IM K. Regan v NM L. Davis

IM Ken Regan was kind enough to share his own annotation of his recent game with NM Lionel Davis from the recent KLCC January Tournament in Buffalo. He noted that "the game has 4 nice instructive moments, 2 each where [either of us] could have gained a strong or winning advantage. [It] also shows [the] differences of opinion among 3 chess programs!" 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bc4 {The "book move" is 6.h3 to disturb the Bishop right away. There's nothing wrong with White's developing moves, but they let Black "get comfortable."} c6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Be3 e6 9. h3 Bh5 10. Qe2 Be7 11. Rfe1 O-O 12. Rad1 Rfe8 13. Bb3 Qc7 {Fritz 9 and HIARCS 11.2 both definitely like Black, but several Rybka versions give 0.05-0.10 to White, liking my enterprising next move. At the board I thought I had a chance for an edge, and played confidently.} 14. g4 Bg6 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. Bf4 {White will regain the piece, but Black has many choices: 16...Nd5, 16...Nfd7 and 16...Bb4!? which could be annoying. Lionel played the move I expected, not letting me get my pawn to e5.} Nf3+ 17. Qxf3 Bd6 18. Be5 Nd5 19. Qg3 Bxe5 20.dxe5 Nxc3 21. Qxc3 {White has occupied e5, but Black has chopped off the pieces that were supposed to come in behind the pawn. All the engines now say the game is pretty much equal, but I forged ahead with my plan, which was now to use e5 to invade on d6. This plan has a tactical flaw which Black only exploited halfway...} Rad8 22. Qg3 c5! 23. Rd6? {The first instructive moment. Black to play and punish White's plan.} {The flaw was 23... c4 24. Ba4 (24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Qc3 Rc8 26. Ba4 a6 {is also lost for White}) (24. Qc3 b5 25. a4 Rxd6 26. exd6 Qxd6 27. Ba2 { is how White has to play, but Black is a Pawn up with a better position too.}) 24... b5 (24... Qa5 {also forks but falls into White's plans} 25. Red1 Rxd6 26. exd6 Qxa4 (26... Rd8 27. d7 {is unclear---Fritz gives Black a pawn edge but with a line I think is really risky. Fritz 9:} b5 28. Qe5 a6 29. Qc5 h6 30. b4 Qxa4 31. Qc8 Rxc8 32. dxc8=Q+ Kh7 33. Rd8 {now Fritz sees what I meant by "unclear"} 28. Qc7 {wins, because Black's Queen can't get to b6}) 25. Bxb5 Qa5 {and now after White cedes the piece to make a strong d-pawn, Black's Queen will be more active than on a4.} 26. Red1 Rxd6 27. exd6 Qxb5 28. d7 Rd8 29. Qc7 Qb6 30. Qxc4 Qb7 {is the point, covering everything and preparing ...Be4.}) 23...Rxd6? 24.exd6 Qc6 25. Qf4 Rd8 26. Rd1 {Now Fritz 9 agrees with Lionel's after-game belief that White was still overextended, saying sizable edge to Black, but the Rybkas give White the sunny side of equality, while HIARCS is neutral. Maybe the engines should be voting in next week's primaries.} b5 27. c4 {Black may be able to equalize by 27...bxc4 28.Bxc4 Be4, but with time getting short such a position feels "loose". The move actually played gives White a big tempo, however.} b4 {The second instructive moment. Now I saw Black's idea of ...f6 and ...e5 to orphan White's d-pawn, and with about 4 minutes left, figured the best reaction naturally had to be improving my Bishop onto the long diagonal. But White needs to use the opportunity which Black's slow last move gave!} 28. Rd2 (28. d7 f6 (28... h6 29. Rd6 (29. Qd6 Qxd6 30. Rxd6 {is also a slight pull for White, but not as strong as after 28...f6 weakening e6.}) 29... Qc7 30. Ba4 {and now White's Bishop is a smooth operator.} Qa5 31. b3 $16) (28... Rxd7 29. Qb8+ {is mate}) 29. Qd6 $1 (29. Rd6 Qc7 30. Ba4 Bd3 $1 31. Bc6 $1 h6 32. Rxe6 $1 Qxf4 33. Re8+ Kh7 34. Rxd8 Qc1+ 35. Kh2 Qc2 36. Re8 Qxf2+ $11) 29... Qxd6 30. Rxd6 Kf7 31. Ba4 Ke7 32. Ra6 Bd3 33. Bb5 $16 { Black's real problem is that all 3 of eir Q-side pawns are weak.