Archive for July 24th, 2009

Ian Mangion, Mark Kernighan & Greg Tomkovich won to remain 1-2-3. Don Carrelli split a pair of games & now is clear 4th.

I played a simul & moved into a tie for 5th (with Max Sherer) by stealing 1.5 from 2 lost positions. Here’s a highlight :

Pawlowski-Moldovan
After 32.Qg4?

Tripled on the g-file, White threatens 35.Rg8 +-. But I found 34…Rg3!! -/+ (interference theme/fork), offered a draw & Dave, with just 33 seconds left, accepted.

Moldovan-Pawlowski
After 32…Rg3!!
1/2-1/2

Results

• Sturniolo 0-1 Mangion
• Wojcio 0-1 Kernighan
• Shiffman 0-1 Tomkovich
• Sherer 1-0 Carrelli
• Carrelli 1-0 Sherer
• Pawlowski 1/2 Moldovan
• Mann 0-1 Moldovan
• Renna 1/2 Mazzillo

Standings

• 1. Mangion 7.5
• 2. Kernighan 7.0
• 3. Tomkovich 6.0
• 4. Carrelli 4.0
• = 5. Moldovan, Sherer 3.5
• 7. Mann 3.0
• = 8. Pawlowski, Mazzillo, Renna, Cole 2.5
• = 12. Lewis, Shiffman, Sokolosky 2.0
• 15. Sturniolo 1.5
• = 16. Wojcio, Zhu, Agress 1.0
• = 19. Hart, McAuliffe, Kruglyak, Balint, Castillo, Ruales 0.0

A few games & a crosstable will follow, no earlier than Sunday. I have an STC game Saturday night (8:15 p.m. EDT on WCL).

On January 1st 2004 the Association of Chess Professionals took up operations. Today it has 250 members from 44 countries, and has organised eight tournaments with a total prize fund of over 400,000 Euros. Five years is long enough to draw some conclusions about the activities, and to develop directions for the years to come. ACP Secretary Olena Boytsun reports.

How easy it is to unnecessarily concede half a point in the endgame can be
seen from the
following example from the Helmut-Kohls Tournament, to which FM Gervasio
Andrés Calderón Fernández from Buenos Aires has drawn our attention. After
53. … Kc5
54.Kf2 Kd6 the players agreed on a draw. Instead of that can you demonstrate
a win for Black?


Analysis Litwak-Savchenko by GM Karsten Müller

Final table for the Helmut-Kohls Tournament

Fritz endgame trainer on pawn endings