Gens Una Sumus!
"I am 31 now. I can work as a lawyer when I am 50 or 60, butif I want to play chess, I must do it now – in 20-30 years it will be toolate."
Gata Kamsky
This Saturday the Mechanics' will be holding the 6th Annual BobBurger G/45.
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News
Six-time US Champion Walter Browne and Mechanics' Institute ClubMembers GM Alex Yermolinsky, WGM Kamile Baginskaite and NM BatchimegTuvshintugs will play in the US Championship scheduled for earlyMarch in San Diego.
The Winter Marathon begins next Tuesday and runs eight rounds overnine weeks. There will be no round on Valentine's Day ( February 14).
At present it looks like there will be no People's Open thisyear breaking a 32-year tradition. This event, which is closely associatedwith the UC Berkeley campus, actually was held in Hayward the first twoyear's of its existence before moving to the Student Union. The first yearsthe People's attracted several GMs but the top prize of $500 stayed frozenover 30 years with the result that what had once been a regional eventbecame a local one. Still into the 1990s it was attracting 200 plus playersand even last year 144 plus a large scholastic section. The event benefitedfor many years from a close connection between SUPERB, the UC Berkeleystudent organization, and local organizers like Alan Benson, Don Shennum,Alan Glascoe, Mike Goodall and most recently Richard Koepcke. Now thatconnection seems to have been lost. Hopefully another venue can be foundthough it will likely lack the special ambience of the Student Union wherebongo drummers would serenade players into the evening. Should the People'snot be held that will leave only a handful of events in the Bay Area outsideof the Mechanics' and East Bay Chess Club. It's a curious situation whenthe governing body for chess in Northern California (CalChess) has a nearrecord treasury of over $20,000 but holds only one open event a year (thestate championship on Labor Day weekend) and the state magazine, whichstarted over 50 years and ran continuously until a few years ago, is nomore. Maybe the solution is to make Reno part of Northern California.
2) Local chess players gamble in Las Vegas by MichaelAigner
A large number of northern Californians fly or drive to Las Vegas duringthe last week of 2005 for the North American Open. This event hasbecome a West coast cousin of the annual World Open in Philadelphia,complete with high entry fees and a correspondingly large prize fund. Ofcourse, this was Las Vegas, Sin City and the gambling capitol of America!A total of 658 players showed up to play in the "Goichberg lottery" (namedafter organizer Bill Goichberg).
The 105 player Open section featured 20 Grandmasters and a large numberof International Masters. Your reporter had the honor of playing (and losingto) GM Jaan Ehlvest. Moreover he was paired with two GMs, two IMsand two untitled players rated around 2400 USCF. Another famous playerin attendance was GM Alexandra Kosteniuk. This was one tough tournament!
And yet one player distinguished himself from all the other GMs: HikaruNakamura. The reigning U.S. Champion gave up just two draws in sevenrounds and took first place all alone. He impressively pushed GM NikolaMitkov off the board on the white side of the Scotch game in the lastround.
A few local players performed well in the top section. Most notablewas FM Alan Stein who scored 5.0 and qualified for the U.S. Championship.He faced four GMs and one strong IM, losing just once while defeating GMVadim Milov. IM-elect David Pruess and FM Dmitry Zilbersteineach finished with 4.5. Pruess narrowly missed out on tiebreaks for qualifyingfor the U.S. Championship. FM Bela Evans shared top U2300 honorswith 4.0.
The biggest story for Northern California came out of the Expert section.High school junior Drake Wang scored five wins and two draws fora share of first place and the biggest paycheck of his young life. As anadditional reward, his rating now exceeds 2200 USCF! Those who know Drakerealize that his goal for 2005 was to become a master--and he achievedit in the final week of the year. Congratulations to NM Drake Wang! :lol:
Very few other local players finished at or near the top of their section.Kudos to Adarsh Konda and John Jaffray in the U2000 section(tied for 3rd) and Jennifer Livschitz in the U1400 section (tiedfor 5th). A number of NorCal residents scored 4.0 or 4.5 in their respectivesections--enough for a respectable result but not enough to win money.
A special congratulations to 19-year-old Batchimeg Tuvshintugsof Oakland who qualified for the US Championship on her first try.
From the Continental Chess Association website
NAKAMURA WINS NORTH AMERICAN OPEN!
The U.S. Champion, 18-year old Hikaru Nakamura,defeated the tournament leader, GM Nikola Mitkov, in the final round totake clear first place in the North American Open, winning over $11,000. The event had 713 entries (658 players, 55 re-entries), 20 Grandmasters,and prizes totaling over $140,000. It was is the final qualifierfor the 2006 US Championship, and 31 players paid the optional fee to maketheir final attempt to qualify. The overall qualifiers were AlanStein, Jesse Kraai, Mark Ginsburg and Stephen Muhammad, andthe women's qualifiers Batchimeg Tuvshintugs and 17-year old VanessaWest. Go to http://www.chesstour.com/nao05l.htm for the crosstable.
John Donaldson writes: Congratulations go to Jesse Kraaiand Alan Stein for bouncing back from tough losses in the last roundof the East Bay GM Swiss which cost them respectively GM and IM norms onlya few days before Las Vegas. Both had tried to qualify for the US Championshipseveral times earlier this year. I believe this is the third time thatStephenMuhammad has qualified for the US Championship which is an impressivefeat. The biggest congratulations go to IM Mark Ginsburg of Tucsonwho has been trying very hard to qualify for the US Championship for severalyears. Several times Mark lost a spot in the championship on tiebreakbut here he finally earned a ticket to San Diego.
The qualifying spots are often subject to some vagaries with someplayers catching breaks and others having the tough pairings. I couldn'thelp but notice the excellent result by IM James Rizzitano who cameback two years ago after more than 15 years of not playing tournament chess.Inevitably he shed some rating points, dipping below 2400 for the firsttime since he started shaving, but his result in Las Vegas will put himback over as he beat two GMs (Kreiman and Zapata), drew twoGMs ( Gallagher and GM-elect Khachiyan) and beat FMManouckian but lost to qualifiers Muhammad and Kraai (the latter immediatelyafter a marathon battle with Zapata). It's not easy to qualify for theUS Championship.
3) Igor Ivanov Remembered by Jonathan Berry
This remembrance earlier appeared in Canada's national paper the Globeand Mail.
Earlier in the month, the A&E channel premiered the movie Knightsof the South Bronx, starring Ted Danson. A&E were justlyenthusiastic about the movie, showing it four times in eight hours. Althoughas a chess purist one might quibble about this or that, the tone and actingof the movie, based on fact, were excellent. An inspiring story.
A most different movie inspired what follows. Glenn Gould, TheRussian Journey is a 21st century look at the epochal visit of Mr. Gouldto Moscow and Leningrad in 1957. The movie argues that Mr. Gould changedthe way that Russian musicians think about music. Not just a few new lickson the ivories, but a fundamental change.
