Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Cambridge IM Norm Invitational photos by Tony Cortizas, Jr.

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.



  Cambridge Summer IM Norm Invitational
Photos by Tony Cortizas, Jr.


Just a few photos from the BCC Summer IM Norm Invitational...




Alexander Ivanov v. Jacob Chudnovsky




Alexander Ivanov


Denys Shmelov

a recent facebook post by Denys Shmelov:


Another game against Alex Ivanov, another emotional roller coaster. To commemorate the event, I have summarized my thoughts during the game in a concise ten-point list:

1. Man, I am getting killed on dark squares.

2. Light squares, too. Basically, I am getting killed on squares.

3. Pull yourself together, Curdo had to deal with this for the better half of his life.

4. Yes, and it did no good to his career at all.

5. Ivanov is too good against Ruy Lopez, has great score against French, and convincingly cracked your Caro last time you played. Sicilian is out of question. Guess you just can’t have black pieces against him.

6. Do I still have that book on Pirc?

7. I wonder if other competitive fields have their own Ivanov? Say I take up theoretical physics - would I again have an adversary twice my age that I’d spend my entire career trying to unsuccessfully figure out?

8. At this point I would gladly settle for just making it past move 25.

9. Well, he is down to his last minute, and...wait, what is he doing? What on earth did he just play? Did he miss something?

10. No. Dammit.



Hans Niemann





Nathan Solon

Carissa Yip


Bob Messenger

Jarod Carlson




 Pair | Player Name                     |Total|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round| 
 Num  | USCF ID / Rtg (Pre->Post)       | Pts |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  | 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    1 | ALEXANDER IVANOV                |6.5  |W   7|W   4|W   9|W   8|D   6|D   5|D   2|L   3|W  10|
   MA | 12513936 / R: 2544   ->2549     |     |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |B    |W    |B    |W    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2 | DENYS SHMELOV                   |6.0  |W  10|L   7|W   4|W   9|D   8|W   6|D   1|D   5|D   3|
   MA | 13433622 / R: 2555   ->2552     |     |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |B    |W    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    3 | HANS NIEMANN                    |6.0  |W   5|W  10|W   7|W   4|D   9|L   8|L   6|W   1|D   2|
   CT | 15041466 / R: 2473   ->2484     |     |W    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    4 | JACOB CHUDNOVSKY                |5.5  |W   6|L   1|L   2|L   3|W  10|W   7|W   5|W   9|D   8|
   MA | 12571158 / R: 2447   ->2456     |     |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |W    |B    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    5 | YAACOV NOROWITZ                 |5.0  |L   3|W   8|D  10|W   6|D   7|D   1|L   4|D   2|W   9|
   NJ | 12566496 / R: 2485   ->2480     |     |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    6 | CARISSA SHIWEN YIP              |4.5  |L   4|W   9|W   8|L   5|D   1|L   2|W   3|W  10|L   7|
   MA | 14514636 / R: 2407   ->2410     |     |B    |W    |B    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    7 | NATHAN SOLON                    |3.5  |L   1|W   2|L   3|D  10|D   5|L   4|L   9|D   8|W   6|
   MA | 12637883 / R: 2392   ->2384     |     |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |W    |B    |W    |B    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    8 | EUGENE HUA                      |3.5  |L   9|L   5|L   6|L   1|D   2|W   3|W  10|D   7|D   4|
   ON | 15445874 / R: 2311   ->2317     |     |B    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    9 | NICHOLAS VETTESE                |3.5  |W   8|L   6|L   1|L   2|D   3|W  10|W   7|L   4|L   5|
   ON | 15448764 / R: 2181   ->2212     |     |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   10 | QIBIAO WANG                     |1.0  |L   2|L   3|D   5|D   7|L   4|L   9|L   8|L   6|L   1|
   NY | 14952266 / R: 2403   ->2360     |     |W    |B    |W    |W    |B    |W    |B    |W    |B   





Boylston Haupturnier

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.





