Dave's not here, man.

Dave Glickman began reporting the BCF championship four years ago by creating the BCF blog and it evolved into a wonderful collection of articles and collections of all things chess. Dave's background and perspective of things, along with a fantastic sense of humor, made for something very special. The blog became a very fantastic place for those who love the game and the things chess affect.

Dave playing GM Larry Christiansen at the annual BCC Herb Healy in 2006.

Photo: Steve Stepak.

Last winter at the BCF Board of Director's meeting Dave announced that he no longer had the time to contribute to blog. Dave asked for volunteers to step up and keep the blog going. Jason Rihel and Bob Oresick felt they could do something, and have contributed greatly.

I got involved when Bob, Jason, and I "fooled around' with the Isle of Lewis Chess Set blog articles. Having several ideas about the old Boylston Chess Club and other things popping into my head, I decided to give it a go and write a few essays. I will admit that there has been an interesting, difficult to describe, beneficial personal side effect in attempting to turn something out every week. And as you have seen many additional people have contributed over this year as well.

But we are not Dave Glickman and he is sorely missed. Who knows - maybe he will return after his sabbatical? Dave has stated that he has at least a year of personal commitment to work through. In his absence I ask that more members of the BCF step up and try it. It was nice to hear that some members might do some real time broadcasting, if possible. Perhaps we could get some of the folks participating in the BCF Championship finals to report, or to agree with each other, to write about their favorite/interesting game in the tourney. The opportunity for others to try is here. Dave was special but Dave's not here, man.

What did you enjoy most about DG?

What do you think it would take to get Dave back?

BCF members: can you help and step up and fill DG's void?

Please Comment Mike Griffin 08/11/2008

NM Charles Riordan wins the Charles Drafts Open

Charles Riordan won the 15th annual Charles Drafts Open. Walter Driscoll began sponsoring the tournament to get his friend Charles Drafts some events to play in as he was not very mobile. Lawyer Times, Ben Goldberg, and Genesis Lung tied for 2nd/3rd.
...

In the U1900 section, Walter won and Darwin Ding finished 2nd. Benedict Smail, Ryan Ottaviano, and Harold Dondis all tied for 3rd.



SwissSys Standings. Charles Drafts Open 2008: Charles Drafts 2008 Open Section
# Name ID Rtng Post Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Tot
1 RIORDAN,CHARLES ROBERT 12611870 2326 2333 W5 W6 W3 D2 3.5
2 TIMES,LAWYER 12167330 2244 2236 L6 W4 W7 D1 2.5
3 GOLDBERG,BENJAMIN D 12671059 2150 2151 W10 D7 L1 W5 2.5
4 LUNG,GENESIS 12910963 1740 1780 H--- L2 W10 W8 2.5
5 KLEGON,MATTHEW L 12733598 2098 2096 L1 W10 W9 L3 2.0
6 GARBARINO,JAKE 12909778 1963 1973 W2 L1 D8 D9 2.0
7 CHRISTIANSEN,NATASHA C 11366805 1878 1882 B--- D3 L2 H--- 2.0
8 ASTRACHAN,EDWARD 12430870 1957 1942 H--- D9 D6 L4 1.5
9 LUNG,JAMES 12910964 1871 1872 H--- D8 L5 D6 1.5
10 ROZHANSKY,LIOR 12825910 1956 1932 L3 L5 L4 B--- 1.0


SwissSys Standings. Charles Drafts Open 2008: Charles "Drafts Under 1900
# Name ID Rtng Post Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Tot
1 DRISCOLL III,WALTER A 12547513 1800 1813 W12 W10 D2 W3 3.5
2 DING,DARWIN 13034164 1623 1637 W11 W6 D1 D4 3.0
3 SMAIL,BENEDICT A 12677440 1807 1802 D5 W8 W7 L1 2.5
4 DONDIS,HAROLD B 10018765 1751 1730 L6 W11 W5 D2 2.5
5 OTTAVIANO,RYAN KEITH 12778775 1554 1562 D3 W9 L4 W6 2.5
6 LIU,ANDREW 13987660 1055 1186 W4 L2 W8 L5 2.0
7 SMITH,BENJAMIN H 12768127 1831 1803 L10 W12 L3 W9 2.0
8 LUNG,TIMOTHY 12910965 1400 1392 H--- L3 L6 W13 1.5
9 LUNG,CHRISTINE 12910962 1201 1202 H--- L5 W11 L7 1.5
10 FOYE,EDWARD FRANCIS 12888390 1606 1621 W7 L1 U--- U--- 1.0
11 VADLAMUDI,SANDEEP 13269941 934 924 L2 L4 L9 H--- 0.5
12 DI NOSSE,ANTHONY D 12922817 1056 1055 L1 L7 U--- U--- 0.0
13 ORESICK,ROBERT J 12659519 1511 1489 U--- U--- U--- L8 0.0

Chess on Fitchburg TV

Martin Laine, left, of Lunenburg, and George Mirijanian, right, of Fitchburg, re-enact a famous chess game on the set of their local access TV show, 'Chess Chat.'

Two recent articles on "Chess Chat" with George Mirijanian and Martin Laine of the Wachusett Chess Club:

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Chess show is a whole different Monday night game

By Margaret Smith
GateHouse News Service
Posted Aug 12, 2008 @ 02:37 PM
Fitchburg —

Stop by Fitchburg Access Television on Monday evenings and you will see the world in black and white. In a lighted studio, cameras move in on a set decked with comfy-looking arm chairs, checkered mats, a surreal chess print, and a chess board.

