Colias Memorial 1 Event Report

2005-04-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

The following is the event report for the first Colias Memorial Invitational, held in 2004. The report was published in the Illinois Chess Bulletin and also covered by the Peoria Chess Federation.

Enjoy.

2004 Billy Colias Memorial Master Invitational Tournament

The concept for this tournament began as an online discussion on US ChessLive between Pete Karagianis and Len Weber sometime in late 2003. The two discussed their wishes to play in strong round robin events, which of course there is a serious lack of in the Midwest in general.

However, in this case, Pete had located a sponsor who was willing to cover the anticipated expense of holding such an event, and this, combined with Len's past successful experience in organizing and directing such events, resulted in a forward momentum that culminated in the first FIDE rated round robin futurity in Illinois in recent memory. The last one, as far as we can tell, was in 1986, at the Orland Park Chess Club. That one was organized in part by Glenn Panner (then briefly ICA Secretary), and directed by Glenn Panner, assisted by Len Weber.

Once the concept was launched, Len naturally turned to one of the most experienced Tournament Directors in the South Suburbs, Glenn Panner, to provide expertise and contacts for getting the event registered as a FIDE-ratable event. Since Len knew he had a history of finishing very poorly playing in events he had to expend energy to organize, the idea was to turn it over to Glenn completely once Glenn was on board.

Glenn also graciously offered the playing site, Panner Sales Company. His company’s home offices in Frankfort, Illinois proved to be an excellent playing site with perfect conditions for a small round robin event. The players were unanimously pleased with the site once the tournament was under way.

Some discussion was held on the potential names of the event, but the consensus was that it should have a distinctive Midwest flavor. Several ideas were discussed and some of the participants wanted to use the name to honor a player and friend, rival, and contemporary they had known in chess, but was taken from them at an early age, FM Billy Colias. Billy had died at age 27 in 1993, a wound to Chicago area chess that still has not healed. A number of the players had known him and competed with him. The organizers decided to honor Billy's memory in a modest way with this event.

So the process moved slowly, painfully forward. Several of the players who initially suggested interest at the beginning had, for one reason or another, been forced to bow out. Quality replacements had to be found at the last minute. This and other unexpected turn of events taxed both Glenn and Len and put the event start date in jeopardy. But the problems were overcome, and the event was again scheduled to begin on 21 May 2004.

One of the solutions to some early difficulties was provided by Robert Loncarevic, an up and coming Chicago area Candidate Master. Robert graciously contributed to the sponsorship of the event in several ways, and his assistance was also appreciated by the primary (and anonymous!) sponsor, who thus far had been handling the financial burden alone.

Excitement was abounding as the pending event approached. Colors and pairing numbers were drawn on 5 May 2004. The first round pairings, for organizational reasons, had to be played off-site, and this actually resulted in the very few complaints about the event. Two of the 4 first round games were arranged at the Border's Book Store in (where the hell was it??). This site is the home of a local club frequented by several of the participants. Unfortunately the site is not conducive to tournament chess, which it not the fault of the club's manager, Howard Fried, but only to be expected of such a public place. There was also a request for an off-site director to be present. Len informed Glenn he would be willing to handle this, and dutifully did so. The games were concluded, but all players and directors involved agreed this would be the last time that off-site pairings were arranged in such events.

The event can best be described in the letters sent to the participants before the event, as shown below:

Gentlemen,

Welcome to the tournament!

The field for the tentatively named 2004 Colias Memorial Master Invitation Tournament has been finalized as follows (in alphabetical order):

FM Albert Chow

CM Pete Karagianis

CM Robert Loncaervic

NM Tim McEntee

NM Aleksander Stamnov

NM Dr. Steven Tennant

NM Kenneth Wallach

NM Len Weber

according to FIDE ratings: (avg. 2197)

1. Stamnov 2286

2. Chow 2249

3. Tennant 2225

4. Wallach 2191

5. Karagianis 2151

6. Loncarevic 2138

7. McEntee 2137

8. Weber unr.

according to USCF ratings: (avg. 2187)

1. Stamnov 2329

2. Chow 2242

3. Weber 2241

4. Tennant 2221

5. Wallach 2203

6. McEntee 2107

7. Karagianis 2102

8. Loncarevic 2053

The draw, randomly conducted by Glenn Panner on 5 May 2004:

The crosstable numbers are as follows:

1. McEntee

2. Tennant

3. Stamnov

4. Wallach

5. Chow

6. Loncarevic

7. Weber

8. Karagianis

The pairings and dates are thus as follows:

Round 1: On or before Thursday 21 May 2004, location by player agreement.

McEntee-Karagianis

Tennant-Weber

Stamnov-Loncarevic

Wallach-Chow

Round 2. 10 AM Friday 22 May 2004, Frankfort, IL

McEntee-Tennant

Weber-Stamnov

Loncarevic-Wallach

Chow-Karagianis

Round 3. 5 PM Friday 22 May 2004

Stamnov-McEntee

Karagianis-Tennant

Wallach-Weber

Chow-Loncarevic

Round 4. 10 AM Saturday 23 May 2004

McEntee-Wallach

Tennant-Stamnov

Weber-Chow

Karagianis-Loncarevic

Round 5. 5PM Saturday 23 May 2004

Chow-McEntee

Wallach-Tennant

Stamnov-Karagianis

Loncarevic-Weber

Round 6. 10 AM Sunday 24 May 2004

McEntee-Loncarevic

Tennant-Chow

Stamnov-Wallach

Weber-Karagianis

Round 7. 5PM Sunday 24 May 2004

Weber-McEntee

Loncarevic-Tennant

Chow-Stamnov

Karagianis-Wallach

Thank you for your participation and welcome to the tournament!

Glenn Panner, director

Invitation and Statement of Intent

Tentative name: 2004 Billy Colias Memorial Invitational Master Tournament

Who has been invited?: Director: Glenn Panner
Players invited: FM Al Chow
CM Robert Loncarevic
CM Pete Karagianis
NM Tim McEntee
NM Aleksander Stamnov
NM Dr. Steven Tennant
NM Kenneth Wallach
NM Len Weber

What: a 8 player, 7 round, round robin, to be held from Thursday May 21st 2004, through Sunday May 24th, 2004. 40/2, SD/1. USCF rated. FIDE rated. EF = $100, with $50 returned to each player upon completion of schedule, and all games must be submitted to the organizers. Prize fund = $1100: $500 1st, $300 2nd, $150 3rd, various $25 best game prizes - Best game, brilliancy prize, best ending, best swindle. Judges to be announced.

Where: 9502 Gulfstream, Frankfort, Illinois. The home office of Panner Sales, site includes bathrooms, lunchroom, skittles area, coffee on site, and internet connection for possible live relay to respectable chess servers. Restaurants and hotels are in the area for those interested. Sorry, Panner Sales is a non smoking facility, however, smokers can step outside.

How: We have received sponsorship from two anonymous donors, making the additional prize money, the site, and the director available to us. We then have invited strong players, all but one of whom have FIDE ratings, who are known to be professional, many of whom have previous round robin experience with the organizers. A successful conclusion of this event may inspire our sponsor and others to push for a FIDE norm event, so we want to impress!

Why: There are so few opportunities for strong round robin events in the midwest, that this represents a golden opportunity to play chess the way it should be played. If we could establish a regular event from time to time, it can only help us all in chess in this area. Additionally, the tentative name of the tournament honors the memory of one of the strongest native players ever to arise from the midwest, whom many of us knew personally or competed against in our time.

