Louis Paulsen's blindfold exhibitions in Illinois

After Paul Morphy's retirement from active play in the early 1860s, Louis Paulsen may have been the strongest chess player in the world.  He emigrated from Germany in 1854 and lived in Dubuque, Iowa, until 1860, after which he returned to Europe.  Most chess players remember him for his famous games with Morphy from the First American Chess Congress, his contributions to the Sicilian Defense, and his proto-hypermodern playing style.

I never knew how strong a blindfold player he was until reading Olimpiu G. Urcan's Chess Cafe article on Paulsen's blindfold exhibitions.  In May 1858, Paulsen scored 9 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw in a ten-game Chicago exhibition; later than month in Rock Island, Paulsen scored a perfect 10-0-0.  You'll find several of those games in Urcan's article.

Amateur historians may wish to help Urcan in filling the gaps of Paulsen's exhibition record.  And while you're at it (plants tongue in cheek), can you find any evidence that a certain avid amateur chess player from Galena (only a few miles from Dubuque) ever played Paulsen, and thus gained strategic insights put to use in winning the Civil War?  (One might argue that Gen. Grant's style was closer to Morphy's.)

Letter from Mike Zacate

Mike will receive a lifetime achievement award from the U.S. Chess Federation in Orlando this weekend.  Unfortunately, he won't be there, as his wife Betty is recovering from a broken leg.  As is typical for Mike, he's more interested in the future than in personal honors.  Here's a letter he wrote this week.

USCF Scholastic Chess Committee and interested scholastic chess individuals:

There is a plan under discussion between the Illinois Chess Association (ICA) and the Chicago Public Schools. This plan has been in development for several years and progress followed by, and contributed to, by officers of the ICA and members of the Illinois scholastic chess community. Scholastic chess in Illinois has been on a rise in Illinois for a number of years thanks to individuals whose volunteer efforts do not end as their children age, high school programs, and several companies providing chess instruction for pay. As a result, scholastic chess in Illinois has developed on a sustained basis in areas such as Rockford, Bloomington-Peoria area, northern Chicago suburbs, western Chicago suburbs, and, to a lesser extent, the southern Chicago suburbs (eastern Chicago is Lake Michigan). Thanks to some companies and the efforts of a few individuals in Chicago elementary and high schools there is some scholastic chess active in Chicago. Thanks to the companies (I know of three) chess at the elementary level has been on the rise even while chess at the secondary level has been waning. The recent growth of elementary chess in Chicago shows the potential for exponential growth if only a structure capable of managing it and (most important) providing a sufficient number of individuals to instruct and sponsor the students existed. The Chicago Public School system has such resources to enable the scale of growth other parts of the state have had.  

The proposal being shown to the USCF that the ICA is developing with Chicago officials will provide the chess expertise to an interested bureaucracy to develop scholastic chess in Chicago to an unprecedented level. The ICA has offered to provide an instructional foundation that can sustain itself. As part of the plan, the ICA will help raise the funds needed for the initial training that will jump start the program. Once operational the program can become self sustaining within the Chicago system. Part of the beauty of the program is that it does not replace existing individual or company endeavors. Rather the ICA/Chicago plan will not only supplement and complement it, but will make much more in demand for the services of existing companies.

Developed through the input of numerous, highly experienced scholastic organizers, the plan has been endorsed (and/or sponsored) by Illinois’ top rated players, many of the private [z]one chess providers operating in Chicago, the Illinois Elementary School Association, the Illinois Chess Coaches Association, the Chicago Public Schools’ Chess Association, the U.S. Chess Trust, and the Youth Chess Foundation of Chess. Not developed in a vacuum, the plan is based on the successful programs in Philadelphia, New York, and other cities tailored to fit Chicago. The potential for gain to chess and to the USCF commands that the USCF support the plan with input and endorsement.

Yours in chess,

Michael E. Zacate

Know your rook endings

There are two rook plus pawn vs. rook positions that every player should understand: the Philidor position and the Lucena position.

You will sometimes get positions very close to either the Philidor or the Lucena: in many (most?) cases, your job is to try to convert to the Philidor (as defender) or Lucena (as attacker).

In round one of the U.S. Open, Sevan Muradian handled the ending much better than his young opponent, but made one slip that could have thrown away the upset win. Very nice game!

time flies

It's August 2nd, and I haven't been to the Chess Pavilion yet this summer.

Dumas Technology Academy tournament

Barbara Radner, the director of the Center for Urban Education at DePaul's School for New Learning, runs a summer enrichment program at Dumas Technology Academy, 6650 S. Ellis.  This past Friday, Barbara, Gary Childers, and the other wonderful teachers in this program (my apologies for not having all your names!), invited Jerry Neugarten and me (on behalf of the Illinois Chess Association) to help run the program's chess championship.  It was a wonderful day: Jerry and I had a lot of fun, and the love these young players have for the game is palpable.

These pictures were taken at the end of a round: the crowd was much larger!

