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You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one. Mikhail Tal |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News 2) The Andrew I Knew 3) FIDE 4) USCF 5) CalChess 6) Frank Creasey 7) HB Global Challenge 8) Here and There 9) Upcoming Events 1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club NewsIM Vinay Bhat won the Michael Franett Memorial with the convincing score of 9 from 11. Tying for second and third at 7.5 were IM Odondoo Ganbold and FM David Pruess. The latter just missed making his final IM norm by half a point. Youngsters Nicolas Yap and Matthew Ho held their own against higher-rated and more experienced opposition. The Category 3 ( 2311 FIDE) tournament was particularly hard-fought with only 14 draws from 66 played. Other scores: 4-5. IM DeGuzman and FM Stein 6.5; 6. NM Yap 6; 7. NM Ho 5.5; 8. NM Aigner 5; 9. FM Lobo 4.5; 10. WGM Baginskaite 3.5; 11. WFM Batchimeg 3; 12. FM Thornally 1.5. Go to http://www.chessclub.org/Franett05.html for the crosstable and all games from the event. STEIN - DeGuzman (best game), Thornally-BAGINSKAITE (best opening) and Ho-GANBOLD (best ending) were selected by GM Alex Yermolinsky and NM Stephen Brandwein for special prizes. Tuvshintugs Batchimeg, Igor Margulis, Victor Ossipov, Lazar Shnaiderman and Igor Traub are tied for first with perfect scores after three rounds of the Mechanics' Institute Tuesday Night Winter Marathon. A half point back are IM Odondoo Ganbold and FM Frank Thornally. 2) The Andrew I KnewThe Andrew I Knew By Don Schultz The Andrew I knew went by the name of Arnold. His real name was Andrew, but an Uncle kept calling him Arnold and it stuck. Family, the chess world and everyone always called him Arnold and few knew that was not his name. "Hello Don, this is Arnold" - Over the last quarter century, Arnold would call me at every few days and these were the words I first heard. I’ll never hear them again and, each time my telephone rings, I will think of Arnold. Yes, I will miss him, but I will also look back with pleasure at the fun time of the past, how fortunate I was to have as my friend: “The Man Chess Loved” When I think of Arnold, I think of the press rooms of the great world championships of the eighties. Typically you would see, surrounded by journalists, Arnold and a few of his friends such as Tal and Najdorf holding court. There were no computers to help the press, only the candid discussion among these giants of the chess world. At chess meetings, Arnold had a little trick that few ever realized. It was always pre-planned and always worked though used sparingly for just the right debates. Here is how it worked. During the debate, Arnold would remain quiet. Then suddenly he would jump up, rush to the mike, pay no addition to those waiting to be recognized and bypassed them in line. He would shout in the microphone: "This is a disgrace, I can’t believe you are even thinking of doing this; I’m getting out of here.” He would then turn and head for the door. Always, before he reached the door someone from the opposition would say” “Wait Arnold, don’t leave, we will work this out, how about . . ." When I think of Arnold, I think of Gabriel Schartzman whom we both met at the chess Olympiad in Thessalonika, Greece in 1988. Gabriel, then 12 years old, came to us and said: "Hello, my name is Gabriel Schwartzman and I am a chessplayer, Would you like to see some of my games." "Sure," we said. Well, we were so impressed that we arranged for a match between Gabriel and Arnold in Florida. Gabriel and his family later became lifelong friends of ours. Gabriel also became the youngest grandmaster in the world, He went to the U of Florida, studied business administration and has achieved great success as an American businessman. He and his parents are now enjoying a life in Florida they would never have realized had they stayed in Romania. Both Arnold and I take great satisfaction in having had something to do with that. Another time, Rhona Petroysan, widow of former world champion Tigran Petroysan asked Arnold if he could help her move to the states. Arnold and I discussed this and decided the easiest way was to find an American chessplayer for Rhona to marry. We decided our friend Donald Stone was the perfect person. “What are you nuts?” were Stone’s immediate reply to our request. We were a bit taken back by this since Donald , who was in his late seventies, always responded to a call for help when it involved the game he loved. Nevertheless, we weren't about to be put off so easily. Stone continued: “I’m only a B player. I've been married before and vowed I’d never do it again. I’m too old.” We listened to all these attempts by Stone to avoid his responsibility but remained undeterred. Finally our persistence succeeded: “Okay” he said, “Is she pretty?” We gave Rhona and Donald the information they needed in order to get in touch with each other. But, the marriage never took place as Rhona found a way to enter the U.S. through more conventional means. Arnold's second passion was going to the race track. He and I would sit indoors watching the