When: May 21st through May 24th, 2004. Please submit your entry fee and a statement of intent to play to: Colias Memorial c/o Glenn Panner, 9502 Gulfstream, Frankfort, IL, 60423 (815-469-8333) by April 10th, 2004. Please also submit if you have a preference for a game scheduled on Thursday April 30th with an opponent from our list who lives in your area, if it saves you trouble for a day of transportation or lodging. Round times tentatively: Thurs 6PM, Friday 10AM 5PM, Saturday 10AM 5PM, Sunday 10AM 5PM.

We have invited a well balanced and professional field of players. We do not expect withdrawals, especially since it may affect the FIDE rating opportunities of several other players. In the unlikely event of a withdrawal, the $50 return fee will be forfeited and reimbursed to the sponsor. In the unlikely event of a withdrawal, the organizers reserve the right to replace the player with a wildcard or make other attempts to keep the event FIDE ratable for all those involved. However, those invited have all proven themselves in the past to be professional, reliable individuals, which are the only kind we will ever invite to our events.

The player biographies:

Aleksandr Stamnov, 48, Macedonia. National Master, Life Master, pending: FIDE Master. Current USCF rating 2329. Peak USCF rating 2330. FIDE rating 2286.

Albert Chow, 39, United States. National Master, Life Master, Senior Master, FIDE Master. Current USCF rating 2242. Peak USCF rating 2456. FIDE rating 2249. Former Illinois Champion.

Len Weber, 37, United States. National Master, Life Master. Current USCF rating 2241. Peak USCF rating 2311. FIDE rating none.

Dr. Steven Tennant, 56, United States. National Master, Life Master, International Correspondence Chess Master. Current USCF rating 2221. Peak USCF rating 2386. FIDE rating 2225. Former Illinois Champion.

Kenneth Wallach, 39, United States. National Master, Life Master. Current USCF rating 2203. Peak USCF rating 2300. FIDE rating 2191. Former Illinois High School Champion.

Tim McEntee, 38, United States. National Master. Current USCF rating 2107. Peak USCF rating 2255. FIDE rating 2137. Former Indiana Champion.

Pete Karagianis, 20, United States. Candidate Master. Current USCF rating 2102. Peak USCF rating 2102. FIDE rating 2151. Reigning Iowa Champion.

Robert Loncarevic, 33, United States. Candidate Master. Current USCF rating 2053. Peak USCF rating 2053. FIDE rating 2138.

Going in to the event, the general consensus was that the favorites were Al Chow, Aleksandr Stamnov, and Steve Tennant, generally, in that approximate order.

And so the event was off and running.

Round 1:

Round 1: On or before Thursday 21 May 2004, location by player agreement.

NM McEntee 2107 (#6) - Karagianis 2103 (#7)

NM Tennant 2221 (#4) - NM Weber 2241 (#3)

NM Stamnov 2300 (#1) - Loncarevic 2053 (#8)

NM Wallach 2203 (#5) - FM Chow 2242 (#2)

This round 1 game was played at the Border's Book Store alongside the Wallach-Chow game. Robert has been a student of Aleksandr and they have studied together and we can imagine the result of this game had something to do with their mutual knowledge of each others' openings etc.

NM Stamnov,A - Loncarevic,R [B09]
Billy Colias Memorial (1), 21.05.2004

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d6 3.d4 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.e5 Ng4 8.e6 fxe6 9.Ng5 Bxb5 10.Nxe6 Bxd4 11.Nxd8 Bf2+ 12.Kd2 Be3+ 13.Ke1 Bf2+ ½-½

Tennant-Weber was a difficult first round pairing for Len, as these two have a very long a frequent history of games that dates back to when Len was an A-player. Steve has won the great majority, although the last 2 tournament games between them have been drawn. During their battles both players have tried just about every opening from both sides and so preparation was difficult. Len stated later that he attempted to get Steve into a line Steve had erred in twelve years previously - however, Steve was not obliging and this effort instead led to mistakes and a terrible game which Steve won with little effort. An ominous start for Len once again in a round robin he helped organize.

NM Tennant,S - NM Weber,L [D33]
Billy Colias Memorial 2004 (1), 21.05.2004

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Bc5 8.Nb3 Bb4 9.Bg2 Nge7 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 0-0 12.Ba3 Re8 13.Rc1 Be6 14.Nc5 Qa5 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Qb3 Ne5 17.e4 Nc4 18.Bb4 Qa6 19.Bxe7 Rxe7 20.exd5 Nd2 21.Qb4 Rd7 22.Rfd1 Qxa2 23.c4 Nb3 24.dxe6 Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Qc2 26.Re1 Rf8 27.f4 a5 28.e7 Re8 29.Bd5+ Kh8 30.Qb5 1-0

Wallach-Chow was the other game played at Borders. The players had to contend with people chatting, poor lighting, and very, very tiny tables. However, Ken, who previously has had less than impressive results against Albert, played magnificently and forced Albert off the clock at move 23. This was definitely the surprise result of round 1. Wallach showed he came to play, but Albert is a fighter! Don't count him out yet!

NM Wallach,K - FM Chow,A [E81]
Billy Colias Memorial (1)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nc3 0-0 6.Bg5 Nc6 7.Nge2 a6 8.Qd2 Rb8 9.0-0-0 b5 10.Bh6 e5 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.h4 h5 13.Nd5 Bd7 14.c5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 exd4 17.c6 Bf5 18.g4 hxg4 19.fxg4 Bc8 20.h5 g5 21.Qxd4+ Kh6 22.Bd3 f5 23.Rhf1 f4 1-0 time

This game was a continuation of a theoretical debate between the 2 strongest players in Iowa. The game, played at McEntee’s home in Iowa, was double edged and unclear, and ended before someone got hurt. Previously, the two had played the same opening to a seven move friendly “feel-out” draw in the 2004 state championships, and now carried the discussion a tad further.

NM McEntee,T - Karagianis,P [D17]
Billy Colias Memorial (1), 21.05.2004

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.e4 Bxe4 9.fxe4 Nxe4 10.Bd2 Qxd4 11.Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12.Qe2 Bxd2+ 13.Kxd2 Qd5+ 14.Kc2 Na6 15.Nxc4 0-0 16.Qe5 Rab8 17.a5 f6 18.Qxd5 cxd5 19.Ne3 Rfc8+ 20.Kb1 Kf7 21.Ra3 f5 22.Be2 Nb4 23.Rf1 Ke7 24.g4 g6 25.gxf5 gxf5 26.Rf4 Nc6 27.Rh4 Rh8 28.Bb5 Rbc8 29.a6 b6 30.Rh6 Ne5 31.Nc2 Nf7 ½-½

Round 1 Standings:

1-2 NM Wallach, NM Tennant 1-0

3-6 NM Stamnov, NM McEntee, CM Karagianis, CM Loncarevic .5-.5

7-8 FM Chow, NM Weber 0-1

Round 2:

Round 2. 10 AM Friday 22 May 2004, Frankfort, IL. Pairings and current score>

NM McEntee (.5-.5) - NM Tennant (1-0)

NM Weber (0-1) - NM Stamnov (.5-.5)

Loncarevic (.5-.5) - NM Wallach (1-0)

FM Chow (0-1) - Karagianis (.5-.5)

The event now moved to Frankfort, Illinois, where the rest of the games would be played in the excellent pre-determined surroundings. This game involved over-aggressive play from Robert, who was playing very quickly in this, his first master round robin. Ken wrapped it up with a nice theoretical novelty and there was never any doubt.

