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
Saturday, March 19, 2011
North Shore Chess Center tourney tomorrow
Another email cut-and-paste:
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
Downers Grove Swiss April 9th
Cut and pasted from Daniel Parmet's email!
Downers Grove Chess Swiss #7 tournament on April 9th is now up to 4 Guaranteed Masters participating!!! IM Florin Felecan, NM Trevor Magness, FM Albert Chow and NM Mariano Acosta will be in attendance! A great warm-up for the Chicago Open!!See the ICA Tournament Calendar for more info!
I'm running on April 9th [sic] in Downers Grove Chess Club. Time control will be G/60 with 5 second delay. 4 round swiss, boards, sets and clocks provided.
Quiz answer
Here's the answer to the quiz that I flunked in over-the-board play:
Hayhurst-Brock
Chicago Industrial Chess League, 2011
After 71...g5: White to play and win
It would have been time for me to throw in the towel after the simple but difficult 71.hxg5! hxg5 72.Nd5! It would have been a well-deserved victory for the Bh3, which had been engaged in a domination struggle with the Ne3 for a couple dozen moves.
Both players knew that White could not afford to trade away all his pawns, so we both overlooked that in certain situations, White might want to initiate the trade. (Hayhurst was in severe time pressure, but I had a good twenty minutes.)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
"Taking It Up a Level"
Do you have the proper mindset when you sit down to play a higher-rated player?
Check out NM Jon Burgess's article on the ICA website, based on his recent lecture to the Evanston Chess Club.
Check out NM Jon Burgess's article on the ICA website, based on his recent lecture to the Evanston Chess Club.
Schmakel-Felecan, Skokie 2011
Today I had the pleasure of co-annotating Sam Schmakel's fascinating game with IM Florin Felecan. Look for the article shortly on the ICA website!
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