September 17, 2009 • General
Greetings on an unfortunately, rainy evening here in Seattle. Sadly, today broke the streak of eight days in a row of perfect sunny skies without a cloud in sight. Alas, I guess this is a sad sign that summer is nearing an end for us west coasters. Oh well, such is life. Before I dive right into the US Chess League match tonight, I would like to take the opportunity to mention what I have been up to since the last time I blogged. If it was not for the dedicated fans both here and on ICC, I would not be as successful or motivated as I currently am. So once again, I would like to thank everyone for their continued good wishes.
Here in Seattle, when the weather is so great, it becomes impossible to stay indoors and glued to a computer. As such, I spent most of the weekend down in Belltown which tends to be one of the more popular areas when it comes to nightlife. I went to this restaurant Imo near Pioneer Square which is a quaint little Korean restaurant with karaoke and this alcoholic beverage called soju. It was also when I was out at this restaurant that I heard one of the more comical things in recent years. Due to the fact that it was a semi-mixer and meeting new people is common, a friend of mine asked this guy what he thought I did for a living. It was at this point, that the guy blurted out the following: “Are you a porn star?” As I was not expecting anything even remotely resembling this, it completely cracked me up. During the past week, I also went out to Kenmore, Washington to bowl with a few friends and caught up with The Scotsman from ICC. It suffices to say that the overall experiences out here have been incredibly positive thus far and I recommend Seattle for anyone who wants to have a good time in a relaxed atmosphere (sorry Yasser).
Now, without further ado I shall present my game from week 3 of the USCL against IM Rogelio Barcenilla of Arizona. I must say that although I love the New York style of brash in your face predictions, I think they end up serving as motivation for the opposing team more often than not. For instance, a good example would be when Boston Assistant Manager Matt Phelps made a ridiculously absurd prediction that Boston would beat Dallas 4-0 this week. As it turned out, Dallas ended up crushing Boston 4-0. Such predictions are silly and only give people ammunition. The reason I mention this is because GM Alejandro Ramirez decided to make some stupid predictions of his own on the Seattle-Arizona match in which he said I would lose. To paraphrase Curt Schilling, ‘There’s no better thing than shutting everyone up.’ That’s all for now, onto the game and match itself!
GM Hikaru Nakamura (2759)- IM Rogelio Barcenilla (2583), US Chess League 16.9.2009
1.Nf3 b6!? Keeping with my previous game, I chose to open with a pawn move involving the b file. 2.g3 Bb7 3.Bg2 c5!? A way of trying to prevent any sort of standard d4 catalan type of setup. 4.0-0 g6 5.c4 Bg7
This is the first real starting position for the game. At this point, I was pleased as I thought I should have no real problems equalizing. 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.b3!? (7.d4 is what I was expecting. 7…cxd4 8.Qxd4 (8.Nxd4 Bxg2 9.Kxg2 0-0 10.e4 Qc7 11.b3 as was played twice in the famous Karpov-Kasparov match in 1984.) 8…d6 9.Rd1 Nbd7 10.Be3 as was played in Kramnik-Kasparov, London WC Match (14) 2000. 7…d5! A very natural move taking over the initative. 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bb2 Nc6 10.Qc1 Nc7!? (10…Nxc3 11.Bxc3 0-0 was completely equal, but I thought it was a bit too dry and I wanted something a bit more spicy.) 11.Nb5! Definitely the most active move and the only way to try and disrupt Black’s very simple plan of 0-0, e5 and Nd4. 11…e5!?!
The second and arguably most critical point during the whole game. Prior to going 10…Nc7, I had seen the whole plan involving Nxe5. 12.Nxc7?! This move is perfectly fine, but after using nearly 40 minutes, it is completely wrong. Obviously, most of my opponents time was spent analyzing 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 (12…Nxe5!? 13.Bxb7 Nxb5 14.Bxa8 Qxa8 15.f4 Nd4 16.Bxd4 Nd3!! I had overlooked this and simply saw (16…Nf3 17.Rxf3 Bxd4 18.Kg2 Bxa1 19.Qxa1 when White is up a pawn and winning. 17.Bxg7 Nxc1 18.Bxh8 Nxe2 19.Kf2 when White is better, but it remains very complicated.) 13.Bxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxe5 Nxb5 15.Bxh8 f6 (analysis diagram)
At this point, I concluded that my attack was very dangerous due to A)16.Qc4 Ke7 16.Bg7 Nd4 when the dual threats of Qg8 and Bb5 seem to give me an advantage. B)16.Bg7 Nd4 17.Re1 Qe7 18.Bh6 Nxe2 gives me an advantage as well. However, Rybka being totally inhuman suggests a really bizarre line with C)16.e3 Kf7 17.f3 Kg8 18.b4 with a small advantage for White. Nevertheless, it is hard to imagine any human ever going for this variation and just makes one in disbelief at how amazing computers are.
