Fihankra Chess Collective
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
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Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Peace and good health to you all! This has been a great chess summer, with strong turnouts for events at the Chess Place in Marietta, the fantastic Emory Castle Chess Camp--the kids were enthusiastic, the participation was strong, the presence of the GMs and IMs were instructive. For those who are participating in the TeamChess.org Online Chess League for tournaments 26 and 27 (T27 will be 6 rounds, 7 if there is a match-game tie after the standard 6) and the website http://dhost.info/allgoodpeople is up--I encourage you to visit it and meet our team.
We have a July Open at the Chess Place; if you want a solid tournament experience, come out to 2501 East Piedmont Rd., Marietta, Georgia, next to the Kroger complex on Sandy Plains Road, and show your skills.
More to come.
Visit:
KidChess website
dhost.info/allgoodpeople--team blog
teamchess.org--new events online
SchemingMind.com--interesting variants, correspondence chess league.
Monday, September 06, 2004
For the Collective: A Chess Journal by Michael J. Farris on August 26, 2004
Peace and good health to you. We are marking time as we grow, and one is capable of wasting the time or spending it wisely. It is exciting for me to see you who use time as a tool aligning yourselves here with us at the Chess Collective.
I have been spending my talents as designer, documenter, organizer. I want the best for our collective, and I feel confident that you also want to see and experience good things.
Time is short, some say. I say that time is endless, and we must make our view of it, which is short, mean something to us while we are here in this domain to influence it directly.
Let’s do that Now!
I am currently running tournaments at www.schemingmind.com, and also at www.brainking.com, in Alice Chess, Standard Chess, Gothic Chess, and Janus Chess. Two of these styles of game require an 8x8 board, and two require an 8x10 board. The masses of folks have access to the 8x8, and so I encourage you to look at the games at either site.
A bold few are forging into the ancient world of Shatranj, and we are beginning to see the subtlety and the difficulty of this game. To read about the powers of the pieces in the Parent Game of the one we refer to as chess now, goto www.chessvariants.com and read about the Alfil, and the Ferz.
(picture courtesy of www.chez.com/cazaux/images/shatranj/shatranj-picture.jpg)
One of the games of the standard fare is between two Czech Republic players Bobes and Alex II, which begun on April 27, 2004. The competition (http://brainking.com/game/ShowGame?g=337674) is tight between these two, who began their battle like this:
Bobes versus Alex II 27. April 2004, 11:44:07
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6 3. Bf1-b5 a7-a6 4. Bb5-a4 Ng8-f6 5. O-O Nf6xe4 6. d2-d4 e5xd4 7. Rf1-e1 d7-d5 8. Nf3xd4 Bf8-d6 9. Nd4xc6 Bd6xh2+ 10. Kg1-h1 Qd8-h4 11. Re1xe4+ d5xe4 12. Qd1-d8+ Qh4xd8 13. Nc6xd8+ Ke8xd8 14. Kh1xh2 Bc8-e6 15. c2-c3 f7-f5
With white to move, we have:
r2k3r/1pp3pp/p3b3/5p2/B3p3/2P5/PP3PPK/RNB5 w - f6 0 16
…which is bloody, and sharper than they may get in OTB play. The important thing to remember in CC games is that an advantage, or a deficit, must be dealt with for days instead of minutes, so each player understands that sharpness is key, that decisions will be faced for weeks. Think: who wants to be an underdog in One Game for weeks?
The game is still going on, and they are at move 33. Tune in and see what happens.
For those who are interested, the game is the Ruy Lopez Open [C80] and a link to several games similar to it are both located at http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?eco=C80&node=2042817
And also at www.chesslive.de for you database fans.
What would you do with this, sports fans?
Try and see how you fare.
For a bit of spice, set it up, try an AUCTION, and see how you would bid—which side would you take, how many moves would you give up to take the side of your choice? Then PLAY. Handicap yourself against a weaker opponent; ask a strong, flexible-minded player to take a handicap against you.
See what’s inside this position.
Many players who have spent decades playing OTB tournaments, studying theory, battling for position, have moved to a new avenue of the game, to which the international crowd is being drawn: Chess 960, or FischerRandom Chess, wherein the backfile positions are scrambled, while retaining castling rights for each player. Read up online at www.dwheeler.com/essays/Fischer_Random_Chess.html and then check out information on the World-Class Tournament held in Mainz, Germany, which included GMs Peter Svidler of Russia and Levon Aronian of Germany. They are both world-class players in the Standard Game and this powerful variant, which allows for a leveling of the playing field, as there is no opening book. Real players think from the beginning of the game, and must rely on their own talent. Here is one of their games. After the first 8 moves, what do you think You would do? Find a good chessfriend, set up with the FEN notation as these strong competitors did, and try your hand at this new position.
NOTE: Think of the castling privilege as “A-side castling” and “h-side castling”, and avoid hassle in your head—castling looks the same in the end in Chess 960, and the rules allow for pieces being in unfamiliar places, as long as the rules of [1.king + rook being unmoved from the start of the game, 2.king not being in check or castling through check, and 3. king not ending up in check] are maintained.
[Event "CCM4 - Gerling Match Chess960 WCh"]
[Site "Mainz"]
[Date "2004/8/5"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Svidler"]
[Black "Aronian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[FEN "nbrkrnbq/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NBRKRNBQ"]
[Board "2"]
[Input "DGT1805"]
[Owner "schach.com"]
1. g3 c6 2. O-O-O h5 3. f4 h4 4. Qf3 Nb6 5. e4 O-O-O 6. d4 hxg3
7. hxg3 d5 8.e5 e6 9. Nb3 Bh7 10. Nfd2 Nfd7 11. Be3 Qg8 12. Rh1 Nc4 13. Rh2 Ndb6 14. Nc5 Bg6 15. c3 Bxb1 16. Kxb1 f6 17. Nxc4 Nxc4 18. Bc1 Bc7 19. Rdh1 Kb8 20. b3 Nb6 21.Rh8 Qf7 22. Rxe8 Rxe8 23. Qh5 Qxh5 24. Rxh5 fxe5 25. dxe5 Kc8 26. Rg5 Nd7 27.Nxd7 Kxd7 28. Rxg7+ Re7 29. Rg6 Rh7 30. Kc2 c5 31. g4 Rh2+ 32. Bd2 d4 33. b4 dxc3 34. Kxc3 cxb4+ 35. Kd3 Ba5 36. f5 b3 37. fxe6+ Kc6 38. e7+ Kd7 39. e6+
…Kxe7 40. Bg5+ Kd6 41. e7+ 1-0
Keeps your mind fresh.
Start from here. The FEN, Forsyth Edwards Notation, lists the Black pieces, on top, in lower case, and the White pieces, bottom, in upper case.
Numbers indicate the sequence of empty spaces in a line. In every line, separated by a forward slash, there can be only 8 characters, spaces, or combinations of those.
