One small example: in this information age, chess gives us insights into both the tremendous value and the sharp limits of computing operations. My friends and I can't hope to compete with Rybka, but there's lot of chess understanding that we have--that YOU have, gentle reader--that hasn't be programmed into Rybka. and won't be, for years to come. The human brain is uncannily good at "instinctive" knowledge: recognition of "fuzzy" patterns that computers can't interpret. A simple example: CAPTCHA. Experts often find it difficult to articulate the nature of their expert knowledge: see Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Let's be less obscure....
One small example: in this information age, chess gives us insights into both the tremendous value and the sharp limits of computing operations. My friends and I can't hope to compete with Rybka, but there's lot of chess understanding that we have--that YOU have, gentle reader--that hasn't be programmed into Rybka. and won't be, for years to come. The human brain is uncannily good at "instinctive" knowledge: recognition of "fuzzy" patterns that computers can't interpret. A simple example: CAPTCHA. Experts often find it difficult to articulate the nature of their expert knowledge: see Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide
"Top Titled Players Endorse ICA's Program for Chicago Public Schools"
Jerry Neugarten reports on his group's proposal to bring free chess instruction to all of Chicago's Title I public schools.
Original blog entry edited to correct hyperlink errors....any remaining weird hyperlinks are deliberately obscure. :-)
Oh, let's go ahead and embarrass Trevor
Follow the link for the charming explanation....Mom looks great then and now.
Your present blogger, on the other hand, needs to lose weight AND grow hair.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
"Blaze Game of the (final) week"
Calling all computer gurus
But I was wondering if there was a better price/performance sweet spot.
Helen Warren honored at ICA banquet
Banquet organizer Andi Rosen reports....
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
"Chicago Poised to Shine at Illinois All Grade"
Register here! No onsite entries!
This event is free for the first 300 K-8 children on the Illinois Free and and Reduced Lunch Program. Verification from participating schools is required.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Nakamura may have missed a win against Kramnik today....
@GMHikaruHikaru NakamuraInsane game against Kramnik today. Gotta love how we both didn't know what was going on and Rybka is like, "haha, you stupid idiots!"
We had fun yesterday!
Our condolences to the Taylor family
Story here. Our condolences to the Taylor family and to his friends at Maine West.
Evanston Chess Club Tri-Level
Crosstable here!
North Shore Chess Center Game/45
Best game prize: 1982 Midwest Masters
Sunday, November 7, 2010
If you're not going to the banquet today....
G/45 + 10/sec increment tournament
We are holding a G/45 + 10/sec increment tournament today at the North Shore Chess Center. Based on numbers this can be a series of quads (3-rounds) or a regular swiss tournament (4 rounds).
Entry fee is $20 for non-chess center members and $15 for chess center members.
Registration starts at 12:30pm with Round 1 @ 1pm. All equipment is provided.
Prizes:
1st place - Free entry to the 2010 Illinois Class on 12/4/2010 and a 3-month extension to a 1 year chess center membership
2nd place - 50% off entry fee to the 2010 Illinois Class on 12/4/2010 and a 3-month extension to a 1 year chess center membership
3rd place - 3-month extension to a 1 year chess center membership
The North Shore Chess Center is located at 5500 West Touhy Ave Suite A, Skokie, IL 60077. You can visit our website at http://www.nachess.org/nscc or our Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/ChessCenter for more details on memberships, events, etc.
Leonid Bondar posts an even score at the World Senior
Larry Kaufman tied for first once again, placing fourth on tiebreaks. He reports at Chess Life Online.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
A cute trap...
Tal Memorial round 2: Nakamura shares the lead
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tal Memorial: Nakamura draws Round 1
Today's big game: Aronian takes down Kramnik. Wang Hao may have Shirov in trouble (
Grischuk-Eljanov still in progress.
Karjakin wins an interesting ending against Gelfand.
Carlsen withdraws from the World Championship Cycle
Carlsen provides brief comments at ChessBase.
To: FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov & FIDE World Championship Committee.