}) 28... f6 29.Bd1 e5 30. Qf3 (30. Qe3 Rxd6 31. Bf3 Qb6 {gives activity but not enough for the Pawn. My idea was always 30.Qf3 even though it seems to lose a tempo---I just didn't see the full followup.}) 30... Be4 (30... Rxd6 {may be what Black should play, but I disagree with engines and like the following line for White: } 31. Rxd6 Qxd6 32. Qa8+ Qf8 33. Qxa7 Bd3 34. Qa6 Kh8 35. a4 bxa3 36. bxa3 h6 37. Bf3 e4 38. Bg2) 31. Qe3 {It looks like Black has taken over the main diagonal, but this is an illusion---the engines all agree by "Depth=15" or so that Black must now meekly give it back by 31...Bg6.} 32. Rxd6? {The third instructive moment, and the easiest one to answer. White to move and win!} Beter instead was 32. Ba4! and now Black cannot defend both Rook and Bishop! The engines think Black is semi-OK giving the Queen for Rook and Bishop, but Black's Queenside pawns are too weak to hold on. Rxd2 33. Bxc6 Rd1+ 34. Kh2 Bxc6 35. f4! (35. Qxc5? Rh1+ 36. Kg3 Rg1+ {is a perpetual since} 37. Kh4 g5+ 38. Kh5 Rh1! 39. Qe3 Rxh3+ 40. Qxh3 Kg7 {is an unbelievable forced mate!}) 35... Rh1+ 36. Kg3 Rf1 {and now comes an ending that I would certainly have demonstrated given enough remaining clocktime...} 37. fxe5 $1 (37. Kh4{looks risky but is fine too}) 37... Rf3+ 38.Qxf3 Bxf3 39. Kxf3 Kf7 40. Ke4 Ke6 41. exf6 gxf6 {Study this, and convince your self before your engine realizes that this is winning for White. White will trade off the K-side so that his King will end up on g5, which will give clear sailing over to the west to win Black's c-pawn. Black may be able to preserve the h-pawns and so win White's h-pawn and queen eir h-pawn right after White queens eir c-pawn, but the Queen ending will be hopeless as the remaining Black pawns over there fall.}) 32... Qxd6 33. Qxe4 Qxd1+ 34. Kg2 Qd7{I feel that this should still not be losing for White, given the active White Queen, but Queen endings a pawn up are winning more often than I used to think.} 35. Qa8+ Kf7 36. Qe4 g6 37. b3 Ke6 {Brave, maybe not right, but Black's King has the extra benefit that coming forward thru White's weak squares might both hide from checks and assist in a mating attack, as could and should have happened.} 38. Qa8 f5 {Ditto. But it challenges White...} 39. g5? ({I didn't see that} 39. Qg8+ {was already enough activity to win back a pawn, when White actually stands better!} Qf7 (39... Kf6 40. Qf8+) (39... Kd6 40. Qd5+) 40. Qc8+ Kd6 $2 41. Qa6+ {oops!}) 39... e4 40. h4 Ke5 41. Qb8+ Qd6 (41...Kd4 42. Qf4 $1 Qc6 {preserves Black's edge}) 42. Qxa7 f4 {Now Black can think of mate, and I made an instructive mistake, giving Black's King free access to the g4 square. This is very similar to a losing error at move 35 by Boris Gelfand against Tejmour Radjabov in round 11 of the just-finished Wijk-aan-Zee tournament, as explained here: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4413} 43. Qg7+? (43. Qf7 {keeps Black at bay---engines show basic equality after ...Qc6 or ...f3+.})43... Kf5 44. Qxh7 Kg4! {Now trouble! At least I saw it wasn't instant mate.} 45. Qb7 f3+ 46. Kh1 {The fourth instructive moment. "Always check, it may be mate" is not a law of chess. But with Black down to just the 5 seconds per move given by the Fischer time increment, a quiet winner is tough to spot...} 46...Qd1+ (better was 46... Qd4! 47. Qc8+ Kxh4 $19 {The Queen on d4 guards the check at h8,and after White's next comes another quiet move for the coup-de-grace.} 48. Kg1 e3! {Mate in 6, the engines say.}) 47. Kh2 {Alas, now after 47...Qd4 48.Qc8+ Kxh4, White has 49.Qh3+ and maybe salvation. Otherwise, Black has nothing better than the perpetual check on d1 and d6 which fairly reflected the chances both players had in the game.} 1/2-1/2

