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To be creative, to be adventurous, to exhibit flair, is no excuse for not studying hard. The truth is exactly the opposite. You have to work constantly at your game, at your openings and endings. A deep analysis is necessary. Chess is not a fixed or static body of knowledge. It's dynamic. Even the books I've written on chess and the annotations I've made on my own matches are not set in stone. I keep updating them. There must be a constant questioning of old ideas, even one's own. Garry Kasparov |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News 2) Yerminator turns Terminator at 2005 CalChess Labor Day Championships 3) Sevillano tops Southland 4) Jude Acers Missing 5) Peter Lapiken 1907-1983: : Requesting Information 6) Here and There 7) Upcoming Events |
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The first week of the season saw the MI go 2-2 with SM Dmitry Zilberstein saving the day. |
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Week One |
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Carolina Cobras GM Marcin Kaminski - 2473 FM Lev Milman - 2474 FM Matt Hoekstra - 2407 John Timmel - 2093 Avg Rating - 2361 Carolina Total -------2 |
Score 1-0 1-0 0-1 0-1 |
San Francisco Mechanics IM Vince McCambridge - 2502 IM Mladen Vucic - 2436 FM Dmitry Zilberstein - 2435 NM Nicolas Yap - 2209 Avg Rating - 2395 2 ----- San Francisco Total |
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Hoekstra-Zilberstein
John Donaldson (W) vs Alejandro Ramirez (B) |
2) Yerminator turns Terminator at 2005 CalChess Labor Day ChampionshipsMI GM-in-Residence Alex Yermolinsky showed who was boss as he dominated the 2005 CalChess Labor Day Championships held September 3-5 at the Holiday Inn on Van Ness. Yermo's score of 5.5 from 6, a point ahead of the field, earned him $700. Among his victims were IMs Ricardo DeGuzman and Walter Shipman, SM David Pruess and NMs Andy Lee and Michael Pearson. His only draw was with SM Dmitry Zilberstein who tied for second with DeGuzman at 4.5. NM Shivkumar Shivaji was alone in fourth at 4 while many strong players could be found at 3.5 including SM Pruess and IM Vladimir Mezentsev. This was the strongest open tournament held in Northern California the past few years with 1 GM, 4 IMs and two others over 2400 USCF. The total attendance of 185 players makes this the largest open tournament in Northern California in 2005. Crosstables for all sections can be found at http://www.calchess.org/controlpanel/files/CalChessLaborDay05.htm. Thanks to Richard Koepcke for organizing and directing this event and Michael Aigner for posting the information so quickly. 3) Sevillano tops SouthlandIM Enrico Sevillano of Tehachapi won the 27th Annual Southern California Open held September 3-5 at the Hilton at LAX in Los Angeles. The former member of the Philippines national team scored 5.5 from 6. He had wins over IMs Andranik Matikozian and Kong Deng and yielded a draw to LA Times chess columnist Jack Peters. Peters and WGM Regina Pokorna of the Czech Republic had a chance to tie with Sevillano, but drew each other in the last round. They were joined in a second place tie at 5-1 by Matikozian and Deng. John Hillery organized and directed the event for the Southern California Chess Association. Crosstables for all sections can be found at http://admin@westernchess.com/sco05/standings.html. 4) Jude Acers MissingThe website for ChessDryad (www.chessdryad.com) recently posted the following on a Bay Area player from the late 1960s and 1970s. JUDE ACERS Missing in New Orleans UPDATE: the Katrina Survivor-Connector List, http://wx.gulfcoastnews.com/katrina/status.aspx, is listing Jude's status as "Alive." JUDE ACERS WATCH: A week after the fury of Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the unabated horror of the human tragedy continues. Reuters.com wrote, "Emergency teams searched flooded homes and streets for bodies as authorities said Louisiana's official death toll of 59 could rise into the thousands. City officials said rescuers in boats and helicopters were still pulling hundreds of people from rooftops, homes and buildings and police said they were getting 1,000 or more emergency calls for help each day, many from people still trapped in their homes and attics by floodwaters." Chess Master Jude Acers, who for decades has sat in front of the old Gazebo restaurant at the French Market playing all comers for $5 a game, appears to be among the missing. If anyone hears from him, please let Max Burkett (mburkett@montana.com) know. Jude came to California around 1967 and stayed 'till around 1974. Besides writing one of the most interesting chess columns ever (Berkeley Barbs and "On the Road"), he performed dozens of simultaneous exhibitions and lectures at chess clubs and prisons. As soon as he arrived at the playing venue, the whole atmosphere was energized. The one-two punch of supercharged lecture and fast paced simul generally left the participants and spectators gasping in delight. Except for Kolty and Bobby, California had never seen such a chess personality or showman. GM Larry Evans writes: Chess Life (September 2005 page 