Monday, April 25, 2016

Summer training chess clinics

Summer Training Chess Clinics

Dates:

Clinic I July 11,12,13,14

and

Clinic II July 25,26,27,28

9-12.30 each day

Participants may register for one or both - different material will be presented.

All participants must be Boylston Chess Foundation members.

NM/LM Ilya Krasik

For advanced beginners and intermediate players (U1500) Email Instructor to see if your child would be a good fit for this clinic. WE will not teach how pieces move, the class assumes some knowledge of the game and previous lessons in a school or private setting.

Experienced Instructor, Life master and founder and head coach of New England Chess School, Manager of Boston Blitz, part of United States Chess League, Ilya

has taught chess professionally for 13 years.

Ilya Krasik started playing chess in Saint Petersburg Russia, moving to U.S in 1991 and continuing pursuing the game he loved.

-   Former MA High School Co-champ (twice), 4-th place in Nationals Junior High 1994.

-   2-time USCL Finalist, 2008,2009, 4-time game of the week recepient, All-Star team selection in 2009.

-   Recognized for outstanding achievement by RI Senate, 2011 for coaching many junior to state titles. Some of whom are already National Masters themselves.

-   coach of the Cabot School's State title winning team in Recent Hurvitz Cup (March 2016).

-   Current Champion of the Metrowest Chess Club (2016).

Clinics will be both serious and fun, students will get homework and before/after personal evaluation.

Tactics, Strategy, Openings, Middle game and Endgame strategy Bughouse, Blitz challenges/tournaments, History of modern chess. Prizes and much more.Cost: $ 199 before July 1, $ 249 after.
All participants be Boylston Chess Foundation members.

May TNS

May Thursday Night Swiss

Date	Thursday, May 5, 12, 19, 26
Event Format	4SS
Time Control	40/90 SD/20 d10
Sections	Open & U1900
Entry Fee	$35, $20 for BCF members
Prizes	$300 based on 25 paid entries: Open 1st $125, 2nd $75 U1800 1st $60, 2nd $40
Registration	6:30pm - 7:00pm
Round Times	7:15pm
Entry List	Current Pre-Registration List

Friday Night Action



Date: Friday, April 29, 2016
Event Format: 4SS
Time Control: G/25 d5
Sections: One Section
Entry Fee: $40, $50 for Non-members
Prizes: $750 based on 20 paid entries: $300, $200, $100; U2200 $100, $50
Registration: 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Round Times: 7:00pm, 8:15pm, 9:15pm, and 10:15pm
Description: One bye is allowed for either round 1 or round 4, request with registration.
: Register Online Now
: Entry List

Team Tournament

Date: Saturday, April 30, 2016
Event Format: 4SS
Time Control: G/60 d10
Sections: One Section
Entry Fee: $100 per team of 4 (or $25 each)
Prizes: Based on entries
Registration: 9:15am - 9:45am
Round Times: 10:00am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm, and 6:00pm
Description: Team event for 4-person teams with an average rating below 1900.
Players without teams will be assigned teams at the door.

Mass Girls Champioship

Massachusetts Girls Championship



The Massachusetts Chess Association Scholastics

Massachusetts Girls Championship Open Section winner will represent MA at the 2016 National Girls Tournament of Champions. U1000 Section Open to Out Of State Players.



Date: Sunday, May 1, 2016

Location
Boylston Chess Club Cambridge,
40 Norris Street, Suite B101, Cambridge, MA 02140


Sections: Open and U1000

Entry Fee: $20 if mailed by 4/26 or PayPal by 4/29; $25 on site

Prizes: Trophies for top 3 in each section, plus top 3 U600 and top unrated in U1000 section. Open section winner will be MA representative at NGIT

Registration: 8:30am - 9:00am

Round Times: Round 1 at 9:30am, others ASAP

Description: Register online at the MACA website

HARVARD SQUARE CHESS RE-INVENTS ITSELF FOR THE SUMMER: OUTDOOR // IINDOOR //

DURING RENOVATION OF SMITH STUDENT CENTER

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

BCC PLAYERS AND THE GENERAL CHESS PUBLIC

ARE PROVIDED WITH CHESS TABLES

IN THE "PIT" AND THE "PENINSULA"

BY THE HARVARD SQUARE RED LINE T STOP

IN THE PIT

ANDREY(rt): HARVARD SQUARE CHESSMASTER

ON THE PENINSULA

PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

BCC STRONG AT MIT SPRING OPEN 2016 // 67 PLAY // ANDREW HOY SHARES 1-3 WITH PEREZ AND RABIN // BCC REGULARS ABOUND AND SUCCEED //

BCC PRESIDENT DOES CLUB PROUD!

