I don't know how long this option has been around, but USCF now has a "Show Game Statistics" link under:
Players & Ratings > Player/Rating Lookup (look yourself or anyone else up)
I'm glad to see expanded use of their database. It's nice to see I have kept a clean score since 1991 against players rated in the 1300's and below. I wish I could say I have kept a clean score against players higher rated than that, but I am pretty certain some of our club's 1400's are among those who took points and half-points from me.
Ouch, and I can see I start hitting the wall against players rated in the 1800's and higher.
One of the options is to see your top 25 opponents (greatest # of games played against). I see I'm currently even with Jon Lee over 16 games, and also even with Mike Griffin over 5. I no longer have to do the stats work myself (well, okay, I never really did that work, but I enjoy seeing the stats).
Nice job, USCF!
The Chess Blog of the Boylston Chess Club... The Boylston Chess Club (BCC) is a part of the Boylston Chess Foundation (BCF).
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Sunday, July 04, 2010
64 Squares of Pain
It does feel like that sometimes. Ah, how bittersweet our game can be.
After my recent Art, Science, or Sport? blog entry, John from Endgame Clothing offered the above fine T-shirt for my collection, and I, having a very memorable bishop vs knight endgame, was pleased to accept.
Of course, as a card-carrying Member Of The Human Race, I appreciate free T-shirts (and as a materialistic chess player, I also accept "reasonably-priced" pawn and piece sacrifices). The ornately designed shirt is made of my favorite 100% cotton, and some of the company's other designs have been making the rounds recently.
2010 Samford Fellow GM Robert Hess is wearing one of Endgame Clothing's T-shirts on the cover of the June 2010 Chess Life, and the Karpov for FIDE president 2010 Fundraiser T-shirts were also designed by John's company. By association, my rating should soon be skyrocketing.
I see on the inside back cover of the July 2010 Chess Life that USCF Sales is also now carrying Endgame t-shirts. Anyway, here is my most memorable bishop vs knight endgame...
Ken Ho - John Muth
21 February 1994
U.S. Amateur Team East, round 6
Our 4-person team had won on one board, but had losing positions on two others. I needed to win this endgame to tie the match ("Captain's orders" ;-) ).
Being down a pawn, I thought I was worse, but now I think the endgame is actually equal. Perhaps having the extra pawn proved to be a psychological burden for my opponent, who pursued a win to his detriment, when a draw was the logical result.
30 Nc5 Bb1 31 Nxe6 31 Nxa6? Bxa2 32 Nxb4 Bxb3 gives Black the kingside majority and all the chances, though White may be able to draw. After the text, Black still has difficulty keeping his queenside pawns.
31...Bxa2 32 Nc5 a5
Black should consider 32...Kf7 33 Nxa6 (Given the possibility that Black can actually lose his way and worsen his position, White may actually have little motivation to play this capture immediately. 33 Kf2 Ke7 34 Ke3 Kd5 35 Nxa6 Bxb3 36 Nxb4 is a drawn ending.) Bxb3 34 Nxb4, when a draw remains the most likely outcome.
33 Kf2
33...a4? Black's queenside pawns are not going anywhere, but White's soon-to-be-new a-pawn is. 33...Bxb3?? loses, since the knight can easily stop Black's a- and b-pawns until White's king comes to vacuum them up: 34 Nxb3 a4 35 Nc5 +-.
I've looked at a couple of lines like 33...Kf7 34 Ke3 Ke7 35 Kd3 Kd6 36 Ne4+ Kc6 37 Kc2 a4 38 bxa4 f5 39 Nf6 Kb6 40 Nxh7 Ka5 41 h4 Kxa4 42 Kb2 Bf7 43 Nf8,
and I think that the position remains a draw, no matter what fantastical lines are explored.
34 bxa4 b3? This leads to a clearly worse position for Black. 34...Bd5 at least ensures the bishop has access to both wings.
35 Nd3 Bb1? Jettisoning the pawn with 35...b2, but allowing the bishop freedom, appears to be the best chance for a draw for Black.