More to come.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Contents:
1. On developing chess events online
2. Recent success of local expert Negash Bezaleel
3. Upcoming events in Georgia, U.S.A.
4. Upcoming events on the Internet
5. Your Chess Literature—know your history.
1) Peace and good health to you, chessfans. I have been quite busy with the chess fellowship at www.brainking.com. The participants are very passionate about their games, and many of them have high USCF and FIDE ratings in the game. Both the standard games and also the chess variants are strongly contested, and the results are exciting. The site is turn-based, but many people choose to play “live”, agreeing on meeting times and taking minutes-per-move instead of days. The games are easily adjourned, and the conversation can be more involved. Tournaments are heavily discussed, and the Chess Ladder, as well as the Gothic Chess Ladder, are quite active. In particular the Gothic Chess Ladder has an Archive of completed games and I have designed a “Skittles Room” whereby players may look into the positions of other players on the Ladder. The analysis of the games is also building up well. Much of the site is free; the Fellowships are “members only”. It is highly valuable to me as a tournament director and organizer to participate at this level. In the Variants tournament, prizes are offered; in one instance, a six-month membership is offered to the winner of the tourney of new members, “Pawns”, for their participation in the games. One chessfriend from the Transcendent Chess website followed me to brainking.com and said he enjoyed immensely the possibilities in the game. Another player, who is a local chessplayer, enjoyed the game so much he designed a chessboard coffeetable with an 8x10 design so that we could play over-the-board live, and we spent an afternoon enjoying the space of the board, and the interesting play that arose after that game. In whatever manner you enjoy your chess, know that there is a niche for you, and it is my hope that it brings you great joy.
2) Local expert Negash Daquan Bezaleel (Georgia Rating 2259/05 as of Feb 1 2004,# 9 in the state according to performance, USCF rating 2104, not updated since February 2004), did well at the Georgia State Championships in May 2003, placing second. He is a wellspring of talent, and we wish him much success. We look forward to his review of his favorite games in the next issue.
3) Upcoming events in Georgia:
Martha Fierro Simultaneous Exhibition (Peachtree City)
· Date : 5 June 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
We are organizing a Simultaneous exhibition with Woman Grandmaster Martha Fierro at the Peachtree City Books-a-Million.
Martha Fierro is ranked #8 on the USCF women's list. She is a multiple time Ecuador National Woman's Champion and a former Silver medallist at the Chess Olympiad playing top board for Ecuador. She has 2 IM norms.
Entry Fee is $20. First 30 paid entries will get a chance to play Martha. Make checks payable to Shanker Raman.
Call Shanker Raman at 770-632-0136 or email peachtreecitychessclub@yahoo.com
Mail checks to 1000 Stevens Entry # E113 Peachtree City GA-30269
Directions from Downtown Atlanta Take I-85 South (40 minutes drive south of the airport) Exit 61 , Turn left on Highway 74 South towards Peachtree City. Turn into The Avenue Shopping Center at the intersection of Highway 54 and Highway 74.
Atlanta JUNE G/45 Championship (ACC - Decatur)
· Date : 6 June 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
4-SS, G/45. In 2 sections: Open: EF: $22. $500 b/34. $150-90-60; U1900, U1700, U1500, U1300 each $50. U1100: EF: $13. Trophies to top 7 (not part of based on). Reg.: ends 10:30 a.m. Rounds: 11-1-3-5. Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. NS. NC.
4th Annual Emory Castle Grand Prix (Emory University--Atlanta)
· Date : 11 June 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
The Event: 5-round SS, Game/2 hours, 80 Grand Prix points. This first-class tournament is the finale for the week-long Castle Chess Camp at Emory. Many of the instructors at the camp will be playing, in the past including GMs Arthur Bisguier, Yury Shulman, Julio Becerra, Boris Kreiman, WGM Martha Fierro, IMs Stephen Muhammad, Carlos Perdomo, Pascal Charbaneau and Irina Krush. (NOTE: ALL CASTLE CAMP PARTICIPANTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED FOR THIS EVENT. NO NEED TO RE-REGISTER.)
Rounds: 3-day schedule: Friday--8:00; Saturday-1:30, 6:30; Sunday-9:00, 1:30
2-day schedule: Saturday-10:00 (G/90), then merges with 3-day schedule
Byes (maximum 2) available in any round-must commit before the first round.
For complete info go to Emory Chess website referenced below.
· More info : www.emorychess.org
Kid Chess Summer Camp (Alpharetta)
· Date : 21 June 2004
· Category : Scholastic Tournaments
· Event description
2004 Kid Chess Summer Camps!
June 21st-25th, at Holy Redeemer, Alpharetta
July 12th-16th, Tritt Elementary, E. Cobb/Roswell
(E.Cobb Morning only session sold out)
July 26th-30th, Nicholson Elementary, N.E. Cobb
Kid Chess Summer Camps represent our best and most popular programs. Camps features a variety of activities which include:
Regular Chess Tournament,
Blindfolded Chess Tournament,
Bughouse Chess Tournament,
Speed Chess Tournament,
Obstacle courses,
Several chances to play top instructors,
lots of play, lots of instruction, and lots of fun! Each camper will receive at least one trophy with the opportunity to win more. Each camper will also receive a t-shirt, and scorepad. A minimum of 5 instructors will be present at all times (usually more) including experienced chess instructors Justin Morrison, Alexis Fairweather, Irah Chandler, Lee Miller, Charles Curry, Fred Judson, Bill Noyes, Gale Elfer, Jared Radin, Phyllis Abbott, and others.
Fees:
Full day (9 am-5 pm), with lunch: $259
Full day (9 am-5 pm), without lunch: $240
Morning Session (9 am-1pm) **, with lunch: $159
Morning Session (9 am-1pm), without lunch: $140
Afternoon Session (1 pm-5 pm):* $140
* -Lunch is not served during the afternoon session
** - Morning Session E.Cobb/Roswell is sold out.
Summer Camp space is reserved on a first come first served basis. If you have any questions, or wish to register, please call Gale Elfer at 404-875-7137 or email gale@kidchess.com. For more information please visit us at www.kidchess.com.
· More info : www.kidchess.com
June Columbus Open (Columbus)
· Date : 26 June 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
Columbus Open
4 SS - 2 Sections
Individual USCF Rated and Scholastic USCF Rated
Guaranteed Prizefund: $215- In two sections:
Open Section: 1st $80 2nd $50 3rd $35
TopUnder 1600: 1st $30 2nd $20
Scholastic USCF Rated: Trophies to top 3 players
EF: $15 adult / $7 for scholastic section
Free 1/2 point Bye any round, must request in advance of previous round
USCF membership required
Time Control: G/60 minutes
Registration: 9:30 til 10:30 am Eastern Time
Rounds: 11:00, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30
CV Chess and Games
5870 Veterans Parkway M2
Columbus, Georgia 31909
Questions: LamarCausey@ (706) 507-3461
E-mail: Lam33@aol.com or 24 hr. voice mail @ (706) 566-9207
· More info : cvchess.org
4) Upcoming events on the Internet
at Brainking.com—
1.BK World Chess Championship, Candidates Open, contains several FIDE experts and Master-class players from all over the world, June 30, 2004, last day to sign up.