George Mirijanian of Fitchburg – a long-time fixture on the area’s chess scene – and champion player Martin Laine of Lunenburg, greet viewers amiably, and spend a few minutes talking about a great figure in chess history, or a great moment in chess history.

Then, they get down to it – a nail biting game, which they walk the viewer through, but with the same grit as if the game were being played for the first time.

The game is in fact, a classic; chess games can be entirely improvisational, but devotees of chess know that they can also be recorded, preserved and replayed by generations – much like a revered symphony.

It might not be a Hollywood square, but each episode of “Chess Chat,” the local access show about all things, people and places chess, is garnering a following beyond the cable subscriber base in Fitchburg with a Web cast that draws in chess fans from all over New England and beyond.

Mirijanian – among other things, a certified chess tournament director, chronicler of chess and program director of the Wachusett Chess Club at Fitchburg State College – said the show launched about two years ago and credits the encouragement of his niece, artists and events promoter Sally Cragin.

“She told me, ‘you people at the Wachusett Chess Club should have a TV program.’ We talked about it, but it was Sally who spurred us on.”

She even supplied the show’s first guest, her three-year-old son, Christopher Cragin-Warner.
The show is also seen on Bellingham-Mendon’s local access television programming.

Mirijanian said the show tries to draw in laypeople as well as seasoned chess players, noting celebrities such as the late Ray Charles and his friend, Willie Nelson, known for their love of chess.
If there’s a sport of kings, perhaps chess is the game of presidents: Thomas Jefferson played, as does former President Bill Clinton.

While revealing chess history and mysteries, Mirijanian said the games played on the half-hour show “are actual games that are played. What we do is explain them. We give analysis -- not complicated analysis. We gear the program to someone who plays chess who would understand the game tactics.”

Since the show became incorporated into a Web cast, Mirijanian said, “ I’m getting now people around new England, who say the show is great. One of the most prominent people who has posted is Susan Polgar, runs a chess institute in Lubbock, Texas. She has posted chess chat on her site. She gets thousands of hits per day.”

It has also given Mirijanian and Laine a bit of name recognition around town. Mirijanian said, “I have had people come up to me in the supermarket to say, ‘I enjoy watching Chess Chat, because I learn something new.’”

Tyler Knapp, program director at FATV, said, it’s impossible to determine how many viewers actually tune into the show, although he said Fitchburg has about 11,000 cable subscribers who can tune into FATV program offerings. Knapp said the Web cast gets a healthy number of hits, saying that one recent episode got more than 500.

“TV online is starting to get really big,” Knapp said. “People are jumping on the bandwagon.”

“Chess Chat” airs Mondays at 7 p.m. on Fitchburg Access Television. For more information, and to view the Web cast, visit
www.fatv.org.

Margaret Smith is Arts and Calendar editor of Community Newspaper Company’s Northwest unit. E-mail here at msmith@cnc.com.

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Article published Aug 10, 2008

Check! —and mate! Cable TV show aims to educate

By Anna L. Griffin agriffin@telegram.com

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF FITCHBURG—

The game of life can be played on a board that contains 64 squares and holds 32 pieces. So say George Mirijanian and Martin Laine of the Wachusett Chess Club’s “Chess Chat” television program. “Chess Chat” is produced at the studios of Fitchburg Access Television by the members of the Wachusett Chess Club. It airs on local cable; however, several of the episodes have been posted on FATV’s Web site and can be viewed online at the FATV on-demand video section. The show has gained some notice, and was mentioned on a blog by grandmaster Susan Polgar who, among her many achievements, has won four world championships and is a five-time Olympic champion.

“Chess is like life,” Mr. Mirijanian said. “There are seemingly limitless combinations with regard to the moves that can be made. You have to use your intelligence to play, devise a strategy and map out tactics. There are many things the game can teach you.”

“Chess is a game that all ages can enjoy and be engaged in,” Mr. Laine said. “People of different ages can play together and have an equally challenging and enjoyable experience.”

The club started producing the program in September 2006. “It was one of those things,” Mr. Mirijanian said. “People in the club thought we should do something on FATV to help promote chess, promote what the club does, and finally, we did something.”

As Mr. Mirijanian is the program director of the Wachusett Chess Club and is a certified by the United States Chess Federation as a tournament director and Mr. Laine is club champion, the co-hosting responsibilities fell to them. Both men have been involved in chess for many years. Mr. Mirijanian traces his interest in chess back to the 1950s; Mr. Laine, to the 1970s.

“At first we did programs about the game itself, such as what the pieces are, how they are moved, those types of things,” Mr. Mirijanian said. In those early productions, a camera was used overheard to shoot the game board. “And the overhead shot really didn’t work, because everything was flattened out; the pieces were indistinguishable,” Mr. Mirijanian said. A stationary camera was set up that shoots over the shoulder of Mr. Laine for a shot of the play on the board. That proved to work out well, as it provided definition to the pieces.

Other technical glitches were addressed, and as they produced more shows, the co-hosts said, they worked on refining the format of the show. “I think we’ve finally found the format that works for us,” Mr. Mirijanian said.

At the beginning of the half-hour show, a topic is introduced and there is a brief discussion. Following that, a match is replayed with commentary by Mr. Laine and Mr. Mirijanian. Mr. Mirijanian said he looks for games that are more tactical in nature. “Something that is in the range of 25 to 30 moves,” he said, “because we only have a half-hour show and time is very important.” Mr. Mirijanian said he has a “cheat sheet” next to him, while Mr. Laine commits the game to memory. As the moves are made on the board, a chess notation graphic is placed over the shot that describes the move. As the match progresses, each men add commentary about the moves.

