GOING BACK IN TIME BY BOB CYR

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

 

Greetings, chess friends:

 

Here is another time travel experience. Here is what about I about the first "odds" tournament held at the club when Mike Pascetta and Derek Meredith took over as president and vice president, respectively, in 2010. This is mentioned in the 2010 NBCC newsletter. Listed below are the 18 prior winners of this series of tournament, which are part of the club archives. 

 

Tonight, the club is hosting its 19th in this series of tournaments. 

On September 7, the new club administration held its first tournament, an eight round Swiss-system time odds event, the first in club history. According to Mike Pascetta, the 1^st “What Are the Odds Blitz Chess Tournament” allowed the players to “receive more time than their higher-rated opponents in order to level the playing field.” Everyone enjoyed the event. And, after three hours of spirited play, FM Richard Bauer captured first place.

XVIII: Nelson Castaneda and Suhas Kodali

XVII:  Raghav Arun and Daniel Pascetta
XVI:   Max Krall and Mark Rovensky
XV:    Manav Ramprasad and Nelson Castaneda
XIV:   Mark Bourque
XIII:  Joseph Bihlmeyer
XII:   Alexander Ruth
XI:    Joseph Bihlmeyer, David Herscovici, Allen Mo, James Wilkin.
X:     James Wilkin
IX:    Daniel Pascetta
VIII:  Alexander Ruth
VII:   Dennis Prawira
VI:    Nelson Castaneda
V:     Nelson Castaneda
IV:    Nelson Castaneda
III:   Richard Bauer
II:    Richard Bauer
I:     Richard Bauer

On September 7, the new club administration held its
first tournament, an eight round Swiss-system time odds event, the first in
club history. According to Mike Pascetta, the 1st “What Are the Odds
Blitz Chess Tournament” allowed the players to “receive more time than their
higher-rated opponents in order to level the playing field.” Everyone enjoyed
the event. And, after three hours of spirited play, FM Richard Bauer captured
first place. 

 

Yours in chess and time,

 

Robert Cyr

NBCC Historian

Lifetime NBCC Member

USCF Local Tournament Director

 

FROM NBCC PRESIDENT NORMAN BURTNESS

 

Norman Burtness, President 

New Britain Chess Club

newbritainchessclub@gmail.com

www.newbritainchessclub.com

 

 

President's Message

Our 2018-2019 membership years comes to a close. We finish the year with 101 members, the 3rd time in the last 5 years we have broken the 100 mark!

The NBCC officers officially start their terms, with Norman Burtness, President; Suhas Kodali, Vice President; Mario Guevara-Rodriguez, Secretary; and David Herscovici, Treasurer.

Following his election last June, Laurent Lafosse was unable to fulfill the duties as Treasurer due to a change in work commitments, and David Herscovici was appointed to take his place.

I again want to thank Gert Hilhorst for his work for the last 4+ years as treasurer, taking over admirably after the passing of long-time treasurer Andris Strazdins.

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of seeing Danny Rozovsky last weekend when he was in town. He has graduated from Berkeley with a degree in math, and has started working for Universal Tennis, where he is designing a Tennis Rating software to replace the current ranking system. Danny was responsible for getting me back into playing chess seriously after a 30 yrs absence when as a 2237-rated 9th grader, he came to my chess club at school and promptly destroyed me. We then played regularly and he showed me a whole new world of chess strategy I had never seen before.

 

54th NBCC Summer Open Report

Congratulations to Mark Bourque for edging out Joe Hricko on tie-breaks to take home the 1st place trophy.

Kyle Triplett won the U1619 section and Ethan Shemo went 5-0 in the U919 section to take 1st place.

It was nice to see Gaetano Bompastore at the Open. It was just a year ago coming home from this event that he had his terrible accident. He is still in a wheel chair, but was in good spirits.

We all wish you, Gaetano, the best for your continued recovery.

 

NBCC Quick Chess Championships Results

The 2-week Quick Chess Championships finished on Tuesday. The winners are:

Open section: 1st: Nelson Castaneda, 2nd: Joe Bihlmeyer, 1st U2000: Joe Hricko

U1700 section: 1st: Kyle Triplett, 2nd: Mahesh Mahabaleshwar, 1st U1200 and 1st U1000:

four-way tie (all under 1000): Phiron Hin, Shritan Vijay, Sai Ganesh Senguttuvan and Adam Miller

Thanks to David Herscovici for ably directing his 1st tournament as Chief Tournament director.

Complete results can be found on the crosstable. USCF Crosstable - NBCC Quick Chess Championships

 

 

Sat. Nov. 16, 2019

Yankee Peddler Open

$160-1st, $80-2nd. Guaranteed.

3 Round Swiss, G/60;d5 Affects both quick and regular rating. Round Times: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45.  Entry Fees: $35 Cash Only On-site Only: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. No Advance Entry. One Section. Accelerated Pairings. Wheelchair Accessible. USCF TLASite: Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St., Coventry, CT 06238 Across street from Bidwell Tavern is our stone building at rear of parking lot 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

NBCC Highlights from January 2019 thru August 2019

  

Today, the 2019-2020 club season begins. Let us put our best efforts to help our incoming club officers: Norman Burtness, president; Suhas Kodali, vice president; Mario Guevara-Rodriguez, secretary ; David Herscovici, treasurer.

