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Jan-12-12
 | | Fusilli: <K> Thanks! I'll be posting positions from my games in that tournament soon! Did you start the semester already? Vandy started Monday... I wouldn't have mind another week of break! I guess the idea here is to maximize the summer, especially considering that there is a "Maymester", very intensive, in, well... May! What courses are you taking this spring? |
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| Jan-13-12 | | Knight13: <Fusilli> Yup, I started the semester already on the same day as Vandy. I'm excited to go back to class again---and learn! I am taking Calculus-Based Physics I: Mechanics, Calculus II, and English Composition II this semester, with a total of 12 credits (full-time). I wish I could take more, but.... Anyway, I will be playing in a tournament this weekend (so, yes, another week of break would've been pretty fitting, but life does not grant sunny days without rainy ones). You earned the title of Associate Professor at Vanderbilt---tell me why you wouldn't have minded another week of break! It seems to me like you love what you do. Wouldn't you want to go back to teaching (and maybe even researching)? |
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Jan-13-12
| | Fusilli: <K> Good luck at the tournament! Kick some butt! About the break... it's just that I had a very tough year last year, for a variety of personal rather than work reasons... so I was extremely tired when the previous semester ended, and darn! I am still tired! I actually like research better than teaching, but teaching is okay. ;-) |
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Jan-13-12
| | Fusilli: Nashville City Championship 2012
FM Todd Andrews (2325) v. Mariano Sana (2158) Position after 14...Qa5-d8:
click for larger viewSo far it is similar to V Startsev vs R Swinkels, 2007. Here he deviated by playing 15.e4, and the computer says Black has a very comfortable game after 15...Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Ng4 followed by ...b5. Instead, I played the dubious 15...Kf8. And after 16.Nd5, according to the computer, the best move for Black is... 16...Kg8 (!) The game continued 16...Nxd5 17.exd5 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bxd4 19.Qxd4 f6 20.b4:
click for larger view
White is better.
However, the advantage faded away. Either it was difficult to make progress or I played accurately, not sure. Position after 33...Qd8: 
click for larger view
Now it is even.
... but I blew it.
Position after 37.Qc3+:
click for larger viewHere 37...Kh6 is an immediate draw, and against 37...Kg8 White has nothing better than 38.Qc8+ Kg7 39.Qc3+ and draw (if 38. Rc7 Qb5 and White is in trouble). But I played 37...Kf8? and after 38.Rc7! White is winning. 1-0 in 43. |
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Jan-13-12
| | Fusilli: Nashville City Championship 2012
Mariano Sana (2158) v. Girgis Tanas (1894)
Position after 31.Nc5-e4:
click for larger viewThis is an interesting position. Black has two central passers! (And the bishop pair.) But the white knights block everything just right. He has choices, but played 31...Bxe4, which has to be positionally wrong, at the very least because White's play from here on is very straightforward and comfortable. There was no need for this trade. Position after 34.a3:
click for larger view
34...a4? Now this is weak. That pawn will be a target later. Position after 41.Rc1-e1:
click for larger view
White has a big advantage. The e-pawn is falling, which means the d-pawn will fall too. But accidents happen. Position after 73.Qe2-c4:
click for larger view
Black to play and draw! Any takers?
He actually played 73...Qf6 74.Rd2 and White is still winning. 1-0 in 81. |
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Jan-13-12
| | Fusilli: Nashville City Championship 2012
Mariano Sana (2158) v. Jeff Tobin (1709)
Position after 28...Qd7-c7:
click for larger view
Black threatens 29...Qb6+, of course.
29.c5! and Black has too many problems.
1-0 in 34. |
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Jan-13-12
| | Fusilli: Nashville City Championship 2012
IM Ronald Burnett (2414) v. Mariano Sana (2158) Position after 12.Nh3:
click for larger view
White's king is still in the center and his king's bishop undeveloped. I decided I had to play active:
12...Nh5 13.Be3 Ne5 14.Nf2:
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14...e6. After 15.g4 White kept an edge.
