The beautiful thing about chess is, it's one of the few places in the world where you are just objectively judged for what you have done last week. There is no boss or someone telling you this, that or the other thing. ... I don't need a boss.
GM-elect Jesse Kraai
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News
2) Seven-way tie in US Open
3) Fabiano does it again
4) Here and There
5) Upcoming Events
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News
NM Mark Pinto lead the way for a contingent of Mechanics' members who made the trip to Palm Springs for the US Senior Open which started yesterday, winning in round one. IM Walter Shipman, FM Jim Eade and NM Art Wang are among those seeking to become the first Bay Area player to win the US Senior title since Neil Falconer in 1992.
FM Craig Mar and NM Andy Lee head the top of the rankings in the Ben Gross Memorial Tuesday Night Marathon with 2-0 scores. It is still possible to join the nine round with half point byes for rounds one and two.
Thanks to Melvin Chernev, son of the late Irving Chernev, the Mechanics' chess library has some important additions. The Institute now has a complete collection of Chess Review and the American Chess Bulletin, and significant runs of Wiener Schachzeitung and L'Echiquer as well as the series of Yearbooks produced by the American Chess Federation and USCF in the 1930s and 40s. In addition Mr. Chernev donated some very nice photos of his father in action against Fine and Reshevsky in US Championships. Look for them to be up on the walls of the Club shortly.
Those who have not been to the Mechanics' Chess Club in awhile will find many new photographs thanks to the efforts of Bob Burger. Among them are some classic black and white photographs taken by the Nancy Roos for the California Chess Reporter in the 1950s. Among those featured are Herman Steiner, Svetozar Gligoric and Jacqueline Piatigorsky.
The San Francisco Mechanics', defending US Chess League Champions, starts its title defense on August 29 at 5:30 pm. Spectators are welcome to watch the action in person at the Mechanics' or follow it online on the Internet Chess Club.
2007 Team Roster: (San Francisco is using the Dec 06 Rating List)
1.
IM Ricardo DeGuzman won the 69-player Vladimir Pafnutieff Memorial held August 11 at the Mechanics' with a 5-0 score. Arthur Liou, rated only 1823 going in, had a monster tournament defeating Expert Gregory Young and NM Peter Zavadsky to take second with 4.5 and pick up almost 60 rating points. There was a massive tie for third at 4 including SM Craig Mar (lost to Zavadsky), NMs Nicolas Yap ( lost to DeGuzman), Zavadsky and Experts Dmitry Vayntrub, Kimani Stancil, Juan Luaces, James Jones and 9-year-old Nicholas Nip (losing only to Mar - up to 2040). Yian Liou, rated 1782, also had a great event, scoring 3.5 points which was good for a 58 point rating gain. Anthony Corrales directed for the Mechanics' assisted by Alex Yermolinsky.
This Saturday the Mechanics' will be hosting the two day Bernardo Smith Amateur for players rated under 1800. Go to
www.chessclub.org for more information.
2) Seven-way tie in US Open
GMs Boris Gulko, Segey Kudrin, Alex Shabalov and Michael Rohde tied with IMs Ben Finegold and Michael Mulyar and NM Anton Del Mundo with 7.5 from 9 in the US Open
held July 28th- August 5th in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
The Northern California representatives in the Polgar and Denker Invitationals for High School champions both scored 4.5 from 6. Louiza Livschitz was leading the Polgar event for girls until she lost in the last round and tied for third. Nicolas Yap was equal fourth in the Denker.
3) Fabiano does it again
Any naysayers about Fabiano Caruana, who recently turned 15, are chewing on crow now as the newly minted GM took the 250-player Vlissingen Open held August 4-11 on tiebreak over world class GM Sergei Tiviakov and others with 7.5 from 9, good for a 2715 performance rating. Fabiano showed great versatility but was particularly strong in tactical positions. Here are a few highlights from the tournament.
