Budapest Spring Chess Festival 2013 part 1

I have a fondness for the Budapest Spring Chess Festival, since back in 2003 it was the tournament in which I first earned my FIDE rating. Now ten years later I was back to play in it again. The first round I had a fairly standard win against a lower-rated player, not really worth seeing, and the second round I played the Grand Prix attack for the second time (see my previous post), this time against an FM and I didn't make any huge mistakes, but I was slowly outplayed. I considered showing it to you, but I just couldn't find much of interest in it. I certainly failed to improve on my use of the Grand Prix, as I performed miserably with it over both this tournament and the next one.

Instead I'll show you this third round game, again against a master. It was the first time I tried playing the Leningrad Dutch. I had played the Stonewall for many years when I was younger, and I didn't like the types of positions I got from it, so I had long considered switching over to the Leningrad.

[Event "Budapest Spring Chess Festival"]

[Site "Budapest"]

[Date "2013.03.20"]

[Round "3"]

[White "Zentai, Peter"]

[Black "Cross, Ted"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[ECO "A88"]

[WhiteElo "2269"]

[BlackElo "2041"]

[Annotator "Cross,Ted"]

[PlyCount "93"]

[EventDate "2013.03.18"]

[EventType "swiss"]

[EventRounds "9"]

[EventCountry "HUN"]

1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 c6 8. Qc2 Na6 9. a3 Qc7

While the 'usual' move here is 9... Qe8, the database shows me that black performs much better in this Qc7 line.

10. b4 e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Bb2

Playing this move leaves black with a slight advantage. It was better for white to go ahead with 12. e4 himself. If the next phase of the game has few comments, it's because both sides played solidly, with no mistakes, and the computer rarely offers up anything much better than what we chose.

12... e4 13. Nd4 Qf7 14. Na4 Be6 15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Nb3 b6 18. c5 b5 19. Nc3 Nc7 20. e3 Ng4 21. Ne2 Ne5 22. Bxe5 Bxe5 23. Rd2 Nd5 24. Nbd4 g5 25. Nc3 Nxc3 26. Qxc3 Be6 27. Qc2 Bd5 28. Qd1 Kh8 29. f4 gxf4 30. gxf4 Bxd4 31. Rxd4 Rg8 32. Qc2 Rg7 33. Rd2 Rcg8 34. Kh1 Qf6 35. Qc3?!

The first real mistake of the game!

35... Qh4

I failed to take advantage of it. Black would have a large advantage after 35... Qxc3 36. Rxc3 a5 37. Rc1 axb4 38. axb4 Ra7. Now the game turns equal and peters out to a draw.

36. Qe5 Rf8 37. Rg1 Qf6 38. Qxf6 Rxf6 39. Bf1 a6 40. Rg3 Rfg6 41. Kg2 Rd7 42. Kf2 Be6 43. Ke1 Rxd2 44. Kxd2 Kg7 45. Kc3 Kf6 46. Be2 Rh6 47. Rg2 1/2-1/2

While it wasn't a highly exciting game, playing a new opening against a master strength player is tough, so doing well and even having a chance to gain a large edge at one point gave me confidence that I could play the Leningrad with decent results.

The next round was one that should have been a triumph for me, but turned into a nightmare with one of the biggest hallucinations of my life. I was playing against a 2100-level player and I felt this was the make or break point in the tournament. I wanted to get a statement win, a confidence builder, and the way I played it should have worked out. Instead it left me devastated.

[Event "Budapest Spring Chess Festival"]

[Site "Budapest"]

[Date "2013.03.21"]

[Round "4"]

[White "Cross, Ted"]

[Black "Marjanovics, Gyorgy"]

[Result "0-1"]

[ECO "C54"]

[WhiteElo "2041"]

[BlackElo "2116"]

[Annotator "Cross,Ted"]

[PlyCount "122"]

[EventDate "2013.03.18"]

[EventType "swiss"]

[EventRounds "9"]

[EventCountry "HUN"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5

My opponent switches the opening over to a giuoco piano.

