Explosion in Flint

When I suggested Flint as a possibility for the Michigan Open, I really didn’t expect it would happen. The best site in the area was a really nice hotel and I did not think it could compete financially. The hotel worked with us to get the price down, but it was still more expensive than what we usually pay. The key was the layout of the site having playing area, skittles, and tournament director’s room all in the same vicinity. The alternative was a little cheaper but we would have spread over a great distance in the hotel. So, the board decided to go with the Flint site.

Technically, the Holiday Inn – Gateway Centre is in Mundy Township, to the southwest of Flint, about where I-75 and US-23 merge. Normally, this would make for an easy drive from Lansing, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Saginaw, but this summer, M-DOT was doing major road repairs in the area, including US-23 to the south and the Hill Rd. bridge over U-23. Fortunately, this did not affect attendance.

This turned out to be the largest Michigan Open since 1994, with 190 players. The Open and Reserve sections were both in their typical ranges from the last few years with 51 and 58 players, respectively. The Booster section is where we made the big gains this year as the 81 players far surpassed the previous Booster section high turnout from last year of 53.

Ben Finegold, whom had earned his final GM norm just a couple of weeks prior to the tournament (see the article later in this issue), also performed a simul on Saturday evening and a lecture on Monday morning. Thanks to all who attended.

Due to time constraints, we will focus on the Open section in this issue. The Reserve and Booster sections will both get plenty of coverage in the January issue. Both of these sections were each won by a single player. Steve Rosenberg cruised to victory in the Reserve and newcomer Dustin Pluta led the field in the Booster.

For the Open, the 51 players broke down as follows: 17 in the 4-day schedule, 22 in the 3-day schedule, and 12 (including 1 re-entry) in the 2-day schedule. It was also great to have David Moody around all weekend to fill in as houseman when necessary.

4-Day Schedule Rounds 1-2

The 4-day schedule was on average, the strongest group of players. It had a couple masters, Bill Calton (2277) and Chuck Cadman (2227) leading the way.

In round 1, everything went according to form except on the bottom board where Dan Bolda Jr. held Stan Jarosz to a draw. This led to the situation where the top boards were games between masters and strong experts in round 2, leading to several draws.

David Hahn (2135)
Michael A. Smith (1895)
Round 1
English: Four Knights (Fianchetto), A29

Notes by Tim McGrew

It takes good nerves and good technique to give White a Dragon Sicilian with an extra tempo and not simply get steamrolled. In this game, Black isn't quite careful enough.

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5

Very brave. Alternatives include 4...Bb4, 4...Bc5, and the rather tricky gambit line 4...Nd4!? when White can get into trouble quite rapidly if he is not careful.

5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Be6

This is the first sign that Black does not really understand what it means for White to have an extra tempo. In the Sicilian, White can keep the knight in the center; in the English, Black doesn't have that luxury. The right move is 6...Nb6, getting the knight out of harm's way and increasing Black's grip on the d4-square. In a moment, we'll see why this matters.

7.0-0 Be7

White to Move

8.d4!

This central break has been known for over a hundred years. James Mason used it to win a nice game against Jacques Mieses at Monte Carlo in 1902.

8...exd4?

White is castled; Black is not. Little facts like that are rather important. If Black even hopes to survive the opening of the center, he needs to start with 8...Nxc3.

9.Nxd4 Nxd4

Last chance for 9...Nxc3, although now Black's c-pawns get wrecked with 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.bxc3 and White is effectively a pawn up.

10.Qxd4 Nxc3

Here Mieses smelled a rat and tried to bail out with 10...Bf6, but after 11.Qa4+ c6 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.Rd1 his position was badly compromised and he lost an instructive endgame.

11.Qxc3

Oops! Now Black realizes that he has two pawns hanging, one on g7 and the other on b7.

11...Bf6

Since Black hopes to castle some day, he covers the g-pawn.

12.Qb4

But this move is painful and underlines the problems with Black's lack of development.

12...Rb8 13.Be3! Qe7

White to Move

14.Bc5!

What follows is a study in pins.

14...Qd8 15.Rfd1! Bd7 16.Qe4+! Be7 17.Bh3!

Enough said: the rest of the game can pass without comment.

17...0-0 18.Bxe7 Re8 19.Rxd7 Qc8 20.Rad1 c5 21.Qg4 Qc6 22.R7d6 Qb5 23.Bf6 Qxe2 24.Qxg7# 1-0

3-Day Schedule Rounds 1-2

GM-elect Ben Finegold (2649) played in the 3-day schedule this year. We also had master Eric Fischvogt (2236) here. This was the largest group of players in the Open section, but it had six players under 1800 choosing to play up. This put the average rating for the group at 1896.

Despite some close matches in both rounds, the results in this schedule also followed the ratings closely. There were no draws in round 1 and only one in round 2. The biggest surprise of the group was young Jonathan Budzenski (1640) winning his first two games against A-players. Now for some games:

Ray Garrison (1866)
Eric Fischvogt (2236)
Round 1
French: MacCutcheon (Chigorin), C12

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.exf6!?

This old line of the MacCutcheon isn't a frequent visitor to the tournament scene. It certainly produces interesting positions, though most theoreticians think that it doesn't give White any advantage. 6.Bd2 is the theoretically approved line, when after 6...Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4 Black has to make the perennial decision between ...Kf8 and ...g6.

6...hxg5 7.fxg7 Rg8

White to Move

8.Qh5

In My Best Games of Chess, Volume One, 1905-1930, Savielly Tartakower annotates his game with Vidmar from the first round of the great tournament at Vienna in 1907. There, he introduced the idea 8.h4!?, which, in his words, lends “a fresh energy to White's game.” Tartakower-Vidmar continued 8...gxh4 (8...Rxg7 9.h5! leaves Black with the passed h-pawn to worry about.) 9.Qh5 Rxg7 10.Nf3 Nd7 11.Rxh4 Nf6 12.Qh6 Bf8 13.Qf4 Bd7 14.Ne5 Qe7 15.Nxd7 Nxd7 16.Nb5 with complications from which Tartakower emerged victorious.

8...Qf6 9.Nf3 Qxg7 10.Bd3 Nc6

These positions are very difficult to evaluate, but in my opinion (and in Tartakower's) they tip a bit to Black's favor. The locked-in bishop on c8 is not too much of a problem, and Black can castle queenside in perfect safety.

11.a3 Ba5 12.0-0-0 Bd7

Eric isn't seeking any immediate tactical complications; he just wants to get his king out of the center so that he can pursue a sensible middlegame without undue risks. 12...g4!? is much sharper and wins a pawn at some cost in time, e.g. 13.Ne5 Nxd4 14.Rhe1 when Black is probably better but does need to exercise a bit of caution, in particular not letting d5 drop off.

13.Bb5 0-0-0

White's queen looks stranded out on h5, and it is very difficult to find points to attack in the Black position. Perhaps mindful of the threat of ...g4, Ray swaps off the knight at c6, creating an interesting position in which Black has the “two bishops” but one of them is “bad.”

14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.Ne5 Be8!