Reference is made to the ongoing World Championship cycle.To: FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov & FIDE World Championship Committee.
Reference is made to the ongoing World Championship cycle.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my decision not to take part in the planned Candidate Matches between March and May 2011.
After careful consideration I’ve reached the conclusion that the ongoing 2008 - 2012 cycle does not represent a system, sufficiently modern and fair, to provide the motivation I need to go through a lengthy process of preparations and matches and, to perform at my best.
Reigning champion privileges, the long (5 yr) span of the cycle, changes made during the cycle resulting in a new format (Candidates) that no World Champion has had to go through since Kasparov, puzzling ranking criteria as well as the shallow ceaseless match-after-match concept are all less than satisfactory in my opinion.
By providing you with 4 months notice before the earliest start of the Candidates as well as in time before you have presented player contracts or detailed regulations, I rest assured that you will be able to find an appropriate replacement.
Although the purpose of this letter is not to influence you to make further changes to the ongoing cycle, I would like to take the opportunity to present a few ideas about future cycles in line with our input to FIDE during the December 27th 2008 phone-conference between FIDE leaders and a group of top-level players.
In my opinion privileges should in general be abolished and a future World Championship model should be based on a fair fight between the best players in the World, on equal terms. This should apply also to the winner of the previous World Championship, and especially so when there are several players at approximately the same level in the world elite. (Why should one player have one out of two tickets to the final to the detriment of all remaining players in the world? Imagine that the winner of the 2010 Football World Cup would be directly qualified to the 2014 World Cup final while all the rest of the teams would have to fight for the other spot.)
One possibility for future cycles would be to stage an 8-10 player World Championship tournament similar to the 2005 and 2007 events.
The proposal to abolish the privileges of the World Champion in the future is not in any way meant as criticism of, or an attack on, the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who is a worthy World Champion, a role model chess colleague and a highly esteemed opponent.
Rest assured that I am still motivated to play competitive chess. My current plan is to continue to participate in well-organised top-level tournaments and to try to maintain the no 1 spot on the rating list that I have successfully defended for most of 2010.
Best regards,
IGM Magnus Carlsen
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Big test for Nakamura
Previews at ChessVibes and Chess Life Online.
The games begin at 7 a.m. Chicago time: I'll link to updates sometime tomorrow morning.
Well, that was a bit of a bummer....
But Miami deserved to win, and the games were interesting. More shortly....
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Miami vs. Chicago tonight at 7 p.m.
I'll be joining the match in progress sometime around 9 p.m.
A position from the U.S. Game/30 championship
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A letter from Tom Sprandel
Dear Chess Friend:
Illinois Chess Association GM Dmitry Gurevich, GM Yury Shulman and IM Florin Felecan will be at the banquet to honor Helen Warren. We'd love to have you there too.
Below is an invitation to the 2010 Illinois Chess Association banquet honoring Helen Warren, founder of the ICA Warren Junior Program. I hope you’ll be able to attend.
Helen’s vision and tireless work has helped foster the growth of the state’s top youth chess players. Be sure to read Bill Brock's tribute to Helen Warren. It's on the front page at http://il-chess.org/. I think you'll enjoy it.
The Warren program has a simple mission: to identify nationally ranked Illinois chess players ages 7 to 18, and provide them with opportunities to study with masters and grandmasters and to participate in high-level invitational events. The program nurtures the highest-potential Illinois students so they can compete on a national and international stage, and provides students with an opportunity for rigorous study that will give them skills to become leaders in other fields as adults.
The program serves more than 35 Illinois children who are currently ranked among the top U.S. chess players for their age in the country. Many are academically gifted, and benefit greatly from the in-depth study required to learn chess at an advanced level. The program funds intensive individual instruction for those with financial need, organizes group instruction, and sponsors state high school and girls invitational competitions, with prizes for winners to attend U.S. national championship tournaments.
