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Don't Forget to Vote!

There is just one month left to vote for four of 10 candidates for the executive board of the USCF. This will be a very important election to determine the future of chess in our country. In order for your ballot to count it must be received by July 25th in Tennesee.
Although, this blogsite will not officially endorse any candidates, personally I will be voting for Polgar, Truong, Bauer and Korenman.
The statements of the 10 candidates begin on page 52 of the June issue of Chess Life. Please feel free to comment on your thoughts about the candidates and the election.

Ratings Report from the Mayor's Cup is Done!

The ratings report for the recently completed Mayor's Cup of Buffalo is now available. Click on the following link: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200706103681.0-12975121

Empire Chess Report for the Summer Issue

The following is my unedited report that I had sent to the editor of Empire Chess the quarterly magazine of the New York State Chess Assosiation. I am unsure how much copy will be given to the WNY report, so I thought I would let our membership read the report as I had submitted it. Buffalo-Niagara Chess News by Dr. Mark Mieth During this spring a very vibrant chess community continues to grow out on the Niagara Frontier. Once again the primary gardener cultivating this field is “the chess ambassador”- Mr. Michael Mc Duffie. Not only is he tending his initial school clubs in the Buffalo area, he also has plowed new ground with more scholastic clubs in the cities of Lockport and Niagara Falls. All tolled he has founded or help establish 8 such clubs. On top of all that, he also continues to hold monthly USCF rated tournaments every second Saturday of the month at the Main Place Mall in downtown Buffalo. Meanwhile I have been more of a gentleman farmer by complementing the efforts with sponsoring and directing the monthly free USCF events as well as the premier USCF rated scholastic event in the area- The Stella Niagara Excelsior Scholastic. With this in mind, let’s survey the landscape. March 2007 AQE Bill Zachary Memorial : High school student Steven Demjanenko sprouted up in the 19 player field of the Open section and tied for first with Roy Hamann with an undefeated 3.5/4 score. Finishing first in the 6th -8th grade section with a perfect 4/4 was Morgan Beach, while Ryan Madden captured first in the 3rd-5th grade section with a 3.5/4 score. Niagara Falls, Ontario Open: Reverend Marijan Procyk represented our nation well by finishing with a positive score of 3.5/5 and raised his Canadian rating to 2163 in a very strong field that included several FIDE Masters. April 2007 Marchand Memorial: Several Buffalo-Niagara players flourished at Rochester’s biggest event. Although not “best in show” they blossomed nicely. They included second place finishes for the U2200 prize by Rev. Marijan Procyk; Roy Hamann second in the U1800 section; and John Dolan and Dr. Mark Mieth tying for second place in the U1400 section. Free April: 18 players took part and despite missing the first two games, Rev. Procyk continued to thrive by winning the tournament with a 3.5/5 score. AQE Sherman Thomas Memorial: Attracted 34 players with excellent growth shown by Randall Beach, with an perfect score in the 3rd-5th grade section, and Partho Bhattacharaya who won the 6th-8th grade section with an undefeated 3.5/4. Vance Williams and Mark Clark tied for first in the Open section with 3.5/4 scores. Growing like weeds in the open section, however, are Evan Ashton and Yakun Hu. Third Annual Stella Niagara-Excelsior Scholastic: 40 players participated in 4 sections. Germinating in the Beginner section and winning in a playoff over Rex Herzberg was Jacob Bennett. Third place went to Ryan Palmisano. In the Intermediate section a Pennsylvanian Cody Hennard rose above a crowded second place crop of locals including Aaron Mc Duffie, Neil Kasalra, Tyler Smith, Ryan Madden, and Ed Basinski. In the Advanced Scholastic section growing like a sunflower was Bob Shao who bested the another bumper crop of locals finishing second including Nolan Henrie, Benjamin Havey, Partho Bhattacharya, and Alex Mieth. In the Quick Open section tying for first were Tom Warner and Rev. Procyk with third place finishers