Sunday, May 9, 2021

CHESS WIZARDS CAMP - For Kids 6-12

CHESS WIZARDS CAMP - For Kids 6-12

 

Join us for challenging chess lessons, exciting games, & cool prizes.

Included are Bughouse games, tournaments, and puzzles.

Each camper gets a T-shirt, trophy, and puzzle folder.

August 16 thru August 20.  (Monday thru Friday) 9 AM - Noon.

Fee is $160 for Coventry residents, $170 non-residents.

Location:  MILL BROOK PLACE, 1267 Main St. Coventry CT.

Contact:  860-742-4068 or by email at rec@coventryct.org

 

 

 

 

 

Chess Friends who became my Best Friends

 

 

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Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Jithu Sajeevan attains Chess Expert designation

 

It's so hard to find people that are good at something and able/willing to teach it. Jithu is one of those people. Check out this email that Jithu and I just got last night from the mom of one of his private lesson students:

 
Hi Jithu. 
 
Thank you so much for this beautiful note. Even though I just burst into tears reading it, they were very necessary, good tears. What a difficult year this has been for everyone and I honestly don’t know where we’d be without DIG. It was/is the most perfect find for West and I’m beyond grateful for the community, the friendships he’s made, and how much he’s learned from you and Dan and Matt. West loves working with you.  He always looks forward to your lessons and has specifically mentioned how much he enjoys learning new tactics and the cool puzzles you give him. I couldn’t ask for better role models and mentors for West than you and Dan. He has grown in independence while simultaneously learning teamwork and good sportsmanship. And, most importantly, he is genuinely enjoying learning in a way I’ve never seen before. 
 
I could feel a seismic shift in him during Sunday’s tournament and am so looking forward to watching his continued growth. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. 
 
Warmly,
 
Allison
Respectfully,
 
Coach Dan
 
502-468-6930
 
 
Posted by at

Monday, January 4, 2021

"Chess" by Rick Bauer

"Chess" by Rick Bauer
 
A small but devoted group has been meeting Saturdays.  Suhas and Mike Smith have focussed on middlegame themes, utilizing a modern workbook and "find the plan" challenges.  I have been trying to apply those themes to the analysis of club games.  The format has been open to suggestions from participants and is evolving.
 
Last Saturday, Mike introduced us to an interesting and useful website ChessTree.net which allows you to see online opening repertoires of specified players.  This led to a good-natured debate over how to best construct your opening repertoire.  Mike Smith suggested finding a repertoire that best suits your chess strengths.  This was once my view, so of course, I took the opposing view of selecting a repertoire to challenge your weaknesses.  There is a lot still to be said for both positions, but the value of Mike's web find is unquestioned.
 
We also discussed the best third move for White in the French Defense (after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5).  Mike likes the "underappreciated" Advance Variation, while I like it for Black.  Our reasoning is eerily similar.  Mike wants to limit Black's avenues of play and establish the cramping e5 pawn.  I would rather not tip my hand with White, defending e4 with the knight (3 Nc3, 3 Nd2).   After this, Black most often plays 3...Nf6, when 4 e5 gives White the same advanced pawn, with tempo, sending Black's knight to the ugly d7 square.
 
I hope that we continue with these and other such "debates" that can flesh out our various approaches to chess.
 
Getting together with good-natured and like-minded folks has been a joy and benefit to me.  I am hopeful that those who have been participating continue to do so and that others from the club join us.  "The more the merrier."
 
Link:  (WebEx link)
Time: 4 pm Saturday
 
Thanks,
 
Rick
 
Saturday, Jan 2, 2021
 
The first study group of 2021 explored two Roger Bessette games.  The first one, with Alan Mo, featured the Tarrasch Attack against the French and resulted in a PIQP (Passed Isolated Queen Pawn) middlegame.  It seemed to toggle back and forth between += and = until Roger found a winning double attack to win a rook (vs mate).
 
The second game was a Scandinavian in which Black quickly equalized.  Eventually Black sacrificed an exchange for an excruciating bind in an RN vs RR endgame.  This dynamically equal position seemed to offer Black the superior chances until white finally found some counterplay and quickly broke through for the win.
 
Both games illustrated the importance of knowing which pieces were best to trade and which were best to retain for either side.  The anti-IQP strategy is to trade minor pieces and retain major pieces (the opposite for the IQP side).  Offers to trade rooks in the RN vs RR would have hugely benefited the remaining R in the resulting R vs N endgame.
 
We also discussed the reverse chronological method of learning chess; starting with the endgame, proceeding to the middle game, and saving deep opening study for last.  
 
Roger mentioned that he had a good Q ending with another regular, Abhijit, following Joe Bihlmayer's lecture on Tuesday night and agreed to provide it for next week's Saturday session. 
 
Doug Fiske and Dr Yablonsky added their strong input to the session.
 
Looking forward to future meetings,
 
Rick
 
 
Posted by at

Sunday, January 3, 2021

College Essay by DIG Chess Player, Cal

College Essay by DIG Chess Player, Cal

 
 
Hey Everyone,
 
Cal, a Senior at Wilton High School, joined the DIG Chess program when he was in 5th grade. It's been a fun journey helping him become the great person that he is today. He wrote his college essay about chess and Coach Jithu. Here it is:
 

"I enter the tournament hall and it’s filled with back-to-back tables with chess boards and clocks on them. The hall echoes with the voices of contestants and onlookers conversing about the impending games. All of a sudden, the speaker system activates with a deafening crackle. The voice of the event host settled the clamorous crowd in an instant.  

Before tournaments, I get both nervous and clear-headed. It’s a feeling of butterflies and the thought of something going wrong flashes through my mind, but then the thoughts clear away and I turn my attention to the game ahead of me. Today, I am facing John, a person I have played with before. He defeated me the last time I played against him because I rushed my analysis and blundered majorly. However, today is a new day and I won’t think blindly. I will be patient with my moves and make sure they are the absolute best they can be. As we both sit down at the table, we shake hands and start the clocks that are now counting down the allotted time of one hour. I have the white pieces this morning and I begin with the move e4, and immediately, all distractions fade away and my focus is directed toward the game. As I lose myself in the match, I am reminded of why I love chess. In addition to chess theory, I am learning to read body language, control emotions, and have patience while thinking strategically under pressure; all tools that I will take with me throughout my life.

We go back and forth for several minutes, simply building structures, but shortly after, John makes an attempt to attack. I swiftly defend his attack while continuing to build the structure of my own pieces. This occurs for most of the game, where neither of us gives any ground for the other to encroach on. He decides to make an exchange of pieces, and after a couple of even trades, we are still in a 50-50 position as before. The clocks show ten minutes remaining, despite it only feeling as if a few minutes have passed. In the current position, neither of us has enough of an advantage to make a stunning move. Not seeing a way out, we agree on a draw. 

While the ending was not a victory, it is better than a defeat. I take the game to my coach, Jithu, who will review the game with me to see where I made mistakes and could have positioned myself better. We will go over famous games played, watch live chess matches, and discuss what we believe to be the best moves to ensure my chess abilities continue to grow. Because Jithu is only one year older than me, we view each other as good friends and equals, rather than master and student and he is a great resource with whom I am comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas. He is someone I hope to remain in contact with for the rest of my life."

Saturday, March 21, 2020

FINAL EDITION - CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE # 200

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

For news from chess in Connecticut, please visit our state website: 

Connecticut State Chess Assoc

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


FINAL EDITION - CONNECTICUT CHESS MAGAZINE # 200


This is the final edition of the Connecticut Chess Magazine

until further notice. Alan Lasser is ending his column.

