Ashik and Ahyan's Round 5 and 6 Games in Mechanics Chess Institute TNM A...

Last Tuesday Ahyan and I played the 5th and 6th round of Tuesday Night Marathon online over chess.com arranged by Mechanics Chess Institute. The games are live analyzed by FIDE Master Paul Whitehead and Abel Talamantez. After a nice win by Ahyan at 5th round he was jointly in second position with 4 out of 5 in the open section which is phenomenal at his age and rating. Ahyan and I joined the commentary by invitation from TD Judit Sztaray after the 6th round for a short time. Here are some excerpts from our games and the commentaries. The TNM newsletter for this round may be found here - https://www.milibrary.org/chess-newsletters/931

Round 6:

Jonah Busch (Kondsaga) (1711) - Ahyan Zaman (ahyanzaman) (1496) [E11]
Live Chess Chess.com, 18.08.2020
[de Firmian,Nick]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 [4.Bd2] 4...d5 Old-style. [4...0-0 keeps options: 5.a3 Be7 6.e4 d5 (6...d6!? rather asks the N/d2, what are you doing there...) 7.e5 Nfd7 8.Bd3 c5 9.h4!? was a fun line until it was clarified that 9...g6! was the way to defend. (The "fun" happens after 9...cxd4?? 10.Bxh7+!) ; Or there's 4...b6 "committing" to the Queen's Indian.] 5.a3 [5.Qa4+] 5...Bxd2+?! This is probably White's "as good as it gets" against the Bogo-Indian. Two bishops, Black's unsolved bad LSB. [5...Be7 is almost always played.] 6.Nxd2!? [6.Bxd2 is 7 or 8 times as common -- but the text move scores better. And it makes sense, to contest e4 (guarding c4 is almost incidental).] 6...0-0 7.g3?!

[7.e3 is more common by a lot, if more sensible, first played at least as early as 1931! 7...b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.b3 c5 11.Bb2 1-0 (29) Zamikhovsky,A-Rosenkrantz,K Moscow 1931] 7...dxc4!? Looks good, since White can't take back (... Qd5...). [But 7...Nc6! 8.e3 e5 highlights the problem. Black busts open the center and puts White on the spot. 9.Bg2 exd4 10.cxd5 dxe3 11.fxe3 Nxd5] 8.Bg2 Qxd4 9.0-0 Rd8 [9...Nc6! 10.Qc2 (10.Bxc6?! bxc6 when White will miss his king bishop even more than Black was.) 10...Na5 gets annoying.] 10.e3 [10.Qc2 wins back one pawn with sufficient compensation for the other (Black's queen gets kicked around more than she'd like).] 10...Qd3 Clear plus Black now. 11.Qa4 c3 [11...Bd7!? 12.Qxc4 Bc6 Who's your bad bishop now?] 12.bxc3 Qxc3?! [12...Bd7 here also] 13.Rb1 c6 [13...Nd5] 14.Ne4 [14.Bb2! Some queen-kicking coming.] 14...Nxe4 15.Bxe4 f5 [Not a lot of humans find 15...Re8! thinking about dulling the long diagonal with ...e5 at some point.] 16.Bb2 Qc5 17.Bc2 Rd2?! Black needed to be thinking development, defense. [17...Nd7 18.Rfd1 Re8] 18.Rfc1 [18.Bb3! thwarts.] 18...Rd7

Black's position would be pathetic if he didn't have two pawns to show for it; but maybe that's not enough. 19.Bb3 Qe7 20.Qf4 threatens f5 [20.Qc4!] 20...Qf7 21.Qe5?! [21.e4! fxe4 22.Qxe4 Rd8 23.Re1 Is this a Bogo-Indian -- or a Danish Gambit!?] 21...Re7 22.Rd1 Nd7 Black might consolidate now! 23.Qc3 Nf8 24.Rd6 Rd7?! Black needs a plan. [How about 24...b6! intending ...Bb7 whether or not White takes on c6.] 25.Rbd1 Rxd6 26.Rxd6 Bd7 27.Qd4 Rd8?! 28.h4 [28.Qxa7! Qe7+/= 29.Qd4?! (29.Qc5; 29.Rd2) 29...c5!= 30.Qxc5? Ba4!] 28...Qe7 29.h5 c5 3:20 remaining

