We've All Had A "What Was I Thinking" Moment

If you think you are the only chess player to "hang a piece", miss a mate in one, or blow a won game - you are wrong! Masters do it more frequently than you can imagine. Here are a few examples with the possible "patzer prize move of the year" going to a former World Champion.

...............................Alexey Shirov vs Vladimer Kramnik - Shanhai 2010

In the above position with Black to move; former World Champion Kramnik dropped a piece with 37...Ne7. He resigned after 38.Nd6+.






................................................Gilbaud vs Lazard - Paris 1924

See diagram above - White resigned after only 4 moves in this game; 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 e5 3.dxe Ng4 4.h3 Ne3!!. White either loses his Queen or gets mated if he takes the Knight; one of the shortest recorded tournament games between two masters.

...............................Rubinstein vs Nimzovitch - San Sebastian 1912

Nimzovitch and Rubinstein were playing in the last round with Nimzovitch leading the tournament by 1/2 point. Despite needing only a draw to win the tournament Nimzovitch launched an all out attack which resulted in the lose of a Knight. In the diagrammed position above Nimzovitch played 25....Bc5?? over looking that he was allowing his opponent a mate in 2! Yet..Rubinstein played 26.Bd4??? instead of taking the forced mate; and the game continued 14 more moves before Nimzovitch resigned making Rubinstein the tournament winner.

Here is the complete game score:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nf3 Nbd7 4.Nc3 e5 5.e4 Be7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 Re8 8.Qc2 Bf8 9.b3 c6 10.Bb2 Nh5 11.g3 Nb8 12.Rad1 Qf6 13.Nb1 Bh3 14.Rfe1 Nf4 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.Nxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf1 Nd7
18.Qd2 Bxf1 19.Rxf1 Nh3+ 20.Kg2 Ng5 21.f4 Qg6 22.fxg5 Rxe4 23.Qxd7 Re2+ 24.Rf2 Qe4+ 25.Kg1 (see diagram above)...Bc5?? 26.Bd4??? Bxd4 27.Qxd4 Re1+ 28.Rf1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Qh1+ 30.Kf2 Qxh2+ 31.Kf3 f6 32.Qd2 Qh3 33.Qd7 f5 34.Nc3 Qh5+ 35.Kg2 Qxg5 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.Ne2 Qh5 38.Rd7 Re8 39.Nf4 Rxe6 40.Nxh5 1-0

5 Time US Champion Larry Evans Final Checkmate

All the "old timers" will recall this picture of Bobby Fischer (left) and Larry Evans which appeared on a cover of Chess Life almost 3 decades ago.


GM Larry Evans, 1932-2010 died 15 November after gall bladder surgery. Evans was perhaps the only "true friend" Bobby Fischer had in his life and is probably more responsible for Fischer's "My 60 Memorable Games" being published than Fischer himself. I "grew up" on his column in Chess Life and was looking through his end game book earlier today.

For the Chess Life obit click here.

Election And Other News

With attendance flagging due to various reasons; the "core members" decided to "hang in there" and carry on until the Club rebounds as it always does. Elections were held with the following results:

Jerry Weldin was reelected President when no one else would accept the nomination, Johnny Owens was reelected Vice President, Joe Farrell was elected Secretary, and Steve Parsons was reelected Treasurer.

Prior to the elections it was decided to make room #106A (Welding Room) the primary meeting room and use room # 108A (Carpentry Room) as the skittles/analysis room in order to make the Club library more accessible.

Finally with the necessary business out of the way...we played chess!

Johnny Owens defeated Ernie Weaver to take over the Top Ladder Position. Here are all the Ladder Games:

Owens timed out Weaver .......Rated
Weldin fried Folino ..........Rated
Farrell fricasseed Fatula..........Unrated

In case you haven't gotten the word; Johnny Owens has agreed to be one of Kentucky's three USCF representatives! Thanks Johnny!

Joe Farrell has come up with another Mon Roi holder which is collapsible and adjustable to various angles; librarians use them to display books. Great idea Joe! Let me know if you can find the company that makes them; with some slight modifications we could start a business.

Remember 'Pearl Harbor' Closed

Club Appreciation Tournament
USCF rated
Club meeting, December 7th, 2010
7:00 PM
3 round Swiss, Game/30

This tournament is Open only to paid 2010 Elizabethtown Chess Club members that have a current USCF membership.

Entry is Free and I will give a 1 year free Club membership to the winner and a 1 year Club membership to the Top under 1300 USCF rated player.

