Mechanics' Institute Chess Club Newsletter #521


... phenomenal chess players are always found to be from the ranks
of children under twelve, adults over seventy-two or the mentally defective.-- a theory that is lightly ignored upon those rare occasions that I win.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Chessmen of Mars

1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News

2) Chess on the upswing in Los Angeles

3) Here and There

4) Upcoming Events



1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News

IM Walter Shipman and NM Robin Cunningham are tied for first in the 49-player Winter Tuesday Night Marathon with scores of 3-0. Tied for third at 2.5 are NM Romy Fuentes, Experts Todd Rumph and Sergey Khristoforov, Class A player Uyanga Byambaa and 10-year-old Siddarth Bannik who upset veteran Igor Margulis . Those would still like to enter the eight round event may still do so with half points byes for the first three rounds.

Here is an exciting game played last night.


Igor Traub - Peter Zavadsky
Winter Tuesday Night Marathon (3) 2011


1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Nbd7 4.d4 e6 5.0-0 Bd6 6.c4 c6 7.b3

7.Nc3 0-0 8.Nd2 aiming for e4 is a promising continuation.

7...0-0 8.Nc3 Re8 9.e4!? Bb4 10.Bb2 Bxc3 11.Bxc3 Nxe4 12.Bb2

White has positional compensation for the pawn.


12...b6 13.Rc1 Bb7 14.h4 a5 15.Ne5 Nxe5 16.dxe5 Nc5 17.Qe2 Qc8 18.Rfd1 Ba6 19.Qe3 Qb7 20.Ba3 Nd7 21.Bd6 Rac8 22.h5 Qa7 23.Rd4

23.h6! g6 24.Qf4 was a strong alternative.


23...f5 24.g4

24.exf6 Nxf6 25.h6 was again quite strong.


24...c5 25.Rf4 d4 26.Qf3 Nf8 27.gxf5 exf5 28.Rxf5 Ne6 29.Qd5 Rcd8 30.Rd1 h6 31.Rd3 Kh8 32.Rg3 Rd7 33.Rg6 Bb7 34.Rxe6

34.Qxe6!! Rxe6 35.Rxe6 Bxg2 36.Re8+ Kh7 37.Rff8 g5 38.Rh8+ Kg7 39.Reg8+ Kf7 40.Rg6 Rxd6 41.exd6 d3 42.d7 wins.


34...Red8??

34...Rg8! would have turned the tables.


35.Rxh6+ gxh6 36.Qe6 Bxg2 37.Qxh6+ Kg8 38.Qg5+

38.e6!! Rxd6 (38...Rg7 39.e7 Rxe7 40.Bxe7 Qxe7 41.Rg5+) 39.Rg5+ would have won.


38...Kh8 39.Qf6+

39.e6! winning.


39...Kh7 40.Qg6+ Kh8 41.Qh6+

41.e6! winning.


41...Kg8 42.Rf8+??

42.e6!


42...Rxf8 43.Qxf8+ Kh7 44.Qf5+ Kg8 45.Qe6+ Kh7 46.Qg6+ ½-½




2) Chess on the upswing in Los Angeles

Metropolitan Chess will host a Grandmaster/International Master norm round robin tournament on January 19th to 23rd of 2011. The tournament is sponsored by California Market Center, Fashion Business, Inc., Chess.com, Rock and Roll Gourmet, Lawyer Fy, Betty Bottom Showroom.

This tournament is dedicated to Jimmy Quon, titled the Jimmy Quon Memorial, and will be held in Suite C998 of the California Market Center on 110 East 9th Street, Los Angeles 90079. The tournament is organized by Ankit Gupta, the chief arbiter is Randy Hough, and the deputy arbiter is Michael Belcher. The participants include: GM Dejan Bojkov (BUL), GM Melikset Khachiyan (USA), GM Mark Paragua (PHI), IM Zhanibek Amanov (KAZ), IM Timothy Taylor (USA), IM Mackenzie Molner (USA), IM Jacek Stopa (POL), IM-Elect Robby Adamson (USA), IM-Elect Daniel Naroditsky (USA), and NM Alessandro Steinfl (ITL). The FIDE average of the field is 2421, for a respectable category 7.

The tournament will be a 10 player round-robin (all play all), with rounds scheduled as follows - 19th: 7:00 PM, 20th: 11:00 AM & 5:00 PM, 21st: 11:00 AM & 5:00 PM, 22nd: 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM, 23rd: 9:00 AM & 3:00 PM. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to come to watch the games in person at the tournament site. There will be two master commentary days live on-site. These commentaries will also be viewable on www.chess.com/tv

Stay tuned for more updates and watch the games relayed live on www.chess.com to find out the results.

Metropolitan International

Over August 17th to 21st of 2011, Metropolitan Chess will be hosting a 9 round Swiss in downtown Los Angeles that will offer the opportunity at GM and IM norms. Super-GM Michael Adams will be in attendance. The tournament will be officially open to players over the rating of 2200 FIDE, but exceptional juniors and local players U2200 FIDE may be allowed to play, pursuant to the approval of the tournament organizers.

