Friday, July 26, 2019

LASSER ANALYZES LOSS TO WOODBURY

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser
 
  My loss in the recent Connecticut Yankee Open, hosted by the ever-active Rob Roy, was to the second place finisher Alex Woodbury, who will be a freshman at RPI next fall.  I lost my way in a complicated position where both kings were under attack.

It was the sort of defeat that makes one feel good;  I first met my opponent three years ago at the Westerly Chess Club and he became a subscriber to my Game of the Week column, so now I get the torch-passing satisfaction.

 
Alex Woodbury (1364)-Alan Lasser (1995)
2019 Connecticut Yankee Open
7/13/19
 
 
1-0
 
 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

 
We are getting ready to say goodbye to July and move onto August, here is a blast from the past. Enjoy this article. USCF NM (lifetime) James M. Bolton was one very strong player in during his day. He also ranks in the Top 10 players in all-time history, which includes Arkadijs Strazdins, FM Nelson Castaneda, FM Richard Bauer, Bob Milardo, NM Dennis Prawira, Edmund Roman (club president in the 40s and 50s), John Baclawski, USCF NM Derek Meredith, and now joining this elite group, fresh off his tie for first place in the July Swiss Tournament, Joseph Bilhmeyer. 
 
The article is below this chart. 
 
Safe travels,
 
Your friend in time,
 
Bob Cyr
NBCC Historian 
 
 
Rank Member # Year First Achieved Year Last Achieved Span
1 Arkadijs Strazdins
72
1952
1999
47
2 FM Nelson Castaneda
39
2002
2019
17
3 FM Richard Bauer
30
1987
2019
32
4 Robert Milardo
16
1972
2001
29
5 NM Dennis Prawira
13
2007
2017
10
6 Edmund Roman
12
1946
1951
5
7 John Baclawski
10
1979
2010
31
8 NM James Bolton
8
1975
1997
22
9 tie NM Derek Meredith
6
1981
2012
31
9 tie Joseph Bihlmeyer
6
2005
2019
14
 
 
 


 
 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

Posted by at

Thursday, July 18, 2019

GOING BACK IN TIME by Bob Cyr

 

The New Britain Chess Club Historian

Robert "Bob" Cyr (formerly known as Robert Kozlowski) joined the New Britain Chess Club family on July 28, 1987, at the age of nine. His father, Reginald Cyr, taught him the game and brought him to the club for many years. As the club's youngest member, Bob literality grew up with his chess family, and he soon adopted a mentor, Arkadijs Strazdins, to emulate and learn from.

By the mid-1990s, Bob was so inspired and impressed by Mr. Strazdins' labor of love for the club that he decided to begin volunteering. Bob's early roles included setting up equipment and tables prior to meetings and providing support to the tournament directing staff. After learning from Mr. Strazdins about how to direct tournaments, Bob took on his first major role in the club as a USCF certified tournament director in 1998. To date, he has successfully directed over one-hundred events. In 1999, Bob became club librarian. His responsibility was to maintain a huge collection of chess books that were donated by a former member. At the turn the century, Bob created the club’s first e-mail distribution list and worked with Mr. Strazdins to convert all records to electronic format.

After many years of loyal service to the organization, Bob eagerly took on his next major role as vice president in 2003. While most people ask themselves what absolutely needs to be done to fulfill the roles that they have taken on, Bob asks how that role can be expanded to provide its maximum benefit. As club vice president, this meant taking on many of the tasks formerly assigned to the president. During this time, Bob also devoted his efforts to the preservation of the club archives, a job that Mr. Strazdins passionately performed for decades. In 2005, Bob pursued his own historic work for the club by writing the first newsletter, which he still publishes annually.

The years between 2007 and 2010 were a critical time for the club. Having to deal with both the loss of its strongest and longest leader and the need for a new location, the club’s future was hardly guaranteed. Bob’s experience in working with Mr. Strazdins proved key to ushering in new leadership and re-establishing a solid foundation for the future.

In 2010, after deciding not to continue as vice president, Bob created the new position of club historian. In 2011, Bob received a lifetime membership achievement award for his many years of service and loyalty to the club. In 2015, Bob created the book, "NBCC Highlights and History: 1900-2004," and wrote the NBCC story, both of which were published, along with most of the club's history, on the internet in 2016.

Even though Bob is not as active in club management today because of his massive responsibilities as historian, he continues to be one of the club’s most staunch advocates and contributors. In 2017, Bob submitted a story to the USCF for their contest on what chess means to people. Bob’s story focused on how the people of NBCC have been his guiding forces on and off the chess board and how this warm and welcoming community has truly enriched his life. Also that year, Bob hosted a party and tournament for the membership to celebrate his thirty years as a member of the NBCC. In 2018, Bob was presented with an engraved crystal plaque in recognition for his many years of service as NBCC historian.

Bob is a lead senior accountant at Women's Health Connecticut in Avon and is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University. 


