Military Chess / 2015 Armed Forces Championship
B
obby Fischer said, “Chess is war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.” Over Columbus Day weekend, Retired Petty Officer First
Class Larry R. Larkins accomplished this mission and won the 56th Armed Forces Championship scoring 4½-½. The first Armed Forces Championship was
held in 1960 and the event continued uninter- rupted through 1993 sponsored by the Depart - ment of Defense (DoD). During these glory years, active duty military members were paid to attend the tournament. Obviously, it drew the best players available and the late IM Emory Tate won the tournament a total of five times. During this time period, Larry Larkins played in the tournament once in the 1980s as a last-minute replacement player. Because DoD was no longer holding the
tournament, the American Chess Foundation (ACF) and the U.S. Chess Center collaborated to hold an open Swiss as a replacement event.
SICILIAN DEFENSE (B31) Larry Larkins (2015) Wesley Loudon (1676)
56th U.S. Armed Forces Open (1), 10.11.2015
Notes by Larkins.
Sometimes not making a big mistake is enough for a win.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. 0-0 Bg7 5. c3 e6 6. Na3 6. d4 can be played but White will have to part
with his bishop for a slight edge due to develop - ment and Black’s light-square bishop difficulty in finding a useful square. 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd4 Qb6 8. Bxc6 bxc6.
6. ... Nge7 7. Re1 0-0 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 a6 10. Bf1 b5 11. Nc2 d6 12. a4 bxa4 13. Rxa4 Bb7 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. Qa1
Because expenses were no longer paid and the event was not official, the tournament was hit or miss in terms of attendance and strength. This format started in 1994 and lasted until 2001 when DoD started funding the tournament again. Since there was no need to continue the Swiss as an Armed Forces Championship, ACF and the U.S. Chess Center ceased holding the event. Not wanting to lose the open Swiss, the military committee of US Chess took over the open Swiss and continues to hold it today. During the second time period of official DoD
tournaments, Larkins was able to play once in San Diego in 2002, which was the year before he retired from a 20-year Navy career. Larkins only played in the funded DoD tournaments twice, but he has enjoyed considerably more success in the US Chess National Armed Forces Championships winning the event a record four times (2015, 2010, 2008, 2007). Retirees were not allowed to play in DoD’s tournaments, but are allowed to play in the US Chess National Armed Forces Championships. In
16. Bd2 Nc8 17. Bc3 Nb6 18. Ra3 d5 19. e5 Bf8 20. Ra2 Ra7 21. h3 Be7
Not sure if the bishop should be here.
22. Qc1 f5 No need for this. White is only slightly better
because of the passive black bishop on b7. 23. exf6 e.p. Bxf6 24. Qf4 24. Ne3 with idea of Ng4 looks better.
24. ... Rf8 25. Qg4 Bc8 26. Ne5 Bxe5 27. dxe5 Qf7 28. Bd4
Both 28. f3 and 28. Qg3 were better. 28. ... Nxd4 29. Qxd4 Rc7
2007, Larkins stopped Cadet David Jacobs who had won the last three years in a row. Larkins served 20 years in the United States
Navy, retiring as a Petty Officer First Class in 2003. His job involved working on sensitive communication encrypting equipment. I asked him about the similarities between chess and his Navy job. While Larry said there may not be a direct correlation, he did recognize overlap. As a communications technician, he was often called upon to solve problems and repair equipment. This type of work often involved recognition of patterns and themes. The other similarity Larkins mentioned was the ability to form a plan in furtherance of an objective. Larkins isn’t sure whether his job made him a better chess player or his chess playing made him a better crypto repairman, but he is sure chess helps develop skills that are very useful in other areas of life. Here are two of his annotated games. In round
one, he methodically builds an advantage against U.S. Military Academy Cadet Wesley Loudon:
increases, but not to a winning advantage. 33. Qxf4 Rxf4 34. Rc2 The winning pin.
34. ... Rff7 35. Nh6+, Black resigned. In his third round, Air Force Staff Sergeant
Kiel Russell gets too ambitious by sacrificing a piece, which is quickly refuted by Larkins.
ALEKHINE’S DEFENSE (B04) Larry Larkins (2015) Kiel Russell (2000)
56th U.S. Armed Forces Open (3), 10.11.2015
Notes by Larkins.
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 c6
Not an “exclam” move, but a good move which keeps White’s advantage minimal.
30. b3 Nd7 31. Ne3 Nc5 32. Ng4
The rook needs protection, but 15. Ra3 or 15. b3 are better options.
15. ... Rfb8 Willing to trade the a-pawn for the b-pawn.
Ok, how do you deal with the threat of 33. Nh6+ or the “positional” 33. Nf6+? 32. ... Qf4 The big mistake. 32. ... Kg7 White’s edge
Definitely unusual. I have no games in my database against this setup.
6. Be2 Bf5 7. 0-0 e6 8. a3 Bd6 9. c4 Ne7 10. Nc3 Ng6
www.uschess.org 39
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