2. Final games of the Pawn’s Gothic Chess Open, begun on April 26th, 2004. See who wins the prize.
5. Dortmund Sparkassen Chess-Meeting 2004
The Dortmund Sparkassen Chess-Meeting 2004 takes place in the Dortmund Theatre from 22nd July - 1st August 2004. This year the event is a mini all-play-all followed by a knockout.
Group 1 1 Viswanathan Anand (India) 2 Peter Svidler (Russia) 3 Sergei Rublevsky (Russia) 4 Arkadij Naiditsch (Germany)
Group 2 1 Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 2 Peter Leko (Hungary) 3 Viorel Bologan (Moldavia) 4 Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine)
Pairings now available.
Official site: http://www.chessgate.de
5. Know your Chess History
For those whose interests lie in the deep reservoir of chess history, you can give thanks to Daaim Shabazz, Ph.D., editor of the Chess Drum (www.chessdrum.net) on the chess problemist, correspondence player and Master Emeritus Theophilus Thompson from Frederick, Maryland. He is the first person mentioned in the wonderful book Correspondence Chess in America by Bryce D. Avery, McFarland and Company, Publishers. Thompson is considered the first Black chess player of note in America in the modern era, with several published articles on the game and problems composed around his most active times around the 1870s. His book of endgame positions in 1873 titled Chess Problems: Either to Play or Mate “was highly regarded among his chess-peers.” Learn more about this chess ambassador either from Avery’s book or from the Chess Drum website. Thompson is important to me for his promotion of the game at such an early time in America’s history and also the respect he commanded from his peers—for me that is something to aim for, whether in chess publishing or in my play. I want as many people as possible to take something from the game, which has given so much to me; also I want to give something in return to this game which has helped me to discipline my mind, to meet interesting people and exchange ideas with humans from all over the world. I even learned a morsel of Japanese, which I shared with a customer of mine from Japan, who said she admired my pronunciation, and thanked me for my kind words in her native tongue. If you can get that kind of human interaction from your hobbies, I encourage you to do so. From chess I certainly get that depth of human interplay. So go and do well, and PLAY THE GAME!
Friday, April 23, 2004
Contents:
(1) Gothic Chess Fellowship--Extending Chess Culture
(2) Chess Ladder Management
(3)Local Chess Events
(4)Book of the Day: The Chess Analyst by Us CC Champion Jon Edwards
***
(1)
Work with the Gothic Chess fellowships on www.brainking.com has been a great challenge. Currently many of the members are getting ready for the World Open which will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July, so some of the games are coming to an end. Below is an example of the evaluations as Fellowship leader and commentator that I have had to do. People are very competitive in this Correspondence Chess site both in Gothic Chess and also in Standard Chess. The sense of community is strong here, and the players find their level. “Water Wisdom” follows, each participating in her or his own way, some discussing theory, some relating anecdotes about their exposure to the standard game and how it has been affected by playing this particular variant, improvements to board vision, enhancements to their repertoire, how it has changed their perception of what is possible. For me, the leadership role has improved my understanding of how tournaments are run and maintained, and the involvement necessary in keeping the group moving forward in a positive way, as mediator, and also in the sense of keeping people interested in their own events, and the results of their fellow players. In a “time economy”, conciseness is important, and so is sparking interest quickly and effectively.
(2)
Below is my Ladder results as of April 11, 2004:
“I will try to resurface the ladder updates 2x/month when games are closing,once a month otherwise, so active players know who can be challenged. Thanks to all for keeping a good rhythm in checking on their games. Correspondence chess is not necessarily a ponderous weight to carry.
”I have enjoyed all of your participation in the games. Good job and thank you.
Fencer has successfully defended his position (#7) against Nasmichael and also HerculesBeast.
MatthewHall has challenged and beaten Spocko for position #13. Spocko sits at #15.
Clean4Today has successfully defended his position (#9) against bwildman.
MadMonkey challenged Felix, who declined, and is in the midst of one challenge (move 31) and one defense (move 7).
The challenge for position 6 [Greenknight challenged Tangram] is at move 26. Look into it.
As Slate* and Strydor have issued no challenges, and have not been asked, they are in a "conditional state"; I invite someone to challenge them. I would like to see a battle, so as to place them properly. New members are open to challenges, above or below, so go ahead...make their day! :D
Remember, top 5: After these 1st games are over, there should be a game between positions 1+2, 3+4, 5+6, if memory serves.
1.GothicInventor
2.Oliottavio *D
3.ChessCarpenter *C
4.Caissus *D
5.VikingX *C
******************************
6.Tangram *C
7.Fencer +2
8.Greenknight *C
8a.HerculesBeast -1
9.Clean4tToday +1
10.Nasmichael -1 (D)
11.BWildman -1 (C)(D)
12.MadMonkey +1 (C) (D)
13.MatthewHall +1
14.Lythande (D) (C)
15.Spocko -1
16.MidnightMcMedic (C)
17.Trepil (D)
18.Taikoki (C)
For the new players: Anyone can challenge you if you do not offer a challenge, and by beating you, put you in at the bottom of the ladder, so challenge someone, else you be challenged. (:D)
*new.Slate* (wants to offer challenge--can challenge anyone up to position 8 for 1st game)
*new.Strydor (ditto)
*new.DrRobinson
*new.Nstre
*new.DrGrdnr
*new.Felix
*new.Bumble
It would be good for all players here to invite our new folks to a game, "Sadie Hawkins" style.
Speak up, if you're interested.
“Also, here is a look at our Skittles Room today (Apr 11th)
DrRobinson v Spocko 317783--at move 7. Began on Apr 1.
HerculesBeast v Fencer 318003--0-1, Fencer wins the point.
Taikoki v trepil 296457--at 17th move, began on Mar 8.
MadMonkey v bwildman 293699--at 31st move. Began Mar 4.Black has punctured white's lines, but the knight attack on the perimeter is trying to keep the forces out and shore up the line. This looks like a battle, folks.
Lythande v MadMonkey295687--at move 7. Began Mar 7.
MidnightOMedic v Lythande290696--Began Mar 1, at move 16.
VikingX v Caissus293770--Began Mar 5, at move 19.
ChessCarpenter v Oliottavio290649--Began Mar 1, at move 23. Black is in check. Another knight assault pushes the black king out of his chambers.
