The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face. It is the most absorbing of pastimes, the least satisfying of desires...It annihilates a man.

    H.G. Wells

Note this week's edition of the Newsletter is coming out early due to an upcoming road trip. The normal Wednesday delivery will resume on May 28.

1) Charles Powell Memorial
2) Shulman Lecture
3) Prague Agreement in trouble
4) Ulvestad in Northern California in 1948
5) Bay Area Juniors Shine
6) Upcoming Events

1) Charles Powell Memorial

IM Ricardo De Guzman defeated SM Vladimir Mezentsev in the last round of the 3rd Charles Powell Memorial to take top honors.. Finishing half a point behind De Guzman's 5-0 score was Burmese NM Win Aung Ye. Sharing third at 4-1 in the 44-player-field were Mezentsev, Monty Peckham and Yefim Bukh. Anthony Corrales directed the event which was held May 17 at the MI.

2) Shulman Lecture

Dallas GM Yury Shulman gave a lecture at the Mechanics' on May 14 and showed two of his games that bring back memories of the classic attacks of the past. Check out 20.Qxf5+!! in the game with IM Ginsburg.

Shulman- Marciano
Ubeda (5) 1997

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 h6 7.Nxf7 Kxf7 8.Bc4+ d5 9.Bxd5+ Kg7 10.d4 Nf6 11.Bxf4 Bb4 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.0-0 Rf8 14.Qd2 Ng8 15.Be5+ Kh7 16.Rxf8 Qxf8 17.Rf1 Qe7 18.Qf4 Be6 19.Nd5 Bd2 20.Qxd2 cxd5 21.Qf4 c6 22.exd5 cxd5 23.c4 Qd7 24.h5 Ne7 25.Qf6 Rg8 26.Qf7+ 1-0

Shulman- Ginsburg
Las Vegas (5) 2001

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.0-0 Qe7 9.Qc2 c6 10.Rfe1 Ng4 11.Bg5 f6 12.Bh4 h5 13.h3 Nh6 14.Rad1 Nf7 15.Bg3 Kh7 16.Nh4 Bh6 17.f4 exf4 18.e5 f5 19.Nxg6 Kxg6 20.Qxf5+ Kg7 21.Bd3 Rh8 22.Qg6+ Kf8 23.e6 Rg8 24.Bh4 Rxg6 25.Bxe7+ Kxe7 26.exd7+ Re6 27.dxc8Q 1-0

3) Prague Agreement in trouble

John Henderson reports in The Scotsman that there seems no end in sight to the divided chess throne.

Last week marked the first anniversary of the so-called 'Prague Agreement', a Unity Plan devised by America's Yasser Seirawan that promised much to end the bitter schism that divided the chess world with two rival world titles, yet so far has failed to deliver.

Last year in Prague, both warring parties faced up to the reality outlined in Seirawan's plan that unification was the only way forward for the good of the game, and a timetable to accommodate this with a winner-takes-all showdown between the two champions scheduled for November being agreed to. Unfortunately, the peace process looks (for now) to have been derailed as both the FIDE world title match in Argentina between Kasparov and Ponamariov, and the Einstein world title match (as yet to be announced) between Kramnik and Leko, has been beset by problems.

In reality, one of the biggest problems is that there doesn't seem to be anyone coordinating both camps with the same vigour and enthusiasm as there was in bringing the rival groups to the negotiating table in the first place. Last year in Prague, despite all his valiant efforts to reunite the chess world, Seirawan had to sit back in despair at seeing the fruits of his many months of diplomacy and tender negotiations being 'hijacked' by others.

4) Ulvestad in Northern California in 1948

The Seattle master Olaf Ulvestad, who had a sister living in Palo Alto, was a frequent visitor to the Bay Area in the late 1940s. Andy Ansel has unearthed two of his games from the California Chess News and News of the Pacific Coast, a short-lived predecessor of the California Chess Reporter.

