Niles North, Glenbard West in lead at IHSA team championships

This is the last day of competition at the Peoria Civic Center.  Standings are here.  Two rounds remain: Whitney Young, Stevenson, and New Trier are among the schools still in contention for first.  But the winner of the round 6 Niles North-Glenbard West match (going on right now!?) would have to be the favorite. 

I get crushed by Gopal Menon....

Here's the opening of the game I mentioned earlier:

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Andrew Karklins miniature

Here's a beautiful miniature by Andrew Karklins from one of Helen Warren's Midwest Masters tournaments.  His victim, Kurt Stein, is another Chicagoland master.

White's 12th move allows Black to force mate in the finest Romantic fashion.

Renaissance Knights hosts 50th Knights Quest

Again, look for the coverage on Chess Life Online!

And plan for the Greater Chicago Scholastic Championships (co-organized by Renaissance Knights and the Kasparov Chess Foundation) on March  February 27th and 28th

Robby Adamson wins (and earns IM norm) at 24th North American Masters

Read all about it on Chess Life Online. 

Congratulations to Jon Burgess for a strong second place!

Menon, Stamnov win Illinois Bltiz Championship

Results are here.

I really should have known better than to get into a theoretical "discussion" with Gopal Menon in the main line of the Be3, Rc1 Grünfeld.