Mr. Mirijanian said the show in its current incarnation would appeal to someone who has a basic knowledge of the game as well as “the rank amateur.” And it has nothing to do with age, he said, “because you could have someone who is young and who is very good at playing chess.”

Given the history of chess and the city of Fitchburg, it makes sense the program would be recorded at the FATV studios. “Chess and Fitchburg have a long history,” Mr. Mirijanian said. “There has always been a great deal of interest in the game in this area, and the Wachusett Chess Club remains a very strong club.” At one time, the club numbered more than 100. “There was a time when chess was really growing in interest in this country,” Mr. Mirijanian said. “And Fitchburg was one of the places to be, if you were a chess player.”

For example, on March 2, 1964, Bobby Fischer came to Fitchburg for a simultaneous exhibition — that is, he played several players in one setting — at the Unitarian Church on the Upper Common. “He played 55 matches, played white throughout, lost 5, won 48 and had a draw in two,” said Mr. Mirijanian. “It was quite something.”

The club today numbers approximately 20 active members. “Many are helping us out with the television production,” Mr. Mirijanian pointed out. The club meets Wednesday nights at the McKay School on the campus of Fitchburg State College. “We’ve found a great home at Fitchburg State College,” Mr. Mirijanian said. “They let us have plenty of room.” The club draws members from a wide geographical area, he said, “and from all walks of life, from retired professors, to teachers, to lawyers, to students. The ages of our members range from 13 on up.”

Mr. Mirijanian said there is a strong interest in chess among younger students. “But as they grow up, there are competing interests and they get pulled away from it, which is a shame, because chess can really add so much to a person’s life.”

Both men said they hoped there would be a resurgence in interest in chess in this country. “During the time of Bobby Fischer, many people were interested in chess because of Bobby Fischer; just the strength of his personality,” Mr. Mirijanian noted.

The eccentric Fischer (1943–2008) was an American-born chess grandmaster and the 11th world champion. He became famous as a child prodigy. In 1972, he became the only American to win the official World Chess Championship when he defeated Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky. Because of the Cold War and the players’ countries of origin, the match drew intense international attention.

“This country does not have a tradition of chess such as they do in Europe or in the former Soviet Union, where everyone either grew up playing the game or watched others play the game. Then Bobby Fischer comes along. Bobby Fischer drew the spotlight to Bobby Fischer, but also the sport of chess,” Mr. Laine said. “And there was something about him, the way he played, the way he pursued the game that captivated this country and drew people to it.”

Perhaps “Chess Chat” will in some way contribute to a rekindling of that interest? “People ask me, “Where are you going with this program?’ ” Mr. Mirijanian said. “We’re on FATV, we’re on the Web, we’ve had requests from a few other access television stations to play the program. I would like to see interest in chess in this country grow. If ‘Chess Chat’ helps, well then, we’re very happy to have been a part of that.”

Computer beats pro at US Go Congress

Computer Beats Pro At US Go Congress

Posted by kdawson on Friday August 08, @08:52AM
from the going-going-gone dept.

Bob Hearn writes

"I was in attendance at the US Go Congress match yesterday where history was made: the go program MoGo, running on an 800-core supercomputer, beat 8-dan professional go player Myungwan Kim in a 9-stone handicap game. Most in the audience were shocked at the computer's performance; it was naturally assumed that the computer would be slaughtered, as usual. Go is often seen as the last bastion of human superiority over computers in the domain of board games. But if Moore's law continues to hold up, today's result suggests that the days of human superiority may be numbered."

Read below for more details in Bob's account of the match.

Computers are still a long way from beating the best human players in an even game; nevertheless, today's performance represents a huge stride forward. In the last such high-profile matchup, in 1997, Janice Kim (then 1-dan professional) beat then-champion program Handtalk with a 25-stone handicap. In fact, most of the improvement in the level of computer-go play has happened in just the past few years. Today's top programs, including MoGo, use a Monte Carlo approach: they simulate thousands of random continuations per second from the current position to the end of the game, accumulating statistics in a tree on which moves lead to wins most often. One of the strengths of this approach is that it is highly amenable to parallelization. Thus, today's 800-core incarnation of MoGo is by far the strongest go computer that has yet existed. After the game Myungwan Kim estimated the strength of MoGo as 'two or maybe three dan,' corresponding to a reasonably strong amateur player. (Professional dan ranks are at a much higher level than amateur dan ranks.)

Chess and War

Chess and War

The venerable Irving Yaffee relates a story about the origins of chess occurring when the king of India wanted to replace war with an activity that would distract and consume men's minds. One of his wise men invented this war game and legend states in payment he simply asked for some rice: beginning with one grain on the first day and then a daily doubling of grains for each of the 64 squares. The exponentially growing amount of grains grows to 1.84 to the power of 1019 grains of rice (18 million trillion grains). When the king had some of his other wisemen figure out the cost, he had the inventor of chess put to death. Creating the business rule: make sure you arrange your payment schedule in such a way you will have time to collect.

Then there is the story about the revolutionary war in Delaware (December 25, 1776) commanding British Hessian General Rahl in Trenton being so engrossed in a chess game that he stuffed unopened into his pocket the message warning that Washington and his men were approaching. Legend has it that after the battle they found the note on this general's body still unopened . It's nice to know that chess played an important part in our Revolutionary war.

Another favorite story of mine about chess and war; is about the WWII code breakers of Bletchley Park who developed the computers and system to intercept and break the German codes. C. H. O. D. Alexander, British Chess Champion, was one of a collection of polymaths whose brainpower was harnessed by the UK in its battle of Britain. Usually the military doesn't play to people's strengths, but in this case fortunately Britain had. I think in the current Era of the Geek there is an opportunity for a way cool WWII movie, something in the tone of The Dirty Dozen: The Nerdy Dozen (? perhaps).

