Mike Serovey Loses To Thomas Cook

Here is another old game from 1993. It is against a strong expert. I played the Black side of a Benko Gambit and failed to play the best moves in the opening. I traded a Bishop and Knight for a Rook and pawn which turned out to be an error because I was already down a pawn before this exchange. The bigger problem was that I weakened my Kingside by trading off the Bishop and I put White's Queen on the long diagonal from a1 to h8. I was able to stop White's mate threats but is shattered my pawn structure and led to the loss of two pawns. In the final position I was down two connected passed pawns so I resigned. The entire game, complete with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/ThomasCook-Benko-Gambit-Declined.html. This was Round 1. I lost Round 2, drew Round 3, and I don't have any further rounds in my score book. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Cheapo Class"]
[Site "Florida"]
[Date "1993.06.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Thomas Cook"]
[Black "Mike Serovey"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. d4 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. f3 g6 6. e4 d6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. a4 axb59. Bxb5+ Bd7 10. Nge2 O-O 11. O-O Na6 12. Bg5 Nc7 13. Bc4 Ra7 14. Nc1 Qa8 15. b3Re8 16. Nd3 Nfxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxa1 18. Qxa1 Nxd5 19. exd5 Bf5 20. Bh6 f6 21. Nf2Kf7 22. g4 Bc8 23. Ne4 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Rxa6 25. g5 Qxd5 26. gxf6 Qd4+ 27. Qxd4 cxd428. fxe7 Rxe7 29. Rd1 Rb7 30. Rd3 Ke6 31. Bf4 Kd5 32. Nc3+ Ke6 33. Nb5 Rf7 34.Bg3 Kd7 35. Kf2 Rf6 36. Rxd4 h5 37. Bxd6 Rfxd6 38. Rxd6+ Rxd6 39. Nxd6 Kxd6 40.Ke3 {Black resigned} 1-0

Mike Serovey Loses To Nirio Basallo

Here is an old game played back in 1993. I was playing White against an expert who was only a few rating points away from master. I got my Rook trapped by a Bishop and lost the exchange. I was unable to hold the endgame down material and resigned. The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/Nirio-Basallo-English.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Sunshine State open"]
[Site "Florida"]
[Date "1993.06.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Nirio Basallo"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. d3 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. e4 d6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-ONh5 9. f4 exf4 10. Nxf4 Nxf4 11. Bxf4 Nd4 12. Qd2 c6 13. Rf2 Bg4 14. Raf1 Qe715. Bg5 Qe5 16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. Bxf4 Rad8 18. h3 Bc8 19. Bg5 Rd7 20. Bf6 Bxf6 21.Rxf6 Kg7 22. g4 h6 23. b4 Rdd8 24. a4 Bf5 25. exf5 Kxf6 26. Ne4+ Kg7 27. f6+ Kh728. b5 Rfe8 29. h4 d5 30. cxd5 cxd5 31. Nc3 Re5 32. Rf4 Ne6 33. Rf1 g5 34. hxg5hxg5 35. Rd1 Nf4 36. Bh1 Kg6 37. Kf2 Kxf6 38. d4 Ree8 39. Rd2 Rh8 40. Kg1 Rh441. Bf3 Rh3 42. Rf2 Rg3+ 43. Kf1 Ke6 44. Ne2 Nxe2 45. Rxe2+ Kf6 46. Kf2 Rh3 47.Re5 Rh2+ 48. Kg1 Rd2 49. Rf5+ Kg6 50. Bxd5 Rxd4 51. Bxf7+ Kg7 52. Bh5 Rxa4 53.Rxg5+ Kh7 54. Rf5 Rd2 55. g5 Ra1+ 56. Rf1 Rxf1+ 57. Kxf1 Rd5 58. b6 a5 59. Bf3Rf5 60. Ke2 Rxf3 61. Kxf3 a4 {White resigned} 0-1

