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ACF Champions

Alabama State Champion

Scott Varagona

Alabama Scholastic Champion

Stephen Adams

Alabama Chess July Top 50

1 BRADLEY DENTON 2369

2 CHAO ZHANG 2275

3 SCOTT VARAGONA 2260

4 BRYAN TILLIS 2214

5 BILL MELVIN 2200

6 GERALD LARSON 2164

7 JOSEPH JURJEVICH 2158

8 ANDY P MAY 2146

9 JAMES RICHARDSON 2140

10 REX E BLALOCK 2135

11 BRENT H INMAN 2101

12 JOSH MCCLELLAN 2073

13 CHARLES MEIDINGER 2065

14 WILL STEVENSON 2046

15 GORDON RANDALL 2032

16 STEPHEN ADAMS 2009

17 ROGER JOHNSON 1985

18 JAMES LINHOLM 1957

19 TIM BOND 1921

20 KIRK PETTY 1910

21 MILES MELVIN 1904

22 GUENTHER HUBER-DELLE 1891

23 JAMES SCHEUERMANN 1886

24 KEVIN WANG 1877

25 RAY DOWNS 1873

ACF Membership

Any individual may become a Regular Member upon the

payment of annual dues of $10.00. Regular members may enter

ACF tournaments and receive special publications or notices

from ACF as they are issued. Any chess club seeking to become

an Affiliate is required to file the Affiliate Information Form

with the Secretary of the ACF and pay annual dues of $25.00.

Benefits of becoming an affiliate include the right to bid to host

ACF-sanctioned events, such as the Alabama State

Championship, and to receive advertising through the ACF for

your tournaments.

The Alabama Chess Antics is a free, web-based magazine dedicated to the advancement of chess in Alabama. All opinions expressed in the Antics are that of the editor and article authors. The opinions

expressed within the articles may not mirror the opinions of the ACF.

ACF Officers

President: Neil Dietsch Vice-President: Matt Adams Secretary Balagee Govindan Treasurer: Bradley Denton Scholastic VP: Gerald Larson Antics Editor: Bryan Tillis Webmaster: Jared Collins

26 JONATHAN RASBERRY 1868

27 KENNETH JIAO 1861

28 STEPHEN GRAVELING 1856

29 ARDEN QUINLAN MARKIN 1852

30 CODY HEATH WEETER 1847

31 CHARLES A SMITH 1845

32 KENNETH SLOAN 1842

33 KENNETH W GOODMAN 1828

34 THOMAS H LAWRY 1826

35 CAESAR W LAWRENCE 1812

36 JOHN DAUGHERTY 1800

37 BRIAN MCCORMICK 1799

38 ABRAHAM KUNIN 1799

39 ANDREW DAVID MORRIS 1787

40 ADRIAN J MAJERLE 1787

41 UYEN LE 1785

42 LUIS ALVARO HARNES 1785

43 RHODES PEELE 1771

44 STEVE MENGXI CHEN 1759

45ADRIAN J MAJERLE 1753

46 CHRISTOPHER TREES 1746

47 MATTHEW THOMAS 1727

48 KEN KIRBY 1722

49 LOUIS S DE FIORE 1708

50 HARRY DUNCAN 1703

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Alabama Chess Antics

Contents

4 Evangel April Open Doug Strout

5 Why I Play Chess Scott Varagona

7 Fall Book Suggestion Bryan Tillis

8 Creativity Lives! Bryan Tillis

9 “The Game of the Century” Bryan Tillis

10 Tribute to the Legend 6 Bryan Tillis

12 4th Fromke Memorial Steve Cullifer

14 Scholastic Success Eric Nager & Paul Nager

Editor in Chief: Bryan Tillis

Copy Editor: Christine Dietsch

Letter From the Editor: As your eyes have already told you, Antics has gone through a renovation. As the burden (and cost) of printing the magazine is no longer an issue, the length of articles and images we use no longer has a limit!

I hope that all of our readers will be gracing the pages soon with an article. Speaking for Scott Varagona, Doug Strout, and myself, we have supplied the majority of content recently and would love to be surprised with new authors.

I need pictures! I need games! I need articles!

