Tis_Your_Move_Chess

Dearly departed FIDE Master / USCF Senior Master John Curdo had coined the term “Chess Caviar” and had even had published a book series under that title. A fine work of “Chess Caviar” is any game that is less than or 25 moves in duration. Because quick wins make for a short round and a gladdened heart! Today’s game features Peter Svidler blundering badly against Alexie Shirov (The man Kasparov dodged back in 1997) who immediately punishes the opening error. We all lose games that could be classified as “Chess Caviar” - even top talents such as GM Svidler have had bad days. But don’t feel too too badly for Peter as he has been the Russian National Champion on several occasions as well as having been a candidate for the top honor in all of chess: the World Championship. He’s a very entertaining commentator as well! Enjoy today’s short game which is the very epitome of “Chess Caviar”. ~ S

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES MONDAY 07102023 Tactics from one of my games… For your viewing pleasure I share some tactics and discuss one of my recent games in the BIRD’S OPENING. Played against Pranav online this was an enjoyable contest. Enjoy the video and feel free to leave any commentaries that you care to in the comments section. Stay healthy and be well ~ S

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For MONDAY July 3rd of 2023. The tactics of Ruben Koellner! Tactical Spotlight on Ruben Koellner playing in the Sportland NRW Cup in Dortmund Germany. Three puzzles from two games… enjoy’em! Featured Puzzles/Games: Hussain Besou versus Ruben Gideon Koellner, Black to play and CRUSH! Sportland NRW Cup Dortmund 2023. Puzzle one. Ruben Gideon Koellner verses Georgios Souleidis, 1-0 Sportland NRW CUP Dortmund 2023. Puzzles two and three… HAPPY 4th of JULY to my fellow citizens of the United States of America! No more jabs, no more lockdowns and nevermore the 5th columnist power grabs!!!!

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES: Upsets for USA Americans abroad and at play: Spotlight on Americans Gata Kamsky and Ray Robson! Ray Robson is playing in the Prague Grandmaster event while Gata Kamsky has put in an appearance in the Dortmund “A” Open. After two rounds Gata has scored one and half out of two after being “tricked” into a drawn endgame. Or what I like to call being given the old cheapo! Gata Kamsky is one of my favorite players - after his amazing run in the dual candidates cycles for the PCA and FIDE. It was a surreal run, that ended in alternate universe endings where in one cycle Kamsky triumphed while in the other, an exhausted Gata - who arrived immediately after competing in another event - had to face Anand in the finals and lost that match. But what historical stories from those years 1994 to 1996! Ray Robson had a significant win against former title challenger Boris Gelfand in Prague. But his loss was also instructive so, with due apologies to GM Ray Robson, we review his instructive loss this time out. Next time we will look at Robson triumphant! Both of our Games today are in the Ruy Lopez Opening! So without further ado: Enjoy! ~ S. GAMES: Deac vs Robson; Prague 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bf4 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. c3 d5 14. Nd2 Bf5 15. Qe3 c6 16. Re1 h6 17. h3 Bg5 18. g4 Bg6 19. Bxg5 hxg5 20. Nf3 f6 21. h4 gxh4 22. Nxh4 Be4 23. f3 Bh7 24. Bd3 Bxd3 25. Qxd3 Rc8 26. Qf5 Nd6 27. Qe6+ Nf7 28. Ng6 Rb8 29. Kg2 Qd6 30. Qf5 Nh6 31. Qh5 a5 32. f4 Kh7 33. f5 Kg8 34. Re6 Qc7 35. Ne7+ Kf8 36. g5 Ng8 37. Qh8 Resigns 1-0 Kamsky vs Coenen, Dortmund Open “A” 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3 d6 9. a3 Re8 ECO: C88 Which means this is the Closed Ruy Lopez: Anti-Marshall System 10. h3 h6 11. Nc3 Bf8 12. Bd2 Be6 13. Bxe6 Rxe6 14. Nd5 Ne7 A previous game went: ( 14... Re8 15. c4 Nxd5 16. cxd5 Ne7 17. Qb3 c6 18. dxc6 Nxc6 19. Rec1 Qb6 20. a4 Rab8 21. axb5 axb5 1-0 Schwabeneder,F (2435)-Rodriguez Polo,M (2176) Davos Challenge op 2022 (3) ) If you have a database like Chessbase you should use it to look up these lines to help you learn the opening. Chessgames.com is an online option - among many. Some free some pay to play. 15. c4 c6 16. Nxf6+ Rxf6 17. Rc1 Qd7 18. b4 Ng6 19. Nh2 d5 ( 19... Re6 is superior. ) 20. Qg4 Qa7 21. Nf3 bxc4 ( 21. c5 ) 22. dxc4 Nf4 23. Bxf4 Rxf4 24. Qg3 Rxe4 25. Rxe4 dxe4 26. Nxe5 c5 27. Rd1 Qb8 28. Nd7 Qxg3 The position is equal. 29. fxg3 cxb4 30. Nxf8 Kxf8 31. axb4 Rb8 32. Rb1 Rc8 33. c5 Rb8 34. Kf2 Rb5 35. Ke3 f5 36. g4 g6 37. gxf5 gxf5 38. Rf1 Rxb4 39. Rxf5+ Kg7 40. Rd5 Rc4 41. Rd7+ Kf6 42. Rd6+ Kg5 43. c6 h5 44. g3 h4 45. g4 a5 46. Rd5+ Kg6 47. Rxa5 Rxc6 48. Ra3 Kg5 49. Kxe4 Re6+ 50. Kf3 Rf6+ 51. Kg2 Rb6 52. Kf3 Rb5 53. Rd3 Ra5 54. Ke4 Ra4+ 55. Rd4 Ra3 56. Rd5+ Kg6 57. Rd3 Ra4+ 58. Kd5 Kg5 59. Rf3 Rxg4 60. hxg4 Kxg4 61. Ke4 h3 62. Rf8 h2 63. Rh8 Kg3 64. Ke3 Kg2 65. Rg8+ Kf1 66. Rh8 Kg2 1/2-1/2 Draw.