Mike Serovey Loses To K. Pascucci

Here is an old game played back in 1992. I had Black and attempted to play the Benko Gambit. White sidestepped this by declining the gambit pawn. I still ended up with a slight lead in development and was doing OK until I started to make a series of mistakes around move 27. My final mistake was one that dropped a Rook due to a Knight fork on my King and Rook and that lead to my resignation. The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/Pascucci-Benko-Gambit-Declined.html. This game was Round 3 and I don't remember how I did in the rest of the tournament. This game's score sheet got separated from the rest of the ones for this tournament and I don't feel like looking through all of my old score books just to find out how I did in this tournament! Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Southern Class Championships"]
[Site "Florida"]
[Date "1992.10.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "K. Pascucci"]
[Black "Mike Serovey"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. c4 b5 4. b3 bxc4 5. bxc4 d6 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. e4 g6 8. Bd3Bg7 9. Bd2 Rb8 10. Rb1 Rxb1 11. Qxb1 Qb6 12. f3 Qxb1+ 13. Nxb1 O-O 14. Bc3 Ba615. Ne2 Nb6 16. Na3 Nfd7 17. Nb5 Bxc3+ 18. Nexc3 Ne5 19. Ke2 Nbxc4 20. Bxc4 Nxc421. Nxa7 Na3+ 22. Ke3 Ra8 23. Nc6 Kf8 24. Kd2 Ke8 25. Nb1 Nc4+ 26. Kc3 Kd7 27.Re1 Ne5 28. Nxe5+ dxe5 29. Nd2 Bc8 30. Ra1 Ra4 31. Nc4 f6 32. Nb6+ {Black resigns} 1-0

Mike Serovey Defeats Bob Magabulos

I found another old game played back in 1985 when I was stationed in Giessen, Germany. I called the opening an odd variation of the Pirc Defense but some may disagree on what to call the opening. I won this game in 17 moves against an 1800 rated player when I was only a 1400 rated player myself. This, I believe, was my first win against an 1800, but not my last. The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/BobMagabulos-Pirc.html. This was from Round one of the tournament and I don't know right now how well I did in the remaining rounds. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Rhine Main November Open"]
[Site "Rhine Main AFB"]
[Date "1985.11.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Bob Magabulos"]
[Black "Mike Serovey"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. b3 a6 7. Bb2 g6 8. e3Bg7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. f4 Qa7 13. Rf3 Bg4 14. Rg3 Bxe2 15.Nxe2 Nh5 16. Bxg7 Nxg3 17. Bxf8 Qxe3# 0-1

Mike Serovey Defeats Nolan J. Denson

Here is one of my games in which I beat a 1900 rated player with White. I played the English Opening and fell victim to a brilliant Knight sacrifice. Unfortunately for Nolan, he got greedy and grabbed a pawn which gave me time to get a Rook back over to the Kingside in order to defend against a mate threat. As a result Nolan was down on material and then got into time trouble. I was still up material when he ran out of time and lost on time forfeit. This was Round 1 of the tournament. I lost rounds 2 and 3 and drew Round 4. This result pulled my rating up a little bit but I didn't score well enough to get a class prize. There was no prize for the biggest upset. I was playing in a game 60 time control which meant that I didn't have to continue to keep score once either player got below 5 minutes remaining on the clock. I stopped keeping score when Nolan got down to about 2 minutes remaining. I have posted the game as far as I kept score and included analysis and diagrams on my website at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/NolanDenson-English.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "SPCC July Tornado"]
[Site "St. Petersburg Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.07.30"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Nolan J. Denson"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 b6 3. d3 Bb7 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 Ne7 6. Bg2 Ng6 7. O-O Nc6 8. Be3 h59. h4 Qc7 10. a3 a6 11. d4 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nce5 13. b3 Ng4 14. Qd2 Bxg2 15. Kxg2Nxh4+ 16. gxh4 Qh2+ 17. Kf3 Qxh4 18. Rh1 Ne5+ 19. Kg2 Qg4+ 20. Kf1 Be7 21. f3Qg6 22. Qc2 f5 23. Bf4 Qf6 24. Bxe5 Qxe5 25. Qd3 Bf6 26. Rd1 g6 27. e4 O-O 28.Nde2 fxe4 29. Qxe4 Qxe4 30. Nxe4 Bb2 31. Kg2 d5 32. cxd5 exd5 33. Rxd5 Bxa3 34.N2g3 Rad8 35. Rhd1 Rxd5 36. Rxd5 h4 37. Nh1 h3+ 38. Kg3 Bb4 39. Rd3 Kg7 40. Kxh3Rf5 41. Kg4 Be7 42. Nhg3 Rb5 43. Ne2 {And White eventually won on time forfeit.} 1-0