Jamestown City Championship Update

Robert Johnson 0 - Richard Kalfas 1 Clark 1- Thompson 0 Miraglia - Turner - Game unplayed Extra rated game Thompson 1- Steven Johnson 0 Kalfas (1975) 4-0 Miraglia (1975) 2-1 Clark (2028) 2-2 Johnson (1946) 2-2 Thompson (1678)0-3 Turner (818) 0-2 [corrected 1/30/08]

Sardinia Saturday!

Why not grab your ground hog and drive on down (or up) to Sardinia this Saturday 2/2/2008 for the: QUICK CHESS TOURNAMENT Sat. Feb 2 at the Sardinia Community Center, 12320 Savage Rd, Sardinia,NY Must be a USCF member to play(can join at tournament) 2 Sections: Adults: 3SS G 29, EF $20 RDS: 10,11,12 Prizes based on entries Scholastic- Round Robin- play as many games as possible in 3hrs! EF: $10 Games start at 10am. Trophy for 1st place. All Scholastic players will receive a prize! For Info call Tom Warner 716-496-5230

Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Chess Tournament Results

Our first joint effort chess tournament for 2008 with the Town of Tonawanda Youth Recreation and Parks drew seven players. The players had very competitive games, game analysis by Douglas Dubose, USCF, Expert rated. With a low turnout, those in attendance felt they had more personal attention to help improve their game. Despite the very warm conditions everyone came away with a very valuable experience. The Overall results after 5 Rounds were as follows: Trevor Cohn and Max Belfatto were tied for 1st Place, 3nd Place Frank A. Rodriguez, 4th Place Partho Bhattacharya, 5th Place, new player James Fields 10th grader and Best Unrated, and Samantha Y Rodriguez and Crishon Ashby finished tied for 6th Place. Section 1st Place - 4th Grade Standings: Trevor D. Cohn, 1st Place Frank A. Rodriguez, 2nd Place Samantha Y. Rodriguez, 3rd Place Section 5th - 8th Grade Standings: Max Belfatto, 1st Place Partho Bhattacharya, 2nd Place Crishon J. Ashby, 3rd Place James Fields, Best Unrated As a reminder the KenTon Scholastic Chess League next 5 week Session will begin, Thursday, February 7th, every thursday nights from 6-8:30pm at The Kenmore Youth Center, 135 Wilber Avenue, Kenmore NY. Weekly results of matches, chess standings with players names are submitted to Kenmore Advertiser, Kenmore Bee and Buffalo Niagara Chess Corner. To register for the next session email me at arcangel8chess@yahoo.com with name, school, age and grade. Adults are welcomed at all levels of play, beginners, casual and competitive players.

KenTon Scholastic Chess League Week 4 Results

KenTon Scholastic Chess League meets every Thursday night from 6pm till 8:30pm at the Kenmore Community Center, 135 Wilbur Avenue, Kenmore NY. Chess exercises and training sessions are directed by Michael Mc Duffie, Chess Ambassador of the Archangel 8 Chess Academy and USCF Chess Expert Douglas Dubose. Adults are welcomed for casual play as well. New members include George Barton, Charles Mang, Christopher Mulcahy, Thomas Callea Sr and Thomas Callea Jr. Matches in week 4 were as follows: Trevor Cohn (962) still (5-0) undefeated knocked off Nick Czerwinski(887) Frank Anthony Rodriguez (930) defeated Katie Czerwinski (884) Nick Czerwinski(874) defeated Samantha Rodriguez (899) Scholastic Chess Standings: 1. Trevor Cohn (975) 2. Eric Lubas (946) 3. Frank Rodriguez (945) 4. Benjamin Havey (916) 4. Russell Williams (916) 6. Nick Czerwinski (887) 7. Beatrice Havey (884) 7. Alex Segelhurst (884) 9. Samantha Rodriguez (882) 10.Andrew Lester (870) 11. Katie Czerwinski (869) 12. Jessica Lester (868) 13. Evan Hayes (854) UNDEFEATED LEADERS: Trevor Cohn, 5-0 Eric Lubas, 3-0 Benjamin Havey, 1-0 Russell Williams, 1-0 January 31, 2008 will be the last week of this session. New Scholastic Sesssion starts Thursday, February 7th, 2008. If you would like to join the next session email me at arcangel8chess@yahoo.com or comment below with name and contact information.

Jamestown City Championship Update

Results from 1/19/08 Miraglia 1- Johnson 0 Kalfas 1- Clark 0 Thompson - Turner Unplayed.

