Sunday, March 31, 2024

Discovery tactic?

 The black queen is loose but so is the white queen.  Can white make the discovery work?

Kelsey Liu wins $15 Open

Kelsey took 1st in the $15 Open winning all 4 of her games. Happy Easter to all of those that celebrate it. 

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Tactic from Thursday Night Swiss

Here is a tactic from one of the Thursday Night Swiss games. Remember black doesnt have to give you the mate in 2. Please feel free to share tactics, games, etc for me to use in the blog. 


Thursday Night Swiss

We had already known that Andrew Hoy finished the double winning the Open section both the Tuesday and Thursday events. Despite the lighter crowd due to the Foxwoods CCA event and a down our we still had exciting chess as both board 1 and 2 went into King and Pawn endgames. At the end of the day Alex Slive took second in the Open while Justin and Holden Cassity split the prizes in the Under section earning the option of playing up in April. 

Tuesday Night Swiss results

Andrew took first with 3.5 out of 4. Zachary Pan had a very strong tournament finishing second in the Open section with +2 -0 =2. Zachary picked up 43 point as he continues to drive to 2000. Justin won the under section and has the option to play in the Open next month. Will he take the challenge?  If he takes up the challenge how will he perform. 

Quick note April has 5 Tuesdays so join us and get 5 rounds for the price of 4. 

Friday, March 29, 2024

Mikayel knocks off GM in Round 1 of Foxwoods event

In Round 1 of CCA’s Foxwoods event Mikayel knocked of 2500 rated Giorgi Margvelashvili with the black pieces in a symmetrical English. Mikayel played nearly flawless with Lichess not giving him a single inaccuracy. Good luck to all the BCC members playing at the event. You can follow along at https://chessevents.com/event/foxwoods. The top boards are being streamed on Lichess as well. 


Thursday, March 28, 2024

Boylston Chess: $15 Open

 


$15 Open

 
 
Register Online Now
 
 
 
Date
Saturday, March 30, 2024
 
Event Format
4SS
 
Time Control
G/60 d5
 
Sections
Open & U1800
 
Entry Fee
$15
 
Prizes
$225 based on 25 paid entries: Open: $110-$55, U1800: $60
 
Registration
9:00am - 9:15am
 
Round Times
9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm
 
Description
Sections with few players may be merged.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Register Online Now

Entry List

 ___________________

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1

 

 


 

 

Monday, March 25, 2024

Another tactic

White is down a bunch of material, which means a crushing tactic is in the offing. Seeing the potential mate was the key to me solving this puzzle.  Luckily it’s a fairly common mating pattern.  

Mikayel takes the Black Diamond event

Mikayel won the Black Diamond event with a 3.5/4.0 score. His only blemish was a draw with Arthur Zhou. Amy Nyguen picked up 55 points and crossed 1400 for the first time on the back on a 2.0/4.0 which included a win over a 1989 rated opponent. Congrats to Amy!

Jay Y wins the Spring Equinox

Spring was not in the air on a cold rainy Saturday but 15 players showed up to battle it out at BCC.  Jay Yalamanchili took sole first with 4 out of 4.  Adam Hamel picked up nearly 130 points thanks to a 3.0/4.0 score on his way to a tie for second  


Saturday, March 23, 2024

Mate in 6

Mate in 6 can be a lot for people but the first move is obvious and a lot of moves are forcing  move 2 is the key  


Andrew tops Mikayel and Anton in Friday Night Blitz

Andrew took first place with 10/12 ahead of both Mikayel and Anton who each finished with 8.5. Marielle Murphy had a strong event gaining 65 rating points on the night. 

Friday, March 22, 2024

A tactic/calculation problem

After whites first move black doesn’t have a good response. But nothing is really forced leaving you with a lot to calculate. Once you solve the puzzle blacks other options are shown.  If you don’t see all the lines shown you didn’t solve the puzzle.  

Round 3 of Thursday Night Swiss

After 3 rounds, Andrew has locked up first place. Sitting on 3.0 with a half point bye in round 4 no one can catch him. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot to play for in the final round. 3 prizes will be up for grabs with Alex Slive, Joe Ray, Justin Guerra, Holden Cassity, Aria Mansouri Tehrani, Brian Rowntree, and Arnold Joseph all with 2 points. 