Just right. There is no rule against using your back rank squares for minor pieces if the position calls for it. Now Black threatens ...f6.

16.Qe2

Black to Move

16...Bxc3!?

This exchange is a very interesting strategic decision and gives us a window on a master's mind. Eric is willing to be saddled with the bad bishop as his remaining bishop in exchange for weakening White's queenside pawns, taking some pressure off of d5 (relevant if Black later plays for ...f6 and ...e5), and simply uncluttering the board some more. This last point is easy to overlook. The drawback of having a bad bishop is less severe if the board is not crammed with minor pieces.

17.bxc3 Qf8

See the comment after Black's 15th move, which also applies to major pieces.

18.Kd2

Black to Move

18...Rd6

Admirable restraint! Many players wouldn't stop to think before snatching the weak a-pawn with 18...Qxa3?? But this gives White the one thing he has lacked all game long -- a constructive plan based on targets in the Black position. After 19.Ra1! Qd6 20.Rxa7+-. White is actually threatening mate in one(!) and his rook and queen can cooperate in the attack. After Eric's more restrained move, however, White's a-pawn remains weak and Black's king is completely safe.

19.Nd3 Bb5

Activating the bishop. White's weak pawns will become a huge issue in a major piece endgame.

20.Rb1 Rb6 21.a4 Bc4 22.Rxb6 axb6 23.Ra1 g4 24.Qe5

If there were any hope for Black's game, it probably lay in trying to stir up some action on the a-file with 24.a5 before queens come off.

24...Qh6+ 25.Qf4 Qxf4+ 26.Nxf4 Kd7

Black's erstwhile bad bishop is very comfortable on c4, and White's a- and h-pawns look like they will be long-term liabilities.

27.Kc1?

Probably White wants to shore up the a-pawn with his king, but the king interferes with the rook's freedom on the first rank at just the wrong moment, and Black exploits this unfortunate situation tactically.

27...Rh8! 28.h3 gxh3 29.gxh3 Rh4!

The point: there is no defending h3.

30.Nd3

Hoping at least to get in a fork at e5 and discombobulate Black's pawns a bit by capturing on c4. But Black is vigilant.

30...f6!

The pawn on h3 will wait: Black takes his time and eliminates the fork threat first.

31.a5

This is the right idea, just seven moves too late.

31...Rxh3 32.Kd2 bxa5 33.Nc5+ Kc6 34.Rxa5?

34.Nxe6 b6! is also hopeless, though the game would have been longer in that case.

34...b6! 0-1

Oops.

Mike Skidmore (1902)
Derek Li (1778)
Round 1
French: Steinitz, C00

Notes by Tim McGrew

Mike Skidmore and Derek Li give us a most original and interesting gamelet.

1.e4 e6 2.e5!?

Wilhelm Steinitz used this move extensively in the 1880's. Black should be fine, but White has plenty of scope for original play as well, so why not use it?

2...d5 3.f4

Very unorthodox! 3.d4 would transpose back into the ordinary lines of the French.

3...c5 4.Nf3 f6 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Bxd7+ Nxd7 7.0-0 Qc7 8.exf6 Qxf4?

The queen is exposed here, and that gives White a chance to pounce.

9.fxg7

Missing his chance. 9.d4! picks up material, e.g. 9...Qxf6 10.Ne5! Qe7 11.Rf7 and Black must give up his queen for the two pieces, which should favor White considerably on an open board.

9...Bxg7 10.d3

Now 10.d4 allows 10...Bxd4+! 11.Kh1 Qg4 12.h3 Qg6 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Qxd4 Ngf6 when it isn't clear that Black stands worse and he may even stand better.

10...Qd6 11.Ng5 Ngf6 12.Nc3 a6

This is not strictly necessary, and the loss of time probably causes Black a little more trouble in the center than he needs to endure. 12...0-0 13.Nb5 Qb6 14.c4 Rae8 is perfectly fine for Black.

13.Qe2 e5 14.Bf4

Black to Move

14...h6?

This is the point where the game begins to spin out of control for Black. 14...0-0! 15.Bg3 Rae8 keeps the e-pawn firmly guarded and gives Black great piece activity.

15.Nf3

Now the pressure on e5 becomes serious.

15...Nh5?

Misfortunes seldom come singly. Having made one inaccurate move, Black cannot afford another. 15...Ng4 would be a better try, hoping for something like 16.h3 0-0-0 when at least the Black king is out of danger.

16.Bd2?

But White misses the most aggressive follow-up. 16.Bxe5! wins material because after 16...Bxe5 17.Nxe5 Qxe5 18.Qxe5+ Nxe5 Black's knight is on the wrong file at the wrong time. 19.Rae1 0-0-0 20.Rxe5 Ng7 21.Nxd5 leaves White two pawns up and looking forward to the technical phase of the game with great confidence.

16...0-0-0

At last Black's king exits the center. But there is still that undefended knight on h5 to worry about, and now White makes that an issue.

17.Nh4!

Mike spots the fork at f5 and uses this attack on the undefended knight to make it happen.

17...Nhf6 18.Nf5 Qf8 19.Qf3 Nb6?

This holds d5 but loses control of the more important f6-square. 19...d4 20.Ne4 Nxe4 21.Qxe4 Bf6 is as miserable as it looks, but it isn't (quite) resignable.

20.Nxg7! 1-0

Black resigns. The knight on f6 is dropping off.

Ron Williams (1925)
Ben Finegold (2648)
Round 2
English, A10

Notes by John-Marc Ormechea

Just because your opponent is a GM does not mean he will kill you easily. They can make mistakes too. Finegold gets into some trouble out of the opening and then after many mistakes by White in a very advantageous position he throws it away.

1.c4 b6

The English Defence is a solid set up against d4, c4 and Nf3. After this narrow escape, Ben switched to the Symmetrical English through out the rest of the tournament.

2.Nc3 Bb7 3.e4 e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Qc2 Nf6

All of Black's pieces work towards control of e4.

6.d3 d5 7.e5 d4

Early fireworks from both sides but nothing really dazzles at the end.

8.a3 Bf8 9.Ne2 Ng4 10.Bf4 Nd7 11.Qa4 c5 12.h3 Nh6 13.Ng3 f5 14.exf6 gxf6 15.0-0-0 Kf7?

The simple 15...e5 would keep equality but here is where things get interesting. Ben goes off on a very dangerous path.

16.Re1 Bg7 17.Ne4± Bxe4 18.Rxe4

18.dxe4 Rf8 19.Bd3 Ne5 20.Nxe5+ fxe5 21.Bg3 Kg8 22.Kb1 and White keeps his advantage.

18...Re8 19.g4 Kg8 20.Bg2 Nf7 21.Rhe1 e5 22.Bd2?

Now is not the time to be reacting to Black's moves. Black can not take the bishop as the material imbalance will be in White's favor

22...a6 23.Nh4 b5 24.Qc2 Rb8 25.Nf5 bxc4 26.Qxc4 Nb6 27.Qa2?

27.Qxa6 picks up a free pawn.

27...c4 28.h4??-+

This throws the game right out the window after such a long struggle. Who knows, maybe he is in time pressure.