I thank Al for all of his work for us these past forty years.

 


I thank Joe Bihlmeyer for his dedication to our program in Coventry.

Thanks to top helpers; Mark Denihan, Dan Smith, Abe Mondal.

I thank Bob Cyr for becoming our new chess historian.


I wrote my weekly newspaper column from 1976 through 2000.

I produced and mailed out many small booklets under different

names; CC Newsletter, CC Quarterly, CC Weekly, CC Magazine.


My mission was always to promote clubs and tournaments.

So far 45 years I remain resolute in my dedication to chess.

I pray our chess community will be able to meet again soon.


Gens Una Sumus

Rob Roy

 

This is CCM 200

 

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser
 

CORONA VIRUS SHUTS CHESS COLUMN

The long-cherished purpose of this weekly is to encourage people to play in their local chess clubs and chess tournaments. Unfortunately, it could be a year or two before normal chess activity resumes. This column depends upon a constant flow of over-the-board play; before the coronavirus, I rarely used a game more than two weeks old, the game in this issue was played last month. That’s not what the readers signed up for so I am announcing a hiatus.


You don’t win a lot of chess games when your king occupies the g5 square on move eighteen. Many times this is the way to play against the ancient bishop sacrifice on h7. After Kh7 and the usual Ng5+, the retreat to Kg8 will be the subject of a mating attack starting with Qh5. Sometimes the only chance to survive is to advance the king into the teeth of the onslaught with Kg6. The pieces in this game aren’t set up exactly like that, the Qh5 threat of mate on h7 can be defended by Nf6, but Kg6 is still the best move. The winner provided some notes on the game, from which I quote.

Timothy Hall (2017)-Nimrod Hajaj (2164)
2/15/20 USATE


1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Bb4
4.e3 O-O
5.Nf3 c5
6.Bd3 d5
7.O-O dxc4
8.Bxc4 cxd4
9.exd4 b6
10.Qe2 Bb7
11.Rd1 Bxc3 "I thought for 20-30 minutes before taking on c3. I wanted a clear follow-up that did not allow him to play Bd3 and c4 immediately."
11...h6 12.Bf4 Qe7 13.Ne5 Nc6 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.a3 Bd6 16.Be5 Rad8 17.Rac1 Nd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Bxd5 exd5 20.Re1 -0.10 Stockfish
12.bxc3 Qc7
13.Bb2
13.Bd3 Qxc3 14.Bb2 Qc7 15.Rac1 Qd6 16.d5 Bxd5 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Rd4 Rd8 20.Qe3 Kg7 21.Rh4 Kf8 22.Nd4 Qe5 23.Qa3+ Qd6 = Stockfish
13...Nbd7 "Bf3 is more accurate, but the lines are way too complicated. I did consider it, but did not see a way to trap the White queen. Now Bf3 is a big threat."
13...Bxf3 14.gxf3 14.Qf3 Qxc4 15. Qxa8 Nc6 16. Qb7 Nd5 17. Ba3 Rb8 18. Qd7 Rd8 19. Qb7 Na5 20. Qxa7 Qc8 21. c4 Nc6 -0.77 Stockfish 14...Nc6 15.Kh1 Ne7 16.Bb3 Nh5 17.c4 Ng6 18.d5 Nhf4 19.Qe4 Rfd8 -0.69 Stockfish
14.Bd3 Nd5 "Black has to play accurately to prevent c4.”
15.g3?! -0.84/23
15.Ng5 -0.14/22 15...Nf4 15... h6 16. Nh3 Rfe8 17. Rac1 e5 18. Re1 Rad8 19. f3 N5f6 20. Qd2 Nf8 21. Bb5 Re6 22. Bd3 exd4 -0.46 Stockfish 16.Bxh7+ Kh8 17.Qe3 Nxg2 18.Qg3 Nf4 19.Qh4 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Qf4 21.Qh3 Ng1 22.Kxg1 Qxg5+ 23.Kf1 Qg2+ 24.Qxg2 Bxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Kxh7 26.c4 Rac8 27.Rac1 Rfd8 28.Ba3 Re8 29.c5 Nf6 30.c6 Nd5 31.Bd6 Red8
15.Qc2 h6 16.Bf1 Rfc8 17.Rac1 a6 18.Qb3 b5 19.c4 bxc4 20.Bxc4 Qb6 21.Ne5 Qxb3 22.axb3 Nxe5 23.dxe5 a5 -0.03 Stockfish
15...Nxc3 "Requires calculation, but it works.”
16.Bxh7+ Kxh7
17.Ng5+? -2.96/22
17.Qc2+ -0.97/24 17...Kg8 18.Ng5 Nf6 19.Qxc3 Qxc3 20.Bxc3 Rfc8 21.Rdc1 Ne8 22.Bd2 22. a3 Nd6 23. Kf1 Bd5 24. Nh3 Rc4 25. Nf4 Rac8 26. Nxd5 exd5 -1.53 Stockfish 22...Bd5 22... Nd6 23. a4 Bd5 24. Nh3 Nf5 25. Be3 Rxc1+ 26. Rxc1 Bb3 27. Ra1 Rc8 -1.79 Stockfish 23.a4 Nd6 24.Nh3 Nf5 25.Be3 Bb3
17...Kg6 "'Kg8 was my plan, but in this move order I realized I could be up a piece." 18. Qd3 Nf6 19. Qxc3 Qxc3 20. Bxc3 Rfc8 21. Rdc1 Bd5 22. a3 Ne8 23. Nh3 Rc4 24. Nf4 Rac8 25. Nxd5 exd5 -1.58 Stockfish
18.Qd3+ Kxg5
19.Bxc3 f5
20.d5?! -4.02/22
20.f3 -3.40/21 20...Kg6 21.Re1 21. Rf1 Nf6 22. Bd2 Qd7 23. Bf4 Rac8 24. Rf2 Qd5 25. Re1 Kf7 26. Re5 Qc4 27. Qxc4 Rxc4 -7.04 Stockfish 21...Bd5 22.Rec1 Qc4 23.Qd2 Qa4
20.Rac1 Qd6 21.d5 Kg6 22.dxe6 Qc6 23.f3 Nc5 24.Qe3 Qxf3 25.Qxf3 Bxf3 26.Rd2 Nxe6 27.a4 Rfe8 -6.11 Stockfish
20...Bxd5?! -2.92/21
20...Kg6 -4.02/22 21.Rac1 21. dxe6 Qc6 22. f3 Nc5 23. Qe3 Qxf3 24. Qxf3 Bxf3 25. e7 Rfe8 26. Rd6+ Kh7 27. Re1 Be4 28. Bd2 Rxe7 -7.00 Stockfish 21...Nc5 22.Bd4 Bxd5 23.Rc3 Rh8 24.h4 Rhc8 25.Qe3 Kh7 26.a3 Qb7 27.Bxc5 bxc5 28.f3 c4 29.Kg2 Qb2+ 30.Rd2 Qb1 31.Qg5 Rab8
21.Qd4?! -4.51/23
21.Bxg7 -2.92/21 21...Rf7 21...Rg8 22. Rac1 Nc5 23. Qd2+ f4 24. Bd4 Raf8 25. Re1 Qh7 26. Re5+ Kh6 27. Bxc5 bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rf5 -5.08 Stockfish 22.Bd4 Kg6 23.Rac1 Qb7 24.a3 e5 25.Bb2
21…Nf6
22.Qh4+?! -6.17/16
22.Rac1 Qd7 23.f3 Kg6 24.Kf2 Rac8 25.a3 Qb7 26.Qe3 Rc4 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Rxc4 Bxc4 -7.81 Stockfish
22…Kg6
23.Bxf6 gxf6
24.g4?! -9.50/23
24.Qb4 -6.06/23 24...Rac8 24...Qb7 25. h4 Rac8 26. Rd2 Rfd8 27. h5+ Kg7 28. Rad1 Bf3 29. Qxd8 Rxd8 30. Rxd8 Bxd1 31. Rxd1 Kh6 32. a3 Kxh5 -9.92 Stockfish 25.a4
24…Rh8
25.gxf5+? -60.92/21
25.Qg3 -9.50/24 25...f4 26.Qd3+ Kg5 27.Rac1 Qh7 27...Qb7 28. f3 Bxf3 29. Rf1 Rh3 30. Rc3 Bg2 31. Qxh3 Bxh3 32. Rxh3 Kxg4 -21.79 Stockfish 28.Qxh7 Rxh7 29.Kf1 Rxh2 30.Ke2 Kxg4 31.Rg1+ Kf5 32.a3 Rah8 33.Rc3 b5
25…Kf7
26.fxe6+ Bxe6
27.Qe4 Qxh2+
28.Kf1 Bh3+
29.Ke1 Rhe8 0-1

