'08 Markowski Rd 2

2008 Alina Markowski Open      Rd 2       1/09/2008

This is the 2008 Club Championship Qualifier, consisting of 7 rounds, with two 1/2 point byes available (last round byes must be requested before the 2nd round and are irrevocable). Entry Fee is $25, plus $60 for 2008 annual dues. Time control is 40/90, SD/60 with 5 second delay. 

72 Players registered so far

Lots of upsets this round, lots of good games...notes by Chuck Ensey...

Board 1  Bruce Baker (1) - Ed Baluran (1)  0-1

Bruce sacrificed some pawns for the initiative, but couldn't make much progress against stout defense by the Balladeer. It looked somewhat drawish in the Rook and pawn endgame to me, but Ed was able to make his extra pawn and active Rook count in the end.

Bd 2  Mario Amodeo (1) - Carl Wagner (1)  0-1

Carl has a nice article in the latest Chess Life magazine on the Senior Open in Europe, where the famous American player Jude Acers actually played in a real event and did well. Jude is known for playing blitz games against all comers for $5 a game outside the Gazebo restaurant in New Orleans, but he rarely plays in tournaments. And why should he?.. Some people estimate he makes well over $100,000 a year playing tourists!! He is a fun guy and I have spent plenty of my own money trying to beat him to no avail. My best chance was the very first game when he wasn't paying as much attention and I nearly got a draw, but of course I blundered in the end in an easily drawn position.    

Bd 3  Ron Bruno (1) - Tom Fries (1)  1/2-1/2

I thought Ron was going to win this Rook ending with his outside passed pawn, but somehow Tom equalized.

Bd 4  Ron Soto (1) - Todd Smith (1)  0-1

This game was over faster than some of the others, so I didn't see any of it. I was busy on my own board where Bob Samuel was giving me fits!

Bd 5  David Hart  (1) - Thirunathan Sutharsan (1)  0-1

T. Sutharsan has always been dangerous and he pulled off a big upset.  He's Baaaack...

 

Bd 6  Nate Plapp (1) - Dimitry Kishinevsky (1)  0-1

This game seemed to go on forever, with small intricate maneuvers. It looked fairly equal to me, but somehow Dimitry squeezed out a win in the Queen ending with just a few pawns on each side.

Bd 7  George Zeigler (1) - Richard Jensen (1)  1/2-1/2

Another upset, Rich can match wits with just about anyone, and like George, is an original thinker with his own ideas about how to play chess.  

 

Bd 8  Bob Defore (1) - Ignacio Sainz (1)  1/2-1/2

This was The Longest Game of the Night by far, and according to both players, there were wins to be had, but minor inaccuracies by both sides kept the point from being scored. With less than five minutes on each clock, Bob Queened a pawn, but Ignacio was also about to Queen one, so when Bob offerred the draw, Ignacio accepted.  

Bd 10  Carey Milton (1) - Jason Qu (1)  0-1

Jason scores one for the kids! That is, the "younger generation" to be more politically correct...But beating Carey is an impressive accomplishment for a player of any age...Getting a won game may not be so hard, I've done that dozens of times, but actually winning it against the Great Swindler is another matter...I think I have only one of two wins against Carey versus hundreds of losses. Even when I am up a piece or more, it just doesn't seem to matter...  

Bd 11  Jim Humphrey (1) - Jerry Soelberg (1)  1-0

 

Bd 12  Joel Batchelor (1) - Eric Montany (1)  0-1

This game drew a lot of attention from the spectators and appeared to be a real battle and a gem of a game...

Bd 13  Mariano Lozano (1) - Ron Rezendes (1)  1-0

Bd 14  Arash Nahavandi (1/2) - Fawsi Jose Murra (1/2)  1-0

 

Bd 15  Brad Salz (1/2) - Fausto Robles (1/2)  1-0

A somewhat tricky ending with Fausto's Knight against Brad's Bishop. I thought Fausto could draw, but he had isolated pawns and Brad assured me that it was a win for the Bishop all along. He says in jest that I don't know squat about endings if I thought that was a draw, but I think he has a good point there... I need some tutoring by Ruben Fine or Pal Benko!...

Bd 16  Esteban Escobedo (1/2) - James Mahooti  (1/2)  1-0

Bd 17 Roxas Acosta  (1/2) - Alfredo Deleon (1/2)  0-1

 

Bd 18  Lennart Mathe (1/2) - William Murray (1/2)  1-0

Wow, this was a heck of a game. Lennart dropped a Rook, but was able to fight back. There was a very intersting Rook and pawn ending where Lennart bluffed his way to the win, it should have been drawn. William put up a very good fight for a Class C Player, but it is always tough to close out a win against a player rated several hundred points higher... 

Bd 19  Dayne Freitag (1/2) - Morgan Fox (1/2)  1-0

Bd 20  Rocio Murra (0) - Vincent Broman (0)  0-1

Bd 21  Pejman Sagart (0) - David Hall (0)  1-0

Bd 22  Karen Kaufman (0) - Damani Fair (0)  0-1

Bd 23  Robert Draper (0) - Steven Perry (0)  0-1

Bob claims he was winning this one, but blundered it away. How many times have I heard that one?

Bd 24  Bob Samuel (0) - Chuck Ensey (0)  1/2-1/2

Oh my, this one was crazy. I quickly won two pawns, but got my Knight trapped in the process. I had good counterplay with two connected passers, but totally blundered when trying to avoid perpetual check, and lost all my good pawns. I was about to resign, but played on a few moves just out of interia, when suddenly I was able to attack with my King (?!!) and win back the Knight, well sort of. It was pinned and could not move, in a weird position with Queens still on the board, so Bob offerred me the draw and I gladly took it. Fritz says he missed a mate in 7 at one earlier point, and acutally it was a one move crusher that would have won my Queen (d5+!!), but I didn't see it either. In fact I thought that move was good for me, that's how bad I was playing... But I did snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat. It was like a "Hail Mary" pass in football or a bluff in poker where a nothing hand (squadouche) beats a full house...   

Bd 25  Fred Borges (0) - Carlos Herrera (0) 1F-0F

I don't know what happened to Carlos, he didn't call in. If anyone knows, please email me. I can't pair him next week unless I hear from him... 

Bd 26  Mark Lawless (0) - Kimberly Ogden (0)  1-0

Oops, this was the first game over after Kim lost his Queen unceremoniously...

Bd 27  Shaun Sweitzer (0) - Tom Kuhn (0)  1-0

Bd 28  Michael Ryan (0) - Erik Marquis (0)  1-0

The upsets just kept coming. I don't think we have ever had so many this early in the Markowski. White seemed to win a lot of them...

Bd 29  Hector Gonzalez (0) - Alan Zade (0)  1-0

Bd 30  Patrick Edwards (0) - Robert Henderson (0)  0-1

Bd 9  Anthony Harbone (0) - Monica Ness (0)  1-0

Bd 31  Keith Wetterer (0) - Ryan Nichols (0)  0-1

Bd 32  Julian Rodriguez (0) - Brian Hatton (0)  1-0

Bd 33  Pete Lill (0) - Arnold Berlin (1/2)  0-1    Pete was a house player, Arnold was a late entry...

Bd 34  Fawsi Murra Jr (0) - Nikolay Arutyunov (0)  1-0  house game

Byes: Marty Lower, Roberto Aiello, Reno Tyrell, David Delgadillo, Alejandro Garamendi, Manuel Herrera, Buddy Morris