Home Page 
Press Michael C. Proof is USA’s Newest IM and SIM
Press Michael C. Proof is USA’s Newest IM and SIM | Michael C. Proof is USA’s Newest IM and SIM |
|
|
| By Joan DuBois | |
| July 9, 2008 | |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joan DuBois [email protected] (931)787-1234 ext:123 With his recent win in the ‘9th Pan American Team Championship’ vs. SIM Carlos Sosa Patino (PER), Michael Proof has earned the ICCF Senior International Master Title (Mike had earned the IM Title only two weeks prior). With one game still remaining in that tournament, he has already clinched first place on Board 3, scoring 11.5/14 points and thereby exceeding the 11.0 point SIM Norm for a category IV tournament with 16 players. Mike had previously earned a SIM Norm in WS/MN/013, once again exceeding the SIM requirement of 10.0 points with a final overscore of 11.0. He had been ‘playing under the radar’ until the Fall 2007 ICCF rating list was published with Mike first appearing in 33^rd place (2436 rating) of all active USA players. It is quite possible that his performance in the Pan American will help the USA team to a medal as all 4 boards appear headed for plus scores. Mike has been so kind as to annotate one of the games that helped earn his titles. Michael added, “This is a game against IM César Capablanca. He (César) told me he is the captain of the Cuban team and a cousin of the great José.” Judge for yourself whose style is more like the former World Champion. Also shown is the game (without annotations) which clinched the SIM Title for Michael. These tournament results and examples of his play are ample ‘Proof” that Michael is a force to be reckoned with in correspondence chess. – Q.E.D. *IM Revuelta Capablanca,César (2435), CUBA* *Proof,Michael (2396), USA* *ECO [B81]* *PanAm/TC9 Board 3* *2007* *1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 *Najdorf *6.Be3 e6 *To the Scheveningen *7.g4 e5 8.Nf5 g6 9.g5 gxf5 10.exf5 d5 11.gxf6 d4 12.Bc4 Bxf5 *My books and bases show Qc7 as the move to make and line to follow. Bxf5 brings about the melee quickly. [12...Qc7 13.Qd3 /(13.Qe2 dxc3 14.0–0–0 Bxf5 15.Rhg1 Nd7 16.Rg5 Bg6 17.f4 0–0–0 18.f5 h6 19.fxg6 hxg5 20.g7 Rxh2 21.Qxh2 Qxc4 22.gxf8Q Nxf8 23.Rxd8+ Kxd8 24.bxc3 Qxc3 25.Qg3 Kd7 26.Qxg5 Ne6 