Cummulative score now stands at: Kalfas (1975) 3-0 Johnson (1946) 2-1 Clark (2028) 1-2 Mirgalia (1975) 2-1 Thompson (1678) 0-2 Turner (818) 0-2

List of Past Champions of the Axel Andersen Memorial Plaque

and Jamestown City Championship

1966 - Axel Anderson 1967 - James Dracup 1968 - Johns Mauer 1969 - Richard Kalfas 1970 - Ron Malin 1971 - James Dracup 1972 - Richard Kalfas 1973-4 - James Dracup 1975 - Marvin Boskin 1976 - James Dracup 1977 - Steven Fredrickson 1978-9 - James Dracup 1980 - Mark Clark 1981-2 - Marvin Boskin 1983-4 - Steven Fredrickson 1985 - Mark Clark 1986-9 - Steven Fredrickson 1990 - Mark Clark 1991 - Steven Fredrickson 1992-3 - Mark Clark 1994 - Dan Miraglia 1995-6 - Mark Clark 1997 - Richard Kalfas 1998-2004 - Mark Clark 2005 - Richard Kalfas 2006-7 - Mark Clark

A few games from Saturday's KLCC

It was another great event put on by Michael Mc Duffie. Rev. Marijan missed out this Saturday but still hoped to see some games from the just concluded KLCC tournamnet. Therefore, I will offer my two for you all to view. Here's hoping however, that the "big boys" (i.e IM Regan, NMs Davis, and Mark) will follow suit. Just for Rev. Marijan, I played 1.d4 each time, fittingly too, one was a Ukrainian variation of the Old Indian Defense. The cross table of the entire tournament results is at: http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200801190761 Round 1 white vs. NM Eddie Mark (2109) Old Indian Defense-Ukrainian Version It's always interesting to see what chess engines say about your games. I used Chessmaster 11 to analyze this and not surprisingly, NM Mark had a 95% agreement rate, while I was only 65%. I was Ok up until move 12. g4, better was Bf5. After this blunder, I just threw away too much in hopes for a "cheap-o." Round 2 white vs. Tom Warner (1746) King's Indian Defense- Fianchetto Variation I was aided by the ever difficult challenge of my opponent being distracted by his need to keep an eye out on one of his younger players in the scholastic section. In this case Tom was watching his grandson. I likely could have pressed for the win, had I played slower at the end, particularly 50. Qe3 instead of the h5 move. Given the circumstances, I was still was pleased with the draw.

Baseline chess with Fischer rules

Based on the article at http://www.chessvariants.org/diffsetup.dir/baselinef.html why not organize this type of tournament for fun. Maybe the author, IM Ken Regan, would be willing to participate. Obviously this could not be rated, but we definitely would enjoy it. So when we will have it?

Bobby Fischer, World Chess Champion, Dead at 64

The only World Chess Champion from the United States, Bobby Fischer, died from complications of kidney failure in Iceland yesterday. Our very own IM Ken Regan has this to say: http://weblog.fortnow.com/2008/01/bobby-fischer-guest-post-by-ken-regan.html

An interesting video of comments from some of the current world's best is avaiable at: http://webcast.chessclub.com/Corus08/GOTD/Macauley.html

select Fischer remembered

Round 2 Jamestown City Championship Update

Round 2 of the 6 player competition for the Axel Anderson* Memorial Plaque and honor of being the 2008 City of Jamestown Chess Champion had the following results:

Kalfas 1- Mirgalia 0 Johnson 1 - Thompson 0 Clark 1 - W Ed Turner 0

Cummulative score now stands at:

Kalfas (1975) 2-0

Johnson (1946) 2-0

Clark (2028) 1-1

Mirgalia (1975) 1-1

Thompson (1678) 0-2

Turner (818) 0-2

The Jamestown Chess Club has been meeting at the Boys & Girls club since around 1987, prior to that it was at the Jamestown YMCA for over 60 years. Please note that on April 19 and 26 the Boys and Girls Club will be closed and therefore the chess club will meet at the Chautauqua Mall Food Court. Contact Mr. Mark Clark for more information at mclark85@stny.rr.com

* It has told that Axel had a draw vs. Rueben Fine.

CU @ KLCC Saturday?!

These stodgy, smoking, rich, white guys won't be there. But will you be?

Remember that there the first Buffalo Main Place Mall Event of 2008 is this Saturday. Be there or lose out on the 64 squares! This event has concluded and the cross table of results is at: http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200801190761

Rated Team Chess Tournament

Get your club chess team ready for the:

Western New York And Northern Pennslyvania Club Championships

March 1, 2008

At Sardinia Community Center(Town Offices) 12320 Savage Rd. Sardinia,NY

4SS, G/60, Rds.:10, 12:30,2:30,4:30

EF: $10 per person USCF membership required, can join at tournament.