36 Ke3! Preventing Black's bishop from getting out along the b1-h7 diagonal. 36...Bxd3 37 Kxd3 is an easy win for White, since the Black b-pawn falls, leaving White with the outside passed a-pawn, which is already "outside the square" of the Black king (i.e., cannot be prevented from promoting by the Black king).
36...Kf7? Jettisoning the pawn with 36...b2 still looks like the best chance to draw, but I think Black is likely lost. White should be able to force a position where Black's bishop is chased away from the immediate vicinity of the a8 square, and the White knight can then obstruct or smother the bishop, allowing the pawn to promote. A sample line is 36...b2 37 Kd4 (7/8/10: Oops, 37 Kd4?? Bxd3 -+. Well, I'm going to ignore that, because the original flawed analysis still leads to interesting analysis positions. 37 Nxb2 may still lead to a win for White, on the basis of the considerations already noted.) Ba2 38 Nxb2 Be6 39 Nc4 Bc8 40 Kc5 Ba6 41 Nd6 Kf8 42 Kb6 Bd3 43 a5 Ke7
44 Nb5 g5 45 fxg5 fxg5 46 a6 Be4 47 Kc7 (Keeping the Black king at bay so the White knight can do its stuff.) Ba8 48 Nd6 Ke6 49 Nb7 Kd5 50 Kb8 Kc6 51 Kxa8 Kb6 52 a7 Kc7 53 Nd6
Unfortunately for Black, played by my hapless PDA chess program for this analysis line, the old box-in-the-enemy-king-in-front-of-his-own-pawn trick does not work when the opposing side has enough material to produce a pawn promotion on the other wing.
Interestingly, if all the kingside pawns are removed:
White wins from the above position because it is Black to move, so that whatever Black plays, White responds with 54 Kb8 and 55 a8=Q (or 55 a8=R ;-) ).
However, if it were White to move in the above position, it is a draw because White cannot prevent the Black king from shuttling between c7 and c8. Because each knight move brings it to a square of the opposite color, it will never be able to alter the "polarity" of the situation to bring about a situation in which it controls c8 at a time when the Black king has to move away from c7. Fascinating stuff (to me, anyway), but back to the game....
37 a5 f5 38 a6 Ba2
39 Kd4! Holding d5 (and c4), so Black's bishop will not be allowed to prevent the pawn from queening, even if he jettisons the pawn with 39...b2.
39...Bb1 40 a7 Bxd3 41 a8=Q b2 42 Qb7+ Kf6 43 Kxd3 1-0
That's the kind of endgame for which this T-shirt was made!
Time-twistingly ironically, my opponent was the J. Muth who created another one of my favorite T-shirts (or so I have long believed, anyway), as I'd written about earlier.
Of course, before the endgame, the gods have placed the middle game. Those who have observed my amazing middle game blunders know that I have rather less of a predilection for the middle game than I have for the endgame.
In his "Memoir of Capablanca" which was included in Harry Golombek's Capablanca's 100 Best Games of Chess, J. du Mont wrote:
After my recent Art, Science, or Sport? blog entry, John from Endgame Clothing offered the above fine T-shirt for my collection, and I, having a very memorable bishop vs knight endgame, was pleased to accept.
Of course, as a card-carrying Member Of The Human Race, I appreciate free T-shirts (and as a materialistic chess player, I also accept "reasonably-priced" pawn and piece sacrifices). The ornately designed shirt is made of my favorite 100% cotton, and some of the company's other designs have been making the rounds recently.
2010 Samford Fellow GM Robert Hess is wearing one of Endgame Clothing's T-shirts on the cover of the June 2010 Chess Life, and the Karpov for FIDE president 2010 Fundraiser T-shirts were also designed by John's company. By association, my rating should soon be skyrocketing.
I see on the inside back cover of the July 2010 Chess Life that USCF Sales is also now carrying Endgame t-shirts. Anyway, here is my most memorable bishop vs knight endgame...
