The U.S. Chess Federation's Member Services Area keeps improving each month!
If you visit Adarsh Jayakumar's MSA page, you'll find out that as of the April 2011 rating list (already out), Adarsh is ranked #374 among all active players in the US, and #59 among juniors.
Eric Rosen is #354 in the nation, #55 among juniors.
Sadly, Yury Shulman does not make the top juniors list, but he's tied for 6th in the nation.
It works for mere bloggers, too.
Hat tip to the South Suburban Chess Club of Greater Chicago for calling this to our attention, and thanks to Mike Nolan for his hard work!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
March Madness in Skokie
Penny Yu vs. Sam Schmakel
Brad Rosen takes a look at the big weekend ahead. ICA sponsors three different invitational youth championships this weekend! Stop by the North Shore Chess Center for a glimpse of the action! (But be aware that access to the tournament floor may be limited.)
Perhaps the blogger quoted in the article meant his last sentence ironically, signalling that he had run out of tired clichés. But these young men and women are truly brilliant, hard-working, and nice people.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Korchnoi at 80
Coverage at ChessBase and ChessVibes.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
French players suspended for cheating
The French Chess Federation has suspended GMs Sebastian Feller and Arnaud Hauchard, and IM Cyril Marzolo, concluding that they cheated during the September 2010 Olympiad held in Khanty-Mansiysk. Here is how they allegedly did so:
ChessBase and ChessVibes (the source of the above quotation) have more. Just two months before the Olympiad, Feller (then rated 2611) had won the Paris Championship with an 8-1 score and an "amazing" 2859 performance rating. One has to wonder whether that result was legitimate.
[A]ccording to Jean-Claude Moingt the cheat the system went as follows: Cyril Marzolo sent SMS text messages with phone numbers which functioned as code. The first two digits were always 06, the following two were the number the move, the 5th and 6th figures would refer to the starting square, the 7th and 8th to the ending square, and finally, two counts of no importance. For example: 06 01 52 54 37, 06 01 57 55 99, 06 02 71 63 84, 06 02 67 65 43 are the codes for the moves constituting the Latvian Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5). This is actually the international notation of correspondence chess.
Arnaud Hauchard kept the two phones with him: his own and that of Sebastien Feller. He consulted and then returned to the bar at the venue. The way to indicate moves to Feller was as follows: the opponent of Vachier-Lagrave: A and 1, the opponent of Fressinet: B and 2, the opponent of Tkachiev: C and 3, the opponent of Feller: D and 4, Feller: E and 5, Tkachiev: F and 6, Fressinet: G and 7 and finally Vachier Lagrave: H and 8. For example if Arnaud Hauchard revolved around the table and stopped some time behind the opponent Tkachiev, and then behind that of Fressinet, he was signalling square c2.
ChessBase and ChessVibes (the source of the above quotation) have more. Just two months before the Olympiad, Feller (then rated 2611) had won the Paris Championship with an 8-1 score and an "amazing" 2859 performance rating. One has to wonder whether that result was legitimate.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Angelo Young, Andrew Karklins tie for first in St. Louis
Angelo even took first on tiebreaks; the field included GMs Kudrin and Finegold.
Crosstable here!
Story here!
Crosstable here!
Story here!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
North Shore Chess Center tourney tomorrow
Another email cut-and-paste:
North Shore Chess Center G/45 - 4R-SS G/45 + 10/sec increment. North Shore Chess Center, 5500 West Touhy Ave Suite A, Skokie, IL 60077. 847.423.8626. EF: $20 for non-members of the chess center, $15 for members of the chess center received by 3/19. All $5 more onsite. Onsite registration - up to 15 minutes prior to round 1 or round 2. If registering prior to round 2, you will receive a half-point bye for round 1. Round times: 1pm for round one and then 15 minutes after final game from previous round completed. Half-point byes available in any round. Prizes: Book prizes for top three finishers. Biggest upset (150+ points): Free entry to following month G/45 + book prize. Parking: Free self-parking. Additional questions email to: sevan@nachess.org. USCF rated. For online registration and list of more events please visit - http://www.nachess.org/events
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Get your brackets ready...
...for the ICA's equivalent of March Madness:
- the 2011 Denker Qualifier (High School Invitational Championship)
- the 2011 Girls' Invitiational
- the brand-new Barber Qualifier (Invitational K-8 Championship)
Betsy Dynako's photos featured in New in Chess 2011.1
Loek van Wely (photo Betsy Dynako)
Certainly I would have beaten GM Van Wely's lovely friend WIM Sonia Zepeda in last year's Chicago Open, had the troublemaking Betsy Dynako not urged me immediately prior to the beginning of the game to pay less attention to the board and more to the objectification of my opponent.
Dynako: "She's very pretty."
blogger: "I only look at the women that I'm not playing."
Ms. Zepeda found a couple nice shots to turn a probable loss into a smooth win.
If you can afford the steep price, the trial subscription ($48 for five issues of New in Chess) is a very good deal!
Only a few hours left to save $20!
I paid $203 today to enter the Chicago Open online. The price goes up $20 tomorrow!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Carlsen seems to be taking Amber seriously....
...according to the profile (teaser only online) in this week's New Yorker, available in both of Chicago's remaining bookstores.
Charlie Sheen, Bobby Fischer, and #notwinning
In the Wall Street Journal, of all places. (Hat tip to Kevin Bachler.)
If Tigran Petrosian and Simon Webb
had #tigerblood, so too must Tiger Hillarp Persson.
OK, enough of that.
