Philadelphia Inventors - Round 3 Recap

The Philadelphia Inventors faced a surprising team, the Seattle Sluggers.   On USCL round 2, the Sluggers has just demolished the strong San Francisco Mechanics 3.5 – 0.5 and were ready to continue their momentum.  However, this optimistic scenario was a not in the cards for the Sluggers.  

The Inventors lineup included IM Tom Bartell, FM Dov Gorman, FM Rodion Rubenchik and the talented youngster NM Josh Camen.  All four games displayed uncompromising chess and after a tough battle, Philly won 2.5 – 1.5 and a temporary first place in the tough East division.

                                                       

Seattle Sluggers			Philadelphia Inventors
GM Emil Anka: 2497	0.0	1.0	IM Tom Bartell: 2448
FM Costin Cozianu: 2466	0.0	1.0	FM Dov Gorman: 2400
FM Tian Sang: 2325	0.5	0.5	FM Rodion Rubenchik: 2329
NM Samuel He: 2207	1.0	0.0	NM Angel Hernandez-Camen: 2231
Average Rating: 2374			Average Rating: 2352
Seattle Total	1.5	2.5	Philadelphia Total

Following are recaps of the games:

Anka,Emil (2497) - Bartell,Tom (2448) [B19]

USCL Week 3 Internet Chess Club, 09.09.2014

 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Bb4+ 12.c3 Be7 13.0–0–0 Ngf6 14.Qe2 Nd5 15.Bd2 b5 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Qb6 18.f4 0–0–0 19.Ne4 Rd7 20.Kb1 Rhd8 21.Rc1 Kb8 22.c4 bxc4 23.Qxc4 Rb7 24.Rc2 Nb4 25.Bxb4 Rd4 26.Bd6+ Bxd6 27.Qe2 Ba3 28.Nc3 Rb4 29.Nd1 Rxf4 30.Rh3 Be7 31.Rhc3 c5 32.Qd2 Rf1 33.a3 a5 34.Ka2 a4 35.Qe2 Rh1 36.Rc1 Qc6 37.Ka1 Rg1 38.Qf2 Qxg2 39.Qxf7 Rxd1  0–1

The game started as a Classical variation of the Caro Kann.   GM Anka used an uncommon plan starting with 14. Q-e2.  The position seems roughly equal when White played 22 c4 which looks like a double-edge sword as it opened lines against the White king.  After 27… B-a3 Black was already better and won a pawn on move 29.  

  

The White king was still in danger (36. N-e3 Q-b3+ mates), and a few moves later the game was over.   Excellent effort by IM Bartell.

 

Gorman,Dov (2400) - Cozianu,Costin (2466) [A10]

USCL Week 3 Internet Chess Club, 09.09.2014

1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.Nf3 e5 4.d4 exd4 5.Bg5 f6 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qe3+ Nge7 8.Bh6 0–0 9.Bxg7 Kxg7 10.0–0–0 d6 11.h4 Qe8 12.Nb5 Qf7 13.Qc3 Bg4 14.Ng5 Qg8 15.f3 Ne5 16.Ne4 Bd7 17.Na3 Bc6 18.Nf2 Qe6 19.e4 Nd7 20.Nc2 Nc5 21.Nd4 Qf7 22.h5 g5 23.h6+ Kh8 24.Ng4 Bd7 25.Ne3 a5 26.g3 g4 27.Bg2 gxf3 28.Bxf3 Ng6 29.Nd5 Bc6 30.Rdf1 Ne5 31.Bh5 Qg8 32.Qc2 Bxd5 33.exd5 Qxg3 34.Ne6 Rg8 35.Kb1 Ncd7 36.Be2 Rac8 37.Ng7 c6 38.Nf5 Qg2 39.Ne7 cxd5 40.Nxc8 Rd8 41.Rfg1 1–0

This complex game started as rare line in the English opening and White played energetically the opening following previous games until move 11.   White position should be preferred as the Black king is somewhat exposed and weakened.   However, Black found several dynamic defensive resources to get counter-play.   16. fxg4 fxg5 16,e4 was a clear plus for white.  In the next few moves White’s play was timid and Black improved his position.   After 19… N-d7 Black started a dubious plan.   31. B-h5? allowed Black new options.     

However, after the regrouping 36. B-e2 followed by the strong knight maneuver N-g7-f5-e7, Black was lost.  R-d8 is clearly a mouse slip, but the position is already inferior.

