Chess Club Lessons

The after school chess club that I run in an elementary school began the second week of October after a week's delay because I had COVID. We meet twice per week with some students coming both days and some coming once each week. Each session is devoted to children playing chess with other and sometimes with me. There is always a short lesson. As the year goes along, sometimes these lessons will be built around a worksheet. For example, the students will see as many worksheets from my Essential Tactics* as time allows.

Chess Skills has a record of a great many of my lessons in years past. The tag, "Problem of the Week" links to these.

Here is a synopsis of the lessons so far this fall for further review by students and parents, as well as for anyone interested.

11 October

We began with an endgame position that occurred in a game that I played online and that I believe highlights the importance of calculation and a single tempo in a pawn race. "Time and Speed" shows this position with analysis of the game's conclusion and how White should have played.

13 October

Young students often express frustration when their opponent "copies" their moves. The lesson featured a game played by Jose R. Capablanca a few years before he became World Champion. In symmetrical positions, the first player often has an advantage. Check puts an end to the copying. 

Capablanca,Jose Raul -- NN [C49]
New York casual New York, 1918

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4

The copying begins.

5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bg4 8.Nd5 Nd4

White to move

9.Nxb4 Nxb5 10.Nd5 Nd4 11.Qd2

Black to move

11...Qd7??

Now, Black is lost. After 11...Nxf3+, White is only slightly better.

12.Bxf6 Bxf3 13.Ne7+

Black to move

13...Kh8

13...Qxe7 is best. Black loses the queen. The move played gives White a forced checkmate in three. Students were asked to find the conclusion.

14.Bxg7+ Kxg7 15.Qg5+ Kh8 16.Qf6# 1-0

18 October

Students were presented with a difficult endgame position that was part of Hikaru Nakamura's analysis of Niemann,H. -- Lenderman,A., Saint Louis 2022, a game played the previous day in the US Championship.

White to move

I had no expectation that young players would find the correct move. However, the wrong answers are quite instructive for showing the difficulties a bishop has stopping three connected passed pawns. It is an impossible task in this case.

45.Bb5!! is the only winning move.

If Black captures the bishop, then White queens first and the queen controls Black's promotion square. 45...axb5 46.a6 h3 47.a7 h2 48.a8Q.

If Black opts to leave the bishop alone and advance pawns, play might continue 45...h3 46.Bxa6 g5 47.Bf1 g4 48.a6 h2 49.Bg2 f4 50.a7 f3 51.a8Q fxg2 52.Qxg2 and White wins.

Following this lesson, I showed the students the game's continuation beginning with White's move 30.

White to move

30.Kb4!

Nakamura praised this move.

30...Nf4 31.Rh2 Kc7 32.a5 cxb5 33.Bxb5 a6 34.Ba4

Nakamura stated that 34.Bc4 seems more natural, but also pointed out how Niemann's move keeps Black from occupying the open e-file with his rook.

34...Ne6 35.d5 Nxg5 36.d6+

Black to move

It was here that Alex Lenderman made the error that cost him the game. This position was where we began Thursday's lesson.

20 October

The lesson was to understand the threats that Lenderman overlooked.

36...Kd8?

Students suggested 36...Kb8, which is better than 36...Kd8. According to Nakamura and Stockfish, 36...Kc8 would have given Black excellent chances to hold a draw.

37.c6

Niemann played the only winning move.

37...bxc6 38.Kc5

Again, the only winning move.

38...f4

Nakamura analyzed 38...Ne4+ and some of this analysis was shared with my students. One of these lines leads to the endgame position that was Tuesday's focus.

39.Rb2 Ne6+ 40.Kxc6

Black to move

If Black's king were on c8, White would not have a checkmate threat. This threat forces concessions that lead to a position where Black must give up the rook for White's queen.

40...Nd6+ 41.Kd5 Nb5 42.Bxb5 axb5 43.Kc6 Ke8 44.Kc7

Black to move

I pointed out to the students that if we removed all the pieces except the two kings and White's d-pawn, we would have an elementary pawn ending position that they all need to know.

44...Kf7 45.d7 1-0

Lenderman resigned here. Young students, however, benefit from seeing the reason on the board.

45.d7 Ke7 46.Re2+ Kf7 47.d8Q Rxd8 48.Kxd8 and White's rook will be able to stop Black's two passed pawns. A student needed to see even this demonstrated, so I showed him a couple more moves until he said, "Okay, now I get it."

Next week, the demo board and/or worksheets will be used to teach some checkmate patterns or techniques.

*The worksheets are available in reproducible format (no solutions) as Essential Tactics: The Worksheets (2017). The same exercises with solutions and instructional content is available only in Kindle format as Essential Tactics: Building a Foundation for Chess Skill (2017). These worksheets were created after an inspiring experience using Bruce Pandolfini, Beginning Chess (1993).

Avoid This

A common and very well-known tactic led to a rout of one of my students in a chess tournament taking place online today.

A Player (1500) - Another Player (1500) [C20]
Youth Event, 18.04.2020

1.e4 e5 2.Qh5

Black to move

2...g6??

2...Nc6 First protect the pawn. 3.Bc4 Now, prevent checkmate. 3...g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 Again, preventing checkmate. 5.c3

5.Ne2 has been a more popular line 5...Bg7 6.d3

5...Bg7 6.d3 0–0

3.Qxe5+ Be7

3...Qe7 is the last chance to stay in the game. 4.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 5.Kd1 Nf6 and maybe Black can trap the queen.

