Evanston Chess $5 tournament this Saturday, such a deal

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:

November 2, 2013, 9:00am-5:00pm

Tri-Level, 4SS G/40 delay 5

Three Sections, USCF Dual Rated

Our guest master will be FM Kevin Bachler

Section Gold: 1700 and over

Section Silver: 1200 - 1699

Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold. 
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver. 
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility. 
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.

Please pre-register if you plan to attend.

Our space is limited and we will cap attendance at 52 players. Priority will be given to players who pre-register by email to enter@evanstonchess.org before 7 p.m. on November 1 and arrive at the tournament before 9:20 a.m. on November 2. Thanks for your understanding and support.

From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Four rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/40 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 am. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. Lunch Break: We will allow time for a lunch break if the schedule at the center permits. Round times will be posted after round 1 begins. As always, we will order in pizza from Sarpinos for those who would rather not go out for lunch. $5 gets you a minimum of two slices (specify pepperoni or cheese) and one can of pop (Coke, Diet Coke, Orange, Rootbeer, Sprite, Iced Tea).

You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

The best chess deal in town....$5 at Evanston Chess this Saturday

OK, slightly outside of town...another email cut-and-paste.  I will only be there in spirit.

Levy Senior Center

300 Dodge Ave. 

Evanston, IL 60202 

Evanston Chess Presents: 

Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, 9:00am-5:00pm 

 Three x Three

3SS G/65 delay 5 

 Three Sections, USCF Regular Rated
 Our guest master will be NM Mariano Acosta Section

Gold: 1700 and over Section
Silver: 1200 - 1699 Section
Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold. 1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility. Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion. 

From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Three rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/65 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm.

Lunch Break: We may need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so we cannot count on extra time between rounds for lunch. We will schedule a lunch break if the center will be open late. You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free. Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time, and save yourself a spot (we're limited to 52 players). Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Food! As always, we will order in pizza from Sarpinos for those who would rather not go out for lunch. $5 gets you a minimum of two slices (specify pepperoni or cheese) and one can of pop (Coke, Diet Coke, Orange, Rootbeer, Sprite, Iced Tea).

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event. Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking. 

An argument for the fianchetto Grünfeld...

...is that some strong amateurs don't know about moves like 7...Nb6! It's annoying for the horsie on d5 not to have a buddy on c3 to trade lives with, and Black has to worry about White grabbing the center with tempo.

Incidentally, please let us know what you think of the various versions of this viewer.

A semi-correct game

Black mishandled the opening slightly, and White returned the favor with the slightly inaccurate 15.g4?!, which allowed the equalizing 15...Qc7, capitalizing on the weakening of the dark squares.  Otherwise, yawn.

4.Qc2 is an idea worth checking out: lots of strong players use it on occasion.  Sam impressed me in the postmortem with a couple variations that he assessed far more deeply and correctly than I.  Yes, masters have better instincts than we do, but they also analyze more variations more correctly than we do.

Agony column, installment 357

I think it was Raymond Floyd who once wrote an article for Sports Illustrated titled something like, "How Can a Pro Miss an Eighteen-Inch Putt?" I'm certainly no pro at chess, but I'd like to think I'm expert enough not to lose a bishop vs. knight ending when I have the bishop and I'm up two clean pawns with zero compensation.  Reality and "what I'd like to think" are two different things...

(The attentive reader may recall that I was the recipient of a similar gift in the final round of Kings Island 2012: the "equalizing injustice of chess" is a useful fantasy to maintain at times like these....)  I tried to squeeze my opponent in a dead equal position when we were both playing on delay, and received the loss I richly deserved.  Stubborn defense is often rewarded against careless play!

A streak of my own

My streak is even more impressive than Frederick Rhine's: I have just played 152 consective tournaments in which I have made at least one move worthy to be made by an absolute patzer.  (Sometimes these moves come by the dozen, but let's not talk about that.)

I have learned not to beat myself up too much over my very bad moves: the trick is to mix self-criticism with self-praise for the occasional good move. And sometimes the most creative player is not the player who wins: the following game is a great example.

The Black rook often "belongs" on a7 in the Chebanenko Slav (...typified by an early ...a6), including the Exchange Chebanenko.  If White can put a piece on b6, the Ra7 may feel a little silly.

This week, I'll post all the games from my last two tournaments.  Hey, it's a blog.

Evanston Chess - game/40 event this Saturday 7/13

Only $5!  (Free to masters & experts: truly the best deal in town....)  

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:
July 13, 2013, 9:00am-5:00pm
Tri-Level, 4SS G/40 delay 5
Three Sections, USCF Dual Rated
Our guest master will be NM Sam Schmakel
Section Gold: 1700 and over
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.

