Halloween Quad Results

David Biddle (1489) of Kenmore went 2.5/3 to win the Upper Quad over Gary Boye (1606), David Miller (1577), and Mark Mieth (1377). Meanwhile Texan Tim "Niagara" Rivers (1322) was a perfect 3/3 to win the Lower Quad over William Rich (1344), Vic Bahl (766) and newcomer Dr. Paul Wojtaszek(unrated). The cross table is at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200910318931

NEW CHESS CLUB AT ENTERPRISE CHARTER SCHOOL!

While celebrating "CHESS MONTH", I hope WNY will WELCOME the students from Enterprise Charter School. The school's new chess club meets every Thursday and would like to play other chess teams in the area. The club is still growing and a few of the members are preparing for the Genesee Valley Scholastic Tournament in Belmont, NY on Saturday November 7, 2009.

This chess team is in need of chess clocks, USCF youth memberships, and Tactical workbooks. If you could help out with any of these, or if you would like to play against the Enterprise Charter Chess Team, please contact Coach Mc Duffie at arcangelchess@yahoo.com

NY defeats Cleveland!

Ok so it's not the Knicks over the Cavs, or the Yankees beating the Indians, But WNY's own Tom Warner avenged the Bills loss to the Browns by going undefeated in the U1800 section of this past weekend's Cleveland Open. He was 4.5/5 and the only missing 1/2 point was due to his taking a bye in the 5th round-presumably because he had to drive back home. One of the ironies of this event was after driving all that way to play, Tom was paired in the second round against his protégée' Ryan "Mad dog" Madden. Even more comical was this was the second pairing for Ryan against a local WNYer, as he played Evan Ashton in the first round! Perhaps next year they can just play in Sardinia and call it the Cleveland Open Satellite Tournament. I am sure though that the $1000 prize for first place made it a sweet ride home for Tom and friends.

Other notable WNYers playing this weekend in Cleveland were: RCC's FM Igor Nikolayev in the Open section, and Ryan and Nathan Palmisano in the U1000 section.

The cross table for the event is at http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?200910253721

Thanks to Josh Rofrano who alerted me to the story by commenting in the prior post. Josh Rofrano said, "recently after looking through the cross-tables i saw that tom warner as well as a few other western ny locals played in the cleveland open. Tom did real well by winning the U1800 section outright! Good work tom."

Halloween Quads

If you intend to play in the Halloween Quads this Halloween Saturday, please post here with USCF ID # and rating. Thank you.

FATHER BAKER 10TH ANNUAL RESULTS

On thursday, October 22, 2009 at the Lackawanna Senior Center, the Lackawanna Youth Board hosted the 10th Annual Father Baker Chess Tournament. All players received medals, an algebraic chess board, pizza and refreshments.

Most of the Champions pictured here are members of the US Chess Federation. Samuel Santora and Jacob Meloon were Co Champions, Marissa and Richard Herko finished 3rd and 1st Place. The other members are from the Global Concepts Chess Club directed by Coach Cirillo.

The 2nd Annual WNY Scholastic Championships will be held on saturday, November 14, 2009, Main Place Mall, 390 Main Street, Buffalo NY. Three sections, K-3, 4-8 and 9th - 12th grades, Team trophies and Individual awards for the TOP 3 winners. Register with reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com. Schools can have four players per team. Please include full name, grade, section of play and telephone number. Entry fee is $10 which includes Pizza and Beverage. This event is not Rated!

Euro Team Champ Tactic

Is ...Bf4 playable?

Position from a game played today in the Euro Team Championship between Croatio vs Russia --- GM Saric and GM Jakovenko. Black is down an exchange, but far from lost since he holds two very active bishops. Black (Jakovenko) is in check and he found this ...Bf4 idea and played it. Black claims that white can do no harm with Rxe5 since he feels the rook on f2 cannot both pin the bishop as well as defend g2. Although this observation is correct, unfortunately for Jakovenko he did not see far enough. How far can you see?

