Big Money Swiss

William Wu and Jianchao Zhou win, Harry Li breaks 2000! The Big Money Swiss, played this June at the Boylston Chess Club, is a quarterly event at the club. 1st place in the Open section was split by GM Jianchao Zhao and NM William Wu, who drew in their round 2 game. During this event, a number of players gained impressive amounts of rating. In the U1900 section, winner David Todd jumped from 1714 to 1813 in his second event coming off of a 9 year hiatus from over the board chess. In the Open Section, Harry Li gained 65 points and broke 2000 for the first time. Harry beat NMs Tim Sage and Kevin Zhao en route to his 3rd place tie. Harry has gained over 100 points since the start of the year! Below is an analysis of Harry's round 3 game against Tomas Girnius. Round 3 from the Big Money Swiss [Event "Tomas Girnius vs Harry Li: Chapter 1"] [White "Girnius, Tomas"] [Black "Li, Harry"] [Date "2026.06.20"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/counterplay855"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "E83"] [Opening "King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Yates Defense"] [StartFlipped "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 e5?! { The saemisch is a great way to fight against the KID. In this case, black is mixing lines. Either a6 to continue with the Panno, or e5 before Nc6 allow black to develop harmoniously. } 8. d5 Ne7 9. Qd2 a6 10. O-O-O b5 11. c5 Nd7?! (11... dxc5 { Usually dxc5 is a mistake, but this is one of the exceptions. With whites king on the queenside, black must open at least one line for the rooks. }) 12. c6 Nb6 13. Ng3 (13. Bxb6 cxb6 { If White takes the knight, Black is seriously hurting for space against whites protected passed c pawn. Counterplay with f5 does not come fast enough as White is able to enjoy a relatively safe king, improve his pieces, and then begin a kingside expansion. }) 13... f5 14. Bh6 f4 (14... Bxh6 15. Qxh6 f4 { It is counterintuitive to invite the queen into Black's kingside by trading off an important defender, but by following up with f4 Black is ensures the queen has no square for retreat, dislodges White's well-placed pieces, and threatens to trap the queen if White falls asleep at the board. }) 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Nge2 Nc4 17. Qe1 b4 18. Na4 a5 { Black protects his pawn and threatens Ne3, however, White has a clever tactical solution. Better would have been to play Ne3 immediately. } 19. Nxf4 $7 Nxb2 20. Nh5+ { Ruining black's structure and opening the g file is attractive, but even better would be to reroute the knight from a4. } (20. Nxb2 Rxf4 21. h4 h6 22. Bb5 Qf8 23. Nd3 Rf7 24. h5 g5 25. Qe2 $16) 20... gxh5 21. Nxb2 Ng6 22. h4 Ba6 23. Bxa6 Rxa6 { The structure has been damaged, but Black is working to activate his pieces and use the imbalanced pawn structure to continue the play on the queenside he began in the opening. Note that without the dark square bishops and with the rook controlling entry squares for the knight, it is difficult (though not impossible!) for white to use the advanced c-pawn or Black's doubled h pawns to his advantage. } 24. Rh3 Qf6 25. Nd3 Rb8 26. g4 Nf4 27. Nxf4 { This natural move creates too many open lines for Black's heavy pieces with the correct follow-up from Black } 27... exf4! { Tempting is taking with the queen and not accepting a third isolated pawn, but this is the only way for Black gain an advantage. Now White as many problems to solve as the queen and both rooks prepare to attack a weakened king. } 28. Kb1 a4 29. gxh5 a3 30. Qg1+ Kf7 { The king is nice and cozy on f7 and now black's queenside attack is decisive. } 31. Qd4 { Trading queens does not save white here. Black's rooks and advanced pawns are enough to mate on their own. } 31... Qxd4 32. Rxd4 b3 33. Rh2 (33. Rh1 { Even with perfect play, white will fall into a decisive zugzwang and be forced to part with a rook } 33... b2 34. Re1 Rg8 35. Rb4 Ra7 36. h6 Kf6 37. Rf1 Ke5 38. Rd1 Rg3 39. Rf1 Ra5 40. Rb7 Rc5 41. Rb3 Rg2 42. Rxa3 Rgc2 43. Ra7 Rc1+) 33... Rg8 34. Rd1 b2 { Black now brings a rook to c1 to end the game! } 35. Rc2 Rg3 36. Rc3 Kf6 37. Rb3 Ra4 38. Rb8 Rxf3 39. Rf8+ Kg7 40. Rc8 Rc3 41. Rxc7+ Kf6 42. Rxh7 Rac4 43. Rh6+ Kf7 0-1