odds change, suddenly he would jump up and rush away to place his bet. He’d return and say in a loud voice to me: “I bet ten big ones on number five,” heads would turn to see who the big bettor was. What they didn’t realize was ten big ones meant ten bucks which is what Arnold and I generally would bet on any race. Upon leaving the track, I'd generally drop Arnold off at his apartment and head home. Arnold would call Teresa to let her know I’m on my way. When Teresa answered, she would immediately say: “Okay Arnold, how much money did you almost win today?” You see Arnold would never lose; he would win or almost win. Another time as I was about to leave my seat, Arnold said to me: "Don, I was up all night handicapping this race and number six can't lose, take my word for it." Now Arnold was an excellent handicapper, so I left and bet on six. I returned to my seat and looked over at Arnold still studying the race. He turned and said: "Gosh, how did I miss this look at that four horse, I'm betting big bucks on him." Arnold jumped up, left and bet on the four horse. Of course the four horse won and the six horse came in last. In many ways, Arnold was the most impatient man I ever knew. He would never wait for a red light. Whether in Buenos Aires, New York or Paris, Arnold would rush across the street weaving left and right dodging cars like any football star rushing downfield on a hundred yard run. Arnold and I didn't always agree. One time we had a serious argument. Finally Arnold got up, left my hotel room and slammed the door. I rushed to the door opened it up and called to Arnold; "Okay, we will do it your way." He turned, smiled and said: "See it always works!" 3) FIDEThis and the following section on the USCF (4) might offer more on chess politics than Newsletter readers want to see, but I would argue that the stakes for International and American chess are higher than they have ever been. Chess on the Internet is growing by leaps and bounds, more kids are playing than ever before and some serious groups (AF4C, HB Foundation) are getting involved, but the USCF and FIDE are both disfunctional organizations. Chessplayers need to educate themselves on the issues and remember to vote in the USCF EB elections this summer. Many have no doubt read about Garry Kasparov's recent decision to drop out of the Prague Agreement after much frustration of the organization of his match with Kazimzhanov. The following is a response to IM Tony Saidy by GM Yasser Seirawan who has done much to try to patch up the schism in the chess world. Dear Tony Thanks for forwarding. I had read Kasparov’s statement at the Chess Base website. Reading Golubev’s comments provided an interesting contrast. So, Kasparov is out of the picture. I guess a lot of folks at FIDE will be happy. Now they can get back to their committee meetings and help WADA with its lists of banned drugs that must be controlled. Kramnik can breathe easier. He won’t have to exhaust himself defending his title for another five years. And those who criticized Kasparov’s inclusion will be mighty pleased. Apathy, the greatest force in the universe, wins again! Personally, I think it a very sad day for chess when the greatest player ever, gives up playing for the highest honor. For well over two years, since December 2002, I saw this day coming. I saw how incompetent Omuku was. Later, when his corruption was revealed, he was forced to resign. I have seen how Makro and others behave at FIDE and I realized that organization is a colossal under-achiever. I have seen the brazen lies and dirty dealings of our FIDE representatives Doyle and Kelleher and knew that they would support the status quo. And for decades I’ve witnessed how the leaders of the USCF are more interested in advancing their personal agendas then they are in helping chess grow and blossom. What a collective embarrassment for the chess world. Unfortunately, chess has not reached its low mark. I’ve watched how the most talented players from around the world have given up chess to earn a living in the public and private sectors. New teen talents will always be found. When they in turn move on from chess, new teen talents will emerge. Chess is on a downward spiral and it will, sad to say, continue unless new leaders step forwards. I’ve tried to bring new people into chess and whether it is the USCF’s leaders or FIDE’s, the knee-jerk reaction has been to say to them, “Go away. We are doing fine without you!” Remarkable but true. While we are all poorer for where we stand today, the real losers are the players and fans. Yasser 4) USCFKalev Pehme was recently fired as editor of Chess Life by a 5-2 vote of the USCF Executive Board (Marinello, Hanke, Shutt, Shaughnessy and Bauer voted to fire Pehme, Schultz and Brady against). Glenn Peterson has been named acting editor. The USCF was in the process of conducting a search for a new editor but it now appears this may be delayed until after the Executive Board elections in August. Evaluating Chess Life editors is not easy to do. The magazine you read is one way to judge but doesn't factor in what sort of resources were made available to the