Prizes: Trophies- team and individuals No limit to number of players on team, but only top 4 scores will count for team total. Can have more than 1 team per club.

Entries and info: Tom Warner 12850 W Schutt Rd, Chaffee NY 14030 710-496-5230 Warner689@adelphia.net

23rd USA Jr. Chess Olympics

Time to get your school teams together to compete here in Westen New York in the

23rd USA JR. CHESS OLYMPICS

FEBRUARY 23,2008

At Pioneer Middle School (cafeteria) Old Olean Road Yorkshire, NY 14173

5SS, G/30, In two sections: K-6 and 7-12 Rounds at 10,11,12:30,1:30 and 2:30.

EF $5 per student includes free pizza for lunch. Prizes: Trophies for 1st, 2nd ,and 3rd place team and individuals. USCF membership required, can join at tournament.

No limit to number of players on team, but only top 4 scores will count for team total. Can have more than 1 team from each school.

For entries and info: Tom Warner 12850 W. Schutt Rd., Chaffee,NY 14030 716-496-5230. Warner689@adelphia.net

Chess on MLK Day

Hosted by Town of Tonawanda Youth, Park and Recreational Department and Archangel 8 Chess Academy.Saturday, January 26, 2008Kenmore Community Center, 135 Wilbur Avenue, Kenmore NY 14217.UNRATED SCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENT, FIVE ROUNDS, SWISS FORMAT, GAME/30, USCF RULES WILL BE ENFORCED, USCF MEMBERSHIP NOT REQURIED.TROPHIES FOR 1st Place, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Place Winners. Results will be submitted to the Ken-Ton Record Advertiser and Tonawanda News.

This event has concluded and we look forward to the report of the results from the WNY chess ambassador.

KEN-TON SCHOLASTIC CHESS LEAGUE RESULTS WEEK 3

Here are the following results from last nights chess matches at the Kenmore Community Center, 135 Wilbur Avenue, Kenmore NY, hosted by the Town of Tonawanda Youth Park and Recreational Department, under the direction and guidance of Michael Mc Duffie, USCF Tournament Director and Chairman of the Archangel 8 Chess Academy. The league meets for chess tactics, training and league play every thursday night for adults and students starting at 6pm till 8:30pm. Results are submitted by the Recreational Department to the Kenmore News. This weeks matches were as follows: New member Russell Williams(900) defeated Katie Czerwinski(884), Undefeated Eric Lubas(931) defeated Evan Hayes(884), Undefeated Trevor Cohn(932) defeated Andrew Lester(901), Nick Czerwinski(869) upset victory over Undefeated Samantha Rodriguez(932), and Frankie Rodriguez(899) defeated Jessica Lester(884). Undefeated Leaders are Trevor Cohn(947) (3-0), Eric Lubas(946) (3-0), Russell Williams(916) (1-0), and Benjamin Havey(916) (1-0). WEEKLY SCHOLASTIC STANDINGS Trevor Cohn - 947 Eric Lubas - 946 Russell Williams - 916 Benjamin Havey - 916 (Excused) Frankie Rodriguez - 915 Samantha Rodriguez - 914 Nick Czerwinski - 887 Andrew Lester - 886 Beatrice Havey - 884 (Excused) Alex Segelhurst - 884 (Excused) Evan Hayes - 869 Katie Czerwinski - 868 Jessica Lester - 868 If you would like to join, establish a chess team, arrange a friendly match with our Ken-Ton Team, or need further information, please contact Archangel 8 Chess Academy at arcangel8chess@yahoo.com.

Jamestown, NY City Championships 2008 Update

I have just received the following email update from the Chautauqua Chess Club regarding the 2008 Jamestown City Championship:

The round robin tournament began last Saturday with the following 6 players and their round one results:

Dan Miraglia (1975) v. Mark Clark (2028) 1-0

Jamyes Thompson (1678) v. Richard Kalfas (1975) 0-1

Robert Johnson (1946) v. Ed Turner (818) 1-0

There is still time to join this event as late entries will be accepted this Saturday (the beginning of the second round.)

The event is at:

The Jamestown Boys & Girl Club

62 Allen Street Jamestown (By WCA hospital) 716-664-2902

Game/90 per Player

Round Robin Format

Signup Is from 10: 30-11-30

Entry Fee $15 Juniors. And Seniors. $10

Info: Tournament Director: Mark Clark

Home phone 716-763-6825

Cell phone 716-397-5996

Opposition - very important

Opposition - odd number of squares (1,3,5) between the kings. Very important in the endings. Our hard work in the game might be useless if we do not know how the opposition works. We can win or save a half point by knowing how to gain the opposition. Here are three examples (2nd one has a twin): No.1 Answer the question just by looking at the position. 1. Can white on the move win? 2. Can black on the move draw? Now play it out. Did you change your previous verdict? No.2a Is there any hope for white on the move in this position? No.2b (twin) What about this one? No.3 Answer the question just by looking at the position. 1. Can white win on the move. 2. Can black draw on the move. Now play it out. Did you change your previous verdict? Remember (important for this example): there is also diagonal opposition. Odd number of squares (1,3,5) between the kings diagonally.