12…Qxc7 13.Bc3 0-0 14.d3 Rfe8 15.Rb1 A peculiar move which I do not really understand. 15…Rac8 16.Qb2? Another strange move. I suspect my opponent may not have been familiar with the pawn structure. The more natural English player would have gone for some sort of Nd2-c4 idea. 16…b5! Taking advantage and obtaining more space.
17.Qd2 Rcd8 18.Qc1 Qb6 19.Qc2? A puzzling move. White has now moved his queen five times in the first nineteen moves! 19…Nd4 20.Bxd4 cxd4 21. Qd2 Rdc8 A slightly better alternative may have been 21…f5 with the idea of e4. Nevertheless, both lines do not change the overall assessment of the position. 22.Rbc1 Rc3!
At this point, White’s position really starts to crumble. It did not help matters that by this point White was down to five minutes already. 23.e3 e4!? Slightly better was 23…Rec8 keeping the pressure on and avoiding any simplification. 24.Nxd4 Rxd3 25.Qb4 Bxd4 26.exd4 Rxd4
Now the smoke has cleared and I am up a pawn as we head towards the endgame. The rest is relatively straight forward although I am sure I missed some easier wins along the way. 27.Qc5 Qxc5 28.Rxc5 Rc8 29.Re5 not (29…Rxb5 Ba6 winning an exchange.) 29…a6 30.Re7 Bd5 31.Rd7 Rd3 32.Rd6 a5 33.Rb6 Rc5 34.Re1 f5! After this move, it is hard for White to obtain any counterplay.
35.g4 Kf7 36.gxf5 gxf5 37.Bf1 Rd2 38.Bxb5 e3! After this nice shot, White is completely lost and can resign more or less instantly.
39.fxe3 Rcc2 40.Bf1 Rxh2
0-1
Conclusion:
Overall, my opponent had one opportunity with 12.Nxe5 to go into complications. As he avoided this chance, the opening turned out extremely pleasantly for me and I had no problems whatsoever. A relatively easy game in which I did not have any major problems. With this win, we took a 1-0 lead in the match.
Board 2: Mikhailuk-Ginsburg
On board two, FM Slava Mikhailuk took on IM Mark Ginsburg in a rematch from last year. This game also left me a bit clueless as Slava went for a rather bizarre idea in the English with 8.Bd2 and 9.Rc1? My understanding of the English is that White normally should go for Rb1 and b4 instead. However, he only compounded the problems when he followed this up with 10.e4? The dark squares eventually became too weak later on in the game and Ginsburg duly won. Not a good result but also not the end of the world either. However, to point out an odd stat…in our first three matches, we are 3/3 on board 1 and 0/3 on board 2! One can only wonder why this is. 1-1
Board 3: Rensch-Lee
On board three, FMs Rensch and Lee faced off. Out of the tromp, Rensch quickly gained an small advantage which he tried to squeeze once queens came off the board. Lee incorrectly tried to play aggressively on the kingside despite having doubled f pawns. This backfired as Rensch was able to consolidate the kingside pawns and much the first doubled f pawn without any problems. Later on though, Lee came up with some resourceful tricks and was able to keep the game complicated. Rensch then proceeded to blunder badly and went down in flames to a nice combination at the end. 2-1
Board 4: Sinanan-Martinez
This game still continues to baffle me even as I think about it now. On board 4 Josh played an anti-Benko opening which eventually transposed into an English where Black uses a hedgehog setup. Josh was clearly out of his comfort zone and unfamiliar with the themes and motifs of the position. Martinez on the other hand kept on playing natural moves and had a small edge by move 20. After Sinanan grabbed a pawn with 25.Qxa6 Martinez proceeded to use 25 minutes only to cough up a lemon with 25…Nxf3?? instead of 25…Ra8 after which White is definitely in trouble in not outright losing. After the blunder, Martinez was lucky enough to still have a draw in hand which occurred when both players repeated moves. 2.5-1.5
The match itself was very strange in that I was very comfortable early on while all the other boards were in trouble immediately. Luckily for us, this turned and Michael Lee became the hero. Thus far we now have 2/3 and are in solid position as long as we avoid losing matches. Nevertheless at some point we will need to address our board two woes if the next few weeks continue like the first three. Next week we face Dallas and will try to repeat our success once again. GO SLUGGERS GO!