If Tigran Petrosian and Simon Webb
had #tigerblood, so too must Tiger Hillarp Persson.OK, enough of that.
Motokimi Yono
Motokimi Yono is in the Industrial Design program at UIC. Here are two of several chess-related designs in Motokimi's portfolio:
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Free live commentary of the Amber event
Sunday's Round 2 commentary begins (I think!) at 8:30 Central Daylight Time.
In his Round 1 wrapup, Ronen Har-Zvi covered a hilarious series of double blunders by Nakamura and Carlsen (in their defense, they were playing blindfold), and features Alexander Grischuk's amazing win against Vladimir Kramnik (also blindfold!).
In his Round 1 wrapup, Ronen Har-Zvi covered a hilarious series of double blunders by Nakamura and Carlsen (in their defense, they were playing blindfold), and features Alexander Grischuk's amazing win against Vladimir Kramnik (also blindfold!).
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Most absurd Internet game yet
It turns out that my fourth move is a novelty, deviating from the more subtle 4...Bd6 of Krebs-Diemer, Germany 1974 (0-1, 13). Diemer (1908-90), a Nazi, shares billing credit for the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit and wrote the 1957 book "Playing for Mate From the First Move."
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Chess: The Song!
Don't miss Chess: The Song! Amusing, though I don't think it'll be a mainstream hit like One Night in Bangkok.
20th annual Chicago Open
Another cut-and-paste from my email: make your plans for Memorial Day weekend! Please remember that Illinois Chess Association membership is required for all rated Illinois residents. You get a discount when you renew your ICA membership at the same time you register for the Chicago Open!
Enter here!
CHICAGO AREA CHESS FESTIVALFull details (in many garish colors) here!
Memorial Day Weekend
20th annual CHICAGO OPEN
Open Section: May 26-30, 9 rounds, norms possible
Other Sections: May 27-30, 28-30 or 29-30, 7 rounds
At the luxurious, AAA four diamonds Westin North Shore Hotel, Wheeling, Illinois. Special chess rates $99 for 1-4 in room. Reserve your room as early as possible by calling 800-937-8461 or 847-777-6500. The reservation deadline is May 13, but the chess block may sell out earlier.
$100,000 GUARANTEED PRIZE FUND
NEW THIS YEAR!
1) FREE ANALYSIS OF YOUR GAMES by Grandmaster John Fedorowicz. Begins two hours after the start of each 4-day round and continues for about three hours. All players are welcome to submit their game scores for analysis.
2) FREE LECTURES by Grandmaster John Fedorowicz each day May 27-30, beginning 5 pm May 27, 9 am each day May 28, 29, 30.
3) QUICK OR BLITZ side events twice daily May 28, 29, 30.
4) LARGE CLASS PRIZES in each section in addition to the place prizes. This event has had Master class prizes in the past, but this year will also have a $1000 class prize for U2000 in the U2100 Section, U1800 in the U1900, U1600 in the U1700, U1350 in the U1500, and $800 for U1000 in the U1200. In 6 sections. FIDE ratings used for Open Section, USCF official May list for other sections. ENTER BY MARCH 15 FOR LOWEST FEE.
OPEN SECTION: $10000-5000-2500-1200-1000-700-600-500-400-400, clear or tiebreak 1st $200 bonus, top FIDE 2300-2499 (NOT 2449) $2500-1500-1000, top FIDE Under 2300 or unrated $2500-1500-1000. 300 Grand Prix Points (enhanced).
UNDER 2100 SECTION: $6000-3000-1500-1000-700-500-400-300-300-300, top U2000 $1000. Unrated may not win over $2000.
UNDER 1900 SECTION: $6000-3000-1500-1000-700-500-400-300-300-300, top U1800 $1000. Unrated may not win over $1500.
UNDER 1700 SECTION: $6000-3000-1500-1000-700-500-400-300-300-300, top U1600 $1000. Unrated may not win over $1000.
UNDER 1500 SECTION: $5000-2500-1300-1000-700-500-400-300-300-300, top Under 1350 $1000. Unrated may not win over $600, provisional (4-25 lifetime games) may not win over $2500.
UNDER 1200 SECTION: $4000-2000-1000-700-600-500-400-300-300-300, top Under 1000 $800. Unrated may not win over $300, provisional (4-25 lifetime games) may not win over $1500.
RATING DROP PRIZE LIMIT: Players who have had official ratings more than 30 points above section maximum any month May 2010 through April 2011 may not win over $1500.
Enter here!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Natalie Broughton?
Illinois Chess Association Treasurer Carl Dolson is the managing trustee of the ICA's Broughton Fund, which periodically awards the Natalie Broughton Life Achievement Award. Carl's been asked to write a short biography of Natalie for the ICA website, and was stumped. He writes:
The only thing I can find on the internet is from a Time Magazine article from 1972 on “Why They Play: The Psychology of Chess” in which Natalie Brougton, “a Chicago suburban housewife” is quoted as saying “My favorite gambit against male opponents is Sitzfleish. If you sit long enough, staring and pondering, you don’t have to have a fast mind. The other person will become so annoyed and tired that he finally slips.” I thought you, or other Chicagoans you know, would be able to fill in some of the blanks on Ms. Broughton.I moved to Chicago in 1979, and I don't recall having met Mrs. Broughton. Readers?
I also found a notice of death from the June 7, 2002 Chicago Tribune for Natalie W. Broughton of Evanston, age 85, beloved wife of the late Donald B. Broughton, burial at Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie. No obituary.
Monday, March 7, 2011
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