It’s magic, it’s tragic, it’s a loss, it’s a win… Addictive. Super competitive. And I am happily afflicted! In today’s game we see Oregon’s very own IM Aaron Grabinsky play a wonderful game at the 16th edition of the Teplice Open. We look forward to presenting more of Aaron’s games here in the future as well! But for now enjoy this particular work of art and have fun with the chess puzzles as well! ~ S

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For MONDAY June 19th of 2023: PLAY TO WIN: WATCH OUT FOR BACKWARDS KNIGHT MOVES! Our featured game today is Svane, Frederik 2603 versus Romanov, Evgeny 2555 16th Teplica Open 2023. Three puzzles and a chess movie today! Link to organizer’s website HERE: https://www.tepliceopen.com Enjoy the game and tactics! ~ S.

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For SUNDAY June 18th of 2023: ROUND ONE SWISS OPEN CRUSH LESSONS Part 2! The International man of epic chessic controversies is playing in the National Open and he too scored an impressive round one win, giving an outstanding chess lesson. I am of course referring to GM Hans Niemann, the subject of the recent chess scandal involving Magnus Carlsen which led to the withdrawal of the then World Champion from the St Louis Super GM tournament where the two were playing. But enough about that already! Let’s enjoy this game and learn a thing or two about attacking chess. [Event "Round 1: Avi Harrison Kaplan - Hans Niemann"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/HvkHsA5n/8PYxGM1G"] [White "Avi Harrison Kaplan"] [Black "Hans Niemann"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackTitle "GM"] [UTCDate "2023.06.15"] [UTCTime "09:23:31"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "E20"] [Opening "Nimzo-Indian Defense"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Arihol"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. e3 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 c5 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 c4 11. Bc2 Bg4 12. Qb1 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Nc6 14. a4 Re8 15. b4 cxb3 16. Qxb3 Rc8 17. O-O Qd7 18. Kg2 Ne7 19. Rfc1 Ng6 20. Bxg6 hxg6 21. Bd2 Nh7 22. h4 g5 23. hxg5 Nxg5 24. Rh1 Qf5 25. Qd1 Rc2 26. e4 dxe4 27. f4 e3 28. Qh5 Qd5+ 0-1

Swiss Open Chess Tournaments: Staple of American Chess events! Here is a game from the current edition of the National Open… a sweet Grandmaster crush in round one! Every round one is an opportunity for a player with less experience to learn from those titled players who have so many lessons to offer. Of course even an upset can occur where the “student” teaches a master. That’s not the case in today’s game where the lower rated player gets a free chess lesson, and so do we my dear viewer! Enjoy! Game given down below, enjoy ~ S. [Event "Round 1: Mikhail Antipov - Arsal Gardezi"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/HvkHsA5n/aK5Zxy9g"] [White "Mikhail Antipov"] [Black "Arsal Gardezi"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteTitle "GM"] [UTCDate "2023.06.15"] [UTCTime "09:23:31"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D30"] [Opening "Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Arihol"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Bd6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 h6 10. O-O O-O 11. Bc2 e5 12. c5 Bc7 13. Re1 exd4 14. Qxd4 Nf6 15. Qh4 Bg4 16. Bxh6 Bh5 17. Bg5 Bg6 18. Bxg6 fxg6 19. Rad1 Qc8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Re7 Rf7 22. Qc4 1-0 LINKS: https://www.vegaschessfestival.com/live/games/ https://lichess.org/broadcast/us-national-open-2023/round-1/HvkHsA5n

A view to a kill… Exciting chess quite often follows in the wake of FIDE Master Nick Raptis’s passing. With a passion for chess and a combative style and cool nerves under time pressure Nick’s games are tailer made for exciting tactical finishes. Like for example his game against Wilson Gibbons from the 2023 edition of the Oregon Closed Chess Championship! Game given below: [Event "Oregon Closed"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.02.19"] [Round "4"] [White "Gibbins, Wilson"] [Black "Raptis, Nick"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "PostM"] [UTCDate "2023.02.25"] [UTCTime "05:09:27"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D32"] [Opening "Tarrasch Defense: Symmetrical Variation"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bb5 Bd6 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 Bg4 11. Bb2 a6 12. Be2 Rc8 13. Rc1 Be7 14. Nd4 Bd7 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Qd4 Bd6 17. Bf3 Re8 18. Rfd1 Be5 19. Qd2 Qd6 20. g3 Qe6 21. Bg2 h5 22. Rc2 h4 23. Ne2 Bxb2 24. Rxb2 Qe5 25. Qd4 hxg3 26. hxg3 Qf5 27. Qf4 Qh5 28. Bf3 Qg6 29. Nd4 Bd7 30. Kg2 Bg4 31. Bxg4 Nxg4 32. Rbd2 Nf6 33. Qf5 Qxf5 34. Nxf5 Rc6 35. Nd4 Rc5 36. Rc2 Rxc2 37. Nxc2 Rc8 38. Nd4 Kf8 39. f3 Ke7 40. Kf2 Kd6 41. Ke2 Rh8 42. Kd3 g6 43. Rc1 Rh2 44. Rc2 Rh1 45. g4 Nd7 46. Rc8 Ne5+ 47. Kd2 Rh2+ 48. Kc3 Rxa2 49. Rb8 b5 50. g5 Nd7 51. Ra8 Kc5 52. Rc8+ Kd6 53. Ra8 Kc5 54. Rc8+ Kb6 55. Rd8 Kc7 56. Ra8 Nc5 57. Rf8 Kb6 58. Rb8+ Nb7 59. Rf8 Nd6 60. Rb8+ Kc7 61. Ra8 a5 62. Ra7+ Nb7 63. Ra6 b4+ 64. Kd3 Nc5# 0-1

