h8,a1,h1, or a8 "My View From The Corner" How I Saw 2010

11 year old Bob Seltzer plays 3 members of the then NBA World Champion Boston Celtics.


If you can't identify the three basket ball legends above; ask Bob Kilmer or click on the link below the picture before your neighbors find out and run you out of town on a rail. I exaggerate a little; after all they did play on a "Yankee" team. But this is Kentucky the home of fast horses, bourbon, and basketball.

I wanted to find a picture that might be of interest and not be "political" in nature as an intro to my rambling observations of 2010. I guess I reflect my age as the photo is in black and white.

In 2010 the Club suffered from an internal struggle to change from our casual chess tete-a-tete's to a more structured affair with rules and regulations that virtually choked the fun out of the Club. As a result we lost on odd member or two but rebounded even stronger than before. By popular vote it was decided that the only rule was that there were no rules! Except of course for those laid down by USCF. Actually we are a little more structured now; but without the staid stiffness of the country clubs of yore.

E Pluribus Unium should strike a familiar cord with you; translated from the Latin that appears on the everyday coins you carry in your purse or pocket; it means... Out of many one! As it happens the E-town Chess Club is exactly that...a meeting of like, but different souls who share a common interest in chess! The sage sexagenarian (like Andrew Preston), the confident mid lifer (like Nick Folino and Ernie Weaver), the rebellious teen (like Andrew Lee and Kerry Fatula) , and the chess neophyte of all ages come together to play individually under the canape of the Elizabethtown Chess Club.

2010 saw the introduction of dues for the first time. Included in our 20 dues paying members are 3 Life Members who antied up $100 each as an expression of their belief in the Club. It is significant to note that all the Life Members have a rating below 1200; I believe we should keep that in mind when we begin to spend the club treasury. I was queried by a member as to why I didn't become a Life Member; it must be the Scottish part of my ancestry kicking in as I had already paid to participate in all the 2010 Tuesday Tournaments in advance. Rest assured that I intend to be the 4th Life Member at our first meeting in 2011; joining Sal Mancuso, Stephanie Clayton, and Dave Brock.

Congratulations to Rudy McKinney for becoming the first member of 2011 by winning the "Under 1400" Section of the "Remember Pearl Harbor" Tournament! Johnny Owens became the second member of 2011 by winning the "Open" Section.

2010 saw Johnny Owens becoming a USCF delegate representing the state of Kentucky at the annual USCF business meetings. That's a feature in the cap of both Johnny and the Club.

Stephanie Clayton placed 1st in her class at the Kentucky Open, winning $100 cash!

The Club hosted the Bluegrass State Games for the second year in a row.

Stephanie Clayton and Steve Parsons put together the 2nd Annual Veteran's Tournament; and guaranteed the prize fund!

The Club gained 407 rating points during 2010 with Gelvic Cubar gaining 199 points to take the "Most Improved" title!

The economy directly impacted on the Club with two members changing jobs, one taking an additional job, and one put on "mandatory overtime" for the majority of the year.

All in all it was a very good year for the Club with Joe Farrell winning the 2010 Club Championship in the last game of the December Tournament!

Looking forward to next year I hope for more members to consider running for office; better attendance; and new members. Johnny has already submitted the Chess Life advertisement to USCF for our 2011 "Spring Tournament" and has negotiated a deal to advertise our Second Tuesday Tournaments for free in a couple of issues.

Any ideas for 2011 would be appreciated; you may present your idea to any of the Club officers and I guarantee that they will all be considered.

Hou Yifan Becomes The 13th Women's World Champion At 16

Hou Yifan wins the Woman's World Chess Championship at the age of 16! Check the various links in the right hand column for the full story.

The Face That Launched A Fist (A What was I Thinking Story)

Arianne Caoili is a former child prodigy with a current Fide Rating of 2242. Proof of her chess talent is this game against Russian GM Vladimir Epishin (2667) played in the 2000 Malaga Open.





Caoili (2078) -vs - Epishin (2667) 2000 Malaga Open

This is the position with White to play her 38th move. See the full game score at the end of the post.