 

Shomari Tillett took first place.  Second was shared by Coriyana Richardson and Robert Redmond.  Other plus score awards were given to Royon McCoy, Michael Harper, Eddie Jackson, Demeatreas Whately,  Tevin White, Martinez Butler, Eaon Pier, Gregory Bennett, Zachary King, and Jamariah Crider.

Congratulations to all who played!

 Jerry Neugarten gets the tournament underway (courtesy Barbara Radner)

The end is near.... (courtesy Barbara Radner)

Trevor Magness at the Denker

The Illinois representative is one of the early leaders at the Denker Tournament of High School Champions in Orlando.

In today's game, Trevor finds a nice shot in the hyper-theoretical Romanishin Variation of the Nimzoindian.

Noodling around with the laptop

I was reading Kasparov's classic My Great Predecessors, Part 2 this afternoon (with Houdini running in the background). Houdini discovered a very cool variation that Kasparov doesn't mention, which suggests that White may have had more than one way to draw.

What's White's best move: 24.axb4, 24.Kb3, or 24.Qxb4?

Please check this!

Amazingly, the position after White's 19th move was home preparation by Botvinnik! This would be impressive in the computer age, let alone 1930.

P.S.  Fritz 6 also finds this same line easily, which makes me think that this is an editorial snafu.

Moving chess set from Chicago Robotics

Enjoyable video.

1st World Chess Games for Disabled in Dresden, Germany, October 24-30

I hadn't heard of this event before.  Link to details at Chess Life Online.  Please note that entrants must be sponsored by their national federation, which means that if you'd like to play, you need to get in touch with USCF as soon as possible.

There are separate titles for the blind, the deaf, and the physically disabled.  Unfortunately for me, "patzer" is not one of the disability categories.

Cool ratings site

Mesgen Amanov annotates

Mesgen steamrolled one of America's top juniors in the first round of this month's World Open in Philadelphia.  The game ends with a cute sacrificial flourish.

He discussed the game in a lecture at the North Shore Chess Center, and was gracious enough to share the game with those of us who weren't there.  Here's the link!

No-draw puzzles

Bill Smythe of Rogers Park posted some ingenious and amusing puzzles on the U.S. Chess Federation's "All Things Chess" forum.  Imagine some minor modifications to the rules of chess: repetitions of position are now prohibited, and the definitions of checkmate and stalemate are altered.

Can you figure out the theoretical result of king vs. king without resulting to brute force?  I can't!

Rachel Ulrich's first master scalp

I asked 11-year-old Rachel Ulrich if she could send the PGN of yesterday's win against NM Steve Tennant at the Downers Grove event. She modestly replied, "Yes, this is my first win against a master. Thanks to Mr. Tennant for playing in this event. I appreciate his time spent playing me."

And now we adults must be wary of another precocious young player.  White's play in this game is very smooth and very impressive! 

Young, Magness win Downers Grove #8

IM Angelo Young and NM Trevor Magness tied for first in yesterday's Downers Grove Chess Club #8 with 3½-½ scores.  In the final round, Young downed tournament leader NM Pete Karagianis, while Magness beat Mikhail Korenman. 

One-day, four-round Swiss System events are called "tornadoes."  This was certainly the strongest tornado in the Midwest this summer: two International Masters, three FIDE Masters, five National Masters, and several experts played.

11-year-old Rachel Ulrich (post-event rating 1714) beat NM Steve Tennant.  Tennant crushed me in the CICL playoffs a couple months ago.  Hmm.

Daniel Parmet organized for the Downers Grove Chess Club, assisted by Brian Smith.

Crosstable here!

Free tournament at Oak Park library tomorrow!

The event is unrated; it's also free!  Details here.

Downers Grove tomorrow!

Another email cut-and-paste:

Hello chess friends!

I am running the 8th Downers Grove swiss tournament tomorrow! It is already a very strong event with 10 masters and 8 experts signed up! We already have 40 players including IM Angelo Young, IM Mateusz Bobula, FM Albert Chow, FM Aleksanda Stamnov, FM Zin, Aung Thant, NM Trevor Magness, NM Petros Karagianis, NM Alex Ding, NM Sam Schmakel, NM Steven Tennant! 4 rounds of Game 60 EF $25

Announcement of DGCC's July 23, 2011 USCF tournament:

July 23, 2011 Downers Grove Swiss #8

4-SS G/60 plus 5 sec delay. Fairview Village, 200 Village Drive, Downers Grove, IL

IM Angelo Young 7 time IL State Champion and Chicago Blaze player is playing in this event. FM Albert Chow, FM Aung Thant Zin, NM Steven Tennant, NM Trevor Magness are playing in this event. More masters are expected to play, see here for a current list of pre-registered players.

Early Entry fee is $20, if you preregister and payment is received by July 18th. After that EF is $25.

This is a CICL-friendly event. For current Chicago Industrial Chess League members (those who played in the 2010-2011 season), the EF is $20 (including at the door), and you are eligible for the best CICL-player non-cash prize.

Prizes: Based on 40 entries: 1st $325, 2nd $150, 3rd $75. (At least 70% of EFs will be returned as cash prizes.) Book prizes, DVDs, or McDonald's gift certificates for best u2000, u1800, u1600, CICL-player, and upset. Unrated players can only win cash prizes.