Position after 20.O-O-O:
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Here I played 20...Qxa5 and the computer doesn't like it. I just thought I'd get too cramped if I tried to keep the d6 pawn. Position after 23...Qa5-c7:
click for larger view
I expected 24.Ra6 and White is better. He played 24.e5, which is weaker. After 24...Nd7 25.f4 Nb6 Black begins to have counterplay:
click for larger view
The computer recommends 26.Rhd1 and White keeps an edge, but he played 26.Bc1 and after 26...Qb7 it is very much even. He needed to win to have a shot at the championship, and began to play inaccurately. After 30...Rf8-f6, Black was better:
click for larger viewWell, actually, we both played inaccurately. After 33.Re1-e7:
click for larger view
...I should have played 33...Qf5 and Black is better, but went for 33...Qd1 and it would have been even after 34.Rxa7. Instead, he played 34.f5? and Black is winning after 34...Nc4:
click for larger view
Because of the mate threat (35...Nd2+ and 36...Qa4#), White loses a piece. 0-1 in 45. |
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Jan-13-12
| | Fusilli: Conclusion: overall, I did pretty well at the city championship. I ended up second (FM Todd Andrews won), and gained 12 rating points. I am at 2170 now. I want to get back to 2200! I regret I blew my game against Todd, but I got lucky against Ron, so I can't complain. |
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| Jan-14-12 | | WinKing: Hi <Fusilli>. Congratulations on a fine performance!!! I looked over your games quickly as it is late here now. I will be back tomorrow(Saturday) though to look at them more closely. I see you had a big victory over IM Burnett. How sweet was that?!!! Cha-ching Bada la bing! ;) |
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| Jan-14-12 | | crawfb5: <M> A bit of luck against Tanas too, but overall, well done! I was still sleepy, so I let Houdini chew on it for me. It's amazing how sometimes one move will just barely hold everything in an otherwise lost position. |
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| Jan-16-12 | | Knight13: <Fusilli> What was the IM's and observers' reactions when you defeated him? |
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| Jan-16-12 | | Shams: <Fusilli> I certainly hope you will upload that win against IM Burnett! |
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Jan-17-12
| | Fusilli: <K> There were three or four people watching. No particular reactions, but you know how it is in tournaments. Spectators like blood, and in most games it is pretty clear that the end is coming, so it was an attraction. I guess the end made FM Todd Andrews happy, as it basically meant he would be the new city champion by defeating a player more than 500 rating points below him (which he did). IM Burnett was very professional. I am sure he was upset, but he didn't show it. He moved to another table to play his last game right away. Etiquette indicates that you do not make comments when you beat a much higher rated player (unless they initiate dialogue), so I just kept quiet. He didn't have a good weekend. The day before, while playing, his parked car got smashed as a side effect of a crash on Belmont Ave, where the club is located. |
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Jan-17-12
| | Fusilli: <Shams>, thanks for your interest! I do plan to upload a lot of games of mine, finally. I have not done it so far out of self-consciousness... many of my games have crass mistakes. But I am over that now. I will select a bunch of my games since I came back to play in 2003 and upload them. I will have to learn how (I am not chess-tech savvy) but I got some time now, as I am recovering from surgery yesterday. Got the week off. BTW, my record with IM Burnett is 1.5 - 1.5. Not bad! :-) With FM Andrews (the other local titled player) it is 0.5 - 2.5... When I was young in Argentina I beat some players of my generation who went on to become titled players, but we were all very young back then. For example I beat Pablo Zarnicki, who went on to become World U-20 champion and GM, when he was about 10-12 and I was 15-17 (just checked his bio... I am five years his senior), which of course means absolutely nothing! I never had much prospects when I was a youngster... of the Argentine players of my generation, it was clear who the best ones were, and of those, those who stayed playing did become GMs or IMs. By the time I was 18 it was clear to me that I was a second-tier player, but at least I could be a dangerous second-tier player! I fathom I still can if I am well rested and inspired. Unfortunately, when I became bitter about chess and quit (in my early 20s, to come back to play a decade later, now in the US) I threw away all my game scores. I wish I had them now! |
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| Jan-17-12 | | Shams: <I threw away all my game scores. I wish I had them now!> Be Zen about it. That's apprentice work anyway-- your brilliancies are all in your future. |
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| Jan-17-12 | | WinKing: Sorry it took me awhile to get back to you <Fusilli>. I have been looking at your games. Nashville City Championship 2012
Mariano Sana (2158) v. Girgis Tanas (1894)
<Position after 73.Qe2-c4:<Diagram Below>Black to play and draw! Any takers?>
Well to be honest <Fusilli> it took me awhile to find one of the correct
moves(...Qd1) without an engine. I kept getting hung up when white throws
in the move c7 after bxc6.
click for larger view73...Qd1 74.bxc6 Qf3 75.c7 (Rybka gives 75.Qf4 also = ). I just wanted to
try 75.c7 but it makes no difference. For some reason my mind just had
trouble grasping that.