Mike Serovey Loses to Jerome Lindsey

Here is a game that I played back in 1985 when I was stationed in Giessen, Germany. The game was played at the air force base in Frankfurt. In that tournament I lost the first 3 rounds and finally won Round 4. I don't show a Round 5 in my notebook, but I thought that these tournaments went 5 rounds back then. Anyway, the complete game with analysis and diagrams can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/Lindsey1.html. This was my first loss to Jerome Lindsey and the very first time that I had played the Milner-Berry Gambit in a regular OTB tournament. My second loss to Jerome can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/Lindsey2.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Rhine Main August Open"]
[Site "Rhine Main Air Force Base"]
[Date "1986.08.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Jerome Lindsey"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 d5 2. e5 e6 3. d4 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 Bd7 7. O-O cxd4 8. cxd4Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. Nc3 Qxe5 11. Re1 Qb8 12. Nxd5 Bd6 13. Qg4 g6 14. Qg5 Qd815. Qxd8+ Rxd8 16. Bg5 Rc8 17. Rad1 Bc6 18. Nf6+ Nxf6 19. Bxf6 O-O 20. Bg5 Bb421. Re2 Bd5 22. a3 Bb3 23. Rc1 Rxc1+ 24. Bxc1 Rd8 25. axb4 Rxd3 26. Kf1 Rd1+ 27.Re1 Bc4+ {White resigned} 0-1

Mike Serovey Defeats Clifford Story

I found an old correspondence chess game played back in 1976. This game was the first time that I had played the Milner-Berry Gambit and was part of the Golden Knights Postal Championships for 1976. I don't remember how well I scored in that postal tournament, but I did manage to win this game. At the point where my opponent resigned I was down 3 pawns! I believed in my attack and kept the pressure up even though I was down material. The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/Clifford-Story-French.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "1976 Golden Knights Postal"]
[Site "Correspondence Game"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Clifford Story"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-ONxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. Nc3 Bb4 11. Nb5 Qxe5 12. Qf3 Bd6 13. g3 Bxb5 14. Bxb5+ Ke715. Bf4 Qxb2 16. Bxd6+ Kxd6 17. Rfb1 Qd4 18. Rd1 Qb6 19. Rab1 a6 20. Ba4 Qa5 21.Qa3+ Ke5 22. Re1+ Kf6 23. Qf3+ {Black Resigns} 1-0

Mike Serovey Loses to arrache playing the Benoni Defense

Here is one of my games played at ICC. I missed winning a passed pawn and then had to sacrifice my Knight to keep that pawn from queening. I made several minor errors after that that gave White small advantages and finally walked into a Knight fork on my King and remaining Bishop. It was at that point that I resigned. The entire game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/arrache-Benoni.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "ICC 15 12"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.02.03"]
[Round "-"]
[White "arrache"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1503"]
[BlackElo "1535"]
[Opening "Benoni defense"]
[ECO "A56"]
[NIC "OI.06"]
[Time "20:00:32"]
[TimeControl "900+12"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. e3 g6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. exd4 Bg7 6. Nf3 d5 7. c5 O-O 8.Be2 e6 9. O-O b6 10. b4 a5 11. Ba3 axb4 12. Bxb4 Re8 13. Nb5 Nc6 14. a3 Nxb415. axb4 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 bxc5 17. bxc5 Ne4 18. Bd3 Bd7 19. Qb1 Qb8 20. Na3 Nc321. Qxb8 Rxb8 22. Nc2 Rb1 23. Rxb1 Nxb1 24. Nb4 Nc3 25. c6 Bc8 26. Ba6 Bxa627. Nxa6 Nb5 28. c7 Nxc7 29. Nxc7 h6 30. Kf1 Kf8 31. Ke2 Ke7 32. Kd3 Kd7 33.Nb5 f6 34. Nc3 Kc6 35. Nd2 e5 36. dxe5 fxe5 37. f3 Kc5 38. h3 d4 39. Nce4+Kd5 40. Nc4 Bh8 41. Ncd2 Bg7 42. Nf1 Bh8 43. Nfg3 Bg7 44. Ne2 Bh8 45. f4 Bg746. fxe5 Bxe5 47. Ng1 g5 48. Nf3 Bg7 49. g4 Bh8 50. Ned2 Bg7 51. Nb3 Bf6 52.Nbxd4 Bg7 53. Nf5 Bf8 54. N3d4 Ke5 55. Ke3 Kf6 56. Kf3 Kg6 57. Ke4 h5 58.Ne6 Ba3 59. Kf3 hxg4+ 60. hxg4 Kf6 61. Ned4 Bc1 62. Ne2 Bd2 63. Neg3 Ke5 64.Ne4 Bf4 65. Nf2 Bc1 66. Nd3+ {Black resigns} 1-0