28...Qc7 29.Kb1 Na4 30.b4 cxb3!! 0-1

And that's game.

Eric Fischvogt (2236)
Mike Skidmore (1902)
Round 2
Old Benoni: Schmid, A43

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.d4 c5 2.d5 g6 3.e4 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.Be2 Nf6 6.Nc3

This is a Schmid Benoni, so named because the German GM Lothar Schmid used to play it frequently.

6...0-0 7.0-0 Na6

In blocked positions, minor pieces sometimes do the darndest things. Here Black intends to put the knight on c7 where it will assist in the preparation of ...b5 and of ...e6.

8.Re1

White isn't in a rush; he just wants to put his pieces on good squares and sit on his space advantage. 8.Bxa6 bxa6 doesn't give White much. Black's half-open b-file outweighs the doubled a-pawns, which are difficult to attack in a meaningful way right now. When Vlastimil Hort, who had been a World Championship candidate in the 1970's, tried this exchange with White against an unknown player in 1986, he was probably just trying to throw his opponent off his stride. It didn't work; Hort could only get a draw.

8...Nc7 9.a4

A standard prophylactic move. White prevents the plan of ...a6 and ...b5 that might otherwise give Black queenside counterplay.

9...a6 10.a5

The point: the en passant rule means that the pawn on b7 is locked down now.

10...Bd7 11.Nd2

One of the customary ways for White to exploit the situation on the queenside -- and in the center -- in this line is to swing this knight over to c4. From there it increases White's grip on b6, but it also looks at the e5-square where White would like to engineer a pawn break if possible. By flipping the knight over to c4, White also frees his f-pawn to advance. With f4 on the board, e5 is even more attractive.

11...Nb5!

Mike wants to mix things up on the queenside -- a wholly reasonable idea.

12.Bf1!?

The withdrawal of this bishop is a common enough theme in these lines, but here it amounts to something more than usual since it leaves a weakness on c3.

12...Nxc3 13.bxc3

Black to Move

13...Nxd5?

This sacrifice is too bold. Black gets two pawns -- one of them a weakling on c3 -- in exchange for the sturdy defender of his castle.

14.exd5 Bxc3 15.Rb1 Bb4?

Black is understandably concerned about losing the b-pawn, but now the bishop is off track for guarding the kingside and the dark squares beckon to White's pieces.

16.Re3!

Both unpinning the knight and freeing the rook for action along the third rank.

16...Bxa5

If Black was going to play this anyway, he could have done it last move.

17.Rxb7

In the remote chance that Black survives the coming piece assault on the kingside, White doesn't want to be faced with the a- and b-pawn duo on the other wing. So he nips this pawn off more to prevent later counterplay than out of crass materialism. Besides, it's free.

17...Qc8 18.Rb1 Bd8 19.Nc4

Still a good square for the knight, and this frees up the darksquare bishop somewhat as well.

19...Bb5?!

It just isn't a good day for Mike's bishops. This one didn't look glorious on d7, but at least from there it controlled the h3-square, keeping White's rooks out of there.

20.Qd2 Bxc4 21.Bxc4 Qg4 22.Rh3 f6

22...Qxc4 allows the simple invasion 23.Qh6+- when Black really wishes his darksquare bishop were somewhere else -- like g7!

23.Be2

Kicking the queen away from the kingside, and in particular away from the defense of g6.

23...Qa4

DIAGRAM

24.Rxh7!

This move reminds me why I like Eric's style.

24...Ba5

Hopeless, but nothing else works either. 24...Kxh7 gives us an instructive attacking pattern on the kingside. The first few moves are obvious: 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Qxg6+ Kh8. But now White has to find the most effective way to coordinate his pieces in order to deliver mate. It turns out that the queen cooperates best with the darksquare bishop, so White plays 27.Qh5+!, keeping an eye on the bolt-hole at f7 while leaving room for the bishop to come into the attack. After 27...Kg8 28.Bh6! White mates, e.g. 28...Qxc2 (28...Qe4 would meet with the same response.) 29.Rb3! Rf7 30.Rg3+ Kh8 31.Bg7+ Kg8 32.Qh8#.

25.Qh6 Qxc2 26.Qg7# 1-0

A very convincing win for Eric.

Gerard Jendras (1888)
Aaron Kahn (2130)
Round 2
Sicilian: Scheveningen (English), B80

Notes by John-Marc Ormechea

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6

There is an excellent book by John Emms called “Play the Najdorf Scheveningen Style” which advocates a whole repertoire on 6.e6. The biggest advantage of using the Najdorf move order is avoiding the sharp Keres Attack.

7.f3 Be7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.g4 Nc6 10.0-0-0 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.g5 Nd7 13.h4 Bb7

A nice alternative is the immediate 13...b4 beginning queenside operations. Both have their pros and cons.

14.Bd3

This is a new move. Most often, White will play 14.Kb1 after 13...Bb7. The text is not mentioned in Emms' book, but I don’t see a huge drawback to this move.

14...Rc8 15.Rdg1??

Believe it or not, this is the fatal mistake. Now after 15...Ne5 the rest is easy. 15.Kb1 was the last chance at hoping for an even game.

15...Ne5 16.Qe2 Nxd3+ 17.Qxd3 b4 18.Nd1 e5 19.Be3 d5 20.Kb1

Too little, too late.

20...Qc7 21.Nf2 d4 22.Bc1 Bc6 23.Qd2 f5 24.gxf6 Rxf6 25.Ng4 Rff8 26.Nh6+ Kh8 27.Qg2 Bc5 28.Nf5 d3 29.Nxg7 dxc2+ 30.Qxc2 Bxg1 31.Ne6 Bxe4 32.Nxc7 Bxc2+ 0-1

And White has had enough.

3&4-Day Schedules Round 3

This merge produced seven perfect scores with another five players a half point behind.

Ben Finegold (2649)
Aaron Kahn (2130)
Irregular Indian: Blumenfeld Gambit (Dus Chotmirsky), E10

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Nc3 a6 8.cxb5 Be7 9.e4 0-0 10.a4 d6 11.b6 a5 12.Qb3 Na6 13.b7 Bxb7 14.Qxb7 Rfb8 15.Qd7 Rxb2 16.e5 dxe5 17.Bxa6 1-0

Jennifer Skidmore (1878)
Attila Lehotzky (1937)
King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, C33

Notes by Tim McGrew

Another fine win for Jennifer with her beloved Bishop's Gambit.

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 d6

I suppose that this is an attempt to transpose into Fischer's Defense if White plays 4.Nf3. The problem is that White doesn't have to cooperate.

4.d4 Nf6

4...Qh4+ is the move Black is itching to play, but after 5.Kf1 White has Nf3 coming up and it isn't at all obvious who will profit most from the exchange of inconveniences.

5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bxf4

Now I simply don't see what Black has to show for his opening play. White has the center, the space, the development, the open f-file. Each of these is a little thing, but together they add up to an unpleasantly passive position for Black.

6...a6

This doesn't help a bit. As Paul Powell (now a strong master) used to say back in the days when we hung out together, “What is this move proving about the center?”