Photo caption

1) 1987 - Robert Kozlowski and Hermann Zickfeld (left photo); Arkadijs Strazdins (right photo) - 1988 New Britain City Chess Championship Qualifier - Photo courtesy of the New Britain Herald
2) 1997 - Robert Kozlowski and his father Reginald Cyr - 1997 Townsend Cup (at the Holiday Inn in Southington) - Photo courtesy of Rob Roy
3) 2015 - Andris Strazdins, Luis Delgado, Robert Cyr, and Richard Lee - 65th annual New Britain Chess Club Championship - Photo courtesy of Luis Delgado 

 
 

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New Britain Chess Club

Tuesdays 6:30 pm

Armenian Church, 1910 Stanley Street

 

 

CLICK HERE UPCOMING CHESS TOURNAMENTS IN CONN

PAST ISSUES OF   CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE


Coventry Chess Club
Most Faithful Players

28 Joe Bihlmeyer
16 Rob Roy
15 Derek Meredith
15 Art Nagel
14 Mark Bourque
11 Dan Smith
10 Hayes Goodman
10 Joshua Berkun
9   Larry Laffose
8   Suhas Kodali
8   Daniel Zhou

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser
 
The tripled pawns win!  The tripled pawns win!  Long-time readers have seen this headline before(6/6/15, 1/28/17, 4/15/17, 12/16/17) when the Grandmasters Duda, Andreikin, Onischuk, and Caruana used the triplets to produce victories.  Now Boris Gelfand has joined the club, this time the pawns are part of the middlegame fight, appearing on the board on move 15, opening an important file, and lasting to the final combination.
 
GM Boris Gelfand(2703)-GM Hedinn Steingrimsson(2573)
9/26/18
2018 Chess Olympiad
Batumi, Georgia
2.c4 e6 


23.Ba6 -4.72/20 23...Re8 23... b5 24. Nd4 Qe5 25. Qxe5 fxe5 26. Nc6 Rd6 27. Bb7 Re8 28. Nxa7 Rd7 29. Bc6 Rxa7 30. Bxe8 Kxe8 31. Rxd5 f6 -7.32 Stockfish 24.Bb5 Rac8 25.Bxe8 Qxe8 26.Nd4
23.Bd3 Kg8 24.g3 Rac8 25.Kg2 Kh8 26.Rf1 Rg8 27.Rd1 Qe6 28.Nd4 Qe5 29.Qxe5 fxe5 30.Nf5 Rgd831.Ne7 Rc7 32.Bxe4 Rxe7 33.Kxf2 Kg7 34.Ke3 Red7 35.Bf5 Rd6 -5.10 Stockfish
23…Qe5
24.Qh6+ Kg8
25.Nc6?! -6.85/23
25.a4 -5.87/22 25...a6 25... Rac8 26. g3 Rc4 27. Nf3 Qf5 28. Kg2 Rb4 29. Bd3 Rxb2 30. Rf1 Rc8 31. Nd4 Qg4 32. Qf4 Qxf4 33. gxf4 Rd2 -7.49 Stockfish 26.Be2 Re8 27.g3 Kh8 28.Qh4 Rg8 29.b3 Nc330.Rd2 Rae8 31.Nf3 Qe3 32.Qxf6+ Rg7 33.Qd4 Nxe2 34.Qxe3 Rxe3 35.Kxf2 Nxg3 36.Kxe3 Nf1+37.Kd4 Nxd2 38.Nxd2 Rg1 39.Nf3 Rd1+ 40.Kc3 f5 41.Kc2 Rf1
25.Be2 Re8 26.g3 Kh8 27.Qh5 Rac8 28.Kg2 Rg8 29.Qxe5 fxe5 30.Nf3 Rc2 31.Bf1 f6 32.Rxd5 Rxb233.Rd1 Rc8 34.Nh4 Rb3 35.Ba6 Rc2 36.a4 Nd2 37.Bf1 Kg7 -7.02 Stockfish
25…Qxb2 
26.Nd4 Kh8 
27.Bc6? -13.63/24
27.Be2 -7.19/22 27...Qxa3 27... Re8 28. Qc1 Qxc1 29. Rxc1 Rac8 30. Ra1 Rc3 31. Bf3 Kg7 32. Bg4 Rd3 33. Bd7 Rd8 34. Nf5+ Kf8 35. Bb5 Rd2 -8.12 Stockfish 28.Bf3 Qa6+ 29.Be2 b5 30.g3 Rab8 31.Bd3 Qa432.Nc2 Rb6 33.Qh5 Rc6
27.Qc1 Qxc1 28.Rxc1 Rac8 29.Ra1 Rc3 30.Ba6 Rg8 31.g3 Rg4 32.Nf5 Rg5 33.Nd4 Re3 34.Nc2 Rb335.Nd4 Rb2 36.Be2 Re5 37.Rc1 Ra2 38.Kg2 Nc5 39.Bb5 Re1 40.Rc2 Rxc2 41.Nxc2 Ne4 -8.00 Stockfish
27…Rac8
28.Nf5 Rg8 
29.Bd7 Rxg2 0-1
Now if 30.Kg2 f1Q 31.Kf1 Qf2#

 

 


CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE - MOST RECENT POSTS


REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT YANKEE OPEN


MEMORIES OF PAUL'S CHESS STUDIO IN HARTFORD


RATED SPEED-CHESS WAS JOINT VENTURE, STRAZDINS AND ROB ROY


40 YEARS AGO - CSCA HOSTED NATIONAL EVENT


CHESS LECTURER CLEAR WINNER AT SUMMER OPEN


DR. ANTHONY YABLONSKI IS NOW LONGEST STANDING MEMBER, RECORD HELD BY STRAZDINS


REPORT - NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB

 

REPORT - 2019 CSCA RAPID


REPORT - 2019 CONSTITUTION STATE OPEN

 

REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT STATE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS BY NORMAN BURTNESS


CONNECTICUT CHESS TOURNAMENTS WITH ROB ROY TD


NEW CHESS COACH - DAN STARBUCK PELLETIER


THE LEGACY OF ARKADIJS STRAZDINS AND ANDRIS STRAZDINS


NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB ANNOUNCES WEEKLY TRAINING CLASSES


BOARD MEETING CONNECTICUT STATE CHESS ASSSOC


7TH RANK TACTICS BY EXPERT JOE BIHLMEYER


25 YEARS AGO - CONNECTICUT CHESS


20 YEARS AGO - CONNECTICUT CHESS


REPORT - 2019 NATHAN HALE OPEN


CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE - TOP STORIES

 

 

FROM 41 YEARS AGO - 1978

 

 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

 

Posted by at

Monday, July 15, 2019

REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT YANKEE OPEN

 

Joe Bihlmeyer

 


REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT YANKEE OPEN  by Rob Roy

National Chess Expert Joseph Bihlmeyer won clear first place, $160, scoring three wins at the 2019 Connecticut Yankee Open held July 13 in Coventry.

Bihlmeyer (from Durham CT) defeated National Chess Expert Jose L. Castro in finals.

Alex Woodbury of RI won clear 2nd, $80, with two wins and a draw. Woodbury added 97 to his regular rating, and added 88 to to his quick rating.

In the 3-way tie for 3rd were Castro, Rick Schnitzler, and chess writer Al Lasser of the "Game of the Week" column.

Newcomers Daniel Tamburro earned a provisional rating of 1552, Punyavrat Upadhyay performance rating 1521, Haneesha Atkuri performance rating 1176.

Rob Roy, USCF Senior TD, filled in as houseman (so nobody gets a bye instead of playing a game) and ended up playing in each of the three rounds.

We had eleven players. A smaller crowd was expected because it was a gorgeous sunny day, and some choose outdoor activities rather than sedentary indoor events.

We are so thankful to Joe Bihlmeyer, who did many things for us. He set up tables and chairs, then put them away after we were done.  Bihlmeyer, using his cellphone, registered a new player to the USCF.  Bihlmeyer also donated $40 to us.

Bihlmeyer is instructor/lecturer (6:30 pm each Tues.) at New Britain Chess Club.

This was tournament #40 for the Coventry Chess Club. Bihlmeyer won clear 1st in 7 tournaments.  He tied for 1st 6 times.  He won clear 2nd twice, and tied for 2nd 5 times.

Our next event is  2019 Nutmeg State Open Chess Championships  to be held at Mill Brook Place in Coventry on Saturday, August 10.


2019 CONNECTICUT YANKEE OPEN - JULY 13 - Coventry Connecticut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 Pair | Player Name                     |Total|Round|Round|Round| 
 Num  | USCF ID / Rtg (Pre->Post)       | Pts |  1  |  2  |  3  | 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    1 | JOSEPH BIHLMEYER                |3.0  |W   6|W   8|W   3|
   CT | 12686352 / R: 2094   ->2108     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1979   ->1993     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    2 | ALEX BENJAMIN WOODBURY          |2.5  |W   4|W  11|D   6|
   RI | 16606814 / R: 1364   ->1461     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1307   ->1395     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    3 | JOSE L CASTRO                   |2.0  |W   7|W  10|L   1|
   CT | 12397090 / R: 2076   ->2068     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1969   ->1958     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    4 | ALAN LASSER                     |2.0  |L   2|W   7|W   8|
   MA | 10089387 / R: 1995   ->1977     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1934   ->1910     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    5 | RICK SCHNITZLER                 |2.0  |L  10|W   9|W  11|
   CT | 14896892 / R: 1164   ->1165     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1075P17->1073P20  |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    6 | HAYES GOODMAN                   |1.5  |L   1|W  12|D   2|
   RI | 15207355 / R: 1754   ->1740     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1508   ->1500     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    7 | ARTHUR C NAGEL                  |1.0  |L   3|L   4|W  10|
   CT | 10264669 / R: 1724   ->1714     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1446   ->1443     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    8 | DANIEL TAMBURRO                 |1.0  |W  12|L   1|L   4|
   CT | 17092753 / R: Unrated->1552P3   |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: Unrated->1249P3   |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    9 | ROB ROY                         |1.0  |L  11|L   5|W  12|
   CT | 10574790 / R: 1400   ->1400     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q: 1150   ->1079     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
   10 | PUNYAVRAT UPADHYAY              |1.0  |W   5|L   3|L   7|
   CT | 15975172 / R:  861   -> 932     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q:  917   -> 965     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
   11 | HANEESHA ATKURI                 |1.0  |W   9|L   2|L   5|
   CT | 16282828 / R:  660   -> 749     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q:  619   -> 702     |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
   12 | WILLIAM GRAHAM                  |0.0  |L   8|L   6|L   9|
   CT | 16259493 / R: 1190   ->1168     |     |     |     |     |
      |            Q:  880P22-> 859P25  |     |     |     |     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