So as you can see in both myth, math and reality chess has played an important role. Do you have any other stories either legendary or historical that show how chess and war sometimes interact?

Have you been so engrossed in a game that you over looked something you shouldn't have?

Please Comment. Mike Griffin 08/05/2008

Larry, Luis and Joel win in Curacao

curacao chess festival

CHRISTIANSEN, Larry          USA   2577     7
BERNAL MORO, Luis Javier     ESP   2424     7  
BENJAMIN, Joel               USA   2577     7      

The moral:

to be a winning chess master one must play with determination and porpoise.

Simon Warfield wins the Reubens Landey

Simon Warfield (4 of 5) won the 2008 Reubens Landey BCC U2200 championship and will be invited to play in the club championship in the fall.

Ben Goldberg tied for 2nd with 3.5 points, after suffering a tough 5th round loss to Simon.

Carey Theil also had 3.5 points after defeating Julian Chan in the last round.

Charles Drafts Open Sat Aug 9

15th annual Charles Drafts Open

• Saturday August 9:
• 4SS; G/65.
• 2 Sections: Open & U1900;
• $400 Guaranteed: 100-50-50 in both sections.
• EF: $25, $15 to BCF members if received by 8/7; $5 more at door.
• Registration: 9:00 to 9:50.
• Rounds: 10:00, 12:40, 3:10, 5:20
• Send entries payable to Boylston CF at 240B Elm St. Suite B9 Somerville, MA 02144

Chess Buddies

Chess Buddies

Relationships created over one's chess career are probably a more important byproduct than the chess itself. Many of us OTB players have a friend or friends that we work with in analyzing games and with whom we travel and room with at tournaments. Your buddy is a sounding board that helps you prepare for that critical game the next round. For about five years Doug Southall and I went to the local major tournaments together. I know you can list many chess buddies who are regulars at tournaments.

Chess attracts intelligent people of all various types and backgrounds who are interesting and this adds to the experience of OTB. At the tournament we meet people and talk about a wide variety of things. Being a people person, I get great enjoyment from my chess comrades. And have learned many things about the world and the past based on their experiences.

I noticed in internet chess, especially the free chess game sites, many of my opponents are obnoxious. In fact I now play strictly on the ICC because people seem to be civil there. I think the fact you pay money for membership keeps out the riff raff.

The importance of this social component should not be underestimated as doctors and psychologists tell us that people who are part of a group and socialize tend be healthier and live longer. So I suggest that you invest in developing these chess relationships.

Being a member of a club also enhances this investment. Several years ago when the BCF had to leave the YWCA on Clarendon Street the fearful thought of no BCF flashed into my mind; the loss of the club to chess would have had a chilling effect. What would chess be like if the BCF were to disappear?

It takes people investing time and effort into these organizations to make them work. There are some volunteers, but never enough. Being a participating members makes the BCF and chess a better place. I give a great deal of credit to President Paul MacIntyre and the then board of directors who engineered a successful egress from Boston to Somerville. At that time there were no obvious answers about the future of the BCF, and with the help of many people, the BCF survived. Two other mainstays to the BCF are Bernado Iglesias and Robert Oresick who have contributed so much to the BCF.

What is your feeling about the social benefit of chess and chess buddies? How about experiences in OTB compared to internet chess? Is membership to a chess club beneficial?

Please Comment. 07/29/2008 Mike Griffin

BCC August Chess Camp

The Boylston Chess Foundation presents the

Boylston Summer

Chess Camp

August 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st

..........

9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day

These chess camps invite 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 hands-on techniques, the instructor(s) will cover: Tactics Strategy Openings Middlegames Endgames Problems
.
Students will develop their memory, critical thinking skills, sense of fairness, attention span, and have fun in the process.
.


The head instructor will be Chess Master Jacob Rasin,

an experienced coach who has been the coach of many of New England’s best young players and has inspired them to many championships.

Who can join?:

School-age children, K to 12, interested in getting better at chess from motivated beginner to intermediate.

How much does it cost?:

Each camp is $60 for Boylston Chess Club members.

Non-members who have never been members before will need to pay to join the club for one year in which case the camp fee is waived.

(Parents with more than one child in the camp can get a discount—only $35 per child.)

Reserve your place in by contacting Paul MacIntyre, President of the Boylston Chess Foundation at (781) 322-7936 or boylstonchess@aol.com

The Boylston Chess Club

240B Elm Street, Suite B9
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 629-3933
boylstonchess@aol.com

GM Leonid Kritz at the BCC, Friday Aug 8

The Boylston Chess Club Master Lecture Series presents:

International Grandmaster

Leonid Kritz

(GM Kritz at the 2008 Kaupthing Open in Kaupthing, Luxembourg)

Leonid Kritz (born February 26, 1984 in Moscow) is a German chess player of Russian origin. He learned the game at the age of four from his father. Within six years he was a member of the Spartak sports club where he received his training.

In November 1996 he moved with his family to the Saarland in Germany and has won several German championships.

In 1999 he won the Youth U16 World Cup in Spain. He received the title of Grandmaster in 2003. In 2004 he took part in the World Chess Championship FIDE in Tripoli. At the Chess Olympiad 2004 and the Euro-team Championship in 2005, he was a member of the German national team.

He has been active in 2006, 2007, & 2008 in the Budesliga and in other national leagues.

