Two-time U.S. Champion Stephen Jones has added another title to a growing list. Stephen grew up in Austin, Texas, played in his first OTB USCF tournament at age 13, won the Southwest Open in 1958, and was co-champion of Texas in 1959.

Stephen also has some impressive academic titles. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1964, went to graduate school in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, and received his Ph.D. in 1967. He attended the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton in 1967-9 and became an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts.

He graduated from law school at the University of Michigan in 1973 and moved to Los Angeles where he has practiced law ever since. Stephen has a son in law school in Michigan, and two daughters who are undergraduates at the University of Texas and Boston College.

In the 1980s Stephen became involved in postal chess. Besides winning the U.S. Championship twice, he recently played first board on the U.S. Olympiad team (which was played by e-mail for the first time). Stephen's Olympiad run gave him a GM norm and tied for best result on Board 1. To all these, Stephen can now add the title of International Correspondence Chess Master.

GAME OF THE MONTH

Here is a full-blooded struggle between the two men who have dominated the recent U.S. Championships, winning two titles each, Jones the 9th and 11th and Smith the 11th and 13th.

QUEEN'S INDIAN DEFENSE [E12]
W: Stephen Jones (2548)
B: Robin Smith (2589)
11th USCCC

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. Qc2 Be7 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bf4 0-0 9. e3 c5 10. Rd1 Na6 11. Bd3 Nc7 12. 0-0 Ne6 13. Be5 c4 This provocative move may be all right, but Black's 16th is an overplay leading to a forced combination. 14. Bf5 g6 15. Bh3 a6 16. b3 Bxa3?! 17. bxc4 dxc4 18. d5 Nc5 19. Qa2 Bb4 20. Qxc4 Bxc3 21. Bxc3 Bxd5 22. Qf4 Nce4 23. Be5 Nh5 24. Qh6 f5 25. g4 fxg4 26. Bxg4 Nhf6 27. Be6+ Bxe6 28. Rxd8 Raxd8

Material is even - rook, knight, and pawn for the queen, but Black's weak dark squares give White the edge.

29. Nd4 Bc4 30. Rc1 b5 31. f3 Rd5 32. Ne6 Rf7 33. Bxf6 Nxf6 34. Ra1 Rd6 35. Nd4 Nd5 36. e4 Nc7 37. Nf5 Rd3 38. Kf2 Ne6

White wins after 38. ... gxf5 39. Rg1+ Kh8 40. Qg5.

39. Ne3 Nc5 40. Kg2 Be6 41. h4 Bh3+ 42. Kg3 Bd7 43. h5 Rd6?

After this last error White continues to find attacking moves despite the paucity of material. Better is 43. ... b4 44. hxg6 Rg7 45. Rg1 Rd6 with chances to hold.

44. e5! Rd3 45. hxg6 Rg7 46. Rg1 Rxg6+ 47. Kf2 Be8 48. Rxg6+ Bxg6 49. Ng4 Kf7 50. Qf4+ Ke7 51. Qf6+ Kd7 52. Qb6 Ne6 53. Qxa6 Ke7 54. Nf6 Ng5 55. Kg3 Nxf3 56. Kf4 Nxe5 57. Kxe5 Re3+ 58. Kf4 Re6 59. Nd5+ Kf7 60. Qb7+ Kf8 61. Qc7 b4 62. Nxb4

The win should be easy, but Robin Smith proves to be a hard man to beat!

62. ... Rf6+ 63. Kg4 Rf7 64. Qd6+ Kg7 65. Qe5+ Kg8 66. Nd5 Rf1 67. Ne7+ Kf7 68. Nxg6 hxg6 69. Qc7+ Kf8 70. Kg5 Rg1+ 71. Kf6 Rf1+ 72. Kxg6

White now has a forced win which Jones demonstrates. Chess technicians are aware that Ken Thompson's databases analyze this endgame in totality.