Free Scholastic Event this Saturday

This Saturday October 24th Bishop Timon/St. Jude High School will host a scholastic open for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. It is free and pop and pizza will also be provided. It will be held at the school at 601 McKinley Parkway in Buffalo, NY. Trophies and particiaption medals will be awarded. If you know anyone interested, let them know. Registration is at 12:30PM and the number of rounds will depend on the number of players but there will be a minimum of 4 games per player. For more information about this event contact Doug B. dekabowers@verizon.net

For more information about the school visit http://www.bishoptimon.com/index.asp

DAVID A. ROSENKOETTER WINS IN BUFFALO

David A. Rosenkoetter who is from Kansas City, MO has really impressed the chess community during his current visit to the Buffalo/WNY area. As you see in the picture above, David is blind, and plays on his own Braille-style board while his opponent moves the pieces on a “sighted” chessboard.

Despite this disadvantage, David won three out of four matches in the U1500 Section of The October "Grand Prix" Tournament held at the Main Place Mall in Buffalo, NY this past Saturday. His performance earned him a tie for 2nd place and increased his rating to his highest point so far. David is the first blind chess player to play at this event but has competed in a number of tournaments in the past. In 2008 he finished in a tie for third place at the United States Chess Federation Blind Championships.

Charles Ferraro, his opponent in the third round and who was one of Mr. Rosenkoetter's victims, had this to say about David: "He certainly showed a number of us how to play the game! He played the f4 attack against my Sicilian defense to great effect in our game and had me on the ropes very quickly."

The next Main Place Mall tournament will be Saturday, November 21, 2009. It will be named in honor of Roland K Beard, Jr. who is a living World War II Airforce hero and native of Clarence, NY. While in the Burma Road Campaign he broke the Japanese code and in so doing saved a British war ship. Although he was to receive a honorary war citation, he still has not garnered this recognition from the US government. Come out and join us in a big salute to a local living WWII Airforce Hero! For more information and registration please reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com

OCTOBER GRAND PRIX REPORT 2009

***** Update Crosstable **** Chess is very much alive and well in the Buffalo and Western New York area, as evidenced by the twenty-one chess players who participated in the October Grand Prix Event this past Saturday at the Main Place Mall. Both newcomers and old returning friends added the flavor of the day. Some of the newcomers included David A. Rosenkoetter, who is visiting from Kansas City, MO. Not only did he come from far away but he also is the first blind chess player to compete at a Main Place Mall tournament. We also welcomed Mathew GH Jenkins a student for the Buffalo College League, from West Seneca, NY. Meanwhile Charles Ferraro and Mykel Douglas(1751p) joined us from The Westfield Chess Club, Westfield NY. Lastly Ferdinand Supsup(1693), from Toronto, Ontario Canada came back for a return visit to take on the south of the border competition.

The STAR SCHOLASTIC WINNERS were Partho Bhattacharya(1246), a City Honors student who captured first place and Nathan Palmisano(720), from Pioneer Middle School who collected second place in front of proud grandfather-Tom Warner. Buffalo College Chess League October Champion was Mathew GH Jenkins a student at BYU.

In the U1500 Section, William M. Rich, from Amherst, NY was the champion with an undefeated mark of 3.5/4 and recharged his rating to 1344. Finishing in a tie for 2nd place with 3pts each were the previosly unrated Mathew Jenkins and the aforementioned blind player David A. Rosenkoetter. [Upset Leaderboard: David A. Rosenkoetter (967) with 286 upset points, Steve L. Baer(1085) for 168 points, and William M. Rich(1204) for 67 pts.]

Harish Srinivasan was a perfect 4 for 4 and was clear first in the OPEN SECTION and raised his rating to 1925! Tying for second were Vance Williams (2132), Thomas A. Warner(1739) and Michael A. Mc Duffie(1156) all with 3 points. [UPSET LEADERBOARD: Michael A. Mc Duffie(1156) for 601 points, Harish Srinivasan(1886) for 246 pts, and Erik W. Lubas(1556) for 112 pts.]