 

 

https://beta.chesstempo.com/pgn-viewer/

 

Cut & Paste the code below, and LOAD into webpage above

 

 

[Event "USATE"] [Site "New Jersey"] [Date "2020.02.15"] [Round "2"] [White "Timothy Hall"] [Black "Nimrod Hajaj"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E54"] [WhiteElo "2017"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bd3 d5 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 cxd4 9.exd4 b6 10.Qe2 Bb7 11.Rd1 Bxc3 { "I thought for 20-30 minutes before taking on c3. I wanted a clear follow-up that did not allow him to play Bd3 and c4 immediately." } ( 11...h6 12.Bf4 Qe7 13.Ne5 Nc6 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.a3 Bd6 16.Be5 Rad8 17.Rac1 Nd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Bxd5 exd5 20.Re1 { -0.10 Stockfish } ) 12.bxc3 Qc7 13.Bb2 ( 13.Bd3 Qxc3 14.Bb2 Qc7 15.Rac1 Qd6 16.d5 Bxd5 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Rd4 Rd8 20.Qe3 Kg7 21.Rh4 Kf8 22.Nd4 Qe5 23.Qa3+ Qd6 { = Stockfish } ) 13...Nbd7 { "Bf3 is more accurate, but the lines are way too complicated. I did consider it, but did not see a way to trap the White queen. Now Bf3 is a big threat." } ( 13...Bxf3 14.gxf3 { 14.Qf3 Qxc4 15. Qxa8 Nc6 16. Qb7 Nd5 17. Ba3 Rb8 18. Qd7 Rd8 19. Qb7 Na5 20. Qxa7 Qc8 21. c4 Nc6 -0.77 Stockfish } 14...Nc6 15.Kh1 Ne7 16.Bb3 Nh5 17.c4 Ng6 18.d5 Nhf4 19.Qe4 Rfd8 { -0.69 Stockfish } ) 14.Bd3 Nd5 { "Black has to play accurately to prevent c4." } 15.g3 $6 { -0.84/23 } ( 15.Ng5 { -0.14/22 } 15...Nf4 { 15... h6 16. Nh3 Rfe8 17. Rac1 e5 18. Re1 Rad8 19. f3 N5f6 20. Qd2 Nf8 21. Bb5 Re6 22. Bd3 exd4 -0.46 Stockfish } 16.Bxh7+ Kh8 17.Qe3 Nxg2 18.Qg3 Nf4 19.Qh4 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Qf4 21.Qh3 Ng1 22.Kxg1 Qxg5+ 23.Kf1 Qg2+ 24.Qxg2 Bxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Kxh7 26.c4 Rac8 27.Rac1 Rfd8 28.Ba3 Re8 29.c5 Nf6 30.c6 Nd5 31.Bd6 Red8 ) ( 15.Qc2 h6 16.Bf1 Rfc8 17.Rac1 a6 18.Qb3 b5 19.c4 bxc4 20.Bxc4 Qb6 21.Ne5 Qxb3 22.axb3 Nxe5 23.dxe5 a5 { -0.03 Stockfish } ) 15...Nxc3 { "Requires calculation, but it works." } 16.Bxh7+ Kxh7 17.Ng5+ $2 { -2.96/22 } ( 17.Qc2+ { -0.97/24 } 17...Kg8 18.Ng5 Nf6 19.Qxc3 Qxc3 20.Bxc3 Rfc8 21.Rdc1 Ne8 22.Bd2 { 22. a3 Nd6 23. Kf1 Bd5 24. Nh3 Rc4 25. Nf4 Rac8 26. Nxd5 exd5 -1.53 Stockfish } 22...Bd5 { 22... Nd6 23. a4 Bd5 24. Nh3 Nf5 25. Be3 Rxc1+ 26. Rxc1 Bb3 27. Ra1 Rc8 -1.79 Stockfish } 23.a4 Nd6 24.Nh3 Nf5 25.Be3 Bb3 ) 17...Kg6 { "'Kg8 was my plan, but in this move order I realized I could be up a piece." 18. Qd3 Nf6 19. Qxc3 Qxc3 20. Bxc3 Rfc8 21. Rdc1 Bd5 22. a3 Ne8 23. Nh3 Rc4 24. Nf4 Rac8 25. Nxd5 exd5 -1.58 Stockfish } 18.Qd3+ Kxg5 19.Bxc3 f5 20.d5 $6 { -4.02/22 } ( 20.f3 { -3.40/21 } 20...Kg6 21.Re1 { 21. Rf1 Nf6 22. Bd2 Qd7 23. Bf4 Rac8 24. Rf2 Qd5 25. Re1 Kf7 26. Re5 Qc4 27. Qxc4 Rxc4 -7.04 Stockfish } 21...Bd5 22.Rec1 Qc4 23.Qd2 Qa4 ) ( 20.Rac1 Qd6 21.d5 Kg6 22.dxe6 Qc6 23.f3 Nc5 24.Qe3 Qxf3 25.Qxf3 Bxf3 26.Rd2 Nxe6 27.a4 Rfe8 { -6.11 Stockfish } ) 20...Bxd5 $6 { -2.92/21 } ( 20...Kg6 { -4.02/22 } 21.Rac1 { 21. dxe6 Qc6 22. f3 Nc5 23. Qe3 Qxf3 24. Qxf3 Bxf3 25. e7 Rfe8 26. Rd6+ Kh7 27. Re1 Be4 28. Bd2 Rxe7 -7.00 Stockfish } 21...Nc5 22.Bd4 Bxd5 23.Rc3 Rh8 24.h4 Rhc8 25.Qe3 Kh7 26.a3 Qb7 27.Bxc5 bxc5 28.f3 c4 29.Kg2 Qb2+ 30.Rd2 Qb1 31.Qg5 Rab8 ) 21.Qd4 $6 { -4.51/23 } ( 21.Bxg7 { -2.92/21 } 21...Rf7 { 21...Rg8 22. Rac1 Nc5 23. Qd2+ f4 24. Bd4 Raf8 25. Re1 Qh7 26. Re5+ Kh6 27. Bxc5 bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rf5 -5.08 Stockfish } 22.Bd4 Kg6 23.Rac1 Qb7 24.a3 e5 25.Bb2 ) 21...Nf6 22.Qh4+ $6 { -6.17/16 } ( 22.Rac1 Qd7 23.f3 Kg6 24.Kf2 Rac8 25.a3 Qb7 26.Qe3 Rc4 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Rxc4 Bxc4 { -7.81 Stockfish } ) 22...Kg6 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.g4 $6 { -9.50/23 } ( 24.Qb4 { -6.06/23 } 24...Rac8 { 24...Qb7 25. h4 Rac8 26. Rd2 Rfd8 27. h5+ Kg7 28. Rad1 Bf3 29. Qxd8 Rxd8 30. Rxd8 Bxd1 31. Rxd1 Kh6 32. a3 Kxh5 -9.92 Stockfish } 25.a4 ) 24...Rh8 25.gxf5+ $2 { -60.92/21 } ( 25.Qg3 { -9.50/24 } 25...f4 26.Qd3+ Kg5 27.Rac1 Qh7 { 27...Qb7 28. f3 Bxf3 29. Rf1 Rh3 30. Rc3 Bg2 31. Qxh3 Bxh3 32. Rxh3 Kxg4 -21.79 Stockfish } 28.Qxh7 Rxh7 29.Kf1 Rxh2 30.Ke2 Kxg4 31.Rg1+ Kf5 32.a3 Rah8 33.Rc3 b5 ) 25...Kf7 26.fxe6+ Bxe6 27.Qe4 Qxh2+ 28.Kf1 Bh3+ 29.Ke1 Rhe8 0-1