4.Qxh8 Bf8 5.Qxg8 Qf6 6.d3

Black is already completely lost. White checkmated Black after another 23 moves. 1–0

Some Reference Games

Shaposhnikov,Evgeny (2573) - Vukanovic,Sasa (2351) [C20]
Canarias en Red prel 2nd playchess.com INT (11), 04.05.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.c3 Bg7 6.d3 0–0 7.Bg5 d6 8.Nd2 Be6 9.Ne2 Bxc4 10.Nxc4 d5 11.Ne3 dxe4 12.dxe4 h6 13.Rd1 hxg5 14.Rxd8 Raxd8 15.h4 gxh4 16.Rxh4 Rd3 17.Nc1 Rd7 18.Rh1 Rfd8 19.Nb3 b6 20.Ke2 a5 21.Rd1 Nh5 22.g3 a4 23.Rxd7 Rxd7 24.Nd2 Bh6 25.Nd5 Kg7 26.Nc4 b5 27.Nce3 Nd8 28.Ng4 Bg5 29.Nxe5 Rd6 30.Nxc7 Rd2+ 31.Kf1 Rxb2 32.Qd3 Rxa2 33.Ne8+ Kf8 34.Qd7 Rd2 35.Nd6 a3 36.Nexf7 a2 37.Nxg5 a1Q+ 38.Kg2 Qxc3 39.Qxd8+ Kg7 40.Qe7+ Kg8 41.Qh7+ Kf8 42.Qf7# 1–0

Mede,Istvan (2262) - Laszlo,Janos (2282) [C20]
HUN-chT2 Maroczy 1112 Hungary (1), 25.09.2011

1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.c3 Bg7 6.d3 0–0 7.h3 d5 8.Bb3 Be6 9.Nd2 d4 10.Ne2 Nd7 11.Ng3 Nc5 12.Bc2 b5 13.0–0 Qd7 14.Nb3 Na4 15.cxd4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Ne2 ½–½

Nakamura,Hikaru (2657) - Filippov,Anton (2466) [C20]
Champions Challenge 92nd playchess.com INT (5.1), 30.04.2005

1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.Ne2 Bg7 6.d3 d6 7.h3 a6 8.Nbc3 Na5 9.Bg5 h6 10.Be3 Nxc4 11.dxc4 Be6 12.b3 0–0 13.a4 Nh7 14.g4 f5 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Rg1 Bxc2 18.Qh5 Ng5 19.Bxg5 hxg5 20.Rxg5 Rf7 21.Kd2 Bh7 22.Rag1 Qf8 23.f4 Kh8 24.R1g4 Bh6 25.Rh4 Bxg5 26.fxg5 Rg7 27.g6 Qf6 28.gxh7 Rg5 29.Qh6 ½–½

Nakamura,Hikaru (2657) - Filippov,Anton (2466) [C20]
Champions Challenge 92nd playchess.com INT (5.3), 30.04.2005

1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.Ne2 Bg7 6.d3 d5 7.exd5 Nb4 8.Bb3 Nbxd5 9.h3 0–0 10.Bg5 c6 11.Nbc3 h6 12.Nxd5 hxg5 13.Ndc3 a5 14.a4 Qe7 15.Qe3 Nh5 16.g4 Nf4 17.Nxf4 gxf4 18.Qe2 Qh4 19.Ne4 Kh8 20.Nd2 e4 21.0–0–0 exd3 22.Qxd3 Qxf2 23.Ne4 Qe3+ 24.Kb1 Qxd3 25.Rxd3 Be5 26.Re1 f6 27.Nd2 g5 28.Nf3 Re8 29.Bf7 Re7 30.Rd8+ Kg7 31.Bb3 b5 32.Nd4 Rb7 33.axb5 Bxd4 34.Rxd4 Rxb5 35.Re7+ Kh6 36.Rd6 Kg6 37.Bc4 Rb7 38.Bd3+ 1–0

Nakamura,Hikaru (2657) - Filippov,Anton (2466) [C20]
Champions Challenge 92nd playchess.com INT (5.5), 30.04.2005

1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.Ne2 Bg7 6.d3 0–0 7.h3 d5 8.exd5 Nb4 9.Bb3 Nbxd5 10.Nbc3 c6 11.Bg5 Qa5 12.Bd2 Qb6 13.g4 Nxc3 14.Nxc3 Be6 15.Be3 Qa5 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Bd2 Nd5 18.Qe4 Qb6 19.0–0–0 Rxf2 20.h4 Qd4 21.Qe1 Raf8 22.Ne4 Rg2 23.h5 Qa4 24.a3 Nb4 25.Kb1 Qxc2+ 26.Ka1 Nxd3 27.Bc3 Nxe1 28.Rdxe1 Re2 29.Rxe2 Qxe2 30.Nd2 e4 31.Nb1 Qf3 32.Re1 e3 33.Bxg7 Kxg7 34.Nc3 Qf1 35.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 36.Ka2 Rf2 37.Ne4 e2 38.Nxf2 e1Q 39.Nd3 Qe2 40.Nb4 Qc4+ 41.Kb1 Qxg4 42.hxg6 Qxg6+ 43.Kc1 h5 44.Nc2 h4 45.Ne3 h3 46.Kd2 h2 47.Nc4 h1Q 48.Ne3 Qd5+ 49.Kc3 Qgd3+ 50.Kb4 a5+ 51.Ka4 Q5c4+ 52.b4 Qcc2+ 53.Kxa5 Qxe3 54.a4 Qb6+ 55.Kxb6 Qxa4 56.Kc5 Qb5+ 57.Kd6 Qxb4+ 58.Kxe6 c5 59.Kd6 c4+ 60.Kc7 c3 61.Kc8 c2 62.Kb8 c1Q 63.Ka7 Qa5+ 64.Kb8 Qcc7# 0–1

Why Forks Matter

Inherent in all chess tactics are relationships between pieces. A White rook on e1 can attack a Black pawn on e6 if there are no pieces in the way. This relationship is one of offensive contact.* If there is a king shielded behind the pawn on e7 or e8 (a defensive contact), the pawn is unable to capture a White piece standing on f5 or d5. This restrictive contact is called a pin.