Johnny originally posted this back in August. I thought it was time to remind everyone that there will be two rated tournaments next month. - Jerry

November Rating Tournament

If this attractive lady had played last night we wouldn't have had to give someone a bye each round!

The November Rating Tournament has been posted but due to a "typo" during submission it was erroneously listed as being played on 9 October. Johnny will contact USCF today to clear things up and it will be "re-rated" in about a week. All the game results are correct; but the resulting ratings are not. If you want to check the X-table for results only click here. When USCF re-rates I will post a link to the corrected results.

EDITORS NOTE: After this was posted USCF decided to void the first submission and have Johnny resubmit with the correct date. The link has been updated and the ratings are now correct. -Jerry

Joe Farrell mowed down all opposition to finish with a perfect 3 point score and bring him into a tie with Johnny Owens for the Club Championship. Johnny and Joe are now 2.5 points ahead of the pack; December's tournament will be the trilling tie breaker, be sure to attend.

The Best Tournament I've Ever Attended

Editors note:Just got the pictures from Steff; so I'm adding this one to the post as it is more appropriate than Larry the Cable Guy which was originally used. Andrew and Kerry exemplify the image of a veteran.

Larry the "Cable Guy" would have been proud of the way the Nelson County Ladies "got her done"! Bonnie Hall, Raina Kaissiah, Stephanie Clayton, and several others who I failed to get the names of..my bad; maybe Steff can give them credit in a comment. Those gals put on a buffett that made me gain weight just by drowling at it! The meal was worth the price of the entry fee.... oops, entry fee, lunch, and take home leftovers were free to all Veterans. While I'm bragging on folks; Steve Parsons did a great job in his directing debue and Steve and Stephanie guaranteed the prize fund out of their own pockets!

I'll charish the commemoritive key chain all the veterans received as long as I'm able to push a pawn.There was also a free raffle; everyone got 5 free tickets and Kerry, Johnny, and I were amoung the winners; I think someone else from the Club also won a prize. (old age is stealing my memory) Johnny now has the biggest Knight I've ever seen.

Kentucy's "whose who" of the tournament circuit showed up to do battle. Randus Burns, Kentucky's newest Expert took clear first with our own Gelvic Cubar splitting the second place cash with Chris Bush.

E-towns own "old soldier" Andrew Preston scored a perfect 4-0! Taking home the the under 1000 section $100 first prize. I personally think it was because he was wearing his "Cav Stetson". Way to go Andrew! Brianna Barker and Raina's son Nathan Kaissiah split the $50 2nd Place money with 3 points out of 4. Imagine winning money in your first tournament; I bet Nathan gets the chess bug big time. And Brianna beat her dad while scoring her 3 points! No quarter asked...none given!

For a complete X-table click on this link

The edible chess set Steff made this year gave a whole new meaning to "capture enpassant". - This was added to the original posting. -Ed

2d Annual Bardstown Veteran's Chess Tournament

REMINDER!! This was originally posted in August and is just a week away; sign up if you haven't yet. This will be a fun for all event; the picture above was taken at last years tournament. The prize fund is guarenteed and there will be surprises.

Bardstown Veteran's Chess Tournament

Saturday, November 6,2010
4 Round Swiss, Game 45, in two sections: Open & Under 1000
At: Cox's Creek Elementary School
5635 Louisville Rd (5 miles north of Bardstown on 31E North)
Cox's Creek, KY 40013
Entry Fee: Free to all Veteran's; Non-vet's $20 in advance - $25 on site
(cash only on site)
Open: 1st - $100 2d - $50 Under 1000: 1st - $100 2d - $50
USCF membership required (you may join on site)
Registration 9:30am - 10am (local time)
1st Round: 10am, 2d Round 12:30, others ASAP
Mail entry fee to:
Elizabethtown Chess Club
PO Box 266
Elizabethtown, KY 42702-0266
Information contact: steven42701@yahoo.com, 270-872-5078

Free registration and lunch for Veterans who play.(If you are a Veteran please register in advance for meal planing purposes) Others may purchase food on site with proceeds going toward care packages for servicemen and women overseas. Additional donations accepted.

Organized by Stephanie Clayton and Steven Parsons (TD).

Bardstown Veteran's Tournament Registration Form
Name_____________________________________ USCF ID #_____________________________
Address____________________________ City_________________State________ Zip_________
Phone_______________________________ E-mail________________________________________

Rubbing elbows with IM Andrew Martin

I had a great time learning the "Secret" to success in chess this past weekend at a 10-hour Chess Clinic lead by Great Britian's IM Andrew Martin. He is a fantastic teacher and author of many books and DVD's!

