Chess Room Newsletter #543

There are still places in the 2011 Mechanics' Institute Intermediate and Advanced Chess Camp which runs July 25-29 with GM Nick deFirmian as the lead instructor. This camp is open to all chess players ages 8 and older and is unique among Bay Area camps in the large number of adult players it attracts. Attendees can sign up for one or two days or the entire week. You can find further details below under Special Events at the MI.

2011 US Junior Closed Champion Gregory Young will give a talk on his great success at the event in Saint Louis on Tuesday, August 2^nd.The talk will be held from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm and is free to all.

2) Bobby Fischer Against the World

Bobby Fischer Against the World the highly regarded documentary by Liz Garbis, will begin its Bay Area run on July 24^th at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. International Master Anthony Saidy, who figures prominently in the movie, will be answering questions after the showing.

Watching Bobby Fischer Against the World one can't help but realize that it was a minor miracle that the 1972 match came off and that one of the key players who made it happen was IM Saidy, one of the great gentlemen of American chess.

SCREENING TIMES:

CASTRO THEATRE, San Francisco,Saturday, July 23 at 2:00pm

RODA THEATRE, Berkeley Monday, August 1 at 6:30pm

OSHMAN FAMILY JCC, Palo Alto Tuesday, August 2 at 6:35pm

RAFAEL CENTER, San Rafael Saturday, August 6 at 2:10pm

MI Chess Director John Donaldson will be doing the Q + A at the Berkeley showing.

Master Asa Hoffmann , who is featured in the documentary , has a wealth of Bobby Fischer stories dating back to their teens (both were born in 1943). One story he shared recently involved a bet with Bobby. Both of them were over six feet and in their physical prime when the bet occurred involving whether Asa could touch the top of a street lamp (roughly 9 feet high). Bobby was certain Asa could not do it but unbeknownst to him, Asa knew that he could as he had practiced the stunt. Sure enough he touched the top on his first try with such ease that Fischer decided he could do it while wearing a suit and tie. The result was not pretty. Not only did Bobby fail he ripped his jacket in the process.

3) Here and There

July 2011 FIDE Rating list

Top 20 Players

1. Carlsen 1990 NOR 2821

2. Anand 1969 IND 2817

3. Aronian 1982 ARM 2805

4. Karjakin 1990 RUS 2788

5. Kramnik 1975 RUS 2781

6. Ivanchuk 1969 UKR 2768

7. Ponomariov 1983 UKR 2768

8. Topalov 1975 BUL 2768

9. Nakamura 1987 USA 2766

10. Mamedyarov 1985 AZE 2765

11. Gashimov 1986 AZE 2760

12. Gelfand 1968 ISR 2746

13. Grischuk 1983 RUS 2746

14. Radjabov 1987 AZE 2744

15. Kamsky 1974 USA 2741

16. Svidler 1976 RUS 2739

17. Jakovenko 1983 RUS 2736

18. Vitiugov 1987 RUS 2733

19. Almasi 1976 HUN 2726

20. Vallejo 1982 ESP 2724

Note that due to technical reasons the match Nakamura-Ponomariov and the Russian Team Championship were not rated. Hikaru Nakamura would be 2770 and move up to 6^th place if the former event were included and Nikita Vitiugov would be 2726 if the latter had been rated.

Russia has 6 players in the top 20, Azerbaijan 3, the United States and Ukraine 2 each.

Top-10 women

1. J. Polgar HUN 2699

2. Koneru IND 2614

3. Hou Yifan CHN 2575

4. N. Kosintseva RUS 2560

5. T. Kosintseva RUS 2557

6. A. Muzychuk SLO 2538

7. Dzagnidze GEO 2537

8. Lahno UKR 2536

9. Cmilyte LTU 2528

10. Stefanova BUL 2524

US top rated players are: #11. Anna Zatonskih 2522, #20. Irina Krush 2487 and #96 Sabina Foisor 2363.

