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.

The Devil Felt A Chill

The 29 June meeting closed out the month with chess that measured a 7.5 on the rector scale. Nick, Ernie, Johnny, Kerry, James W., Gelvic, Larry, Stephanie,and Jerry fought relentlessly over the 64 square battlefield. Stephanie caused the Devil to reach for his sweater with a win over Kerry and Jerry defended a tough 5 pawns vs knight and 2 pawns end game against Gelvic which ended in a draw.

Other news: the library is now in residence at ECTC and should be operational again after the Bluegrass State Games.

Johnny announced a Saturday Tournament to be held 14 August in our normal meeting room at the College; watch for detail which will be posted soon.

PS-The pictures of Kasparov are for Steff; she thinks he's all that and plays chess too!

June 22nd Meeting

The tigers were unleashed Tuesday night as Rudy and Steff went head to head with such intensity that Ernie and Kerry broke off their own battle to watch. Jerry and Larry played several 10 minute games and Steve Nutt made a cameo appearance to show off his new red hair.

Nick missed out on some serious garden produce by having to work or something; thanks again Nick!

It's time to gear up for the Bluegrass Games; bring the kids and relatives. Circle July 10Th on your calendar right now!

Josh Cook Takes A Queen

While reading my Sunday paper a familiar face caught my eye; Josh Cook an original Elizabethtown Chess Club member is getting married!

According to the News-Enterprise; Joshua Cook and Brandi Cornett will tie the knot June 27Th, at Blue Ball Baptist Church.

Congratulations to Josh and Brandi from all of us at the Chess Club!

2nd Bardstown Chessathon

Steff Clayton hosted her 2ND Bardstown Chessathon with a European flair at Cafe Mozart on Thursday,17 June. When I arrived the cafe was packed and the usual table settings had been replaced with chess boards. As I waited for a game, the moans and cries for relief reminded me of a combat aid station; there was no quarter asked and none given. The Kaissiah family turned out in force with Rana, the Mom, leading a team consisting of Nada, the pretty daughter and twin sons Nathan and Timothy. I think I played Nathan, but I'm not sure; all I remember was that he asked me if I was as good as Mrs. Clayton; which caused me to break my "chess meter" momentarily. Andrew Preston, James Biggs, Clany Soileau, and Gelvic Cubar rounded out the combatants list and all left smiling.

The company was top drawer, the chess was challenging, the ambiance was excellent, and the Sam Adams was chilled; that Clayton gal sure knows how to organize a good time!

Survey Results

The results of the recent survey are in; 16 members responded.

1. I would play in an additional Tuesday Night Rated Tournament. Yes = 7 No = 9
2. I would be willing to pay dues. Yes = 11 No = 5
3. Should membership be based on attendance or dues. Attendance = 6 Dues = 9
One member suggested a combination of the two.
4. Should the Club provide instructions to players who ask. Yes = 14 No = 2
5. Support for both assisted living residents and scholastic chess was: Yes=13 No=3
6. Would support additional Saturday Tournaments. Yes = 12 No =4

Several comments were received; here is a summary:

1. Challenge other clubs to matches.
2. Provide organized study with a demo board.
3. Have the higher rated players analysis games submitted by the membership.
4. Hold more local rated tournaments, to include quick chess events.
5. Start a club ladder.
6. Have a rated tournament every other week.
7. Reestablish the Club Library. (note: Bob is currently out of town.)
8. Recruit more members thru advertising, etc.
9. Concentrate on 1-2 new goals at a time; moving on to others as they are met.
10.Change Club meetings to Fridays.
11.Bring in local Masters for instruction/demo's.

Emory Tate Jr Wins 2010 KY Open

Life Senior Master and International Master Emory Tate Jr won the recent KY Open on tie breaks over Chis Bush.

IM Tate is a 5 time Armed Forces Champion with a current USCF rating of 2401. Jennifer Shahada gives a word portrait of Tate on page 11 of her book, Chess Bitch, and indicates that Tate inspired the book's title.

White Rabbit

Darren dropped by El Tapatio's this morning and revealed that Ron Burnett was not the only KY Open entrant to forget which time zone he was in. Apparently Darren made the same error last Sunday and did not purposely withdraw; rather he returned home when he realized he was running an hour behind. I can see how that can happen when you work in one time zone and live in another; I guess that's why Dave Brock refers to Eastern Standard Time as "fast time".

Also playing to Mariachi Music this morning was James Whiddon, Steff Clayton, Jerry Weldin, and Angel Reyes. Angel came anxious to play and had at least one game with everyone present except me. Get your games in with Angel while you can; he will be going to the field soon for training.

If we can get a minimum of 4 players to commit to play rated games we can play in our regular Tuesday Night meeting room at ECTC.

Owens Perfect After Three

Johnny Owens went three for three at the June 2010 Rating Tournament besting a field of 12 players. Johnny finished a full point ahead of the the group of players with 2 points. The tournament has been posted.

3 Squared - or- For Real, You're Not On Central Time?

Nine Club members showed up for the KY Open; Andrew Preston, Bob Lenning, and Stephanie Clayton played in the Under 1400 Section; Bob Kilmer, Gelvic Cubar, and Johnny Owens took on the Under 1800 crowd; while Darren Radford, James Whiddon, and Jerry Weldin went for the brass ring in the Open. Larry Davidson of our Glasgow Branch was also in attendance; which actually gave the Tournament a decidedly E-town flavor.

Darren withdrew after a bad first day start; Stephanie Clayton kicked some serious under 1400 butt to bring home the glory for the Club. Not only the glory but when she said "show me the money" they wrote her a $100 check for the top Under 1000 prize! I hereby proclaim Steff the Club Hero of the week and an "Official Chess Diva".