If two Black pieces sit on the sixth rank with three squares between them, they are vulnerable to attack from a White rook that can reach the sixth rank. These two enemy pieces can be attacked in a manner we call a pin, a skewer, or even a fork. The rook can attack both because they are on the same line. These attacks are the relationship I created in the first three exercises for my Essential Tactics worksheets.

Such tactical ideas as pins, skewers, and discoveries take place along a single line—rank, file, or diagonal. A fork also can take place along such a line, but forks are more commonly understood to take place along multiple lines. In this exercise from Essential Tactics, for instance, the correct move places the White king in offensive contact with the Black knight along a diagonal and with the Black bishop along a file.

White to move

Consider this game from the forgotten book, A Treatise on the Game of Chess (1808) by J. H. Sarratt (12-15). The notes are by Sarratt, and the book may be found at Google Books. At three critical moments in this illustrative game, White employs a fork. In the third instance, the fork attacks a king and a target square that must be occupied to put a stop to Black's counterplay.

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.c3 Nf6

This move, though very generally played, even by good players, is certainly a bad move.

4.d4 exd4

If 4...Bd6 White would win a piece, as will be shown in a Back-game.

5.e5 Ne4

Instead of this move the Black might play the Queen to his King's second square; or his Queen's Pawn two moves; but you would nevertheless have the best of the game, as will be demonstrated in two Back-games beginning at the fifth move of the Black.

5...Qe7;
5...d5

White to move

6.Bxf7+

Instead of this move, you might play your King's Bishop to the adversary's Queen's fourth square; but he would then sacrifice his knight for three Pawns, as will be shown in the second book.

6...Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Nf6 8.exf6 Qxf6

White to move

9.Qh5+

It seems that if you were to give check at the adv. Queen's fourth square, you would likewise win the Bishop; but he would cover the check with his Queen at his king's third square, and giving you check at the same time, you would be compelled to exchange queens.

9.Qd5+ Qe6+ 10.Qxe6+

9...Qg6 10.Qxc5 Qxg2

White to move

11.Qf5+ Ke8 12.Qf3+- and you will win the game, whether the Black exchange Queens or not.

Modern Grandmaster Play

On the way to winning the US Championship, which concluded Sunday, Hikaru Nakamura had this position with the Black pieces against Ray Robson.

Black to move

29...Qc4

Nakamura forks both rooks, although they easily protect each other. Nonetheless, this move brings the queen to a better square for the assault against the White king.

30.Ref6 a3 31.bxa3 bxa3 32.Qxa3

Black to move

Nakamura must have had this position in mind when he played 29...Qc4. White's move 29 that led to a simple fork of rook was to capture a bishop on e5. Nakumura now initiates a combination that recovers the lost minor piece with interest.

32...Rxc1+ 33.Rxc1 Qxe4+

Black is currently down a rook, but White's moves are forced.

34.Kb2 Qe5+

Another fork.

White to move

35.Rc3 Rb8+ 36.Kc2 Qxf6

With an extra pawn and a less vulnerable king, Black had the better endgame. He used a series of checks to win another pawn and force the rooks off the board.


*See Yuri Averbakh, Chess Tactics for Advanced Players (1992) for definitions of contacts as the foundation of chess tactics.

Recent Games

During my morning coffee today, I passively watched several Grandmaster games that had been played in the past few days, and one of the AlphaZero -- Stockfish battles. The Follow Chess iOS app has a useful autoplay feature that allows me to back the game up to the beginning and then sit back and watch the game take place while sipping my black nectar.

I started with two rapid games from the London Chess Classic. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave outplayed Levon Aronian in the Berlin Endgame and Hikaru Nakamura defeated Fabiano Caruana.

I had not been following the tournament closely, so I was surprised to learn that this position was part of Caruana's preparation and that he was not already worse. Being forced to move the king strikes me as unpleasant.

White to move

Later, I looked at a classic time control game between these players with the same opening. Then, I watched the live commentary, still available on ChessBase's website.

Find the Only Move

These positions arose in Simon Williams' commentary on Gelfand -- Nakamura 2010 in his video "Hikaru Nakamura Teaches the KID" on Chess.com.

The first position arose in three games. Once, White found the correct move. FM Delisle Warner was White in that game, scoring an upset win against IM Kevin Denny.

White to move

The second position comes about a couple moves after 22...h4 instead of Nakamura's 22...Nh4.

White to move

Finally, Gelfand could have stayed in the game with the right move in this third position.

White to move

Can you find the only move in each position?

McDonnell Strikes Back

McDonnell -- De La Bourdonnais 1834

After his loss in the fourth game, Alexander McDonnell had an opportunity with the White pieces. The Irish player outplayed Louis-Charles Mahe De La Bourdonnais and evened the score in their match at one win each.

McDonnell,Alexander -- De Labourdonnais,Louis Charles Mahe [B21]
London m1 London (5), 1834

1.e4 c5 2.f4

This opening, popular in the nineteenth century, again would become hot among amateur players after a handful of British players adopted it in the 1990s.

