Friday, October 31, 2014

BCC QUADS: GROUPS OF 4 // ALL PLAY ALL // 3 ROUNDS // 60/SD // SATURDAY NOV 1 //

BCC QUADS
SATURDAY (TOMORROW)
(LAST SATURDAY OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS 
TIME FOR 2014; REMEMBER: FALL BACK 
ONE HOUR  ON SUNDAY 2:00 AM 
BACK TO EASTERN STANDARD TIME!)
NOVEMBER 1, 2014
CHECK OUT THE DETAILS:
NOVEMBER 1ST 2014 QUADS
[TEST YOUR CHESS STRATEGIES
GROUPS OF 4 BY RATING]
SEE YOU TOMORROW
SATURDAY NOV 1 !

Sunday, October 26, 2014

BCC FALL CHAMPIONSHIP: ELITE 16 // NM LAWYER TIMES PERFECT 4-0 // NM FRANK WANG, 3Ws 2ND // MIKE GRIFFIN 3RD // NEW FACES //

BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB
FALL CHAMPIONSHIP
IN ONE SECTION
ON THE MEND
Former BCC Champion NM Lawyer Times defends vs
NM Hal Terrie, Round 3. Looks like Lawyer's clock is recovering
from surgery. Lawyer scored a perfect 4-0 to claim sole 
possession of 1st place and the title with a +10 to 2296 rating.
FROM BEHIND THE CRUTCHES
NM Hal Terrie thinking of his plan as NM Lawyer Times sits
confidently awaiting Hal's move. Round 3.  Actually it is Lawyer
who is recovering from surgery to the heel of his right foot. In a 
post-game interview, Lawyer stated that he always plays better chess 
in a state of pain or inconvenience from some sort of injury.
Bravo, Lawyer. You are an inspiration to all of us wounded souls!
UNDEFEATED
NM Frank Wang, (left) filling in his score-sheet, takes the
full point from an A29 English 4 Knights played by 
Matthew Manzo in Round 3. With a 1st round bye, Frank
won 3 straight to claim sole possession of 2nd place.
(background): William Connor Roberts, Harvard College,
plays New Hampshire native Robert Landry; Paul Becotte,
black vs Akshay Saini, Harvard College.
BEST HAT
Harold Dondis, Esq. records his move vs Tom Shneer: draw!
Round 2. (background): Boshen Li, black vs NM Frank Wang;
(upper right): Paul Becotte plays NM Hal Terrie.
6 EYES
NM Eric Godin, black vs Ed Foye in Round 2.
CRITICAL GAME
NM Eric Godin: 1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 . . .  vs Mike Griffin, Round 3.
Mike has a positive attitude which radiates confidence and
calm. This game was tight, interesting through 18 moves. I was in the
skittles room when I heard the "news" from a player who had been out in the
tournament hall observing this game: Eric dropped (read: lost)
his queen! In post-mortem analysis, NM Godin demonstrated, that in the
heat of the battle, he missed the move 32. Rf2! which would have won
the game (read: parry Griffin's mating attack with a move in hand.) Another
perspective: Mike sacked a pawn for an attack on White's king; and the game
became a melee; in mutual time-pressure Mike created lots of excitement
and a mating net around White's king and at the end, Eric realized he would
have to sacrifice his queen to stop the mate, so he resigned. This unexpected
win gave Mike 3 points and a +33 to 1908 rating. Mike's "presence" boosted
him to clear 3 place in a field of 4 masters. Bravo, Mike!
NEW FACES
Robert Landry, Nashua, New Hampshire.
This was Robert's 8th tournament, the first
at the BCC. Welcome, Robert!
HARVARD CHESS CLUB
Akshay Saini, who I met at the Harvard Chess Club which
meets Wednesday evenings prepares his strategy vs
Paul Becotte, Round 3.

