Road trip: Kings Island Rd 1

Hey, it's a blog.

I had a casual dinner with Andrew Karklins at the Melrose a week ago Monday, and wound up playing him in Ohio on Friday. A perpetual cheapo salvages my iffy position.

Warm up for the big event at the Illinois Class Championships!

This year's Illinois Class is an affordable one-day event in Lisle.  Have fun, warm up for the Midwest Class Championships, win Tour Points, and support the Illinois Chess Association.  See you there!

A State Championship Event
Sunday, November 24, 2013
2013 Illinois Class Championships
An Illinois Chess Tour Event

4SS: G/60, 5 sec. increment. Location: Hilton Lisle/Naperville; 3003 Corporate West Drive; Lisle, Illinois, 60532; USA TEL: 1-630-505-0900, $89 + tax room rate if reserved by 6pm Nov 15th, mention Illinois Chess Association. 

Six Sections: Master & Expert, Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, U1200. For a fee, you may play up one section, but you must be an E player to play up into the Class D section. November rating supplement determines section eligibility. 

Prizes: Master & Expert (one section): $500-$200-$50. Classes A, B, C, D (four sections): $150-$75-$40 each section. U1200: Trophy-Medal-Medal (no cash prizes, tie breaks apply). Cash prizes based on 90 entries in MX through D sections.

EF: MX through D $40, U1200 $20, plus $5 for non-ICA members, plus $10 after Nov 17th. Play-up fee $20 cash, payable on-site. Free entry to GM, WGM, IM, WIM, FM, WFM FIDE titleholders who list Illinois as their state of residence with the USCF. Contact Tom Sprandel, secretary@il-chess.org, to register.

Registration: On-site 8:30 - 9:30am. Online http://shop.il-chess.org/ (ends 9:00pm, Nov 23rd). Or, mail check, name, USCF#, and phone number to: Class Championships; Illinois Chess Association, Inc.; 150 N Wacker Dr, Ste 3100; Chicago, IL 60606. (Must arrive by Nov 16th.) Round Times: 10:00am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm. 

Other: All special rules, details, and tournament conditions are subject to change without notice and will be posted ASAP at the site or on-line.

$10,000 in prizes at Greater Midwest Class Championships in Rosemont 11/29 to 12/1!

Yes, folks, that's $10,000!

You can choose between three-day and two-day schedules, too.

Details here.

Enter here!

XX1 Chicago Latino Championships in Pilsen on November 30th

Thanks to Hector Hernandez for running the 21st edition of this labor of love!

5SS G/30. Non-rated. Chicago Public Library Lozano Branch, 1805 S. Loomis Street, Chicago, IL 60608. Schedule: Registration is from 9-9:30 am on the day of the event only. Time: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm 5. Rounds: 10:00 am, 11:15 am, 1:00 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:30 pm. Sections: Section I: Open to players 15 years of age and older. Section II: Open to players 14 years of age and younger. Prizes: 10 trophies awarded in each section. Entry fee: Free. For more information: hernande@chipublib.org or (312) 746-4329

All-Grade Championship this November 16th in Bloomington!

Mark Nibellin and the Bloomington-Normal crew always run a great event.  My personal opinion: if your child has USCF tournament experience at any level and is grades K-8, a road trip to the All-Grade is not to be missed!

(For high school students, it's skippable. Again IMO.)

ICA announcement here.

The  Illinois All Grade state championship is coming up on November 16th.  This is one of the two most important events for Illinois’ scholastic players in grades K-12.  

Event Details: Bone Student Center, Illinois State University, 100 N. University St., Normal, IL 61761

Schedule: Arrive by 8:30 Rd 1 begins at 9:00 am.  Subsequent rounds begin a minimum of 15 minutes from the last game completed in each section’s previous round.

Sections: 10 sections by grade, K-8, and 1 combined high school section, 2 if numbers warrant:

K-3: 5 rounds, Swiss system, G/30 

4-5: 5 rounds, Swiss system, G/45

6-12: 4 rounds, Swiss system, G/60

Players must come from the state of Illinois. Top three players count toward team score. No Club Teams. No byes last round. Byes for any single round must be requested before the end of the first round. Only one bye allowed for tournament. All other rules/regulations shall be in accordance to ICA By-laws and the USCF Rulebook.