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES THURSDAY June 15th of 2023: Fighting Chess! Today’s game features talented players Jason Cigan and Zoey Tang. A fighting game for the good of all chess fans! Zoey Tang came out on top… and ended up winning enough points in this event to take first place! Congratulations to our OREGON CLOSED CHESS CHAMPION for 2023 - well done Zoey Tang! Game given in full down below. Enjoy! ~ S. [Event "2023 Oregon Closed: Rd. 4 Cigan - Tang, Z."] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/G5tJPNFF/XSpqnTmk"] [Result "0-1"] [UTCDate "2023.02.22"] [UTCTime "05:00:57"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D17"] [Opening "Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Carlsbad Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/JackFromLost"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Rd8 11. Qc1 Bd6 12. Nxd6+ Qxd6 13. Bg2 O-O 14. O-O Qe6 15. Qe3 Ng6 16. Qxe6 Bxe6 17. Be3 a5 18. Bg5 Ne5 19. Ne4 Ned7 20. Rfd1 h6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nc5 Bc8 23. Kf1 Rfe8 24. Nb3 Bg4 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Nxa5 Rd2 27. Nxb7 Bxe2+ 28. Kg1 Rxb2 29. Bxc6 Ng4 30. a5 Nxf2 31. a6 Nh3+ 32. Kh1 Nf2+ 33. Kg2 Bg4 34. Bb5 Nd3+ 35. Kg1 Ne5 36. Be2 Rxe2 37. a7 Nf3+ 38. Kf1 Nxh2+ 39. Kg1 Nf3+ 40. Kf1 Rd2 41. a8=Q+ Kh7 0-1 My thanks to David Murray for cataloging the games from this event - a fine service rendered for all chess fans! Please do visit his lichess page and subscribe. ~ S.

Chess has that “IT” factor. And what is “IT”? Talent? A solid work ethic? A sense of artistry? Obsession or Dedication? Is “IT” time spent in study and time spent fighting for every single rating point out in the competitive battlefield that is tournament chess? Try “ALL OF THE ABOVE”! Enjoy today’s game as played by FIDE MASTER Nick Raptis and Master Matt Zavortink from this year’s edition of the OREGON CLOSED CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP. A strong event won by young Zoey Tang!!! Games forthcoming… but for now do enjoy Matt Zavortink’s fine win versus Oregon chess legend Nick Raptis as given down below. Stay healthy and be free! ~ S [Event "2023 Oregon Closed: Rd. 7 Raptis - Zavortink"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/G5tJPNFF/emPF2jo0"] [Result "0-1"] [UTCDate "2023.02.22"][UTCTime "04:41:50"] [ECO "E92"][Opening "King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Gligoric-Taimanov System"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/JackFromLost"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d4 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 Ng4 8. Bg5 f6 9. Bh4 Nc6 10. d5 Ne7 11. Nd2 f5 12. Bxg4 fxg4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Be3 b6 15. b4 g5 16. Nb3 Ng6 17. g3 Rf3 18. Qc2 Ba6 19. a4 Nf4 20. gxf4 gxf4 21. Nd2 Rh3 22. Nf1 Bxc4 23. Bd2 Bd3 24. Qa2 Qh4 25. Rg1 Rf3 26. Nd1 Rf8 27. Rc1 g3 28. hxg3 fxg3 29. Rxg3 Qh1 0-1. White resigned.

Chess isn’t always Black and White… And that is half of the fun! Winning a tactical slugfest or scoring an undeserved win by “cheapo” are two of the biggest thrills most amateurs get out of chess. Even a “Professional” loves the thrill of winning. And so today we look at a game from super tournament New York 1924 where Frank Marshall goes toe to toe with fellow tactician Bogoljubow. Enjoy the fireworks! Game given down below. Stay well and be well! ~ S [Event "New York 1924"] [Date "1924.??.??"][Round "?"] [White "Marshall"][Black "Bogoljubow"] [Result "1-0"] [Opening "Queen's pawn: Torre attack"] [ECO "A46"][NIC "QP.04"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 Nbd7 5. c4 c6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Nc3 Qa5 8. Bd3 Ne4 9. Qc2 Nxg5 10. Nxg5 h6 11. Nf3 Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. a3 Qd8 14. Rae1 a5 15. Qe2 Nf6 16. Ne5 Bd6 17. f4 c5 18. Bb1 Bd7 19. Qc2 Bc6 20. dxc5 Bxc5 21. Kh1 Re8 22. e4 Bd4 23. Nxc6 bxc6 24. e5 Ng4 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. g3 Qb6 27. Bf5 Nf2+ 28. Rxf2 Bxf2 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qxg7 Kd8 31. Qf6+ Re7 32. e6 Bd4 33. exf7 Bxf6 34. f8=Q+ Kc7 35. Rxe7+ Bxe7 36. Qxa8 Kd6 37. Qh8 Qd8 38. Qe5+ Kc5 39. Na4+ Kc4 40. Qc3+ Kb5 41. Bd3+ Kxa4 42. Qc2# {White wins} 1-0