Like Norman said, we thank Gert Hilhorst for serving as our club treasurer for four years, after the passing of longtime treasurer Andris Strazdins, who was treasurer for forty-two years. Gert did WONDERS for our club as treasurer. Excellent job, Gert!

 

I will continue to serve as club historian.

 

Tony Yablonski is now officially the longest-standing member at 57 years. Joe Mansigian is also officially a lifetime member of the club, only one of two in our organization. We thank Joe for continuing to make updates to the club website and for his many years of service as club president after the Strazdins era. 

 

Best of luck to our club officers.

 

Thank you for supporting the club. Let us break the all-time membership record of 119 set back in 1973. It is possible. Promotion of the club is key for this historic achievement to be broken. One of the promising things that I see in our club lately are the newest tournament directing staff: Michael Smith, Mario Guevara-Rodriguez, Suhas Kodali, David Herscovici, and Kyle Triplett.

 

And we can't forget our instructors Joe Bihlmeyer, Nelson Castaneda, Suhas Kodali, Will Torress, Richard Bauer, and Derek Meredith for their contributions. Wow, our club is blessed with this overwhelming support! Keep up the outstanding work!

 

Yours in chess and time,

 

Robert Cyr

NBCC Historian

Lifetime NBCC Member

USCF Local Tournament Director

 

 

Connecticut State Chess Association

 

Connecticut's FM Kapil Chandran achieved an IM norm at the US Masters held in Greenboro, NC. Kapil scored 5 out of 9 and beat GM Kamil Dragun (2614) in the process.

The top scholastic player from Connecticut, 16-year-old IM Hans Niemann, scored 5.5 out of 9 missing a GM norm on half a point. Hans beat GM Hrant Melkumyan (2661) and was in a third-place tie for the U2500 (fide) prize.  Final Standings.

 

 

MARK BOURQUE WINS 54th NBCC SUMMER OPEN

On a seasonably warm and pleasant day on the last Sunday of the month, fifty chess enthusiasts gathered at the beautiful Wickham Park in Manchester to compete in our club’s annual Summer Open Chess Championship. It takes a lot of volunteerism to ensure the success of this heritage event.

 

The following people deserve recognition for making the 54th Summer Open one for the record books. First, we sincerely thank our tournament directors, Suhas Kodali and Doug Fiske, for their outstanding work that they did to direct this event so seamlessly.

 

Second, we thank our food and beverage crew, Chef Mario Guevara-Rodriguez and Gert Hilhorst for making sure the participants had plenty to eat and drink. We also thank Rob Roy, who sent out many advertisements about this event via his Connecticut Chess magazine blasts. We also want to thank Suhas for ordering the lovely trophies and for bringing in the club sets and boards.

 

Of historical note, Kyle Triplett, one of our newest members and president of the Central Connecticut State University Chess Club, took home clear first place in the Under 1619 section, making this his first major win in a club tournament. Overall, it was a delightful day of food, family, and fun, and we look forward to seeing you next year! by Bob Cyr

 

