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Press Jon Ostriker is 10th ICCF-US GM
Press Jon Ostriker is 10th ICCF-US GM | Jon Ostriker is 10th ICCF-US GM |
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| October 6, 2010 | |
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For Immediate Release Contact: Robert Rizzo ICCF-US Titles Officer Phone 516 984 7438 [email protected] Jon Ostriker has earned the title of Correspondence Grand Master (GM), as confirmed via email from International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) Qualifications Commissioner, Neil Limbert. Jon's Medal and Title Certificate will be awarded at the ICCF Congress to be held in October in Antalya, Turkey. Jon joins a select group as he is only one of ten USA Federation Members to achieve this lofty goal. Jon achieved his two norms in Championship 25 Candidates Tournament 1 (WC25/ct01) and in World Championship 23 Final (WC23/final). In both events he surpassed the GM norm standard by ½-point. In all he completed 28 games undefeated, winning 8 and drawing 20. He faced 12 GMs, 10 SIMs, 4IMs and only 2 untitled opponents. The following game is taken from the World Championship 23 Final. In this contest Jon defeats Swedish GM Lennart Rydholm. Jon comments, "Although the tactics at the end of the game were interesting . . . , to me the most compelling part of the game was the late middlegame, where Black failed to get in ...e5, the key to his hopes for equalizing." It may be that his opponent was following the 2005 game Moiseenko-Ni Hua (Inf95/275) where white assayed 14.Bh4 and eventually black prevailed. Jon's novelty worked out for the white pieces as black immediately closed the queenside allowing white to dictate the course of the game. Jon is an adherent of the Botvinnik school. He notes of the past World OTB Champion, "Botvinnik . . . often pursues one or two very simple strategic goals. He harnesses the tactics to accomplish that goal. There are foxes and there are hedgehogs in chess. Foxes have many little ideas. Hedgehogs have one big idea. Botvinnik was a hedgehog." See if you don't agree that Jon plays the part of the hedgehog very well! 4943 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 b5 6.c5 g6 7.Ne5 Bg7 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Nfd7 10.f4 f5 10...Nxe5 11.fxe5 f6 12.exf6 exf6 13.Bf3 f5 14.Bd2 a5 1/2-1/2 Dreev,A (2698)-Ni Hua (2611)/ICC INT 2004/CBM 105 11.Nd3 a5 12.Bd2 Nf6 13.Be1 Nbd7 13...Be6 14.b4 a4 15.Ne5 Bd7 16.a3 Ne4 1/2-1/2 in 57 moves, Carlsen,M (2570)- Malakhov,V (2670)/Khanty Mansyisk RUS 2005 14.b4!N 14.Bh4 Inf95/275 14...a4 Choosing to close the queenside 15.Ne5 Nxe5 16.dxe5 Ne4 17.a3 Be6 18.Qc2 Qd7 19.Rd1 Qc7 20.Bf3 Rac8 21.Ne2 Rcd8 22.Nd4 White's last four moves were aimed at occupying the d4 square. The blockading knight, a la Nimzovitch, exercises a restraining effect on black's game and specifically prevents the freeing ...d4. 22...Qd7 23.Bh4 Rc8 24.h3 Rce8 25.Kh2 Qc8 The black position is so cramped that he is reduced to shuffling pieces along the back rank. This shows one disadvantage of 14...a4. Black has no counterplay. 26.Rg1 h6 Further weakening the kingside, but the alternative [26...Bd7 27.g4 e6] looks rather unsightly. 27.g4 g5 The middle of the board resembles a scrimmage line. 28.Bxe4 fxe4 Certainly not 28...gxh4?? 29.gxf5 Kh8 30.Nxe6+-; and 28...dxe4?! 29.gxf5 Bxf5 (29...Bb3 30.Qxe4 Bxd1 31.fxg5 Bf3 32.Qf4!+-) 30.Nxf5 Rxf5 31.Qxe4 is no better] 29.Bg3 Bd7 30.f5 h5 31.gxh5! 31.e6 h4 32.exd7 hxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Qxd7 34.Ne6± 31...Bxf5 32.Bf4!! gxf4 33.h6 Rf7 34.exf4 e3 34...Bxh3 35.Qe2 Rxf4 36.Rxg7++-; 34...e6 35.Rg5 Ree7 36.Rdg1 e3 37.Qg2 Qd7 38.hxg7+- 35.Qe2 e6 36.Nxf5 exf5 37.Qh5 1-0 [Ostriker/Rizzo] |