Classics - enjoyable games that still have much to say about chess! In the Baden-Baden tournament of 1870 52 year old Adolf Anderssen scored an impressive tournament victory. Putting his first place prize at risk he even dared to play a risky exchange sacrifice in the final round… and came out on top. Probably more impressive and enjoyable for Anderssen was his shellacking of Steinitz in their two meetings from this event, the second game of which is our game of focus today. I hope you enjoy the four puzzles and this fantastic game from which they are taken. Game given in full down below - S [Event "Baden-Baden 1870"] [Date "1870.??.??"] [White "Steinitz"][Black "Anderssen"] [Result "0-1"][Opening "Vienna game"] [ECO "C25"][NIC "VG.04"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3. f4 d6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bc4 c6 6. fxe5 dxe5 7. Qe2 Nbd7 8. d3 b5 9. Bb3 a5 10. a3 Qb6 11. Nd1 a4 12. Ba2 O-O 13. Ne3 Ba6 14. Nf5 b4 15. axb4 Qxb4+ 16. c3 Qa5 17. Ng5 Rad8 18. Qf3 Qb6 19. Bb1 a3 20. b4 Bxb4 21. cxb4 Qxb4+ 22. Ke2 a2 23. Bd2 Qb5 24. Rxa2 Nc5 25. Rxa6 Qxa6 26. Bb4 Rb8 27. Bxc5 Rb2+ 28. Ke3 Qa5 29. Rd1 Qxc5+ 30. d4 exd4+ 31. Kf4 h6 32. Nh3 Re8 33. Qd3 g5+ 34. Kf3 g4+ 35. Kg3 Rxe4 36. Qf1 Qe5+ 37. Kh4 gxh3+ 38. Kxh3 Rb3+ 39. g3 Rf4 40. Nxh6+ Kf8 41. Qc4 Rh4+ 42. Kg2 Rxh2+ 43. Kxh2 Qxg3+ 44. Kh1 Qh3+ 45. Kg1 Rg3+ {Black wins} 0-1

Gukesh - Top Notch Top Level Indian Grandmaster! Gukesh had a fine showing at Norway Chess, taking third place wherein he had to showcase his brand of fighting chess. For a fine example of this please review his game winning effort with the white pieces from round 8 against Aryan Tari. Game given down below: GAME: D Gukesh versus Aryan Tari 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. c3 b6 7. h4 c5 8. Ne5 Nbd7 9. Be2 h5 10. Nc6 Qe8 11. b4 Ng4 12. O-O e5 13. Bg3 Qe6 14. b5 Bb7 15. c4 Bxc6 16. bxc6 Ndf6 17. e4 Nxe4 18. cxd5 Qxd5 19. Nxe4 Qxe4 20. d5 Nf6 21. Bf3 Qf5 22. d6 e4 23. Be2 Nd5 24. Rc1 Nb4 25. c7 Bd4 26. Qa4 a6 27. d7 b5 28. Bxb5 axb5 29. Qxa8 Qxd7 ( 29... Rxa8 30. d8=Q+ Rxd8 31. cxd8=Q+ ) 30. Qxe4 Nxa2 31. Rce1 Bf6 32. Rd1 Bd4 33. Qc2 Qe6 34. Rfe1 Qc4 35. Qxc4 bxc4 36. Bd6 Rc8 37. Bxc5 Resigns 1-0 (Bxc5 38. Rd8+ Rxd8 ( 38... Kg7 39. Rxc8 Bd6 40. Ra8 Bxc7 41. Rxa2 ) 39. cxd8=Q+) Thanks for tuning in, have a good one and see you next time!