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 .
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DateMondays, September 10 - November 5
Event FormatRound robin
Time Control30/90 SD/30 d10
SectionsPlayers will be arranged into round robin sections
Entry Fee$35, $20 for BCF members, $5 more if not registering online in advance
PrizesBased on entries
Registration6:30pm - 7:00pm
Round Times7:15pm
DescriptionWinner will be seeded into 2019 Club Championship
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List

_______________

 
Invitations to the BCC Championship tournament have been sent out to all masters in the club and the winners of the Reubens-Landey qualifier and the grand prix.
For those of you not invited (U2200), now is the time to register your interest in playing in the

Hauptturnier
- a round-robin tournament which runs in parallel to the Boylston Club Championship.
Originally you would play in a ten member RR under the same format as the championship and you could observe the championship games. The top ten by rating will be entered; if more than ten register, we may have a second section.
The Hauptturnier I believe was initiated by Bob Fuhro to provide a challenging event for the best club players who hadn't qualified for the Championship.

After extensive discussion the board voted to limit the Hauptturnier to the 10 highest rated players who register.

If more than 10 players register, the lower rated players will play in a Swiss or Round Robin.  Year to year, the number of players varies.
Depending on interest we may run the Hauptturnier in round robin sections of players with comparable ratings - the exact format will be decided in discussion with the players and TDs at the first round on September 10.   The round robin pairings will be set on September 10, so entry will be closed at that time.
 Robert Oresick







Monday, August 27, 2018

September Thursday Night Swiss

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.






 .
Register Online Now
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DateThursdays, September 6, 13, 20, and 27
Event Format4SS
Time ControlG/105 d10
SectionsOpen & U1900
Entry Fee$35, $20 for BCF members, $5 more if not registering online in advance
Prizes$300 based on 25 entries: 1st $125, 2nd $75; U1900 1st $60, 2nd $40
Registration6:15pm - 6:45pm
Round Times7:00pm
DescriptionBye and withdrawal requests must be received by 6:45pm.
Sections with fewer than 10 players may be merged.
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List

________

Hello BCC TNS Players,

The Boylston Chess Club has defined its policy regarding the electronic devices of both players and spectators. It has been added to the BCC's Tournament Policies webpage found here:


The policy is:


"Players may not use or possess electronic devices (cellphones or other electronic devices capable of chess analysis and/or communication) while playing. Any electronic device belonging to a player must be turned off and placed next to the chessboard or stored in a bag that is left at the table during games.

Spectators may not bring electronic devices into the playing room, and players who have finished their games must leave the playing room before turning electronic devices back on."

Thank you in advance for adhering to this policy.
Regards,
Tony Cortizas Jr.
BCC Clerk and TNS TD


Thursday, August 16, 2018

Boylston Chess: FIDE Swiss

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.







DateFriday, August 24, 2018
Event Format5SS
Time ControlG/90+30
SectionsOpen, U2100
Entry Fee$60, $80 for non-BCF members, $5 more if not registering online in advance
PrizesGuaranteed Prizes for the Open: $450, $180 and U2100: $180, $90
RegistrationFriday, 6:15pm - 6:45pm
Round Times7pm Friday, 11am & 5pm Saturday-Sunday
DescriptionFIDE rated Swiss (5SS) tournament held over the weekend (Friday through Sunday).
USCF ratings used for eligibility and pairings.
Max two half point byes, last round must be requested before the start of round 2.
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List









Boylston Chess: Summer IM Norm Invitational

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.





 
 
DateThursday - Monday, August 23-27, 2018
Event Format9RR
Time ControlG/90 + 30
SectionsRR by invitation only
Entry Fee$475
Round Times7pm Thursday, 11am & 5pm Fri-Mon
DescriptionFor more information email norm@boylstonchess.org







Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Boylston Chess: Charles Drafts Memorial report

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.


report

Nicholas Sterling added a photo album in Bay State Chess Kings Facebook Group.
 
   
Nicholas Sterling
August 13 at 5:06 PM
 
Fellow BCF Chess players,

The Charles Drafts Memorial is named after a disabled chess player at Harvard University who in the 80s was renowned for inviting players to his house for chess play, food, and drink. I am glad that despite the closing of Alewife Station over the weekend, our attendance at BCF did not suffer. We got together 41 players and had a dominant Open Section of 22 players. Unfortunately we had to combine the U2000 and U1500 Sections this time - the U1500 was too small - but in time we should get enough players to run consistently all three Sections in tandem.