 

We are on journey back in time once again. This time, we go back to 2008, when the NBCC held its annual Summer Open. The event was quite unique because we had a local band perform after the tournament, unprecedented in club history, perhaps U.S. chess history. The band, which was led by my cousin, Keith Little, drew mixed reviews. This would be the only time the club would do this again. 
 
Set your time machines to July 20, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.
 
51 players of all ages and playing levels in the Connecticut chess community competed in the 2008 New Britain Summer Open, almost breaking the club record of fifty-six set back in the 1970s. That was one of the greatest events in NBCC history. The club was overjoyed with all of the assistance for the event. Besides the officers and tournament directors, Kevin Zimmerman, member Roy Beavers, Doug Fiske, Derek Meredith, Bill Montross, and Mike and Michelle Pascetta served on the food and advertising committees. In addition to a free barbeque lunch, participants were treated to after-tournament entertainment by a local rock band, Accusing Society, yet another first in club history. Also another milestone for this event, David Gaston set a new record for winning three prizes in a NBCC tournament. David won trophies for the biggest upset, top junior, and first place in the U1600 section. We were blessed with fairly good weather. It was indeed a typical summer day in Southern New England, with temperatures in the 90s with relatively high dew points. The club also received contributions from a silent auction of chess books and videos. Thanks to Doug Fiske, David, Kevin, and member Andres Montiel for their contributions to the club from the auction.

 

 

OUR TOURNAMENTS ARE RATED BY USCF

CLICK HERE TO JOIN US CHESS FEDERATION

EACH PLAYER GETS A MEMBERSHIP ID #

PROVIDE YOUR ID# AT REGISTRATION

 

Please get our free email newsletter

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New Britain Chess Club

Tuesdays 6:30 pm

Armenian Church, 1910 Stanley Street

 

 

CLICK HERE UPCOMING CHESS TOURNAMENTS IN CONN

PAST ISSUES OF   CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser
 
   One of the regular subjects of this column are the positions with more pieces than pawns.  It’s always good chess entertainment to look at those fiendishly complicated games from the safety of my computer.  You can’t help but have some sympathy for the players, they try their best, but take for example the position after move 31;  there are 54 possible moves for White, of which half a dozen are probably candidate moves.  Of course, during the game, you can’t spend ten minutes thinking about every move, so stuff is going to happen.
 
GM Andrei Belozerov (2533)-GM Pavel Ponkratov (2649)
7/4/19  2019 Russian Higher League
 
1.e4 c5 
6.f3 e6 
9.g4 h6 
 
 


Coventry Chess Club
Most Faithful Players

28 Joe Bihlmeyer
16 Rob Roy
15 Derek Meredith
15 Art Nagel
14 Mark Bourque
11 Dan Smith
10 Hayes Goodman
10 Joshua Berkun
9   Larry Laffose
8   Suhas Kodali
8   Daniel Zhou

 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 


CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE - MOST RECENT POSTS


REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT YANKEE OPEN


MEMORIES OF PAUL'S CHESS STUDIO IN HARTFORD


RATED SPEED-CHESS WAS JOINT VENTURE, STRAZDINS AND ROB ROY


40 YEARS AGO - CSCA HOSTED NATIONAL EVENT


CHESS LECTURER CLEAR WINNER AT SUMMER OPEN


DR. ANTHONY YABLONSKI IS NOW LONGEST STANDING MEMBER, RECORD HELD BY STRAZDINS


REPORT - NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB

 

REPORT - 2019 CSCA RAPID


REPORT - 2019 CONSTITUTION STATE OPEN

 

REPORT - 2019 CONNECTICUT STATE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS BY NORMAN BURTNESS


CONNECTICUT CHESS TOURNAMENTS WITH ROB ROY TD


NEW CHESS COACH - DAN STARBUCK PELLETIER


THE LEGACY OF ARKADIJS STRAZDINS AND ANDRIS STRAZDINS


NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB ANNOUNCES WEEKLY TRAINING CLASSES


BOARD MEETING CONNECTICUT STATE CHESS ASSSOC


7TH RANK TACTICS BY EXPERT JOE BIHLMEYER


25 YEARS AGO - CONNECTICUT CHESS


20 YEARS AGO - CONNECTICUT CHESS


REPORT - 2019 NATHAN HALE OPEN


CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE - TOP STORIES

 

CHESS COLUMNS FROM THE PAST   by Rob Roy

1977 - 2000, Rob Roy wrote 1,300 Waterbury Sunday Republican chess columns.  The column helped his Waterbury Chess Club to become very successful.