54th NBCC SUMMER OPEN  -  TOP SECTION

----------------------------------------------------------------------- Pair | Player Name |Total|Round|Round|Round|Round| Num | USCF ID / Rtg (Pre->Post) | Pts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | MARK BOURQUE |3.5 |W 7|W 3|D 2|W 5| CT | 12139250 / R: 1926 ->1991 |N:C |B |B |W |B | | Q: 1855 ->1916 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 | JOSEPH HRICKO |3.5 |W 16|W 17|D 1|W 4| CT | 12553334 / R: 1940 ->1972 |N:1 |W |B |B |W | | Q: 1778 ->1835 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 | JAKE WANG |3.0 |W 11|L 1|W 17|W 8| CT | 14946257 / R: 2116 ->2120 |N:1 |B |W |B |W | | Q: 1981 ->1989 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 | JOSEPH BIHLMEYER |2.5 |W 15|D 9|W 6|L 2| CT | 12686352 / R: 2119 ->2105 |N:2 |W |B |W |B | | Q: 1996 ->1979 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 | MATTHEW DEREK MEREDITH |2.5 |D 13|W 12|W 9|L 1| CT | 10031443 / R: 2091 ->2076 |N:2 |B |W |B |W | | Q: 1955 ->1943 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 | MARIO GUEVARA-RODRIGUEZ |2.5 |H |W 13|L 4|W 12| CT | 16129851 / R: 1877 ->1889 | | |W |B |W | | Q: 1801 ->1814 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 | EUGENE BYSTRAK |2.5 |L 1|B |W 10|D 9| CT | 10037913 / R: 1670 ->1708 | |W | |B |W | | Q: 1661P24->1684 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 | RICHARD N BAUER |2.0 |L 9|W 14|W 16|L 3| CT | 10583896 / R: 2259 ->2236 |N:3 |W |B |W |B | | Q: 2076 ->2045 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 | GEORGE WANG |2.0 |W 8|D 4|L 5|D 7| CT | 14946263 / R: 1887 ->1906 |N:2 |B |W |W |B | | Q: 1759 ->1782 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 | GERT MICHAEL HILHORST |2.0 |L 17|W 15|L 7|W 16| CT | 13494233 / R: 1904 ->1875 |N:3 |W |B |W |B | | Q: 1823 ->1787 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 | GAETANO BOMPASTORE |2.0 |L 3|L 16|W 14|W 15| MA | 12906776 / R: 1800 ->1800 |N:3 |W |B |W |B | | Q: 1794 ->1767 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 | MICHAEL SMITH |1.5 |H |L 5|W 13|L 6| CT | 16903342 / R: 1755 ->1755 | | |B |W |B | | Q: 1762 ->1749 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 | JOSEPH CHARLES MANSIGIAN |1.5 |D 5|L 6|L 12|B | CT | 10031621 / R: 1720 ->1708 | |W |B |B | | | Q: 1614 ->1607 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 | ELIZABETH C SMITH |1.5 |H |L 8|L 11|W 17| CT | 15913683 / R: 1493 ->1516 | | |W |B |W | | Q: 1243 ->1296 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 | DENNIS PAUL HIMES |1.0 |L 4|L 10|B |L 11| CT | 12570458 / R: 1778 ->1747 | |B |W | |W | | Q: 1504 ->1500 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 | ARTHUR C NAGEL |1.0 |L 2|W 11|L 8|L 10| CT | 10264669 / R: 1700 ->1705 | |B |W |B |W | | Q: 1459 ->1482 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 | BRIAN BOSCH |1.0 |W 10|L 2|L 3|L 14| CT | 12767083 / R: 1653 ->1649 | |B |W |W |B | | Q: 1641P13->1615P17 | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

54th NBCC SUMMER OPEN  -  SECTION B

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pair | Player Name |Total|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round| Num | USCF ID / Rtg (Pre->Post) | Pts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | KYLE TRIPLETT |5.0 |W 14|W 10|W 7|W 2|W 4| CT | 16784034 / R: 1379 ->1512 |N:3 |B |B |W |W |B | | Q: 1324 ->1437 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 | PUNYAVRAT UPADHYAY |4.0 |W 11|W 13|W 3|L 1|W 5| CT | 15975172 / R: 1234 ->1407 |N:3 |W |B |W |B |W | | Q: 997 ->1243 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 | DENNIS WIGG |3.5 |D 5|W 8|L 2|W 6|W 7| CT | 12491766 / R: 1492 ->1479 |N:4 |W |B |B |W |B | | Q: 1334 ->1327 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 | DAVID SHEMO |3.0 |L 10|W 5|W 11|W 7|L 1| CT | 14166484 / R: 1331 ->1359 |N:4 |W |B |W |B |W | | Q: 1337P23->1328 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 | SHAINA MEZHERITSKIY |2.5 |D 3|L 4|W 12|W 10|L 2| CT | 15839720 / R: 1114 ->1203 | |B |W |W |B |B | | Q: 1098 ->1148 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 | YOGAHARI JEGADEESWARAN |2.5 |L 13|W 9|D 10|L 3|W 12| CT | 15976902 / R: 1002 ->1084 | |W |B |W |B |B | | Q: 1059 ->1086 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 | ROD GROFF |2.0 |W 9|W 12|L 1|L 4|L 3| CT | 15211551 / R: 1390P12->1339P17 | |W |B |B |W |W | | Q: 1195P7 ->1158P12 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 | SRINI AIYER |2.0 |L 12|L 3|W 9|W 14|F | VA | 14217104 / R: 1358 ->1311 | |W |W |B |B | | | Q: 1215 ->1200 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 | ARYAN SANTOSH JANGLE |2.0 |L 7|L 6|L 8|B |W 14| CT | 16636532 / R: 910 -> 903 | |B |W |W | |B | | Q: 906 -> 893 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 | ROBERT CYR |1.5 |W 4|L 1|D 6|L 5|U | CT | 12489098 / R: 1509 ->1500 | |B |W |B |W | | | Q: 1407 ->1400 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 | ROB ROY |1.5 |L 2|W 14|L 4|D 12|F | CT | 10574790 / R: 1400 ->1400 | |B |W |B |W | | | Q: 1079 ->1056 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 | ALEXANDER VICTOR LEYNER |1.5 |W 8|L 7|L 5|D 11|L 6| CT | 16686927 / R: 978P3 ->1045P8 | |B |W |B |B |W | | Q: 946P12-> 952P17 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 | MAHESH MAHABALESHWAR |1.0 |W 6|L 2|U |U |U | CT | 15456900 / R: 1386 ->1371 | |B |W | | | | | Q: 1308P24->1289 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 | KASHVI MADHWANI |1.0 |L 1|L 11|B |L 8|L 9| CT | 16580166 / R: 799 -> 772 | |W |B | |W |W | | Q: 876 -> 825 | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