His current FIDE rating is 2609. It is also his peak rating.

Light refreshments will be served.

When: Friday, August 8th

Lecture (7:00 to 8:20) : Free to BCC Members, $5 to non-members

Simul (8:30 until finished): $5 to BCC Members, $10 to non-members

Where: The Boylston Chess Club

Other: (Any additional donations will be gladly accepted by Leonid to help defray the costs of his stay in the United States.)

For more information:

Paul MacIntyre
at (781) 322-7936 or boylstonchess@aol.com.
The Boylston Chess Club
240 Elm St., Suite B9 Somerville, MA 02144
phone: (617) 629-3933
e-mail: boylstonchess@aol.com

FM Charles Hertan on Forcing Chess Moves

FM Charles Hertan discussed his new New In Chess book with about two dozen fascinated chess players. He described the rationale for his 15 year labor. His enthusiasm for the beauty of combinations was apparent.

.

Hertan argued that the analysis of forcing moves is key to solving problematic and critical situations and that humans have a heuristic bias which may lead them to overlook key combinations.

.

He recommended looking at moves that seem at first glance losing material or time or initiative - which he analogized to "computer eyes" - the brute force calculation of even apparently absurd moves.

.

Chris Chase organized this enjoyable evening.

http://www.newinchess.com/moreinfo/forcingchessmoves/

St. Louis has an amazing chess club, but at least we have Larry and the Church's Chicken Blindfold Chess Challenge Poster

Rex Sinquefield's Chess Mecca in the CWE
Thu Jul 17, 2008 at 05:50:42 PM

As promised, the über-rich libertarian political activist and philanthropist Rex Sinquefield has created a beauty of a chess club.
BMEzine.com Shannon Larratt

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, located in the heart of the heart of the Central West End, opens to the public tonight. At a media preview/schmoozefest last night, I contemplated plunking down $80 for the annual membership, just to escape the sticky St. Louis summer in this cool, futuristic world.

The décor is black and white -- what else? -- with accents of fashionable chartreuse. Plasma TV sets play in the lobby's huge display window overlooking Maryland Avenue. The basement is equipped with a lounge and classroom, where even the hard-backed chairs get a touch of class: mahogany-color hardwood with a contrasting motif of a king's piece on their backs. Another plasma TV monitor will relay the moves being made by tournament players on the second floor. There, a cluster of freshly matted and framed photographs of famous chess players, mid-think, adorn one wall. A door opens into an even more lavish setting, the board room. Here the chess tables and pieces are handmade by St. James craftsman Nate Cohen. The chairs are high wingbacks, set on zebra-striped and fur rugs. Six plasma screens show close-ups of disembodied hands moving pieces through historic chess matches. It's the work of video installation artist Diana Thater.

The $1 million-plus digs are a little surreal, especially when you start talking to the chess aficionados in attendance. Ten-year-olds Joshua Wiedner and Christopher Haberstroh keep gazing around They didn't hesitate to start a game at one of the tables in the lobby, but this room has a museum quality. "It's a really cool place," Haberstroh finally concludes.

Cesareo Rodriguez, a Class A player from Belleville, is taking the tour with his wife Meiko. Rodriguez wears gold-rimmed glasses in a vertical egg shape, which give him the look of a quirky comic-book villain. Rodriguez is drawn to the club for the competition, not the swank. "I beat the U.S. champion when I was seventeen," he notes. (Granted, Rodriguez's victory over then-champion Larry Christiansen

occurred during a 30-player simultaneous exhibition, but he won lifetime bragging rights and a 16-piece bucket of Church's fried chicken.)

Hearing that story, I wonder whether the long-standing, somewhat grittier Delmar Loop chess (more info here) games will migrate to 4657 Maryland Avenue. The chess club does offer sidewalk tables.
I'm told Sinquefield -- who serves on the boards of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri History Museum, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Symphony and Saint Louis University (his alma mater) -- is sharpening his game with lessons from an international champion, but I don't learn much else about his personal experience.

He asks that I arrange an interview at a later date with his public relations consultant, Laura Slay. Sporting an electric-blue knit shirt, Sinquefield makes a short speech, which reveals his mischievous personality. Tongue in cheek, he says the club will bring "cultural uplifting" to a neighborhood that is so otherwise lacking. "Probably it's going to be known as 'The St. Louis Chess Club: Where egos are shattered on a daily basis,'" he says, grinning.

The St. Louis area has a long tradition of chess in schools, but Sinquefield laments that scholastic chess doesn't get enough media attention. The club will lend supplies and volunteers to city schools that want to expand chess programs or start new ones.

Sinquefield acknowledges that there's been no "rigorous, scientific study" of the purported benefits of chess, but he'll take care of that, too: The club is sponsoring a five-year study of chess and schoolchildren. "It would be shocking if they didn't show huge discipline and cognitive improvements in children, even if they only stayed in it a few years," he predicts.

Tony Rich, a chess player who left his job doing tech support at a major law firm to become the club's executive director, tells me that Mike Podgursky, a University of Missouri economics professor who directs the Show-Me Institute (a libertarian think tank underwritten by Sinquefield), and SLU educational studies professor Michael Grady, are to design and conduct the study.

-Kathleen McLaughlin

Chess Nicknames

One of the things chess is missing: good nicknames.

Boxing has used nicknames forever and it makes for great theater and stories read so much better with nicknames. All positive aggressive macho (for the guys) nicknames. A lot of color would be added to the game if we reported using them.

