TIME STAND STILL

CHESS SIMUL & LECTURE
REDMOND CHESS CLUB 2005

Time to start doing Simultaneous chess Exhibition Chess Matches again - this year though I will be actively engaged in giving Blindfold Exhibition games! Time to take my game up a notch and to promote this fine game. It's a hobby for some - for others it is a way of life!

- Coach Sean Tobin.

ROUND 4 at your DOOR - REGGIO EMILIA 2009

REGGIO EMILIA HEATS UP! Three more decisive games from Thursdays round four!

One win with the White pieces and two wins with the Black pieces – not bad – 3 out of 5 games decisive! Kamsky and Caruana had to play each other today but that ended in an exciting draw. It looked like, at least to me, that Kamsky had a win – I will have to spend some time analyzing this game and then the time spent will tell what secrets remain, as of now, in this game.

VOCATURO

JOBAVA

WHITE TO PLAY AND ACHIEVE A DEAD WON POSITION

QUIET MOVE WINS THE DAY.

BOLOGAN

LANDA

BLACK TO PLAY

DEFEND AGAINST THREATS WHILE CREATING SOME MORE OF YOUR OWN

It is always nice to see an author win with the opening that they have just written a chess book about. Bologan has just written a very popular book on the King’s Indian Defense. I have taken a look at it and it isn’t bad but I have to be honest and say that I do prefer a different format for my Chess Books. Anyways Bologan has also done a Chessbase DVD on the KID that will be extremely interesting and a product that I hope to review.

Happy New Years! – Coach Sean.

SWISS-SIS... Rocks the Chess World as the World's best Pairings program!

SWISS-SYS is Thad Suits chess Pairings program – that makes the lives of Tournament Directors like me a whole lot easier.

SWISS-SYS is the best pairings program that I have found! Terrific software – I was totally lost without it too. About a month back my computer crashed – I got hit by a really bad virus – and I lost my copy of Swiss-Sys. But just with an email to the ever helpful Thad Suits solved all of my problems and I am back in business running my own events. I fully intend to upgrade my copy to the newest version available during 2010.

What do I use SWISS-SYS for? I run tournaments at my chess clubs – to give my players some variety as opposed to always playing Ladder or practice games. I also run USCF Swiss style chess tournaments and non-USCF events as well and this is by far the best software that I have found.

If you are looking to run some tournaments in 2010 then this is the software for you, hands down.

- Chess Coach Sean Tobin.

ENDGAME VITUOSO ANATOLY KARPOV - Some one that we can all learn from when our guide is the talented Mr. Tibor Karolyi

BOOK REVIEW for ALL OF YOU!

One of my gifts for Christmas was a Gift Card to Barnes and Noble - which is something Coach Sean loves to recieve! Getting to pick my own books - that makes this chess coach VERY happy! Today I picked up the second edition of "ENDGAME VIRTUOSO ANATOLY KARPOV" by Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin. This book is a work of love...

Tibor looks at 105 COMPLETE Karpov games with a special emphasis on duh, you guessed it, the Endgames. But wait, there is more! In the annotations to these games there are game fragments and studies to help illustrate some of the points being made or to show how the same technique can be applied in a slightly different context. Amazing!

The variations given are to the point and you should spend time going over every comment and every line given in this book. There is even a classification of endgame types given at the back of the book for those students interested in targeting in on a particular endgame theme. One thing lacking in this book though is a listing of the games by opening which could have been relevant for those students trying to look at how particular opening pawn structures effect the endgame play in specific openings. One is left to one's own devices to sort this out on our own but for those of us who like convenience it would have been nice to have this appendix available. Of course size constraints on the work - placed upon our talented author - may have factored in as far as this was concerned. My laziness aside this book is amazing...

This book came out in 2007 and is put out by New in Chess publishers - a source of very many good books on chess. Not to mention NEW IN CHESS MAGAZINE which, in my opinion, is the BEST CHESS MAGAZINE being published now in the entire world.