Chessfully,

Bryan Tillis

Evangel April Open Doug Strout The Evangel April Open was held at Evangel Church in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 26. Eighteen players competed in three sections. Thanks to all players who supported the event, including those coming in from out-of-state. Half the prize fund left the state at the end of the day. OPEN: Champion: IM David Ross (Mississippi) with his daughter and winner of the U1200 Talia Buxbaum

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nd place: NM Bryan Tillis

U2000 prize: Roger Johnson U1800: Co-champions: Bill Van Ness and John Laning (Florida)

U1600 prize: Wendell Whitaker U1200: Champion: Talia Buxbaum (Mississippi) 2

nd place: Margen Gadd

U1000 prize: (tie) Arthur Leslie and Warren Phillips Jr. Warren Phillips Jr., of Mobile played in his first USCF tournament. Welcome to the Alabama chess scene.

Future Tournaments at Evangel

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Why I Play Chess Scott Varagona

Austin Goyne and Scott Varagona with their championship trophies from the Huntsville Classic.

Full article:

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/04/checkmate_university_of_montev.html

Why do you play chess? Is it the adrenaline rush of battle? Is it the desire to prove that you’re the best? Or do you simply enjoy chess as an intellectual exercise? Your motive could be any or all of these things. However, for me, I think a major thing that always keeps me coming back for more is that wonderful feeling I get when I play a very nice game. For sure, I have suffered many painful losses in my career, and I’m certain there are many more painful losses yet to come. Still, as long as I’ll always have the potential to play another nice game that I can really be proud of, then the struggle to get there is all worth while. On that note: the following tournament game, my last of 2013, made me very happy indeed. There are many strategic ideas in play here, from working with a space advantage to activating a bad bishop, and finally, a breakthrough sacrifice that ends the game with a bang.

Scott Varagona - Christopher Trees

Magic City Classic (Round 4) December 28, 2013

Chris Trees won the Reserve section of the

2013 Alabama State Championship with a ridiculously impressive 6/6. Not surprisingly, he has since moved on to playing in Open tournaments. Even with his new

rating of 1753 after his solid performance at the Magic City Classic (2.5/4), I think he’s still underrated. Keep on playing, Chris! 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Nc3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 a6

Slav and Semi-Slav systems involving an early ...a6 are getting very popular these days. 7.b3 Bb4 Yes, ...Bb4 is sometimes seen in the Semi-Slav, but personally I feel the bishop belongs on d6 or e7. 8.Bd2 Qe7 9.Be2 0–0 10.0–0 b5?! A natural enough move, but now White can gain space with c4-c5 and Black has lost the option of challenging my c-pawn with ...b7-b6. Also, the bishop on b4 will be cut off and will probably have to be traded, which will give White the two bishops. True, Black plans to play ...e6-e5-e4, taking central space and blocking out my bishops, but I felt that in the long run the bishops would have the final say.

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11.c5 e5 12.a3 Bxc3 Forced. As Chris pointed out after the game, 12...Ba5? 13.Nxd5! is good for White. 13.Bxc3 e4 14.Nd2 Ne8? A crucial misstep. It seems Chris wants to play ...f7-f5 as quickly as possible, but first 14...a5! is essential, in order to keep the queenside closed. Now I have time to open the queenside and White quickly takes the initiative there. 15.a4! Rb8 16.axb5 axb5 17.Ra7 Bb7 18.f3 f5

Black is trying hard to keep the position blocked in order to thwart my bishops. If instead 18...exf3?! 19.Rxf3 f5!? (to stop the further opening of the position by an eventual e3-e4) 20.Bd3 g6, all sorts of weaknesses are starting to appear in Black’s position. 19.fxe4 fxe4 Definitely worth considering was 19...dxe4, so that a Black knight could later come to d5. My intention was, after sufficient preparation, to sacrifice a pawn with d4-d5!? and suddenly my c3-bishop is wide awake. Then Black would always have to worry about an accident happening on g7. Still, I think this line would have been Black’s best chance to get back in the game. 20.Rxf8+ Qxf8 21.Nf1 Ndf6

22.Be1! The bishop is not to be denied! Suddenly Bg3 is threatened, winning material. 22...Bc8 23.Bg3 Rb7 24.Ra6 Bd7 25.Ra8 Bf5 26.Qa2 Qf7 27.Qa6 Qd7 28.Be5 Now White threatens Bxf6 followed by Rxe8+!, winning a piece since ...Qxe8 runs into Qxb7. Thus, Black is provoked into playing the awkward ...Kf7, and soon the time is right for a breakthrough. 28...Kf7 29.Ng3