Awards:

Each grade K-1 and 6-8 10 individual trophies and 3 team trophies.

Each grade 2-5 15 individual trophies and 5 team trophies.

Each grade 9-12 3 individual trophies and 3 team trophies.

Entry Fee and Registration: Online registration at www.bnasc.org or directly at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/8746313459/es2/?rank=1&sid=4a7b7551346311e39e5e123139057c14.  Entry fee $25 if received by Nov. 9, $40 if received after Nov. 9. No registration on site.

Contact info: marknibb@comcast.net cell: 309-532-7815

• Welcome and Overview
• ICA Youth Committee
• Youth News

Learning Chess

• Getting Kids Started
• The Value of Chess
• Progressing in Chess: 

"Anand-Carlsen duel fires up chess fervor in India"

Story in the Tribune.

I'm glad that parents support their chess-playing children, but stuff like this makes me slightly suspicious:

Tamilarasi and her husband, a government official, gave it a shot, even letting their children take time off school to concentrate on chess.

Although chess sets are cheap, travelling to other states for tournaments can cost anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 rupees ($160 to $800).

"We don't plan leisure trips or buy the latest clothing. Instead we direct our money towards the game," said Tamilarasi. "It is a risk but we are hopeful that our plans for our children to become chess champions will click."

Parents will do anything for their children.  Yes, for a middle-class person in India or the USA, spending $800 on the kids' chess isn't crazy.  But when parents prioritize chess over school (and to be fair, I'm not sure Ms. Tamilarasi is doing that: could be an overemphasis by the reporter), then I get suspicious.

Becoming a chess champion is a longshot. Transferring the skills learned in chess (both soft skills and cerebral firepower) happens all the time.

Oh yes, the world championship: games 1 and 2 have been non-events (I got up at 5 a.m. twice this weekend, and was back in bed by 5:30 both days).  ChessBase is one of many free sites with excellent coverage.

Midwest Class results

Yes, I'm still blogging, but I've been doing procrastinators' tax returns for the past couple weeks.  Back in business later this week.

The Midwest Class was rather strong this year!  Check out the results.  Dmitry Gurevich won the top section 4-1, on tiebreaks over his GM colleagues Nikola Mitkov, Yury Shulman, and Swiss Gambiteer Mesgen Amanov.

Midwest Class: date change

In case you didn't get the email...

Dates changed for Midwest Class!

22nd annual

MIDWEST CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Oct 11-13 or 12-13, 2013 (new dates)

WESTIN CHICAGO NORTH SHORE HOTEL, WHEELING, IL 
Luxurious hotel, free parking, $105 special room rates
$20,000 projected prizes, $16,000 minimumINCLUDING NEW MIXED DOUBLES PRIZES: $600-300.
In 7 sections: Master, Expert, Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, Class E

SCHEDULE & TIME CONTROL: 
       3-day schedule: Oct 18-20, 40/110, SD/30, d10.
       2-day schedule: Oct 19-20, rounds 1-2 G/90, d5, then merges with 3-day.
       
EARLY FINISH TIMES: Compared to past years, play will end each day about two hours earlier Sunday, one hour earlier Friday and Saturday.

Angelo Young in Iowa City

Story here.

Department of hmm

As of this afternoon, we've got a whopping total of seventeen preregistrants for the 2013 Illinois Open.  With three grandmasters entered, it's true that your odds of winning the state title are low.  But with generous cash prizes and an incredibly strong field, your chances of having fun and bringing a little money home are high!

Or maybe you're a procrastinator like me?  (I was waiting till payday to enter....)

If you want to save the $3 convenience fee, Tim Just needs to RECEIVE your entry by August 26th.  Enter by mail here (this link is for non-ICA members).

ICA members, enter online here and save $5!  Or get your darn entry in the mail today and save another $3 (less postage): enter here (members only).

Closer to home (2013 Illinois Open!)

2013 ILLINOIS OPEN

The Illinois Chess Association's Premier Championship Event!

Enter now and save!

Face the grandmasters! (Or, if you prefer, your fellow patzers...)

Come join us for affordable fun in Oak Brook, August 31-September 2, 2013

A 2013 Illinois Tour Event

Details and entry at chessforlife.com

DoubleTree Hotel: 1909 Spring Road, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

(630) 472-6020, (630) 472-6000: $95 room rate until 8/16!