This book is a work that one could get lost in - for life. The lessons in this book could certainly last a lifetime and I do not intend to give up my copy - EVER! If you can get your hands on this book and if you really and truly are interested in your own chess improvement and you are willing to work at it then this book is for you.

- Coach Sean Tobin.

P.S. The first edition is pictured up above - MAKE SURE YOU PICK UP THE SECOND EDITION! It will say it along the side of the front cover of the book just underneath the "His 105 Best Endgames" and not the 100 referred to in the first edition. Printed there will be the words "Second, improved edition".

52nd REGGIO EMILIA CHESS TOURNAMENT = Round 1 Coverage.

Kamsky is off to a good start at the 52nd edition of Reggio Emilia with a win in round one.

*Fabiano Caruana - Although he grew up in the states he is actually representing Italy so the American flag by his name is actually not the correct flag to be attached to his name - my chessbase was using older "player data" when I made this table. Once upon a time I got a draw against young Caruna in a World Open Side event - long ago - when he was a little kid rated almost 2000 USCF!

Interestingly enough all three decisive games were won by the player with the Black pieces - always a good sign for each of these players! Now if they can just "cash in" their games with the White pieces... Down below you will find the results from round one.

[Event "52nd It"][Site "Reggio Emilia ITA"][Date "2009.12.28"][Round "1"]
[White "Vocaturo, D."][Black "Kamsky, G."][Result "0-1"][ECO "B42"]
[White Elo "2500"][Black Elo "2695"][Ply Count "100"][Event Date "2009.12.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Ne7 {Paulsen variation of the Sicilian Defense - a more positional or strategical treatment as opposed to some other highly aggressive and tactical variation - like let us say the Najdorf Sicilian.} 6. O-O Ng6 7. Kh1 Bc5 8. Nb3 Ba7 9. f4 Nc6 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Be3 d6 12. N1d2 Re8 13. a4 Qc7 14. c3 Bd7 15. Bxa7 Nxa7 16. g3 Rad8 17. h4

Exchanging off the dark Squared Bishop seems a little off to me and White's 17. h4 seems quite a bit too loosening. Risky for sure against a solid player like Kamsky - who in this position has the safer King.

17. ...Nf8 18. Kh2 Nc8 19. a5 Re7 20. Nf3 e5 21. f5 d5 22. Nfd2 dxe4 23. Nxe4 f6 24. g4 Bc6 25. g5

The V-man has gone all in against Kamsky - so I give him full credit for his aggressive intentions. However playing over this game leaves one with the impression that Kamsky saw many moves further ahead of his adversary. Kamsky's endgame is phenomenal too so you really do need to be able to see what will happen very far off in the "distance" against Gata. Even after his long lay off this is one aspect of his game that has not gotten weak. The only chink in Gata's armor is his opening repertoire right now and the more he plays the tighter this facet of his game will become.

25. ...Nd7 26. Rad1 Kh8 27. Rd2 Ree8 28. Rfd1 Ne7 29. Qg4 Nd5 30. Rg1 Rf8 31. Rg3 Nf4 32. Bc2 Bxe4 33. Bxe4 fxg5 34. hxg5 Nc5 35. Rxd8 Rxd8 36. Nxc5 Qxc5 37. Qf3 Qxa5 38. Rg1 Qb6 39. b4 Rd2+ 40. Kh1 Qd8 41. Bb1 Ne2 42. f6 Nxg1 43. fxg7+ Kxg7 44. Qf5 Nf3 45. Qxh7+ Kf8 46. Qh8+ Ke7 47. Qf6+ Kd7 48. Qxf3 Kc7 49. Be4 Qxg5 50. Bxb7 Qh4+ 0-1

Clearly a game all about "depth of calculation" - Kamsky just saw much further into the possibilities than did his opponent. Of course this is only round one and the rest of the tournament yet remains. The two players I would like to see battle it out for first in this event are Kamsky and Caruana. I would prefer Kamsky over Caruana - not that I have anything against Fabiano. It is just that I have been following Kamsky for quite a while now and would like to see him get back into the World Championship mix and a good result in this fine Italian tournament would be a good step forward, in that direction, for him.