The game has become critical. [29...h6!] 30.Qe5? 6:26 remaining [30.Qxc5! Ba4? (30...h6!= has to, has to be played!) 31.Rxd8! Qxc5 32.Bxe6+ Kh8 33.h6! and White mates.] 30...Re8?? Ahyan took a good minute on this move, but it missed the danger: that Alpha pawn is zeroing in on Black's king and must be stopped! [30...h6!-/+] 31.h6! winning! 31...Qf6 [31...Ng6 when 32.Rxe6!! (32.Qxc5 is about as good, and wins prosaically) 32...Nxe5 33.Rxe7+ Kf8 34.Rxg7!+- puts some flash into it.] 32.hxg7 Qxe5 33.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 34.Bxe5 With the extra bishop (and a powerful one at that on e5) White just wins the endgame. 34...Ke7 35.Rd2 Rc8 36.Bf6+ Ke8 37.f3 c4 38.Bc2 c3 39.Rd3 [39.Rh2] 39...Bb5 40.Rxc3 Rxc3 41.Bxc3 Kd7 42.e4 fxe4 43.Bxe4 Kd6 44.Bxb7 Kc5 45.Bb4+ Kc4 46.Kf2 Kd3 47.Be4+ Kc4 48.Bxh7 Kd5 49.Be4+ Ke5 50.Ke3 Bc4 51.f4+ Kf6 52.g4 Kg7 53.Kd4 Bb5 54.Ke5 Bd7 55.Bc5 Kf7 56.Bxa7 Kg7 57.Bd4 Kf7 58.Bc2 Bc8 59.a4 Bd7 60.a5 Bc8 61.Bd3 Bb7 62.a6 Ba8 63.a7 Bd5 64.Be4 Ba8 65.Bxa8 Kg6 66.Be4+ Kf7 67.a8Q Ke7 68.Qa7+ Kf8 69.Kxe6 Ke8 70.Qe7# Kondsaga won by checkmate 1-0

 

Ahyan Became Jointly Champion In Best of The West Under 1800

Ahyan and I played the 2 days format of Best of the West chess tournament organized by Bay Area Chess over the memorial day weekend. Ahyan played one section up at Under 1800 instead of Under 1600. I played in Under 2000 section. Ahyan won 5 games and lost 1 while I lost first 2 games and won the rest 4 games. As a result Ahyan will be wining some $800 or so while I will probably just a bit for jointly being 3rd with a bunch of others. Here are some of our games from the tournament.

The full standings may be found here.

http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201905279402.3-15035222

http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201905279402.2-13178575

Tournament: Best of the West
Site: Santa Clara Marriott
SectionL Under 1800
Date: 27th May 2019
Round: 6
Board: 147
White: Ahyan Zaman (1568)
Black: Andrew Ng (1756)
Result: 1-0






Tournament: Best of the West
Site: Santa Clara Marriott
SectionL Under 2000
Date: 26th May 2019
Round: 4
White: Ashik Uzzaman (1950)
Black: Alvin Han (1664)
Result: 1-0


Tournament: Best of the West
Site: Santa Clara Marriott
SectionL Under 2000
Date: 27th May 2019
Round: 6
White: Ashik Uzzaman (1950)
Black: Chelsea Zhou (1727)
Result: 1-0



Here is a quiz from my 4th game where I checkmated my opponent with White to move. Can you find it?

Ahyan Finally Defeated Me In A Competitive Chess Tournament

This finally happened. Ahyan defeated me for the first time in a competitive chess tournament despite my rating being more than 300 points than his. We are playing in 19th Henry Memorial Chess tournament today at Mechanics Chess Institute, San Francisco. This is a 5 round Swiss where after first 3 rounds both of us were at 2. Consequently I got white in 4th round against him. I gained a pawn putting some positional pressure and got greedy to get the second pawn. So I got into a long defensive position and miscalculated a pin which I thought I can defend. Well no. Ahyan piled all his pieces on the pinned Bishop despite having only 1 minute left in his clock. As it was a game in 40 with 5 seconds delay, seeing very low time in his clock, I didn’t resign until getting checkmated with the hope to flag him down on time. But we it didn’t work out for me. I have never given up any game in my life, and did my best to win. But kudos to him. Recently he had been crossing me in tactics multiple times (my chess.com puzzle rush best is 26 and Ahyan’s is 27 for example). The moves of the game is below but u will put a diagram tonight when at home. Ahyan will get some prize money if he wins the last round that we are about to head into.