For instance the current players in the Reuben's Landey:

Ben "Bull Dozer" Goldberg

Simon "Nuculur" Warfield

Cary "Ticking Still Ticking Timebomb" Theil

Alex "the Almighty" Slive

Philip "Go" Nutzman

Jason "Un" Rihel

"Wiley" Kyle Clayton

Lior "The Taimer" Rozhansky

Kenny "The Killer" Newman

Zaroug "So Long" Jaleel

Ed "AX man" Astrachan

Jon "Dr Jon" Lee

Adam "the Assassin" Yedidia

Directed by: Robert "Winning Chances" Oresick and backed up by Bernado "the Blessed" Iglesias

As a perk of a kind, we should probably have a BCF nicknaming committee that bestows nicknames following a player's 5th tournament at the BCF as a member. And we won't use the Animal House lottery system either.

Please Comment. Be nice.

"Psycho" Mike Griffin 07/15/2008

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speaking of nicknames, Matt can you link to your boston blitz nicknames?
example: Larry "born again" Christiansen, Vadim "the dream", Klasik Krasik etc...
Ilya Krasik 07.17.08 - 7:08 pm #

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Ah yes... here it is... From Nov. of 2006!

http://globularchess.blogspot.com/2006/11/uscl-nicknames.html

-Matt
Matt Phelps Homepage 07.21.08 - 1:18 pm #

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

USCL Nicknames

In the tradition of sportscaster Chris Berman's nicknames for baseball players, here are some of mine for USCL players:

• Larry "Born Again" Christiansen
• Charles "In Charge" Riordan
• Ilya "Classic" Krasik
• Jenn/Michael/Greg Shahade "They Fall"
• Josh "Live" Friedel "or Die"
• Vadim "The Dream" Martirosov
• Jan "Close to the" Ehlvest
• Eugene "At Your Own" Perelshteyn
• Pawel "No One Else to" Blehm
• Irina "Orange" Krush
• Matt "Your Mission Mr." Phelps
  

Add others in the comments section!

posted by Globular at 1:05 PM

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Also, two integral pieces from 2007

Chrissy the BEAR and

Denis the Bumble Bee.

Ilya Krasik 07.21.08 - 3:18 pm #

BCC Summer Open

TD Bernardo Iglesias changed the format of the Summer Open to only one day. It was a popular move, more than doubling previous turnouts at the two-day version.

IM David Vigorito swept the field of 28. Daniel Shapiro played in his first tournament in 9 years.

Dan Leach was in the bunch tied for second, having surpised NM Chris Williams with an upset.

# Name Rtng Post Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Tot

• 1 VIGORITO,DAVID 2426 2429 W14 W4 W13 W3 4.0
• 2 ZENG,BEI 2191 2190 W22 W21 D8 D7 3.0
• 3 LEACH,DANIEL F 1862 1884 W28 W7 W18 L1 3.0
• 4 SHIVA,VIKAS 1834 1847 W20 L1 W22 W12 3.0
• 5 CHEN,MICHELLE 1762 1767 W27 L13 W23 W15 3.0
• 6 TICHENOR,ANDREW 2077 2083 H--- H--- W14 W8 3.0
• 7 WILLIAMS,CHRIS 2351 2333 W9 L3 W17 D2 2.5
• 8 LUNG,JAMES 1883 1892 W26 W12 D2 L6 2.5
• 9 YEDIDIA,ADAM 1707 1724 L7 W16 D10 W18 2.5
• 10 KLEGON,MATTHEW 2089 2069 L12 W25 D9 W17 2.5
• 11 LU,MAX 1254 1304 H--- L17 W25 W21 2.5
• 12 DING,DARWIN 1674 1701 W10 L8 W21 L4 2.0
• 13 SHAPIRO,DANIEL 1906 1913 W19 W5 L1 U--- 2.0
• 14 XIANG,JINGEN 1753 1751 L1 W28 L6 W23 2.0
• 15 LUNG,GENESIS 11776 1749 L23 W26 W19 L5 2.0
• 16 NEOGY,CHIRANTAN 1098 1194 L21 L9 W26 W25 2.0
• 17 LUNG,TIMOTHY 1400 1412 H--- W11 L7 L10 1.5
• 18 ORESICK,ROBERT 1536 1527 H--- W23 L3 L9 1.5
• 19 LEE,ALEXANDER K 1547 1537 L13 W27 L15 H--- 1.5
• 20 LEE,MATTHEW R 1253 1254 L4 L22 W27 H--- 1.5
• 21 CAMY,GARRY 1781 1743 W16 L2 L12 L11 1.0
• 22 ROZONOYER,ILYA 1688 1681 L2 W20 L4 U--- 1.0
• 23 LIU,ANDREW 1065 1114 W15 L18 L5 L14 1.0
• 24 IGLESIAS,BERNDO 1737 1737 U--- U--- X28 U--- 1.0
• 25 LUNG,CHRISTINE 1201 1165 H--- L10 L11 L16 0.5
• 26 LIEBERMAN,SETH 1507 1470 L8 L15 L16 H--- 0.5
• 27 VADLAMUDI,SDEEP 934 925 L5 L19 L20 H--- 0.5
• 28 BAUER,PHILLIP 1288 1284 L3 L14 F24 U--- 0.0
• 
  

Charles Hertan to speak at the BCC on Forcing Moves - This Tuesday

The Boylston Chess Club Presents:

“Forcing Chess Moves

- The Key to Winning Calculating!”
FM Charles Hertan

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 7 pm

Boylston Chess Club, 240B Elm Street, Suite B9, Somerville, MA

Charles Hertan will talk about and demonstrate the ideas, concepts and approaches to tactical calculation that he has discoved and written about in his new book: “Forcing Chess, Moves, The Key to Better Calculation” (New in Chess Press, 2008.)