2009-10 Chess Calendar

To the best of my knowledge the following is the 2009-10 Calendar of WNY Chess Events and Special State and/or National Scholastic Events. Hopefully this will help all of us plan accordingly and If I missed something, or got something wrong, please contact me or comment below so I can fix it.

Use the following tool to search for chess events around the region, state, and nation. It is available at http://www.uschess.org/tlas/

2010

January

• Sat 9 Rochester Jennifer Woods Memorial Grand Prix SWarren.Lohr@xerox.com
• Sat 16 Buffalo Main Place Mall KLCC Open and Scholastic arcangel8chess@yahoo.com
• Sat 23 Jamestown Open, U1600, and Scholastic rk85@stny.rr.com
• Sat 30 Buffalo January Quad EOC building contact zugzwang92657@yahoo.com
• Sat 30 Jamestown Robert C. Johnson Memorial Novice Unrated and U1400 rk85@stny.rr.com

February

• Sat 13 Buffalo Main Place Mall KLCC Open and Scholastic arcangel8chess@yahoo.com
• Sat 13 Lackawana Scholastic Global Concepts Charter School cirilloav@yahoo.com
• Sat & Sun 20 &21 Rochester 32nd Marchand Open SWarren.Lohr@xerox.com
• Sat 27 Buffalo February Quad EOC building contact zugzwang92657@yahoo.com

March

• Sat 6 Lackawana Scholastic Global Concepts Charter School cirilloav@yahoo.com
• Sat 13 Rochester Jennifer Woods Memorial Grand Prix SWarren.Lohr@xerox.com
• Sat 20 Buffalo Main Place Mall KLCC Open and Scholastic arcangel8chess@yahoo.com
• Sat 27 Buffalo March Quad EOC building contact zugzwang92657@yahoo.com

April

• Thur 15 Lackawana Scholastic Global Concepts Charter School cirilloav@yahoo.com
• Sat 10 Rochester Jennifer Woods Memorial Grand Prix SWarren.Lohr@xerox.com
• Sat 17 Buffalo Main Place Mall KLCC Open and Scholastic arcangel8chess@yahoo.com
• Sat 24 Buffalo April Quad EOC building contact zugzwang92657@yahoo.com

May

• Fri 5 Lackawana Scholastic Global Concepts Charter School cirilloav@yahoo.com
• Sat 13 Rochester Jennifer Woods Memorial Grand Prix SWarren.Lohr@xerox.com
• Sat 20 Buffalo Main Place Mall KLCC Open and Scholastic arcangel8chess@yahoo.com

June

• Sat 12 Lackawana Scholastic Global Concepts Charter School cirilloav@yahoo.com

Sardinia Results

Ten Players joined the fun last Saturday at the Sardinia Community Center for a round robin tournament. The adult and scholastic section were combined to make a surprisingly competetive tournament. The cross table is available at: http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200801056441 Tied for first were veteran Pat Patterson and youngster Ryan Madden with 7 pts. each. The scholastic trophy was won by Dillon Smith, who with his father Joe, traveled from Scio(a 1 hr 15 min ride!) to play. Dillon (4.5pts) edged out Ryan Palmisano(3.5pts) by beating his father in the last round! I wonder-some collusion there maybe? Just kidding Joe! It was a pleasure having you guys there. Also parcipating were Tom Warner, Jon Darling, and Joe Smith for the adults and Ryan Palmisano, Nathan Palmisano, Robert Becker, and Wesley Darling for the kids. The next tournament is scheduled for Feb. 2. Hope to see you there!