54th NBCC SUMMER OPEN  -  SECTION C

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pair | Player Name |Total|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round| Num | USCF ID / Rtg (Pre->Post) | Pts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | ETHAN SHEMO |5.0 |W 10|W 2|W 6|W 5|W 4| CT | 16839715 / R: 848 -> 994 | |B |W |B |W |B | | Q: 803 -> 988 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 | SHRITAN VIJAY |4.0 |W 15|L 1|W 14|W 9|W 6| CT | 16854121 / R: 754 -> 814 | |W |B |W |B |W | | Q: 798 -> 838 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 | SAI GANESH SENGUTTUVAN |3.0 |W 14|L 4|L 9|W 13|W 5| CT | 16599095 / R: 888P18-> 840P23 | |B |W |B |W |B | | Q: 668P19-> 675P24 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 | HANEESHA ATKURI |3.0 |W 12|W 3|L 5|W 10|L 1| CT | 16282828 / R: 728 -> 763 | |W |B |W |B |W | | Q: 702 -> 728 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 | NICOLAS MARQUES |3.0 |W 11|W 7|W 4|L 1|L 3| CT | 15694445 / R: 675 -> 761 | |B |W |B |B |W | | Q: 661 -> 737 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 | ADITTYA CHOPRA |3.0 |W 9|W 8|L 1|W 11|L 2| CT | 16273591 / R: 712 -> 739 | |B |W |W |B |B | | Q: 787 -> 800 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 | NATHAN MEZHERITSKIY |3.0 |W 13|L 5|L 10|W 12|W 11| CT | 16832178 / R: 711 -> 699 | |W |B |W |B |W | | Q: 746 -> 722 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 | ADAM MILLER |3.0 |W 16|L 6|L 11|W 14|W 10| CT | 16426126 / R: 665P18-> 657P23 | |W |B |W |B |W | | Q: 784 -> 749 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 | SAI ABISHEK JEYACKUMAR |3.0 |L 6|W 16|W 3|L 2|W 15| CT | 16752833 / R: 518P16-> 571P21 | |W |B |W |W |B | | Q: 520P22-> 563 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 | YASH PONNABOYINA |2.0 |L 1|W 15|W 7|L 4|L 8| CT | 16752640 / R: 649P13-> 632P18 | |W |B |B |W |B | | Q: 679P13-> 660P18 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 | NITISH JOSON TERANCE JOE HESTON |2.0 |L 5|W 13|W 8|L 6|L 7| CT | 17107894 / R: Unrated-> 590P5 | |W |B |B |W |B | | Q: Unrated-> 616P5 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 | THOMAS SULLIVAN JR |2.0 |L 4|L 14|W 15|L 7|W 16| CT | 12832979 / R: 603 -> 548 | |B |W |B |W |W | | Q: 546 -> 502 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 | JAMES SHEMO |2.0 |L 7|L 11|W 16|L 3|W 14| CT | 16839721 / R: 503 -> 501 | |B |W |B |B |W | | Q: 503 -> 493 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 | MAX ZIANG WANG |1.0 |L 3|W 12|L 2|L 8|L 13| CT | 16526605 / R: 698 -> 608 | |W |B |B |W |B | | Q: 637 -> 559 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 | RYAN SHEMO |1.0 |L 2|L 10|L 12|W 16|L 9| CT | 16839736 / R: 263 -> 252 | |B |W |W |B |W | | Q: 279 -> 263 | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 | ROHAN PONNABOYINA |0.0 |L 8|L 9|L 13|L 15|L 12| CT | 16790221 / R: 100P2 -> 101P7 | |B |W |W |W |B | | Q: Unrated-> 101P5 | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME  by Bob Cyr

SOME HISTORY OF THE

NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB

SUMMER OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 

1966: 1^ST SUMMER OPEN HELD AND WON BY ARKADIJS STRAZDINS; EVENT HELD AT GENERAL HOLLAR POST

1975: 1^ST OPEN-AIR SUMMER OPEN HELD UNDER PAVILION OF NEW BRITAIN QUARTETTE CLUB

1993 – 2005: SUMMER OPEN HELD AS A FOUR WEEK TOURNAMENT INSTEAD OF A ONE DAY EVENT (APPARENTLY, THE RENT FOR THE PAVILION WAS TOO HIGH TO PAY THE QUARTETTE CLUB ACCORDING TO MR. STRAZDINS)

2006: SUMMER OPEN HELD ONCE AGAIN (THANKS TO JOE MANSIGIAN AND DEREK MEREDITH) AS A OPEN-AIR EVENT UNDER THE QUARTETTE CLUB PAVILON (2 DAY EVENT, WHICH DID NOT WORK OUT WELL)

2007: FREE BBQ LUNCH HELD AS PART OF THE TOURNAMENT

2008: ENTERTAINMENT PROVIDED BY ACCUSING SOCIETY ROCK BAND AFTER THE END OF THE TOURNAEMNT

2009: ALL-TIME RECORD ATTENDANCE OF 78, SHATTERING OLD RECORD OF 56.