IM Emory Tate was the winner in the Open Section despite showing up over 45 minutes late for the beginning of the 4th round (there by "spotting" his 2300+ rated opponent over half of the time allotted for the game). Not so fortunate was Ron Burnett (from Tennessee) who was rated 5 points higher than Tate at the start of the Tournament. Ron "forgot" he was no longer in the Central Time Zone and showed up over an hour late for the 4th round; giving Chris Bush a "gift point" and spoiling his chances for any prize money. Ron is in the red shirt in the picture Emory Tate is to his left in the photo.

The Tournament results have been posted on the USCF web site. Five of our contingent picked up rating points with Steff picking up the highest total, 84 points!

1 June Meeting Report

Eight players reported for chess as Nick, Kerry, Rudy, Sal, James W, Ernie, Mickey, and Jerry raised the temperature in room 108A tonight.

James W agreed to drive Sal's van this weekend; and is hereby proclaimed a Club Hero!

Mickey donated a 5 drawer filing cabinet to the Club to house the library. It has been a while since Mickey joined us for a game; and bearing gifts to boot!

Drive safely; I hope to see you all in Louisville for the KY Open this weekend.

New USCF Rating Floors Implemented

The May issue of Chess Life contained the following announcement: "Peak rating floors at 1200 and 1300 have been implemented. This applies only to events that end on or after 4/1/2010. To earn a 1200 floor a player needs to have a post-event established rating of at least 1400, to earn a 1300 floor a player needs to have a post-event established rating of at least 1500."

Previously floors started at 1400.

Sal Needs A Ride To KY Open

Sal would be most appreciative if someone would be willing to park their vehicle at his house and drive his van to the KY Open.

If you are able to help Sal out feel free to contact him directly or leave a comment below and I'll see that he gets the message.

Panera Chess On Hold Next Two Weeks

Due to Memorial Day and the Kentucky Open; Panera Chess will be on hold until 12 June.

If you want to play chess at Panera on 29 May or 5 June be sure to line up an opponent before you go.

Eight Is Enough

We had eight players tonight; Nick Folino, Bob Kilmer, James Whiddon, Kerry Fatula, Gelvic Cubar, Andrew Lee, Steve Parsons, and Jerry Weldin.

More than chess lessons were discussed as Nick explained what turntables were to Andrew and why Nick has four of them.

Everybody learned a lesson in rook and pawn endings as Steve and Gelvic conducted a postmortem of their game after Steve's time ran out. I believe everyone except Nick (who had left), was crowded around the board. Warning to all; Gelvic carries "power bars" in his chess bag!

Bob, Kerry, and Jerry shut the place down after swapping stories from their Army days.

Reminder, next week is Club Election Night.

The Hand Is Quicker Than The Eye

Ernie Weaver defended an inferior position to beat Jerry Weldin on time with one second left on his clock on the way to scoring a perfect three for three to win the May Rating Tournament.
Johnny Owens was the only other player to go undefeated; scoring 2.5 points for second place, only yeilding a draw to Joe Farrell.
New member Gelvic Cubar took clear third with 2 points after falling into a trap in the Budepest against Jerry in the first round.
Ten players showed up to do battle to include James Lawson who drove down from Louisville. We all met James at our Egg salad Tournament.
Ming Loi broke out of his "provisional rating status" and now owns an official rating of 1142.
For the rest of the cross table check out the MSA Section of the USCF web site.
Picking up two new players made everything worthwhile tonight; but they are tough so consider yourselves warned!

It's Over!

Game 12 is over and Anand has won with a final count of 6.5-5.5, retaining his world championship title! Notable is that this was the first win by either player with the black pieces! Topalov opened with 1.d4 and the game entered the Lasker Defense in the Queen's Gambit Declined. For pgn files of all the game scores, check out the official match site.

Learning the Tabiyas

OK, you've reached that point. You know how to play, you've been studying your tactics and made great improvements in your performance, and you've settled in on an opening repertoire that you feel comfortable with. You're ready to start with some opening studies beyond just the general principles. So what do you do now?

Searching for Capablanca

This is a position I found at W.T. Harvey's great tactics puzzle website from the game R. Raubitschek vs. Capablanca, New York 1906. Capa has the black pieces and presses for the win. Do you see the best move?

Many chess coaches and authors have recommended the aspiring player to choose a chess hero to make a study of. Perhaps you'll choose one with a style like you see as your own, or maybe a style that you wish you could engender in yourself. I'm starting my search for my chess hero with J.R. Capablanca, the third official world chess champion.

See the solution to the puzzle and more about Capablanca after the fold:

White to Move

This position is from a recent club skittles game. Black has just blundered with 18... Qd7 thinking that he is offering a trade to reduce the pressure. In the actual game White quickly played 19. Qxc7. Can you spot a better move for White? See the solution after the fold:

Politics As Unusual

Due to the request of several members I hereby announce my candidacy for Club President.

I believe my past contributions to the Club and area chess speaks for it's self.

My ideas for the future are:

1. Look into becoming affiliated with ECTC; with the possibility of getting monetary support from the College.

2. Have an optional rated tournament on the 4th Tuesday of each month; those who prefer to study can do so in the Welding Room. Details will follow in an e-mail.

3. Charge dues at the rate of $2 per month or $20 for an entire year. This will solve the "who is a member" question that has arisen as a result of the elections.

4. Make our weekend tournaments more attractive to area Masters and arrange simul's like we did in the past.

5. I've asked Ernie to look into the possibility of having "A Night With Dan" on a quarterly basis. We would set up a computer and allow 6 or more members to ask Dan Heisman a chess question.

6. Actively pursue sponsors to help pay for the above programs. I have a local politician (not me!) ready to write a check for $100 right now.

