All annotations by Shearwood "Woody" McClelland '00.

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This game was very interesting for a few reasons. It was a very unusual game for me, as after move five I had no idea as to what White should do! It is a scary feeling having to play someone of Michael Mulyar's caliber without having a clear idea of what to do in the opening. Collegiately speaking, the game also pitted Harvard (Me) vs. Yale (Mulyar). In addition it was my first ever game in an invitational tournament, and it came against an opponent who ultimately tied for first in the event.

White: Shearwood McClelland (NJ) 2244
Black: FM Michael Mulyar (CO) 2459

1. e4 g6!?
A very intellegent decision. Mulyar sidesteps any preparation that I had for his more usual French or Alekhine defenses, and puts me in an unfamiliar position very quickly.
2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3
I usually play the 4. f4 line vs. c6, but I figured that the positions after 4...d5 5. e5 h5 played right into the hands of Mulyar's slow, maneuvering style. Since I had discussed the Nf3 lines vs. the Alekhine with my teacher before the game, I tried to steer for similarly clear-cut positions, where I have more space, but I am not trying to blow Black off of the board immediately.
4...d6 5. h3 Nf6 6. Bd3?!
Played after a long thought, in order to add protection to the e4 pawn in case I wanted to move the knight on c3. However, this move is dubious, because the bishop is often better placed either on c4 or e2. A better move is 6. Be3.
6...O-O?!
Missing the opportunity to take advantage of White's last move. After 6...e5! White's Bishop on d3 is cast into a permanently defensive role, and Black is able to get a King's Indian structure where White's setup looks awkward.
7. e5
Played after another long think. My idea was originally to play 7. Be3 and 8. Qd2, but this seemed a little passive, especially after 7...e5! Therefore, I decided to take the initiative in the center before Black could get e5 in.
7...Nd5 8. Nxd5 cxd5 9. Bf4 dxe5 10. dxe5 Nc6 11. O-O Qb6
The move that I was most afraid of was 11...f6!?, directly challlenging White's center. Since White cannot allow fxe5, and both 12. Nxf6 and 12. Bxf6 lose material to 12...Rxf4 and 12...Rxf3 respectively, White must play 12. exf6. After 12...Bxf6, I was originally planning 13. Bh6 Re8 14. Ng5 with the idea of 15. Nxh7! followed by 16 Qh5. The problem with this plan is that Black can play 14..e5! with the idea of playing 15...e4!, blocking out the Bd3 if White plays 15. Nxh7. In order to deal with the threat of e5-e4, I had planned to play 14. c4! in order to break up Black's center. This idea appears to hold up, for example: 14...Bxb2 15. cxd5! Qxd5 16 Qc2! threatening both 17. Bc4 winning the queen and 17. Qxb2 threatening checkmate on g7, is winning for White.
12. Qc1 Be6 13. Re1 Rac8 14. Qd2 Na5?
Played with the idea of Nc4, but this idea is too slow. In GM Michael Rohde's analysis of this game, he gave 15... Qxb2 as best, with the idea that Black is doing well after 16. Reb1 Qa3 17. Rxb7 Rb8. However, I was planning to play 16. Rab1! with the idea that 16...Qxa2 loses the queen to 17. Ra1 followed by 18. Reb1. After 16...Qa3, White can either win the pawn back with 17. Rxb7, or proceed with the attack via 17. Bh6.
15. Bh6 Nc6
Mulyar quickly corrects his mistake, as 15...Nc4 would be met by 16. Qf4! with the idea of 17. Qh4, 18. Ng5, and 19. Bxg7 -- an attacking theme often seen in the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian.
16. Qg5
I didn't like 16. Qf4, because of 16...Qb4! Therefore, I wanted to provoke Black to make a move on the kingside before transferring my queen to h4.
16...Rfe8 17. Qh4 f6 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. exf6+?!
This move allows Black to stave off the attack and achieve an equal position. 19. c3 would have still left Black with some work to do, i.e. 19...Qxb2? 20 exf6+ exf6 21 Rab1! Qxc3 22 Rxb7+ (Both 22...Re7 23. Rxe7+ Nxe7 24. Rxe6 and 22...Ne7 23. Rxe6 lose a piece.) Bf7 23 Rxf7+! Kxf7 24 Qxh7+ Kf8 25. Qh6+ Kf7 (25...Kg8 26. Qxg6 Kh8 27. Qh7 is mate, and 26..Kf8 27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Bh7+ also leads to mate) 26. Bxg6+ Kg8 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Qf7 checkmate.
19...exf6 20. Qf4 Bf7 21. b3 Qb4
Michael accompanied this move with a draw offer, which I gladly accepted, since the position is relatively equal after 22. Qxb4 Nxb4 23. Nd4 Nxd3 25. cxd3, and because I had only 13 minutes to reach time control :).
Game drawn by mutual agreement 1/2-1/2