Ahyan Won CalChess State Champion in Under 1600

Ahyan became CalChess State Champion in Under 1600 rating group in the Labor Day Weekend Tournament of 2018. He scored 5 out of 6 along with Mohammad S Khan. With the champions trophy he also got 966 dollars prize check and a 51 rating points increase to push him to the next rating group. You may find the full standings here.

http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201809036472.5-15035222

My own performance in Under 2200 group was a disaster scoring 2 out of 6 and am pushed down 52 rating points and 1 group below. Ahyan is now 1 rating group behind to catch me. Also I ran for the CalChess Board Membership during this tournament. I lost by 2 votes less than the 4th board member who was elected but I see lots of responses from chess players and parents. I will try it again next year. Thanks to everyone who voted for me, supported me and encouraged me.

IM John Donaldson congratualted Ahyan at Mechanics' Institutechess newsletter - http://chessclub.org/news.php?n=842

"Congratulations to Mechanics’ member Ahyan Zaman, who tied for first in the under-1600 section of the Northern California state championship, held over Labor Day weekend. Ahyan scored 5–1 to raise his rating from 1590 to 1641."

Ahyan Won US National Junior Chess Championship 2015 in Age 8 and Under Group Winning All 5 Games

2015 US National Junior Chess Congress was organized by Bay Area Chess during January 24th and 25th at Santa Clara Convention Center in the hearth of Sillicon Valley. The tournament had 8 different Age Level group - for Under 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. Two groups for Age Level 6 and 8 were held in 25th January while the other 6 groups were a 2 days event.

Ahyan Zaman, Bangladeshi American living in Fremont (California) won all the 5 games and clinched the National Junior Champion title in Age group 8 and Under. He is currently studying in 3rd grade of Parkmont School and is a regular member of the chess club NorCal House of Chess.

73 players participated in the Age 8 and Under group. Ahyan from Norcal House of Chess was 6th top seed by rating in this group. His final (5th) round game was the championship decider, where he faced top seed Adrian Kondakov of Berkeley Chess School which you can replay here - http://www.chess.com/emboard?id=2390054

Above is the final result posted in the wall at Santa Clara Convention Center. The USCF results can be found here - http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201501252712.7-15035222

In that same age group's team championship was won by NorCal House of Chess and Ahyan was part of that team. While he has a bunch of trophies at home, this is by far the largest and is close to as tall as him. After winning the tournament, his first question was - where am I going to store this trophy?

The presentation was given by four times Women World Chess Champion GM Susan Polgar. Here is a video of the part where Ahyan received the trophy from her after announcement by Chielf Tournament Director Tom Langland.

Ahyan Got Featured in Millenium Chess Open Newsletter

Ahyan Zaman and Shafieen Ibrahim featured in this week's Millionaire Chess Open newsletter (#7) as young participants! Ahyan is the youngest by far to register while Shafieen was the first teenager to register for this upcoming high stake chess tournament.

http://millionairechess.com/blog/young-chess-players-ready-to-make-history/

Here is an excerpt from the post in website.

 

Ahyan, only 7 years old, started playing chess about a year and a half ago and has a great passion for the game. His father, Ashik, signed him up for the Millionaire Chess Open to gain the valuable experience of what it feels like to be part of a major tournament, and to learn how to conduct himself under those particular playing conditions.

Being a chess player himself, Ashik felt that such a big tournament can truly inspire everyone to work hard, enjoy chess, and improve one’s game.

We love their enthusiasm, as Ashik shared with us,

"We father and son are already looking forward to be bounty hunters in our respective sections!"

Ahyan’s mother and 3-year-old sister will be joining him and his father in Las Vegas, making it a vacation for the whole family. We’re sure they’ll have plenty to keep them busy as they explore the LINQ Project and watch their two favorite guys compete for the top prizes at the Millionaire Chess Open!