The next Grand Prix will be named in honor of a WWII veteran from Clarence, New York- Roland K. Beard, Jr. While in the Airforce, OSS, he and a colleague were responsible for breaking the code of the Japanese that helped save many British soldiers on a ship that was to be attacked. He has not been in good health recently and we are trying to have the US Government issue him and his fellow soldier their Honorary Citation. It was to be awarded to them earlier but some how fell through the cracks. He currently lives in Maryland but his sister will be delighted to share photos and stories of her brother with us. Previosly when he had lived in the Clarence area, he had taught chess to children. So we hope we have a nice turn out to meet and greet his sister. Saturday, November 21, 2009, Main Place Mall, 390 Main St, Buffalo NY, Four Rounds, Swiss, Game/50. For more information and registration please reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com

Very Instructive Endgame

This game was between myself and Ferdinand Supsup in round 2 of the October Grand Prix at Main place mall last Saturday. I have the full game with analysis of only the endgame as it was very interesting and instructive. Your comments welcome.

Euro Club Tactic

Here is a position that has caught the attention of quite a few chess blogs/reports over the last week. White to move :)

COLUMBUS DAY SCHOLASTIC TOURNAMENT REPORT

Several USCF Scholastic players turned out to the Wegman's - Alberta Drive Store, Amherst New York and earned some rated points. The Columbus Day results were Co-Champions Miles A. James, Urban Knights and Samuel Santora, Chess Club of Buffalo, 2nd Place new USCF member Benjamin Rummell,Chess Club of Buffalo, Homeschool Chess club and 3rd Place Kevin Farris, Chess Club of Buffalo. Kudos for Samuel Santora who earned a place in the USCF Top 100 - 7 year olds as of June 2009, Congratulations! A round robin, game 30 was the play of the day. I want to thank the dedicated and loyal players, the parents who took the time out to bring their children out for tournament play.

The next USCF Scholastic Tournment will be Saturday, Oct 17th, 2009, Five Rounds, Swiss, Game 30, Pizza and Refreshments will be held at the Main Place Mall, Upper Level, 390 Main St, Buffalo NY 14201, Entry fee is $10.00, Trophies for the Top three Winners!

EVERY FOURTH SATURDAY we host the Borders Scholastic Monthly Chess League, Quakercrossing Plaza, Cafe Section, Orchard Park NY, Games start at 1pm until 4:30pm. Please register in advance by online to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com no later than friday, October 23, 2009 with full name, age, grade, telephone number. Membership is $5.00 per person.

OCTOBER GRAND PRIX 2009

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Main Place Mall, Upper Level, 390 Main St., Buffalo NY 14201

Hosted by Kellogg Leadership for Community Change and the Archangel 8 Chess Academy

2009 Schedule:November 21st, and December 19th, 2009. Every Third Saturday of each month.

$305.00 GUARANTEED CASH PRIZES

Four Rounds, Swiss, Game/50, USCF Membership required!

Registration closes at 9:30am.

Schedule:Rd 1 at 9:45am, Rd 2 at 11:30am, Rd 3 at 1:15pm, Rd 4 at 3pm.

Advance entries $20 vs $35 by wednesday October 14, 2009. Checks mailed and made payable to Archangel 8 Chess Academy, 60F Guilford Lane, Buffalo, NY 14221 Please include full name, USCF ID #, section, and telephone number.

CASH PRIZES:Open $120 and $75, U1900 $60 and U1500 $50.00

NEW SECTION: BUFFALO COLLEGE CHESS LEAGUE, 5 ROUNDS, GAME/30, ENTRY FEE $20.00

STAR SCHOLASTICS: USCF RATED, Five Rounds, Swiss, Game/30, Entry Fee $10.00, Games start at 10am, 11am, Noon, 1pm and 2pm. Pizza and Refreshments provided! Trophies to the TOP THREE WINNERS!