I enjoyed being put on the spot when going up front to explain my move in a given position. I even chose the correct move, both times I was called on!

Also there, was author of "Improve Your Chess At Any Age", Andres Hortillosa.

Watch out E-town Chess Club. I'm ready to use this new information to reach new heights!

Half A Dozen

Rudy (extreme left in photo) wasn't at the meeting tonight because he was visiting Sal who is back in the hospital again with pneumonia. Sal is in room 5-25 at Hardin Memorial.

Steve P. is transitioning to a new job in Bardstown, Joe F. is always on call at his job as is Nick, James W. is still recovering from his illness, Bob K. has a conflicting Church meeting, Stan isn't interested in chess "because it's not winter", Andrew P. doesn't like driving at night, Dave is moving and working overtime, Stephanie is still recovering from this weekends Eagle concert, and Andrew L. has some grades to bring up. That left us with Johnny, Kerry, Ernie, Gelvic, Jerry, and "stranger" Steve N. to hold down the fort.

2 rated ladder games were played:

Johnny punished Kerry
Gelvic stymied Ernie

Those who were not in attendance were almost nominated for office! We need to get the ball rolling on the elections folks!

October Rating Tournament

Gelvic Cubar was on a roll like Kramnik and rolled up sole possession of first place in the October Rating Tournament (rolling over me in the process)!

Ernie dropped to 3rd place in the Championship standings as Johnny and Joe took advantage of his absence to jump into the 1st and 2nd place spots respectively. It's still a tight race with only 2 months to go! 1 point separates 1st from 2nd and 2nd from 3rd; who will be the strong finisher?

Election Time

Unfortunately Irena will not be running for office this year; which is probably fortunate for those who do plan on running.

It's almost November folks; time to elect Club Officers. In order to allow candidates for office time to campaign I propose that nominations be accepted beginning with the 19 October meeting thru the 16 November meeting; with voting on the 16th to allow for maximum participation prior to the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Please comment below if you have other ideas on the elections or contact me by phone or e-mail. Jerry

National Chess Day!

On October 9, 1976, President Gerald Ford declared every October 9th as National Chess Day "to give special recognition to a game that generates challenge, intellectual stimulation, and enjoyment for citizens of all ages." National Chess Day began in South Carolina at the request and under the watchful eye of Bill Dodgen, who served as the President of the South Carolina Chess Association. Bill’s idea was to encourage local and state chapters of the United States Chess Federation to organize events to bring in beginners and others who enjoyed the game of chess but had never played in an organized event.

Owens Jumps to the Top of the Ladder

Three ladder games were played at the club tonight! Everyone decided to play
rated games with the following results:

Owens won vs. Fatula
Weaver won vs. Norris
Cubar won vs. Clayton

We will have 9 games submitted for rating next week along with our monthly swiss.

Kirsan Re-elected FIDE President

Kirsan defeated Korpov 95-55 to remain FIDE President. Reportedly offers Korpov the vice-president position; no decision yet from Karpov. The link provided can also be used to reach the news from the World Chess Olympaid 2010 taking place in Khanty-Mansiysk.

Fatula Tops The Ladder!

Fatula shook Weldin from the top rung as the Ladder underwent a major face lift. Five ladder games were played with the following results:
Owens smashed Clark - rated
Fatula topples Weldin - rated
Parsons disrespects Farrell - unrated
Folino mugged Kilmer - unrated
Norris skewered Clark - rated

This being the last meeting of the month the following members were dropped 4 rungs for non-attendance: Soileau, Preston, and Mullins.

After a quick vote it was decided to eliminate the 4 rung challenge rule as the players who arrive on time are having to wait 30-60 minutes before they can challenge.

It was decided to set up a petty cash fund so we wouldn't have to write $3 checks to Johnny to cover his expenses in submitting games to be rated.

Check out the KCA Web Site for the results of the Louisville Open. One of our members was caught by the camera and is now being viewed by chess fans everywhere.

Ladder Games

Eight players came to waltz with the wood last night as the Club welcomed back Tanner Norris after a two year absence. Tanner is a Senior this year at Central and has eliminated his transportation difficulties by getting his drivers license. Tanner is a paid up Club member and now occupies rung #20 on the Club Ladder. Bob Kilmer provided the opposition in Tanner's "welcome back" game.

Four ladder games were played with Jerry Weldin wrestling away Brad Clark's hold on the #1 rung and then successfully defending it against Gelvic Cubar who gained the #2 spot with a draw.

