Monday, February 26, 2018

NM Lawyer Times: Future Masters Scholastic Chess Tournament




NM Lawyer Times  organized his first scholastic tournament, scheduled for Sunday, March 11 in Burlinton.

Sun, 03/11/18 FMCA - Burlington, MA 


Lawyer is a life-long member and player at the Boylston, former club champion in 2012, and current Mass Champion (2017.)





As an adult Lawyer has been teaching chess to young people, but this is his attempt to initiate a scholastic tournament.  Lawyer's connection to scholastic chess has been life-long, extending back to his high school days, when he was a member of the national champion high school team from Boston Latin.



Good luck.

BCC TORNADO: PROFESSOR BOTTA / 4-0 / 1ST / OPEN SECTION // SETH LIEBERMAN / 4-0 / 1ST U1800 SECTION // 29 PLAY //

 
4SS G/60,  5"DELAY IN 2 SECTIONS
OPEN SECTION
NM Dr. Alejandro Botta, BU Professor, takes a 
convincing 4-0 hold of 1st place, and a 
+10 to 2262 rating. Bravo, Dr. Botta.
THE BATTLE BEGINS
Dr. Botta, black vs BCC Asst TD David Milliern, Round 2.
Logan Boucher vs Joaquin Carlson, Round 2.
Though Logan won this game, Joaquin caught up with him
to take a share of 2-4th place with 2.5 points. 
Logan shared 5-9th with 2 points.
BIG CHESS:ROUND 2
UPPER: Lewis Tu, black vs Skyler Zhou. Lewis scored 2.5
points to share 2-4th place.
LOWER: Robert Holmgren, black, vs Joy Cao.
Lawrence Tu, younger brother of Lewis, plays black
vs Kelsey Liu in Round 2. Lawrence won this game and
shared 2-4th place with his brother and Joaquin with
2.5 points.
EYES ON THE BALL: FOCUS!
Kevin Liu (1826) vs Ruohan Yin (1710)
One cannot help marveling at the intensity of concentration
of 8 yr old Ruohan Yin (right) who won this game with black vs
a very savy Kevin Liu.  Ruohan quickly recovered from his
disappointing loss to Ilya Rozonoyer in Round 1 to score
enough to up his rating +29 to 1739 overall. Bravo, Ruohan!
[Ruohan is ranked 17th/100 nationally, for 8 yr olds!]
U1800 SECTION
Seth Lieberman scored a perfect 4-0
to take clear 1st place. Bravo, Seth!
FORGROUND: Justin Y Li (left) vs Hermenegildo Neto, R=2.
Justin scored 3 points to share 2-3rd place. 
Hermenegildo took clear 4th with 2.5 points.
BACKGROUND: Seth Lieberman, black vs Ryan Donnelly.
ROUND 2
TOP OF THE HEAP: Kishore Sivarajan, black vs Jeffrey Liu.
Kishore scored 3 points to share 2-3rd place. Bravo, Kishore!
NEXT UP: Greg Ardini, black, vs Andrew The
FORGROUND: Yinghan Liu vs Dr. Oresick: draw!
TOURNAMENT ADMINISTRATION
BERNARDO IGLESIAS, CHIEF TD
DAVID MILLIERN, ASST TD
PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

Sunday, February 25, 2018

The Boylston Blitz

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.



DateSaturday, March 3, 2018
Event Format7SS Rated Blitz
Time ControlG3/2 inc.
SectionsOne section: Open
Entry Fee$20, $15 for BCF members; $5 more if not registering online in advance
Prizes$200 based on 20 paid entries: 1st $100, 2nd $50; Top U1800 $50
Registration6:15pm - 6:40pm
Round TimesRound 1 6:45pm, remaining rounds ASAP
DescriptionA great night of entertainment and a chance to win $$$ for a low entry fee? Wow. Come show us your blitz skills. Spectators welcome but no kibitzing or noises.
Please register online to make it easier for us.
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List







March Quads

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.



DateSaturday, March 3, 2018
Event Format3RR
Time ControlG/65 d10
SectionsPlayers will be arranged into quads by rating
Entry Fee$35, $20 for BCF Members, $5 more if not registering online
Prizes$80 First place in top quad, $50 First place in each of the other quads
Registration9:15am - 9:45am; ABSOLUTELY NO ONSITE REGISTRATION AFTER 9:45AM
Round Times10:00am, 1:15pm, and 4:00pm
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List






18th Annual Paramount

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.