Just so was the effect of Igor Ivanov on Canadian chess. Hisarrival in 1980 inspired--forced--our top players to new heights.
Here is a game from the 1982 Chess Olympics. Although Canada's 18thplace finish was mediocre, it was full of drama. A highlight was the matchagainst England, where Mr. Ivanov had White against Tony Miles.Like Mr. Gould, these two artists passed from our world all too soon.
1.Ng1-f3 Ng8-f6 2.c2-c4 b7-b6 3.g2-g3 c7-c5 4.Bf1-g2Bc8-b7 5.O-O g7-g6 6.Nb1-c3 Bf8-g7 7.d2-d4 Nf6-e4 8.Qd1-d3 Ne4xc3 9.b2xc3 O-O 10.e2-e4 c5xd4 11.c3xd4 d7-d6 12.Bc1-g5 Nb8-c6 13.Ra1-c1 Ra8-c8 14.Rf1-d1 Rc8-c7 15.Qd3-e3
Another try is 15.c4-c5. White prefers to maintain an impressivecentre, but Black has no weaknesses of his own, and a target at c4.
15...Qd8-a8 16.Bg5-h6 Nc6-a5 17.Bh6xg7 Kg8xg7 18.c4-c5
An amazing concept. White plays the expected push, but the timing makesit a gambit. Less imaginative players might choose between Nf3-d2 or d4-d5.
18...Bb7xe4 19.d4-d5 Be4xf3 20.Bg2xf3 Qa8-c8
Black feared passivity. After 20...Na5-b7 White can regain thepawn with a small edge. Interesting is 20...Rc7xc5 21.Rc1xc5 d6xc5 (tocapture with the other pawn allows check on c3) 22.d5-d6 Qa8-b8 23.d6xe7Rf8-e8 24.Rd1-d7 and Black lacks activity, although it is not clear howWhite might break through.
21.c5-c6 Qc8-f5 22.Rd1-d4 Qf5-f6 23.Rc1-e1 Rf8-e8
Black refrained from 23...b6-b5, not because of 24.Rd4-f4 Qf6-b2 25.Re1-e2Qb2-a1+ 26.Re2-e1 and a draw, but 24.Bf3-e2. If Black gives back the pawnwith Na5-c4, White's c6-pawn is strengthened by the availability of theopen b-file. Otherwise the knight is at risk and must sacrifice itselfat c6.
24.Qe3-d3 Kg7-g8 25.Rd4-f4 Qf6-b2 26.Bf3-g4 f7-f5
Black stops Bg4-d7, but pays for the offside position of the knight.
27.Bg4xf5! g6xf5 28.Qd3xf5 Kg8-h8 29.Qf5-h5 Rc7-c8 30.Rf4-h4Qb2-g7 31.Re1-e6 Re8-f8 32.Re6-h6 Qg7-a1+
If 32...Rf8-f7 33.Rh6xh7+ Qg7xh7 34.Qh5xf7.
33.Kg1-g2 Rf8xf2+ 34.Kg2xf2 Rc8-f8+ 35.Rh4-f4 Rf8xf4+36.g3xf4 Qa1-d4+ 37.Kf2-g2 Qd4-d2+ 38.Kg2-h3 Qd2-d3+ 39.Kh3-h4 Qd3-e4 40.Rh6xh7+1-0
The denouement. The knight cannot catch the pawn. Black resigned. Mr.Ivanov showed that one can play accurately, but still have romantic flair.
The same game was published here 23 years ago, but like Mr. Gould'srecordings, this repays repeated visits. Technology moves on, in chessas in music. We have computers to displace our prejudices, but even underthe objective gaze of silicon, the beauty of this game continues to shine.
Canada won the match against England and had good chances for a finishas high as 8th until the last round. Mr. Ivanov showed up late for thegame because he was helping a player from Bulgaria to defect to the West.It would be easy to blame Mr. Ivanov's defeat in that game on the lossof 40 minutes on the chess clock, or on the excitement of a real life dramaat the police station, but Guillermo Garcia of Cuba played a masterfulgame. Mr. Garcia also left us in an untimely hurry; he died in a trafficaccident at age 36. But his games, just as much as those of Messrs. Ivanovand Miles, live on.
Closing the circle, Mr. Ivanov as a young man loved music; he was skilledat both the cello and piano. He stuck to music at his mother's request.But his mother died when he was just a teenager, and he moved on to hisgreater love, chess. In later years, he gave piano recitals in Utah, wherehe settled.
Editor: Go to http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2839 fora fine tribute by Norm Jenson and a chance to listen to a recording ofIgor playing the piano.
4) Here and There
GM Alex Stripunsky, GM Leonid Yudasin, and IM Yury Lapshuntied for First in the 27th Annual Empire City Open, December 28-29in the New Yorker Hotel. New York City's largest non-scholastic tournamentthis year had 283 entries in 4 sections, including 11 re-entries.
Congratulations to GM Patrick Wolff and his wife Dianawho are the parents of Samuel Wolff who was born on December22. The Wolff's have made San Francisco their home and Patrick is workingfor the Clarium Capital Management hedge fund.
The University of Baltimore at Maryland County, led by GM Alex Onischuk,are the national collegiate champions having defeated both powerhouse teamsfrom the University of Texas at Dallas who finished second and third. Stanfordtied for eighth in the event which was held right after Christmas in Miami.Top scorer on the team was Alisha Garg.
Newsletter #278, 01/10/2006
"Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach downto the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power ittakes to win when the match is even."
Muhammad Ali
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News
Orinda High School student Sam Shankland was the surprise winnerof the 6th Annual Bob Burger Open held to honor the noted masterand problemist last Saturday. Shankland, rated around 2100, defeatedSlovak NM Peter Zavadsky in the last round to win the five roundevent with 4 1/2 points. His only draw was with number two rated NMBatchimeg Tuvshintugs. The top seed, IM Ricardo DeGuzman, wasdefeated by Zavadsky. MI Scholastic Director Anthony Corrales directedthe 39 player event which featured a high number of women with over 25percent of the field female. This may have been due in part to the lackof a women's section in the annual Sojourner Truth event.
The Winter Marathon begins next Tuesday and runs eight roundsover nine weeks. There will be no round on Valentine's Day ( February 14).
Following up on last week's report on the People's Open thereare attempts being made to rescue the tournament but nothing is certainat present. Hopefully good news will be available next week.
2) Vinay Bhat on Chess.FM
This week's guest on the internet radio show "Chess and Books withFred Wilson" will be one of America's most successful juniors- just
recently turned 21 - IM VINAY BHAT.
3) Daniel Lucas new Chess Life Editor
Daniel Lucas Named Publications Director/Chess Life Editor
(CROSSVILLE, TN)The U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) is pleased to announcethe appointment of Daniel Lucas to the position of Publications Director/ChessLife Editor.