All ladder games were rated except for Weldin vs Clark; here are the results:
Weldin outlasted Clark
Weaver rooked Cubar
Owens finessed Fatula
Weldin drew Cubar

Don't forget the Louisville Open this weekend. My wife is going through a difficult period right now and I may not be able to make it; good luck to all who get to play.

Size Matters!!

At the September Swiss last night Johnny Owens pulled out the rule book and it turned out that my king was 3/8th's of an inch too short! Consequently we abandoned my House of Stauton set and played with Johnny's India import.

I didn't let "King Envy" affect my game as I held off the London's advances to secure a draw.

The amusing anecdote above takes me back to a recurring theme of mine; the first book every tournament player should buy and become familiar with is "U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess". While a 6th edition is long overdue, updates can be downloaded from the USCF web site.

If your opponent shows up with pink, green, red, ornate, star wars, Aztec, or other non-standard pieces you can refuse to use his/her set in a tournament game even if they have "black" (black gets to choose the equipment - if legal).

Hopefully I have peaked your curiosity and everyone is turning to Chapter 4 in their rule books or planning on at least reading one soon. How big can the kings cross be, when is a queens base too big for a square?? All is revealed in the "rule book"!

Expect The Unexpected

If you didn't attend last night's Club meeting you may have experienced unexplained seismic activity in your neighborhood. The epicenter was room 108A, ECTC!!

When the rubble was cleared the top two players going into the September Tournament were left with 1 point apiece and the lead for the Club Championship changed hands yet again. The results have been posted as well as the rated Ladder Games.

Less than 45 minutes after I made this post Sal called to say he was being released from the hospital. Originally I had posted his room information and a report on my visit last night in this spot. I edited that out of this post in order to prevent inconveniencing members who might have went to the hospital. Sal is home.

It also appears that Johnny and I both posted the results of last nights Tournament almost simultaneously. Check out his post below.

Ladder Games Have Been Rated!

No, she wasn't at the chess club last night, but we had 10 club members to start the monthly swiss. Ernie, Johnny and Jerry all tied for 1st with 2.5! The first group of ladder games have now been rated and next week we start Round 2.

Sal Is Hospitalized

As those of you who attended last night's meeting are aware; Sal was admitted to Hardin Memorial yesterday. I have not been free to visit personally but have talked to him twice via cell phone and got an update from Rudy who was able to pay a visit today.

Sal is still in Room # 4-11; there is no definitive diagnoses at this time. Presently Sal is unable to move one leg and the other is in excruciating pain. The doctors are keeping him pretty well medicated; so Rudy advises that visitors call before they go. He got a shot just before I called him this afternoon and he had to terminate the call because he was "in La La land".

The Club sends it's get well wishes to Sal and his family I'm sure Sal will be his "feisty old self" in no time.

Louis De Fiore Member Profile

That's Louis on the right. Louis current floor is 1700; don't let the white beard fool you! Click here to see Louis's MSA page.

Three Out Of Four

A Ladder Rule weakness was revealed last night as three out of the four Ladder Games played had to wait until after 7:30pm to start.

Gelvic Cubar (#8), challenged Johnny Owens (#5) and their game began at 7pm. At 7:30 the remaining six players reshuffled challenges as potential opponents failed to appear on the battle field. When the dust had settled the following games were contested: Cubar (#8) rooked Owens (#5), Fatula (#11) stopped Brock (#19), Weldin (#3) held off Lee (#12), and Weaver (#15) vanquished Parsons (#2). With the exception of Weaver vs Parsons, all the games were rated.

Sal called me from Hardin Memorial Hospital to report that he was in room #11 on the fourth floor. All I know at this time is that Sal reported he could not use one of his legs and was in quite a bit of pain. I'll try to get an update on his situation today.

KCA Web Site Make Over Is First Class!

Let there be light! KCA's web site has made a marvelous transformation and all involved can be proud!

If you haven't visited the KCA web site lately you are in for a pleasant surprise. The old features have been brought into the 20th Century and new features have been added. Kudos to Ryan and his team. Check out the Blog and see who you recognize; the first person to comment with the name of one of our E-town members will win a chess score book.

I have added a link to the KCA site in the right margin for your convenience. KCA has a link to this (our) site similarly placed so you can "toggle" between sites if you desire. I highly recommend that you visit the site and become a member.

Blue Plate News Special

August closed out with a bang! Twelve members swarmed the boards to play Ladder games; with the following results. (R) indicates that the game was rated.