Posted on: 6 July 2026 | 11:36 am

Holiday Season Six-Week Swiss Online

  Holiday Season Six-Week Swiss Online Register Online Now   DateTuesday, November 19, 2024 Event Format6SS or Double Quad, 1 lichess game per Tuesday night Time ControlG/60 + 10 sec SectionsQuads & Small Swiss Entry Fee$40, $25 for BCF members PrizesQuad #1: $80-$40; all other Quads & Small Swiss: $50-$40 RegistrationDeadline December 10, 2024 @ 6 PM Round Times6:30pm DescriptionWE MAY RESCHEDULE OFF CHRISTMAS EVE. Contact info: TD Nick Sterling. E-mail: td@boylstonchess.org. Text/cell: 781-733-0849. If I do not have your e-mail and cell phone # already, please send those to me in case we have to contact each other. If I do not have your lichess Username, please send that to me or include it in the comments in your Registration. For Round 1, Pairings will be posted on Tuesday just after 6 PM on the Boylston CC website. The cutoff time for registration in time to play a Round is Tuesday at 6 PM. Any players who register subsequent to 6 PM will be skipped until the following week's Round. Each Round begins at 6:30 PM except for games whose start times were agreed in advance to be changed. Players must join Zoom and Share their Screens or show their play areas in their camera views. The link will be sent to players by e-mail. Players with scores of at least +2, or in contention for a prize, may, at the TD's discretion, be required to provide at least two separate camera views on Zoom. Players must be current Members of USCF. Forfeit of a Round for any reason may result in forfeit of any prize $$$ that would otherwise have been won, at the TD's discretion. Rating with USCF will be delayed by 72 hours after the completion of the tournament to give lichess time to ensure Fair Play was observed in all games. Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List

Posted on: 17 November 2024 | 10:49 am

 It was 20 years ago today that we launched this blog and, to be honest, quite a surprise to me that it is still here so many years later. My thanks to all who have picked up the mantle at various times to maintain it as a valuable resource to the club.

Posted on: 13 November 2024 | 7:08 am

Boylston Chess : Early Autumn Six Week Swiss Online

    Early Autumn Six-Week Swiss Online    Register Online Now    DateTuesday, October 1, 2024 Event Format6SS, 1 lichess game per Tuesday night set up Time ControlOpen: G/60 + 10 sec, U1900: G/45 + 5 sec SectionsOpen & U1900 (Unrated); accelerated pairings may be used Entry Fee$40, $25 for BCF members PrizesOpen: $120-$80 based on 10 players; U1900: Trophy to 1st Place RegistrationDeadline October 22, 2024 @ 6 PM Round Times6:30pm DescriptionContact info: TD Nick Sterling. E-mail: td@boylstonchess.org. Text/cell: 781-733-0849. If I do not have your e-mail and cell phone # already, please send those to me in case we have to contact each other. If I do not have your lichess Username, please send that to me or include it in the comments in your Registration. For Round 1, Pairings will be posted on Tuesday just after 6 PM on the Boylston CC website. The cutoff time for registration in time to play a Round is Tuesday at 6 PM. Any players who register subsequent to 6 PM will be skipped until the following week's Round. Each Round begins at 6:30 PM except for games whose start times were agreed in advance to be changed. Players must join Zoom and Share their Screens or show their play areas in their camera views. The link will be sent to players by e-mail. Players with scores of at least +2, or in contention for a prize, may, at the TD's discretion, be required to provide at least two separate camera views on Zoom. Players must be current Members of USCF for the OPEN SECTION ONLY, not the U1900. However, if the Sections need to be combined due to insufficient registration, then players who joined the U1900 Section will need USCF Memberships to play in the Open. Forfeit of a Round for any reason may result in forfeit of any prize $$$ that would otherwise have been won, at the TD's discretion. Rating with USCF will be delayed by 72 hours after the completion of the tournament to give lichess time to ensure Fair Play was observed in all games.  Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List  