Pre-registration: maximum number of players is 52, advanced registration is advised. Send mail with your name, phone number, USCF id number and a check payable to "Brian Smith" to

    Brian Smith

   483 Nantucket Road

   Naperville, IL 60565

Onsite registration: 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. If paying at the door, pay cash only (no checks).

Rounds: rd1 9:30am, rd2 12:30pm, rd3 2:45pm, rd4 5pm

Clocks and sets provided. Daniel Parmet is the TD.

Email questions to brs483@att.net More info at http://sites.google.com/site/downersgrovechess

USCF rated, USCF membership required. Players may take a half point bye in any round except the last round. A half point bye must be requested before the round starts. Zero point bye only in final round. Free parking, but park only in  a space marked for visitors. "200 Village Drive" is the "Village Apartments" building. Enter its main entrance, and tell receptionist you are there for the chess tournament. Multiple sections possible. Junior players (under sixteen years) rated 900+ are welcome, and must be accompanied by a parent throughout the day. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900.


Regards,
Daniel Parmet
TD

Bughouse Informant

Here's the third in a great series on bughouse theory and praxis—from junior high school students!

I don't think I've played bughouse since I was 19, but reading the series makes me want to try.

Tommaso Dorigo

Tommaso Dorigo must have a good life: he's an experimental particle physicist, and he plays chess!  Tomasso is a veteran of the Chicago Industrial Chess League, having played for Fermilab.

Will the "God particle," the Higgs boson, be unveiled later this week?  Dorigo is pessimistic.  (More here.)  Are there baryons to be discovered?  You bet.

And does Tommaso have any good ideas for the White side of the Catalan?

Evanston Rapids July 30: $5, such a deal

Email cut-and-paste:

Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
Evanston Chess Presents:
Jul 30, 2011, 9:00am-4:30pm
Rapid 5SS G/29
One Section, USCF Quick Rated

Join us for our "light" summer event--five rounds of quick rated chess. Let your regular rating take a vacation. It's your chance to try out those crazy new opening lines. NM Eric Rosen will be playing Board one.

Five rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/29 plus 3 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings 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 4:30 pm.

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.

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.

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.

Lots of masters at this weekend's Downers Grove Swiss #8

Details here!

Wrapup of the 2011 FIDE Continental Americas Amateur Chess Championship

The title of this event seems somewhat longer than the article by Sevan Muradian on the ICA website.

"The Father of High School Chess in Illinois Is My Dad"

Mike Zacate is profiled by his daughter Betsy Dynako on the Illinois Chess Association website.

The next Bobby Fischer?

Nakamura profile in St. Louis's Riverfront Times.  An excerpt:

"I know the general idea is that I can be an arrogant [*******]," Nakamura says. "But that's not all I can be."

Nakamura's level of hubris is the kind that comes with youth, talent and the pressure of being both the symbol and the future of one the country's most dedicated microcosms. He uses this to his advantage: No one reinforces that pressure more than he does, and he channels arrogance to turn the hope that he can win into the knowledge that he, in fact, will. Nakamura never enters a game thinking he is the underdog, an aggressive philosophy that usually guarantees he is not. It also leads to dramatic changes in mood and behavior. "Bobby was crazy," says Rich, making that ubiquitous Fischer comparison. "Hikaru's just arrogant."

Particularly in his teenage years, Nakamura established a reputation of misbehavior, of emotional reactions and rude exchanges with other players. It has been hard for him to leave this behind.

"When I play chess, it's a competition," Nakamura says. He pauses. "I'm trying to think of how I want to put this: When I was a bit younger, I was a bit of a bad boy. I didn't exactly have the greatest manners, which has improved greatly, but a lot of people still remember when I was a jerk." The result is that today, people don't know what to expect from him. "I rather enjoy that."

Although he is always confident, he is not the same person away from the board as he is at it — or thinking about it. If he is angry, disappointed or depressed — as he can be often, depending upon his performance in a tournament — that fact is pronounced.

"When you're competing at such a high level, you have to wear a mask to some extent," says Sunil Weeramantry. His stepson, he says, isn't as aware of how he comes across as he should be: "He pretty much wears his feelings on his sleeves. He can be moody, and in the next instant, he can be absolutely charming."

Mitkov, Gurevich, Sarkar, Rosen win Chicago Class

GM Nikola Mitkov, GM Dmitry Gurevich,  IM Justin Sarkar, and NM Eric Rosen tied for first with 4-1 scores.  Sarkar is from New York, but we otherwise defended our turf.  GMs Amanov and Kekelidze also played.

I tied for dead last with two former masters (edit: they're under 2200, but the NM title is for life) and a future master, and I didn't play that badly: tough event! 

Congratulations to Max Villareal, who I believe was the only clear winner of a section.  Max won Class C with a perfect 5-0, going from 1412 to 1598 in five games.  (He was rated 1244 after the Chicago Open, then went from 1244 to 1412 at the Conitnental Americas Amateur--history here.)  At this rate of progression, we expect to see him playing for the 2013 World Championship.