Mike Serovey Defeats JimGaming Again

I finished my second game with JimGaming about a week ago and am now publishing it with my analysis. My opponent went over on the time limit in this game too and got off with a warning. I almost offered a draw but realized that I could win this game. If this had been a regular OTB game it may have ended in a draw. Fortunately, I was able to analyze this game by moving the pieces around on the board until I found something that worked to my advantage! The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/JimGaming-Sicilian.html. This completes all of my correspondence games at ICC. I am waiting for pairings in the next correspondence tournament. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2006Quad.30.11"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2006.08.05"]
[Round "-"]
[White "JimGaming"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White resigns"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Nimzovich-Rossolimo attack (without ...d6)"]
[ECO "B30"]
[NIC "SI.31"]
[Time "21:08:44"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. b3 a6 6. Bxc6 Nxc6 7. Bb2 f6 8.d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Be7 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh4 Bg7 14. e5O-O 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 Rxf6 18. Nd2 d5 19. c4 c5 20. cxd5exd5 21. f3 Bf5 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Rfe1 Re6 24. g4 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bd3 26. Re5c4 27. bxc4 dxc4 28. Re1 c3 29. Nb3 c2 30. Nc1 Bb5 31. Kf2 Rd8 32. h4 h6 33.Ke3 Rd1 34. Kf2 a5 35. Rg1 Kf7 36. Re1 a4 37. g5 hxg5 38. hxg5 Rxe1 39. Kxe1Ke6 40. Kd2 Kf5 41. Kxc2 Kxg5 42. Kc3 Kf4 43. Nd3+ Bxd3 44. Kxd3 Kxf3 45.Kc4 g5 {White resigns} 0-1

Mike Serovey Defeats JimGaming

I have played several correspondence games at ICC. This is one of my two games against JimGaming. The other game is still in progress. My opponent has exceeded the initial time control in both of my games against him and got off with warnings both times! To me, that is cheating! Anyway, he exceeded the time control a second time in this game and I was thus awarded a win on time forfeit. (The game was adjudicated in my favor.) The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/JimGaming-Benkos-Opening.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2006Quad.30.12"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2006.08.05"]
[Round "-"]
[White "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Black "JimGaming"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "White declared winner by adjudication"]
[Opening "Benko's opening"]
[ECO "A00"]
[NIC "VO.09"]
[Time "21:08:44"]
1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. b3 Bg4 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. O-O e5 7. d3 Be7 8.Ba3 O-O 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nbd2 h6 11. h3 Bh5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. g4 Nxg4 14.hxg4 Bxg4 15. Nh2 Be6 16. e4 d4 17. f4 f5 18. Nc4 fxe4 19. Nxe5 Nxe5 20.fxe5 e3 21. Rxf8+ Rxf8 22. Nf3 Bd5 23. Qe2 Qa3 24. Rf1 Qb4 25. Qb2 Bxf3 26.Rxf3 Rxf3 27. Bxf3 Qe1+ 28. Kg2 Qd2+ 29. Qxd2 exd2 30. Kf2 g5 31. Ke2 d1=Q+32. Kxd1 b6 33. Ke2 {White declared winner by adjudication} 1-0

Mike Serovey Loses To Bob Isaacs

Here is an old game in which I lost to an expert. I played the English Opening and transposed into a Benko Gambit Reversed. I failed to get any advantage in that game and succumbed to a kingside attack. The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/BobIsaacs-English.html. Here is the game in PGN:

[Event "Lakeland Open"]
[Site "Lakeland, FL"]
[Date "1994.09.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Bob Isaacs"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. O-O d4 6. d3 e5 7. a3 Qc7 8. b4 cxb4 9. Nbd2 bxa3 10. Bxa3 Bxa3 11. Rxa3 O-O 12. Qc2 Rb8 13. Rfa1 b6 14. Ng5 a6 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 f5 17. Bd5+ Kh8 18. Qa4 Bb7 19. Nb3 h6 20. Rc1 Rf6 21. Raa1 Rbf8 22. c5 b5 23. Qa3 Ne7 24. Bxb7 Qxb7 25. Na5Qc7 26. Rc2 f4 27. gxf4 Rxf4 28. e3 Rg4+ 29. Kh1 Nd5 30. exd4 Qf7 31. Nc6 Qf3# 0-1

Mike Serovey Draws Mikel Peterson, A Chess Master!

