This Week’s News Items:
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Summer Open 2022 - Register Here
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Upcoming Events: Mentor matches & Summer Show-up
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July Knockout and Anniversary Tournament Recap
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Chess at Firefly - 8/8 at 6pm
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Upcoming Lectures on “Phases of the Game” - Derek Meredith for 8/9
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Saturday Study Group - 5pm Saturday
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Summer Open - Sunday August 28th at Wickham Pavilion
It’s time for our annual outdoor tournament - the Summer Open. We will be returning to the beautiful Wickham Park on the last Sunday in August.
You can register on CaissaChess for one of the three sections: Open (minimum rating of 1500), U1622, and Scholastic. Early entry of $40 ends on 8/21, so register early. Barbeque lunch is included as part of your entry.
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Upcoming Events - Mentor Matches & Summer Show-up
Mentor Match - 8/9
We will be trying something new next week - an unrated mentor match. One thing I cherished while growing up was the ability to discuss my game with my opponent after the end of the game. I never encountered anyone saying no to post-game analysis. Even after a tough loss, and maybe even knowing my mistake, I’d still want a discussion with my opponent. Oftentimes, they would point out things I never even considered!
In addition to being educational, it was an opportunity to make new friends and get to know our chess community. At NBCC, there isn’t a tradition of post-game analysis. I see some of the stronger players doing it, but a lot of newer players have never had this opportunity. With this event, we hope to encourage players to take this up!
We will pair a strong player with a weaker player and have the two of them play two games of G/20;d5. After each game, we want the players to spend 10-20 mins talking about the game played in the skittles area, with the stronger player giving insights into the games, and the weaker player asking questions about their moves.
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Tuesday, August 9, 2022
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Quick time controls: 2 games of G/25;d5
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Match Opponent - Pair top and bottom half
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Entry Fee: Free for members; $5 for non-members
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Prizes: Post-game analysis
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Unrated
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Regular Ratings used for pairing determination
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Registration 7:00-7:15 P.M
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Pairings and matches will start at 7:15
Summer Show-up
Summer is a time when many of us can’t commit to multi-week tournaments. The Summer Show-up tournament allows you to get in a classical time control game any of the three weeks you show up.
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Tuesday, August 16, 23, 30, 2022
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Time controls: G/75;+30; G/60;d5 for Scholastic
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Single game each week, pairings will be close in rating
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Entry Fee: $5 for all three weeks; $5 per week for non-members
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Prizes: Medals
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USCF Rated
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Regular Ratings used for pairing determination
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Registration 7:00-7:15 P.M
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Pairings and matches will start at 7:15
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July Knockout and Anniversary Tournament Recap
Knockout Tournament
Congrats to Niloy Ray Chauduri for winning the July Knockout. It was an epic final game with FM Nelson Castaneda, which went the distance, where Niloy won the blitz tiebreaker. Congrats also to Joe Bihlmeyer for winning the Swiss portion of the tournament. Results are available on US Chess.
Games played during the Knockout are analyzed on Lichess. If you want to add your games and have them analyzed, join the Saturday Study Group.
Bob’s 35th Anniversary Tournament
Last Tuesday, we celebrated Bob’s 35th anniversary. Congrats to FM Rick Bauer for winning the open section of the tournament. Full results for the open section can be viewed here. Congrats to Yonatan Axelrad for winning the U1600 section of the tournament. In the final round of the tournament, Yonatan bested Bob in a match of youth vs experience to clutch the tournament victory.
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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is the current world blitz champion and a top 10 chess player in the world. DIG partnered with Bridgeport to bring MVL to Connecticut on August 19-21th. It will be a festival, with tournaments, simul and lessons from the man with three names! Check out DIG for more information on how you can meet, learn, play in a simul, and maybe even a 1 on 1 blitz match with MVL! Sign up early, as only the first 20 in each section can play in the simul.
There are lots of prizes and the advanced entry list can be viewed here. If you are looking to stay overnight in Bridgeport, DIG negotiated hotel rates of $159 plux tax with Homewood Suites by Hilton Stratford. Reserve before 8/8 for this guaranteed rate. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with the chess elite, here in our backyard! Don’t miss it.
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Chess at Firefly
Mark Bourque will be hosting a chess night at Firefly in Bristol. Grab a beer and play some chess. It will start at 6pm on Monday 8/8.
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Phases of the Game - NM Derek Meredith
We will chart a different series of lectures for the next few weeks on the phases of the game. Derek, next Tuesday, will continue to cover opening to middlegame phases of the game. We hope to see you by 6:15 PM for the start of the lectures!
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Saturday Study Group at 5pm
The Saturday Study group will meet on Saturdays. It will start at 5pm and run for two hours.
FM Rick Bauer will send the zoom links on Saturday to those on his email list. If you are interested in attending the Saturday Study Group, please email the club and we will get you on that distribution list.
Cheers,
Suhas Kodali
President
New Britain Chess Club