Registration is now closed to new players.


(Correction:  this is the 17th, not 18th Paramount as previously listed.)



 ....

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Register Online Now

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DateMonday, March 5 - Monday, May 7
Event Format10 Rounds 2RR. Players divided into six player sections by rating.
Time Control40/90, SD/60 d5. 
Adjournments are allowed after 3.25 hours of play, 11:15 PM at the latest.
Entry Fee$35, $20 for BCF Members, $5 more at the door
Prizes50% of entry fees
Registration6:30pm - 7:00pm
Round Times7:15pm
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List


banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.
 Save $5
Enable smoother pairing, 
since this is a double round robin event
 and all pairings for the ten rounds will be set the first evening.


_______________________________ 



17th  Annual Paramount
                    

Weekly on Monday Evenings
 
For some people, spring is signaled   
by the start of Red Sox reporting to spring training,   
by groundhog day, 
by the returning swallows to Capistrano...

But for many of us it is the
Paramount

This will be the 17th annual edition of the popular tournament 
(there was a hiatus in 2016),  a ten-round, double round-robin. .
I used to think it was initiated by past BCC president Bryan Clark, bur now I have learned it was Jared Becker's  idea.  This format [generous time control with two try's against known opponents bunched in competitive groups] remains popular. 
. And it is one of the few tournaments left that incorporate adjournments.
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At $2 per evening for ten Monday evenings for BCC members,  this is is an incredible bargain for a high quality chess match.
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If you haven't played in a Paramount before, give it a try.
If you have, please play again.












March Thursday Night Swiss

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.


..........Thursdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
.5SS
.40/90, SD/20 d10
.Open & U1900
.$35, $20 for BCF members, $5 more at door
.$300 based on 25 entries: 1st $125, 2nd $75; U1900 1st $60, 2nd $40
.Registration:  6:30pm - 7:00pm
.Round begins:  7:15pm
.Current Pre-Registration List




Saturday, February 17, 2018

Masters Sunday

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.


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Sunday, February 25, 2018

4SS

G60 d5

One section

$50 for BCF members, $70 for non-members, $5 more if not registering online; $15 discount given to player rated at least 2200

$500 based on 15 paid entries: $400-$100

9:30am - 9:45am

10:00am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm, 6:00pm

Open to players rated at least 1900 on the January or February supplement or live MSA rating.
Free entry for GMs and IMs with no deduction from any prize won.
Entry fee reduced by $15 for players rated at least 2200. Free parking on Sundays!

Current Pre-Registration List



Boylston Tornado

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.



Saturday, February 24, 2018

G60 d5

Open & U1800

$35, $20 for BCF Members, $5 more if not registering online

$$360 Guaranteed: Open 1st $150, 2nd $90 U1800 1st $72, 2nd $48

9:15am - 9:45am

10:00am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm, 6:00pm


Current Pre-Registration List




Monday, February 12, 2018

John Urschel profiled on HuffPost

Grandmaster Robert Hess gives former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel a chess lesson outside the Chess Club and Scholastic Center in St. Louis on August 13, 2017.




SPORTS
02/09/2018 11:50 am ET Updated 3 days ago

This Ex-NFL Player Is On A Mission To Become A Chess Master

Having mastered football and math, John Urschel has his sights on chess.





When John Urschel retired from the NFL last year after just 3 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, it made headlines. In recent years, several young players, including Chris Borland of the 49ers, have bowed out of the sport early due to growing concerns over the potential for long-term brain damage, but Urschel’s motivation was different: he just didn’t have time for football anymore. He was getting a PhD in math at MIT.

The idea of a 300-pound offensive lineman trading in his helmet for a protractor obviously generated a lot of interest, as well as a lot of bad math/football puns. Now, Urschel has quietly set himself a new goal: he wants to become a chess master. You might think someone who spends his days studying Laplacian eigenvectors would pick a hobby that’s a little more restful on the brain.