Arianne obviously disguises her chess talents in a very attractive package. Her mother is Dutch-Australian and her father is Filipino. Arianne plays for Australia, her home of record, and is Australia's top woman player.







Looking at the picture above it is easy to see how a "tipsy" British GM Danny Gormally could get jealous enough to punch or push GM Levon Aronian to the ground when he saw him dancing with Arianne. Click here to read one report of this incident which occurred at the Chess Olympiad at Turin.

Here is the full game score leading to the diagram above; shame on you if you chose 38.Qxd4??

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 b6 3.c4 e6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb7 6.Bg2 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 a5 8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 B37 10.Nc3 d5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Qc2 Re8 13.Rfc1 Na6 14.Bf4 Qd7 15.Na4 Bd6 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.e3 h6 18.Nb2 c5 19.Nfh4 Rac8 20.Nc4 Qe6 21.Qf5 cxd4 22.exd4 Qc6 23.Rc2 b5 24.Ne3 Qd6 25.Rxc8 Bxc8 26.Qd3 Nc7 27.Nhf5 Qb6 28.Rc1 b4 29.a4 g6 30.Nh4 Kg7 31.Nf3 Ba6 32.Qc2 Ne6 33.Qd1 Bb7 34.Bh3 Ne4 35.Bxe6 Rxe6 36.Ne5 Nc3 37.Qg4 Qxd4 38.Nf5+ 1-0

Thanks to Gelvic Cubar who had googled Filipino Chess Masters but was unaware of Arianne.

"What Was I Thinking" - #3

Here are some examples from the top four finishers in the 2010 Club Championship. Remember that these all occurred during "game 30" conditions; although only one example actually occurred during time trouble. In order to try and fill the request from some of the members for more "instructional material" I am presenting these 4 positions before the blunder was made, try not to use a board, make the "blunder move" in your mind and then find the crushing response also without a board. Anyone having problems after a serious try can contact me for the solutions.

Weldin (W) vs Weaver (B) - Just before 16....Kb8??

Weldin (W) vs Farrell (B) - Just before 11......Nbd7??

Owens (W) vs Weldin (B) - Just before 8.....d6??





Fatula (W) vs Weldin (B) - just before 41.....Kxd4??

Joe Farrell Wins 2010 Club Championship

Joe Farrell won the 2010 Club Championship last night by posting a perfect 3 - 0 score in the December Rating Tournament. 4 players posted 20 or more points with Joe hauling in 25 points for the year to finish 1 point ahead of Johnny Owens at 24 points; Ernie Weaver edged out Jerry Weldin for 3rd with 20.5 to Jerry's 20. Congratulations to Joe and the rest of the top finishers!

7 Came Out To "Remember Pearl Harbor!!"

"Remember Pearl Harbor" has been posted by USCF!

Johnny won the event with a perfect score (3-0) and moved back up to class A!
Rudy moved back up to class C with his win over Kerry!
The free 1-year club memberships go to Johnny and Rudy.
Those that missed this tourney, missed some fighting chess!

Reminder: Next week will be the last club meeting for 2010 and
it's Tournament Night!

Click here to view the crosstable.

Left Over Turkey Sandwiches

Even the dogs are tired of turkey!

There was one ladder game tonight with Ernie and Gelvic fighting down to a draw; no changes to the ladder. (It was rated and I have the $.50 Johnny.)

Bob K., Kerry, and myself played several Game 10's. Johnny was out with what may be the flu. Dave threw out his back moving to Cave City. Not much else to report.

Don't forget that next week is the "Remember Pearl Harbor Closed".

Alekhine's Gun

In my teens I read a lot of chess books and thought I at least knew the names of the different elements of the game such as; the pin, the blockade, and so on. Today I learned something new. Stacking the Rooks on a file with the Queen on the same file behind them has been named "Alekhine's Gun". In the diagram below White has achieved "Alekhine's Gun". Wikipedia and Chess.Com both have articles on "Alekhine's Gun" and use as an example Alekhine vs Nimzovitch - San Reno 1930. Editor's note: the Wikipedia link will not take you directly to the article but you can find it from there.

Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine 4th World Chess Champion

"What Was I Thinking" - 2

Here are two more examples from Master Play that shows that everyone suffers from "Chess Blindness" occasionally. And these examples weren't from Game 30's!


In the above position from Stahlberg vs Averbach - Beverwijk, 1963; the obvious move is King takes Bishop. Averbach under the illusion he was threatening mate; played Bh3. Stahlberg replied Qxh6+ with mate to follow.

Alekhine who defeated Capablanca to become the 4th Chess Champion of the World was noted for his brilliant combinations. It is hard to believe that in the above position from a game with Buerger at Margate, 1937; Alekhine as Black played Qxf4??. I'm sure his heart stopped as Buerger picked up his Knight...and probably did a flutter beat as Buerger played NxBe4??!

Probably one of the worst double blunders in Chess History!

So.....come on out to the Club and you just might be on the receiving end of an "over the board chess gift" during this Holiday Season!

2010 Veteran's Tournament Revisited

Tournament Director - Steve Parsons (red shirt)

The under 1,000 Section - left to right: Gabrielle Sims (Clany's granddaughter),Swade Barned, Brandon Darby, Brian Barker, Brianna Barker, Nathan Kaissiah, and Andrew Preston (winner), Stephanie Clayton rounded out the section, but was performing photographer duties-check her out by clicking on "Membership" above.

The Open Section - left to right: Gelvic Cubar, Kerry Fatula, Clay Risner, Chris Bush, Chris Bealer, Randas Burns (winner), Andrew Lee, Jerry Weldin, and Johnny Owens. Absent from the photo was Clany Soileau, Michael Martin, and James Lawson.

I had held off publishing the group photos until I got the ok from Stephanie. I'm sure that everyone can appreciate the security issues involved with publishing children's photo's on line. As I didn't want to publish the Open pictures without the Under 1,000 Section; I held off until we got parental permission. In the future we will get parents to sign a release form during the entry procedure.

In case you missed it earlier (see The Best Tournament I've Ever Attended) Randus won the Open with a score of 3.5 and Andrew Preston scored a perfect 4 in the Under 1,000 Section.

No Change To The Ladder

Joe indeed allow Gelvic to escape with a stalemate! Joe had 3 pieces and 2 pawns to Gelvic's lone King! The game wasn't a rated game.

In my Ladder game with Rudy, I manage to win, but it was a very tough game. Rudy beat me in our non-ladder game prior to our rated Ladder game.

So no changes to the ladder this week.

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

"Veni, Vidi, Vici"

If I remember my high school Latin correctly Caesar sent this message back to Rome after a successful military campaign. Translated it means: I came, I saw, I conquered. Chris, our Club visitor last night, could have sent the same message back to his brother after he went through me like a dose of Epsom salts winning 5 out of 6 games against me and going 2 for 2 against Joe.

Chris was visiting his brother, a soldier at Ft Knox, and found our web site which prompted a visit. Chris if you are reading this, look up Dr. David Armisto in the phone book when you get home; David is not a USCF member either but loves to play chess. And please visit us again anytime you are in town.

Other news from last night includes the return of Sal. Sal and I played two games last night to help him clean the cob webs from his "chess mind". Sal, it was good to see you back!

Rudy and Johnny played a ladder game, I don't have the outcome. Joe and Gelvic also played a ladder game which I believe resulted in a stalemate. Johnny will probably post the results later as he played in the first game and observed the second.

Here's wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

The MultiPivot Mon Roi, PDA, Cell Phone Holder

The eNotate on a basic Pivot; notice the ease of readability

The Pivot without a device.

A Mon-Roi on a Multi Pivot

Side view of the Multi Pivot with Mon-Roi attached.


By now everyone has seen my "Rube Goldburg" contraptions to make viewing the electronic recording devices easier. As I was about to "invent and fabricate" a folding stand; I searched the net one last time and there it was! The Pivot. Every Mon Roi and e-Notate sold should come with one! I'll have mine with me at the Club meeting on 23 November for everyone to see. For more info click on the links provided; Henry at Tesa Tech made this my most enjoyable Internet buying experience to date! I rate this product 5 stars. As an added bonus the Pivots are made in the USA.

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.