Check Is In The Mail: June 2021

Greetings!

In a previous article I mentioned Tim Corkum’s outstanding result in winning the 2018 Electronic Knights Championship, finishing with a combined score of 36.25 points. Congratulations Tim! Below is the score tracker showing each finalist’s path to the championship section, as well as the crosstable from that section.

2018 Electronic Knights Championship Score Tracker

Name	Prelim	Score	Semi	Score	Final	Score	Total
Tim Corkum	18EN10	5	18ENs03	5	10ENf01	4.5	36.25
Gary Adams	18EN09	5	18ENs03	5.5	18ENf01	3.5	32.85
Gerald Weiner	18EN02	6	18ENs01	4	18ENf01	4	32.80
John Walton	18EN10	5.5	18ENs04	5	18ENf01	3.5	32.25
Julius Simon	18EN05	5.5	18ENs01	5	18ENf01	2.5	27.75
James Mahooti	18EN05	4.5	18ENs02	5.5	18ENf01	2	25.60
Lawrence Crittenton	18EN07	5	18ENs02	4	18ENf01	1	18.30

2018 Electronic Knights Final Section 18Nf01

	Name	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
1	Gary Adams (2375)		D	D	D	D	X	D	3.5
2	Tim Corkum (2352)	D		D	D	W	X	W	4.5
3	John Walton (2348)	D	D		W	D	D	D	3.5
4	Julius Simon (2218)	D	D	L		L	W	D	2.5
5	Gerald Weiner (2252)	D	L	D	W		X	W	4.0
6	Lawrence Crittenton (2088)	F	F	D	L	F		D	1.0
7	James Mahooti (2015)	D	L	D	D	L	D		2.0

The prize fund was based on 200 entries but, with only 91 entries (13 preliminary sections), the prize fund was reduced to 50% and was distributed as follows:

1st - Tim Corkum, $400.00
2nd - Gary Adams, $250.00
3rd - Gerald Weiner, $150.00
4th - John Walter, $50.00
5th - Julius Simon, $50.00
6th - James Mahooti, $50.00
7th - Lawrence Crittenton, $50.00

We published a game of Tim’s from 18ENf01 previously, but if anyone has games they would like to share from this event, please send them in!

Another couple points stood out to me about this tourney that I’d like to point out.

1) The Electronic Knights needs more players! There were only 91 entries (some players with multiple entries of course) in this championship. Please consider throwing your hat in the ring.

2) With at least seven prizes, one out of every 13 entries won cash. Those are pretty good odds!!!

3) Notice that two of the top seven finalists had ratings in the 2000’s. That shows that you don’t have to be a senior master to reach the finals! With a little luck and a decent amount of skill, even a mere mortal like me has a chance.

Obituary

I’m sad to report that postal chess veteran Robert Miehm of Sevierville, TN passed away on May 1st, 2021 at the age of 84. Robert was a 22-year Army veteran, achieving the rank of Captain. He was also a stellar postal chess competitor. According to what I could find in US Chess records, Robert reached a peak correspondence rating of 2286 and scrapped his way to at least eight (8!) Golden Knights Finals sections between 01NF06 and 14NF01. Robert also scored against many of our contemporary postal heavyweights, including no less than six former Golden or Electronic Knights Champions, garnering wins throughout his career against former champions Stephen McGregor and Abe Wilson, and draws against former champions James Rhodes, James Tracz, Michael Buss, and Gary Adams.

If anyone has a completed game against Mr. Miehm they’d like to share, please feel free to email me at larrycox80@hotmail.com. I’d love to show an example of his play in a future article.

Quote

From the second world chess champion, Emanuel Lasker, “Chess teaches us how our life might have turned out, given equal opportunities and an absence of chance.”

And now, on to the games!

In our first match between postal heavyweights, Gary Adams essays the Benko Gambit against Thomas Connelly’s 1.d4. After ceding the usual gambit pawn, Adams later pitches another one in generating a strong attack. A complicated middlegame ensues, with Black’s violent attack being just enough to negate White’s two pawn advantage and split the point.

[pgn][Event "2017 Golden Knights Semifinal (17Ns03)"] [White "Connelly, Thomas (2381)"] [Black "Adams, Gary (2383)"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. g3 d6 8. Nf3 Nbd7 9. Bg2 Bg7 10. Rb1 0-0 11. 0-0 Qa5 12. Bd2 Rfb8 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. b3 Nb6 15. Nh4 Bb7 16. e4 Ba6 17. Rfc1 Ng4 18. Nf3 Nd7 19. Nd1 e6 20. dxe6 fxe6 21. Ne1 Nge5 22. Bc3 Nc6 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. Qd2 e5 25. Nc3 Nf6 26. Nc2 Qd8 27. f4 Ra7 28. f5 Nd4 29. Ne3 Qf8 30. Rb2 Kh8 31. Re1 Qh6 32. Qd1 Kg8 33. Rf2 Rf8 34. Bf1 Bxf1 35. Rfxf1 Rgf7 36. Kg2 Kh8 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Nc4 Rg8 39. Nxd6 Rd7 40. Nc4 Ng4 41. Qd3 Rdg7 42. Ne2 Qh6 43. h3 Nf6 44. Nxe5 Qh5 45. Ng4 Nxg4 46. hxg4 Rxg4 47. Rf4 R4g7 48. Nxd4 Rg3+ 49. Qxg3 Rxg3 50. Kxg3 cxd4 51. Rf8+ 1/2-1/2[/pgn]