Top-10 under-20 players

1. Le Quang Liem 1991 VIE 2715

2. Caruana 1992 ITA 2711

3. Giri 1994 NED 2701

4. Yu Yangyi 1994 CHN 2672

5. Feller 1991 FRA 2666

6. So 1993 PHI 2658

7. Ding Liren 1992 CHN 2654

8. Negi 1993 IND 2642

9. Matlakov 1991 RUS 2632

10. Sjugirov 1993 RUS 2629

The top US player is Robert Hess (1991) #14 at 2609.

Facts and Figures

Yearly dues for the Marshall Chess Club were $25 in 1940 ( a dollar in 1940 is worth about $15 today) and are $325 today.

On September 30, 1944, the USCF had 1,708 members including 536 from California (thanks to Herman Steiner), 152 from Illinois, 192 from New York and 85 from Washington D.C. The USCF sent out a monthly newsletter that year that was a precursor to the Chess Life newspaper which began in 1946.

IM Ricardo De Guzman won the Sacramento 4th of July weekender with a score of 4.5 from 6. IM Walter Shipman and NMs Jimmy Heiserman, Zoran Lazetich, and James McFarland shared second at 4-2. The multi-section event organized and directed by John McCumiskey attracted 76 players.

5) Upcoming Special Events at the Mechanics' Institute

MI Advanced Chess Camp with GM Nick deFirmian, IMs Vince McCambridge and John Donaldson, FM Mark Pinto and MI Scholastic Coordinator Anthony Corrales from July 24-29 Go to www.chessclub.org for more information.

July 31st Neil Falconer Blitz

6) Upcoming Events

MECHANICS' TOURNAMENTS (go to www.chessclub.org for more information)

2011 Events

Scholastic Championship - July 9
Charles Bagby Memorial - July 16
Vladimir Pafnutieff Memorial - August 6
Bernardo Smith Memorial - August 20-21
Howard Donnelly Memorial - September 17
J.J. Dolan Memorial - October 8
Carroll Capps Memorial - November 5-6
Pierre Saint-Amant Memorial - November 19
Guthrie McClain Memorial - December 3

September 3-5 2011 Labor Day Chess Festival

6-SS, 30/90, SD/1 (2-day option rds 1-3 G/60). Golden Geteway Holiday Inn. Van Ness at
Pine, San Francisco. $$B 160 paid entries (not counting free or unrated entries). Six Sections: Master $1500-750-400-350 U2300 $300; Expert $700-350-200-150. "A" $700-350-200-150. "B" $700-350-200-150. "C" $700-350-200-150. "D/E" $700-$350-$200 U1200 $200-150. Unr:
Trophy First. Trophy to top finisher (State Champion) in each section. All, EF: postmarked
by 8/29 $115. $125 at site. Unrateds $20 in the D/E section or may play up to the Master
section for the regular fee. $5 discount to CalChess members. USCF memb. req'd. May
play up one section for add'l $10. GM/IM free entry. Reg.: Sat 9/3 8:30-9:30am, Sun 9/4
8-9am. RDS.: Choice of schedules- 3-day, 2-day merge at round 4, all compete for the same prizes. 3-day schedule: Sat 10:00-3:30; Sun 11:00-4:45; Mon 10:00-3:30. 2-day schedule: Sun 9:30-11:45-2:00-4:45; Mon 10:00-3:30. 1/2 pt bye(s) any round(s) if requested in advance
(byes rds 5-6 must be requested before rd 1). 2011 September Ratings List, CCA minimums and Directors discretion will be used to place players as accurately as possible. Please bring
clocks and equipment. HR: Golden Gateway Holiday Inn (415)-441-4000. INFO: Richard
Koepcke (650)-224-4938. Ent: Richard Koepcke, P.O. Box 1432, Mountain View, CA 94042. No Phone entries. Master Section FIDE Rated. Chess Magnet School JG

