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At 32, I feel that I am in my prime and up to the task of becoming the next American World Chess Champion. Gata Kamsky NY Times 11/26/06 |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News 2) Americans Abroad in Gibralter 3) FIDE Announcements 4) East Bay Chess Club News 5) Upcoming Events |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club NewsThe Winter Tuesday Night Marathon is half way done and only two players have perfect scores. Top seeds NM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs and FM Frank Thornally will face off next week in a battle between youth and experience. Batchimeg made a spectacular debut in the 2006 US Championship, defeating three GMs. Frank represented the US twice in the World Student Team Championship in the late 1960s. A half point behind the leaders at 3.5 from 5 are Romulo Fuentes, Salar Jahedi, Steve Gaffagan and Demitius Goins. The latter two did it with upsets, Gaffagan beating NM Russell Wong and Goins beating Expert Victor Ossipov. The Mechanics' Institute would like to thank House of Staunton ( www.houseofstaunton.com) and Duel Timer ( www.dueltimer.com) for their generous donations of chess sets and digital clocks. Remember book and equipment donations to the Mechanics' are always welcome. All donations 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 have been 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 seeing things put to good use. 2) Americans Abroad in GibraltarA small squad of Americans including the Bay Area's NM Eric Schiller have ventured to the other "Rock" to take part in the GibTelecom Chess Festival which runs January 23rd to February 1st February.. Standings after 7 of 9 rounds:
1 Sokolov, Ivan NED g 2652 6 2 Adams, Michael ENG g 2735 5½ Other top American scores:
18 Kaidanov, Gregory USA g 2595 5 3) FIDE AnnouncementsThis past weekend a meeting of the FIDE Executive Board clarified and confirmed several important matters. 1. World Chess Championship Tournament in Mexico City The Presidential Board listened to and approved the report of the Organizer regarding the preparation for the World Chess Championship tournament to be held on September 11 - October 1st, 2007 in Mexico City. All the key conditions in the contract have been fulfilled, the website of the event is: www.chessmexico.com. 2. World Cup 2007 The final contract between FIDE and the Organizer of the World Cup 2007 to be held in Khanty-Mansiysk region has been signed. The preparation for the 2007 event has been made in the proper manner and the Cup will take place at November 23-December 14th, 2007 in Ugra, Siberia, Russia. The website of the 2007 World Cup is: www.ugra-chess.ru 3. Candidate Matches The Candidate Matches will be held on May 26-June 14th, 2007 in Elista and sponsored jointly by the President and FIDE. The Presidential Board reviewed the Rules and Regulations of the Matches, the process of the preparation and the media plan for the event. The Internet communication channel can be found on the FIDE official website: www.fide.com 4. Other tournaments and bids for tournaments The Presidential Board reviewed preparations and decided on bids regarding the following chess tournaments: - Women's World Team Chess Championship 2007 will be held on May 19-30th, 2007 in Yekaterinburg, Russia - Women's World Chess Championship 2008 will be held on March 8-25th, 2008 in Prague, Czech Republic Congratulations to Bryan Smith, Salvijus Bercys and Emory Tate who just received their IM titles. One new feature on the FIDE site can be found at http://www.fide.com/ratings/fedchange.phtml . There you can track what players are changing from one Federation to another. USCF Executive Board Member Beatriz Marinello reports The Americas will produce a total of 19 qualifiers to the World Cup. These spots will come from all the Zonal Tournaments and the Continental Championship. The US Zone qualifies 3 players into the World Cup. I do not know the exact number of players who will qualify from the Continental Championship. I just know last time this event produced 6 spots. The exact dates of the Continental Championship are from July 11-21, 2007 in Cali, Colombia. The prize fund will be approx. $50,000.- and the US has free accommodations for 5 official players. All US players must be endorsed by the USCF. This event is an open event for players with an ELO Rating over 2000 4) East Bay Chess Club NewsCheck out IM Jesse Kraai's great article on the EBCC and the Mechanics' at http://beta.uschess.org/frontend/news_7_253.php David Pruess writes: The East Bay Chess club has three tournaments coming up in February: February 3-4: February Swiss A Grand Prix Event, top 3 prizes guaranteed -------------------------------------------- Prizes: (Based on 40 full entries) Open Section $150, $100, $50; 1st U2000: $100 Reserve (U1800) Section $100, $75, $50; 1st U1600: $75; 1st U1400: $75 Entry fee: $35 if mailed before 1/27/07, $40 at site. $5 discount for East Bay Chess Club Members [Early entry fee applies through 1/29/07 if you register online and mention this email] Rounds: 11 AM and 4:00 PM on both days Time Control: 30/90, SD/1 February 11th: February Adult Quads ----------------------------------------------------- Prizes: $40 to quad winner Entry fee: $20 if mailed before 2/3/07, $25 at site. $5 discount for East Bay Chess Club Members Rounds: 11 AM, 2:30 PM, and 5:30 PM Time control: G/90 February 24th: February Scholastic Quads ------------------------------------------------------------ Prizes: Trophy to top finisher Entry fee: $15 if mailed before 2/17/07, $20 at site. $5 discount for East Bay Chess Club Members Rounds: 10 AM, 12 PM, and 1:30 PM All games will be over by 3:00 PM. Time control: G/45 For more details and to sign up online, please visit our website: http://www.eastbaychess.com
If you haven't been by in a while, please note that we have moved to
a new location in Oakland: It is a spacious location with plenty of free parking. Come play in one of our tournaments, stop by for some casual games, or sign up for lessons! International Master Josh Friedel, one of the strongest players in the country and the current Northern California Champion, has joined our staff and is accepting new students! 6) Vallejo Chess Club
Henry Gross Memorial - February 10
A Heritage Event! |