To the DKos community:
Thanks so much for all your participation and interest in following the first ever Daily Kos Chess Tournament. The tournament, much like the summer, is almost over. Please join me this Sunday night at 9 pm Eastern Time in my diary as I liveblog the finals!
There will be three finals matches taking place simultaneously: MakeChessNotWar vs. Sharkmeister, cschess vs. PsiFighter37, and brendanm98 vs. louisedkos. I will show the chessboards of each match and update the community with the results as I get them. You will also be able to watch the games in real time on chess.com -- instructions for how to do that are beneath the fold.
The other finals match, mquander vs. vets74, will take place at 7 pm Eastern Time on Sunday night on Yahoo! Games. I will report the results of that match in the liveblog.
Also, as a bonus I've included the ChessFlash widget of Albanius vs. Abelian in this diary. It was quite the contest.
Instructions for watching the three finals matches in real time:
- Register for a free account on www.chess.com (registration link here).
- After registering and logging in, you can observe live chess matches in the Live Chess window, which you can find under the green Play tab at the top of the page. Live Chess works best with Firefox, Safari, or Chrome.
- In the menu called "Room - Main Hall", click on the Games tab. Sort the list of matches by time in descending order (longer time appears first). Since each of the matches are 30 minutes long with 0 bonus time, they will be marked as "30 0" in the time column. NOTE: MakeChessNotWar's chess.com username is FM_Eric_Schiller, and louisedkos's chess.com username is jjohnson29.
- Click on the "Observe" link next to the game, and you're all set.
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DKOS CHESS TOURNAMENT 2009: ROUND 8 (August 12-August 24)
***********************************
UPCOMING MATCHES
White | Black | Match Time | Match Site |
mquander | vets74 | Sunday, August 23, 2009 07:00 PM ET | Yahoo! Games |
brendanm98 | louisedkos (chess.com username jjohnson29) | Sunday, August 23, 2009 09:00 PM ET | chess.com |
MakeChessNotWar (chess.com username FM_Eric_Schiller) | Sharkmeister | Sunday, August 23, 2009 09:00 PM ET | chess.com |
cschess | PsiFighter37 | Sunday, August 23, 2009 09:00 PM ET | chess.com |
Bold indicates a finals match.
To chess players:
Round 8 will last from now until the evening of Monday, August 24. It is your responsibility to contact your opponent so that you can complete your match before the end of Round 8. When you and your opponent have agreed to a schedule and chess website for your match, e-mail me and papicek the time and place, and enter the information at this webpage.
To the community:
If you would like to watch an upcoming match, you will first need to register for an account on the website where the game is taking place, then log in. You can observe the games on Chess.com by opening Live Chess (under the Play tab at the top of the main page) and finding the user of your choice. On FICS, type "observe [INSERT USER'S NAME HERE]" into the command console. On Chess Cube, add the user you're looking for as a friend, click on that user's profile, and observe the game he/she is playing. On Yahoo! Games, you will need to know which room/lounge the user is playing in -- then just enter it and sit at the table.
See more information about using these websites here.
Albanius (WHITE) vs. Abelian (BLACK)
Albanius started this match in a quick two-pawn hole at Move 5. However, he did gain a significant positional advantage by pinning the Black Knight with 6. Re1, and following the sacrifice of the White Bishop with 7. Bxd5, he won the Black Knight with 8. Nc3! He then pulled even in material with:
- Nxe4 Be6 10. Neg5 O-O-O 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Rxe6
After a war of attrition that removed the Queens, Rooks, and Knights from the board at Move 23, White and Black were essentially deadlocked. Abelian's threat of 31...c4+ was counteracted simply by moving the White King down to c2 for defensive purposes. Neither dark-squared Bishop could be used offensively without risking the loss of a critical Pawn, and neither King could be used offensively -- the White King was stuck trying to prevent the advance of the c Pawn, and the Black King could not get anywhere close to the g and h Pawn structure with the White Bishop in the way.
Black had a slight advantage in position, but it was not a winning position, so the players agreed to a draw. Please note that although chess.com marks this as a win for Abelian, that is because the server disconnected Albanius.
ROUND 8 MATCH-UPS
The match-ups for Round 8 have been selected by the Tournament Director based on the results of Rounds 1-7 and the approximate skill rating of each player. All matches will have a 30-minute time limit per player, 0 bonus time. Every effort is being ensured to maintain color balance. In other words, every player will have ample opportunity to play as both White and Black throughout the tournament.