October 1st - 2011 U.S. Game/60 Championship - Santa Clara

4SS, G/60 - $4,000 b/117 fully paid entries - 75% guaranteed. Hotel rate $99 by 9/16: Hyatt Regency, 5101 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054. Free Parking. In 3 sections, Open Section: $500-201-105, u2300 $200-110, u2100 $150, u2000 $130, u1900 $100. 1400-1799 Section: $500-201-100, u1700 $200, u1600 $150, u1500 $100. Under 1400 Section: $500-201-100, u1300 $200, u1200 $150, u1100 $100. Unrated may play in any section but maximum prize is $100 except no limit in the Open Section. Trophies for top 3 places in each section. Entry Fee: Mailed by Mon 9/26 or online by Tue 9/27: $60. Online 9/28-29 or onsite: $75. Add $20 to play-up in a higher section. DISCOUNTS: $10 off each event if also registering for G/30 on Oct 2. $10 cash rebate onsite if staying at the hotel under chess rate. Byes: One 1/2 pt bye allowed must commit by start of Rd 2. Reenter with 1/2pt bye in Rd 1 for $39. September 2011 Supp, CCA min, TD discretion used to place players accurately. SIDE KIDS EVENT for K-12 students rated under 1000: 4SSxG/60 in 2 sections, 600-999 and under 600. Prizes: Trophies to Top 10 players and Top 5 teams in each section. Best 4 players count for team score. Also trophies to top u800, top u700 in 600-999 section and top u400, top u300, and top u200 in u600 section. EF by Mon 9/26 or online by Tue 9/27: $39. Online 9/28-29 or onsite: $54. Add $10 to play-up in a higher section. Schedule: Onsite Registration 8:30-9:30am; Round Times: 10:00am, 12:30, 3:00, and 5:30pm. Mail payments to: Bay Area Chess, 1590 Oakland Rd., Suite B213, San Jose 95131. $20 for refunds. T: 408-786-5515. E: [email protected], Info/Form/Entries: BayAreaChess.com/usg60g30. NS, NC, W.

October 2nd - 2011 U.S. Game/30 Championship - Santa Clara

4SS, G/30 - $3,006 b/88 fully paid entries - 75% guaranteed. Hotel rate $99 by 9/16: Hyatt Regency, 5101 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054. Free Parking. In 3 sections, Open Section: $400-200-102, u2300 $101, u2100 $101, u2000 $100, u1900 $99. 1400-1799 Section: $400-200-102, u1700 $101, u1600 $100, u1500 $99. Under 1400 Section: $400-200-102, u1300 $101, u1200 $100, u1100 $99. Unrated may play in any section but maximum prize is $100 except no limit in the Open Section. Trophies for top 3 places in each section. Entry Fee mailed by Mon 9/26 or online by Tue 9/27: $60. Online 9/28-29 or onsite: $75. Add $20 to play-up in a higher section. DISCOUNTS: $10 off each if also registering for G/60 on Oct 1. $10 cash rebate onsite if staying at the hotel. Byes: One 1/2 pt bye allowed must commit by start of Rd 2. Reenter with 1/2pt bye in Rd 1 for $39. September 2011 Supp, CCA min, TD discretion used to place players accurately. SIDE KIDS EVENT for K-12 students rated under 1000: 5SSxG/30 in 2 sections, 600-999 and under 600. Trophies to Top 10 players and Top 5 teams in each section. Best 4 players count for team score. Also trophies to top u800, top u700 in 600-999 section and top u400, top u300, and top u200 in u600 section. EF by Mon 9/26 or online by Tue 9/27: $39. Online 9/28-29 or onsite: $54. Add $10 to play-up in a higher section. Schedule: Onsite Registration 8:30-9:30am; Round Times: 10:00am, 12:30, 3:00, and 5:30pm. Mail payments to: Bay Area Chess, 1590 Oakland Rd., Suite B213, San Jose 95131. $20 for refunds. T: 408-786-5515. E: [email protected],

Info/Form/Entries: BayAreaChess.com/usg60g30. NS, NC, W.

