Play the Catalan

#Chess #Catalan .
This just hit the front porch from Amazon...

Play the Catalan

I guess it is time. I've been playing the opening off and on for ten years without a decent book.

Huh... Who knew the Amazon text and graphic links and Blogger were having a war? Hence the glob with the pic and link above...

Free Lunch

From BarliMan: "An embarrassment to Cats, Everywhere."


Dude, a few morsels are ok, but you let him take the entire bowl...

Queen Gambit Accepted Win at ICCF

#Chess #ICCF .

I mentioned in the comments to the previous item on ICCF Chess that I had begun playing the Queens' Gambit as White after years of Reti/Catalan and London System.  I've had good success playing the systems resulting from 1.Nf3 but they had started becoming stale and some of my opponents were zeroing in on my preferences (one emailed me after a game with information to this effect).  In looking for a new weapon as White the QG seemed a natural to my tastes so I ran with it despite my aversion to deeply explored openings...  The following game finished this morning with a resignation from my opponent.

He chose the Accepted variation and the fight was on.  After 14...hxg6 Black's King Side was disrupted and I began exploring the possibility of a Rook lift to exploit the h-file.  The game would turn on the mobility of White's Rooks and their threats both on the King Side and threats in the middle game on the c-file.  This mobility was made possible by the great amount of space the advanced pawn center gave White.

[Event "WS/H/227"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2010.3.20"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Owens, Steve"]
[Black "Sperandio, Andrea"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2051"]
[BlackElo "2019"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bxc4 Nb6
6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Bg4 8.f3 Bh5 9.Nbc3 e6 10.Be3 Be7 11.O-O O-O 12.a3 Qd7 13.Qc2 Bg6 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Bf2

Clearing the third rank for an eventual Rook lift against Black's weakened King Side.

15...Rad8 16.Rfd1 a6 17.f4 Kh7

A temporary prophylactic against the Rook pressure on the h-file with ...Rh8 to follow.   

18.Rd2

Before starting King Side activities I need to counter his pressure against my center.

18...Nd5

I'm not a fan of this move.  The resulting exchanges allow White to solidify the strong center and control action on both wings.

19.Nxd5 exd5 20.Rd3

Threatening to complete the Lift and surveying the field via the third rank.

20...Rh8 21.Rc1

Since Black is countering on the King Side, action on the Queen Side via the c-file should fracture his defense.

21...Kg8 22.h3 Qf5 23.Rc3 Qe6

23...Qxc2 might have been a better try.  After this the Black Queen is completely defensive while the White Queen attacks using the third rank.  The Rooks will have the first and second ranks to use with only a few clearing moves needed.  Black's King Rook, castled and then maneuvered back to the h-file, now maneuvers back to the Queen Side at the White Rooks' demonstration on the c-file.  Throughout the entire game it seemed as if the Black Rooks were a step or two behind the events.  Initiative.

24.Qd3 Rb8 25.R3c2 Kh7 26.Nc3 Rhd8 27.Qf3 Kg8 28.g4

The King Side attack resumes. 

28...f5 29.gxf5 gxf5 30.Kh1 Rd7 31.Rg1 Bf8 32.Be3

A clear path to the Black King.

32...Ne7 33.Rcg2 Qh6 34.Bf2 b5 35.Rg5 b4 36.Na4 bxa3 37.Qxa3 Rdd8 38.Qg3 Rb5 39.b3 Kh8 40.Qf3 g6 41.h4 Rdb8 42.Nc5 Qh7 43.h5 Rb4 44.R1g2 1-0

33...Qh6 was probably a mistake.  In the end the Black Rooks are marooned on the Queen Side away from the action.  If either rook tries to get back via the sixth rank e6 will again cut them off followed by Rh2 and a trapped Black Queen.  Black chose not to see the result and resigned.

Got Him Again

#Chess .

Back in January I wrote about a guy who was gaming the time controls on the ICCF server.  I had claimed a win against him when he was caught in a server outage and had let his time go critical.  Hey, if you can't get your ten moves done in fifty days, that's on you, Bud.  Exacerbating this is that seems to be this guy's strategy to get easy points.  He wears some players down and gets them to agree to a draw.

Well, we were involved in a second game and for whatever reason he did not make his move today.  I claimed and was awarded the win.

Karma.

Here are the two games.  The first is the one that ended back in January and the second is the one he DQ'd on today.