After 73...Qd1 74.bxc6 Qf3 75.c7 Rybka 3 gives:
[+0.00] d=27 75...Qf5 76.Kg2 Rb1 77.Qf4 Rb2 78.Kg1 Rb1 79.Kg2 Rb2
80.Kg1 Rb1 81.Kg2 Rb2 82.Kg1 Rb1 83.Kg2 Rb2 84.Kg1 Rb1 85.Kg2 Rb2
86.Kg1 Rb1 87.Kg2 Rb2 88.Kg1 Rb1 89.Kg2 Rb2 90.Kg1 Rb1 Rybka also evaluates 73...Re6 & 73...Re3 as equal [+0.00] allowing black
to draw. The move 73...Re6 (Diagram Below) looks strange but I guess it
works. I did not see that either of these rook moves would hold for black. 
click for larger viewAfter 73...Re6 Rybka 3 gives:
[+0.00] d=24 74.Qd3 Re3 75.Qd7 Kh6 76.Qf7 Qd1 77.Qf4 Kg7 78.bxc6 Re6
79.Qc7 Kh6 80.Qf7 Re4 81.Qf8 Kh7 82.Kg2 Re2 83.Kh3 Re4 84.Kg2 Re2 85.Kh3
Re4 86.Kg2 Re2 87.Kh3 Re4 88.Kg2 Re2 89.Kh3
[+0.00] d=24 74.bxc6 Qd1 75.Qf4 Kg7 76.Qc7 Kh6 77.Qf7 Re4 78.Qf8 Kh7
79.Kg2 Re2 80.Kh3 Re4 81.Kg2 Re2 82.Kh3 Re4 83.Kg2 Re2 84.Kh3 Re4 85.Kg2
Re2 86.Kh3 Re4 87.Kg2 Re2 88.Kh3 Re4 89.Kg2
[+0.00] d=24 74.a5 Qd1 75.bxc6 Kg7 76.Qxe6 Qf1 77.Rg2 Qh1 78.Rh2 Qf1
79.Rg2 Qh1 80.Rh2 Qf1 81.Rg2 Qh1 82.Rh2 Qf1 83.Rg2 Qh1 84.Rh2 Qf1 85.Rg2
Qh1 86.Rh2 Qf1 87.Rg2 Qh1 88.Rh2 Qf1 89.Rg2
Of course if white plays 74.Qxe6 then 74...Qf1+ with a repetition . So it appears there were a few ways black could have held the position. |
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| Jan-17-12 | | WinKing: Nashville City Championship 2012
IM Ronald Burnett (2414) v. Mariano Sana (2158)
Position below is after 12.Nh3:(Looking at moves besides ...Nh5 in response)
click for larger viewAnalysis is Rybka 3:
[+0.26] d=25 12...b5 13.axb6 Nxb6 14.Nf2 Qc7 15.Be2 a5 16.O–O Nxc4
17.Bxc4 Ba6 18.Bxa6 Rxa6 19.Qe2 Rb6 20.Nd1 Rfb8 21.Bc1 Qa7 22.Ne3 a4 [+0.26] d=25 12...b6 13.axb6 Nxb6 14.Nf2 Qc7 15.Be2 a5 16.O–O Nxc4
17.Bxc4 Ba6 18.Bxa6 Rxa6 19.Qe2 Rb6 20.Nd1 Rfb8 21.Bc1 Qa7 22.Ne3 a4 [+0.26] d=25 12...Qc7 13.Nf2 b5 14.axb6 Nxb6 15.Be2 a5 16.O–O Nxc4
17.Bxc4 Ba6 18.Bxa6 Rxa6 19.Qe2 Rb6 20.Nd1 Rfb8 21.Bc1 Qa7 22.Ne3 [+0.35] d=25 12...a6 13.Nf2 b5 14.axb6 Nxb6 15.Na5 I found this position interesting <Fusilli>. Looks like white holds a
very slight edge in all variations. I'm not sure what I woud have played
here. Your idea of playing actively wth 12...Nh5 looks good to me(below).
