1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 The "Main Line." 7...Qb6 can lead to the "Poisoned Pawn" Variation. The move 7. ..Nc6 has only recently been catching on. 8. Qf3 Nc6 !? This is a rare move in this position. Still it appears to be playable. 9. Nxc6 or 9. O-O-O e5 9... bxc6 10. e5 10. O-O-O e5 threatens ...Bg4 10... dxe5 11. fxe5 Nd5 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 I would prefer 12... Qxe7 13. Ne4?! 13. Bd3!? 13... Qa5+!? Black goes right after the e-pawn. 14. c3 14. Qc3 Qxc3+ 15. bxc3 Ng6 doesn't help. 14... Qxe5 15. O-O-O O-O 16. Bd3 Bb7 White has some play for the pawn. For example: 16... f5 17. Ng5 Qd5 18. Qe2 Qxa2 19. Bc4 17. Qh3 17. Nd6!? Rab8 18. Rhe1 17... Ng6 18. Nd6?? A blunder, which loses a piece. 18... Qxd6 19. Bxg6 Qf4+! This disarms the discovered attack and nets Black the piece. 20. Kb1 fxg6 20...hxg6 would keep Black's pawn structure intact, but would give White some hope for play on the h-file. Black can afford some pawn weakness to keep his pieces active. 21. Qxe6+ Qf7 22. Qh3 Qf5+ Forcing queens off. White would seem to be without hope, but this is where the fun starts! The next few moves he "bothers" Black on the second rank. 23. Qxf5 gxf5 Bill suggested 25...Rf5, but after 26.Rd7 it seems that Black has the same problems with worse pawns. 24. Rd7 Rf7 25. Rhd1 Rb8 25... Raf8 26. Rxf7 Rxf7 27. Rd8+ Rf8 28. Rd7 is no improvement. 26. b3 c5!? 27. g3 c4?! Black has played almost perfectly, but now he starts to go wrong. The next few moves net White a strong passed c-pawn. He could better play on the b-file with 27...a5 or he could utilize the passed f-pawn with.. 27... g5!? 28. Rxf7 (28. Kb2 Rbf8) 28... Kxf7 29. Rd7+ Ke6 30. Rxh7 f4 31. Rh6+ (31. gxf4 Be4+) 31... Ke5 32. gxf4+ gxf4 33. Kc1 (33. Rh5+ Ke4 34. Rxc5 f3 35. Rc7 Rf8) 33... Rf8 28. R7d6 cxb3 29. axb3 Be4+ 30. Kb2 a5 31. Ra1 Rfb7 32. Ra3 Rb5 33. c4 Re5 34. Kc3 Rc8?! Starting to go passive. 34...Bf3 would prepare an all out assault on the b-pawn with ...Bd1 and ...Re3 (or ...Re2-b2). 34... Bf3 35. Kd4!? Rcc5? Now the two rooks are frozen! They cannot be won, but they also cannot help defend Black's king from White's rooks. 35... Rce8 36. Ra6 wins the a-p awn and gives White some two strong passed pawns on the queenside as compensation. What happens is even worse. 36. Rd7 g5 36... h6 37. b4 axb4 38. Raa7 36... f4 37. gxf4 37. b4!! axb4 38. Raa7 a8 was guarded by the bishop, but now 39.Rd8 is threatened. 38... Bc6 39. Rg7+ Kf8 40. Rxh7 Kg8 41. Rhc7 Ra5 42. Rc8+ Be8 43. Rxe8+ Rxe8 44. Rxa5 Material is back to even, but the strong White king dominates the ending. 44... Rb8?! 45. Rb5 Rf8 46. Rxb4 46. c5 f4 47. c6 f3 46... f4 47. gxf4 Rxf4+?! 47... gxf4!? 48. Rb2 f3 49. Rf2 Rf4+ 50. Kd5 Kf7 51. c5 Ke7 52. c6 Kd8 is a better try. 48. Kc5!? crossing over to the safe side of the c-pawn. 48... g4 49. Rb2 Kf7 50. Re2!? cutting the king off. 50... Rf3 51. Kb5 Rb3+ 52. Kc6 g3 53. hxg3 Rxg3 54. c5 With the Black king cut off, White wins by reaching the Lucina position. 54... Rg6+ 55. Kd7 Rg1 56. Rf2+ Kg6 57. c6 Rd1+ 58. Kc8 Rc1 59. c7 Here it is. 59... Kg7 60. Rd2! Kf8 61. Kd7 1-0