of Todd Hennard, David Biddle, Evan Ashton, and Michael Mc Duffie. May 2007 Free May: A sudden change of climate must have allowed for new faces to pop up on the leader board with numerous upsets occurring. Francis Buenagel had a ratings increase of 147 points thanks largely to a 362 point upset, meanwhile fellow UB student Brady Shannon scored a 596 point victory. But, the biggest upset of 614 points went to Paul Gillmeister as he beat Rev. Marijan Procyk in the final round and thus finished clear first with a 4/5 score. AQE Habeeb Memorial: A hearty but somewhat sparser crowd ignored the beautiful weather and braved playing chess on Mother’s Day weekend. The field was split into just two sections with Aaron McDuffie winning the scholastic section and Mark Clark winning the Open. Chicago Open: Spreading out into unfamiliar territory, UB student Harish Srinivasan showed the nation that Buffalo breeds resilient chess players by capturing 2nd place in the Under 1700 section despite losing his first round game. His final round game is below: Harish Srinivasan (1621) –Jerry Christner (1682) [B01] "Scandinavian defense” Chicago Open U1700 Round 7 May 28, 2007 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Bf5 5. Bd3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. Ne5 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 c6 9. O-O e6 10. Bd2 Qd8 11. Rfe1 Be7 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Rxe4 Nd7 14. Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Rae1 O-O-O 16. b3 Bd6 17. c4 c5 18. Bc3 Qc7 19. g3 Rhg8 20. a3 g5 21. b4 cxd4 22. Rxd4 Be5 23. Rxe5 Qxe5 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Qxd8+ Kxd8 26. Bxe5 g4 27. c5 Kd7 28. Kf1 Kc6 29. a4 a5 30. bxa5 Kxc5 31. Bc3 Kc4 32. Be5 Kb4 33. Bc7 Kxa4 34. Ke2 Kb5 35. Ke3 Kc6 36. Bb6 Kd5 37. Kf4 f5 38. f3 h5 39. fxg4 hxg4 40. Ba7 Kd6 41. Ke3 Ke5 42. Kd3 Kd5 43. Kc3 Ke4 44. Kc4 e5 45. Kb5 Kf3 46. Kb6 Kg2 47. Kxb7 Kxh2 48. Bb8 e4 49. Bf4 e3 50. Bxe3 Kxg3 51. a6 f4 52. Bxf4+ Kxf4 53. a7 g3 54. a8=Q g2 55. Qa1 Black resigns 1-0 June 2007 First Annual Buffalo Mayor’s Cup: Destined to become the event to conclude the season, Michael Mc Duffie revived the battle to determine who the chess kings are of the Buffalo area. Nearly 50 players partook in this challenge in 4 sections. Winning the U1000 section was his son Aaron McDuffie with a perfect 5/5. Evan Ashton captured the U1400 crown with an undefeated 4.5/5. Tom Warner took home the U1800 title also with a perfect 5/5. Seventh-grader Bob Shao (1654 pre tournament) won the top scholastic performance award by posting over a 2000 level performance in the Open section. He may have shed the sunflower label and more aptly be considered a growing Venus fly trap as he drew the top two rated players in the tournament who were rated 2271 and 2155! The new king of chess for 2007 and winner of the Buffalo Mayor’s Cup is National Master Eddie Mark III. He went undefeated with a 4/5 score. Finishing second were Experts Mark Clark and Douglas Dubose. The decisive victory for NM Mark was this third round game: NM Eddie Mark III (2096) – NM Barry Davis (2155) [A13] Third Round of the First Annual Mayor’s Cup of Buffalo-June 10, 2007 1. c4 {0} e6 {0} 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 dxc4 4. Qa4+ Bd7 5. Qxc4 Bc6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. d4 Nb6 8. Qd3 Nf6 9. O-O Be4 10. Qb3 Qd5 11. Qd1 Bxb1 12.Rxb1 Qxa2 13. Bf4 Nfd5 14. Qc2 Bd6 15. Ne5 Bxe5 16. Bxe5 O-O 17. e4 Ne7 18.Rfc1 Qa5 19. b4 Qa3 20. Bxc7 Rfc8 21. Qd2 Nc6 22. Bxb6 axb6 23. d5 exd5 24.exd5 Ne5 25. d6 Nf3+ 26. Bxf3 Qxf3 27. Rxc8+ Rxc8 28. d7 Rd8 29. Re1 Qc6 30.Re8+ Rxe8 31. d8=Q h6 32. Q8d3 b5 33. Q2c3 Black resigns 1-0 Upcoming Events: Monthly 10 point enhanced Grand Prix Tournaments at the Main Place Mall Second Saturday of each month on July 14, August 11, and September 15 October 12-14 Second Annual Jeff White Memorial-Excelsior Open (likely) 40 point enhanced Grand Prix tournament and International Chess Festival in Niagara Falls, NY Please also remember to check www.buffalochess.blogspot.com for daily information about the chess happenings in the Buffalo-Niagara region. Faithfully submitted by the “chess doctor” aka Dr. Mark Mieth NB: I have included the captions for the attached pictures from the recent Mayor's Cup if you wish to use them.