42) has an item submitted by Jude LOST MIRACLE where he describes how he is still kicking himself for missing a miracle draw against A. Sheriff on January 24 at the Gazebo in New Orleans. Jude's friend Michael Ciamarra asks anyone with information on Jude to call him at (205) 914-3248. NM Jim Jim Hollingsworth of Ft Worth writes; "I'm wondering if looters got Paul Morphy's chess set. It is stored on the second floor of a City Government building located next to the Police Station in the French Quarter. I had to wear white gloves and was guarded when they let me examine it. The face of one of the knights is missing and a ball at the top of one of the bishops is missing. The board is history ... no one knows where it is." 5) Peter Lapiken 1907-1983: Requesting InformationDear Mr. Donaldson: First I wanted to say I enjoyed listening to the interview you had with Fred Wilson some months back. I found it very interesting, and it told me a lot about the Mechanics Chess Club. It sounds like a truly first rate operation. This brings me to the main point of my email. I am doing some research on Peter P. Lapiken, who was a member of the Mechanics Chess Club for many years. Dr. Lapiken, now dead almost 20 years, was an important player in the Montana chess community for many years, often he was the state champion. As I understand his life, he never married. During the school year he was a professor of Russian and the University of Montana and he spent his summers and retirement in San Francisco. I'm hoping you might help me locate someone at your club who may have known Dr. Lapiken. There are two interesting stories I would like to verify/ get more details on: 1. During WW2, Lapiken lived in Paris an shared an apartment with another chess playing Russian émigré -- A. Alekhine. 2. Dr. Lapiken had an notebook of ~100 games he played against Alekhine. (Lapiken did not win even one.) I don't know if you ever knew Dr. Lapiken or not, but he was at one time ~ master strength. In one US Open, he had draws against Reshevsky and Rossilimo -- he even missed a mate in two against Reshevsky. Any help you can give me with this would be greatly appreciated. It also happens than I am going to be in the SF area next weekend am I'm hoping to visit your club -- probably on Sunday, Sept 11. If it happened that I contact someone who knew Dr. Lapiken, that would be great. But I look forward to visiting you club regardless. Thank you for your help. Tom Kalaris tkalaris@msn.com NM Lapiken was born in Riga in 1907. He came to the United States in the 1939. Lapiken served in the United States military during the Second World War and later worked as a language instructor for the US Armed Force. He received a PHD from Cal in Philosophy in the early 1950s and took a position at the University of Montana in the mid 1950s, a job he held until his retirement. He passed away in San Francisco in 1983 at the age of 76. Can any of our readers help Mr. Kalaris? 6) Here and ThereGrandmasters Hikaru Nakamura, Alex Onischuk, Gregory Kaidanov, Alexander Goldin, Ildar Ibragimov and Igor Novikov will represent the United States in the World Team Championship to held November 1-10 in Israel. The format is a ten team round robin on four boards. This event marks the international team tournament debut of US Champion Hikaru Nakamura. Despite the absence of Gata Kamsky, who declined his invitation, the US will be sending of the strongest teams it has ever fielded. Boston IM William Paschall is leaging the September First Saturday tournament in Budapest with a score of 2.5 from 3. IM Sam Collins, who taught at the Berkeley Chess School earlier this summer, has one point. Several new chess clubs are opening in the West. Go to www.valleychess.org for informatiojn about NM Joel Johnson's chess club in Phoenix. Chad Gauvin's Schoolhouse Chess Center (304 Rigel Avenue - (702) 877-6231 opens its dors on October 7 with a big blitz tournament in Las Vegas. When you are up North don't miss a visit to the Arcata Chess Club where James Baumann keeps things running and NM Bob Burger has been known to pay a visit. Arcata Chess Club Casual, Tournament and Blitz chess. Something for everyone! All ages and levels are welcome to attend. For more information call James Bauman, Coordinator, at (707) 825-9055. Location: Arcata Community Center Ages: Adult Dates : Ongoing Days: Tuesdays Times: 6:30-10pm 7) Upcoming Events
Howard Donnelly - September 17 California and Nevada
2005 Reno Western States Open Chess Tournament
$52,400 PRIZE FUND!!! for this Six Round Swiss in Seven Sections (based on 500 paid players, $33,550 Guaranteed). At least 15 places paid in every section! Large prize fund made possible by the generosity of the Sands Regency Casino Hotel.
RUB ELBOWS WITH THE MASTERS: Reception with Former World Champion GM Boris Spassky on Wednesday night. FREE lecture by GM Larry Evans on Thursday evening. $100 simul with GM Boris Spassky on Thursday night. Book signing session with GM Boris Spassky on Friday morning. Clinic by GM Boris Spassky on Saturday afternoon. Favorite game analysis with GM Boris Spassky on Sunday afternoon
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