5. c3 Nf6 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Nxe4 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Qb3+ d5 11. Qxb4 Rf8 12. O-O Kg8 13. Qb3

I knew this line fairly well, and with this last move and the next I repositioned my queen, since I didn't want it imprisoned by black's wall of pawns. I knew this sort of position would entail lots of slow maneuvering.

13... c6 14. Qe3 Qf6 15. Nc3 Bf5 16. Ne5 Rad8 17. f3 Nd6 18. b3 Bc8 19. Rae1 Rfe8 20. Qd2 Nf5 21. f4 Nd6 22. g4 Qh4 23. Qf2 Qh3?!

My opponent makes the first mistake of the game. He needed to trade the queens. Now white gets a decent advantage.

24. Re3 Qh6 25. Kg2 Qf6 26. Rh3

I was trying to carefully probe black's position to see if anything would crack. Better was 26. f5, which of course I saw, but I felt at the time that it was too early.

26... Re7 27. Qc2 g6 28. Rg3 Rf8 29. Rff3 Kh8 30. Rh3 Kg7 31. Rf2?

My first mistake. Luckily black didn't see the correct way to punish it.

31...Nf7?!

Black could have had a significant edge after 31... h5! 32. f5 Qg5 33. Rg3 h4 34. f6+ Rxf6 35. Rxf6 Qxf6 36. Rf3 Qg5 37. h3 Bf5 38. Qf2 Be4 39. Nxe4 dxe4 40. Re3, and though this isn't close to lost yet for white, it sure isn't easy to try to salvage.

32. Rhf3 Ree8 33. h3 Nd8 34. Nd1 Ne6 35. Qd2 Kh8 36. Ne3 Ng7 37. h4 h5?

I had a large advantage no matter what black played here, but playing h5 turned the position into a decisive edge for white.

38. f5! gxf5 39. gxf5 Rg8 40. Rg3

There's nothing wrong with my move, though the computer likes 40. Kf1 even more.

40... Nxf5?

White's advantage was already winning, but now it grows huge.

41. Nxf5 Bxf5

I knew this was the critical moment of the game. I felt it. And what is worse is that the very first idea I examined was the correct one--42. Nf7+!. I saw most of the lines after this move and felt strongly that it had to be winning. Ironically, it was following the instructions of so many chess manuals that steered me wrong here. They always said that you shouldn't just see the first winning line and go for it, but instead look for something even better. So after spending a decent amount of time examining the correct move, I decided to see if there was something more correct, and here is where I hallucinated. I looked at the combination of queen, knight, and the rook on the g file and thought I saw a smothered mate. And I so clearly saw this hallucination that I didn't even bother to take a breath and look it over carefully. I just reached out and played the worst move of my life.

42. Qh6+??

The way to win was 42. Nf7+! Kh7 (if 42... Qxf7 43. Qh6+ Qh7 44. Qf6+ Rg7 45. Rxf5 (I had seen this far in my analysis and was certain this was a win for white) Ree7 46. Qf8+ Rg8 47. Kf2 Reg7 48. Qf6 a6 49. Rgg5 and it is over.) 43. Ng5+ Kh8 (and in this line this was as far as I saw in my analysis, and again I'm pretty sure that once I did get this far I would have found the right plan) 44. Qd1! Rg6 (44... Be4+ 45. Kg1) (or 44... Bg4 45. Rxf6 Bxd1 46. Nf7+ Kh7 47. Rh6#) 45. Qxh5+ Kg7 46. Rxf5 Qxf5 47. Qh7+ Kf8 48. Rf3 and again it's all over.

42... Qxh6 43. Nf7+

There was no point in me playing on, but I was in total shock at what had happened and just needed some time to mentally torture myself.

43... Kh7 44. Nxh6 Be4+ 45. Kh2 Rxg3 46. Kxg3 Kxh6 47. Rf7 Rg8+ 48. Kf4 Rg7 49. Rf6+ Bg6 50. Rd6 Re7 51. Kf3 a5 52. a3 Kg7 53. b4 axb4 54. axb4 Kh6 55. b5 Re4 56. b6 Rxd4 57. Rd7 Rxh4 58. Rxb7 Rb4 59. Rb8 Kg5 60. b7 c5 61. Rd8 Be4+ 0-1

First Saturday FM-A Budapest in May 2011

I had only a mediocre return to chess after more than two years away, but I got better toward the end of the event, and I won both round 10 and 11 fairly smoothly.