 

 

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME

with Bob Cyr

 

Dear chess friends:
 
I hope that all is well with you and your family during this coronavirus outbreak. Stay safe and sound. 
 
Below is the ultimate NBCC Chess Trivia test. The first person to answer all questions correctly will get a free meal with beer on me. Good luck!
 
The answers to this test can be found by logging onto this site: 
 
 
 

The Ultimate New Britain Chess Club Trivia Challenge

Please take some time to test your knowledge about the NBCC.

Please e-mail your answers to Bob Cyr at doctork87@yahoo.com. Good luck!

1. Who holds the record for being the youngest member to win the 
New Britain Chess Club Championship? 
 
a) Danny Rozovsky 
b) Eric Godin 
c) James Nitz 
d) Mike Casella  


2. In what year did the Greater Hartford Chess Club host a special 
banquet to honor Arkadijs Strazdins for his decades of devoted service 
to Connecticut chess?  

a) 1989 
b) 1993 
c) 1997 
d) 2002  


3. Which of these USCF National Masters gave a simultaneous chess 
exhibition at the New Britain Chess Club in 1979?  

a) Kerry Leahy 
b) Dr. Joseph Platz 
c) James Bolton
d) Richard Bauer  


4. Which of these New Britain Chess Club memorable events occurred 
during the 1960s? 
 
a) First New Britain Summer Open Chess Championship 
b) Membership reached all-time high of 119 
c) Club moved to New Britain Quartette Club 
d) Arkadijs Strazdins elected club president    


5. Who was the only New Britain Chess Club member to hold each of 
the four officer positions at different times throughout his 
membership?  

a) Edmund Roman 
b) Jan Cendrowski
c) Robert Corr 
d) Arkadijs Strazdins  


6. How many matches have been held between the New Britain Chess Club 
and the Springfield Chess Club of Massachusetts?   

a) 12
b) 18 
c) 22 
d) 28 

 
7. What college team did the New Britain Chess Club team tie for 
first place with in the class B tournament of the 1952 Connecticut Chess 
League?   

a) Central Connecticut State College 
b) Wesleyan 
c) University of Connecticut 
d) Yale  


8. Who served the most consecutive years as secretary of the 
New Britain Chess Club? 
 
a) Boleslaw Gryboski 
b) Peter Kloskowski 
c) Daniel Lechowicz 
d) Robert Milardo  


9. What was the score of Super Match I held between the 
Boylston Chess Club and the combined forces of the New Britain Chess 
Club and the Hartford Chess Club?   

a) 14 ½ - 16 ½  
b) 17 - 19
c) 24 ½ - 12 ½ 
d) 15 - 15   


10. Which of these milestones in New Britain Chess Club history 
occurred third?   

a) First use of computerized pairing software 
b) First Planet Earth Chess Championship 
c) First appearance on television 
d) First lecture and simultaneous exhibition by a GM   


BONUS QUESTION   

How many New Britain Chess Club members defeated Grandmaster 
Samuel Reshevsky in his simultaneous chess exhibition at 
Trinity College in Hartford on March 9, 1986?
 

2020 MILL BROOK PARK OPEN  APR. 18

 

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by at

Friday, March 13, 2020

CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE BY NBCC - CCM-199

 

CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE BY NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB

NBCC will not be meeting until further notice.

In light of the many business and school closings and the recommendation of health officials to not meet in large groups, the officers of the NBCC thought it best to suspend operations. The length and severity of this outbreak are still unknown. Once the public health officials say it is safe, we will reopen.

For those who want to play, look for updates on the website for playing each other on LICHESS.org or CHESS.com The officers will be looking into setting up on-line tournaments. Help from any members on this would be appreciated.

I recently received an email from chess.com on how to set up an online tournament but have not reviewed it yet. I include it here for anyone who would like to take on this task. How can I build a club on Chess.com?

To build a club on Chess.com we advise that you review our official step-by-step guide to configure it correctly. Please note that in order to create a club you must be a Diamond member on Chess.com. If you are a basic member, you can activate a free trial to create a club, and then cancel your free trial once the club is created.

Once we do resume normal operations, the NBCC will be instituting some new policies to help deal with the situation. Clorox wipes will be provided and all players will be asked to clean their pieces, the clock and their hands before and after each match Players showing any signs of illness will be asked to stay home.

Attendance at the NBCC is purely voluntary, so please do not come if you have any apprehensions about your own or others' safety. The NBCC has many older members who are at far more risk than the younger players. 

2020 NBCC Club Champion Simul Report

The NBCC would like to thank Club Champion Nelson Castaneda for giving a simul against 17 players following his lecture where he went over some of the memorable games from the tournament. Only 2 players managed to get as much as a draw. Those were Josef Madej and Nitish Terance. See the Photo Album created and shared by Doug Fiske. 

2-week unrated tournament - Postponed indefinitely (possibly on-line Tuesday, as scheduled) This is a perfect tournament for our scholastic players or players new to tournament chess. They may play in a G/30;d5 section which will end by 9:30 each evening. 2-Week Un-rated Tournament Details: 2-week unrated tournament details: 4-SS G/45;d5 or G/30;d5 Dates; TBD (Originally 3/17 and 3/24) 2 games each week 2 sections, G/45;d5 and G/30;d5 (accelerated pairings) Entry Fee, $0 ($15 non-members) Prizes: Chess set to top scholastic player in G/30 section Registration: 7:00-7:15 Unrated - USCF membership is not required Rounds: [G/45: 7:15, 8:45]; [G/30: 7:15, 8:30] 

Norman Burtness

President New Britain Chess Club

newbritainchessclub@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

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

 

MARCH 21 CHESS TOURNAMENT IS CANCELED - CCM 198

 

CONSTITUTION STATE OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

is canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

It was to take place on March 21 at "Mill Brook Place" in Coventry CT.