Mr. Lucas has been a freelance writer/editor for the past tenyears. During the last year, he has been a field manager and teacher forKid Chess in Marietta, Georgia. For the last seven years, he has been editorofGeorgia Chess, which was named Best State Magazine in2002, 2004, and 2005 by the Cramer Committee/Chess Journalists of America(CJA). Lucas is the immediate past president of the CJA.
Lucas was born in the Bronx, New York, but grew up in the south. Heattended high school and college in Augusta, Georgia, graduating summacum laude with a B.A. in Psychology from Augusta State University in 1986.Daniel married his wife Ginger, a high school English teacher, in 1993.They have two children: David, 10, and Katie, 7. When not at work, withhis family, or playing chess, you will almost certainly find him on thetennis courts, where he plays in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles leagues.
In 1993, while pursuing a career in retail management in Savannah, Georgia,Lucas played his first rated game and became more deeply involved in chess.At that time, he helped revive the Savannah Chess Club and started theSavannah Chess Club Bulletin. Shortly after that he moved to Atlanta andbecame an officer of the Georgia Chess Association.
As Publications Director, Lucas will be involved with all USCF publications,from Chess Life to promotional materials. On a trip back to New York in1978 with his father, Lucas saw his first issue of Chess Life at the GameRoom on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and he hasn't missed an issuesince then. Because of this strong emotional investment, Daniel's maingoal is, he says, "To make Chess Life a magazine that can stand proudlyalongside any chess publication in the world."
Daniel Lucas can be reached via email at [email protected].
4) Lazslo Witt (1933-2005)
The following was published in the Montreal Gazette on 1/6/2006.
WITT, Laszlo (Leslie) died peacefully at Sunnybrook MedicalCenter, Toronto on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 at age 73. Husband of thelate Viola Witt. Dear father of Sylvia and her husband Jim Sankey of Winnipeg.Dear brother of Eva and her husband Laci Reti of Montreal. Survived byfamily in Europe. Terribly missed by his extended family Pascal and EvitaRicher of Toronto, and by his AVIS family. As a youth, Leslie was considereda chess prodigy. After emigrating from Hungary with his family in 1956,he continued to play chess internationally. In 1962, '63, '65, and '67,he was Quebec Open champion, and in 1962 he was Canadian Open championwith a rare perfect score. He was a member of the Canadian team at theWorld Chess Olympiads in 1964 (Tel Aviv), 1966 (Havana), and 1970 (Siegen,Germany). In 1969, he was recognized as an International Master. In lateryears, he enjoyed playing backgammon and painting in watercolours, wherehe was considered a gifted amateur by his teachers.
5) Kramnik Speaks
The following statement comes from Kramnik's official site at http://www.kramnik.com/.
"I would like to inform the chess community that due to health problemsI shall not be able to participate in the Corus Chess Tournament 2006.A couple of years ago a form of arthritis was diagnosed.
This disease causes painful inflammation in the joints. Unfortunatelysince that time, the symptoms have started to appear more often and withgreater severity. A new recent crises makes it necessary to undertake seriousclinical treatment. Solving the present problem within a few months willallow me to come back and enjoy competitive chess at the highest level.I want to stress clearly, that - as always - I am eager to continue andenhance my chess career. There are still many goals to achieve."
6) East Bay Chess Club News
Bay Area Chess League - Liga!
Season 2 begins January 28, 2006!
We are looking for more players for the Bay Area Chess League (Liga).The Liga begins with the
first match on Saturday, January 28, 2006. Teams must have between4 and 10 players, with teams
playing one match against another team once a month for 5 months (untilMay 2006). There are still
roster spots open on various teams. There are team and individual boardprizes for participants;
games will also be USCF rated. If you are interested, please contactus at [email protected]!
For more info, take a look at last season's results and this season'srules
athttp://www.eastbaychess.com/liga/Liga2.html
East Bay Chess Club New Year's Swiss
January 14th-16th, 2006
A USCF rated 6-round Tournament in 2 sections
Prizes (based on 40 full entries, top 3 prizes guaranteed)
Open Section: $150, $100, $50; 1st U2000: $100
Reserve (U1750) Section: $100, $75, $50; 1st U1550: $75; 1st U1300:$75
Entry fee: $35 if mailed before 1/7/06, $40 at site. $5 discount forEBCC Members
Registration/Check-in: 9-9:45 AM on Saturday
Rounds: 10 AM and 4:00 PM on all 3 days (1/2 pt byes available)
Time control: 40/2, SD/1
Questions or Comments? [email protected] or call (510) 845-1041
Online info and signup: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/newyears.html
East Bay Chess Club Quads
Sunday, January 29th, 2006
Open to Players of all Ages and Strengths
How it Works: A three game USCF-rated tournament, in sections of fourplayers each
determined by USCF rating. Non-USCFmembers will be paired in separate unrated quads.
Entry fee: $15 if mailed before 1/22/06, $20 at site. $5 discount forEBCC Members
Prizes: $30 to the top finisher in each quad.
Registration/Check-in: 10-10:45 AM the day of the tournament.
Rounds: 11 AM, 2:30 PM, and 5:30 PM
Time control: G/90
Questions or Comments? [email protected] or call (510) 845-1041
Online info and signup: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/janoquad.html
7) Leah Koltanowski (1906-2005)
The following article in the San Francisco Chronicle on December 27was written by Steve Rubinstein who is not only one of the Chronicle'sbest writers but was also a close friend of George and Leah.
Leah Koltanowski, the sharp-witted and untiring wife of legendary chessgrandmaster and Chronicle chess columnist George Koltanowski, has died.
Mrs. Koltanowski, 99, who helped her husband run chess tournaments andcompose his chess column for more than five decades, died Friday in herSan Francisco apartment after a long illness.
A small woman with a keen sense of humor and a remarkable memory, Mrs.Koltanowski not only did not know how to play chess, but refused everyattempt by her husband and his friends to teach her the game.
"If I learned to play,'' she often said with a smile, "I'd just be anotherchess player.''
Mrs. Koltanowski was a native of Massachusetts who met her husband,then the chess champion of his native Belgium, on a blind date in New YorkCity in 1944. The couple married a year later and moved to San Franciscoin 1947. The following year, Mr. Koltanowski began writing his daily chesscolumn in The Chronicle, continuing without interruption until his deathin 2000 at the age of 96. It was the longest-running chess column in newspaperhistory.
At chess tournaments, club meetings or exhibitions, Mrs. Koltanowskiwas invariably at her husband's side. She took it upon herself to makesure that chessboards were set up properly and that players competed fairly.She often checked phone booths and lounges to make sure that players werenot receiving illicit advice between moves.
Mrs. Koltanowski also helped her husband conduct his record-settingpublic exhibitions of "blindfold" chess, in which he would play dozensof opponents, often simultaneously, without looking at the chessboards.