7.Nf3 0-0 8.Qe2

8.0-0 also looks good to me -- but perhaps that's just my Blackmar-Diemer alter ego at work.

8...b5 9.Bd3 Nc6

Undefended piece alert!

White to Move

10.e5!

Devastating. The knight can't move.

10...Re8!

This is the best attempt to find counterplay, banking on the lineup of White's major pieces on the e-file. 10...Nd7 11.Qe4 and because of the mate threat White picks up the undefended piece on c6.

11.exf6

This is the sharpest continuation. 11.0 0 0 is another way to try to exploit the situation. Play might continue 11...Bf8 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Qe4 f5 when White is better but there is no mate in sight.

11...Bxf6 12.Ne4!

Now White has an extra piece and it's up to Black to try to get it back. 12.Be3 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Bxd4 14.Nd1 doesn't even come into consideration as a practical plan -- it is so passive that any decent alternative should be preferred.

12...Kh8?

This doesn't even make it hard for White. The right idea is 12...Bf5! when White has to play very precisely: 13.0-0-0 (13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Be3 Bxd3 15.cxd3 (15.Qxd3? Nb4! 16.Qd2 Rxe3+! with the point that 17.Qxe3 drops the Queen to 17...Nxc2+-+.) 15...Nb4!)

13...Nb4 14.Qd2. 13.Be3 Bg4 14.0-0-0

14.c3 also works, though it's difficult to argue with the spectacular success White has with the move played.

14...Bxd4 15.Bxd4 Nxd4 16.Qf2 c5

White to Move

17.Nfg5!

Ouch! The f7-square practically screams under the impact of this move.

17...Qc7

17...Be6 18.Qxf7! is punishing -- a good reminder of the things you can do when you have an extra piece.

18.Nxf7+ Kg8 19.Neg5 h6 20.Bh7+ Kf8 21.Nxh6+ Ke7 1-0

Here are the early leaders:

3.0: Finegold, Hahn, Xu
2.5 Cadman

3&4-Day Schedules Round 4

1. Hahn 0 Finegold
2. Cadman 1 Xu

No surprises here.

Seth Homa (2125)
Ray Garrison (1866)
Sicilian: Alapin, B22

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.exd5

Sveshnikov, who is a great authority on the 2.c3 lines, usually transposes into an Advance French with 4.e5 here. The idea is presumably that Black was intending to play a Sicilian, so he may be unfamiliar with the subtleties of the French. In any event, Sveshnikov seems to win an awful lot of games like this.

4...exd5 5.Nf3 Nf6

From long experience I know that it is difficult to get an advantage with White in this position. It's easy enough to isolate Black's d-pawn, but then Black's pieces become quite active, as we will see in the next few moves.

6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Qe2+ Be7 8.dxc5 0-0 9.0 0 Bxc5 10.Bxd7 Qxd7 11.Nbd2 Re8 12.Qd3 Nc6 13.Nb3

White has gripped the d4-square, but Black's active pieces look like sufficient compensation for the isolated pawn -- as long as he doesn't allow the minor pieces to be swapped off without a good reason.

13...Bd6 14.Be3 Re4!?

Very imaginative play! 14...Ng4 is also playable right away and leads to interesting positions.

15.Nc5

15.Bg5 is probably better, intending to reduce the total number of minor pieces on the board, e.g. 15...Qf5 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Qxd5

15...Qc7!

Ray's play here makes a good impression. 15...Bxc5 16.Bxc5 Rae8 may be playable, but it takes us one step closer to a major piece ending where the isolated d-pawn would be a very significant problem for Black.

16.Qb5

Of course 16.Nxe4? dxe4 gets back Black's material with interest. (Note that after the knight comes off, the pawn at h2 also falls.)

Black to Move

16...Ng4?

This attractive move is, in fact, too ambitious, as Seth now proves with some very accurate play. 16...Re7 is better, defending b7, getting the rook out of harm's way, and preparing the move ...Ng4. Black looks a bit better to me at that point, though it's still anybody's game.

17.Nxe4! Bxh2+ 18.Kh1 dxe4 19.Ng5! h6? 20.Qf5! Nxe3?

Black had to try 20...hxg5 21.Qxg4 Bf4, though White is clearly better here.

21.Qh7+! Kf8

White to Move

22.Ne6+!

Very attractive!

22...fxe6 23.fxe3+ Ke8 24.Qg8+

24.Rad1! would end the game immediately. But it hardly matters now.

24...Kd7 25.Rad1+ Bd6 26.Qxa8 Ne5 27.Rf8! Qc6 28.Qd8# 1-0

Tony Palmer (2090)
Jeff Running (1952)
Spanish: Closed (Sharp Worrall), C86

Notes by Tony Palmer

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2

The Worrall Attack by transposition.

5...b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.c3 0-0 8.0-0 d5

An aggressive move a la Marshall which helps Black equalize.

9.d3

9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nf4 11.Qe4 Nxe5 12.Qxa8 Ne2+ 13.Kh1 Qd3 Kotelnikov-Geller (Moscow 1979) and Black won quickly. Another option after 9.exd5 is 9...e4 taking advantage of White's undeveloped queenside.

9...d4 10.h3 dxc3 11.bxc3 h6

11...a5 12.a4 b4 13.Bb2 Ba6 14.Rd1 Qd6 Weiner-Kozma (Bratislava, 1956) with chances for both sides.

12.Rd1 Bd6

12...Na5? 13.Nxe5

13.Nbd2 g6 14.Nf1 Kg7 15.g4

15.d4 Qe7 16.a4 was Fritz's suggestion.

15...Qe8 16.Ng3 Na5 17.Bc2 Rh8 18.d4

The best response to an attack on the wing is active play in the center.

18...h5 19.g5 Nd7 20.h4

Sealing off the kingside at the cost of permanent weaknesses on g4 and h3. Yet White's rook must undevelop to h1 as reinforcement.

20...Qe6 21.Kg2 Nb6 22.Rh1 Nac4

Black has solid control over c4.

23.d5 Qg4 24.a4

Opening lines on the queenside while undermining the c4-knight.

24...bxa4 25.Bxa4 Nxa4 26.Rxa4 Nb6 27.Ra5

A blockading move which prevents the a-pawn from advancing, and thus hindering ...Ba6.

27...Qd7 28.Qa2 Bb7 29.Be3

29.c4!? Bb4 gets very tricky.

29...Nc8?!

Fritz 7 gives 29...Qe7!? with only a slight advantage for White. With the text, the e5-pawn is an easy target.

30.Qb2 c6 31.c4 cxd5

White to Move

32.Nxe5

An important zwischenzug before Black can consolidate with 32...Re8. White wins a pawn.

32...Bxe5 33.Qxe5+ Kh7 34.Bd4

Another finesse controlling the long diagonal with a mate threat before recapturing the pawn.

34...Rg8 35.cxd5 Nd6 36.Rc5 Rae8 37.Qf4 Nb5

37...Nxe4? 38.Nxe4 Bxd5 39.f3 Bxe4 40.Rc7 and Black gets mated.