Loncarevic,R - NM Wallach,K [C06]
Billy Colias Memorial (2), 21.05.2004

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.Re1 0-0 13.Nf4 Ne4 14.Bxe4 Bxf4 15.Bxf4 Rxf4 16.Ng5 dxe4 17.Qh5 h6 18.Rxe4 Qxb2 19.Rf1 Rf5 20.h4 Bd7 21.Qg6 hxg5 22.hxg5 Ne7 23.Qh5 Be8 24.Qh3 Qxa2 25.Rfe1 Qxf2+ 26.Kh1 Rxg5 0-1

In his second round, Pete Karagianis faced a determined Chow and played the Schliemann! The two have fiercly debated this opening in the past, but this time Albert handled it very well to achieve an imposing position! Later, Karagianis admitted to difficulty deciding on an opening, certain that Al would have something ready for his pet line, and he was correct. Chow gained a distinct advantage with some creative new ideas from the beginning. However, it was complicated, too, and in the ensuing time shortage Albert missed some things, and like a monster in a bad horror movie, young Pete's king would "just NOT die!". At time control it became clear Albert's best chances had passed, and then perhaps shell shocked, Albert walked into a forced and very slick mate. A horrendous start for Albert, leading his fans to wonder if he was up for this event or was the rust going to get the better of him. As for Pete, a sensational win over one of the tournament favorites.

FM Chow,A - Karagianis,P [C70]
Billy Colias Memorial (2), 21.05.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 f5 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 Bc5 7.Bg5 Nge7 8.c3 dxc3 9.Nxc3 0-0 10.Qe2 Kh8 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Qc4 d6 13.0-0-0 Qe8 14.exd6 Bxd6 15.Rhe1 Rf7 16.Qh4 Ra7 17.Be3 Ra8 18.Bg5 Ra7 19.Re2 Qf8 20.Rde1 Ng6 21.Qd4 c5 22.Qc4 Bd7 23.h4 h5 24.a3 Ra8 25.Bd2 Bc6 26.Ng5 Rd7 27.Re6 Qg8 28.Qe2 Nf4 29.Bxf4 Bxf4+ 30.Kb1 Bxg5 31.Qxh5+ Bh6 32.Rxc6 Qf8 33.Rce6 Rdd8 34.R1e5 Qg8 35.Qxf5 Rf8 36.Qh5 Rxf2 37.Rg6 Qh7 38.Ka2 Rb8 39.Nd1 Rd2 40.Re1 Qg8+ 41.Ka1 Rc2 42.Nc3 Rcxb2 43.Rxh6+ gxh6 44.Re7 Qa2+ 45.Nxa2 Rb1# 0-1

These two had never met in tournament, and so the crowd had to wait and watch to see how this game would transpire. With white, Len seemed very comfortable and with the queensides locked up, he switched gears and aggressively headed toward the kingside. Aleksandr maybe loosened up too much in an effort to gain counterplay, and suddenly found himself in trouble. With time control nearing, Len appeared to be in complete control, when "it" happened. Missing a forced win on move 38 (Ne6+) in an effort to make time control, Len then lost his composure and, for the rest of the tournament, never regained it. Aleksandr sensed this loss of composure, and declined the draw, and shortly thereafter was able to secure a whole point. After this game Len seemed to have lost his fire to play chess, and the pattern of poor results in events he organized appeared to continue unabated.

NM Weber,L - NM Stamnov,A [D10]
Billy Colias Memorial (2), 21.05.2004

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bg5 e6 6.a3 Be7 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.e3 Bd7 10.Bd3 Rc8 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qe2 a6 13.Rfc1 Na5 14.Nd2 b5 15.b4 Nc4 16.Nb3 Bc6 17.Nc5 Qb6 18.f4 g6 19.Nb1 Bg7 20.Nd2 Rfe8 21.Nf3 f6 22.Qf2 e5 23.fxe5 fxe5 24.Ng5 Qa7 25.Qh4 Bf6 26.Rf1 Rf8 27.Qh6 Nxe3 28.Nxh7 Qxh7 29.Qxe3 e4 30.Be2 Qe7 31.Bg4 Bg5 32.Qg3 Rxf1+ 33.Rxf1 Bh4 34.Qh3 Rf8 35.Rxf8+ Kxf8 36.g3 Bf6 37.Qh6+ Bg7 38.Qf4+ Kg8 39.Qe3 Bf6 40.h4 Be8 41.Kg2 Qd6 42.Bc8 Kh7 43.Bh3 Bf7 44.Qf2 Qe7 45.Qe3 Bg7 0-1

In round 2 McEntee-Tennant, Tim opened fire with artillery on Steve's fortress in this game, but Steve showed his legendary defensive prowess and understanding of such positions to even start pushing for winning chances on the opposite wing. Tim missed a key opportunity that allowed equalization. Tim then also showed some defensive capability and the game petered into a draw. A tough fight, but a flame that flared quickly.

NM McEntee,T - NM Tennant,S [E70]
Billy Colias Memorial (2), 21.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nge2 0-0 6.Ng3 e5 7.d5 Na6 8.Be2 Ne8 9.h4 f5 10.exf5 gxf5 11.Nh5 Nf6 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.Nxg7 Qxg7 14.Qd2 f4 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Ne4 Qg6 17.Bf3 Bf5 18.h5 Qg7 19.0-0-0 Bxe4 20.Bxe4 Nc5 21.Bc2 a5 22.Rdg1 Qd7 23.h6 Kh8 24.g4 Rg8 25.g5 Qe7 26.Rh5 b6 27.f3 Qf7 28.Rh4 Nd7 29.Rhg4 Nf8 30.Be4 Ng6 31.Qc2 a4 32.a3 Ra5 33.Kb1 Rb8 34.Rc1 Qe8 35.Bd3 Rc5 36.Qe2 Qf7 37.Qd1 b5 38.cxb5 Rxc1+ 39.Qxc1 Qxd5 40.Bxg6 hxg6 41.Qxc7 Qd1+ 42.Ka2 Qb3+ 43.Kb1 Qd1+ ½-½

Standings after round 2.

1 NM Wallach! (2-0)

2-4 NM Tennant, NM Stamnov, CM Karagianis (1.5-.5)

5 NM McEntee (1-1)

6 CM Loncarevic (.5-1.5)

7-8 FM Chow, NM Weber (0-2!)

Round 3:

Round 3. 5 PM Friday 22 May 2004

NM Stamnov (1.5-.5) - NM McEntee (1-1)

Karagianis (1.5-.5) - NM Tennant (1.5-.5)

NM Wallach (2-0) - NM Weber (0-2)

FM Chow (0-2) - Loncarevic (.5-1.5)

This game between the leader and the cellar dweller might have promised explosive play to some viewers... but was not to be. Ken, in the solo lead at 2-0, knew he had a long tournament ahead of him, and he was, after all, commuting almost 2 hours each way to the tournament site. Further, the tail ender in question held a solid plus record between them in personal score, with the last episodes occuring when... Len was in last place in a round robin! So Ken just decided to call it a night and save his energy for the future rounds. Len was in no position to tempt fate, and did likewise.

NM Wallach,K - NM Weber,L [D00]
Billy Colias Memorial (3), 21.05.2004

1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.f4 Bg4 4.Nf3 Ne4 5.Bd3 e6 6.0-0 Be7 7.Nbd2 f5 8.Qe1 0-0 9.Ne5 Bh5 10.Ndf3 Nd7 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 12.Ne5 Qd8 13.Bd2 Kh8 14.Bb4 c5 ½-½

The French Defense did not fare well in this event, and the fact that Tim was still early in the process of adding these lines to his repertoire did not help when he allowed Aleksandr to play Qg4. After this point, the game was what Aleks enjoys, and he showed it in good style.

