NM John Stopa (left foreground) faces GM Alex Yermolinsky in the 2013 Cardinal Open held in Columbus, Ohio.
Note: This article is continued from January 31, 2013.
GM Andre Diamant vs. FM Carl Boor [C10]
36th Cardinal Open, Columbus, OH
Rd. 3, January 26, 2013
[Notes courtesy of Andre Diamant]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.g3 b6 6.Bg2 Rb8
This idea was played before by GM Judith Polgar against GM Mamedyarov. Mamedyarov preferred the move 7.Ne2.
7.Nf3 Bb7 8.Qe2 Ngf6 9.Nxf6+ Nxf6 10.0–0 Bd6 11.b3 0–0 12.Bb2 Qc8 13.c4 Nd7 14.Rfd1 Re8 15.Rac1
My development is over and now I have to find some plan to break black’s fortress.
15...Be7
White's idea for now is just prevent all black ideas like c5 or e5 with the doubling the rooks.
16.Rc2! Bf6 17.Rcd2 a6 18.h4 b5
Black is tired of waiting and tries to free his position.
19.Rc2 bxc4?!
19...Be7 would be better in order to keep the tension in the position.
20.Qxc4
Now black needs to play precisely or he will be lost.
20...c5
20...Be4 21.Rcc1 Qb7 22.Ne5 Bxg2 23.Nxd7 Bh3 (23...Bd5 24.Qxc7 Qxc7 25.Rxc7; 23...Rbd8 Fails to 24.Nxf6+ gxf6 25.d5!! White's black squared bishop is dominating!) 24.Qc6 Qxc6 25.Rxc6+- White wins a pawn.
21.Qe2!
A surprising retreat, which puts pressure on blacks position.
21...Bd5 22.dxc5 Bxb2 23.Rxb2 a5
23...Qxc5 24.Qxa6 Nf6 was a better way to defend.
24.Rc2 a4 25.bxa4 Rb4 26.c6 Nf6 27.Nd4 Rxa4 28.Nb5
Now the position is already lost for black.
28...Rd8 29.c7 Rd7 30.Qe3 Rc4 31.Rdc1 1–0
Black can't avoid loss of material after Na7.
GM Alex Yermolinsky (2540) vs. John Stopa (2200) [D10]
36th Cardinal Open, Columbus, OH
Rd. 2, January 26, 2013
[Notes courtesy of John Bath]
This short game ends with a surprising pawn move.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.f3 Bd7 6.Bd3 e6 7.Nge2 dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5 9.d5 exd5 10.Nxd5 Nc6 11.Nec3 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qxc4? [13...Qd8=]
14.b3!! 1–0
John Stopa (2200) vs. GM Alexander Shabalov (2651) [B23]
36th Cardinal Open, Columbus, OH
Rd. 1, January 25, 2013
[Notes courtesy of John Bath]
John Stopa reaches a won position against GM Shabalov, but cannot find the "Houdini move".
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Bg7 4.Nf3 a6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 e6 7.0–0 Nge7 8.d3 0–0 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Qd2 d5 11.exd5 exd5 12.Bxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 Qb6 14.a4 Nf5 15.a5 Qc5 16.b4 Qd6 17.Rfe1 h5 18.Rab1 Be6 19.Nc1 b6 20.Nb3 bxa5 21.bxa5 Rab8 22.Bh3 Rb4 23.Ng5 Bd7 24.Nf3 Rfb8 25.Ne5 Be6 26.Rbc1 Ra4 27.Qf2 Rbb4 28.Re2 Bf6 29.Rce1 Kg7 30.Nf3 Qc6 31.Ng5 Bd7 32.Bxf5 Bxf5 33.Re7 Bxe7 34.Rxe7 Kg8? 35.Qe1! Rb8 36.Nxf7! Kf8
37.Ng5?
37.Nd8!! Qf6 (37...Rxd8? 38.Qe5!+- and mate is unavoidable) 38.Re8+ Kg7 39.Ne6+ Bxe6 40.Rxb8 and white has too many threats; one line goes 40...Bf7 41.Nc5 Ra2 42.Rb6 Qf5 43.Qe7 Rxc2 44.Ne6+ Kh7 45.Nxd4 Rc1+ 46.Kf2+-
37...Qd6 38.Rf7+ Kg8 39.Ra7 Rab4 40.Qe2 Rf8 41.Nh7 Rc8 42.Ng5 Rf8 43.Nh7 Rc8 44.Ng5 ½–½
Vikram Srivastava (1888) vs. Bill Turner (2067) [B01]
36th Cardinal Open, Columbus, OH
Rd. 2, January 26, 2013
[Notes courtesy of John Bath]
Black is winning after 11 moves, but White fights back to an equal position with a brilliant sacrifice on move 21. However, he misses some interesting tactics that would have maintained equality, and falls into a worse position. His 39th move allows black's king to penetrate, and the game is soon over.
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Be2 Nc6 5.d4 0–0–0 6.Be3 Nf6 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Bxf3 Qb5 9.Nc3 Qxb2 10.Ne2 Ne5 11.dxe5? Rxd1+ 12.Rxd1 Qxe5 13.0–0 e6 14.Bf4 Qc5 15.c4 Bd6 16.Be3 Qa5 17.Rb1 c6 18.Nd4 h5 19.Rfd1 Qe5?! 20.g3 g5?