The Marshall Chess Club in New York City is shutting down completely for the next 30 days (from March 13 through April 12).

The U.S. Chess Federation is notified of these cancellations as reflected on the web.

This notice is being sent to 700 players via Connecticut Chess Magazine, and a few thousand via facebook.

 

Posted by at

Thursday, March 12, 2020

APRIL 18 CHESS TOURNAMENT IS CANCELED - CCM 198

 

CONSTITUTION STATE OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

is canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

It was to take place on March 21 at "Mill Brook Place" in Coventry CT.

The Marshall Chess Club in New York City is shutting down completely for the next 30 days (from March 13 through April 12).

The U.S. Chess Federation is notified of these cancellations as reflected on the web.

This notice is being sent to 700 players via Connecticut Chess Magazine, and a few thousand via facebook.

 


NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB NEWS

Nelson Castaneda wins the NBCC Club Championship

Awards Ceremony and Club Champion Simul on Tuesday, March 10

Sergey Kudrin wins the CT Senior Open Championship

Jasmine Su wins the 1st CT Women’s Open Championship

Club Champion Simul on Tuesday

2-Week Unrated tournament 3/17 and 3/24

Training Class Tuesday, NM Nelson Castaneda will share
some of his games from the club championship tournament.

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

2020 NBCC Club Championship Report

Congratulations to Nelson Castaneda, the 2020 NBCC Club Champion.
This marks the 11th time that Mr. Castaneda has been Champion or co-champion. This is also the 40th long time control event he has won.
Now let’s see if a few of us can beat him at Tuesday’s Simul!
The 2020 Club Championship set a club record for the event with 53 players.

Suhas Kodali finished in 2nd place, and David Herscovici finished in 3rd.
In the U1800 section, Shriniket Sivakumar took 1st on tie-breaks over
Roger Bessette. Punvayrat Upadhyay finished in 3rd. U1400 1st place goes to Shaina Mezheritskiy, and 2nd to Rick Schnitzler. U1100 winner is
Nitish Heston on tie-breaks over 2nd place finisher Yogahari Jegadeeswaran.
U800 1st place is Mackenzie Furman, 2nd place is Nathan Mezheritskiy.

All these winners will receive a trophy at the Awards Ceremony at 7:00 on
Tuesday, before the simul begins. For a complete crosstable of results,
see the NBCC Club Championship USCF Crosstable A special thanks to
TD Mark Bourque for directing and getting the pairings and standings out each week..

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

CT Senior Open Championship report

On Saturday Feb 29, the NBCC hosted the CT Sr Open Championship.
Congratulations to FM Sergey Kudrin for winning the event with the only 3-0 score.

Finishing in 2nd place was Derek Meredith. Mario Guevara-Rodriguez
won the U2000 prize. 12 players competed in the 2nd edition of this event.
See the USCF Crosstable for complete results.

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

CT Women’s Open Championship report

On Saturday Feb 29, the NBCC hosted also hosted the inaugural CT Women’s Open
Championship. Congratulations to rising star, 9 year old Jasmine Su for winning.
For those of you who do not know Jasmine, her current rating is nearly 1900.
She is in the top 20 for her age group in the country and is 3rd among girls.
The event was disappointing for its low turnout, only 5 players, but all women from the NBCC did play, and it was nice to see Ybelka Granger at the NBCC for the first time since having her child. Lisa Smith finished in 2nd place and
Mackenzie Furman won the U1100 prize.

See the USCF Crosstable for complete results.

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

Norman Burtness, President
New Britain Chess Club
newbritainchessclub@gmail.com
www.newbritainchessclub.com

 

 

Dear Professor Castaneda:
 
For winning the 2020 NBCC Championship, you have now attained forty wins or ties for first place in major time-controlled tournaments in the club. I have updated the club archives for your recent win. This is a historic milestone for you and for the club. 
 
With sincerest congratulations,
 
Bob Cyr, Chess Historian
 
 

The New Britain Chess Club Record Holders

NBCC Member Standings - Regular Time Controls

List of members who have won or tied for first place in any section of at least three NBCC tournaments with a time control of at least thirty minutes.

Members who tied for first place but lost on tie-breaks are still credited with a first-place tie. Please note that all qualifying, thematic, odds, team, and quad events are not included in this compilation.

 

Rank Member  #  Year First Achieved Year Last Achieved  Span 
1 Arkadijs Strazdins
72
1952
1999
47
2 FM Nelson Castaneda
40
2002
2020
18
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 Joseph Bihlmeyer
7
2005
2019
14

 

 
 
This is CCM 198

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK   by Alan Lasser
"Develop your pieces", we tell the beginners. You’d never see a grandmaster play a thirty-five move game without moving the king's knight and the queen's rook. Ummm, well maybe you would.