I believe that Ernie is going to announce that the Club elections will be pushed back to the 25th due to conflicts with local elections on the 18th.

I will work up a constitution or set of by laws for viewing prior to the election.

All the News That's Fit to Print

Topalov won game 8 yesterday to even the match score at 4-4. He'll face off against the champion Anand again on Thursday. Download the games and see live match video at the official site.

Eleven players got in some serious practice at the club last night. The library was busy and the boards were blazing.

Play online at FICS tonight at 8pm. Learn how here.

Get more practice at Panera on Saturday.

Don't forget rated play at the 2nd Tuesday of the Month meeting next week. Pre-register with Johnny or be there early.

Check Out Rated Correspondence-Style Play

Chess.com has announced the 11th Chess.com tournament. These are large affairs with sometimes more than 1,000 players in a single 200 point rating class. The tournament is organized like a huge group of 6 player round robins, with the winner of each mini-tournament moving on to the next round. You play one game each as Black and White against each opponent, up to 10 games simultaneously with a 3 day per move time control. The tournament is divided into sections by rating, eg. 1401-1600 and 1601-1800. You are automatically assigned a class according to your rating on the day the tournament starts, Tuesday June 1, 2010 at 9pm PDT. A large number of players are from other countries, adding another layer of interest. If you are one of our Chess.com players, or even if you aren't yet, these are great tournaments. Sign up to play now!

100% Chance of Chess Tomorrow

In its Hardin county report, the national weather service is calling the chance of flash floods "highly likely" (according to the flash flood watch issued 4:20 am EDT, Fri., Apr. 30, 2010). In the event that weather makes travel to Panera Bread questionable for play tomorrow, online play is possible on FICS by meeting on channel 150 beginning at 10am as described in this post for the regular Wednesday night meetup. Players making their way to Panera may also play online in the same way.

Drawn to Repetitions

Viswanathan Anand earned a draw with the Black pieces in game 5 of the 2010 world championship match against challenger Veselin Topalov, moving the score to 3:2 and retaining the champion's one point lead. Topalov opened with 1.d4 and the game progressed into a Slav a la game 3, not deviating until the move 11... Nbd7. Once again both sides elected not to castle and prepared for the endgame. A draw was agreed through the arbiter after 44.Rc3 foretold another looming repetition of position. Get the complete game score at the official match site.

Online Tonight

Don't forget online chess with the Elizabethtown Chess Club on FICS tonight at 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT. For help, see this post.

Puzzling Pastime

Think that you're good at chess puzzles? Try this one! Just download, unzip, and run.

(Please note that this is a first attempt at direct downloads from the club web page. Some issues are still being addressed. In the future we may be able to download PGN files in the same way. Clicking on the link will direct you to a page at Google where another click will allow you to download the file.)

White Piece Advantage

The champion Viswanathan Anand and the challenger Veselin Topalov will get a rest today after matching wins with the white pieces. The contest will resume tomorrow at 8:00 am EDT. You can see video and download game scores at the official site. Live video of grandmaster analysis of the games in progress can be seen on Chess.com TV.

Above is the position after 23. Rf3 in the first game Anand vs. Topalov. Vishy played 23... Kf7, but 23... Bb7 looks more promising for Black.

Southern Class

Though no active club members were playing, you might recognize a name or two from the cross tables at the recently completed 9th Southern Class Championships in Nashville. Grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest of New York topped the charts with 4.5 out of 5, yielding only a draw to Tennessee's FIDE Master Peter Bereolos in the last round. In Class A, James Pollitt from Indiana matched that score. Kentucky player Taylor Micajah Bagley scored 3 points in the section. Ali Hamdan Alataiwi of Tennessee stunned Class B with a perfect score of 5! Michael Robertson, also of Tennessee, led Class C with 4.5. Chris Prosser, known as a scholastic coach and tournament director, was near home when he turned in a very respectable 3.0 and pushed his rating to 1524. Modesto Garcia and Scott McCormick also represented the host state by sharing scores of 4.5 to crown Class D. A provisionally rated Schuyler Matthew Read of Kentucky raided the Class E and under with a perfect score of 5.0! Ariel Torres and Ronit Vikram Patel also represented Kentucky with Class E scores of 2.5 and 1.0.

Constant Comment?

Tired of scrolling up and down our blog looking to see if anybody posted a new comment to your favorite posts? Well scroll no more! Blogger has brewed up a new feature that solves the problem. Look to the right underneath our Quick Calendar and you'll see a new box for Recent Comments. Here you'll find the latest added by members with a chance to click through to the whole post and comments.

Please note that this new feature is apparently in beta and still contains a few bugs. Spam comments which have already been deleted may appear in the list, but will yield an error if you try to click them. Also certain special characters such as quotation marks are not rendered correctly.

E-Town FICS

Organized live online chess got it's start for the club last night as four players made a go of it. Stephanie Clayton, Kerry Fatula, Nick Folino, and Bob Lenning met on channel 150 at the Free Internet Chess Server to share a few games. Want to see what it's about? Join us next time for some online chess fun along with any cool beverage that you happen to have in your fridge.

Chess Erupts in Bulgaria

After a one day delay due to the volcanic ash over Europe, the world championship match between the current champion Viswanathan Anand and the challenger Veselin Topalov is scheduled to start on Saturday, April 24, 2010. Check on live coverage and find game downloads at the official website.

Brian is Back!

Past club president and webmaster Brian Lucas was in the house last night with the promise that we'll be seeing him more in the future for a few quick games. Welcome back Brian! Also in attendance last night were Kerry Fatula, Nick Folino, Andrew Lee, Bob Lenning, Ming Loi, Sal Mancuso, Rudy McKinney, Stan Mullins, Johnny Owens, Steve Parsons, Ernie Weaver, Jerry Weldin, and James Whiddon. Fourteen players was the best attendance the club has had since the December 15 meeting last year.