But for Urschel, the appeal of math and the appeal of chess are very similar. “As a mathematician, I really like to understand the structure of things,” he says. “[Chess] is very mathematical to me. You’re playing a game, you’re faced with some position, you’re trying to figure out the way to proceed, and you don’t really know in most cases if I play this move or that move, if that’s winning, if it’s losing, if it’s drawing... It doesn’t feel that much different from being faced with a mathematical problem and trying to reason your way through.”


John is featured in the Huffpost.  Read the entire article and view the video with John discussing mathematics at:
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a7a0cd1e4b0d0ef3c0a26d9


  
Mike Coppola via Getty Images
John Urschel faces Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, one of the top 10 players in the world, at the Liberty Science Center’s Genius Gala on May 20, 2016 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
     




Friday, February 09, 2018

Morra Mayhem in Cannes by Marc Esserman

Morra Mayhem in Cannes


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A video from Marc Esserman



Published on Feb 8, 2018
Analysis of Esserman-Gukesh from the 2017 Cannes International Chess Festival. Gukesh tried 15...exf4!? instead of Van Wely's 15...Qf6.




Monday, February 05, 2018

February Educational Clinic with Jacob Rasin

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.



 
DateFebruary 20, 21, 22, 23, 2018
Event Format9:00am to 12:30pm each day
Registration2/20, 9:00am onsite
Round Times9:00am to 12:30pm each day
DescriptionThis program invites young chess players who already have a complete understanding of the rules of chess to come and develop their abilities. With a combination of lecture, question/answer and guided cooperative learning, the instructor will cover essential elements of the game: Tactics, Strategy, Openings, Middlegames, Endgames, Problems. Students will develop their memory, visualization ability, attention span, critical thinking skills, as well as their sense of fairness and good sportsmanship — all while having fun!


Who can join? School-age children, K-12, who are interested in improving at chess and maturing from motivated beginners to skilled intermediate players.

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How much does it cost? Club membership is required for participation (Junior: $120/yr; $67/6 months; Family: $180/yr; $100/6 months). Participation fee: $160; $120 per child, if two or more per family. For first-time Club members, the fee is reduced to $125. Please make checks payable to the Boylston Chess Foundation and please pay on site.
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Registration: Located in the renovated former Ellis School building, there is plenty of room at our pristine site. Reservation is not required. Just show up to unit B103, at 40 Norris Street the morning of the first day, before or around 9:00 a.m.! Use the right-side door of the building.
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About the instructor: A master of the game and a Boylston Chess Club member for over 25 years, Jacob Rasin has been a professional chess teacher for over 35 years in the Soviet Union and the United States. 1978-1989, Jacob served as head coach at the Pioneers Palace of the Leningrad Province; 1982-1985, he had the additional assignment of training Soviet grandmasters and international masters. Since 1990, he has taught privately and at schools in the Boston area. His students have won dozens of scholastic state championships and medals, and more than ten national championships in various brackets. Jacob has directed the School Break Program since 1994.
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For more information, call Jacob Rasin at home after 9pm (617) 783-6307; cell (857) 225-1297 or email boylstonchess@gmail.com




February Scholastic


banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.


DateSunday, February 18, 2018
Event Format4SS
Time ControlG/30 d5
Sections14 & Under, 8 & Under, and Non-USCF
Entry Fee$25, $20 for BCF members, $5 more at door
PrizesTrophies for 1st/2nd each age group and non-USCF section, medal for 3rd
Registration10:00am - 10:20am
Round Times10:30am, 11:50am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm
Description14 & Under and 8 & Under sections are USCF rated, and USCF membership is required. The Non-USCF section is open to all players who are no more than 14 years old (both rated and unrated players), and will not be rated by the USCF; thus, USCF membership is not required for the Non-USCF section.
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List







BCC QUADS: EVENT SMASHES ALL RECORDS // 11 QUADS + SMALL SWISS :: QUAD 1 / NATHAN SOLON 1ST / 3-0 // QUAD 2 // NITHIN KAVI / JERRY LI 1-2ND / 2.5 // QUAD 3 // DEREK JIN / 1ST / 2-1 // QUAD 4 // NICHOLAS BELOUS / 1ST / 2.5 // QUAD 5 // ELLA PAPANEK / 1ST/ 3-0 // QUAD 6 // JOY CAO / 1ST / 3-0 // QUAD 7 // ROBERT HOLMGREN 1ST / 2.5 // QUAD 8 // ALEXANDER FANG MENG / 1ST / 2.5 // QUAD 9 // STEVE STEPAK / 1ST / 2.5 // QUAD 10 // MARUTHI KISHORE TIRUVEEDHULA / 1ST / 2.5 // QUAD 11 // JIERUI LIN / 1ST / 2.5 // SMALL SWISS // JIERUI LIN / 1ST / 3-0 // 49 PLAY //