Here is the other game in which I drew a master in tournament play. I haven't been able to draw a master since then, but I haven't played that many masters either! This is a rather long game because the master didn't want to give up a draw to someone rated about 600 points below him! The complete game, with analysis and diagrams can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/MikelPeterson-English.html. I am rather proud of the fact that my opponent was never up by more than a pawn the entire game! Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Lakeland Open"]
[Site "Lakeland, FL"]
[Date "1994.10.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Mikel Peterson"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Bg2 g6 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 Nc6 9. a3 e5 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bd2 Be6 12. Qc2 Nd4 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Na4 Bd5 15. Nxb6 cxb6 16. Rac1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd5+ 18. f3 Rae8 19. Rf2 Re6 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Rxc4 Rfe8 22. Kf1 f5 23. Bb4 Rc6 24. b3 Rec8 25. a4 a6 26. f4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Rxc6 Rxc6 29. Ke1 Bf8 30. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. Kd2 Rc3 32. b4 Rb3 33. e4 dxe3+ 34. Kxe3 Rxb4 35. Rc2 Rb1 36. Rc8+ Ke7 37. Rc7+ Kd6 38. Rxb7 b4 39. Rxh7 b3 40. Rb7 Kd5 41. h3 b2 42. Kd2 Rh1 43. Rxb2 Rxh3 44. Rb6 Rxg3 45. Rf6 Kd4 46. Rd6+ Kc5 47. Rf6 Kd4 48. Ke2 Kc5 49. Kd2 Rg2+ 50. Ke3 Kd5 51. Ra6 Rg3+ 52. Ke2 Kd4 53. Rd6+ Kc3 54. Rc6+ Kd4 55. Rd6+ Kc5 56. Rf6 Rg4 57. Ke3 Kd5 58. Rf8 Ke6 59. Re8+ Kd7 60. Re5 Kd6 61. d4 Rg3+ 62. Ke2 Ra3 63. Rb5 Kc6 64. Rc5+ Kd6 65. Re5 Rg3 66. Ra5 Ke6 67. Re5+ Kf6 68. Ra5 g5 69. fxg5+ Kxg5 70. d5 Kf6 71. d6 Rg7 72. Rd5 Ke6 73. Ra5 Rf7 74. Ra6 Rd7 75. Kf3 Rxd6 76. Ra8 Rd4 {Draw agreed} 1/2-1/2

Chess Tournament Result English Opening

Mike Serovey Draws Arno Nolting, A Chess Master!

I found an old game played back in February 1992. This is one of two games in which I managed to draw a master in tournament play. In both games I had White. The entire game, with analysis and diagrams, is at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/ArnoNolting-English.html. A few months after this game was played I was at another tournament with USCF Life Master Tom Stiers and Tom asked Arno how it was that he managed to draw a 1600. Anro was rated over 2300 at that time. Arno responded that he didn't know. It just happened. In Round Two of this tournament I played another master and lost in 23 moves. In Round Three I played an unrated player and won. In Round Four I played another 1600 and lost. My opponent played the Bird's Opening in that game and I didn't know how to play against it then. It appears that tournament only had four rounds.

Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Orlando Tornado"]
[Site "Orlando, FL"]
[Date "1992.02.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Mike Serovey"]
[Black "Arno Nolting"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Rb1 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Rb5 b6 11. d4 Ba6 12. Rb1 Rc8 13. Be3 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Na5 15. Re1 Rxc3 16. Nb5 Bxb5 17. Rxb5 Qxd1 18. Rxd1 Rc2 19. Rd7 Rxe2 20. Rxa7 Nc4 21. Rxe7 Bd4 22. Rb3 Re1+ 23. Bf1 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Nd2 25. Rb2 Nxf1 26. Kf2 Rxe3 27. Rxe3 Nxe3 28. Kxe3 Rb8 29. a4 Kf8 30. Kd4 Ke7 31. Kd5 Ra8 32. Rb4 Kd7 33. Rxb6 Ra5+ 34. Rb5 Rxa4 35. Rb7+ Ke8 36. Kd6 Kf8 37. Ke5 Ra2 38. h4 Rf2 39. Rb8+ Kg7 40. Rb3 h5 41. Ke4 Kh6 42. Ke3 Rf5 43. Rb6 f6 44. Rc6 g5 45. hxg5+ Kxg5 46. Rc4 Rf1 47. Ke2 Rf5 48. Rd4 Re5+ 49. Kf3 f5 50. Rd8 Re4 51. Rg8+ Kf6 52. Rh8 Kg6 53. Rg8+ Kh7 54. Rg5 Rg4 55. Rxf5 Kg6 56. Ra5 Rb4 57. Rc5 Ra4 58. Rb5 {Draw Agreed} 1/2-1/2

