This year at the Michigan Junior Championship in March, the three co-champions were all in eight grade or below. Therefore, the Michigan’s representative to the Denker Tournament of High School School Champions was to the fourth place finisher, Kent Hershberger. For those of you not familiar with the Denker, the event is held in August in conjunction with the U.S. Open. Each state is allowed to send one representative. The event in named for GM Arnold Denker, who started the event. His contributions to chess extend far beyond the board. This year, the tournament was held in Los Angeles, California. The winners were William Aramil from Illinois and Ryan Milisits from Pennsylvania.

Kent was one of the lower rated participants in the event, but he demonstrated a fighting spirit. He also shows that playing chess is about more than just winning. It is the experience of playing and meeting others within the chess community. He also played in the U.S. Open and scored a couple of solid upsets. Here is what Kent had to say about his experience:

“Winning the privilege to represent Michigan in the Denker was an honor for me. The trip was wonderful. The best part of the trip was making new friends. I have stayed in contact with several of them and plan on sharing a room with them at some larger tournaments. Being put in the same category as some of these players was really cool, these kids were the best of their states and the top players of their age in the nation. It was kind of awe inspiring to look around me and see some of the kids who I've heard about.

The trip was also a learning experience for me. Because they were around my age I connected with most of them and they were willing to share experiences with me and show me things that an older player of their ability might not think of explaining. Just going in and being able to play with some of the best kids in the country allowed me to learn many things, some at my expense. I am very grateful for the experience. Going to the Denker has been a goal of mine since I began playing high school chess.” Here are a few of Kent’s games:

Ashish Vaja (1942)
Kent Hershberger (1491)
Round 1
Scandinavian, B01

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 d5 2.Nc3 d4

2...dxe4 3.Nxe4 Qd5 4.Nc3 Qa5 transposes into a known line with an additional move thrown in for each side.

3.Nce2 e5 4.d3?!

4.Nf3 f6 5.Ng3 is a more plausible idea, aiming to develop the light-square bishop outside of the pawn chain. One interesting line now continues 5...Be6 6.Bb5+ c6 7.Ba4 Na6 8.0–0 Nc5 9.Bb3 Nxb3 10.axb3 d3! with a positional bind since White's remaining bishop is buried alive. Kovarcik-Hertneck, European Ch 2000.

4...Bg4?!

This looks like it just exposes Black's better bishop.

5.h3 Bh5 6.g4 Bg6 7.h4

All of this has happened before!

7...h5

7...f6 8.f4 Nd7 9.Nf3 c5 10.Ng3 Ne7 11.g5 exf4 12.Bxf4 Qb6 13.b3 0–0–0 and the game was eventually drawn in Jurkovic-Lampic, Strunjan Open 1998.

8.g5 Nc6 9.f4 f5 10.gxf6 Nxf6 11.f5 Bf7 12.Bh3

Black to Move

12...Nxe4!?

A very daring idea, well worth playing although it is hardly possible to calculate everything out in such a position.

13.dxe4 Qxh4+ 14.Kf1 Qxe4 15.Ng3 Bc4+?!

15...Qh4! lets the queen get back to e7 without dropping the h-pawn quite so easily.

16.Kf2 Qd5 17.Bg2 Qd7 18.Rxh5

Now Black misses the bishop.

18...Rxh5 19.Qxh5+ Bf7 20.Qh4 d3 21.Be3 dxc2 22.Bxc6 bxc6??

Black lets his pawns be shattered for no good reason. 22...Qxc6 is better for White but not yet lost.

23.Nf3 Qd1 24.Rc1!

Simplest: White locks down the c1 square by the expedient of occupying it.

24...Rd8 25.Qa4 Qd5 26.Rxc2 Rb8 27.b3 Bd6 28.Qxc6+ Kf8 29.Qxd5 Bxd5 30.Bxa7

A full piece down, Black has no serious hope of holding the position.

30...Re8 31.Bc5 e4 32.Ng5 e3+ 33.Ke2

But not 33.Bxe3?? Bxg3+ 34.Kxg3 Rxe3+ which would make White's task much harder.

33...Bxc5 34.Rxc5 c6 35.Nf1 Re5 36.Ne6+ Ke7 37.Nxe3 Kd6 38.Rc1 Bxe6 39.fxe6 Rxe6 40.Rg1 Re7

The wrong square. 40...g6 is more or less hopeless, but perhaps if White is truly careless Black could eliminate the remaining two pawns. If one is going to play on in a situation like this it makes sense to make the most of one's options!

41.Rxg7 1–0

A knight fork looms at f5. 41...Rxg7 42.Nf5+ Kc5 43.Nxg7 Kb4 44.Kd3 Ka3 45.Kc4 Kxa2 46.b4 and White effortlessly rounds up the c-pawn.

Kent Hershberger (1491)
Ben Pettyjohn (1775)
Sicilian: Barnes, B45

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Be3

The ChessBase online database assures me that this move is frequently played. But isn't it just a mistake? 6.Ndb5 is the best move according to theory, but of course that allows Black to head directly for 6...d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5 when the player with the latest database update wins. 6.Nxc6 is an interesting try for those who don't mind a bit of simplification. After 6...bxc6 (6...dxc6 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 8.Bf4 Bb4 9.0–0–0+ is just a bit more comfortable for White, J. Polgar-Amura, Hotel Bali 2002 (1–0, 32).) one plausible continuation is 7.e5!? trying to take advantage of the hole at d6, a line that has found favor with Lautier and Topalov in recent years. After 7...Nd5 8.Ne4 Black has to solve some interesting positional problems to complete his development.

6...Bb4!

Emmanuel Schiffers and Louis Paulsen worked this system out in the 1870's and trounced some of the finest players of their day, including Adolf Anderssen, Mikhail Chigorin and David Janowski.