GM S.P. Sethuraman (2641)-GM Boris Savchenko (2573)
2/26/20
2020 Aeroflot Open


1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5
3.Nc3 Bb4
4.e5 c5
5.a3 Bxc3+
6.bxc3 Qa5
7.Bd2 Qa4
8.Qg4 g6
9.Nf3 Nc6
10.Be2 c4
11.Ra2 Bd7
12.Qh4 h6
13.O-O b6
14.Bg5 Nce7
15.Rb1 Qa5
16.a4 Nf5
17.Qh3 Bxa4
18.Nd2 Kf8
19.Bf4 g5?! +1.82/23
19...Rc8 +0.82/21 20.Bg4 20. g4 Nfe7 21. Qe3 b5 22. Bg3 Qc7 23. f4 a5 24. Nf3 Qd7 25. h3 Kg7 26. Bh4 Nc6 27. Re1 +0.46 Stockfish 20...Nge7 21.Bg5 b5 22.Bf6 Rh7 23.Rba1 Qc7 24.Nf3 Kg8 25.Bxf5 Nxf5 26.Nh4 a5 27.Nxf5 exf5 28.Kh1 Qd7 29.f4 Qc6 30.Qh4 Qe6 31.Qg3 Rc6 32.Qh4 Rc8
20.Bxg5 hxg5?! +2.76/23
20...b5 +1.94/22 21.Bg4 Kg7 21...Ng7 22. Bf4 Rc8 23. Qe3 Qc7 24. Nf1 a5 25. Qc1 Rh7 +3.38 Stockfish 22.Be3 22. Bf4 Nge7 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24. g4 Ne7 25. Nf1 +3.77 Stockfish 22...Nge7 23.Nf1 Kg8 24.Ng3 Nxg3 25.Qxg3 Rh7 26.Bf4 Kf8 27.Qh3 Qd8 28.Bxh6+ Ke8 29.Qe3 Qc7 30.Qf4 Kd7 31.Bg5 Rah8 32.Qf6 Ng6 33.h3
21.Qxh8 Qxc3
22.Nf3 g4?! +3.85/24
22...Bxc2 +2.79/22 23.Rc1 Nxd4 24.Nxd4 Qxd4 25.Raxc2 b5 25...a5 26. Bh5 Rc8 27. g3 g4 28. h3 gxh3 29. Kh2 Rc7 30. Rd2 +4.34 Stockfish 26.Bh5 a5 27.Rc3 27. Rd1 Qf4 28. g3 Qf5 29. Rc3 g4 30. Rd4 b4 31. Re3 b3 32. Rf4 b2 33. Re1 b1=Q 34. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 35. Kg2 +11.39 Stockfish 27...g4 28.Rg3 Qf4 29.Rb1 Qh6 30.Qxh6+ Nxh6 31.Rxb5 a4 32.Ra3 d4 33.Rc5 c3 34.Ra1 a3 35.Rc4 Rb8 36.h3 gxh3
23.Ng5 Nxd4
24.Bxg4 Bxc2
25.Rba1 a5
26.h4? +2.29/21
26.Bh5 +5.03/22 26...Nb3 27.Rf1 Ra7 28.Rxc2 Qxc2 29.Nh7+ Qxh7 30.Qxh7 Re7 31.h4 31. Bd1 f5 32. Qh8 Nd2 33. Re1 d4 34. Qh4 d3 35. Qf4 Nb3 36. Qxc4 Nc5 37. Qb5 Kg7 38. Qxb6 d2 39. Re3 Ne4 40. Qxa5 Nh6 41. f3 Ng5 42. Qd8 Ng8 43. Qxd2 +13.50 Stockfish 31...b5 32.Qh8 Rc7 33.Bd1 Nd2 34.h5
26...Bb3? +4.22/24
26...Bd3 +2.29/21 27.h5 27. Ra3 Qb2 28. Bh5 Ra7 29. Rxd3 cxd3 30. Rf1 Rc7 31. g3 Nc6 32. Nh7+ Ke7 33. Qxg8 Nxe5 34. Bxf7 Nxf7 35. Qf8+ Kd7 36. Qxf7+ Kc8 37. Qxe6+ Kb8 38. Ng5 d2 39. Qxd5 a4 40. Qd8+ Kb7 41. Ne4 Qc1 42. Nxd2 +6.57 Stockfish 27...Nc6 28.Nf3 Nd4 29.h6 Nxf3+ 30.Bxf3 Ke7 31.Bh5 Rf8 32.Rd1 Bf5 33.Re2 Qb3 34.Rde1
26...Nc6 27.Bxe6 Qxe5 28.Qxe5 Nxe5 29.Bxd5 Rd8 30.Bxf7 Bf5 31.Be6 Bd3 32.Rb2 Rb8 33.Rb5 +4.40 Stockfish
27.Ra3 Qd2?! +5.39/24
27...Qb4 +3.98/23 28.Bh5 Ke7 29.Bxf7 Kd7 30.Bxg8 Qf8 31.Qh7+ Qe7 32.Bf7 Rf8 33.Qg7 Bc2 34.g4 34. h5 Kc6 35. h6 Nf5 36. Qg6 Nd4 37. Qf6 Qxf6 38. exf6 Kd6 39. Re3 c3 40. Bxe6 Rxf6 41. Bg8 b5 42. h7 Bxh7 43. Bxh7 b4 44. Rxa5 +11.14 Stockfish 34...Bd3 35.Qf6 Qxf6 36.exf6 Ne2+ 37.Kh2 Kd6 38.Rd1 e5 39.h5 Nf4
27...Qc2 28.Bh5 Ke7 29.Bxf7 Kd7 30.Bxg8 Kc6 31.Qf6 Rxg8 32.Nxe6 Ne2+ 33.Kf1 Qg6 34.Nd4+ Kc5 35.Nxb3+ cxb3 36.Rxb3 Kc4 37.Qxb6 Qxb6 38.Rxb6 Nc3 39.Rxa5 Rh8 40.g3 Re8 41.e6 Re7 42.Kg2 +9.01 Stockfish
28.Bh5 Ke7
29.Bxf7 Qf4? +13.65/21
29...Ne2+ +12.73 30.Kf1 Nc1 31.Bh5 Kd7 32.Qg7+ Ne7 33.Qf6 Qd3+ 34.Kg1 Qf5 35.Rxc1 b5 36.Bf7 Qxf6 37.exf6 d4 38.Bxe6+ Kd6 39.Re1 Ng6 40.Bf5 Nh8 41.f7 Nxf7 42.Nxf7+ Kc5 43.Re5+ Kb4 44.Ra1 a4 45.h5 d3 46.Nd6 d2 47.Rxb5+ Kc3 48.Be4 Rh8 49.Bf3
30.Qh7 Kd7
31.Bxe6+ Kc6
32.Qd7+ Kc5
33.Qxd5+ Kb4
34.Ra4+ Kc3
35.Ne4+ Kd3
36.Rd1+ 36...Bd1 37.Qc4 Ke4 38.Qd4 # or 36...Kc2 37.Qd4 Ba4 38.Qc3 Kd1 39.Bg4 Qg4 40.Qd2# 1-0

 

 

https://beta.chesstempo.com/pgn-viewer/

 

Cut & Paste the code below, and LOAD into webpage above

 

 