William Connor Roberts, from Atlanta, Georgia, plays his
2nd BCC tournament. Conor is a freshman at Harvard,
majoring in statistics. Welcome, Connor! Here he is seen facing
off with Raymond Xu, in Round 2.
HATS OF TO HAROLD DONDIS
Harold, 92 years young, scored 
2/4 for a +16 to 1638 rating.
Bravo, Harold!
Bernardo Iglesias, TD
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Looking Forward to a New Day for the BCF

Dear friends,

Last week, I was honored to be elected as President of the Boylston Chess Foundation for another year. At the same time, a new Board of Directors was approved. I'm happy to say that this Board is both talented and passionate about our organization.

It's a good thing we have such a strong Board, because we are truly at a crossroads. The next year is critical to the future of the BCF.

As you know, it is unclear what the immediate future holds for the location of our club. We have appointed a tenacious Search Committee and are looking for new possible homes. I'm particularly grateful to committee members Frank Frazier and Ted Cross, who are working tirelessly on our behalf. If you see possible spaces that might work for us, e-mail details to boylstonchess@gmail.com. If we have to move from our present location permanently, we would ideally like a space that is at least 1,200 square feet in size and no more than $2,000 per month in rent, including utilities.

At the same time, we are working with the owners of our current building, who have pledged to make space available to us in the newly renovated 240B Elm Street. BCF Vice President Charles Riordan is our primary representative in those negotiations, and has my complete faith.

Like a good chess player, we are maintaining maximum flexibility and exploring every possibility.

We also recently discovered that some of our state and federal filings had been allowed to lapse in previous years. Thankfully, a team of four attorneys have stepped up and are now volunteering their time to help us address this. In particular, BCF Director Natasha Christiansen and former BCF director Ed Foye have been instrumental in moving the issue forward. We have submitted critical filings necessary to resolve the problem, but we still have work left to do.



I'm also excited about the addition of our new Treasurer Tim O'Malley, and will be working with him to implement stronger financial oversight controls. In the last five years we have significantly improved our financial situation, and will strive to continue on this positive path.

Regarding tournaments, I'm happy to announce that the new Chair of our Tournament Committee is Nathan Smolensky. Nathan is not only a former BCF Board President, he is also the current President of the Massachusetts Chess Association. Nathan has some exciting ideas, including new events that may occur at off-site venues. Stay tuned for further details.

Finally, I would like to particularly thank new BCF Directors Andrew Boyer, Jared Becker, and Terry Fricker for their willingness to serve. Like every organization, we constantly need new ideas and fresh perspectives.

The BCF is what we make it. Please continue to support us over the next year, as we reinvent ourselves. Together, we can create a bright future for chess in the Boston area.

For the entire BCF Board,
Carey Theil

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

BCC PRESENTS: "FALL CHAMPIONSHIP" // 4SS // 60/SD // SATURDAY // OCTOBER 25, 2015 //

BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB
FALL CHAMPIONSHIP
COME ON OVER TO A FULL HOUSE!
THIS COMING SATURDAY
REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 9:30 AM
ROUND 1 BEGINS AT 10:00 AM
CASH PRIZES
BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB
A FUN PLACE TO PLAY CHESS
TIME CONTROL: 60/SD WITH A 5 SEC DELAY
BRING YOUR DIGITAL CLOCK
IF YOU HAVE ONE
SEE YOU SATURDAY !

Monday, October 20, 2014

GRANDMASTER PLAYS AT SOUTH STATION /BOSTON: TUESDAY / OCTOBER 21, 2014 / 5 - 7 PM / FREE !

3 Times US Chess Champion
Grandmaster Larry Christiansen
plays a simultaneous exhibition vs all comers
at South Station, Boston
UNDER THE ELECTRONIC ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE BOARD
COME AND PLAY / WATCH 
A CHESS GRANDMASTER IN ACTION
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
GM Larry C is very nice and very good at chess.
He encourages you to come: kids, grandparents, 
high-schoolers, college and grad students.
The event is from 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Chess sets and mats are provided. Just bring your
pencil and paper and record the game; and bring
your camera to get a photo of a grandmaster in action.
This is a great opportunity to be involved in a very
congenial, friendly chess event, with lots of laughs
and a good time for all.
See you tomorrow!
5-7 PM
South Station
Boston

