
the last two rounds, he defeated NMs Tony D'Aloisio and Andy Lee. With a solid playing style,
strong intuition and a sharp eye for tactics, Schwarz will no doubt become a master himself soon.
Three NMs tied for second at 3.0/4: Lee, Nicolas Yap and Ben Dean-Kawamura. A total of five
masters and three experts played in this month's tournament.
Greg Sarafian won the U1750 section with 3.5/4. I do not know the class prize winners, but I will
report them on the CalChess website when I found out.
The next major event at the East Bay Chess Club will be the Thanksgiving festival on November
25-27. The festival includes something for everyone: an open swiss for adults and high rated
juniors, a scholastic tournament for lower rated juniors, a bughouse tournament and a simul by IM
Vinay Bhat.
16 year old Daniel Schwarz appears close to earning the National Master title. Certainly he took a huge step in that direction
this past Sunday as he defeated two masters in succession to come from behind and win the open section of the East Bay
Chess Club October Swiss outright with 3.5/4. It was one of the stronger tournaments the club has held, with 5 masters,
and a first round cut at 2000. But it was expert Schwarz who took the event after defeating the leading (3/3) NM Andy Lee in
the last round with Bishop and Knight vs 4 pawns (I have heard of players as strong as IM failing to perform the B+N mate in
US tournaments). Considering the strength of the event, the three masters finishing in 2nd-4th at 3/4, Lee, Ben Dean-
Kawamura, and Nic Yap, can be quite satisfied with their results. The u2000 prize was split by Sam Shankland (who scored a
nice win vs a master) and Louiza Livschitz who each scored a good 2.5/4.
In the u1750 section, Greg Sarafian had to take a half-point bye, but he made up for it by showing no mercy to the three
opponents he faced, allowing him to even grab sole first. 4 others had great results, finishing right behind at 3: Carl
Woebcke, Alex Lun, Nelson Sowell, and Kenneth Voss. Albert Starr lead the tournament before falling in the last round to the
winner. His 2.5 was still enough for top u1550. Tyler Bard played well above his 1000 rating to score 2 points, tops u1350.
Next month, the East Bay Chess Club will be offering an even more exciting event than their usual monthly swiss: a giant
Thanksgiving event with 6 rounds, a simultaneous exhibition, and a bughouse tournament. We hope to develop this into a
large yearly event. Come enjoy yourself, and help establish this as another important event in the Northern California chess
calendar.
The following
interview from the Russian Sport Express was translated by Aryan
Arghandewal
Newly crowned World Champion Veselin Topalov has no plans to put his title on the line in a possible match against Kramnik. “So far this year I have won my third Super Tournament. Vladimir Kramnik is an outstanding player of modern chess, one of the best players of the last decade. However, he is currently number seven in FIDE world rankings, and I don’t think he has the right to challenge me. When I was the world's number seven player it never occurred to me that I had the right to challenge world's number one,” the Bulgarian Super GM is reported to have said in San Luis.
Topalov stressed that Kramnik had been invited to San Luis, but had refused to participate. Hence, in Topalov’s opinion, Kramnik has automatically lost the right to contend for the title. Topalov is also reported to have said that from January 1st he was going to have the highest rating, leaving aside the retired Garry Kasparov (still the highest rated player). It is certainly true that five years ago Kramnik had defeated Kasparov. However, according to Topalov, Kramnik’s latest results do not provide sufficient grounds to have any claims for the title.
“There’s a big difference in our ratings," Topalov stressed. "In chess 60 Elo points means a different class altogether. If Vladimir was offered to play against someone 60 Elo points below himself he’d simply burst out laughing. If there is going to be a Topalov-Kramnik match, it will be on purely commercial basis. I do not believe we can play for the title because I’ve already won it here in San Luis. A Topalov-Kramnik match for the title is out of question, because FIDE has organised a two-year cycle for the world championship, analogous to the one we had in San Luis, where eight qualifiers will fight for the title. Thus the tournament shall determine the new holder of the Crown. That is the plan.”
FIDE President Kirsan Illumzhinov had earlier indicated that, in principle, a match between the winner of the World Championship in San Luis and Vladimir Kramnik was possible, providing the Kramnik camp comes up with a minimum of two million dollars.
Mechanics' Institute
Pierre Saint-Amant - Nov. 19
Guthrie McClain - December 3
Norwalk Open
5-SS, G/40, Norwalk Marriott, 13111 Sycamore Dr.,
Norwalk CA 90605.
$$1500 guaranteed.
In 2 sections.
Open: $400-200, U2200 125, U2000 125.
Reserve (Under 1800): $$200-125, U1600 $100, Under
1400 $75, U1200 $75, Unrated $75 (unr. may win unrated
prize only).
Entry fee: $47 if received by 10-28, $56 at site; all
$5 less to unrated.
SCCF membership ($14, under 18 $9) required for rated
Southern California residents. No checks or credit
cards at door.
Half point byes Limit 1, must be requested with entry.
Registration 8:45-9:30 a.m., rds 10, 12, 1:45, 3:30,
5:30.
HR: $84, 1-800-442-4556. Free parking.
Entries: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Place
#1, Los Angeles, CA 90038, on line at
www.westernchess.com.
Inf: admin@westernchess.com.
GP: 10. State Championship Qualifier A Heritage Event!
An American Classic!
A U.S. Championship Qualifier!