Curious that Rybka had three of the moves(12...b5, 12...b6 & 12...Qc7)
all transposing into the same line.
*****
Position below is after 12.Nh3 <Nh5>:<Actual move played in game> 
click for larger view [+0.33] d=23 13.Bg5 Ne5 14.Nf2 Bd7 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.g4 Ng7 17.Qd2 Bf6
18.Bf4 Bh4 19.Bg3 e5 20.dxe6 fxe6 21.Be2 Ne8 22.O–O
[+0.26] d=23 13.Be3 Ne5 14.Nf4 Nxf4 15.Bxf4 Bd7 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.h4 h5 19.Qd2 Kg7 20.Be2 Qc7 21.O–O Qd6 22.Qe3 Rad8 23.Rfb1 You played a nice game here IMO <Fusilli>. Sure there might be a few
inaccuracies but almost all master class games have them. Just remember
the one who makes the next to last mistake usually wins. IM Burnett made
the last one sorry about his luck. You seem to be pretty hard on yourself
to me. Savor & enjoy your sweet successes. :) I enjoyed looking at your
games Mariano. Looks like your playing some pretty good chess to me. |
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Jan-17-12
| | Fusilli: <Shams> Thanks! That's a nice thought! <WinKing> Wow, I had only seen Qd1... True, Re6 draws too! Thanks for the analysis! We were down to the last few minutes by then. It was a G/2hr game. I miss the good old times with adjournments, when the endgame was given more careful consideration... |
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Jan-19-12
| | Fusilli: <WinKing> I just realized I hadn't noticed your post on my game with Burnett with the Rybka comments! You chose what I thought was a critical moment in the game. I thought about Nh5 for a while. I was afraid of falling into a defensive, cramped position without counterplay chances. I am glad Rybka doesn't think my move choice was inferior! As my friend Alex Steger says, "I don't care if I am in a worse position as long as I have something to do". To me, the worst situation is to be unable to come up with a more or less workable plan. BTW, I submitted a bunch of games of mine since 2003 to Daniel Freeman. I decided to go public! :-) |
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| Jan-20-12 | | Knight13: <Fusilli> I look forward to your complete games. |
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Jan-20-12
| | Fusilli: <K> My games are up! |
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| Jan-21-12 | | hms123: <Famous> Congratulations! |
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| Jan-21-12 | | technical draw: <Fusilli> If you want to know my whereabouts you must break this code: ..<Blessent mon cœur d'une langeur monotone>.. You have up to June 6 to figure it out. |
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Jan-21-12
| | Fusilli: <TD> You mean, D-day is imminent? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanso...). You sent me on a wild goose chase to learn a lot about World War II resistance! Thank you Jesus for Wikipedia. It was fun. For example, I "discovered" Polish resistance hero Witold Pilecki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold...). The man let himself be captured to enter Auschwitz and organize resistance there! |
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| Jan-22-12 | | Albertan: Mariano thank you for your kind words on my page about the current match I am playing. This match has been a great deal of fun and I have learned a great deal about chess and myself by playing the match!It is amazing that I chose an opening I have never played over-the-board to win game 2 (Petroff's defense). If that game is not my "Evergreen game" then no game is.I haven't had time to put the game through an engine yet, I am sure the engine will find moves which are "better" than the one played. However it was interesting to turn a pin into a won pawn, and then find some positional features of the position to win the game. I am sure your club manager could arrange such a tournament as the game a week format you desire, if you desire such a tournament (and tournament schedule) you can be sure there are others at your club who would enjoy the same type of schedule for a weekly event! Our club is open at least 3 days a week, On Monday is active chess (g-30 touch move rule inforced) , Thursday is the CFC-rated tournaments and Saturday we have another active chess tournament. However people are starting to take advantage of this 3 days of the club being opened by scheduling matches like I am having right now. The club can be divided into two sections for this situation because we can separate the people who are playing a match from those playing in a fun tournament (Mon,or Saturday),, by a wall.This gives the match player the quite they need to play. Mariano, I hope the rest of your weekend goes well,thanks as always for sharing your thoughts on my match and chess in general! How goes your research into Sociology? |
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