ICA Secretary Maret Thorpe picked up 97 Elo in the Under-1000 section.  I kibitzed the under-1000 section a bit on Saturday: my impression is that most players with established ratings under 1000 have deflated ratings, simply because they're playing improving juniors in under-1000 sections. 

More to follow....

Results here!

This weekend: Chicago Class in Wheeling

Info here.  Next, they'll be holding the Wheeling Class in Chicago....

All sections are five games: you can choose between a Friday evening or a Saturday morning.first round.  Online entry closed on the 11th, but you can enter onsite until 6 p.m. Friday Saturday or until 10 a.m. Saturday Sunday.

This is the last Continental Chess Association event for which ICA membership is required.  For future events, ICA members will receive a $5 discount.  Carrots work better than sticks.

"King Eric"

The 2011 National High School Champion learned much from Chicago's Russian Jewish community.  Story in The Chicago Jewish News.

Continental Amateur photos

You might enjoy browsing the 200 cool photos from the tournament with the impossibly long name (also known as "FIDE Continental Americas Amateur Championship") held in Rosemont over the July 4 weekend.

Check out these Facebook pages: here and here  Hat tip to Vito Vitkauskas!

World Open report

GM Jaan Ehlvest (photo Eric Rosen)

On the ICA website, Brad Rosen reports on some outstanding results by Illinois players in Philadelphia (including a few that I'd missed). 

Sadly, there were no restaurant reviews in Brad's report.  (Here's mine: if happy hour sushi appeals, Aki,1210 W. Walnut, is delicious & affordable.)  2012 is rumored to be the last year that the World Open will be in downtown Philadelphia: the event moves to Arlington, Virginia, in 2013.

June 2011 CICL bulletin

The June issue of The Chicago Chess Player was up some time ago: forgot to link to it!  There's one more issue to come to wrap up the 2010-2011 season....

I recognize Matthew Stevens, but who's the other fellow?

Andi Rosen identifies the vaguely familiar mystery guest on the ICA website.

eBay auction items

In the next few days, a few chess books will be auctioned via eBay Giving Works for the benefit of the Illinois Chess Association's Warren Junior Program.

Bid early, bid often: it's for a good cause!

Oops: some of the auction items are not displaying: I've linked directly to the items here.

So what's Chicago's Immortal Game?

The Illinois Chess Database  (updated earlier today by Tom Sprandel) gives us a good excuse to ask this question: what's the best game ever played in Chicagoland?  Your nominations are welcome.

Summer Chess Fun at Rudy Lozano Public Library

 If you're in Pilsen (18th and Loomis) on a Friday afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m., drop by the library!  Get free lessons, or just play.

Details here.

"A teen with many interests"

Albert Alfano (Matthew Grotto~Sun-Times Media)

Read about Albert Alfano, a senior at St. Rita, in the Southtown Star.

He's considering a philosophy major in college.  As a refugee from academia, I would advise him that the big bucks are in comparative literature.

Where to play this weekend?

On Saturday, there's the Lincoln-Way West Open in New Lenox.  Outside the metro area, there's the Route 20 Rated Beginners' Open/Open Swiss in Freeport.

And we've already mentioned the Blaze fundraiser in Skokie.

On Sunday, there's the 67th Knights Quest in Northbrook.

Next weekend, it's the 4th Annual Chicago Class in Wheeling.

As always, look to the ICA Tournament Calendar for info on upcoming events!

And of course, there's always the Chess Pavilion.

"Pinoy ties for 1st in Philadelphia chess"

A Touch Move Chess Club member and frequent player at the Evanston Chess Club gets notice in the international press.  Fom the Phillipine Daily Inquirer:

FILIPINO Rene Ancheta defeated American Raynard Simmons in the ninth and final round to finish tied for first place in the 39th Annual World Open Chess Championships last July 4 at the Sheraton Philadelphia in Race Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

The Makati City pride Ancheta, who is currently based in Chicago, tallied 7.5 points, the same output of Aaron Jing, Arnold Fuchs, Aakaash Meduri and Robby Hecht in the [Under 2000] Division.  All of them received $5,521.60.

And we're proud of him here in Chicago, too!

"Zing 'em With Zugzwang"

A classic column from my favorite Nixon Administration speechwriter explains zugzwang to non-chessplayers by quoting GM Arthur Bisguier: ''When standing in a traffic island, with cars going in both directions, one is most assuredly in Zugzwang.''

Hat tip to former USCF Executive Director / Facebook friend Al Lawrence.

Also: Zugzwang  does not rhyme with "bug thang."   But in standard English usage (contra Safire), use the lower case.

Illinois Database project

Tom Sprandel recently posted the first version of the Illinois database on the ICA website.  It's got just over 10,000 games.

The current version of the database (not yet live on the ICA website) is almost 20,000 games: it begins with an 1858 Louis Paulsen simul in Chicago and ends with games from the 2011 Chicago Open.  The collection draws heavily from ChessBase, CICL, and the ICA archives.  We'd like to include as many annotated games as possible, but we don't want to infringe on any copyrights.  