The prize fund will be 14, 100 USD unconditionally guaranteed in one section with a distribution as follows:

Overall

5000 USD + Swarovski Crystal Trophy
3000 USD
1300 USD

900 USD
800 USD
600 USD

Best U2500

1000 USD
500 USD

Best U2300

1000 USD

Best Game Prizes

TBD

The registration fees will be:

2500+ FIDE/GM -- Free
Foreign IM -- Free
2400-2499 -- 150 USD
2300-2399 -- 250 USD
2200-2299 -- 350 USD
U2200 -- 450 USD

Entrance fees will increase by 50.00 USD (for non-GMs) after March 10th, 2011.

Advance registration lists will be made available shortly. Please e-mail us if you have an interest in playing in the event. We would like to hear from you.


Our website will be undergoing a major overhaul in the next few weeks as well, so we appreciate you bearing with us.

GMs will be offered conditions based on a first come-first serve basis. GMs expected to be in or around Los Angeles in August 2011 who would like to play are requested to e-mail us.

More details will be available at www.chess.com shortly, within 1-2 weeks. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.



3) Here and There

Those interested in chess in Nebraska, present and past, will want to check out the website for the Lincoln Chess Foundation (http://www.lincolnchessfoundation.org/Index.htm) edited by
IM John Watson.

The 2nd Golden State Open, held in Concord last weekend, was won by GM Dejan Bojkov and FM John Bryant who tied for first in the top section of the Continental Chess Association event which attracted 234 players.

Mechanics' members fared well with 10-year-old Samuel Sevian defeated his first GM
(Mauricio Flores), Oleg Shanknazarov won the Expert section with Hayk Manvelyan taking second and Arnold Hua took top honors in the Under 1800 section going from 1677 to 1845 (post tournament). The latter is a student of MI Scholastic Chess Director Anthony Corrales
and was playing in only his second tournament in four years.

4) Upcoming Events

MECHANICS' TOURNAMENTS (go to www.chessclub.org for more information)

2011 Events

Henry Gross Memorial - February 5
A.J. Fink Amateur Championship - March 12-13
Max Wilkerson Open - March 19
Imre Konig Memorial - April 9
Walter Lovegrove Senior Open - April 16-17
Charles Powell Memorial - May 7
Arthur Stamer Memorial - June 4-5
William Addison Open - June 11

BAY AREA TOURNAMENTS

Feb. 19-21 or 20-21 2011 37th Annual Peoples Tournament
GPP: 40 Enhanced California Northern
6SS, 30/90 G/60 (2-day sched rds 1-3 G/60). Marriott, 46100 Landing Pkwy., Fremont, CA 94538. Hotel rate $89. $8,000 b/137 entries (80% guaranteed). 6 sections: Open (2100+) $1000-500-200-100-100. XA (1900-2099), AB (1700-1899), BC (1500-1699), CD (1300-
1499), DE (under 1300): $700-300-100- 100-100 each. The 5th place prize in the 2
largest sections only. Unrated prize limit of $200 except in Open section. EF: $99
3-day & 98 2-day mailed by 2/15, online by 2/16, Onsite +$25, Play-up +$20. 5% off
before 1/18. GMs/IMs free: EF subtr from prize. Re-entry $40. EF Econ Opt: EF
minus $30 & 1/2 of computed prize. Feb 2011 Supp, CCA min & TD discretion used
to place players accurately. TD/Org: Koepcke/Azhar. 3-day sched: Reg. Sat 10-11,
Rds. Sat/Sun 11:30-5:30,
Mon 10-3:30. 2-day sched: Reg Sun 9-9:30, Rds. Sun 10-12:30-2:45-5:30, Mon
10-3:30. Max two 1/2-pt byes & must commit bef rd 3. Ent: Bay Area Chess, 1590
Oakland Rd., Suite B213, San Jose 95131. $20 for refunds. T: 408-786-5515. E: ask@BayAreaChess.com, Info/Form/Entries: BayAreaChess.com/ppl. NS, NC, W.
Chess Magnet School JGP.
Spring Chess Festival - Saturday, February 25th, 2011
Presented by:
Atlantis Business Insurance Solutions, LLC
AND
NorCal House of Chess
5 Round Swiss
A One Day G/45 USCF rated Event
Location: 45401 Research Avenue, Suite 141, Fremont, CA 94539
Entry Fee: Regular Entry - $60. Economy Entry - $40. 5 discount to members of NorCal House of
Chess. Economy Option pays 50% of calculated prize money. The remaining amount goes back to
the budget to offset Economy Fee Discount.
Time Control: Game in 45.
Regestration & Schedule: Registration: 9:00 am-9:30 am. Rds: 10 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 4 pm,
6 pm.
Prizes: $1400 - total, based on 40 fully paid entries. Open Section: $400-$200, U2200: $180,
U2000: $150, U1800: $140, U1600 $130, U1400 $130, U1200 - $100.
Cash Prizes in every round! - $20 cash prize will be awarded in each round to a player scoring a
first win AND to a player scoring the biggest upset. All lower-rated players are eligible to win
higher class prizes.
Questions? - Call TD Felix German at (415) 335-0900 or email: felix@atlantisbusinessinsurance.com
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Mail advance entries to: 14 Sullivan Ave, Daly City, CA 94015. Make checks payable to: Felix
German.