Gimme More Chess!

Can't get enough chess? Don't want to have to drive to get a game? We've got the solution ... Wednesday night chess online with the club!

Starting Wednesday night at 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT, members of the club will gather online to test the idea of meeting weekly on the FICS site. If you don't yet have an account or client software, most of us use BabasChess. We'll organize by meeting on channel 150.

To get set up you'll want to type these commands in the console window:

+ channel 150
set chanoff 0
set echo 0

Then check out your channels tab and try channel 150. We'll use the chat feature in this channel to get organized, match up for games, and arrange to examine and observe games. Games will be played just as live games are played. Your play may be FICS rated if you want.

Want help getting set up? I'll have my netbook at the regular club meeting on Tuesday night to show how it's done; or this Wednesday night at 7pm I will be at Panera Bread with my netbook to help anybody that would like to play. I'll be playing live on FICS from Panera. Bring your laptop with you and I'll see that you get set up. Then you'll be all ready to play on your laptop from home next time. Don't have a laptop or aren't sure about playing online? Just come on down, have a coffee, and see what it's about. Not available to play on Wednesdays? Join in the discussion and help us select new or additional times.

Hope you'll like this new way to enjoy chess with the club. Don't forget our other club opportunities: regular club meetings on Tuesday nights, 2nd Tuesday of the month ratings tournaments, online chess on Chess.com, casual chess and coffee at Panera Bread on Saturday mornings, rated games on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month at El Tapatio, other scheduled tournaments, and now online play on FICS on Wednesday nights. Check out our calendar for the latest. And don't forget to take advantage of the club library too!

Newly Minted

Darren Radford reached 1834 to reclaim his status as A-player. Ernie Weaver (not pictured) held on to his newly earned spot on the A-player list with an 1801 rating.

Andrew Lee earned a 1424 rating to gain the title of C-player.

Egg Salad for 17 Please

TD Jerry Weldin, Sponsor Specialist Reyes, and winners Kerry Fatula, Sal Mancuso, Glen O'Banion, Steve Parsons, Randas Burns, Johnny Owens, Nathaniel Emdee, Katy Margaret Thomas, James Lawson, Darren Radford, Larry Davidson, Andrew Lee, and Stephanie Clayton.

It was a beautiful Saturday and a great day for chess as seventeen players gathered for the club's annual spring tournament, the 2010 Egg Salad Open. Thirteen players shared the honors. Steve Parsons, Randas Burns, Glen O'Banion, James Lawson, Darren Radford, and Johnny Owens split the 1st place, 2nd place, Class A, and Class B prizes as shared winners of the tournament with 3 points each. Kerry Fatula and Larry Davidson came up winners in Class C with 2 points. Andrew Lee and Katy Thomas were tops in Class D with 2 points. And Sal Mancuso, Stephanie Clayton, and Nathaniel Emdee divvied up Class E with 1 point each.

See more after the fold:

White to Move

Finlayson

1901

from The Great ABC of Tactics by Renko

See the solution after the fold:

White to Move

Hillarp Person - Grosse Frintrop

Recklinghausen 2001

from Gary Lane's Find the Winning Move

See the solution after the fold:

Baker's Dozen

Thirteen players were on hand for April's 2nd Tuesday Tourney. Ernie Weaver was at the top of the heap with 3 full points when all was said and done, earning himself an A-player rating of 1814 and moving him into 3rd position in the club championship standings. Andrew Lee scored 1.5 points plus took a full point bye for clear 2nd in the Open section on his way to an estimated gain of 58 rating points and a new spot at 5th in the standings. Joe Farrell and Jerry Weldin came into the clubhouse with a plus score of 2. Adding to his total from the El Tapatio contests, Jerry ended with a rating of 1691, more than 100 points over his rating after last months tourney! Steve Parsons finished at 1.5, but retains his first place position in the overall standings. Johnny Owens and Kerry Fatula each took a win, while James Whiddon and Rudy McKinney rounded out the field.

In the under-1400 section, it was returning member Ming Loi that blanked the field to score 3 points, raising his provisional rating an incredible 151 points! Dave Brock, Sal Mancuso, and Stephanie Clayton took 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 points respectively.

Check out the tournament crosstables here or the championship standings here.

Chess, Chips & Salsa, Corona & Lime, Chile Colorado, Chess, Coffee, Chess, Rinse, Repeat

Four players faced off for an afternoon of chess today at the Nelson County Public Library in Bardstown. Stephanie Clayton, James Biggs, Andrew Preston, and Bob Lenning tried their best to wear out the pieces. Afterwards came a good meal (and a couple of beers for Bob) at the Rincon Mexican Restaurant just a block off the rotary. Thanks to Stephanie for organizing today's chess!

Casual chess and coffee will begin at 10am at Panera Bread tomorrow.

Authentic Certificate

Now there's no question about it! James Whiddon does indeed have an official Certificate of Authenticity. The pedigreed pieces are featured below. Look below the fold for more about tonight's meeting:

Bluegrass State Games - 2010

We will be hosting the Bluegrass State Games again this year!!

July 10, 2010

Time: 9AM-registration ; 1st Round @ 10AM

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

For more info go to the official website or check the club calendar.

Boden's Mate

White to Play and Mate in 2.

From The Art of the Checkmate
by Renaud and Kahn.