Posted on: 29 September 2024 | 11:11 am

$15 Open

 The September $15 Open saw 46 combatants fight it out on a fall Saturday. There were a number of outstanding performances. John Archibald took first in the open section with a perfect score despite being just the 4th highest rated player at the event start. His performance gained him over 50 points putting him back above 2100. An even larger upset was Ben Palmer finishing second with 3.5 points. This outstanding result helped him nearly 150 points crossing not just 1800 but also 1900 for the first time. On a more disappointing note Henry He entered the event sitting on 2199 a single point from becoming a titled player. Henry lost his first game in an upset and withdrew. We are rooting for Henry who in his next event will hope to get the 2200 level. Jianda Liu won a very competitive under section with a perfect score gaining 60 rating points. Jianda was one of three players in the under section that had the rating to play up.Lucas Irvine passed 1600 for the first time off a 3 out of 4 performance with his only loss coming from Jianda in round 3  

Posted on: 19 September 2024 | 5:00 pm

September quads

The numbers were on the players side as we were able to make 5 quads with no need for a small swiss. Michael Carey took care of business with the top rated player winning the top quad with 2.5/3.0.Ella Zhang and Rejan Dey split the second squad each with 2.0 points. Ella got her rating back over 1700 with the strong event.Justin Guerra took the third quad with a perfect score.  Haley Martin, the TD, took the fourth quad with a perfect score. Haley has been on a bit of a hot streak. This event brought her rating to over 1300.  She was under 1100 at the beginning of August. Aiden Shang and Santiago Benoit tied in the final quad, each collecting 2 of the possible three points.

Posted on: 8 September 2024 | 12:10 pm

Mikayel takes another Friday Night Blitz

Mikayel added to his trophy case with a first place in the Friday Night Blitz event. 10 points out of a possible 12 allowed him to cruise to an easy victory 1.5 points ahead of his closest competitor.

Posted on: 8 September 2024 | 12:00 pm

August Tuesday Night Swiss

Andrew Hoy won the open section.  Justin Guerra took first in the under section earning the right to play up next month. It feels like a matter of time until Justin breaks through and leaves the under section for good. Your author here needs to apologize to Michael Brown as his second should have been a first place if I didn't blunder a clearly winning position against Justin in the final round.

Posted on: 8 September 2024 | 11:56 am

A variation on an Arabian mate

  

Posted on: 27 August 2024 | 7:59 am

Maximus Lu wins his first Friday Night Blitz

Max took first in the most recent Friday Night Blitz with 9.5 out of 12 With the victory the promising junior passed 2000 in blitz and my money is on his classical rating following suit. The hosts Andrew ans Charles finished second and third respectively.

Posted on: 27 August 2024 | 7:53 am

Difficult tactics

  A hard tactic is just two or more simple tactics combined.  I am not sure who originally said this pearl of wisdom but I heard it from Neil Bruce. This mate in 5 puzzle is an attraction combined with either a back rank mate or a smothered mate tactic. The back rank or smothered mate tactics on their own could be found by most players. Add in the attraction to set them up and the degree of difficulty is dramatically higher.

Posted on: 17 August 2024 | 7:29 am

David McCabe advances in the club championship

David McCabe won entry into next months club championship with a score of +3 -0 =2. David was able to secure the draw necessary in the last round to clinch sole first. The event pushed David over 2000 for the first time. Good luck to David in the upcoming club championship. Justin Guerra had a notable performance finishing with 3 out of 4. Justin earned the right to play in this event by finishing tied for first in the Weaver Adams (the U1800 leg of the club championship). 

Posted on: 17 August 2024 | 7:21 am

Hoy wins Alto event

Andrew won the ALTO event but more importantly food and fun was had by all. The ALTO event is an attempt to rebrand our Milestones event. ALTO (at least 21) aims for a more relaxed event with food and drink through the three round event. It’s a nice chance to mix chess with some social activity. 

Posted on: 17 August 2024 | 7:14 am

Maximus Lu takes Friday Night Blitz

 Max finished with 9.5 out of 12 which was enough to win first in the 8/16 edition of Friday Night Blitz. 

Posted on: 17 August 2024 | 7:10 am

Anton takes the first Friday Night Blitz of August

 Anton took first by a half point over Andrew Hoy. With the two facing off in the final round the victory was on the balance until the end. Something your author will never have to worry about, life is tough at the top end of the rating ladder. Anton dropped rating points despite finishing with 9 out of a potential 12 points. 

Posted on: 17 August 2024 | 7:06 am

Shroff has upset win at Tornado 142

Aryan Shroff started the 23 participant event as the 12th highest rated player in the field. Despite what might have seemed like long odds Aryan went 4 for 4 taking clear first. With all 4 wins coming against higher rated players Aryan earned his win.  In the process Aryan picked up 131 rating points and is now a good tournament away from 2000!  Congrats!