She helped her husband answer mail from around the world and gathermaterial for his column. When he would offer readers free reprints of thegames from world championship matches and thousands of readers would writein to request them, it was Mrs. Koltanowski who patiently folded the leaflets,stuffed the envelopes and licked the flaps.
While Koltanowski was known for his remarkable memory at the chessboard,he often joked that he was unable to remember more mundane information,such as what to bring home from the supermarket. Mrs. Koltanowski, whosememory complemented her husband's, never forgot shopping lists, birthdays,gossip, phone numbers or the names of their friends' grandchildren.
For decades, the couple shared a Cathedral Hill apartment that was filledwith chessboards, chess plaques, chess books, chess paintings, chess clocks,chess mosaics, chess awards and chess posters. The Koltanowskis turnedtheir lights on and off using switch-plates that were decorated with chessdiagrams.
Mrs. Koltanowski is survived by three nieces, Rachelle Knapp and CarolineFainberg of New York City and Harriet Goler of Cleveland, and a nephew,William Zellen of Wayland, Mass. Services will be held Friday in Queens,N.Y., where she will be buried alongside her husband.
8) Here and There
There will be a strong round robin starting in early Februaryin Mexico. The contestants are: Nakamura, Karjakin, Volokitin, Cheparinov,Vallejo, Dominguez, Bruzon and Ponomariov.
Wijk aan Zee: Mamedyarov replaces ill Kramnik
The following message was published yesterday by the Corus Chess Pressat the official Wijk aan Zee tournament site, www.coruschess.com:
"Junior World Champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (20) from Azerbaijan replacesVladimir Kramnik in the Grandmastergroup A of the Corus
Chess Tournament. Kramnik had to withdraw due to illness. Mamedyarovmade a huge jump on the latest FIDE ranking list (January 2006) and
climbed up from place 28 till 15, with a rating of 2709. Mamedyarov,who won 35 rating points, ended shared second in the Grandmastergroup Bof
the Corus Chess Tournament 2005, behind winner Karjakin."
The final list of participants:
Topalov (ELO 2801, Place 2 in the
world ranking),
Anand (2792, 3),
Aronian (2752, 5),
Leko (2740, 7),
Ivanchuk (2729, 8),
Gelfand (2723, 9),
Bacrot (2717,12),
Mamedyarov (2709,15),
Adams (2707, 17),
I.Sokolov (2689, 24),
Kamsky (2686,25),
Tiviakov (2669, 33),
Karjakin (2660,42),
Van Wely (2647, 59).
The tournament will take place January 13-29.
Greetings:
The Winter Chicago FIDE Invitational GM/IM Norm Tournament wheresome of the top players across the country will battle it out is aboutto start. For those of you local to the Chicago area, the event will beheld at the Best Western Hotel @ O'Hare at the corner of Higgins and MannheimRoad.
The field is
GM Nikola Mitkov (MKD) - FIDE 2552
GM Vladimir Georgiev (MKD) - FIDE 2539
GM Pawel Blehm (POL) - FIDE 2520
IM Ben Finegold (USA) - FIDE 2563
IM Eugene Perelshteyn (USA) - FIDE 2521
IM Pascal Charbonneau (CAN) - FIDE 2495
IM Stanislav Smetankin (BLR) - FIDE 2485
IM Irina Krush (USA) - FIDE 2447
IM Angelo Young (PHI) - FIDE 2416 *** Potentially will be replaced
WGM Rusa Goletiani (USA) - FIDE 2378
You can find information on this event and future Chicago FIDE Invitationalevents at the following addresses:
www.fidechessinchicago.com (Website)
www.fidechessinchicago.blogspot.com (Blog)
Games will be relayed LIVE (as much as possible) on the Internet ChessClub and will also be posted on the website following the games. We willalso have blogs by the players after their games to give us some insighton what was going on in their minds! Come out and show your support foryour favorite participant(s).
Please pass this email along to your chess contacts. They can replyto this email if they wish to be added to the distribution list for futureevents.
Thank you,
Sevan A. Muradian
FIDE Chess in Chicago
Newsletter #279, 01/17/2006
"Combinations have always been the most intriguing aspect of Chess.The masters look for them, the public applauds them, the critics praisethem. It is because combinations are possible that Chess is more than alifeless mathematical exercise. They are the poetry of the game; they areto Chess what melody is to music. They represent the triumph of mind overmatter."
Reuben Fine
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News
Jennifer Shahade, former US Women's Champion and a member ofthe silver medal American team from the 2004 Chess Olympiad, will talkabout her new book Chess Bitch: Women In The Ultimate IntellectualSport and recent developments in the chess world on Tuesday,January 31st, in the members lounge on the 4th floor of the Mechanics'Institute. Jennifer will be signing copies of her book which willbe available for purchase. This event is free to all and will start at5:15 pm.
The Winter Tuesday Night Marathon has 59 entrants headed by NMsFrank Thornally, Tony D'Aloisio and defending champion Igor Margulis.There is still time to enter the eight round event with a bye for the firstround.
Thanks to former Chess Horizons editor Peter Sherwood,now living in Oakland, who has been entering games from M.I. events inChess Base, you can now play over some of your upcoming opponent's games.Here is one recent scrap.
Batchimeg,Tuvshintug (2270) - Ismakov,Arthur (2117) [B00]
Mechanics' Fall TNM 2005; 30/90, SD/30 San Francisco (5), 29.11.2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 Bb4 7.0-0 Bxc38.bxc3 Nxe4 9.Bf3 Ng5 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Qg4 f6 12.h4 c5 13.Nb5 Nf7 14.Qxg7Qb6 15.c4 a6 16.Nc3 Bb7 17.Qxf6 Rg8 18.Nd5 Qd8 19.Qf3 Ne5 20.Qh5+ Nf7 21.Bg5Rxg5 22.hxg5 exd5 23.Qxh7 Qxg5 24.Rab1 Bc6 25.Rfe1+ Kf8 26.Re3 Qg7 27.Qf5dxc4 28.Rg3 Qd4 29.Re1 Qd5 30.Qg6 Ne5 31.Qg7+ 1-0
Congratulations to San Jose High School student Matthew Ho whois the 2006 Falconer Award winner. The award is given each yearto the highest rated player in Northern California under age 18. Ho edgedout fellow master Nicolas Yap 2282 to 2263.
2) Greg Shahade featured on Chess.FM
This week's guest on the internet radio show "Chess and Books withFred Wilson" will be one of our most successful chess entrepreneursand professional poker players, IM GREG SHAHADE.
The show runs from 8:00 to 10:00 PM (EST) every Tuesday evening. As always, there will be replays of the show almostimmediately afterwards for our chess enthusiasts on the West enthusiastson the West Coast & elsewhere, and often there will be several replaysthe following day.