NM Stamnov,A - NM McEntee,T [C05]
Billy Colias Memorial (3), 21.05.2004

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Bd3 c5 5.e5 Nfd7 6.c3 Be7 7.Qg4 g6 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.0-0 Qb6 10.Nf3 cxd4 11.cxd4 Nf8 12.Bh6 Bd7 13.Ng5 Bxg5 14.Qxg5 Rg8 15.Qf4 Nb4 16.Rad1 Bb5 17.Bxb5+ Qxb5 18.Nc3 Qd7 19.Bg5 h5 20.Bh4 b5 21.a3 Na6 22.Rc1 Nc7 23.Rc2 g5 24.Bxg5 Nh7 25.Bf6 Rg6 26.Rfc1 Kf8 27.Bh4 Ne8 28.h3 Rc8 29.Ne2 Rxc2 30.Rxc2 b4 31.axb4 Ng7 32.Qc1 Nf5 33.Bg3 h4 34.Bf4 Qb5 35.Qd2 Kg7 36.Rc5 Qa4 37.Ra5 Qb3 38.Ra3 Qc4 39.Rxa7 1-0

Robert essayed the Alekhine Defense against Albert, and like all Alekhine games, it soon got ugly. Complications arose, and while Robert again moved perhaps too quickly, Al used his legendary patience to sort through the issues and arrive in a won game. Robert fought on bravely, but to no avail. After a terrible start, Al got on the board, and Robert had started to learn how chess was to be played in tournaments such as this.

FM Chow,A - Loncarevic,R [B03]
Billy Colias Memorial (3), 21.05.2004

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Nc3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10.Nf3 Bb4 11.Bxc4 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Nxc4 13.Qa4+ Nd7 14.Qxc4 Nb6 15.Qb5+ Qd7 16.Qxd7+ Bxd7 17.d6 Rc8 18.Bd2 Bb5 19.Kf2 Bd3 20.Rac1 Nc4 21.Bf4 Kd7 22.Rhd1 Bg6 23.Rd4 Rhf8 24.Kg3 f6 25.e6+ Kxe6 26.d7 Rcd8 27.Rxc4 Rxd7 28.Re1+ Kf7 29.Rd4 Rfd8 30.Red1 Rxd4 31.Rxd4 Rxd4 32.Nxd4 Bd3 33.Kf3 h5 34.a3 a6 35.h4 g6 36.Ke3 Bf1 37.g3 Bc4 38.Nc2 Ke6 39.Kd4 Bb3 40.Ne3 b6 41.c4 1-0

This battle was looked forward to by many, promising exciting play between to fighting players. They were not disappointed. Pete played his prepared e3 line against the KID, and in a tension filled middle game position, Steve found himself shedding pawns. The position became unclear and Tennant lost his way in the complications, calculating one tactic but missing another. Pete handled it efficiently after this, taking a second pawn and then quickly stifling Steve's attempted to build a fortress. Using a nice zugzwang, he forced the ending, and another one of the pre-tournament favorites fell. A second consecutive upset? Or harbinger of things to come? How long can Pete keep up this pace? Who is this Kid, Karagianis!? Chess world, meet Kid K.

Karagianis,P - NM Tennant,S [E61]
Billy Colias Memorial (3), 21.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5 d6 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2 c6 8.h3 h6 9.Bh4 a6 10.a4 e5 11.0-0 Qe7 12.Qc2 Re8 13.Rac1 Qf8 14.b4 Nh7 15.c5 d5 16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Bg3 Bf5 18.Qb3 Qe7 19.Nd4 Bd3 20.Nxd5 cxd5 21.Bxd3 Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Nf6 23.c6 bxc6 24.Nxc6 Qd7 25.Rfd1 Rec8 26.b5 axb5 27.axb5 Qb7 28.Be5 Re8 29.Bxf6 Bxf6 30.Qxd5 Bg7 31.Qd7 Qb6 32.Ne7+ Rxe7 33.Qxe7 Qxb5 34.Rd8+ Rxd8 35.Qxd8+ Bf8 36.Rd1 Qb4 37.Qd4 Qe7 38.Qd7 Qxd7 39.Rxd7 Bb4 40.e4 Kf8 41.Kf1 Ba3 42.Ke2 Bb4 43.Kd3 h5 44.Kc4 Be1 45.f3 Bg3 46.Kd5 Ke8 47.Rb7 Kf8 48.e5 Bh4 49.e6 Be7 50.f4 h4 51.Ra7 f6 52.Kc6 1-0

Standings after round 3:

1-3 NM Stamnov, NM Wallach, CM Karagianis (2.5-.5)

4 NM Tennant (1.5-1.5)

5-6 NM McEntee, FM Chow (1-2)

7-8 NM Weber, CM Loncarevic (.5-2.5)

Round 4

Round 4. 10 AM Saturday 23 May 2004

NM McEntee (1-2) - NM Wallach (2.5-.5)

NM Tennant (1.5-1.5) - NM Stamnov (2.5-.5)

NM Weber (.5-2.5) - FM Chow (1-2)

Karagianis (2.5-.5) - Loncarevic (.5-2.5)

This battle of favorites also promised to be a fireworks display and indeed it was. Steve played aggressively in an exchange Ruy Lopez and Aleksander's position appeared shaky. However, Steve did not find a win, missing perhaps Bf4! Instead of the early Nc3, and so losing the initiative. Aleks managed to steal a pawn going into the ending. Steve played his cards well and was able to get into a problematic King and pawn vs. King and 2 pawns where Aleks had to find the concept of queening the c pawn rather than the Rook pawn to stay in control. A hard fought game with some fine endgame concepts at the end.

NM Tennant,S - NM Stamnov,A [C68]
Billy Colias Memorial (4), 22.05.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Bd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 f6 8.Re1 Qe7 9.e5 fxe5 10.Nxe5 Be6 11.Nf3 h6 12.Qe4 Kf7 13.Ne5+ Bxe5 14.Qxe5 Nf6 15.Nc3 Qd6 16.Bf4 Qxe5 17.Bxe5 Bf5 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Re2 Rhe8 20.Rae1 Bxc2 21.f3 Rad8 22.Kf2 Rxe2+ 23.Rxe2 Bf5 24.g4 Be6 25.Ke3 Bc4 26.Rd2 Rxd2 27.Kxd2 c5 28.Ke3 Ke6 29.f4 b6 30.a3 Bf1 31.h4 Bg2 32.Kf2 Bc6 33.Ke3 Be8 34.Ke4 Bc6+ 35.Ke3 a5 36.Ke2 b5 37.Ke3 b4 38.Ne4 Bxe4 39.Kxe4 f5+ 40.gxf5+ Kf6 41.Kd5 bxa3 42.bxa3 Kxf5 43.Kxc5 Kxf4 44.Kb5 Ke3 45.a4 Kd4 46.Kxa5 c5 47.Kb6 c4 48.a5 c3 49.a6 c2 50.a7 c1Q 51.a8Q Qc5+ 52.Kb7 Qd5+ 53.Kb8 Qxa8+ 54.Kxa8 Ke4 55.Kb7 Kf4 56.Kc6 Kg4 57.Kd5 Kxh4 58.Ke4 Kg3 0-1

In this game, Ken innovated brilliantly in his use of a Benko style gambit against the Ng3 line, and soon found himself looking very good indeed. Tim’s pieces and pawns fell to the side with the misguided a4? push, and he was thrown by Wallach’s departure from the expected King’s Indian. But alas, he failed to take into account "the shot", which Tim found and executed. “The Shot” was good enough for the brilliancy prize and brilliant enough to clear Ken’s Seventh AND Eighth rank of pieces, pulling the black king to a5 in the process! Sure enough it was a Rook sac that turned the tables unexpectedly and Tim pulled off a dazzling reversal.