Clerks at the newspaper office were the ones who re-typed hard-copy into the newspaper system, they made many typos with chess notation. All future editions of Connecticut Chess Magazine will feature a different column.

 

 

 

 

Posted by at

Monday, July 8, 2019

MEMORIES OF PAUL'S CHESS STUDIO IN HARTFORD

 

MEMORIES OF  PAUL'S CHESS STUDIO IN HARTFORD  by Jamie Chastain

Hi Rob - Paul Glidewell could not have managed the place without his friend Betty Moulton who helped him many years. Great cook, great lady. I lived upstairs. Paul had family in Italy (he married into some sort of royal family during WWII) he visited for about a month each year. He was fully fluent in Italian, many phone calls to Italy. He needed dependable summer help so he hired me. I stayed about a year and a half, great times. Then I returned to Florida. He only and would needle and taunt you nonstop. Never rated, I'd say he was about 2100 or so. When he crushed you he loved to say "Chess is a thinking game!" then laugh like crazy. He always smoked a pipe while playing, and he was constantly shredding cigars for his pipe. The table and the board were literally covered with pieces of cigar leaf, a huge mess and a shrewd distraction. LOL We had gambling in the back with backgammon, a lot of money changed hands there, but we never played. After closing at 11 we often played cards upstairs, and we'd get robbed about every 3 months, we only left pennies downstairs and no thieves wanted chess or backgammon sets, so no big deal except fixing the door. You could hear the door crack open with a crowbar, and we would grin and just keep playing cards, strange feeling for me. Mental patients played chess while institutionalized, and when released the hospitals would give them our address, they'd show up and play like kings for a week or so, then quit their meds and we had a few bizarre situations, though nothing dangerous. Tourneys every Friday night, usually two dozen folks or so, sometimes a NY master might stop in and play. Also 8-man tourneys on Saturdays as well, events run by Nick Stevens, the Hartford Chess Club president. Sometimes Dr. Joseph Platz would stop by and play, a very nice man, very popular. 2 blocks away was a large center for Jews escaping Russia, new arrivals would come by, strong players, until they found jobs and got settled. He briefly let Philip Frenkel and his wife Vera help out, Vera arrived and learned she was the third ranked woman in the U.S., Philip had been a chess instructor in Russia. So many good friends up there. We paired up customers, but if there was an extra I had to play them, and get my brains beat out by some expert while I prayed for another player to arrive. Ha! I often played 50 games of speed in a day. Yes, Paul was a truly good man and a great role model for me. What fun we had there !  Great hearing from you! Wonderful memories of those days. Best, Jamie

 

Dear Jamie,  I also have many fond memories of Paul's Game Store and Studio which I visited at least a dozen times, for both chess and backgammon.

Paul always allowed us to put a stack of Connecticut Chess Newsletters on the counter.   I was running tournaments in Waterbury back then.

I am asking all CCM readers to share their memories of Paul's.  - Rob Roy

 

 

 

OUR TOURNAMENTS ARE RATED BY USCF

CLICK HERE TO JOIN US CHESS FEDERATION

EACH PLAYER GETS A MEMBERSHIP ID #

PROVIDE YOUR ID# AT REGISTRATION

 

Please get our free email newsletter

ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com

 

New Britain Chess Club

Tuesdays 6:30 pm

Armenian Church, 1910 Stanley Street

 

 

 
GAME OF THE WEEK  by Alan Lasser
 
I have a history of getting mated in the fianchetto openings.  My rating went up a hundred points when I gave up playing the Pirc.  But here my opponent was only playing an English, what could be the harm of fianchettoing against that?
 
Magnus Wennemyr - Alan Lasser
6/30/19
underground chess club
game/15
 
26.Nxe2 1-0
 
 
GOING BACK IN TIME   by Bob Cyr
 
We set our time machine to July 19, 2009. Safe travels. 
We are taking another trip down memory lane to remember the best New Britain Summer Open Chess Championship in history. We set a personal record of seventy-eight players for this incredible event, shattering the prior record of fifty-six. The promotion of this event in prior years contributed to the success of the 1999 "open-air" event. In recent years, the club has come close to breaking this participation record but has fallen short. Of historical note, this would also be the FINAL time the club held the Summer Open at the Quartette Club because we relocated from this venue in March 2010. The next year at Hawk's Landing Country Club, sixty-eight players attended the Summer Open, so we were only eleven players of breaking the all-time record of seventy-eight. We even had a player travel from Mexico City to play in that year's event. Talk about historical!
 
