Extras from the WCL Newsletter: Monday, June 30, 2008
If you haven't yet read the main newsletter, start
here.
Elliot Liu: "I'm in unexplored territory."
WCL correspondent Jonathan Hilton interviews Elliot
Liu at the Marshall Chess Club International
Jonathan Hilton: How do you
feel about your incredible performance?
Elliott Liu: I shocked
myself. I had no idea I was capable of having such a tournament!
Tell me about your journey
through the nine rounds of the tournament.
I started well in the first
two rounds, but then suffered a heartbreaker against Ehlvest in Round 3. One
move I was winning, the next move I blundered in time pressure and had to
resign. I followed that up with another loss, so I felt my norm chances were
essentially over. However, after that, it was as if I couldn't lose: I won my
next four games in a row! That included wins over one IM and a GM.
What happened in the final
rounds?
In the final round I found
myself on Board 1 playing for first place. This was unfamiliar territory for me
in a way—I have never been in a position to win such a major event before, and
I actually felt nervous for the first time in the tournament. Unfortunately I
also lost that all-important killer instinct I had in my previous rounds; I
already had my norm locked away after Round 8, so I felt less motivation to play
for the win. I definitely had winning chances over Paragua, and had some fairly
simple ways to convert, so it was a bit frustrating. However, I simply had an
amazing tournament!
You gained 82 rating points
from the tournament, going from 2298 to 2380. How does that feel?
Again, it is unexplored
territory for me! It used to be that you would go to a scholastic tournament, go
9-0, and gain eighty rating points. Once you reach the higher levels it is so
much more difficult to climb. I am excited to see if this holds up—my next
tournament will be the U2400 Section of the World Open, and there is even a
chance I could get a third IM norm there.
Alex Lenderman Smith-Morra Chess.FM Series
Part
I - Free for all!
Part
II - WCL members only
Part
III - WCL members only
Blitzing with IM Alex Lenderman
-
Date of birth: September
23, 1989
-
Current place of residence: Brooklyn,
New York
-
USCF rating as of 6/28/08:
2523
-
Current position in U.S. rankings: #46
-
Number of Grand Prix Points: 77.766
-
Current Grand Prix rank: #6
Jonathan Hilton: How many languages
do you speak?
Alex Lenderman: I speak Russian and English fluently, and know a tiny bit
of French and German.
What do you like
most about chess?
The analytical and visualization skills necessary to play
well, and the need to work hard on and off the board.
If you weren't a
chessplayer, what would you be?
I would just be a regular college student math major. My
career goal—math teacher—would also be the same.
Do you have any
catchphrases or favorite movie quotations?
Not much--I don't watch many movies.
What was the most
interesting book you have ever read?
Harry Potter (I know that might sound childish!), Of
Mice and Men, Angela's Ashes, and Diary of Anne Frank. I
prefer books that allow me to explore the characters' feelings: they bring the
excitement to me when I'm reading them.
If you could go
back in time and be a participant in any chess tournament ever held, which one
would you choose and why?
I would want to play in U.S. Championship and U.S. Junior
Championship with all the great stars of the past (Fischer, Dzindzihashvili,
Benko, Larsen, etc.) , when these tournaments were more prestigious.
What is your best
character trait?
I am kind and try to help others.
What is your worst
character trait?
Sometimes I think a little too much about money. Also, I
don't always understand jokes too well, and take them too seriously, thus making
it easy to offend me. I feel as if I could work some on my social skills.
How late was the
latest time you showed up for a tournament game? Did you still win?
Twenty minutes—and only because the train delayed. I
did win that game. I try to avoid being late, especially if I'm Black, because
I like to choose the side for the clock!
Do you have a goal
for yourself as to how many GP points you want to win this year?
My goal is to finish in the money, meaning top 8, for the
first time in my life, and also be the top scorer non-GM.
Do
you play any chess variants proficiently?
Yes—I am decent a bughouse. I know pretty much all wild
variants but do not focus on becoming good at them.
Loving the Lectures
High
school junior Kris Meekins, of Akron, Ohio, has been a devout advocate of the
Smith-Morra since he first became serious about tournament chess half a decade
ago. He says that he was thrilled to discover Alex Lenderman had a video lecture
series on the Smith-Morra, and was intrigued by some of Alex's new ideas in
the age-old opening—particularly 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6
5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.e5!?
Meekins
started experimenting with the suggestions from the video lecture series in
blitz games online before finally having a chance to play the Smith-Morra
against IM Calvin Blocker of Cleveland, Ohio in a G/45 tournament. Meekins
scored a tremendous upset victory! He annotates his game below, which was
originally run in Ohio Chess Connection.
Congrats!
Meekins
(2065)—IM Blocker (2406)
[B21] Ameriprise
April (1), 4/19/2008
Annotations
by Kris Meekins
1.e4
c5
I
was surprised that he chose to play the Sicilian. I thought that I would be
facing a Caro-kann or a variation against the Ruy Lopez.