Chess Tournament Result English Opening

Mike Serovey Defeats Silent Knight

I recently reached one of my chess goals for this year. I have an established rating at Stan's Net Chess, but I still have several points to go until I get that rating over 2200. If I gain 10 rating points per win, then I need 6 wins and no losses or draws to reach that goal. I started two games at Stan's Net Chess last month and recently finished both. Here is the second game that I finished. It is against a player that uses the nickname of Silent Knight. I don't know his real name, but I do know that he is from New Zealand. I have posted the entire game, with analysis and diagrams, at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/SilentKnight-QueensGambitDeclined.html. Here is the game in PGN.

[Event "Game 376824"]
[Site "Stan's NetChess"]
[Date "2006.12.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Silent Knight"]
[Black "mserovey"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. c5 c6 4. b4 Nf6 5. e3 Be7 6. a4 O-O 7. a5 a6 8. Nc3 Nbd7 9. Bd3 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Bc2 Bg4 12. f3 Bh5 13. Bb2 Nfd7 14. Nh3 Nc4 15. Bc1 Bg5 16. Nxg5 Qxg5 17. O-O Qf6 18. g4 Qxc3 19. gxh5 Qxa1 20. Qd3 g6 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. f4 Rae8 23. h4 Qg7 24. Rf2 Nde5 25. fxe5 Rxf2 26. Kxf2 Qxe5 27. Qe2 Qh2+ 28. Ke1 Qxh4+ 29. Qf2 Qh1+ 30. Qf1 Qxf1+ 31. Kxf1 Nxe3+ 32. Bxe3 Rxe3 0-1

Queens Gambit Declined

Mike Serovey Defeats TheMissingPawn

Here is a game that I played at Stan's Net Chess. I played the Black side of a Closed Sicilian that got opened up a few moves later. The complete game, with analysis and diagrams, is found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/TheMissingPawn-Siclian.html. Here is the game isn PGN.

[Event "Game 376528"]
[Site "Stan's NetChess"]
[Date "2006.12.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "TheMissingPawn"]
[Black "mserovey"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Be3 d6 4. f4 g6 5. c3 Bg7 6. Nf3 e5 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bg4 9. Qb3 Bxf3 10. gxf3 exd4 11. Qxb7 Nge7 12. Bb5 Qc8 13. Bxc6+ Qxc6 14. Qxc6+ Nxc6 15. Bd2 Rb8 16. a3 Rxb2 17. O-O Kd7 18. Rf2 Rhb8 19. Rf1 R8b3 20. a4 d3 21. Be3 Re2 22. Nd2 Rb4 23. Rae1 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Rxa4 25. Rb1 Ra1 26. Rxa1 Bxa1 27. Nb3 Bc3 28. Kf2 a5 29. Nc1 d2 {White resigns} 0-1

Sicilian Defense

Mike Serovey Defeats yacboski Playing the Black Side of the English Bremen

Here is a game that I played online at ICC back in December of 2005. I have played the White side of the English Bremen for over ten years. This is one of the rare times that I have played the Black side of that opening. The game is posted in PGN below. The complete game, with diagrams and analysis, is on my chess site at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/yacboski-English.html.