[Event "2020 Aeroflot Open"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2020.02.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GM S.P. Sethuraman"]
[Black "GM Boris Savchenko"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2573"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qa5 7.Bd2 Qa4 8.Qg4 g6
9.Nf3 Nc6 10.Be2 c4 11.Ra2 Bd7 12.Qh4 h6 13.O-O b6 14.Bg5 Nce7 15.Rb1 Qa5
16.a4 Nf5 17.Qh3 Bxa4 18.Nd2 Kf8 19.Bf4 g5 $6 { +1.82/23 } ( 19...Rc8
{ +0.82/21 } 20.Bg4
{ 20. g4 Nfe7 21. Qe3 b5 22. Bg3 Qc7 23. f4 a5 24. Nf3 Qd7 25. h3 Kg7 26.
Bh4 Nc6 27. Re1 +0.46 Stockfish } 20...Nge7 21.Bg5 b5 22.Bf6 Rh7 23.Rba1 Qc7
24.Nf3 Kg8 25.Bxf5 Nxf5 26.Nh4 a5 27.Nxf5 exf5 28.Kh1 Qd7 29.f4 Qc6 30.Qh4
Qe6 31.Qg3 Rc6 32.Qh4 Rc8 ) 20.Bxg5 hxg5 $6 { +2.76/23 } ( 20...b5
{ +1.94/22 } 21.Bg4 Kg7
{ 21...Ng7 22. Bf4 Rc8 23. Qe3 Qc7 24. Nf1 a5 25. Qc1 Rh7 +3.38 Stockfish }
22.Be3 { 22. Bf4 Nge7 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24. g4 Ne7 25. Nf1 +3.77 Stockfish }
22...Nge7 23.Nf1 Kg8 24.Ng3 Nxg3 25.Qxg3 Rh7 26.Bf4 Kf8 27.Qh3 Qd8 28.Bxh6+
Ke8 29.Qe3 Qc7 30.Qf4 Kd7 31.Bg5 Rah8 32.Qf6 Ng6 33.h3 ) 21.Qxh8 Qxc3 22.Nf3
g4 $6 { +3.85/24 } ( 22...Bxc2 { +2.79/22 } 23.Rc1 Nxd4 24.Nxd4 Qxd4 25.Raxc2
b5
{ 25...a5 26. Bh5 Rc8 27. g3 g4 28. h3 gxh3 29. Kh2 Rc7 30. Rd2 +4.34
Stockfish } 26.Bh5 a5 27.Rc3
{ 27. Rd1 Qf4 28. g3 Qf5 29. Rc3 g4 30. Rd4 b4 31. Re3 b3 32. Rf4 b2 33.
Re1 b1=Q 34. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 35. Kg2 +11.39 Stockfish } 27...g4 28.Rg3 Qf4 29.Rb1
Qh6 30.Qxh6+ Nxh6 31.Rxb5 a4 32.Ra3 d4 33.Rc5 c3 34.Ra1 a3 35.Rc4 Rb8 36.h3
gxh3 ) 23.Ng5 Nxd4 24.Bxg4 Bxc2 25.Rba1 a5 26.h4 $2 { +2.29/21 } ( 26.Bh5
{ +5.03/22 } 26...Nb3 27.Rf1 Ra7 28.Rxc2 Qxc2 29.Nh7+ Qxh7 30.Qxh7 Re7 31.h4
{ 31. Bd1 f5 32. Qh8 Nd2 33. Re1 d4 34. Qh4 d3 35. Qf4 Nb3 36. Qxc4 Nc5 37.
Qb5 Kg7 38. Qxb6 d2 39. Re3 Ne4 40. Qxa5 Nh6 41. f3 Ng5 42. Qd8 Ng8 43.
Qxd2 +13.50 Stockfish } 31...b5 32.Qh8 Rc7 33.Bd1 Nd2 34.h5 ) 26...Bb3 $2
{ +4.22/24 } ( 26...Bd3 { +2.29/21 } 27.h5
{ 27. Ra3 Qb2 28. Bh5 Ra7 29. Rxd3 cxd3 30. Rf1 Rc7 31. g3 Nc6 32. Nh7+ Ke7
33. Qxg8 Nxe5 34. Bxf7 Nxf7 35. Qf8+ Kd7 36. Qxf7+ Kc8 37. Qxe6+ Kb8 38.
Ng5 d2 39. Qxd5 a4 40. Qd8+ Kb7 41. Ne4 Qc1 42. Nxd2 +6.57 Stockfish }
27...Nc6 28.Nf3 Nd4 29.h6 Nxf3+ 30.Bxf3 Ke7 31.Bh5 Rf8 32.Rd1 Bf5 33.Re2 Qb3
34.Rde1 ) ( 26...Nc6 27.Bxe6 Qxe5 28.Qxe5 Nxe5 29.Bxd5 Rd8 30.Bxf7 Bf5 31.Be6
Bd3 32.Rb2 Rb8 33.Rb5 { +4.40 Stockfish } ) 27.Ra3 Qd2 $6 { +5.39/24 } (
27...Qb4 { +3.98/23 } 28.Bh5 Ke7 29.Bxf7 Kd7 30.Bxg8 Qf8 31.Qh7+ Qe7 32.Bf7
Rf8 33.Qg7 Bc2 34.g4
{ 34. h5 Kc6 35. h6 Nf5 36. Qg6 Nd4 37. Qf6 Qxf6 38. exf6 Kd6 39. Re3 c3
40. Bxe6 Rxf6 41. Bg8 b5 42. h7 Bxh7 43. Bxh7 b4 44. Rxa5 +11.14 Stockfish
} 34...Bd3 35.Qf6 Qxf6 36.exf6 Ne2+ 37.Kh2 Kd6 38.Rd1 e5 39.h5 Nf4 ) (
27...Qc2 28.Bh5 Ke7 29.Bxf7 Kd7 30.Bxg8 Kc6 31.Qf6 Rxg8 32.Nxe6 Ne2+ 33.Kf1
Qg6 34.Nd4+ Kc5 35.Nxb3+ cxb3 36.Rxb3 Kc4 37.Qxb6 Qxb6 38.Rxb6 Nc3 39.Rxa5
Rh8 40.g3 Re8 41.e6 Re7 42.Kg2 { +9.01 Stockfish } ) 28.Bh5 Ke7 29.Bxf7 Qf4
$2 { +13.65/21 } ( 29...Ne2+ { +12.73 } 30.Kf1 Nc1 31.Bh5 Kd7 32.Qg7+ Ne7
33.Qf6 Qd3+ 34.Kg1 Qf5 35.Rxc1 b5 36.Bf7 Qxf6 37.exf6 d4 38.Bxe6+ Kd6 39.Re1
Ng6 40.Bf5 Nh8 41.f7 Nxf7 42.Nxf7+ Kc5 43.Re5+ Kb4 44.Ra1 a4 45.h5 d3 46.Nd6
d2 47.Rxb5+ Kc3 48.Be4 Rh8 49.Bf3 ) 30.Qh7 Kd7 31.Bxe6+ Kc6 32.Qd7+ Kc5
33.Qxd5+ Kb4 34.Ra4+ Kc3 35.Ne4+ Kd3 36.Rd1+
{ 36...Bd1 37.Qc4 Ke4 38.Qd4 # or 36...Kc2 37.Qd4 Ba4 38.Qc3 Kd1 39.Bg4
Qg4 40.Qd2# } 1-0

 

Hey DIG Parents,
 
If anyone is interested in donating to the Starbuck Foundation, please let me know. This is our Venmo account:
 
We help kids in economic need with getting sporting equipment like soccer cleats, soccer balls, and chess sets. We pay coaches to go into cities like Bridgeport and Hartford to teach soccer and chess. We buy groceries for teenagers that are struggling to get food or help them find homes when they are homeless. Many of you have been apart of what we are doing. 
 
For example, this past summer, we helped a Senior at Bassick High School, who we have been coaching for free for five years, find a home in Shelton with a nice family because he was homeless. During the process, we used Starbuck Foundation money to feed him and get him other necessities. We also got him new soccer cleats and other soccer gear. He was going to drop out of high school so he could work and pay rent. Because we found him a home, he is graduating from High School and is going to play college soccer at Mitchell College.
 
We also found a really smart Bridgeport elementary school kid at our free chess class on Saturdays at the North Branch Library. We pay coaches to go there and teach through the Starbuck Foundation. That kid, who is in elementary school, has now completed in five chess tournaments and his chess rating has gone up from 158 to 337. Everything he has ever done with us has been free. 
 
Any donation helps. The Starbuck Foundation is a Public 501c3 so if you need the ID number for tax purposes, please just let me know. 

Respectfully,

Coach Dan

502-468-6930
www.TeamDIGUSA.com
www.facebook.com/TeamDIGUSA
 
 

 

Joe Bihlmeyer wins 2020 Eastern Connecticut Chess Open

Grandmaster Sergey Kudrin wins 2020 Connecticut Senior

13 Teams from Connecticut at 2020 USA Amateur Team East

91 players at 2020 Connecticut State Grade Championships

State of the Club report by Rob Roy of Coventry Chess Club

 

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR UPDATES

ConnecticutChess@Gmail.Com

 

CSCA News

3/1
A total of 84 young players participated in the first Fairfield Regional Scholastic Championship held at Riverfield School in collaboration with the CSCA. Final standings of the Junior High, Elementary & Primary Open, Elementary Novice, and Primary Novice & First Grade - USCF rating crosstable.

 

2/29
Grandmaster Sergey Kudrin has won the 2020 Connecticut Senior Championship with a score of 3-0 and will be the official state representative to the 3rd Annual National Tournament of Senior State Champions held August 8-11 in St. Charles, MO. In the last round, he beat second seed FM, Nelson Castaneda. Derek Meredith finished in second place and has qualified to the Championship section of the 2020 Connecticut State Championship on May 16 as Kudrin is already eligible as one of the top 12 players in the state. Top U2000 was won by Mario Guevera-Rodriguez.
The first Connecticut Women's championship was won by 9-year-old Jasmine Su who scored a perfect 3-0. Liz Smith finished in second place.
Crosstable CT Senior - Crosstable CT Women's.