2010-2011: SUMMER OPEN HELD AT TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRY CLUBS BECAUSE OF OUR RELOCATION FROM THE QC TO THE ASSYRIAN COMMUNITY CENTER IN NEW BRITAIN, WHICH DID NOT HAVE AN OUTDOOR FACILITY

2012: A NEW PERMANENT HOME FOR THE SUMMER OPEN – BEAUTIFUL WICKHAM PARK IN MANCHESTER

2018: HIGHEST TURNOUT FOR SCHOLASTIC MEMMBERS IN ANY TOURNAMENT AT THAT YEAR’S SUMMER OPEN (35); FM RICHARD BAUER ONLY ONE TIE OR WIN AWAY FROM TYING ARKADIJS STRAZDINS RECORD OF WINS OR TIES FOR FIRST PLACE IN THIS EVENT OF TEN

 

 

 

FRIENDS FOR FORTY-SIX YEARS

Dennis Himes and Rob Roy played many chess games in 1973-74, when we both attended UCONN and lived in the same dorm; Terry Hall A in the "Frats".

 

 

 

 

GAMES BY SM RICK BAUER OF WOLCOTT CT

 

Bauer vs Kopec 1995 Waterbury CT

 

Bauer vs Hanken 2000 Philadelphia PA

 

 

 

 

Norman Burtness, President 

New Britain Chess Club

newbritainchessclub@gmail.com

www.newbritainchessclub.com

 

 

New Britain Chess Club Weekly News Aug 31, 2019

This Week’s News Items:

President's Message

54th NBCC Summer Open Report

What are the Odds, Tuesday Sept 3, 2019

NBCC Quick Chess Championships Results

Oktoberfest Tournament starts September 10, 2019

Time to Renew Your NBCC Membership

Training Class 6:15-7:00 - Joe Bihlmeyer

President's Message

Our 2018-2019 membership years comes to a close. We finish the year with 101 members, the 3rd time in the last 5 years we have broken the 100 mark!

The NBCC officers officially start their terms, with Norman Burtness, President; Suhas Kodali, Vice President; Mario Guevara-Rodriguez, Secretary; and David Herscovici, Treasurer.

Following his election last June, Laurent Lafosse was unable to fulfill the duties as Treasurer due to a change in work commitments, and David Herscovici was appointed to take his place.

I again want to thank Gert Hilhorst for his work for the last 4+ years as treasurer, taking over admirably after the passing of long-time treasurer Andris Strazdins.

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of seeing Danny Rozovsky last weekend when he was in town. He has graduated from Berkeley with a degree in math, and has started working for Universal Tennis, where he is designing a Tennis Rating software to replace the current ranking system. Danny was responsible for getting me back into playing chess seriously after a 30 yrs absence when as a 2237-rated 9th grader, he came to my chess club at school and promptly destroyed me. We then played regularly and he showed me a whole new world of chess strategy I had never seen before.

 

54th NBCC Summer Open Report

Congratulations to Mark Bourque for edging out Joe Hricko on tie-breaks to take home the 1st place trophy.

Kyle Triplett won the U1619 section and Ethan Shemo went 5-0 in the U919 section to take 1st place.

It was nice to see Gaetano Bompastore at the Open. It was just a year ago coming home from this event that he had his terrible accident. He is still in a wheel chair, but was in good spirits.

We all wish you, Gaetano, the best for your continued recovery.

 

NBCC Quick Chess Championships Results

The 2-week Quick Chess Championships finished on Tuesday. The winners are:

Open section: 1st: Nelson Castaneda, 2nd: Joe Bihlmeyer, 1st U2000: Joe Hricko

U1700 section: 1st: Kyle Triplett, 2nd: Mahesh Mahabaleshwar, 1st U1200 and 1st U1000:

four-way tie (all under 1000): Phiron Hin, Shritan Vijay, Sai Ganesh Senguttuvan and Adam Miller

Thanks to David Herscovici for ably directing his 1st tournament as Chief Tournament director.

Complete results can be found on the crosstable. USCF Crosstable - NBCC Quick Chess Championships

New Membership Year Starts in September

Please Renew your membership:

The success of the NBCC depends on the contributions and support of our chess community.

Membership dues are needed to pay for the use of the facilities, to purchase equipment and to run the club.

Benefits of a NBCC Membership include:

Casual play every week

Reduced tournament entry fee

Support of chess in CT

Participation in member only events, such as our Club Championship

and Christmas Party

Membership dues for the 9/1 - 8/31 club year are:

Regular $65

Children and full time students: $50

2nd family member: $35

65+ yrs old or out of state college student: $35

Special $35 in case of a Financial Hardship

You can also pay with check or cash at the club or

renew by PayPal on our website.

 

Training Class 6:15-7:00

On Tuesday, September, 3, Expert Joe Bihlmeyer will teach.