editor. How many pages did the budget allow? What sort of staff support was there? What was the funding for contributors? The answers to all these questions need to be factored in. Readers may have different tastes but no one can fault Kalev Pehme on fulfilling two major obligations of every editor. Under his direction Chess Life came out in a timely fashion, more so than any other editor in recent memory. This fact was no doubt appreciated by the many organizers that place tournament announcements in Chess Life. Readers of the magazine probably enjoyed that stories were current and not recaps of events they had read about on the Internet 6 months ago. Mr. Pehme, while producing issues promptly, was also successful in avoiding the horrible. Little mistakes did creep in here and there but nothing close to disastrous. Judging his performance compared to past editors it would appear he fell from grace with the current EB for political rather than performance related issues. The direction of the USCF and in particular the question of how to attract sponsors is coming to the front as a major issue in this year's USCF Executive Board elections. The mail ballot election, in which all USCF members age 16 and over are eligible to vote, will be this summer. Ballots will appear in Chess Life. Don't forget to vote! Former USCF President John McCrary writes: The fundamental problems for USCF are these two: 1) Our old membership is aging and being insufficiently replaced; 2) There is a huge boom in chess interest in our culture, but USCF lacks the resources to tap into that boom. ( I just saw a new major TV commercial mentioning chess.) Unfortunately, some are now trying to argue that if the budget is balanced on existing revenues, that achievement, however, laudable, will be sufficient. I firmly feel, however, that unless our lagging membership trends are reversed, in a few years we will be balancing a much smaller budget for a shrunken organization. My suggested solution has been to develop working relationships with major sponsors. Only then can we correct our membership trends by creating a new system of positive feedback, with seven-figure fund-raising, to replace the current system of negative feedback with diminishing resources which lead to more diminishing resources, etc. Much of my effort as President ( at my own expense of thousands of dollars) was devoted to trying to create such relationships with major sponsors for the long-term future. Keep in mind that the US Championship fund of over $250,000 was raised by only a few sponsors, but it nearly equaled USCF's budget surplus that required the entire USCF membership to create! Yet, AF4C, when they tried to initiate talks for larger involvement with USCF, had the door slammed rudely in their faces last summer and fall, by officers who refused even to call them to talk or just to be courteous. I fear they may soon join the ranks of previous sponsors who have concluded that working with USCF's bizarre political/Internet culture is impossible. Yet, without sponsorship the USCF has no long-term hope. Just look at the demographics. regards, John McCrary US Womens Team Captain and Manager Paul Truong writes: I love chess with a passion. There are few I know that love this game more than I do. Since I was 5 years old, there was nothing I wanted to do more than play chess every single day. At the age of 14 when I came to America as a refugee from S. Vietnam, I was living on a food budget of less than $1 a day (because that was all I could afford). If it was not for some incredible people from NJ, Bill Goichberg and Jose Cuchi, etc., I would never be able to even enter any chess event. Even with limited opportunities, I managed to reach about 2400 FIDE back in the 80's. However, when I was 17-18 years old, I walked away from playing chess to pursue college then business. Then 3 years ago (after 15+ years in business) because of the near death experience of 9/11, I decided to sell my business holdings and devote my full time promoting the game I love. I never forgot what the wonderful people in NJ did for me. I never forgot that Bill and Jose lent me a hand and gave me a chance. Those are some of the reasons why I want to contribute to the game. That is why it pains me to see people attacking, smearing, demeaning, and destroying each other because of political motivation while we should all work together for the common good of chess. As I said before, if elected chess officials cannot put aside their political differences to do the right things for the USCF and US Chess then they should resign and step aside. Many people on the boards of the AF4C and KCF, etc., are wealthy and successful people. Some of their board members are among the richest people in America. They are only involved to help chess. They are not here to reap the financial benefits. I wish people would understand this simple fact and stop being so paranoid and close any opportunity that may help US Chess and the USCF. We cannot continue to "screw up" since the LMA, B&E, and many other things are gone. When will this nonsense end, after the USCF ends up in bankruptcy court?
