"It would also be feasible to look for parallels between the growth of chess ideas and the general development of thought in human society, for despite its individual characteristics chess cannot be divorced from other aspects of culture.  Our game mirrors the intellectual level and cultural trends of the times.  However, such a theme would require a separate, comprehensive treatment of its own, beyond the scope of this work."

                                                                                                     
Ludek Pachman - Complete Chess Strategy (Doubleday, 1975, p. 10)


1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News  The last round of the Winter Tuesday Night Marathon should provide plenty of excitement as the leaders are all bunched together. International Elliott Winslow and National MasterRussell Wong are tied for first with 6 from 7 with Experts Daniel Liu, Todd Rumph andIgor Traub half a point back.

Here are two games from Henry Gross G/45 won by International Master Ricardo DeGuzman.

The first is a battle between nine-year-old expert Rayan Taghizadeh and veteran International Master Elliott Winslow where experience triumphs over youth.

Sicilian Najdorf B92

San Francisco - Henry Gross G/45 (2) 2012

 

 

White could have kept his disadvantage to a minimum with 19.Qd2.

 

More to the point was 21...f4!

The second is a battle between two seasoned IMs where DeGuzman wins what proves to be the decisive game of the tournament.

Sicilian Paulsen B43

San Francisco - Henry Gross G/45 (4) 2012

 

 

32.Ra3 was more resilient.

 

38.Rxb3 Kf5! puts an end to things.

 

All eight spots for the Thursday evening class with MI GM-in-Residence Nick deFirmianwere filled in one day. The 8-week-long course, which runs concurrent with the Tuesday Night Marathons (8 weeks on, 2 weeks off), will be held only on Thursday this session. If there is sufficient demand an extra class will he held another night. Those who are interested are strongly encouraged to register early. The cost for the eight week session, which runs from 6:30 to 8:30pm, is $240. Contact chessroom@milibrary.org .

National Master Romy Fuentes won the Mechanics' Chess Club Wednesday night blitz with a score of 9.5 from 12 followed by Expert Jules Jelinek with 9 followed by IM Elliott Winslow on 8.5.

MI GM-in-Residence Nick deFirmian took second place in the Marshall Chess Club Invitational which ended last Sunday night. Georgia GM Mikheil Kekelidze won the event with the excellent score of 8 from 9 with deFirmian at 6 1/2 .

The 19th Bunratty Masters, to held February 17-19 at the Bunratty Castle Hotel, promises to be one of the strongest weekend tournaments in the world this year. The open section, with 40 odd players, has 11 Grandmasters and 10 International Masters competing led byMichael Adams and Nigel Short. Defending champion Gawain Jones will have his hands full trying to match Peter Svidler, the only player to win this event back to back. Among the International Masters competing is Mechanics' Institute Chess Director John Donaldson.

This 6 round event is sponsored by Blackthrone Transport. Go tohttp://www.bunrattychess.com for more information on this event which will broadcast the first seven boards live each round.

3) Here and There

The 16th Metropolitan Chess FIDE Invitational, an IM norm round robin event will be held from February 22nd to 26th. The IMs are IM Andranik Matikozyan, IM Zhanibek Amanov, and IM Larry Remlinger. This event has a FIDE average of 2309.

A six-game match between Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian will be held in Zurich, Switzerland from the 21st to the 28th of April 2012.

The Candidates Tournament will take place in London from the 23rd October to the 13th November 2012.

Ted Belanoff is no stranger to Mechanics' players, but they won't be seeing much of him this year as he has decided to play a tournament in all 50 states. This has been done before by Jerry Dennison and the late Robert Feldstein, but Ted's quest is different. He intends to play in all 50 states in a single year! It took Dennison and Feldstein much longer to accomplish their transcontinental        barnstorm in part because several states only have a handful of events often on the same weekends.

So far Ted's adventure has taken him to 9 states (Texas, Oregon, New Hampshire, New York, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Michigan and Alabama). The latter two were particularly impressive as he played in both of them on the same weekend in one day events.

Mr. Belanoff will pick up state number 10 this weekend when he plays in the 3rd Jerry Hanken Memorial in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Tournament organizer Frank Berry explains that Belanoff will not win the prize for having traveled the farthest to play. That honor will go to Oregon high school student and Expert rated player Alexandra Botez.