CLICK HERE UPCOMING CHESS TOURNAMENTS IN CONN

 

 

Pal Benko Dies at Age 91

Pal Benko, Who Stepped Aside for Bobby Fischer, Dies at 91

Benko's Great Sacrifice

 

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser

 

Grandmaster Pal Benko died last week, he was an American chess hero, renowned for turning over his hard-earned spot in the 1970 interzonals to Bobby Fischer. The movie title had it wrong, it wasn’t a pawn sacrifice, it was the sacrifice of a grandmaster that allowed Fischer into championship cycle and his eventual world title.
My own Benko story is also from 1970, when our grateful chess nation was beginning to reward him. I was an under-employed eighteen year old B-player when I heard that there were going to be chess jobs in the Catskills. A group of well-heeled chess investors had the brilliant idea of buying the Flagler, a venerable hotel in the Borscht Belt, and turning it into a retirement home for old chess players. The hotel staff would include young chess players who, in addition to doing the grunt work of running the hotel, would make themselves available to the retirees whenever one of them wanted to play a game. It sounded like a dream job to me.
About 30 young chess players showed up at the hotel seeking this employment, most of them were hot-shot New Yorkers. The jobs would go to the highest rated players, and the ones who performed best in the simultaneous against Benko, who was slated to be the hotel's resident grandmaster. Talk about big stakes, did you ever play a chess game with your whole future on the line? I was in the bottom-half of the ratings, my only chance of a job was a good performance in the simul.
The highest rated hopeful was young expert Danny Shapiro(he grew up to be an over 2400 master), and he was the last one to finish. Wouldn’t you know it, the grandmaster made me play a more pieces than pawns position. Somehow I made it to the final five, but that meant I had less time to think and I crumbled in the complications. I hoped I had played well enough to snag a job, but for reasons unknown to me, the hotel purchase fell through, and the chess playing gigs that Pal Benko and I wanted never materialized.
My tribute was the coining of “Benko-files”. He is the only chess player to have his name on an opening and a file.

