Two Sides to a Breathtaking Story: October 21, 2023, Glen Rock Quads Report

YEFIM TREGER VS IDO ALKIN

Yefim welcomes you again!

In spite of continuous heavy rain (two weeks ago it was a rainy day too) I decided to play in a quad on the 21st of October 2023. I started my first game with Ido Alkin, a very talented kid. Despite losing a pawn in a middle-game Ido played well in an endgame. He restored the material balance and had a very prospective position to play for a win. I offered him a draw but he declined. He has shown a good spirit! Still I managed to save myself in a very complicated rook ending.

In the photograph you see two key positions reflecting the key moments of the game. Try to first solve these positions and only then check your answers with the game below.

Ido Post-Match Reaction

I am somewhat proud of this amazing result - but I’m not the happiest person on earth, because I could have won the endgame. Still, what’s to complain? I tied a player over 400 rating points above me! This will surely motivate me when I play other highest rated players. Great game Yefim Treger!

In the next two games I played a 1500 and a 1400. Unfortunately the 1500 had a bad game and hung several pieces, and ended up with a score of 0. The 1400 then played solidly, but tried to exchange too many pieces! Being the lower rated player he must’ve thought he could get away with it, but I correctly translated the game into an endgame up a pawn, and won the game. This was a very interesting tournament because of the rating differences of almost 1000. I hope to play some more challenging opponents in the next quad tournament. Thank you so much for reading!

Section 2 Report by Kian Zarineh

On the cloudy Saturday of October, I attended the ICA Quads Chess Tournament and I was really excited to begin. This tournament was based on US Chess Federation (USCF) ratings and resulted in more than 10 sections filled with kids and grown ups. I was placed in the second section, I was up for a challenge!

In the first round, I noticed my opponent was very strong but I was determined to win. This game was very intense, but unfortunately, I lost this game. I made two blunders in succession. The first was a simple miscalculation. I thought I had a move that would gain me an advantage, but in fact it gave my opponent an opportunity to take a piece. I was so shocked by this that I completely forgot about the other piece in my possession. My opponent quickly pounced on it and took it, leaving me in a difficult position.

I was able to score two out of three points during the next two rounds though! Details next!

After the first round, I felt bad about my performance as I lost. However, I realized that I needed to stay focused and keep improving if I wanted to win the section in the following games. As the tournament progressed, the opponents in my section were prepared to win. Yet, I continued to work hard and make adjustments against them.

The most interesting chess game I played was my second game with 30 moves against Andrew Golfarb, who blundered! The game was a great learning experience for me as it highlighted the importance of making well thought out moves. I was able to capitalize on my opponent’s blunders and create a strong position. I was able to use my pieces to create threats, and make a few good moves to make sure I was in control of the game. Then I slowly built up my advantage until I was able to checkmate him in the 30th move. I often play Andrew online but nothing replaces a real over the board game! The moves were as follows:

Note, the main blunder on my opponent's side was Qg5 move. I just played Qg3 prior and Andrew was going to lose the piece. Instead, he could have moved his bishop back but he did not. That was something I took advantage of and advanced in the game.

The last chess game I played with my opponent Samvel was a long and exhausting match. We had been playing for several hours and both of us were tired. My opponent was making moves slower and slower and I could tell that he was getting fatigued. I took advantage of this and made strategic moves that put him in a tough position. Soon, he was out of options and resigned, giving me the win.

Overall, the ICA Quads Chess Tournament from Saturday was a positive experience for me. Despite not winning the section, I learned invaluable lessons from this experience such as the importance of focus, determination, and hard work. As I look back, I am thankful for being a part of the tournament and am coding to improve even further!

Our next Quads will be held NEXT SATURDAY on October 28. Click HERE to register!

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