A warm welcome to new BCF Member Lucas Baker who took home the U1500 prize with 2.5 points in the combined Section. He lost only to the U2000 overall champion David Milliern (3.5 points). His rating is up to 1394, so perhaps he won't be U1500 much longer. We are happy to welcome him to our group and hope he will attend many future events.

Winners:

Open:

1st:/2nd (tied): Nathan Solon, Suraj Ramanathan, Akshay Padmanabhan

U2000:

1st: David Milliern

U1500:

1st: Lucas Baker

I'll be back again in September for the $15 Open on Sunday 9/16. On the day before, I hope to see many of you at the Harvard Open. See you over the board.

Nicholas P. Sterling, Ph.D.
University of Rhode Island








BCF Scholastic: report

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.

photo:  Nick Sterling



Nicholas Sterling posted in Bay State Chess Kings Facebook Group.
   
Nicholas Sterling
August 13 at 5:43 PM
Fellow BCF Scholastic players,

Even though we had a smaller group (17 players) for the August Scholastics, it was still enough to field all three Sections - 14 & Under, 8 & Under, and Non-Member. Great congratulations to Tye Moore who not only took home the 1st Place Trophy in the 14 & Under Section but did so bouncing back from a tough go in the Charles Drafts the day before. Tye showed an inspiring example of perseverance and skill this weekend, and I look forward to seeing him in future tournaments.

We were glad to have four non-Member players and hope that all will join USCF soon and compete in the regular Sections. No better feeling in chess at the beginning of your chess career than that first rated tournament.

Winners:

14 & Under:

1st: Tye Moore
2nd: Siddharth Kurup
3rd Place: Mahad Sohail

8 & Under:

1st Place: Kadhir Vallatharasu
2nd Place: Arjun Singhania
3rd Place (tied): Shouri Mosaliganti, Ryan Wang, Maya Sharma

Non-Member:

1st Place: Varun Kumar
2nd Place: Harshanth Balamuguran
3rd Place: Theerthan Yoganandam

Our next Scholastic is on 9/23/18, and the Spiegel Cup Series Tournament for the 2018-2019 Spiegel Cup season is on 10/21/18.

We'll see you over the board.

Nicholas P. Sterling, Ph.D.
University of Rhode Island








Thursday, August 02, 2018

Boylston Chess: August Educational Clinic with Jacob Rasin

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.





 with Jacob Rasin
  

DateTuesday August 14 - Friday August 17
Event Format9:00am 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.

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

For more information, call Jacob Rasin at home after 9pm (617) 783-6307; cell (857) 225-1297 or email boylstonchess@gmail.com







Boylston Chess: Charles Drafts Memorial

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.






DateSaturday, August 11, 2018
Event Format4SS
Time ControlG/60 d5
SectionsOpen, U2000, & U1500
Entry Fee$35, $20 for BCF members, $5 more if not registering online in advance
Prizes$$360 GUARANTEED: Open 1st $150, 2nd $90 U2000 1st $70, U1500 1st $50
Registration9:15am - 9:45am
Round Times10:00am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm, 6:00pm
DescriptionSections with fewer than 10 players may be combined.
In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Rated players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.
Entry ListCurrent Pre-Registration List




_____________________________________________










  
Walter Driscoll initiated this tournament about 20 years ago to remember and honor his friend Charlie Drafts.

You may not know that Walter is a chess traveler [having competed in Hungry and visited Fischer's home and grave in Iceland before he was exhumed], an actor, and a stand-up comedian.



_____________________________________________

Charles Drafts

by David Glickman

[republishing of a previous post]

This Saturday the ... Annual Charles Drafts Open is being held at the Boylston Chess Club. Charles died several years ago and so for newer members of the club and the broader readership of the weblog I thought it might be worthwhile to briefly review his story.

Charles was a disabled, double-amputee living in the housing projects in Mission Hill. He loved to play chess but his condition made it difficult for him to come to a club or attend tournaments. At some point in time he contacted the BCC to see if any players would be willing to come to his apartment to play. Over the years several heeded the call, but in particular club member Walter Driscoll was a frequent visitor. I believe Walter was also the driving force behind the Charles Drafts Open. At the beginning and for many years, the tournament was held at Charles' building in Mission Hill so that at least one time a year Charles would have an opportunity to play in a "traditional" chess tournament. Since his death, the tournament has continued at the club as a memorial event.