2.d4
cxd4 3.c3 dxc3
The
Smith Morra Gambit Accepted. Now it is up to me to show that my pawn sacrifice
was not in vain.
4.Nxc3
Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6
One of the most challenging lines against the Smith
Morra. Black's idea is to stop Nb5 by controlling the b5 square. He wants to
then play ...Nf6 next move, and if White does not play h2-h3, Black then has
...Bg4 and puts a deadly pin on White strong attacking knight on f3. But I had a
plan against this system.
7.e5!?
This
is actually a new idea in the Smith Morra, found by IM Alex Lenderman. The idea
is to get quick and easy open lines; for instance, if Black plays 7...dxe5,
after 8.Qxd8+ he is forced to take by with the king, which is highly
uncomfortable. If 8...Nxd8? White has 9.Nd5! hitting c7 and b6. Then if 9...Ne6,
10.Nb6! Rb8 11.Nxe5 Nf6 12.Nxf7! wins the exchange because 12...Kxf7 is met by
13.Bf4! If 11...f6, White has the same idea with 12.Nf7.
7...e6
8.exd6 Bxd6 9.Qe2 Nf6 10.0-0
I
had also debated about playing 10.Bg5 here, but I thought after 10...Be7, Black
defends pretty well. With 10.0-0, I prepare 11.Rd1 followed by Bc1-f4 if Black
doesn't move his queen off the d-file.
10...h6
This
is a good prophylactic move; it stops me from ever playing Bg5. Also it makes it
easier if Black wants to move his queen to e7.
11.Rd1
Preparing
to play Bf4 if he doesn't move his queen.
11...Qc7?!
I
don't like this move because the c-file is open, I think 11... Qe7 is slightly
better because the Queen belongs there, it keeps the Knight defended and the
e-file is not open like the c-file.
12.Ne4
If
12. Be3? Ng4! gives Black a good position.
12...Nxe4
13.Qxe4 b5 14.Bd5
I
had to do a lot of calculation before making this move. I knew if I played my
bishop back to b3 it would let Black get his pieces developed; I felt like I
needed to put pressure on the knight and the e6 pawn, so I decided to play
14.Bd5 and saw this very cute sacrifice with 14...Bb7 15.Bxe6! I noticed I would
be getting an attack going and would have a lot of pressure and piece play, and
I saw a perpetual check at the least if he played a certain move, so I thought
this was a very sound sacrifice.
14...Bb7?
14...Bd7
is much less complicated and still holds a small edge for Black, so it is
preferable over this.
15.Bxe6!
fxe6
[It
was also possible to decline this sacrifice with 15....0-0, with equality—Ed.]
16.Qxe6+
Now
if 16...Ne7 or 16...Qe7, I win my piece back by playing 17.Rxd6 or 17.Qxd6. Thus
Black's next move is forced.
16...Be7
17.Qg6+ Kf8 18.Qf5+
This
is necessary to prepare Bf4.
18...Bf6
A
good choice. If 18...Ke8, 19.Bf4 should give me a good position, with Black
having a vulnerable king in the center of the board.
19.Bf4
Qf7
If
19...Qc8 20. Rd7! Nb8, then 21. Bd6+, and I have at least a perpetual check
here.
20.Rd7
Ne7
I
think this was a good defensive try.
21.Bd6
21...Bc6?!!
At
this point of the game I had 2 minutes and 40 seconds left and Calvin had 5
seconds left, with a 5 second delay, so by no means the rest of the game is
completely accurate.
22.Rc7
Bxf3
23.Qxf3 Rd8 24.Rd1 Kg8
If
24...Re8? 25.Bxe7+! Now if 25...Bxe7 26.Rxe7! And here:
26...Rxe7 27.Rd8+ Re8 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.Qa8+ Ke7 30.Qxh8 Qg6=
26...Kxe7? 27.Rd7+! Kxd7 28.Qxf7+ Re7 29.Qd5+ Kc7 30.Qc5+ Kd7 31.h3 +-
25.Qb7??
My
worst move of the game. Black can now win outright if he plays 25...Qe6! I
cannot move my bishop because of the back rank mate Black is threatening, but
Black is also threatening to just capture my bishop on d6.
25...Re8?
This
let me get away.
26.Re1
Black
still has a slight edge. The game should go something like this with best play:
26...g6 and here:
27.Bxe7 Rh7!, and I cannot take his bishop on f6 because of back rank
checkmate.
27.Qxa6 Nf5 28.Rxe8+ Qxe8 29.Be5=. If 29...Bxe5, I have 30.Rc8 Qxc8 31.Qxc8+
Kh7 32.Qd7+ Bg7 33.Qxb5=.
26...Kh7?
This
lets me have my piece back.
27.Bxe7
Bxe7 28.Rxe7 Qg6??
This
type of move was just due to time trouble. Black had a second left on his clock,
and he just didn't see it was a mate-in-two. If 29...Rxe7 30.Rxe7 Qg6 31.Qe4 I
have a winning endgame, but a very hard endgame to win, at that. I would have
been satisfied with a draw at this point.
29.Rxg7+
1-0 ♦
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