UNLEASHING THE MOJO

Round 11 (October 6, 2000)

Seirawan, Yasser       -  Gulko, Boris F         1-0   54  A30  English Opening 
Gurevich, Dmitry       -  Christiansen, Larry M  1/2   72  E11  Bogo Indian Defence
Kaidanov, Gregory S    -  Shabalov, Alexander    1/2   24  E04  Catalan System
Ivanov, Alexander      -  Serper, Grigory        1/2  120  B42  Sicilian Paulsen 
Fedorowicz, John P     -  Benjamin, Joel         1/2   14  E18  Queen's Indian Defence
Yermolinsky, Alex      -  De Firmian, Nick E     1/2   19  E18  Queen's Indian Defence

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ch-USA Seattle USA (USA), 25 ix-7 x 2000                   cat. XIV (2586)
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                                        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 
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 1. Benjamin, Joel          g USA 2577  * = 1 = = = 1 1 0 = = =  6.5  2652 
 2. Shabalov, Alexander     g USA 2601  = * 1 0 = = 0 = = 1 1 1  6.5  2649 
 3. Seirawan, Yasser        g USA 2647  0 0 * 1 1 0 = = 1 = 1 1  6.5  2645 
 4. Gurevich, Dmitry        g USA 2542  = 1 0 * = = = = = = = 1  6.0  2626 
 5. Kaidanov, Gregory S     g USA 2624  = = 0 = * = = = 1 = = 1  6.0  2618 
 6. De Firmian, Nick E      g USA 2567  = = 1 = = * = 0 = = = =  5.5  2587 
 7. Christiansen, Larry M   g USA 2563  0 1 = = = = * = = = = =  5.5  2588 
 8. Ivanov, Alexander       g USA 2567  0 = = = = 1 = * = = = =  5.5  2587 
 9. Gulko, Boris F          g USA 2643  1 = 0 = 0 = = = * = = 0  4.5  2516 
10. Serper, Grigory         g USA 2574  = 0 = = = = = = = * 0 =  4.5  2522 
11. Fedorowicz, John P      g USA 2533  = 0 0 = = = = = = 1 * 0  4.5  2526 
12. Yermolinsky, Alex       g USA 2596  = 0 0 0 0 = = = 1 = 1 *  4.5  2520 
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mo·jo (plural mo·joes or mo·jos) noun (slang)

1. magic: witchcraft or magic, or some powerful influence

2. magic charm: an object believed to have magical powers, especially the power to keep away evil spirits

[Early 20th century. Probably of African origin.]

THE last round of the US Championships in Seattle and just about everyone in the Emerald City is taking a day off work, school and their normal activities. No, not a sudden interest in chess. Seattle had gone baseball crazy again as the Mariners look to continue their season further into October. A win at home would give them a 3-0 sweep against the Chicago White Sox, moving them tantalisingly closer to capturing the World Series.

Any chance of a spare ticket for this game at Safeco Field was about as likely as Garry Kasparov kissing and making-up with Kirsan Iljumzhinov and returning to the Fide fold. Luckily for me, that nice Mr Erik Anderson came up with the goods again. As the players sweated it out in the final round of the US Championships, I casually breezed in at 11.00am as the round started, took a few pictures, and then could be found at 1.00pm alongside the rest of Seattle as we cheered on the Mariners to a memorable, last-gasp 2-1 win at the bottom of the ninth (winning run scored by a player called Henderson. Fairytale ending or what?) as they beat the White Sox. “Unleash the Mojo,” the chant of the fans at Safeco Field this season, had finally come true. The Mariners now look likely to face the New York Yankees, in a five-game match, starting this Tuesday. Check out their website at http://www.mariners.org, where you can follow their progress in the playoffs.

And talking about playoffs. Guess what? When I finally returned to the playing hall after the baseball I discovered that we were to have two for the overall and women’s championships. Must be something about Seattle and playoff fever. A last round win over defending champion Boris Gulko saw Yasser Seirawan share first place with Joel Benjamin and Alexander Shabalov, while in the women’s, 17-year-old Elina Groberman shared first place with Mrs Yerminator, Camilla Baginskaite.

Camilla Baginskaite and Elina Groberman

With the money and title shared between the five, the players will now battle it out in a speed playoff to determine who gets to the honour of owning the specially commissioned silver winner’s rings.

Seirawan, won when he needed it.

Seirawan,Y (2703) - Gulko,B (2752) [A30]

1 Nf3 c5 2 c4 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 5 Nb5 d6 [5 ..Bb4+ is more common, seeking to exchange off the dark-squared bishop. Gulko is looking to transpose into a Sicilian Marcozy Bind - unfortunately Seirawan doesn't oblige with e4.] 6 Bf4 e5 7 Bg3 Nh6 8 Nd2 Be7 9 e3 0–0 10 Be2 f5 11 f3 [Giving White the option of placing the bishop on a more active diagonal: g1–a7.] 11 ..f4 [11 ..a6 12 Nc3 and White, via Nd5 and Bf2, will exploit the weak dark-squares in the Black camp. Gulko therefore opts to exchange off White's dark-square bishop first.]] 12 exf4 exf4 13 Bf2 Bh4 14 0–0 Bxf2+ 15 Rxf2 a6 16 Nc3 Nf5 17 Nde4 Be6 18 Qd2 Qh4? 19 Nd5!