Please pre-register if you plan to attend.

Our space is limited and we will cap attendance at 56 players. Priority will be given to players who pre-register by email to enter@evanstonchess.org before 7 p.m. on July 12 and arrive at the tournament before 9:20 a.m. on July 13. Thanks for your understanding and support.
 
From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Four rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/40 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. No Lunch Break: We need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so there will be no extra time between rounds for lunch.

You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.
Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time. Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

Evanston Chess $5 tournament on Saturday, May 4

As always, it's the best deal in metro Chicago. FM Albert Chow will be the guest master.

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:

May 4, 2013, 9:00am-5:00pm

Three x Three, 3SS G/65 delay 5

Three Sections, USCF Regular Rated

Our guest master will be 

FM Albert Chow

Section Gold: 1700 and over

Section Silver: 1200 - 1699

Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.

From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Three rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/65 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. Lunch Break: We may need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so we cannot count on extra time between rounds for lunch.

You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.

Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time. Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Food! As always, we will order in pizza from Sarpinos for those who would rather not go out for lunch. $5 gets you a minimum of two slices (specify pepperoni or cheese) and one can of pop (Coke, Diet Coke, Orange, Rootbeer, Sprite, Iced Tea).

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

60 players at Saturday's Evanston Tri-Level

Well, it is the best chess deal in the country.

On Saturday, NM Ken Wallach won the Gold section of the March 2013 Tri-Level 3½-½, ahead of NM Greg Bungo, Vytas Vitkauskas, and Eric Paniagua, all on 3-1.  Guest master NM Frederick Rhine (don't believe the rating: that's a USCF error) had a winning position against Jiri Kabelac in Round 2, but blundered in time pressure and lost. Rhine was lucky to salvage a draw in the last round against Paniagua, who had an impressive tournament, drawing both masters and beating his other two opponents.

Rahul Dhiman won the Silver section 4-0, ahead of Seth Kushinsky, Xander Nicolson, and Edward Zhang with 3 points.

Conrad Zborowski won the Bronze section 4-0; Clifford Adams, Mariel Rancel, Nicholas Johnson, and Matthew De Mario all tied for second with 3-1.

Crosstable here.

Maret Thorpe organized and directed for Evanston Chess.

Don't forget: $5 Evanston tourney tomorrow!

Details here. 

Co-blogger NM Frederick Rhine puts his non-floored 2201 rating on the line.  He may be rusty, but I wouldn't bet against him.

Evanston Chess $5 Swiss on Saturday, March 2

Hot off the email press, another edition of the best deal in Chicagoland.

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:
March 2, 2013, 9:00am-5:00pm
Tri-Level, 4SS G/40 delay 5

Three Sections, USCF Dual Rated
Our guest master will be NM Frederick Rhine

Section Gold: 1700 and over
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.

Please pre-register if you plan to attend.

Our space is limited and we will cap attendance at 56 players. Priority will be given to players who pre-register by email to enter@evanstonchess.org before 7 p.m. on March 1 and arrive at the tournament before 9:20 a.m. on March 2. Thanks for your understanding and support.
 
From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Four rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/40 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. No Lunch Break: We need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so there will be no extra time between rounds for lunch. You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.

Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time. Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

Evanston 3 x 3 this Saturday: $5, such a deal

This is truly the best chess deal in Chicagoland. Play chess on the 19th: details here!

Game/65 with a 5-second delay is a reasonable approximation of "real chess," the competition is top-notch, and you'll be home for dinner.

Evanston Chess update

Bill Smythe vs. FM Albert Chow
How many times have these two played each other?

Maret Thorpe writes:

Evanston Chess Club usually holds open chess for high school age and over on Tuesday evenings. Problem is, this year Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on Tuesday. But we have a solution! For two weeks only, Tuesday night chess will migrate to...Wednesday night. That's right, you can come to the Levy Activity Center on Wednesday, December 26 and Wednesday, January 2 and play chess from 6:30-9:00 p.m. As always, sets are supplied and there is no entry fee. On January 8, we'll be back to our usual Tuesday night schedule. Look forward to seeing you all there.

Follow the link for a report on last month's Tri-Level.

Evanston Tri-Level results

26 players played four games in a day and were done by 5 p.m.: very nice format, Maret!  The multiple sections produce quad-like pairings: nobody is overmatched, and every game is a challenge for both players.

FM Albert Chow and NM Ken Wallach tied for first in the Gold Section with 3-1 scores.  Vito Vitkauskas and Bill Brock tied for third with 2½-1½.

Raul Dhiman won the Silver Section 4-0; Michael Wishner took clear second with 3-1, and Julian Bendelac, Brandon Zborowski, and Matthew Ylinen took third with 2 points.