NM McEntee,T - NM Wallach,K [E70]
Billy Colias Memorial (4), 22.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nge2 c5 6.d5 b5 7.cxb5 a6 8.Ng3 Nbd7 9.bxa6 Qb6 10.Be2 Bxa6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Rb1 Rfb8 13.Be3 Qb4 14.f4 Ne8 15.Bxa6 Rxa6 16.Nge2 Nc7 17.a4 Nb6 18.f5 Nxa4 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Qd3 Nxb2 21.Qd2 Rab6 22.Bh6 Qc4 23.Qg5 Bxh6 24.Qxh6 Na4 25.Rbc1 Rb2 26.Rxf7 Kxf7 27.Rf1+ Ke8 28.Rf8+ Kd7 29.Qh3+ Ne6 30.Qxe6+ Kc7 31.Qxe7+ Kb6 32.Rxb8+ Ka5 33.Qa7+ Qa6 34.Qxa6+ Kxa6 35.Ra8+ 1-0

This was thought by some observers as a battle of the "experts", the only two players in the event who had not yet earned a master title. Oddly it was also a battle between first place and last place. It was a hard fight but first place won the game. Pete showed mature middlegame and endgame play, and patience of a much more experienced player. Robert, stuck in a difficult and pressured middlegame down material, missed the lines that might have saved the game. Instead, the game traded to an ending which Karagianis again pulled out of with some nice technical waiting moves. Robert remains in the basement, and Pete, by far the youngest player in the tournament, stays hot!

Karagianis,P - Loncarevic,R [E61]
Billy Colias Memorial (4), 22.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Qa5 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.Be2 d6 10.0-0 Be6 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Bg4 Bxc3 13.Bxe6+ Kg7 14.bxc3 Nc6 15.Qb3 Qe5 16.Qxb7 Qxe6 17.Qxc6 Rac8 18.Qb7 a5 19.Qa7 Rc5 20.Rab1 Rf7 21.Rb5 Rxc4 22.Qxa5 Qf6 23.Rb3 Rc5 24.Qb4 Rf5 25.Rb2 Rc5 26.a4 Rxc3 27.a5 Rc7 28.Qb6 Ra7 29.Qxa7 Qxb2 30.Qd4+ Qxd4 31.exd4 e6 32.a6 Ra7 33.Ra1 Kf6 34.f3 Ke7 35.Kf2 Kd7 36.Ke3 Kc6 37.Kf4 Kd5 38.Ra4 h6 39.g3 Kc6 40.Ke4 Kb5 41.Ra1 Kc6 42.f4 h5 43.Ra2 Kd7 44.d5 Ke7 45.Kd4 exd5 46.Kxd5 Kd7 47.Ra1 Kc7 48.Ke6 Kc6 49.Rd1 1-0

Even though Len stated he felt the event was over for him competitively at this point, he also stated that from here on he would play for the sake of quality chess against some of the region's quality players. Such as Al. The two played into theoretically debated lines of the Be3 KID, and despite the fact that Len is very dangerous these days with the Be3 weapon, Albert played better. Len imaginatively but incorrectly attempted to create a problematic blockade using Al's advanced pawns and this seemed to hold for a while as the two rushed to time control, but after move 40, Al settled in for a long think and came up with the winning plan of exchanging Rooks, avoiding perpetual, and stifling counterplay. A quality win by Albert, who is now clearly back in fighting form. In the final position, there is forced mate on the way.

NM Weber,L - FM Chow,A [E99]
Billy Colias Memorial (4), 22.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.b4 Nf6 14.c5 Ng6 15.cxd6 cxd6 16.Rc1 Rf7 17.Nb5 g4 18.Kh1 g3 19.Bg1 gxh2 20.Bf2 a6 21.Na3 Nh5 22.Nd3 Ng3+ 23.Bxg3 fxg3 24.Nc4 Bh6 25.Rc2 Nf4 26.Nxf4 Bxf4 27.Re1 h5 28.Bf1 h4 29.a3 Rh7 30.a4 Bd7 31.a5 Ba4 32.Qe2 Bxc2 33.Qxc2 Rc8 34.Qb3 Rhc7 35.Rd1 Rxc4 36.Bxc4 Qc7 37.Bd3 Qb8 38.Qa4 Rc7 39.Qb3 Qc8 40.Qb1 Rc3 41.b5 axb5 42.Qxb5 Kf7 43.a6 bxa6 44.Qxa6 Rc1 45.Qa4 Rxd1+ 46.Qxd1 Qc5 47.Qf1 Qe3 48.Qb1 Kf6 0-1

Standings after round 4:

1-2 NM Stamnov, CM Karagianis (3.5-.5)

3 NM Wallach (2.5-1.5)

4-5 FM Chow, NM McEntee (2-2)

6 NM Tennant (1.5-2.5)

7-8 NM Weber, CM Loncarevic (.5-3.5)

Round 5

Round 5. 5PM Saturday 23 May 2004

FM Chow (2-2) - NM McEntee (2-2)

NM Wallach (2.5-1.5) -NM Tennant (1.5-2.5)

NM Stamnov (3.5-.5) - Karagianis (3.5-.5)

Loncarevic (.5-3.5) - NM Weber (.5-3.5)

Once again Tim wheeled out his French Defense, which again had kinks in it. Tim realized the problems of learning a new opening quickly. Al played efficiently against Tim's weakened kingside and then launched a decisive mating attack beginning with the sac on h6. Not Tim's best work, and especially not against a newly energized Al, who handles the situation admirably and shows a nice winning idea.

Chow,A - McEntee,T [C18]
Billy Colias Memorial (5), 22.05.2004

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 Qa5 9.Bd2 Nbc6 10.Qh5 h6 11.Nf3 f5 12.exf6 Rxf6 13.Qe8+ Rf8 14.Bh7+ Kxh7 15.Qxf8 Qb5 16.h4 Ng8 17.Bxh6 Nxh6 18.Ng5+ Kg6 19.h5+ Kxg5 20.Qxg7+ 1-0

This battle of tail enders was not played with great intensity. Both players moved quickly and observers later opined it seemed more like they were trying to get it over with. Unfortunately Len played superficially, as one would expect in a blitz game, and soon committed a fairly obvious pawn drop. After this it was not particularly difficult to Robert to lock up the whole point. At this point it was clear the event was officially a catastrophe for Len, though Robert was happy to receive his only full point in a disappointingly uncompetitive game.