What games belong in the database?  I'd like to err on the side on inclusiveness without being silly.  Any game by an Illinois master (no matter where in the world it was played), any master game played in Illinois, any interesting amateur game (you probably have hundreds of your own games!), and games played by "honorary Chicagoans" (Bill Martz, Emory Tate, Bill Colias).  The database also includes games of immigrants to Illinois from "the old country."  Simul games and postal games are most welcome.  (Maybe even endgame studies? The Lasker-Reichheim position was first published in the Chicago Tribune.) And please don't be bashful: send wins, losses, and draws!

Bobby Fischer was born at Billings Hospital Michael Reese (not the first time I've published this misinformation) and Sammy Reshevsky went to the University of Chicago, but one has to draw the line somewhere: I've only included Reshevsky's games from his Midwest years (roughly 1924-34) and essentially excluded Fischer unless he was playing someone from Illinois.

If you have a collection of games that you'd like to contribute to the project (clean PGN or CBV files strongly preferred: ask me about data formatting), please drop me a line!  Perhaps we can swap files....

Blaze fundraiser - Grandmaster workshop this Saturday

Another email cut-and-paste

Introducing the 2011 Chicago Blaze Team!

Hello everyone! 3 years ago many people came together to form the Chicago Blaze. We were kindly supported by the local chess community and each season we challenged ourselves to do better, eventually reaching our first post season in 2010!

The 2011 season which begins at the end of summer will introduce our most vibrant lineup yet. As such I'm pleased to announce the 2011 Chicago Blaze team:

Grandmaster Yury Shulman
Grandmaster Josh Friedel
Grandmaster Mesgen Amanov
Grandmaster Dmitry Gurevich
International Master Florin Felecan
International Master Angelo Young
FIDE Master Jim Dean
National Master Eric Rosen
National Master Gopal Menon
National Master Sam Schmakel

As done last season, all games played by the Chicago Blaze will be done at the North Shore Chess Center in Skokie, IL. Supporters are welcome and we will have quick rated fundraising tournaments running in parallel.

Here's to a championship run in 2011!

Best regards,

The Chicago Blaze Management Team
Sevan A. Muradian, Daniel Parmet, Jae Lim, Brad Rosen, Tom Panelas, and Glenn Panner

***

Chicago Blaze Fundraiser - Train with 2 Grandmasters!

Chicago Blaze Fundraiser

4-hour training session with

GM Dmitry Gurevich and GM Mesgen Amanov

Saturday July 9th 11:30am - 3:30pm

Hosted at the North Shore Chess Center

100% of proceeds to benefit the Chicago Blaze!

Must be rated above 1600 to participate as we will break up into groups of 10-12 during the training session

Only $75 advance entry or $100 at the door

Spend 4 hours with two Chicago Blaze team members, as they review all aspects of the game from openings, to middle game planning, to endgame technique.

Lunch is included with this training session along with a simul with another local area master at 4pm.

Entry Fee: $75 received by 7/8 9pm online; $100 onsite

(onsite entries are not guaranteed and based on available space)

Questions: sevan@nachess.org or call 847.423.8626

Register online: http://www.nachess.org/training

The Chicago Blaze is the representative for Illinois in the US Chess League.

The Chicago Blaze is entering its 4th season of competition.

Last season we made it to the playoffs for the first time. With your support we can build a team that will aim for the championship this season!

The North Shore Chess Center is located at

5500 W Touhy Ave Suite A Skokie, IL 60077

Stamnov wins All American Double Class

NM Aleksandar Stamnov scored an impressive 4½-½ to take clear first in Larry Cohen's All American Double Class, held July 2-3 in Oak Brook.  IM Angelo Young, FM Albert Chow, NM Peter Gilruth, and NM Kevin Cao tied for second, a full point back.

Zhaozhi Li and Andrew Pheasant tied for first in the A/B section with 4-1 scores.  Rudy Padilla and Jordan Nach shared B/C honors, also with 4-1.  And Andrew Hochstadt's undefeated 4-1 score was good for clear first in the E/Unrated diviision.

Crosstable here!

Sapozhnikov-Amanov, Round 2, World Open

It's official: Mesgen tied for third place. 

"Youth Committee Sends Expanded Chicago Proposal to New Leaders"

Read the story and the proposal itself on the ICA website!

Beta version, Illinois Chess Database

Hard-working ICA President Tom Sprandel just gave us a new toy to play with: check it out!

It's a beta version, so your constructive criticism would be most appreciated.  I have another version of the database coming with more than 5,000 additional games.  It would be incredibly cool to get more complete collections of the games of Illinois masters and amateurs (is Alan Watson lurking somewhere??), it would be cool to get annotations online live, it would be cool to get a more robust search function.

Seeing this database makes me think of friends who are gone.

Bring back the Illinois Chess Tour!

Nothing's official yet, but the ICA Board is very excited about Mike Cardinale's proposal.  The spiffy logo means T-shirts (and substance) are soon to follow!

P.S.  Look for more coverage of this weekend's events shortly: I'm waiting on game scores, MSA, and (not least) the delivery of a new DSL wireless router.