Ken Ho - John Muth
21 February 1994
U.S. Amateur Team East, round 6
Our 4-person team had won on one board, but had losing positions on two others. I needed to win this endgame to tie the match ("Captain's orders" ;-) ).
Being down a pawn, I thought I was worse, but now I think the endgame is actually equal. Perhaps having the extra pawn proved to be a psychological burden for my opponent, who pursued a win to his detriment, when a draw was the logical result.
After 29...Bxe4
30 Nc5 Bb1 31 Nxe6 31 Nxa6? Bxa2 32 Nxb4 Bxb3 gives Black the kingside majority and all the chances, though White may be able to draw. After the text, Black still has difficulty keeping his queenside pawns.
31...Bxa2 32 Nc5 a5
Black should consider 32...Kf7 33 Nxa6 (Given the possibility that Black can actually lose his way and worsen his position, White may actually have little motivation to play this capture immediately. 33 Kf2 Ke7 34 Ke3 Kd5 35 Nxa6 Bxb3 36 Nxb4 is a drawn ending.) Bxb3 34 Nxb4, when a draw remains the most likely outcome.
33 Kf2
33...a4? Black's queenside pawns are not going anywhere, but White's soon-to-be-new a-pawn is. 33...Bxb3?? loses, since the knight can easily stop Black's a- and b-pawns until White's king comes to vacuum them up: 34 Nxb3 a4 35 Nc5 +-.
I've looked at a couple of lines like 33...Kf7 34 Ke3 Ke7 35 Kd3 Kd6 36 Ne4+ Kc6 37 Kc2 a4 38 bxa4 f5 39 Nf6 Kb6 40 Nxh7 Ka5 41 h4 Kxa4 42 Kb2 Bf7 43 Nf8,
(Analysis position after 43 Nf8)
and I think that the position remains a draw, no matter what fantastical lines are explored.
34 bxa4 b3? This leads to a clearly worse position for Black. 34...Bd5 at least ensures the bishop has access to both wings.
35 Nd3 Bb1? Jettisoning the pawn with 35...b2, but allowing the bishop freedom, appears to be the best chance for a draw for Black.
36 Ke3! Preventing Black's bishop from getting out along the b1-h7 diagonal. 36...Bxd3 37 Kxd3 is an easy win for White, since the Black b-pawn falls, leaving White with the outside passed a-pawn, which is already "outside the square" of the Black king (i.e., cannot be prevented from promoting by the Black king).
36...Kf7? Jettisoning the pawn with 36...b2 still looks like the best chance to draw, but I think Black is likely lost. White should be able to force a position where Black's bishop is chased away from the immediate vicinity of the a8 square, and the White knight can then obstruct or smother the bishop, allowing the pawn to promote. A sample line is 36...b2 37 Kd4 (7/8/10: Oops, 37 Kd4?? Bxd3 -+. Well, I'm going to ignore that, because the original flawed analysis still leads to interesting analysis positions. 37 Nxb2 may still lead to a win for White, on the basis of the considerations already noted.) Ba2 38 Nxb2 Be6 39 Nc4 Bc8 40 Kc5 Ba6 41 Nd6 Kf8 42 Kb6 Bd3 43 a5 Ke7
(Analysis position after 43...Ke7)
44 Nb5 g5 45 fxg5 fxg5 46 a6 Be4 47 Kc7 (Keeping the Black king at bay so the White knight can do its stuff.) Ba8 48 Nd6 Ke6 49 Nb7 Kd5 50 Kb8 Kc6 51 Kxa8 Kb6 52 a7 Kc7 53 Nd6
(Analysis position after 53 Nd6)
Unfortunately for Black, played by my hapless PDA chess program for this analysis line, the old box-in-the-enemy-king-in-front-of-his-own-pawn trick does not work when the opposing side has enough material to produce a pawn promotion on the other wing.