2012 Northern California International Presented by NorCal House of Chess

Dates:    January 2nd - January 8th

Location:    NorCal House of Chess at Northwestern Polytechnic University
                       47655 Warm Springs Blvd.
                       Fremont, CA 94539
Rounds:    Jan 2nd: 6:00; Jan 3rd, 5th: 11:00 & 6:00;   Jan 4th, 6th, 7th: 4:00; Jan 8th: 11:00

Time Control:    40/90, SD/30 with 30 second increment

Organizers:    Arun Sharma <asharma AT math.berkeley.edu> and Ted Castro <ted0712 AT yahoo.com>
Section A (GM-norm Round Robin)

Section B (Swiss)

GM and IM norms possible in both sections!

GMs interested in playing and potentially receiving conditions should contact Arun as soon as possible if they wish to have the best chance of doing so.

The Northern California International begins only a couple of days after the North American Open in Las Vegas ends so is a very convenient event for those who are playing in the latter.

http://dotq.org/chess/

Southern California Events

Upcoming events at the Metropolitan Chess Club:

July 8-10, July 22-24, July 29-31 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Metropolitan Chess FIDE Qualifier
Qualify into an International Norm Event! FIDE Rated!
Run under Metropolitan Chess, Inc (2011 USCF Chess Club of the Year)
Organized by National Master Ankit Gupta (2011 USCF Organizer of the Year) Invitation Based. Minimum of 1800 USCF and maximum of 2249 FIDE to participate. Requires organizer approval to participate.
Two (2) qualification seats per event.
E-mail [email protected] to inquire into specific details about event or visit www.metrochessla.com.

July 9-10, July 23-24, July 30-31 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Metropolitan Chess Booster Qualifier
Run under Metropolitan Chess, Inc (2011 USCF Chess Club of the Year)
Organized by National Master Ankit Gupta (2011 USCF Organizer of the Year) Invitation Based. Minimum of 1200 USCF and maximum of 1899 USCF to participate. Requires organizer approval to participate.
E-mail [email protected] to inquire into specific details about event or visit www.metrochessla.com.

Aug 17-21
1st Metropolitan Chess International
GM, IM, WGM, WIM Norm Event!
GM Michael Adams, GM Loek Van Wely, GM Ilya Smirin, GM Timur Gareev, and other GMs committed to the tournament.
Currently has 27 foreign players, 10 grandmasters, and 37 titled players registered/committed.
9-SS, 40/90, SD/30 + 30 second increment from move 1
Sheraton Downtown Los Angeles, 711 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017.
$$14,100 Unconditionally Guaranteed prize fund. 1 Section.
Prizes: $5,000-3,000-1,300-900-800-600, BU2500 $1000-500, BU2300 $1,000 Plus Best Game Prizes: Various Apple Products (iPods, iPads, iShuffles, iTouches, etc).
Reg: Must be done in advance. No on-site registration. Contact [email protected]. July official FIDE ratings used.
Rds: 7:30 PM on Wed, 11:00 AM and 5:30 PM on Thur-Fri-Sat, and 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM on Sun.
EF: Based on FIDE rating. Visit www.metrochessla.com for details. Free entry for GMs and Foreign WGMs/IMs, no entry fee deducted from prizes, but you must register in advance.
Ent: Metropolitan Chess, Inc., PO Box 25112, Los Angeles, CA 90025 or e-mail [email protected]. For more info call Ankit Gupta at (650) 823-1681 or visit www.metrochessla.com.
Hotel Rates: Special rate of only $139 single or double, (213) 488-3500 if booked by 7/16/11, book ASAP, as rates will go up and rooms may sell out by mid-July. Great hotel in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles.

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Chess Room Newsletter #543