72. ... Rg1+ 73. Kf5 Rf1+ 74. Ke4 Re1+ 75. Kf3 Rf1+ 76. Ke2 Rf7 77. Qd8+ Kg7 78. Ke3 Kh6 79. Ke4 Kg6 80. Ke5 Rf5+ 81. Ke6 Rf3 82. Qg8+ Kh5 83. Qg2 Ra3 84. Qg1 Ra6+ 85. Kf7 Ra4 86. Qd1+ Rg4 87. Kf6 Kh4 88. Kf5 Rg2 89. Qe1+ Kh3 90. Qe3+ Rg3 91. Qe4 Rg1 92. Qf3+ Kh2 93. Qf2+ Rg2 94. Qh4+ Kg1 95. Kf4 Rf2+ 96. Kg3 Rd2 97. Kf3 Rd3+ 98. Ke2 Ra3 99. Qd4+, Black resigns.

Robert Chalker of Texas has won the 1999 CCLA Championship with a score of 91/2-1/2. Robert Arnold and John Caliguire shared second with 6-4.

Jon Edwards keeps the U.S. team in contention for the XIII Olympiad finals with this Board 2 win against Hungary.

SICILIAN DEFENSE [B90]
W: Jon Edwards (2550)
B: J. Mihalko (2530)
XIII Olympiad 2002

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Be2 Ne5 11. h4 Nbc6 12. Nb3 g4 13. h5 b5 14. a4 b4 15. Nd5 Be6 16. Qd2 0-0 17. 0-0-0 a5 18. f4 Nd7 19. Bf2 Kh7 20. Bb5 Rc8 21. Ba6 f5 22. Bxc8 Qxc8 23. Bh4 Rf7 24. Rhe1 Qh8 25. e5 dxe5 26. Nc7 e4 27. Nxe6 Bxb2+ 28. Kb1 Nb6 29. Rxe4 Ba1 30. Nxa1 Nxa4 31. Rd4 Nxd4 32. Nxd4 Nc3+ 33. Kc1 Nxd1 34. Kxd1 e5 35. Nxf5 Qf8 36. Nd6 Rxf4 37. Qd3+, Black resigns.

This game is from the good old days - the loser would eventually become the second World Correspondence Chess Champion.

ENGLISH OPENING [A28]
W: Viacheslav Ragozin
B: Veniamin Sozin
USSR Correspondence Championship 1937

1. c4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Ne5 9. Nb5 a6 10. Qd4 d6 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Na3 c5 13. Qd2 Qa5 14. Qb2 Bd7 15. e4 Bc6 16. f3 Rg8 17. Kf2 f5 18. exf5 Rxg2+ 19. Kxg2 Bxf3+ 20. Kg1 0-0-0 21. Nc2 Rg8+ 22. Kf2 Qd8 23. h4 Bxh1, White resigns.

After Edward Laird tries a dubious gambit, Black chalks up a victory on his way to an impressive tournament win.

SICILIAN DEFENSE [B70]
W: Edward Laird (2074)
B: Robert Chalker (2365)
15th CCLA Championship

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 g6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 dxe5 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Bd2 Be6 11. Na4 Nd7 12. Ba5+ Ke8 13. Ba6 Rb8 14. a3 Nb6 15. Nc5 Bd5 16. 0-0 e6 17. Nd3 Bg7 18. f3 e4 19. fxe4 Bxe4 20. c3 f5 21. Nc5 Bd5 22. Rf2 Kf7 23. Re1 Rhe8 24. Bb4 Bc4 25. Rd2 Bxa6 26. Nxa6 Rbd8 27. Red1 Rxd2 28. Rxd2 e5 29. b3 e4 30. c4 e3 31. Rd3 c5 32. Nxc5 Bf8 33. Kf1 a5 34. Ke2 axb4 35. axb4 f4 36. Na6 Re5 37. c5 Nd5 38. Rd4 f3+ 39. gxf3 Nc3+, White resigns.