Ulvestad-Ralston
San Francisco 1948

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nbd2 g6 4. c4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Qb3 c5 7. dxc5 Na6 8.cxd5 Nxc5 9. Qa3 Qxd5 10. Bc4 Qh5 11. Nd4 Nfe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe7 Qa5+ 14.b4 Qb6 15. O-O Nd6 16. Bb3 Nf5 17. Nxf5 Bxf5 18. Ba3 Bf6 19. Qc5 Qxc5 20.bxc5 Bxa1 21. Rxa1 Rfd8 22. Bb2 Rd2 23. Bc3 Rd7 24. Ba5 Be4 25. f3 Bc6 26. Kf2 Re8 27. e4 Rd3 28. Bc4 Ra3 29. Be1 Rd8 30. Rc1 Ra4 31. Ke3 Be8 32. Bb3 Rad4 33.Ba5 Rd3+ 34. Kf4 R8d4 35. Bc3 Rd8 36. Bc4 Rd1 37. Rc2 Ba4 38. Rb2 Bc6 39. Ba5 R8d7 40. Bb3 Rc1 41. Bb4 Kg7 42. g4 f6 43. g5 fxg5+ 44. Kxg5 Rd3 45. Rf2 Rg1+ 46.Kf4 Kf6 47. e5+ Ke7 48. Ba3 g5+ 49. Kf5 Rd4 50. Bc1 Rxc1 51. Kxg5 Rg1+ 0-1

Informal game @ 40 moves per hour. Source: California Chess News and News of the Pacific Coast, Vol 1, No 10.

H.J. "Bip" Ralston was a major figure in California chess half a century ago, being one of the driving forces behind the California Chess Reporter.

Andy A. writes; "Here is another game--it is undated as it was sent in by the loser (with his notes) and is featured as the Game of the Month (thus I am assuming 1948)--also it may be a simul (not noted)".

Ulvestad - Daugherty
Palo Alto 1948

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Qxd5 Nc6 8. Bg5 Nf6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nf3 O-O-O 11. e3 Bb4 12. Rc1 Kb8 13. Be2 Bh3 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8 15. gxh3 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. h4 Qd5 18. O-O Qe5 19. Rfd1 Bd6 20.Bf3 Qxh2+ 21. Kf1 Qxh4 22. Rd4 Qf6 23. Bg2 Rc8 24. Rcd1 Bc7 25. Rd7 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Rd7 Bc7 28. Nd5 Qa6+ 29. Kg1 Ba5 30. Rxf7 Qd6 31. Rxg7 a6 32.Rxh7 Bd8 33. b4 Qe5 34. a4 Qa1+ 35. Kh2 Qe5+ 36. f4 Qf5 37. Rxb7+ Kc8 38.Bh3 Qxh3+ 39. Kxh3 Kxb7 40. b5 1-0

Source: California Chess News and News of the Pacific Coast, Vol 1, No 5.

5) Bay Area Juniors Shine

Bay Area Juniors shined in the National Elementary Championships held May 11-13 in Nashville. Satchel Genobaga scored 4 out of 7 in the K-1, Aviv Adler was 19th in the K-6 and MI Wednesday afternoon regular Hugo Kitano was 16th in the K-3 Open with 5 1/2 from 7, losing only to the eventual section winner.

