Chess: Favorites lead U.S. Championship
Position No. 6108: White to play and win. From the game Larry Christiansen-Dmitry Gurevich, U.S. Championship, St. Louis 2010.
Solution to Position No. 6107: White wins a Rook with 1 Nf5, as 1…Re5 and 1…Rxb3 permit 2 Nh6+ Kh8 3 Nxf7+ Kg8 4 Nh6+ Kh8 5 Rf8+! Bxf8 6 Nf7 mate.
The 2010 U.S. Championship is scheduled to conclude Monday in St. Louis. The field of 24 players is competing for a prize fund of $173,000, including a first prize of $35,000.
The tournament will use a strange format this year. Most players will play nine rounds, but the four leaders after seven rounds will compete separately for the title of U.S. champion.
After five rounds, former champions Gata Kamsky of New York and Alexander Onischuk of Maryland led with scores of 4-1. Varuzhan Akobian of Glendale, who lost to Kamsky, had 3-2.
Games will be shown live at uschesschamps.com, beginning at noon PDT.
Local news
The Pasadena Chess Club attracted 63 players, another excellent turnout, for its Pasadena City Championship. Larry Stevens scored 5-1 to win the tournament. Ron Jabali, the leader until his last-round loss to Stevens, and Hubert Jung shared second place at 4 1/2-1 1/2. Christopher Hung led the second section. Other prizes went to Shaurya Jain, Jonathan Homidan, Scott Xue, Max Cheng and Winston Qian.
The club will conduct a tournament of 30-minute games Friday evening in the Boys and Girls Club, 3230 E. Del Mar Blvd. in Pasadena. The Mount Wilson Open begins June 4. For more information, call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412.
Tatev Abrahamyan defeated IM Tim Taylor, 4-2, in an exciting match that ended last weekend at the Los Angeles Chess Club. She won three games and escaped trouble in others, losing only once. Bill Conrad sponsored the match.
Today’s games
GM Alejandro Ramirez (Costa Rica)-IM Enrico Sevillano (U.S.A.), Western Pacific Open, Los Angeles 2010: 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 d4 The Catalan Opening. dxc4 5 Bg2 Bb4+ 6 Bd2 a5 7 0-0 Anand beat Topalov with 7 Qc2 Bxd2+ 8 Qxd2 c6 9 a4 b5 10 Na3. 0-0 Also 7…Nc6 makes sense. 8 Qc2 b5 If Black wants to hold the pawn, he should try 8…Bxd2 9 Nbxd2 b5, although 10 a4 c6 11 b3 cxb3 12 Nxb3 gives White plenty of compensation. 9 a4 bxa4 Black must accept a broken Queenside, as 9…c6? 10 axb5 Bxd2 11 Nfxd2! Qxd4 12 Nxc4 and 9…Bxd2?! 10 Nfxd2! Ra7 11 Nc3 clearly favor White. 10 Rxa4 Nc6 If 10…Bb7, both 11 Qxc4 and 11 Bxb4 axb4 12 Rxa8 Bxa8 13 Nbd2 secure an edge. 11 Qxc4 Bd7 12 Ra1 Rb8 Eyeing b2. Black must rely on counterplay from his active pieces. 13 Nc3 h6 14 Rfd1 Ne8 Maybe 14…Bd6 15 e4 e5 improves. 15 Ne5! As 15…Nxe5 16 dxe5 Qe7 17 Be3 is too uncomfortable for Black. Nd6 16 Qd3 Ne7 17 d5 Aggressive, but the patient 17 e4 may be more effective. exd5 18 Nxd7 Qxd7 19 Bxd5 Black meets 19 Nxd5 by 19…Nxd5 20 Bxd5 Qb5, hanging on. c6?! Sturdier is 19…Rfd8. 20 Bg2 Qe6 21 Na4! Nc4 22 Bxb4 Rxb4 Not 22…axb4?? because 23 Nc5 Qg4 24 h3 wins a piece. 23 Nc5 Qg4 24 Qd7 Qg5! Tougher than 24…Qxd7 25 Rxd7 Re8 26 b3 Rb5 27 Rc1 Rxc5 28 Rxc4. 25 Ne4 Qe5 26 f4 Qe6 27 Qxe6 fxe6 28 Nc5 Rxb2 With good defense, the state champion has wiped out White’s Queenside. However, White is sure to pick off some of Black’s vulnerable pawns. 29 Nxe6 Rfb8 It’s doubtful if 29…Rf6 30 Rd8+ Kf7 31 Nc5 Rd6 32 Rxd6 Nxd6 33 e4 complicates White’s task. 30 Rd7 R2b7 If 30…Kf7, White gains a pawn by 31 Nd8+ Ke8 32 Rxe7+ Kxe7 33 Nxc6+. 31 Rxb7 Rxb7 32 Nd8 Rb6 33 Nxc6! Even worse for Black. Nxc6 34 Bd5+ Kf8 35 Bxc4 Rb2 36 e3! Stopping …Nc6-d4 and guaranteeing the win of the a-pawn. Rd2 37 Bb5 Nb4 38 Rxa5 Nc2 39 Ra8+ Kf7 40 Ra2! The refutation. Ke7 41 Ba4 Rd1+ 42 Kg2! Avoiding 42 Kf2?! Rd2+ 43 Kf3?? Ne1+. Nxe3+ Useless are 42…Rd2+ 43 Kh3! and 42…Ra1 43 Rxa1, while 42…Ne1+ 43 Kf1 Rc1 44 Ke2 g5 45 Bd1 forces simplification by 45…Nf3 46 Kxf3 Rxd1 47 Ra6. 43 Kf3 Re1 Or 43…Rd3 44 Re2. 44 Kf2!, Black Resigns.
GM Eric Prie (France)-IM Dragos Dumitrache (Romania), Marseille 2010: 1 d4 d6 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Bf4 g6 4 e3 The allegedly harmless London system against the King’s Indian Defense. Bg7 5 Be2 0-0 6 0-0 Nbd7 7 c4 b6 One of several approved responses. 8 Nc3 Bb7 9 Qc2 Nh5 10 Bg5 h6 11 Bh4 c5 12 d5 g5? Black should prepare …e7-e6 by 12…Ndf6 13 Rad1 Qd7, with about even chances. 13 Bxg5! Expecting a strong attack from 13…hxg5 14 Nxg5 Nhf6 15 f4 and the Rook lift Rf1-f3-h3. Bxc3?! This interpolation only increases Black’s troubles. 14 bxc3 hxg5 15 Nxg5 Nhf6 16 f4 Kg7 There is no defense. If 16…Qc8 17 Rf3 Rd8 18 Rg3 Kf8, White breaks through with 19 Nxf7!, when 19…Kxf7 permits mate by 20 Qg6+ Kf8 21 Bh5. 17 Rf3 Rg8 18 Rg3 Kf8 Is Black safe? He can handle 19 Nh7+? Nxh7 20 Qxh7 by 20…Rxg3 21 hxg3 Nf6. 19 Qh7!! Lethal. White refutes 19…Nxh7 by 20 Nxh7+ Ke8 21 Rg8+ Nf8 22 Rxf8+, recovering all the material and more. Rxg5 20 Qh6+ Ke8 21 fxg5 Ne4 Or 21…Ng8 22 Qg7. 22 Rg4, Black Resigns. Black cannot save his Knight after 22…Nd2 23 Qh8+ Nf8 24 Rd1.