Vaughn Gregg
Vaughn Gregg of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has won first place in a 2018 Trophy Quad, Presented here is an example of his defensive skills.
[pgn]
[Event "18Q10"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Leach, Charlie"]
[Black "Gregg, Vaughn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2120"]
[BlackElo "1849"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 {This is the third most played line in the open
Sicilian after 3. d4 and 3. Bb5+ and yet scores better than the other two,
probaby because of Black being unfamiliar with the lines.} Nf6 4. h3 {
Carlsen-Karjakin, 9th Master Final 2016 saw 4. Be2 g6 5.00 Bg7 when Carlsen
played 6. Bb5+ Equal is 6. Qc2 or 6. d3.} Nc6 {Shutting down White's defense
of the e-Pawn (4. ...Nxe4? 5. Qa4+)} 5. Bd3 {Black has three nasic choices
here. 1) Ignore White and play 5...g6 and allow White's reallignment with Bc2
and d4.2) Barricade the center with 5...e5 but White is doing OK after 6. Bc2
Be7 7.00 00 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4. and 3) Seek an immediate tussle in the center
with 5...d5.} d5 {Black has three nasic choices here. 1) Ignore White and play
5...g6 and allow White's reallignment with Bc2 and d4.2) Barricade the center
with 5...e5 but White is doing OK after 6. Bc2 Be7 7.00 00 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4.
and 3) Seek an immediate tussle in the center with 5...d5.} 6. e5 Nd7 {Black
may also try 6,,,c4 7, Bc2 Nd7 with an equal game.} 7. e6 $6 {The problem with
this aggressive Pawn sacrifice is that it is much better suited to OTB play
rather than correspondence. Its recoerd in CC play is very weak. OTB it runs
about 50%.} fxe6 8. Ng5 Nf6 {Diagram #} 9. Qc2 $6 {White also gains the
inferior chances after 9. Nxh7!? Nxh7 10. Qh5+ Kd7 11. Na3 Kc7 12. Bxh7 Bd7 13.
d4 Be8 14. Qf3 cxd4! 15. cxd4 e5} Ne5 10. Bxh7 $2 {White needs to admit his
attack is broken and retreat 19. Be2. The text seeks too much.} Nxh7 11. Nxh7
c4 $1 {Black takes possession of the weakness of White's attack, the d3 square
after which White is busted.} 12. O-O Nd3 13. Ng5 {Only helping Black's
counterattack is 13. Nxf8 Rxf8 and Black soon dominates with ...Qb6} Qd6 14. f4
e5 $1 {Now the c8 Bishop enters the fray after 15. f5 g6!} 15. b3 Bd7 16. bxc4
dxc4 17. f5 g6 $1 18. Na3 b5 {More efficient is 18...Qc5+ 19. Kh1 gxf5 20. Qd1
Bg7 21. Rb1 Bf6 22. Nf3 Bc6 23, Kh2 000 when Black's entire army is mobolized
and White's forces atand in disarray.} 19. Qd1 gxf5 20. Qf3 Rc8 21. Qb7 Bh6 22.
Nf3 Qc5+ 23. Kh1 Bf4 24. Nc2 Nf2+ 0-1
[/pgn]
FEBRUARY RESULTS
Walter Muir
Carlos Graupera 19W09 6-0
John Collins
John Sirtoli 17C21 5 ½-½
Swift Quad
David Schmidt 18SQ08 6-0
Trophy Quad
Vaughn Gregg 18Q10 6-0
For four moves White allows Black a discovered check but keeps Black busy defending elsewhere.
[pgn]
[Event "19ENs02"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fielding, Gerald"]
[Black "Morrow, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2034"]
[BlackElo "1928"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4 a6 5. Nf3 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Nd7 8.
e5 c5 9. Be4 Bxe4 10. Nxe4 cxd4 11. exd6 Qb6 {Diagram #} 12. a4 Rc8 13. axb5
axb5 14. Re1 Nh6 15. dxe7 Nf5 16. Qd3 Nc5 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. Ra5 Rb8 19. Bd2
Nxe7 20. b4 Qc4 21. Ra7 1-0
[/pgn]
The surprise comes at the end.
[pgn]
[Event "19EN11"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Buss, Michael"]
[Black "Romero, Ricardo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "1936"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
1. e4 e6 2. b3 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bb2 a6 5. c4 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8.
