Dennis Himes: "I thought my game against Straz was interesting. He wasted a few tempi which enabled me to improve my position until I uncorked 27...Nc3 which I believe wins a piece no matter what he does."

1. d4 Nf6 2. b3 e6 3. Bb2 b6 4. Nd2 Bb7 5. Ngf3 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nbd7= This nearly symetrical position is equal. 9. Re1 Rc8 10. c4 c5 11. Ne5!? White allows the doubling of his pawns but his active pieces should give him compensation. 11... Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. Qc2 g6 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. f4 Rfd8 16. Rf1 16. cxd5 16... dxc4 17. Bxc4?! 17. Nxc4!? was much better with the threat of Nd6. 17... Qc6 18. Nf3 18. e4 b5 18... b5!? Now Black starts to push back the White pieces and exploit his qside majority. 19. Be2 a6 20. Rd2 Nb6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Kh1?! 22. Rd1 22... Nd5 23. Bc1 Nb4 24. Qb1 Qe4!? The exchange of queens makes White's position harder to hold. 25. Qxe4 Bxe4 26. a3 Nd5 27. Kg1? White has no way to avoid the loss of a pawn, but now... 27. Nd2 Bc2 28. Rf2 Nxe3 27. Bd2 Nxf4 27... Nc3!! wins a piece! 28. Kf2? 28. Re1 Nxe2+ 29. Rxe2 Bxf3 30. gxf3 Rd1+ 28... Nxe2 29. Bb2 29. Kxe2 is even worse. 29... Bd3+ 30. Kf2 Bxf1 31. Kxf1 Rd1+ 29... Bxf3 30. Kxf3 Rd2 31. Ba1 Ra2 32. g4 c4 33. bxc4 bxc4 34. Rf2 Rxa1 34... Ng1+! 35. Kg2 Rxa1 picks up a second piece. 35. Rxe2 Rxa3 36. Ke4 Bc5 37. h4 a5 38. f5 a4 39. fxg6 Rxe3+ 40. Rxe3 Bxe3 41. Kxe3 a3 42. gxh7+ Kxh7 Resign 0-1 [Bauer,R]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 Be7?! 8... h6 9. Nf3 e4 is the normal route. 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc3 Nd5 11. Nxd5?! 11. Nf3 leaves Black's compensation for the pawn very hard to see. 11... cxd5 12. h4? 12. Nf3 12... h6 13. Nf3 e4 14. Nh2 14. Nd4 14... Bxh4 14... Bd6 15. g3 Bh3 16. Re1 f5 17. Bf1 15. d3 Qb6 16. c3 Be6 17. d4 Rac8 18. Ng4 Nc6 19. g3 Bd8 20. Kg2 f5 21. Nxh6+!? A very promising sacrifice. White gets full compensation with play on the h-file against the Black king. 21. Ne3 Bc7 21... gxh6 22. Bxh6 Rf6 22... Rf7 was a bit more accurate, since White could utilize the tempo against the Rf6 to clear the h-file for the rooks. 23. Qd2 Ne7 24. Rh1 24. Bg5!? Rf7 25. Rh1 24... Ng6 25. Bg7?? This blunder throws away a promising position. 25. Bg5!? Rf8 (25... Rf7? 26. Bh5) 26. Rh6 Bf7 27. Rah1 Bf6 25... Kxg7 26. Qh6+ Kg8 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Qh6+ Ke7 29. Qg5 Bf7 30. Bh5 Kd6 31. Bxg6 Bxg6 32. Rh6 Kc7 33. Rah1 Re6 34. Qf4+ Qd6 35. Qd2 Kb8 36. c4 e3 37. fxe3 Rxc4 38. Rh8 Kb7 39. b3 Rc8 40. Qe2 a6 41. Rg8 Bc7 42. Rg7 Qxg3+ 0-1 [Bauer,R]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nc3 6. c3!? Nxe4 7. d4 wins back the pawn and takes the initiative in the center. 