Sunday, April 28, 2013

GMs Storm Boylston!

The Boylston Chess Foundation Lecture Series continued this past Saturday with an exciting visit from GM Leonid Kritz, who offered a Tactical Thunderstorm, exploring some wild positions with the attendees.

The Boylston was also thrilled to welcome GM Kritz's wife, GM Nadezhda Kosintseva, and their good friend, and longtime friend of the Boylston, GM Eugene Perelshteyn.

All photos courtesy of Steven Stepak.







BCC EARTH DAY $5 OPEN: SAVE A TREE, SAVE A SOUL

The first Earth Day happened on April 22, 1970. Established by Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, to focus attention on and duty to preserving a healthy, sustainable environment. In the spirit of this concept, the BCC held a 32 player 4 round Swiss, in 2 sections: Premier and U1650. In a highly competitive field of 19 players, NM Carey Theil and Expert Jesse Nicholas tied for 1st place in the Premier Section with a score of 3.5 out of 4.
NM Carey Theil 3.5 points 1-2nd place in Premier Section.
Carey brought his rating over 2200 in this event, to 2204. Bravo Carey.
Keep up the good work.
Jesse Nicholas, 1-2nd with 3.5 points in Premier Section.
Jesse is fast heading towards the 2200 rating mark with 2156. Bravo Jesse.
A tense, calculating struggle in Round 3: Nicholas v Theil: draw!
NM Eric Godin 3-9th, Premier Section with 2.5 points.
Terrence Fricker, 3-9th, Premier Section.
Carissa Yip, 3-9th in Premier Section
Oliver Traldi 3-9th, Premier Section
Carissa Yip vs Seth Lieberman, Round 2: draw.
Lieberman also scored 2.5 points to place 3-9th in Premier Section.
Traldi vs Jerry Williams; Fricker vs Arthur Tang (also 3-9th in Premier Section)
and (back back): Kavi, black vs Dondis. Round 2.
Top Scholastic Players in Massachusetts Nithin Kavi vs Carissa Yip: draw!
Round 4 action. (background) Sandeep Vadlamudi vs Arthur Tang; 
Terrence Fricker, black vs Jerry Williams.
Nithin Kavi, 3-9th, Premier Section; runner up, "best hat."
Harold Dondis, Esq. at 90+ scored +1 rating points in the Premier Section.
Harold won "best hat" of the event. 
Long hard think: Gabriel Birzu plans his strategy vs a
well-prepared Brandon Wu.  Birzu scored 3.5 points to win clear 1st 
in the U1650 Section. Brandon was 2-6th.
Gabriel Birzu plays Michael Yu who came in 2-6th.
Tony Cortizas, 2-6th, U1650 Section
Sammi Pan writes her move playing Tony DiNosse in Round 2.
Sammi also scored 2.5 points to share 2-6th place.
(background) Ted Cross vs Nathan Smolensky, in a make-up 
Paramount Tournament game.
William Wisdom vs David Sun in Round 3. Sun also scored 2.5 points
to place 2-6th in the U1650 Section. 
PS: Is there a win for White in this position?
And Lieberman vs Traldi, Round 4: White is up a pawn. 
Enough to win? Game ended in a draw.  
There were 19 players in the Premier Section;  13 in the U1650,
for a total of 32 participants in Earth Day chess.

BCC TNS: SIMPLY AMAZING

The wisdom of chess: it doesn't seem that youth is a factor in the winning of the TNS (Thursday Night Swiss), a 4 round affair, played on each of 4 successive Thursdays of a month. The time-control is a very comfortable 40 moves in 90 minutes and then sudden death 20 minutes, to wrap things up with no adjournments. So it is no surprise that Eric Godin clinched clear first in a field of 18 in one section with 3 wins and a draw.  Bravo Eric.
Eric Godin on the move in play with Walter Driscoll in Round 2. 
Eric scored 3.5 points for clear 1st and Driscoll scored 2.5 for 3-5th
 with Harold Dondis, and Terrence Fricker.
Daniel Schmidt, writing, scored 3 points for clear 2nd. 
Dan is seen here playing Andrew Hoy who is also writing.
And yes, Harold Dondis, Esq. has the honor of winning the U1800 prize.
Harold is the oldest living amateur chess player in the World, at 90+ and is one of the
few people in the Greater Boston Area Chess Community who can claim to have won 
a chess game off Bobby Fischer.  Bravo Harold!
See all of you thinkers and planners 
for the next installment of the TNS for May:  
May 2nd. Registration is at 6:30 to 7:00 PM.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT - TACTICAL THUNDERSTORM WITH GM LEONID KRITZ

This Saturday night, following the $5 Open, the BCC Lecture Series introduces its latest exciting offering:

Tactical Thunderstorm!
 with GM Leonid Kritz

Saturday, 8:00 PM (following $5 Open)
$5 Members
$10 Non-members 



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

BCC $5 OPEN: FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

This Saturday April 27th: (mark your calendar)
4SS in 3 Sections: Master, U1900 and U1650
Especially suited for the amateur chess player!
Terrific for Children of All Ages and playing strengths!
$5 entry fee. That's it.  For all who wish to participate: non-members as well as BCC members! Girls and Boys. Men and Women.  
A relaxing, entertaining chess experience in a well-lit comfortable venue.
Take a long, quiet think. Build your strategy. Play out your plan.
And when the game is over, go to the skittles room and analyze your game.
Chess is action plus critical review. This is the beauty of the
Sport of Leaders.
Check Boylston Chess Club Home Page "Calendar of BCC Events" for
further details. Get your cash or check in by Thursday April 25th; 
you can actually hand in your money at the TNS on Thursday evening to the TD.
or with PayPal you have till 11:59 PM Friday to post your payment.
Consider this: lots of learning, lots of laughs
Internet Connections Available for Your Laptop!
Pens and Water Provided. Many eateries in Davis Square to choose from for lunch.
Chess at its finest.
4SS: 60/SD + 5 sec delay
Scoresheets provided
See you this Saturday!

BCC TEST OF ENDURANCE 9R SWISS ALL IN ONE DAY CHESS EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER

IM Marc Esserman and Expert Jesse Nicholas 
share 1-2nd in Stress Test Chess
IM Esserman 7/9 for 1-2nd place
Expert BC Eagles Sophomore Jesse Nicholas 7/9 tied for 1/2nd place
Expert Evan Rabin plays black vs BCC President and event TD Nathan Smolensky in Round 4.
Natasha Christiansen (center, background)  Rabin scored 6 1/2 out of 9, good for clear 3rd place.
Endgame: Gregory Kaden plays black vs Ryan Sowa in Round 1.
Matthew Meredith (standing) and Nathan Smolensky, TD, observe.
Kaden scored 6/9 good for clear 4th place.
Matthew Meredith plays black vs Emmanuel Mevs. Meredith scored 5/9 to capture 5-6th place.
Matthew Manning plays black vs Mike Fitch in Round 7. 
Center, is Andrew Hoy who scored 5/9 and tied for 5-6th place.
Evan Rabin plays black vs Alexander Roy in Round 2. Roy finished the event
with 4.5 points, good for 7-9th place. (Background:) Meredith v Fitch; Kaden vs Nicholas and Ryan Sowa black vs Brandon Wu (hidden) . . .  Sowa also scored 4.5 points to share 7-9th place.
---------------------------------------
Spotlight on Achievement Award: to Brandon Wu
Brandon Wu vs Seth Lieberman, Round 4. Brandon scored 4.5 points to share 7-9th place. 
Brandon earned a +156 point change to his pre-tournament rating. Bravo Brandon!
Youngest player in tournament: 8 yr old Sammi Pan from Medford, MA.
Chess is always an educational experience.  Here Sammi Pan writes her move playing
the black pieces, vs 15 yr old Ji Tao in Round 5. Ji Tao is an honor student at Brookline High.
(background:) David Martin, Alexander Roy, Brandon Wu (red) and TD Nathan Smolensky.
Special Price as stated in the event ad: 
Free Entry to a future, regular BCC event 
to any BCC member who plays all nine rounds
Special free entry list: Nicholas, Rabin, Kaden & Wisdom 
Special thanks to Nathan Smolensky TD who not only conceived and designed this event but who ran it with professionalism and efficiency. A good time was had by all.
There were 23 participants in this most unique tourney.
Thanks also to Ken Ho who was thoughtful enough to bring in a substantial assortment of breakfast treats 
for this most lengthy tournament.  Bravo Ken!

Friday, April 19, 2013

IMPORTANT LOCKDOWN UPDATE

The Boylston Chess Club is currently considering the postponement or cancellation of our Saturday tournament due to the lockdown situation currently in Boston.

IF THE LOCKOUT ENDS BY 6:00 A.M. TOMORROW, THE TOURNAMENT WILL OCCUR AS SCHEDULED. 

Stay tuned for updates.

Stay safe.
- Nathan

UPDATE: As of 6:00 P.M. on 4/19, the lockout has ended, and the tournament will proceed as scheduled. 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

BCC 9 ROUND 30/SD ENDURANCE EVENT: TEST YOUR METTLE // BRILLIANCE UNDER PRESSURE

BCC STAMINA CONTEST: GIRD YOUR LOINS // ENGAGE YOUR MIND
THIS SATURDAY: APRIL 20, 2013
(Remember, if 10:00AM is too early, take up to 3 half point byes and start later!
THE BATTLE OF MARATHON
(bring several bottles of orange juice)
This is the event you have been waiting for! Get ready to rumble.
Free Entry to a future, regular event to any member who plays all nine rounds, PLUS Regular prizes b/ on entries. 
The field of battle 
The players: men, women, boys and girls.
Engage your brain; pump up your willpower.
Who will be the last person standing?
Details to ponder: Game 30 (+ 5 sec. delay)
See Boylston Chess Club Home Page: "Calendar of BCC Events" for all the facts.
Hint: Get a good night's sleep. Come ready to charge!
A combination of wit and muscle. Who will get caught? Who will prevail?
Your curiosity is generating, pulling you forward. 
Come on over to the Boylston Chess Club and take a chance.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play 9 rounds of chess for the price of 4!
Bring a friend!