W: Junior SOL CRUZ
B: Ryan VASQUEZ Dizon Cup, Grade School Group Round 4 Bacolod City
1 e4 e6 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3
COMMON SENSE IN CHESS, "Bring your N's out before developing your B's, especially the QB."
3 ... d5 4 e5 Ne4 5 d4 THE COMPLETE CHESS PLAYER, "The time to secure the advantage of a powerful pawn center is in the opening."
5 ... NxN 6 b2xN Na6 7 g3 f6 8 Bg2
CHESS FUNDAMENTALS, "Placed on the long diagonal, the B is posted for its maximum potential control of the central squares as well as eyeing the opposite wing of the enemy's camp."
8 ... f6xe5 9 Nxe5 Bd6
10 O-O
PORTABLE CHESS COACH, "Look for threats, especially checks."
RYBKA gives 10 Qh5+ as winning, with a position evaluation of +4.02.
LEARN FROM YOUR CHESS MISTAKES, "Sometimes, we are almost programmed to adopt standard set-ups and to make automatic recaptures."
10 ... BxN 11 d4xB Nc5 12 Be3
LOGICAL CHESS, "This B's stand is aggressive, especially against K-side castling."
16 ... NxR 17 RxN Rf8? 18 c3 PxP??? 19 QxQ+ THE TEN MOST COMMON CHESS MISTAKES, "Skill, in fact, might be defined as the ability to exploit the other guy's mistake."
19 ... Kf7 20 QxR+ MY SYSTEM, "Simplification is desirable if we have superiority in material."
Dizon Memorial Cup Bacolod City, Negros Occidental R2 Grade School Division W: Junior SOL CRUZ
B: Franz OLANDREZ
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 Nc6 MANUAL OF CHESS, "Get your N's into action before both B's are developed."
4 Bb5 Bb4 LOGICAL CHESS, "In the opening, a B is best placed for attack when it controls a diagonal passing through the center or when it pins a hostile N and renders it immobile."
In opening theory, this is the FOUR KNIGHTS' GAME - SPANISH VARIATION (on Bb5) - SYMMETRICAL LINE (on Bb4).
5 BxN CHESS FUNDAMENTALS, "Before development has been completed no piece should be moved more than once, unless it is essential in order to obtain a material advantage or to secure freedom of action."
Usual here is 5 O-O which goes back to Tarrasch vs Lasker in World Championship 1908.
5 ... BxN? 6 BxP+ BxB 7 d2xB O-O 8 O-O THE 10 MOST COMMON CHESS MISTAKES,"Nothing is more important than safeguarding your K by castling early, within the first dozen moves, if possible."
8 ... Bc6 9 Bg5 THE GAME OF CHESS, "One of the most dangerous forms of attack is the pin."
9 ... Bb5 10 BxN QxB 11 Re1 Rad8 12 Qc1 h6 13 Rd1 A COLLECTION OF CHESS WISDOM, "Don't let your opponent control open files with his R's."
13 ... RxR 14 QxR Qd8 15 QxQ RxQ THE MIDDLE GAME IN CHESS, "It is a sound strategy to bring about an end game as soon as an advantage in the middle game proves insufficient to win by direct attack."
23 Kf2 MY SYSTEM, "When the endgame is entered, let the K set himself in motion, and strive to reach the center of the board, for from this point he can, according to need make for the right or left."
23 ... c5 24 Ke3 cxd4+ 25 cxd4 THE ART OF CHESS, "A well supported passed pawn, one unlikely to be surrounded and cut off in course of subsequent operations, is often in itself a winning advantage; because even its simple existence may exert decisive restraint upon adverse force, to say nothing of its constant tendency to queen."
25 ... Rc8 26 d5Rc2 27 Rf2 Rc8 28 Rd2 TARRASCH FORMULA: The R's proper place is behind the passed pawn, whether it be his own or an enemy.
28 ... a4 29 d6 Rd8 30 e5 Re8 31 Kf4 PORTABLE CHESS COACH, "But it's equally important to remember that a K can advance, attack, capture pieces, and control squares, especially in the endgame."
The La Salle Green Hills Chess Teams, grade school and high school, were invited to play in the 10th edition of the Dizon Chess Cup at University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City. It was a 2-day 6-round event with a time control of 1 hour per player.
Junior started with a draw in R1, then rattled off 4 consecutive wins that send him to Board 2 on the final round with Andador, a nephew of National Master Rolando Andador. He lost the pressure-packed game but landed in the Top 10; 9th place finish with a cash prize of P300.
WORKSHOP & SIMUL W: Junior SOL CRUZ B: NM Efren BAGAMASBAD MERALCO, Pasig City
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 The FOUR KNIGHTS' GAME.
4 Bb5 Bb4 This is the SPANISH VARIATION - SYMMETRICAL LINE as in Kim vs Torre in Asian Individual 2007, Legaspi vs Iuldachev in Malaysian Open 2008 and Nolte vs Friedel in Beijing 2008. 5 O-O THE CHESS PLAYER'S HANDBOOK, "It is mostly advisable to castle the King pretty early in the game, and to do so on the King's side, because he is less subject to an attack, and better able to repel one on that side than the other."