Greenknight v tangram290317.--Began Mar 1, at move 26 now. Almost material equality, white to move.
bwildman v nasmichael 305779--off to a bad start for the defender.
Check us out.”
--from The Gothic Chess Ladder: Enter the Vortex
(3)Also, local events in Georgia are fast approaching.
APRIL 23-25 or 24-25: 35TH SOUTHERN CONGRESS (ACC - Decatur)
· Date : 23 April 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
5-SS, 30/90, SD/1 (2-day schedule Rd. 1 G/90). $$5,450 b/105 maximum, 50% GTD! In 5 sections. Open/Unr.: $600-400-300-200; u2200- $300-250-200. Under 2000: $300-250-200. Under 1800: $300-250-200. Under 1600: $300-250-200. Under 1400: $300-250-200, under 1200- $200. EF: $67 if received by 4/21; $73 at site. Re-entry: $35 (except open).
Bye: all, rounds 4 or 5 must commit before round 2. 3-day schedule: Reg.: ends 4/23 7:15 p.m. Rounds: 7:45, 2-7:30, 10-3:30. 2-day schedule: Reg.: ends 4/24 at 9:30 a.m. Round 1 at 10 a.m., then merges with 3-day. Hotel/Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. NS. NC. W. Grand Prix Points: 15.
AND
Atlanta May G/45 Championship (ACC -- Decatur)
· Date : 8 May 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
MAY 8: ATLANTA MAY G/45 CHAMPIONSHIP.
4-SS, G/45. In 2 sections: Open: EF: $22. $500 b/34. $150-90-60; U1900, U1700, U1500, U1300 each $50. U1100: EF: $13. Trophies to top 7 (not part of based on). Reg.: ends 10:30 a.m. Rounds: 11-1-3-5. Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. NS. NC.
AND
ATLANTA MAY SCHOLASTIC (ACC - Decatur)
· Date : 9 May 2004
· Category : Scholastic Tournaments
· Event description
4-SS, G/30. In 4 sections: High School: open to 9-12. Middle School: open to K-8. Elementary: open to K-6. Primary: open to K-3. All, EF: $13. Trophies to top 4 each section (based on 10 each section, more per entries). Reg: 12-1 p.m. Rounds: 1st at 1:30, rest as soon as possible. Awards ceremony right after last round. Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. NS. NC.
So get ready!
Goto www.georgiachess.org for more details. They also provide a link to copies of the older magazines from the award-winning magazine Georgia Chess—a yearly membership gives you six issues a year, and for the price of 3 magazines; the others are icing on the cake. Excellent magazine. Look at this one from May-June 2002. (http://www.kidchess.net/gca/mayjune02.pdf)
Also, for a nice experience check out:
2004 GEORGIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP (Georgia Tech - Atlanta)
· Date : 14 May 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
The Georgia Open State Championship. May 14-16, 2004. 5-SS, G/150, (2-day schedule, rnd 1 G/90). Georgia Tech Student Center, 350 Ferst Drive, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0458.
$10,250 b/150 full pd 60%G. 4 Sections. Championship (over 1999): $1000-650-400-300, 2200-2299: 350, U2200: 600-400-250. A-B: 600-400-250, U1800: 500-300-200. C-D, Unr.: 600-400-250, U1400: 500-300-200, Unr: 200-100. Unrated may win unrated prize only. U1200: 600-400-250. U1000: 250. Trophy to top GA resident each section. EF: $40 to unrated. All others: $68 2-day schedule, $69 3-day schedule if money received by 5/12. $85 later or at site. Re-entry: $40, not available in Championship Section. Rated players may add $10 to play one section up, and are eligible for full prizes. Make checks payable to GCA. GCA membership required for Georgia residents. 3-day schedule: Reg. 6-7 p.m. on 5/14. Rounds 7:30, 2-7:30, 10-4. 2-day schedule: Reg. 8:30-9:30 a.m. on 5/15. Round 1 at 10am, then merges with 3-day. GCA annual membership meeting at 3 p.m. on 5/16. 1/2 point bye available any round, limit 2. Must commit when entering, no changes. Ent: GCA, PO Box 1611, Decatur, GA 30031-1611. Info: Scott Parker, 770-939-5030, treasurer@GeorgiaChess.org.
Book of the day:
The Chess Analyst by US Correspondence Champion Jon Edwards. Available at http://queensac.com/ and it is great so far. Edwards makes the avenue into deeper chess an easy one, in the sense that “easy” is something that can be accomplished with the tools available. The writing is engaging, and he does a great job of writing in a language players understand, as well as non-players. Chess, by practice, makes a person “bilingual”, having to speak the language of the board as well as a more widespoken local tongue. Many players fall far short of the mark in exposing others to the game by not taking into account that the new adventurer will have little idea of the language, and the chain of communication breaks. Edwards, from his teaching experience with kids understands that it does not matter whether or not the person who desires to learn this game has been exposed to it before—a real teacher meets the person where she or he is and conducts them to the agreed-upon goal. That is the meaning of “Education”—‘to lead out of’ one state into another state. The root of both words, conduct and educate, is “To Lead”. Fancy language about opening theory and board position is useless if it hides from the learner how to get there. During my time as a chess player, I have discovered how intellectually stingy many chess players can be. The goal for me is engagement and advertisement—the role of chess enthusiast requires that I make the game and its culture accessible to the masses, and let them decide. The oligarchy of narrow-minded chessdom is broken by the writing of this insightful and book, and to my novice eyes, the lessons are quite valuable. I am intrigued by the sharper play of the correspondence player, and also his desire to add to the experience by sharing parts of his life as well as his skill. It makes for a more complete and uplifting experience. This is one of the bridges I will conduct my students upon as I expose more people to the game of chess. Chess culture is as important as opening play—perhaps more players will learn proper chess etiquette by having to play over-the-board, and then supplement the experience by having a chess pen-pal. Edwards and I corresponded briefly, and his attitude is as warm and engaging off the chess topic as it is on-topic. Check out the book; reading it and playing through his games will change the way you play your own games.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Chess for lunch? Pine Ridge Elementary does. Two dozen 4th-graders meet each Tuesday under the guidance of educator Mike Lareau to learn math and social skills. This 40-minute Chess and Cribbage Club merits the attention of the principal Dave Ellis, who himself plays with the children, is experiencing the benefits of this time well spent. Please read the full article by Melissa Slager of the Grand Rapids Press at Mlive.com from 25 March 2004 and find out more about this great idea.