27.Qh6 Nf4 28.Bxf4 Qe1+ 29.Kb2 Qb4+ 30.Ka1 exf4 31.Qh3+ Kd6 32.Qh2 Ke6 33.Qh3+ Kxf6 34.Qh8+ Kf5 35.Qh5+ Ke4 36.Qe2+ Kd4 37.Qf2+ Ke5 38.Qh2 b5 39.Qh3 Qd4+ 40.Kb1 Qd1+ 41.Kb2 f3 42.Qg3+ Ke4 43.Qh4+ Ke3 /0–1 corr, Kitson,K (2557)-Fenwick,C (2502)/ICCF 2005/) /13...dxe3 14.f4 /(14.0–0–0 exf2 15.Bxf7+ Kxf7 16.Qd5+ Kxf6 17.Ne4+ Kxf5 18.Rdf1 Bh6+ 19.Kb1 Rd8 20.Rxf2+ Bf4 21.Rxf4+ Kxf4 22.Rf1+ Kg4 23.Nf6+ /1–0 corr, Pinkovetsky,S (2666)-Kopylov,I (2526)/Gipslis Memorial, 2001/) /14...Bb4 15.0–0–0 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Nc6 17.Rhg1 Rf8 18.Qxe3 Bxf5 19.Qc5 Rd8 20.Bd5 Rxd5 21.Rxd5 Be6 22.Rd6 exf4 23.Rg7 Bd7 24.Rd1 Be6 25.Re1 Qc8 26.Qd6 Qd7 27.Qxf4 Qd8 28.Reg1 Qb8 29.Qh6 Qd6 30.R1g2 Qa3+ 31.Kd1 Qxc3 32.R7g3 Qa1+ 33.Kd2 Qd4+ 34.Kc1 Qa1+ 35.Kd2 Qd4+ 36.Kc1 Qc5 37.Rd2 Qe5 38.c3 Qc5 39.Qf4 Qe5 40.Qf2 Qa5 41.Qf4 Qe5 ½–½ Naiditsch,A (2663)-Belov,V (2600)/Moscow 2007/Inf 99/158] *13.Qh5 Qxf6 *[13...Qd7 14.Nd5 Bc5 15.b4 Bd6 16.Rg1 dxe3 17.0–0–0 exf2 18.Rg5 Bg6 19.Qh4 Qd8 20.Rxg6 fxg6 21.f7+ Kd7 22.Qg4+ Kc6 23.Bf1 b5 24.Qe4 Ra7 25.Nf4+ Kb6 26.Bg2 a5 27.Ne6 Qe7 28.a4 Qxe6 29.Qe3+ Ka6 30.axb5+ Kxb5 31.Qxa7 Bxb4 32.Qb7+ Ka4 33.Kb2 Bc3+ 34.Kxc3 Qc8+ 35.Qxc8 Rxc8+ 36.Kd3 e4+ 37.Kd4 Nc6+ 38.Kxe4 Rf8 39.Kd5 Rxf7 40.Kxc6 Kb4 41.c4 Rf5 42.Bf1 a4 43.Kd6 Rf8 44.Rb1+ Kc3 45.Ra1 Kb3 46.c5 a3 47.Bg2 Kb2 48.Rf1 a2 49.Ke7 Rf4 ½–½ Olafsson,H (2520)-Nimtz,M (2560)/corr 1991/MegaCorr2] *14.Nd5 Qg6 15.Qh4N *Trade of queens here or Nc7+ followed by a trade of queens then grabbing the A8 rook is still suggested here in my books for a closer game. [15.Qxg6 hxg6 16.Nc7+ Kd8 17.Nxa8 dxe3 18.0–0–0+ Ke7 19.f3 Bh6 20.Rde1 Nd7 21.Nc7 b5 22.Nd5+ Kd6 23.Bb3 a5 24.a3 Nc5 25.Ba2 Rc8 26.Kb1 Na4 27.Re2 b4 28.axb4 axb4 29.Rd1 Kc5 30.Nxe3 Bxe3 31.Rxe3 f6 32.Bb3 Nb6 33.Kc1 Rh8 34.Re2 Rh3 35.Rf2 g5 36.c3 bxc3 37.bxc3 Nc4 38.Bxc4 Kxc4 39.Rd6 Rh6 40.Kd2 Kc5 41.Ra6 Kb5 42.Ra7 Rh8 43.Ke3 Rc8 44.Ra3 Rc4 45.Rb2+ Kc6 46.Rb4 Rc5 47.c4 Bc8 48.Ra8 Kc7 49.Ra7+ Kc6 50.Rf7 f5 51.Rg7 Ra5 52.Rg6+ Kc7 53.Rb5 Ra3+ 54.Kd2 g4 55.fxg4 fxg4 56.Rc5+ Kb7 57.Rg7+ Kb6 58.Rxc8 1–0 Soot,M (2238)-Jogi,J/Tallinn 1999/EXT 2001] *15...Qc6 *Swinging queenside for several threats. *16.Nf6+ Kd8 *No castling now but no good discoveries for the white queen either. *17.Bd5 Qc5 *[17...Qxc2 Could have played this for definite material advantage, felt a little breezy though in front of my king. Keeping her on c5 kept threats and pressure while still bracing the defense. Maybe a little cautious. 