NM Andrew Hoy shares 1-3 with NM Robert Perez

and NM Evan Rabin

Former BCC President NM Carey Thiel, black vs NM

Robert Perez, MIT graduate, now working in

investment banking in the windy city: Chicago.

NM Robert Perez with a FIDE rating of 2328,

is a former BCC Blitz Chess Champion.

NICE SWEATER

Former BCC Champion NM Lawyer Times sets his game up

in Round 1 of MIT Spring Open 2016. Lawyer was over

50 percent with 2.5 points in a strong field.

ALL BCC TABLE

NM Professor T Sage, BCC board member plays the black

pieces as NM Carey Thiel faces off with Alan Song.

Carey scored 3 points to tie for 4-7th with Sage, Nithin Kavi,

and Alejandro Botta.

Alejandro Botta plays white vs Brian Dobosh, former

Northeastern University Chess Club President.

Brian is now working at MIT.

NM Kushan Tyagi, black vs Nithin Kavi: 1-0!

KIDS PLAY CHESS WELL!

David Martin feels the prodigy of Carah Su in Round 4.

Carah earned a 1311 to 1433 rating hike. Brava, Carah!

[Background: little Ryan Wang, brother of Tianna and

Steve Frymer, MACA official, standing]

Joy Cao scores 2/4 in U1800 Section.

SOLID CHESS SKILLS

Tianna Wang catches Steve Stepak napping for the full point.

[maybe the hat got in the way!]

A D85 Gruenfeld Defense played creatively and solidly by

Wang, and poorly by Stepak. Brava! Tianna.

Tianna also played in the 26th MACA Game 60 and scored

3.5/4 for 2nd place in the U1600 section!

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THIS LAD!

Raymond Xu, BCC regular scored 3 points in the U1800

section to share 2-6th place with Wade Denton, Tianna Wang,

and Lewis Tu. Raymond also played in the Spiegel Cup

scoring 4-0, capturing the trophy in the 8yr old and under division.

MIT CHESS CLUB PERSONNEL

Amir Cohen consults with Andy Trattner during

registration period; not in photo: IM Alex Katz and

Jonah Butler, also MIT Chess Club officials.

BCC regular (blue) Jason Tang plays white vs

first time tournament player Mauricio Bravo: draw!

BCC's Lewis Tu plays white vs Amir Cohen, MIT Chess Club

official and a freshman at MIT majoring in computer science.

NM Ryan Sowa plays white vs Botakoz Koshkarova,

a Northeastern University Student.

HIGH PERFORMANCE!

Alan Song was 1.5/4 in the Open Section and

earned a 1865 to 1871 rating! Bravo, Alan!

Here Alan played white vs expert Andy Trattner

and essayed a nice draw!

PHOTOS: STEVE STEPAK

Monday, April 18, 2016

MIT Open

MIT hosted an Open tournament

on Sunday, April 17.

A lot of regular BCC players were there. In fact, Andrew Hoy, president of the Boylston, took a bye from the Patriots Day Open, to TD the MIT event. They had a very good turnout: 66 players. This was a resounding success.

Tony Cortizas, Jr. posted a gallery of photos from the MIT Open.

Friday, April 15, 2016

But it's over at Au Bon Pain:

But it’s over at Au Bon Pain:

Boys of Summer Part II

photo: Steve Stepak

Today: 60+ degrees, wonderful sunlight: what ran through my mind was I can’t be there but my buddies are there having a grand old time. Then it struck me: But it’s over at A Bon Pain. For years; when I’m captured by my job or personal activity; I would have a warm moment dreaming how my buddies are carrying the Great Karma in my absence: But it’s over at A Bon Pain. All the close friends, all the personal advice, all the street talking, all the political discussions, all the chess: But it’s over at A Bon Pain.

