quote:

---

> Damiano's Defense Declined
>
> Opponents are becoming afraid of my Damiano's Defense. I played it
> twice in the Viking 4 County Open in Hackettstown NJ yesterday and
> both of my opponents declined to take the pawn. I won the first game
> easily. In the second game I played it against a rated master. I
> achieved a winning position and I was thinking that I was going to
> score my first victory over a master with the Damiano's Defense.
> However, he came up with a fantastic queen sacrifice followed by a
> bishop sacrifice which worked because my pieces happened to be in
> exactly the right spot for a knight fork winning the game.
>
> I cannot take any credit away from my opponent. He came up with
> something really good. This should go in one of those White to play
> and win problem collections.
>
> After the game, I asked him why he did not take the pawn when I played
> Damianos Defense. He said that he has overheard me mention Damianos
> Defense in one of my conversations so he knew that I knew what I was
> doing. Also, I had won my previous round game with Damianos Defense.
> He said that he wanted to win the game, so he decided that he has
> better not take that pawn.
>
> He also said that he has see my picture in Chess Life magazine but he
> had thought that I was just a chess politico. He had not realized that
> I actually play the game too!
>
> Here is the game: The first point of the game is that after 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 f6 3. Nc3 Bc5 he can no longer take the pawn because when he
> checks with the queen I have the f8 square for my king. So, if he
> wants to take the pawn he must do it on move three. Otherwise, the
> opportunity will be lost forever.
>
> Because of his passive play, I quickly built up an overwhelming
> position and won a pawn. I would appreciate it if somebody could run
> this game through Fritz because I believe that I had several wins.
>
> I felt that my 35. . . . d4 was a good move because it set up knight
> forks. One of the spectators, a master, felt that that was the losing
> move however.
>
> For sure, if he had not sacrificed his queen he had a bad position,
> possibly losing, because of 38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7. Although
> material is equal, my threats of knight forks and discovered checks
> against his exposed king gives me the advantage.
>
> During the game, I though he could win with a rook sacrifice with 36.
> Rxb5. However, after the game he pointed out that he had seen that and
> instead I win by responding with a queen sacrifice with 36. Rxb5 Qxb5
> !!
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
> [Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
> [Date "2005.08.20"]
> [Round "04"]
> [White "West, James R."]
> [Black "Sloan, Sam"]
> [Result "1-0"]
> [ECO "C40"]
> [WhiteElo "2206"]
> [BlackElo "1941"]
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Ne7 5.d3 c6 6.a4 d5 7.Bb3 Bg4
> 8.h3 Bh5 9.Qe2 Qd6 10.a5 Nd7 11.Na4 Bb4+ 12.Bd2 b5 13.axb6 axb6
> 14.g4 Bg6 15.c3 Ba5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bc2 b5 18.Nc5 Qxc5 19.b4 Qc7
> 20.O-O O-O 21.bxa5 Rxa5 22.Rxa5 Qxa5 23.c4 Qc7 24.Bb4 Re8 25.cxb5
> Qb6 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.Rb1 Nc5 28.Nh4 Be8 29.d4 Ne6 30.Nf5 Rb7
> 31.dxe5 Bxb5 32.Qd2 Qc5 33.exf6 gxf6 34.Bd3 Ng5 35.Qe3 d4 36.Qg3
> Bc6 37.Rxb7 Nf3+ 38.Qxf3 (38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7) 38...Bxf3
> 39.Bc4+ {Black resigns because of Qxc4 40. Rb8+ Kf7 41. Nd6# or 39.
> ... Kf8 40. Rb8+ Qc8 41. Qxc8#) 1-0
>

quote:

---

>[Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
>[Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
>[Date "2005.08.20"]
>[Round "04"]
>[White "West, James R."]
>[Black "Sloan, Sam"]
>[Result "1-0"]
>[ECO "C40"]
>[WhiteElo "2206"]
>[BlackElo "1941"]

quote:

---

>
>The Damiano is a forced win for White. 3. Nxe5! wins in every variation. The
>fact that neither player took the pawn doesn't mean anything. I'll take it
>from you and win 3.5 out of 5 at G/20. Bet you $50.

quote:

---

>Who was the other player?
>

quote:

---

> Damiano's Defense Declined
>
> Opponents are becoming afraid of my Damiano's Defense. (...)
> In the second game I played it against a rated master. I
> achieved a winning position and I was thinking that I was going to
> score my first victory over a master with the Damiano's Defense.
> (...)
>
> After the game, I asked him why he did not take the pawn when I played
> Damianos Defense. He said that he has overheard me mention Damianos
> Defense in one of my conversations so he knew that I knew what I was
> doing. Also, I had won my previous round game with Damianos Defense.
> He said that he wanted to win the game, so he decided that he has
> better not take that pawn.
>
> He also said that he has see my picture in Chess Life magazine but he
> had thought that I was just a chess politico. He had not realized that
> I actually play the game too!
>
>

quote:

---

> (...)
> Because of his passive play, I quickly built up an overwhelming
> position and won a pawn. I would appreciate it if somebody could run
> this game through Fritz because I believe that I had several wins.
>

quote:

---

> I felt that my 35. . . . d4 was a good move because it set up knight
> forks. One of the spectators, a master, felt that that was the losing
> move however.
>
> For sure, if he had not sacrificed his queen he had a bad position,
> possibly losing, because of 38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7. Although
> material is equal, my threats of knight forks and discovered checks
> against his exposed king gives me the advantage.
>
> During the game, I though he could win with a rook sacrifice with 36.
> Rxb5. However, after the game he pointed out that he had seen that and
> instead I win by responding with a queen sacrifice with 36. Rxb5 Qxb5
> !!
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
> [Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
> [Date "2005.08.20"]
> [Round "04"]
> [White "West, James R."]
> [Black "Sloan, Sam"]
> [Result "1-0"]
> [ECO "C40"]
> [WhiteElo "2206"]
> [BlackElo "1941"]
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Ne7 5.d3 c6 6.a4 d5 7.Bb3 Bg4
> 8.h3 Bh5 9.Qe2 Qd6 10.a5 Nd7 11.Na4 Bb4+ 12.Bd2 b5 13.axb6 axb6
> 14.g4 Bg6 15.c3 Ba5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bc2 b5 18.Nc5 Qxc5 19.b4 Qc7
> 20.O-O O-O 21.bxa5 Rxa5 22.Rxa5 Qxa5 23.c4 Qc7 24.Bb4 Re8 25.cxb5
> Qb6 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.Rb1 Nc5 28.Nh4 Be8 29.d4 Ne6 30.Nf5 Rb7
> 31.dxe5 Bxb5 32.Qd2 Qc5 33.exf6 gxf6 34.Bd3 Ng5 35.Qe3 d4 36.Qg3
> Bc6 37.Rxb7 Nf3+ 38.Qxf3 (38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7) 38...Bxf3
> 39.Bc4+ {Black resigns because of Qxc4 40. Rb8+ Kf7 41. Nd6# or 39.
> ... Kf8 40. Rb8+ Qc8 41. Qxc8#) 1-0

quote:

---

> On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 01:53:08 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
> OK. I will take that bet. As I understand it, all I have to do is
> score 2 out of 5 to win the match. Correct? Let's make it $100.
>
> Where will we play this match? I would prefer game in 30 giving us
> time to write down the moves so that we can publish them here.

quote:

---

> On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 01:53:08 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> OK. I will take that bet. As I understand it, all I have to do is
> score 2 out of 5 to win the match. Correct? Let's make it $100.
>
> Where will we play this match? I would prefer game in 30 giving us
> time to write down the moves so that we can publish them here.
>
>
> The other player was very weak, the game not worth posting or looking
> at. The only thing of note is that after I played 2. .... f6 he
> commented, "That is the worst move on the board", but then he did not
> take the pawn.
>
> Anyway here is the game, but please do not bother to play it over.
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
> [Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
> [Date "2005.08.20"]
> [Round "03"]
> [White "Mitchell, Calvin"]
> [Black "Sloan, Sam"]
> [Result "0-1"]
> [ECO "C40"]
>
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Be2 Bc5 5.c3 d5 6.O-O Nge7 7.b4 Bb6
> 8.a4 a6 9.Na3 Be6 10.Bb2 Qd7 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.b5 axb5 13.axb5 Nce7
> 14.c4 Nf4 15.Bxe5 fxe5 16.Nxe5 Qd6 17.Nf3 Rxa3 18.Rxa3 Qxa3
> 19.Qd2 O-O 20.Re1 Ba5 21.Qe3 Bxe1 22.Nxe1 Qa1 23.Kf1 Neg6 24.Bf3
> Bf5 25.Bd5+ Nxd5 26.cxd5 Bd7 27.f3 Re8 28.Qd2 Bxb5 29.Kf2 Qd4+
> 30.Kg3 Qh4# 0-1
>

quote:

---

> Hello again Sam,
>
> I may waste my time because I have experience knowing how you do not
> take seriously correct analysis sent for another people to you, but I
> will try....
>
> And I can not understand why you do not waste a little amount of time
> checking your games and analysis with some engine (there are some for
> free who work well) and you waste large amounts of time writing about
> your games and analysis with many mistakes of making strange challenges
> to some masters like the one you made to Mr Randy Bauer recently.
>
> En/na sloan@ishipress.com ha escrit:
>
> I have not see that photo but I have read you "analysis" of Damiano ad
> the refutations people has sent to you here and in RGCA. You did not
> improve never that refutations sending the same wrong line several
> times. Maybe if that master have read all the analysis publised here He
> would have win without thinking any move.
>
> In that case I think it's more the question He wanted to play from the
> begining and avoid susprises feeling superior that any fear of the
> opening. Sure that with another master He would have entered in main
> lines without fear.
>
> More than "passive play", He simply made a mistake 11.Na4? and after
> some inacuracies from both players in following moves white finally
> lost a pawn in move16.
> But after many many inacuracies and mistakes Black managed to convert a
> won position into a lost one.
> - 35.Qa5 is a forced win:
> for example: 35.Qa5! Nh3 36.Kh2! Qf2 37.Kh3 Qf3 38.Ng3 Qd3 39.Qa8 and
> wins
> - 35...d4 is a mistake (it was better to defend an inferior ending with
> 35...Qxe3)
> after 35...d4? white wins with 36.Qe2 main line being:
> 36.Qe2 Bc6 37.Qa2 d5 38.Qa8 Kf7 39.Rb7 Bb7 40.Qb7 Qb7 41 Nd6 and wins
> - Queen sacrifce was not best move neither,
> 37.Bc4 Qc4 38.Qb8 was an ending with advantage for white
> but 37.Rxb7? allowed Qc1! (the move you did not see) 38.Bf1 Nf3 and
> black has some advantage.
>
> Conclusion, white treatment of the opening lead to an unclear position
> but some mistakes conceded Black a won position in move 17. Later many
> mistakes from black leaded to a won position for white.
>
> The last moves annotated could be:35.Qe3?? d4?? 36.Qg3?? Bc6 37.Rxb7?
> Nf3+?? 38.Qxf3! Bxf3 39.Bc4+! 1-0
>
> I hope this time you will answer to that analysis or simply you do not
> send more messages about Daminao before answering this one.
> Antonio Torrecillas
> FIDE Master (rated 2396)
>
>

quote:

---

>On 22 Aug 2005 06:37:16 -0700, atorreci@gmail.com wrote:
>
>
>
>You are certainly correct that I completely missed the move 37. ....
>Qc1+. However, this move leads to more than just "some advantage". It
>completely wins the game.
>
>White must reply with 38. Bf1. Otherwise it is mate.
>
>Then, after 38. ... Nf3+ if White moves his king Black wins the queen.
>For example 39. Kg2 Nd7+ 40. Kh2 Nf1+ 41. Kg2 Nxg3+or 40. f3 Qxf1+ 41.
>Kh2 Nxf3+.
>
>Therefore, White must sacrifice his queen with 39. Qxf3 but then Black
>will win with 39. ... Bxf3 40. Rb8+ Kf7 41. Nxd4 Bd5. White tries to
>set up a fortress to hold a draw but I believe that Black can
>eventually penetrate and win.

quote:

---

>On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 04:17:47 GMT, sloan@ishipress.com (Sam Sloan)
>wrote:
>
>
>After 40 Rb3, Fritz gives you only a small edge. After 40 ... Bc6, 41
>Nxd4, material is equal and all on the same side of the board. After
>41 ... Be4 Re3, how are you ever going to break through?

quote:

---

> On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 01:53:08 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> OK. I will take that bet. As I understand it, all I have to do is
> score 2 out of 5 to win the match. Correct? Let's make it $100.
>
> Where will we play this match? I would prefer game in 30 giving us
> time to write down the moves so that we can publish them here.
>
>
> The other player was very weak, the game not worth posting or looking
> at. The only thing of note is that after I played 2. .... f6 he
> commented, "That is the worst move on the board", but then he did not
> take the pawn.
>
> Anyway here is the game, but please do not bother to play it over.
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
> [Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
> [Date "2005.08.20"]
> [Round "03"]
> [White "Mitchell, Calvin"]
> [Black "Sloan, Sam"]
> [Result "0-1"]
> [ECO "C40"]
>
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Be2 Bc5 5.c3 d5 6.O-O Nge7 7.b4 Bb6
> 8.a4 a6 9.Na3 Be6 10.Bb2 Qd7 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.b5 axb5 13.axb5 Nce7
> 14.c4 Nf4 15.Bxe5 fxe5 16.Nxe5 Qd6 17.Nf3 Rxa3 18.Rxa3 Qxa3
> 19.Qd2 O-O 20.Re1 Ba5 21.Qe3 Bxe1 22.Nxe1 Qa1 23.Kf1 Neg6 24.Bf3
> Bf5 25.Bd5+ Nxd5 26.cxd5 Bd7 27.f3 Re8 28.Qd2 Bxb5 29.Kf2 Qd4+
> 30.Kg3 Qh4# 0-1
>

quote:

---

>
>So Sam, are we on? There's a lot of interest out here in western NJ. Ken
>Thomas would host and we'd probably have a decent audience as well. There's
>even talk of a Calcutta-type auction so there could be more $$ in this than
>our $100.
>
>BTW, I offered Ken 2:1 money odds and 2:1 time odds to play me from "the
>position" and he turned me down. He's only rated about 200 points lower than
>me so I don't understand why he wouldn't take a sure winning position (or so
>he thinks). I'd play a 2100 player under those conditions (from the White
>side, of course) any day of the week.

quote:

---

> On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:41:31 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Why do you want the match to be unrated??
>
> Sam Sloan

quote:

---

> Damiano's Defense Declined
>
> Opponents are becoming afraid of my Damiano's Defense. I played it
> twice in the Viking 4 County Open in Hackettstown NJ yesterday and
> both of my opponents declined to take the pawn. I won the first game
> easily. In the second game I played it against a rated master. I
> achieved a winning position and I was thinking that I was going to
> score my first victory over a master with the Damiano's Defense.
> However, he came up with a fantastic queen sacrifice followed by a
> bishop sacrifice which worked because my pieces happened to be in
> exactly the right spot for a knight fork winning the game.
>
> I cannot take any credit away from my opponent. He came up with
> something really good. This should go in one of those White to play
> and win problem collections.
>
> After the game, I asked him why he did not take the pawn when I played
> Damianos Defense. He said that he has overheard me mention Damianos
> Defense in one of my conversations so he knew that I knew what I was
> doing. Also, I had won my previous round game with Damianos Defense.
> He said that he wanted to win the game, so he decided that he has
> better not take that pawn.
>
> He also said that he has see my picture in Chess Life magazine but he
> had thought that I was just a chess politico. He had not realized that
> I actually play the game too!
>
> Here is the game: The first point of the game is that after 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 f6 3. Nc3 Bc5 he can no longer take the pawn because when he
> checks with the queen I have the f8 square for my king. So, if he
> wants to take the pawn he must do it on move three. Otherwise, the
> opportunity will be lost forever.
>
> Because of his passive play, I quickly built up an overwhelming
> position and won a pawn. I would appreciate it if somebody could run
> this game through Fritz because I believe that I had several wins.
>
> I felt that my 35. . . . d4 was a good move because it set up knight
> forks. One of the spectators, a master, felt that that was the losing
> move however.
>
> For sure, if he had not sacrificed his queen he had a bad position,
> possibly losing, because of 38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7. Although
> material is equal, my threats of knight forks and discovered checks
> against his exposed king gives me the advantage.
>
> During the game, I though he could win with a rook sacrifice with 36.
> Rxb5. However, after the game he pointed out that he had seen that and
> instead I win by responding with a queen sacrifice with 36. Rxb5 Qxb5
> !!
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
> [Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
> [Date "2005.08.20"]
> [Round "04"]
> [White "West, James R."]
> [Black "Sloan, Sam"]
> [Result "1-0"]
> [ECO "C40"]
> [WhiteElo "2206"]
> [BlackElo "1941"]
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Ne7 5.d3 c6 6.a4 d5 7.Bb3 Bg4
> 8.h3 Bh5 9.Qe2 Qd6 10.a5 Nd7 11.Na4 Bb4+ 12.Bd2 b5 13.axb6 axb6
> 14.g4 Bg6 15.c3 Ba5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bc2 b5 18.Nc5 Qxc5 19.b4 Qc7
> 20.O-O O-O 21.bxa5 Rxa5 22.Rxa5 Qxa5 23.c4 Qc7 24.Bb4 Re8 25.cxb5
> Qb6 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.Rb1 Nc5 28.Nh4 Be8 29.d4 Ne6 30.Nf5 Rb7
> 31.dxe5 Bxb5 32.Qd2 Qc5 33.exf6 gxf6 34.Bd3 Ng5 35.Qe3 d4 36.Qg3
> Bc6 37.Rxb7 Nf3+ 38.Qxf3 (38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7) 38...Bxf3
> 39.Bc4+ {Black resigns because of Qxc4 40. Rb8+ Kf7 41. Nd6# or 39.
> ... Kf8 40. Rb8+ Qc8 41. Qxc8#) 1-0
>

quote:

---

>I prefer it be rated as action chess. But if you insist I will play it as a
>G/30 or longer, as long as there are no rating restrictions on thematic
>tournaments.
>
>So?

quote:

---

> On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:20:42 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I admit that part of the idea of playing Damoano's Defense is the
> element of surprise. I often pretend like I intended to play 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 f5 and the pawn accidentally slipped out of my hand and landed
> on f6 instead of f5 by mistake.

quote:

---

> Obviously, if you have had time to run it through Fritz and know
> exactly what I am going to play, as I have posted it on this group, I
> have lost a large part of my advantage.

quote:

---

> Still, I am willing to play although I admit that I am less confident
> of victory than I was against a really, really weak player like Bill
> Brock or against an absolute beginner like Taylor Kingston.

quote:

---

> Sam Sloan

quote:

---

> On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:41:48 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> There are no such restrictions. Mike Goodall holds a King's Gambit
> Tournament every year in San Francisco. It is fully USCF rated and
> very successful.
>
> I am ready to play if you can find a place.
>
> Unfortunately, Hackettstown is a three hour trip each way or a total
> of six hours.
>
> The lady at the Marshall Chess Club does not like me so we cannot play
> there.
>
> A public park is undesirable.
>
> The Manhattan Chess Club is out of business.
>
> I know of no other place.
>
> Why are you afraid of losing all those rating points?
>
> Admittedlty it will be bad for your reputation to lose 5-0 to the
> Damiano's Defense.
>
> Sam Sloan

quote:

---

>
> "Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message
> news:430f202f.92720515@ca.news.verio.net...
>
> LOL! Spoke like a real hustler.
>
>
> But will they remember it OTB if they had only 5 minutes? There are so
> many chess theoreticians and so few actual players...
>
>
> ...so many theoreticians and so few players!
>
> Maybe we should all promote Sam aged 60 [about] into a star! I already
> talked with someone about him as being a 'character' for TV and since
> other people here are so pale in their enthusiasms, or non-players when it
> actually comes down to it, or don't really have a real existence and are
> personas only who we should accept at their own recommendation [lol!] -
> then why not?
>
> It would make him some money, and some fame, and dammit! Establish Tal's
> idea by a demonstration that OTB chess is a game for gladiators, and any
> old patzer can be wise armed with Fritz and 48 hours to be
> smarter-than-thou - but those people are not chess players, they are
> kibbitzers who only attempt to borrow a little glory.
>
> I have read various people who say Tal was the greatest player of the past
> age, and of course everyone also mentions Fischer, like him or not for his
> personal charms, but in reasonable health and mostly sober Tal slaughtered
> 'em all in the late sixties. And he didn't do so by being theoretically
> sound, and neither should anyone here think that their proposals of sound
> play are evidence of their own worth as chess players when the clock is
> ticking.
>
> This is what seperates the great ones from the rest of us, and indeed,
> players from the fantacists.
>
> Phil Innes
>
>
>

quote:

---

> On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:20:42 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I admit that part of the idea of playing Damoano's Defense is the
> element of surprise. I often pretend like I intended to play 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 f5 and the pawn accidentally slipped out of my hand and landed
> on f6 instead of f5 by mistake.
>
> Obviously, if you have had time to run it through Fritz and know
> exactly what I am going to play, as I have posted it on this group, I
> have lost a large part of my advantage.
>
> Still, I am willing to play although I admit that I am less confident
> of victory than I was against a really, really weak player like Bill
> Brock or against an absolute beginner like Taylor Kingston.
>
> Sam Sloan

quote:

---

>
> Sam,
>
> I'll play it rated, as long as you take the Knight on move 3. Agreed?
>
> The Hoboken Chess Club, located on Park Avenue near the intersection of
> 4th St., is a 10-minute walk from the Hoboken Path station and 20-30
> minutes from the Marshall. It's an hour's drive for me but that's no big
> deal.
>
> G/30s mean 5 hours if the match goes 5 games. Of course if you win the
> first two it's over in less than 2 hours. I don't mind driving back the
> following week if we need to.
>
> So?
>
>
>
> "Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com> wrote in message
> news:430f1f21.92449937@ca.news.verio.net...
>
>

quote:

---

>
>Sam,
>
>I'll play it rated, as long as you take the Knight on move 3. Agreed?

quote:

---

>On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:41:48 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
><angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>There are no such restrictions. Mike Goodall holds a King's Gambit
>Tournament every year in San Francisco. It is fully USCF rated and
>very successful.
>
>I am ready to play if you can find a place.
>
>Unfortunately, Hackettstown is a three hour trip each way or a total
>of six hours.
>
>The lady at the Marshall Chess Club does not like me

quote:

---

> On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 06:19:00 -0400, "Angelo DePalma"
> <angelodpnospam@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> You and Sam have about the same rating. If you get White and he
> commits to play Damiano's Defense, isn't that enough of an edge ?

quote:

---

> Damiano's Defense Declined
>
> Opponents are becoming afraid of my Damiano's Defense. I played it
> twice in the Viking 4 County Open in Hackettstown NJ yesterday and
> both of my opponents declined to take the pawn. I won the first game
> easily. In the second game I played it against a rated master. I
> achieved a winning position and I was thinking that I was going to
> score my first victory over a master with the Damiano's Defense.
> However, he came up with a fantastic queen sacrifice followed by a
> bishop sacrifice which worked because my pieces happened to be in
> exactly the right spot for a knight fork winning the game.
>
> I cannot take any credit away from my opponent. He came up with
> something really good. This should go in one of those White to play
> and win problem collections.
>
> After the game, I asked him why he did not take the pawn when I played
> Damianos Defense. He said that he has overheard me mention Damianos
> Defense in one of my conversations so he knew that I knew what I was
> doing. Also, I had won my previous round game with Damianos Defense.
> He said that he wanted to win the game, so he decided that he has
> better not take that pawn.
>
> He also said that he has see my picture in Chess Life magazine but he
> had thought that I was just a chess politico. He had not realized that
> I actually play the game too!
>
> Here is the game: The first point of the game is that after 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 f6 3. Nc3 Bc5 he can no longer take the pawn because when he
> checks with the queen I have the f8 square for my king. So, if he
> wants to take the pawn he must do it on move three. Otherwise, the
> opportunity will be lost forever.
>
> Because of his passive play, I quickly built up an overwhelming
> position and won a pawn. I would appreciate it if somebody could run
> this game through Fritz because I believe that I had several wins.
>
> I felt that my 35. . . . d4 was a good move because it set up knight
> forks. One of the spectators, a master, felt that that was the losing
> move however.
>
> For sure, if he had not sacrificed his queen he had a bad position,
> possibly losing, because of 38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7. Although
> material is equal, my threats of knight forks and discovered checks
> against his exposed king gives me the advantage.
>
> During the game, I though he could win with a rook sacrifice with 36.
> Rxb5. However, after the game he pointed out that he had seen that and
> instead I win by responding with a queen sacrifice with 36. Rxb5 Qxb5
> !!
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "Viking 4 County Open"]
> [Site "Hackettstown NJ"]
> [Date "2005.08.20"]
> [Round "04"]
> [White "West, James R."]
> [Black "Sloan, Sam"]
> [Result "1-0"]
> [ECO "C40"]
> [WhiteElo "2206"]
> [BlackElo "1941"]
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Ne7 5.d3 c6 6.a4 d5 7.Bb3 Bg4
> 8.h3 Bh5 9.Qe2 Qd6 10.a5 Nd7 11.Na4 Bb4+ 12.Bd2 b5 13.axb6 axb6
> 14.g4 Bg6 15.c3 Ba5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bc2 b5 18.Nc5 Qxc5 19.b4 Qc7
> 20.O-O O-O 21.bxa5 Rxa5 22.Rxa5 Qxa5 23.c4 Qc7 24.Bb4 Re8 25.cxb5
> Qb6 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.Rb1 Nc5 28.Nh4 Be8 29.d4 Ne6 30.Nf5 Rb7
> 31.dxe5 Bxb5 32.Qd2 Qc5 33.exf6 gxf6 34.Bd3 Ng5 35.Qe3 d4 36.Qg3
> Bc6 37.Rxb7 Nf3+ 38.Qxf3 (38. Kg2 Ne5+ 39. Kh2 Bxb7) 38...Bxf3
> 39.Bc4+ {Black resigns because of Qxc4 40. Rb8+ Kf7 41. Nd6# or 39.
> ... Kf8 40. Rb8+ Qc8 41. Qxc8#) 1-0