Posted on: 17 August 2024 | 7:01 am

Boylston Chess - Late Summer Six-Week Swiss Online

   Late Summer Six-Week Swiss Online    Register Online Now   DateTuesday, August 20, 2024 Event Format6SS, 1 lichess game per Tuesday night set up by individual challenge Time ControlOpen: G/60 + 10 sec, U1900: G/45 + 5 sec SectionsOpen & U1900 (Unrated); accelerated pairings may be used Entry Fee$40, $25 for BCF members PrizesOpen: $120-$80 based on 10 players; U1900: Trophy to 1st Place RegistrationDeadline September 10, 2024 @ 6 PM Round Times6:30pm DescriptionContact info: TD Nick Sterling. E-mail: td@boylstonchess.org. Text/cell: 781-733-0849. If I do not have your e-mail and cell phone # already, please send those to me in case we have to contact each other. If I do not have your lichess Username, please send that to me or include it in the comments in your Registration. For Round 1, Pairings will be posted on Tuesday just after 6 PM on the Boylston CC website. The cutoff time for registration in time to play a Round is Tuesday at 6 PM. Any players who register subsequent to 6 PM will be skipped until the following week's Round. Each Round begins at 6:30 PM except for games whose start times were agreed in advance to be changed. Players must join Zoom and Share their Screens or show their play areas in their camera views. The link will be sent to players by e-mail. Players with scores of at least +2, or in contention for a prize, may, at the TD's discretion, be required to provide at least two separate camera views on Zoom. Players must be current Members of USCF for the OPEN SECTION ONLY, not the U1900. However, if the Sections need to be combined due to insufficient registration, then players who joined the U1900 Section will need USCF Memberships to play in the Open. Forfeit of a Round for any reason may result in forfeit of any prize $$$ that would otherwise have been won, at the TD's discretion. Rating with USCF will be delayed by 72 hours after the completion of the tournament to give lichess time to ensure Fair Play was observed in all games. Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List

Posted on: 16 August 2024 | 7:32 pm

Mate in 3 puzzle

 

Posted on: 4 August 2024 | 8:43 pm

August quads brings some big performances

Siddharth Arun won the top quad. John Archibald won the second quad continuing his hot streak. Simon Payne took quad 3 with a perfect score crossing 1900 for the first time in the process  Nathan Page took quad 4  And Elliott Harris won quad 5  Elliott cane into the event a 1400 player beating 2 1700s in the process. The performance helped Elliott gain 123 points and a personal best rating  

Posted on: 4 August 2024 | 8:40 pm

GM Ivanov wins Big Money Swiss

GM Ivanov finished clear first with 10.5/12.0 at the August edition of the Big Money Swiss event. IM Shmelov finished second with Anton Barash taking third. While neither GM Ivanov and IM Shmelov lost a game Ivanov had more wins 

Posted on: 4 August 2024 | 8:25 pm

Hoy wins July Thursday Night Swiss

Andrew took first with a perfect score. With the groups combined, we saw Mike a Bernier finish second with Hallie Martin and Daniel Paley finished tied for third. 

Posted on: 4 August 2024 | 8:17 pm

Mate in 2

After the first move there are three different ways to deliver mate depending on how black responds  

Posted on: 31 July 2024 | 12:24 pm

July Tuesday Night Swiss results

In his last event John Archibald suffered a cruel blow. He had a good tournament but his rating stopped at 1999. Just 1 point short of the magical 2000 level. John didn’t let this bother him though and came through the event tied for 1st in the Open section with Camden Wagner. John’s performance raised his rating to 2018 well over the 2000 level. He did it the hard way beating two 2000+ rated players in the event. Peter Marston won the under section with 4 wins and a half point bye. The strong performance gained him 185 rating points and pushed him over 1500 for the first time. 

Posted on: 31 July 2024 | 12:20 pm

The bishop pair

 

Posted on: 28 July 2024 | 9:43 am

Carlson takes Summer Open

Joaquin Carlson took first in Saturday’s Summer Open. He has clearly shaken the rust off from being away at college. Jeremy Berman finished tied for second with Maximus Lu and Rem Yang who both significantly outperformed their expected results. Max picked up 50 rating points and Rem picked up 125. An interesting occurrence happened in the open section with 4 unrated players participating. They all exited with provisional ratings over 1700!  The days when unrated meant 400-600 and they fell for basic opening traps are gone forever. Daniel Pineda won the under section with a perfect score. 

Posted on: 28 July 2024 | 9:40 am