More unofficial congratulations...

...to Grandmaster Mesgen Amanov, who just beat fellow GM Tamaz Gelashvili, an anchor of Georgia's Olympiad team. (Gelashvili beat Amanov earlier this year at the Philadelphia Open.)

Looks like a dropped flag in a position where Black's edge may be slight. All wins are good!

Mesgen should tie for third or fourth. Supergrandmasters Adams and Kamsky tied for first, with games still in progress.

Unofficial congratulations....

...to the newest National Master in Illinois, Sam Schmakel of Whitney Young High School!

Sam was the top Illinois finisher at the Continental Americas Amateur Class Championships, held July 1-4 in Rosement.

World Open: A cute mate

Eric Rosen drew GM Ray Robson in Round One last night.  Alexander Shabalov broke down Eric's Sicilian in Round Two, however:

You can follow top board action at monroi.com: Mesgen Amanov is playing an interesting double-rook ending right now.

Why Not Chicago?

Look for the text of the following proposal on the Illinois Chess Association's website shortly!

ILLINOIS CHESS ASSOCIATION

WHY NOT CHICAGO?

A proposal to set up a program of free chess

instruction in Chicago’s Title I schools to

* improve decision-making, strategic

thinking and emotional development

* improve academic performance

* bring Chicago’s youth chess program

into the nation’s top competitive tier

to

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Jean-Claude Brizard

CEO, Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Board of Education:

David Vitale, President

Henry Bienen

Mahalia Hines

Penny Pritzker

Jesse Ruiz

Rod Sierra

Andrea Zopp

June 2011

computer cheating (in quite another sense)

Via ChessVibes: The International Computer Games Association claims that Vasik Rajlich lifted the code of Crafty and Fruit.

The claim is not a new one (it's been discussed on rybkaforum.net for some time), but ICGA bans Rajlich for life and strips Rybka of the 2007-2010 titles. (I hope Rybka takes the news well.)

What works in Brooklyn....

If it can work in Bedford-Stuyvesant, it will work in Chicago.

James Black of I.S. 318 has one half-brother doing 20 to life for murder; another did 33 months for selling drugs.   But James is choosing another path: Dylan Loeb McClain reports.

Nice budget quad in Kenosha

Hey, if it's at the end of my commuter line, it's sorta in Chicagoland.  I have to confess that the Kenosha Chess Association is new to me.  They have a quad on Saturday, July 1st.  (As you might guess, there are four players in a quad.  The top four players are in Quad 1, the next four in Quad 2, etc.  Each section is a three-round round robin.)  Advance entry fee is only $10, and the winner even gets a prize!

Info on the ICA website!

Choose one of two great tournaments this weekend!

On July 1-4 in Rosemont, it's the 2011 FIDE Continental America's Amateur Chess Championship. There's only one game on July 4th, so you'll have time to recover for work on Tuesday morning! And this event has a $15,000 guaranteed prize fund!!

I'll be playing in the All American Double Class on July 2-3 at the DoubleTree in Oak Brook. One IM and six masters have already registered. The schedule is a bit unusual in that play doesn't begin until Saturday afternoon, and Round 3 is 9:45 Sunday morning. (If you're not staying at the hotel, you may wish to consider asking for a ½-point bye at registration.). This tournament has a $12,000 based on 250 players; approximately $7,000 of the prize fund is guaranteed! (At least that's the way I read it; please correct me if I'm wrong.)

For info on these and other upcoming events (including summer camps, lectures, simuls, and classes), check out the ICA Tournament Calendar!

The fifteen-minute solution

I'm not terribly interested in a quarrel between New in Chess and ChessBase, but the idea of a fifteen-minute broadcast delay to make cheating more difficult is interesting.

This doesn't just affect grandmasters.  I'm half a class below master level, and I've had four of my games broadcast live on Monroi in the past three months.  On balance, I'm against the delay: the overwhelming majority of players wouldn't dream of cheating.

Free plugs

Last October, a pleasant gentleman asked me to plug his December event.  I'm embarrassed to say I forgot: my apologies!

My incipient senility aside, we're generally happy to give free publicity to any Chicagoland chess event, or any major Illinois even, or even Midwest & national events of particular interest to Illinois players.  Whether the editors of this blog like you is not relevant.  If it's a good event of interest to Chicago players, you're welcome to send it. 

I would appreciate getting copy that requires minimal formatting.

Chicago Blaze fundaiser on July 9th

Cut and pasted from my email.  Just like Cubs fantasy camp, except that the Blaze have a chance!

Hello Chess friends!

I am happy to announce to the first Chicago Blaze chess camp will occur on Saturday July 9th from 11:30am-3:30pm with a free simul for participants starting at 4pm [...].
Your value is here for only $75 advance entry (recommended as space is limited):

• Grandmasters Dmitry Gurevich and Mesgen Amanov will spend fours hours
• working in small groups of 10-12 with similar rating and ages (Kids will be broken off into groups separate from adults)
• Lunch will be provided
• Simul after the training
• You are supporting Chicago’s Professional Chess Team the Chicago Blaze as they head into their 4^th season!