[Event "First Saturday FM-A"]

[Site "Budapest"]

[Date "2011.11.14"]

[Round "10"]

[White "Jamalia, Natalie"]

[Black "Cross, Ted"]

[Result "0-1"]

[ECO "B33"]

[WhiteElo "1984"]

[BlackElo "2058"]

[Annotator "Cross,Ted"]

[PlyCount "70"]

[EventDate "2011.11.14"]

[EventType "tourn"]

[EventRounds "11"]

[EventCountry "HUN"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.

Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Bg5

I have always enjoyed the wild craziness of this opening, and I play it from both sides! All of this is standard for this variation so far.

13. Nce3 Ne7 14. Bd3 Rb8 15. O-O g6 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Nd5 Qa7 18. Kh1 Be6 19. Bc2 Qb7 20. Nb4?!

The opening had drifted to a slight edge for black, and this was the first little mistake for either side. It simply wastes a tempo for white and let's black have a trade that I desired anyway. Better was 20. a3 with just a slight black edge.

20... a5 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Rfc8 23. Qg4 Bh6 24. Qh4 Bg7 25.

Rad1 Rc5 26. f4 Rxd5!?

Nothing wrong with this plan, though more accurate is 26... b4 with a more distinct advantage for black.

27. Rxd5

Giving more chances is 27. f5 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 d5 29. Bb3 d4 30. Rf1 Kh8 though black retains an edge.

27... Qxd5 28. Bb3 Qd3 29. Rd1 Qe2 30. Qe7 Rf8 31. fxe5 Bxe5 32. Qh4 a4 33. Re1 Qxb2 34. Bd5 Qxc3 35. Rf1 Qd3 0-1

I followed up this straightforward win with one that was fun, especially since it was the first time I was trying a new opening.

[Event "First Saturday FM-A"]

[Site "Budapest"]

[Date "2011.11.15"]

[Round "11"]

[White "Cross, Ted"]

[Black "Makrai, Peter"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "B23"]

[WhiteElo "2058"]

[BlackElo "1812"]

[Annotator "Cross,Ted"]

[PlyCount "91"]

[EventDate "2011.11.15"]

[EventType "tourn"]

[EventRounds "11"]

[EventCountry "HUN"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 d5 4. Nf3 d4 5. Ne2 Nf6 6. d3 Nc6 7. c3

 This was my first time trying the Grand Prix Attack. My move here isn't bad, though the database statistics prefer 7. g3 Be7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O.

7... Qb6

This seems to be a novelty, at least in my database, and the computer seems to think it isn't bad.

8. g3 h5

But this feels a bit optimistic and white now has a slight edge. Better is to just develop with 8... Be7.
9. h3 Be7 10. Bg2 Bd7 11. O-O Bd8?

Black makes the first mistake in a complicated middle game, and follows it up with another one next move.

12. Ne5 Qc7?

While this is a mistake, black's position was already difficult.

13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. cxd4 Be7 15. Be3 O-O-O?

And one more mistake to seal the deal.

16. Rc1

Not bad, but the computer likes 16. Qc2 even more.

16... Kb8 17. f5 Qa5 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Qb3 Bd7 20. dxc5 Ka8 21. d4 h4 22. Bg5

More accurate is 22. Nf4! e5 23. Ng6 Rhe8 24. Nxe5 with a dominating position.

22... Ng8 23. gxh4 Bxg5 24. hxg5 e5 25. Rf7 Qa6 26. Rcf1

About this point I began to play cautiously, knowing my position was winning and not wanting to allow counterplay. Here the computer prefers 26. d5 Qxe2 27. c6 bxc6 28. dxc6 Bxc6 29. Rxc6 Qd1+ 30. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 31. Kh2 Nf6 32. Rcc7 though I'm wary during games of allowing what looks like more counterplay options.