White GM Pal Benko
Black Alan Lasser
Event simultaneous exhibition
Flagler Hotel,Fallsburg, NY
Date 1970.08.29
Result 1-0
1.c4 f5
2.Nc3 Nf6
3.g3 e6
4.Bg2 Be7
5.Nf3 O-O
6.O-O d5
7.d4 Qe8
8.b3 Ne4
9.Bb2 Nd7
10.Ne1 c6
11.Nd3 Kh8
12.e3 g5?! +0.60/21
12...Nxc3 13.Bxc3 b6 14.Bb4 Bxb4 15.Nxb4 Bb7 16.Nd3 Qe7 17.Rc1 Rac8 18.h4 Rfd8 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.Nf4 Ba6 21.Re1 Nf6 +0.88 Stockfish
12...b6 13.Ne2 Bd6 14.Rc1 Bb7 15.Nef4 Rc8 16.Ne5 +0.21 Stockfish
13.f3 Nd6
14.Ne5 dxc4
15.Nxc4 Nxc4
16.bxc4 Nf6
17.f4 Qh5?! +1.42/24
17...Bd7 +0.85/19 18.Re1 18. Ne2 g4 19. Nc1 Rd8 20. Nd3 h5 21. Bc3 h4 22. gxh4 Qh5 23. Ne5 Bc8 24. Ba5 Rde8 25. Rb1 +1.60 Stockfish 18...Qg6 19.Qb3 Qg7 20.Ba3 Bxa3 21.Qxa3 Ng4 22.Qc5
17...gxf4 18.exf4 Bd7 19.Re1 Kg8 20.Re2 Qf7 21.a4 b6 22.Qd3 Bb4 23.Nd1 Rac8 24.Ne3 Rfd8 25.Qb3 Be7 +0.96 Stockfish
18.Qxh5 Nxh5
19.d5 Kg8
20.dxc6 bxc6
21.Rab1?! +0.73/22
21.Nb5 +1.41/22 21...gxf4 21...Rb8 22. Be5 Rb6 23. Nxa7 Bc5 24. Nxc8 Rxc8 25. Rfe1 h6 26. a4 Kf7 27. fxg5 hxg5 28. Bd4 Bxd4 29. exd4 +1.85 Stockfish 22.Bxc6 Rb8 23.Be5 Rb6 24.Bf3 Nf6 25.gxf4 Bc5 26.Kf2 a6 27.Bd4 27. Rg1+ Kf7 28. a4 axb5 29. a5 Rb7 30. Bxb7 Bxb7 31. cxb5 Rd8 32. Rad1 Ra8 33. Bxf6 Kxf6 34. Rd7 +3.17 Stockfish 27...Bxd4 28.Nxd4 Ng4+ 29.Bxg4 fxg4 30.Kg3 Re8 31.c5 Rb2 32.Rfe1 h5
21…Rb8
22.Bxc6 Bc5
23.fxg5 Bxe3+
24.Kg2 Bxg5
25.Nb5 Rf7? +3.28/25
25...Bb7 +0.61/22 26.Bxb7 Rxb7 27.Rfe1 27. Bd4 Rd8 28. Bxa7 Nf6 29. Bg1 Ne4 30. Nd4 Rxb1 31. Rxb1 Bf6 32. Nxe6 +0.72 Stockfish 27...Rb6 28.Bd4 Ra6 29.c5 Rxa2+ 30.Kh3 Rd2 31.Rxe6 Rd3
25...Rb6 26.Bf3 Bb7 27.Bxb7 Rxb7 28.Rfe1 Rd7 29.Rxe6 Rd2+ 30.Kh3 a6 31.Nc3 Rfd8 32.Re2 R8d3 33.Kg2 Rxe2+ 34.Nxe2 f4 35.Kf2 fxg3+ 36.hxg3 +0.75 Stockfish
26.Be5 Rb6
27.Bf3? +1.75/23
27.Be8 Nf6 27...Be7 28. Bd4 Nf6 29. Bxf7+ Kxf7 30. Bxb6 axb6 +5.15 Stockfish 28.Bxf7+ Kxf7 29.Nd6+ Rxd6 30.Bxd6 Ne4 31.Bf4 Be7 32.Be3 Nc3 33.Rb3 Nxa2 34.Ra1 Ba6 35.Rxa2 Bxc4 36.Rbb2 Bxa2 37.Rxa2 +6.71 Stockfish
27…Bb7
28.Bxb7? +0.49/25
28.c5 +5.79/23 28...Ra6 29.Nd4 Bxf3+ 30.Kxf3 Bf6 30...Nf6 31. c6 Ra3+ 32. Rb3 Rxb3+ 33. axb3 Ng4 34. Re1 Nxe5+ 35. Rxe5 +3.05 Stockfish 31.Rfe1 Bxe5 32.Rxe5 Ra3+ 33.Rb3 Rxb3+ 34.axb3 Ng7 35.c6
28…Rfxb7
29.Rbd1 Bf6
30.Rfe1 Bxe5
31.Rxe5 a6?! +1.10/24
31...Kf7 +0.35/23 32.Nd6+ Kf6 33.Ra5 Rb2+ 34.Kh3 34. Kf3 Re7 35. g4 Ng7 36. h4 Rc2 37. c5 h6 38. Rg1 h5 39. gxf5 Nxf5 40. Nxf5 exf5 = Stockfish 34...Re7 34... R7b6 35. c5 Rc6 36. Ne8+ Kg5 37. Rd6 Rc8 38. Rxe6 Rxe8 39. Rxe8 Nf6 40. Re1 Ng4 41. Rh1 = Stockfish 35.Rf1 Ng7 36.g4 Rd7 37.c5 Rc2 38.gxf5 Nxf5 39.Nxf5 exf5 40.Rxf5+ Kxf5 41.c6+ Rd5 42.Rxd5+ Ke6 43.Rh5 Rc3+ 44.Kg4 Rc4+ 45.Kg5 Rc5+ 46.Kh6
32.Nc3? -0.41/22
32.Nd6 +1.10/24 32...Rd7 32...Rb2+ 33. Kh3 Rd7 34. Rxe6 Ng7 35. Re5 Rxa2 36. c5 Rc2 37. Ra1 Ra7 38. Rb1 h6 39. Rb6 a5 40. Nc8 Ra8 41. Ne7+ Kf7 42. Nxf5 Nxf5 43. Rxf5+ +1.68 Stockfish 33.Rxe6 Ng7 34.Rh6 Rb2+ 35.Kg1 35. Kf3 Rxa2 36. Rc1 Ra3+ 37. Kf4 Ra4 38. Rb1 Rd8 39. Rb7 Ra5 40. Rc7 Ra1 41. c5 +1.72 Stockfish 35...f4 36.c5 fxg3 37.hxg3 Re7 38.c6 Rc2 39.Rb1 Ne8 40.Nf5 Ree2 41.a3 Rcd2 42.Rh4 Nc7 43.Rg4+ Kf7 44.Rg7+
32...Rb2+
33.Kh3?! -1.00/23
33.Re2 -0.38/21 33...Nf6 34.c5 Nd5
33.Kf3 Ng7 33...Kf7 34. Rd6 Rc2 35. Ne2 Ng7 36. Rxa6 Rbb2 37. Re3 Rxa2 38. Rxa2 Rxa2 = Stockfish 34.Rd6 Rxh2 35.Re2 Rxe2 36.Kxe2 Kf7 37.Rxa6 Nh5 38.c5 Nxg3+ 39.Ke3 Nf1+ 40.Ke2 Ng3+ Draw. Stockfish.
33…Rc2
34.Na4? -2.78/24
34.Ne2 -1.03/23 34...Rbb2 35.Kh4 Ng7 36.Nf4 h6 37.h3 Rxc4 38.Rd8+ Kf7 39.a4 39. Re3 Rb5 40. Rd7+ Kf6 41. Rd6 a5 42. Ra6 Rbc5 43. Rf3 Rc6 44. Rxc6 Rxc6 -1.49 Stockfish 39...Kf6 40.Re3 Re4 41.Rc3 Rb7 42.Rf8+ Ke7 43.Rg8 Ne8 44.Rh8 Nd6 45.Rh7+ Nf7 46.Kh5 Kf6 47.a5 Re5
34...Rxc4?? +0.34/25
34...Nf6 -2.78/24 35.Rde1 Ne4 36.R1xe4 fxe4 37.Nc5 Rbb2 38.Nxe4 Rxa2 38...Kf7 39. Rc5 Re2 40. Ng5+ Ke7 41. Kg4 h6 42. Nh3 Rxh2 43. a4 Kd7 44. Nf4 Rb4 45. Ra5 Rxc4 -4.30 Stockfish 39.c5 Rxh2+ 40.Kg4 Rh6 41.c6 Rc2 42.Rc5 Rg6+ 43.Kf3 Rxc5 44.Nxc5 e5 45.c7 Rc6 46.Nxa6 Kf7 47.Ke4 Ke6 48.Kd3 Kd6 49.Kd2 e4
35.Nc5 Rb5?! +1.17/25
35...Rb6 +0.40/22 36.Nxe6 Ng7 37.Ng5 Rc8 38.Rd7 Rh6+ 39.Kg2 Rg6 40.Nh3 Rc2+ 41.Kf3 Rc3+ 42.Re3 Rxe3+ 43.Kxe3
35...Re7 36.Nxe6 Ng7 37.Rd8+ Ne8 38.Rdd5 Ng7 39.Nxg7 Rxe5 40.Rxe5 Kxg7 41.Rxf5 Ra4 42.Rf2 Kg6 +0.21 Stockfish
36.Rd8+ Kg7
37.Rd7+ Kf6? +2.24/27
37...Kg8 +1.19/24 38.Rxe6 Rb8 39.Nd3 39. Rd5 Rc3 40. Kh4 Ng7 41. Rxa6 Re8 42. Nd7 Kf7 43. Ne5+ Kg8 44. Rda5 Rc2 45. h3 +1.94 Stockfish 39...Rf8 40.Rxa6 Nf6 41.Rb7 Ne4 42.Nf4 Rfc8 43.Raa7 Ng5+ 44.Kh4 Ne6 45.Kh5
38.Rxe6+ Kg5
39.Nd3 Rb1?? +17.52/24
39...Rc3 +2.23/25 40.Rxa6 Rbc5 40...f4 41. a4 Rf5 42. Rd4 h6 43. Rb6 Ra5 44. Nf2 Nxg3 45. hxg3 Rxg3+ 46. Kh2 +3.45 Stockfish 41.Rdd6 Re5 42.Rd8 Re7 43.Kg2 Nf6 44.h4+ Kg6 45.Rf8 45. Rdd6 Kg7 46. Rxf6 Rxd3 47. Rxf5 +4.95 Stockfish 45...Rxd3 46.Rfxf6+ Kg7 47.Rxf5 h6 48.Rb5 Rf7 49.Rbb6 h5 50.Rb5
40.Ne5 1-0