3) People's Open Saved by Michael Aigner
Credit our good friends at the East Bay Chess Club with a save! Aftera 32 year history, the annual People's Chess Tournament in Berkeleywas in jeopardy of being canceled. Fortunately the masters at EBCC,all of whom have played many years in this event, stepped up to the moundand threw the perfect pitch.
Aside from the change in venue, the event will be split over three weekends.The Reserve and B sections will play five rounds on February 11-12, whichis the weekend before President's Day.
The Open/Expert and A sections will compete in the usual six roundformat on February 18-20. The entry fee is $35 for U1800 and $40 for 1800+.
UNDER 1800 on February 11-12: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/peoples1.html
OVER 1800 on February 18-20: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/peoples2.html
The Young People's scholastic tournament will be the following weekend,February 25-26. Details will be made available soon.
Michael Aigner
CalChess Clearinghouse
4) Felix German will be holding what he is hopes to be the firstof many blitz tournaments to come on Sunday, January 29th, at Fort Mason(Building C, Room 370) in San Francisco. He sends the following information:
1st – $250, 2nd – $150, Expert – $150, A-$150, B-$150, C/D/E-$150
The prizes are based on 50 full entries
Entry Fee is $30.
Advance entries should be sent to: Felix German. 1200 14th ave #104,San Francisco, Ca 94122
6 rounds with 2 games in each round
Game in 5 min
Registration is from 9:00 - 9:45 with the tournament starting at 10am.
Newsletter #280, 01/24/2006
"A chess genius is a human being who focuses vast, little-understoodmental gifts and labors on an ultimately trivial human enterprise."
Peter Drucker
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess News
Jennifer Shahade will be giving a reading and talk about hernew book, Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sportfollowed by a Q+A session and book signing at the Mechanics' Instituteon Tuesday, January 31st from 5:15 to 7pm in the Member's Lounge on the4th floor. This event, which is free to all, will feature light refreshmentsincluding cheese and wine.
The following excerpt comes from an article that was written in conjunctionwith a recent visit by Jennifer to the House of Chess, a new chess centerin suburban Cleveland operated by Larry Rust with support from GMs AlexShabalov and Alex Yermolinsky.
New Great Northern store House of Chess
to host female grandmaster
By Charles Cassady
happenings
Published Jan. 18, 2006
Chess has been called the game of kings. Jennifer Shahadeis coming to Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted on Saturday to provethat there are queens as well.
The Philadelphia-born Shahade, 25, is a comparative literature graduatefrom New York University and a two-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion. Semi-retiredfrom playing professionally, she is now a frequent commentator and writeron the 1,400-year-old strategy game. The Manhattan resident also teacheschess to students in the New York school system. But lately she has wonnotoriety in black-and-white circles as the author of the tell-all withthe catchiest title of recent nonfiction publishing. Oprah could do worsethan devote a segment to "Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate IntellectualSport."
The 320-page hardcover relates Shahade's inner-circle view of themale-dominated chess world and the women who try to break through genderlines and play at the highest levels around the world, from China to Icelandto Eastern Europe. Part history, part tabloid-gossip, it's a volumethat has rattled a lot of pieces and brought much attention on the topicof chess-girls-gone-wild. Many newspapers have even refrained from printingthe transgressive-feminist title.
"It wasn't such a smart idea, that title, in the United States,"said Alex Shabalov. "In Europe it's a smart idea, and I think that's whatshe was aiming for."
Shabalov is a ranked a Grandmaster chess pro, and he is also a businesspartner in perhaps the only suitable castle in all of northeast Ohio tohost a "Chess Bitch" reception.......
The 62-player Winter Tuesday Night Marathon has 11 players tiedfor first after two rounds led by NM Igor Margulis. The big upsetin round 2 was Daniel Naroditsky's upset win over FM Frank Thornally.Six rounds remain to be played in the competition.
The schedule for the remaining TNMs this year :
Winter TNM January 10- March 7 ( no play February 14)
Spring TNM March 28- May 16
Summer TNM June 6-August 1 ( no play July 4)
Paul Vayssie Memorial TNM August 22-October 10
Fall TNM October 31-December 19
All events are eight rounds and FIDE rated
The Mechanics' Institute Library prides itself on having the largestpublicly accessible collection of chess literature West of the Mississippi.It's particularly strong in American periodicals, especially Californiapublications with runs of the California Chess Reporter and Chess Voice.
A few years are missing of the following publications. Any assistancein remedying this situation would be greatly appreciated. The Mechanics'has 501 (3) (C) status so all donations to the Institute are tax deductible.
Chess Review (1933-1969) The MI has all yearsexcept 1941 and 1942, plus the following issues from 1944 (Jan, Mar, June,July, Nov, Dec)
American Chess Bulletin (1905-1963) All years except 1905,1946 and 1956 .
Chess In Action (Kolti's magazine) It appears quitea few issues are missing before the Winter 1962 issue of this regionalmagazine for Northern California which had an irregular publication schedulein its first decade.
North American Chess Reporter (1931-33) There were 17issues published of this magazine which was produced in Beverly Hills.With Bob Burger's help we have all issues but September and Decemberof 1932 (#11 and #13).
2) Schwarz and Naroditsky move up in Agoura Hillsby Michael Aigner
Schwarz and Naroditsky move up in Agoura Hills by Michael Aigner
There was an earthquake this weekend at the Western Class Championshipsin Agoura Hills. It
registered 2166 on the Elo scale. This earthquake came in the formof 16 year old Daniel Schwarz.
He played up in the Open section seeking experience and some ratingpoints to inch closer to that
magical 2200 mark. He nearly ended up winning the entire tournament,even sitting on board 1 in
the last round!
Schwarz'es result was simply phenomenal! All five of his opponents wererated over 2300--at least
150 points above his pre tournament rating. He defeated NMs EugeneYanayt and Tatev Abrahamyan
while drawing with IM Enrico Sevillano (as black!) and FMMichael Casella. He was only stopped in
the last round on top board by IM Melikset Khachiyan. His performancerating was a stunning 2483
USCF and 2430 FIDE! And maybe most significantly, Schwarz will nowbe rated either very near 2200
or already above his goal.
Daniel, in the eyes of your teacher and friend, the title of NationalMaster is both well deserved
and overdue! Congratulations!
One other local junior did well in Agoura Hills. Hint: his first namealso is Daniel. Kudos to 10
year old Daniel Naroditsky for sharing first place in ClassA. He cruised through five rounds,
winning four and drawing against co-champion Michael Schemm.All ye experts out there, watch out
for the 10 year old coming to a tournament near you soon!
Tournament crosstables: http://www.chesstour.com/wcc06r.htm
This article was written on Sunday, immediately after the final round.The USCF MSA section shows that Daniel Schwarz is now rated exactly 2200!Daniel Naroditsky, who recently turned 10 and tied for first with MichaelSchemm of Seattle at Agoura Hills, went from 1944 to 1985.
