Lev Paciorkowski Wins the New York State Championship

Lev Paciorkowski vs. Bryan Smith. Photo: Bill Townsend

America’s longest-running chess tournament – the 140^th Annual New York State Championship – was held in Albany from August 31 – September 3. Eighteen-year-old Lev Paciorkowski, whose formative chess years were spent playing at the Rochester Chess Center and in the Rochester Interscholastic Chess League and is now a student at Rochester Institute of Technology, took clear 1st with 5 points out of 6. The last time a Rochester-area resident won the NYS Championship was now-GM Ken Rogoff in 1972. Continental Chess Association organized the event.

After 4 rounds, the three highest rated players - the very strong teenager David Brodsky, Philadelphia-based GM Bryan Smith and Paciorkowsi - all had 3.5. Effectively joining their score group (as the highest rated player with 3) was Jay Bonin, himself on a quixotic quest to try to recapture the State Championship. In round 5, Smith-Bonin and Brodsky-Paciorkowski were draws.

But, in Round 6, this same group produced decisive results. Lev Paciorkowski defeated Bryan Smith, and thus reached 5/6 to clinch 1st. Jay Bonin got to 4.5 by winning against David Brodsky. Meanwhile, Jimmy Heiserman also scored 4.5 by virtue of his victory against David Carter. Bonin and Heiserman tied for 2nd in the event.

[pgn][Event "New York State-ch140"]
[Site "Albany"]
[Date "2018.09.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Paciorkowski, Lev"]
[Black "Smith, Bryan G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2466"]
[BlackElo "2533"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2018.09.03"]1. Nf3 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Bf5 7. d3 Qd7 8. Re1
Nf6 9. a3 Bh3 10. Bh1 h5 11. Bg5 Ng4 12. Nd5 f6 13. Nf4 $6 Nxf2 14. Kxf2 fxg5
15. Nxg5 Rf8 $6 16. Ngxh3 Qxh3 17. Kg1 Rxf4 18. Bg2 $1 Qg4 19. gxf4 Qxf4 20. e3
Qh4 21. Qf3 Bxb2 22. Rab1 Be5 23. h3 O-O-O 24. Rf1 Qg3 25. Qxg3 Bxg3 26. Bxc6
bxc6 27. Rf7 Bh4 28. Rg7 Bg5 29. Kg2 h4 30. Rxg6 Bf6 31. Rg4 Kc7 32. Kf3 a5 33.
a4 Rf8 34. Ke2 Rd8 35. Rb3 Rf8 36. Rg1 Be5 37. Rgb1 Kd7 38. Rb8 Rf7 39. Rg8 Ke6
40. Rg6+ Bf6 41. Rb8 Kd7 42. Ra8 Ke6 43. Rgg8 Be5 44. Rgf8 Rg7 45. Rg8 Rf7 46.
Rg2 Bc3 47. Rg4 Bf6 48. Re4+ Kf5 49. Rf4+ Ke6 50. Rxa5 Rf8 51. Ra6 Rb8 52. Kf3
Rb3 53. Ke4 Ra3 54. a5 Ra4 55. Ra8 d5+ 56. Kf3 Ra3 57. a6 d4 58. a7 Be5 59.
Rxh4 1-0[/pgn]

[pgn][Event "NYS Championship"]
[Site "Albany"]
[Date "2018.09.03"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Bonin, Jay"]
[Black "Brodsky, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2438"]
[BlackElo "2514"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5
Be7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nc3 d5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Ne5 Re8 13. f4 c6 14. e4 dxe4 15.
Nxe4 Na6 16. Qb3 Qxd4+ 17. Kh1 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Re7 19. Nd6 Nc5 20. Qxb6 Qxe5 21.
Nf5 Ree8 22. Rac1 Nd3 23. Rc3 Ba6 24. Bxc6 Qe2 25. Bg2 Rad8 26. Qa7 Ne5 27. Re3
Qb5 28. Nd6 Qxb2 29. Qxa6 Rb8 1-0[/pgn]