[Event "WS/H/195"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2009.7.30"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Owens, Steve"]
[Black "Sladek, Vaclav"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2027"]
[BlackElo "1978"]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.b3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O
6.O-O c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.e3 b6 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.cxd5 Nxd5
11.d4 Rc8 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Qd2 Qd6 14.Rac1 Rfd8 15.Ba3 Nb4
16.Bh3 Rc7 17.Bxb4 cxb4 18.Ne5 Rxc1 19.Rxc1 g6 20.Rc2 f6
21.Nd3 f5 22.Qc1 Rb8 23.Ne5 Bd8 24.Bg2 a6 25.h4 Ra8
26.h5 a5 27.hxg6 hxg6 28.Bf1 a4 29.Bb5 axb3 30.axb3
1-0
I think I have a very comfortable game here. I own the c-file and the 6th and 7th ranks are open for my rook.  My Knight has an awesome outpost.  His Bishops are buried and his Rook can only demonstrate on the a-file.  Bc6 will force it back to protect the Light Bishop in any case.

The second game:

[Event "WS/H/187"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2009.6.8"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Sladek, Vaclav"]
[Black "Owens, Steve"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2085"]
[BlackElo "2020"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Nd2 Bf5 4.Ngf3 Nbd7 5.e3 h6
6.Bh4 e6 7.c4 c6 8.Qb3 Qb6 9.c5 Qxb3 10.axb3 Ne4
11.b4 g5 12.Bg3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 Bg7 14.Nb3 Kd8 15.Be2 Kc7
16.b5 Rhb8 17.O-O cxb5 18.Bxb5 a6 19.Ba4 g4 20.Nfd2 h5
21.f3 Nf6 22.Kf2 Bg6 23.Na5 Ng8 24.Rfc1 e5 25.Ndb3 Ne7
26.dxe5 Bxe5 27.Nd4 Rh8 28.Rh1 Nf5 29.Nxf5 Bxf5 30.Rad1 Be6
31.Rd2 Bf6 32.Ke2 gxf3+ 33.gxf3 Rag8 34.Kf2 h4 35.g4 h3
36.Nb3 Be7 37.Ke1 Rh4 38.Rdh2 Rgh8 39.Kf2 f5 40.gxf5 Bxf5
41.Nd4 Bxc5 42.Nxf5 Rxa4 43.Kg3 Rg8+ 44.Kxh3 Rf8 45.Rc2 Kb6
46.Nd4 Bxd4 47.exd4 Rxf3+ 48.Kg4 Rd3 49.Rh6+ Ka7 50.Rd6 Raxd4+
51.Kf5 Rb4 52.Rg2 a5 53.Ke5 d4 54.Rh6 a4 55.Rh1 Re3+
56.Kd5 d3 0-1
This game went twenty six moves longer.  I could tell the guy was upset that he DQ'd on the first game; he let this game go until mere minutes were left for many moves before he eventually over stepped his time again.  This game is again clearly to my advantage.  One of the pawns will Queen.  It's only a matter of time.

Old Klingon Saying:  Revenge is a dish best served cold.  The point puts me into a tie for first in the event with one game yet to be finished between two other players.

Nashville: Casa Fiesta Does NOT Want Your Business

#tnguns #concealedcarry #opencarry . 

So says Nikki Goeser who asked the manager to take down his "No Guns" sign - a sign that does not comply with Tennessee law. 

So I walk in this afternoon and look him straight in the eye and say...."Well Sir, the Restaurant Carry Bill passed and is now Law so are ya' gonna take that sign up there on the wall down now?" He said NO. So I told him he has just LOST MY BUSINESS.

Mine, too. And I love Mexican food, having lived on the border in El Paso, Texas and in New Mexico for decades.  As Nikki points out, you ARE NOT SAFE at this restaurant if you are defenseless.

Gordon Travis Garrett, of Smyrna, was eating at the Casa Fiesta restaurant located at 1111 Bell Road with his girlfriend and baby when he received a message, which led him to walk outside.
Once outside, police said he was approached by a newer model white Ford Mustang and was shot in the parking lot.
Customers inside heard the gunfire and called police.
Garrett, 26, was taken to Southern Hills Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Here's their contact info:
Casa Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
(615)731-3918 1111 Bell Rd Antioch, TN 37013

If you exercise your Second Amendment rights to self protection, be sure and call them first to see of their sign is still up - and tell them why you won't be eating there if it's in place.

D-Day

Today is the 66th anniversary of the Normandy invasion and the Army has a video.




Previous D Day posts:
2009
2008