18.Ng4+ Be7 19.Bg5 Qc5 20.Bxe7+ Qxe7 21.Qxe7+ Kxe7] *18.Be4 Be6 19.Bd2 *Long castling here is much better for defense, then offense. *19...Be7 20.0–0–0 *[20.Bxb7 Could snag b7 and retreat back to e4, but wakes the rook to the 7th rank for faster mobilization. 20...Ra7 21.Be4] *20...Kc7 21.f4 Bxa2 22.fxe5 Rd8 23.Bxh7 *Passed pawn on h2, buts it is a very long journey. *23...Nc6 24.Qg3 Qb5 25.Bf4 Kb6 *Out of the line of fire *26.Bd3 Qa5 27.Ne4 Nb4 28.Nd6 Bxd6 29.exd6 Bd5 30.d7 Rxd7 *Take the h1 rook and lose the game. *31.Bf5 Re8 32.Rxd4 *Take the d7 rook and lose the game. *32...Rde7 33.Rxb4+ Qxb4 *A good trade for black *34.Rd1 Qa4 35.Qf2+ Kc6 36.Qd4 Qxd4 37.Rxd4 *Another good trade for black *37...Kc5 38.Rd1 Re1 39.Rxe1 Rxe1+ *only up a little, but minimizing is good. *40.Kd2 Rf1 41.Be3+ Kd6 42.Bd3 Ra1 43.Bf4+ Ke6 44.c4 Bg2 45.Kc3 f5 46.c5 Bf1 47.Bc2 Bb5 48.Kd2 Rf1 49.Ke3 Bc6 50.Bd6 f4+ 51.Kd4 Rf2 52.Bd3 Rxb2 53.Bxf4 Rb4+ 54.Ke3 a5 55.Bg3 a4 *White resigns. Would need to pull back forces for long battle trying to avoid the a-pawn from crossing.* 0–1* * * * * *Proof,Michael (2396), USA* *SM Sosa Patino,Carlos (2483), PERU* *ECO [B80]* *PanAm/TC9 Board 3* *2007* *1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 Qc7 8.Qd2 Be7 9.0–0–0 Nc6 10.g4 b5 11.a3 Bb7 12.h4 Ne5 13.Rg1 Rc8 14.g5 Nfd7 15.h5 Nc4 16.Bxc4 Qxc4 17.g6 fxg6 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.Rxg6 Bf6 20.Qg2 Rh7 21.Qg3 Nf8 22.Rg4 b4 23.axb4 Qxb4 24.Nde2 e5 25.Bg5 Bxg5+ 26.Rxg5 Rc7 27.f4 Bxe4 28.fxe5 d5 29.Nxe4 dxe4 30.e6 Rb7 31.b3 Nxe6 32.Re5 Rh6 33.Nf4 Rd7 34.Nd5 Qb5 35.Qg4 Qc6 36.Qxe4 Kd8 37.Kb2 Nc7 38.Qb4 Nxd5 39.Qb8+ Qc8 40.Re8+ Kxe8 41.Qxc8+ Rd8 42.Qg4 Ne7 43.Qxg7 Rdd6 44.Rf1 Kd7 45.Rf8 Rc6 46.Ra8 Rhe6 47.Qf7 Re2 48.Ra7+ Kd6 49.Ka3 Rcxc2 50.Qf6+ Re6 51.Qf4+ Kc6 52.Qd4 Rc3 53.Rxa6+ Kb7 54.Rxe6 Rc7 55.Qb4+ Ka8 56.Rxe7 Ra7+ 57.Kb2 Ra2+ 58.Kc3 Rc2+ 59.Kd3 Rd2+ 60.Qxd2 Kb8 61.Qh2+ 1–0* **************************************** *Game scores are also attached as a ChessBase *.cbv file.* For additional Information contact ICCF-US Titles Officer, Bob Rizzo 516-984-7438 or <[email protected] > |