Boylston Chess: Black Diamond Premier

 

 


Black Diamond Premier

 Register Online Now
 
 
 
Date
Sunday, March 24, 2024
 
 
Event Format
4SS
 
Time Control
G/60; d5
 
Sections
Open and U2100
 
Entry Fee
$25, $40 for non-BCF members
 
Prizes
$350 based on 25 paid entries: $200-$100, U2100 $50
 
Registration
9:00-9:15am
 
Round Times
9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm
 
Description
Open section: Players must be rated at least 1900 on the January Supplement or live MSA rating.
U2100 section: open to all players <= 2099

Free entry for GMs and IMs with no deduction from any prize won.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Metered street parking is free on Sundays!

Register Online Now

Entry List

 

 ___________________

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1

 

 

 

 

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Boylston Chess: Friday Night Blitz

 


 

Friday Night Blitz

 Register Online Now
 
 
 
Date
Friday, March 22, 2024
 
Event Format
6SS
 
Time Control
G/5 d0
 
Entry Fee
$10, $15 for non-BCF members
 
Prizes
Based on entries
 
Round Times
7:45pm first round, rest ASAP
 
Description
It's Friday Night!

We'll play six double rounds (one game with each color) with a G/5 time control, no delay and no increment. Doors open at 7:30pm, first round starts at 7:45pm.

Afterwards, what happens happens...

This is a US Chess Federation rated event. USCF membership is required for all players. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Register Online Now

Entry List

 __________________

 

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

A defection tactic

 

Round 3 of March Tuesday Night Swiss is in the books

Round 3 saw Andrew Hoy take the lead in the Open section bringing him to 2.5 out of 3. With 3 people sitting on 2.0 there is still plenty to play for next week in the final round. In the Under section Justin gave Nicanor his first loss at Boylston. Justin now plays Nino Enriquez who is also on 3… winner takes first. 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

 

 

Boylston Chess: Spring Equinox Swiss

  


 



 

Spring Equinox Swiss

Register Online Now



 
Date
Saturday, March 23, 2024
 
Event Format
4SS
 
Time Control
G/60 d5
 
Sections
Open & U1700
 
Entry Fee
$20, $35 for non-BCF members
 
Prizes
$300 based on 25 paid entries: Open $125, $75; U1700 $60, $40
 
Registration
9:00am - 9:20am
 
Round Times
9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm
 
Description
In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Register Online Now

Entry List

 

___________________

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1

___________________

 



___________________


 

 
 
 

 
  
___________________
 
 
 
 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

An easier tactic

 The last couple puzzles have been tricky so this one is a bit easier  

Truelson and Padmanabhan share first in ALTO event

Twelve people showed up for the inaugural ALTO event. The field was split into two small Swiss groups based on rating. Truelson and Padmanabhan shared first in the top section each with 2.5 out of 3  Mariano Rivera closed out the bottom section winning clear first with 3 out of 3 points  

The idea behind the new event is to give adult players a chance to play and socialize with other adults players. An adult version of our scholastic event. We will continue to tweak the event to see what works and what doesn’t so those that participated please feel free to reach out with feedback.  Look out for our April event which should be added to the calendar shortly. 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Saturday Tactic

 At a quick glance it looks like white is crushing. Mate is threatened, whites rook on the 7th is a dream, the passed e-pawn. Yet it’s not time for black to resign. The computer gives -6 in this position. What resource does black have?


Mikayel wins Friday Night Blitz with perfect score

 Mikayel took clear first with a perfect 12 out of 12 in this weeks edition of Friday Night Blitz. None of the 14 competitors could take a game off of Mikayel. Andrew took second. 

Friday, March 15, 2024

Boylston Chess: Inaugural ALTO (At Least Twenty-One)

 


 

Inaugural ALTO (At Least Twenty-One)

 
Register Online Now
 
 
 
 
Date
Sunday, March 17, 2024
 
Event Format
3SS
 
Time Control
G/60 d5
 
Sections
Players will be grouped into sections of 6 players by rating; accelerated pairings used
 
Entry Fee
$20; $5 more if registering onsite after online registration closes at 9:45am, 03/17/2024
 
Prizes
None (other than top college student); all proceeds will benefit the club; $20 to top scoring college student, if at least three college students play
 
Registration
9:45am - 10:15am (onsite)
 
Round Times
10:30am, 1:30pm, 4:00pm
 
Description
Come celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the Inaugural BCF ALTO tournament.

Light refreshments will be provided.

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND BEGINNERS WELCOME!

LIMITED TO PLAYERS AT LEAST 21 AS OF MARCH 17.

E-mail natasha.christiansen@boylstonchess.org with questions.

Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Need to withdraw or take a bye: please send email to td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.


Metered street parking is free on Sundays.

For parking and transportation info, please visit Parking and Public Transit.
 