19 ..Bxd5 [19 ..Ncd4 20 Nxd6! Bxd5 21 Nxf5 Rxf5 22 cxd5 Rh5 23 h3 Nf5 24 d6!; 19 ..Nfd4 20 Nxd6 Rab8 21 Nc7! Bf7 22 Bd3!] 20 Qxd5+ Kh8 [20 ..Rf7 21 Nxd6 Nxd6 22 Qxd6 Rd8 23 Qe6 Nd4 24 Qg4!] 21 Bf1 [Off course, Seirawan could easily take on d6, but he was probably a bit worried about Gulko's active pieces which, as it turns out, is nothing more than superficial: 21 Nxd6 A) 21 ..Ne3 22 Nf7+ Rxf7 (22 ..Kg8 23 Nh6+ Kh8 24 Qg8+!! Rxg8 25 Nf7#) 23 Qxf7 with a decisive material and positional advantage.; B) 21 ..Nxd6 22 Qxd6 Rfe8 23 Rd1 Rad8 24 Qc7 Rxd1+ 25 Bxd1 Qf6 26 Qb6!] 21 ..Rad8 22 Rd2 Qe7 23 Rc1 Ne3 24 Qg5 Qc7 25 Qh4 h6 26 Nc3 Qa5 27 Qf2 Rfe8 28 b3 Nb4 29 g3! [White has to undermine the Black knight on e3 if he's to make any progress.] 29 ..Qf5?!

[29 ..d5! 30 Nxd5 Nbxd5 31 cxd5 Rxd5 32 Re2 (32 Rxd5 Qxd5 is a little better for Black.) 32 ..Rg5! and Black's better.] 30 a3 fxg3 [30 ..Nc6 31 Nd5!] 31 hxg3 Nxf1 32 Rxf1 Nd3 33 g4 [33 Qb6!?] 33 ..Qg6 [33 ..Nxf2 34 gxf5 Nh3+ 35 Kh2 Nf4 36 Ne4! d5 37 Rfd1 and White's better.] 34 Qg3 Ne5 35 Nd5! Rf8 36 Rg2 [36 Ne3!? b5 37 f4 Nf7 38 Rfd1! was perhaps better.] 36 ..b5 37 f4 Qf7?

[With both players short of time with the time control looming, Black misses his chance with: 37 ..bxc4! 38 Ne3 (38 fxe5 Rxf1+ 39 Kxf1 Qf7+! and the tables have been turned.; 38 Rd1 Qxg4! 39 Qxg4 Nxg4 40 Rxg4 cxb3) 38 ..Nd3! 39 Nxc4 Qe4!] 38 Rff2? [38 Rgf2! Ng6 39 Qd3!] 38 ..bxc4 39 bxc4 Nxc4 40 Qd3 Rc8 [40 ..Nxa3! 41 Ra2 Nb5 42 Rxa6 Nc7 43 Nxc7 Qxc7!] 41 g5 Rc5 42 gxh6 gxh6 43 Qh3 [43 Qc3+ Kh7 44 Qd3+ Qf5 45 Qg3 Qf7 46 Qd3+ draws.] 43 ..h5! 44 Nc3 Re8?! [44 ..Qf5!] 45 f5 Ne3 [45 ..Re3 46 Qh4! (46 Rf3? Rxf3 47 Qxf3 Rxf5) 46 ..Rxc3 (46 ..Ne5 47 Ne4 Rc1+ 48 Kh2) 47 Rg5! Rc1+ 48 Kh2 Rc7 49 Rg6 Qf8 50 Rf6 Qg7 51 Rg2!] 46 Rg5!

46 ..Rg8 47 Qxe3 Rxg5+ 48 Qxg5 Rxc3 49 Rg2 [49 Qh6+ Qh7 50 Qxd6 Rc4 51 Qd8+ Qg8+ 52 Qxg8+ Kxg8=] 49 ..Kh7 50 f6 Rc4? [50 ..Rf3! 51 Rf2 Rxa3 52 Qf5+ Kh8 53 Rg2 Ra1+ 54 Kh2 Ra2=] 51 Qf5+ Kh6 52 Qg5+ [52 Rg7? Rg4+! 53 Qxg4 Qxf6!! and, unbelievably, White's losing!] 52 ..Kh7 53 Rh2 Rc5?? [53 ..h4 54 Rg2! Qa7+ 55 Kh2 Qf7 56 Qf5+ Kh8 57 Rg7!] 54 Rxh5+! 1–0

Now, as I pack my bags before myself leaving the mojo of Seattle, it’s only left for me to say a few thanks for some people who made the US Championships, as if by magic, “happen”.

Carol Jarecki

Press Officer Mike Franett for being there for us and helping us in any possible way; Carol “Fly me” Jarecki, our very reliable chief arbiter; and Mike Neely, our technical consultant, who made all the live games possible.

Eric Anderson, Yvette Seirawan and Scott Oki

Last, but not least, three husband and wife teams: Erik & Sherilyn Anderson, Scott & Laurie Oki and Yasser & Yvette Seirawan – they, more than anyone else, have laid the foundations for Seattle being the center of all the chess mojo for the next ten-years.

Erik, along with fellow board members and philanthropists Scott and Laurie Oki, guaranteed the necessary $250,000 to put on this event - with a record $100,000 prize fund no less. Erik has since gotten solid pledges for $1.6 million for the next four of the ten years that the Seattle Chess Foundation holds the rights to the Championship. At the players meeting he rocked his audience when he told them of his intention to make next year’s first prize $100,000! He admitted he might not entirely succeed at that goal, but don’t be too surprised if he does and, in any event, next year’s Championships promises to be very interesting in many ways, but that is another story.

Finally, as I head back to dreary London for the Kasparov-Kramnik match, I sign off with the closing words to the song at the end of the hit comedy Frasier: “Goodnight, Seattle. I love you!”