Mechanics' Institute Chess Room Newsletter #53

"When a good position begins to collapse, it normally collapses not into equality, but into ruins."

   Boris Gulko

1) Morkunaite wins MI Future Hopes FIDE Rating Tournament 
2) Hills leads Tuesday Night Marathon 
3) San Francisco defeats Portland 9 1/2 - 2 1/2 in Telegraph Match held 
in 1921 
4) Upcoming Tournaments - The Howard Donnelly Memorial is this Saturday, 
September 22, (10 am at the MI) 

1) Morkunaite wins MI Future Hopes FIDE Rating Tournament

Egle Morkunaite, one of Lithuania's top young female players, won the MI Future Hope FIDE Rating Tournament held in August and September. Her undefeated score of 7 1/2 just barely edged out NM Michael Aigner who continues to improve each event. Complete standings for the 10-player round robin, directed by Anthony Corrales, are given below.
1. Morkunaite 7.5; 2. Aigner 7; 3-4. Peckham and Wong 5.5; 5. Ho 5; 6. Grijalva 4; 7.Setzepfandt 3.5 ; 8. Rudyak 3; 9. Huang 2.5; 10. Wang 1.5

2) Fall Tuesday Night Marathon

Kenneth Hills jumped into the lead in the Fall Tuesday Night Marathon by defeating Ben Gross. This puts Hills at 3-0, half a point ahead of 11 players on 2 1/2 (Blohm, Snyder, Bogas, Margulis, Grey, Samatra, Aigner, Krasnov, Luke, M. Krubnik and Wong).

3) Telegraph Match - San Francisco versus Portland October 12, 1921

Earlier Newsletters covered San Francisco's matches by telegraph against Vancouver and Victoria from the 1890s, as well as touching upon the LA-SF rivalry which lasted from 1913-1925, before transforming into the annual face to face Northern California-Southern California battles. These were not the only long distance competitions held at the MI which also faced Chicago, Portland and Seattle.

The following account from the American Chess Bulletin (Page 192, November 1921) covers a victory over a northern neighbor with a rich chess tradition.

San Francisco 9½ - Portland 2½

The team of the Mechanics' Institute Chess, representing San Francisco, earned another splendid victory in the intercity match by telegraph with Portland, Oregon, on October 12, wining to the tune of 9½ - 2½ . It was considered the strongest side that had ever played for the Golden Gate and the Oregonians knew they had been in a real fight when all was over.

Portland did have the consolation of the following victory over the well-known problem composer A.J. Fink.

A.J. Fink - O. Goldman French Winawer [C15] San Francisco-Portland (Telegraph Match) 1921

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 c5 5.a3 cxd4 6.axb4 dxc3 7.bxc3 dxe4 8.Bxe4 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 Nf6 10.Bf3 0-0 11.Be3 Rd8+ 12.Kc1 a6 13.Kb2 e5 14.Bb6 Re8 15.Rd1 e4 16.Be2 Be6 17.h4 Nbd7 18.Bd4 Rac8 19.Nh3 Bc4 20.Rhe1 Bxe2 21.Rxe2 h6 22.Nf4 Ne5 23.f3 Nc4+ 24.Kb3 exf3 25.Rxe8+ Nxe8 26.Nd5 Kf8 27.Bc5+ Ned6 28.gxf3 Ke8 29.Rd4 b5 30.Nf4 Nf5 31.Rd5 Nxh4 32.Nh5 f6 33.Nxg7+ Kf7 34.Rd7+ Kg6 35.f4 Rc6 36.Ne8 Nf5 37.Bd4 h5 38.Bxf6 Rxf6 39.Nxf6 Kxf6 40.Ra7 h4 41.Rxa6+ Nfd6 42.Ra8 Kf5 43.Ka2 Kxf4 44.Kb1 Ne4 45.Kc1 h3 46.Kd1 h2 0-1

4) Upcoming Tournaments

September 22
Howard Donnelly Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 K)

September 23
Taxi Cab Drivers Tournament (open only to Taxi Cab drivers)

Bay Area Masters - September 28-30 and October 5-7

IM Guillermo Rey is offering something new for Bay Area Masters next month. If you are rated over 2200 and want to face strong opposition without having to take time off work check out his event being held September 28-30 and October 5-7. This event should be just the right start for an active fall schedule that includes the Western States Open in Reno and the American Open (US Championship Qualifier) in Los Angeles in November.