This was the best game that I played in the tournament, and it came in a game with many sub-plots. First of all, the game pitted the two players who have been the most dominant in the New Jersey scholastic scene throughout the 1990's. Secondly, the game was played on Ippolito's 20th birthday. And finally, this game was played in wake of the comment that Dean had made earlier in the tournament explaining why he had taken such a quick draw with the white pieces against Shliperman in round 5. Apparently, Dean felt that he had an easier draw remaining than Igor, since Igor had already played me, while Dean had not. Well, as you can imagine, I had many reasons to be motivated for this game, but the most important reason was the opportunity to improve my standing in the championship.

White: Shearwood McClelland (NJ) 2244
Black: FM Dean Ippolito (NJ) 2441

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4!? Bxd4
Accepting the challenge; 5...exd4 transposes to the Max Lange Attack, while 5...Nxd4 leads to a better game for White after 6. Nxe5.
6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. f4
The best continuation. 7. Bg5 is the main alternative, but it doesn't put as much pressure on Black's position.
7...d6 8. c3 Nc6
Other moves are 8..Bg4, 8..Be6, and 8..Ne6, all of which lead to unclear play.
9. f5 a6 10. a4 Qe7 11. Bg5
The position is difficult to assess. I would prefer White, because in return for the pawn, he has a lead in development, control of the center, much more space and flexibility, and the ability to attack on either the queenside or kingside. The Bg5 pin is very difficult for Black to meet without his dark squared bishop, and poses a problem for black if he castles kingside.
11...Nb8
Dean tries to alleviate the pressure by repositioning his knight on c6 to d7, where it can aid against the Bg5 pin and allow for central play via c6 and d5. The disadvantage of this strategy is that it allows white to get even further ahead in development.
12. Nd2 Nbd7 13. Qf3
Developing the queen, and preventing Black from breaking the pin with 13...h6 followed by 14...g5.
13... c6 14. b4
Gaining space on the queenside, and preventing any ...d5 followed by Qc5+ tricks that Black may have had in mind.
14... O-O 15. Rf2
With the idea of Nf1-g3-h5.
15... Re8 16. Nf1 b6 17. Rd1!
White anticipates Black's plan of ...Bb7 and d5 by shifting the focus of his attack from the kingside to the d6 pawn.
17... Bb7 18. Rfd2 b5 19. Ba2
Resisting the temptation to play 19. Rxd6 bxc4 20. Rxd7 Qxd7 21. Bxf6, becaue after 21...Qxd1! 22. Qxd1 gxf6, Black has 2 rooks for the queen and the better game.
19... d5 20. exd5 e4!
Forced, but still effective. Black seizes the opportunity to slow down White's initiative by gaining space in the center. White has to be very careful now.
21. Qg3
The best move. Other moves allow Black to take over the initiative with either Qe5 or Ne5, where Black's passed e-pawn and White's loose pawns on a4 and c3 start to cause White serious difficulties.
21...Qe5
Forcing White to trade queens if he wants to stay competitive in the center, and preventing White's intended Qc7.
22. Qxe5 Rxe5 23. dxc6 Bxc6 24. Ne3
Blockading the potentially dangerous passed e-pawn, and fighting for control of the important d5 and f5 squares.
24... h6?!
A highly dubious move which slows down Black's recent flurry. 24...h6 not only creates a potential kingside weakness, but it also forces the Bg5 where it wants to go anyway: to f4.
25. Bf4 Ree8 26. Rd6 Rac8 27. a5 Ne5?
This move, played in time trouble, simply loses a pawn to Bxh6 (another reason why 24..h6 was dubious). A better move for Black may have been 24...Nh5, although White is still better in that position.
28. Bxh6 Nd3 29. Bg5 Nd7 30. Bd5 N7e5 31. Bh4 Kf8 32. Bg3 Bxd5 33. Nxd5 Nc4 34. Rxa6 Ncb2 35. Rd2 Nc4 36. Re2 Red8 37. Nc7 e3 38. Nxb5 Nde5 39. Nd4 Ng4 40. h3 Nf6 41. Rc6
After the time scramble has concluded, White has a winning position. All that is left to secure the point is to neutralize Black's counterplay created by his passed e-pawn.
41... Rxc6 42. Nxc6 Rd2 43. Re1 Ne4 44. Ne5!
If there was any hope that Black may have had, it was demolished after this move. Black is forced to play Nxe5 as any other move with either knight allows White to win the e3 pawn, either with the Rook immediately or the knight eventually if Black allows White to play Nxc4.
44... Nxe5 45. Bxe5 e2 46. Kh2
Evading Black's threat of Rd1, as White would now be able to play Rxe2.
46... Ra2 47. a6!
White would love to trade his a-pawn for Black's dangerous e-pawn in order to neutralize Black's remaining counterplay.
47...Nd2 48. Bd6+ Ke8?
This move hastens the end. 48...Kg8 had to be played. Now White is able to stop Black's counterplay and trade pieces by force.
49. Rxe2+ Kd7 50. a7! Nf1+
If 50...Nf3+, White wins with 51. Kg3! (Note that 51. gxf3?? would give Black life after 51...Rxe2+ followed by 52...Ra2)
51. Kg1 Resigns
It's over now, as Black's rook and knight are both under attack. The only continuation that stops both threats and prevents White's a-pawn from queening is 51...Rxa7, but after 52. Re7+ Kxd6 53. Rxa7, White will be up an exchange and three pawns.
1-0

