Pacific Southwest Open, day 2

With all schedules merged, GM Melikset Khachiyan leads the field with 4-0. A surprising 2nd is young master Yian Liou with 3.5, who will face Khachiyan in round 5. In the Amateur section, Alfred Ong leads with 4-0, followed by Brian Glover and Michael Chaney (who took byes in the last two rounds) on 3.5. In the one-day Scholastics, Karl Tolentino scored 5-0 in the Open, and Brian Santoso topped the Reserve with 4.5. Click here for standings, or here for round 5 pairings,

Pacific Southwest Open, day 1

The 3-day schedule of the 50th Annual Pacific Southwest Open is under way with 56 players. Another 30 or so are expected to join the 2-schedule tomorrow, including (probably) top-rated GM Melikset Khachiyan, Standings will be posted here, and pairings (as time permits) here.

Cheston Gunawan - IM Tim Taylor

[C58] Two Knights Defense

Pacific Southwest Open, round 1

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Bc5 9.0–0 0–0 10.Nc3 Bb6 11.Be2 Nd5 12.d3 Nb7 13.Bf3 h6 14.Nge4 f5 15.Ng3 Be6 16.Re1 Bc7 17.Nf1 Qf6 18.Qe2 Rae8 19.g3 Nc5 20.Bg2 e4 21.Nxd5 cxd5 22.d4 Nd7 23.c3 f4 24.Bxf4 Bxf4 25.gxf4 Qh4 26.Ne3 Rxf4 27.f3 Nf6 28.Rf1 Qg5 29.Kh1 Rh4 30.f4 Qg3 31.Kg1 Qxh2+ 32.Kf2 Ng4+ 33.Nxg4 Rxg4 34.Rg1 Qg3+ 35.Kf1 Rxf4+ 0–1

USCF Election: Vote we must if vote we can

By this time most members should have received ballots for the USCF special election, wrapped around the June Chess Life. The election is to choose two Board members to fil out the remaining year of ousted EB members Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. Three people are running. Two of them are worth voting for.

Mike Nietman is a long-time organizer from Wisconsin. I don't know him well, but those who do speak highly of him. He is best know as a scholastic person, which is not a plus in my book, but not disqualifying either. He impressed me last year in Indianapolis by trying to wrest control of the U.S. Open from the iron grip of the USCF office and return it to the local organizers where it belongs. Recommended.

Gary Walters is a successful attorney, a strong and active postal player, and a fairly active OTB player (Class A) when his schedule permits. He has an excellent chess blog, which to his credit has only rarely mentioned the campaign. During the Polgar upleasantness, his comments on the USCF Forums were unusual in displaying both understanding of the issues and common sense. Recommended.

The Other Candidate -- whose name I won't mention, but it rhymes with "groan" -- has run for the Board at every opportunity for the last two or three decades. Before OMOV -- when the voters actually knew who and what he was -- he generally had trouble breaking into two figures. (And I have a nasty suspicion that most of those were because the USCF refused to count votes for Donald and Mickey.) But every nut has a hard kernel, and in 2006, an off-year election when few were paying attention and three other candidates split the sane-people vote, he earned a one-year term. He accomplished a lot in a year -- drove away sponsors, provoked lawsuits, and made the USCF a source of innocent merriment to the world. A few of his supporters who are again allowed to hold pointed objects have written that he'd tell us what's happening in the USCF. No doubt he would. Whether it actually happened or not. When pigs fly.

Please vote. Every ballot not cast increases the chance that Other Candidate and his cadre of crackpots might slip through. That would be Very Bad for the USCF.

Memorial Day Classic, day 2

As the final round begins, John Daniel Bryant and IM Jack Peters face off on Board 1 with 3.5/4. On Board 2, IM Tim Taylor, also with 3.5, seeks to hold off IM Enrico Sevillano with 3. Julian Landaw and Alex Kretchetov round out the list of contenders with 3-1. Top-ranked IM Andranik Matikozyan withdrew after losses to Bryant and Gregg Small. Standings are posted here, and will be updated as sections finish.