Incidentally, Houdini found a different plan that is a quiet killer here: White goes h2-h3 to restrain Black’s pieces, then b3-b4 and Nf1-d2-b3-a5! It is impressive to me that chess computers can find such maneuvers now, since they certainly couldn’t when I was a kid. 29...Be6 30.Bxb5! Hull breach! 30...Rxb5

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If Black does nothing, I have Bxc6; if ...cxb5, then c5-c6 simply wins. 31.Ra7 Qxa7? The final mistake: Black could make White’s task a lot harder with 31...Rxb3 32.Rxd7+ Bxd7, when c6 remains protected, Black has some counterplay against e3, and White’s queen still has to find a way in. 32.Qxa7+ Kg6 33.Qe7! A decisive invasion. 33...Bf7 34.Ne2! Bg8 35.Nf4+ Kh6 36.g4! Rxb3 37.h4

There is no escaping the mating net, so Black resigned. 1–0

What a fulfilling game! I truly hope that I will continue to play and to love chess for as long as I may live.

Fall Book Suggestion Bryan Tillis

Silman's Complete Endgame Course by IM Jeremy Silman is the first endgame book every chess player should read. Most endgame texts have a format that is unforgiving and non-explanatory. To the un-initiated, these endgame tombs look like Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Complete Endgame Course is designed to elaborate in detail through a conversational approach emphasizing ideas rather than memorization of raw data.

The text is laid out in a format of need-to-know information. Silman presents chapters in a rating category format. The first chapter: Endgame for Beginners (0-999) covers basic checkmates explained with intricate detail. The text ranges from Beginner to Master (2200-2399). From my experience with students, this book is worth its weight in gold for a player in the 1400 – 1800 USCF range.

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Creativity Lives! Bryan Tillis

http://en.chessbase.com/post/kobalia-and-

volkov-lead-in-ruian-championship

Occasionally a move is played in chess that is unbelievably excellent. In this game Volkov shows that computers are lacking in a single area that he is not, creativity! Sergey Volkov (2623) - B Socko, (2657) Rilton Cup 2013-14 Stockholm, Sweden (7.3), January 3, 2014 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3

Volkov is one of the foremost experts on this ubiquitous Nimzo line. 4...d5

[4...c5 5.d5 b5 6.e4 bxc4 7.Bxc4 Nxd5 8.Bxd5 exd5 9.Qxd5 Nc6 10.Nge2 Ba6 11.Kf2 0-0 12.Rd1; 4...0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne8 7.e4 b6 8.Bd3 Ba6 9.Nh3 Nc6 10.0-0 Na5 11.Qe2 c5 12.e5 f6] 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 0-0 [6...c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.dxc5 Qa5 9.e4 Ne7 10.Be3 0-0 11.Qb3 Qc7 12.Bb5 Nec6] 7.cxd5 exd5 8.e3 Nh5 [8...Bf5 9.Ne2 Re8 10.Ng3 Bg6 11.Bd3 c5 12.0-0 Nc6] 9.Ne2 Re8 10.g4 Qh4+ 11.Kd2 Nf6 12.Qe1 Qh6 13.Nf4 [13.Kd1 Nfd7 14.Qg3 c5 15.Ke1 cxd4 16.cxd4 Nb6 17.Kf2 Qc6 18.Kg1 Bd7 19.Qe1 Qf6 20.Qf2 Nc6 was a previous game of Volkov's in 2011, which ended in a draw.] 13...c5 14.Bd3 b6 15.h4 Nfd7 16.Bg6!!