If you can’t make it to the banquet, I hope you’ll consider making a contribution in Helen’s honor to this worthwhile cause. You may purchase tickets online at http://shop.il-chess.org/ or, you may mail your ticket order or donation to: ICA Warren Junior program, c/o Andrea Rosen, 8214 Keystone Ave., Skokie, IL 60076. Thank you.
Sincerely, Tom Sprandel, President Illinois Chess Association, Inc.ICA BanquetHonoring Helen WarrenFormer ICA president and founder, Warren Junior ProgramRecipient of the ICA's Broughton Award for outstanding service to chess in Illinois.Sunday, November 7, 2010, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Buca Di Beppo, 90 Yorktown Road, LombardDear Illinois Chess Association Members and Friends, We hope you’ll join us at a luncheon honoring Helen Warren, one of the ICA’s original founding members and founder of the Warren Junior Chess Program. Back in 1992, Helen recognized that the state’s top junior chess talent needed mentoring and support in order to develop their full potential. Eighteen years later, the Warren Program continues to provide the top junior players in Illinois with financial assistance for private and group instruction, and sponsors invitational events for the state’s top high school and female junior players. MENU (Served Family Style): Apple Gorgonzola Salad Caesar Salad Ravioli al Pomodoro Chicken Limone Cheesecake Soft Drinks, Coffee and Tea PROGRAM: Remarks by Fred Gruenberg Blitz chess with Warren Scholars Note: The ICA annual meeting will take place at the restaurant from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., immediately preceding the banquet. All ICA members are welcome to attend.TICKETS$30 Regular $60 Patron $100 Benefactor $250 SustainingTo reserve your place, go to Banquet Tickets or send check made payable to Illinois Chess Association, Inc. and # of tickets desired to:All proceeds will benefit the ICA Warren Junior Scholar Program. Individuals or companies who purchase tickets at the Benefactor level or above will be acknowledged on the ICA website.Andrea RosenICA Warren Program DirectorBe sure to include your email address to receive confirmation.8214 Keystone AveSkokie, IL 60076.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Loose ends
All Grade at Whitney Young November 13th!
Ivanchuk beats Nakamura in Cap d'Agde finals
Friday, October 29, 2010
Breakfast entertainment at Cap d'Agde
Saturday morning (perhaps beginning at 7:30 a.m. Chicago time, but I'm not sure!), you can follow Nakamura's match with fellow super-GM Le Quang Liem at many websites, including the official site and The Week in Chess.
Saturday, Nov. 6th: Evanston Tri-Level
Levy Senior Center
300 Dodge Ave
Evanston, IL 60202Evanston Chess Presents:Tri-Level4SS G/45
Three Sections
USCF Dual Rated
Nov 6, 2010
9:00am-5:00pmSection Gold: 1700 and overFrom 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.
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated
1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determins eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.
Four rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/40 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined 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 5:00 pm.
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.
Grandmasters Gurevich and Shulman....
Won't you please join us, too?
Permalinks for Chicago Blaze coverage
All on the ICA website!
Andi Rosen's article
Board 1: Gurevich—Bercys
Board 2: Sadorra—Amanov
Commentary on the "good stuff" (two Chicago wins) to follow shortly! The raw game scores follow:
Board 3: Felecan—Hughes
Board 4: Lopez—Magness
Tom Panelas exhibits his hometown bias here.
2011-12 World Championship cycle
Gata Kamsky is the American representative in the field of eight. If Topalov withdraws (as seems likely), he'll be playing Alexander Grischuk. Carlsen, Kramnik, and Aronian are the other top seeds.
Once again, Ivanchuk is passed over.
Carlsen clinches Pearl Spring with one round to go
(Edit Nov. 1: I had hyperlinked to the diagram of the position after Topalov's 32.Rc3??; you can go to ChessBase to see the diagram. It's been replaced by the above photo: how many bottles of juice can Carlsen drink?)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hurrah Blaze!
Games and analysis will soon be on the ICA website. Won't have it up for a few hours because of a glitch.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Congratulatons to NM Gopal Menon!
Hat tip to NM Len Weber.
