Boylston Chess Club Weblog

Brown University Open

2012-01-26T12:44:00.004-05:00

30th Anniversary Event

BROWN UNIVERSITY OPEN
CHESS TOURNAMENT

SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2012

Brown University
Alumnae Hall
194-200 Meeting Street
Providence, RI 02912

This is the 30th Anniversary: A Historic Event of the last Brown Open held from 1974-1982

Entry Fee
College Students ONLY $20, ($28 at site)
Non- College Students $30, ($38 at site)

Registration 10:00 - 10:55
Round 1 starts at 11:00 AM

3 Trophies to the Top College Teams in each section

$1000 b/50
Trophies for 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place College Teams ·
Open $300-$150-$75 & 1st Place Player for Open, U1900, U1500 · U1900 $175-$85-$40
Trophies for Top High School · U1500 $100-$50-$25 & Middle School Player

Sections:
* OPEN
* U1900
* U1500

College teams will be made up of the top 4 scores from players in any section

TD: Frank DelBonis, Email: RhodeIslandChess@yahoo.com
Phone:(401) 212-1335

See details: http://www.richess.org
Register: www.chessmasterconnections.org

Please call me if you have questions (401) 212-1335 Frank DelBonis

The South Station New Year's Eve Simul!

2012-01-16T23:36:00.004-05:00

New Year's Eve was special last year (which was, of course, only a couple of weeks ago). Twenty-four people had the privilege of ending out the year by being beaten by three-time United States Champion, and Boylston Chess Club member, Grandmaster Larry Christiansen.

In a widely observed simultaneous exhibition held in the middle of Boston's South Station, Grandmaster Christiansen took on all comers in a series of battles that raged for almost two hours, all told. Larry estimates that he may have walked a little over a mile as he went round-and-round the inside of a large square set up just to one side of South Station's Christmas model train exhibit.

As happened during the first Simul held in October, people ringed the backs of the players, actively interested in what was going on, and again whispering, "Who is the guy in the center? He's pretty good!"

Flyers and brochures advertising the Boyslton Chess Club were available and picked up by interested onlookers which will hopefully translate into a few new, enthusiastic club members for us. South Station has already expressed interest in another event in the near future! In the meantime, remember you can still borrow sets from the Security Station near the bathrooms on the main level and play other people at the station, hopefully garnering more interest for chess and the Club.

The New Year's Eve Simul was organized by Boylston CC Members Womans Candidate Master Natasha Christiansen, Nathan Smolensky and Doc Kinne.

Cross Cultural Diplomacy

2012-01-16T13:43:00.003-05:00

This last weekend on Sunday saw the Boylston Chess Club host the MA Go Association 2012 Winter Handicap Tournament.

Despite the coldest temperatures we've seen this season, the event was attended by 33 people from all over New England and PA. Both MA Go Assoc. President David Kahn and MGA Tournament Coordinator Eva Casey expressed their gratitude at being able to use our Tournament Hall for the event.

Your Club Clerk got a respectable even score (2 out of 4 points) in what was his first such tournament in three years. What's more, the Boylston Chess Club was mentioned in the tournament report article now on the main page of the American Go Association's website.

Can't get more cross culturally diplomatic than that!

Jason Rihel ... Well Done!

2012-01-14T17:17:00.009-05:00

There have been great BCF Presidents in the past. Paul McIntyre who engineered the Great Exodus from Boston to Somerville comes to mind.

But the greatest leader the BCF has ever had, in my opinion, is/was Jason Rihel.

Not only did Jason organize his Argonauts to work out of the disaster of two floods during March 2010 that shut the club down for a month,

he was incredibly pro active on many situations that never became issues. Jason had to navigate the club thru the cheating situation of 2011 as well. Also if you check the minutes of past year and a half you will find many unanimous votes, as Jason had a way of having things worked out in committee and ready for prime time by the time they came up for vote.

Jason also invented the Grand Prix format which was the most successful tournament format introduced in a long time in both attendance and income for the club.

The current BCF Board has great talent in 11 people with tremendous experience and skills. Special notice has to be given to NM Charles Riordan (now President),

NM Carey Theil (now VP),

Treasurer Dean Robert Oresick, and Dr Jason Rihel who have created an information pipeline to explain why the BCF is so important and special to Boston chess life. So effective that the BCF raised $8K + in donations in 2011. Donations are very important to the BCF as the BCF would be in the red without the great help from its members.

(Special Kudos to Dan Schmidt who paid for the wooden sets at BCF)

But 8K means we have an opportunity do a couple of things to help entertain you chess players in addition to having heat and electricity.

Again Thank You for your service Jason and good luck in London. [ Jason will leave this week for a new research job in London, for 5 years.]

Do you have any good Jason stories or ideas as to how we might make the BCF more fun with trying more things in 2012?

Thank You

Mike Griffin

Graphics by

Bob Oresick

Monday Night Swiss Happening This Month!

2012-01-13T10:44:00.003-05:00

This month we are holding a Monday night Swiss in addition to a Thursday Night Swiss!

The January Monday Night Swiss started last Monday, the 8th, and frankly the turnout was somewhat less than stellar. I blamed this on the fact that a Monday Night Swiss is unusual. While some folks have been trying to convince me that we have them regularly, my research shows that while we have a good many tournament rounds on Mondays, I don't think we have that many Monday Night Swisses. So the tournament was not on people's regular radars.

BUT! We are having one this month and we could use a few more good players!

Come support your Club, and perhaps see a few people you've not seen before on a different night than you're used to! The January Monday Night Swiss's 2nd Round starts at 7:00 (so get to the club by 6:45!!) on the 16th.

I hope to see you then!

Chess & Go...

2012-01-11T12:58:00.005-05:00

One of the best things about the Boylston Chess Club web site is its very nicely maintained calendar. Using our calendar you can find out everything that's happening at the Club.

Most longtime Club members will remember that, just down the hall from us, lived the MA Go Association, an organization very much like ours devoted to the ancient game of Go. What most of you don't know is that 3.5 years ago when I moved to MA it was a tossup whether I'd end up at the Go club or the Chess club. I tried both. Neither took at the time because I was in the midst of starting up a new job and a new career. However, this summer when the gaming bug bit me hard it was the Boylston Chess Club that I joined because the MA Go Association...had lost their room.

This is a lesson to us all. While financially we are doing rather well, we only continue to do well with your support both in terms of membership, donations, and tournament activity. Your membership is critical and always very, very much appreciated. Your response to the donation letter written by Natasha can be of critical importance as well. Finally, participation in the Boylston Chess Club tournament schedule is not only fun, but a percentage of your entry fee critically supports the club in terms of rent, etc.

The MA Go Association was not so lucky. However, they live on in diaspora! We had, and now we continue to have, a very good and friendly relationship with them that is mutually beneficial. I'd like to tell you about one of those relational benefits now.

You'll find an unusual entry for this Sunday, 15 January on our calendar. The MA Go Association will hold its Winter Quarterly Go Tournament at the Boylston Chess Club. Not only is the Boylston Chess club gaining a rent income from this tournament, but now as a liason between both clubs (I am also now a member of the Go Club) I was able to negotiate a member's entry fee for the Go Tournament for Boylston Chess Club members. This means that if you are a BCC member and wish to play in the MA Go Assoc. Winter Quarterly Go Tournament this Sunday at the Club, you pay Go Club member prices!

Details regarding the tournament can be found on their website here.

If you have an interest, but not quite enough to compete, think about stopping by to see what's going on, or to cheer on your Club Clerk! :-) A lot of the procedures you'll find very familiar. The American Go Assoc. uses a Swiss System format for their tournaments as well. The boards and pieces, well, they'll be somewhat different!

Board Meeting on Wednesday!

2012-01-09T14:26:00.004-05:00

At 7:00PM on Wednesday, 11 January the Boylston Chess Club will have its next Board Meeting. Members in good standing are encouraged to come and observe, and this is a wonderful way of finding out exactly what is happening in the club and how things get done.

This Wednesday's Board Meeting will be special because we will be transitioning the Presidency of the Club. Jason is finally leaving for a position in England within the month and will be resigning and transitioning as President this Wednesday.

Wednesday's meeting will be about partitioning out Jason's jobs and responsibilities and discussing and potentially selecting a new Club President. The Club's Bylaws do not allow for an automatic ascension of the Vice President to the position of President, and so the Board anticipates some discussion as to who will inherit the office.

We anticipate this will be an important and productive Board Meeting.

Grand Prix 2011 Final Report

2012-01-02T14:12:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone.

The results from the final Boylston Chess Club grand prix are in, and, after an exciting year-long race, we have our winners:

They are:

Under 2400-- Eric Godin

Under 2200-- Tian Rossi

Under 2000-- Jason Rihel and Mike Griffin

Under 1800-- Steven Stepak

Under 1600-- Mark Neale

Under 1400-- Allen Wang

Under 1200-- Arthur Tang

Congrats to our winners; we hope you enjoy your prizes!

Also, we'd like to announce that the 2012 Grand Prix Cycle is going to start at the end of January with a couple of changes. First, the two sections will be Open and Under 1600. Second, the Grand Prix will last for six months-- leaders at the end of six months will win free entry prizes (4 free entries for BCC members; 2 free entries for non-members). We will have another Grand Prix cycle start in July and last through the end of the year.

We hope that the low entry fee and high quality of our Grand Prix event will continue to be part of your Bolyston Chess Club experience. This past year, we had 125 (!) different players participate in the Grand Prix cycle with an average of just under 30 players per tournament.

Not a Pontiac Grand Prix-- The Boylston Chess Club Grand Prix!

Breaking News-- Hikaru Nakamura reaches #5 on Live Rating List

2012-01-02T13:56:00.003-05:00

American GM Hikaru Nakamura, with yet another impressive win today at Reggio Emilia, has jumped into the #5 spot in the world Live Ratings and has taken a commanding lead in the Supertournament. Although unofficial, he is the first American to reach the Top 5 since Gata Kamsky was ranked #4 in 1996.

GM Nakamura had previously climbed as high as #6 in the World, but with his second strong performance in a row (see the London Classic, where he became the first American to win over a reigning World Champion in a long time), he now seems poised to make the still difficult charge at the rarefied 2800 club.

Herb Healy Rating Delayed...

2012-01-01T23:26:00.003-05:00

The Herb Healy New Years Day Tournament was a resounding success, the details of which will appear later.

However, it was important to let you folks know that the rating of the Herb Healy may well be delayed until Tuesday afternoon. Why? 1 January was a changeover date for a lot of things, some of which happened within the USCF. Rules changes, such as new rules on time limits and delays were put into effect. New memberships were put into effect. But more to the point of this posting, a new tournament web submission system was put into effect.

As with anything like this the USCF is proceeding cautiously. With a little bit of extra effort, Bernardo and I were able to successfully submit the Herb Healy tournament to the USCF Offices. However, they have, for New Years, apparently turned off the submission processing queue, probably intending to hand hold it for the 1 January tournaments when people get back to the office.

So, the Herb Healy tournament has been successfully verified and submitted, but please do not be surprised if its not actually processed and available to be looked at on the web until Tuesday afternoon. It may happen before that, but due to vacation schedules, it won't surprise me if it doesn't make it online until Tuesday afternoon or evening.

Everything went well and has been done from our end. Now we wait on the USCF to complete its end of the deal.

Thanks to everyone who participated today with the Herb Healy. It was a wonderful time!

Herb Healy Open House January 1

2011-12-29T17:54:00.003-05:00

Herb Healy Open House
Sunday, January 1

Please come to the annual BCC open house, see some old friends, make some new ones, play some chess (rated or unrated), and enjoy a free lunch. It's a great way to start the 2012 chess year.

Registration isn't until 10:45 so you can sleep in from your celebrating the night before.

............................................................................

Sunday, January 1st:
BCF

Herb Healy Open House

4SS; G/40;
2 sections: Rated and Non-Rated;
Entry fee: $25, $20 BCF members if received by 12/30, $5 extra on site.
Registration: 10:45 to 11:40.
Rounds: 11:45, 1:20, 3:00, 4:40.
Free food and drink served all day long to tournament players.
Send advance entries to: Herb Healy Open House, 240B Elm St. Suite B9 Somerville, MA 02144

............................................................................

Herbert E. Healy was born on July 13, 1885 and died on Wednesday, January 9, 1974 in Boston.[Thanks to George Mirijanian for providing July 13 as his exact day of birth.]

He was 88 years old and one of the original Charter members of the Boylston Chess Club at its official organization in 1919. He was Secretary Emeritus at his death.

“The Club was saddened by the death of Herbert Healy, Charter Member and Secretary Emeritus, on Wednesday night, January 9, 1974. This occurred only days after the Herbert Healy Appreciation Tournament (the 30-30 New Year’s Event) and Testimony was held in his honor. Wednesday had a 10”-12” snowfall, but Mr. Healy showed up at the Union and peeked into the Chess Quarters. [ He went to his home in the South End on Brookline Ave.] He died in his sleep. (Only Dave Hudnut, in the Providence Rhode Island area, remains as a Charter Club Member.)”

In 1980 the New Year's 30/30 was permanent dedicated to him as Herbert E. Healy Open House.Herbert E. Healy along with Harry Lyman, Irvin Yaffee, Myer Edelstein and others customarily provided food to the participants of this event.

This information was taken from minutes of the club from January 27, 1974 and talking with Mr.Harry Lyman and William Lukowiak in past years. There are more testimonies about Mr. Healy that I am omitting.

Bemardo Iglesias

December 2007

Vigorito's new Sicilian Dragon book is out.

2011-12-28T15:07:00.003-05:00

Dear Chess Friend,

New: Chess Developments: The Sicilian Dragon

In this book David Vigorito, who is well known for his
opening expertise, focuses on all the critical Yugoslav
Attack lines examining the most important and
instructive games in recent years and highlighting the
main developments and novelties for both sides.

Essential coverage of the key Sicilian Dragon lines!

Sincerely,

Casper Pieters
New In Chess

______________________________________

Shop

David Vigorito

All articles by David Vigorito
All surveys by David Vigorito

Chess Developments: The Sicilian Dragon

Packed with New Ideas and Critical Analysis

by David Vigorito
Everyman Chess, 2011, Paperback medium
Language: English

€ 21.95

Attacking Chess: The King's Indian - Vol. 2

Incl: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Var., Averbakh Var.

by David Vigorito
Everyman Chess, 2011, Paperback medium
Language: English

~~€ 44.90~~€ 39.95

Attacking Chess: The King's Indian - Vol. 1 & 2

Save 15% on both Volumes Combined

by David Vigorito
Everyman Chess, 2011, Paperback medium
Language: English

€ 22.95

Attacking Chess: The King's Indian - Vol. 1

The Main Line (Classical) and Sämisch Variations

by David Vigorito
Everyman Chess, 2010, Paperback medium
Language: English

€ 20.25

Understanding the Marshall Attack

A Chess Opening like no Other

by David Vigorito
Gambit, 2010, Paperback medium
Language: English

€ 16.95

Chess Explained: The Main-Line Slav

Covering all major Lines after 5...dxc4

by David Vigorito
Gambit, 2009, Paperback medium
Language: English

€ 24.95

Play the Semi-Slav

A Repertoire Book for Black

by David Vigorito
Quality Chess, 2008, Paperback medium
Language: English

€ 23.99

Challenging the Nimzo-Indian

Black's Most Respected Answer to 1.d4

by David Vigorito
Quality Chess, 2007, Paperback large
Language: English

REMINDER: Larry Christiansen Simul New Year's Eve!

2011-12-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder, at 7:00 P.M. on New Year's Eve (this Saturday), three-time U.S. Champion GM Larry Christiansen will be having a 30-player simultaneous exhibition at South Station. This event will be a part of South Station's First Night 2012, so it should be a great atmosphere!
So come by to the heart of Boston and watch the Boylston's highest rated member in action! Don't miss out on this great opportunity - it may well be the last simul he does in 2011.

Play chess on Christmas Eve - this Sat.

2011-12-22T16:06:00.003-05:00

For those of you finished with your holiday preparations, reward yourself with this previously unscheduled chess Quad or Octad.

Chris Chase wlli be the TD and Harold Dondis will certainly play, so come by and play some games.

Start time will be 10am, same entry times
Time control G/60 G/55 with digitial and 5/delay.
Prizes the same for the Quads, Octad to be determined.
Entry fees $17 and $27
Will be done by or before 5pm.

Thank you!

The secret to beating chess computers: play touch move.

2011-12-21T11:20:00.001-05:00

Chess robots have trouble grasping the game

16:00 20 December 2011

Robots

Duncan Graham-Rowe, contributor

(Image: Jeffrey Sylvester/Getty Images)

Deep Blue's victory over Gary Kasparov in 1997 may have shown how computers can outsmart people, but if the game is taken into the physical world, humans still win hands down.

That's because, for all their software smarts, robots remain clumsy at manipulating real-world objects. A robotic chess competition held in August, for example, showed that even robotic arms used for precise work on industrial manufacturing lines have trouble when asked to negotiate a noisy, chaotic real-world environment.

The contest, held at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence annual conference in San Francisco, California, had a number of automatons competing to see who could best move pieces quickly, accurately and legally in accordance with the rules of chess.

Some teams used vision systems to identify where pieces were, but none attempted to distinguish between a rook and a knight, for example. Instead they relied upon remembering where pieces were last placed to identify them and move them accordingly.

The bots quickly ran into snags - their vision systems often misread moves, which led to confusion as to what piece had moved, and where the other pieces were on the board.

One approach, by robotics company Road Narrows, used a commercially available fixed robotic arm normally used for light industrial applications without any vision at all. The winner was a team led by Mike Ferguson at the University of Albany, in New York, which had a mobile robot with an arm attached. Despite the many variables introduced when moving a robot around, the droid's vision system managed to keep track of the board and pieces as it moved about, says Mike Stilman, one of the event's organisers, of Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta.

But even Ferguson's bot is a long way from earning the title "grand master" - all the teams' chess tactics came from a standard open source program that wouldn't have given Deep Blue a run for its money. But the creation of a software champion chess program wasn't just about winning, Stilman says - it was about gaining an insight into how the human mind works in order to build smarter machines. By bringing the challenge into the real world, the hope is to do the same for the physical problems of robotics, he says.

New Year's Eve Simul Sign-Ups

2011-12-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder, everyone, GM Larry Christiansen will be holding a simul New Year's Eve at 7:00 P.M. at South Station. The event is to have thirty spots and is open to everybody, but 10 spots have been specially reserved for members of the Boylston, and they are filling up fast!
If you interested in pre-entering, all you have to do is email natasha.us@gmail.com and state your intent. Don't delay, though, as that would result in a tempo disadvantage, and you certainly don't want to have that when you're dealing with GM Christiansen!

Rogoff on chess on BBC - Why Chess and Economics don't mix

2011-12-16T20:33:00.007-05:00

The Master's Table: Boylston Chess Club A Team
(left to right) NM Marc Lonoff, GM Ken Rogoff, NM Larry Tapper, FM Chris Chase (sitting), NM Dan Harrington, and IM Norman Weinstein
at the Boylston Chess Club, YMCU (Young Men's Christian Union) Building... Boston, circa 1975

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00m2wx1

BBC World Service Business Daily: Why Chess and Economics don't mix

Listen now (18 minutes)
Last broadcast on Thursday, 08:32 on BBC World Service.

Synopsis

... Every year Harvard Economics Professor Ken Rogoff says he recieves an unsolicited letter from one of the world's top chess players. It is a different one every year but the question is the same: how can I get out of chess.

Because Ken Rogoff is one of those exceptional people who has managed to excel not just in one field but in two.

Professor Rogoff has been chief economist at the IMF, he's worked the Federal Reserve, but he had a life before economics. As a child Ken developed an all-consuming passion for chess. He left home - and school - at 15 to pursue this passion and he did very well indeed. He became an international grand master -- the highest title in chess and was once ranked 40th in the World.

Justin Rowlatt asks Ken Rogoff why he was forced to decide to stop playing the game he loved.

Listen now (18 minutes)

Harry Lyman Memorial, Sat. Dec. 19

2011-12-16T20:15:00.005-05:00

Harry Lyman was the dean of New England chess and the soul of the Boylston Chess Club.

Don't miss his memorial tournament on Saturday with a $400 prize fund (b/30).

__________

1957 Lyman, Harry wins US amateur championship, 6-0, in Ashbury park, NJ.

__________

Saturday, December 17: Harry Lyman Memorial

4SS; G/60. Entry fee: $25, $20 to BCF members. Prizes: $400b/30: 1st $150 2nd $75 Under 1800 1st $100 2nd $75; Registration: 9:15 to 9:55; Rounds: 10:00, 12:40, 3:00, 5:10.

__________

Saturday, December 17: Harry Lyman Memorial 4SS; G/60. Entry fee: $25, $20 to BCF members. Prizes: $400b/30: 1st $150 2nd $75 Under 1800 1st $100 2nd $75; Registration: 9:15 to 9:55; Rounds: 10:00, 12:40, 3:00, 5:10.

__________

Larry Christiansen Simul New Year's Eve!

2011-12-11T21:06:00.001-05:00

2011 is winding down, and as we look back upon our years in chess, we ask ourselves, 'have I played in a simultaneous exhibition against three-time U.S. Champion GM Larry Christiansen this year?' If you answered 'no,' or even if you answered 'yes' and just want to play again, I have some good news for you!

As part of South Station's First Night 2012, GM Christiansen will hold a simul starting at 7:00 P.M. on New Year's Eve. In case you missed his earlier simul there this October, it was a great atmosphere and a strong turnout that even featured a few wins against the three-time champ!

Spots are limited, so stay tuned for details on how to register!

Grand Prix on Saturday, Dec. 10th-- Winners Will be Decided

2011-12-05T22:29:00.004-05:00

In the last Grand Prix event of the year, the prizes are on the line. But even if you aren't in the running, the cheap $10.00 for non-members and $7.00 for members entry fee can't be beat.

This year, the event proved so popular that we are continuing the Grand Prix next year, with the following change-- there will be two Grand Prix events, each lasting six months instead of the full year.

So, with one tournament day left, the following players are within 4.0 points of claiming a prize. Note that since these are Under Prizes, some players are racing to the top of several lists (but will only win one prize). Also, remember that half point byes do not count, but forfeit wins and forced byes DO count.

Under 2400 Prize: Eric Godin 15; Tian Rossi 13, Jason Rihel 12.5, Mike Griffin 12, Terrence Fricker 11.5, Jerry Williams 11

Under 2200 Prize: Tian Rossi 13; Jason Rihel 12.5; Mike Griffin 12; Terrence Fricker 11.5; Jerry Williams 11; Harold Dondis 10.5

Under 2000 Prize: Jason Rihel 12.5; Mike Griffin 12; Terrence Fricker 11.5; Jerry Williams 11; Harold Dondis 10.5

Under 1800 Prize: Steven Stepak 22; Robert Holmgren 21.5; Mark Neale 21.5; David Martin 18

Under 1600 Prize: Steven Stepak 22; Mark Neale 21.5; David Martin 18

Under 1400 Prize: Allen Wang 8.5 Arthur Tang 8.5, James Zhou 5.5; Tony Di Nosse 5.5; Brandon Wu 5; Justin Wu 5

Under 1200 Prize: Arthur Tang 8.5; Justin Wu 5

As you can see, none of the sections are locked up, and only Arthur Tang has more than a 2 point lead.

Some people are asking what happens if the lower rated people get ahead of the higher rated players-- if they have a higher score, then they will win the higher prize. If a player places first in two sections, that player will win the prize that maximizes the scores of the other section winners. For example, right now Steven Stepak is in first in both the U1800 and the U1600 prizes. If Mark Neale ends up with more points that Robert Holmgren, then Steven will get the U1800 prize and Mark will get the Under 1600 prize (which are worth the same). However, if Robert ends up with a higher score than Mark, then Steven will get the U1600 prize and Robert will get the U1800 prize.

OK, leaders-- don't squander your chance to win some great free entries or free membership! Everyone else, come for some pre-holiday rated games.

The Boylston CC December Quads

2011-12-04T18:56:00.002-05:00

This last Saturday's Quads yielded some interesting results. Fourteen people participated. We had a light turnout, we think, because of a larger tournament taking place in Leominster.

While small, the December Quads were lively. Six people participated in the lower rated "Small Swiss. Taking Second Place in that section were two people:

David Martin

and

Richard Kahn

The Small Swiss Section was won by:

Seth Lieberman

The Second Quad was a tight group of ratings between 1759-1909. It was won by:

Tyson Slesnick

with 2.5 points.

The First Quad, populated with four of our best players between 2179-2471. Again with 2.5 points,

Robert Perez

rose to the top of the heap.

The Quad's Chief Arbiter, his first time officially in that role, was new BCC Board Member Nathan Smolensky, aided by Doc Kinne.

November's Thursday Night Swiss

2011-12-04T18:45:00.002-05:00

The Boylston Chess Club's November Thursday Night Swiss finished up just last Thursday. Yes, we finished up in December, largely because we didn't play on Thanksgiving. The Arbiter and Organizer probably rather properly thought that our player's families would...object.

Coming in at 2nd Place Under 1800 with 2.5 points was

Brian Costello.

First Under 1800, again, with 3.0 points was:

Harold Dondis.

Overall Second Place needed 3.0 points to garner and was divided among three people:

Harold Dondis,

Ross Eldridge,

and

Taylor Curtis

Clearing the field by a full 1/2 point (3.5) was November's Thursday Night Swiss Winner:

Osemekhian Omoifo!

The tournament was directed by everyone's favorite "tiny TD," Doc Kinne.

Will Ose retain his title in December? Will he defend? Will Harold Dondis continue to make a habit of getting 1st Under 1800? Come join us for the December Thursday Night Swiss starting this Thursday, 8 December!

Questions for French-speaking chess players

2011-12-02T23:34:00.003-05:00

In English, some players are in the habit of calling the rook a "castle".

In French, do some players call the tour (rook) a château (castle)? Or do they perhaps use a different "unofficial" word, and if so, what? This does not seem likely to be answered authoritatively by a French-English dictionary. I'm not convinced that this informality of chess piece terminology would be found in any other languages; maybe English is the only one so "polluted".

I'd also be interested in knowing the analogous linguistic situation with respect to cavalier (knight) and cheval (horse).
12/5/11: My old French-French dictionnaire du francais contemporain confirmed horse is informally used for knight:

cheval: Fam. Pièce du jeu d'échecs (syn. usuel CAVALIER).

but I still hope a French speaker can comment on the rook terminology.

Moving up the Board

2011-12-02T00:23:00.000-05:00

The White pawn advances to c7...

...then eventually to c8...

...and strikes for Saavedra!

For some, less scary than a Najdorf Sicilian...the Boston Rock Gym.

The Good Old Days Return...

2011-12-01T10:25:00.005-05:00

When I arrived at the Boylston Chess club last Sunday at 9:05 AM I had no idea what was in store for me that morning. The club’s computer had crashed and I had no way to resuscitate the machine!

I called many computer-whiz peers but to no avail. I had a tournament to run that morning, and with time running short I had to turn back the clock several decades. I dug out the wall charts and pairing cards which have been long neglected in a corner of the TD cabinet, reverting back to the way tournaments were conducted in the days before computers.

As I was filling in the cards and answering the phone, the older players simply asked about the computer. As we got ready to make pairings for the first round, the younger generation asked their parents, “What are those?” referring to the cards over the tables as if I were entertaining myself by playing solitaire!

The tournament ran smoothly, but the whole time I was aware of the work that was waiting for me once it was over. When I returned home I transferred all of the data on the cards (I left the wall chart at the club) into my computer by hand and sent the report to USCF. It brought back pleasant memories after all these years…

Bernardo Iglesias