Interestingly, if all the kingside pawns are removed:
(Conceptual analysis position after 53 Nd6)
White wins from the above position because it is Black to move, so that whatever Black plays, White responds with 54 Kb8 and 55 a8=Q (or 55 a8=R ;-) ).
However, if it were White to move in the above position, it is a draw because White cannot prevent the Black king from shuttling between c7 and c8. Because each knight move brings it to a square of the opposite color, it will never be able to alter the "polarity" of the situation to bring about a situation in which it controls c8 at a time when the Black king has to move away from c7. Fascinating stuff (to me, anyway), but back to the game....
37 a5 f5 38 a6 Ba2
39 Kd4! Holding d5 (and c4), so Black's bishop will not be allowed to prevent the pawn from queening, even if he jettisons the pawn with 39...b2.
39...Bb1 40 a7 Bxd3 41 a8=Q b2 42 Qb7+ Kf6 43 Kxd3 1-0
That's the kind of endgame for which this T-shirt was made!
Time-twistingly ironically, my opponent was the J. Muth who created another one of my favorite T-shirts (or so I have long believed, anyway), as I'd written about earlier.
Of course, before the endgame, the gods have placed the middle game. Those who have observed my amazing middle game blunders know that I have rather less of a predilection for the middle game than I have for the endgame.
In his "Memoir of Capablanca" which was included in Harry Golombek's Capablanca's 100 Best Games of Chess, J. du Mont wrote:
He made innumerable friends by his kindly and genuine manner. I remember his winning a brilliant game from Dr. Vidmar in London, 1922, and laughingly patting the loser on the back, saying: "He always give[sic] me a chance of a brilliancy; he is my meat'" -- this accompanied by such a charming and good-natured smile that everyone, including Dr. Vidmar, had the impression that he had bestowed the finest compliment on his opponent. Who else could make such a remark to his adversary and convey the feeling of the utmost friendliness?If I ever come to the board and find my opponent wearing a T-shirt showing a chuckling Capablanca with the caption, "You are my middle game meat.", I may have to run screaming from the tournament hall.
GM Ken Rogoff on his chess career
In a fascinating article about GM Kenneth Rogoff's timely book on economic crises, he commented on his chess career. (Rogoff used to play at the Boylston.)
Published: July 2, 2010 in the New York Times
Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff's handiwork is contained in their recent best seller, “This Time Is Different,” a quantitative reconstruction of hundreds of historical episodes in which perfectly smart people made perfectly disastrous decisions. It is a panoramic opus, both geographically and temporally, covering crises from 66 countries over the last 800 years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/economy/04econ.html
Published: July 2, 2010 in the New York Times
Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff's handiwork is contained in their recent best seller, “This Time Is Different,” a quantitative reconstruction of hundreds of historical episodes in which perfectly smart people made perfectly disastrous decisions. It is a panoramic opus, both geographically and temporally, covering crises from 66 countries over the last 800 years.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/economy/04econ.html
Photo: Mary F. Calvert for The New York Times
about chess:
"...He received a chess set for his 13th birthday, and he quickly discovered that he was something of a prodigy, a fact he decided to hide so he wouldn’t get beaten up in the lunchroom.
“I think chess may be a relatively cool thing for kids to do now, on par with soccer or other sports,” he says. “It really wasn’t then.”
Soon, he began traveling alone to competitions around the United States, paying his way with his prize winnings. He earned the rank of American “master” by the age of 14, was a New York State Open champion and soon became a “senior master,” the highest national title.
When he was 16, he left home against his parents’ wishes to become a professional chess player in Europe. He enrolled fleetingly in high schools in London and Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, but rarely attended. “I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to be doing,” he recalls.
He spent the next 18 months or so wandering to competitions around Europe, supporting himself with winnings and by participating in exhibitions in which he played dozens of opponents simultaneously, sometimes while wearing a blindfold.
Occasionally, he slept in five-star hotels, but other nights, when his prize winnings thinned, he crashed in grimy train stations. He had few friends, and spent most of his time alone, studying chess and analyzing previous games. Clean-cut and favoring a coat and tie these days, he described himself as a ragged “hippie” during his time in Europe. He also found life in Eastern Europe friendly but strained, he says, throttled by black markets, scarcity and unmet government promises.