Naka Wins All… First place at NORWAY CHESS with a standings come from behind win against Fabiano Caruana - who had been leading the event for the first 8 rounds - AND 2nd place in the live chess rankings! Congratulations to Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura! Looking forward to more winning chess from both American Grandmasters Caruana and Naka… TODAY’S GAME: Winner Takes all! GM Nakamura, Hikaru versus GM Caruana, Fabiano 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Nd5 9. Nf3 Bd6 10. O-O Nf4 11. Nc3 Nxd3 12. cxd3 O-O 13. b3 Re8 14. Re1 c5 15. Ba3 Nc6 16. Ne4 Bf8 17. Rc1 f5 18. Nxc5 Qd5 19. Qc2 Rd8 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Rxc4 Rd5 22. Rec1 Bd6 23. Bb2 Ne7 24. R4c2 Rb8 25. d4 exd4 26. Nxd4 a5 27. Nf3 h6 28. Na4 Ba6 29. Nc3 Rc5 30. Ba3 Rc6 31. Bxd6 Rxd6 32. Na4 Nd5 33. Rc6 Rxc6 34. Rxc6 Nb4 35. Rd6 Bb7 36. Nc3 Re8 37. h4 f4 38. Rd4 Rf8 39. Ne5 Re8 40. Nc4 f3 41. gxf3 Bxf3 42. Kh2 Nc2 43. Rd3 Ba8 44. Kg3 Kh7 45. Ne3 Nb4 46. Rd6 Nc6 47. Ncd5 Rf8 48. Nc7 Bb7 49. Ne6 Rf7 50. f4 Ba8 51. h5 Ra7 ( 51... Nb4 52. Rd8 Be4 53. Nf8+ Rxf8 ( 53... Kg8 54. Ng6+ Kh7 55. Rh8# ) 54. Rxf8 ) 52. a3 Kg8 53. f5 Re7 (53... Kf7 54. Rxc6 Bxc6 55. Nd8+ Kf6 56. Nxc6 Ra8 57. Kf4 a4 58. Ne5 axb3 59. Nd5# ) 54. Kf4 Ra7 55. d4 Resigns 1-0 ( 55... Ne7 56. Rd8+ Kh7 ( 56... Kf7 57. Rf8# ) 57. Nf8+ Kg8 58. Ng6+ Kf7 59. Rf8# ) (55. d4 Re7 56. d5 Na7 57. Rd8+ Kf7 58. Rf8#) Thanks for watching, stay well and be well and see you later on down the timeline! ~ S

Tie-Break Games at Norway Chess: Sick and tired of letting some tie-break system that doesn’t allow you to play against your opponents decide your fate? Norway Chess 2023 has a very unique format as it has for several years now. Wins are worth three points, a draw leads to an Armageddon game after which the winner gets 1.5 points and the loser 1 point. Final round tomorrow - Friday the 9th of June. https://theweekinchess.com or the organizer’s site at: https://norwaychess.no GAMES: Caruana, Fabiano vs So, Wesley 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. e3 O-O 9. Bd3 Re8 10. Nf3 Nbd7 11. O-O Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Rae1 Ndf6 14. Ne5 Bf5 15. f3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bxd3 17. Nxd3 Qd6 18. Re2 Re7 19. Rfe1 Rae8 20. c4 b6 21. c5 Qc7 22. a4 Re6 23. Qc3 g5 24. Nb4 Rc8 25. Rc1 Qe7 26. Qd2 Nd7 27. cxb6 Nxb6 28. e4 dxe4 29. a5 e3 30. Qe1 Qd7 31. axb6 axb6 32. d5 cxd5 33. Rxc8+ Qxc8 34. Nxd5 b5 35. Nxe3 Qc5 36. Kf1 b4 37. Nd1 Qb5 38. Qd2 b3 39. Ke1 Qb6 40. Rxe6 Qg1+ 41. Ke2 Qxg2+ 42. Nf2 fxe6 43. h3 Qg3 44. Qd8+ Kf7 45. Qd7+ Kf8 46. Qxe6 Qb8 47. Qf6+ Kg8 48. Qg6+ Kf8 49. Qxh6+ Kf7 50. Qh7+ Ke6 51. Qg6+ Kd7 52. Qf7+ Kc6 53. Qc4+ Kd7 54. Qd5+ Ke7 55. Qxg5+ Ke6 56. Qg6+ Kd5 57. Qe4+ Kc5 58. Nd3+ 1-0 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar vs Carlsen, Magnus 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. g3 Bxc3 4. bxc3 d6 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. a4 Nge7 7. d3 Be6 8. a5 Qd7 9. f4 O-O 10. a6 b6 11. Qa4 Rad8 12. fxe5 Nxe5 13. Qxd7 Bxd7 14. Nh3 Bc6 15. O-O Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rfe8 17. Ra2 d5 18. cxd5 Nxd5 19. c4 Nb4 20. Ra4 c5 21. Nf4 Nec6 22. Kf2 Nd4 23. Be3 Rxe3 24. Kxe3 g5 25. Nd5 Re8+ 26. Kf2 Rxe2+ 27. Kg1 Nxd3 28. Raa1 g4 29. Nf4 Nxf4 30. Rxf4 f5 31. Rf2 Re4 32. Rb2 Kf7 33. Kf2 Nc6 34. Rd1 Ke6 35. Re2 Rxe2+ 36. Kxe2 Nb4 37. Ra1 Ke5 38. Kd2 Kd4 39. Rf1 Kxc4 40. Rxf5 Kb3 41. Rf7 c4 42. Rxa7 c3+ 43. Ke2 Kb2 44. Rc7 Nxa6 45. Rc6 b5 46. Rxa6 c2 0-1 ~ Enjoy S