Best Regards, USCF Members Certified as Candidates for 2005 Election to USCF Executive Board-in order as a result of the drawing
1. Robert Tanner This information was provided by Don Schultz, USCF Secretary after the drawing. 5) CalChessDear CalChess Coach, The president and board of CalChess invite you to attend a coaches meeting at Fort Mason, San Francisco, room C355 on Sunday January 30, 2005 from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the 2005 CalChess Scholastic State Championships which will take place at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason, San Francisco, on May 6, 7, and 8, 2005. I will email an agenda of the meeting nearer to the date. We expect the meeting to be collaborative as opposed to confrontational so there will be no votes taken on issues though if there is a strong sense in the room for a particular change we will certainly give it strong consideration. Larger chess programs are requested to have just one person as their spokesperson. In the days following this meeting the CalChess scholastic committee will draw up a rules and regulations statement which will be circulated by email for comment to all the participants. The final draft will be issued shortly after all comments on the first draft have been reviewed. Thank you all for your work with children. I hope you will come and help shape the future of CalChess State Scholastic Championships. We will build on our fine tradition and carry it forward. Sincerely, Elizabeth Shaughnessy, President, CalChess. 6) Frank CreaseyJanuary, 2005. To: All concerned. Re: The passing of Virginia chess promoter Frank Creasey. From: Russell Potter, National Master. On Tuesday, January 4th, at the age of 57, veteran chess player and promoter Frank Creasey died of complications from open-heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Frank was a native of Roanoke, Va. Frank was generous with his time in promoting the Royal Game. He variously served as President, Vice-President and Secretary of the Roanoke Valley Chess Club for over 15 years. He was a VCF Delegate to the USCF Open business meeting, and a Certified Tournament Director. Frank was the chief T.D. for many open tournaments. He was selected to direct the prestigious Virginia Masters-Experts Invitational tournament a record four times. The vast majority of these events were directed without pay, with Frank often digging down deep into his own pocket to help defray the costs of running a tournament. He had an OTB USCF rating in the 1850 – 1900 range and was an avid postal player. He will be remembered by all who knew him as a true chess lover and as a kind, friendly, easy-going fellow, and as someone who never forgot who his friends were in life. I certainly count myself lucky to say that he was one of the very best friends that I ever had in my life. He is sadly missed by all of us who knew him. He is survived by 3 sisters and his wife Sharon. Sincerely, Rusty Potter. 7) HB Global ChallengeDrawn by a record-breaking half-million dollar prize fund, the biggest cash award ever in Open chess history, international grandmasters from around the globe are moving quickly to register for the HB Global Chess Challenge, set to be held May 18-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Among the pack will be the latest chess sensation, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who has the chess world buzzing after his spectacular victory at the recent U.S. Chess Championship tournament in San Diego. Nakamura is the youngest player to hold the crown since Bobby Fischer back in the 1960s, and his slew of impressive results has many American chess fans hoping that they are witnessing the emergence of another world title contender. Besides playing in the tournament, Hikaru (pronounced HeKAHroo) will play an exhibition match against a yet-to-be-named top player, adding a special treat for both participants and spectators. "The big question is," says tournament organizer and International Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, "will anyone want to play him?" Joining Hikaru will be a number of former US Champions as well as other Grandmasters from around the world, including leading players from Russia, France, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. In addition to the professional players, some 4,000 to 5,000 amateurs are expected to descend on the tournament to cross swords for the 300 cash prizes being awarded to the winners. The tournament, with its guaranteed $500,000 prize fund, offers a number of lucrative prizes, including a first place award of $50,000 in the Open section. There will be 56 cash winners in the Open section, with most of the other sections giving away up to 50 cash prizes, including first place prizes of $20,000. The early and strong response to the HB Global Chess Challenge may stem from the knowledge that the event has been organized by Ashley, an experienced professional himself, who is looking to ensure that the needs and interests of players are given top priority. "I am thrilled that so many of my grandmaster colleagues