See you at Marbles in Lincoln Square Sunday at 3 p.m. for Sam Schmakel simul!

That's 3 p.m. this Sunday, March 10th, at Marbles: the Brain Store, 4745 N. Lincoln, Chicago. Kibitzers welcome!

Sorry, but I am sending this notice a second time because we had problems with our incoming email at ICA.  If any of you signed up for this event, we did not receive your registration.  If you wish to sign up, please write a second time to Mike Cardinale ataccounting@apartmentpeople.com. Jerry Neugarten ---------------- Come support the Illinois Chess Tour by joining us for a simul and fundraiser with 2012 Tour Champion Sam Schmakel.  Here are the details: http://bit.ly/Wx2HoG Mike Cardinale, Tour Commissioner, is actively looking for players of all levels, both adult and scholastic, to challenge Sam in the simul.  Challengers are limited to 16, but you can reserve your spot with a simple email to Mike at metrovp@il-chess.org.  Come out to play, watch, or shop on the 10th, and you will be doing your part to support the Tour! Subject:  Sam Schmakel Simul March 10th! Come support the Illinois Chess Tour by joining us for a simul and fundraiser with 2012 Tour Champion Sam Schmakel.  Here are the details: http://bit.ly/Wx2HoG Mike Cardinale, Tour Commissioner, is actively looking for players of all levels, both adult and scholastic, to challenge Sam in the simul.  Challengers are limited to 16, but you can reserve your spot with a simple email to Mike at metrovp@il-chess.org.  Come out to play, watch, or shop on the 10th, and you will be doing your part to support the Tour! Some of you may have students or know of others who might want to participate. Feel free to forward this email to them. Jerry Neugarten Chair, Youth Committee

Mesgen Amanov lecture & simul at North Shore Chess Center tomorrow!

Dutch grandmaster Loek Van Wely had to postpone his lecture, but the winner of the 2012 Chicago Class is a more than capable pinch-hitter. Mesgen is not just a great player, but a wonderful teacher! To spend six hours with a grandmaster for the bargain-basement price of $16.67 per hour is a wonderful deal. Details here!

Michael Adams annotates...

...his simul win against Steffen Klug of the Downers Grove Chess Club.

Daniel Parmet's report on the simul (with scores of all ten games) can be found here.  At the risk of repeating myself, I had a wonderful evening, as I'm sure that those who attended GM Adams's lecture and simul at the North Shore Chess Center also did.  He's a really nice guy!

Michael Adams in Downers Grove

I played in the English grandmaster's clock simultaneous exhibition in Downers Grove last night: Adams scored a very clean 10-0 against players with median ELO comfortably above 2000. (Well, Adams did get overambitious against Jeff Dixon and was probably losing for a couple moves.)

The gracious Michael Adams signs a book for some bald guy

  Here's my game: not too embarrassing, but I lost the handle somewhere around move 32.

Thanks to Grandmaster Michael Adams, Steffen Klug, Daniel Parmet, and the Downers Grove Chess Club for a fun evening!

Not bad for a sixth-grader (or a supergrandmaster)

GM Michael Adams (photo: Chicago Tribune)

Grandmaster Michael Adams (perhaps a few years past his peak, but still #18 in the world on the live ratings list and still Britain's top player) is in town for the Chicago Open (you have two days to preregister!).

This past Saturday, Adams lectured for six (!) hours at the North Shore Chess Center, then gave a simultaneous exhibition against nineteen twenty-one brave souls.  (GM Adams only lost one game: to a sixth-grader!  (To be fair, just as GM Adams is no ordinary grandmaster, National Elementary Co-Champion Alex Bian is no ordinary sixth-grader.)  The grandmaster makes a "typical" simul oversight: Alex finishes his task with steady and crisp technique.

Final score per Sevan Muradian: 16 wins, 4 draws, and the above loss.

One or two people may still be able to squeeze into the Adams simul in Downers Grove on May 23rd.

May 23rd in Downers Grove: GM Michael Adams clock simul!

Last call - Akobian seminar

Greetings from Mason, Ohio.  I may not be posting much this weekend....

Here's a cut-and-paste from tonight's email.  The North Shore Chess Center is at 5500 West Touhy Ave. in Skokie: looks like a great event!

2 sessions available - Saturday Nov 12 or Sunday Nov 13

Enjoy a 6 hour training session with one of the top Grandmasters in the United States - GM Varuzhan Akobian! GM Akobian helped the US team achieve a bronze medal twice in the 2006 and 2008 Chess Olympiads, and a Silver medal in the 2009 World Team Championships. In 2010 GM Akobian was tapped to become the trainer/coach for the US Men's Olympiad Team as well.

You can join GM Akobian in a 6 hour marathon lecture covering openings, middle game, and end-game. He will review popular opening lines, the ideas behind them and how to transition to the middle game along with middle game strategy, and what to do (and not to do) in the end-game. You'll be invited to ask questions and discuss the pro's and con's of variations, along with testing your inner-GM against this battled hardened veteran with on the spot puzzles and challenges.

The session will begin at 11:30am and continue until 5:30pm. After a 30 minute break, GM Akobian will perform a simul. Feel free to bring your personal chess boards if you want GM Akobian to autograph it for you also! Snacks and beverages will be available.

This session is $75 for members of the North Shore Chess Center and $100 for non-members if registered by Friday evening 9pm on Nov 11. Add an additional $20 at the door. Onsite registrations cannot be guaranteed for space!

Seating is limited to 30 people on a first registered basis.

Register online - http://www.nachess.org/events

Yury Shulman lecture / simul TODAY at Ida Noyes!

Details here.  Might be too late to grab a board, but it's not too late to hear Yury's lecture and kibitz!

University of Chicago

Ida Noyes - East Lounge 1212 East 59th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

Saturday, November 5, 4:30PM

Lecture is open to all. Spaces limited for simul, please RSVP to reserve space. You will be sent an email before the event telling you if you have a spot or if you are on the waiting list.

Priority given to active chess club members. Members of the public welcome.

Register for Eric Rosen simul, Saturday at Marbles!

Click on the image to read the invite!

Amanov lecture / simul at North Shore Chess Center this Saturday

Cut and pasted from my email:

The North Shore Chess Center is proud to present you with Grandmaster Mesgen Amanov for our June Special Event. GM Amanov will present a 90 minute lecture followed by a simultaneous exhibition.

The lecture will begin at 2:00pm and go until 3:30pm. We will take 30 minute break after the lecture and begin the simul at 4:00pm.

Anyone that can beat GM Amanov will receive a 1 year membership to the North Shore Chess Center.

Anyone that draws GM Amanov will receive 1 year extension to their USCF membership (if you are a Life Member then you will receive a prize of equal value).

This event is free to members of the North Shore Chess Center or $10 per event (lecture or simul) / $20 for both events.

For online registration and list of more events please visit - http://www.nachess.org/events

Space is limited!