Halloween Quads

Halloween Quads G/40,October 31, 2009 Educational Opportunity Center 465 Washington St. Buffalo ,NY 14203 4th floor auditorium ,play only players in your rating range in each Quad. 3-RR,EF:$20, $15 for non-rated and $10 for scholastic Quads. Also featuring non-rated Quads for players without U.S.C.F. ratings. Registration 8:30-9:00, Rds.9-10:25-11:45, Prizes:$50 1st in rated Quads , Trophies for Scholastic Quads and $30 1st for non-rated Quads. Info: Douglas Dubose zugzwang92857@yahoo.com or call (716) 874-5709 Send advanced entries to Old School Chess Enterprises, 124 Military Road, upper Buffalo, N.Y. 14207

Clevehill Chess Club

The Clevehill Chess Club will be meeting Saturday ,October 10 at 10 am ,all are invited. The address is 157 Cleveland Drive at St.Aloysius School in the rear,go thru the F door to the Knights of Colombus room. See you there!

Columbus Day Scholastic Event

• Monday, October 12, 2009
• Wegmans - Alberta Store, Upper Level, Amherst, NY
• Five Rounds, Swiss, Game 15
• Tournament Membership $5.00 per player
• Schedule:Rd 1 at 10am, Rd 2 at 10:30am, Rd 3 at 11am, Rd 4 at 11:30am, Rd 5 at Noon, Awards to follow.
• Online registration no later than midnight Sunday October 11, 2009 with full name, age, grade and telephone number. Reply to arcangel8chess@yahoo.com.

Global Concepts Scholastic Schedule for 2009-2010

• Halloween Tournament 2009-10-24-2009-9:30am-3pm,
• Thanksgiving Day Tournament 2009 11-21-2009 9:30am-3pm,
• Winter Holiday Tournament 2009 12-18-2009 4pm-7pm,
• Valentine Day Chess 2010-2-13-2010-9:30am-3pm,
• St. Patricks' Day Tournament 2010-3-6-2010-9:30am-3pm,
• Spring Break Tournament 2010-4-15-2010-5pm-8pm,
• Mothers' Day Tournament 2010-5-7-2010-4pm-7pm, 2010
• Scholastic Year End challenge-6-12-2010-9:30am-3pm.

Global Concepts Charter School is located at 1001 Ridge Road Lackawanna, NY 14218.

Contact Antonio Cirillo at cirilloav@yahoo.com for details.

Arkport Report

The following was forwarded to me from Tom Warner and is originally from Ron Lohrman of the RCC.

The 14th Annual Arkport Open was held as advertised at the Arkport Community Room this past Saturday. Arkport is 5 miles north of Hornell, NY on NY Route 36. There were 27 players in the tournament with two house players available for the byes. Six of the players were rated 2000 or above. As in previous years larger prizes were paid than advertised. A great time was had by all who participated in this premier rated Open Tournament of the Southern Tier. The prize winners with pre-tournament ratings were: Igor Nikolayev (2382) and Andre Kozitsky (2272) sharing 1st/2nd places: $160 each. Top under 1800 were John Manning(1796) and William A. Potts (1777): $83.50 each. Top under 1600 were Mark Wattenberg (1596) and Siddartha Nutulapati (940): $83.50 each. The crosstable is not yet available.

Cousins Conquers Sardinia

**** Update Crosstable ***** Newcomer to the area Robert Cousins(2140) survived a scare from Ryan Madden(1601) and won the Sardinia tournament last Saturday. Madden was an exchange up and had a time advantage but could not hold the position against the expert from New Hampshire. A good effort from the 13 year old! Matt Peck(1581) and Madden tied for 2nd while Mike McDuffie(1119) held Tom Warner(1774) to a draw and won the u1200 prize. Chris Darling went 4-0 and won the Scholastic section. Sam Tillinghast and first timer Kevin Farris also competed. No tournament next month due to the Scholastic tournament in Belmont, NY, so the next Sardinia tournament is Dec.5

October Rated Tournament Jamestown

October Rating Tournament Saturday 10/10/2009

111 West 2nd street

Suite 210 Jamestown, NY

3 Round Swiss System Game/61 USCF Rated

Prizes: 1st- $15 and Top Under 1600- $15

(Based on 8 Players)

Entry Fee $7 Sign up 10:15-10:30 Rounds 10:30, 1, and 3:15 TD. Mark Clark 763-6825 cell 397-5996 mclark85@stny.rr.com