I love that in this position the engines do not even consider Bg6!! . . . until you suggest it to them. The heartless style of play has not stifled human creativity yet! 16...hxg6 17.g5 Qh7 18.h5 Kf8 19.hxg6 Qg8 20.Qg3 Bb7 [20...f5 21.Rh7 cxd4 22.cxd4 Ke7 23.Nh5 Kd8 24.Nxg7+-] 21.Nxd5 Ne5 22.gxf7 Nxf7 23.Nc7 g6 24.d5 Nd7 25.e4 Nde5 26.Kc2 Rac8 27.Ne6+ Ke7 28.Bf4 Nc4 29.Rh4 Red8 30.a4 Qe8 31.Bc7 Ne3+ 32.Kc1 Rxd5 33.exd5 Bxd5 34.Nf4 Kd7 35.Nxd5 Nxd5 36.Re4 Qh8 37.Be5 Nxe5 38.Rxe5 Nxc3 39.Kd2 Re8 40.Rxe8 Qxe8 41.Re1 Qh8 42.Qg4+ Kd8 43.Qf4 Kc8 44.Qf6 Qh4 45.Qc6+ 1-0

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“The Game of the Century” Bryan Tillis

Cover of Chess Review 1956

Throughout chess history this is one of the most annotated and storied games of chess ever played. A 13-year-old Bobby Fischer defeats an Elite of the United States. This game foretold what was to come in the next decade in chess for the young Fischer. Donald Byrne - Robert James Fischer Rosenwald Tournament, New York, 1956 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 0-0 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4 11.Bg5?

[11.Be2 Nfd7 12.Qa3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 e5 14.dxe5 Qe8 15.Be2 Nxe5 16.0-0 Flear - Morris, 1991, 1-0]

11...Na4!! 12.Qa3 [12.Nxa4 Nxe4 13.Qc1 Qa5+ 14.Nc3 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Nxg5] 12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4 [15.Bxf8 Bxf8 16.Qb3 Nxc3!] 15...Nxc3! 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 Be6!!

18.Bxb6 [18.Bxe6 Qb5+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Qf1+! 22.Rxf1 Ne2#; 18.Qxc3 Qxc5! 19.dxc5 Bxc3 20.Bxe6 Rxe6-+; 18.Bd3 Nb5] 18...Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Nxd4+ 21.Kg1 [21.Rd3 axb6 22.Qc3 Nxf3-+] 21...Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 25.Qxb6 Nxd1-+ 26.h3 Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b5 33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+

37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1 Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2# 0-1

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Tribute to the Legend 6 Bryan Tillis

Tim Bond at the 4

th Fromke Memorial

This Tribute to the Legend is dedicated not only to Tim Bond but also to all the weekend warriors who have continued to make chess tournaments successful. Tim has four decades of competitions under his belt and many more to come. He recently finished the Lanett Open Tournament in Lanett, Alabama, with a perfect score gaining 86 rating points! In the cover story tournament, Tim had another excellent result increasing his rating in two tournaments from 1800 to 1920! The following game exemplifies Mr. Bond’s uncompromising and fighting style as he dismantles a Master in the Grünfeld. Alexander J Chua (2227) - Tim Bond (1943) North American op 25th Stillwater (3), May 26, 2006 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 Ne4

[5...dxc4 6.e4 c5 7.d5 b5 8.e5 b4 9.exf6 exf6

10.Qe2+ Kf8 11.Be3 bxc3 12.Bxc5+ Kg8 13.bxc3 Nd7 14.Be7 Qe8 15.Bb4 Bb7 Brunen - Fogarasi, 1994, 0-1; 5...c5 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.cxd5 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Nb3 a5 10.a4 Qb4 Sakaev - Khalifman, 1997, 1/2-1/2] 6.Qc1 not a critical line for White, the two following lines are considered most critical in Black’s fight for equality [6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.b4 with a minority attack structure much like the Queen’s Gambit Exchange Variation.; 6.Bh4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.e3 b5 9.a4 c6 10.Nd2 a6 Gurevich - Kasimdzhanov, 2011, 0-1] 6...Nxg5 7.Qxg5 c6 8.cxd5 h6 9.Qc1 [9.Qd2 cxd5 10.e3 0-0 11.Rc1 follows Nun - Ftacnik, 1983, 1-0] 9...cxd5 10.Nxd5 Nc6 11.e4 0-0 12.Qc5 Bg4