Leenhouts,K (2395) - Caruana,F (2549) [B42]19.Qxd6 exf4 20.0-0 Rd8 21.Qc5 Qxc5 22.Bxc5 Rc8 23.Bxb4 Rxc2 24.Rf2 Rxf2 25.Kxf2 Rh6 26.Bc3 Rc6 27.Rd1 g6 28.e5 Bh4+ 29.Kf1 Rxc3 30.bxc3 f3 31.Bh1 gxf5 32.Rd4 f4 33.Bxf3 Bxf3 34.Rxf4 Bg3 35.Rxf3 Bxe5 36.c4 h4 37.Ra3 1-0 Caruana,F (2549) - Barua,D (2462) [C06]
Vlissingen (4)2007 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.0-0 Qc7 7.c4 Nc6 8.Nf3 b6 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.b3 Bd6 11.Bb2 Ne5 12.h3 0-0 13.Rc1 Rac8 14.Bb1 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 Be5 16.g3 Bc6 17.Ba3 Rfe8 18.Nd5 exd5 19.cxd5 Qb8 20.dxc6 dxc6 21.Qe2 c5 22.Kh2 Bd4 23.f4 h5! 24.e5 h4 25.Bb2 As 25.g4 is met by 25...Bxe5! 26.fxe5 Rxe5 25...hxg3+ 26.Kxg3 Rcd8 27.Kh2 Bxb2 28.Qxb2 Nh5 29.Rce1 Rd4 30.Qe2?? 30.Re4 Red8 31.Rf2 had to be tried. 30...Nxf4 31.Qe3 f6 0-1 Caruana,F (2549) - Stellwagen,D (2631) [B54]
Vlissingen (6) 2007 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 a6 7.Be3 Nge7 8.Nb3 b5 9.f4 Bb7 10.Qd2 Na5 11.Nxa5 Qxa5 12.Bg2 b4 13.Ne2 h5 14.h3 Ng6 15.Bf2 Be7 16.g5 e5 17.f5 Nf4 18.Nxf4 Bxg5
4) Here and There
If one were asked to name the most important person in the chess world names like top players like Kramnik, Anand and Topalov would be sure to be mentioned and if you asked the right person FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov would be on the list but a strong argument could be made that individual that would be most missed is Mark Crowther, who has faithfully produced The Week in Chess ( TWIC) - every chess players weekly source for recent news and games - for over a decade. If you suffer from hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, read no further, for issue 666 of TWIC is out this week. Thank you Mark (and Malcolm Pein of the London Chess Center and Chess magazine for sponsoring Mark).
The U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) held its' Annual USCF Awards luncheon at this years 2007 U.S. Open Chess Championship at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.The luncheon took place on Saturday, August 4 with the following award recipients accepting:
Chess City of the Year (1983): Stillwater, Oklahoma (accepted by Frank and Jim Berry).
Chess Club of the Year (1999): Atlanta Chess Center.
Committee of the Year (1982): 2007 Financial Review Committee.
Distinguished Service Award (1979): Fred Gruenberg of Illinois.
Friend of the USCF: GM Garry Kasparov of the USSR.
Gold Koltanowski Medal (1979): Frank K. Berry of Oklahoma for his contribution to the 2007 U.S. Championship.
Grandmaster (GM) of the Year (1997): GM Gata Kamsky of New York.
Frank J. Marshall Ambassador Award (1994): GM Gregory Kaidanov of Kentucky.
Meritorious Service Award (1980): Richard Shorman of California, John Hilbert of New York, Dan Heisman of Pennsylvania, and Grant Perks of Ohio.
Organizer of the Year (1994): Sevan Muradian of Illinois.
Outstanding Career Achievement (1986): Fred and Carol Kleist of Washington, Gordon Barrett of Nevada, Stephen Dann of Massachusetts.
Scholastic Services Award (1994): GM Susan Polgar of New York and Brownsville, Texas School District.
Society of Chess Mates (1998): Donna Gruenberg of Illinois and Jan Rogers of Georgia.
Special Services Award (1983): Steve Doyle of New Jersey, Ernie Schlich of Virginia.
Tournament Director of the Year (2004): Michael Atkins of Virginia.
The Chess program Rybka won a pawn-odds match versus GM Joel Benjamin with a score of 4½-3½, . In each game, Rybka
removed a different one of the eight pawns at the start. Coverage at RybkaForum.net
5) Upcoming Events
MI events - go http://www.chessclub.org/ for more information
Bernardo Smith Amateur - August 18th and 19th
Northern California
Sacramento Chess Club Weekend Swiss #18
August 25 & 26, 2007
4 Round Swiss, 30/90, G/1, d/5 at The Learning Exchange, 1111 Howe Avenue, Sacramento. Entry Fee: $45 (Juniors $35) postmarked by 8/18/2007, $55 (Juniors $40) after 8/18. Two sections, Master/Expert/A and Reserve (Under 1800). $1600 prize fund based on 50 adult and 10 junior full paid entries. Master/Expert/A 1st Place $200 and 2nd Place $150 are guaranteed. Registration 8/25, 8:30-9:30, rounds 10:00 and 3:30 both days. Entries payable to the Sacramento Chess Club and mail to Sacramento Chess Club, c/o 6700 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95823-1306. Contact information: TD John McCumiskey, 916-524-9479 or e-mail sactochess@sbcglobal.net. Check the Weekend Events page of the Sacramento Chess Club website, http://sacramentochessclub.org for a tournament flyer with additional information and the advance entry list.