Nc3 Bd7 9. Be2 Be7 10. O-O Qb6 11. Nc2 O-O 12. Kh1 Rac8 13. f4 Rfd8 14. Qe1 Nd4
15. Nxd4 Qxd4 16. Nd5 Qxb2 17. Nxe7+ Kf8 18. Nxc8 Bxc8 19. Rd1 b6 20. e5 Ne8
21. Bf3 h6 22. Qb4 b5 23. Rd2 1-0
[/pgn]
An unbreakable pin quickly breaks Black’s resistance.
[pgn]
[Event "Walter Muir"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2019.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Graupera, Carlos"]
[Black "Williams, Rufus H"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "1308"]
[BlackElo "1068"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. d3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nbd2 Nc6
8. Re1 b6 9. Nf1 e5 10. Ng3 Be6 11. h3 Qd7 12. Ng5 a6 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. f4 b5
15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. d4 cxd4 17. cxd4 Nc6 18. Be3 b4 19. Qa4 a5 20. Bb5 {Diagram #
} Rfc8 21. Rac1 Bd8 22. Rxc6 Qe7 23. Rec1 Rxc6 24. Bxc6 Rb8 25. Bg5 h6 26. Be3
Kh8 27. e5 dxe5 28. dxe5 Nh7 29. Bc5 Qg5 30. Ne2 Qxe5 31. Qc2 Bc7 32. g3 Nf6
33. Bd4 Bb6 34. Bxb6 Rxb6 35. Nf4 Rxc6 36. Qxc6 Qxb2 37. Nxe6 Qe5 38. Qc8+ Kh7
39. Nf8+ 1-0
[/pgn]
For this correspondence game let us go back nearly 150 years to a match between the chess clubs of London and Vienna. Representing the London club were William Steinitz, Joseph Blackburne, I. Horwitz, Jacob Lowenthal, William Potter and Frankenstein (No, not that Frankenstein). On the Vienna team were Ignatz Kolisch, Philipp Meitner, Oscar Gelbfuhs, Adolf Csank, Bernhard Fleissig and Johann Berger.
[pgn]
[Event "intercity 1872-74"]
[Site "corr"]
[Date "1872.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "London"]
[Black "Vienna"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A21"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1872.??.??"]
[EventType "corr"]
[Source "Chess Mail"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. Bf4 c6 6. Nxe7 Nxe7 7. Qxd4
O-O 8. e4 d5 9. O-O-O Be6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Ng5 h6 12. exd5 Bf5 13. Ne4 cxd5 14.
Nc3 Nb6 15. Be5 Nc6 16. Qf4 Nxe5 17. Qxe5 Qg5+ 18. f4 Qg6 19. c5 Nd7 20. Qd4
Rfd8 21. Nxd5 Kf8 {Diagram #} 22. Ne3 Kg8 23. Bc4 Rac8 24. Rhe1 Be4 25. b4 b6
26. Qd6 bxc5 27. Qe7 cxb4 28. Rxd7 Re8 29. Qd6 Qxd6 30. Rxd6 Bxg2 31. Rd4 Bd5
32. Rxd5 Rxc4+ 33. Nxc4 Rxe1+ 34. Kc2 Re4 35. Rd8+ Kh7 36. Kb3 Rxf4 37. Ra8 g5
38. Rxa7 h5 39. Kxb4 g4 40. a4 Rf2 41. a5 h4 42. Rd7 Rxh2 43. Rxf7+ Kg6 44. a6
Re2 45. a7 Re8 46. Rb7 Ra8 47. Nb6 h3 48. Nxa8 h2 49. Rb6+ 1-0
[/pgn]
Chess is a struggle …
[pgn]
[Event "18EN08"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lazzara, Derek"]
[Black "Serovey, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "1276"]
[BlackElo "2134"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
{MAR} 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 cxd4 4. exd4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. c3 e6 7. Qb3 Qd7
8. Nbd2 Nge7 9. h3 Bh5 10. Bh2 a6 11. Be2 Nc8 12. O-O Bd6 13. Bxd6 Nxd6 14.
Rae1 Qc7 15. Ne5 Bxe2 16. Rxe2 O-O 17. Ndf3 Rfc8 18. Qc2 h6 19. a4 b5 20. Nxc6
Qxc6 21. Ne5 Qc7 22. Rc1 Nc4 23. Nd3 bxa4 24. Qxa4 a5 25. Ra1 Rcb8 26. Qc2 Ra7
27. b3 Nd6 28. Ree1 Ne4 29. Rec1 Rc8 30. c4 dxc4 31. bxc4 Nd6 {Diagram #} 32.
c5 Nf5 33. Ra4 Rd8 34. Qb2 Qd7 35. c6 Qd6 36. Ne5 f6 37. Qb6 Qc7 38. Qb3 fxe5
39. Qxe6+ Qf7 40. Qxe5 Rc7 41. Rc5 g6 42. Qf4 Rcc8 43. Qg4 Kg7 44. Qd1 Qf6 45.
d5 Rxc6 46. Rxc6 Qxc6 47. dxc6 Rxd1+ 48. Kh2 Rd5 49. c7 Nd6 50. Rc4 Nc8 51. h4
Kf6 52. Kg3 Ke7 0-1
[/pgn]
White insists on attacking Black.