Sunday, October 19, 2014

BCC LEGENDS OF CHESS: RIGOROUS EVENT // 16 TALENTS // NM GODIN NO. 1 // CURTIS / XU 2-3rd //

BCC LEGENDS OF CHESS
"ARON NIMZOVICH"
IN ONE SECTION
OPEN SECTION
ON TARGET
NM Eric Godin 3.5 points, clear 1st.
Rating +8 to 2250! Bravo, Eric!
NM Eric Godin vs Kenneth Wells, Round 2.
2 TIE FOR 2-3RD PLACE
Taylor Curtis, black vs Mike Griffin, Round 2.
Taylor scored 3 points to share 2-3rd place with Conway Xu.
Conway Xu, black vs Harold Dondis, Round 1.
Conway was undefeated, scoring: W W D D for 3 points,
sharing 2-3rd place with Taylor Curtis. Conway earned a
+27 to 1918. Bravo, Conway!
EXPERT GAME
William Connor Roberts, black vs Taylor Curtis, Round 1.
MASTER GAME
NM Hal Terrie vs NM Farzad Abdi, Round 2: draw!
(background): Taylor Curtis, black vs Mike Griffin.
 SOME OTHER PLAYERS AROUND THE HALL
Nithin Kavi on the move with black vs 
William Roberts, Round 2.
Kenneth Wells vs Scott Didham: endgame, Round 1.
(background, upper left): Taylor Curtis; 
Pinyi Hu, black vs Robert Sullivan;
(upper right): Nithin Kavi plays Mike Griffin.
NATHAN SMOLENSKY TD
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

Friday, October 17, 2014

BCC PRESENTS: 4SS 60/SD LEGENDS OF CHESS: ARON NIMZOVICH // PRACTITIONER OF SCIENTIFIC CHESS [2709 HIGHEST CHESSMETRICS RATING]

BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB
LEGENDS OF CHESS
NIMZOVICH
CASH PRIZES AWARDED
["Dresden"][Date "1926.04.09"][Round "5"][Result "1-0"]
[White "Aron Nimzowitsch"][Black "Akiba Rubinstein"][ECO "A34"]
1. c4 { Notes by Raymond Keene. Awarded the prize for the
best-played game.} c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4
Nb4 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O N8c6 8. d3 Nd4 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. Ne2 a6
11. Ng3 Bd6 12. f4 O-O 13. Qf3 Kh8 14. Bd2 f5 15. Rae1 Nc6
16. Re2 Qc7 17. exf5 exf5 18. Nh1 {!! A wonderful idea. White
has in mind the manoeuvre Nh1-f2-h3-g5, in conjunction with
Qh5, as a method of assaulting the position of Black's
king. When I first read My System I was so impressed by this
game that I deliberately created situations in my next few
games where the move Ng3-h1 was possible, in the belief that
this mystical retreat would somehow result in a miraculous
increase of energy in my position, irrespective of whatever
else may have been happening on the board at the time.}
18...Bd7 19. Nf2 Rae8 20. Rfe1 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Nd8 22. Nh3 Bc6
23. Qh5 g6 24. Qh4 Kg7 25. Qf2 {Another brilliant idea. The
threat to the d-pawn forces Black to withdraw either his queen
or his king's bishop from the defence of his kingside. }
25...Bc5 26. b4 Bb6 27. Qh4 {Back again and with redoubled
strength. } 27...Re8 {Or 27...Rf6 28 Ng5 h6 29 Nh7 +- }
28. Re5 {!} Nf7 {If 28...Rxe5 29 fxe5 Qxe5 30 Qh6+ or 28...h6
29 g4 hxg4 30 f5 Qxe5 31 f6+ Qxf6 32 Qxh6 mate. These
beautiful variations are just an indication of what
Nimzowitsch saw. } 29. Bxf7 Qxf7 30. Ng5 Qg8 31. Rxe8 Bxe8
32. Qe1! Bc6 33. Qe7+ Kh8 34. b5 {If Black plays 34..axb5 he
is mated as follows: 35. Ne6 h5 36 Qf6+ Kh7 37 Ng5+ Kh6 38 Bb4!
In view of this, Rubinstein elects to surrender a piece but
that too is obviously without hope.} 34...Qg7 35. Qxg7+ Kxg7
36. bxc6 36...bxc6 37. Nf3 c5 38. Ne5 Bc7 39. Nc4 Kf7 40. g3 Bd8
41. Ba5 Be7 42. Bc7 Ke6 43. Nb6 h6 44. h4 g5 45. h5 g4 46. Be5
1-0
NIMZOVICH
NIMZOVITSCH
NIMZOWITSCH

