Chess: Correspondence Chess Events Update

Over at ICC I've entered two new events (one mentioned in the last update). In addition to 2007Quad08 I've also started 2007Seven02.

"Sevens" are seven player round robins. I'm rated highest in this group but so far have not found the competition lacking.

2007Seven.02 Rating
sdo1 1956
John3v16 1777
jonesey 1734
AntonioMendonca 1725
Stahlberg 1626
az2112 1592
OnGoldenPawn 1515

2007Quad.08 Rating 1 2 3 4
The7thGuest 2065 X X
sdo1 1956 X X
Boromir 1812 X X
Molton 1800 X X

In both the events I have used The London as my White opening. I'm not pleased. It has been fairly tough sledding, not helped by the fact that I muffed a move or so early in several games. I've been trying the London since I've done well with the Colle over the board (OTB) and am able to use the Caro Kann with good results as Black. I thought the London would give me comparable positions, and that is true in OTB, but this has not translated to correspondence. The simplicity of the London for White OTB may be a deficit in correspondence where Black has time to look for opportunities to seize the initiative. I will probably go back to my favored Catalan/Reti repertoire for future events.

As Black I have stayed faithful to my tried and true Caro Kann (no more experiments with the Sicilian or with ...e5). New in these events is the number of opponents using forms of the Panov/Botvinnik variation. It has been interesting.

Over at ICCF, WS/O/109 is finished for me. Mrs. Karola Kaspschak resigned our game on September 4th and I have finished with four points out of six (+3-1=2). Kýhos will no doubt finish ahead of me as we are tied for points and he has a win in our game. I drew with both Pötz and Deren. Pötz will pass me with two draws or a win and Deren can tie me with two wins. I think this is a respectable result for my first ICCF event.

WS/O/109						TD Millstone, Michael
Rated						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Score	SB	R	Place
1	CZE	130711		Kýhos, Alois	1701		½	½	.	1	1	1D	4	6.25	1	1
2	USA	514360		Owens, Steve	1800P	½		0	½	1	1	1D	4	5.5	0	2
3	AUT	10588		Pötz, Florian	1800P	½	1		.	1	.	1	3.5	7.5	2	3
4	POL	421419		Deren, Marcin	2019F	.	½	.		½	.	1D	2	2.75	3	4
5	USA	514348		Thomas, Gerald K	1800P	0	0	0	½		.	1	1.5	1	1	5
6	GER	85582		Kaspschak, Mrs. Karola	1800P	0	0	.	.	.		1D	1	0	3	6
7	ITA	241236		Barzaghi, Andy	1800P	0D	0D	0	0D	0	0D		0	0	0	7

In event WS/120/O results are starting to come in. I have a slim lead with three points with two games to go. My closest competition is right behind with two and a half points. I have promising positions against my two remaining opponents, Sanchez Carmona (I'm Black in a Caro Kann Gugenidze) and Stenseth (White in a QGD Charousek). I hope to score five points in this event with a chance to win.

WS/O/120						TD Marconi, Ralph P.
Rated						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Score	SB	R	Place
1	USA	514360		Owens, Steve	1800P		½	½	.	.	1	1	3	2.5	2	1
2	SLO	480238		Gantar, Jan	1800P	½		1	.	.	.	1	2.5	4	3	2
3	AUS	30119		Ramsden, Jim E.	1852	½	0		.	.	1	1	2.5	1.5	2	3
4	ESP	160980		Sánchez Carmona, Gerardo	1800P	.	.	.		.	.	1	1	0	5	4
5	NOR	360548		Stenseth, Bjørn Gunnar	1800P	.	.	.	.		.	.	0	0	6	5
6	USA	514396		Lynn, Bret	1800P	0	.	0	.	.		.	0	0	4	6
7	TUR	490209		Ciklabakkal, Metin	1800P	0	0	0	0	.	.		0	0	2	7

In WS/138/O I am tied atop the leader board with Sarak. Pareschi is half a point behind us. It is still very early in the event. Against Sarak I played the Black side of an English Reti that transformed into a Classical Sicilian Dragon position. This was another game where I allowed White to have connected passed pawns. I was up the exchange but that did not compensate for the pressure of those pawns. At some point I have to learn that lesson... I was able to forge a draw in the end game after giving back the exchange.
Against Pareschi I responded to 1.e4 with a Sicilian Dragon setup and he chose a closed game with d3. I let an adavntage slip away with an ill advised attack and we drew on the 40th move.
I was able to garner a point against Miss Peterson as White in a Catalan/Slav by pinning a piece to her Queen in the center, pressuring the Queen side pawns, and going up a piece early (move 22). Mate was inevitable by 36th move.

WS/O/138						TD Millstone, Michael
Rated						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Score	SB	R	Place
1	USA	514360		Owens, Steve	1800P		½	½	.	.	.	1	2	1.75	3	1
2	GER	84051		Sarak, Michael	1800P	½		.	½	.	.	1	2	1.25	3	2
3	ITA	241242		Pareschi, Remo	1800P	½	.		.	.	.	1	1.5	1	4	3
4	ROM	440627		Dumitrescu, Florian	1800P	.	½	.		.	.	.	0.5	1	5	4
5	BEL	40214		Van hentenryck, Alain	1689	.	.	.	.		.	.	0	0	6	5
6	SUI	100390		Galanti, Sergio	1628	.	.	.	.	.		.	0	0	6	5
7	USA	511398		Peterson, Miss Janet	1676	0	0	0	.	.	.		0	0	3	7

I haven't entered any more ICCF or USCF events as the ICCF office has been closed for a couple weeks (scheduled to re-open last week) and I want to purge my recent opening experience as White. I will probably enter an event in each by the end of the month.