7.Bg5?

If White wanted the bishop on g5, last move was the time to put it there. Denis Frolov has had some success with 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nxc6 but I find this whole idea difficult to believe for White.

7...Qa5 8.Bxf6 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qxc3+ 10.Ke2 gxf6

Now White is a pawn down with a displaced king.

11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.f3 Ba6+ 13.Kf2 Qc5+ 14.Ke1 Qe3+ 15.Be2 Rg8 16.Qd2

A second error after which White sheds more material. 16.g3 is more or less forced.

16...Qxe2+

Now White comes apart at the seams.

17.Qxe2 Bxe2 18.Kxe2 Rxg2+ 19.Kd1 Rf2 20.Rg1 Ke7 21.Rb1 Rxh2 22.Rb7 Rh5 23.a4 Ra5 24.Rb4 c5 25.Rc4 Rb8 26.Kd2 Rb4 27.Rxb4 cxb4 28.Rh1 Rxa4 29.Rxh7 Ra3 30.Rh3 a5 31.Kc1 Kd6 32.Kb2 Rc3 33.Rh5 e5 34.Rf5 Ke6 35.f4 Rf3! 36.fxe5 Rxf5 37.exf5+ Kxf5 38.exf6 Kxf6 39.Kb3 Ke5 40.Ka4 Kd4 41.Kxa5 Kc3 42.Kb5 f5 43.Kc5 f4 44.Kd6 f3 45.Kxd7 f2 46.Kc6 f1Q 47.Kb6 Qc4 48.Kb7 Qc5 49.Kb8 Qe7 50.Kc8 Kc4 51.c3 b3 52.Kb8 Kd5 53.c4+ Kc6 54.c5 Qb7# 0–1

Drew Irby (1753)
Kent Hershberger (1491)
Scandinavian: Modern, B01

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nxd5 4.Nxd5?! Qxd5 5.Nf3 e5 6.d4 e4

I'm personally fond of the idea 6...Nc6!? 7.dxe5 Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 Bg4 (or 8...Bf5 or 8...Bc5) 9.Bf4 Bc5 10.Bb5 0–0–0+ and it's near to a certainty that Black will regain his pawn, probably with a favorable pawn structure and more active heavy pieces.

7.Ne5 Bd6??

One inattentive move can spoil your entire day.

8.Bc4!

Ouch! There's no escape from trouble at f7 now.

8...Qa5+ 9.Bd2 Qb6 10.Nxf7 Rf8 11.Nxd6+ Qxd6 12.Bc3 Bf5

12...Qg6 may be the best way to cause White some trouble. Then 13.0–0? leaves White definitely worse after 13...Bh3 14.g3 Bxf1 15.Bxf1 Nc6 etc.

13.Qd2 Nd7 14.Bb4 c5 15.dxc5 Qxd2+ 16.Kxd2 0–0–0

A gambler's choice. Black is two pawns down; can he scare up some chances with his pieces against White's awkwardly posted king?

17.Ke1 Ne5 18.Be2 Nc6 19.Bc3 Rf7 20.h3 Rdf8 21.Bc4 Re7 22.Bb5 e3!?

Black's position is unenviable in any event, but at least this makes something happen before White has managed to mobilize his rooks.

23.fxe3 Rxe3+ 24.Kd2 Rg3 25.Rag1 Be4 26.Kc1

No doubt White heaved a sigh of relief as he removed his king from the open central files, but this actually gives away a large chunk of White's advantage.

26...Rf2 27.Ba4 Bxg2 28.Be1 Bxh1! 29.Rxh1

29.Rxg3 Rf1 carries a threat, 30.-- so Black has time for 30...g6 next move.

29...Rff3 30.Bxg3 Rxg3 31.Bxc6 bxc6

Thanks to Kent's scrappy play the waters have been muddied considerably and a draw may well be the objectively correct outcome. Aside from opposite color bishop endings, rook endings afford a defender the best place to hold out with a pawn minus. Add to that White's somewhat crippled majority and Black's active rook and Black has quite reasonable chances to hold here.

32.Kd2 Kb7 33.Ke2 Ka6 34.Kf2 Rg5

35.b4 Kb5 36.c3 Ka4

36...Kc4! 37.Rc1 Rd5 is more precise.

37.Rd1 Rf5+ 38.Kg3 Rf7 39.Rd6 Rc7

Black's rook is stuck in utter passivity here.

40.Kf4 a5 41.Ke5 axb4 42.Rd4 Kb5 43.cxb4?

Instinctively, White straightens out his pawns. But this lets Black's king hold the blockading square at b5 while his rook becomes active once again. 43.Kd6! Rf7 44.Rxb4+ Ka5 45.Kxc6 would be much stronger.

43...Ra7!

Now Black's prospects turn bright again.

44.Rd2 Ra3 45.h4 Rh3 46.Rd4 Rh2 47.Rg4 Re2+ 48.Kd6 Rd2+ 49.Kc7 Rxa2

A little tactical joke...

50.Rxg7

...which White misses...

50...Ra7+

So the joke is on him!

51.Kd6 Rxg7 52.h5 Rg5 53.h6 Kxb4

53...Rg6+ is cleaner, not giving White anything, but it doesn't really matter any more.

54.Kxc6 Rxc5+ 55.Kd6 Rh5 56.Ke6 Rxh6+ 57.Kf7 Kc5

57...Rg6 cuts the king off, when Black's rook and pawn can win without any fancy dodging. But Kent has decided to give up the pawn and mate with the rook.

58.Kg7 Rd6 59.Kxh7 Kd5 60.Kg7 Ke5 0–1

A gutsy recovery.