September 11, 2009 • General
There are several other quick notes which I would like to add before the weekend comes around and I simply vanish into thin air as expected. First of all, I would like to confirm my participation in the BN Bank Blitz in Oslo, Norway this upcoming November. I first heard about this event back at the end of the NH Rising Stars event, but held off on any firm decisions until I was fully recovered health wise. Having decided that I am not playing the world cup due to the scheduling conflict with the tournament in London, this event will fit nicely into my schedule. As I have no tournaments scheduled between mid October until London in December, this should be a good warm up event for me, and I look forward to it. From Norway, I will probably go to London and see some friends there until the tournament gets started on the 7th of December.
Second, I have also decided to teach the very talented Seattle junior Michael Lee. Having seen his play over the past few years, Michael is one of the more talented juniors I have seen in the US. As he resides in Seattle and I am now living here for good, it should definitely be an interesting task ahead of me in getting him to GM. Nevertheless, it should be a great opportunity to give back for all that chess has given me. That’s all for now, have a great weekend everyone!
September 11, 2009 • General
Hello to everyone out there once again! In an effort to start branching out, I am going to blog about all things which are of interest as opposed to simply chess-related events. For anyone who is expecting nothing but hardcore chess news, this certainly is not the place to be! During my downtime here in Seattle, I will probably be spending the vast majority of my time blogging about my lovely adventures in the Northwest.
After I went for a nice walk around Green Lake on Wednesday, I was interviewed by Pacific Citizen which is an asian publication based out of Los Angeles, California. The interview was pretty interesting, although the questions start seeming similar after a while. I am not sure when the piece will be published, but I suspect it will be sometime within the next week. So stay tuned!
Yesterday was certainly a lot more interesting as I ventured out to Endfest 18 at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington. The process of simply getting out there was interesting in itself as there was a lot of traffic in downtown Seattle and on the interstate too. Alas, we all got there safe and sound after a lot of traffic arriving around 5 PM. The venue was very nice as the amphitheatre itself is an outdoor concert venue with both seats and a lawn for people to sit on and enjoy the show. The main attraction for the event were Blink182 and Weezer. Having been a teenager in the late 90s and early 2000s, I was quite familiar with their music. Nevertheless, I found the two opening bands to be quite good as well. Chester French and Taking Back Sunday definitely fulfilled my expectations, although I thought the lead singer for Chester French could have done a better job if he was not trying to be a Napoleon Dynamite look alike.
At this point, the main entertainment for the evening got started when Weezer came on. They played many of their best songs including Falling For You, Island In The Sun, Beverly Hills,No One Else, Undone, etc. Although it was hard to follow some of the lyrics due to the very large and LOUD sound system, the general gist of the words was quite easy to follow. Overall it was very splendid performance and they involved the crowd which made it even better. The lead singer, Rivers Cuomo was also a very good stage performer and definitely made it more memorable. A+
The second major group performing was Blink 182. This group, unlike Weezer has nto stayed together through the years. They broke up in 2005, but recently got back together. The band also did not vary much from their big hits as they played First Date, Feeling This,Always,Miss You, etc. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this performance as much since I found the vocals to be a little shaky. However, the drummer Travis was simply amazing and pretty much made up for it. The highlight of the show was definitely when he did a drum solo while in the air with his drum set on a portion of the stage which came off the ground. This was simply breathtaking and something which I was certainly not expecting. Overall, a solid performance, I would have preferred it if the two bands had played in the opposite order. B+
Going to a concert which was not directly in Seattle meant that the ride back took a long time as we (I am not using names here) were all in different areas of town. This meant that I got back home at 12:30 AM which has left me with a short afternoon in which to get stuff done. However, it was certainly a great concert and I would certainly recommend seeing Weezer if one has the opportunity (assuming you like this type of music). That is pretty much all for now, check back for updates later in the week. Here are a few pictures from last night. Enjoy!
The stage from where I was sitting.
The stage and the interesting lighting background for Blink182.
The confetti coming out everywhere following the end of the concert.
September 09, 2009 • General
Good evening to everyone who is on the east coast! Fortunately for me, I am out here on the west coast where it is nothing but sunny skies and lovely girls all around. Before I get into the whole match last night, I would also like to clarify one thing for those who are not aware. Last night, I know there was chatter about where I am currently living. Right now, I am living in Seattle, Washington and NOT Vancouver,BC.Without further ado, onto the chess which is what most people are more interested in.