You may call or email me with questions (or contact Sevan Muradian via sevan@nachess.org.

Register online via www.nachess.org/training

Please help spread the word to your community and friends!

Regards,
Daniel Parmet
Chicago Blaze Manager

See this link for details!

New video from Chess at Citadel

Matthias Pfau's comments are already interesting.  I enjoyed watching this game (even as King Ong was thrashing me on the adjoining board), and participated in a bit of the post-mortem.

Games from National K-1 Champion Aydin Turgut

Dr. Turgut's notes went up instead of mine.  Fixed!  Yours truly sent the wrong file.  But in the meantime, you can Enjoy the fine games of this handsome young man!

Peter Falk

The late actor (with Viktor Korchnoi, Pasadena 1983) was a strong amateur chess player. There are a couple more pictures here, including one in which he looks like his most famous character, Lt. Columbo. (The plot of one episode of Columbo was inspired by the Fischer-Spassky match.)

Pasadena is of course where the famous Kasparov-Korchnoi match was played, and where Bobby Fischer lived in seculsion for many years.

Mild disappointment for Nakamura in Bazna

I can't pretend to care about tiebreaks in a round-robin: Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin tied for first in Bazna with impressive 6½-3½ scores.  Hikaru Nakamura lost to Vassily Ivanchuk in the last round, and dropped into a third-place tie with Teimour Radjabov, each with 4½-5½.

Story and games at The Week in Chess.  Check out Ivanchuk's postmortem interview on ChessVibes:

160 years ago today

The Immortal Game was played by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritsky on June 21, 1851.  Happy 160th anniversary!

Chess at Citadel emailed this comment today:

Kieseritzky liked the game so much [that] he looked for any opportunity to show and publish it, apparently with success. Two years later, utterly impoverished, he died in Paris. Only the waiter from his favorite chess cafe in Paris showed up for his funeral. So much for fame and immortality in chess.

White sacrifices a bishop, two rooks, then a queen!  By 21st century standards, portions of the game are a bit silly (the defense is not of a very high quality compared to the Evergreen Game), but the concluding combination is something to behold. For the short version, advance the video to the ten-minute mark.

Scholastic and Open events in Highland Park this Sunday

Can't beat the price.  $10 in advance; $15 at the door.  Details on the ICA tournament calendar!

Women's Grand Prix in August, Hou Yifan - Humpy Koneru match in November?

Alexandra Kosteniuk passes along a credible rumor from a Russian chess news site: Hou Yifan of China and Humpy Koneru of India may play their world championship match in Chicago later this year.

And look at the powerhouse lineup for the Grand Prix event to be held here in Chicago August 1-15!

When FIDE is involved and the lead time is short, I get a bit nervous. Please let us know if we can help!

Heh: see the comments for the (amusing) probable explanation!  You know, we'd be a great site for the Anand-Gelfand match....

Rafeh Qazi featured in Skokie Patch

Brad Rosen reports.

Remember those fabulous eighties?

Hikaru Nakamura is certainly trying to make something happen in the final rounds of the Bazna Kings, but it's not so easy to beat one's 2750+ peers. Today, Nakamura resurrected the Petrosian System against the Queen's Indian, a favorite weapon of Kasparov in the early 1980's.

Karjakin makes the position look like of these newfangled Grünfeld lines, and Nakamura can't do anything with his slight edge. A reasonable draw.

Houdini

And if your father is an übergeek, the strongest chess engine in the world is absolutely free!  Download here.

You will need a UCI-compatible chess graphical user interface.  ("A thingie that allows you to look at the game.")  I use ChessBase, but both Arena and Winboard are free.

From the Houdini homepage:

Houdini is appreciated by many players including top Grand Masters and the current chess World Champion. After his match against Alexei Shirov, chess World Champion Vishy Anand was asked "OK, three: Fritz, Rybka or Houdini?". Anand's reply: "Houdini" (read the full interview).   In another recent interview, when asked the question "If you had to pick one player to represent earth in a chess game vs. aliens, which active player would it be? You can pick different active players for the white and black side, if you feel it necessary", super GM Peter Svidler had the same simple reply: "Houdini".

Fathers' Day Emergency?

A few last-minute book recommendations.  Links are provided, but they ain't gonna arrive Sunday morning!

If Dad is a amateur who regularly plays in clubs, tournaments, or the Web, the fourth edition of Jeremy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess is great.  And a classic by the late GM Larry Evans was recently republished, New Ideas in Chess.

If Dad just wants to read about chess, Frank Brady's Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness is a page-turner.

 
If Dad is into photography, Harry Benson's Bobby Fischer (just published this week: I haven't seen a copy yet) might be great for the coffee table.
 
If Dad doesn't mind the occasional reference to Bourdieu and Foucault, he may well enjoy Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard (I just started reading this today).  (Fathers' Day P.S.: I finished it yesterday: refreshingly intelligent discussion of what it's like to be an serious amateur player.)

