Pacific Southwest Open, day 3

Going into the final round, IM Enrico Sevillano holds the lead with 4.5, but no fewer than eight players are only half a point behind. In the Amateur, top-rated Brian Glover and number 22 Alexandr Xie are tied with 4.5, and both are playing down. Complete standings are posted, and will be updated as the sections are completed.

(Photo: John Daniel Bryant and IM Enrico Sevillano face off in the last round.)

Pacific Southwest Open, day 2.5

After four rounds, IM Enrico Sevillano is alone in first place with 4-0. In round 5, he will face GM Melikset Khachiyan, who trails by half a point. In the Amateur section, four players share the lead with 3.5 -- Brian Glover, David Minasyan, Gerson Miro, and Alexander Xie. Click here for standings.

Pacific Southwest Open, day 2

After the merge, we have a total of 121 players, the best turnout since 2004. Tied for the lead with 3-0 are IMs Enrico Sevillano, Jack Peters, and John Donaldson, followed at 2.5 by a large group including GM Melikset Khachiyan.

The 1-day Scholastic saw a decent turnout of 38. In the Open, Sean Manross with 4-1 took first on tiebreak over Hovanes Salvaryan. The Reserve saw a clear winner, as Joaquin Perkins scores a perfect 5-0. Complete standings of all sections are posted at westernchess.com.

IM Jack Peters – Konatantin Kavutskiy [C05]

Pacific Southwest Open, Los Angeles 2009

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Ndf3 Nc6 7.c3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc5 9.Ngf3 f5 10.exf6 Qxf6 11.g3 Bd6 12.Be3 a6 13.Bg2 0–0 14.0–0 Bd7 15.c4 Ne7 16.Ne5 Rfd8 17.b4 Ne4 18.Nxd7 Rxd7 19.Bh3 Nf5 20.Nxf5 exf5 21.Qxd5+ Kh8 22.Qxf5 Re7 23.Qxf6 Nxf6 24.c5 Bc7 25.Bd4 Rd8 26.Rad1 Nd5 27.Rfe1 Kg8 28.Be6+ Kf8 29.Bxd5 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Rxd5 31.Bxg7+ 1–0

Bobby Hall – Robert Akopian [B07]

Pacific Southwest Open G/60, Los Angeles 2009

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 a6 5.Qd2 b5 6.f3 Nbd7 7.Nge2 Bg7 8.Bh6 0–0 9.Ng3 b4 10.Nce2 c5 11.h4 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Ne5 14.h5 Qb6 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.0–0–0 Rf7 17.Qd2 Kf8 18.Be2 a5 19.Nf1 a4 20.Kb1 b3 21.cxb3 axb3 22.a3 Ba6 23.Bxa6 Rxa6 24.Rc1 Ra8 25.Ne3 Kg8 26.Rc3 Rff8 27.Rhc1 Qb7 28.Rc7 Nxe4 29.fxe4 Qxe4+ 30.Ka1 Nd3 31.R1c3 Nc5 32.Nxb3 Na4 33.R3c4 Qe6 34.Nd4 Qf7 35.Nc6 Nc5 36.Rxc5 dxc5 37.Nxe7+ Kh8 38.N7d5 Qf2 39.Qc3+ 1–0

IM John Donaldson - Chapa,E [A34]

Pacific Southwest Open, Los Angeles 2009

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nc7 7.Qa4 Qd7 8.0–0 e5 9.a3 f6 10.e3 Be7 11.Rd1 Qd3 12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4 Bd7 14.b5 Nd8 15.Ba3 Nxb5 16.Bxe7 Kxe7 17.Nxb5 Qxb5 18.Qa3+ Ke8 19.d4 e4 20.Nd2 f5 21.Rdc1 Nf7 22.Bf1 Qd5 23.Bc4 1–0

Pacific Southwest Open, day 1

The 49th Annual Pacific Southwest Open is off to a good start. With 110 entries already, plus a few more expected tomorrow for the 2-day schedule, this should be the most successful PSW in several years. Maybe chess really is contrarian ...