2...e6

The first time I had this position was as Black in an email game. I had recently taken up the French and my opponent was a devotee of the Grand Prix Attack. I played 1...e6 then 2...c5. As with this game, the resulting position had elements common to the French Defense.

I find myself in this position with some frequency in online blitz, including the game that ended with the position in my blog's header. 2.f4 is a popular weapon both against the Sicilian and against the French.

3.Nf3

3.Nc3 is viable, as is 2.Nc3 and 3.f4.

3...d5 4.e5 Nc6 5.c3

Black to move

McDonnell had this position twice in his match with W. Fraser three years earlier.

5...f6

Would be played 13 times by La Bourdonnais, with eight Black wins, four White wins, and one draw. Fraser played 5...Be7.

5...Nh6 is worth considering.

5...Nge7 has been played by and against Hikaru Nakamura 6.Na3 Nf5 7.Nc2 and here Seirawan played 7...h5 Nakamura -- Seirawan, Saint Louis 2012. Two years earlier, Nakamura played 7...d4 Stripunsky -- Nakamura, Saint Louis 2010. Nakamura went on to win both games.

6.Na3 Nh6 7.Nc2 Be7

7...Qb6 would be La Bourdonnais' choice in subsequent games. This move is an improvement.

8.d4 0–0 9.Bd3

Black to move

9...c4?!

I find the strategic idea behind this move suspect. Black is aiming for a queenside pawn storm after gaining a tempo against the bishop. However, White's greater board room gives his pieces better mobility and coordination. Black's play on the queenside is too slow.

9...Nf7 might have been worth considering.
9...fxe5 may have been best 10.fxe5 Nf5 11.0–0.

10.Be2 Bd7 11.0–0 b5 12.Ne3 a5 13.Kh1 fxe5

13...f5 might have done more to slow White's plans on the kingside, and thus equalize.

14.fxe5 Nf5

Black helps bring White's kingside pawns forward and ends up helping White's "bad" bishop get into the game.

15.g4 Nxe3 16.Bxe3

Black to move

16...Be8

Having committed to a course, perhaps it is best to strike with 16...b4.

17.Qd2 Bg6 18.Ng5 Bxg5 19.Bxg5 Qd7 20.h4 b4 21.Kh2 bxc3 22.bxc3 a4

22...Be4 was an alternative.
22...h6 is interesting 23.h5 Rxf1 24.Rxf1 Be4 25.Bh4.

23.h5

Black to move

The decisive pawn thrust. White gets a clear advantage

23...Be4 24.h6 g6 25.Bf6 Rab8 26.Bg7 Qe7

White to move

27.Kg3

A blunder was possible: 27.Bxf8?? Qh4+ 28.Kg1 Qg3#.

27...Rxf1 28.Rxf1 a3 29.Rf6 Na5

Black proceeds with a plan that has guided his game at least since move 9.

30.Bd1 Nb3 31.Qf2

31.axb3 cxb3 32.Bxb3 Rxb3? 33.Rf8+ is horrid for Black. This unplayed line offers more evidence that's Black's plan from the outset deserves reconsideration.

31...Nc1 32.Ba4 Nd3 33.Qf1

Black to move

33...g5

This move prevents White's g-pawn from coming forward. However, it also creates another weakness.

34.Bc2 Nc5?

This move cannot be good.

Black might have tried 34...Bg6 35.Bxd3 cxd3 36.Rf2 d2 37.Rxd2 Rb2 when his original plan starts to look plausible. White maintains positional superiority.

34...Nf4 seems a better square for the knight, although Black appears much worse after 35.Bxe4 dxe4 36.Qxc4 e3.

35.dxc5 Bxc2 36.c6 Ba4 37.c7 Re8

37...Qxc7 38.Rf8+ Rxf8 39.Qxf8#.

38.Qc1

Attacking the target created five moves ago.

38...Qxc7 39.Qxg5 Bc2 40.Bf8+ Bg6

White to move

41.Bxa3

41.Rxg6+ fails 41...hxg6 42.Qxg6+ Kxf8.

41...Qd7 42.Bd6 d4 43.Qf4 Qc8 44.Qxd4 Qc6 45.Qa7 1–0

La Bourdonnais's chief error seems strategic. He improved his ideas in this opening before the next opportunity. Up to this point in the match, McDonnell has shown play that is slightly superior to that of his opponent. See "McDonnell Takes the Lead" for game six.

Aronian -- Nakamura, Tata Steel 2014

For the time being I am following Levon Aronian day by day in the Tata Steel Grandmaster tournament in Wijk aan Zee. I have considered following Hikaru Nakamura, rather than Aronian. I could follow both, of course, but I find more personal benefit as training when I follow a single game and try to understand it in real time. Today's battle is between the top two seeds: world number two has White against world number three.

Two rounds in  this year's tournament are played on the road for the first time in the long history of this event. Today, they are playing in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam.

Aronian,Levon (2812) -- Nakamura,Hikaru (2789) [E92]
Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee, 15.01.2014

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 Ng4 8.Bg5 f6 9.Bh4

Black to move

Although this position is commonly reached, and Nakamura has found himself here before, he spent more than five minutes thinking at this point.

9...g5 10.Bg3 Nh6 11.c5 g4

Nakamura used eleven minutes for this move. Today, the website looks different. I found that it is possible to turn off the appearance of Houdini's evaluation within the game score, facilitating my desire to do my own thinking. The move times appear in the game score, which I think is a nice feature.

12.Nh4 Nc6 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.dxe5

Black to move

ChessBase Online contains 27 games with this position, but none played by either of these two players. Nakamura spent eight minutes on the position.

