Mechanics' Institute Chess Room Newsletter # 99

"Too often amateurs get the impression that GMs are calculating wizards who constantly think 10 and 15 moves ahead. Actually, there are few times in a game where you have to look more than 4 moves ahead."
   GM Andy Soltis

Honor Roll of Imre Konig Memorial donors: fund raising is now at $14,540 - only $5,460 to go! Tibor Weinberger, Mark Pinto, Jim Eade, Neil Falconer, John Keker, Toshio Imai, Vince McCambridge, Bryan Bilby, Bear Stearns, Tom Allen, Max Wilkerson, John Cannon, Mervyn Field, Dr. Joe Wagner, Haluk Akol, Mike Goodall, Dr. Ben Gross, Smartchess, Peter Stevens, Kevan Gross and anonymous.

GM Alex Baburin writes: "I would like to help the Konig fund raising by making a special offer on new subscriptions to my daily Internet chess magazine Chess Today - rates ($19 for 4 months, $25 for 6 months and $44 for one year) and encourage them to subscribe. When they subscribe, in the reference field they should write 'Imre Konig' and I will give 50% of their subscription to the tournament." Go to http://www.chesstoday.net for more information on one of the best chess magazines in the world and help support the Konig!

Late breaking news: the USCF is moving from New Windsor, NY, to Miami! More next Newsletter.

1) Zaichik and Najer tie for first in US Open, Pruess qualifies for US Championship
2) DeGuzman wins John Easterling Memorial
3) Imre Konig Blitz: September 7
4) Upcoming Events

1) Zaichik and Najer tie for first in US Open, Pruess qualifies for US Championship

GMs Gennadi Zaichik and Evgeny Najer tied for first in the US Open, held July 27-August 4 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The two winners, who each scored 8-1, received $3750 apiece, with Zaichik not only taking the title on tiebreak but also a spot in the US Championship. Tying for second at 7 1/2 in the 526-player field were GMs Ivan Morovic, Artur Yusupov, Yury Shulman, Miron Sher, Alex Stripunsky plus IMs Rashid Ziatdinov and Nikolay Andrianov. Each received $500, with Sher also qualifying for the US Championship.

Many players finished on seven points including MI members David Pruess and Michael Pearson. David, who beat GM Alexander Ivanov, qualified for the US Championship, while Michael (who beat three 2300 rated players) just missed out, but looks likely to have gone over 2200. Congratulations to both and to Monty Peckham who numbered the scalp of GM Michael Rohde among his six points. Other scores by MI members include: Mike Goodall 4.5, Ricky Yu 3.5 (from 8) and Paul Vayssie 3.5.

The qualifiers from the U.S. Open are:

GM Gennadi Zaichik
GM Miron Sher
David Pruess
IM Dean Ippolito
FM Gregory Markzon
WFM Olga Sagalchik

The first alternate is IM Greg Shahade, and the women's alternate is Laura Ross.

2) DeGuzman wins John Easterling Memorial

IM Ricardo DeGuzman continued his winning ways by defeating NM Victor Baja in the last round of the John Easterling Memorial held July 3-4 in Hercules. DeGuzman scored 4-0 to win $231. Berkeley Expert Larry Snyder finished second at 3.5 in the 33-player field to take home the second prize of $165 with Baja, Anthony Rosenvasser and Teodoro Porlares sharing third at 3. Rico Adkins organized and directed this event which set a record for attendance in Hercules.

3) Imre Konig Blitz: September 7

Imre Konig Memorial Blitz: Come play the Grandmasters
Saturday, September 7 from 5-7 PM
$500 guaranteed plus donated book prizes
1st Place $250; 2nd $100; 3rd $50; First 2200-1800 $50; First Under 1800 $50
Where : Mechanics' Institute Chess Room, 4th Floor ; 57 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 421-2258
Time: Registration 4-4:45 PM on September 7. The event will last from approximately 5-7 PM (five double-round Swiss, 10 games in all)
Entry Fee: $15, free to GMs and IMs
Time Control: G/5 minutes. WBCA rules are used
For more information contact IM John Donaldson at the above number or reach him at imwjd@aol.com
PLEASE BRING CLOCKS!