Mayor's Presentation in City Hall

The presence of all section champions from
the recent Mayor's Cup is requested:
Eddie Mark III, Open section winner
Thomas A. Warner, Under 1800 winner
Evan Ashton, Under 1400 winner
and Aaron J Mc Duffie, Under 1000 winner.
You are hereby summoned to the 2nd floor, City Hall, Mayor Byron W Brown's office on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 4pm.
During this ceremony, you will be presented with an official Mayor's Citation for your acheivement, a golden Buffalo pin, and a photo taken with his honor and your trophy.
Also invited are the 2nd place finishers and the special award winners: Douglas Dubose, Mark Clark, Yakun Hu, Glenn Westcott, Ryan Madden, Amanda Chinn (Susan Polgar Top Female Award), Jessica Collins (Youngest player) and Bob Shao (Fran & Horace Mc Duffie's "Top Scholastic player Award"). Your outstanding accomplishments will also be noted by the mayor and a citation will be awarded.
Students from Roy B Kelley(Lockport NY), and 66th Street School Chess Knights will witness these events as they can dream of one day standing with the mayor themself.

Wegmans/Borders

Came to Wegmans around 9:00 PM and nobody was there. Wonder did anybody come eartlier. Since nobody was there at that time I went to Borders (across from Galeria Mall) and played there some games and watched some. So if somene is from Cheektowaga or Buffalo, and wants to play some chess, there is possibility to play at Borders, at least Saturday night. Come and see and play some games. Might be a masterpiece. Marijan

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER TO VOTE!

I just received my June issue of Chess Life in which the ballot for the selection of four candidates for the executive board of the USCF is the magazine cover. The statements of the 10 candidates begin on page 52. This will be a very important election to determine the future of chess in our country. In order for your ballot to count it must be received by July 25th in Tennesee. Although, this blogsite will not officially endorse any candidates, personally I will be voting for Polgar, Truong, Bauer and Korenman. Please feel free to comment on your thoughts about the candidates and the election.

COVERAGE IN BUFFALO NEWS TODAY

Check out the coverage on the "FRONT PAGE" of todays Buffalo News along with a color picture of Amber Chinn of the Urban Knights Chess Club on the back. Thanks again to everyone!
The story can be read online at: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/96057.html