26... Bb5

If 26... Be6 then 27. d5 is best, though I had planned to play 27. Rf8 Ne7 28. Rxh8 Rxh8 29. d5 which is just fine.

27. R1f2

Again being cautious. Stronger is 27. Nc3 Bxf1 28. Bxf1 Qc6 29. Nd5.

27... Bc4 28. Rf8 Ne7 29. Qf3 Rhxf8 30. Qxf8 Nc6 31. Qf3

One more time with the overcautious play. Much better is 31. Qxg7 Bxe2 32. d5 Nb8 33. Qxe5 Bb5 34. Qf6 Qa5 35. e5.

31... exd4 32. Nf4 d3 33. Nd5

 It's hard not to win at this point, but more accurate was 33. b3! Ne5 34. Qe3 Bg8 35. Nd5 and total domination.

33... Bxd5 34. exd5 Nb4 35. d6 Nc6 36. Rd2 Qc4 37. Qe3 Qc1+ 38. Kh2 Nd4 39. Qxd3 Nf5 40. Qd5 Rb8 41. Rf2 g6 42. d7 Qxg5 43. c6 Qg3+ 44. Kg1 Qc7 45. cxb7+ Rxb7 46. Qxb7+ 1-0

Returning to Chess

It has been a very long time since I have blogged about chess, but I have recently gotten back into it again, and I'm interested in doing some posts of my more interesting games over these past few years, since doing these posts gives me some small insights into my own thought processes during games.

I believe the last game I posted about was from my years in Iceland, which means I haven't blogged about the tournaments I have played in both Hungary and Bahamas. So I hope to make up for that over the next few weeks, especially since there are some intriguing games I have played. I can't promise all of the ones I blog about will be fascinating, but I believe all of them will be instructive, at least for players lower than master strength.

So, I didn't get to play any chess during the two years (2009-2011) I lived in Baku, Azerbaijan. It's a strong chess country, but they didn't seem interested in having me play there. I spoke a couple of times with their federation officials and no one would tell me anything about clubs or trainers, and the one big open tournament they held each year was in September, which didn't work for my arrival, and also they held the event outside of Baku sometimes (I also lived in Baku from 2014-2016 and this latter problem prevented me from playing those two years as well).

I saw both Kasparov and Judit Polgar again while in Budapest

Thus I didn't get to play chess for a long time and was rusty again once I did get to play, in May 2011 in Budapest. We lived in Budapest for three years, from 2011-2014, and I played in three events there. The first one was one of the famous 'First Saturday' events held by Laszlo Nagy. My rust showed and I finished with 3 wins, 4 losses, and 4 draws. I'll show just some of the more interesting games. This first one was short and fun. The player liked to play the same weird opening as black against e4, so I got to prepare and it worked out very well for me.

[Event "First Saturday FM-A"]

[Site "Budapest"]

[Date "2011.11.08"]

[Round "4"]

[White "Cross, Ted"]

[Black "Zala, Gyula"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "C40"]

[WhiteElo "2058"]

[BlackElo "1999"]

[Annotator "Cross,Ted"]

[PlyCount "29"]

[EventDate "2011.11.08"]

[EventType "tourn"]

[EventRounds "11"]

[EventCountry "HUN"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5

This is called the Elephant Gambit. I never had to play against it before, so it's a good thing I got to prepare in advance.

3. exd5 e4 4. Qe2 Be7 5. Qxe4 Nf6 6. Bb5+
Okay, so the better move here is 6. Qa4+, but Bb5+ isn't bad, and since I knew the line my opponent liked to play here, it was better for me to go along with his line since it led to an easily winning opening.
6...c6
This here is my opponent's novelty, and it isn't very good except as a surprise, which it wasn't for me.
7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bxc6+ Nxc6 9. Qxc6+ Bd7 10. Qa6
This is a pet opening of this fellow, though here he varies between Rb8 and Qc7. Yes, he's given up three pawns but he has a lot of development for them, and this is a very dangerous line for white if

he isn't prepared.
10...Qc7 11. O-O Rb8 12. Re1 Kf8 13. Nc3 Bc6?
It's usually hard to win fast in this variation, because black has so much initiative and white has to play under such stress, but this move lets me end things quickly.