Loncarevic,R - NM Weber,L [B03]
Billy Colias Memorial (5), 22.05.2004

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 exd6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Nge2 Bg4 9.f3 Bh5 10.0-0 N8d7 11.Be3 Nf6 12.b3 c6 13.a4 a5 14.Nf4 Bg6 15.Bxg6 hxg6 16.d5 c5 17.Nb5 Ne8 18.Ra2 Nc7 19.Nxc7 Qxc7 20.Re2 Rfe8 21.Bd2 Nd7 22.Rfe1 Kf8 23.Bc3 Bf6 24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Rxe8+ Kxe8 26.Qe1+ Kf8 27.Bxa5 b6 28.Bc3 Ne5 29.Ne2 Qe7 30.Ng3 Nd3 31.Qxe7+ Kxe7 32.Bd2 Bh4 33.Kf1 Ne5 34.Ne4 f5 35.Ng5 Nd7 36.g3 Bxg5 37.Bxg5+ Ke8 38.Ke2 Nb8 39.Bd2 Ke7 40.a5 bxa5 41.Bxa5 Nd7 42.Bc3 Kf7 43.f4 Nb8 44.Kd3 Na6 45.Kc2 Nc7 46.b4 cxb4 47.Bxb4 Ke7 48.Kb3 Kd7 49.Ka4 Ne8 50.Bc3 Kc7 51.Kb5 Kb7 52.c5 dxc5 53.Kxc5 Kc7 54.Be5+ Kd7 55.h3 Nf6 56.Bxf6 1-0

Clash of the Titans! The streaking Aleksandr "Stampede" Stamnov versus Pete "Kid K" Karagianis. Pete doesn't have a good personal score against Aleks, and even worse with black, but in this event the Greek Gods had ordained Pete "untouchable". Aleks pressed for a win, and Pete fought on, and even missed a win with an endgame exchange sac! After 27. e5? Karagianis could have stabbed with Rxd4!! And white must resign shortly because of the sprinting b-pawn. Karagianis, however, was playing for the draw and blinded by his goal, which he dutifully achieved in a marathon 60-mover! The game was drawn, despite Aleksander's persistent attempts to win.

NM Stamnov,A - Karagianis,P [C45]
Billy Colias Memorial (5), 22.05.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qd2 dxc6 7.Nc3 Be6 8.Na4 Rd8 9.Bd3 Bd4 10.0-0 a6 11.Qf4 b5 12.Nc3 Ne7 13.Qxf6 Bxf6 14.Bf4 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Rd7 16.a4 0-0 17.axb5 axb5 18.Ra7 Ng6 19.Bxc7 Ne5 20.Bb6 Rxa7 21.Bxa7 Ra8 22.Bd4 Nxd3 23.cxd3 Bb3 24.f4 Bc2 25.Rf3 Rd8 26.Rg3 g6 27.e5 c5 28.Bxc5 Rxd3 29.Rxd3 Bxd3 30.Kf2 Bc4 31.Be7 h5 32.h3 Be6 33.Kg3 Bd5 34.Kf2 Be6 35.Ke3 Bc4 36.Ke4 Be2 37.Ke3 Bc4 38.g4 hxg4 39.hxg4 Be6 40.Kf3 Kh7 41.Kg3 Bd7 42.Kh4 Kg8 43.Kg5 Kg7 44.f5 gxf5 45.gxf5 Bc8 46.Kf4 Bd7 47.Ke4 Bc8 48.Bc5 Kh6 49.Kf4 Kh5 50.Bf8 Bd7 51.Bc5 Bc8 52.Bd4 Bd7 53.e6 fxe6 54.f6 Kg6 55.Ke5 Kf7 56.Kd6 Be8 57.Kc7 Kg6 58.Kd8 Kf7 59.Be5 Bc6 60.Kc7 Bd5 ½-½

This game was error filled and seemed to go back and forth. The history between these players is whoever has black seems to win, which is what happened their last 3 times up. This game continued that trend. As the players fought into a Queen's on endgame, Steve developed a surprising mate threat that decided the issue. This game involved the most humorous post-mortem, however, as Steve demonstrated his method of queening not one but two pawns to win.

NM Wallach,K - NM Tennant,S [E81]
Billy Colias Memorial (5), 22.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Nge2 a6 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.Qd2 c5 9.h4 Qa5 10.h5 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxh5 12.Bh6 Qe5 13.Nf5 gxf5 14.Rxh5 Qg3+ 15.Kd1 Qg6 16.Rh1 Nf6 17.Bd3 fxe4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Bxe4 f5 20.Bd3 Bxh6 21.Rxh6 Qg7 22.Kc2 Rf6 23.Rh5 Bd7 24.Rah1 h6 25.Rxh6 Rxh6 26.Rxh6 Rf8 27.g4 Kf7 28.g5 Rh8 29.Qb4 Rxh6 30.gxh6 Qg2+ 31.Kb3 Qxf3 32.Qd2 Qh5 33.Qg2 Qxh6 34.Qxb7 Qd2 35.Qd5+ Be6 36.Qf3 Qg5 37.Ka4 Qg4 38.Qf1 Qd4 39.b4 f4 40.Ka5 Bc8 41.Qf3 Ke8 42.Qc6+ Kf7 43.Qf3 Kf6 44.a4 e5 45.Qe2 Qa7 0-1

Standings after Round 5:

1-2 NM Stamnov, CM Karagianis (4-1)

3 FM Chow (3-2)

4-5 NM Tennant, NM Wallach (2.5-2.5)

6 NM McEntee (2-3)

7 CM Loncarevic (1.5-3.5)

8 NM Weber (.5-4.5)

Round 6

Round 6. 10 AM Sunday 24 May 2004

NM McEntee (2-3) - Loncarevic (1.5-3.5)

NM Tennant (2.5-2.5) - FM Chow (3-2)

NM Stamnov (4-1) - NM Wallach (2.5-2.5)

NM Weber (.5.4.5) - Karagianis (4-1)

The history for these two players is that Steve won 2 encounters when Al was young, but that they have drawn every time since then. In this game, Steve daringly accepted the c5 gambit played against Al's Saemisch. However, Steve believes he played an inferior line, which Al took advantage of strongly and efficiently, and shortly locked up the point in a surprisingly uncompetitive game. This would be Al's first win over Steve, and the Return of Albert Chow continues after a terrible 0-2 start.

NM Tennant,S - FM Chow,A [E81]
Billy Colias Memorial (6), 23.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 c5 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.Bxc5 Nc6 9.Rc1 Nd7 10.Ba3 b6 11.Nh3 Nc5 12.Nf2 Qxd1+ 13.Kxd1 Bh6 14.Rb1 Rd8+ 15.Ke1 Nd4 16.Bd3 Nxd3+ 17.Nxd3 Nc2+ 18.Ke2 Nxa3 19.bxa3 Ba6 20.Nd5 Bxc4 21.Nxe7+ Kf8 22.Nd5 Rxd5 23.exd5 Re8+ 24.Kf2 Be3+ 25.Kg3 Bxd3 26.Rbd1 Bc2 27.Rde1 f5 28.f4 Bc5 29.Rxe8+ Kxe8 30.h4 h5 31.a4 Bxa4 32.Re1+ Kf7 33.Kf3 Bc2 34.g3 Be4+ 35.Ke2 Bxd5 36.a4 Bc4+ 37.Kf3 a5 38.Rb1 Bd5+ 39.Ke2 Be4 40.Rb2 Ke6 41.Rd2 Bd5 42.Kd3 Bb3 0-1

The history between these two players is limited and deceptive, a single Quick Rated game played over the USCL server, which Len won. There's two ways to bow out of an already dead competition, the wimpy way, or the manly way! Len chooses the latter by apparently booking up on Pete's ailing Schliemann Defense and surprising the entire tournament by playing 1. e4! Pete, suddenly aware that a sleeping bear may actually be awake, goes to his standby 4. ... d6, and the game is on. Len gambits a pawn and goes on the attack, and opinions vary as to whether there was or wasn't a forced win for white, though in the complications, any analysis is unclear. This may have been the game that created the most buzz in the event, as while it was going on the other players looked on with interest, some even visibly jolting in shock as each move was rattled off. The two slugged it out, trading sucker punches until just before time control, when Pete uncorked some tactical resources from nowhere which didn't seem like enough until he found ...Be2!!!, after which it's clear the initiative had changed hands. This bomb forced Len off the clock on move 25. A fine game, worthy of a tournament of this caliber. When you're hot, you're hot. When you're not, you're not.