FINAL POSIITON

Here lines like 51. Kg1 Qe1 + 52. Qf1 Qxf1 + 53. Kxf1 Kxb7 just leaves Kamsky up a whole Rook with a totally won endgame. In such an overwhelming position checkmate does not loom far off so Mr. Vocaturo threw in the towel.

For excellent coverage of this event please visit:________________

www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html

_____or visit the organizers website at:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::------>

http://www.ippogrifoscacchi.it/tornei_capodanno/52/default.asp

I don't know about you but I am most certainly looking forward to round two! Go Kamsky and Caruana!!

- Coach Sean Tobin.

A PROBLEM FROM MY PAST - Now I know where John got it from!

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WHITE TO PLAY AND DRAW!!!!
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Ok... so a long long time ago a fellow chess enthusist showed me this problem and neglected to tell me where they had come across it. Well now I know! One of my two favorite websites - www.chessbase.com - is having a puzzle contest to celebrate the Holidays. And guess what turned up there!!!!!!!!!!! Aha!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having forgotten about this gem for a long time - it has been something like 14 years now - it is nice to run across this old friend and to be able to now share it with you! Enjoy - Coach Sean.

LOGIC IN THE ENDGAME - Watching a student at play in the fields of forcing lines!

From the Game:
Mitchell Steddom vs Mason McCoy

I was watching this game and right out of the opening Mitchell got himself into some trouble and should have been checkmated in the early middlegame. But he played on and after his opponent had tired - Mason began to make a lot of errors - it was Mitchell that came out swinging. So in the above position Mitchell played the move that wins the Rook on d1 which was what?

Getting young players to read the board and to control squares is the biggest challenge to any chess coach and I felt fantastic as Mitchell played the winning move. His opponent - a thoroughly stunned Mason McCoy resigned after White's next move.

More about this later on though.

Enjoy - Coach Sean.

On vacation - not permenently!

So I have just started my short two week vacation - and in addition to visiting with family and friends I hope to get in a little quality time with the chess board. Some time to work on my game at last and I am also hoping to prepare the next Super Group lessons far in advance of when I will need them - no more being behind the eight ball!

I will be posting an interesting endgame position on my blog later on today or tomorrow - on that one of my students won well after he should have been checkmated. But such is Scholastic chess - we can't always expect our students to play perfectly but sometimes they surprise us with the winning ideas they do entertain. I will share one such idea with you later on.

Yours in chess - Coach Sean.

New Year's Resolution #1

Ok, here it is...

My number one resolution for the year 2010 is to keep publishing material - both for my students and for the general chess audience here on my blog. So far this blog was just used to create diagrams mostly... very little content unlike my previous effort from Central Oregon. Time to get back to it!

- Coach Sean.

TWO CLASSIC PUZZLERS!

A SELECTION FROM "CHESS RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!"

WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
In both instances!

Another day in the life of... Chess Coach Sean.

I was once told that lazy state or city workers would do as little work as possible and still find a way to make it fill up an entire shift. You know the type... E.G. The Phoenix Park guys that all stand around while one of them is actually doing something etc., As if one fellow was so incompetent that he actually needed eight self appointed supervisors standing around watching him. People have a way of allowing very little work to fill up an entire days allotted work shift or time period. I do not believe in that kind of "job security" at all.

I, however, have the opposite problem. I am always creating ever larger loads of work for myself! I want my students to all do well so I am always trying to annotate their games, set up problems for them, work up my private lessons that are tailor made just for them, prepare for Super Groups etc., There really are not enough hours in the day for me.

When I get sick that is when the wheels really fall off my apple cart! Then I get buried in work as I fall behind. This week was a classic example. After months of not getting a solid eight a night I finally caught a cold - and it slowed me down. Both at the gym - where I have been doing really well with sculpting the body of "Chess Coach 2.0" and in doing my lessons at my schools and in staying on top of all my dedicated work for my dedicated students. I feel like I am just getting over the worst of this cold - here is hoping!

