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Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Kenneth Regan

     Catching Cheaters was an article by IM Kenneth Regan (FIDE rating 2372) that appeared in the June 2014 issue of Chess Life.
     Regan is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Buffalo who, using a database of top-level games, devised a program that can help determine whether a player is playing like a human or like an engine. His papers on the subject are accessible on his homepage HERE
     A member of the Anti-Cheating Committee of the World Chess Federation from 2013-14, he helped write and edit guidelines to prevent cheating in professional chess. He also serves as a consultant to the committee and previously served as an expert witness for, other governing bodies, the French Chess Federation and the Bulgarian Chess Federation. Here is an interesting article he published on cheating.
     Regan (born September 13, 1959) is an IM who, along with IM Mark Ginsburg, was a star of the Princeton chess team. He has been inactive in tournament play internationally for the last ten years. He has played in some local events on occasion, his last USCF rated event being in 2019 where he won a small 3-round tournament in Buffalo, New York,
     When Regan was five years old he persuaded his father to teach him how to play. In 1976, Regan was a member of the US team at the Student Olympiad in Caracas where the US team placed second behind the Soviet Union. The youngest competitor in the event, Regan lost only one game and was the only non-Soviet player to win a gold medal.
     In the mid-1970s he decided not to make a career out of chess because he had too many other interests. For instance, he made elaborate Christmas and Valentine cards which of the kind that had pop-ups in them when opened. He was also interested in writing word palindromes. 
     In his day he was a strong player and probably could have gotten the GM title had he decided to pursue it. A player with an interesting style, he was also fond of Owens' Defense (1...b6). In 1974 he used it to draw Leonid Shamkovich in the US Open. In the 1975 US Open the 14-year old Regan drew with William Lombardy using 1...b6. And, in the1975 American Open, US Champion Walter Browne lost to Regan (rated 2158) in a game in which Regan played 1...b6.  
     Regan played in the 1978 US Championship and although he tied for last (with Kim Commons) with a score of +1 -5 =8, he scored +1 -1 =2 against the top four finishers. His win against GM Leonid Shamkovich (who tied for 3rd with Edmar Mednis) was considered one of the top 30 games in the Informant for the year.

Kenneth Regan - Leonid Shamkovich

Result: 1-0

Site: US Championship, Pasadena

Date: 1978

Sicilian Defense, Alapin Variation

[...] 1.e4 c5 2.♘f3 Next move white transposes into the Alapin Variation (2.c3). At one time the variation was not held in high regard because 2...d5 was thought to allow black easy equality. Today the Alapin is considered to be one of the most solid and respectable Anti-Sicilians. 2...e6 3.c3 ♘f6 4.e5 4.Bd3 transposes into the Kopec System. 4...♘d5 While black often plays this move, it's more usual to see 3...d5 which seems to give black slightly better results than he gets with the text. 5.d4 An interesting try that has brought white some success is 5.Bc4 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 This opening has some overtones of Alekhine's Defense. 6...♘c6 7.♘c3 d6 8.♗d3 dxe5 9.dxe5 ♘xc3 10.bxc3 White's P-formation is offset by his greater space and mobility. 10...♗e7 11.O-O O-O
11...♕c7 12.♕e2 b6 13.♘d4 ♗b7 14.f4 ♘xd4 15.cxd4 O-O 16.f5 exf5 and now with 17.Bxf5 (instead of 17.Rxf5) white could have gotten a dangerous attack. Toufighi,H (2454)-Dao,T (2524)/Kolkata IND 2009
12.♕c2
12.♕e2 ♕a5 13.♗g5 ♗xg5 14.♘xg5 f5 15.♖fe1 ♕xc3 16.♖ac1 is about equal. Pap,M (2493)-Pacal,M (2207)/Senta SRB 2007)
12...g6 13.♗h6 ♖e8 It's hard to say exactly where Shamkovich went wrong, but by this time white has a very promising position and he proceeds with great vigor. 14.h4 An interesting P offer! 14...♗f8 Shamkovich decides not to risk taking the P, but in eliminating the B he creates a dark square weakness around his K.
14...♗xh4 15.♖ad1 ♗d7 16.♕d2 ♗e7 17.♗c2 ♗c8 18.♕f4 ♕c7 White has the makings of a K-side attack, but how should he best proceed? 19.♖d6 is quite interesting! 19...♗xd6 20.exd6 ♕d8 21.♘g5 f6 22.♘e4 and white is winning after, say, 22...♖f8 23.♗xf8 ♕xf8 24.♗a4 ♗d7 25.♕xf6 ♕f7 26.♖d1 ♖f8 27.♕xf7+ ♖xf7 28.♘c5
15.♗xf8 ♖xf8 Technically black's position is strategically lost. 16.h5 Regan's mop up of the Grandmaster is generally quite precise. 16...♕e7 17.♖ae1 ♗d7 18.♖e4 ♖fd8 19.♘h2 gxh5 20.♖e3 ♔h8 21.♕e2 ♕g5 22.f4 ♕g7 23.♖h3 ♘e7 24.♖xh5 ♘f5 25.♖g5 ♕f8 26.♘g4 Notice that all of white's pieces are available for attack while black's B and R on a8 are doing nothing. 26...h6
26...♗c6 doesn't do any good. 27.♗xf5 exf5 28.♘f6+⁠−28...♕h6 29.♖xf5 is winning for white.
27.♘xh6 ♘xh6 28.♕e4 ♘f5 29.♖f3 ♕g7 30.♖h3+ ♔g8 31.♖xg7+ ♔xg7 32.♕xb7 ♖ab8 33.♕xa7 ♘e7 34.f5 The coup de grace! 34...exf5 35.e6 Another nice move. Black resigned.
35.e6 ♘g6 36.♕d4+ ♔f8 37.exd7 ♖b7 38.♗xf5 ♖dxd7 39.♗xd7 ♖b1+ 40.♔f2 ♖b2+ 41.♔e3 ♖b1 42.♖h7 ♔e7 43.♕c5+ ♔xd7 44.♖xf7+ ♔e8 45.♖h7 ♖e1+ 46.♔f2 ♖f1+ 47.♔xf1 ♔d8 48.♕d6+ ♔e8 49.♕b8#
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