14...dxe5 15.Bc4+

Aronian spent more than eleven minutes fr this move, his first long think of the game.

15...Kh8 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.O-O

Aronian spent another nine minutes thinking before exchanging queens, and six minutes before castling.

17...Nd4

White to move

White's knight and bishop on the kingside seem locked up, so the f-pawn will need to advance at some point.

18.Rad1 Be6 19.Bxe6 Nxe6 20.f3 gxf3 21.gxf3

I was thinking that 21.Nxf3 was automatic.

21...Rxd1 22.Rxd1 Rd8 23.Rxd8+ Nxd8

White to move

24.Bf2 a6 25.Kf1 Kg8 26.Ke2 Kf7 27.Be3 Ke6 28.Na4 Bf8

White to move

29.Bxh6

I had thought about giving up the bishop for the knight. Of course, this moment is the best time, right after the bishop sought to redeploy elsewhere, because it gains a tempo. I am reminded of the White side of a Catalan that went bad. My opponent, a very strong high school student, had a knight against my bishop. All the the other pieces were gone and all of his pawns were on the squares my bishop could not reach. They could not advance without becoming vulnerable, of course. But he was able to patiently work his knight and king forward until my pawns started to fall.

29...Bxh6 30.Nc5+ Kf7 31.Kd3

Black to move

31...Bf4

Nakamura used nearly fifty minutes for this move. Probably the game is theoretically equal, but there are complications in the imbalance and concrete variations that must be calculated.

32.h3

Obvious and forced.

32...Bg5 33.Nf5

Also seems forced.

33...Ne6 34.Nxe6

It is hard to imagine an alternative.

34...Kxe6 35.Kc4 b6

This position may be the start of Nakumura's deep analysis during the long think.

36.a4 Bd2 37.b3 h5

White to move

I want to play 38.Ng7+. What is wrong with this move? The knight gets trapped if he snatches the pawn. 38...Kf7 39.Nxh5 Be1, followed by 40...Kg6.

38.b4

I cannot find any targets for the knight, and the pawn ending should be drawn. Some calculation is necessary, of course, but I have a hunch that the players will make a couple of moves to be certain that Hikaru does not lose on time and then agree to a draw.

I could be wrong, of course.

38...a5 39.bxa5 bxa5 40.Kb5 Kd7

They have reached the time control. With the exchange of pawns, I'm no longer convinced that the pawn ending is drawn. Moreover, Black's bishop seems a little passive defending the pawn on a5. Perhaps Aronian has some reasons to play on. He beat Caruana on Sunday. If he scores a win against Nakamura, he could be sitting well to win the event, although the tournament is only 1/3 complete after today.

41.Ng7 h4 42.Nf5 Be1 43.Ne3

Black to move

43...Ke6 44.Nc4

Aronian can win a pawn. It that enough?

It was. Nakamura resigned.

1-0

Often, I have a tendency to be overly optimistic on Aronian's behalf (see "Harikrishna -- Aronian, Tata Steel 2014"). Today, I lacked confidence that he could gain an advantage, and yet he won. As in his win against Caruana, Aronian gave a nice demonstration today illustrating how one can improve his pieces. However, I wonder if Nakamura might have erred. If so, where? 38...a5 changed my evaluation of the pawn ending. Was that an error?

I will study the game a bit more before checking with an engine.

Missed Opportunity for Gelfand

In Nakamura -- Gelfand during round three of the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Boris Gelfand missed a tactical blow.

Black to move

This position is at Black's move 43. The game was drawn after White's move 59.

Tata Steel Chess, Round 12

The 75th Tata Steel Chess tournament ends tomorrow. With two rounds remaining, Magnus Carlsen leads by a full point over Levon Aronian. Viswanathan Anand is behind Carlsen 1 1/2 points, and three players have a chance to tie the leader if he loses his last two games. One of these, Hikaru Nakamura, opted for the aggressive Kalashnikov Sicilian against Carlsen today. This game bears watching. Can Nakamura upset the leader? Anand and Aronian have relatively easier opponents.

By the time the games have been going for 2 1/2 hours, it will be time for me to leave the house, and my internet connection. Today is the eleventh annual Winterfest Scholastic chess tournament, an event that I created and run. As many as 143 young chess players have competed in this event in past years, although it will be much smaller today. By the time my event is over, the players in Wijk aan Zee will be asleep.

Carlsen,Magnus (2861) - Nakamura,Hikaru (2769) [B32]
75th Tata Steel Chess Group A Wijk aan Zee (12), 26.01.2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5

White to move

I played this variation of the Sicilian in the 1990s before switching to the Sveshnikov (4...Nf6 and 5...e5). Vladimir Kramnik played the Sveshnikov in his youth, but switched to more solid defenses when he started playing against the world's top players.

The Kalashnikov is similar to the Pelikan, which was a frequent choice of Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais in his match with Alexander MacDonnell. In the Pelikan, Black plays 5...a6, which permits 6.Nd6. MacDonnell played 5.Nxc6, which is now considered a positional error, thanks to La Bourdonnais's terrific win in one game that every chess player should study.

The Kalashnikov would seem too risky for top-level grandmasters, but checking the database reveals a number of games. Garry Kasparov played it once in 1997. Vasily Ivanchuk and Teimour Radjabov both have played it on multiple occasions.