Most of the higher-rated players won in the first round, including IMs Jack Peters and John Donaldson, but top-ranked GM Melikset Khachiyan was nicked for a draw (by one of his students!). Standings will be posted throughout the weekend, and possibly pairings as well if time allows.


Carl Bolm – GM Melikset Khachiyan [B07]
Pacific Southwest Open, Los Angeles 2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Nf3 Bd6 7.Bg5 Be6 8.0–0–0 Nbd7 9.Nb5 Ke7 10.Nxd6 cxd6 11.Bb5 Nc5 12.Rhe1 a6 13.Bd3 Rac8 14.Kb1 Rc6 15.Nd2 Rhc8 16.f3 b5 17.Nf1 h6 18.Bxf6+ Kxf6 19.Ne3 Nd7 20.Rd2 Nb6 21.Bf1 Ke7 22.g3 f6 23.f4 Rc5 24.Red1 Rd8 25.b3 a5 26.Kb2 b4 27.a3 bxa3+ 28.Kxa3 a4 29.c4 axb3 30.Kxb3 Rb8 31.Kc3 Ra5 32.Rc2 Na4+ 33.Kd2 Nc5 34.Bg2 Ra3 35.Nf5+ Bxf5 36.exf5 Nb3+ 37.Ke1 Nd4 38.Rxd4 exd4 39.Rd2 d3 40.Be4 d5 41.cxd5 Kd6 42.Bxd3 Kxd5 43.Kf2 Kd4 44.Be2+ Ke4 45.Bg4 Rab3 46.Bd1 Kxf5 47.Bxb3 Rxb3 48.Kg2 Ke4 49.Kh3 Kf3 50.Kh4 g6 51.Ra2 Rd3 52.Ra6 Rd2 53.Kh3 Rd5 54.Ra3+ Ke4 55.Ra4+ Rd4 56.Ra6 Kf5 57.g4+ Kxf4 58.Rxf6+ Kg5 59.Rb6 Rc4 60.Ra6 Re4 ½–½


Randy Higa – IM Jack Peters [E80]
Pacific Southwest Open, Los Angeles 2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 c6 6.Be3 a6 7.a4 a5 8.Qd2 0–0 9.Rd1 Na6 10.Bd3 e5 11.Nge2 Nd7 12.0–0 f5 13.exf5 gxf5 14.Kh1 Nf6 15.c5 exd4 16.Nxd4 f4 17.Bf2 Nxc5 18.Bc4+ d5 19.Nxc6 bxc6 20.Bxc5 Rf7 21.Rfe1 Rb8 22.Re2 Bf8 23.Bxf8 Qxf8 24.Qxf4 Nd7 25.Qg5+ Rg7 26.Bxd5+ cxd5 27.Qxd5+ Kh8 28.Ne4 Bb7 29.Qd6 Qg8 0-1

Burn - Blackburne, New York 1889

Amos Burn was a strong player in his day, but he was most at home with slow maneuvering in closed positions. Blackburne was very much the opposite. Here Burn plays the first combination, but he is swiftly felled by a flurry of counterpunches.

Burn - Blackburne
New York, 1889
C66 RUY LOPEZ, Steinitz Defense

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0–0 d6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. Nc3 Be7 8. Be3

Plausible, but the Bishop is not well-placed here. Better is 8. Nde2 (avoiding exchanges), or Tarrasch’s 8. b3.

8. ... 0-0 9. Be2 Re8 10. Bf3 Bf8 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bc1

White’s maneuvers might make sense if Black were committed to remaining passive. Instead, he correctly prepares to open the center.

12. ... g5 13. g3 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Bg7 15. Qd1 Bc6 16. Re1 Qd7 17. Bg2 Re7 18. Qd3 Rae8 19. Bd2 Ng4 20. f3 Ne5 21. Qf1 d5 22. Rad1 dxe4

Perhaps White thought he had prevented this because of the discovered attack.