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2014
4/SS, 60/SD

Thursday, October 16, 2014

BCC OCTOBER GRAND PRIX // 33 PLAY // ARUN / KAVI // TOM SHNEER U1800 // KIDS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS

BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB
GRAND PRIX / OCTOBER
OPEN SECTION
warm'up
NM Siddarth Arun scored 3.5/4 to share 1st place
with Nithin Kavi, for a +6 to 2231 rating.
CRITICAL GAME
NM Siddharth Arun on defense in Round 4 vs Terrence Fricker,
who was 2/4 on the day for a +2 to 1971 rating.


 
Nithin Kavi on the march vs Robert Sullivan in Round 4.
Sullivan was 2/4 and a +6 to 1906 rating. Nithin, who drew
Siddharth Arun in Round 3, also scored 3.5 points to share in
the 1-2nd place glory.
ON THE ROAD TO THE TOP: ROUND 1
Nithin Kavi defended well with black playing
William Ravn, who in spite of the loss to Kavi, scored
2/4 and a +63 to 1774 rating accomplishment.
NM Eric Godin defends vs Robert Sullivan, Round 1.
Eric scored 3 points to take clear 3rd place.
MASTERLY PLAY
Mike Griffin played a thoughtful counter to the Sicilian Defense
in Round 1, vs NM Hal Terrie, to secure clear 4th place in the
Open Section and a +62 to 1876 rating. Bravo, Mike!
(background):  Michael Yu, Black vs Carissa Yip;
Nithin Kavi, black vs William Ravn; Eddie Wei, 
black vs Arthur Nugent. 8 yr old Eddie went 2/4 for a + 11 to 
1695 rating. Hooded NM Siddharth Arun, upper right corner.
U1800 SECTION
Tom Shneer scored 3 points to take clear 1st place.
Here Tom is seen playing black vs Boshen Li in Round 2.
This game was drawn. Tom secured a +16 to 1635 rating
and Boshen was +8 to 1359. Bravo Tom and Boshen!
3 TIE FOR 2-4th PLACE
Sandeep Shankar scored 2.5 points to share 2-4th
place and a +15 to 1630 rating.
Khari Aexander, Harvard Square Blitz King
                                                                                                                          Photo: Bernanrdo Iglesias
Steve Stepak, black vs Khari Alexander, Round 1 : draw !!
Khari scored 2.5 points for a +57 to 1486 rating. Bravo, Khari!
NEW FACE AT THE BCC
John Travis plays black vs Daniel Wang, Round 1: draw!
This is John's first USCF tournament and he scored a credible
2.5/4 for a share of 2-4th place and a provisional rating
of 1345. Bravo, John: welcome to the BCC and chess!
FACES AROUND THE HALL
THE CAPTAIN
Harold Dondis celebrated his 92nd birthday on October 1st.
Happy Birthday, Harold!  (right): Pinyi Hu, Round 1.
Seth Lieberman. (background): Derek Jin and
John Travis, Round 1.
BIG BOARD LITTLE BOY
5 yr old Evan Wei writes down his moves vs John Travis in R 4.
A DRAW DECLINED
                                                                                                                  Photo: Xu
Steve Stepak plays a "Queen's Pawn Game" vs the ever-alert
6 yr old Raymond Xu. Raymond made a spectacular queen
sacrifice to secure a forced draw with bishops of opposite
color.  Yet!  Raymond is still learning the value of studying
endgames and splitting the point.  Kids like to play and to win!
Bravo, Raymond, for the sharp play and the queen sack!
KIDS ARE GREAT!
No. 1 7 yr old in MA Derek Jin checks out his options in Round 1.
Derek scored 1.5/2 for a +6 to 1567 rating. 
(right): Evan Wei and Niranjan Shankar.
BERNARDO IGLESIAS: TD
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK