The 10th U.S. Amateur North Championship was held May 17-18 at Boynton School in Detroit, Michigan. Pete Nixon directed the event and the tournament ran smoothly. The top section was dominated by two players who showed superb ability at totally demolishing every opponent they played, but there was a quirky event that happened which prevented them from playing each other. Manis Davidovich (2117) from Oak Park, Michigan slammed all his opponents to win the title with 5-0 and Joseph Gadson (1793), a bright young lad from Detroit, Michigan, won all the games he played too – the problem was that Joseph overslept for the first round and was forfeited! However, he went on to win all the rest of his games including defeating one of Michigan’s Experts, Stanley Jarosz (2011), to take 2nd Place.

The Under 1600 section was won by Ricky Durbin from Winchester, Kentucky with 4-1/2 points after holding last year’s champion, Ron Grzegorczyk from Grand Rapids, Michigan to a draw in the last round. I believe Ricky was so excited knowing that a draw would give him the title that he took a perpetual over the risk of a forced win. Ron Grzegorczyk (1590) tied with Michael Collins (1416) for 2nd Place Under 1600.

Click here for the crosstables and prize list.

Here are some exciting games from the event:

Manis Davidovich (2117)
Hassan Sobh (1829)
Round 1
Irregular King's Pawn: Nimzovich, B00

Notes by Marshall Johnson

1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.0–0 Nf6 7.h3 Bh5 8.Bf4 Bd6 9.Nc3 Qa5 10.Be3 0–0 11.Nd2 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Nd5 13.Nce4 Nxe3 14.fxe3 Be7 15.c4 b6 16.a3 Qa6 17.b4 Qb7 18.Ng3 Nb8 19.Nh5 Nd7 20.e4 c5 21.e5! cxd4 22.Qg4 g6 23.Nf6+ Kg7 24.Qh4 Rh8?

It was after this move that Fritz really soured on Black's game. Perhaps, deserting the f7 square was the fatal flaw.

25.Nh5+ Kf8?

Fritz believes Black to be lost at this point, but suggests that more resistance could be offered by: 25...gxh5 26.Qxe7 Rhf8 27.Rf4 Rae8 28.Qg5+ +-

26.Qf4 Ke8 27.Qxf7+ Kd8 28.Ng7 Nxe5 29.Qxe6 Nc6 30.b5 Na5 31.Rf7 Rf8 32.Rxf8+ Bxf8 33.Qe8+ Kc7 34.Qf7+ Kd6 35.Ne8+ Rxe8 36.Qxe8 Qe7 37.Qb8+ Kc5 38.Rc1!

After this quiet move the noose draws very tight around the Black king's neck -- shhh! the king hasn't noticed!

38...Bh6??

Fritz gives: 38...d3 39.Qf4 Bh6 (39...g5 40.Ne4+ Kd4 41.Nxg5+ Kc5 42.Ne4+ Kd4 43.Nf2+ Kc5 44.Nxd3#) 40.Qxh6. And Black is down a rook with no compensation. Of course 38...Nxc4 and 38...Qe3+ are also pretty juicy-looking alternatives that both fail. We'll leave that as an exercise for the reader (and their computer?)

39.Qc7+!! 1–0 Black Resigns.

He can do nothing to avoid mate. For after 39...Qxc7, White plays 40.Ne4#. While after 39...Nc6, White has his choice of 40.Nb3# or simply 40.Qxc6#. The amazing part about this game to me is that Davidovich decides on move 21 that armed with little more than his queen and knight, he should be able to prevail against the Black king and all his defensive forces. Then after move 36 when most players would be happy to gain an enemy rook for the hard-working pesky little knight, our 2003 Amateur Champion was just getting started! When it seemed the Black king had weathered the storm and was going into the end-game down the exchange, White discovered a fine mating net to end the contest.

Raymond Burwell (1630)
Steve Zubatch (1821)
Round 2
Nimzovich: Indian (Spike), A01

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 g6 3.g4 h6 4.e3 Bg7 5.Nc3 d5 6.h3 c6 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.d4 Be6 9.Qe2 Qa5 10.Nd2 Nbd7 11.Bg2 Qc7 12.O-O-O a6 13.f4 O-O-O 14.Rhf1 Nb6 15.Nf3 Bd7 16.Ne5 Rhf8 17.Ba3 Rde8 18.Bb4 Na8 19.Na4 Nh7 20.Nc5 Bxe5 21.dxe5 Qb6 22.Qd2 Qc7 23.Na4 b6 24.Ba3 Rg8 25.Qe2 Qb7 26.e4 e6 27.exd5 exd5 28.Qe3 Be6 29.Qc3 Kb8 30.Bd6+ Ka7 31.Rf2 Nc7

Black is pretty much tied down and his last move seems like a good logical choice. However, White finds a way to crack the position… can you find it?

32.Bxc7! Qxc7 33.f5 gxf5 34.gxf5 Bd7 35.Rxd5 Qc8 36.Qd4 Rd8 37.Qxb6+ Ka8 38.Ra5 Qb7 39.Rxa6+ Kb8 40.Qa5 1-0

Steve Zubatch (1821)
Joseph Gadson (1793)
Round 3
Sicilian: Pelikán, B33

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Nb3 Bb4 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Bd2 Bxc3 10.bxc3 f5 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qe2 Be6 13.O-O O-O 14.Nc5 Bc8 15.Bc4 Kh8 16.Rfd1 f4 17.Be1 f3

Where should White put his queen?

18.Qe4?

18.Qf1! maintains White's advantage in all lines.For example: 18… fxg2 19.Qxg2 Rf5 20.Qxd5

18...Qg5 19.g3 Nf4 20.Bf1 Qh5 21.Nd7? Bxd7 22.Rxd7 Qg4 0-1

And White resigns because of the dual threat, attacking the rook and a discovered check winning his queen.