4) Upcoming events

Note two new additions to the calendar under national listings: the always popular Governor's Cup and a rare opportunity for GM and IM norms this December in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Vladimir Pafhutieff Memorial: August 17

This event is a 5-rounder, G/45, run on the Swiss system starting at 10 AM.

August 12-16 3rd Annual Mechanics' Institute Chess Camp for Intermediate and Advanced Players (1200-2200)

This is not a camp for players that want to jump two rating classes in five days. You won't learn how to win against the Sicilian every time using the Grand Prix Attack. So why our camp and not others? At the MI camp you will get a look inside a GM's laboratory and get a feel for how they work on their game from the ground up. You will learn not only the importance of analyzing your own games, but also how to do it properly. You will learn to identify the critical points of the game and to understand when and why things went wrong.

You will learn how to use ChessBase and Fritz efficiently as part of a daily training program as well as utilizing resources on the Internet such as TWIC and the Internet Chess Club. Today chess books are cranked out at an incredible rate. Some of them are very good, many are quite bad. We will help students learn to select that which is truly useful.

On the fun side our instructors have unique experience in international competition. Expect to hear stories and anecdotes about what it's like to play against Kasparov and defend first board in a Chess Olympiad. Instructors: Grandmasters Alex Yermolinsky, International Masters John Donaldson and Guillermo Rey, and MI Scholastic Director Anthony Corrales.

Who: Open to all ages from 8 and up.
When : August 12-16, from 9am to 5pm
Where: 57 Post Street, 4th floor (Montgomery BART station)
Cost: $320 for Mechanics' members, $355 for junior (under 21) non-members, $405 for adult non-members. All non-members will receive a one year membership in the MI. There is a limit of 40 players for this camp. If you can't attend the whole camp there is a drop in fee of $80 a day.

Regional Events

Aug. 24-25 GPP: 6 N. California
Frank Harris Memorial Chess Tournament. 4SS, 40/2, SD/30. Vallejo Chess Club, 333 Amador St., Vallejo (From San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland- Berkeley-Sacramento-Fairfield: Take I-80 toward Vallejo, exit on Georgia St., go west toward Central Vallejo, 3 lights make rt on Amador, 1/2 blk. on left). $$b/60 pd. ents. Open: (2000+) $$400-250, Best X $200. Reserve: (1600-1999) $$350-200, Best B $200. Booster: (1599/Unr.) $$300-150, Best D/Unr. $200. EF: $50 by 8/20, $55 later. Reg: 8:30-9:30am Sat. Ent: Cks payable to Maximo Fajardo, 127 Missouri St., Vallejo, CA 94590. 707-980-0311. Bring sets/boards, none supplied!

Aug. 31-Sept. 2 GPP: 15 N. California
2002 CalChess Labor Day Festival. 6SS, 30/90, SD/1 (2-day option rds 1-3 G/60). Golden Geteway Holiday Inn, Van Ness at Pine, San Francisco. $$b/130 pd. adult, 20 paid jr. ents. 7 Sects: Master: $700-$350-$200; U2400, $300. Expert: $400-$200-$100. A: $350-$175-$100. B: $350-$175-$100. C: $350-175-100. D/E: $350-$175-$100; U1200 $225. Unr: Trophy 1st. Trophy to top finisher (State Champion) in ea. sect. All: EF: $60 postmarked by 8/27 (Jrs. $50), 3-day: $59 (Jrs $49), 2-day: $70 at site (Jrs. $55). Unr: $40 in the D/E sect. or may play up to the Master section for the regular fee. $5 disc. to CalChess membs. USCF memb. req'd. May play up 1 sect. for add'l $10 (Jrs $5). GM/IM free ent. Reg: Sat. 8-9:30am, Sun. 8:15-9:15am, Rds: All compete for the same prizes. 3-day: Sat 10-4, Sun 11-4:30, Mon 10-3:30. 2-day schedule Sun 9:30-11:45-2 then merges. 1/2 pt bye(s) any rd(s) if req'd in adv., byes rds 5-6 must be req'd before Rd 1. 2002 August Ratings List, CCA minimums & Directo rs discretion will be used to place players as accurately as possible. Please bring clocks && equipment. HR: Golden Gateway Holiday Inn, 415-441-4000. Info: Richard Koepcke 415-964-2640. Ent: Richard Koepcke, 2047 Montecito Ave #30, Mountain View, CA 94043. No Phone entries. FIDE.