3) Martinez woman sees all the right moves by Nargis Nooristani
The following article ran in the Contra Costa Times lastweek to promote a simul by Jessica Lauser in the Martinez City CouncilChambers last Saturday.
When it comes to playing speed chess, Jessica Lauser, who is legallyblind, sees moves that most of her opponents can't.
"There's power in this game," says the 25-year-old. "Being bigger,taller, faster, more coordinated -- it doesn't matter. I like being oneven footing with everyone."
One of the nation's top 100 female speed chess players, "Chessica"says the game has helped her cope with her disability.
The Martinez resident was born three and a half months premature, whichleft her partially blind and asthmatic.
"I've always struggled to fit in because of my eyes," she said in arecent interview. "I couldn't do sports, I couldn't ride a bike."
With her vision slightly distorted in a way that she describes as "kindof like bad TV reception," the activities she pursued were academics andboard games.
Lauser got her first taste of chess when she was 7 in an after-schoolprogram.
"I just played it like any other game," she said, "like 'Monopoly,''Parcheesi,' 'Go Fish.'"
It wasn't until she was 12 that she learned the myriad rules behindthe board game.
Chess was a solace for a self-conscious seventh-grader who had movedto a new school and feared teasing.
Lauser walked into her new classroom, a room filled with the all theexpected school necessities -- a chalkboard, books, desks. As she scannedher new surroundings, her gaze stopped on two chess sets.
"It's like running across an old friend. Like, 'Oh, hey. We've gotto catch up.'"
When Lauser beat all the students who challenged her, she moved onand beat the teachers and then her relatives.
She became the champion of her seventh-grade class and then her eighth-gradeclass.
But when she decided to compete at 13, Lauser realized she still hada lot to learn.
"I thought I was good, but when I got into competition, I got killed."
Lauser wasn't going to let a bruised ego get in the way of a game thathad so helped build her self-esteem.
She learned tactics and strategies, and she practiced.
Now a nationally rated competitor, the 2003 U.S. Open D-class co-champion,and 2003 U.S. Blind Championships second-place finisher, Lauser hopes oneday to become a "grand master."
"It is attainable," she said confidently. "With hard work and determination,anything's possible."
4) East Bay Chess Club News
Bay Area Chess League - Liga!
Season 2 begins January 28, 2006!
We are looking for more players for the Bay Area Chess League (Liga).The Liga begins with the
first match on Saturday, January 28, 2006. Teams must have between4 and 10 players, with teams
playing one match against another team once a month for 5 months (untilMay 2006). There are still
roster spots open on various teams. There are team and individual boardprizes for participants;
games will also be USCF rated. If you are interested, please contactus at [email protected]!
For more info, take a look at last season's results and thisseason's rules at
http://www.eastbaychess.com/liga/Liga2.html
East Bay Chess Club Quads
Sunday, January 29th, 2006
Open to Players of all Ages and Strengths
How it Works: A three game USCF-rated tournament, in sections of fourplayers each determined by
USCF rating. Non-USCF members will be paired in separate unrated quads.
Entry fee: $15 if mailed before 1/22/06, $20 at site. $5 discount forEBCC Members
Prizes: $30 to the top finisher in each quad.
Registration/Check-in: 10-10:45 AM the day of the tournament.
Rounds: 11 AM, 2:30 PM, and 5:30 PM
Time control: G/90
Online info and signup: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/janoquad.html
5) Here and There
Hi John:
Appreciated all of your articles in various magazines on Igor.
Below is a game I played against him in Toronto on 7/30/85. My scoresheetlists this as Round 4, Board 7. I am guessing this was the Canadian Open,though not sure of that. I remember feeling after this game that I didn'tunderstand it at all. I was in time trouble between moves 26 and 40.
I know I played him at least once before in Minnesota in November 1983,but I cannot find that scoresheet. Igor's play was always difficult forme; I could never predict his moves.
I. Ivanov -- A. Savage (Toronto, 1985)
1 Nf3 f5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 d6 4 d4 g6 5 0-0Bg7 6 d5 0-0 7 Nd4 Na6 8 Nd2 Qe8 9 N2b3 Nb4 10 c4 c5 11 Nb5 Qd8 12 Bd2 Bd7 13 Nc3 Rb8 14 a3Na6 15 Nc1 Nc7 16 Nd3 e5 17 de6 Bxe6 18 b3 b5 19 cb Nxb5 20 b4 Ne4 21 Nxe4 fe4 22 Nf4 Bf7 23Bxe4 Bxa1 24 Qxa1 d5 25 Bg2 c4 26 a4 c3 27 Bc1 g5 28 ab gf 29 Qxc3 Rxb5 30 Qd4! (played instantly) Qb6 31 Qf4Rb4 32 Qg5+ Qg6 33 Qxg6+ hg 34 Ba3 a5 35 Bxb4 ab 36 Rd1 Rd8 37 Rd4 b3 38 Rb4 d4 39 Be4 Kg7 40 f4Re8 41 Bd3 Rd8 42 Kf2 Rh8 43 h4 Rd8 44 g4 Be6 45 Rb6 Bf7 46 Rb7 Kf8 47 g5 Rd6 48 Kg3 Rc6 49 h5gh 50 f5 Rc1 51 Kf4 Rc5 52 Rb8+ Ke7 53 f6# 1-0
Best regards,
Allan Savage
Chicago Invitational A closed GM tournament took place in Chicago on13-16 January. Canadian IM Pascal Charbonneau won the event, scoring aGM norm (his third - he should receive the title in Turin) and receivingthe first prize of $750.
Final Standings:
1. IM Charbonneau (CAN) - 6/9
2-4. GM Mitkov (MKD), GM V.
Georgiev (MKD) and IM Benjamin
Finegold (USA) - 5½ and $292 each,
etc
You can find all games posted at www.fidechessinchicago.com and finalthoughts posted on www.fidechessinchicago.blogspot.com
We are in the process now of planning the Spring Chicago FIDE Invitationaland are giving serious consideration to having 2 sections - one sectionfor GM/IM norms and one section for IM norms only.
Good Chess to All,
Sevan A. Muradian
[email protected]
www.fidechessinchicago.com
www.fidechessinchicago.blogspot.com
Simultaneous Exhibition by FM Eric Schiller
Thursday, March 2 from 6:30-9:00pm
Barnes & Noble at Tanforan Shopping Center
1150 El Camino Real
San Bruno, CA
Newsletter #281, 01/30/2006
"While you're watching film, you're thinking about ways to beat people,and that's kind of the way it is with chess.Ever move, you're thinkingabout getting an
advantage for yourself. That's how it is with football as well."
Shaun Alexander
The MI Chess club will be hosting the 6th Annual HenryGross Memorial this Saturday starting at 10am. Note that starting in Marchall MI G/45 events will be rated full K as the USCF is discontinuing the1/2 K option.