This Semester has been the best of the three that I have worked for the Chess Emporium. I still get frantic in a class when I feel like I have all this information that I want my students to learn for that day but we do not - ta-da - have enough time to go over. I am still learning the art of "chilling out"! Some coaches may not care about how much they can offer their students - but I really do. Too much actually! To the point where I create so much stress on myself... but this Semester I have been dealing with it much better. Hopefully by my 4th Semester I will be Chess Coach 2.0 - but I still have a lot of self improvement work to do.

Have a great weekend and always play your best moves in the great game of life!
-Coach Sean Tobin.

Cody ... POLGAR FAN!

A CLASSIC PHOTO
Straight from the same vault as the "Zapruder" film!

THREE MORE AT YOUR DOOR - From Coach Sean.

WHITE to PLAY
MATE in TWO!

WHITE to PLAY
WIN THE BLACK QUEEN IN TWO MOVES!

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!
THE TWO MOVE MATE or WINNING ATTACK
that I missed during the actual blitz game!

Enjoy Coach Sean!

NEW PROBLEM - THANK YOU SCOTT!

CLOSING THE SHOW!
~
BLACK TO PLAY & WIN.

This is from the game TREY MILLER versus SCOTT LAFERRIERE... Enjoy Scott's Chess Art! There are several solutions but the quickest routes to victory only involve two moves - which way will you checkmate the White King?

- Coach Sean.

White to play and win!

The BACK RANK... Watch it!

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Coach Sean vs Joe Schillinger 9/13/2009
WHITE TO PLAY & MATE IN TWO!
*

If you take a rank and move it 90 degrees then you have a file - which you can use to good effect with your heavy pieces. In the Above problem Black to play and lose is what the actual situation was in the game but let us just say it is White to play and win now!

A Classic by one of my Students!
Nicole Mann vs Peter Schillinger 8/28/2009
BLACK TO PLAY & WIN - MATE in TWO!
USE THE POWER OF THE DIAGONAL FOR A LITTLE LEVERAGE!

Here Peter had spotted the weak back rank and went in for the win with fine move 22. ...Qe1 + and after 23. Rf1 it was Peter to play and win with....

WHITE TO PLAY - MATE in THREE!
A classic.

BLACK TURNS A TRICK INTO THE TRICK OF DISASTER!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN - MATE in TWO!

MORPHY vs DUKE BRUNSWICK, Paris 1859
Timeless classic!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN - MATE ON THE MOVE!!

White has a nice material edge - but now it is time to close the show.
HOW TO USE THE BACK RANK?
WHITE TO PLAY & MATE IN TWO!

Enjoy - Coach Sean.

CHESS CAMP RESULTS

Here are the results from my one day chess camp held on Saturday the 22nd of August down at the Chess Emporium.

RESULTS FROM THE TOURNAMENT:

Quite an interesting event! Four way tie for first and so we had to go to the tie-breakers where Alexander Vogel came out on top. Congratulations Alex!

BLITZ CHESS TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

Peter Schillinger really impressed with his second place showing against such strong opposition. Having been able to watch some of the games I noticed that he had Riley in one of their individual games - he was up a piece! Later on in the final moment of the game though Peter lost the thread and ended up losing the game. He played some really exciting chess in this camp!

Riley Marget stole the show by scoring 9 points out of a possible 10! Congrats Riley! Winning this event was not easy as he had to save two lost positions with some creative tactical play. He was only prevented from going 10 for 10 by a higly motivated Gabriel de la Rocha.

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Thanks for tuning in! Stay well and be well - Coach Sean.

Two from off the Vine!

Two problems for your solving enjoyment!

Both are taken from the first round of this month's Tuesday Night Open at the Chess Emporium. The time control for this event is 45 moves in 2 hours and then Sudden Death in 1 hour. SD means all remaining moves - when some one's time runs out then they lose! My opponent in round one was a fellow chess coach Abriam Blair who weighed in at 1523 USCF.

PROBLEM # 1

BLACK: Coach SEAN

WHITE: Coach ABRIAM

Right here Abriam just played 24. Qxc3 as I had just captured a Bishop on c3 with a Knight. So my opponent made a recapture to stay even on points. But now Black to play wins material!