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 Now the focus is on the d5 square. 5. Nf5?! 5. Nb5!? 5... d6?! 5... d5!? 6. Bd3?! 6. Ne3!? 6. Bc4 Bxf5 7. exf5 Nge7 6... Bxf5 7. exf5 Nf6 8. Nc3 d5 9. O-O Be7 10. a3 O-O 11. Re1 a6 12. Bd2 Rc8 13. Rb1 b5 14. Na2 Qd7 15. g4 e4 16. Bf1? 16. Be2 16... Nd4! Black wins the key c2 pawn or the exchange.. 17. Kh1 Nxc2 18. Re2 Nd4 19. Re3 Nf3 20. Bh3 d4 21. Rb3 21. Rxf3!? exf3 22. Qxf3 would have gained a pawn over the game. 21... Qd5! 22. Rxf3!? exf3 23. Nb4 Bxb4 24. Bxb4 Rfe8 25. g5 Ne4 26. Qg1 Rc2 27. Rf1 I glanced over at this game from the next board over and must have shown some surprize at White's extreme difficulties. He responded with a look of calm confidence, like everything was under control. Well I don't know about that but... 27... Rxb2 27... d3 28. Bg4 Qd4 28. f6 Qxg5 29. Qxg5 Nxg5 30. Bg4 Rb3?! 30... Ne4!? 31. h4 Ne4 32. fxg7 Nf6 33. Bf5 d3 34. Rd1 Nd5 Going over the game, Straz thought he had played 34...Ne4. He must have wished he had since it is a bit better. 35. Bf8 Nf4 36. Rg1 White is starting to develop some serious cheapo potential. 36... Ng6 36... Rxf8?? 37. Bxh7+ but the odd looking 36...Ng2 would have worked nicely. 37. h5 Re5?! 37... Nxf8 is simpler. 38. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 39. Bxh7 Re5 38. hxg6 fxg6 38... Rxf5?? 39. gxh7+ Kxh7 40. g8=Q# but.. 38... hxg6 39. Bg4 d2 39. Bg4 d2 40. Kh2 Kf7 40... Re1 41. Rd1 Rd3 42. Kg3 Re1 43. Kf4 Rxd1?? This is what Black was waiting for. 43... h5 still wins handily. 44. Be6+! Kxe6 45. g8=Q+= Kd7 46. Qxh7+?! 46. Qf7+ draws more easily. 46... Kc6 47. Qe6+ Kc7 48. Qe5+ 46... Kc8 47. Qh3+? 47. Qxg6!? Re1 48. Qxa6+ Kd8 49. Qb6+ Ke8 50. Qg6+ Kxf8 51. Qh6+ Kf7 52. Qh7+ Ke8 53. Qg6+ still draws. 47... Kc7 47... Rd7!? was suggested by Lenore and Casteneda. It removes the Rd3 from danger and shelters the king: 48. Qe6 Rc1 49. Qxa6+ Kd8 50. Qf6+ Ke8 48. Bb4? 48. Qh7+!? Rd7 49. Bd6+ Kxd6 50. Qxg6+ Ke7 51. Qg7+ Kd8 52. Qh8+ 48... Rh1? 48... Rd4+! 49. Ke5 (49. Kxf3 Rd3+) 49... Re1+ 49. Ba5+ Kd6 49... Kb7 50. Qe6 (50. Qxh1 d1=Q) 50... Rd4+ (50... Rh4+ 51. Kg5) 51. Kg5 Rg1+ 52. Kf6 Rc1 53. Qb6+ Kc8 54. Qxa6+ Kb8 (54... Kd7 55. Qe6#) 55. Qxb5+ Kc8= 50. Bb4+ Kc7 51. Ba5+ Kd6 52. Bb4+ Kc7 1/2-1/2

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 d5 4. Nf3 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Qe2 Nc6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. O-O O-O 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. Qc4?! The queen goes looking for trouble. 11... a6!? 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Kh1?? and finds it. White sees the longer threat and misses the shorter one. 13. Qxc5?? Bxf3 14. Rxf3 Bd4+ 13. Qe2!? , admitting the mistake a few moves ago, was best. 13... Bb5 14. Qxc5 Bxf1 15. d3 Be2 15... Rc8 16. Qf2 Bxd3 17. cxd3 Qxd3 18. Be3 Rc2 16. Ne5?! 16. Qf2 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Qd5 16... Rc8 White Resigned. If... 17. Qe3 Rxc2 0-1

The notes to this game were shown to be by Nelson Casteneda rather than Fritz.