Reference games:

Nakamura,Hikaru (2774) - Radjabov,Teimour (2744) [B32]
Bazna Kings 5th Medias (9), 20.06.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.N1c3 a6 7.Na3 b5 8.Nd5 Nge7 9.c4 Nxd5 10.cxd5 Nd4 11.Bd3 g6 12.Nc2 Bg7 13.0–0 0–0 14.Be3 Kh8 15.Rc1 f5 16.f3 Bd7 17.Qd2 f4 18.Bf2 g5 19.Nxd4 exd4 20.Be2 Qb6 21.Rfd1 Rac8 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.b4 Be5 24.a3 Kg7 25.Kf1 Kf7 26.Ke1 Qc7 27.Bxd4 Bxd4 28.Qxd4 Qc3+ 29.Qxc3 Rxc3 30.Rd3 Rxd3 31.Bxd3 h5 32.g3 h4 33.gxf4 gxf4 34.Kd2 Kf6 35.Kc3 Ke5 36.a4 Be8 37.Be2 Bd7 38.Bf1 Be8 39.axb5 axb5 40.Kd3 Bd7 41.Ke2 Kd4 42.Kd2 Ke5 43.Kd3 Bc8 44.Kc3 Bd7 45.Kd3 Bc8 46.Kc3 Bd7 ½–½

Carlsen,Magnus (2837) - Radjabov,Teimour (2788) [B32]
Wch Rapid Astana (14), 08.07.2012

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Ngxe7 9.Nc3 d5 10.Bd2 Be6 11.0–0–0 0–0–0 12.f3 Kc7 13.b3 f6 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nxd5+ Rxd5 16.Bd3 h6 17.Be4 Rd7 18.Bc3 Rhd8 19.Rxd7+ Rxd7 20.Re1 Bd5 21.Bf5 Rd8 22.Kb2 Bf7 23.Bd3 Bd5 24.a4 a5 25.Re3 Nb4 26.Bf5 Nc6 27.g3 b6 28.f4 Re8 29.fxe5 Nxe5 30.Bd4 Bc6 31.h4 Nf3 32.Rxe8 Bxe8 33.Bf2 g5 34.Kc3 Bc6 35.Kb2 Be8 36.c3 Bc6 37.Ka3 Bd5 38.Bc2 Bc6 39.c4 Bd7 40.Be4 Bc6 41.Bf5 Be8 42.Kb2 Bc6 43.Kc3 Be8 44.Be4 Bc6 45.Bf5 Be8 46.Be6 Bc6 47.Bg4 Be4 48.hxg5 hxg5 49.c5 bxc5 50.Bxc5 f5 51.Bh5 Bd5 52.Be3 Kc6 53.Bg6 Be6 54.Be8+ Kb7 55.Bb5 Bd5 56.Bd3 Be6 57.Bc2 Kc6 58.Bd1 Bd5 59.Be2 Kb7 60.Bd1 Be4 61.Bc5 Bd5 62.Bd6 Kc6 63.Be7 Kd7 64.Bf8 Kc6 65.Bg7 Kc7 66.Be2 f4 67.gxf4 gxf4 68.Bh6 Bxb3 69.Bxf4+ Kd8 70.Bxf3 Bxa4 71.Kd4 Bb3 72.Bd6 Kd7 73.Ke5 a4 ½–½

5.Nb5 d6 6.g3 h5 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Nge7 10.Bg2 Bg4 11.f3 Be6 12.c3 h4 13.Nc2 Bxd5 14.exd5 Na5 15.f4 Nf5 16.g4 h3 17.Be4 Nh4 18.O-O g6 19.Kh1

Black to move

19...Bg7 20.f5 gxf5 21.gxf5 Ng2 22.f6 Bf8 23.Qf3

Black to move

By this point in the game, Carlsen believed he was winning.

23...Qc7 24.Nb4 Nb7 25.Nc6 Nc5 26.Bf5 Nd7 27.Bg5 Rg8 28.Qh5 Nb6 29.Be6 Rxg5 30.Qxg5 fxe6 31.dxe6 1–0

Magnus Carlsen offers analysis in a postgame video.

Tata Steel Chess 2013, Round 11

Battle for Second Place

Nakamura,Hikaru (2769) - Aronian,Levon (2802) [D45]
75th Tata Steel Chess Group A Wijk aan Zee (11), 25.01.2013

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.c5 Nbd7 7.Na4 b5 8.cxb6 Nxb6 9.Bd2 Nxa4 10.Qxa4 Bd7 11.Qc2 Qb6 12.Rc1 Rb8 13.Bd3 Qxb2 14.0–0 Bd6 15.Ne5 Qxc2 16.Rxc2 c5 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.Bxa6 c4 19.a4 Bb4 20.Bc1 Nf6 21.f3 0–0 22.e4 Ne8 23.Bb5 Rb6 24.Bf4 Nd6 25.Rb1 Ba5 26.Kf1 f6 27.Rcb2 Rfb8

White to move

28.h4

There are plenty of interesting games to watch today, but I have chosen one that could have an impact on the final standings for second place. I like these two players. It is hard to choose who to favor. Aronian's style of play is closer to what I try to emulate, but patriotism and respect for the excitement that Nakamura brings to the game has me hoping for success. At the beginning of the tournament, when folks were making predictions, I had to balance objectivity (Carlsen is playing very strong) with hopes for my favorites. I picked those I want to win: Aronian, Anand, or Nakamura. My players all share second at the start of this round, and it is unlikely that Carlsen will lose the next three games.

28...c3 29.Re2

Racing through the other games after sleeping in this morning, I see that Hou Yifan appears to be playing aggressively against Anand's Sicilian. He has not had the opportunity to castle, but now the queens are off the board.

The other Chinese player, Wang Hou, has White against Magnus Carlsen, and that game, too, is a Sicilian. Wang has a nice position. Could a player one point out of last place take down the leader to give those trailing some faint hopes of catching him during the last two rounds?