National Events

Dear Chess Friends,

Hope the 7th Governor's Cup Chess Tournament is on your fall calendar--October 11-13--in Sioux Falls, Sourth Dakota. The tourney will be at a new site this year--downtown at the Holiday Inn City Centre at 100 West 8th Street. Once again we will distribute $10,000 in prize money. Call (605) 339-2000 as soon as possible and ask for the $79 chess rate. ( Let me know if you have any difficulty making a reservation. I know that the state soccer tourney is in town that same weekend which may be a problem for you if you wait too long to reserve a room.)

The tourney will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday night.

All state chess associations are invited to nominate their current state champion or one of their best to represent their state in this event. Please spread the word to chess association presidents. At this time I do not plan to have the Governor's Office send out invitations like I have done in the past.

The entry fee will be $50 in advance--entries must be postmarked by October 5 to receive this rate. After that entry fees will be $70.

Free entry to all GM's, IM's, and players rated above 2400.

Remember to indicate your section when you register: Open, Premier, or Rserve. (Premier is Under 2000, and Reserve is Under 1600).

2nd Annual Lindsborg Rotary Open Chess Tournament
Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas
December 17-23 or December 20-23
GM " IM norms are available; FIDE rating and evaluation guaranteed for 7-day option!
$3,000 guaranteed prize fund!
3 sections:
FIDE: 9SS, 40/2, SD/1 (4-day option, rounds 1-5 G/50). First two rounds accelerated pairing.
1st - $800, 2nd - $400, 3rd - $200, 4th - 150, 5th - 100
U2400: $100 - 75; U2200: $100 - 75
Open: 9SS, G/120
1st - $150
U2000: $100 - 75 - 50; U1800: $100 - 75 - 50
U1600: $100 - 75 - 50; U1400: $100 - 75 - 50
Scholastic (12/22): G/30. Trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each HS, MS, ES categories
Entering fees: GMs & IMs free. Membership at Kansas Chess Association is required (dues can be paid on site).
Before 11/1/02 Before 12/1/02 At site
FIDE Section
FIDE 2300 $70 $80 $90
FIDE, USCF 2200 $80 $90 $100
FIDE 2200 $90 $100 $110
non-FIDE rated, USCF 2200 * $120 $130 $140
Open Section $50 $55 $60
Scholastic Section $15 $20 $25
Credit cards OK. Online entry at www.lindsborg.org/events.htm
* Number of non-FIDE rated players will be limited in this category
Schedules:
FIDE Session:
7-day: 12/17-12/20 1:00 pm; 12/21 & 22 9:00 am & 5:00 pm; 12/23 9:00 am
4-day: 12/20 (G/50) 4:00 pm, 6:30 pm, 9:00 pm; 12/21 9:00 am, 1:00 pm, & 5:00 pm;
12/22 9:00 am & 5:00 pm; 12/23 9:00 am
Open Sessions (G/120):
4-day: 12/20 4:00 pm; 12/21 9:00 am, 1:30 pm, 7:00 pm; 12/22 9:00 am,
1:30 pm, 7:00 pm;
12/23 9:00 am, 1:30 pm
Scholastic Session (G/30):
12/22 10:00 am, 11:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:30 pm
1/2-pt byes OK at ALL. Limit 3. Last bye must commit before round 5.
Special Event - 12/20 at 8:00 pm GM Igor Novikov will play simul games with 20 people. $20.
Hotel rates: $49 - $80 at Swedish Country Inn (1-800-231-0266), $36 - $56 at Coronado Motel (1-800-747-2793), $65 - $150 at Rosberg House B & B (1-888-215-5234), $65 - $95 at Smoky Valley B & B (1-800-532-4407), and $60 - $120 at C&W Ranch Bed & Breakfast (785-668-2352). Reserve by 11/15 or rates may increase.
Ent: Lindsborg Chamber of Commerce (for the chess tournament), 104 E. Lincoln, Lindsborg, KS 67456. 1-888-227-2227; http://www.lindsborg.org/events.htm For more information please contact Mikhail Korenman at 785-227-3380, ext.8164 or korenman@bethanylb.edu USCF, FIDE. NS, NC.

Return to Article Index

ChessDryad.Com