 
Game 65 / 10" DELAY / 3RR /
PLUS SMALL SWISS 3SS
QUAD 1
MASTER QUAD
NM Chris Williams vs NM Nathan Solon, Round 2.
Nathan won this game and the Quad with a perfect 3-0
score and a +20 to 2353 rating. Bravo, Nathan!
QUAD 2 
MASTER/EXPERT QUAD
NM Nithin Kavi scored 2.5 points to share 1-2nd place with
Jerry Li for a +9 to 2240 rating.
Jerry Li emerging strong expert poised to becoming a master
writes down his move vs NM Nithin Kavi, with whom he
share 1-2nd place in Quad 2.  Jerry scored 2.5 points with
a +26 to 2130 rating . . . 
QUAD 3
Derek Jin, black engages Maxwell Chen, Round 1,
Derek scored 2 points to take clear 1st place
for a +16 to 2040 rating.
(background): David Milliern, black vs Nicholas Belous;
Bernie Xu vs David Stoner; 
Ilya Rozonoyer, black vs Ella Papanek.
QUAD 4
Nicholas Belous, black vs Bernie Xu, Round 3.
Nick won 1st place with 2.5 points and a
+19 to 2031. Bravo, Nicholas!
QUAD 5
Ella Papanek, freshman at Harvard University, 
interested in statistics, is on the move vs Joaquin Carlson,
Round 3. Ella was undefeated with 3-0 to take clear
1st place in the quad for a +43 to 1964 rating.
Brava, Ella!
QUAD 6
Joy Cao scored a perfect 3-0 to take clear 1st place,
with a rating upgrade of +47 to 1836. Brava, Joy!
QUAD 7
Ruohan Yin, black vs Robert Holmgren, Round 3.
Robert scored 2.5 points to take clear 1st place.
Ruohan was 2nd with 2 points.
(background): Hermenegildo Neto, black vs Eric Feng;
Harvard Professor of Statistics, Natesh Pillai
plays Lydia Shen.
QUAD 8
Alexander Fang Meng plays black vs Lydia Shen
in Round 1. Alexander scored 2.5 points to take clear 1st
place in the quad with a +28 to 1651.
QUAD 9
Steve Stepak scored 2.5/3 to take clear 1st place.
QUAD 10
Maruthi Kishore Tiruveedula scored 2.5 points to take
clear 1st place and a +16 to 1405 rating. Bravo Maruthi!
QUAD 11
& SMALL SWISS
Jierui Lin plays Sritan Devineni in Quad 11.
Jierui Lin scored 2.5 points to take clear 1st place
with a +39 to 1157 rating. Bravo, Jierui!
Ryan Donnelly plays Andre Wei, Round 1.
Andre scored 3 points to take clear 1st place
in the Small Swiss. Ryan was 2nd with 2 points.
SCENES FROM 
AROUND THE HALL
ROUND 1: THE PAIRINGS ARE UP!
Bob Oresick plays black vs Harvard Professor 
of Statistics, Natesh Pillai, Round 1.
Derek Jin plays white vs Michael Carey.
Lydia Shen
NM Ryan Sowa vs NM Chris Williams, Round 1.
Jericho Carlson
Yue (Kerry) Huang
Ruohan Yin, black vs Eric Feng;
(background): Robert Holmgren, black vs Hermenegildo Neto
NM Professor Alejandro Botta, black vs NM Nathan Solon
Round 1.
LUNCH BREAK
Kids love video games!
Taking a break: computer chess analysis of games;
recreational reading.
CHESS AT THE BCC
The most prolific collection of junior chessplayers in
the Commonwealth!
TOURNAMENT ADMINISTRATION
CHIEF TD: BERNARDO IGLESIAS
ASST TD: NATASHA CHRISTIANSEN
ASST TD: DAVID MILLIERN
PHOTOS BY STEVE STEPAK