Today, we had 62 participants for our Glen Rock Quads, with six sections being played at Game 45! We will delve into an analysis of matches later in this report. However, the bulk of the action this weekend came through our YouTube Channel, as we hosted two live streams!
On Saturday, March 2nd, the ICA hosted a livestream featuring GM Elshan Moradiabadi, renowned chess grandmaster, who shared insights into his chess coaching philosophy and the parallels between chess and life.
During the session, GM Moradiabadi delved into the intricacies of his coaching methodology, emphasizing the importance of strategic thinking, adaptability, and perseverance in both chess and life endeavors. He highlighted how chess principles could be applied beyond the game board, offering valuable lessons in decision-making, problem-solving, and resilience.
GM Moradiabadi's engaging presentation captivated the audience, providing aspiring chess players and enthusiasts with invaluable guidance on honing their skills and navigating life's challenges through the lens of chess. The livestream garnered significant attention and participation from viewers eager to learn from the expertise of a seasoned grandmaster.
The excitement continued on Sunday, March 3rd, with a live game show! Participants, including judges from GM Stripunsky’s and GM Levitina’s Master Classes and viewers, were tasked with guessing the rating of Coach Adam, a prominent figure in the chess community. Despite the collective efforts of the participants and numerous astute guesses, the actual rating of Coach Adam remained elusive, surprising everyone involved.
The live game show proved to be an entertaining and interactive event, showcasing the diverse talents and knowledge within the chess community. Participants engaged enthusiastically in the guessing game, demonstrating their familiarity with rating systems and player characteristics. The unexpected outcome added an element of intrigue and excitement to the proceedings, fostering a sense of camaraderie and amusement among the audience.
SECTION 3 REPORT: By Benjamin, Nunez
Hi, my name is Benjamin and today I played in section 3. The quad was around my level and all the players had similar ratings ~ 1400 USCF. All games were difficult and tough to play, but I got to the last round with 2 points. The last game was against Toby and it will be the game I will show you here. Toby had 1.5 points and all I needed was a draw to win the quad. I thought about that at the beginning of the game, but later I decided to go for a win when I had the chance to draw. In hindsight perhaps I should’ve taken the draw because I ended up losing an equal rook endgame after I made a blunder.
I was playing black, and white played the Evans Gambit and I declined it since I think it is the best way to deal with that opening. I used to play the Evans Gambit as white and learned how complex it is for black when you accept the gambit.
By move 12 we have transitioned to the middle game because both sides were developed and even though white didn’t castle, white’s king was safe.
In move 14 I traded the light squared bishops because white’s bishop was active, in battery with the queen, and pinning my f7 pawn.
Shortly after, I traded my dark squared bishop because it didn't have good squares to go and I needed to keep a piece, the rook in a8 or knight on c6, to protect it.
In moves 16-19 I did a knight maneuver to trade off white's beautiful knight on f5. I didn’t want to kick the knight out with my g pawn because it would weaken my king's safety and white had a pawn on a h4 that can easily help out on an attack on my king.
In move 26 I traded queens so I could start to make progress with my pawns on the queen side and challenge white’s space advantage. I couldn't do it with the queens on the board because white’s queen could help stop all of my progress with a counter-attack on the king.
It was an equal game until move 36 when white made a mistake and allowed me to gain the exchange. Here I thought I could win the game.
In move 46, white offered a draw but I declined because I thought I could win the game exchanging my rook for a knight and a pawn and I would be up 1 pawn. That happened in the game.
In move 53 white offered a draw again. I said no because I thought I could win the game with the extra pawn. My plan was to bring my king to the queen side and start to push my pawns. Looking at the position now during the review it was a draw.
Move 56 I let white take en-passant because I thought my king could get the pawn on b6 without trouble, but I missed d4. During the game, I still was up a pawn, so I was optimistic. Instead of playing b5 I should’ve gotten my king closer to my pawns before I started to move them.
In move 64 I blundered. I played Kd6 worrying about the e6 pawn that was close to promotion. Instead, I should have played a3 because white can’t push their e pawn, and my a3 pawn and their e6 pawn were at the same rank for promotion. If we traded rooks, both pawns would have been promoted. This cost me the game and the quad.
Learnings
This was an instructive game for me. I thought I handled the middle game well, trading opponents' active pieces and fighting for space on the queenside.
I had the chance to accept a draw and I chose not to. It is still hard for me to evaluate that I am not better even if I am up in material. I will take it as a learning opportunity and work on my evaluation of a position.
Section 1 Report by Yefim Treger
In my first March quad I again expected to play with my young opponent Sujia. But in a last moment the quad was transformed into the six people tournament to justify rating differences between players. It resulted in my loss of the first game. Well, I thought in that moment. “I have to be prepared to fight against my other strong opponent, Ian” (see the upper left part of the picture). And this really happened in my last game of the tournament. Ian was obviously prepared to play very provocative with me. Just look at the left position in the picture. It looks like Black made 4 moves but White made 7 moves. It was definitely very risky from his side, yet we both have to win a game to catch a prize. Besides he was aware of my lesson about e6-pawn pattern recognition and did not take my pawn on c5. Can you find a checkmate in 3 in the right position of the picture (an answer in the comments).
After he played e7-e6 a game had transformed into a regular French defense game. A great battle had lasted equally for 40 minutes but in some moment Ian had made a decisive mistake. So I won the game and it appeared that I tied for first place. It was an unexpected but pleasant surprise!
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