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. h5 Bh7 8. Nf3 Nd7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. O-O-O c5 13. Rhe1 Be7 Solid. Nelson was hoping for... 13... cxd4? 14. Rxe6+! fxe6 15. Qg6+ Ke7 16. Bb4+ 14. Kb1 14. d5!? 14... Qc7 14... O-O!? 15. d5!? Nxd5 16. Nf5 Bf6? 16... Kf8!? 16... O-O 17. Nxe7+ Nxe7 18. Bxh6 16... O-O-O 17. Qxd5! exd5 18. Nxe7+ Kb8 19. Nxd5 Qc6 20. Bf4+ Ka8 21. Nc7+ Kb8 22. Ne8+ Ka8 23. Ne5 17. Qxd5! O-O-O? 17... Kd8 is the only way to get the piece back, but Black would still have bigtime problems. 18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. Qe4! Qb6 20. Nc4 Qc7 21. Bf4 The attack continues. 21... e5 22. Nfxe5 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Ka8 24. Nc4 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Qe7? 25... Rd8!? 26. Nb6+! axb6 27. Qa4# 1-0

notes by Jason Lenore

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nb5 Qe5? I haven't seen 4... Qf6, but I figured that 5.Nb5 is better than 5.Nxc6 as I play against 4...Bc5. I figured that 5... Bc5 might lend more chances, maybe 6. Qd2 Bb6 6. Be2!? 6. N1c3 Bb4 6... a6 6... Bb4+ 7. f4 It was funny. I originally saw Qe5 but didn't see the f4 followup, I just thought I was much better. I went to the bathroom and saw it while washing my hands! lol JL 7... Qxe4 7... Qxb5 8. Bxb5 axb5 8. Nxc7+ Kd8 9. Nxa8 Qxg2 10. Bf3 Qg6 ?! possibly. I figured he might try... 10... Qh3 11. Be3 Qh4+ 12. Bf2 Qxf4 13. Bb6+ 11. Be3 Qf6 I thought he might try for a final sleaze with something along the lines of 11...Nb4 since the Qg6 would assist, although it fails quickly. 12. Bb6+ Ke8? 12... Ke7 13. Nc7 13. Nc7+ Kd8 13... Ke7 14. Nd5+ 14. Nd5+ 1-0

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez. 3... a6 4. Ba4 d6 This is the Steinitz Defense Deferred, championed in this area by New England legend John Curdo. 5. c3 Nf6 5... f5 6. d3 Be7 7. O-O Bg4 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 Bg6 12. Nf1 Nb6 12... Nc5!? is better... 13. Bc2 Ne6 14. d4 exd4 15. cxd4 d5 13. Bb3 Kh8 14. Ng3 f6?! The plan to exchange white squared bishops leaves White in control. It is hard to suggest anything better in this "Spanish Torture" type position. 15. Be3 Bf7 16. Bxf7 Rxf7 17. c4 17. Bxb6!? cxb6 18. d4 17... Nd7 18. a3 Na7 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 Ne5 21. Rc1 Ng6 22. Ndf5 Bf8 23. Qd5!? Ne5 24. Kg2 c6 25. Qd2 Qc7 25... b5 !? Nelson Casteneda is more active, but 26. b3!? bxc4 27. bxc4 d5 28. cxd5 Bxa3 29. Rcd1 cxd5 30. exd5 Nb5 is still good for White. 26. Red1 Rd7 27. f4 Nf7 28. Rc3 b6 29. b4 Kg8 30. Rd3 Kh8 30... g6!? 31. a4!? After maximizing the pressure on d6, White finds a way to open a second front. 31... Rad8 32. a5 b5? 32... bxa5 33. bxa5 33. Bb6 Picking off the exchange. 33... Qb8 34. Bxd8 Rxd8 35. c5 Nc8 36. Nd4!? Black has defended d6 with every piece he has, but that leaves him vulnerable to this infiltration of the knight on c6 or e6. 36... Na7 37. Ne6 Rd7 38. Nf5 Qe8 39. Nxf8 Qxf8 40. Nxd6 The conquest of d6 effectively ends the game. 40... Qd8? 40... Nh6 41. Nf7+ 41. Nxf7+ 1-0