Tysons gets a new club

There’s a new club in town. Set in the heart of Tysons Corner, the yet-to-be-officially-named club holds its next gathering Thursday evening. Club co-founder Charles Thrasher says the club plans to host rated rapid tournaments and other events.

Hoping to attract new enthusiasts to the game, the club is offering, for a limited time, discounted memberships in the U.S. Chess Federation and will hold rated beginner tournaments.

The club tentatively plans to meet every other Thursday evening in the second-floor conference rooms of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. in Tysons Corner. The address is Hamilton Building, Room 2032, 8283 Greensboro Drive, McLean. For more information, contact Mr. Thrasher at 703/917-2235.

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Staying on the local beat, we note that there were two Maryland players battling it out for top honors at last month’s Erich Marchand Open, a strong annual Swiss tournament held in Rochester, N.Y. Rockville junior master John Rouleau, atop the leader board with a 4-0 score, faced off against Baltimore GM Alex Wojtkiewicz, a half-point back at 31/2-1/2, in the fifth and final round.

After a long struggle, Rouleau managed to hold off his higher-rated opponent, drawing the encounter and finishing in a tie for first with Estonian GM Jaan Ehlvest, who won his last-round game over New York expert Walter Buehl.

Thanks to Maryland master Denis Strenzwilk for passing along some color from the event as well as the pivotal last-round game.

Rouleau’s task here is one of the hardest in chess: Hold serve with Black against an experienced, wily grandmaster, with serious prize money at stake. Play too aggressively against your higher-rated opponent, and you are likely to get tripped up in the tactics; play for the draw, and you’re just as likely to be punished for your passivity.

Rouleau passes the first test after 10. f4 Nh6 11. Qb3, when the timid 11…b6? 12. Bf3 Rc8 13. Qa4+ Kf8 14. Qxa7 loses a pawn. Instead, on 11…0-0! 12. Qxb7 Rb8 13. Qxa7 Rxb2 14. Bxb2 Bxb2 15. Nd2 Bxa1 16. Rxa1 Qf6, Black recovers his pawn with a solid position. Wojtkiewicz tries to make something of his outside passed pawn but can never cash in.

More challenging might have been 27. Nb5!? Rc2 28. Nxc7 Rxc4 29. Rd1, but it appears Black can force a draw now with 29…Kf8! (Nd3?! 30. Nd5 is unpleasant, while 29…Rc2 30. Rxd6 Nce4? 31. Rd8+ Kg7 32. Ne8+ Nxe8 33. Bxe4 only helps White) 30. Rxd6 Nce4 31. Bxe4 Nxe4 32. Rd7 Nf6 33. Rd6 Ne4. Rouleau’s 30. Rb8 Ng8! is a well-timed repositioning of the knight, and Black always has just enough defensive resources to keep his c-pawn from falling without compensation.

After 44. hxg4 Re4, 45. Bxc6 would make no headway on 45…Rc4 46. Re6 Rxc5 47. Be4 Rc7. In the final position, taking the h-pawn leads to a dead draw on 52. Kxh4 Rd5 53. Rxd5 Nxd5 54. Bxc6 Nxf4. The two players made peace.

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Having eaten our spinach with a long, tough draw, it’s time for a little pre-Easter dessert with a short, sharp miniature. Today’s second game won the brilliancy prize at a British national tournament in Scotland in 1984, capped by a stunning queen sacrifice.

The Smith-Morra Gambit (2. d4 cxd4 3. c3) inspires cultlike devotion from adherents, and Black players who accept the offering had better come well-prepared.

Black’s idea to neglect castling in favor of queen-side play with 9. Rd1 b5? is not a good plan in this opening, and by 11. Bf4 Qc7 12. Rac1, he’s already in uncomfortable circumstances. If 12…Rc8, a familiar Sicilian motif arises with 13. Nd5! exd5 14. exd5 Qb6 15. dxc6 Rxc6 16. Rxc6 Bxc6 17. Rxd6 Qb7 18. Ng5 Nh6 19. Rxh6! gxh6 20. Nxf7, threatening 21. Nxh8 and 21. Nd6+, winning the queen.

But the game’s 12…e5? doesn’t do the job, either, after 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. Be3 Rc8 15. a4! (the real idea here is to open c4 for the White queen) b4 16. Qc4!, with heavy pressure.

Not even a discovered attack on his queen can slow down White now: 16…Nd4 17. Nc7+ Kd7 (see diagram; taking his lumps with 17…Rxc7 doesn’t save Black — 18. Qxf7+ Kd7 19. Nxd4 Rxc1 [exd4 20. Be6 mate] 20. Rxc1 Qa5 21. Be6+ Kd8 22. Nc6+ Bxc6 23. Rxc6 Qc7 24. Bb6 Qxb6 25. Rc8 mate) 18. Qe6+!!, thrusting the queen into the heart of Black’s game on a square defended by a pawn, knight and king.

The shot is instantly decisive as 18…fxe6 (reversing the order of capture with 18…Nxe6 makes no difference) 19. Bxe6+! Nxe6 20. Nxe5 is mate; Black resigned.

26th annual Erich Marchand Open, Rochester, N.Y., March 2004

Wojtkiewicz Rouleau

1. Nf3 d6 27. Nb3 Nxb3

2. d4 Bg4 28. axb3 Rb2

3. c4 Nd7 29. Ra8+ Kg7

4. d5 Bxf3 30. Rb8 Ng8

5. exf3 g6 31. Rb7 Kf6

6. Be2 Bg7 32. g4 h6

7. 0-0 Nc5 33. b4 Ne7

8. Re1 e5 34. Bd7 c6

9. dxe6 Nxe6 35. Rb6 Ke5

10. f4 Nh6 36. Be8 f5

11. Qb3 0-0 37. Rb7 Kf6

12. Qxb7 Rb8 38. Rd7 Rxb4

13. Qxa7 Rxb2 39. Rxd6+ Ke5

14. Bxb2 Bxb2 40. Rd7 Ke6

15. Nd2 Bxa1 41. c5 fxg4

16. Rxa1 Qf6 42. Rd6+ Kf5

17. Rd1 Qxf4 43. Bd7+ Kg5

18. Nf3 Qe4 44. hxg4 Re4

19. Bd3 Qc6 45. Kg2 h5

20. Qe3 Ng4 46. gxh5 gxh5

21. Qe4 Qxe4 47. Kg3 h4+

22. Bxe4 Nc5 48. Kh3 Re5

23. Bc6 Rb8 49. Rd4 Rxc5

24. h3 Nf6 50. f4+ Kf6

25. Nd4 Rb2 51. Rd6+ Kg7

26. Ra1 Rd2 Draw agreed

Great Britain National Tournament, Aberdeen, Scotland, 1984

Oliver Bennett

1. e4 c5 10. Bb3 Bb7

2. d4 cxd4 11. Bf4 Qc7

3. c3 dxc3 12. Rac1 e5

4. Nxc3 Nc6 13. Nd5 Qd8

5. Nf3 e6 14. Be3 Rc8

6. Bc4 d6 15. a4 b4

7. 0-0 Be7 16. Qc4 Nd4

8. Qe2 a6 17. Nc7+ Kd7

9. Rd1 b5 18. Qe6+ Black

resigns

David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washingtontimes.com.