38.Bb2 Rc8 39.Rxc8 Bxc8 40.Qf3 Bb7 41.Nxh5! 1-0

Immune due to the mate threat, yet there is no defense to 42.Nf6+.

2-Day Schedule Rounds 1-4

The smallest group had an average rating of 1969, led by IM Andrei Florean and a re-entered Bill Calton. Florean was the only player to come out of this group unscathed.

Manis Davidovich (2146)
James Canty III (1811)
Round 1
French: Albin (Maróczy), C13

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4!

The Albin-Chatard-Alekhine Attack. This line brings back fond memories of the late 1970's when I borrowed a friend's Chess Challenger -- then a hot item costing hundreds of dollars -- and thrashed it repeatedly with this line.

6...a6

This is still a major theoretical line. If Black plays ...c5 immediately, White's knight can often hop through b5 on its way to c7 or d6. The computer always took my pawn with 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 But after 8.Nh3 White's pieces came out quickly and the tactics and sacrifices flowed naturally. Experiences like this can shape a young player's style, I'm told...

7.Qg4

Black to Move

7...f6?!

But here we leave the major theoretical lines abruptly, and without any particular justification. Of the many alternatives, perhaps 7...Bxg5 8.hxg5 c5 9.g6 f5 is the soundest.

8.Bf4

A natural response, reinforcing e5 while hitting g7. White could also try the curious idea 8.Qh5+ g6 9.exf6! gxh5 10.fxe7±.

8...fxe5? 9.dxe5 Rg8?

Black is clearly uncomfortable with the turn of events and makes an unforced error. 9...0-0 looks terrifyingly risky, but at least Black isn't losing outright yet.

10.Qh5+ Kf8 11.Qxh7 Nc6 12.Qh5

Personally, I'd rather not have the queen on babysitting duty. It looks simpler to reinforce the pawn with a good developing move like 12.Nf3.

12...Nc5 13.Rh3 Qe8 14.Qh7

Not bad, but there's no need to put the queen back into the corner. 14.Qg4 Nd4 15.0-0-0 Nf5 16.Nf3+- is simple and strong.

14...Qf7 15.Nge2 g6 16.Qh6+ Ke8 17.Rf3

This is the move White has been playing for, but it doesn't pack the punch that one might think.

17...Bf8

It is hard to resist kicking the queen with a minor piece, but actually this move lets White's queen escape. 17...Qf8! forces queens off, which relieves Black of most of his worries. After 18.Qxf8+ Rxf8 19.Rh3 d4 20.Nd1 Nb4. Black is definitely back in the game.

18.Qg5 Ne4?

This gets the rook off of the f-file, but the exchange of pieces is in White's favor and after this Black never looks like having counterplay. 18...Be7 would be a better choice.

19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Re3 Be7 21.Qg3 Qf5 22.0-0-0 Bc5 23.Rc3 b6 24.Rc4 a5 25.Nc3

There goes the front e-pawn.

25...Rf8 26.Rxe4 Nb4 27.Bd3 Ba6 28.Bxa6 Rxa6 29.Kb1 c6 30.Bg5 Nd5 31.Re2 1-0

I'm not quite sure that I believe this last move. 31.Nxd5! exd5 (31...cxd5 32.Rf4 traps the queen. 31...Qxe4 32.Nc7+ Kf7 33.f3 Qf5 34.Nxa6+- and White wins on points.) 32.e6! and Black must give up heavy material to stop mate, e.g. 32...Ra8 33.Qc7 Rh8 34.Re5 Qxf2 35.Qg7+- with horrific carnage in sight.

Lineas Baze (2006)
Manis Davidovich (2146)
Round 2
Sicilian: Pelikán (Sveshnikov), B33

Notes by Lineas Baze

In the second round of the tournament, I was paired against Manny Davidovich, in the rough and tumble of the 2-day, G/30 section, at the Michigan Open held in Flint, this year. We went into my favorite variation of the Kan/Pelican Sicilian, where White sacs a piece on move 11, for a wild central attack, and two passed pawns. Manny strayed out of book on move 14 with his ...Ra7 instead of the normal ...Rxc4. The computer evaluated it as a win for Black from move 18 through 28, but Black's choice of 30...Rxd7 was not best. Even though, it was better for Black until the losing 31...Qa7??, allowing mate in a few. Manny had only 3 seconds left on his clock, at that point, with a 5-second delay, was very difficult. White, by creating threats throughout the middle game, gained a time edge, which probably caused the losing blunder. My opponent was very genial about the game, nevertheless.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bxb5 axb5 12.Nxb5 Ra4 13.Nbc7+ Kd7 14.c4 Ra7 15.Nb5

15.Qh5 Rxc7 16.Qxf5+ Ke8 17.Nf6+ Ke7= (17...Qxf6 18.Qxf6±)

15...Qa5+ 16.b4 Nxb4 17.0-0 Rb7 18.Qh5 Nxd5 19.exd5 Ke8 20.a4 h6 21.c5 dxc5 22.d6 Bd7 23.Nc7+ Kd8 24.Qxf7 Kc8 25.Ne6 Bxd6 26.Rfd1 Qb6 27.a5 Qa6 28.Rac1 Kb8?!

28...Qc6-+ ChessBase says it's won for Black.

29.Nxc5 Bxc5 30.Rxd7 Rxd7?!

30...Bxf2+ 31.Kh1 Bd4-+

31.Qxd7

Black still had an edge, until...

31...Qa7?? 32.Rb1++- Ka8 33.Qc6++- 1-0

Olaf Haakonstad (1800)
James Canty III (1811)
Round 3
French: Winawer (Fingerslip), C15

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd2

One of those rare Winawer sidelines that Black must be prepared for. The story goes that Alekhine once played this as a fingerslip -- he had intended 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 instead!

4...c5

A sensible reaction. 4...dxe4 5.Qg4 Qxd4 is a very strange and difficult line. I'm not convinced that all of its secrets are yet known.

5.exd5

Of course, 5.e5 transposes into the variation that Alekhine intended to play, and it is quite a decent line for White. But I think I'd be tempted to try 5.a3 here just to take the game off the beaten path.

5...cxd4 6.Nce2

This looks a bit passive. Why not try 6.Nb5 instead, aiming to pick up the d-pawn on the backswing?

6...Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 exd5 8.Nxd4

The dust has settled and White has a small advantage in an IQP position where Black will miss his dark-square bishop. In ECO the line might end here with +=. But the game is just beginning.

8...Nf6 9.Bd3 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nc6 11.Ngf3 Bd7

I'd vote for 11...Bg4 myself.

12.Rhe1 Qb6

White to Move

13.Nxc6?

This is a poor strategic decision. White hasn't got much in the way of defense for b2, so opening the b-file for Black makes little sense. In addition, the capture allows Black to reinforce d5. It's a lot harder to mount pressure on the a-pawn than on an isolated d-pawn.

13...bxc6 14.Ne5 Be6 15.f4 d4!

A nice concept, locking down on the c3-square. Next up is ...Rab8 intending to force a weakness.

16.Bc4 c5 17.Bxe6 Qxe6 18.Qa5

Defending a2. There's no time for 18.Ng6? because of 18...Qxa2! 19.Nxf8?? Qa1#.

