Grandmaster Alex Wojtkiewicz wasn't the only repeat champ at the Maryland Open earlier this month.
As reported here last week, Wojtkiewicz successfully defended his state title in the Open section. A few boards down, however, Class A player Bruce Till was defending his own Maryland Amateur title with a 41/2-1/2 result in the Under-2000 competition.
Till tied with Virginia's John Farrell in the section, taking the title and trophy for the second consecutive year as the top-scoring Maryland resident.
Congratulations also to Vivek Muralidhar, who went a perfect 5-0 to win the Reserve section by a point over Chad Sandefur and Jarrod Ramos. A total of 115 players competed in the three sections.
The new Amateur champion passed along to us his best game from the event, a Round 4 win over Paul Homer that allowed Till to coast home with a final-round draw. The annotations here incorporate many of the winner's own comments. (See game score below).
This game intrigued me because Homer tries a strategy I have often wondered about in the King's Indian Classical hightailing the White king to the queen-side before the going gets too hot. Thus: 15. Rc1 Rf7 (a useful move that covers c7 and vacates f8 for the bishop) 16. Rc2?! (Till calls this a waste of time) Nf6 17. Kf2!? g4 18. Ke1!?.
It's a time-consuming plan, but White's idea will leave Black's king-side attack chasing ghosts if the second player does not react. Black rises to the challenge with 19. Rg1 g3 20. h3 Nxg2+! (an enterprising speculative sac that gives Black two dangerous passers for his piece; White's pieces will have trouble organizing a blockade) 21. Rxg2 Bxh3 22. Rg1 Nh7 (h4?! 23. Rh1 g2 24. Rg1 Nh5 25. Nf2 Qc8 26. cxd6 cxd6 27. Nb5 embarrasses the Black queen, according to Till).
Interesting now would have been 23. Rh1 g2 (Ng5 24. Kd2 h4 25. Kc1 Bc8 26. Rxh4 Nxf3 27. Rh1! g2 28. Bxf3 gxh1=Q 29. Qxh1 and White's unorthodox king maneuver pays off as it is the Black king who comes under fire) 24. Rg1, forcing Black to reinforce the advanced g-pawn. White removes the h-pawn only to find Black's two passers reincarnated on 26. Rh1 Bf8 27. Rxh4?! (Ne2 h3 28. Rxh3 Nxh3 29. Qxh3 looks marginally tougher, though the dangerous g-pawn remains) Nxf3+ 28. Qxf3 Qxh4.
White puts up a tough king-side stand only to spring a leak on his other flank: 31. Ne2 Rh2 32. Kd3 Bh6 33. cxd6 cxd6 34. Rc7? (b5!, freeing the bishop and keeping the a-file closed, looks both good and mandatory) b5. (and not the tempting 34...Rxg2? 35. Qxg2 f3 36. Qxf3?? Qd2 mate, because White turns the tables with 36. Qxg3! fxe2 37. Qxg5+ Bxg5 38. Kxe2).
On 35. Bc1 Qh5! 36. Qxh5 (Qf1 f3) Rxh5 37. Ne1 a5!, the rook on a8 enters the game with devastating effect. The White blockade finally collapses on 40. Bxb4 Rxa2 41. Neg1 Ra1 and, as Till aptly puts it, the knights "are about to be vaporized." Black's sacrificial strategy emerges triumphant as the g-pawn costs White a piece.
In the final position, White has only 52. Kf2 Rdf1 mate to look forward to. Homer resigned.
Maryland Amateur Championship, College Park, May 2003
Enter Your Name And Email Address To Subscribe To
Our Free Newsletter
Testimonials
A SAMPLE OF COMMENTS ABOUT MY CHESS.COM ARTICLES
Very good and inspirational!!---Belize
Heard and read so much advice before but not this kind. Excellent indeed.---Phillipines
What you said here I wish it for all my fellow club members, especially the kids. Thanks .---South Africa
Great article. This will definitely assist "the beginner" in pointing to a direction in which to improve.--Canada
Your article is both motivating and inspirng. Thank you.---Mexico
Beautiful examples! Thanks. Maybe I should actually focus on my tactics instead of memorising measely openings!---South Africa
Hey thanks, these are excellent examples of a beautiful tactic. I like that you focus on CREATING the situations that allow the use of textbook puzzles.---USA
Very interesting game and illustrative annotations, Thanks for teching and sharing...---Mexico
Great post, well written! Laughed a lot reading it.---Netherlands
Nice article...I myself play exchange variation of Caro with good success. For variety I play Panov-Botvinnik variation as well at times...but nothing else when faced with Caro. I enjoy all your articles. Many thanks for your efforts.---Lawrence, KS
Very nice and instructive game. Thanks for posting the game:-)---Norway
Good article, and nice play! Thanks for sharing!---Latvia
I have been following your articles here a lot. I do value your articles a lot and I think there is a lot of knowledge that I get from following your articles. please keep them coming and have a great week.---South Africa
I like your sample games referring to games with lower rated players not the same with some contributors (they always give analysis games of super GMs)cause we could compare also the deepness of their moves incomparison to the supergrandmasters or in other words we could relate more to their moves.---Phillipines
The game is as entertaining as the article. a very creative attacking play.---Phillipines
Thank you for this article. Enjoyable game and informative text.---Ohio
And once again, very nice game. I learned a lot by watching the middlegame and how a USCF Expert tackles the Najdorf.--Honolulu, HI
Great article in explaining how to evaluate an unknown move in a known line!---India
Great Article! I really liked the concept behind it and you annotate it in an easy to understand manner.---USA
I learn from your posts...Nice commentary.---Lawrence, KS
Very instructive. I'm just starting to play the Ruy. Thanks for showing this.---Alabama, USA
Wow you have been keeping yourself busy lately and I do enjoyed reading your articles.---Australia
Wow. I've been skimming master games for the past week or so, and this game was easily up there with the best of them.---Mundelein, IL
Great article Bruce, thank you and please continue as you can. The way that you write and comment on your games simplifies this oh so difficult, magnificent compulsion that is chess to me. Thanks again!---USA