GM Joel Benjamin wrote the forward and he says this about Charles’ tactical approach:“… The beauty of Hertan’s achievement lies in the quality of both the positions selected, and the analysis. While the examples of each ‘computer eyes’ theme will interest even the strongest master, they are explained and analyzed at a level which unlocks their mysteries for even the average club player. Beyond this, the text is liberally spiced with Hertan’s pithy, and often humorous, commentary. Entertainment, and very likely enlightenment, awaits.”

So, come, listen and learn a new approach to calculating that very well may make you a better player!

Charles Hertan is originally from New Jersey. He received his chess "education" playing in New York tournaments during the Fischer boom. He became a master at age 19, and received his FM title and Senior Master rating soon afterward. Charles moved to the Boston area in 1984 and became a fixture in New England tournaments for 16 years, before moving to Western Mass. and retiring from active play. His titles include Massachusetts champion, 2-time New England open winner, 2-time Eastern Class Championship winner, and firsts in several International events including the New York March International in 1986. He has played most of the top American players of the 1970's through 90's including Dzindhichasvili, Alburt, Benjamin, Rohde, Fedorowicz, Ibragimov, both Ivanovs, and many others, and managing the occasional win or draw against many of them. He began the research for my book “Forcing Chess Moves” in 1994. He has also edited a book of poetry and is currently researching a book on Men and Trauma recovery.

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Free to BCC Member$10 to Non –Members

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Refreshments will be served.

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Books will be available for purchase at the lecture.

For More Information:Chris Chase: Chris@sixty-four.com, 617-417-8800. Web: Boylstonchessclub.org

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hertan at New in Chess

Why is it that your brain so often refuses to consider winning chess tactics?

Every chess fan marvels at the wonderful combinations with which famous masters win games. How do they find those fantastic moves? Do they have a special vision? And why do computers outwit us tactically?

This rich book on chess tactics proposes a revolutionary method for finding winning moves. Charles Hertan has made an astonishing discovery: the failure to consider key moves is often due to human bias. Your brain tends to disregard many winning moves because they are counter-intuitive or look unnatural.

We can no longer deny it, computers outdo us humans when it comes to tactical vision and brute force calculation. So why not learn from them? Charles Hertan’s radically different approach is: use COMPUTER EYES and always look for the most forcing
move first!

By studying forcing sequences according to Hertan’s method
you will:
-- develop analytical precision
-- improve your tactical vision
-- overcome human bias and staleness
-- enjoy the calculation of difficult positions.
In short: by recognizing moves that matter, you will win more games!

Charles Hertan is a FIDE master from Massachusetts with several decades of experience as a chess coach. Instead of rehashing the usual classic examples he has unearthed hundreds of instructive combinations which appear here for the first time in print.

Joel Benjamin, from the Introduction:
"By organizing and explaining the nature of great chess moves Hertan has brought us all closer to being able to find them."

Danny King, The Guardian:
"Hertan encourages us to think with 'computer eyes', by first examining all the forcing moves (checks, captures, threats), no matter how daft they seem. Why? Not because forcing moves are always the best, but when they do work, they tend to work better and quicker than non-forcing options."

Marsh Towers Chess Reviews:
"Hertan develops the reader's skills methodically, thus enabling each tactical lesson to be learned and absorbed properly."

Erik Bouwmans, Schaaknieuws:
"Entertaining and instructive (..) you simply cannot stop looking."

Dr Erik Rausch, Rochade Europa:
"An intensive training course for advanced players to improve their tactical vision and calculation (..) You will increase your tactical striking powers a lot."

Chess Horizons:
"This book deserves the highest of recommendations."

British Chess Magazine:
"This weighty tome is all about improving your tactical play."

Cor Jansen, Provinciaalse Zeeuwse Courant:
"Thrilling, instructive and witty. Right on target."

Steve Goldberg, ChessCafe:
"When the clock is ticking away, and you have too many viable candidate moves to choose from, remember Hertan's advice."

Francesco Benetti, Torre & Cavallo:
"Complete and entertaining."

Carl Portman, FOCUS Magazine:
"A super book."

Harold Dondis, The Boston Globe:
"The categories in this book are quite unusual."

Mark Weeks, About.com:
"Develops creative, little explored ideas about how to improve your tactical vision (..) with outstanding positions from master practice."

IM John Donaldson, Jeremy Silman.com:
"A superior combination book."

Stephen Dann, Worcester Telegram & Gazette:
"The price is low for a volume with so many pages and so much content."

What is the best way to learn chess?

What is the best way to learn chess?

"Any way is good: You'll eventually get to where you have to go."

- David Dymond approximately 1999

David Dymond was asked that question by a new player and responded in above fashion when the BCF was on Clarendon Street. And for most chess hobbyists, this is probably what we do most of the time. We study in the way that motivates us. Looking here, picking there, avoiding end game study at all costs. Usually we end up spending too much time and money on opening books. But if we have time to invest we will get better.

What is the best approach? Being trained as a teacher I took many courses in child psychology and two key lessons learned were: 1. Never force anything on to a child before they are able to handle it. 2. Conversely, press the child to embrace the most complex ideas they can handle because the lower in cognitive development they can master things; the faster and higher their abilities will grow. It's interesting that being a good teacher is being sensitive to the moment a child has moved from not ready to learn, to ready to learn. And because of this point, probably the most effective way for a child to learn anything is to have a good teacher/coach; a person at the ready to recognize the key moment. And if play is involved, many children will be motivated. Because playing is the best medium to learn things.