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News
Jennifer Shahade will be giving a reading and talk about hernew book, Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sportfollowed by a Q+A session and book signing at the Mechanics' Institutethis coming Tuesday, January 31st from 5:15 to 7pm in the Member's Loungeon the 4th floor. This event, which is free to all, will feature lightrefreshments including cheese and wine. Copies of Chess Bitch will be availablefor sale for $20, a 25 percent discount off the regular selling price.
Earlier in the day, at 11:30, Jennifer will be a guest on the Ronn Owenshow on the KGO (AM 810) radio station.
The program is slated to go a half hour and may go even longer.
Drake Wang, Victor Ossipov, Sam Shankland, Daniel Naroditskyand Charles Faulkner are tied for first in the Winter TuesdayNight Marathon with scores of 3-0.
Daniel Naroditsky was first and Ted Castro second in theWinterBlitz Chess Festival organized by Felix German at the FortMason Center in San Francisco. The $30 entry fee probably had a negativeeffect on attendance - $10-$15 being the normal amount for the area - butorganizer German had the satisfaction of discovering a good facility forfuture events. Located in the C-building at Fort Mason, the room, whichcould comfortably hold 50-60 players, rents for $40 a hours and with plentyof free parking and public transit nearby.
2) Karpov Interview
This May during the Chess Olympiad it appears that FIDE willhave its first contested election in many years. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President since 1994, will be running against a ticket headed byBelgian organizer Bessel Kok who played an integral role in theGMA some time ago and has put together many events in Prague since. Forawhile it looked like Anatoly Karpov would be in the race as well,but a look at the new election regulations on the FIDE website appear tomake it impossible for there to be two candidates from the same federation.Since Ilymzhinov and Karpov both are members of the Russian chess federationthat would appear to rule Karpov out. A recent interview that Karpov gavewith Oleg Pervakov, correspondent of Russian magazine, “64”, would appearto indicate that Karpov will be a supporter of Kok this May. The article,which was translated by Steve Giddins, appears on the ChessBase website(www.chessbase.com)
Pervakov: Are you ready to run for FIDE President?
Karpov: It has been suggested, but I have not yet made a final decision...Discussionsare still ongoing. I think everybody connected with chess understands thatif we allow chess to continue for another four years in its presented terriblestate, it will simply disappear from the face of the earth.
Tournaments are shrinking in size, and disappearing altogether fromthe calendar – this is a huge problem. Linares and Dortmundhave significantly reduced the number of participants. Just consider, inthe world’s five biggest tournaments (that is, the two above, plus Wijkaan Zee, the Poikovsky tournament that bears my name, and Sofia),there are a total of just 41 places! This only leaves open tournaments,which I, for example, would never play in. I am firmly convinced that,for a world class player, playing in open tournaments is a big mistake,because such tournaments destroy one’s style.
Pervakov: You presumably already have your own program?
Karpov: What can one say? The problems are clear, and the disappearanceof tournaments is one of them. And this itself is connected with another– the lack of a single world champion, a leader of the chess world, a namewith which sponsors can identify.
There need to be changes, and serious ones. We need to restore therespect and image of top-flight chess. How can one talk of professionalchess organization, when even the players themselves, let alone others,cannot say who the world champion is? Ok, now they have invented this combinedsystem, but one thing is absolutely clear – the knockout system is totallywrong. You have 128 players sitting down – non-chess publications cannoteven publish all the results, or report them on TV or radio. So there isno reporting at all outside of specialist chess publications. We know allthis from the experience of Tilburg – one of the main reasons for the disappearanceof this tournament, which ran for 15 years, was the knockout system...
Pervakov: I noticed that in Tallinn, you were talking with BesselKok, who has already announced his candidature [for FIDE President]. Didyou discuss these questions with him?
Karpov: Yes. Of course, he recognizes the problems, because he was involvedwith the founding of the GMA and he is very familiar with professionalchess life. In the past, he organized some of the very best tournamentsever in Brussels, events which made chess part of the cultural and sportinglife of Belgium.
Pervakov: And did he suggest joining forces?
Karpov: Of course, the idea has occurred to him. People who wish tobring about change should work together. At the end of the day, the postof FIDE President sounds great, but what does it actually give one? Itgives one the opportunity to restore some order, to bring ideas to fruition.Some people may think it brings personal benefit, bit not to me, and notreally to Bessel either – he is a successful businessman. It is just acase of a person who, from love of chess and care about chess players,wishes to do his best to improve the situation. In that respect, I agreewith him totally and I support him.
3) Andy Soltis on Chess.FM
Hi folks:
This week's guest on the internet radio show "Chess and Bookswith Fred Wilson" will be will again be the preeminent
American chess author, GM ANDY SOLTIS.
4) East Bay Chess Club News
Snyder, Voss triumph at EBCC New Year’s Swiss
Larry Snyder, who seems to always be among the contenders atthe monthly EBCC weekend swisses,
showed that perseverance plays off by taking sole first place in thesecond annual EBCC New Year’s
tournament. Snyder, who had been on first board in the last round oflast year’s event (and
allowed EBCC director Andy Lee to slip away with a draw andthe title), would not be denied this
year, winning his final fours games en route to 5/6 points and clearfirst place. Ian Bourg, an
EBCC newcomer took clear second with 4.5/6, and Adarsh Konda, RaleighFoster, and Devon Brown
shared third with 4/6.
Kenneth Voss was the sole winner of the Under-1750 section, winninga crucial fourth round game
against tournament favorite Nelson Sowell. He drew last roundgame against second place finisher
Bleys Rose to finish with 5/6 to Rose’s 4.5/6. Third place wasagain a tie, between Anthony
Maparara and young Vishal Dasari.
The event drew 34 players and was directed by Jamie Sawhill, AndyLee, and David Pruess.
#################
Liga (Bay Area Chess League): Round One Summary
The Bay Area Chess League started with a bang on Saturday, assix teams of four players each came
to battle it out. The elite battle on board one was between IM VinayBhat of UC Berkeley and FM
Robin Cunningham of Eight is Enough; althoughBhat proved victorious, his team lost on the other
three boards and went down to defeat. The second match, Mike’sMaters versus the Fighting Knights
saw the Maters team captain, NM Michael Pearson, lose to expertSamShankland, but the Maters
prevailed on the other three boards. The final match, between Powerto Pieces and East Bay Chess,
followed the same pattern: Larry Snyder continued his hot streak,beating young A-player Davis Xu,
but East Bay Chess won on the other boards and scored the final 3-1victory. Go to
http://www.eastbaychess.com/liga/Season2Results.htmlfor complete results.
#################
EBCC Open Quads
Twenty players came to the EBCC open quads, tying a record for largestturnout to a one-day event.