6... O-O= 7. d3 b5 8. Bb3 Na5? Black has the right idea, but it needs to be prepared with 8... d6 9. Nxe5 Nxb3 10. axb3 d6 11. Nf3 11. b4!? Bb6 (11... Bxb4 12. Nc6) 12. Nc6 Qd7 13. Nd5 11... Bg4 12. h3 Bh5 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 Qd7 15... Re8 16. e5 Ne8 16... dxe5 17. Nxe5 Qf5 18. Qd2 17. Ne4 17. d4 Bb6 18. Nd5 17... Bb6 17... f5 18. exd6 Qf5 18... cxd6 19. Bxd6 Nxd6 20. Nf6+ 19. dxc7 Nxc7 20. Bxc7 20. Nd4!? 20... Bxc7 21. Ng3 Bxg3 22. fxg3 g4 23. Nh4 Qg5 24. Qc1 24. Rf5!? Qe3+ 25. Kh2 Bg6 26. Qxg4 24... Qc5+ 25. Kh2 gxh3? 26. Rf5! winning the Bh5. 26... Qc6 27. Rxh5 Kh7 28. Qd2 Rg8 29. Nf5 Rg5 29... Rg6 30. Ne7 30. Rxh6+ 1-0 [Bauer,R]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Nbd2 Nc6 6... Nbd7 7. c3 Qe8 7. c3 Nd7 8. Qc2 e5 9. dxe5 Ndxe5 9... dxe5 10. Bg5 10. Bb5 Bf5 11. e4 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 12. Nxf3 Bxe4 13. Qxe4 Re8 12... Be6 13. Qa4 Ne5 14. O-O-O a6 15. Be2 b5 16. Qd4 Ng4 17. Qxg7+ 17. hxg4 Bxd4 18. cxd4 Bxa2!? (18... c5 19. d5 Bc8 20. Rh6 f6) 19. b3 Qf6 20. Be3 (20. Bh6 Qxd4) 20... c5 17. e5 Nxe5 18. Qe3 17... Kxg7 0-1. White touched the Bf4 in this position and resigned. The key line is. 18. hxg4 g5 stops Bh6+. 19. Be3 Bxa2 19... b4 20. cxb4 Bxa2 20. b3 b4 21. Kb2 21. c4 Qf6 21... bxc3+ 22. Kxc3 c5 23. Ra1 Qf6+ 24. Kc2 Bxb3+ 25. Nxb3 Rfb8 0-1 [Bauer,R]

1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 This transposes into a Sicilian. Chris is normally true to his French roots but here he seems to be looking for a more common line while John tries to find something more offbeat. 2... d5 3. e5 c5 would be something French. 3. Nc3 d5?! Black tries to vere back into the French, but it is too late! This move initiates the real Marshall Gambit. The line in the Ruy Lopez is really the Marshall Attack. This one, residing in the nether regions between the Sicilian and French is more dubious. But the real bad luck Chris has is that John has played this line (as Black!) and knows just how to punish it. 3... a6 would allow the Kan Sicilian 3... Nc6 would allow the Taimanov Sicilian. 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ 5. d4 would transpose to the game after 5... Nc6 6. Bb5 the move order chosen by White allows Black some disastrous options. 5... Nc6 5... Bd7 6. Qe2+ Be7 7. Nxd5 5... Nd7 6. Nxd5 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8. dxc5 O-O 8... Bxc5 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Be3 Qa5?! This does not win back the pawn, losing time instead. Better is 10... Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bd4 11. a3!? Bg4 11... Bxc5 12. b4 12. Bd4 Ne4 13. Re1 f5 Black's position looks agressive on the kside. 14. b4 Qc7 15. Qd3 Bf6 16. Bxf6 Rxf6 17. Nd4 This keeps improving the position, but White missed the knockout blow 17. Nxd5!! 17... Raf8? This sets up a fork on e6. 17... a5 18. f3 Nxc3 19. Qxc3 Bh5 20. Ne6 It's over. 20... Qb8?! 20... Qd7 21. Nxf8 Rxf8 22. Re7 Its really over. 22... Bf7 23. Rae1 a6 24. Qe5 Qc8 25. c3 h6 26. f4 a5 27. Re3 axb4 28. cxb4 Qa8 29. Rg3 g6 30. Rxg6+ Black resigns 1-0 [Bauer,R]