See the solution after the fold:

White to Move

Cardoso - Torre
Manila 1973

from John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book


see the solution below the fold:

A Chess Computer With Connections

Have you ever drooled over the DGT electronic chessboard ads, only to discover that the price is a bit over you head? There may be an alternative offering some of the same benefits for a somewhat more palatable $300: the Novag Citrine. This is a wood electronic chess computer that also allows you to connect to your PC and transfer game scores recorded on the device or play aganst PC-based chess engines. This device has not been approved for tournament use for the recording of chess game scores by the USCF.

Look below the fold for a video review of the product:

No More Pen and Paper

Want to record your chess games electronically? Want to spend less than it costs to fly to the Caribbean? Your solution might be eNotate from the North American Chess Association. You can buy the software for $25, or the software with a PDA for $125. The software is approved by the USCF for use in rated tournaments. Read this blog post from a chess player who is using the $125 eNotate package now. Using eNotate with a Pocket PC lets you use Pocket Fritz from Chessbase when the eNotate software isn't running! If you buy the software only and then shop for your own Pocket PC you can buy a model with WIFI (not accessible when eNotate is running) and other extra features. You might try eBay to look for a deal.

Please note that I have not personally tested the products mentioned in this post. The information is based on manufacturer claims and offered here for the consideration of members of the Elizabethtown Chess Club. The only other devices known to be approved for tournament use by the USCF are the MonRoi used by several club players and DGT electronic chess boards.

Complete Game Score Owens vs Weldin

Sorry for the poor quality, I found that printing out the post gave a readable image.
Still working on my computer skills!

Smyslov Dead At 89

Vasily Smyslov passed away yesterday, March 27th, three days after his 89th birthday.

Smyslov was the 7th World Champion (1957-1958) and is sometimes overlooked as that was the period when Botvinnik vertually controlled world chess.

Smyslov played three matches with Botvinnik for the World Championship drawing the first, winning the second and losing the third. While this is impressive in it's self; in my opinion the greater accomplishment was that during these three matches Smyslov out scored Botvinnik 18 - 17 with 34 games drawn.

A Fighting Draw!!

Owens vs Weldin with Black to move.(El Tapatio 3, 3/26/10)
There followed:23.....Bxe4!, 24.Nxd4! Rxg2! 25.Nf3! Bxf3 26.Qxd3 Rxg3+ 27.Kh2 Rg2+
28. Kh1 Drawn

Chess Among the Daffodils

With sunny days leading to warm afternoons, the lure of nature and the great outdoors is just too much for many chess players. I'm a great nature lover myself and just can't resist the chance to see the fleeting wonder of wildflowers racing to beat the trees to the sunshine. But warm weather isn't incompatible with chess!

Read more after the fold:

White to Move

See the solution after the fold:

Tactics, Tactics, Tactics

OK. I know that you've heard it before: 'tactics, tactics, tactics'. But does it really work? The theory goes this way: most club level games end after one player gains a decisive material advantage. And you've heard the old saying that a chess game is won by the player who made the next to the last mistake. So it seems that it's a mistake that decides a chess game, not a clever tactic. But wait! The mistake that's usually made is walking into a simple tactical shot! And so the saying from Dan Heisman: "basic tactic skills should be used to prevent an opponent’s tactics, not to find winning tactics for oneself!”

So, where do you go to get your tactical skills up to date?

Find out below the fold:

Three Point Shots

Steve Parsons collected all 3 points to win the open section in last night's 2nd Tuesday Tournament and inched closer to Expert with a 1984 rating. He extended his total in the 2010 championship to 8 points. Ernie Weaver cleared 2 points in the tourney sharing the honors with Nick Folino and James Whiddon. Ernie made it 4.5 points in the championship for a clear 4th. Nick and James both earned their first 2 championship points. Joe Farrell and Johnny Owens both came in with even scores of 1.5. Joe's championship total improves to 6.0, maintaining 2nd position. Johnny's total rises to 5.0 claiming the 3rd position. Jerry Weldin earned a win while Kerry Fatula and Andrew Lee took 1 point byes giving Jerry and Andrew 3 points in the championship standings with Kerry claiming 2.5 points.

Bob Lenning scored 3 points in the under 1400 section to lead the group. Dave Brock held his own with 2 points while Stephanie Clayton bested Sal Mancuso to earn 1 point.

You can find the complete tournament crosstable here.

Stick a Fork in It

Our new logo features an interesting study problem which illustrates well the tactical theme of the knight fork. It is White to move. Can you solve it?

Find the solution with annotation after the fold.

Test Your Board Knowledge

"Learning the board" is the first step toward improvement recommended by many chess teachers. As luck would have it I have been "relearning" the board after over three decades of not playing "blindfold chess" on a regular basis. Tonight I stumbled onto a web site that makes it easy, and best of all it's free! Just go to Chess Eye; chose the online version and get ready to be tested.

New and Improved

Now our club website is even easier to use! Check out the ribbon menu above which will take you to the membership list, our new calendar, the library, chess puzzles to try, links to favorite sites, the 2010 club championship standings, and general club information. You can still use the links in the righthand column on the page to find our club, check upcoming events, see the info on our next big tourney, and check the latest chess news.

Movin' On Up

We've exchanged links with Chess Cafe! Look down the righthand side of our blog and you'll see a brand new banner link to ChessCafe.com. It's a shortcut to lots of great chess info along with our separate links to their newsfeed. It's also a great place to shop for a new chess set or the latest chess DVD. They've listed our club here (you'll find it listed under blogs). Thanks to Chess Cafe for kindly exchanging links with us.

The Place Was Jumpin'

The club was jumping with 11 players at the boards last night. Those attending were Dave Brock, Jerry Weldin, Johnny Owens, Steve Parsons, Sal Mancuso, Rudy McKinney, Bob Lenning, Andrew Lee, Kerry Fatula, Nick Folino, and Ernie Weaver. Don't forget that next week is the 2nd Tuesday tournament for March. Let Johnny know in advance if you plan to play, or be there early to allow time to register.