[Event "ICC 15 5"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.12.22"]
[Round "-"]
[White "yacboski"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1457"]
[BlackElo "1544"]
[Opening "English: Bremen system, Keres variation"]
[ECO "A23"]
[NIC "EO.12"]
[Time "21:41:27"]
[TimeControl "900+5"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Bg2 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. O-O e4 7. Nd4 d5 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. e3 O-O 10. a3 Nc6 11. b4 Nxd4 12. exd4 Qb6 13. Ne2 Bg4 14. Bb2 Nd7 15. h3 Be6 16. Rc1 Rac8 17. Qa4 Nf6 18. Nf4 Bd7 19. Qb3 Bc6 20. Rc2 a6 21. Rfc1 g5 22. Ne2 Bd7 23. g4 Rxc2 24. Rxc2 Rc8 25. Rc5 Rxc5 26. dxc5 Qb5 27. Nd4 Qa4 28. c6 Qxb3 29. cxb7 Qxb2 30. b8=Q+ Be8 31. Nc6 Qc1+ {White resigns} 0-1

English Opening

My Win Against yacc Playing the White Side of the French Defense

From time to time I play against chess playing programs at ICC. One of these programs is called yacc. I have played several games against yacc and usually win. Posted below is the PGN for my latest win against yacc. The entire game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/Yacc-FrenchDefense.html.

[Event "ICC 20 20"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2006.12.24"]
[Round "-"]
[White "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Black "yacc"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black checkmated"]
[WhiteElo "1520"]
[BlackElo "1502"]
[Opening "French: advance, Euwe variation"]
[ECO "C02"]
[NIC "FR.03"]
[Time "22:21:40"]
[TimeControl "1200+20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 4. c3 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nb4 8. O-O Nxd3 9. Qxd3 Bb4 10. a3 Be7 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. Bd2 Qb6 13. b4 Rc4 14. Rfc1 f6 15. Be3 Kf7 16. Nd2 Rc7 17. Na2 Bb5 18. Qb3 fxe5 19. dxe5 Rxc1+ 20. Rxc1 d4 21. Bf4 d3 22. a4 Ba6 23. b5 Bh4 24. Be3 Qa5 25. bxa6 Qxa6 26. Nb4 Qa5 27. Nxd3 b6 28. Qb4 Qxb4 29. Nxb4 Be7 30. Nc6 a6 31. Bxb6 Ba3 32. Rc3 Bb2 33. Rd3 Ne7 34. Rd7 Re8 35. Bc5 Bc3 36. Nc4 Kg6 37. Nxe7+ Kh5 38. Ra7 Rb8 39. Nb6 Bxe5 40. Nc6 Bd6 41. Nxb8 Bxc5 42. Rxa6 Kg4 43. N6d7 Bd4 44. Rxe6 Kf5 45. Re8 Kf4 46. a5 Ba7 47. Nc6 Bxf2+ 48. Kxf2 h5 49. a6 g5 50. a7 Kf5 51. a8=Q Kg4 52. Qa4+ Kf5 53. Qe4# {Black checkmated} 1-0

French Defense

My Chess Goals For 2007

I just reviewed my chess goals for 2006. It looks like I missed every single one of them! I don't think that I played a single game at Stan's Net Chess all year, so I missed my goals of getting an established rating over 2200.

If I remember right, I only played 2 USCF rated tournaments all year and didn't do very well in those. As a result my USCF OTB rating dropped to 1500. It cannot go below 1500 unless the USCF changes its policy on ratings floors. Otherwise, it would have dropped below 1500 as a result of my last tournament. I lost every game that I played! I didn't play any Quick Chess, Blitz, or USCF rated Correspondence tournaments at all in 2006. I missed my goals of getting my USCF Standard rating over 1600 and winning an Under 1600 prize.

I did play several games at ICC and posted many of those games at my site located at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com. My Standard rating at ICC bounced around in the lower 1500 range and never go anywhere near 1600! I don't remember playing any Blitz or 5 Minute games at ICC this year. My current Standard Rating at ICC is 1520. Here are my statistics at ICC so far:

Statistics for OnGoldenPawn

rating [need] win loss draw total best
Blitz 1394 [8] 14 28 6 48 1441 (13-Mar-2005)
Standard 1520 [4] 60 73 18 151 1674 (03-Jul-2004)
5-minute 851 [8] 1 2 0 3
Correspondence 1551 5 7 2 14

I still have 2 correspondence games going at ICC. Both games are against an opponent who has already gone over the time control and been warned about it. If he exceeds the new, extremely generous, time control in either game I can claim a time forfeit in that game. So far, he is staying within the new time control. So, my goal it to win both of those games if I can.

I did request to be entered into several correspondence events at ICC even though I am irritated that they allow people to violate the time controls and get off with a warning. I need to practice as much as I can in order to improve my chess play. Also, I can learn and practice new openings by using them in correspondence games. When all is said and done, I may have up to 20 correspondence games going on simultaneously. That should give me plenty of practice!