[pgn]
[Event "13Ns03"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Buss, Michael"]
[Black "Addis, Edward"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "2430"]
[BlackElo "2265"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventType "corr"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. h3 c5 7. d5 e6 8.
Bd3 exd5 9. exd5 Re8+ 10. Be3 Bh6 11. O-O Bxe3 12. fxe3 Kg7 $6 {After
investing his King Bishop, Black might as well take the ePawn and try to hold
on.} 13. Qd2 Nbd7 14. Rf2 Ng8 15. Raf1 f6 16. b4 $1 {Diagram # While the Black
pieces wait patiently on the queenside, White sacrifices a Pawn on b4 to
undermine Black's control of e5 (...cxb4 and c5 is (possibly) coming to
destroy d6.} cxb4 17. Ne4 Nc5 18. Nxc5 dxc5 19. e4 Nh6 20. e5 b5 21. d6 fxe5
22. Ng5 Bf5 23. Rxf5 gxf5 24. Bxf5 bxc4 25. d7 Re7 26. Ne6+ Rxe6 27. Bxe6 Qh4
28. Kh1 Rd8 29. Qe3 1-0
[/pgn]
White’s queenside comes alive after a sacrifice on d5.
[pgn]
[Event "19N08"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Boles, Robert"]
[Black "Hollingsworth, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E42"]
[WhiteElo "2193"]
[BlackElo "2017"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
{MAR} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nge2 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. c5 Ne4
8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Qxd2 Qe7 10. a3 Ba5 11. g3 Bd8 12. b4 b6 13. Bg2 a5 14. O-O O-O
15. Rab1 bxc5 16. dxc5 axb4 17. axb4 Nd7 18. Nd4 Ne5 19. Qe2 Qf6 {Diagram #}
20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Nxd5 Nf3+ 22. Nxf3 Qe6 23. Qd3 Bb7 24. Rfd1 Rc8 25. Qc4 Bf6
26. b5 Qf5 27. Rb3 Rfd8 28. c6 Rc7 29. Rbd3 Rxd5 30. Rxd5 Qc8 31. Rd7 1-0
[/pgn]
One bad move and White finds his position collapsing.
[pgn]
[Event "18Q10"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Woollen, Allen"]
[Black "Gregg, Vaughn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "1892"]
[BlackElo "1849"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 e6 7. O-O Nbd7
8. Re1 Bb4 9. a3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 Qa5 11. Bb2 O-O 12. h3 Rfd8 13. a4 c5 14. Nd2
cxd4 15. exd4 Rac8 16. Qb3 {Diagram #} Nc5 17. Qb4 Qxb4 18. cxb4 Nd3 19. Bxd3
Bxd3 20. Rac1 Nd5 21. b5 Bc2 22. Nf3 Bxa4 23. Ra1 Bxb5 0-1
[/pgn]
Faced with the loss of his a3 Pawn, White panics…
[pgn]
[Event "17N19"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Herrmann, Mark"]
[Black "Wilson, Abe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "1973"]
[BlackElo "2143"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 Bd6 7. O-O O-O
8. Qc2 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. a3 a6 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Rd1
Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Qc7 16. g3 Rad8 17. Bg5 Qe7 18. b4 c5 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Rc8
21. bxc5 Rxc5 22. Qd2 h6 23. Re1 Be5 24. Be3 Rc4 {Diagram #} 25. d6 Qxd6 26.
Qxd6 Bxd6 27. Rac1 Ra4 28. Rc6 Bxa3 29. Bxh6 gxh6 30. Rxf6 Kg7 31. Rb6 Rd8 32.
Rb7 Rd6 33. Rd1 Rf6 34. Kg2 Bc5 35. Rbd7 b4 36. R7d5 Ra3 37. Rxc5 Rfxf3 38. Rd4
b3 39. Rg4+ Kh7 40. Rb4 Rf6 41. Rc8 a5 0-1
[/pgn]