With Mate in 2 You Get Egg Salad

It's official! The club's annual spring tournament will be held on April 17, 2010 in room 303 of the Occupational-Technical Building at Elizabethtown Community College. The Egg Salad Open will be a 4 round swiss system with G/45 time controls. Prizes b/20 1st $100, 2nd $50, Class A, B, C, D, E & below/unrated $40. Registration will be from 8:15-8:45am and round 1 will start at 9:00am. Entry fees will be $20 in advance or $25 on site. Send your entry to Johnny Owens, P.O. Box 226, Elizabethtown, KY 42702, or phone (270) 272-3061, or email to chessnut@insightbb.com.

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, and Eleven is a Chess Fest

A new record for Saturday attendance at Panera was set yesterday when 11 players pushed the wood! The regulars were there including Nick, Bob L. Jerry, Andrew L., Andrew P., Stephanie, and Darren. James Whiddon came in the afternoon to get his hat back in the game. Brand new players included Michael and Beth Harper, and Maria Judy. Also sticking their head in to say hello was James Osborne. Now if the temperature would soar to 75 so we could play on the tables outdoors .....

Chess is a Blitz

Judit Polgar won game 4 with the white pieces against Gregory Kaidanov in the last round of their Sicilian theme match at Hilton Head. Find the game scores here. Now it's on to a blitz challenge to break the tied score.

Kaidanov Leads 2-1

Gregory Kaidanov won with White against Judit Polgar's Sicilian Najdorf to take the lead in their theme match 2 wins to 1. Download the latest game score here.

Kaidanov and Polgar Win with White

World 46th ranked Judit Polgar faces off against Kentucky's own grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov in Hilton Head, SC this week for a 4 round Sicilian theme match. After 2 rounds the score is even. Kaidanov explains his feelings during game 1. Judit's sister Susan Polgar annotates game 2. Get the official game scores as a PGN file at TWIC.

Who's Afraid of a Ground Hog Shadow?

Bob failed to report that Steff presented him with a unique "Chess Blanket" to ward off the next cold spell. So to answer the question of "Who's afraid of a ground hog shadow?" .... it isn't Bob!

Can I Have That in a 'To-Go' Cup?

Six players had three boards blazing at Panera Bread this morning. Jerry, Darren, Andrew P., Steph, Andrew L., and Bob L. were on hand. The coffee was good, the chess was great, and all had a good time.

If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Chess

Steve Parsons and Joe Farrell took 2.5 points to split the win at the 2nd Tuesday Tournament for February (rescheduled from last week). The performance keeps Steve in the lead for the championship with 5.0 points in 2 tournies, and Joe Farrell is close behind with 4.5 points. Johnny Owens and Ernie Weaver each scored 1.5 points to bring their 2 month totals to 3.5 and 2.5 points respectively. A half point each for Jerry Weldin and Kerry Fatula keeps their hand in at 2.0 and 1.5 for the total. Andrew Lee pushed his provisional rating to 1335 with an impressive 2 wins against strong opponents, giving him his first championship qualifying points! Find the full crosstable here.

Don't miss next month's 2nd Tuesday Tournament on March 9th. Also, check out the new pages featured on the menu items at the top of the blog page where you'll soon find current championship standings posted.

Play Realtime Chess Online

Not into correspondence-style chess? Want to play live realtime chess online?

You may have checked out Chess.com and found it lacking in features for realtime chess. And you may have checked out the popular ICC that is so talked about only to find that you'd have to dip into your credit card again. (The ICC is highly recommended by some of our club members.) Try the free and full-featured alternative, the Free Internet Chess Server.

To use FICS you'll want to download free client software. Try Babas Chess for a free and full-featured interface. Then just register with FICS for free and start playing live realtime chess online.

Want to go beyond the standard chat feature and talk to your opponent as you play? Try the popular Skype application for free voice or video calling while you play online.

Upcoming Tournament on Chess.com

The 10th Chess.com tournament is coming soon! As usual, play will be in 200 point rating sections. Pairing is in groups of 6 yielding 10 simultaneous games, 5 as Black and 5 as White. One winner of each group will advance to the next round. The action will begin on March 1st, so sign up now!

New Feature

Check out our new Event Gadgets on the righthand side of the blog. The upcoming club events are featured with the ability to keep track of members planning to attend.

Alexandra Kosteniuk Adds Elizabethtown Chess Club To Her Links!

Alexandra Kosteniuk has made good on her promise and has added a link to our Blog on her Blog site. Now I can "toggle" between my two favorite sites!

It appears that tomorrow will be another "snow day", a great day for exploring the chess resourses available on line.

Snow!

ECTC is closed today due to the weather; consequently there will not be a meeting/tournament tonight.

I just got off the phone with Johnny Owens; we will hold the February Tournament next Tuesday the 16th of February...weather permitting!

I'll See Your King's Gambit and Raise You a Falkbeer Counter-Gambit

Bob L. recently scored the biggest upset so far in an unrated thematic King's Gambit tournament by besting Aleph (rated 2086 when the tourney began). Games start with the basic King's Gambit position, but the Black player then decides whether to accept or decline the gambit. The tournament is unrated in order to encourage players to sign up and try unfamiliar lines. See the game with Fritz analysis after the fold.

How To Improve At Chess?

Lately I have been asked by at least four different club members to help them improve their game. While this is very flattering; I feel that I am the last guy to ask considering that my rating goes up and down more often than the elevators in the Empire State Building.

Third Time's the Charm?

The Winchester Club has challenged us again to a 5 board match. Take this chance to support the club and sign up here to join the battle.