"This is it, folks"
On Wednesday night the Blaze play the Dallas Destiny, who themselves have a chance to make the playoffs, but they must win the match to do so. Here’s what it comes down to. If they Blaze win, they’re in the playoffs. If they draw, they’re in the playoffs. If they lose they’re out.
Here are the lineups. We have the white pieces on Boards 1 and 3.
Chicago Blaze Dallas Destiny Avg Rating: 2400 Avg Rating: 2388
Please join us Wednesday night at 7:00 PM at the North Shore Chess Center, 5500 West Touhy, Suite A, in Skokie. Or watch the games on the Internet Chess Club. It's now or never. Go Blaze!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Exchange Variation of the Slav: not so toothless?
After the game, Adarsh showed me some of his Exchange Slav prep: dangerous stuff!
Monday, October 25, 2010
"Juniors Excel in National Action Events"
NM Matan Prilleltensky reports at Chess Life Online!
Romanticism in chess
Michael Auger repeats as U.S. Game/30 Champion
Jason Flanders and Gee Leong tied for first in the Reserve section with 4-1 scores. Jason Daniels and Alexander Hu tied for first in the Booster, also with 4-1.
An impressive performance by Illinois juniors this weekend!
Crosstable here!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Three Illinois juniors win US Game/60 championship!
The field included FMs Chow and Stamnov and NM Acosta. Here's the crosstable.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Pearl Spring, Round 3: three decisive games in Nanjing
Topalov 0 - Anand 1 (another QGD Lasker variation: ouch!)
Gashimov 0 - Bacrot 1
Or you can play through the games via ChessBase. Insomniacs only: ICC is covering the event live.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Two NATIONAL one-day events in Skokie this weekend!
On Sunday, October 24th, it's the US Game/30 National Championship. Details on the ICA tournament calendar! As you might guess, each player has thirty minutes (plus five seconds delay per move) for the entire game! It's rumored that at least one of last year's National Co-Champions will be there to defend his title.
The site for both events is the congenial Holiday Inn on 5300 W. Touhy in Skokie.
Sets, boards, and clocks are being provided by the organizer, Sevan Muradian's North American Chess Association. Bring your lucky pen, show up, and play!
Please note the sizable discounts for preregistration and for playing in both events: for one event, the cost is $60 if you register by 6 p.m Friday; for both events, it's a very reasonable $100. But if you don't preregister, the onsite cost is $20 per event higher. (Also note that there are multiple sections based on rating: it's possible to play up one section for an additional fee.)
Free registration is avaiable to FIDE titled players!
You can register online here!
Another opinionated Russian
Kasparov on Carlsen's relative poor form, FIDE, and life in general, courtesy of ChessVibes.
At the end of this article, you'll find thirty games from a recent Kasparov simul against Belgian players: the 30-0-0 shutout was possibly bloodier than Waterloo.
First CICL bulletin of the 2010-11 season!
Nanjing - Pearl Spring round 1
This is the first tournament ever with three 2800's participating! Wang Yue (China's #1) and Gashimov (a young player formerly in the top ten) are logical picks, but I'm surprised that Bacrot was invited instead of someone like Vachier-Lagrave.
Sidebar: Topalov has fallen well below 2800 on the unofficial but widely quoted live rating list, but Levon Aronian now joins Anand and Carlsen now above 2800, so there are still three 2800s in the world. Signs of the time: none of the four are Russian, and only one of the four current / recent 2800s (Aronian) was born in the former Soviet Union. But Kramnik is over 2790 with a bullet....
Back to Nanjing: the games begin at something like 2:30 a.m. Chicago time, so check them with your morning coffee. Carlsen wins in round one and will probably reclaim the live #1 spot later today....
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
"Amanov Unstoppable at the Midwest Class "
Andi Rosen reports at Chess Life Online! Check out Mesgen's notes, especially the Paragua-Amanov ending!