Reservations: 866-812-3959, please ask for Illinois Chess Association block rates.

Six rounds

(Three-day) Saturday & Sunday 12 noon and 6 p.m.; Monday 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

(Two-day) Sunday 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m; Monday 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Time controls: (Three-day) Game in 90 minutes plus 30-second increment

Time controls: (Two-day) Game in 45 minutes plus 5-second delay for rounds 1-3, then merges with three-day section

2 Sections - 2 Playing Schedules - Book Dealer - An ICA Tour Event

Plus Score Prizes! - Increment - Discounted EF for ICA members- Scholastic Side Event!

Free Entry to Illinois Grandmasters, International Masters, & FIDE Masters

GM Nikola Mitkov, GM Dmitry Gurevich, GM Mesgen Amanov, IM Angelo Young and FM Albert Chow have already signed up!

Plus Score Prizes!! All players scoring at least 3 1/2 can claim a $20 book store gift certificate!

$7,000 based on 150 paid entries: $$$ increase to maximum as attendance increases.

Can't play all three days? Check out our two-day Busy Person Schedule.

OPEN SECTION PRIZES

• Overall $1,050 - $735 - $525
• Under 2400 $490 - $350 - $245
• Under 2200 $335 - $260
• Under 2000 $245 - $175

RESERVE SECTION PRIZES

Open to all players rated below 1800.

• Overall $700 - $490 - $350
• Under 1600 $280 - $210
• Under 1400 $210- $140
• Under 1200 $140 - $70

Trophies Plus Grand Prix Points: 30

Save money and preregister! $94 by mail (until August 24th) or $94 online (until 6 p.m. August 30th). Note: $20 play-up fee for entrants rated below 1799 who choose to play in the Open Section

ICA members save $5! Preregister for $89.

Register now at chessforlife.com!

Organized by Chess for Life LLC for the Illinois Chess Association.

The Illinois Chess Association is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We are the official Illinois affiliate of the United States Chess Federation. By joining ICA, you support our efforts to promote chess in Illinois and you receive member benefits.

Why Join ICA?

We get email

Hello Bill,

I think we played correspondence chess many years ago?

Enclosed you will find information about an upcoming tournament that the Iowa State Chess Association will be hosting. I ask that you post this at any of your tournaments, club meetings, and show it to players who you think might be interested. If I can be of service and advertise any of your tournaments please send me a flyer.
The Iowa Open Tournament is in its 59th year and my goal to reach more than 150 entrants seems very possible with help from people like you. Historically we have been around 110. This year, like last year, we have added the bonus that it is FIDE rated! We need to set a new record this year!

[...]

The site for the tournament is in an excellent location right off of Interstate 80 (NE side of exit 242). This is 3.5 hours from Chicago, 5 hours from Minneapolis and Kansas City, 4 hours from St. Louis, and 4.5 hours from Omaha and Milwaukee. The hotel has a nice pool and restaurant. Iowa City and Coralville have many things for the family to do including a large mall located only 5 minutes away from the hotel.

International Master Angelo Young and 2011 World Champion 8/U Awonder Liang the 10 year-old sensation (rating 2273) have already committed to play. Come take a shot at beating a World Champion or an IM. It won’t be easy.

Bill Broich and I will be the head TDs for this event. If you or anybody you talk to have questions please do not hesitate to call or email. An answering machine is available when I am not.

A Heritage Event!
Aug. 24-25, GPP: 20 (Enhanced) Iowa
59th Iowa Open Championship (USCF and FIDE Rated). 5-SS, G/90 i30 (Some clocks available) Accelerated pairings may be used in Rounds 1-2. IASCA Super GP Qualifier. Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 300 E 9th St. (I-80, SE side of Exit 242), Coralville, IA 52241. Rds.: 10-2:30-7:30, 9-2. Reg.: 8:30-9:30. Prizes: ($1320 b/55 Top 3 Gtd) 400+T-225-125 U2000, U1800, U1600 125/65 each. EF: $55 pstmked 8/17, $65 on site, IM & GM free EF deducted from any prize, Jrs. & Sr. $10 off, $10 off Out of state residents, IASCA membership reqd ($15 reg, $10 Jr.) or OSA. Bye's available rounds 1-3 if asked prior to start of round. Round 4 or 5 only if requested prior to tournament starting. Tournament Director: Bill Broich. ENT: IASCA, c/o Mark Capron, 3123 Juniper Dr., Iowa City, IA 52245, Ph# 319.321.5435, mcapron243@mchsi.com or broich01@yahoo.com. Hotel: 319-688-4000, $95.00 ask for chess block, reserve before 8/12 to guarantee rate. USCF – August 2013 Rating List will be used for pairing purposes. FIDE rules will be used. Chess Magnet School JGP. Online registration at https://www.onlineregistration.cc/