NM Weber,L - Karagianis,P [C72]
Billy Colias Memorial (6), 23.05.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.0-0 Bd7 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 exd4 9.c3 dxc3 10.Qh5 Qe7 11.Nxc3 Nf6 12.Qf3 Qd8 13.Qg3 Nh5 14.Qd3 g6 15.e5 Bg7 16.Ne4 0-0 17.Bg5 Qe8 18.exd6 Bf5 19.Rfe1 cxd6 20.g4 Bxg4 21.Nxd6 Qd7 22.Re7 Nf4 23.Qd2 Nh3+ 24.Kf1 Be2+ 25.Qxe2 Qxd6 0-1 time

Tim was still fighting for a shot at 3rd place, and showed it in this long game against Robert. The two engaged in a complicated middlegame, with unclear advantages and plans emerging for both sides. Near the time control, Tim appeared to have the better of it, though Robert missed a timely g4, delaying it a few moves and costing himself, perhaps, the game. The match was well-fought, but Tim emerged from the fiery middlegame up too many pawns for Robert to hold.

NM McEntee,T - Loncarevic,R [E70]
Billy Colias Memorial (6), 23.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0 5.Nge2 d6 6.Ng3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.exd5 Nbd7 10.Bf4 Ne8 11.Qd2 f5 12.h4 Ne5 13.h5 Nf7 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.Qc2 a6 16.Bd3 Qf6 17.Nge2 Ne5 18.a4 Nc7 19.a5 Rb8 20.Bd2 Bd7 21.Nf4 Nxd3+ 22.Qxd3 Rfe8+ 23.Kf1 b5 24.axb6 Rxb6 25.Nd1 Nb5 26.Qg3 Nd4 27.Bc3 Kf7 28.Rh7 Rh8 29.Rxh8 Bxh8 30.Qh3 Bg7 31.Ne3 Rb8 32.g3 Rh8 33.Qg2 Bc8 34.Ne6 g5 35.Re1 g4 36.Nc2 Qh6 37.Ncxd4 cxd4 38.Nxd4 a5 39.b3 a4 40.bxa4 Ba6 41.Nxf5 Qh1+ 42.Qxh1 Rxh1+ 43.Kg2 Rxe1 44.Nxd6+ Ke7 45.Nf5+ Kf7 46.Bxe1 Bf8 47.Ne3 Bc8 48.Kf1 Kf6 49.Bc3+ Kg5 50.Bd4 Ba6 51.Ke2 Bb4 52.Kd3 Be1 53.Nc2 Ba5 54.Na3 Bc8 55.c5 Kf5 56.Nb5 Bb4 1-0

Ken played enterprisingly in this game against Aleksandr, and soon reached a position which appeared drawish. Aleks played on, trying to create winning chances, very patiently, setting traps, and in the end Ken fell into one, forcing an issue that was better left alone. Aleksandr continues his own hot streak that is part skill, part luck, and definitely the result of a lot of hard work at the board.

NM Stamnov,A - NM Wallach,K [C06]
Billy Colias Memorial (6), 23.05.2004

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Bd3 c5 5.e5 Nfd7 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.b3 0-0 13.Bf4 Bxf4 14.Nxf4 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 e5 16.Nxd5 Qxd4 17.Nxf6+ Rxf6 18.Qc2 h6 19.Rad1 Qb6 20.Qc4+ Be6 21.Qe4 Rc8 22.Qh7+ Kf7 23.Bc4 Bxc4 24.bxc4 Rd8 25.Rxd8 Qxd8 26.Qe4 Qe7 27.Re1 Re6 28.h3 b6 29.Re3 a5 30.Kh1 Qd6 31.Rd3 Qe7 32.Rg3 Kg8 33.Re3 Kf7 34.Kh2 Qd6 35.Rd3 Qe7 36.Rf3+ Rf6 37.Rg3 Rxf2 38.Qg6+ Kf8 39.Qxb6 Rf4 40.c5 a4 41.c6 Rc4 42.Qb8+ Kf7 43.Qh8 Kf6 44.Qh7 Qf7 45.Qd3 e4 46.Qd6+ Kf5 47.Rg6 e3 48.g4+ Ke4 49.Re6+ Kf3 50.Qg3+ Ke2 51.Qxe3+ Kd1 52.Qd3+ 1-0

Standings after Round 6:

1-2 NM Stamnov, CM Karagianis (5-1)

3 FM Chow (4-2)

4 NM McEntee (3-3)

5-6 NM Tennant, NM Wallach (2.5-3.5)

7 CM Loncarevic (1.5-4.5)

8 NM Weber (.5-5.5)

Round 7, final round, the Money Round

Round 7. 5PM Sunday 24 May 2004

NM Weber (.5-4.5) -NM McEntee (3-3)

Loncarevic (1.5-4.5) - NM Tennant (2.5-3.5)

FM Chow (4-2) - NM Stamnov (5-1)

Karagianis (5-1) - NM Wallach (2.5-3.5)

This game was again played by Robert at blitz chess pace, and he omitted a very crucial move. Not a good thing to do against The Chess Doctor. The game was over with less than 5 minutes off each clock.

Loncarevic,R - NM Tennant,S [B35]
Billy Colias Memorial (7), 23.05.2004

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Be3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.0-0 0-0 9.Bb3 d6 10.Qe1 Ng4 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd2 Ba6 13.Ne2 Qe5 0-1

Tim had prepared ...e5 against Len, and both perhaps could have played more sharply... but when it became clear Tim was out of the money... this game ceased to have much meaning for either player and was quickly drawn.

NM Weber,L - NM McEntee,T [D10]
Billy Colias Memorial (7), 23.05.2004

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e5 6.Bg5 f6 7.Bh4 e4 8.Ne5 Qa5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.e3 Rb8 11.Qc1 Ba6 12.Bg3 Rb7 13.a3 Bxf1 ½-½

Ken had again showed excellent preparation for this much anticipated battle with Kid K. But the Kid offered the early draw offer, Ken saw no reason to test him further. Point divided, and Pete had secured Plus Four, undefeated, and at least 2nd place. A fantastic tournament for Pete, who performed at a 2400+ clip. This score would have been a magnificent score for any player in the event.

Karagianis,P - NM Wallach,K [A58]
Billy Colias Memorial (7), 23.05.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.g3 d6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 Bxa6 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.Nc3 Nb6 11.Re1 0-0 12.e4 Ng4 13.h3 Ne5 14.Nxe5 ½-½

This game was the only truly significant battle expected in the round. Al said he was disappointed to see a Petroff, he was hoping for something a little more chaotic for this encounter. Aleks hung on against a fired up and inspired Albert, who pressed him the full measure until it became clear the game had played out to a draw shortly after the time control. Al, after his 0-2 start, came back fighting hard and playing great to capture solo third prize. Aleksandr, meanwhile, secures equal first and a tremendous undefeated 5.5-1.5 in this very strong field.