THURSDAY: Puzzles from Norway SUPER GM Tournament! Every single game a fight at Norway chess! Round 8 is today… Fabiano Caruana versus Wesley So. I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to this and all of today’s games very much. For all the details please visit: https://norwaychess.no/en/ and Mark Crowther’s TWIC at https://theweekinchess.com/ There are several different live videos covering this event such as ChessGames.com so if you have some time then please do “check” out the Norway Chess event. GAMES: Hikaru Nakamura vs Aryan Tari 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bb3 d6 6. h3 O-O 7. Nf3 a5 8. O-O Nbd7 9. a3 b5 10. Ba2 a4 11. Nh4 Ba7 12. Qf3 Nc5 13. Nf5 Bxf5 14. Qxf5 Re8 15. Bd2 Ne6 16. Ne2 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Rae1 Qd6 19. Qg4 Rad8 20. Ng3 Nd4 21. Bg5 Rb8 22. Be3 Qg6 23. c3 Nxe3 24. fxe3 Nb3 25. Ne4 Qxg4 26. hxg4 c5 27. Bxb3 axb3 28. c4 Red8 29. Rd1 Rd7 30. Kf2 h5 31. gxh5 f5 32. Nc3 b4 33. Nb5 f4 34. axb4 Bb6 35. exf4 cxb4+ 36. Kf3 exf4 37. d4 Rbd8 38. Rd3 Rc8 39. Rc1 Rd5 40. c5 Rg5 41. Nd6 Rc6 42. cxb6 1-0 Wesley So vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Qf6 7. Bg5 Qg6 8. Nbd2 Be7 9. Bf4 Nf6 10. Bb5 Bd6 11. Bg3 Bxg3 12. hxg3 O-O 13. Rc1 Ng4 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Qa4 Qh6 16. Rxc6 Bd7 17. Rxh6 Bxa4 18. Rh5 Nf6 19. Ra5 Bc2 20. e5 Ne4 21. Rc1 Nxd2 22. Rxc2 Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 f6 24. Rxc7 Rf7 25. Rxf7 Kxf7 26. exf6 Rd8 27. Kf1 d3 28. Ke1 1-0 Have a good one folks ~ S

WEDNESDAY: Caruana still leads Super GM with 2 rounds to go. Caruana remains in the lead in the Stavanger Norway SuperGM tournament… after his lose in round 5 he bounced back Tuesday with a win versus Nodirbek Abdusarrorov in a very complex battle - see today’s game and he managed to draw his game on Wednesday versus young Indian Super Star Super GM Gukesh. Round 8 is on Thursday and Fabiano Caruana has the White Pieces versus fellow American player Wesley So. Abdusattorov, Nodirbek versus Caruana, Fabiano Round 6 Win!!! (Drew in round 7 versus Gukesh!) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Nbd2 Be6 8. Nb3 b6 9. Ng5 Bg4 10. f3 Bh5 11. Kh1 Nd7 12. Nh3 f6 13. Be3 Qe7 14. Nd2 Nc5 15. Nc4 Ne6 16. Ng1 g5 17. Ne2 Bf7 18. Qe1 h5 19. Nxd6+ cxd6 20. a4 h4 21. a5 b5 22. h3 a6 23. d4 c5 24. c3 Kf8 25. Rd1 Kg7 26. Qf2 Rac8 27. Rd2 Qc7 28. Ra1 Rhd8 29. b4 cxd4 30. cxd4 Qe7 31. Rad1 Rh8 32. Qe1 Rc4 33. dxe5 dxe5 34. Rd6 Rd8 35. Rxd8 Nxd8 36. g3 hxg3 37. Nxg3 Be6 38. Qd2 Nf7 39. Bc5 Qe8 40. h4 Qh8 41. h5 Qh7 42. Kg2 Qh6 43. Kf2 g4 44. Be3 Qh8 45. fxg4 Qc8 46. Bc5 Bxg4 47. Rf1 Bh3 48. Rg1 Kh7 49. h6 Qg4 50. Nf5 Qxe4 51. Rg7+ Kh8 52. Ne3 Nxh6 53. Nxc4 Kxg7 54. Bf8+ Kxf8 55. Qxh6+ Kg8 56. Ne3 Bf5 57. Qh5 Bg6 58. Qh3 f5 59. Qh6 Kf7 60. Qh8 Qd4 61. Ke2 f4 62. Ng4 f3+ 0-1

SOCP June 6th of 2023: Congrats to GM Aravindh the winner of the 23rd Dubai Open 2023! After a four way tie for first place it was Chithambaram Vr Aravindh who took first on tie-breaks over Arjun Erigaisi, Maxim Matlakov and Javokhir Sindarov all of whom scored 6.5 points out of a possible 9 rounds, a score of +4. Amazing chess events all around the world these post Covid-1984 days. Game given below: Sanal, Vahap vs Aravindh, Chithambraram VR. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Na5 7. d4 Nxb3 8. axb3 f6 9. c4 b4 10. d5 Ne7 11. Ne1 c5 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 Ng6 14. Nd3 Be7 15. Nd2 O-O 16. Nf3 Re8 17. Qd2 Bf8 18. Rae1 a5 19. h4 Nh8 20. Bg3 Nf7 21. Re2 a4 22. bxa4 Rxa4 23. b3 Ra3 24. Qc2 Bg4 25. Nf2 Bh5 26. Nh3 Bg4 27. Nf2 Bh5 28. Rfe1 Qd7 29. Nd3 Rea8 30. Nc1 Ne5 31. Bxe5 fxe5 32. Rf2 Be7 33. Qd3 Qg4 34. Ref1 h6 35. Qe3 Bg6 36. Re2 Rf8 37. Rfe1 Rf4 38. Qd3 Ra1 39. Re3 Bxh4 40. Nxh4 Qxh4 41. g3 Qg5 42. Kh2 Rf2+ 43. Kg1 Rb2 44. Qd1 Bxe4 0-1 Enjoy ~ S