18...Qf5 19.g3 Nd5 20.Nc4?

Right piece, wrong square. 20.Nc6! sets up a fork at e7, so White threatens to start eating along the fifth rank with Qxc5 and even Qxd5. After 20...Rac8 21.Qxc5 Black must settle for 21...Qg6 22.Qxd5 Rxc6 23.Qe4 Qh6 24.h4± when White's extra pawn and centralized forces make a pleasing impression.

20...Nb4

Now the initiative changes hands and Black swings into attack mode.

21.Rd2 Qd5 22.b3 Rad8

22...Rfe8 looks even more to the point.

23.Rde2 Qf3?

A moment of blindness. Black has made a tactical misstep.

24.Ne5?

White returns the favor. 24.Qxd8! Qxe2 25.Qxf8+! would end the game immediately.

24...Qc3 25.Kb1 f6 26.Nc4 d3!

Now Black breaks into the castle in fine style.

27.cxd3 Qxd3+ 28.Kc1 Rde8!

Nicely done. White's rook on e2 is overwhelmed with the twin responsibilities of shielding the rook on e1 and preventing mate on c2.

29.Ne5 fxe5 30.Qxc5 Rc8

That ices it.

31.Qxc8 Rxc8+ 32.Kb2 Qc3+ 33.Kb1 Nd3 34.Rd1 Qc1+ 35.Rxc1 Rxc1# 0-1

A gutsy win from one of Michigan's fastest-rising juniors.

The mergers are complete. Here are the leaders for the stretch run:

4.0 Finegold Florean
3.5 Cadman
3.0 Calton, Fischvogt, Obukhov, Hahn, Kahn, Homa, Kleist, Xu, Jarosz, Hill, Bolda

Round 5

1. Finegold ½ Florean
2. Calton ½ Cadman
3. Kleist 1 Fischvogt
4. Obukhov ½ Jarosz
5. Xu ½ Hahn
6. Hill ½ Kahn
7. Bolda 0 Homa

No test today for our titled players. In fact, there was not a lot here to differentiate anyone on the top boards.

Ray Garrison (1866)
Manis Davidovich (2146)
Sicilian, B30

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5

What in tarnation...? Actually, White can almost get away with this if he's willing to make a permanent gambit of it. Almost -- but not quite. 4.Bc4!? is playable, intending to meet 4...Nxe4 with 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe4 with an obscure position.

4...Nh5?

This, however is not the way to refute White's idea! The right move is 4...Ng4! putting immediate pressure on the e-pawn. After 5.Qe2 Qc7 6.Nb5 Qb8 White must resort to tricks like 7.d4 cxd4 8.Bf4. But if Black is on his toes he will exploit the undefended bishop with 8...f6! 9.Nbxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 fxe5 11.Bg3 d6³ and White doesn't have anything serious to show for his pawn.

5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4

Black's stranded knight makes a very poor impression.

6...g6 7.Nxc6

The simplest punishment is 7.Nf3! Now ...Bg7 can be met with g4 trapping the knight, and Black is likely to run out of meaningful moves before White does, e.g. 7...d6 and now: 8.exd6!± Simple and strong. White hasn't sacrificed a button to get this position, and if Black recaptures he'll find himself nursing an isolated pawn on the open d-file. (8.Bc4 would be worthwhile only in a blitz game where your opponent might fall for 8...Nxe5?? (or 8...dxe5? 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 10.Ng5) 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Bxf7+!+- But 8...Bg7 eliminates all of this nonsense. White no longer has 9.g4 since Black's lightsquare Bishop now covers that square.)

7...bxc6 8.Bc4

I'd be attracted by 8.Be2 here. Black can save his knight with 8...Ng7 but this looks truly miserable.

8...Qa5 9.Qe2

In hindsight 9.f4 might be preferable.

9...Bg7 10.f4 Bh6?!

Manis seems to be intent on putting all of his pieces on the edge of the board in this game. Is it Ben Finegold's influence? 10...d5! 11.Bd3 0-0 would almost erase White's advantage.

11.0-0 Ng7 12.Bd2

12.Ne4 looks like even more fun. 12...0-0 13.Ne4 The knight move was simply too natural not to play.

13...Qd8 14.g4!?

But this is getting very ambitious.

14...Ne8

There's that edge of the board thing again!

15.f5

Somewhere around here, for reasons that are obscure, I am reminded of the famous game Alekhine-Botvinnik, Nottingham 1936. Alekhine flung his f- and g-pawns forward without even castling, and Botvinnik achieved a perpetual check. Here White is castled, which is a little more comforting -- at least there's a rook behind that f-pawn!

15...Bg7 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.Ng5?

After playing over this game and the game Homa-Garrison, I've concluded that Ray likes to throw knights at the enemy king. It's a noble impulse and one I share. But in each of these games, the knight move turned out to be an error that could be exploited with very precise counterplay. And in both games Ray's opponents found that counterplay ... up to a point.

17...d5! 18.exd6 Nxd6

Now the knight actually looks well placed, holding down f7 and lashing out at c4.

19.Qd3??

This is a curious hallucination that seems to afflict both players. 19.Bb3 was necessary.

19...Nxc4 20.Qh3

Well, yes, there is that mate threat.

Black to Move

20...Bh6??

Each side is working with a set of patterns that will do the job in most circumstances. But patterns are useful as a “guide” to analysis, not as a substitute for it. Black can secure himself against it by taking advantage of White's exposed king with 20...Qd4+! 21.Kh1 Qd5+! 22.Rf3 and now that the rook is pinned and vulnerable, 22...Rd8 when White can't find a way in, e.g. 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Bc3 Bxc3 25.bxc3 Ke8 26.Qg8+ Kd7 27.Qxf7 Ne5-+.

21.Qxh6

Played by reflex. 21.Bc3!! is immediately crushing. White simultaneously eliminates the defensive idea based on ...Qd4+ and indirectly defends his knight by creating a focal point for mate at h8. Black is quite literally helpless.

21...Qd4+

Here is the defensive pattern I call “Royal Defense,” bringing the queen to the king's aid by the use of a check on a pivot square in the center. If you use the pattern search functions in ChessBase you can find a number of games in which this idea saves the day.

22.Kh1 Qg7 23.Qxg7+!

White needs to cash in at this point.

23...Kxg7 24.Bc3+

24.Bb4! is more accurate. Because of the pressure against f7, Black cannot afford to move his rook from f8. But this makes it very difficult for him to defend the e-pawn, e.g. 24...Nd6 25.Rae1! Ba6 26.Rf2 Rae8 27.Bxd6 exd6 28.Rxe8 Rxe8 29.Rxf7++- and the pawn falls after all.

24...Kg8?

Perhaps Black was simply glad that the queens had come off; perhaps it was that edge of the board thing again. Unfortunately, this leaves f7 soft, and this time White sees it. 24...f6 would eliminate the problem with f7 mentioned in the previous note and would leave Black with a slight edge since White's g-pawn is hanging.

25.Rae1! Nb6

There's not much to be done. 25...e6 26.Bb4 is very unpleasant.