have jumped at the opportunity to play in this major new event," said Ashley. "We are breaking new ground, with the richest prize fund ever in an open tournament, a paydown to 50 places in most sections, and built-in safeguards against early draws and sandbagging. We are trying to take chess into the 21st century." Brian Molohon, the executive director of the nonprofit HB Foundation, which is sponsoring the tournament, said: "We believed that Maurice Ashley, with his record of achievement and innovation, was the ideal person to serve as tournament organizer. His colleagues in the worldwide chess community know that he believes in improving conditions for tournament players and building the chess audience." The HB Foundation promotes the cognitive and academic benefits that children and youth gain from learning and playing chess. "Our mission is to show to the world that chess is a fantastic game for kids, adults and families," said Molohon. "We think that the HB Global Chess Challenge is a great way to show how majestic chess really is." The HB Global Chess Challenge, which has been endorsed by the U.S. Chess Federation and the Association of Chess Professionals, will feature multiple side events, including lectures, simultaneous exhibitions, autograph signings by leading GMs, live game analysis of the top boards, musical entertainment, silent and live auctions, and free giveaways. Those seeking more information or who have questions are urged to call the HB Foundation at 651-209-3067 or Generation Chess at 646-495-6092. Chess players ready to register for the HB Global Chess Challenge should go to the HB Foundation website, www.hbfoundation.org or call 1-800-964-2448 or 205-941-4448.
Generation Chess, LLC
Register Today for the HB Global Chess Challenge 8) Here and ThereDear John I am writing to you regarding a new web site that I think will be of great interest to your members in terms of improving their chess and raising some money for your club. The website is called www.improveyourchess.com and is dedicated to improving the play of all players up to 2000 grading or so. As you will see when you visit the site, players like Jennifer Shahade, our Associate Director (United States) and John Watson recommend us very highly. The site is not due to take off until February, but as you will see we are making special offers to early responders who indicate an interest in joining our Chess Gym. In return for any of your members joining the gym we will donate $5 to your club, an offer that will be open until February. A great deal of work has gone into the gym and we are confident thanks to the help from average club players and grandmasters alike that it will make a significant contribution to the world of chess. I do hope you can forward this message to your members and I thank you in anticipation. Yours in chess
Tony Kosten PS We will donate the $5 even if your members come in on a cut price subscription goto:www.improveyourchess.com to guarantee becoming a winner. The following marathon from the second group in Wijk aan Zee saw Stefanova twice saddled with the dreaded Irish pawn center (tripled pawns) as dubbed by the late Tony Miles.
Cheparinov - Stefanova The State of Nebraska has contributed many brilliant minds of national renown, but it now appears that this State has been holding out on us, for within its borders resides a chess genius of no mean ability as evidenced by his records, which speak for themselves. The winner of the Minor Chess Tournament, held at Pasadena, California during the latter part of August 1932, while the Major Tournament was in progress, was Mr. Howard E. Ohman, Assistant Pastor of the First Central Congregational Church of Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. Ohman won the Tournament, mentioned above, in which several State and Sectional Champions were entered, including Irving Spero, a former champion of Ohio, to whom Mr. Ohman lost his only game. The final score being 9 won, 1 lost, and 1 draw. The draw being with Professor Bateman. Some short time ago Mr. Arthur Dake of Portland, Oregon, and a chess expert of considerable reputation, paid Omaha a visit, and of course nothing was more natural than for Mr. Dake and Mr. Ohman should exchange complements in three informal sets of ten games in all. Mr. Dake managed to win 5 to 3, with 2 drawn games. Mr. Ohman had a clear win in the last game, but made an oversight that cost him a piece and the game; otherwise the final score would read, 4 to 4 with 2 draws. At any rate, the score actually made reflects great credit to winner and loser, alike. Still later, and to convince possible skeptics that no fluke existed, Mr. Ohman won the City Championship by the remarkable score of 26 wins, none lost, with 2 drawn. And believe it or not, this makes the seventeenth straight year that Mr. Ohman has won the Championship of Omaha!! As a fitting climax, he also defeated the winner of the Class B Tournament by the score of 4 wins, with none lost. Texas Chess Magazine 1933 9) Upcoming EventsUpcoming Tournaments at the MI
Henry Gross Memorial - February 5th |