Sept. 1-3
2007 CALCHESS LABOR DAY CHAMPIONSHIPS GPP: 15 California Northern6SS, 30/90, SD/1 (2-day option rds. 1-3 G/60). Golden Gateway Holiday Inn, Van Ness at Pine, San Francisco. $$ b/160 paid entries (not counting free or unrated entries). Six Sections: Master: $725-$375-$200; U2400 $300; Expert $430-$230-$110. "A": $375-$200-$120. "B": $375-$200-$120. "C": $375-200-120. "D/E": $375-$200-$120; U1200 $250. Unr: Trophy first. Trophy to top finisher (State Champion) in each section. All, EF: postmarked by 8/27, $70 (Jrs. $60), $80 at site (Jrs. $70). 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 (Jrs. $5). GM/IM free entry. Reg.: Sat. 9/1 8-9:30 am, Sun. 9/2 8:15-9:15 am. RDS.: Choice of schedules- 3-day, 2-day merge at round 4, all compete for the same prizes. 3-day schedule: Sat. 10:00-4:00, 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). 2007 August 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)-964-2640. Ent: CalChess, P.O. Box 1432, Mountain View, CA 94042. No phone entries. Master Section FIDE Rated.
A Classic Event!
Oct. 6 California Classic Championship 18 California , Northern
4SS G/60. 3003 Scott Blvd. , Santa Clara , CA 95054 . EF: $39, Juniors $35. $16 more after 10/2, $2 Cal Chess Discount, $4 discount if combined with 11/10 Classic. $850 b/36: Open 200-100 U2000 50, Reserve: 200-100 U1600 50, U1400 50, U1200 50, U1000 50. Reg: Sat 9:00-9:30 AM, Rds: 10:00-12:00, lunch, 12:30-2:30 PM, 2:40-4:40 PM, 4:55-6:55 PM. Ent: Salman Azhar, 1551 Garvey Pl. San Jose , CA 95132 . Payable to Salman Azhar or paypal to sazhar@yahoo.com. Info: http://www.bayareachess.com/. NS NC W
A Classic Event!
Nov. 10 California Classic Championship 20 California , Northern
4SS G/60. 3003 Scott Blvd. , Santa Clara , CA 95054 . EF: $39, Juniors $35. $16 more after 11/6, $2 Cal Chess Discount, $4 discount if combined with 10/6 Classic. $850 b/36: Open 200-100 U2000 50, Reserve: 200-100 U1600 50, U1400 50, U1200 50, U1000 50. Reg: Sat 9:00-9:30 AM, Rds: 10:00-12:00, lunch, 12:30-2:30 PM, 2:40-4:40 PM, 4:55-6:55 PM. Ent: Salman Azhar, 1551 Garvey Pl. San Jose , CA 95132 . Payable to Salman Azhar or paypal to sazhar@yahoo.com. Info: http://www.bayareachess.com/. NS NC W
Southern California
September 1-3
27th Annual Southern California Open
6-SS, 3-day 40/2, SD/1, 2-day rds. 1-3 G/60 then merges. LAX Hilton, 5711 W. Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
$$10,000 b/200, 60% of each prize guaranteed.
In 2 sections:
Open: $$T+1700-1000-800-450-300, U2400 400, U2300 200, U2200 600-300, U2000 $$600-300.
Amateur (U1800): T+750-400-200-150-100, U1600 $$500-300-200-100, U1400 $$300-150, U1200 100, Unr 100.
All: Half-pt bye available in rds 1-4 if requested with entry, limit 2. SCCF membership req. of S. Cal. res., $14 reg, $9 junior. No credit card entries or checks at door. SCCF Annual Membership Meeting: 2:30 p.m. Sept. 3. $25 Best Game prize, all sections eligible.
Reg: 3-day 9-10 a.m. 9-1, 2-day 8:30-9:30 a.m. 9-2.
Rds: 3-day: 10:30-5 Sat-Sun, 10-4:30 Mon. 2-day: 10-12:15-2:30 Sun., then merges.. EF: $83 if received by 8/31, $95 door. Special EF: U1400/unrated $67 adv, $80 door.
HR: $95 (310-410-4000, use group code SOU). Reserve by 8-26 or rates may rise. Parking $8/day.
Inf: John Hillery.
Ent: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Pl. #1, Los Angeles CA 90038 or on-line at http://www.westernchess.com/.
NS. NC. F. GP: 50. State Championship Qualifier