A State Championship Event!
Aug. 24, 2013 Iowa Reserve Championship
4-SS, G/75 d5. Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 300 E 9th St. (I-80, SE side of Exit 242), Coralville, IA 52241. Open to U1600. Rds.: 10-1-3:45-6:00. Reg.: 8:30-9:30. Prizes: $340 b/25: $140+T-90-60, U1200-$50. EF: $30 pstmkd 8/17, $40 on site, Jrs & Srs $5 off, Out of State $5 off. IASCA membership rqd ($15 Reg, $10 Jr.) or OSA. ENT: IASCA, c/o Mark Capron, 3123 Juniper Dr., Iowa City, IA 52245, Ph# 319.321.5435, mcapron243@mchsi.com. Hotel: 319-688-4000, $95.00 ask for chess block, reserve before 8/12 to guarantee rate. Chess Magnet School JGP. Online registration athttps://www.onlineregistration.cc/

Aug. 24, Rated Beginner Open (RBO)
5-SS, G/30 d5. Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 300 E 9th St. (I-80, SE side of Exit 242), Coralville, IA 52241. Open to U1200 or Unrated. Rds.: 10:30-11:40, lunch, 1:15 then ASAP. Reg.: 8:30-10:00. EF: $15 pstmkd 8/17, $20 on site, Out of State $5 off. Prizes: 1st-5th Trophies, U1000, U800, U600, U400 & UNR 1st & 2nd Place trophies. ENT: IASCA, c/o Mark Capron, 3123 Juniper Dr., Iowa City, IA 52245, Ph# 319.321.5435, mcapron243@mchsi.com. Hotel: 319-688-4000, $95.00 ask for chess block, reserve before 8/12 to guarantee rate. Online registration at https://www.onlineregistration.cc/

A State Championship Event!
Aug. 23, 2013 Iowa Quick Chess Championship
6-SS, G/10 d2. Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 300 E 9th St. (I-80, SE side of Exit 242), Coralville, IA 52241. Rds.: 7:15-7:45-8:15-8:45-9:15-9:45. Reg.: 6-7pm. Prizes: $280 b/25: $100-60, U2000, U1600, U1200 each $40. EF: $15 pstmkd 8/17, $20 on site, Out of State $5 off. IM & GM free EF deducted from any prize. IASCA membership reqd ($15 reg, $10 Jr.) or OSA. ENT: IASCA, c/o Mark Capron, 3123 Juniper Dr., Iowa City, IA 52245, Ph# 319.321.5435, mcapron243@mchsi.com. Hotel: 319-688-4000, $95.00 ask for chess block, reserve before 8/12 to guarantee rate. Online registration at https://www.onlineregistration.cc/


Best Regards,


Mark Capron 

David Peng wins Under 10 Gold at Pan Ams!

Check out Aviv Friedman's article on Chess Life Online.

Photo courtesy Chess Life Online.  

Back row: Jessica Regam, Armen Ambartsoumian, Aviv Friedman, Andranik Matikozyan, Agata Bykhovtsev
Front row: Aasa  Dolammapati, Naomi Bashkansky, Aksithi Eswaran, David Peng, Kevin Cole.

U.S. Open decompression

Back from Madison!  I dropped 42 (!) rating points.  There's some rough justice: I'd been playing poorly & somehow gaining ELO.  At the U.S. Open, I played well enough to have a mediocre event: my opponents did not permit me that luxury.

As for real players: NM Sam Schmakel (right in below picture) was still in contention for the national title in the final round, but lost to IM Mackenzie Molner (left) in yesterday's final round. Schmakel, FM Eric Rosen, and NM William Aramil all finished with 7-2 scores, a full point off the 8-1 score posted by IM Molner, GM Julio Sadorra, and GM Joshua Friedel.


MSA crosstable here.