[12...e6 13.Nc3 Nxd4 14.0-0-0 b6 15.Qa3 e5=/+] 13.Bb5? [13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Bxe5 15.Nxe7+ Kh7 16.Qxe5 Re8 17.f3 Rxe7 18.Qb5 Rc8! with equality] 13...Re8 [13...Bxf3! 14.Bxc6 Bxg2 15.Nxe7+ Kh8 16.Rg1 Bxe4 17.Bxe4 Re8-+] 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Nb4 Bxf3 16.Nxc6 Qd7? [16...Bxd4! 17.Qb5 a6 18.Qb4 Qc7 19.gxf3 Bf6-+] 17.gxf3 Rac8 18.Rc1 Bxd4 19.Qc2 Bf6 20.0-0 Rc7

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[20...Bg5 deflecting the rook simply nets material] 21.Nb8 Rxc2 22.Nxd7 Rxb2 23.Nxf6+ exf6 24.a4 Re7 25.Rc6 Kg7 26.Rfc1 Ra2 27.Ra6 Rd7 28.Kg2 Rdd2 29.Rf1 Rd4 30.Rxa7 Rdxa4 31.Rd7 Re2 32.Rc1

[32.Rdd1 the easiest way to secure the draw is to trade a set of rooks; once this is accomplished create a fortress position with Kg3+h4 32...Ra5 33.Rfe1 Rb2 34.Rb1 Rba2 35.h4 f5 36.Kg3 Re5 37.exf5 Rxf5 38.Re4 Ra3 39.Re3 Raa5 40.Rb4 it is unclear how Black can make progress] 32...Raa2 objectively this position should be drawn, but the master gambles and immediately throws the draw away. 33.Rcc7 Rxf2+ 34.Kg3 g5 35.h4 Rg2+ 36.Kh3 Rh2+ 37.Kg4 Kg6

[37...h5+!! Mate in 4 38.Kf5 Ra5+ 39.Rc5 Rxc5+ 40.Rd5 Rxh4 41.Rxc5 Rf4#] 38.h5+ Rxh5 39.f4 Rh4+ 40.Kg3 Ra3+ 41.Kg2 Rxf4 42.Rxf7 Rxe4 43.Rg7+ Kf5 44.Rh7 Re2+ 45.Kf1 Rb2 46.Rc1 Rh3 47.Kg1 h5 48.Rh6 Rb6 49.Rf1+ Ke5 50.Kg2 g4 51.Ra1 Rb2+ 52.Kg1 f5 53.Ra5+ Kf4 54.Rf6 Kg3 55.Ra3+ Kh4 56.Ra5 Rf3 57.Ra1 Kg3 58.Rh6 Rfb3 59.Rf1 Rb1 60.Rxh5 Rxf1+ 61.Kxf1 f4 62.Ra5 Kf3 63.Ra1 g3 64.Kg1 Rb2 65.Ra3+ Kg4 66.Ra1 f3 67.Rf1 Kh3

[67...g2 68.Rd1 Kg3] 68.Rxf3 Rb1+ 69.Rf1 Rxf1+ 70.Kxf1 Kh2 0-1

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4th Fromke Memorial Steve Cullifer

This past Memorial Day weekend three masters, two experts, five A-class, plus other lower-rated (but no less dangerous) players fought tooth and nail for cash prizes and honor. There was a $500 guaranteed 1st place prize as well as 2nd and 3rd place prizes and 1

st–3rd place U1600 prizes.

Nobody left the tournament unscathed. We saw an early 1st round surprise when Tallahassee’s William Ebaugh (rated 1546) drew with master Toby Boas (rated 2255).

The second round had two more surprises when Ben Silva (1908) drew his game against top seed master Michael Corallo (2263) and Hariharan Sivaji (1898) drew against master Bryan Tillis (2214).

The masters then won each of their 3rd round games, but not all were easy wins. The game between Hariharan Sivaji (playing the black pieces) and Michael Carallo (playing white) was a complicated Najdorf Sicilian. Harry (as we call him at the club) was up an exchange for one pawn. There was a drawing line late in the game, but Harry said he was still going for a win!

Two of the masters drew in their 4th round games and the third master, Bryan Tillis, pulled out a win in a drawn position. Chess masters have vast knowledge, especially in end games. They are able to maneuver and put difficult decisions to less experienced players, giving them an opportunity to make a mistake. That’s exactly what happened in Bryan’s 4th round game against Wendall Whitaker. It came down to a Rook+Pawn vs Rook endgame. After the game, Bryan told me he knew it was a dead draw and that he spent 25 minutes on one position finding the line(s) that would present Wendell with the most opportunities to make a mistake. Wendell did make a mistake and Bryan seized upon the opportunity to win the game. It’s a hard lesson to learn but it is also a lesson that will not easily be forgotten by the defeated player. All games you play are learning opportunities and those that we lose seem to offer the best lessons.

