• This weekend is the Colorado State Scholastic tournament in Denver.  I am not involved with Scholastic Chess at all, but I know it is a "big deal", so good luck to the players competing this weekend!

• Last weekend was Randy Reynold's Loveland Open, which is one of the longest running tournaments in Colorado.  Randy had a good turnout.  Congrats to Chris Peterson who won the tournament, and is getting very close to getting his Master title!

• The Chess Life Online Blog is going to be featuring an article on me and Tactics Time pretty soon, so keep an eye out for that!  Also, the USCF bookstore will be carrying Tactics Time in paperback soon! 

• The library where my mom works in Pittsburgh (Northland Library), just got their copy of Tactics Time - so that was cool!

• Remmelt from New in Chess writes "I had great fun 'selling' your book at the Tata Steel Chess tournament. We had a deal with the event organizers that all prize 'money' was replaced with New In Chess books - and your book was a popular choice with the prize winners!"

• I got some really nice comments after the "Happy Meal" review I pointed out the other day.  Here was one I really liked from John Gordon:
  
  What a great sport you are for putting a link to that horrible review on your own newsletter and then answering it so thoroughly and cheerfully; very impressive, great job son. I can say "son" because I am sixty five years old, and since retiring I decided to try to improve my chess play, your books have helped more than anything else. I simply cannot remember strategy and long drawn out plans, so I will not likely ever be a truly great player, but you know what I love to play anyway, and "Tactics Times" 1001 and 1002 have made a huge difference. My game has improved and I am having even more fun. Keep up the good work sir!

Here is the complete game

[Event "C.S. Chess Center Sunday Tournament"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2014.02.09"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Freeman, Alexander"]
[Black "Andersen, Gunnar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "1671"]
[BlackElo "2041"]
[PlyCount "32"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. Bh6 Nc4 13. Qg5 Rc5 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 e5 16. Qxd8 Bxh6+ 1-0

You can play through this game here: http://tacticstime.com/alex-freeman-vs-gunnar-andersen/

Answer 15...e5 is a real crusher.  This is a pretty complicated position.  15...e5 accomplishes a lot of things at one time.

It attacks the White Knight on d4.  Gunnar writes "if he saves his knight. I go 16...Bf6, then he can only go 17. Qg3. Then 17...Bh4 traps his queen"

In the game White responded with 16. Qxd8, and Gunnar played the nice "in between move" 16...Bxh6+, capturing a piece with check, before recapturing the Queen, which wins a piece. 

Nice work Gunnar!  Thanks for sending it to me!

Here is the complete game

[Event "February 2014 DCC Tuesdays"]
[Site "2400 South Ash, Denver, CO"]
[Date "2014-02-11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Quintana, Jude"]
[Black "Seidler, Kevin"]
[WhiteElo "1651"]
[BlackElo "2107"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B20"]
[Opening "Sicilian"]
[Variation "Keres variation (2.Ne2)"]
1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. h3 d5 6. exd5 exd5 7. O-O d4 8. d3 Be7 9. Nd2 Bf5 10. Nf3 Qd7 11. Kh2 h6 12. Bf4 Nd5 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 f6 15. Bf4 h5 16. Re1 O-O-O 17. Ng1 Nxf4 18. gxf4 Bd6 19. Qf3 g5 20. b4 g4 21. Qe2 Bxf4+ 22. Kh1 Rde8 23. Qf1 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Rg8 25. h4 cxb4 26. Rb1 Bb8 27. Ne2 Be6 28. Rxb4 Qd6 29. Bxb7+ Kd8 30. Rxd4 1-0

You can play through this game here: https://denverchess.com/Games/ViewPGN?id=5474

Answer:

On move 29, Kevin played ...Kd8?? which allowed 30. Rxd4 winning a pawn, and pinning the Queen to the King.

I am guessing Kevin didn't want to block his battery of Bishop and Queen - thinking there was no way for White to stop mate on h2 and protect the hanging Rook - d'oh!

There have been a lot of big upsets the past month in Colorado chess. 

Ian writes:

"White: Ian Scott (Louth Chess Club) - ELO 1754
Black: David Scott - (Louth Chess Club) ELO 1402

White to move: Rook to g5 wins
If bishop x Rook then Queen to f8 mate
Anything else then Queen to g7 mate

Unfortunately being a blitz game we do not have a record of all the moves. It may not be the most stunning move but one I was quite proud of in a blitz game."

Thanks Ian!  Nice One!