Event Dates
Sunday, March 17

Register Online Now

Entry List
 ____________________

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before

        ____________________

 

 

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Boylston Chess: Friday Night Blitz

 


 

Friday Night Blitz

 Register Online Now
 
 
 
Date
Friday, March 15, 2024
 
Event Format
6SS
 
Time Control
G/5 d0
 
Entry Fee
$10, $15 for non-BCF members
 
Prizes
Based on entries
 
Round Times
7:45pm first round, rest ASAP
 
Description
It's Friday Night!

We'll play six double rounds (one game with each color) with a G/5 time control, no delay and no increment. Doors open at 7:30pm, first round starts at 7:45pm.

Afterwards, what happens happens...

This is a US Chess Federation rated event. USCF membership is required for all players. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Register Online Now

Entry List
 

 _________________

 

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Shocking tactic

 You might be able to find this but it surprised me. 



March Tuesday Night Swiss Round 2

With two of the four rounds in the books we have half the field in the Open section tied on 1.5. Noteworthy we have Chunhao Ho who is in his second tournament is on 1.5. After going from unrated to 1823 in his first tournament he has a win over an 1898 and a draw against a 2000 rated player. In the under section Nicanor Millán continues his hot streak. After a 4-0-1 February he is off to a 2-0 start. We will see if Justin can slow him down in week 3. 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Endgame tactic

 If you have studied your theoretical endgames this is a 5 second tactic. If not well good luck finding it. 


March G/80

Long time controls are not just for Tuesday and Thursday nights. BCC’s Game 80 event gave participants the best of both worlds, a long time control and multiple games. 24 players signed up for what was surely a grueling event. 

Tim Sage, the highest rated player in the Open section, took first place as the only player to win all three games. Ray Xue, the lowest rated player in the Open section, finished a clear second with 2.5, picking up 52 rating points in the process. 

Ella Zhang won the Under Section with 2.5 out of 3.0. Ella’s been winning more than her fair share of under sections recently and I suspect she will be playing in the Open sections very soon. 

A special shout out is in order for Royce Zhang who picked up 64 rating points with a win and two draws. The performance moves him into the Top 50 in the US for his age group. 

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Tactics Puzzle


GM Narodistky dominates March Big Money Blitz

GM Naroditsky took on 32 challengers and won the March Big Money Blitz with a perfect score. This is Danya’s first clear win as he tied for first with GM Zhou in both December and February. Andrew Hoy and Siddharth Arun tied for second with a score of 8.5. Felix Wu had a notable performance raising his blitz rating 70 points on the night. Boylston Chess Club holds blitz events every Friday night and hosts the Big Money Blitz once a month. 

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Boylston Chess: March Thursday Night Swiss

 


 

March Thursday Night Swiss

Register Online Now 
 
 
 
 
 
Date
Thursdays, March 7, 14, 21, and 28
 
Event Format
4SS
 
Time Control
40/90 SD/20 d5
 
Sections
Open & U1610
 
Entry Fee
$20, $35 for non-BCF members
 
Prizes
300 based on 25 paid entries: Open $125, $75; U1610 $60, $40
 
Registration
Onsite registration is 6:45pm-7:00pm
 
Round Times
7:15pm
 
Description
Need to withdraw or take a bye: please send email to td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within **200** points of the lower section maximum may play up one section. Sections with less than 6 players may be merged.

This is a US Chess Federation rated event. USCF membership is required for all players. Please visit US Chess Membership to join or renew.
 
Event Dates
Thursday, March 7 
Thursday, March 14 
Thursday, March 21 
Thursday, March 28

Register Online Now

Entry List

______________________

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1

 

 

Friday, March 01, 2024

Boylston Chess: Friday Night Blitz

 


 

Friday Night Blitz

 Register Online Now

 
Date
Friday, March 1, 2024
 
Event Format
6SS
 
Time Control
G/5 d0
 
Entry Fee
$10, $15 for non-BCF members
 
Prizes
Based on entries
 
Round Times
7:45pm first round, rest ASAP
 
Description
It's Friday Night!

We'll play six double rounds (one game with each color) with a G/5 time control, no delay and no increment. Doors open at 7:30pm, first round starts at 7:45pm.

Afterwards, what happens happens...

This is a US Chess Federation rated event. USCF membership is required for all players. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Register Online Now

Entry List

 ____________________

Need to withdraw or take a bye? 

Email td@boylstonchess.org at least 30 minutes before the round.

For parking and transportation info, 

please visit Parking and Public Transit.

If the metal gate to the building is closed, 

please press the doorbell marked #1