The first time I ever swung a golf club was under the instruction of a golf Pro. It was my grandfather's philosophy that one should never develop bad habits only to have to unlearn them or be stuck with them. I wonder if it's better to learn chess that way?

And as some beginners are not children, should the approach vary when dealing with adults?

It seems with most players there is the six year window of learning chess: it seems that most people have about six years to get to their level of ability; it holds steady; then progress begins to decline slowly (usually beginning about the age of 63- according to Mark Glickman rating czar of the USCF), as you advance to play your final round.

One of my heroes Jim Sfougaris began playing chess at the age of 40 and became an A class player. A very astounding feat.

I ask everyone, especially chess teachers, what do you think is the best way to learn chess? Or add any other insights. Please Comment.

Mike Griffin 07/09/2008

Reubens Landey round 1

Round 1 of the Reubens Landey is completed.

12 players, to be joined by Zaroug and possibly Julian Chan (2122), will play next Monday.

It is not too late to join in the tournament with a 1/2 point bye. With such a competitive field, you would be sure to have interesting and challenging games. Come play.

#	Name/Rtng/ID	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Rd 5	Tot
1	GOLDBERG,BENJAMIN D	W 7	B 5
	2140 12671059	1.0					1.0
2	WARFIELD,SIMON K	B 8	W 11
	2131 12625572	0.5					0.5
3	THEIL,CAREY M	W 9	B 6
	2118 12594672	1.0					1.0
4	SLIVE,ALEX	B 11	W 10
	2018 10014522	0.0					0.0
5	NUTZMAN,PHILIP A	W 12	W 1
	2012 12842960	1.0					1.0
6	RIHEL,JASON M	B 13	W 3		bye
	2001 12551205	1.0					1.0
7	CLAYTON,KYLE LEIGH	B 1	W 12
	1996 12749581	0.0					0.0
8	ROZHANSKY,LIOR	W 2	bye	bye
	1956 12825910	0.5					0.5
9	NEWMAN,KENNETH W	B 3	W 13
	1948 10349346	0.0					0.0
10	JALEEL,ZAROUG	bye	B 4
	1946 12938203	0.5					0.5
11	ASTRACHAN,EDWARD	W 4	B 2
	1938 12430870	1.0					1.0
12	LEE,JONATHAN MARK	B 5	B 7
	1787 12742928	0.0					0.0
13	YEDIDIA,ADAM	W 6	B 9			bye
	1707 12871990	0.0					0.0

BCC Quads 8-7 July 2008

Bernardo Iglesias directed a field of 27 players in this month's quads at the club, a format that seems to be increasingly popular.

FM Chris Chase (3.0) defeated Carey Theil (1.0), Jason Rihel (1.0) and Andrew Wang (1.0).

Benedict Smail (2.0) here for the summer from the University of Wisconsin beat Vikas Shiva (1.5), Howard Goldowsky (1.5), and Mika Brattain (1.0).

Michelle Chen (2.5) topped her quad, over Adam Yedidia (2.0), Embert Lin (1.0), and Harold Dondis (0.5).

David Sculley (2), Danny Moraff (2), and Tony Cortizas (2) pushed Alexander Lee (0.0) to the side and shared the $50 prize.

Seth Lieberman (2.0) and Nicholas Plotkin (2.0) took their share, over Robert Oresick (1.5) and Matthew Lee (0.5)

The remaining quad was really a Swiss, dominated by Tony DiNosse (3.0) who ran the table. Chirantan Neogy (2.0), Andrew Liu (2.0), Dr. Nick Afshartous (2.0), Keith Ammann (1.0), Rupayan Neogy (1.), and Jack Goldsmith (1.0) comprised the Swiss.

Dream Positions

The comments to my essay about the Spassky Bishop prompted me to discuss dream positions: a position that you wish you could achieve in a game.

One of my favorites can be obtained by playing the hedgehog defense where the bishop is finachettoed on b7 the c file is open with a rooks doubled on c7 & 8 and the queen behind the bishop on a8. I saw a Karpov game where he had this setup and I felt it was way cool and wished some day to create this within the context of a game.

I waited many years then had the fortune to do it amazingly twice in one tournament!! The first time was against master Lawyer Times vs his Colle, where I beat him in one of my best efforts ever.

Later Paul MacIntyre told me that Karpov was not the inventor of this setup but in fact Richard Reti in the 1924 New York tournament

where the position occurred against both Emanuel Lasker and also vs Frederick Yates playing this setup from the white side of a Reti [Reti-Yates, 1924.]

Ever generous MacIntyre having had several extra copies about, gifted me the 1924 book. Reti won the game against Yates but lost to Lasker. Lasker won the tournament at age 55 losing only one game; his effort in beating the best in the world out of his usual semi-retirement is one of chess's great accomplishments. Hopefully every player will have an opportunity to view Lasker's feat from the old man perspective, as I now do.

Do you have any dream positions that you are willing to talk about? Please comment Mike Griffin 07/01/2008

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My dream position stems, I think, from reading Fred Reinfeld's Complete Book of Chess when I was a boy. It is the setup below in the Stonewall Attack.



From this position I always have the feeling that I can beat anyone. Obviously I don't, but it is always an enjoyable attacking game, with opportunities to sack the Bishop, Rook, or Knight while Black's pieces are helplessly sealed off from the field of action. It is a kind of simple-minded plan - brutally simple and invigorating.
.
It is amazing how often the position arises online or in club play, because an unwary Black can play what seems like natural, reasonable developing moves until he finds himself positionally lost. At least in this case, I agree with Weaver Adams - White is to play and win.

robert oresick