Going into the final round, Bryan Tillis was leading the tournament by half a point at 3.5/4. Michael Corallo, Toby Boas, Jon Sanford, and Daaim Shabazz were all at 3.0/4.0. Bryan Tillis played Michael Corallo, which ended in a draw. Toby Boas was able to win his game against Jon Sanford. Daaim Shabazz won his game against Ben Silva. After the game, Daaim said he felt he was losing at one point, a bad move by Ben Silva allowed him to have a winning advantage.

Final standings overall was a three-way tie for first between Toby Boas, Bryan Tillis, and Daaim Shabazz (4.0/5.0). (Round 4 of the 4th Fromke Memorial below)

Bryan Tillis has now won, either outright or via a tie for first, all four of the Robert L. Froemke memorial tournaments. For those that might be wondering, if we had used tie-breaks to award a “crown” or trophy then Bryan and Toby were tied at the first tie-break (11.5 each using modified median), and Bryan won the second tie-break (13.5 vs 13.0 using the Solkoff).

In the contest for Under-1600 prize money, Dr. Paul Reynolds won 1st U1600 with 3 points. Alan Smith won 2nd U1600 with 2.5 points. In addition, there was a 5-way tie for the 3rd U1600 between William Ebaugh, Bill McTigue, Wendall Whitaker, David Liu, and Brendan Savage.

If you weren’t able to come out and play in the tournament or come by and just observe some of the games, then you missed some exciting chess this weekend. I’d like to thank the players who travelled from out of town as well as the local players who came out to support this annual tournament.

Editors Note:

Each year I compete in various tournaments in the Southeast. The Fromke Memorial Tournament is hands down the best event putting to shame the tournaments of Alabama. Accommodations to players include: online entry with up-to-date list of participants well in advance, free entry to Masters, a guaranteed first place of $500, excellent playing conditions, walking distance from hotels, and the tournament director Steve Cullifer is constantly putting out refreshments for the players (mixed nuts, beverages and an assortment of amenities). The Tallahassee club definitely has the right combination for a successful event.

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Left (in hat), Wendell Whitaker playing Bryan Tillis

Wendell Whitaker (1410) – Bryan Tillis (2217) 4th Fromke Memorial, May 25, 2014 28...Rxa3 29.Kg2 g6

[29...g5 30.Rb5 f6 31.Rb7 a5 32.bxa5 Rxa5 securing my king to the back rank seems unappealing] 30.b5 now that b5 has been played I can better fix the pawn structure with 30...g5 31.b6 axb6 32.Rxb6 Kg7 33.f3 Kg6 34.Rb8 f5 35.Rg8+ Kf6 36.gxf5 exf5 37.Rf8+ Ke5 38.Rb8 Ra2+ 39.Kg3 f4+ 40.Kg4 [40.Kh3 Rf2 41.Rb5+ Kd4 42.Rxg5 Ke3 43.Ra5 Kxf3 44.Ra3+ Ke2 45.Kg4=] 30.b5 now that b5 has been played I can better fix the pawn structure with 30...g5 31.b6 axb6 32.Rxb6 Kg7 33.f3 Kg6 34.Rb8 f5 35.Rg8+ Kf6 36.gxf5 exf5 37.Rf8+ Ke5 38.Rb8 Ra2+ 39.Kg3 f4+ 40.Kg4 [40.Kh3 Rf2 41.Rb5+ Kd4 42.Rxg5 Ke3 43.Ra5 Kxf3 44.Ra3+ Ke2 45.Kg4=] 40...Rg2+ 41.Kh5 Rg3 42.Rb5+ Kd4 43.Rxg5 Ke3 [43...Rxg5+? 44.Kxg5 Ke3?? 45.Kg4 trebuchet! now Black loses!!]