14. Ne5! Ba8 15. Qc4! 1-0
With the queens forced from the board, black has no chances and thus resigns.

The next game was against the top rated player in the event, and it featured lots of tactics and big swings of fortune.

[Event "First Saturday FM-A"]

[Site "Budapest"]

[Date "2011.11.10"]

[Round "6"]

[White "Cross, Ted"]

[Black "Juracsik, Jozsef"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[ECO "B98"]

[WhiteElo "2058"]

[BlackElo "2172"]

[Annotator "Cross,Ted"]

[PlyCount "81"]

[EventDate "2011.11.10"]

[EventType "tourn"]

[EventRounds "11"]

[EventCountry "HUN"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3

Qc7 9. O-O-O O-O

I have always enjoyed this opening, and I've always felt that castling here for black was too soon and gave white a ready-made attack.

10. Bd3

This is my personal preference, since the bishop here aims at the critical h7 square and also allows either of the knights to easily come back to e2 without blocking in the bishop. In many lines the pawn goes to e5, clearing the lane for the bishop's attack against h7.

10...Nbd7 11. Kb1

11. Rhe1 may be only slightly stronger here, according to the computer, but it scores much more heavily according to the database percentages.

11...Nc5 12. h4?!

My first doubtful move. This takes the position from a strong white advantage down to about equality. Much stronger was 12. Qg3.

12... b5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. e5 dxe5 15. Qxa8?

It was a bad idea to take the 'free' rook. Now I could get into trouble. Much better is to keep an advantage with 15. fxe5 Be7 (15... Bxe5 16. Qxa8 b4 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Ne4 Kg8 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Qe4 with a large advantage) 16. Qxa8 Bb7 17. Ncxb5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Qxe5 19. Qa5 Nxd3 20. Rxd3 Bxg2 21. Re1 and the computer struggles to understand who is better in this very complex position.

15... Bb7??

My opponent returns the favor with a big blunder, going from a winning position to one that is much better for white. He could have won with 15...exd4 16. Bxh7+ Kxh7 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4+ Kg8, and though it may not look it, the computer rates this as a huge advantage for black.

16. Bxh7+ Kxh7 17. Qxf8 exd4 18. Ne2 Bxg2 19. Rhe1 

My move isn't a mistake and white still has a large edge, but the defensive move 19. Rh2 leaves white even better for navigating the upcoming tactics.

19... Be4 20. Nxd4 Bxd4

Though white is up two exchanges, black's active pieces are all congregated around white's king. I needed to be more aware of the explicit dangers and to look more deeply at the tactics.

21. Rxd4??

A terrible decision that turns my advantage into a losing game. Correct was 21. Rxe4 Nxe4 22. Rxd4 Qxf4 23. Qd8 f5 24. a3 with a strong edge to white.

21... Bxc2+ 22. Kc1

The only way to continue, though it is as dangerous as it looks. Playing the 'safer' looking Ka1 gets white mated: 22. Ka1 Nb3+ 23. axb3 Qa5+ 24. Qa3 Qxe1+ 25. Ka2 Qb1#.

22... Ne4?

It's not so easy to see all the correct tactics over the board. My opponent misses the best continuation. 22... Bg6 23. Kd2 Nb3+ 24. axb3 Qc2+ 25. Ke3 Qxb3+ and black is winning, though these weren't exactly simple to see moves! 

23. Qd8

Now it's all equal again, though still a complex position where we can and do go wrong. Look at that board. It doesn't look very equal, does it! But the computer pegs it as dead even.

23... Qc5 24. Rdxe4?

Yes, my move is a mistake, but it wasn't easy at all to find the correct move to maintain equality, which was 24. Rd2! Bd3+ 25. Kd1 Qh5+ 26. Kc1 Qc5+.

24... Bxe4+ 25. Kd2 Qf2+ 26. Re2 Qxf4+ 27. Re3 Bg6 28. a3 Bh5 29. Qd3+ Bg6 30. Qc3 Bf5 31. h5 a5 32. Ke1 b4 33. axb4 axb4 34. Qb3 f6 35. Rg3 Qd4 36. Re3 Qh4+ 37. Rg3 Qf4 38. Rf3 Qd4 39. Re3 Kh6 40. Rg3 Kh7??