Nov. 24-27 or 25-27 41st Annual American Open GPP: 100 S. California
8SS, 40/2, SD/1. LAX Renaissance Hotel, 9620 Airport Bl, Los Angeles, CA 90045. $$40,200 b/o 400 entries, 50% of each prize gtd. 6 sects. (Unr. must play in Unr. or Master). Open: $4000-2000-1000-700-600-500, U2450/Unr. $1000-500, U2300/Unr. $800-400. U2200 (not a separate section; Experts eligible for all other prizes in section) $2600-1300-700. U2000, U1800, U1600: Each $3200-1600-800-400. U1400: $2200-1100-550, U1200 $1000-500 (not a separate section; U1200s also eligible for U1400 prizes). Unrated: $350-200. EF: Open, U2200, U2000, U1800, U1600, U1400 $119 if rec'd by 11/22, $30 less for jrs. under 15 playing up, $50 more for players rated under 2000 playing in Open, Unrated $39. All: $21 more at door. SCCF membership req'd, $14, $9 jrs under 19 includes Rank & File magazine, OSA. Elegant trophy each section winner. Best game prizes gtd: $100-50-50 (one must be from non-Master). No checks at door - cash, credit card or money order only. 4-day schedule: Reg. closes noon 11/24, 12:30-7:30, 12:30-7:30, 10:30-5, 10-4:30. 3-day schedule: Reg. closes 11:30 am 11/25, 12-2:30-5-8 (G/1), schedules merge in Rd 5 and compete for common prizes. Byes (2 max) with advance notice. CCA minimum ratings and TD discretion will be used to protect you from improperly rated players. October Rating Supplement used. HR: $89, (310) 337-2800, mention chess. Parking only $5. Info: NTD Randy Hough (626) 282-7412, randallhough@yahoo.com. Ent: American Open, PO Box 205, Monterey Park, CA 91754 or www.americanopen.org. NS, W, FIDE Rated. U.S. Championship Qualifier.
Nov. 25-27 or 26-27 EBCC Thanksgiving Swiss GPP: 20 N. California
6SS, 30/90, SD60. East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St, Berkeley, CA, 94709. EF: $60, $70 after 11/12. $5 EBCC discount. $$1000G (top 4 prizes) plus $2000 b/80. Open: 400-300-200-100, u2200: 200-125-75. U2000: 250-150-100, u1800: 200-125-75 U1600: 200-125-75, u1400: 150-100-50. Special Event: Simul by IM Vinay Bhat Fri at 7:30 pm. Reg: 3-day 9-10:30 11/25; 2-day 9-9:45 11/26. Rds: 3-day: 11-4:30 daily. 2-day: rds 1-3 G/45: 10-12-2, merge in rd 4. Info: tournaments@eastbaychess.com; 510-845-1041.
National
THE ST. GEORGE CHESS CENTER PRESENTS
St. George Chess Club North American Warm-up 5SS,
G/60
Location: St George Chess Center, 354 E. 600 S. #301, St George, Utah
84770.
Date: December 18, 2005
Entry Fee: $35
GMs and
IMs free entry. $100 appearance reward for IMs and GMs.
Free Room and Board
for Titled Players.
Prize fund: $1200 absolutely
guaranteed.
Registration: Friday 17th, 6:30- 7:30, Saturday 18th 8:00 to
8:45 am.
PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE
Rounds: 1st round 9:00 am. Next rounds ASAP.
Byes
must be submitted before the 2nd round for a half a point.
Award Ceremony:
there will be an Awards Ceremony immediately after the last round.
All cash
prizes are unconditionally guaranteed.
What to bring: chess clocks and a pen.
PLEASE TURN
CELL PHONES OFF
You can also register and have questions answered at
435-656-2117
The Susan Polgar Foundation and the South Texas Chess Center proudly present
the First Annual
Susan Polgar National Open Championships for Girls under 21
Format: 6 SS | Sections: K-2, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, Open section (for girls under 21 as of 1-27-06)
Time control: G/45 or G/40 with 5 seconds delay
Prizes: Trophies to top 20 individuals and top 4 teams in each section. Special medals to 21st – 30th place individuals and 5th – 7th teams. 3 or more from the same school & section or same chess club and section (top 3 scores added to give team final standings). Every player receives a special hand signed certificate from Susan.
Special Prizes: Any school with 20 or
more participants will receive a set of 6 Winning Chess the
Addition Individual Prizes to each section: A desktop or laptop computer to 1st!! $200 in prizes to 2nd | $150 in prizes to 3rd | $100 in prizes to 4th | $50 in prizes to 5th! Any player with 6-0 score in the main event will also receive a digital chess clock!!
Prizes for Blitz / Puzzle Solving Championships: Trophies to top 5 players in each section. Special medals to 6th – 20th place. Blitz / Puzzle Solving Championships will be only 1 section but trophies to separate categories.
Schedule:
- Friday, Jan. 27: 3:30 PM Lecture for players/parents/coaches by Susan / 5:00 PM Puzzle Solving Championships / 6:15 PM Tandem Simul (Maximum 70 players)
- Saturday, Jan. 28: 10:00 AM Opening Ceremony / Rounds: 11:00 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:00 PM / 7 PM Blitz Championships (G/5 - 7 SS)
- Sunday, Jan. 29: Rounds: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:30 PM / 4:00 PM Closing Ceremony
Main Event Entry Fees: $28 if received by December 1, 2005 | $38 if received by January 1 | $48 if received by January 15 | $58 on site (On site registration: 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM Friday and up to 9:30 AM on Saturday)
Blitz EF: $10 - Puzzle Solving EF: $10 - Simul: $15 | Special $25 entry fees for all 3 side events (Blitz, Puzzle and Simul) or $18 for Blitz and Puzzle
Hotel: Ramada Inn Bayfront and Convention
Center