Sang,Tian (2325) - Rubenchik,Rodion (2329) [C12]

USCL Week 3 Internet Chess Club, 09.09.2014

 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Bd3 Nxd2 9.Qxd2 c5 10.Nf3 Qa5 11.0–0 0–0 12.Rab1 Nd7 13.dxc5 Qxc5 14.Rb4 f5 15.c4 Nb6 16.Rb5 Qc7 17.cxd5 Nxd5 18.c4 Ne7 19.Rfb1 Rd8 20.Qe3 b6 21.Be2 Ba6 22.R5b3 Rac8 23.Ra3 Bxc4 24.Bxc4 Qxc4 25.Rxa7 Nd5 26.Qa3 b5 27.h4 b4 28.Qa5 Qg4 29.Qa6 Nf4 30.Ne1 Ne2+ 31.Kf1 Nc3 32.Rc1 Qxh4 33.Qxe6+ Kh8 34.Nf3 Qe4 35.Re1 Qd3+ 36.Kg1 Ne2+ 37.Rxe2 Qxe2 38.Rxg7 Kxg7 39.Qf6+ Kh7 40.Qxf5+ Kg7 41.Qf6+ Kh7 42.Qf7+ Kh8 43.Qf6+ Kh7 44.Qf7+ Kh8 ½–½

Rodion as Black, played the McCutcheon variation of the French.   White chose a unambitious line of 8.B-d3 and Black could have an opening advantage. Following a liquidation of the central pawns, White had some pressure.  In the next few moves Black was able to centralize his heavy artillery and control key squares. White’s 27. h4 led to fatal weakness of the king’s position and Black had a winning position.  

30… R-c3 with the idea of R-h3 and N-e2+ would seal White’s fate.   However, Rodion started to lose the thread of the position and White escaped with a perpetual.  

Hernandez-Camen,Angel (2231) - He,Samuel (2207) [D12]

USCL Week 3 Internet Chess Club, 09.09.2014

 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 d5 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Qb3 Qc7 8.Nxg6 hxg6 9.g3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Nbd7 11.Bd2 Be7 12.Be2 0–0 13.0–0 e5 14.Rac1 Rad8 15.Rfd1 exd4 16.exd4 Qb6 17.Qc4 Rfe8 18.Be3 Qb4 19.d5 Ne5 20.Qxb4 Bxb4 21.dxc6 Nxc6 22.Bf3 Bxc3 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Rxc3 Nd5 25.Bxd5 Rxd5 26.Kg2 f6 27.Rb3 Rd7 28.a3 Kf7 29.Rc3 a6 30.b4 g5 31.g4 Ne5 32.h3 b5 33.Rc8 Nc4 34.Rc6 Rd6 35.Rxd6 Nxd6 36.Kf3 Ke6 37.Ke2 Nc4 38.Bc1 Kd5 39.Kd3 Ne5+ 40.Ke3 Kc4 41.Ke4 Kb3 42.f3 Nc4 43.f4 gxf4 44.Bxf4 Kxa3 45.Kf5 Kxb4 46.Kg6 a5 47.Kxg7 a4 48.Bc1 Kb3 49.h4 Kc2 50.h5 Kxc1 51.h6 a3 52.h7 a2 53.h8Q a1Q 54.Qh1+ Kb2 55.Qd5 Qa6 56.Qd4+ Kc2 57.Qe4+ Kc3 58.Qe1+ Kd4 59.Qf2+ Kd5 60.Qf3+ Kc5 61.Qf5+ Kd4 62.Qf4+ Kd3 63.Qf1+ Ke4 64.Qb1+ Kf4 65.Qf5+ Kg3 66.Qd3+ Kxg4 67.Qe4+ Kg3 68.Qd3+ Kf2 69.Qd4+ Ke2 70.Qg4+ Kd3 71.Qf3+ Ne3 0–1

Josh Camen had the White pieces on Board 4 and faced Samuel He who adopted the Slav, an opening Josh is fairly familiar with. Black was the first to deviate from opening lines, allowing White to get a slight advantage. Josh played well in the middlegame, although maybe Qc4 wasn't the best, and White could have been a more accurate by taking the queen on b4 right away with complications. White achieved a clearly better endgame with the bishop pair vs. two knights.  However, White allowed an exchange of one bishop after 24. Rxc3, which reduced his advantage.   In the ensuing R+B vs. R+N endgame, Josh started to lose the thread and after an unfortunate exchange of the rooks, Black won the endgame.