Farrell shocked Mancuso (R)
Folino creamed Fatula (R)
Mancuso mugged Clayton (R)
Weldin blanked Brock (R)
McKinney drew Craycroft (R)
Lee tricked Clayton
Cubar speared Kilmer

What's that you say? Craycroft.... yep John has returned!! Picture shows a dapper John battling "Doc" Mark Abramovich at the 2008 NCCC Championship; young Will Hahn appears in the background.

Dave Brock not only drove home from E-town to Munfordville after work; but drove back for the meeting after washing up and eating... and brought a check for $100 to become our 3rd "Life Member"!! That speaks volumes about our club and the people we call friends and members!

Andrew Lee returned from the Glenn Beck rally; and brought gifts! Sal, Kerry, and Jerry were the lucky recipients.

Stephanie Clayton is planning on resurrecting the Nelson County Chess Club (John Craycroft wore his "Blue Dragon" T last night) and is spearheading the organization of a Nelson County "Scholastic Chess League". Steff, we will help in anyway we can; wives and schedules permitting!

John Coffey has decided to start "blogging" check out his chess blog while you're surfing the net. John is a very strong player who puts a lot into chess.

We have added the Ladder to the headings at the top of the page. You will find the current Ladder standings and a copy of the ladder rules. Please allow a day or two after each meeting for the ladder to be updated; it will depend on Ernie's work/personal commitments. Thanks Ernie!!

Hopefully the "blue plate special" will wet your appetite for more chess; please dine with us again.

John Coffey says Hello

I will be in Indiana September 4th through September 11nth to visit family and play a little chess. Now that my mother lives near North Vernon, Elizabethtown might be too far to drive, but I will try to make the two Louisville Meijer tournaments. Hope I see some of you there.

Best wishes,

John Coffey

Club Ladder

Last night we started the Club Ladder; active members names were placed in a box and drawn alternately by Sal and Andrew Lee. For the record; initial placement was as follows:

1. Brad Clark
2. Jerry Weldin
3. Joe Farrell
4. Steve Parsons
5. Sal Mancuso
6. Claney Soileau
7. Johnny Owens
8. Bob Kilmer
9. Kerry Fatula
10. Steff Clayton
11. Andrew Lee
12. Nick Folino
13. Gelvic Cubar
14. Andrew Preston
15. Ernie Weaver

The following "Ladder Games" were played; (R) after a game indicates a rated game.
Parsons strangled Weldin (R)
Owens beat Mancuso (R)
Kilmer schooled Lee
Cubar outfoxed Fatula (R)

The current ladder is now:

1. Clark
2. Parsons
3. Weldin
4. Farrell
5. Owens
6. Mancuso
7. Soileau
8. Kilmer
9. Cubar
10. Fatula
11. Clayton
12. Lee
13. Folino
14. Preston
15. Weaver

Searching For Bob Lenning

At our last meeting Sal asked what had happened to Bob Lenning. Hold the presses on the milk cartons; Bob is alive and doing well. For those who enjoyed Bob's posts you can check him out at his new blog "The Pied Chessman". To speak to Bob in person you can try Panera Bread on Saturday mornings around 10am.

Sal, I hope this answers your question.

Club Ladder

17 August the Club; with 11 Active Members present; voted in a "Club Ladder" after 45minutes of discussion.

Initial placement on the ladder will be by drawing Active Member names from a hat at the meeting of 24 August.

A copy of the approved "Ladder Rules" will be sent to all members via e-mail.

If you are not an member and would like to receive a copy of our "Ladder Rules" please leave your e-mail address in a comment and I will forward you a copy.

Ladder games may be rated if both players agree. The Club just keeps getting better; if you have been away for a while stop in and check us out!

Second Life Member

Stephanie Clayton became our second "Life Member" Saturday; Steff is the one in the middle of the photo on the left.

Being the only female in a Chess Club full of men is not as appealing as it might seem; it requires a good sense of humor, the ability to defend ones self, and apparently a pink chess board which Steff likes to play on occasionally.

Steff biggest chess accomplishment to date is winning $100 after finishing first in her class at this years Kentucky Open. Steff enjoys spending time with her grand kids, riding horses, and drinking bourbon; usually, but not always in that order. Steff also enjoys music and working with children.

Steff is currently spearheading an effort to establish a Scholastic Chess League in the Nelson County area; I'm sure it will be a huge success.

Steff, congratulations and thanks for the vote of confidence in the Club.