For the semi-serious player, Yakov Neishadt's Improve Your Chess Tactics: 700 Practical Lessons & Exercises is very good (I carry this with me on the train).  And if Dad likes to bore his opponents to death, Grandmaster Chess Strategy: What Amateurs Can Learn from Ulf Andersson's Positional Masterpieces is another book that's good for commuters.

If Dad wants to learn to play chess, then Bruce Pandolfini's Beginning Chess: Over 300 Elementary Problems for Players New to the Game is a fine start.

Last-minute shoppers might be able to find these books at the Barnes & Noble or Borders on State Street.

Nakamura-Carlsen: Spanish torture at Bazna Kings

Doesn't look like Hikaru got very much today with the White pieces.  World #1 Carlsen (still two years younger than the amazing Rory McIlroy) and child groom Sergey Karjakin are a full point ahead of Nakamura with four rounds to go: the rest of the field trails.

Niles North recruiting video

One hopes IHSA doesn't go overboard on sanctions ;-)

Click this link to view: http://vimeo.com/24758462 I removed the embedding because it was loading automatically.

Seriously, fun stuff! Could we get a list of the actors in order of appearance?

FIDE Continental Americas Amateur Chess Championship, Rosemont, July 1-4

This too is a cut-and-paste from my email.  In case you were wondering, the venue is the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont.

Hmm, two friends of mine are running events against each other on the July 4th weekend.  I'll most likely be playing in one of them, but I sure as heck am not going to tell you folks which one to play in.

As with the previous post, no endorsement, express or implied! 

$15,000 Prize Fund Guaranteed

FIDE Continental Americas Amateur Chess Championship

The only 4th of July tournament in Chicago with a Guaranteed Prize Fund!

7R-SS Game 90 + 30/sec increment

Only $75 until 6/18

The FIDE Continental Americas Amateur Chess Championship is brought to the US for the first time in the tournaments history. The event will provide the opportunity to meet and compete against international chess players from North, Central, and South America.

The $15,000 prize fund is guaranteed and will increase in accordance to participation. All participants will compete in a single section with prizes available based upon rating classes:

Overall: $2000-1250-750; Top Female: $800-400
Top 2199-2100 and 2099-2000: $500 each
(1999-1800): $1000-600-400-200
(1799-1600): $1000-600-400-200
(1599-1400): $1000-600-400-200
(Under 1400): $1000-600-400-200

To be eligible to participate you must have a FIDE rating below 2200 and no title or no FIDE rating at all. This makes the event eligible to almost all players!

To get the lowest entry fees REGISTER NOW or visit our website for full details.
Round times that are easy to remember, spacious enough to have a great meal between rounds and are holiday conscious:

Rds 1 and 2 - July 1st @ 12pm and 6pm
Rds 3 and 4 - July 2nd @ 12pm and 6pm
Rds 5 and 6 - July 3rd @ 12pm and 6pm
Rd 7 - July 4 @ 12pm or take a bye!

As with all North American Chess Association organized events, all equipment is provided for you to make your chess playing experience the simplest and most enjoyable that it can be!

You have the chance to create fireworks over the board and then head to Navy Pier to watch a fireworks celebration over Lake Michigan! Or spend time at the world famous Taste of Chicago and try out multiple mouth watering cuisines from local restaurants!

July 2-3: All-American Double Class in Oak Brook

Cut and pasted from my email (exclamations and all).  Mailed entries save several dollars over online entries: deadline is Friday.

Note the innovative/weird schedule of play (ideal for out-of-towners and members of Reform congregations): two games on Saturday at 2:15 and 7:15, three games on Sunday, 9:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m.-7 p.m..

NO LONG HOTEL STAY! NO HOTEL PARKING TO PAY!

NO SATURDAY MORNING ROUNDS! FREE TO MASTERS!

FREE RAFFLE for BREWER-CUBS Tickets [or Pirates-Cubs].

JULY 2-3 ALL AMERICAN DOUBLE CLASS.

In 4 sections rating restricted. M/X [1900 & higher],

A/B [1500-1999], C/D [1100-1599], E/U [Unrated & Under 1200]

At the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Brook, site of 2006 US Open.

UPSET PRIZE in EACH SECTION of $100 on 7/2, and $50 on 7/3.

GRAND PRIX EVENT. MAGNET SCHOOL JUNIOR GRAND PRIX EVENT.

Go to http://allamericaschess.eventbrite.com for credit card entry

and tournament details, or e-mail allamericaschess@gmail.com for

more information and any questions.

EF: M/X $97, A/B $86, C/D $75, E/U $64 if mailed by 6/17/11.

Unrated players $30 off, but Unrated can ONLY play in E/U section!

Mail Entries to: Lawrence Cohen P.O. Box 6632 Villa Park, IL 60181.

Details also available in JUNE Chess Life,& JUNE Chess Life for Kids.

Downers Grove Chess Club news

Brian Smith provides an update on the ICA Forum.

Bazna round 1: Carlsen beats Nakamura

...in a vigorous attack reminiscent of Nakamura!  Story at ChessVibes.

Nakamura will have White against Carlsen soon....

Three Eric Rosen games from the HS Nationals

See ICA's chess blog for annotations!