5 ... BxN 6 BxN NPxB 7 NPxB d6 8 Bb2? BEST LESSONS OF A CHESS COACH, "A bishop is bad if it is locked inside its own pawn." 8 ... Rb8 9 Rb1 Be6 10 d4? BxP 11 PxP PxP 12 QxQ RxQ 13 Ra1 Bc4 14 Rfd1 RxR 15 RxR Nd7
16 Ba3??? Junior missed a possible winning line via 16 RxN, 17 NxP+, & 18 NxB and going into an ending of B & N vs R.
After the workshop, a simul match was played and here is Junior's game against the master, the 6th titled player he has played with after GM Torre, then-IM So, NM Andador, NM Vasquez, and NM Bernardino.
MERALCO Chess Club held its 5th chess workshop which was conducted by National Master Efren Bagamasbad at the Substation Cnteen of the famous Lopez Bldg. last October 18. The 2-hour workshop was attended by 7 junior players; Paolo and Julian Sabularse, Miguel Vergara, Oyo Cruz, Jonelisa Miguel, JC Andan, and Junior Sol Cruz. NM Bagamasbad has trained the likes of GM Nelson Mariano, GM Mac Paragua and GM Wesley So. The previous workshops organized by MERALCO Chess Club were by NM Cabellon, its club officers, Manny Benitez Sr, and IM Rudy Cardoso.
4 f3 b4??? Had Junior searched the position under the scorching heat, he might find that 4 ... RxP wins. Indeed, as the Gospel of Matthew stated, "Keep on seeking, and you will find."
Junior vs Ivan Malibay Outreach Match MERALCO, Pasig City September 6, 2008
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5 3 e3 Nc6 4 Nc3 Bb4 5 Nge2 Manual of Chess, “Get the knights into action before both bishops are developed.”
5 … Be6 6 a3 BxN 7 NxB Chess Player’s Handbook, “It is desirable therefore generally to exchange your Queen’s Bishop or Queen’s Knight for the adversary’s King’s Bishop.”
7 … PxP???
8 d5! Turning Advantage Into Victory in Chess, "Forks, pins, threats of various kinds, these are the bricks and mortar of technique."
8 ... BxP 9 NxB Training for Tournament Player, “When converting an advantage, a moment is sure to come when one has to cease gradually improving one’s position and proceed to take firm action.”
With a one-piece advantage, perhaps the best move is to simplify or exchange major pieces by QxB.
9 … Ne7 10 BxP Na5 Portable Chess Coach, "The simplest form of positional weakness is a piece that is hanging."
11 Qc2??? The dark knight is hanging and the best way of exploiting such weakness is by 11 Qa4+, followed by 12 NxN.
11 … NxB 12 QxN QxN 13 QxQ NxQ 14 O-O O-O-O Mastering the Chess Openings, “One of the most important guidelines in chess is to protect your king from harm.”
15 e4? Modern Art of Attack, “The attacker should strive to open at least one file for proper use of the heavy pieces against the King.”
Thus, 15 b4 is more appropriate in this situation and the bishop could via b2.
15 … Nf6 16 Bg5 Rd6 17 BxN? Chess Fundamentals, “For all general purposes, the bishop and knight have to be considered as of the same value, though most masters regard the bishop slightly favorably compared to a knight.”
W: MARTIN
B: Junior SOL CRUZ TRANSCO vs MERALCO Goodwill Match, R6 TRANSCO, Quezon City August 23, 2008
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 This is known as the SCOTCH GAME. Its very first major appearance was in Game 2 of Stenitz vs Zukertort 1886 World Championship, the first official match that placed made Steinitz the First World Champion.
3 ... d6? The World Champions' move is 3 ... PxP; Kasparov vs Karpov in 1990 World Championship, Salov vs Karpov in Reggio Emilia 1991, Kasparov vs Short in 1993 World Championship, Kasparov vs Topalov in Las Palmas 1994, Ivanchuk vs Smyslov in Tilburg 1994, and Kasparov vs Anand in 1995 World Championship. And its most recent appearance at the hands of World Champions was in Bilbao 2008 in Radjabov vs Topalov and Anand vs Aronian.
4 PxP NxP 5 NxN PxN 6 QxQ KxQ
Mastering the Chess Openings, "Also, when an opening becomes rapidly simplified, the king may remain in the center to assist with the endgame."
7 Bc4 Be6?
Junior trained with Coach Cardoso last September 20, 2008 and recommended the move 7 ... Ke8 to avoid the doubled pawn and keep out the king from the open d-file.
8 BxB PxB 9 Be3 Nf6 An interesting path for the dark knight is e7-c6-d4-c2.
10 f3
10 ... Kc8? 11 Nc3 b6? Consistent with 10 ... Kc8 but not with the principle of rapid development championed by Stenitz in his famous Steinitz Theory, Lasker in Manual of Chess, and Capablanca in Chess Fundamentals. Better is 11 ... Bb4.
12 O-O-O Kb7 13 g4 Rc8? Chess Fundamentals, "Developing your pieces should be done as quickly as possible, but the pieces should be placed on effective squares."
14 h4 Bb 15 Ne2 Rhd8 Portable Chess Coach, "Rooks are best placed on open files."
Encyclopedia of Chess Wisdom, “Do not rush the attack on the isolani.As the game progresses, it becomes weaker and more vulnerable.”
Best is 30 … Kc7; preserving the central pawn duo and activating the king.
My System, "When the endgame is entered, let the King set himself in motion, and strive to reach the center of the board, for from this point he can, according to need make for the right or left."
31 NxP+ Kc6 32 RxP Junior lost his central pawn duo that could be his key to victory.