In our second game, Dean Barclay pulls out the Grunfeld Defense Exchange Variation to hold the draw against Andrew Leonard, the top-rated player in his 2021 Electronic Knights section. After White locks the center (along with gaining a passed d pawn), Black expands on both sides of the board. A tense middlegame follows where eventually Black gains a passed center pawn of his own. The highly complex finale yields a draw offer (with the possibility of perpetual check) by White which Black accepts, qualifying for the Electronic Knights semifinals.

[pgn][Event "2021 Electronic Knights (21EN02)"] [White "Leonard, Andrew (2303)"] [Black "Barclay, Dean (2261)"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 0-0 10. Rc1 Nd7 11. Bd3 e5 12. d5 f5 13. Qc2 f4 14. Bd2 b5 15. c4 b4 16. 0-0 Qd8 17. Ne1 g5 18. Be2 a5 19. Nd3 Qb6 20. Rfe1 Nf6 21. Bd1 Qd6 22. Qb2 Bg4 23. Bxg4 Nxg4 24. f3 Nh6 25. Rf1 Nf5 26. Be1 Nd4 27. Bf2 a4 28. Rfe1 Rfe8 29. Qd2 a3 30. Rb1 Rab8 31. Qc1 h5 32. Kh1 Rb7 33. Bxd4 exd4 34. g3 Be5 35. Rg1 Rg7 36. g4 Kf7 37. gxh5 Rh8 38. Rg2 Rxh5 39. Nf2 Rgh7 40. Qc2 Qd7 41. Nd3 Qe7 42. Qa4 g4 43. Nxe5+ Qxe5 44. Qd7+ Kf6 45. Qxg4 Rg5 46. Qc8 1/2-1/2[/pgn]

Our third game comes from the Victor Palciauskas Tournament 19V01 where John Walton won with an undefeated 5-1 record. Congratulations! Here is one of John’s four wins in this section, where Walton defends against Anthony Sgro’s Smith-Morra Gambit. A tactical melee ensues where John winds his way through the complications to bring home the full point.

[pgn][Event "2019 Victor Palciauskas Tournament (19V01)"] [White "Sgro, Anthony (2026)"] [Black "Walton, John (2340)"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 a6 7. 0-0 Nge7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Be3 b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rc1 Ng6 12. Nd4 Be7 13. f4 0-0 14. Qh5 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Bd6 16. g3 Bc7 17. f5 Bb6 18. fxg6 Bxd4+ 19. Kg2 f5 20. Rxf5 b4 21. Rxf8+ Qxf8 22. Rf1 Qd6 23. Ne2 Bxe4+ 24. Kh3 Bxb2 25. Rf7 Rf8 26. Nf4 Qc6 27. Rxd7 Rxf4 28. Bxe6+ Qxe6+ 0-1[/pgn]

Our last game is from 2021 Electronic Knights Section 21EN05. Ed Krickel emerged victorious in this game submitted by his opponent, Darren Erickson, to move to 4-1 in the section. An interesting game, White used several nice tactics to steal a couple of pawns, develop a dangerous initiative, and eventually blow open the center of the board.

[pgn][Event "2021 Electronic Knights (21EN05)"] [White "Krickel, Ed (1784)"] [Black "Erickson, Darren (1406)"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg2 c6 9. O-O d5 10. Bf4 Nbd7 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. Qd4 b5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Rfd1 Bc5 16. Qd2 Nb6 17. a3 Rc8 18. Na2 Bb7 19. Nb4 Bxb4 20. Qxb4 a6 21. e4 Rc7 22. a4 Nd7 23. axb5 axb5 24. exd5 Rc2 25. dxe6 Qb6 26. Qd4 Bxg2 27. exd7 1-0[/pgn]

Thirty-Month Limit and Adjudications

All sections that started prior to August 1, 2018 have been closed out and any games still open in those sections declared drawn per our thirty-month rule. At the end of this month (June), all sections that started prior to September 1, 2018 will be closed out. If you still have an active game going in such an event, you have until the end of the month to request a claim of a win or draw by following the adjudication instructions in the rules. If neither player submits a claim, the games will be declared drawn.

Recent Event Winners

20T01, Joseph Kuspa, 5.5-0.5

21W14, David Stone, 5-1
21W23, Hugh Whelan, 5.5-0.5

Next month – more games!

Larry