This was a very satisfying victory for me, as it was my second victory of the tournament, and my second victory in a row over the most recent recipient of the prestigious Samford fellowship.

This was perhaps the most interesting game that I played in the tournament, as I had to make several pawn sacrifices and even a piece sacrifice (I leave it to you to judge whether or not they were sound ;).) just to stay in the game. This game was also very special to me, because when I first started playing chess, I idolized John and his achievements (that was when he won the World Under 10 Championships in back-to-back years), and so it was a great thrill for me to get to play him in a national event. This match also presented another collegiate matchup, pitting Harvard against M.I.T.

White: John Viloria (NY) 2355
Black: Shearwood McClelland (NJ) 2244

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. e4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. Re1 a6 11. f3?!
This move is dubious, as White blunts the scope of his own fianchettoed bishop. The usual move is 11. h3, which also prevents a potential ...Ng4, but without interferring with the Bg2's potential. However, there is one benefit of f3: additional support to the e4 square, which proves important later on.
11... Rb8
Black proceeds with a plan to gain space on the queenside, via ...Ne5, ...c5, and ...b5. However, this plan may be less effective with the White pawn on f3, because in many variations, Black does not have the move Nxe4 at his disposal. A better idea may have been the standard...c6, ...a5, and ...Nc5.
12. Be3 c5 13. Nc2 Ne5 14. Qe2 b5?!
This move looks good, but it is probably a dubious pawn sacrifice, because accurate White play will force Black to sacrifice even more material in order to avoid a major disadvantage. A better move may have been 14...Be6.
15. cxb5 axb5 16. Nxb5 Ba6 17. a4 Qa5 18. Bf1!
This accurate move, underestimated by Black, forces Black to either remain a pawn down for very little counterplay, or sacrifice more material. After a long thought, I chose....
18...d5!?
Probably the best chance for Black. Other moves simply allow White to consolidate via Qd1, remaining a pawn up.
19. Bxc5
Most accurate. After 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bxc5 Bxb5 21. axb5 Qc7! eyeing the loose Bc5 and potentially vulnerable Nc2 (i.e. 22. Bf2 Nxf3+! 23. Qxf3 Qxc2) gives Black ample compensation for his material deficit.
19... dxe4 20. fxe4 Nxe4!
A pretty piece sacrifice that is probably the only way for Black to justify his two pawn investment.
21. Qxe4 Bb7
The idea behind the sacrifice is now revealed: in return for the piece, Black's light squared bishop and knight on e5 become monstrous.
22. Qb4!
An excellent move which severely limits Black's options. Since Black cannot trade queens (22...Qxb4 23. Bxb4 Nf3+ 24 Kf2 Nxe1 25. Rxe1 leaves White with a winning two pieces and a pawn for a rook advantage), he really has only one move.....
22... Qd8!
Although forced, this move is still enough to cause White considerable difficulties. The immediate 23...Nf3+ is threatened, so White attempts to blunt Black's initiative by sacrificing some of the material back.
23. Rxe5 Rxe5!
The most active and accurate recapture. Black does not fear 24. Bd6, because of 24...Qb6+! 25. Qd4 Rxb5! 26. Qxb6 Rxb6 27. Bxb8 Be4! winning back the piece (28. Bc7 Rc6!; 28. Ba7 Rb7!), and the queenside pressure combined with constant Bd4 mate possibilities will allow Black to win back his pawn.