 Perhaps this seems easy to win, but over the board it didn't feel that way, and my opponent accidentally let the position repeat three times, making it a draw. It's not so clearly easy, though, as you can see by lines such as 40... Kxh5? 41. Qf3+ Bg4 (41... Kh6 42. Qh1+) 42. Rh3+ Kg6 43. Qd3+ Qxd3 44. Rxd3 f5 45. Rb3 Kf6 46. Rxb4 g5 47. Rc4 and it's equal

41. Re3 1/2-1/2

 Two games is enough for now. I'll return with more games from this event soon.

Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan

Today was a really cool day for me as a chess fan. I visited the chess World Cup here in Baku, Azerbaijan. It began with 128 players and now has only 16 as of today. Three of the remaining 16 are American players--Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and Wesley So.

Nakamura plays Adams

The organizers were very nice and gave me a press pass so that I could go inside the roped off area and take photos up close. I was introduced to Wesley So's adopted mother and we had a nice conversation for about twenty minutes. It's fascinating to learn details of an elite player's life. Then I saw and watched the games for a couple of hours.

Fabiano Caruana

Nakamura only needed a draw against Michael Adams of England in order to advance, and he did that easily. Caruana lost yesterday, so he had to win today and he only managed to draw, so he is eliminated. As I type this Wesley So's game against Vachier-Lagrave of France is still going on, but it looks as if he will lose and also be eliminated. So a mixed day for American chess!

Wesley So

I Met Pal Benko Today

I don't post much here anymore, because I haven't been doing much with chess lately. I did play in a First Saturday tournament here in Budapest last November, but since my chess viewer stopped working, I didn't post anything about it back then.

Today I was on the bus coming home from work when a couple got on and the woman sat near me. The bus was crowded so there weren't many places to sit. Since they were older than me, I decided to stand up and allow the man to sit down next to the woman I assumed was his wife. When I saw his face, though, I instantly recognized him as the famous American-Hungarian Grandmaster of chess Pal Benko.

Photo of Benko from Chessbase

Benko was a contemporary of the legendary American world champion Bobby Fischer. I saw Benko in 2008 in Reykjavik when he attended the Bobby Fischer Memorial Tournament (in which I did very well, almost beating an international master, though I messed it up and only got a draw instead). I didn't get to speak with Mr. Benko that time, but I did this time.

I said hello, and he asked if I recognized him. I said I always read his columns in Chess Life, and I told him that I saw him in Iceland. He asked where I worked, and I told him. He than asked if I was playing in the chess tournament series in Budapest. I told him I don't get much free time, but I did play in it last November. Sadly, my stop had already arrived, so I had to get off and couldn't speak further with him.

I would never want to bother someone like him, but he and his wife seemed nice. It would have been awesome to invite them to dinner or something, but I would never want to impose.

Will I Ever Get to Play Again?

I know I am writing just for myself now, and who could blame anyone? I can't post anything if I don't have any chess experiences. I thought I would get to play here in Baku, the birthplace of Garry Kasparov and the home of some of the strongest GM's in the world, but I haven't been able to play at all.

So, I am thrilled that next summer I will move to Budapest, which has a thriving chess scene, mainly thanks for Laszlo Nagy's First Saturday tournaments each month. I gained my FIDE rating in Budapest in 2003 at the Spring Chess Festival. I know I won't be able to play immediately after arriving, as I will need to settle into my new home and position at work, but I am excited at the prospect of finally getting to play again.

I see that the game reviewer app stopped working on my blog. I wish there was a way of using the Chessbase export feature with Blogger to allow me to show my games here that way. The USCF uses it all the time, but I have no idea if there is a means of doing it on Blogger. I believe you need some space somewhere on the server to store the game data. Anyone know how to do this in Blogger?

Chess in Baku

I recently arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan. I want to be able to play chess here, but the chess calendars that I have found so far do not show any events in Baku for the next year. There is the Baku Open in September, but unfortunately I don't think I can play in that due to being too new at work here.