"When you play human beings they could make a mistake, and some of your moves could scare your opponents to death. A computer is very powerful and calculates like God within its limits. "
   Gary Kasparov

1) Win wins 74-player Wilkerson G/45 
2) Spring Tuesday Night Marathon
3) USCF Executive Board Meeting 
4) Here and There
5) MI Chess History CD: Volume 1 
6) Upcoming events

1) Win wins 74-player Wilkerson G/45

Win Aung Ye of Burma won the 3rd annual Max Wilkerson G/45 Open held March 15 at the MI with a 5-0 score. SM Andrey Chumachenko of Davis was second at 4 1/2, taking a last round bye. The event, held to honor former MI Chess Director Max Wilkerson, shattered the one day attendance record for MI events with 74 players (the old record was 58). Anthony Corrales directed for the MI. The next one day G/45 will be held April 26.

2) Spring Tuesday Night Marathon

FM Frank Thornally, NM Peter Thiel and IM Walter Shipman are the top seeds in the 75-player Mechanics' Institute Spring Marathon which started last night. The international field includes players from as far away as Burma and Turkey.

3) USCF Executive Board Meeting

The USCF Executive Board met on March 15-16, 2003 in New Windsor, New York. One of the more important pieces of legislation that passed was the revision of existing eligibility requirements for the US Championship. A motion passed to the effect that the waiting period would be reduced to one year for persons with a green card or other acceptable proof of permanent residency and two years for persons with non-permanent status. The exception for full time students under the age of 20 remains unchanged. Exact language has yet to be written. The new regulations will probably appear in the July Chess Life. Previously, three years of residence were required but with a much more lenient definition of what defined residency.

4) Here and There

A. This is an invitation to an exhibition match between Irina Krush and Jennifer Shahade, two of the top women players in the United States, on Thursday, March 20th. The match will be held at the Viewing Gallery at 114 17th St. between 6th and 7th avenues, just a few blocks from the Marshall Chess Club! The match will begin at 7:00 pm and will last until 9:30 pm. The Viewing Gallery is an art gallery, featuring the abstract paintings of Hector Leonardi. Wine will be served and feel free to invite friends! If you have any questions either email me at gregshahade@yahoo.com or call at 917-294-1338!

Location - The Viewing Gallery 114 17th St. between 6th and 7th avenues
Time - March 20th 7:00 - 9:30
Format - 25 minutes per player with 10 second increment.

B. The Chess Journalists of America recently announced its call for submissions for excellence in American chess journalism. Full details are available at http://www.correspondencechess.com/cja/pr030309.htm

C. FIDE norm hunters some regulations have been modified in the last year.
1. Norms are good for life and have been for more than one year.
2. There is a current rule that you require 24 games if you have a round robin or Olympiad norm or 30 games if relying solely on Swisses. This rule will be changed to 27 and it does not matter what type of event from 1 July 2003.

5) MI Chess History CD: Volume 1

The staff of the Mechanics' Institute recently completed the first of a two volume series on the history of the Mechanics' Institute Chess Room. The fruits of their research are available on a CD which includes almost 90 pages of text, approximately 10 photos from the MI archives and over 150 games in ChessBase format. Visits of World Champions Lasker (twice), Capablanca, Alekhine (twice), and Euwe, are among the highlights. The price of the CD is $10 + $1 for shipping. To order, send a check payable to the Mechanics' Institute for $11 to: Mechanics' Institute, Room 408, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94104.

6) Upcoming events

Upcoming Tournaments at the MI

Full details at www.chessclub.org

Max Wilkerson Open: March 15, 2003
Walter Lovegrove Senior Championship: April 12-13, 2003
Imre Konig Memorial: April 26, 2003

Scholastic Quads: March 22, April 19, May 31

Other Northern California Events

Mar. 29-30. 2003 Central California Adult & Scholastic Chess Congress
10 Grand Prix Points

Open, Scholastic & Beginner Scholastic. Edison High School, Grant Taggart Gym, 1425 S. Center St., Stockton. Open: (G/2, 5 sec. delay) $$2,000 Gtd: $400-200, X, A, B, C, D, E, & Unr. $200 ea. Trophies to ea. 1st. EF: $35 by 3/28, at site $45. Late Reg. 8-9:30. Byes requested bef. Rd. 1 only. Rds: 10-2:15, 10-2:15. EF includes G/5 Bughouse, G/5 Blitz, G/10 Quick (Rated), Simultaneous & Blindfold challenge (limited 8 highest rated challengers). Trophy/Title prizes for all side events. Scholastic Championship: 5SS, G/1. 4 Sections: K-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-12 (Trophies 10, 15, 15, 10 Resp.). EF: $20 by 3/28, at site $30. Late Reg. at site 8-9:30. Byes requested before Rd. 1 only. Rds: 10-1:15, 10-1:15,3:30. EF includes G/5 Bughouse, G/5 Blitz, G/10 Quick (Rated), Simultaneous. Trophy/Title Prize for all side events. Beginner Scholastic Championship: (3/29, Non Rated) 6SS, G/30. K-8. Certificates to all grade winners + participants. Free USCF membership to all scoring 4 or more pts. EF $10, $20 at site. Late Reg. at site 8-9:30. No byes. Only eligible Simultaneous. Rds: 10-11-12-1-2-3. Prizes all side events. Info: STKNCHES.go.cc or JacobGreen@msn.com. John Charles Barnard, 209-785-7895. 50 cents of ea entry donated to CalChess. Ent: Edison High School Chess Club, 1425 S. Center, Stockton CA 95206 W.

Southern California

April 11-13. Western Pacific Open
40 Grand Prix Points

5SS, 3-day 40/2, SD/1, 2-day Rds. 1-2 G/75 then merges. LAX Radisson Hotel, 6225 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. $$10,000 b/200, 50% of each prize guaranteed. In 3 sections: Open: $1500-1000-800-400-200 plus $200 (G) bonus for clear 1st, U2400 $400-200, U2300 $200, U2200 $750-500-300. EF: $79 advance, $95 door, $30 more if rated U1800. Premier: (U2000) $750-500-300-100, U1800 $500-300-200. EF: $79 advance, $95 door, $30 more to U1400, no unrated. Amateur: (U1600) $400+trophy-250-100, U1400 $100+trophy-50, U1200 $100+trophy, Unr. $100+trophy, unrated may win unrated prize only. EF: $64 advance, $75 door. Reg: 5:30-6:30pm 4/11, 8:30-10am 4/12. Rds: 3-day 7 p.m., 11-5:30, 10-4:30. 2-day: 10:30-1:30 (G/75), then merges. All: $50 Best Game prize, all sections eligible. One 1/2-pt. bye Rds. 1-3 if requested with ent. SCCF membership req. of rated S. Cal. res., $12 reg, $7.50 Jr. No credit card entries. No checks at door. HR: $84, 310-670-9000, mention chess. Parking: $5/day. Info: Mike Carr, 949-768-3538, mrcarr@pacbell.net; John Hillery admin@westernchess.com. Web site: www.westernchess.com. Ent: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90038. State Championship Qualifier. FIDE.