The NBCC was proud to report to the Connecticut chess community that the annual New Britain Summer Open Chess Championship held on July 19 was another tremendous success. A club record seventy-eight players, some traveling as far as Montpelier VT, Queens NY, and even Mexico City, gathered for a full day of chess, barbecue lunch, and fun in the sun. Players competed in the four-round USCF dual-rated event consisting of three sections - an open, an Under 1700, and an Under 1300 (a first in club history) - under the pavilion of the Quartette Club, in what could easily be dubbed the all-time greatest summertime chess event in New England. What continues to make this tournament unique is the free barbecue lunch. Our food committee, led by culinary professionals Marcus Komons and Kevin Zimmerman, did a phenomenal job. These masters of the grill were assisted by sous-chefs John Fikiet and Michelle Pascetta. Our culinary crew displayed the highest level of professionalism and due care as they served a variety of typical summertime foods. The items on the huge menu included hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Polish kielbasa, Italian sausage, marinated chicken, veggie burgers, grilled corn, Boston-baked beans, antipasto salad, tomato and cucumber salad, tropical fruits, chips, garden salad, and rolls.  
There was also plenty of soda, water, and other beverages, which were made available to everyone for the entire day. In the words of prominent Chef Emeril Lagasse, these extraordinary chefs “kicked up” the food preparation “to notches unknown to mankind.” I also want to thank Joe Kozlowski, Joseph Mansigian, and Andris Strazdins for purchasing the food the night before the event. Special thanks also go to Roy Beavers, who donated coffee and purchased donuts for the players to enjoy while playing their morning game. In addition to the food crew, the club appreciates the efforts of FM Nelson Castaneda, Doug Fiske, and Robert Fitzpatrick, who assisted the officers with the overall setup and cleanup. Most of the advertising and promotion for the event was through word-of-mouth and e-mail. That is probably why this year’s event attracted so many more players than in previous years, especially from the shoreline and the Simsbury Chess Club directed by member Gert Hilhorst. Thanks to Gert, Derek Meredith, Joe Hricko, and the following state tournament directors (Tom Hartmayer, Rob Roy, and Alan Lasser) for spreading the word to their chess organizations about this event. Thanks also to Randy Shane and Ed Scimia, who drafted the advertising for this event for publication in the July issue of Chess Life. In order to direct a tournament of this size, my team of all-star TDs, Emily Pond and Ed, successfully managed the collection of the entry fees, made the pairings, and were always available in case players had questions or concerns. Thanks also to Randy and Rob, who volunteered to be backup directors. The winners of the first major club tournament with three sections were member and USCF NM Dennis Prawira in the open section, Dustin Hugenin in the Under 1700 section, and member Angel Garcia in the Under 1300 section. Of note, that was Angel’s first win in a major club tournament.
 

We are only going back three years in our NBCC traveling time machine this time, when FM Nelson Castaneda CREATED, ORGANIZED, AND DIRECTED the FIRST NBCC KNOCKOUT TOURNAMENT. Details follow. I plan on playing this year, so maybe I will float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Just a little historian levity.

The main attraction at the club in July was a new tournament proposed by FM Nelson Castaneda. The format of his unique event was quite simple. In round one, all players would be assigned a number and placed into a knockout bracket. The winners of the first round would advance in the knockout bracket, and the losers would enter a Swiss-system bracket. In case of a draw, a two-game blitz match would have to be played to determine the winner of the match. If the draw persisted after the blitz match, then the person who played with black in the classical game would advance. This format would continue until only two players remained in the knockout bracket. In the final round, Mark Bourque and Nelson Castaneda were the last two men vying for the top spot. Nelson, who also made his debut as tournament director, emerged victorious. Marcus Komons and Doug Fiske, who were knocked out in prior rounds, shared first place in the Swiss-system bracket. This tournament drew a respectable amount of interest, and we thank Nelson for creating the plans for this exciting activity. 

 
 
 
 
30 YEARS AGO    by Rob Roy
 
Below are images of three of my chess columns from 1989.
 
To be able to read them, you must click on the image, then Ctrl + keys
 
a few times.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLICK ON IMAGE, THEN HIT CTRL KEY TOGETHER WITH "+" KEY 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PAST ISSUES OF   CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE

 

CLICK HERE UPCOMING CHESS TOURNAMENTS IN CONN

 

 

COVENTRY CHESS CLUB - REPORT   by Rob Roy


The Coventry Chess Club is still up and running, even

though a prudent business man would shut down operations.

I have worked very hard to get the club to where it is now.

July 13 is our tournament # 40. It's not easy to give

up something you have poured your heart and soul into.

It's been three years, and I want to continue running

these monthly tournaments, but I can no longer afford to

also be the sponsor. I would like the club to build up it's

own savings account, so it can honor guaranteed prizes,

and deal with the unexpected expenses as they come up.


I am a double-victim of the 2008 financial crash, when

the (1) value of my home, and (2) my paycheck,

took a nosedive.  My health is poor.   I became unable

to work at Age-62, which is at a reduced benefit.

The chess program needs to be tweeked

so I don't spend any more of my personal funds.

Rob Roy

 

 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

 

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Sunday, June 30, 2019

RATED SPEED-CHESS - STRAZDINS AND ROB ROY

GAME OF THE WEEK, by Alan Lasser

7…e3 appears to be a bughouse move in a bughouse position; no kings are going to castle in this game. It looks like chess by the time the endgame rolls around and the three pawns beat the bishop.