Hype Train derailment in Norway! In Sunday’s round five game between Fabiano Caruana and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov it was Shak that came out the victor. Out of the opening Fabi seemed to have a dream position with multiple roads leading to the Black King but after some inexact moves Shak grabbed some material, held on and exchanged down into a winning attack that would net further material gains as they entered the endgame. It was at this time that GM Caruana threw in the towel and resigned. Game given in full down below! Enjoy ~ S Today’s Featured Game: Fabiano Caruana versus Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Rd 5 Norway Super GM 06042023 Sunday 
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qf3 d5 9. Be2 d4 10. Qxe4 dxc3 11. O-O O-O 12. a3 cxb2 13. Bxb2 Bc5 14. Bd3 g6 15. e6 Qe7 16. Rfe1 a5 17. Qf4 f6 18. Be4 Ra6 19. Rad1 Rd6 20. Rxd6 Bxd6 21. Qh4 c6 22. Bd3 Bxa3 23. Bxa3 Qxa3 24. Qg3 Re8 25. Bxg6 Rxe6 26. Bd3+ Kh8 27. Rd1 Qd6 28. Qf3 Qe7 29. Bf1 Re5 30. h4 Be6 31. Rd4 Re1 32. Qc3 Bg8 33. Qd2 Qe5 34. Rd8 Qa1 35. Qd3 Qb1 36. Rxg8+ Kxg8 37. Qd8+ Kg7 38. Qc7+ Kg6 39. Qg3+ Kf5 40. Qh3+ Ke5 41. Qg3+ Ke6 42. Qg8+ Kd7 43. Qf7+ Kc8 44. Kh2 Qe4 45. Qg8+ Kc7 46. Kg1 Qd3 47. Qf7+ Kb6 48. White Resigns 0-1

Sometimes you’re the bat and sometimes you’re the ball… In chess there is the competitive high of victory and no victory is sweeter than when you trick your opponent and win from a strategically or tactically lost game position. But if you aren’t careful… it can happen to you as well! In which case there is always the next game! Enjoy today’s Puzzle and Chess Movie/brief verbally annotated chess game. Have a good one ~ S

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For SATURDAY June 3rd of 2023: Caruana crushes in first 4 rounds of Norwegian Stavanger GM Super-tournament! Three wins and a draw have made Super GM and former World Championship challenger Fabiano Caruana the man to beat after the first four rounds out of nine at Stavanger! Can Fabi stay fabulous over the course of the next five rounds? Tune in to find out by visiting either: Mark Crowther’s TWIC at theweekinchess.com The organizer’s website at: norwaychess.no Today’s featured game given down below: Alireza Firouzja vs Fabiano Caruana 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qb6 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. Ncb5 Qxa2 12. Rd1 Rb8 13. Nc7+ Kd8 14. Ncb5 Nc5 15. Bd3 Nxd3+ 16. Qxd3 Bd7 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18. exd6 Qc4 19. Qd2 f6 20. Nxc6+ bxc6 21. Qa5+ Ke8 22. Qxa7 Rb2 23. Qa8+ Kf7 24. Qxh8 Qxc2 25. Bd2 Qe4+ 26. Kf1 Qd3+ 27. Ke1 c5 28. h4 Bb5 29. Kf2 Rxd2+ 30. Rxd2 Qxd2+ 31. Kg3 Qe3+ 32. Kh2 Qxf4+ 33. Kg1 Qd4+ 34. Kh2 Qxh4+ 35. Kg1 Qd4+ 36. Kh2 Qe5+ 37. Kg1 Qxd6 38. Rxh7 Qf8 0-1 Enjoy ~ S

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For Friday, June 2nd of 2023: American/Italian Grandmaster Caruana shares lead early on at Stavanger Norway Super Tournament. Featured game from which our two easy puzzles were derived from down below. More positions from Stavanger Norway Super tournament forthcoming! Have a great Friday and an even better weekend! ~ S Abdusattorov, N vs Firouzja, Alireza 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 Bd6 7. b3 b6 8. Bb2 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Rad1 Qe7 12. Rfe1 Rad8 13. h3 h6 14. Bf1 Ba3 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Bxa3 Qxa3 17. Rb1 a5 18. Bd3 Qe7 19. Qb2 Ne4 20. Rbc1 Ng5 21. Nxg5 Qxg5 22. Na4 Re6 23. Qe2 c5 24. dxc5 d4 25. Qg4 Qe7 26. Bf5 Nf6 27. Qe2 Re5 28. c6 Bxc6 29. Rxc6 dxe3 30. Kf1 Rxf5 31. Qxe3 Qd7 32. Rcc1 Re8 33. Qxb6 Ne4 34. Rcd1 Nxf2 35. Rxe8+ Qxe8 36. Qxf2 ( 36. Rd8 Nxh3+ 37. Qf2 Rxf2# ) 36... Qb5+ 37. Kg1 Rxf2 38. Kxf2 Qf5+ 39. Ke3 Qg5+ 40. Kf2 Qf4+ 41. Kg1 Qe3+ 42. Kf1 f5 43. Nb2 Qc3 44. Nc4 a4 45. Re1 axb3 46. axb3 Qxb3 47. Ne5 g5 48. Nf3 Kg7 49. Kf2 Kf6 50. g4 Qb6+ 51. Kg3 Qd6+ 52. Kf2 fxg4 53. hxg4 Qf4 54. Rh1 Kg7 55. Rg1 h5 56. Kg2 hxg4 57. Ne1 g3 58. Rf1 Qe3 59. Kh3 Qf2 0-1