26.Rxe7 Nd5 27.Rfxf7

27.Nxf7 also works, e.g. 27...Nxe7 28.Nh6+ Kh7 29.Rxf8 Kxh6 30.Bf6 Bb7 31.Rf7+-.

27...Rxf7 28.Rxf7 Nxc3 29.bxc3 Bxg4 30.Rf6 Kg7 31.Rxc6 Kh6 32.h4 Kh5 33.Kh2 Bf5??

33...Kxh4! would break the mating net and allow Black to hold the ending.

34.Kg3!

Oh no! Now the h-pawn is defended and Black's king is completely trapped.

34...Re8

34...Rd8 35.Rc7 Rd7 36.Rxd7 Bxd7 37.c4 looks like a win for White.

35.Rc7 Re3+

Driving White's king away from the defense of h4, yes, but...

36.Kf4! 1-0

...it's mate anyway. A topsy-turvy game!

Mike Skidmore (1902)
James Canty III (1811)
French: Exchange, C01

Notes by Tim McGrew

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5

The Exchange Variation is unpretentious and perhaps a little better than its reputation. Aggressive players like Morphy and Blackburne used it repeatedly with success. True, today the top grandmasters handle the Black pieces better than their opponents did. But how about your opponents?

3...exd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Bg5

Here 5.Bf4 is worth consideration since it takes away the best diagonal for Black's dark-square bishop.

5...Be7 6.Nf3 0-0 7.Bxf6

This exchange doesn't seem necessary. Although the bishop on g5 is supposedly “bad,” it has plenty of scope here. Swapping it reduces White's chances of obtaining an advantage in the opening.

7...Bxf6 8.0-0 c5 9.c3 Bg4 10.dxc5 a5 11.Nbd2 Nd7 12.Qc2 g6 13.h3 Be6 14.Nb3 a4 15.Nbd4 Nxc5 16.Nxe6 Nxe6

The position is about equal but by no means burnt out. Black's pieces are well-centralized and the a-pawn cramps White's queenside. These factors offset the nominal weakness of the d-pawn, which can in any event be swapped off with ...d4 in some lines.

17.Rad1 Qb6 18.Rfe1 Rac8 19.Ne5 Qd6 20.Ng4 Bg7 21.Qxa4 Ra8 22.Qb3 Nc5 23.Qc2 Nxd3 24.Rxd3 Rxa2 25.Red1 Qb6!

A good decision. Black would be taking on a thankless task to hold the d-pawn, so instead he counterattacks on White's weakest pawn.

26.Rxd5 Rxb2 27.Qd3

White's pieces are all lined up on the d-file, but Black's position doesn't present any obvious targets. If anything, Black's bishop should give him the edge here.

27...h5?!

This is a small error, not really changing the balance of the position from a God's-eye view but creating a weakness that will force Black to play more precisely later on.

28.Rd6! Qa7 29.Nf6+! Kh8?

Chess is such a cruel game! Black is understandably proud of his bishop and wants to retain it, figuring that White's knight can be brushed away in a few moves. But the situation has changed and the pawn on h5 creates weaknesses that call for concrete measures. Here it turns out that the White knight at f6 is simply too strong and must be eliminated before an attack materializes. 29...Bxf6 30.Rxf6 Qc5. White cannot capitalize on the weakness of Black's pawns beyond forcing a draw with 31.Rxg6+ fxg6 32.Qxg6+ Kh8 33.Qh6+ Kg8 34.Qg6.

30.Qf3 Rb6?

White to Move

31.Rxb6

One can sympathize with White, who is winning the exchange here -- surely this is the best move in the position? But no! There is a better. 31.R1d5!! sets up crushing threats on the kingside. 31...Rxd6 (31...Bh6 32.Rxh5! gxh5 33.Rxb6 Qxb6 34.Qf5!!+- and Black must give up his queen in a position where his pawns will be hopelessly weak. 31...Bxf6 32.Qxf6+ and 33.Rxb6+-.) 32.Rxh5+ gxh5 33.Qxh5+ Bh6 34.Qxh6#.

31...Qxb6 32.Nd7 Qd8 33.Nxf8 Qxf8 34.Qxb7?!

34.c4+-

34...Bxc3

It is hard to win this game now, with all of the pawns on one side of the board.

35.Qc7

35.Rc1 Qe8 36.Kf1 Qd8 37.Qb3 Bg7 38.Qxf7+-.

35...Bf6 36.Rb1 Kg7 37.Rb7 Qe8 38.Kf1 Qe6 39.Qc2

I disbelieve the game score at this point.

39...Qa6+ 40.Qe2 Qa1+ 41.Qe1 Qa6+ 42.Qe2 Qa1+ ½-½

The breakdown:

4.5: Finegold, Florean
4.0: Cadman, Homa, Kleist

Round 6

1. Cadman 0 Finegold
2. Florean ½ Homa
3. Kleist 0 Calton (3.5)

Finegold continues on while Florean gets nicked.

Aaron Kahn (2130)
Sheng-Jun Xu (2032)
King's Indian: Schwarz (Kramer), E70

Notes by Tony Palmer

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nge2

A solid continuation for White against the King's Indian.

5...0-0 6.Ng3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bd3 a6

8...exd5 9.cxd5 Ne8 10.0-0 a6 11.a4 b6 12.Be3 Nd7 Guerrero-Matulovic (Tel Aviv, 1964) with dynamic equality. 8...exd5 9.cxd5 b6 10.0-0 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.f4 Nc7 Rohde-Morris (Chicago, 1990) and White stood better.

9.a4

White tries to prevent ...b5 where Black gains space on the queenside. The downside is a big hole on b4, but this is very hard to exploit.

9...exd5 10.cxd5 b6 11.0-0 Re8 12.h3

White is intending f2-f4, so first the preparatory 12.h3 prevents any ...Ng4 ideas.

12...Nbd7 13.f4 Qc7 14.Bc2 c4

Black clears the c5-square for the knight, then the light-squared bishop can get out.

15.Kh1 Nc5 16.Qf3 Ra7 17.e5 Nfd7 18.Nce4 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 dxe5

An unfortunate concession, yet there was too much pressure on d6.

20.f5!

Opening lines toward Black's king.

20...gxf5

20...Nc5 21.fxg6 hxg6 and Black's position is cramped but defensible.

21.Qxf5 Kh8?! 1-0

21...Nf8 22.Qg5 Ng6 would have avoided immediate disaster. 21...Kh8 Instead 22.Qh5 Nf8 23.Ng5 wins.

This year, Ben takes the lead into the final round.

5.5: Finegold
5.0: Florean
4.5: Calton, Kahn, Homa

Round 7

Calton and Kahn get pulled up to play the top players in the final round:

1. Finegold 1 Calton
2. Florean 1 Kahn
3. Homa ½ Fischvogt (4.0)

No surprises at the top.