6) Upcoming Events

Upcoming Tournaments at the MI

Full details at www.chessclub.org

Stamer Memorial: June 6-8
William Addison: June 28

Scholastic Quads: May 31

West Coast National Events

Championship Qualifier A Heritage Event!
An American Classic Event!
June 13-15: 2003 National Open WGPP: 200Q Nevada 6SS, 40/2, SD/1 (scholastic and unrated sections 12-RDSS G/90). Riviera Hotel and Casino, 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109. $53,000 Prize Fund is Fully Guaranteed and will not be reduced. Championship. $$G: $5000-2500- 1200-600-300-150-150-150-150-150, U2500 $1100, U2400 $1000, U2300 $900. The winner of the Championship section receives a replica of the Edmondson Cup. 5 points wins at least $500, 4-1/2 wins at least $200. Under 2200: $$G: $2500-1200-600-300-150-75-75-75-75-75, U2100 $900. Under 2000: $$G: $2500-1200-600-300-150-75-75-75-75-75, U1900 $900. Under 1800: $$G: $2500-1200-600-300-150-75-75-75-75-75, U1700 $900. Under 1600: $$G: $2500-1200-600-300-150-75-75-75-75-75, U1500 $900. Under 1400: $$G: $1500-700-350-200-100-50-50-50-50-50, U1300 $600. Under 1200: $$G: $1000-500-250-150-100-50-50-50-50-50, U1100 $400, U1000 $200. Unrated: Open to players with no published USCF (or convertible international) rating. $500-250-125-75-50. Unrated prizes are USCF Gift Certificates. Scholastic Under 1200: Open to players in grades K-12 rated under 1200. Trophies to top 10 and top 5 in each 100 point rating group. All Sections: 5 points in any section (10 in unrated) wins at least 10% of first prize. Plus score bonus ($$G 8000) in addition to any other prizes: every player who finishes with 3-1/2 points (6-1/2 in unrated or scholastic section) or better wins a $25 USCF gift certificate. Plus score certificates will be given on site only. EF: (except scholastic and unrated) $95 by 5/26, $125 by 6/11, $150 on site. $30 off advance entry fee only for Juniors under 20 or Seniors over 65. Scholastic EF: $49 by 5/26, $69 by 6/11, $85 on site. Unrated EF: $65 by 5/26, $80 by 6/11, $100 on site. This is an open tournament - you may play in any section at or above your rating level, unrated players may play only in Championship, Unrated or Scholastic section (if age eligible). CCA minimum ratings may be used if higher than USCF June Supplement. Reg: 6-8 pm. Thursday June 12, 9-10:30 a.m. Friday June 13. Rds: 12-7, 10-5, 10-5. Late schedule: rounds 1 and 2, G/60, at 7 and 9:30 Friday. Add $1 to EF for this option. Not available in scholastic and unrated sections. Half point byes available in any round, but 5th or 6th round 1/2 point byes must be requested before the start of round 2. Add 50 cents to advance EF for 1st round 1/2 point bye only. Chess sets and boards provided for tournament play only; not for skittles. Please bring chess clocks! Many free extras and surprises! Free parking. Free airport shuttle for players only. Blitz tournament Thursday evening, June 12th, 80% of EF returned as prizes. Chess Camp Thursday June 12th. Free raffle with great prizes. Free lectures by GM Ron Henley. Free analysis of your games. Come early for Grandmaster SIMULS Thursday at 3:30 p.m. New LOW room rates! HR: $69 single or double includes free tickets to one of three Mardi Gras Riviera Las Vegas Shows Wednesday or Thursday. 1-800-634-6753 or (702) 734-5110. Don't be shut out; make your reservations early and be sure to ask for the chess rates; the Riviera sells out most weekends. Cutoff for special hotel rate is May 26th. Special $69 rates after cutoff only if rooms available! Credit card or one night room deposit will be required to hold reservation, refundable if reservation canceled 72 hours in advance. For travel discounts check our website or contact Classic Travel at Email: joet_classic@hotmail.com or (630) 980-7900. Tournament Registration: U.S. Chess Federation, 3054 RTE 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553, Attention: National Open Entries. Credit card entries accepted 8am-9pm Eastern at 1-800-388-KING Info: Alan Losoff (847) 858-7778, evenings central time, Email: Alan@Losoff.com, or Web: http://www.64.com/natlopen/. W. FIDE.

US OPEN AUGUST 3-15

LAX Radisson 6225 W. Century Blvd. · Los Angeles, CA 90045 · (310) 670-9000 $89 Chess Rate - Lowest in years!

A USCF National Championship

A Heritage Event!

Tournament Format
A one-section tournament with class prizes.
12 Round Swiss System. Several Schedules Available!
Traditional Schedule: One round daily at 7:30 pm 8/43-8/8 & 8/10-8/15.
Matinee 1st half: One round daily at 11 am 8/3-8/8, then 7:30 pm 8/10-8/15. Merges with Traditional after Round 6; 8-day option: All games 40/2, SD/1. Rounds 8/8-8/11 at 11 am and 7:30 pm, 8/12-15 at 7:30 pm. 6-day option: Rounds 1-7 are G/60. Rounds 8/10 12:30-3-6-9, 8/11 10:30-1:30-4, 7:30, 8/12-8/15 7:30 pm. 8-day and 6-day both merge with others after Round 7. Busy person special: Play only rds 7-12 at 7:30 pm 8/10-15. Over 2399 starts with 4 pts, 2200-2399 3.5, Expert 3, Class A 2.5, Class B 2, Class C 1.5, Class D 1, Under 1200 0.5, Unrated 0.5. Time Control 40/2, SD/1 except 1st 7 rounds of 6-day schedule are G/60. The August rating list will be used. 1/2 point byes are available. Maximum 2 byes available rds. 1-10. Half-point byes available in round 1, and in any round if player would have been rated above opponent. Bye counts zero if player would have been rated below opponent. Round 2-9 byes must be requested at least 3 hours before round; round 10 byes must be requested before round 9 and are irrevocable. No byes last 2 rounds. Players may not receive more bye points during the first 6 rounds than the busy player score for their class.

