Thursday, June 9, 2011
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!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
I have no clue what happened
In the last round of the Chicago Open, I kibitzed this wild Najdorf between Tatev Abrahamyan (who was just awarded the WGM title) and our own Adarsh Jayakumar. After move 24 or so, I thought Adarsh was simply winning, but perhaps it's not so clear. In fact, Abrahamyan brought home the full point. Ouch!
P.S. The FIDE ratings of both players substantially lag their USCF ratings; Abrahamyan is around 2450; Jayakumar, 2260.
P.S. The FIDE ratings of both players substantially lag their USCF ratings; Abrahamyan is around 2450; Jayakumar, 2260.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Time capsule: 2923 N. Southport
How many years has it been since the Chicago Chess Center closed? Since Jules Stein passed away?
I stumbled across this 1988 article from the Chicago Tribune.
I stumbled across this 1988 article from the Chicago Tribune.
Monday, June 6, 2011
cellphone cheating
A law student (!!) with a FIDE rating of 2363 was consulting his cellphone during the just-completed German Championship. Story on ChessBase.
Rumor has it that one local player consulted his iPod (chock-full of chess applications) during a recent national championship event. Isn't your reputation, and your school's reputation, worth more than a win in an ultimately meaningless board game?
Rumor has it that one local player consulted his iPod (chock-full of chess applications) during a recent national championship event. Isn't your reputation, and your school's reputation, worth more than a win in an ultimately meaningless board game?
Game postponed due to stolen motorcycle :-(
I didn't get to play Rob Eaman in Citadel's CICL Summer 2011 event tonight, but I did get to watch Matthias Pfau's cool knight vs. pawns ending on YouTube.
So what happens if, instead of 1.Kg4, White simply pushes 1.b4? Wouldn't poor horsie have his hooves full?
So what happens if, instead of 1.Kg4, White simply pushes 1.b4? Wouldn't poor horsie have his hooves full?
Shulman in 2011 World Cup
The city of Khanty-Mansiysk, known to chess fans worldwide as Yugra's answer to Elista, will host the 2011 World Cup this coming August and September. The raw power of the invitees compensates for the unglamorous site. Our own Yury Shulman, 2009 U.S. Champion and runner-up to Kamsky in both 2010 and 2011, is one of seven invitees from the USA in the 128-player field. He's done very well in this event before!
4 Illinois students qualify for World Youth Championships
Story here!
Congratulations to Illinois students Aydin Turgut (K-1 National Champion), Susanna Ulrich (Girls 8 & Under), David Peng (Boys 8 & Under), and of course Eric Rosen (K-12 National Champion).
I hope Brazil survives the onslaught of 8-year-old Awonder Liang of Wisconsin, the US's top-rated (currently rated 2005 on the June 2011 rating list).
Congratulations to Illinois students Aydin Turgut (K-1 National Champion), Susanna Ulrich (Girls 8 & Under), David Peng (Boys 8 & Under), and of course Eric Rosen (K-12 National Champion).
I hope Brazil survives the onslaught of 8-year-old Awonder Liang of Wisconsin, the US's top-rated (currently rated 2005 on the June 2011 rating list).
Blood from a turnip
Mesgen Amanov has a gift for squeezing the maximum from apparently sterile positions on the White side of the Slav.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Not a grandmaster draw
I have a feeling that both Yury Shulman and Dmitry Gurevich wanted to win this game!
Quadrupled pawns in action
For those of you who (like me) enjoy such things, the June 2011 issue of Chess Life for Kids (accessible to USCF members via the USCF website) features an article by Jon Edwards with the finest (well OK, the only) collection of games with quadrupled pawns that I've ever seen. Edwards argues that quadrupled pawns aren't always bad - and indeed, the "quadruplet" owner achieves a 95% score (9.5/10) in the games he discusses. Edwards doesn't mention the granddaddy of them all - perhaps because it doesn't fit in with his thesis. Alekhine gets quadrupled pawns on move 38 and resigns five few moves later.
Friday, June 3, 2011
It was only blitz, but...
Leo Kaushansky played last weekend!
For the uninitiated, Kaushansky was Chicago's top player for at least one year in the pre-Gurevich 1980s. He, Dmitry, and Albert Chow were among the co-champions of the 1994 U.S. Open in Chicago.
For the uninitiated, Kaushansky was Chicago's top player for at least one year in the pre-Gurevich 1980s. He, Dmitry, and Albert Chow were among the co-champions of the 1994 U.S. Open in Chicago.
As long as we're posting articles from NY papers....
Great article on James Black in yesterday's Daily News.
Here's my challenge to Rahm: why can't we turn out greater champions in Chicago?
P.S. You can also watch the WNYC interview with James Black:
Handball, chess, scholastic competition, and the amateur ideal
Today's New York Times reports that two 17-year-old handball champions were disqualified from the Public Schools Athletic League handball championship "because they had entered a tournament that awarded cash prizes, which is against league rules."
In chess, as in handball, one becomes a better player by facing stronger opponents. I don't like teenagers playing games for money. But I think the definition of "amateur" needs to be re-examined by the Illinois High School Association and Chicago Public Schools. Merely competing against non-amateurs should not jeopardize one's amateur status. In my opinion, it's reasonable to ban students from accepting prizes.
Organizers can help (and possibly help their profit margins) by offering amateur entry fees to their events. If a high school kid can't accept a $5,000 prize, then why should that kid have to pay $200+ to enter the event?
In chess, as in handball, one becomes a better player by facing stronger opponents. I don't like teenagers playing games for money. But I think the definition of "amateur" needs to be re-examined by the Illinois High School Association and Chicago Public Schools. Merely competing against non-amateurs should not jeopardize one's amateur status. In my opinion, it's reasonable to ban students from accepting prizes.
Organizers can help (and possibly help their profit margins) by offering amateur entry fees to their events. If a high school kid can't accept a $5,000 prize, then why should that kid have to pay $200+ to enter the event?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sicilian Defense traps - YouTube video
I just uploaded my third video on opening traps to YouTube. To find all my videos (three so far) search for "Chicago Chess Blog."
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Chess Drum on Chicago Open
International Masters Farai Mandizha of Zimbabwe and Oladapo Adu of Nigeria
Photo: Daaim Shabazz
The Chess Drum visits a suddenly-old friend from Jules Stein's Chicago Chess Center and takes some cool photos.
A cute minature from yesterday
Courtesy Dennis Monokroussos at The Chess Mind.
Chen-Stopa, Chicago 2011
Black to play and win immediately
Vanity combination (relegated to the notes)
So what was I thinking yesterday when I played 18...Ng4!? in the position below? Yes, taking on f2 with check is threatened, but there is no mate, and it seems that White could play 19.dxc6 "for free." Don't let Rybka decide for you: use your noggin. Post the critical variation(s) in the comments.
In the post-mortem, my genial opponent (a NM from Virginia) and I suspected that the move was possibly not the best, but definitely the most fun to play in the last round.
In the post-mortem, my genial opponent (a NM from Virginia) and I suspected that the move was possibly not the best, but definitely the most fun to play in the last round.
NM Adarsh Jayakumar (left) and a Cro-Magnonesque blogger desperately trying to stay awake after Yet Another Giuoco Pianissimo
Courtesy DeKalb Chess
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