I have some money coming to me from the VA. I got an increase in my service-connected rating with 3 years back pay. I'm not sure when I will actually get the money nor do I know exactly how much I am getting. Even so, I did an estimate and plan to use some of that money to play in a big money tournament in or near Orlando. So, I still have a goal of winning an Under 1600 prize or section and then bringing my USCF Standard rating back over 1600. Eventually, I plan to get my rating back over 1700, but it probably won't happen before the end of 2007.

My sleep cycle is still messed up and I tend to be up late and to sleep in late. That could cause some serious problems with early morning rounds! My plan is to take a 1/2 point bye in the morning rounds, if allowed, and to play in the later rounds. That would make winning the section outright difficult, but second or third place would still be possible if I win all of the games that I actually play in. That should help some with the fatigue problem that I have had in the past.

So, to summarize, my goals for 2007 are to bring my USCF Standard rating up to over 1600, to bring my ICC Standard rating up to over 1600, to get my ICC Correspondence rating up to over 1600, to win some Under 1600 prizes in both ICC and USCF play, and to rejoin Stan's Net Chess and then get an established rating over 2200. I also plan to play in at least one Orlando tournament, which should be for big money.

Chess Goals

Mike Serovey Defeats Phil Curtis With The English Opening

Posted below is the PGN format notation of my game at ICC against Phil Curtis. This game ended up being an English Opening against a Sicilian Defense. I was able to get a passed pawn in the Center and an attack on the f file against a Knight on f6. I then went up the exchange again and was up a Rook instead of just a Knight. Black continued to make errors and finally resigned when I captured his last Rook and queened a pawn at the same time. The entire game, with analysis and diagrams, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/PhilCurtis-Siclian.html.

[Event "ICC 35 10"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2006.12.03"]
[Round "-"]
[White "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Black "PhilCurtis"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1511"]
[BlackElo "1508"]
[Opening "Sicilian defense"]
[ECO "B20"]
[NIC "SI.48"]
[Time "00:10:14"]
[TimeControl "2100+10"]

1. e4 c5 2. c4 d6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Ne2 Nf6 5. g3 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbc3 Bd7 9. h3 a6 10. Be3 Qb6 11. Rb1 Rfe8 12. f4 e6 13. g4 Kh8 14. d4 e5 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. d5 Nd4 17. Bg5 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Rad8 19. Qf3 Rf8 20. Bxf6 Kg8 21. Bxd8 Qxd8 22. Qe3 b6 23. b4 Qh4 24. bxc5 Bh6 25. Qf2 Qxf2+ 26. Rxf2 Be3 27. cxb6 Bxf2+ 28. Kxf2 Rb8 29. a4 Kf8 30. a5 Ke7 31. c5 h6 32. c6 Be8 33. Bf1 Kd6 34. Bxa6 Ra8 35. b7 Kc7 36. bxa8=Q {Black resigns} 1-0

Sicilian Defense

Mike Serovey Loses to fhunfi

Every month ICC has a standard tournament that is played on Tuesday nights. For this month Round 1 was played on December 5. I got paired against fhunfi (Chien Ming) and played the Black side of an English Opening. The game actually looked more like a Maroczy Bind versus a Sicilian Dragon. I made an error that caused me to lose my Queenside pawns and thus resigned. I forgot to show up for Round 2 until it was too late and thus forfeited that round. I then withdrew from the tournament. The game from Round 1 is quoted below in PGN format. The game, with diagrams and analysis, can be found at http://www.mikeseroveyonchess.com/fhunfi-English.html.

[Event "ICC 60 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2006.12.05"]
[Round "-"]
[White "fhunfi"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1969"]
[BlackElo "1522"]
[Opening "English: symmetrical, Benoni formation"]
[ECO "A31"]
[NIC "OI.06"]
[Time "23:14:49"]
[TimeControl "3600+0"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 g6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. e4 d6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nc2 Bd7 10. Be3 a6 11. f3 Rb8 12. Qd2 Qa5 13. Rab1 Rfc8 14. b4 Qd8 15. Rfd1 Ne5 16. c5 dxc5 17. bxc5 Be6 18. Qxd8+ Rxd8 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Rxb7 {Black resigns} 1-0

Chess Tournament Results English Opening