After much hand-wringing, he decided to return to the United States to attend Yale, ...
He interrupted a brief stint in a graduate program in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to prepare for the world chess championships, which were held only every three years.After becoming an “international grandmaster,” the highest title awarded in chess, when he was 25, he decided to quit chess entirely and to return to M.I.T. He did so because he had snared the grandmaster title and because he realized that he would probably never be ranked No. 1.
He says it took him a long time to get over the game, and the euphoric, almost omnipotent highs of his past victories.
“To this day I get letters, maybe every two years, from top players asking me: ‘How do I quit? I want to quit like you did, and I can’t figure out how to do it,’ ” he says. “I tell them that it’s hard to go from being at the top of a field, because you really feel that way when you’re playing chess and winning, to being at the bottom — and they need to prepare themselves for that.”
Friday, July 02, 2010
Paypal DONATE button!
Dear chess community:
I just want to highlight a new feature of our Blog-- a Paypal DONATE button, located to the right of the page.
Please consider making a tax-free contribution to the Boylston Chess Foundation. With the donate button, it is now easier than ever!
Best,
Jason
Interim BCF President
I just want to highlight a new feature of our Blog-- a Paypal DONATE button, located to the right of the page.
Please consider making a tax-free contribution to the Boylston Chess Foundation. With the donate button, it is now easier than ever!
Best,
Jason
Interim BCF President
Thursday, July 01, 2010
SOS Do you have a Robotic Chess Set and live near Boston!
Chess Comrades:
There is going to be a Discovery Science Channel Series - Physics of the Impossible show hosted by Michio Kaku in need of a Robot themed Chess Set. If you possess one and would like to see it in a TV show please contact us.
Especially if you posses this Lego MindStorms set:
http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.
Thank You
Mike Griffin
07/01/2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Chess: The BCF Donut Hole
My wife and one of her friends (who is on Medicare) have a very expensive migraine headache medicine that costs $1000 for 6 pills. People on Medicare who have exceeded their $2,800 initial coverage have to pay out of pocket for drugs until the next level of coverage kicks in: they are said to be in the donut hole. My wife's friend hits the donut hole in record time.
In June my rating was 1815 making me ineligible for the 2010 Weaver Adams. But by July my published rating will be 1793 thus placing me in the BCF Championship Qualifying Series Donut Hole technically making me ineligible for the Rubens Landy. Fortunately with intelligent flexibility RL directors Bob Oresick and Bernado Iglesias, with the support of President Jason Rihel, have made an allowance in letting me register for the RL.
The Board is working on reworking the entry requirements for the whole championship series in the fall to be ready for next year. Tradition has the final stage of the Club Championship to be a round robin of 11 of the top masters plus the winner of the Rubens Landy. But the BCF suffers with the pretty cool problem that we now have more than 11 masters thus another potential donut hole situation.
And not only is there a BCF Donut Hole but there is a Donut Munchkin: What happens if someone has a rating below 1800 in June above 1800 in July? They can play in the Weaver Adam's and Rubens Landey.
But we shouldn't become too upset by these things. Always remember the ancient Chinese saying attributed to Homer Simpson's ancestor by Bob:
What are your feelings about this Donut Hole/Munchkin?
Please Comment
Thank You
Mike Griffin (with contributions from Bob Oresick)
06/30/2010
In June my rating was 1815 making me ineligible for the 2010 Weaver Adams. But by July my published rating will be 1793 thus placing me in the BCF Championship Qualifying Series Donut Hole technically making me ineligible for the Rubens Landy. Fortunately with intelligent flexibility RL directors Bob Oresick and Bernado Iglesias, with the support of President Jason Rihel, have made an allowance in letting me register for the RL.