44.Rb5 Kxf3 45.Kh4 Good move taking away h3 as a hiding place for my king, now in this dead drawn position I used about 25min trying to figure out how I could make my opponent go wrong 45...Rg4+ 46.Kh3 Rg1 47.Rb3+ Ke4 48.Kh2? [48.Rb4+ Kf5 49.Rb5+ Kg6 50.Rb6+ Kh5 51.Rb5+ Rg5 52.Rxg5+ Kxg5 53.Kh2 Kh4 54.Kg2 Kg4 55.Kf2 f3 56.Kf1 Kg3 57.Kg1 f2+ 58.Kf1 Kf3] 48...Rg8 [48...Re1 49.Rc3 Re3 50.Rc2 Kf3 51.Kh3 Re2 52.Rc3+ Re3 with a Phillidor position] 49.Rh3?

[49.Kh3 Rd8 50.Kg4 Rg8+ 51.Kh3 f3 52.Rb4+ Ke3 53.Kh2 f2 54.Rb3+ Ke2 55.Rb2+ Ke3 56.Rb3+ Kf4 57.Rb4+ White will continue to check Black and with no hiding place, it is a draw] 49...f3 50.Rg3?? [50.Rh4+ Ke3 51.Ra4 f2 52.Ra3+ Kf4 53.Ra4+= again Black can never be shielded from checks] 50...Rxg3 51.Kxg3 Ke3 0-1

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Scholastic Success Eric Nager & Paul Nager

Editors Note: It is always great when an article comes in that is truly interesting. This is probably a first for the Antics and may be unique in the history of Alabama chess: two brothers coached teams that won a share of the Open Section in the 2014 Scholastic Team Championships at Montevallo in March.

A big thank you needs to be given to Chief Tournament Director Gerald Larson and congratulations to the winners!

K-12 Championship Winners

Left to right: Stephen Adams, Jonathan Rasberry, Varun Yaramasetti, Vikhram Balagee

K-8 Championship Winners

Left to right: Arden Marken, Samson Sands, Logan Mercer, Cesar Juarez Jr, Prateek Mishra

Left is Eric Nager of Bayside Academy in Daphne, and Right is Paul Nager of UMS-Wright in Mobile.

Bayside Academy Chess Team

Left to right: Keegan Cort, Steve Chen, Trent Kannegieter, Phillip Dobbins, and Coach Eric Nager.

UMS-Wright Bulldog Chess Team

Left to right: Ben Maples, Jordan Pitts, Alex White, Christian Springer, Nicholas Neese, and Coach Paul Nager

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Chess Clubs Around The State

Huntsville Chess Club Mondays 6–10pm at the UAH Student Center; Fridays 5:30–8:30pm at the Brahan Springs Recreation Center http://www.logicalchess.com/hcc/

Decatur Parks & Recreation Chess Club Thursdays 7–9pm at the Fort Decatur Recreation Center Contact: Keith Andrews (randrews@decatur-al.gov or 256-260-3696) Birmingham Chess Club Tuesdays 7-10pm, Room #458 Campbell Hall, 1300 University Boulevard Contact: James King (205-420-0822 or jamesking_05@yahoo.com) Magic City Chess U Saturdays 10am–noon at the Central Branch of the Birmingham Public Library Contact: Michele Morris (magiccitychessu@yahoo.com or 205-862-0113) ChessKidsNation Sundays 1:30–6pm at the Hoover Recreation Center. Contact: Balagee Govindan (205-421-1523)

Freedom Chess Academy Tuscaloosa, visit their website for its extensive schedule Contact: Neil Dietsch (president@freedonchessacademy.org) http://www.freedomchessacademy.org/

Evangel Chess Club Sundays from 5-7p.m, at Evangel Church, 3975 Vaughn Road, Montgomery Contact: Doug Strout (dtstrout@bellsouth.net)

Dothan Chess Club Tuesdays 5:30-9pm at The Atlanta Bread Company, 3070 Ross Clark Circle Contact: Tim Owens (slicksloth@centurytel.net) http://dothanchessclub.blogspot.com/

Upcoming Tournaments See www.alabamachess.com calendar for details!

August 9 Chris Bond Memorial, Montgomery, Alabama

September 13 Evangel Hexagonal, Montgomery, Alabama

September 26–28 Alabama State Championship, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

October 25 Halloween Classic, Birmingham, Alabama

November 1–2 East Alabama Open, Lanett, Alabama