Jasmine Su (left), one of the top 9-year-old players in the US won the first CT Women's Open.



Mario Guevara-Rodriguez vs Nelson Castaneda in front & Hanon Russell vs Sergey Kudrin behind.

 

 

 

 

COVENTRY CHESS CLUB

Top Frequent Players (after tnmt #47)

34 Joe Bihlmeyer

21 Rob Roy

18 Art Nagel

16 Mark Bourque

15 Hayes Goodman

15 Derek Meredith

13 Dan Smith

11 Larry Lafosse

10 Dan Zhou

10 Joshua Berkun

 

2020 MILL BROOK PARK OPEN  APR. 18

 

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW BRITAIN CHESS CLUB
“THE HEART OF CONNECTICUT CHESS”
IN CARE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF THE HOLY RESURRECTION
1910 STANLEY STREET NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT 06053
WWW.NEWBRITAINCHESSCLUB.COM


2020 NBCC NEWSLETTER  by Robert Cyr
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR


JANUARY
On January 10 and 11, the club welcomed back prominent Grandmaster Alexandr
Lenderman, one of the top chess players in America. On Friday, the GM began his
two-day visit to the club with a master training class. The intense and engaging
the three-hour session focused on the topic of making your opponents’ position more difficult. The next day, GM Lenderman began with a nice lecture about proper piece placement. The lecture was followed by a simultaneous chess exhibition, where twenty-three players from our community participated. Our competitors gave Mr. Lenderman a tough battle on the chessboard, with many challenging games, according to the GM. Despite our players’ attempts to slow him down, though, the GM emerged victorious on all boards (a perfect 23-0) in about three hours. This historic weekend in club history would not have been possible if it were not for member Mario Guevara-Rodriguez, who arranged the GM’s visit and
furthermore provided him with transportation to and from Milford.


FEBRUARY
Every Presidents Day weekend, for over a decade now, teams from the NBCC
have participated in the annual World/U.S. Amateur Team East Chess
Championship, more commonly known as USATE. This is the largest team chess
event in history. Here is a recap of our club’s results at this event in 2020 this
Presidents Day weekend.
On the first team, Connecticut’s Finest, we had the combined forces of USCF
Senior Master Arslan Otchiyev and USCF National Master Ian Harris from the
Chess Club of Fairfield County and Joe Bihlmeyer and Jithu Sajeevan from the
NBCC. This team ended up with a fine performance score of 5-1 and thus won the
Top Connecticut Team prize. The all-NBCC team (Illegal move in Ukraine), which
had Mario Guevara-Rodriguez, Norman Burtness, Mike Pascsetta, and Michael
Smith, ended up with a score of 3.5 out of six match points in spite of having lost a game that was played behind the ropes in round one. The next team from the club fell apart when FIDE Master Richard Bauer was unable to play due to illness. But the almost-NBCC team competed anyway. And this team (Pence Still on Board 2) consisted of USCF NM Ted McHugh, USCF NM Derek Meredith, Doug Fiske,
and a 1900-rated player from New Jersey who scored 5-1. This team ended up with four match points in spite of losing on board one in round two.

Incidentally, this team had to play the Ukraine team in round five of the
tournament, the first time that nearly two complete NBCC teams ever had to face
off in a tournament of this size like USATE. The Pence team won that match. I got
to experience the action at USATE this year with a brand-new team, Queen’s Bald
Eagles. On board one, we had a WFM from Nigeria. One of our teammates had
tailored made t-shirts with the Nigerian and American flags embroidered on them.
That was cool! It was nice to make new friends. This was my ninth consecutive
USATE appearance, incidentally.
A very special thanks and shout out goes out to Mr. E. Steven Doyle, chief event
director, for the exemplary work that he did in organizing and directing this
incredible event. He and his professional staff did a marvelous job to ensure that
this tournament ran as smoothly as possible. They are the heart and soul of this
annual three-day retreat, where new and old friends have the opportunity to
connect or reconnect in the spirit of friendship. Kudos to them!


Our first member who the club honored in 2020 for his longevity with the club was
Matt Faille. Matt started going to the NBCC in the early-to-mid 2000s. His father,
Mark Faille, had introduced him to both the game and the NBCC. Mark Wilkin
and his friend Ilya Gofman, along with member Joe Hricko, were the first to take
turns beating on him over the chessboard. Until the NBCC, Matt had only been
limited to playing at the Barnes & Noble in Waterbury, at the library chess club in
Waterbury, and in the Townsend Cup at Wesleyan University in Middletown. A
few years after that, Matt met member Will Torres in high school, and then they
started going to New Britain together to maraud the countryside. It was not until
later that they had the same initial chess coach, Julius Fuster, for many years
without the knowledge of each other! The NBCC had been the single most
influential group of people in helping Matt improve his chess strength and giving
him a sense of brotherhood. He could not possibly mention all of the names of
chess players who meant so very much to him. At one point, USCF NM Derek
Meredith had allowed Matt to sit in with several of his studies at the mall and at
Panera Bread to formally improve his chess strength. In addition, Mark and Jimmy
Wilkin would always show Matt why unorthodox chess openings and aggressive
practical play were viable at almost all levels. Preparing for the NBCC's slow
tournaments week after week gave Matt insight into how to prepare for such things and absolutely garnered him a spike in opening preparation ability. Even though he currently resides in Rhode Island, if anyone asks him, USCF Expert Matt still calls the NBCC his home club. His fondest memory of tournaments at the club had to have been the team tournaments, where New Britain always did well.

All in all, Matt is extremely grateful to be part of such a wonderful club with a rich
history and dedicated officers. And we are so grateful to have Matt as our friend in
our thriving chess community. To make this tournament a friendly one for
students, Matt opted to have his tournament unrated with games of various time
controls gradually starting at G/15 and ending at G/1. A special prize (a club chess
set) was also awarded to the top-scoring student, which ended up being a member
Nakul Ramaswamy. FM and member Nelson Castaneda took home the gold with a
first-place score. Matt’s event was held on February 18.
On February 29, the NBCC hosted the annual Connecticut State Senior Open
Chess Championship and the inaugural Connecticut State Women’s Open Chess
Championship. The senior event was won by GM Sergey Kudrin, and the women’s
event was won by Jasmine Su, 9, the rating is class A. USCF NM
Derek Meredith took home second place in the senior event, and he will be
automatically seeded in the state championships to be held in May. Thanks to all
those who participated, and a special thanks to Normal Burtness for directing both
tournaments.


MARCH
The club held its most heritage tournament of the year, its annual championship
tournament, from mid-January through early March. A record 53 players
competed in this tournament. After many rounds of fierce competition, FM Nelson
Castaneda emerged victorious in the event. This marks Nelson’s fortieth win or ties
for first place in major (G/30 or longer) club tournaments. Winning the reserve
section of this major event was member Shriniket Sivakumar, his first win in a
major club event. Thanks to Mark Bourque for directing this significant club event.
He did a great job!
Keeping with club tradition, the reigning club champion of the year hosts a
simultaneous chess exhibition. This year, it was Nelson’s turn to host a simul.
Sixteen players competed in this event, with the participants all striving to tackle
and upset the master. After nearly three hours of competition, member Jozef Madej and Nilish Terance nicked a draw against the master. Thanks to Nelson for hosting this simul. He had a good performance overall. Prior to his simul, Nelson reviewed some games from the most recent club championship.


 

 

 

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