The Board is working on reworking the entry requirements for the whole championship series in the fall to be ready for next year. Tradition has the final stage of the Club Championship to be a round robin of 11 of the top masters plus the winner of the Rubens Landy. But the BCF suffers with the pretty cool problem that we now have more than 11 masters thus another potential donut hole situation.
And not only is there a BCF Donut Hole but there is a Donut Munchkin: What happens if someone has a rating below 1800 in June above 1800 in July? They can play in the Weaver Adam's and Rubens Landey.
But we shouldn't become too upset by these things. Always remember the ancient Chinese saying attributed to Homer Simpson's ancestor by Bob:
"Don't curse the hole -- eat the donut."
What are your feelings about this Donut Hole/Munchkin?
Please Comment
Thank You
Mike Griffin (with contributions from Bob Oresick)
06/30/2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Reubens Landey 2010
This is a very special tournament - it is traditionally a very competitive, prestigious, yet friendly tournament. Only club members can enter, but if you aren't a member, this is the perfect excuse to join or renew.
In reviewing our membership and playing list over the last year, I noticed that there are about 220 expert and A players who are eligible for this event. In last year's tournament, 21 strong players competed.
Please consider playing - starting Monday, July 12.
------------------------------------------------------
.
The 2010 Reubens Landey begins Monday, July 12. It is the second component of the club championship cycle.
The winner becomes the BCC U2200 champion and moves into the club championship to compete against club masters.
Monday, July 12, 19, 26 August 2:
Reubens/Landey BCF Qualifier U2200 Championship 4SS; 40/90 G/20; Open to BCF members rated under 2200 and at least 1800 published for July 2010.
Entry fee: $20:
Winner receives free entry into the BCF Championship beginning in Sept.
Registration: 6:00 to 6:30 or email oresick@bu.edu
Rounds: 7:PM
In reviewing our membership and playing list over the last year, I noticed that there are about 220 expert and A players who are eligible for this event. In last year's tournament, 21 strong players competed.
Please consider playing - starting Monday, July 12.
------------------------------
.
The 2010 Reubens Landey begins Monday, July 12. It is the second component of the club championship cycle.
The winner becomes the BCC U2200 champion and moves into the club championship to compete against club masters.
Monday, July 12, 19, 26 August 2:
Reubens/Landey BCF Qualifier U2200 Championship 4SS; 40/90 G/20; Open to BCF members rated under 2200 and at least 1800 published for July 2010.
Entry fee: $20:
Winner receives free entry into the BCF Championship beginning in Sept.
Registration: 6:00 to 6:30 or email oresick@bu.edu
Rounds: 7:PM
__________________________________________
Below is some context for this tournament: two biographical articles by Bernardo Iglesias and a listing of past winners.
-----
EMIL M. REUBENS
by Bernardo Iglesias
"....Chess appeals to our emotions and brings us joys and sorrows."
Emil Reubens was born in a beautiful land very far away, in Yelisavetpol (Kirovabad) Russia, in 1886, on September 23 and, died in Massachusetts in Norwood Hospital in 1973, on August 29 after a brief illness. Emil Reubens was 86 years old when he died, an extraordinary man who believed that mankind could become rehabilitated through Chess. Chess is more than life and can change a person to benefit Society.
He was a chess master emeritus and one of the founding member of the United States Chess Federation, a member of the Boylston Chess Club, the Brockton Chess Club and his dear Sharon Chess Club.
Reubens received his formal education at the University of Prague. In 1906 he immigrated to the United States and worked for a time in steel mills in Detroit. Eventually he moved to Boston and graduated from Boston University in 1922 with a degree in business administration. Much later, in June of 1973 he received his Master's degree in business administration, he was the oldest person in the university's history to obtain such a degree at 86.
He lived in Sharon, Mass. for many years. Emil Reubens was a U.S.C.F. life director and authored a wonderful book on chess play, entitled Chess - Trick and Treat in 1965. This book is a treasure, a precious jewel for any novice player. At the end of the book he recommends that every young player should “Join a chess club. Meet chess players of differing skill and style. Subscribe to a periodical that will keep you abreast of the important events in Chess world."