Unlike the above mentioned scholastic quads, no one finished with aperfect 3-0. Daichi Siegrist
had a strong showing with 2.5/3 to win the top quad; Sreekar Jasthigot some last round help from
Ewelina Krubnik to win the second quad outright with only 2/3,and Berkeley High top board David
Knott scored 2.5/3 to win quad number three. The last two quadsinvolved big ties, with Vishal
Dasari and Jeffrey Zhang winning the fourth quad with2.5/3 each, each nicked for a draw only by
the other, and Elliott Jardin, Geoffrey Zoehfeld, and NathanZhang all tying with 2/3 in the
bottom quad. Congratulations all!
#################
Wednesday Night Action
The Wednesday night action tournaments have come back into bloom atthe EBCC. NM Andy Lee has won
the last two, dethroning the previous champ, NM Kimani Stancil.Ifyou want a chance to try to
knock out a master at a quick time control, come by and try it out!
5) Shaun Alexander chessplayer
The New York Times ran a big article by Dylan Loeb McClainon January 28th entitled Dazzling Moves on Field and Chessboardhttp://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/28/sports/football/28chess.html?_r=1)on Seattle Seahawk great Shaun Alexander which covered his and otherprofessional sports stars interest in chess and Alexander's involvementwith supporting chess for children and his close connection with the Seattlebased America's Foundation for Chess.
6) AF4C US Championship Qualifier for Juniors
This past weekend Sarkis Agaian, Josh Bakker, Jouaquin Banawa, SalvijusBercys, Xiao Cheng, Brianna Conely,
Zhi-Ya Hu, Trevor Jackson, Aaron Kahn, Matthew Klegon, Elliott Liuand Ruixin Yang competed in a online blitz tournament to decide
two qualifiers for this weekends playoff. These Champions came fromthe US Cadet Championship, the 2005 Supernational K-12,
the Denker High School Championship and the Polgar Girls Invitational.
The winners of the blitz event were Zhi-Ya Hu and ElliottLiu who will play this weekend for a spot in the
US Championship.
Thanks to Duncan Oxley for providing this information.
7) Las Vegas Masters
Hi John,
I am going to be organizing a 9-round FIDE swiss tournamentin Las Vegas
to run from the Saturday through Wednesday before the National Open. The
Las Vegas Masters is going to be open to players rated FIDE 2200 or over and
will be a good opportunity for people to obtain GM and IM 'norms'. Due
to the venue, entries will be limited to the first 36 entries received.
There is a projected prize fund of $3,800. It would be appreciated if you
would be able to advertise the event for me and provide people with the link to
the official site at www.clarkcountychessclub.com/masters/.
Sincerely,
Chris Bird
Clark County Chess Club
www.clarkcountychessclub.com
The size of the tournament venue is limited to 36 players and so entryinto the tournament will be on a "first come, first served" basis. As players confirm their participation in the event, then we will commenceproviding a list of the confirmed participants and their current ratings.
Confirmed Participants as of January 30th.
No. Name Rating Country
#1 GM Golod, Vitali 2577 ISR
#2 GM Mikhalevski, Victor 2570 ISR
#3 GM Kiriakov, Petr 2555 RUS
#4 GM Fontaine, Robert 2524 FRA
#5 IM Gonzalez, Renier 2470 USA
#6 IM Friedel, Joshua 2455 USA
#7 IM Kraai, Jesse 2443 USA
#8 IM Donaldson, John 2409 USA
#9 IM Vigorito, David 2359 USA
Open to adults and children! FREE!!!
Newsletter #282, 02/07/2006
"His style is of extraordinary fineness, and his knowledge of thegame can hardly be surpassed by any living player."
Emanuel Lasker on Akiba Rubinstein in the NeuesWiener Tageblatt, given on page 49 of the February 1914 BCM
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club Newsletter
Upsets galore was the theme of the 6th Annual Henry Gross Memorialheld this past Saturday. Sixth seed Batsaikhan Tserendorj of UlanBator and Oakland, scored 5-0 to win the event by a full point over a fieldof 40 including 10 over 2000. Tying for second at 4, in the G/45 eventheld this past Saturday, were FM Emmanuel Perez, NM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs,NMs Oleg Shakhnazarov and Art Wang ( a win over top-seed FMRon Cusi), and B-player Nelson Sowell. Nelson, rated 1732 goinginto the event, lost to US Championship qualifier Batchimeg Tuvshintugsin round one but then bounced back to win all his remaining games beatingplayers with an average rating of 2000 the last three games. Well doneNelson!
It will be a battle between youth and experience this week when WinterTuesday Night Marathon leaders veteran Victor Ossipov and teenagerDrakeWang square off tomorrow evening.
The two leaders have 4 from 4, half a point ahead of Chad Salinasand NMs Igor Margulis and Paul Gallegos.
Book and equipment donations to the Mechanics' are always welcome. Alldonations to the Mechanics' are tax deductible due to the M.I.'s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. If you have any chess books or equipment that havebeen lying around unused for some time consider donating to the Mechanics'.You will not only get a tax write off but also the satisfaction of seeingthings put to good use.
2) FIDE Elections
Newsletter 281 had brief coverage of the upcoming FIDE elections. Thisissue we offer a comprehensive look at what may be the most important campaignin the history of the organization thanks to Alexander Baburin,the founder and guiding light of Chess Today. The online daily, which offerstournament reports, instructional articles, book reviews, annotated gamesand more is available
for a subscription price of 15 euro for 3 months. For further detailsplease refer to http://www.chesstoday.net.
On FIDE President and
Forthcoming Elections
by GM Alex Baburin
As many of our readers will know, elections for the FIDE Presidentwill take place during the Chess Olympiad
in Turin in May. There, the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov willcompete for votes with several other
candidates. Among them are Dutch businessman Bessel Kok and Frenchchess organiser Leo Battesti. Former
World Champion Anatoly Karpov also hinted that he might run forFIDE President. Today I'd like to look at this
election.
First, a bit of history. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was elected in 1996.FIDEwas practically bankrupt then and as Ilyumzhinov promised to pump
millions into chess, his election was pretty much assured. Ilyumzhinovmade his fortune in the muddy waters of Russian business in 1980s and
1990s. He later became President of Kalmykia, a small autonomousrepublic within the Russian Federation, located near the Caspian
Sea. Both in politics and in chess Ilyumzhinov likes to shock. For example, at some point he declared his intention to run for Russian
President. He bought a soccer club.He wanted to stage a Karpov-Kamskymatch in Baghdad. He wants to bring the body of Lenin to Elista.
He claimed to have put aside $50m for world chess championships.He started, together with infamous Russian businessman Artiom Tarasov,
FIDE Commerce Ltd. Many of those projects failed. But it is truethat Ilyumzhinov brought considerable sums into chess, enabling many chesspros
to make a decent living from his knockout tournaments.
Professional players have mixed feelings about Ilyumzhinov and hisreign. Many appreciate that fact that he spent his own money on chess.
Many dislike his authoritarian rule.The latter manifested itselfvery clearly before the FIDE World Championship in Libya. Most are againsthis team in
FIDE
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