GM-elect Ben Finegold takes the 2005 Michigan Open title all by himself. IM Andrei Florean finishes clear second with six points. Four players finished with five points. Seth Homa is third place for the second year in a row ahead of Chuck Cadman, Dmitriy Obukhov, and the surprising Dan Bolda Jr. Now, for some last round games:

Ben Finegold (2649)
Bill Calton (2277)
Queen's Gambit: Chigorin, D07

Notes by Tony Palmer

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6

The Chigorin Defense is uncommon yet fully playable against the Queen's Gambit.

3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Nc3 Bxf3

Black already unbalances the game by trading knight for bishop while doubling White's pawns.

5.gxf3 e6 6.cxd5

White plays to open up the game, so the two bishops have more scope.

6...exd5 7.Bf4 Bd6 8.Bg3 Nge7 9.e3 h5 10.Rc1

10.Bh3 a6 11.Rg1 h4 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.f4 g6 14.Rc1 f6 15.Qf3 Kf7 Safin-Toomanian (Abu Dhabi, 2001) and White stood better. 10.Bd3 h4 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.f4 0-0-0 13.Qg4+ Kb8 14.Qxg7?! Rdg8 15.Qxf7 Nd8 Svetushkin-Rabiega (EU PlayChess Internet Final, 2003) and White's queen found herself trapped, then Black won.

10...h4 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.a3 a6

Both sides try to limit their opponent's options.

13.Na4 Nd8 14.Nc5 c6 15.f4 Nc8

Black is reposting his knights, a logical plan since the center is closed and quiet.

16.Rg1 g6 17.Qg4 Ne7 18.Qd1

I'm unclear about this queen advance and retreat, except that the Nf5 should block some of the action. Perhaps 17.Bh3 was more efficient.

18...Nf5 19.Bh3 Qf6 20.Qb3 b5!?

20...Qe7 21.Bxf5 gxf5 22.Kd2 with a slight advantage to White according to Fritz 7.

21.Rg5 Ne7 22.a4 Ne6?!

Should drop a pawn after White trades on e6. Black could have tried 22...Ra7!? instead, sitting tight for now.

23.Nxe6 fxe6 24.Re5 1-0

The e6-pawn falls, then White's pieces will infiltrate quickly.

Stan Jarosz (1986)
Chuck Cadman (2227)
Slav: Two Knights, D15

Notes by Tony Palmer

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6

A solid line of the Slav Defense, preparing ... b5 and thus threatening to snatch the gambit pawn.

5.c5

White locks the pawns and gains space, yet Black can play for ...e5 to equalize.

5...Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.Bg3

7.e3 h6 8.Bd3 g5 9.Be5 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Nf6 11.h4 gxh4 12.Rxh4 Bg7 13.f4 Kasparov-Stefanek (Katowice, 1993) and White had the advantage.

7...Nxg3 8.hxg3 e5 9.e3

9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Bxc5 is good for Black.

9...Be7 10.Qc2 e4 11.Nd2 f5

Black has obtained a nice position out of the opening, although it might be hard to utilize the two bishops.

12.Be2 b5 13.cxb6 Nxb6 14.Bh5+ Kf8

14...g6? 15.Bxg6+ wins two pawns.

15.Na4 Nxa4 16.Qxa4 Bd7 17.Qc2 c5 18.dxc5 Qa5 19.0-0 Qxc5 20.Qxc5 Bxc5

The endgame favors Black, yet material is even.

21.Nb3 Bb6 22.Rfd1 Bc6 23.Rac1 Bb7 24.Nd4 g6 25.Be2 Ke7 26.Rc2 Rhf8 27.Rdc1 Rab8 28.b4 g5 29.a4 f4 30.gxf4 gxf4 31.a5 Bxd4 32.exd4 Ke6 33.Bxa6 Bxa6 34.Rc6+ Kd7

34...Kf5 35.Rxa6 Rxb4 is more active for Black.

35.Rxa6 Rxb4 36.Ra7+ Kd6 37.Rxh7 Rxd4 38.a6 Ra4 39.a7 Ra8 40.Rcc7 Ra1+ 41.Kh2 Ke5

Now Black is distinctly better, with the centralized king and the advanced central pawns. But this still should trade down into a draw.

42.Rce7+ Kd4 43.Ref7 Kd3 44.Rxf4 R8xa7 45.Rxa7 Rxa7 46.g4 d4 47.Kg3 e3 48.fxe3 dxe3 49.Rf1 e2 50.Rb1 Kc2 51.Rg1 Kd2 52.Kh4 e1Q+

52...Rd7 might be clearer, intending 53...Ke3 and 54...Rd1, ensuring that the pawn queens safely.

53.Rxe1 Kxe1 54.Kg5 Rg7+

54...Ke2 55.Kf6 Ra6+ 56.Kf7 Ra1 should win according to Fritz 7.

55.Kf5 Rf7+ 56.Ke5 Rf1 0-1

This might be a time loss, since 57.g5 should draw with Black's king so far out of play.

Brad Hill (1802)
Ray Garrison (1866)
Dutch, A80

Notes by Tony Palmer

1.d4 f5

The Dutch Defense is a fighting opening where Black aims for asymmetry. The theoretical drawbacks include potential weaknesses on e6 and f7.

2.e3 Nf6 3.Nd2

Already out of book; more common are 3.Nc3 and 3.Nf3. The closest game I could find is Kremenietsky-Vyzmabavin (Moscow, 1981) 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.e3 f5 4.d4 Nf6 5.b3 Be7 6.Bb2 0-0 and chances were even.

3...d6 4.c4 e5 5.b3 e4 6.Bb2 Nc6

Black might consider 6...Be7 followed by 7...0-0 first. Another option is 6...Nbd7 since the knight on c6 often gets hit by d4-d5.

7.Ne2 Ng4!?

Black's knights are definitely more forceful than White's, however this could backfire.

8.h3 Nb4

8...Qh4 9.g3 Qh6 10.Nc3 with an equal game per Fritz 7.

9.Ng3 Nh6 10.a3 Nc6 11.Qc2 Be7 12.0-0-0

Now White is aggressively inclined, as Black's king should end up on the kingside.

12...Bh4 13.c5 Qg5

13...d5 would close the center and prevent the Black's d4-d5 advance. The upcoming open lines favor White.

14.d5 Ne5 15.Bxe5 dxe5 16.Bb5+

16.Ngxe4! fxe4 17.g3 regains the piece while leaving Black's e-pawns doubled and weak.

16...Kd8 17.c6 Bxg3 18.d6!

Very strong, since the king is now stuck in the center.

18...cxd6

18...b6 19.fxg3 a6 would have held.

19.Nxe4!

Blasting lines open toward the king. 19...fxe4 20.Rxd6+ Ke7

White to Move

21.Qc5!?

21.cxb7 Bxb7 22.Qc5 was much better. Now Black has one way to sneak out.

21...b6 22.Rd7+ Kf6?!

22...Ke8 23.Rd8+ Kf7 24.Qd5+ Be6 25.Rd7+ Kf6 and Black wins.

23.Qd6+ Kf5 24.Rf1

White calmly gets his last piece involved in the attack.

24...Bh4 25.f4!

White threatens the queen and the king.

25...Qxg2 26.Qxe5+ Kg6 27.Rxg7# 1-0

Exciting game - congratulations to both players. See you next year in Kalamazoo!