 

 

 

 

COVENTRY CHESS CLUB   by Rob Roy

 

 

 

 

NOV. 16   2019 YANKEE PEDDLER OPEN

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.  USCF TLA

 

DEC. 14   2019 HOLIDAY PARTY OPEN

3SS, G/60 d5. Mill Brook Place, 1267 Main St. (Rt 31), Coventry, CT 06238. EF: $35 Cash Only Onsite Only. $$GTD: $160-80. Reg.: 9:45 am - 10:10 am. Rds.: 10:30, 1:30, 3:45. INFO: ConnecticutChess@Gmail.com  Dir: One Section. Accel.Pairings. https://ConnecticutChess.blogspot.com  W.  USCF TLA

 

 

PAST ISSUES OF   CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter, it is free.

You can unsubscribe anytime.

 

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.

 

 

Svidler Qualifies For World Fischer Random Chess Championship

Chess.com

A powerful and distinctly Russian-flavored bracket provided the kind of excitement that is becoming familiar in the FIDE World Fischer Random Chess ...

 

Komodo 13 is World Champion of computer chess

Chessbase News

8/28/2019 – In Macau (China) the "Chess Events" of the International Computer Games Association (ICGA) came to an end last week. In fact, behind ...

 

Young chess players achieve success in Europe [PHOTO]

MENAFN.COM

(MENAFN - AzerNews) By Abdul Kerimkhanov. Azerbaijani chess players have successfully performed and won medals at the European Youth Chess ...

Daniel Dardha, a Belgian champion at 13 

 

 

 

WELCOME OUR NEWEST CHESS CLUB

 

HAMDEN CHESS CLUB (USCF ID A6054128)

ROD GROFF

PLAY MORE CHESS ACADEMY

1890 DIXWELL AVE SUITE 101, HAMDEN, CT, 06514.

email: HamdenChessClub@PlayMoreChess.com

Web Site: https://PlayMoreChess.com

Casual Play, USCF Rated Events, Unrated Events, Blitz Events, Bughouse, Sets Available, Clocks Available, Chess Items for Sale, Classes Offered, Chess Camps, Private Lessons Offered, Under Age 18 Welcome, Beginners Welcome, Refreshments.