1st Annual Mayor's Cup Championships Final Results 2007

I want to give thanks to the forty plus players and WNY Chess community for their continued commitment and support. Great tournaments are the result of great chess players who believe in the advancement of the best international game through out the world. The final results are as follows from each section: Mayor's Byron W. Brown Cup Open Masters Champion, National Master Eddie Mark III, Tied Second Place: Douglas Dubose and Mark Clark. Senator Antoine M. Thompson U1800 Section Champion: Thomas Warner (UNDEFEATED 5-0), 2nd Place: Glenn Westcott. Paul Turecki U1400 Section Champion: Evan Ashton, 2nd Place: Yakun Hu. Susan Polgar U1000 Section Champion: Aaron J. Mc Duffe (UNDEFEATED 5-0), 2nd Place: Ryan Madden. Fran and Horace Mc Duffie Top Scholastic Award: Bob Shao. Susan Polgar Top Female Award: Amanda Chinn. Quadir Habeeb Faith Award: Jessica Collins, 2nd grader. Congratulations to all and our next Grand Prix Open Tournament is Saturday, July 14th, August 11th, and September 15th, 2007, Main Place Mall, 390 Main Street, Buffalo, NY. 4 Round Swiss, Game 45, Rounds start at 10am, 11:45am, 1:30pm and 3:15pm. Late entries will be forced to take 1/2 point bye. USCF Rated, 10 Enhanced Grand Prix Points, Entry fee $35.00, checks made payable to Archangel 8 Chess Academy, 60F Guilford Lane, Buffalo, NY 14221. Or email at arcangel8chess@yahoo.com with full name, USCF ID number, and USCF Current Rating.

Top Board

Douglas Dubose and NM Eddie Mark III shake hands before the start of the final round game. This scene was repeated a dozen or so moves later when they agreed to what they called a "grandmaster draw."

Coffee House Shot!

Mark Clark bested NM Lionel Davis in the final round with what Davis described as a "coffee house tactic." By refusing to take the offered knight sacrifice, Davis had to first give up the exchange and then later the game as the weakness on the dark squares about his king proved to be decisive. Click on the following link to replay the game. http://chess.maribelajar.com/chesspublisher/viewgame.php?id=1182306768

"If it wasn't for these meddling kids!"

Bob Shao with the award for the top scholastic performance
Top U1000 Aaron Mc Duffie with his dad the Tournament Director and Evan Ashton the top U1400 player

Two old TDs at The Mayor's Cup

The "chess ambassador" Michael Mc Duffie awarding the U1800 trophy to Tom "Pops" Warner

Report of The First Annual Mayor's Cup of Buffalo

NM Eddie Mark with EddieIV and the Mayor's Cup
Who says the Buffalo-Niagara Region can not line up with the other "hotbeds of chess" around the country? We can run a Grand Prix tournament in typical "chess style." We can agree to "grandmaster draws" like the best of them. We can add many new "promising players" from the scholastic ranks to those of seasoned successful tournament players. And we can gain notoriety and press coverage too. "The chess ambassador, "Mr. Michael Mc Duffie, put on an excellent event at the Student Union of Buffalo State College these past two days and was able to get two TV stations to film portions of the event as well as getting the Buffalo News to write up an article for publication. Almost 50 players participated in four sections with school age players doing well in each section. The top female player was Amanda Chinn a seventh grader from Elmwood Franklin School. Winning the Under 1000 section with a perfect 5/5 score, much to the pride of his father -our esteemed tournament direct, was Aaron McDuffie a six grader from Casey Middle School. In the Under 1400 section Evan Ashton, a ninth grader at Clarence High School, also won with an undefeated 4.5/5 score. The winner of the top scholastic performance award went to Bob Shao, a seventh grader from Transit Middle School, who competed in the Open section and had a performance rating of over 2000! This included a draw with the top rated player of the tournament National Master Lionel Davis (2217). Not to be outdone by those one-quarter his age, however, was the "veteran" Tom Warner who accomplished the same perfect 5/5 feat in winning the Under 1800 section. The highlight, of course, of the tournament was the competition in the Open section to determine the "Best Chess Player of Buffalo." National Master Eddie Mark won clear first with an undefeated 4/5 score. His decisive win was done in the third round as white over National Master Barry Davis. Use the interactive player below to replay that game.
NM Mark concluded his tournament with two successive draws including a final round "grandmaster draw" after 12 moves with the second place finisher Douglas Dubose

Elementary Team Chess Competition Tomorrow

To bring each's chess session to a close for this academic year, tomorrow-Wednesday June 6, 2007, Geraldine J. Mann Elementary will host the 66th Street School in Niagara Falls to play 3 rounds of team chess. Best 2 out of 3 will win the lunch time mini-tournament which will be held in the library.
Each team has elected 2 co-captains, who after consulting with their 7 teammates, will make the official moves on the chess board. All the players have been working hard and tomorrow's challenge likely will display much of their work. Best of luck to both chess teams!
Both schools are looking for sponsors for next year's chess activities, so that they can buy much needed equipment including Staunton chess sets, algebraic vinyl chess boards, chess clocks, scoresheets, tote bags, chess books, and supplies. Do you know of a person, foundation, or business that might be able to help out?