Clean The Chalk Board And Dust The Erasers

The "Back To School Tournament" was as cool as a varsity football jacket and as hard as an "open book" test. Seventeen players turned out to joust on the square field with Randas Burns going undefeated in the Open with 3.5 out of 4; while Juan Carlos Andino scored a perfect 4 points to take home the money in the "Under 1200" section.

Here is a full list of the prize winners:
Open
1st - $50 - Randas Burns
2nd - $15 - Chris Bush
"B" - $15 - Glen O'Banion
C/D - $15 - Clany Soileau
Under 1200
1st - $40 - Juan Carlos Andino
"F" - $15 - Sal Mancuso
"G" - $15 - Brianna Barker

Top photo - Glen O'Banion*, Andrew Lee, Mike Thomas, and "Teacher" Randas Burns*
2nd photo - Katie Thomas and Brianna Barker*
3rd photo - Juan Carlos Andino*
4th photo - Back of Glen O'Banion*, Mike Thomas, Randas "Teacher" Burns*, and Gelvic Cubar
Asterisk indicates a prize winner.

Time is Running Out to Advance Register

We now have 14 players that have advanced registered for "The Back To School Open."

Today is the last day to register in advance and save $5.00!

Those that I have registered are:

Mike Thomas 1987
Randas Burns 1892
Johnny Owens 1794
Glen O'Banion 1746
Gerald Weldin 1726
Andrew Lee 1452
Kate Thomas 1330
Clany Soileau 1319
Stephanie Clayton 1024
Sal Mancuso 954
Brian T. Barker 868
Andrew Preston 798
Brianna Barker 623
Brad Clark Unrated

* Looks like we may have an under 1400 section.

If your name is not listed and you thought you had registered, contact
me ASAP.

Tuesday Night

Dues were collected for the remainder of 2010 at the "pro-rated" sum of $5.00. Sal Mancuso, pictured on the left, became our first "Life Time Member"; presenting Steve with a check for $100.00. I am sincerely hopeful that Sal gets his moneys worth!

New member Brad Clark paid up for 2010 and generously told Johnny to donate his entry fee for the Back To School Tournament to a scholastic player in the event he can't get away Saturday.

Joe Farrell retook the lead in the 2010 Championship by half a point as he and Johnny Owens tied for first with 2.5 points while Ernie suffered one of those bad outings we all have on occasion.

All in all a good turn out with 10 players. The Championship should be updated by tomorrow.

Reminder; we will vote on the Ladder next week, if you have any ideas be ready put them up for consideration.

Entertainment Journey

John Coffey our member in Utah is in frequent contact and recently sent me the above mate in two problem. The first to comment with a correct solution will win a chess score book; NO COMPUTERS!

John's web site, Entertainment Journey has a lot to offer in the way of chess instructions. One of it's features is problem solving featuring 1, 2, and 3 move problems; both with white to move and black to move.

John recommends solving the problems on a regular basis with the goal of beating your previous time by 1 minute. This will help improve your tactics and build up your pattern recognition. You may want to stick to the 1 and 2 movers for a start as John has found a few notation errors and other problems with the 3 movers that he is fixing as time permits.

Dues Voted In And Other News

Club dues were voted in at last nights meeting. Dues were established at a rate of $12 per year with Life Memberships available for $100. Sal lobbied for a reduced Life Membership rate; but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

A paid up membership entitles the "Active Member" free entry to the "Second Tuesday" tournaments and a $5 discount off the entry fee for our annual "Spring Tornado".

Dues will be used primarily to pay rating fees, USCF Affiliation fees, and tournament announcements in Chess Life. All other expenditures must be approved by a majority vote of the "Active Members".

Dues will be collected at the 10 August meeting and pro-rated for the rest of 2010; so bring $5 to the 10 August meeting. Those who have paid their "Second Tuesday" rating fees thru the end of 2010 earlier are paid up and are "Active Members" in good standing.

In other news; Andrew Lee has returned from his visit to North Carolina and has pictures of the enormous fish he caught while fishing off the coast. Andrew must have grown 6-8 inches over the summer and is sporting a new hairdo.

Johnny Owens volunteered to fill in as Club Vice President until the elections in November. I have accepted his offer and in the absence of a volunteer I will take on the secretarial duties myself; until then. Welcome aboard Johnny!

Next up - A Club Ladder!! We'll take a vote next week between rounds.

Last but not least; we have 6 players registered so far for the "Back to School" Tournament on the 14th; entry is only $10, see Johnny or check out a previous post for the details.