Update 7:23 am PST; 16:23 CET

Returning to my game of the day, Nakamura has two connected passed pawns with which to contend. His own passed pawn appears to have no prospects of advancement.

29...e5 30.dxe5 Nxb5 31.axb5 d4

White to move

Lazy spectators, and those of us with minimal understanding of the complex positions the big boys and girls play, can watch engine evaluations of the position as the games unfold. These silicon monsters give us the illusion that we patzers can understand what is taking place before us. My default engine in ChessBase 11 these days is Stockfish 2.3 because it won the engine -- engine battles that I set up with my strongest commercial engines. The website is using an older version of Houdini, but newer than the one I have installed.

Stockfish thinks that Nakumura's position is critical, while Houdini believes that Fabiano Caruana is losing to Anish Giri. My eyes find Caruana's position complex. His pieces are passive on the back row, but at the moment he is ahead one pawn. No doubt, Houdini sees that he is losing material, and likely more than the exchange (White's bishop could take the rook on a8 now, but there is likely a move that creates more serious problems for Black).

Aronian's pawns are frightening.

Update 7:45 am PST

Nakamura eliminated the noxious pawns, but gave up a rook for a bishop in the process.

32.Rd1 Rxb5 33.Rc2 d3 34.Rxd3 Rb1+ 35.Bc1 R8b2 36.Rcxc3 Bxc3 37.Rxc3

Black to move

37...Rd2 38.Rc8+ Kf7 39.Rc7+ Ke6 40.exf6 gxf6

Caruana has conceded in that game; Carlsen drew Wang. He will remain at least one point ahead of Aronian and Anand with two rounds to play. Nakamura is struggling to salvage half a point.

Update 8:05 am PST

Of course the bishop could not survive, but Nakamura managed to get three pawns for the rook.

41.Kg1 Rd1+ 42.Kh2 Rbxc1 43.Rxh7 Rd7 44.Rh6 Rcc7

Three connected passed pawns can be equal to a rook, even superior if the rook's king is too far away. White does not have that imbalance here.

White to move

As I said earlier, I like both of these players. It hurts to see either one lose, although it hurts a lot more when I lose, especially when I give my opponent a clear advantage with the Black pieces before move ten, as I did last night. But, even seeing Nakamura defend a position that looks losing provides comfort because it means that Aronian could win, and thus gain half a point on Carlsen. I did not want to see a draw in Nakamura -- Aronian today.

Of course, it is not over yet. Watching Nakamura's face at the board, he seems to be trying to recall an endgame where three pawns could battle a rook. I can see his pain. Indeed, I can feel it.

Update 8:20 am PST; 17:20 CET

Nakamura kept his rook on the board at the cost of a pawn.

45.Rh8 Rh7 46.Re8+ Kf7 47.Ra8 Rxh4+ 48.Kg3 Rh1

White to move

Perhaps White is in less danger of zugzwang with a rook on the board.

Update 8:33 am PST

I watched the video interviews of Wang Hou and Magnus Carlsen after their draw, and came bacl to discover that Nakamura had resigned.

0-1

Tata Steel Chess 2013, Round 10

Is it possible to catch Magnus Carlsen? Levon Aronian is 1 1/2 points behind and has the White pieces against a player in the bottom half, Wang Hao. Hikaru Nakamura is tied with Aronian has Black against Fabiano Caruana, struggling in the lower half. Viswanathan Anand trails by one point and has a tough battle with Sergey Karjakin, who is in the middle of the pack. Carlsen has White against Erwin L'Ami, who is half a point above last place.

My game of the day for watching today is Nakamura's King's Indian Defense. I will look in on the other games from time to time. It is an unusual KID, and the novelty came early. This KID started as a Benoni.

Caruana,Fabiano (2781) - Nakamura,Hikaru (2769) [E70]
75th Tata Steel Chess Group A Wijk aan Zee, 23.01.2013

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 d6 6.Bd3 0–0 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.Bc2 Ne8N

White to move

9.0–0 Nc7 10.a4 Na6 11.f4 Nb4 12.Bd3 e6 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.Qd2 Nf6 15.Rad1

Black to move

15...Ng4 16.Bb1 Nc6

Update 6:47 am PST; 14:47 CET

While beginning to take stock of the position, I am taking a few minutes to go back through the first few moves to examine the transpositions. Classification shifted from Benoni to King's Indian Defense, it seems, with White's 7.Nge2. But that is a superficial point. Both players appear to be attempting move order tricks.

After White's seventh move, the position reached is one that Caruana has played prior.

Caruana,Fabiano (2709) - Grischuk,Alexander (2771) [E70]
Wch Blitz 5th Moscow (32), 18.11.2010