Roy B Kelley Elementary Lunch Chess Club

CONGRATULATIONS! It's official. Roy B. Kelley Elementary School in Lockport has now initiated a chess club for its third, fourth, and fifth graders in order to learn the game during the student's lunch period. Principal Stegeman will be learning the game as well! Each grade's team has at least 14 players. These 42 students are eager to learn: the names of chess pieces, how the pieces move, how to capture, how to block, how to check, how to get out of check, how to check mate, and of course how they can beat their dads, cousins, and friends. A few of the questions that were raised during our session today included: What is Fools Mate? How how do you write chess notation? What are some of the best strategies to learn?
The next sessions will be the week of June 12th.
Does anyone know of a business sponsor for the chess sets, boards, bags and scorebooks? Which area elementary or middle school will be next to join the growing chess craze?
To learn more about Roy B. Kelley Elementary School visit http://www.lockport.k12.ny.us/education/school/school.php?sectionid=7243

The Top Ten scheduled to appear in the 1st Annual Mayor's Cup this weekend

National Master Lionel Davis
The following is the list of the top 10 players who are scheduled to appear in this weekend's ultimate battle of the minds with the chance to be crowned as Buffalo's official chess champion.
1. NM Lionel Davis (2271) Buffalo, NY
2. NM Bem Tyehimba (2245) New York City, NY
3. NM Barry Davis (2155) Buffalo, NY
4. Vance Williams (2100) Buffalo, NY
5. NM Eddie Mark (2096) Miami, FL
6. Mark Clark (2085) Jamestown, NY
7. Rev. Marijan Procyck (2074) Buffalo, NY
8. Douglas Dubose (2014) Buffalo, NY
9. David "Pawn Master" Mc Duffie (1880) Baltimore, MD
10. Vince Woodard (1868) Buffalo, NY
The 1st Annual Mayor's Cup Chess Championships will be held this Saturday, June 9th and Sunday, June 10th, 2007, at Buffalo State College's Student Union on 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY. It will be 5 Rounds, Swiss Format, Game 90, with 10 Enhanced Grand Prix Points at stake. See the prior posting for more information about this most excellent event.

Urban Knights Chess Club

Come and play a simul chess match versus The "Endgame Master" Deacon James Gibson, USCF rated player will play other players at the Frank E Merriweather Jr Branch Library. East Utica and Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14208. Please bring your chess clocks, chess board, chess set, scoresheet and pencil with eraser. Come early seats limited. Join us at 5:30pm till 7:45pm.

1st Annual Mayor's Chess Championships is this Saturday and Sunday!

Last call for Chess players to enter at the reduced entry fee of $45 (USD) vs $50 (USD) CASH at the door. June 9th and June 10th, 2007, Buffalo State College Student Union, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222. 5 Round Swiss, Game 90, 1st round starts at 9:30am. Need full name, USCF Chess ID number, USCF rating and Section desired for participation.
In the Open section: 1st Place is guaranteed $200, 8 Grand Prix points, and The Mayor's Cup, while 2nd Place $100 guaranteed and 2 USCF Grand Prix points. All participants must be or must become a USCF member to participate. Can join at the site, however, payment for USCF memberships on site is cash only. Comment here for advanced registration, confirmation of entry with check or cash payment. Advance entries are greatly appreciated!
Please note that the name of the event has changed and further details are available at the following link http://www.uschess.org/directories/tnmtsearch/tlaweb.php?tla_seq=575&tla_id=QueenCityChessChampionship2007