Bay Area Masters (6 rounds, open to all over 2200, USCF + FIDE rated, $1000-$500-$200 based on 22 paid entries) For more information contact IM Guillermo Rey (650) 355-0305 or reyg@ix.netcom.com. Full details at www.milibrary.org

October 20
J.J. Dolan Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 K)

November 9-11
Carroll Capps Memorial (5 rounds)

December 1
Pierre Saint-Amant Memorial (5 rounds G/45 at 1/2 k)

REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS

Sept. 15-16 GPP: 6 N. California
Sacramento Chess Club Weekend Swiss #7.
5SS, rds 1-2 G/90, rds 3-5 30/90, G/1, SD/5.
Best Western Expo Inn, 1413 Howe Ave., Sacramento.
$$2180 b/75 adult ents. & $5 Jr. ents.
(w/60 adult & 5 Jr. the fund will be $1680).
1st place in each section $350 gtd. & trophy.
2 Sections: Championship (above 1799) & Reserve
(U1800). EF: $50, Jrs. $25, posted 9/8, $60 at site, Jrs. $30.
Reg: 8-9:10 9/15. Rds: 9:30-1-4:30, 10-3:30. 1/2 pt byes avail all rds.
Byes in rd 5 mentioned before rd 1. HR: Best Western Expo Inn,
916-922-9833 or 800-643-4422. Ask for Sacramento chess club rates.
Ent/Info: John McCumiskey, 6700 50th St., Sacramento, CA 95823,
phone number: 916-557-7053 (days), 916-428-5532 (eves).
www.lanset.com/jmclmc/default.htm. Cks to Sacramento Chess Club. NS,NC,W.

Rico Adkins is running a tournament in late September in an area where few events have been held recently. The location, near the intersection of Interstate 80 and State Highway 4 should make for a very easy drive for players from many parts of Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Napa counties. Good luck Rico!

The Under 2000 Tournament on Sat. Sept. 29th and 30th for players under 2000. $300-200-100, best B, C, D, $100 35/90 SD/1 based on 40 paid entries, 1 section (Limited to 50 players). 5 round Swiss tournament at the Mechanics Bank Office in the North Shore Business Park at San Pablo Ave. in Hercules, CA at the HWY 4 and HWY 80 connector. Take John Muir parkway from San Pablo into the business Park and make a right turn (The only turn) . Go up hill to 725 Alfred Nobel, The Mechanics Bank. Reg. ends Sat. at 9:00 am Sept. 29th rounds:Sat. 10:00am, 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm, Sun. 10:00 am 2:00 pm. Pre-entries: $35.00 to be sent by 09/22/01 to: Rico B. Adkins, 15684 Crestwood Dr.# 137, San Pablo, CA 94806. Include your USCF I.D.# and current rating with entry. $40. at site/ No checks at site. Must be a USCF member to participate. If not, renewal available at tournament registration. Questions call (510) 262- 9061.

NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS

Players rated over 2200 should start planning for the following event which will honor one of the great gentleman of chess, the late Eugene Martinovsky.

Feb. 28-Mar. 3 GPP: 200 Illinois 2002 U.S. Masters: Eugene Martinovsky
Memorial. "The Homecoming of the American Master" 7SS, 40/2, SD/1.
Hyatt Regency Oak Brook, 1909 Spring Rd., Oak Brook, IL. 630-573-1234.
Free parking. Adjacent to Oak Brook Shopping Ctr. Open to players 2200+ or
all who have ever been so rated, plus invited jrs. rated 2000+. EF: $85
rec'd by 2/20; $100 later until 2/25. No site ent's. GMs/IMs play free.,
confirm IN WRITING by 2/20. $$22,000 Gtd: $6000-4000-2500-1500-1000-700.
2400-2499: $600-350-150; 2300-2399: $600-350-150; 2200-2299: $500-250-100;
U2200: $500-250-100. Top non-master jr: $400. Plus $1500 in pt. pool
prizes to non-winners of above prizes. $200 Best Game Prize, $150 Best
Endgame, $150 Best Combo. HR: $94 sgl./dbl. Mention US Masters & res.
by phone/mail by 2/14 for chess rate. 1/2 pt. bye avail. in rds 1 or 2,
must commit w/ent. Rds: 2/28 8pm; 3/1 10:30-5; 3/2 10:30-5; 3/3 9:30-4.
Sets/boards provided, bring clocks. Ent: Cks payable to Midwest Chess
Assoc., Helen Warren, PO Box 305, Western Springs, IL 60558. 630-663-0688,
FAX 630-663-0689, apct@aol.com. VISA/MC. NS,NC,W.FIDE.

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