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For THURSDAY, June 1st of 2023: The 113th US OPEN - A Trip Down Memory Lane! A nice game that I played back in 2012… A win against National Master Thomas Brownscombe. Three puzzles and a whole lot more for you to enjoy in today’s presentation. Game score given down below. Tobin, Sean vs FM Brownscombe, Thomas (2151) 113th US Open, Vancouver WA USA 2012 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. Nbd2 Nf6 6. Bg2 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. Re1 O-O 9. c3 b6 10. e5 Ng4 11. d4 h5 12. Nf1 cxd4 13. cxd4 Ba6 14. h3 Nh6 15. Bg5 Qd7 16. Qd2 Nf5 17. g4 hxg4 18. hxg4 Nfe7 19. Bf6 Rfc8 20. Ng3 Kf8 21. Ng5 Bxf6 22. Nh7+ Kg7 23. Nxf6 Qd8 24. Bf3 Ng8 25. Qg5 Nxf6 26. exf6+ Kf8 27. Kg2 Ke8 28. Bxd5 Bb7 29. Kg1 Rc7 30. Rad1 Rd7 31. Rxe6+ fxe6 32. Qxg6+ Rf7 33. Qg8+ Rf8 34. Bxc6+ Qd7 35. Qxe6+ 1-0 Thanks for watching - see you next time ~ S

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For Wednesday, May 31st of 2023 NORWAY BLITZ TOURNAMENT: Congratulations to GM Abdusattorov! With the Super Tournament Stavanger Norway kicking off featuring players such as Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Gukesh D and Aryan Tari we have a lot of great chess to look anticipate. The Norway Chess Tournament 2023 Stavanger which is the 11th edition of this event, will be one of the strongest event of 2023. To kick off the event they held a separate Blitz tournament which was won by Nodirbek Abdusattorov. A name we will be surely seeing a lot more of in the future. SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES For WEDNESDAY, May 31st of 2023: NORWAY BLITZ WINNER Nodirbek Abdusattorov Event Website at: https://norwaychess.no Today’s Tactics taken from but three of the games played in this fine event. Enjoy them! Gukesh vs Caruana Norway Blitz 2023 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O e5 5. e4 d6 6. c3 Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bg4 9. d5 Nd4 10. Be3 Nxf3+ 11. Bxf3 Bh3 12. Bg2 Qd7 13. Nd2 h5 14. f3 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 h4 16. Rh1 O-O 17. Qb3 Nh7 18. Rhc1 f5 19. exf5 Qxf5 20. Rc7 Bg5 21. Rf1 Rac8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Ne4 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Nf6 25. Nxd6 Rc2+ 26. Rf2 Rxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Ng4+ and White Resigned 0-1 Because: 28. Ke2 Nxe3 29. Nxf5 Nxf5 Leaving Black a Piece Up. Aryan Tari vs Anish Giri 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. h3 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 a5 11. b3 Nd7 12. Be3 Bg5 13. Rad1 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Nc5 15. Bc4 Qe7 16. Rd2 Be6 17. Bxe6 Nxe6 18. Ne2 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 Qc7 20. Ng3 g6 21. Qh6 Rd7 22. h4 Qd8 23. h5 Qh4 24. Rxd6 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Nf4 26. Rd2 a4 27. b4 Rd8 28. hxg6 Ne2+ 29. Nxe2 Qxh6 30. Rxd8+ Kg7 31. gxf7 Kxf7 32. a3 Qe6 33. Rd3 Qa2 34. f3 Qxc2 35. Re3 c5 36. bxc5 Qxc5 37. Kf2 Qd6 38. g4 Kg7 39. Ng3 Qd2+ 40. Ne2 Kg6 41. Rc3 Qd6 42. Kg3 Qb6 43. Rd3 Qb2 44. Nc3 Qxa3 45. Kh3 h5 46. gxh5+ Kxh5 47. Kg3 Qb3 48. f4 a3 49. Rf3 a2 50. Nxa2 Qg8+ 51. Kf2 Qxa2+ 52. Kg3 Qg8+ 53. Kf2 exf4 54. Rxf4 Qb3 55. Ke2 Kg5 56. Rf5+ Kg4 57. Kf2 Qd3 58. Rd5 Qxe4 59. Rd2 Kf4 60. Re2 Qd4+ 61. Ke1 Kf3 62. Re8 Qb4+ White Resigned 0-1 Because: 63. Kf1 ( 63. Kd1 Qa4+ ) 63... Qb5+ 64. Re2 ( 64. Kg1 Qb1+ 65. Kh2 Qc2+ 66. Kh3 ( 66. Kh1 Qg2# ) 66... Qg2+ 67. Kh4 Qg4# ) 64... Qxe2+ 65. Kg1 Qg2# Anish Giri vs D Gukesh 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 Nf6 8. O-O-O Ne5 9. Qg3 b5 10. f4 Neg4 11. Bd2 b4 12. Na4 h5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. h3 Nh6 15. Qe1 h4 16. Kb1 Rb8 17. Rf1 Be7 18. g4 hxg3 19. Qxg3 Nxe4 20. Qxg7 Bf6 21. Qg1 Rg8 22. Qe3 Rg3 23. Nf3 Nf5 24. Qe1 Rxf3 25. Rxf3 Nxd2+ 26. Rxd2 Bxf3 27. Bxf5 Bc3 28. Bd3 Qxf4 0-1 White Resigned