In 1964, he helped to bring the U.S. Open to Boston. He was an honorary Chairman of the Committee, along with a lot of the great chess organizers of the time: Robert Goodspeed (Brockton C.C), Harold Dondis (Johnson C.C.), Eleanor Goodspeed, Eleanor Terry, Frank Ferdinand (Harvard C.C.), James Burgess (Boylston C.C. ),Harry Goober (Clarendon C.C.), Beverly Jarnigan and Joseph Hurvitz (Boylston C.C.). That year, the U.S.C.F. was celebrating the silver anniversary of its foundation, in which Emil Reubens had been a strong force in promoting chess in this country.
Emil had a long time interest in prison reform and was instrumental in assisting many prisoners get back into society. In his book, mentioned above, he thought that “When I was drafted into becoming a "leader" in youth clubs, I employed chess and chocolate bars to lead the youth into the paths of righteousness. There are no available data to estimate the effect of chess on juvenile delinquency, nor are there statistics to gauge the collateral effects of chocolate bars freely rewarded for chess merits."
Reubens combined a lifelong interest in better prisons, rehabilitation and parole systems with chess activities. He organized many teams of players who visited several penal institutions to play against teams of inmates, or just to play simultaneous exhibitions against the inmates. On one occasion, he took Steve Frymer, John Curdo, and R. Gleason to Norfolk Prison, delighting one inmate in particular so much that he became an active player and organizer in Norfolk area.
Emil Reubens loved the youth, kids of all ages, -- they are our future joys and sorrows in life. The second Brockton Open, on September 25 & 26, 1971 in Brockton, Mass. William Lombardy, former World Junior Champion, had agreed to participate in the selection and awarding of a special Lombardy - Reubens “best played game” trophy to some player under the age of 21 (Harry Lyman was present in this ceremony). The winner of the award trophy was won by the young John Peters. The third Brockton Open, on September 23 & 24,1972, the Lombardy-Reubens award trophy was won by John Stopa. For the Boylston C.C. member’s information, at this event Alex Slive and Andrew Anisimov, two new youngsters showed up in the chess arena. After this event, it seems that such award stopped being awarded by the Brockton Chess Club, since he became sick and died shortly.
The "MASS STATE JUNIOR CHESS CHALLENGE TROPHY PRESENTED BY EMIL M. REUBENS " is a silver trophy cup at the Boylston Chess Club to preserve his memory for future generations. In 1988, William Lukowiak, treasurer of the Boylston Chess Club and long time an officer on the board of MACA, introduced a motion to the Executive Board of MACA that the winner’s name of the Junior Scholastic Champion from Massachusetts be inscribed in this trophy and that MACA will help to pay for traveling expenses to the National Championship whenever it was to be held. The MACA board turned down this motion, and denied youngsters of this State such an honor.
After his death, the Mass State Chess Association, organized a one time "the Emil Reubens Memorial" at the Massachusetts Open at the new Brockton High School in 1974. The winner of this event was John Peters.
Emil founded the Steinberg-Reubens Educational Foundation. The Boylston Chess Club Board of Directors decided that in 1986 to pay tribute to Emil Reubens and Ben Landey by naming a qualifier cycle of the B.C.C. championship qualifier in their honor, for players rated 1800 to 2199. The winners of the Reubens/Landy move on to play against the club’s masters for the club championship.
-----
BENJAMIN LANDEY
by Bernardo Iglesias
Benjamin Landey was born in 1912 and died on January 20, 1981 in Quincy. From his high school days he worked for the Sharon Bolt and Screw Company founded by Emil Reubens, reaching the position of board chairman, which he held at his death. According to Harry Lyman, Benjamin married Reubens’ daughter.
For many years, he was the ceremonial chess leader of New England: Landey was President of the MSCA, the Boylston Chess Club, the Boston Metropolitan Chess League, the New England Chess Association, and the USCF Regional Vice-President.