Please continue to post such instructive and useful articles. If I tell myself something like this (ie reverse the move order), it never seems to stick, but when someone else tells me, it sticks much better. Keep them coming please!---UK
Very good article, again! I always read your articles, and every time I learn again! Keep going!---Netherlands
Very nicely written and extremely educational! Looking forward to more articles from you.---Kentucky,USA
Hello I just wanted to thank you beacuse all these topics are of great importance in our path to be better chessplayers.---Columbia
Bruce, you are one of my favourate posters. I have already signed up to your newsletter! Please, keep your articles coming!--UK
Wow! I'm really bad at chess but I love your articles, even though it takes me a long time to understand everything.---Canada
You have the most fun to read and informative articles on this site, thank you for posting such great games and lessons!---Connecticut, USA
Great games. your commentary is amazing as well.---Bangladesh
Thanks Bruce.Always glad to see you post another article.---Netherlands
Keep writing- your articles are always fun to read. Good stuff....---NYC, USA
Nice article and games. You make it really simple....;-)---Spain
Excellent article from my point of view. Thanks a lot.---Egypt
Great article! i learned a thing or 2 from it. Thanks for taking the time to write this up :D---Serbia
Great lesson Bruce, the King opposition in both games was worth noting as well. Thank you!---USA
Thanks for the article. I like you when you are setting the mind of your reader to be positive enough even they are facing a rated player I need this advice badly---Phillipines
Thank you Mr. Till. I enjoyed this article and the examples, classic openings.---Canada
I think I like everything about this article: the always refreshing sense of humor, the interesting background story, the notation that helps me understand the games, and most of all how every time you show the significance of positive attitude when dealing with a stronger opponent. For that reason I like this article a lot and the one you wrote about defeating the Philidor expert. That was hillarious! Thank you for sharing these insights into the art of thinking.---Alvin, TX
Always a pleasure to see you in action Mr Till.---Netherlands
Thanks. Abundantly persuasive.---Australia
Very instructive ... as usual!---England
I hope you write some new articles for Chess.com, I enjoy your positive-thinking approach and your aggressive style.---Virginia, USA
Great article! Very insightful and helpfull, since I prefer castling on the queen side, just because of its attacking nature.---Netherlands
The thing I admire about the author is that he doesn't play openings that are the most common, but the openings that suit his style making him a successful player---South Africa
Another great example! These two articles about castling on opposite sides are splendid material for players like me: I know the basics and small tactical ideas. I'm trying to understand the insights for bigger tactical ideas - which, to me, our more intuitive than thought-through at this point in my game. This article helps me a long way! Thanks.---Netherlands
Another great metaphor, each player paints the picture. Did you learn these from someone else or do you create them yourself? They are a great way to make learning chess a lot more interesting.---Virginia, USA
Awesome I liked the way it was described nice work...I appreciate it!!!! thank you so much...---Singapore
Very good article, very useful, thank you very much!---Brazil
Your articles are very informative and they are easy to understand. Thank you.---Australia
O.K. you learn something new everyday. I can see how giving up pawns early in the game can cost you in the end. Great article. Keep 'em coming. Thanks!---Ft. Lauderdale, FL
The trademark kingside attack was conducted in particularly spectacular fashion in this game.---Belgium
What a very effective framework for a serious chess player .your question-answer model sums up the secrets of living life excellently, and chess is no exception!---Nigeria
I really like this article. This summs up the way my chess thinking has developed over time. This article makes me feel like I'm on the right path.---Jamaica
There is a great didactic value of your game and comments.---Czech Republic
Thanks for your chess knowledge, you're one of the very few strong players with an easy-learning way of explaining the games, thanks again for that...---Mexico
In all yours articles I learn some useful information that is good for improve my chess thanks a lot---Mexico
Thanks for this and all your other articles. So very clear and concise, and you give me hope !!---UK
Very thought-prevoking, thanks.---Missouri, USA
Thanks for this great article. I have recently renewed my study of chess and I am starting to see some improvement This article is just what I need.---USA
Sir, am a close reader of you were topics.they are extremely informative.you are coach for people like me.my special thanks to you.---India
Nice...all games well explained and instructive. More on color complex. Perhaps one side dominating either light or dark squares...lot to learn if you have examples. Many thanks.---Lawrence, KS
I loved the note: "A fianchettoed knight is a poor substitute for a bishop." It's little things like that that make your articles that little "something extra".---Pennsylvania, USA
Good information to know. I always learn something new from you. Thanks.---Canada
Great advice; I'm going to read more of your work. I'm sure I'll improve my game if I continue to read your articles.---Virginia, USA
Your article rocks!!! waiting for the next one ;-)---Ghana
Thank you for sharing this beautiful game with us. It was very instructive.---Bossier City, LA
Lovely lesson, thank you.---Syosset, NY
Thank you for the wise advice which applies beyond chess.---Portland, OR
Your advice is very sage, indeed.---Israel
Thanks for this and your other great articles sir!---Louisiana, USA
