[Event "North America Championship 2008"] [Site "SchemingMind.com"] [Date "2008.01.10"] [Round "-"] [White "JasonY1982"] [Black "C. H. O'D. Schlechter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C80q"] [WhiteCountry "USA"] [BlackCountry "USA"] [WhiteElo "2054"] [WhiteRD "63"] [BlackElo "2391"] [BlackRD "69"] [GameID "136956"] 1. e4 { JasonY1982: I'll try to be as competitive as possible in these matches. At least if I lose its to another "US Marshall". } 1... e5 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: I'm sure we'll have two good games. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 { JasonY1982: So where are you from in the US? } 4... Nf6 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: Chicago area. } 5. O-O { JasonY1982: Thats a nice city. I was there about a year and a half ago. I hope to go back in the future. } 5... Nxe4 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: I've never been to New Jersey so you have the advantage there. ;-) } 6. d4 { JasonY1982: Contrary to what many people think, NJ is a really nice place to live. It has a lot to offer. However, there really isn't much to see in terms of site seeing that someone from out of the state would really want to see besides Atlantic City. } 6... b5 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: And there is always NYC or Philly to go to as well. } 7. Bb3 { JasonY1982: Exactly. Although Philly isn't the most desirable city to visit. But there are some good historic things to see. } 7... d5 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: I was there once. Saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc. I was also surprised by a street (Market?) which allowed parking right in the middle of it. } 8. dxe5 { JasonY1982: Yeah, thats the nice part of Philly. } 8... Be6 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: Not a fan of Philly, hey? ;-) All big cities have parts that aren't the best. } 9. Nbd2 { JasonY1982: Not really, but I do enjoy my day trips there when I go. They also host a lot of good chess tournaments too, but I never went to any there. } 9... Bc5 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: Yes, it doesn't get better (or bigger) then the World Open. If you play otb, you should play in the World Open at least once. Are you close enough to Philly so you could avoid having to get a hotel room? } 10. Nxe4 { JasonY1982: Thats right. I live closer to NYC, but I could probably pull off driving each day if I had to, but I think it would affect my play negatively as the tournament went on. NJ hosts some good tournaments too. The US Open was played in Cherry Hill, NJ (near Philly) in 2002 & 2007. I attended the 2002 one to see a friend play, but did I not play in the tournament. I did enter some short time control quads which they held each day as mini tournaments. The Amateur Team East in Feb is always held in NJ...which I plan to play in. It will be my first OTB tournament since 2002. I see the US Open will be in Oak Brook,IL this year. You going? } 10... dxe4 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: No, I won't be playing. I've heard the Amateur Team East is a great event. All the amateur team events are more about the love of chess and not trying/hoping to win big money. *sigh* I was hoping for something more ambitious from you (10.c3). This is going to be very dull, very soon. } 11. Bxe6 { JasonY1982: My appologies. I almost always play 10. c3, but I decided to try something different this time around since I have several games ongoing with that line. Yes, the Amateur Team East is an outstanding tournament. Its been about 8 years since I played in it. Its a lot of fun...mostly because like you said, its for the love of chess rather than money (no cash prizes). There is always a huge turn out and very strong players. Plus the team aspect is really fun. One of the reasons I like this site very much. } 11... Qxd1 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: It is actually 9.c3; I just invited a transposition back to it with Bc5, which I certainly didn't have to play. So it is on me too. } 12. Rxd1 { JasonY1982: Oops, thats right...move 9. } 12... fxe6 13. Ng5 { JasonY1982: Do you ever play OTB matches? Or just correspondance? } 13... O-O { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: I pretty just play cc now except for otb blitz for fun. } 14. Nxe4 Bb6 15. Kf1 Rf5 16. f3 Rxe5 17. c3 Rf8 18. Re1 { JasonY1982: The US Amateur East was a lot of fun. I didn't score as well as I should have personally, but still did ok. Roman Dzindzichashvili's team ended up winning the tournament with a 6-0 score. } 18... h6 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: Yes, I hear that is always a fun tournament. I also heard there was a flu bug being passed around there. :( } 19. Ke2 { JasonY1982: I didn't hear anything about the flu there (luckily). Although with 1200+ people in the tournament, it doesn't surprise me at all. } 19... Rh5 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: Yes, any time you have that many people together, colds or the flu are inevitable. } 20. h3 Rd5 21. Be3 { JasonY1982: Sorry for the delay. I have been trying to focus on team matches a bit. Plus I want to give you my best game possible and not rush a move and blunder. } 21... Bxe3 { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: No problem at all. } 22. Kxe3 a5 23. Re2 Kf7= { C. H. O'D. Schlechter: I can't see either of us making too much progress. } { Game Over: Even though this means I will probably not advance in the tournament based on my less than desirable position in the other game, this one here is most likely a draw and I'll take it. } 1/2-1/2