Forget about the GMs and the child prodigies for a second, and give another round of applause to Erik Karklins, who (officially) gained 25 rating points at the age of 95!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Black is OK! Blaze is OK! Sharks are OK!
Board 1: Gurevich-Becerra
Dmitry still would have been better if he had played the consolidating move 36.Be3: 36.Kh3? was just too risky. Even in the game, 39.Qb1! kept the pressure on Black.
41.Bxf4? lost by force: kibitzers pointed out that Dmitry probably rejected 41.Qb7!? because it doesn't really threaten anything: the Re8 covers the back rank, and the Ng5 and Bd4 protect the sensitive squares in front of the Kg8. But the queen-rook battery on the seventh would have tied down several Black pieces to the king's defense: for example, 41...Nxf3 allows 42.Qh7+ Kf8 43.Qh6+ with a perpetual check.
Easy for a computer!
Board 2: make a wish
First, use your imagination, then see if you can find a plan to make your dream come true!
Perhaps with the help of this technique, GM Mesgen Amanov beats his third grandmaster in three days....
If you had had the Black pieces, what would your plan have been after 24.Ra2?
Board 3: Creative attack and counterattack
Board 4: Eric Rosen crushes the Smith-Morra Gambit
But I suspect that White's move order was suboptimal: why not play 7.O-O and see how Black chooses to develop? 7.Bf4 is unnecessarily committal.
It's nice to get the first point on the board!
Backlog catchup: Blaze lost a heartbreaker last week
Blaze play tonight!
GM Dmitry Gurevich 2481 – GM Julio Becerra 2628
GM Renier Gonzalez 2540 – GM Mesgen Amanov 2508
IM Florin Felecan 2415 – FM Marcel Martinez 2475
Nicolas Rosenthal 2047 – NM Eric Rosen 2227
Read Daniel Parmet's blog entry here.
The games begin at 7 p.m. Chicago time.
Follow the action on the Internet Chess Club (subscription required).
Or stop by the North Shore Chess Center at 5500 West Touhy Avenue, Suite A, in Skokie.
GM Mesgen Amanov wins Midwest Class
95-year-old Erik Karklins tied for second in the Expert section and gained an estimated 21 rating points, for a net gain of 85 points this decade.
10-year-old Warren Scholar Conrad Oberhaus won the Class B section with a perfect 5-0 score and is now an A player! Warren Scholar James Wei (age 10) and grizzled veteran Zachary Holecek (age 11 or 12?) scored 3½ in the Class A section: both gained a bucket of ELO.
Crosstable here! (USCF hasn't rated yet: I'll edit the post to add when it does.)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
mini-hiatus
But the October 15th tax deadline is looming...back shortly!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Midwest Class Championships in Wheeling, October 15-17
MIDWEST CLASS DEADLINES COMING SOON!
Tuesday, October 12: Last day for advance entry.
Wednesday, October 13: The special $98 chess hotel rate at Westin North Shore is expected to end on this date, at about 5 pm.
19th annual
MIDWEST CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS
October 15-17 or 16-17, 2010
Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling, Illinois
$20,000 projected prizes, $16,000 minimum guaranteed
5 round Swiss in 7 sections:
Master (2200/up), Expert (2000-2199), Class A(1800-1999), Class B (1600-1799), Class C (1400-1599), Class D(1200-1399), Class E (Under 1200).
Also side event: Midwest Rated Beginners Open, Friday night, Oct 15.
Rated players may play up one class, unrated may enter A through E but have prize limits.
$98 special chess rate for 1-4 in room at the luxurious, AAA 4 Diamonds Westin North Shore Hotel, 800-937-8461, 847-777-6500, ask for chess rate, reserve now or rate may increase.
FULL DETAILS
ENTER NOW
Meet the Warren Scholars
Sunday, October 10, 2010
and also...
Chess Life Online also covered the North Shore Chess Center opening, as well as a Renaissance Knights event at Wright College.
Bilbao round 2: Anand beats Carlsen
Kramnik (who had White in rounds 1 & 2) leads the tournament after pounding Shirov.