Even Carlsen Loses to Basic Tactics

Today's emphasis on tactical training might seem a drudgery to some. The thinking is that most games between club players are actually decided by simple tactics, not opening knowledge or endgame technique. And so the study and practice of tactics can often bring the greatest results in chess improvement no matter your strength or weakness in that part of the game. But still, some don't believe.

Check out this recent game from Corus 2010 pitting Magnus Carlsen against Vladimir Kramnik and you'll see that even at chess' highest levels, this rule can still hold true.

Carlsen, M 2810 - Kramnik, V 2788 0-1
E04 Corus A Wijk ann Zee NED (9) 26.01.2010

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. Nc3 O-O 8. a3 Be7 9. Qa4 c6 10. Qxc4 b5 11. Qb3 Ba6 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Qc2 b4 15.Na4 Rc8 16. O-O c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Bh3 Bb5 19. axb4 axb4 20. Rfd1 d4 21. Bf5 Ne5 22. Bxh7+ Kg7 23. Nxe5 fxe5 24. Bf5 Rc6 25. Qe4 Rh8 26. Qxe5+ Bf6 27. Qe4 Re8 28. Qg4+ Kf8 29. Be4 c4 30. Bxc6 Bxc6 31. Qh5 Re5 32. Qh6+ Ke7 33. e4 d3 34. Qe3 Bxe4

Carlsen returned to the place where he first burst onto the international scene with his win in the C group of Corus in 2004, earning him his first grandmaster norm. This game was played in the 9th of 13 rounds. The two players reached this materially even position in the game featuring the Open Catalan system.

Carlsen has let his opening edge dissipate into a probably equal but certainly foreboding position, but all seems safe. Or is it? Fritz recommends 35.Qf4 with a dead even evaluation. But Carlsen falters and uncorks 35.Nb6 ??, perhaps believing that he can snatch the pawn on b4 and stop the passed pawn on the e-file. Can you see the simple tactic that refutes Carlsen's move?

Kramnik unmasks an attack to decoy the queen off the diagonal, remove the defender of the newly placed White knight, and force this finish to the game:

35... Bb7 36. Qf4 Qxb6 37. Qxc4 Re2 38. Rf1 0-1


Nevertheless, Carlsen held on to win the tournament. But what Dan Heisman wrote in his Best Novice Nook Ideas applies here as well as in your own games: "basic tactic skills should be used to prevent an opponent’s tactics, not to find winning tactics for oneself!"

Check out Kramnik's own analysis of the game at the official tournament site.

Belay The Ego Mates

Bobby Fischer has been quoted as his favorite part of chess was when he knew he had crushed his opponents ego. Everyone has one and most chess player's are "super sized" with a win at all cost mentality. Look around at the "players" you know; are there some who will never share the secrets of their "pet" openings while others are happy to share the new "novelty" they have discovered before they have a chance to spring it on you?

This morning at Panera Bread, Darren and I were discussing this phenomenon as we exchanged ideas on a recently published New In Chess SOS article. I have found that Darren has always been open and willing to share with anyone, although he did once tell me not to buy a book on the "Dunst Opening" (in a joking manner) when he revealed his then favorite opening. With 63 kicking me in the butt and 64 (my favorite number) waiting in ambush two short months away; I have long ago gave up on being secretive and hope I have been open and above board in answering any request for chess help or advice. Some probably wish I wasn't so vocal with some of my opinions; not all are popular these days.

Now let me try to get back to the point. I have a new favorite saying thanks to Darren. Mark Twain said, "It is better to remain silent and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." My old "pickin' & grinnin'" buddy Jack Wheately said, "You raise a hog on slop, slop's what he likes." Today Darren Radford said, (concerning sharing information with other players); "When the tide raises, all the ships ride higher." Gee I wish I'd said that!

I'll See Your Petroff and Raise You an Attack

Andrew L. faced another Petroff as White in the first round of the Kentucky Class Championships and again refused to allow drawing chances. When Black erred with 6...Ng4?? he went on the attack and never looked back. See the score and analysis by Fritz after the fold.

E-Town Wins Old-Town Match

Johnny Owens posted a second win against Twan709 to bring E-Town's victory over Republic of Newfoundland to a close with a score of 7 to 3. Johnny's two pawn advantage and pressing play forced his opponent's resignation. See the score with analysis after the fold.

Lee and Radford Storm Class Championships

Andrew Lee and Darren Radford stepped up to the action at the Kentucky Class Championships held on Saturday, January 16 in Louisville. Andrew scored 3 wins in 4 games and took 2nd place in the Class E and under section! The performance was good enough to earn him $65 to spend on chess books and to raise his provisional rating to 1188 with 4 more games before gaining a regular rating. Class D seems to be clearly in his sights. Darren scored an impressive win against 1917 rated Randas Burns and a draw against 1930 rated Robert Amback for a total of 1.5 points in 3 games in the A section before coming home with his shiny new rating points. He now stands just 8 points shy of an official A-player status. Congratulations to both players for their performance. For complete crosstables look here.

Sexigenarians Hold Chess Rally

With everyone else out of town visiting or playing in Louisville today; Andrew Preston and Jerry Weldin were the only ones left to hold down the fort at Panera Bread. As always a good time is inevitable when "Old Soldiers" get together.

Hopefully everyone has a happy and safe weekend; we'll see everyone Tuesday at ECTC.

Who Said That 13 Was Unlucky?

Thirteen players came in from the cold last night and fought hard for three rounds in our first Second Tuesday Tournament of 2010. There were 6 players in the under-1400 section, and Rudy chose to 'play up' making for 7 players in the Open. Rudy's bold move turned out to be golden after patiently waiting out a bye in the first round when he scored a win in the third round to raise his rating to 1405 and claim a stake in Class C. Steve Parsons controlled the section with 2.5 points, all of them counting in the new 2010 Club Championship. In the under-1400 section, Dave Brock scored a full 3 wins bringing his rating into Class D at 1234. See the complete crosstable here.