Aaron Kahn (1934)
Manis Davidovich (2117)
Round 4
English: Agincourt, A13

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.c4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 6.Nc3 a6 7.Ba4 b5 8.Bb3 Bb7 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.O-O O-O 11.a3 Nb6 12.d4 Nfxd5 13.Bc2 f5 14.Re1 h6 15.g3 Qf6 16.Ne5

What would you play for Black?

Now Manis finds a nice way to mop up White’s pawns.

16…Nxc3 17.bxc3 Bxe5 18.Rxe5 Qc6 19.f3 Qxc3 20.Bf4 Bxf3 21.Bb3+ Kh8 22.Rc1 Bxd1 23.Rxc3 Bxb3 24.Rxb3 g5 25.Bd2 Nc4 26.Re2 Rfe8 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Bb4 Re3 29.Rxe3 Nxe3 30.Kf2 Nd5 31.Bf8 Kh7 32.Ke2 Kg6 33.Kf3 h5 34.Bc5 g4+ 35.Ke2 f4 36.gxf4 Nxf4+ 37.Ke3 Kf5 38.Bf8 h4 39.Bg7 g3 40.hxg3 h3 0-1

Jay Babka (1721)
Ray Garrison (1869)
Round 4
Dutch, A80

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bf4 d6 6.h4 Nc6 7.e3 e6 8.Bd3?

White’s last move was a terrible blunder. Do you see why?

8…e5! 9.d5 If 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Bg3 e4 9...Nce7 10.Bg3 e4 11.Bb5+ c6 12.dxc6 bxc6 0-1

And Black won easily with his piece up.

Joseph Gadson (1793)
Stanley Jarosz (2010)
Round 5
Sicilian: Closed (Zukertort), B23

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.Bd3 e6 7.e5!?

An interesting idea. Black will have difficulty keeping the White queen’s knight out of the d6 square.

7…d5

Challenging the e5 pawn with 7...d6 would have stopped the threatening variation that is now played.

8.Nxd4 cxd4 9.Nb5 Qb6 10.Nd6+ Kf8 11.O-O Ne7 12.g4 Nc6?!

12...Bd7 was playable.

13.Qf3 h5

14.b4!?

A stunning pawn sacrifice, which Black correctly declines.

14…hxg4 15.Qxg4 Ne7

15...Nxb4? 16.Rb1 Qa5 17.Bxg6!! Or 15...Qxb4? 16.Bxg6!!

16.Ba3 Nf5 17.b5 Kg8 18.Bxf5 exf5 19.Qg5 Be6 20.d3 Qa5 21.Bb2 Rh5 22.Qg2 Qb4?! 23.Rfb1 Rh4 24.Qf2 Rh5

Looks like Black wanted to play 24...Rg4+ but then realized after the king moves, h3 will trap the rook.

25.Bxd4 Qa5 26.Nxb7 Qc7 27.Nc5 Rc8 28.Nxe6 fxe6 29.Bxa7 Qxc2

Black may have ideas of catching the king in a perpetual threat with the two rooks.

30.Qxc2 Rxc2 31.Bf2 g5 32.b6 gxf4 33.d4 Rg5+ 34.Kf1 f3 35.b7 Rg2 36.b8Q+ Kh7 37.Bg1 Rcd2 38.Rc1 Rb2 39.Qxb2 Rxb2 40.a4 Bh6 41.Rcb1 Rc2 42.a5 Bd2 43.a6 f4 44.a7 Be3 45.Rb7+ Kg6 46.a8Q 1-0

Chris Sims (1706)
Tom LaForge (1907)
Round 4
French: Tarrasch, C03

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.Bb5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bd7 6.c3 Nf6 7.Qf3 Be7 8.Ne2 O-O 9.Nxf6+ Bxf6 10.Be3

Black was threatening to win a pawn, so White defends it again.

What should Black play?

10…Nxd4! 11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Bxd4 Bxb5 13.Qg4 e5 14.Bxe5 f6 15.Qe6+ Kh8 16.Rd1 Qe8 17.Qd5 Qxe5+ 18.Qxe5 fxe5 19.Rd5 Bc6 20.Rxe5 Bxg2 21.Rg1 Rae8 0-1

And Black went on to win.

Ron Grzegorczyk (1590)
Ricky Durbin (1579)
Round 5
Sicilian: Scheveningen, B80

Notes by Don Vandivier

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.O-O Qc7 9.f4 Nbd7 10.f5 e5 11.Nb3 b5 12.g4 h6 13.Rf2 Bb7 14.Nd2 b4 15.Na4 Bc6 16.b3 d5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Nc4 Nxe3 19.Nxe3 Bh4!

Black will win at least the exchange.

20.Rd2 Bg5 21.Qe2 Bb7?!

Black has a crushing line after 21...Qa7! 22.Re1 h5! 23.gxh5 e4 24.Bc4 Ne5

22.Bc4 Nf6 23.Rad1 O-O 24.Rd6 Rad8 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Rxd8+ Qxd8

Now White has to play Nb2 or Nc5.

27.h3? Qd4! 28.Kf2 Qf4+?!

28...Ne4+! leads to a crushing attack, which wins the White queen.

29.Ke1 Bh4+?

29...Bf3! 30.Ng2 Bxg2 31.Qxg2 Ne4 32.Qe2 Bh4+ 33.Kd1 Nf2+

30.Kd2 Qd4+ 31.Qd3 Ne4+ 32.Ke2 Ng3+ 33.Kd2 Ne4+

33...Bg5 still wins a piece.

34.Ke2 Ng3+ 35.Kd2 ½-½ Draw agreed.