Gone are the masters, gone are gamblers, gone are players, gone is the brain trust, gone are the gawkers watching Cambridge’s metaphorical and physical demonstration of intellectual power and activity.

photo: Steve Stepak

Never had a chance to tell my buds goodbye or that I’d be working through my summer for the first time in 6 years. I am missing their lament saying that my priorities are messed up: But it’s over at A Bon Pain. Although everything has a beginning and end; What a personal and collective loss. Might as well work this summer.

photo: Steve Stepak

What do you miss because the Boys of summer are gone?

Mike Griffin

4/15/2016

(graphics by Bob Oresick – photos by Steve Stepak & Tony Cortizas)

4/17/16

Bob,

Well, if you're going to show photos of the boys of Harvard Square, I was one of the originals starting in 1980 when the Au Bon Pain Opened.

So if you could put this photo in your post too, that would make me happy.

Steve

( Mike is quoted in a good article about Harvard Square chess in New In Chess,
December 2014. )

Here is Mike's original Boys of Summer:

Chess at the A Bon Pain 2010 season: Goodbye Boys of Summer

photo: Tony Cortizas Jr.

I see you boys of summer in your ruin.

Man in his maggot's barren.

And boys are full and foreign in the pouch.

I am the man your father was.

We are the sons of flint and pitch.

O see the poles are kissing as they cross.

-Dylan Thomas

__________

"Is that the mind's last, soundless, dying cry? Who will remember? There was no rustling of old crowds as my long, wrenching, joyless voyage ended, only the question, 'Who will remember?" and a sign in the renting office at New Ebbets Field apartments saying, as if about the past, "NO VACANCY. Files closed."

- Roger Kahn Boys of Summer

__________

Chess has it's Boys of Summer: the crew that congregates outside the A Bon Pain on a daily basis. Weather this spring and summer permitted a tremendous amount of outdoor chess. My unemployment status allowed me to participate often with this group.

Typically this area is known for gambling "lessons" but there are a group of folks, a mixture of all various types and backgrounds of bright brainiacks, that converge to play chess. Or simply hang out across from Harvard Yard and absorb the ambiance of the powerful forceful Thought Karma. I was taken by the camaraderie and friendship developed with these guys who promoted the social component to a high place.

Typically players paired off in threes and played blitz, playing "risers" where the winner continues to sit and play, while the loser rises to be replaced. If a draw, then white sits.

Three highlights this summer were:

One Sunday afternoon for over two hours I watched Ilya Krasik

photo: Tony Cortizas Jr.

play Billy Collins

photo: Robert Oresick

and Gerry Williams.

photo: Robert Oresick

It reminded me of Paul Morphy games: where the superior player was a level better than two pretty good players. The way in which Illya approached each position was extremely educational. I made the comment that a particular variation played reminded me of a Fischer v Bisguier game. To which Illya called time out and reproduced from memory said game for us. Fischer unleashing a hellatious sacrificial attack from a Sozin. Illya never lost that day.

Throughout the summer Ben & Jainping Yuan

photo: Robert Oresick

would arrive. Ben would play blitz and attract a crowd.

photo: Tony Cortizas Jr.

The Marc Esserman Challenge with crazy odds of: 5 minutes to 45 seconds; an extra queen (5 to 5 mins); or piece odds created an excitement. One time Marc played thru the night and thru the second day, with bodyguard Krasik by his side. There were times when hundreds circled the chess board.

Then one Sunday after Labor Day it happened: weather was good and upon arriving at A Bon Pain there was no one. I sat for a while waiting for another comrade to appear, but it didn't happen. Alone we approach the end of the year feeling the cold, staring into the bleakness, dreaming about spring.

What are your A Bon Pain stories?

Please Comment
Thank You

Mike Griffin
10/22/2010
(Graphics by Bob Oresick & Tony Cortizas)