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Bd3 0–0 6.Nge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Nh5 11.0–0 Na6 12.Qd2 Nc7 13.Bc2 exd5 14.exd5 f5 15.f4 Nxg3 16.Nxg3 g4 17.Rae1 Bd7 18.Kh1 Rf7 19.Re2 Bh8 20.Rfe1 Qf6 21.Re3 Re8 22.Rxe8+ Nxe8 23.Bxf5 Bxf5 24.Rxe8+ Rf8 25.Nce4 Bxe4 26.Nxe4 Qf5 27.Nxd6 Qb1+ 28.Re1 Qxa2 29.Nxb7 Qxc4 30.d6 Rxf4 31.Qd1 Rd4 32.Qb1 Qf7 33.Nd8 Qf6 34.Re8+ Kg7 35.Ne6+ Kf7 36.Rf8+ Kxe6 37.Rxf6+ Bxf6 38.h3 g3 39.d7 Kxd7 40.Qf5+ Ke7 41.Qxc5+ Ke6 42.Qc6+ Kf5 43.Qf3+ Rf4 44.Qd3+ Ke6 45.Qe3+ Be5 46.Qe2 Rf2 47.Qc4+ Kf6 48.b4 Rb2 49.Qc6+ Kg5 50.Qc1+ Kf5 51.Qf1+ Ke6 52.b5 Kd6 53.Qd3+ Ke7 54.Kg1 Ra2 55.Kf1 Rf2+ 56.Ke1 Rxg2 57.Qe3 Ke6 58.Qxa7 Rb2 59.Qa6+ Kf5 60.Qc8+ Kf4 61.Qc4+ Kf5 62.Qf7+ Ke4 63.Qg6+ Kd5 64.Qd3+ Ke6 65.Qg6+ Kd5 66.Qc6+ Kd4 67.Qd7+ Ke3 68.Qf5 Bc3+ 69.Kd1 g2 70.Qe6+ Kd3 71.Qd5+ Bd4 72.Qf3+ Kc4 73.Qc6+ Kb4 74.Qd6+ Bc5 75.Qf4+ Ka3 76.Qf3+ Ka2 77.Qd5+ Ka1 78.Qa8+ Ra2 79.Qh8+ Rb2 80.Qa8+ Kb1 81.Qe4+ Ka2 82.Qd5+ Ka1 83.Qa8+ Kb1 84.Qe4+ Ka2 85.Qd5+ Ka1 86.Qa8+ Ra2 ½–½

Nakamura's reply took the position into rare territory. While more than 1000 games exist in the ChessBase Online database after White's seventh move, a mere 88 are there after Black's seventh move. Then, Caruana's eighth move is the fifth most popular choice among these games. Nakamura's reply makes the game unique.

Both players have spent a lot of time up to this point in the game. The pace must pick up, or time could become a significant factor. Perhaps, time is already applying pressure.

17.Kh1 Nxe3 18.Qxe3 Nd4

White to move

Update 7:15 am PST

Levon Aronian is temporarily a pawn ahead and seems to have a nice position. Carlsen is making L'Ami play chess, and seems to be applying pressure. Anand -- Karjakin has an imbalance in the pawn structure, but looks even.

19.e5 dxe5 20.fxe5

Update 7:37 am PST

The pace of play has increased.

20...Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Bd7 22.Nxd4 cxd4 23.Qxd4 Bc6 24.Qg4 Qe7

White to move

White is a pawn ahead, but Black has the bishop pair, and e5 is weak.

25.b3 Bxe5 26.Ne2

The pawn on e6 may prove to be weak as well, although it is well-defended at present. It is not yet mobile.

Levon Aronian defeated Wang Hao. Will he make up 1/2 point on the leader, or will Carlsen log another victory as well?

Peter Leko also won with Black against Ivan Sokolov.

Update 8:05 am PST; 17:05 CET

26...Rd8 27.Be4 Be8 28.Qf3 b6 29.Nf4 Bf7 30.Nd3 Bd6 31.Qe3 Qh4 32.h3 Qg3 33.Qxg3 Bxg3 34.Rf3 Bc7

For a few moves, White seemed to have some initiative as Caruana attacked Nakamura's bishops. Then, Nakamura's queen penetrated and was exchanged off.

White to move

35.Kg1 Rd4 36.Re3 g5 37.Kf2 h5

Update 8:15 am PST

A few more moves have been played, and the time control was reached.

38.Re2 a5 39.Ke3 Rd8 40.Bf3 Kg7

White to move

Update 8:45 am PST 

41.Rb2 Bd6 42.Rb1 Kf6 43.Rf1 Ke7 44.Be4 Rg8 45.Rh1

Nakamura's advantage, if any, is slight. His isolated and passed pawn is double-edged. White's position seems passive, unless he tries b3-b4. But, it is hard to find weaknesses against which Black can play.

Carlsen has a slight advantage, and as in his game against Karjakin on Monday, there are opposite colored bishops with other pieces on the board.

Anand -- Karjakin drew after 46 moves. So, Aronian catches Anand, but are they one or one and one-half behind Carlsen? Will Nakamura join them in second place?

Update 9:15 am PST

Carlsen retains a slight advantage. Nakamura continues to seek an opportunity. Hou Yifan has a nice position with Black against Pentala Harikrishna, and may have some winning chances.

45...h4 46.Bf3 Rf8 47.Rd1 Rd8 48.Rf1 Bg6 49.Be4 Bh5 50.Bf3 Rf8

White to move

Is Nakamura looking to swap pieces and play a bishop vs. knight ending?

Update 9:40 am PST

Not yet.

51.Nf2 Bg6 52.Ne4 Bc5+ 53.Kd3

It is time for me to take one of my puppies for a walk in the park.

Update 11:59 am PST

Upon my return from walking each puppy in turn, I discover that the games have ended.

Rd8+ 54.Kc2 g4 55.hxg4

Black to move

55... h3 56.Rd1 Rf8 57.Kd3 h2 58.Rh1 Bg1 59.Ke2 Bxe4 60.Bxe4 Kf6 61.Bf3 Rd8 0–1

I expect to see Nakamura's winning combination in the back of Chess Informant.

Magnus Carlsen won again. Hou Yifan scored her second of the tournament win with fine play in a rook ending.

Carlsen leads with 8/10, while second place is shared by Anand, Aronian, and Nakamura. None of them expect to catch Carlsen.