Back to School Open - August 14

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Occupational Technical Building, Room 108A
Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Prizes: CASH, based on entries!

Format: 4 round Swiss system, G/45

Registration: Saturday, 9:00am - 9:45am EDT

Round Times: First round at 10:00am, future rounds ASAP

Entry Fee: $10 if received by August 12; $15 at site (CASH ONLY AT SITE). USCF membership required.

Send entries to: Johnny Owens; P.O. Box 266, Elizabethtown, KY 42702-0266

Contact: Johnny Owens (270)272-3061 or email chessnut@insightbb.com

Club Constitution And Related News

The proposed Club Constitution has been approved by a vote of 12 for, with none opposed; a copy will be e-mailed to all members.

The Club bank account has been opened with the $100 donation from Doug Goodman and J.J.Duvall; received at the Bluegrass State Games.

The next order of business is to fill the offices of Vice-president and Secretary; volunteers are preferred. Remember we will have elections in November so you would only need to serve until then.

We also need librarians; Ernie has completed the inventory and the library will be open for business at the 3 August meeting.

Lastly, the issue of dues. I propose that the Club initiate the collection of dues at the rate of $12.00 per year with a "Life Time" membership set at $100. Aforementioned dues would intital the member to "free entry" in all "Second Tuesday" USCF rated tournaments. Life Members would be "paid up" for all "Second Tuesday" tournaments and receive an additional $5.00 off the entry fee in our annual Spring tournaments. As Dave Brock requested this membership option; if approved, his card will be numbered 0001.

It was good to see Dave back at a meeting; he committed to attending even after his move to Cave City.

Kerry and Nick have returned from vacation and were hungry for chess; Dave and I tried our best to oblique them with Bob K. jumping in after Nick left. There was lengthy analysis of two games which seemed to bring as much enjoyment to the players as the actual games.

Score Sheets

Every tournament night there is a stampede to the TD table to get score sheets. Click on one of the links here and down load your free score sheets.

PS - Put some score sheets in your chess bag with a couple of pens and pencils and don't forget that you can print both sides of the paper.

Randas Burns Up The Boards

Randas Burns (in the white shirt in photo) won the Bluegrass State Games Chess Open with a perfect four out of four! Our own Steve Parsons was also undefeated with a score of 3.5; for 2nd place. Johnny Owens and Ernie Weaver shared 3rd place with Glen O'Banion by scoring 3 wins out of 4.

Bobby Amback, past Tuesday night visitor and recent blog commentator tied for First in the Quick Tournament with Raysean Whitney with a score of 7 out of 8.

Congratulations to all!

The Games have been posted by USCF.

A Tactical Win From The Bluegrass

The position above is from Hunt Vs Weldin, round #2 of the Open Section 2010 Bluegrass Games. It is Black to make his 20th move; find the move I had forseen on move 17. You shouldn't need more than 30 seconds; take a hard look before checking out the game score below.

S. Hunt vs G. Weldin , Bluegrass State Games Open Section 10 July 2010

1.c3 Nf6 2.d4 e6 3.Qc2 b6 4.e4 Bb7 5.Bd3 c5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Nd2 d6 8.Ngf3 Nbd7 9.Rc1 a6 10.0-0 Rc8 11.Qb1 b5 12.e5 dxe5 13.dxe5 Nd5 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 15.Bxh7 g6 16.Bxg6 Nxg6
17.Ne4 Ngxe5 18.Nd6+ Kf8 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Nxb7 Nf3+ 21.gxf3 Qh4 And White Resigned.

Three For Three In Bluegrass Quick

All three Club members entering the Quick Tournament finished with metals. Gelvic Cubar (on the right in photo) went 5 out of 8 to take home the Gold in the Young Adult Category, Jerry Weldin scored 5.5 out of 8 to take Gold in the Senior Division, and Steve Parsons scored 4 points in route to collecting the Bronze in the Adult Category. Jerry, who we all know hates draws had the distinction of being 1/2 of the only draw in the entire Quick Tournament!

Sexagenarians Strikes Gold At Bluegrass

Clany Soileau (top photo) and Andrew Preston (bottom photo) proved that chess players like good wine improve with age. Clany took the Overall Gold Metal in the Beginner Section; while Andrew won the Senior Gold Metal. Forget pacemakers and hernias; let's get it on! Way to go guys Springfield and Bardstown should be proud.