He was a truly regional chess entrepreneur, a notable chess organizer, a man of remarkable poise and intelligence, a master of parliamentary procedure and a skillful politician, that is, a leader among leaders in the region. He worked for long hours at his job and then spend evenings and weekends on numerous chess projects and clubs.
While Ben Landey was a tournament director for M.S.C.A., he brought to Boston the U.S. Open in 1970 and the U.S. Junior Open in 1965 and 1969, held at Northeastern University. Ben Landey's most active years were from 1965 to 1970; after this year his health impeded more time in his passion for the royal game of chess. Despite his failing health, he was an extremely successful teacher of chess for beginners, though he himself was rated only about 1500 during most of his over the board career; he also, worked with the Massachusetts Association for Retarded Citizens and several local groups.
Along with Emil Reubens, Landey was a major sponsor of prison chess programs, and the two of them sought the parole of a number of inmates who were avid chess players. In addition to being a regular tournament player, Ben Landey was very active in postal chess with the Nights of the Square Table (NOST).
Landey was the first person to compete with a computer in chess at a U.S. Chess Federation rated tournament. He lost.
Landey’s most glorious moment in the spotlight as an organizer was winning the bid for the 1970 US Open for Boston. It was Ben Landey’s rhetoric that easily won the bid at the 1969 U.S.C.F. meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was unfortunate that the then M.S.C.A. was not ready to host such a major event. The host site, Boston's Parker House, was a less than welcoming host, and a great number of participants complained about the space designated for the playing room, that the light was not good enough for many, etc. Also, Ben Landey got sick a few months before the event along with his co-organizer Lewis Icenogle. It was not Landey's shining hour. `
Ben was treasurer of the Greater Boston Committee of the U.S. Peace Council, past President of the South Shore Assn. for Retarded Citizens. He was the President of the Boylston Chess Club at the time of his death.
After his death in 1981, M.A.C.A. organized a memorial tournament at the Mass. Open in April; the winner of this tournament was the young James Rizzitano in North Darmouth.
The Boylston Chess Club has honored Ben Landey since 1986, when the Board of Directors dedicated a qualifier tournament to those members of the club rated 1800 to 2199 plus the winners of the Weaver Adam's; the winner to participate in the fall championship. His memory will endure for ever at the Boylston Chess Club along with that of Emil Reubens.
| Reubens-Landey
(U2200 Champion) | Weaver Adams (U1800 Champion) | year |
| | Alexander Paphitis | 2010 |
| NM Greg Kaden | Frank Frazier | 2009 |
| Simon Warfield | Johnathan Lee, Adam Yedidia | 2008 |
| Gregory Kaden | Alexander Paphitis | 2007 |
| Brian Salomon | Alexander Paphitis, Jonathan Lee, Lior Rozhansky | 2006 |
| Kenneth Newman, Carey Theil | Robert Oresick, Joshua Blanchfield | 2005 |
| Simon Warfield | Mike Griffin | 2004 |
| Edward Astrachan | Robert Oresick | 2003 |
| Simon Warfield | William MacLellan | 2002 |
| Edward Astrachan, Kimani Stancil | Mike Griffin | 2001 |
| Simon Warfield | Stephen E. Smith | 2000 |
| Daniel J. Woods | Bryan Clark | 1999 |
| Paul Mishkin | Bryan Clark, Charles G. Alex | 1998 |
| Robert Armes | Walter A. Driscoll III | 1997 |
| Larry Schmitt | Hector Perez, Jared Becker | 1996 |
| Miguel Angel Santana | Miguel A. Santana | 1995 |
| Alex Slive | Andrew L. Yerre | 1994 |
| Timur Feinstein | Charles G. Alex | 1993 |
| Daniel J. Woods | | 1992 |
| Larry Schmitt | | 1991 |
| Alex Slive | | 1990 |
| Thomas Durnan | | 1989 |
| Thomas Durnan | | 1988 |
| Harold Dean Lawton | | 1987 |
| Charlie Mays 1st | | 1986 |
| | | 1985 |
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