BUFFALO BLIZZARD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007 RESULTS

The Buffalo Blizzard Chess Championships were held at the Kenmore Community Center, 135 Wilbur Avenue, Kenmore NY on Saturday, December 29th 2007, with a total of 27 players participating in 2 sections for cash prizes based upon entries. The crosstable is available at: http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200712295431 The U1200 David Evans Jr Memorial Section

1st place-Phillip Laugeman (Undefeated 5-0) 2nd Place - Ryan Madden 3rd Place - Tied between Aaron Mc Duffie and Partho Bhattacharya. The Championship match was between Phillip Laugeman (1038) having 4 points and Aaron Mc Duffie (886) having 3.5 points and ended with Laugeman having a King and Queen vs King. Congratulations to both competitive players. Five girls participated in this section: sisters Bridget and Shannon Smith, Paige Kennedy, Lorena Miles, and Victoria A Stauffiger who received the Fran Mc Duffie Award for Top Female Player. This new section had a new high participation level with 16 players and welcomed the following new players: Matthew J Prohaska (1140), Max Bellatto (678), Steven Browne (669), and Paige Kennedy (517). Most Improved Performance was posted by Garrett E Fryar (255>>521) as he had the following upsets : defeating Victoria Stauffiger (380p) and Steven Browne (669p) while drawing with Aaron Mc Duffie(938) and Paige Kennedy(517p). Other notable upsets were: Max Belfatto(639) defeating Matthew Prohaska(1140p), Adam Schunk(787) defeating Ryan Madden(1076), and drawing with Partho Bhattacharya(867). Ryan Madden scored an upset himself by defeating Matthew Prohaska(+64), while Victoria A Stauffier drew with Adam Schunk(+407). [Note: Upsets are where the lower rated player either draws or defeats a higher rated player and this adds to the lower rated players national rating and decreases points from the higher rated player.]

The U1600 Senator Antoine M Thompson Section 1st Place - David Biddle Tied 2nd Place - James Davis and Jaret Minkler 3rd Place - William Rich James Davis had the greatest rating increase from 1206(pretournament) to 1315(post) as he had upsets as follows: a draw against Lee Smith(1238)and wins over Dr James Paul(1351)and David Biddle(1419). Other upsets included: Jarrett Minkler(1310) beat John Campbell(1386p), and Glenn Conlin(1221) drew Jaret Minkler(1310).

This section had 10 Players (Evan Ashton was out of town and did not participate) and welcomed newcomer Larry Heaney. Old friends returning to the chess scene were Jarret Minkler(1310). Meanwhile 1976 Class C Buffalo Champion - Christopher Mulcahy(1459), and Charles Mang(1843/1870) former members of the Grand Island Chess Club and Niagara Frontier Chess Club were present as spectators and skittles participants.

BUFFALO KELLOGG LEADERSHIP FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE MONTHLY GRAND PRIX 2008 SCHEDULE

As a Kellogg Fellow volunteer, The Archangel 8 Chess Academy will dedicate the following Grand Prix Chess Tournaments in the name of the Kellogg Foundation program for Community Change. These tournaments may be part of the US Chess Federation & Chess Cafe yearly competition if the tournament is listed in the TLA section of Chess Life magazine. More information regarding this Foundation can be found at: http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=276&NID=61&LanguageID=0 Also see as Buffalo gets mentioned beginning on page 6: http://www.wkkf.org/DesktopModules/WKF.00_DmaSupport/ViewDoc.aspx?fld=PDFFile&CID=148&ListID=28&ItemID=1483792&LanguageID=0 We are seeking corporate and/or individual sponsorships to enable us to grow the chess tournaments through marketing, underwriting of cash prizes and trophies, scholarship for entry fees and travel funds for future out of town/state tournaments. Sponsorship levels include Pawn Level $600 Rook Level $1000 and King/Queen Level $1500. Mark your calendars now for the third Saturday of the month from January till May 2008. These dates are: January 19th This event has concluded and we look forward to the report of the results from the WNY chess ambassador. February 16th March 15th April 19th May 17th Four rounds, Swiss format, Game 45 for Rounds 1, 2 & 3. Game 60 for Round 4. Main Place Mall, 390 Main Street, Upper Level, Buffalo, NY 14202 FREE PARKING UNDER MALL. Registration from 8:15am till 9am. Unpaid late arrivals must take one half point non playing bye! Rounds must start ontime because the Mall closes at 5:30pm. Open Grand Prix Section; Advance Entry Fee $40, or pay $50 (USD) CASH at the door. Grand Prix Prizes GUARANTEED 1st Place $250, 2nd Place $150 and U1750 Class Prize $80. U1600 Section; Advance Entry Fee $30, or pay $35 (USD) Cash at the door. U1600 Cash Prizes based upon 20 entries: 1st Place - Trophy & $150, 2nd Place $90, 3rd Place $60. New for 2008 will be an U1200 Cash Prize section based upon 20 entries: 1st Place Trophy and $150, 2nd Place $90, 3rd Place $60. Advance Entry Fee will be $25, or pay $35 (USD) Cash at the door. This will challenge those elgible players to work on their chess skills and strategies. Adults who have current U1200 USCF ratings will also qualify in this new section. Our Scholastic Sections will have Trophies for 1st Place, 2nd Place and 3rd Place. These developing players will play others in same grade based on the section (ie.3rd Grade to 5th). Advance Entry fee is $15, or pay $20 Cash at the door. ADVANCE REGISTRATION DEADLINE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN: JANUARY 14TH, 2008. Make checks payable to: ARCHANGEL 8 CHESS ACADEMY, KLCC JAN 2008, 60F GUILFORD LANE, BUFFALO, NY 14221. Must be or must become a member of the US Chess Federation. Can join at the site between 8:30am and 9am. Complete registration must have check for entry in the section of participation, full name, USCF ID number, USCF rating and expiration date submitted by deadline.