Correspondence games are a good way to discuss what is coming next on the board with your child. Here is one way I introduce this format with novice-intermediate players. The first few moves begin with a “what do you want to do first”—coaching is prohibited in the correspondence games, just as in over-the-board, but teaching the kids to ask good questions is necessary—so we tell the opponent that this is an exhibition game, that the first few moves the question are being asked of the player on our side “what do you want to achieve in the first 7 moves?”, and after that it will be a solo journey—so the opponent knows everything we know, and it is for fun and for education. Then as the moves come, we can do one of two things: go 5+ moves back, and play it OTB from an earlier point (the child can choose black or white), to see what is possible—which helps the youth see the availability of choices, how plans develop, and what different viewpoints do to the vision of the player—or let the child explain to me what she/he wants to do, and I listen without commenting on the choice, but rather restating to them what is said. In the same fashion that psychologists--during consultations with clients--will focus and direct the client’s statements without judging him or her, so do I let the child speak, let that child know I hear and understand, and let him, let her, make the choice. I can make notes on the conversation, to discuss with the player later. I would like in the future to record some of these “action sessions” so parents can hear how it is done. In this way kids can have an experience where an adult listens to the decision-making process, and an adult can observe how that child makes decisions, and later have a record of that time, to use for future events.
And as far as chess goes, the child plays fast and live, and also slowly with that other player, who is aware that it is a learning experience, and perhaps also is doing the same thing.
=======================
Variants:
I am a growing fan of chess variants. Transcendent Chess is a game that can be exposed to older children once they have grown comfortable with the setup of the regular game, just to “cleanse the palate” and give them a new perspective. The difference in the variant is that the backfiles differ both from the regular setup and from each other. A simple version of this is to offer out the question: what if we play with the Indian style of setup, with the king facing the opposing queen (which is how it was done until the mid 1800s in India), and bid to see who goes first? A short explanation: bidding is done by one person offering to play the color of his choice; the opponent can accept, and play begins, or a counterbid can be placed by that person opting to play the color of her choice and giving her opponent one extra opening move.
Use the game as a warm-up for your older students, if you like, and break the routine of learning, so real learning can be done. It will change the way your players, adult or otherwise, approach the board. Asking different questions gets different answers, yes?
========================
For Fihankra Chess Collective on March 27 2004.
Points:
Support local chess events.
Chattahoocheee Chess Club—CVChess.org
Upcoming events:
Third Thursday
Columbus Scholastic Open
April 15 2004
3 SS - 2 Sections: Grades K-12 Scholastic USCF Rated and Grades K-12 Unrated
Prize Fund: In two sections:
Non-Rated: Trophies to top 3
Scholastic Rated: Trophies to top 3
Entry Fee: $7
Free 1/2 point bye any round, must request in advance of previous round.
USCF membership required except in nonrated section.
Third Thursday of every month unless otherwise noted.
Time Control: G/15 minutes
Registration: 5:00 until 5:45 pm Eastern Time
Rounds: 6:00, 6:45, 7:30
CV Chess & Games
5870 Veterans Parkway
Columbus, GA 31909
Questions: Lamar Causey @ (334)291-1220 after 6:00 PM
E-Mail: lam33@aol.com
24 hr. voice mail @ (706)566-9207
www.georgiachess.org
Atlanta April Nonrated Beginners' Open
· Date : 3 April 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
APRIL 3: ATLANTA APRIL NONRATED BEGINNER'S OPEN.
4-SS. G/30 minutes. Open to anyone under 1200/unrated. You don't need a membership to play. Trophies to top 10. Medal to anyone completing all four rounds who didn't get a trophy. EF: $11 by 4/1; $15 at site. Registration: ends at 10:30 a.m. Rounds: 1st round at 11 a.m., then as soon as possible after each round is completed. Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. NS. NC.
Knights of the Roundtable Renaissance Chess Festival (Stone Mountain)
· Date : 10 April 2004
· Category : Scholastic Tournaments
· Event description
Scholastic Tournament open to all students K-12.
Location: Corpus Christi Catholic Church
600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Unrated. Four Round Swiss in 4 sections. Primary (K-3rd), Elementary(4-5th), Middle School(6-8th) and High School(9-12th). Rounds at 10am-11:30am-1:00pm-2:30pm. Awards Ceremony at 4:00 pm. Trophies to top 5 in each section.
Tournament features: Moon Walk, Face Painting, Human Chess Board, GA State Champion/IM-Elect Stephen Muhammad, Food and other Fun Activities.
Entry Fee: $12 by (April 5th), $15 on-site.
On-site Registration from 9-9:30 am.
To register call: Lee Buechele(770) 939-1757 or email leebuechele@hotmail.com
Directions to Corpus Christi: www.corpuschristicc.org/directions.htm
Spring Chess Fest (Stone Mountain)
· Date : 17 April 2004
· Category : Scholastic Tournaments
· Event description
April 17 - St. Timothy Spring Chess Fest (Stone Mountain)
Four Round (non rated) tournament held at St. Timothy School. Open to K – 5. 4 rounds, G/20, Registration 9:00 AM, Rounds at: 10 AM – 11 AM – 12 PM – 1 PM, Awards after last round. Four categories with trophies to top 3 in each category (with minimum of 10 in each category). (Categories are Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.) Entry Fee: $10 before 04/09/04, $15 after 04/09/04. Food on site.
Email me for more information & forms: GSCHWEIBINZ@peoplepc.com
APRIL 23-25 or 24-25: 35TH SOUTHERN CONGRESS (ACC - Decatur)
· Date : 23 April 2004
· Category : Open Tournaments
· Event description
5-SS, 30/90, SD/1 (2-day schedule Rd. 1 G/90). $$5,450 b/105 maximum, 50% GTD! In 5 sections. Open/Unr.: $600-400-300-200; u2200- $300-250-200. Under 2000: $300-250-200. Under 1800: $300-250-200. Under 1600: $300-250-200. Under 1400: $300-250-200, under 1200- $200. EF: $67 if received by 4/21; $73 at site. Re-entry: $35 (except open).
Bye: all, rounds 4 or 5 must commit before round 2. 3-day schedule: Reg.: ends 4/23 7:15 p.m. Rounds: 7:45, 2-7:30, 10-3:30. 2-day schedule: Reg.: ends 4/24 at 9:30 a.m. Round 1 at 10 a.m., then merges with 3-day. Hotel/Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. NS. NC. W. Grand Prix Points: 15.
Support “local” chess events—think globally, act locally.
www.iecg.org
· Some stats:
Class tournaments are very successful among our members: between 7 and 12 tournaments start each week. On the average we receive about 50 new entries each week, and added to the people who were on the waiting lists, this makes a total of 80 request to process for building new groups.
Processing of new tournaments::
Web or mail requests are collected and processed on week-ends by Jean-Luc (this may vary from Friday to Sunday).
FIRST STAGE - checking against our member database:
· any unregistered player is anwered in an individual message that provides an introduction to IECG and gives the main entry points to our Tutorial Office
· any suspended member's request is rejected, but an individual message informs him of his situation
· all valid requests are then queued, along with the rating and the date of entry
a excerpt from Thomas Bopp on new members at the newsletter www.iecg.info :
New Members
by Thomas O. Bopp
In November and December (for the period of 11/11/03 through 12/08/03) the IECG welcomed 63 new members, bringing our year to date new membership up to 900.