IM David Gorodetzky (2461) vs GM Alexander Moiseenko (2642)
6/27/19   2019 Netanya Open


1.c4 e5
2.Nc3 Bb4
3.Nd5 a5
4.Nf3 e4
5.Ng5 Qxg5? +1.64/24
5...e3 +0.38/20 6.f4 6. fxe3 c6 7. Nxb4 Qxg5 8. Nd3 Nf6 9. g3 d5 10. b3 h5 11. Bb2 h4 12. Rg1 hxg3 13. hxg3 +1.12 Stockfish 6...Nf6 7.Nxe3 O-O 8.Nd5 Re8 9.Qc2 h6 10.Nxf6+ Qxf6 11.Qh7+
5...c6 6.Nxb4 Qxg5 7.Nc2 Qg6 8.d3 Ne7 9.dxe4 Qxe4 10.Qd3 Qxd3 11.exd3 O-O 12.Be2 d5 13.O-O Re8 14.Re1 +0.43 Stockfish
6.Nxc7+ Kd8
7.Nxa8 e3
7...Qf6 8.a3 Bc5 9.e3 Qa6 10.Qh5 Bf8 11.Qxf7 Nf6 12.b4 Qxa8 13.Bb2 +2.75 Stockfish
8.fxe3?! +1.12/22
8.f3 +2.00/24 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qxc4 10.Nb6 Qd4 11.Nxc8 a4 12.a3 Ba5 13.Ra2 13. Rb1 Nf6 14. b4 axb3 15. Rxb3 Re8 16. Rd3 Qxd3 17. exd3 exd2+ 18. Kf2 Re1 19. Qxd2 Bxd2 20. Bxd2 +3.66 Stockfish 13...Nc6 14.b4 axb3
8...Qh4+
9.g3 Qe4
10.a3?! +0.44/24
10.Rg1 +1.12/23 10...Qxe3 11.a3 Qxg1 12.axb4 Nf6 13.d3 Ng4 14.Bf4 Nc6 15.bxa5 +2.88 Stockfish
10…Qxh1
11.axb4 d6
12.d3 Bh3
13.Kd2 Qxf1
14.Qxf1 Bxf1
15.Rxa5 Bh3
16.e4 Ne7
17.Kc3 Ng6
18.Be3?! +0.26/24
18.Rb5 +0.63/24 18...Bc8 19.Rb6 Ke7 20.Nc7 Nd7 21.Nd5+ Ke6 22.Rb5 f6 23.Be3 Kf7 24.Nc7 Ke7 25.d4
18.Ra7 Kc8 19.Nb6+ Kc7 20.Nd5+ Kc8 21.b5 +1.45 Stockfish
18…Nd7
19.Rb5 Kc8
20.Rd5 f5
21.Rxd6 fxe4
22.Nb6+?! -0.52/28
22.Rd5 -0.09/23 22...exd3 22...Ne7 23. Rb5 exd3 24. exd3 Rf8 25. Nb6+ Nxb6 26. Bxb6 Rf5 27. Rxf5 Nxf5 28. d4 Kd7 = Stockfish 23.exd3 Re8 24.Bd4 Bg2 25.Ra5
22…Kc7
23.c5?! -1.02/25
23.Bc5 -0.57/26 23...Nxb6 24.Rxb6 Bg4 25.Rb5 Bxe2 26.dxe4 Re8 27.Bb6+ Kb8 28.Rd5 28. Rc5 Rxe4 29. b3 Re7 30. Rd5 Re8 31. Bd4 Bf3 32. Rf5 Rf8 33. Rxf8+ Nxf8 34. Bxg7 Ng6 -0.53 Stockfish 28...Ne5 29.b3 Bg4 30.Bc5 Nf7 31.Bd4 Rxe4 32.Bxg7 Re3+
23…Nxb6
24.Rxb6 exd3
25.exd3 Rd8
26.b5 Ne7
27.Bf4+ Kc8
28.Rd6 Nd5+
29.Kd4 Nxf4?! -0.02/27
29...Bg2 -0.57/26 30.Rxd8+ Kxd8 31.Be5 g6 32.Bf4 Kd7 33.b3 Ke6 34.Kc4 Kf5 35.c6 bxc6 36.bxc6 Ke6 37.Kc5 Ne7 38.c7 Kd7 39.b4 Nd5
29...Rxd6 30.Bxd6 Bg2 31.h4 Kd7 32.Be5 g6 33.Bd6 Bf3 34.Ke5 Bh1 35.Kd4 -0.55 Stockfish but the last two moves seem to indicate that the computer has no plan for victory.
30.Rxd8+ Kxd8
31.gxf4 Kd7
32.b4 Bg2
33.Kc4?! -0.94/27
33.Ke5 -0.01/25 33...Bf1 34.Kd4 Ke6 35.Kc4
33.f5 Bh3 34.Ke4 b6 35.d4 Bf1 36.Ke5 bxc5 37.bxc5 Bxb5 38.d5 Kc7 39.Ke6 Bd7+ 40.Ke5 Bc8 41.h4 h5 42.f6 gxf6+ 43.Kxf6 Bh3 44.Kg5 Bg4 45.Kf6 Bf3 46.Kg6 -0.09 Stockfish There is no way for Black to make progress.
33…Ke6
34.b6 Kf5
35.b5 Kxf4?? +9.54/25
35...g6 0.00/23 36.h4 36. h3 h6 37. c6 bxc6 38. bxc6 Bxc6 39. Kc5 Bb7 40. Kd6 Kxf4 41. Ke6 g5 42. d4 Ke4 43. Kf6 Kxd4 -0.31 Stockfish 36...h5 36... h6 37. d4 Ke6 38. Kd3 Kd5 39. c6 Kd6 40. f5 gxf5 41. cxb7 Bxb7 42. Ke3 Ke7 43. Kf4 Kf6 44. Ke3 h5 45. Kf4 Ba8 46. Ke3 f4+ 47. Kxf4 Bd5 -4.65 Stockfish 37.d4 Ke6 38.Kc3 Kd7 39.Kb4 Bd5 40.Kc3 Kd8 41.Kb4 Kd7
36.d4 Kf5?! +14.07/26
36...Bf1+ +9.35/23 37.Kb4 Bg2 38.c6 Bd5 39.Kc5 Ke4 40.Kd6 Kxd4 41.c7 Bh1 42.c8=Q
37.c6 Ke6
38.Kc5 g5
39.d5+ Bxd5
40.c7 Kd7
41.Kxd5 h5
42.Ke5 g4
43.Kf4 1-0