Prizes
$55,000 unconditionally guaranteed - second largest ever prize fund ever at a U.S. Open. Top places: $8000-4000-3000-2000-1500-1200-1000-800-600-400.
Qualifier for the 2004 U.S. Invitational Championship.
2449-2300: $2000-1000. 2299-2200: $2000-1000.
Expert: $2000-1000-600-500-300.
Class A: $2000-1000-600-500-300.
Class B: $2000-1000-600-500-300.
Class C: $2000-1000-500-400-300.
Class D: $1500-1000-500-400-300.
Class E: $1000-500-400.
Under 1000: $1000-400.
Unrated: $1000-400.
Unrateds are ineligible for Expert through Under 1000 prizes.
Elegant trophy for each class winner.
Biggest upset by non-prizewinner: $100.
Best games: $200-100-100 (one reserved for non-master).

Registration

If mailed by 7/26 or paid by phone, fax or online with credit card by 7/30.
$190 Traditional
$189 Matinee 1st half
$187 8-day
$186 6-day
$185 Busy Player
On site $220.
Registration closes 2 hours before 1st round in each schedule.
USCF Membership is required and must be current. You may pay USCF membership with your entry or on site. Regular Adult Memberhip, $49/year includes CHESS LIFE (12 issues) Senior Membership Age 65 & over, $36/year includes CHESS LIFE (12 issues) Youth Membership Age 19 and under, $25/year includes CHESS LIFE (12 issues) Scholastic Membership Age 14 and under, $19/year, includes CHESS LIFE (5 issues + Yearbook) Other membership categories available. Advance entries must include player's name and all fees to be accepted. Mail Entries to
U.S. Open Championship
U.S. Chess Federation
3054 RTE 9W
New Windsor, NY 12553.
Make Checks payable to USCF.
To enter by phone call (800) 388-KING.
Secure On Line Registration will be available soon.
All entries received will be posted here.
Advance registration is strongly encouraged.

Newsletter reader NM Alex Betanelli of Madison reports that he will be holding a camp this summer.

WISCONSIN CHESS ACADEMY
SUMMER CHESS CAMP IN MILWAUKEE
June 22-27th
Four Points by Sheraton Hotel

CAMP SITE: Four Points by Sheraton Hotel (4747 Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, WI53207, 414-615-8052). This is one of the best hotels in the country. All meeting rooms are air-conditioned. All sleeping rooms have refrigerators. FREE shuttle from airport is provided.

ELIGIBILITY: Players of all strengths and ages are encouraged to attend. Ifchildren under 12 want to stay overnight, then their parents need to makespecial arrangements with the organizer.

DAILY ACTIVITIES: Chess lectures, seminars, informal discussions, and manytournaments (slow, quick, blitz, bughouse, team: trophies and medals asprizes). Hotel has two swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), there will beoutside sport activities ranging from walking in the park to playing tennis and soccer. All instructors will also promote their favorite hobbies!

STUDY WITH GM: for B class players (and other players who are very serious)special extra sessions with GM Alex Goldin will be available in the evening.

COST: $300 for five and half days of instruction. Personal feedback will beprovided and individual improvement plans will be worked out for all students.All participants will receive copies.FOOD: for $100 three daily meals plus snacks and juices will be provided.

HOTEL: five nights total is $150 if you wish to stay in a double room (twobeds,one roommate), $75 if you wish to say in a quad room (two beds, 3 roommates).Please indicate if you would like to have a specific roommate. PLEASE RESERVEHOTEL THROUGH THE ORGANIZER TO GET THESE EXCELLENT RATES. Contact: AlexBetaneli abetaneli@hotmail.com or Alex Betaneli, WI ACADEMY OF CHESS, PO Box260143, Madison, WI 53726

INFORMATION: Alex Betaneli best way is email abetaneli@hotmail.com, - secondbest is ICC (Aristophones) phone is distant third 608-233-0923

WI ACADEMY OF CHESS
Alex Betaneli: Camp Director
PO BOX 260143
Madison, WI 53726