Lorenzo Sampson swept the Bronze Section 4-0, Adam Wallach (chip off the block) took second with 3-1, and Keith Ammann and Nate Tracy-Amoroso split third.

Crosstables here!

Evanston CC Tri-Level on November 3rd

Another email cut-and-paste.

$5, such a deal.  I'll use this as my warmup for Kings Island, which will in turn be my warmup for the Illinois Class 

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:

November 3, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

Tri-Level, 4SS G/40 delay 5

Three Sections, USCF Dual Rated

Our guest master will be FM Albert Chow

Section Gold: 1700 and over

Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.

1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver. 
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.

Please pre-register if you plan to attend.

Our last tournament had record attendance and we had to turn players away. Our space is limited and we will cap attendance at 52 players. Priority will be given to players who pre-register by email to enter@evanstonchess.org before 7 p.m. on November 2 and arrive at the tournament before 9:20 a.m. on November 3. Thanks for your understanding and support.

From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Four rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/40 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. No Lunch Break: We need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so there will be no extra time between rounds for lunch.

You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.

Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time. Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

Unrated Quick Quads @ Evanston CC tomorrow

Another email cut-and-paste:

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave, Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:
Oct. 6, 2012, 9:00am-1:00pm

Rapid, 3RR G/26+delay 3

Quads, Non-Rated

This is something different from our usual format.

"Quick quads" a format that allows players to fit in three games and still have Saturday afternoon free.

"Unrated" Have you never been USCF rated? Have you never played a tournament? Were you rated in the past, but haven't played a tournament in years? Want to road-test a new opening? This is your chance to test (or re-test) the waters of tournament play, without having to invest in joining USCF or renewing your membership. We will play in regular tournament conditions, and we will follow USCF rules.

Entry: $5 entry fee. As always, experts and masters are free. Results will be posted on the web site at www.evanstonchess.org after the end of the tournament.

Quads

Published USCF Regular Rating (or tournament director's estimate, if the player is not USCF-rated) determines player seeding. Players will be grouped into 4-player quads starting with the top-seeded player. If the bottom group has between 5 and 7 players, the bottom group will be paired as a Swiss section. No byes. Please come planning to play three rounds.

Three rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/26 plus 3 seconds delay. Some club clocks are available for use by players who do not own clocks. Sets are supplied.

Schedule: Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 am. Registration/sign-in for pre-registered players will close and quads will be formed at 9:30 a.m. sharp. First Round 9:45 am, rest of rounds ASAP (estimated ending time 12:30 p.m.).
No byes, no lunch break. Out of consideration for your quad-mates, please plan on playing all three rounds.
Send name, USCF number (if you have one), and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated USCF 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under USCF 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks -- Wheelchair accessible -- No Smoking.

62 players at yesterday's Evanston 3x3

Take a bow, Maret Thorpe!

NM Kevin Bachler and provisionally-rated Aamir Ansari tied for first in the Gold Section with 3-0; Jonathan Tan scored 3-0 in the Silver Section; and Matthew Ylinen, Keith Ammann, and Lorenzo Sampson scored 3-0 in the Bronze Section.

Crosstable here.

Reminder - Evanston rescheduled to 9/22

Info here!  There is no Evanston tournament tomorrow.

Evanston Chess: $5 tournament on Saturday the 22nd!

The traditional email cut-and-paste follows.

PLEASE NOTE DATE CORRECTION (RESCHEDULED BY LEVY CENTER):

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202

Evanston Chess Presents:
September 15,22 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

Three x Three, 3SS G/65 delay 5

Three Sections, USCF Regular Rated

Our guest master will be
FM Kevin "Caveman" Bachler

Section Gold: 1700 and over
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.

From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.

Three rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/65 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.

Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. No Lunch Break: We need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so there will be no extra time between rounds for lunch.

You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.

Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.

Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time. Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org

Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.

Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

The best thing about tripled pawns...

...is that there are three of them.

In the last round of Saturday's Evanston Tri-Level, Matthew Wilber never really let me in the game.  While I was worried about getting mated, White shifted attention to the queenside and won in spite of the tripleton.  Or because of it!

With this smooth performance, Matthew won the "Liberté" section of the Bastille Day Tri-Level, scoring 3½-½.  NM Jon Burgess, Matthew Stevens, Zachary Holecek, Abe Sun, and Bill Brock tied for second with 3-1 scores. 

Ansari Amir won the Egalité section with a perfect 4-0; David Sye took clear second with 3-1.

Michael Feldmann won the Fraternité section with 3½-½; Kevin Taylor, Brandon Zborowski, Jerry Neugarten, and Blake Wolf tied for second with 3-1.

Thanks to Maret Thorpe and Evanston Chess for hosting fifty players at the Levy Senior Center!