Chow,A - Stamnov,A [C42]
Billy Colias Memorial (7), 23.05.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Bg4 8.c4 Nf6 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nc3 Be7 11.h3 Be6 12.a3 0-0 13.Re1 Re8 14.Qc2 h6 15.Bh7+ Kh8 16.Bf5 Bf6 17.Bxe6 Rxe6 18.Rxe6 fxe6 19.Be3 Nce7 20.Re1 Nxc3 21.bxc3 b5 22.a4 c6 23.axb5 cxb5 24.Bd2 Qd5 25.Qe4 a5 26.Qxe6 Qxe6 27.Rxe6 a4 28.Re1 a3 29.Ra1 a2 30.Kf1 Ra3 31.Ke2 Nd5 32.Kd1 Nb6 33.Kc2 Na4 34.Ne5 Bxe5 35.dxe5 Kg8 36.c4 bxc4 37.Bc1 Rc3+ 38.Kd2 Rd3+ 39.Kc2 Rc3+ 40.Kd2 Rd3+ 41.Ke1 Rc3 42.Kd2 Rd3+ 43.Ke1 Rc3 ½-½

The final Standings:

NM Aleksandr Stamnov x .5 .5 1 1 1 .5 1 5.5-1.5 1st-2nd

CM Pete Karagianis .5 x 1 1 .5 .5 1 1 5.5-1.5 1st-2nd

FM Albert Chow .5 0 x 1 1 0 1 1 4.5-2.5 3rd

NM Dr. Steve Tennant 0 0 0 x .5 1 1 1 3.5-3.5 4th-5th

NM Tim McEntee 0 .5 0 .5 x 1 1 .5 3.5-3.5 4th-5th

NM Kenneth Wallach 0 .5 1 0 0 x 1 .5 3-4 6th

CM Robert Loncarevic .5 0 0 0 0 0 x 1 1.5-5.5 7th

NM Len Weber 0 0 0 0 .5 .5 0 x 1-6 8th

Summary of the players results:

NM Aleksandr Stamnov. Plus 4. 5.5-1.5. This field was, as Aleks stated at the outset, a very tough field for him. But he sat down at the board, and worked very hard during the games, showing maturity, experience, and most importantly, fighting spirit. He fought on through worse positions and executed in better positions. It was not a beautiful tournament victory, but it surprised some observers, despite Aleks' #1 seeding going in. Aleks should be obtaining his FM title shortly as a result of strong performances immediately before this event. Aleks survived some bad positions and has several games which contend for some of the game prizes. This is a fine result to add to his list of credits which has become quite large over the years.

CM Pete Karagianis. Plus 4. 5.5-1.5. Pete was the shock and revelation of the tournament. Kid K, as he became known, fought no holds barred chess with names he had only read about a few years earlier. Knocking down master after master, all of whom dwarf his playing experience, it was quickly forgotten that he was an 'expert' player. Pete showed maturity beyond his years and fighting spirit commeasurate with an in-form competitor. In bad positions he hung on for dear life and still retained a cool head to pull it out, in good positions, he never faltered. No one, even Pete, predicted this type of finish for him, but it is safe to say perceptions are now changed. We look forward to Pete being one of the masters at the next such event.

FM Albert Chow. Plus 2. 4.5-2.5. Albert started this event very shakily, going down sensationally in back to back games. But then he got it together and showed how dangerous a veteran master player can be. At the outset considered by many to be the pre-tournament favorite, Albert showed his class both on and off the board and fought his way back from an unimaginable hole to take solo third prize. Albert owns a long, long list of tournament successes over the years, and once he got into gear here, he showed why that is.

NM Steven Tennant. .500. 3.5-3.5. This .500 result was a little unexpected, as Steve was thought by many to be one of the favorites going in. Steve is the veteran of the veterans in this field and has demonstrated over the years that he is quite capable of winning against any level of competition. In this event, after a unusually easy first round win, Steve then found less obliging opponents and suffered some early middlegame slips in several games. He was actually risking a negative until his even more uncompetitive last round win. One shouldn't read too much into this apparent tournament failure, this is not how Steve usually plays.

NM Timothy Mc Entee. .500. 3.5-3.5. Tim seems to have done reasonably with this half and half result, but if you take away the games he played using the (for him, new) French Defense, it paints a very different picture of Tim's result. Although Tim was not considered a favorite, it is known he is quite strong and those looking at this result should consider that it includes several games lost uncompetitvely. Once Tim works out the opening kinks, he stands to prove very dangerous, as shown by the games in which he showed up to fight.

NM Kenneth Wallach. Minus One. 3-4. Ken started out sharp with two wins, which surprised even Ken, since he has been out of competitive chess for a number of years. But perhaps wary opponents, and a very long drive to the tournament site, took their toll and Ken did not win another game. Ken did show remarkable and deep opening preparation, and fine examples of play. The results showed that long games were hard on him, which reflects past events where Ken drove long distances daily to participate. No one will be taking Ken lightly any time soon.

CM Robert Loncarevic. Minus 4. 1.5-5.5. Robert has only recently entered the world of strong chess, and he had risen remarkably in the last few years. Very anxious to play in this event for the experience and the games, Robert dove into this field bravely. It seemed to some that his mindset was still conditioned for the weekend swiss, as he ended many games without using the time available, moving quickly and in some cases superficially. He quickly learned about master play, and found that this behavior does not work here. A very valuable learning experience for him, and likely to affect his thinking in future tournaments of this strength. He missed some opportunities in several games, and perhaps hardened by this, made sure he was brutally effective when he unexpectedly received a gift in the one game he won. Despite his finish, most observers feel he is only going up.

NM Len Weber. Minus 5. 1-6. This result is what Len feared going in, again trying to play in an event he helped organize. He has not traditionally done well in this dual role, and, combined with long periods of tournament inactivity no doubt contributed to this worst ever tournament result. So the event is bittersweet for Len, who took on the role of organizer at the outset, and succeeded magnificently in his role of the creation of this tournament, but then failed beyond his worst expectations, even against opponents he has done well against, in this event. There is no consolation in this result. But even while failing spectatcularly, Len conducted himself as a master, engaging in full tilt battles against the tournament leaders despite his hopeless tournament position. While the result was an unmigitated disaster, the highest finishers of the event each had to catch their wind after their games with him, no doubt having a different picture in their minds as to Len's capabilities.

The Director: Glenn Panner, 35, is a Candidate Master and a Senior Tournament Director and has a long, long list of directing and organizing credits. He is frequently called upon to direct in national events, and has been on the directing staff of the National Open for 16 years. Glenn was President of the Orland Park Chess Club from 1984 to 1993, and helped organize and direct the futurity events there in 1986, as well as the South Suburban Opens and Oak Lawn Opens events in the 80s and 90s. Glenn is also a former Secretray of the Illinois Chess Association, and has served as coach for several successful high school teams and individual students. Glenn is known for his maturity and Solomonic directing skills. The players at this event regard him as one of the few Illinois directors who would be acceptable to all the players in an event of this strength.

About Billy Colias.

Billy Colias was born on 3 June 1966, and died, unexpectedly on 5 November 1993.

Billy is the subject of a book called "Billy Colias: Midwest Master" authored by M.L. Rantala, NM Eric Schiller, and NM Alan Watson. Copyright 1996 by M.L. Rantala, Eric Schiller, and Alan Watson. Published by Chess Enterprises, Moon Township, PA.

And that's what Billy was. Many of the competitors here knew and played against Billy, who was the benchmark of his age group in the Midwest. Titles he possessed at the time of his death included National Master, Life Master, Senior Master, and FIDE Master.

Billy was professional, and modest. Who can forget his willingness to suddenly sit still before a game without a word and concentrate on the board, which was in the original start position, when a photographer aimed his camera at him? It was not vanity, it was his understanding of his position in the chess world, that in the Midwest he was one of the chess celebrities, and that his duty was to make sure they got a decent photo of him for whatever publication it was going to wind up in. Billy did it for chess.

Billy was also modest, friendly, and helpful in teaching and in post mortems, even with very weak players. It is not surprising he was selected as the manager of the Manhattan Chess Club.

Billy battled health issues early in his life and the residual effect of these combined with seemingly normal activities for a young man resulted in his unexpected and untimely death at the young age of 27.

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