The introduction of internet chess was obviously a boon to Charles and he was an active player on the ICC. It was, in fact, in the middle of a chess game on the ICC in 1996 when the event occurred which thrust Charles into momentary international prominence:

BOSTON -- A disabled man who became ill while logged on to an Internet chess site reached out to fellow players from around the world for emergency assistance.

Charles Drafts, a double amputee who types using a stick in his mouth, was playing chess in cyberspace Saturday on the multi-use World Wide Web site where 159 others also were logged on.

Suddenly, he sent out this message: "i'm having physical illness problems and need help."

"He was starting to have some really bad feelings, shortness of breath and dizziness, and he typed in a message to all our members," said Daniel Sleator, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University near Pittsburgh who founded the Internet Chess Club.

"It took a little while to know whether it was serious or not because there's an awful lot of kidding and bantering that goes on," Mr. Sleator said. "At first, I think some people were thinking it was a joke. But others realized it was a serious thing and started getting the information right away."

Mr. Drafts managed to type in his address.... while several users tried to find out what symptoms Drafts was suffering, Andy McFarland of Owensboro, Kentucky, was calling Boston's emergency medical services on his second phone line. "When he finally got through, he told dispatchers where he was calling from and explained the situation," Howland relates. 'I think I lost them for just a second,' McFarland said. 'It's not something they get every day.'"

...firefighters rushed to Draft's home, but no one answered the door. They called McFarland back to verify the address. McFarland told the wire service, "The last thing I heard them say was, `We're going in,' and they hung up." ...a short while later Boston firefighters broke down his door to get inside. They rushed the 48-year-old man to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition ..., suffering from an undisclosed ailment.

About 20 minutes later, a Boston dispatcher called to tell McFarland that they had found Drafts inside and that he had needed help.

[This text is a re-gifting of David Glickman's 2005 post.]

Boylston Chess: August Scholastic

banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.






DateSunday, August 12, 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






Wednesday, August 01, 2018

Boylston Chess: $15 Open report

Banner:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.

Nicholas Sterling added 82 photos to the album: BCF $15 Open July - 07-28-2018.
photo:  Nick Sterling



Fellow BCF Players,

Thanks to the 38 players who filled the room at Boylston Chess Club for the July $15 Open. I am pleased that competition from the CT Open did not keep away too many players. This was my second tourny with BCF's new setup of three Sections instead of the prior two, and it was much more successful this time. The three Sections were much better balanced, and we had enough players to ensure full pairings for all four Rounds.

Winners:

Open:
1st-2nd Places (tied): Thomas Fang, Logan Boucher

U2000:
1st Place (tied): Andrew The, Nicholas Stevenson, Saanvi Tiruveedhula

U1500:
1st Place: Nan Ji

The next $15 Open will be on a Sunday time around: 9/16/2018.

See you all again over the board,
including at the Charles Drafts Memorial on 8/11/18.

Nicholas P. Sterling, Ph.D.
Boylston Chess Club
Tournament Director




Carissa Yip ties for 2nd place in Denker Tournament of HS Champions






Carissa Yip 
ties for 2nd place in
Denker Tournament of HS Champions

Carissa Yip, champion of the Wachusett Chess Club in 2014 and the Boylston Chess Club in 2016, tied for 2nd place in the 2018 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, held July 28-31 at the Madison Marriott West Hotel in Middleton, Wisconsin.

The 14-year-old Woman International Master from Andover, Mass. scored 5-1 (five wins, one loss) to share runner-up honors with IM Joshua Sheng (rated 2550) of California. 

Carissa's only loss was to IM Praveen Balakrishnan of Virginia (rated 2522), who scored 5.5-0.5 to win the Denker Tournament for the second year in a row. 

Carissa earned the Ursula Foster Award for being the top-scoring player under the age of 16. 

And, as she said after the tournament. "And I'm over 2400 again!" 

Carissa's USCF rating is now 2407. 

A total of 48 players competed in the event.

George Mrijanian