 

New Britain Chess Club Weekly News June 29, 2019

This Week’s News Items:

  • Quick Double Quads - results

  • July Knockout and Swiss returns for a 4th year

  • Training Class 6:15-7:00 Expert Joe Bihlmeyer: Themed Tactics and Future Training Plans

=========================================

Quick Double Quads Tournament Results

Congratulations to Nelson Castaneda (1st) and Suhas Kodali (2nd) in Quad 1, Mike Smith (1st) and Joe Hricko (2nd) in Quad 2, Bill Campbell (1st) and Joe Mansigian (2nd) in Quad 3, Carter Clayton (1st) and Mahesh Mahabaleshwar (2nd) in Quad 4 and Norman Aldrich (1st) and Yogahari J. (2nd).

The tournament will be USCF rated this upcoming week.

====================================

===================================

 
Suhas Kodali, Vice President 
New Britain Chess Club
 
 

 

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME   by Bob Cyr


Bob Cyr, Connecticut Chess Historian, sent us a

newpaper clipping from 63 years ago, written by

G.E. Avery for the Hartford Courant.

Dr. Joseph Platz, USCF Master Emeritus, annotates

a game between Arkadijs Strazdins and Jim Bolton.

The image may be difficult to read, what helps

is to click on the image then hit the CTRL key

together with the + key several times.

Avery reports on a healthy Hartford Chess Club,

(32 members) who was victorious (15-12) in a

team match at the Boston Chess Club.

The column also makes mention of the CSCA

meeting held at the YMCA in Middletown that

was called by president Isaiah Spector.

Avery's column also featured a chess puzzle

diagram, solve the mate-in-four, taken from a

real-live game by Dr. Tarrasch in 1914.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


CONNECTICUT SPEED-CHESS LEAGUE


In this 1978 newspaper clipping from Rob Roy's

chess column for the Waterbury Sunday Republican,

the speed-chess tournament held in conjunction

with the 3rd Hartford Open was Elo-Rated by the

relatively new Connecticut Speed-Chess League.

CSCL was a joint venture between Arkadijs Strazdins

with his New Britain Chess Club, and Rob Roy with

his Waterbury Chess Club.

Over the course of a few years Strazdins and Roy

developed a following of players who preferred

speed-chess over the regular "slow" variety.

The column also displays a chess position

and annotations from where Dr. Joseph Platz

wins against his teacher; Dr. Emmanuel Lasker.

 

Click on the image, then hit Ctrl + keys a few times.

 

 

 

 

 


CHESS IN COVENTRY:

It has not been easy to establish a chess program

located in Eastern Connecticut.  There were

no local players to start with.

All of the players at my USCF tournaments in

Coventry travel more than 25 miles to attend.

North Eastern CT is very sparsely populated.

Luckily we get players from South Eastern CT

Westerly RI, Norwich and New London.

Our players from New Britain, Hartford,and

New Haven use our "wormhole" I-384.

Upstate Connecticut gets no players from the

Fairfield County region of New York/Conn.

Norwalk is home to a 24/7 chess "studio"

that also attracts players from NY and NJ.

Fairfield County residents, if they were to

ever venture away from their home, are certain

to hop a train to NYC rather than come to us.

 

 

 

FUTURE OF COVENTRY CHESS CLUB


The Coventry Chess Club needs to pay rent,

Chess Life listings, Email Blasts, rating fees,

affiliation fees and other expenses.

To stay afloat; we need an average of

12 players at our monthly tournaments.

If our tournaments are important to you,

then please consider attending more often.

In 3 years, we've had 142 different players,

71 of those (half) came only once.

Out of the 39 tournaments so far, only

12 players attended 7 or more times.

I know newcomers get discouraged when

they finish 0-3. Our top players are really

good, don't count on winning any cash.

I think chess is a really great bargain.

$35 for a full day's entertainment.

Real-Live experience with genuinely

competitive play.

 

 

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