23. Bxg5

(Diagram)

23. ... exf3!

If so, he was wrong.

24. Bh1

If 24. Rxd7 fxg2 25. Rxe7 (25. Qf4 Nf3+ 26. Kf2 Nxg5 27. Rexe7 Nh3+ 28. Ke2 Rxe7+ 29. Rxe7 Nxf4+ is crushing) 25. ... gxf1Q+ 26. Rxf1 hxg5 leaves Black with two Bishops for a Rook.

24. ... Nd3 25. Rxe7 Bd4+ 26. Be3 Rxe7 27. Qxd3 Rxe3 28. Qxd4 Re1+ 29. Kf2 Qxd4+ 30. Rxd4 Rxh1

Black is only a pawn ahead, but the protected passer on f3 towers over the board.

31. h4 Rc1 32. Ne4 Rxc2+ 33. Kxf3

White could play on for a while three pawns down with 33. Nd2 Rxb2 34. a3 Ra2 35. Rd3 Bb5 36. Rd5 c5, but he chooses a quick death.

33. ... f5 0–1

Anderssen - Kieseritzky, London, 1851

One of Anderssen’s masterpieces, known as the “Immortal Game.” Black neglects his development, and Anderssen offers both Rooks to show that two active pieces are worth more than a dozen sleeping at home.

Anderssen - Kieseritzky
London, 1851
C33 KING’S BISHOP’S GAMBIT

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 Qh4+ 4. Kf1 b5 5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3 Qh6 7. d3 Nh5 8. Nh4 Qg5 9. Nf5 c6 10. g4 Nf6 11. Rg1 cxb5 12. h4 Qg6 13. h5 Qg5 14. Qf3

Now threatening to trap the Black Queen with 15. Bxf4.

14. ... Ng8 15. Bxf4 Qf6 16. Nc3 Bc5 17. Nd5 Qxb2 18. Bd6!?

Robert Huebner wrote a very long article anbout this game, in which he claimed that this move was inferior, preferring the rather prosaic 18. d4. The main point of Andersson’s move is to divert the Black Queen from the a1-h8 diagonal. Now Black cannot play 18. ... Bxd6? 19. Nxd6+ Kd8 20. Nxf7+ Ke8 21. Nd6+ Kd8 22. Qf8 mate.

(Diagram)

18. ... Qxa1+

According to Huebner, Black can put up a fight with 18. ... Qxa1+ 19. Ke2 Qb2! 20. Kd2 Bxg1, gaining a useful tempo.

19. Ke2 Bxg1

And not 19. .. Qxg1 20. Nxg7+ Kd8 21. Bc7 mate.

20. e5! Na6

More resistance could have been offered by 20. ... Ba6, but White should still win after 21. Nc7+ Kd8 22. Nxa6 Bb6 23. Qxa8.

21. Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Qf6+! Nxf6 23. Be7 mate

Four on top

The four top-rated players have tied for first in the 2009 Memorial Day Classic. GM Melikset Khachiyan, IMs Enrico Sevillano and Andranik Matikozyan, and Senior Master John Bryant played a round-robin on the final day, and with all games drawn the four tied for first with 4.5-1.5. Khachiyan had the best tiebreaks, and will have his name engraved on the permanent rotating trophy. In other action, Bobby Hall and Chris McKay tied for first in the Premier, Bret Strunk, David Minasyan, Don Bolt and Christian Garcia topped the Amateur, and Virgil Sezonov, Alexander Xie and Jonathan Homidan took top honors in the Reserve. Craig Faber, William Pennucci and Henry Castro tied for first in the Action, while Robert Oesterlein and W. Gary Good split one of the Hex sections, while Willis Kim and Robert Hatfield tied in the other. Click here for standings of all sections, and a selection of games in Java viewer or PGN.

(Photos: Andranik Matikozyan faces off against Enrico Sevillano, while John Bryant (in the red shirt) battles Khachiyan.)