WHITE | vs. | BLACK | WINNER |
---|
MakeChessNotWar | vs. | Sharkmeister | . |
cschess | vs. | PsiFighter37 | . |
mquander | vs. | vets74 | . |
brendanm98 | vs. | louisedkos | . |
FWIW | vs. | Twin Planets | Twin Planets |
i know | vs. | Cobbler | i know |
Albanius | vs. | Abelian | DRAW |
Grey Paladin | vs. | PedsNeuro | Grey Paladin |
Bill White | vs. | high5 | . |
RickMassimo | vs. | Robert Naiman | Robert Naiman |
wmorriss | vs. | lostboyjim | . |
dov12348 | vs. | Spud1 | dov12348 |
Andrew Lazarus | vs. | thereisnospoon | . |
sharris0512 | vs. | Kimball | . |
stlbucket | vs. | Dvd Avins | stlbucket |
Thutmose V | vs. | ZaBlanc | Thutmose V |
nargel | vs. | ferrisbueller | ferrisbueller |
M31 | vs. | writerkirk | . |
Dbug | vs. | TeacherRyan | . |
Dan Morris | vs. | ericledford | . |
hanswall | vs. | papicek | hanswall |
Gangster Octopus | vs. | dnta | . |
rhutcheson | vs. | AndrewMC | rhutcheson |
Free Radical | vs. | Joffan | . |
Guy Fawkes | vs. | jerseycorn | . |
montrealdan | vs. | musicalhair | montrealdan |
foodmetaphors | vs. | bgblcklab1 | foodmetaphors |
BaxKen | vs. | debedb | . |
ActivistGuy | vs. | Blue Wind | . |
Seneca Doane | vs. | Melanchthon | Melanchthon |
SuperBowlXX | vs. | DynamicUno | DRAW |
vescis | vs. | TheCid | vescis |
Keith Pickering | vs. | ben masel | . |
LaughingPlanet | vs. | terrapin station84 | . |
DeadB0y | vs. | hekebolos | hekebolos |
Jumpin J | vs. | spider441 | . |
Pym | vs. | BTP | . |
Elvis Vader | vs. | USArmyParatrooper | . |
dpinzow | vs. | dissonantharmony | . |
cskendrick | vs. | mnguy66 | . |
Something the Dog Said | vs. | Chicagoa | . |
RageKage | vs. | rmonroe | RageKage |
mconvente | vs. | eztempo | . |
drache | vs. | zamrzla | . |
ThyrsiodB | vs. | JeffLieber | . |
Odysseus | vs. | Unlabled | . |
neilliebus | vs. | Ignacio Magaloni | . |
18 of 47 Round 8 matches have been completed.
STANDINGS
Note: Standings are sorted first by points, then by alphabetical order. Color balance is included.
Expanded standings can be found here.
Player | Points | # Matches | # White | # Black |
---|
i know | 6.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
MakeChessNotWar | 6.5 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
PsiFighter37 | 6.5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Sharkmeister | 6.5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Twin Planets | 6.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
brendanm98 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
cschess | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Grey Paladin | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
louisedkos | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
mquander | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
vets74 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Albanius | 5.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
dov12348 | 5.5 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
Robert Naiman | 5.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Abelian | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Bill White | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Cobbler | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
ferrisbueller | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
FWIW | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
hanswall | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
high5 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
PedsNeuro | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
stlbucket | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
Thutmose V | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
lostboyjim | 4.5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
rhutcheson | 4.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
RickMassimo | 4.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Spud1 | 4.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
wmorriss | 4.5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Anderson Republican | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Andrew Lazarus | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
cmorrison | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Dan Morris | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Dbug | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Dvd Avins | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
ericledford | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
foodmetaphors | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Kimball | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
M31 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Marcion | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Melanchthon | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
montrealdan | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
nargel | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
papicek | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
sharris0512 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
TeacherRyan | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
thereisnospoon | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
vescis | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
writerkirk | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
ZaBlanc | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
AndrewMC | 3.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
dnta | 3.5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
DynamicUno | 3.5 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Free Radical | 3.5 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Gangster Octopus | 3.5 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
hekebolos | 3.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Joffan | 3.5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
SuperBowlXX | 3.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
ActivistGuy | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
BaxKen | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
bgblcklab1 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
black2thefuture | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Blue Wind | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
cavebird | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
debedb | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Guy Fawkes | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
jerseycorn | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Keith Pickering | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
musicalhair | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
RageKage | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Seneca Doane | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
TheCid | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
ben masel | 2.5 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
DeadB0y | 2.5 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
DoomsdayShark | 2.5 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
FightingRegistrar | 2.5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Jumpin J | 2.5 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
LaughingPlanet | 2.5 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
spider441 | 2.5 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
terrapin station84 | 2.5 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
BTP | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Celtic Merlin | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Chicagoa | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
cskendrick | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
dissonantharmony | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
dpinzow | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Elvis Vader | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
evilstorm | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
eztempo | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Geenius at Wrok | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
kto9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
mnguy66 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Mo | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
PinkFreud | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Pym | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
rmonroe | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Something the Dog Said | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
USArmyParatrooper | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
dmet | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
drache | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
eddiem86 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Ignacio Magaloni | 1 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
JeffLieber | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
KStreetProjector | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
mconvente | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Odysseus | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
rteeter | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
ThyrsiodB | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
zamrzla | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
aaraujo | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
cartwrightdale | 0.5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Unlabled | 0.5 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
ajsuited | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Blue Intrigue | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Crawdaddy | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
filmgeek83 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Jimdotz | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
kentuckydave | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Kevin in Long Beach | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
KillerKoala | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
lexington1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
matador | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
mattc129 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
neilliebus | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Patch Adam | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
sjohntucson | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Uncle Cosmo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
valislav stein | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
KEY:
Points = 1 point for a win, 0 points for a loss, 0.5 points for a draw.
# White = Number of times played as White.
# Black = Number of times played as Black.
# Matches = Number of matches played.