Nakamura-Kacheishvili, US Chess League, 9.8.09
1.b3! A rather suspicious opening move. Last year I employed 1.g3, but I felt that this year I should try something completely different. 1…d5 A very sound and practical move. 2.Bb2 c5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 g6!? (Diagram 1)
In this position, I considered several moves. Having played this opening quite a few times on ICC, I was just debating whether to take on f6 or play something a little bit more standard like c4 or d4. In the end, I decided that avoiding anything resembling chess would be preferable. Therefore, I went…5.Bxf6!? exf6 6.c3 Bd6! This is much better than the conventional 6…Bg7 after which I close the diagonal with 7.d4 and have a small advantage. 7.d4 0-0 8.Nbd2 Be6 9.a3 f5 (Diagram 2)
10.c4??? I give this move three question marks because I refused to use my brain at this point in the game. At this point, my mind was already thinking about the impending food which I had ordered at the start of the game. Unfortunately, because I am so incredibly stupid when I am on my own, I forgot to eat any food before the game. Therefore, our acting team manager, Josh had one of our local poker buddies go off and grab me a cheeseburger and fries from Kidd Valley which is a true Seattle experience. Back to the game, 10.b4 or 10.g3 were still roughly equal although Black certainly has no problems here. 10…Nc6 11.dxc5 (11.cxd5 Bxd5 12.Bc4 was equal.) Bxc5 12.b4 Be7 13.c5 Bf6 14.Rc1? 14…d4? (14…f4! 15.exf4 Bf5! with the idea of Re8 and Bb2 is simply winning on the spot.)
15.Bc4 dxe3 16.fxe3 Re8! 17.0-0 Ne5! (Diagram 3)
This last move was played while I was away from the board. Unfortunately, Giorgi played this move at the most inopportune time for me as I was off eating my delicious dinner in the other room. In this position, I am already a tad worse, but I went badly astray as I was feeling happy and content. I immediately played….
18.Nxe5 Bxe5 19.Bxe6 Rxe6 (18…fxe6 gives White the advantage after 19.Nc4 Bc7 20.Qf3.) 20.Qc2?? Another very stupid move which can only be explained by my lack of chess ability which is quite bad. 20…Qc7! A very strong move which I had overlooked. At this point, I am now on the ropes for the rest of the game. 21.Nf3 Bg7 22.Rfe1 Rae8 23.Qa4 Qe7! (Diagram 4)
Another very strong move which I completely overlooked. For some reason I did not realize that Qxa7 was never a threat because of Ra6. At this point, I realized that I was going to need some help here, so I just decided to try and pose as many problems as possible.
24.Kh1 Rxe3 25.h3 (Diagram 5)
Surprisingly, Rybka just says Black wins after f4! However, I think we had both overloooked 26.Qxa7 Rxe1 27.Rxe1 Qxe1 28.Nxe1 Rxe1 29.Kh2 Be5! After which I cannot stop involving f3-f2 without giving up lots of material. Nevertheless, I got a nice little gift with 25…Bc3? 26.Rxe3 Qxe3 27.Rxc3 (Diagram 6)
Oopsies! A slight oversight on the part of my opponent, but one that I will gladly take. 1-0
Board 2: Charbonneau-Serper
On board two, mon bon ami Canadien Pascal was taking on Greg Serper. The opening looked like a normal Kan until Greg went for a dubious plan involving b6 and Re8. Pascal quickly got a winning position although he missed several wins along the way before showing some superlative technique in an endgame. The result was never really in doubt here and with this win the match was evened out at 1-1.
Board 3: Lee-Bonin
On board 3 talented junior, Michael Lee was taking on Jay Bonin. Having played Bonin at least a half dozen times over the years, he is not an easy customer and is capable of beating anyone on a good day. After a rather bizarre Botvinnik English, they reached a complicated middlegame and agreed to a draw. I was really unsure about who was better, but in terms of the match situation is was fine for both players. Even after three boards
Board 4: Sturt-Chen
On board four, two relatively unknowns in Raven Sturt and Howard Chen faced off. I really do not have a whole lot to say about this game other than that Sturt should be trying to enjoy chess. Playing an opening in which queens come off right out of the opening at the age of 15 is simply ridiculous. I can only hope that he will learn in the future and play more active chess. A dull draw with nothing much to say. 2-2
Conclusion:
In summary, the match seemed to be headed New York’s way overall and they were a bit unlucky to not win the match. If Giorgi draws against me, they win the match for sure. Overall it is a solid draw and keeps us on track to make the playoffs. Despite being early on in the season, I have a good feeling about the Sluggers this year and look forward to next week when we play the Arizona Scorpions. Once again, GO SLUGGERS, GO!
On a complete sidenote, I would also like to see my beloved Titans win tomorrow. Sadly, I will be unable to root them on as I will be off at Endfest 18 enjoying music from bands such as Blink182, Weezer, etc. Ah the good life in Seattle!
September 07, 2009 • General
This is going to be another short blog as I arrived in Seattle yesterday. Having gotten my apartment in order with the exception of internet, I am enjoying myself thus far. Overall, I have mostly recovered although I still have some slight throat problems even now. Tomorrow, I will be making my debut in the US Chess League, so I will definitely attempt to blog after the game/match. GO SLUGGERS!