William Aramil at the U.S. Open

It's really not fair to William and his excellent tournament to show this game: he has five wins and two losses to Grandmasters.

Eric Rosen at the U.S. Open

Eric has six wins and a loss to the tournament leader, GM Aleksandr Lenderman.

Is prosopagnosia related to "amaurosis scacchistica"?

Prosopagnosia (which Keith Ammann taught me how to pronounce) is a fancy word for "face blindness."  This is my third day at the U.S. Open, and it's embarrassing to me to speak to a new friend for ten minutes while desperately trying to remember who that person is.  So when you come to Middleton, Wisconsin, this week to play in the Open (or just to visit), kindly reintroduce yourself as you shake my hand.  It's not you, it's me, and I'll be grateful.

Amaurosis schacchistica is Dr. Tarrasch's tongue-in-cheek term for "chess blindness."  Wikipedia's definition: "the failure of a chess player, during a chess game, to make a normally obvious good move or see a normally obvious danger."  Well, that summarizes my Round 2.  In the position below, I have a clearly winning position, and managed to lose. 

Bill Brock - Mohammedreza Hajiarbabi
White to Play

My good-natured opponent apologetically showed me the move I missed, and a couple others.

But I'm having fun nonetheless. Immediately after drafting this blog entry, International Master John Watson (whose face I recognized!) sat down next to me in the hotel coffeeshop.  We chatted about this position, Daniel Kahneman's Thinking: Fast and Slow, and ways of thinking about chess positions.

Edit: here's the game.

and belated congratulations...

...to GM Yury Shulman for equal first in last weekend's World Open!  Our Downstate friend Nikilish Kumar Kunche had a nice result in the U2400, tying for second.

Extremely unofficial congratulations....

...(unofficial only because MSA hasn't updated yet) to our newest National Master, Michael Auger!

2216!

Greater Chicago Chess Classic - $18,000 in prizes this weekend!

As always, cut and pasted from my inbox...Fred Gruenberg never stints on exclams.

The Greater Midwest Classic 

$18,000 Guaranteed to U2200 players! 

July 5-6-7, 2013 

Hyatt Regency O'Hare $99/room rates 

Register online at http://www.nachess.org/classic 

Simul with Grandmaster Sergey Kudrin! Blitz Tournament! Raffle Prizes! Beginning a new tradition in Chicago and Putting the Fun Back into Chess!

U2200 (FIDE rated): Overall - $1500-1200-1000-700; 1951-2100 - $400-200-100; 1800-1950 - $400-200-100; Biggest Upset - $200

U1800: Overall - $1500-1200-1000-700; Top 1551-1700 - $400-200-100; Top 1400-1550 - $400-200-100; Biggest Upset - $200

U1400: Overall - $1500-1200-1000-700; 1151-1300 - $400-200-100; 1150 and below - $400-200-100; Biggest Upset - $200 6R-SS

Game-90 + 30/sec Fri: 12pm and 5:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am & 3:30pm each day. On-site reg: 9:30-11:30am Fri or 8:30-9:30am Sat. Limit 2 byes. Last rd. bye must commit prior to start of Rd 3.

Side Events: Grandmaster Simul (9am Fri), Blitz Tournament Game-3 + 2/sec increment (8:30pm Sat).

FREE raffle prizes before round 6 with free entry, free room and free airfare to 2014 tournament.

Site: Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, IL 60018. HR: $99/night – call 847-696-1234 and ask for CHESS rate. Reserve by June 1. Discounted parking – only $5. 10 minute walk from CTA Blue Line. FREE hotel shuttle from/to O’Hare airport. Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, less than one mile away. Entries for main event: If postmarked or online by 06/01 $89; $109 online or postmarked by 06/15; $129 thereafter. Re-entry $50. $25 to play up 1 section only; Credit Cards onsite OK. No checks onsite. Mail entries to: North American Chess Association (payable to), 4957 Oakton St., Suite 113, Skokie, IL 60077.

Register online at http://www.nachess.org/classic. Other info: Boards, sets, and clocks provided. None for skittles. Must use organizer provided equipment. Chess store onsite. July rating supplement used. Questions: sevan@nachess.org or 847-423-8626. Organizers: Sevan A. Muradian, Glenn Panner and Fred Gruenberg. Register online: http://www.nachess.org/classic