KEN-TON WEEK 2 REVISED RESULTS 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008! Due to an error in reporting of the week 2 results, I have now the revised standings and stats for the weekly KenTon Scholastic Chess League, hosted at the Kenmore Community Center, 135 Wilbur Avenue, Kenmore NY 14217. The players with the most accumulated points will receive an award at the end of January 2008 and their names submitted to the KenTon Newspaper. Our next session (week 3) will begin at 6pm, Thursday, January 10th, 2008. Week 2 Matches: Trevor Cohn defeated Katie Czerwinski, Samantha Rodriguez defeated Jessica Lester, Frankie Rodriguez defeated Andrew Lester, Eric Lubas defeated Nick Czerwinski. We have 3 players who are undefeated. Undefeated (2-0) and tied for 1st Place with a total of 932 points are Trevor Cohn and Samantha Rodriguez, Undefeated (2-0) and in 3rd Place with 931 points is Eric Lubas. Excused absence were Benjamin Havey, Beatrice Havey, Evan Hayes and Alex Segelhurst. Total Point Leaders: 1. Trevor Cohn 932 1. Samantha Rodriguez 932 3. Eric Lubas 931 4. Benjamin Havey 916 5. Andrew Lester 901 6. Frankie Rodriguez 899 7. Katie Czerwinski 884 7. Beatrice Havey 884 7. Evan Hayes 884 7. Jessica Lester 884 7. Alex Segelhurst 884 12. Nick Czerwinski 869

Jamsestown, NY Chess Events 2008

Mr. Mark Clark just sent out this email so I thought I should post it with hopes that some of our readership can take advantage of this competition:

Jamsestown City Championship 2008

Jamestown Boys & Girl Club, 62 Allen Street Jamestown (By WCA hospital) 716-664-2902 Game/90 per Player Round Robin Format Signup Is from 10: 30-11-30. Entry Fee $15 Juniors. And Seniors. $10 Prizes: Plaque for Champion (Defending Champion Mark Clark) Plaque for Booster -Top under 1800 Rating Trophy for Novice – Top Score under 1400 Rating One game each week, Games must start by 11:45 USCF rated. We will do Chess lessons for kids and new players from 10:45-11:45 each week. (to pay for the free room at the Boys & Girls club.) Flexible Schedule if unable to play on a specific week, just make up games before end of tournament or play ahead! I will make up a phone list for players and a Schedule. Since the chess federation has a 45 day limit on tournaments and if we have a large turnout I will rate what all games have been played to that point? For those who unable to play in the long tournament but may want to get a game or two in, i will be running an extra's section enrty fee will be .25 per player per game. We are looking into hosting the next Team tournament! The Boys & Girls club has a Community room which can be divided in two, with food on one side. We would have to pay for custodian after 3. Our treasury is at $96.02 right now from recent tournaments. Annual Boys & Girls youth trophy Tournament The first Saturday in month of May? Swiss 4 rounds game/30 Trophies for top in age groups awarded on awards night later in month! Not US chess rated. Free to boys & girls club members, I think a membership is now $15 for a year? Tournament Director: Mark Clark Home phone 716-763-6825 Cell phone 716-397-5996

Another Saturday Sardinia Event

QUICK CHESS TOURNAMENT Sat. Jan 5, 2008 at the Sardinia Town Hall 12320 Savage Rd Sardinia, NY 14134 Must be a USCF member to play. ( You, however, can join at tournament). 2 Sections: Adults: 3SS G 29, EF $20 RDS: 10,11,12 Prizes based on entries. Affects Quick Rating only. Scholastic- Round Robin- play as many games as possible in 3hrs! EF: $10 Games start at 10am. Trophy for 1st place. All Scholastic players will receive a prize! For Info call Tom Warner 716-496-5230 If you plan on participating please post a comment below.