24. Ne3
A quick check of material will show that White has two pieces and a pawn for the rook. However, with the queens on the board, Black can still create counterplay.
24...Qg5!
At this point, I felt very confident, as the queen has been transferred to the kingside, while attacking the exposed Bc5 at the same time. White's choices are very limited here. At this point, both sides are in severe time pressure.
25. Ba7!
Probably the only move. White removes the bishop from harm's way and creates more options for himself.
25... Ra8?!
This move was played after spending 2 of the 4 remaining minutes that I had left to reach time control! Most of that time was spent on 25...Rxe3, but I couldn't find anything concretely winning after 26. Bxb8. This turned out not to matter so much, as after the game, John told me that he was planning to play 26. Qf4! which would have blunted much of Black's initiative. However, this was probably the best course for Black to take. After 25...Ra8?!, Black is threatening 26...Rxa7.
26. Qf4!
With this accurate move, White begins to turn back Black's initiative. Since Black cannot afford to trade queens, he has to retreat.
26... Qe7 27. Bc4!
Eliminating ...Bd4 mate ideas and allowing White the possibility to steal the initiative with moves such as 28. Rf1.
27... Re4?
After this move, I thought that I had finally come all the way back, but I overlooked....
28. Qxf7+! Qxf7 29. Bxf7+ Kxf7 30. Nd6+ Kg8 31. Nxe4 Rxa7 32. Nc3
After this move, I thought that I was toast, as White is up two pawns and has all but eliminated Black's counterplay. However, since both of us each had about 90 seconds to make time control, I tried to keep my position as active as possible.
32... Bd4 33. Kf2 Ba6 34. Re1 Rf7+ 35. Kg2 Bb7+ 36. Kh3 Rf2!
With this move, Black now has some hope, as White is forced to lose one of his two queenside pawns, or face the possibility of getting mated by Blacks two bishops.
37. Ned5 Bxd5
I spent about 30 of my remaining 50 seconds on this move, trying to see if there was anything good after 37...Bc8+, but after 38. g4 Rf3+ 39. Kg2, White is threatening 40. Kxf3 and 40. Ne7+, so Black has to play 39...Bxg4. However, after 40. Re4! Rf2+ 41. Kg3, White is winning.
38. Nxd5 Rxb2 39. Re8+ Kg7 40. Nf4
Black does not have time for 40...Ra2, because of 41. Ne6+ winning Black's bishop.
40... Bg1 41. Re2 Rb4 42. Ra2
The smoke has cleared, and White has emerged up a pawn. Black's only chance is to advance and trade off the kingside pawns, so I played....
42...g5! 43. Ne2 Ba7 44. Kg2 h5 45. Nc3 h4 46. Nd5?!
This move does not help White much, as it allows Black to improve the position of his rook. However, it is difficult to see how White will be able to make progress fast enough to evade Black's rapidly advancing kingside pawns.
46... Rb3 47. Ne7 hxg3 48. Nc6?! Bc5!
After this move, with the idea of 49...Bd6, Black wins the pawn back by force. 48...Bb6? would allow White to gain a tempo over the game with 49. a5!
49. hxg3 Bd6 50. Nd4
Following this move, John offered a draw, which I immediately accepted. The position is now clearly a draw, as Black's g-pawn will become just as dangerous as White's a-pawn after 50...Rxg3+. A very entertaining (and nerve-racking!) game from both sides.
Game drawn by mutual agreement 1/2-1/2