BLACK TO PLAY & WIN POINTS!

PROBLEM # 2

This is one move before the final position. Abriam has just played 39. Rd6-d8 and is hoping that I miss an "obvious" move. What did I play here? 39. ...____ ?

BLACK TO PLAY & WIN (CHECKMATE!)

Two problems for you solving enjoyment = the solutions! :

Problem #1: 24. ...e4! The Queen (9 points) is attacked by the Bishop (3 points) on g7. The pawn uncovered the attack by the Bishop upon the Queen AND is attacking the White Bishop on d3. White can choose - lose a Queen or lose a Bishop!

Problem #2: 39. ...Qe2 + + Game over Rover! Tis checkmate.

CHESS POSITIONS: "ASCF TACTICAL POTPOURRI"

WHITE TO PLAY & MATE in 1 MOVE

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BLACK TO PLAY & MATE IN 1 MOVE

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WHITE TO PLAY & MATE IN 1 MOVE
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WHITE TO PLAY & MATE IN 1 MOVE

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BLACK TO PLAY AND MATE IN 2 MOVES

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BLACK TO PLAY & MATE IN 1 MOVE

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BLACK TO PLAY & MATE IN 2 MOVES

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BLACK TO PLAY & MATE IN 1 MOVE

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WHITE TO PLAY & WIN THE BLACK QUEEN

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BONUS PROBLEM!

~BLACK TO PLAY & WIN!~

Believe it or not!!

Make it a great day - Coach Sean.

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WHERE TO PLACE THE BLACK KING SO HE CAN BE CHECKMATED?

...

TWO SQUARES DO THE TRICK BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THE WHITE WINNING MOVE IS!

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Enjoy -Coach Sean.

Chess Puzzle for 07/18/2009

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WHITE TO PLAY & WIN

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This is a nice puzzle to warm up with... one that I like to show right after a certain famous Paul Morphy game vs "N.N.".

GOVERNOR'S CUP 2009

"CHESS ART"

"COACHS HELP OUT"
"THE CONTEMPLATIVE CROWD!"

"SUCCESSFUL TEAM"
With 2400 Rated Chess Coach!


"BULLDOG"
Of Bogle Jr. High


"SANS PEOPLE, SETS, TABLES & CHAIRS"

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The 2009 Edition of the Governor's Cup came to an end yesterday... nine rounds of G40 chess with several side events to keep everyone engaged in the most stimulating and healthy mind game ever! Pieces with differing values, that is to say different moves, is a lot more engaging than let us say throwing black and white pebbles onto a wooden pond. There are many stimulating mind games out there but Chess is a classic... with a very long lineage that has spawned numerous variants from the first incarnation of origin. Chess is one of the top two or three mind games in the world and in my opinion it is the top game. Of course I am a Chess Addict so I am biased!

* * *

This year's edition of this fine event saw 422 youngsters compete for top honors as individuals and teams in 4 different categories: Kindergartner (34 players), K-3 (201 players), K-6 (150 youngsters) and in the Open (37 competitors). I look forward to sending my teams and lone wolf players to future editions of this fine event. -Coach Sean.

The CHESS SCHOLAR ASCF Chess Magazine...

Hello one and all!

*

It looks like I am now a contributor to "THE CHES SCHOLAR" chess magazine which is the ASCF's scholastic chess publication. I will be contributing articles based upon the games of my students and on my own games so that is something that we can all look forward to in future editions of this publication.

*

The first article in the magazine was done by Leo Lacrimosa and covers my win against GM Susan Polgar during her Simultaneous Chess Exhibition held on February 15th of this year (2009). For his notes please consult page ten of the latest issue... which is issue 31.

Enjoy! -Coach Sean.

The SAAVEDRA STUDY

WHITE TO PLAY & WIN!

A position that all chess lovers should be familiar with... the World Famous SAAVEDRA study. Enjoy this one... the history of this problem is well known!

-Coach Sean.