A Personal Note by the author:
Here in the International E-Mail Chess Group we find physicians, attorneys, computer engineers and designers, farmers, military personnel, retirees, writers, musicians, housewives, bankers, playwrights, taxi cab drivers, the disabled, mechanics, the unemployed, airline pilots, retail workers, the blind, police officers, accountants, fire fighters and paramedics, laboratory technicians, secretaries, actors, warehousemen, dock workers, scientists, nurses, mathematicians, and practically every other occupation that I can think of.
Here in the International E-Mail Chess Group we have members from Greece, Ethiopia, Norway, Russia, China, India, South America, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Yugoslavia, Finland, and I venture to say from practically every country on the face of the earth. And yet the one thing I learn every day about our numerous members is that the love of the game, just for the sake of the game, not just winning or losing, is universal among them all.
There may be political divisions among our members; there may be ideological differences among some of them. But throughout our organization the universality that we all hold together in our collective hands is the love of the game.
Sign up yourself! As this is an international site, you will be asked for only the most basic information. Full name, e-mail address, rating (if applicable), chess-playing years.
www.iccf.com
From the President of International Correspondence Chess Federation:
On behalf of the ICCF Executive Board and our Member Federations, I am delighted to welcome you to these webpages and hope that you will find them interesting and informative. As the official worldwide organisation for correspondence chess, played by post and other forms of transmission ( eg. fax and email), we endeavour to provide a wide variety of tournaments and excellent services.Our aims and our long traditions are to "organise, develop and promote the study and practice of international correspondence chess and, through our activities, to enhance friendship and harmony amongst the peoples of the world, according to our motto "Amici Sumus" (we are friends)". I very much hope that you will join us, and that you will soon be participating in our tournaments!Josef Mrkvička President of the ICCFpresident@iccf.com
ICCF is the International Correspondence Chess Federation. ICCF was founded in 1951 as a new appearance of the ICCA (International Correspondence Chess Association), which was founded in 1945, as successor of the IFSB (Internationaler Fernschachbund), founded in 1928.
Correspondence chess is a type of the world-wide well-known game of chess, which has been played between towns, chess clubs and/or individuals, by using:
· runners and homing-pigeons
· (postal) coaches
· usual postal transmissions like trains and (later) airplanes
· modern ways of transmission like email and webserver.
Some sources say that correspondence chess was already played in the 12th century. Most chess historians doubt whether this is true. In the 19th century chess clubs and magazines started to organize more regular tournaments, national as well as international tournaments. Finally in 1928 the first international league (IFSB) was founded. Aljechin, Keres and Euwe have been well-known enthusiastic correspondence chess players during some periods of their chess career.
ICCF, the present successor of the IFSB, is a federation of national member organizations. At this moment there are world-wide over 60 national member federations with altogether more than 100.000 individual member correspondence chess players.
Most of them are playing several games simultaneously. Some of them are even playing more than 100 games at the same time. Most strong players think that 15 email games at the same time is the upper limit.
In the past postal chess was the most common appearance of ICCF. From 1951 until now 18 finals of the World Championship have been organized. Up till now 16 World Championships have been finished. The present World Champion is Tunc Hamarat (AUT).
All his predecessors were also well-known chess personalities: Cecil Purdy (AUS), Vyacheslav Ragozin (USSR), Albert O’Kelly de Galway (BEL), Vladimir Sagorowski (USSR), Hans Berliner (USA), Horst Rittner (GDR), Jakov Estrin (USSR), Jorn Sloth (DEN), Tonu Õim(USSR), Victor Palciauskas (USA), Fritz Baumbach (GDR), Grigory Sanakoev (RUS), Mikhail Umansky (RUS), Tonu Õim (EST) and Gert Jan Timmerman (NED).
ICCF is closely co-operating with the leading world chess organization FIDE. All ICCF titles, championships and ratings are recognised by FIDE.
In most sports you only can play regularly on an international basis when you are a national top-player. One of the charms of correspondence chess (whether you are playing the email or the postal version) is that you can play at an international level, even when you are starting to play this kind of a game for the first time.
ICCF organizes all kind of tournaments: individual and team championships, title norm tournaments and promotion tournaments (from Open Class until Master Class). Both in postal and in email versions.
Almost the same kind of tournaments also exists within the 4 zones into which ICCF is divided: Europe, Latin America, North America/Pacific and Africa/Asia.
· The results of all individual games in all kind of ICCF and zonal tournaments are published regularly in two magazines:
--Chess Mail by Tim Harding
--Fernschach International by Manfred Gluth
Both magazines also contain many games and other interesting articles about national and international email and postal correspondence chess.
(By Nol van't Riet, Former - Deputy President Developments, updated by Josef Mrkvička, ICCF President in January, 2004)
Upcoming events:
Look at www.uschess.org for links to international correspondence play. Note that this is a paid membership-only play site.
====================
Ongoing:àGrandMaster Arno Nickel of Germany is playing 6 different computer opponents in a match sponsored by Computer Schach und Spiele magazine. GM Nickel does not know which computer is which, as their “GameNames” are the names of 6 planets (in the below-mentioned case, Venus). It has been going on since October 2003, and here is one annotated gamescore up to move 18 (as of 27 March they are at move 31), with analysis by GM Nickel:
************************************
NOTE: If the following language looked weird, know that it is another language, “Chessic”, and don’t be alarmed. Just as you do not have to be able to build a car to drive one, please remember that you don’t have to read the chess jargon to enjoy chess. If it intimidates you, skip down to the next part of the article. If all you want to do is play, then play. Remember, this is a grandmaster playing 6 of the toughest computers in the world for money, so his knowledge is going to be exhaustive.
Many thanks to the team at www.chessfriend.com, the sports fans at Computer Schach und Spiele, and the wonderful talent of GM Nickel, who assembled the following text of the game. Also thanks to “Venus”, who is making the most of this challenge.
[Event "CSS-CFC Computermatch"]
[Site "Chessfriend.com"]
[Date "2003.10.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nickel, Arno"]
[Black "Venus (C)"]
[Result "*"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[ECO "E20"]
[Annotator "Nickel, A."]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]
{
Nimzo-Indian, Kasparov Variation.
}
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3
{
The Nimzo-Indian Kasparov Variation. Its basic ideas have already partly been
known in the first half of the previous century - see for example some games
of Alekhine in 1938, but only when Kasparov successfully chosed 4.Nf3 as his
main weapon during his WC match 1985 to conquer Karpov's Nimzo-Indian,
systematical test of the knight's move came along. Very often Catalan motifs
(g3 and Bg2) appear on the board, as could already be seen in many games of
Romanishin in the seventies, while he played g3 one move earlier (4.g3).
Kasparov's 4.Nf3 is supposed to be more flexible, as White keeps open some
other options, like e3 and Bd3 and often also Bg5, just depending on Black's
answer. To the nowadays very common move 4...c5 White generally answers 5.g3
as in our game.
}
4... c5
{
Black immediately attacks d4 and tries to disturb the
harmonic development of White's pieces, while he profits of the fact that the
fianchetto g3/Bg2 is a bit time-consuming, not not forget that White has to
take care of his pinned Nc3 on the queen-side.
}
5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg2 d5
{
Black consequently carries on to open the position with aggressive play
just as initiated by 4...c5.
}
8. cxd5
{
The alternatives 8.Qb3, 8.0-0 or even
8.Nc2 seem to me less promising as could be concluded by many games in the
database.
}
8... Nxd5 9. Qb3 Nc6
{
Black's play appears as a unified whole without
any loss of time. In view of this he even does not bother about an isolated
pawn on c6. His queen's bishop will appear later on a tempo via a6.
}
10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. O-O Qa5
{
This move from the incognito playing computer program
"Venus" serves to development, attack and defence at the same time. Now White
has also to reckon with an isolated pawn on c3.
}
12. Bd2
{
*****Black is
probably going to play 12...Bxc3 thus conceding White an option of the
bishop's pair: 13.bxc3 (13.Bxc3 has also be played some times.) As Black may
still select the most promising moves book moves (taking in account human
estimation same as computer evaluations), it is very difficult for me to
reveal my strategy and tactics, without leaving myself in the hands of my
opponent. For the time being I will not say more, that I think to be able to
work out some chances in the course of the upcoming complications, in order to
seize the initiative and - especially against a computer program - to convert
it into an endgame advantage. After all, though bound to defence all the time,
White has managed to make up the delay of his development and thus gradually
going over to counter-attack. In the game Kasparov - Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2000,
followed:
12. Bd2 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rfd1 Qc5 15. e4 Bc4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17.
Qb4 Qh5 18. Be3 Be2 19. Rd2 Rab8 20. Bxb6 axb6 21. Qd6 Bf3 22. Qxc6 Bxg2 23.
Kxg2 Qe5
}
12... Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rfd1 Qc5 15. e4
{
*****Which move will
Venus' opening book play in this position? I expect 15...Bc4, the most played
move in this line, but you never know...
}
15... Nb6
{
Much to my surprise! As I had
mainly checked the more aggressive 15...Bc4, planning to leave the Kasparovian
example not later than move 20 (Qc5 looks better than Bxb6), I did not pay
much attention to the restrained knight's retreat. I found only one game,
where 20...Nb6 was played, but that's a tough one:
15... Nb6 $146 16. Be3 Qh5
17. Rd6 Nc4 18. Rxc6 Nxe3 19. Rxa6 Rab8 20. Qa4 Rb2 21. Re1 Qe2 {
, 0-1;Bacrot,E-Anand,V/Corsica Masters rap rapid 2001 (1). A real masterstroke!
}
}
16. Be3 Qh5
{
***** What now? - We will have a detailed new assessment of
this position with the next update.
}
17. Bxb6
{
White eliminates the
annoying knight in order to get Black's queen-side in his sight and to force
his way into the seventh rank. As the simple recapture with the a-pawn (17...
axb6) would simply loose this pawn, Black has to pin the bishop first, either
by 17...Rab8 or 18...Rfb8. The first rook move leaves the a-pawn without
protection, the second one leaves the rook on a8 in a passive role. In general
White can choose between two plans: a) to trade the queen for rook, bishop and
pawn, while anjoying the more active play, or b) to keep the material balance
unchanged and strive for an advantage in the endgame, attacking Black's
queen-side, entering the seventh rank etc.
17. Bxb6 Rfb8 (17... Rab8 18. Bxa7
Rxb3 19. axb3 {(cf. Ward, p. 121
}
17... Be2 18. Rd6 c5
*
NOTE: If the above language looked weird, know that it is another language, “Chessic”, and don’t be alarmed. Just as you do not have to be able to build a car to drive one, please remember that you don’t have to read the chess jargon to enjoy chess. If all you want to do is play, then play. Remember, this is a grandmaster playing 6 of the toughest computers in the world for money, so his knowledge is going to be exhaustive.
What you CAN do is play through the score and see what you think you would have done, or set up a position in your home computer and play it, see what you can do with it.
*********************************
…more to come…
PLAY THE GAME!
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Chess Community!
PlayChess is talking again about the power of chess communities. I believe in this power to bring people together around a set of common goals--expose chess to the community at large, to teach children the joys of the game, to teach adults the educational aspects of the game, to sharpen the players, to expand the visibility of the game, its players, its champions.
Here is an excerpt from that article:
Establishing and sustaining the organization
"Chess communities are commonly wholly or substantially dependent on volunteers (or low wage “I do it for love” people) for their success. The scourge of chess communities (especially clubs) is burnout due to the person who created the community being overloaded, and/or the volunteers failing. The trick to sustaining the organization is to recruit, build and retain a sufficient pool of volunteers. The key is balancing volunteer value, workload, and commitment.
The person(s) who created the chess community will undoubtedly be the most committed. People, who are just given small tasks to make the operation work, will have a low level of commitment, because the volunteer value to them is low. They will most likely think “I’ll do this just because I want to play chess here”. These people will be the most likely to be intermittent, or quit altogether.
On the other hand, creating high volunteer value is an approach that lets a volunteer own a piece of the organization. Give the volunteer responsibility to drive that part of the organization, and let them shape it. Put their mark on it, own it. Do not micro-manage them. Then their commitment is high, turnover is lower. This in turn makes recruiting easier, because now you are deliberately looking for people that want to take over, not just do little tasks here or there. They naturally want to make things happen. You just have to let go, which for some is not easy, and can be a fatal flaw.
By recruiting and retaining people that want their big piece of the pie, the creator of the organization can now focus on maintaining a neutral structure for the volunteers to operate. This can be a charter, by-laws, Board of Directors, etc. This is structure that the active volunteer will naturally not be too interested in, but usually will be happy to operate in, mainly because it constrains everyone the same, and in a transparent manner..
Once you have a structure and a volunteer pool that wants their big slice of the pie, you need to keep recruiting. The reason is growth. If you have created a community and organization with a brand that people trust, and products that people buy, then you will be in growth mode. You will need to keep recruiting volunteers. Start looking for volunteers with management skills. Look at the structure of the IECC (http://www.iecc-chess.org/) for a good example of an organization that has grown because they put a good structure in place, and let people own pieces of it. [NOTE: Even though IECC offers a “free” product, I still consider it a “sale” if a player decides to commit 3 months to playing an email chess game with IECC. Nothing is “free”]. "
Please go and visit them for the whole article. Information is power!
In the role of Tournament Director and fellowship founder I have taken on some responsibility at BrainKing.com in The Gothic Chess Ladder Fellowship. The Founder, Filip Rachunek, is a programmer in the Czech Republic, and along with his partners have founded and maintained a strong correspondence site, with room for traditionalists and the chess "avant garde" who look more deeply into the game than the average player. The sense of community is high there, and so is the sense of responsibility of keeping the site in good order. There is opportunity for individuals to dictate elements of the whole through establishing fellowships. There are many Master-class chess players there, and several who will be participating in the World Open for standard chess. These players also are involved in Janus Chess, a popular German variant played on an 8x10 board, with 2 more pawns, and 2 extra pieces called Januses, who look in 2 directions--they move like both a bishop and a knight--and change the flavor of the gamewithout being so different from the original, because if you remember the queen is simply a combination of the bishop and the rook; these players are also involved in Gothic Chess, also on the 8x10 board, and the extra pieces are the Archbishop, a knighted bishop identical to the Janus, and the Chancellor, which is a knighted rook. These piece powers are far from new, and present themselves in chess history as far back as the 1600s.
This experience in leading this creative group is beyond price and a joy in itself, both in sharing information and developing structure for future events. The ladder itself is very challenging to the players, and the opportunity for analysis is highly accessible. Whether you are up for a traditional game, or wish to expand your chess senses, come in and prepare to get your ideas challenged and chewed.
Coming up in Atlanta and the surrounding areas:
1.Chattahoochee CV Chess and Games center, Columbus, GA
Columbus Scholastic -- March 18, 2004 CV Chess & Games 5 PM registration. Need directions?
Columbus Open '04 -- March 27, 2004 CV Chess & Games 9:30am-10:30am (Eastern Time) registration.
2. Atlanta Chess and Games Center, 3155 East Ponce de Leon rd, Decatur, GA.
--2004 Atlanta Championship (ACC - Decatur)
Date : 12 March 2004
Category : Open Tournaments
Event description
March 12-14 or 13-14 2004 ATLANTA CHAMPIONSHIP
5-SS, 30/90, SD/1 (2-day schedule Rd. 1 G/90). $2,500 b/90, $1250 GTD. In 6 sections: Open: $400-200-100, u2200: $225-150. Under 2000: $225-150. Under 1800: $200-150. Under 1600: $200-150. Under 1400: $200-150. All, EF: $42 by 3/10; $47 at site. Re-entry: $25. Bye: all, rds. 4 or 5 must commit before rd. 2. Unrated: EF: $15. Trophies to top 5 (not part of based on). 3-day schedule: Reg.: ends 3/12 7pm. Rds: 7:30, 2-7:30, 10-3:30. 2-day schedule: Reg.: ends 9:30am. Round 1 at 10am., then merges with 3-day. Hotel/Info: David Spinks (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Avenue, Scottdale, Georgia 30079. NS. NC. Grand Prix Points: 6
Atlanta March Scholastic (ACC - Decatur)
Date : 21 March 2004
Category : Scholastic Tournaments
Event description
MARCH 21. ATLANTA MARCH SCHOLASTIC.
4-SS, G/30. Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale, Ga. 30079. In 4 sections: High School: open to 9-12. Middle School: open to K-8. Elementary: open to K-6. Primary: open to K-3. All, EF: $13. Trophies to top 4 each section (based on 10 each section, more per entires). Reg.: 12-1 p.m. Rounds: 1st at 1:30, rest as soon as possible. Awards ceremony right after last round. Info: (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, address above. NS. NC.
Also:
--Georgia Open COLLEGIATE TEAM Chess Championship
(Emory University -- Cox Hall Ballroom)
Date : 6 March 2004
Category : Scholastic Tournaments
Event description
Building on a tradition of some past events organized by the Georgia Tech Chess Club, and with the support of the Emory Chess Club, the GCA is sponsoring a new annual college team championship at an outstanding Emory University site on Saturday, March 6th, 2004.
Tentative Basics: 4-Board Format, USCF rated, G/45 time control, 4 round swiss, first round pairings posted at 9am, round times 10-12-2-4, awards ASAP. Final details very shortly.
Entry Fee: $80 per college team which includes four quality buffet meals. Extra meals are available at $10 each and must be ordered in advance.
GCA Contact: Ted Wieber, GCA President, 770-476-5659, president@GeorgiaChess.org
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2004 Georgia Open Collegiate Team Chess Championships
Emory University, Cox Hall Ballroom – Saturday, March 6, 2004
College Team Registration Form: 4-Board TEAM Format
Purpose. This form is designed for college student teams entering the Georgia Collegiate Team Chess Championships. This event is USCF rated and organized in 4-board team format. Colleges and universities outside Georgia are welcome, however the highest placing Georgia school will be designated Georgia State Champion. Please read this form carefully, as well as other rules and guidelines posted on the GCA website calendar and discussion boards at www.GeorgiaChess.org
College Team: ____________________________Extra Lunches___(see below)
Address: _____________________________________________________
Coach / Advisor: ___________________ Phone: _________ Email: ______
Team Roster. A school team can consist of 4 to 6 registered players (4 minimum), although only 4 can play in any one round. Second or “B” teams can also be entered. All of these players should be ranked below in order of USCF ratings / playing strength. This ranking will remain constant during the tournament and will strictly govern which board position the player is assigned in a given round.
Name, Class, USCF Rating / ID Number
1. _________________________ _____ _________________________
2. _________________________ ____ _____________________
3. _________________________ ____ ______________________
4. _________________________ ____ ______________________
5. _________________________ ____ ______________________
6. _________________________ ____ ______________________
Payment. Deadline for registration and payment is Tuesday, March 2, 2004. No on-site registration. Entry Fee is $80 per college team which includes a buffet lunch for four at the playing area! Additional lunches are available at $10 each and must be requested in advance. Other food options are available in the vicinity. Make checks payable to the GCA and mail check and registration form to GCA, 3445 Kates Way, Duluth, GA 30097. GCA Contact: Ted Wieber, 770-476-5659, president@GeorgiaChess.org
2004 Georgia INDIVIDUAL Scholastic Open Championships (Cobb County Civic Center)
Date : 20 March 2004
Category : Scholastic Tournaments
Event description
Annual GCA sponsored state championship open to all. Location: Cobb County Civic Center. Full details to be published shortly.
Typically this event will be USCF rated, G/30 time control, 5 rounds, in 4 sections: Primary, Elem, MS and HS.
Winners of Elem, MS and HS sections will qualify for 2004 Georgia Closed or Invitational Scholastic Championship to be held on May 1-2, 2004.
GCA Contact: Alexis Fairweather, GCA Scholastic Coordinator, scholastics@GeorgiaChess.org, (678)355-0495.
Flyer and registration form link shown below.
More info : www.georgiachess.org/downloads/2004individualstatechamp.pdf