Sign Of The Day

Going "by the book" does not always work. If it did we wouldn't need a Supreme Court to interpret the rules/laws of our land. Sometimes you need to apply "common sense" to a situation...so what do you do when you have a house full of kids playing chess and the Ice Cream Truck arrives...?

It may not be in the Rule Book; but it should be...at least now we have a precedent for future situations on a hot, humid day. A big "tip of the hat" to Mr. Dillard!

Bluegrass Blue Plate Special

Here's a quick overview of the 2010 Bluegrass Games; I'll try to touch all the basis here then follow up with specifics later.

Attending Regular Club Members were: Andrew P, Gelvic, Clany, James W, Johnny, Steve P, Emdee, Ernie, Bob K, and Jerry. "Associate Club Members" Mike and Katie Thomas and the entire Emberton Family; Mom & Dad, Natalee, Luke, and Jacob.

There were over 60 players in all in addition to the Junior KY Championship combatants.

I don't know everyone who won metals because the majority of the awards ceremony's were conducted next door at the Ladies Ministries Canteen as sections finished. I do know that overall the Club took home some top prizes to include at least 3 Golds.

Prior to the actual start the Club received a donation of $50 each from Doug Goodman and J.J. Duvall who are running for office this year. J.J. is a candidate for Mayor of Radcliff and Doug is running for Magistrate of the 2nd Hardin County District.

Thanks to all the Club members who turned out in support of this Club hosted event.
Additionally as President I'd like to thank the following folks in no particular order:
Barry Saylor, owner of the Radcliff Subways, for generously donating 12 free 6 inch sandwiches and 20 drink coupons which were given to the folks who did the "heavy lifting".

Johnny Owens and Steve Parsons who provided the "heavy lifting" Friday for set-up.

Denise Emberton who was our "Gal Friday" overseeing the Scholastic events, posting pairings, recording results, while being mother to three of the participants. Someone like her undoubtedly inspired that song about "winning the bacon and frying it in the pan".

Debbie Owens and her ladies who ran the "Canteen" next door for the tremendous amount of work in setting up and keeping the players supplied with food and beverages throughout the day. You had to be there for set up and tear down to really appreciate their efforts.

Steve Dillard for being the Tournament Director and Ice Cream Truck Coordinator; the kids loved it. (Story later)

Steve Parsons for volunteering as Assistant Tournament Director.

Bob Kilmer, Gelvic Cubar, Johnny & Debbie Owens, and Steve Parsons for staying and helping break down and clean up. (Bob I have your Free Subway Coupons-see me next meeting) Also several out of town players lent a helping hand and regrettably I didn't get their names.

Katie Thomas repeated as Kentucky Women's Chess Champion; way to go Katie!

The KY Junior Championship is still in progress; they were playing "Game 90/5" and only got in a couple of rounds; watch the KCA web site for results when they are finished.

Show Me The Money!

Steve Parsons has offered his services as Club Treasurer and I have taken him up on his offer! A former math teacher who is currently employed by a credit union is all the credentials he should need; but I know him to be honest, straight forward, and a compassionate family man. You learn a lot about a person if you share a ride to Winchester and back.

Steve's first official act was to receive a check in the amount of $100 from Doug Goodman and JJ Duvual candidates for Magistrate of the 2nd District and Radcliff Mayor respectively.

Club Meeting 7 July 2010

Darren left his cat's to play alone as he took time from his vacation to renew old acquaintances at the Club last night. Steve P., Johnny, Gelvic, Nick, Ernie, Kerry, Sal, Rudy, Dave, and Jerry were also in attendance.

It was good to see Dave back again; Dave is planning on a move to Cave City in the near future but says it won't stop him from supporting the Club.

Kerry took me to task for not reporting that he had held Johnny to two draws prior to playing Steff last week. Kerry and Nick will be on vacation next week and may run into each other as they are both from the same county in Pennsylvania.

Again, it was great to see Darren and Dave again; both plan on playing in the Bluegrass this weekend if you missed them last night.

2010 Bluegrass State Games

I can guarantee that Kramnik will not be at the Bluegrass Games; so now what is your excuse?

Reminder:

Bluegrass State Games - Saturday 10 July - all times are Eastern Standard Time

Where: Mill Creek Baptist Church - Family Life Center
1182 Jones St, Radcliff

Registration: 9:00am EST

4 Rd Swiss, Game 45/5



1st Round - 10:00am EST; Rd's 2 - 4 ASAP after completion of previous round.

Quick Chess Tournament follows at approximately 5:00pm

4 Rd's @ 10 minutes/game

Click on Bluegrass Games on the calendar to your right for complete info and map.