IM Enrico Sevillano (2542) – Julian Landaw (2322) [C54]

Lina Grumette Memorial Day Classic (2), 22.05.2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0–0 Bxc3 9.d5 Bf6 10.Re1 Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 12.Bg5 Bxg5 13.Nxg5 0–0 14.Nxh7 Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Rh4 f5 17.Be2 Bd7 18.Qh7+ Kf7 19.Rh6 Rg8 20.Bh5+ Kf8 21.Rf6+ 1–0

Lina Grumette Memorial Day Classic

After the merge, four players share the lead with 2-0: IMs Enrico Sevillano, Andranik Matikozyan and Jack Peters, and Senior Master John Bryant. In round 3, Peters faces Sevillano and Matikozyan battles Bryant. Standings will be posted throughout the tournament, and pairings will be posted here as time permits.

John Daniel Bryant (2444) – IM Andranik Matikozyan (2564) [B24]

Lina Grumette Memorial Day Classic (3), 22.05.2010

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 Rb8 6.f4 b5 7.e5 Bb7 8.Be3 d6 9.Qe2 dxe5 10.fxe5 Nd4 11.Bxd4 Bxg2 12.Qxg2 cxd4 13.Qc6+ Kf8 14.Ne4 Bxe5 15.Nf3 Bg7 16.0–0 Qb6 17.Qd5 e6 18.Qd7 Rd8 19.Ne5 Rxd7 20.Nxd7+ Ke7 21.Nxb6 axb6 22.a4 1–0

Western Pacific Open, day 2

With all sections merged, the total is 86 players, including 2 GMs and six IMs. Four p[erfct scores remain after two rounds: Ramirez and Sevillano battle on board 1, while Shankland and Stopa face of on board 2. We will post standings and pairings throughout the weekend as available.

IM Jack Peters (2413) – Luke Harmon-Vellotti (2092) [C04]
Western Pacific Open Los Angeles (3), 24.04.2010
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd7 6.Be2 f6 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.Nf1 Bd6 9.Ne3 0–0 10.0–0 Qg6 11.c4 Nf6 12.c5 Be7 13.b3 Nd7 14.Bb2 Nd8 15.Bd3 Qe8 16.Re1 c6 17.Ng4 Qh5 18.h3 b6 19.Nfe5 Nxe5 20.Rxe5 Qe8 21.Qc2 g6 22.Rae1 Bf6 23.Bc1 Bg7 24.Bh6 Nf7 25.Bxg6 hxg6 26.Nf6+ Kh8 27.Qxg6 1–0


Garush Manukyan (2359) - GM Melikset Khachiyan(2619) [E05]
Western Pacific Open Los Angeles (3), 24.04.2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0–0 0–0 6.c4 dxc4 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.e3 Rb8 9.Nd2 Na5 10.Qa4 b6 11.Nxc4 Bd7 0–1


Indra Lahiri (1966) – Leo Kamgar (1713)]
Western Pacific Open Los Angeles (3), 24.04.2010
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.0–0 Bf5 5.d4 e6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Nbd2 h6 8.Re1 Ne4 9.Nh4 Bh7 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Bh1 Qc7 12.Ng2 Nd7 13.c4 g5 14.d5 e5 15.Bd2 c5 16.a3 0–0–0 17.b4 f5 18.bxc5 Nxc5 19.Bb4 Rhg8 20.Bxc5 Bxc5 21.e3 Rdf8 22.Re2 f4 23.Rd2 Qd6 24.Rb1 f3 25.Ne1 h5 26.Qb3 Rf7 27.Rdb2 h4 28.Qc3 b6 29.a4 a5 30.Nc2 Bf5 31.Na1 hxg3 32.hxg3 Rh7 33.Rxb6 Bxb6 34.c5 Rgh8 35.cxd6+ Kd8 36.Bg2 Rh2 37.Kf1 Rh1+ 0–1

Western Pacific Open, day 1

Though attendance is a bit low, especially in the bottom section, the 10th Annual Western Pacific Open can boast of two GMs (Melikset Khachiyan and Alejandro Ramirez, pictured) and six IMs (Enrico Sevillano, Sam Shankland, Jack Peters and Tim Taylor, currently playing, and Jacek Stopa and Andranik Matikozyan, who will join the 2-day schedule tomorrow). Standings and games will be posted throughout the weekend, possibly pairings as well if time permits.