21.Bxc6!! bxc6 22.Nxc6 Qe4 23.Nxa7+ Kd7 24.Nb5 Rb8 25.Rxd6+ Ke7= 26.Rbd1
26.Bc5!! Nd7 27.Rd4+ Nxc5 28.Rxe4 Nxe4=
26...Qxc4 27.Na3 Qxa2 28.Bxg5
28.Bc5! Ke8 (28...Nd5? 29.Rb6+!; 28...Ne4? 29.R6d2+) 29.Nb5! 30.Rxe6+!! fxe6 31.Nd6+! Ke7 32.Nb7+ Qxc5 33.Nxc5=
28...Qxa3 29.Rd7+ Kf8 30.Bxf6 Kg8 31.h4 Qf3 32.Rd8+ Rxd8 33.Rxd8+ Kh7 34.Bg5 Kg6 35.Rd4 f6 36.Be3 e5 37.Rd2 Kf5 38.Kh2 Kg4 39.Kg1? Kh3! 40.Kf1 Qh1+
40...f5!
41.Ke2 f5! 42.Rd8 Qe4 43.f3 Qc4+ 44.Kf2 f4 45.gxf4 exf4 46.Bd2 Qc5+ 47.Ke2
47.Kf1 Qb5+ 48.Ke1 Kg2 49.Bc3 Kxf3 50.Kd2 Qe2+ 51.Kc1 Kg4–+
47...Qe7+ 0–1
IM Justin Sarkar (2520) vs. Richard Parry (1825) [D56]
36th Cardinal Open, Columbus, OH
Rd. 2, January 26, 2013
[Notes courtesy of John Bath]
Richard Parry gives IM Justin Sarkar a tough fight before finally succumbing.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0–0 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Rc1 Nxc3 10.Rxc3 c6 11.h4 Nd7 12.g4 e5 13.cxd5 e4 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.Nd2² c5 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.g5 Bf5 18.gxh6 Rfd8 19.hxg7 Nd3+ 20.Bxd3 Rxd3 21.Rxd3?! exd3 22.Qh5 Bh7 23.Nf3 Rc8?
23...Qe4!? 24.Ng5! d2+ (24...Qxh1+?? 25.Kd2–+) 25.Kxd2 Qd5+ 26.Ke2 Bd3+ 27.Ke1 Qxh1+ 28.Kd2 Kxg7 29.Qxf7+ Kh6 30.Ne6 Qg1 31.Kxd3 Qb1+ 32.Kd4 Qxb2+ 33.Ke4 Qc2+ 34.Kf3 Qg6 is unclear; 23...Qb4+! 24.Kf1 Qxb2 25.Ng5 Qa1+ 26.Kg2 Qxg7 27.Qxh7+ Qxh7 28.Nxh7 Kxh7 29.Kf3 favors White.
24.Ng5!+- d2+ 25.Ke2 d1Q+ 26.Rxd1 Rc2+ 27.Kf1 Bd3+ 28.Rxd3 Kxg7 29.Qh7+ Kf6 30.Rd6+ Ke5 31.Ra6 Rc1+ 32.Kg2 Qc7 33.Qe4# 1–0
Matthew Webber (1692) vs. Benjamin Tancinco (1666) [B46]
36th Cardinal Open, Columbus, OH
Rd. 5, January 27, 2013
[Notes courtesy of John Bath]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Bb4 8.Bd2 f6 9.Ne4 Bxd2+?!
9...Qb6 10.c3 Be7 +/=
10.Qxd2 fxe5 11.Nd6+± Kf8 12.Bc4 Ne7?! 13.Qg5! Qa5+ 14.c3 Qc5? 15.0–0–0 h6 16.Qh4
16.Qh5! g6 17.Qh4 Rh7 18.Qf6+ Kg8 19.b4! Qa7 20.Nxc8! Rxc8 21.Rxd7!+-
16...g5?
16...e4!? 17.Nxc8 Rxc8 18.Rxd7 Qg5+ but white should still win after 19.Qxg5 hxg5 20.Rd6 Nd5 21.Rxe6 Nf4 22.Rxe4
17.Qh5! Rh7 18.Qe8+ Kg7 19.Qxe7+ Kg8 20.Qe8+ Kg7 21.Qf7+ Kh8 22.Qf8# 1–0
USCF History for Michel R. Anders, USCF Life Member
November 1986 - Joined the United States Chess Federation
April 1987 – Organized and directed his first USCF-rated chess tournament
April 1990 - Recognized as a Senior Tournament Director
December 1991 – Reached his peak rating of 1774 at the Battle of Erebor Open in St. James, MD
August 1996 – Became Associate National Tournament Director
May 1997 – Defeated his highest rated tournament victim David Saville (2132) in the Bluegrass Chess Club tournament in Lexington, KY
August 2003 - Mike flew Grant Perks of Ohio to Stewart Airport in Newburgh, NY, for his first meeting with the USCF staff as Interim ED
July 2004 – Awarded 2nd Category Title following the National US Action in Bloomington, IL
January 2005 – Took National TD Exam but did not pass, presumably due to unconventional answers aimed at exercising his legendary sense of humor
December 2005 – Won his 250th regular rated game at the Circle City Chess Club in Indianapolis
April 2008 – Worked as a floor TD at the National HS Championship in Atlanta, GA
February 2009 – Was the book vendor at the U.S. Junior Chess Congress held in Anderson, Indiana
April 2009 – Served as section chief in the 246-player K-3 division of the scholastic Super Nationals IV in Nashville
July 2012 – Chief TD at the final tournament he organized, the 3rd Bulldog Open, in the Albany, KY on behalf of the USCF affiliate where he worked (Clinton County School District Chess Club)
July 2012 – Won his final rated game against Glen O’Banion (1737) at the Bastille Day En Passant tournament in Lexington, KY
November 2012 – Worked his last of nearly 200 USCF-rated tournaments when he served as Asst. TD at the 21st Kings Island Open in Cincinnati
December 2012 – Played his last chess tournament at the Kentucky Action Championship in Lexington