New "Patent Pending" Chess Ring Tone

While browsing thru the 2009/8 issue of NEW IN CHESS I came across a picture with the following caption: "The shortest game but one of the event. Alexander Delchev has played 1.d4, but before his opponent Stuart Conquest had time to reply, the Bulgarian's mobile phone rang, whereupon the game was declared lost for him."

My brain works "outside the cage" and this was no exception; in short order it conceived the following idea. Instead of using a pop song for a ring tone; simply record your own voice saying; "Considering the even position on the board and the onset of what may be the highly contagious N1H1 Virus, I hereby propose a draw." Pregnant wife in delivery or dying grandparent messages could also be used. This gives you time to mute your phone and avoid a forfeit! Of course you could just turn off your cell phone.

Later in the same issue there is a picture of Karpov conducting a simul while talking on his cell phone! Rude to say the least.

Oh, the "but one" game mentioned in the caption was a forfeit awarded because a Czech GM was a "few seconds" late and was not present when the arbiter started his clock.

And no, I don't think Darren placed any calls to Britain's opponents during the Novi Sad team competition.

6 at 10 and 5 for 960

Six club members showed up at 10am at Panera Bread this morning to push wood. Nick joined regulars Jerry, Stephanie, Andrew L., Darren, and Bob L. Three boards were blazing with quick action. Stephanie claimed to have gotten a win against Bob on the 1st board, but with only 2 eyewitnesses there's no real way to tell for sure. At the same time, a new tournament was set up on Chess.com for playing chess960. Five players signed up to fill the field and start the tournament, 4 of them members of our club. The fifth player is a joiner from London, possibly giving Darren a cultural edge in the tourney since he speaks the language.

Too Cold for Shuffleboard

It was too cold for the shuffleboard court, so 13 players huddled in the skittles room and threw pawns on the fire. With the holidays behind us, players were sharpening their skills for our first tournament of the year coming next Tuesday. There will be an open and an under-1400 section if there are enough players. Anyone rated under 1400 that would like to 'play up' must notify the tournament director before the start of the tournament. Games in the open section will count toward the 2010 club championship. USCF membership is required and all games are rated. Time controls will be G/30 with a 5 second delay. Three rounds of swiss action will begin at 7pm. Please register with Johnny in advance or be sure to arrive with enough time to register before 7pm.

The Panera Gambit

Bob L. had the white pieces and offered a Panera Gambit, but Steve cooly decided to decline and shifted to another chair where the sun didn't shine in his eyes. Three boards in all were blazing as Andrew P., Jerry, Steph, and Darren also pushed the wood. The coffee was good, the games were better, and great fun was had. Now everyone awaits our first regular club meeting of the new year on Tuesday at 7pm. Be sure to be there.

Play Chess and They Shall Come

It began as just an idea to get a game in over the holidays, and 2 days later there were 9 for coffee and chess at Panera Bread. Last night saw play from Ernie, Clany, Jerry, Rudy, Sal, James B., Stephanie, Bob L. and James' son Damien (who laid down a win to establish a spot in the club). Four boards were active all evening and plenty of games were played. They had to give us the evil eye around 9pm so they could lock the doors. Plan on playing again on this Saturday at Panera starting at 10am. Then we'll meet again as usual at 7pm on Tuesday, January 5 at the college.

Coal Dust

Six players broke out the pieces to get their day after Christmas "chess fix"; Darren, Bob L., Steff, Andrew P., James B., and Jerry all overcame their "chess withdrawal" symptoms as the fur and pieces flew.

Steff still had coal dust on her hands from emptying her stocking but was soon her "merry old self" after trading pieces with Andrew P.

But all joking aside; I just noticed I had to use last name initials to identify three of the six attendees! That means our club has really grown over the last year; one day I hope to have to add a last name initial after every bodies name!

If anyone wants to play chess tomorrow send out an e-mail or simply add a comment to this post and I'll get the word out. We won't be able to play at ECTC again until the 5th of January.

Mouse Pad

USCFSales has a neat mouse pad in stock for $3. It is not in the printed catalog, you'll have to go on line and search under analysis sets. The pad is a green and white chess board with 13/16th of an inch squares. Algebraic square designation is on all 4 sides and the included chess pieces w/1.5 inch king fit well on the pad.

Not something you would order by it's self (shipping would cost more than the pad), but a great add on to your next equipment order.

Recommended. Those who use a computer at work may find this a good way to advertise that you play chess; unless the boss perceives it as "goofing off on the job".

Merry Christmas and Let's Play Chess

It's Christmas Day and chess presents are sure to be found under many a Christmas tree! When the presents are opened, the meals are eaten, the kids are busy playing, and the TV slumps into Lawrence Welk holiday reruns .... chess is waiting! Go online now to Chess.com and catch up with your games, pick out a new tournament, check out the latest puzzle, or watch the Pogonina game. Then swing on over to Panera Bread on Saturday starting at 10am for coffee and chess. Meet there again on the day after New Years and plan on our first Tuesday meeting of the year on January 5th at 7pm at the college as usual. Have you started your list of chess New Years resolutions? Get going now and avoid the last minute rush. Challenge everyone with your list of chess promises by adding your comment to this post. (You can buy the album shown on the left here.)

2009 Club Championship Wrap-up

For those who would like to see how they stacked up against the rest of the Club; here is a breakdown followed by some miscellaneous statistics.

Place ----------------Won ----------Lost ------------Drew --------------Total

1. Parsons ...........21................... 0..................... 3........................ 22.5
2. Weaver ...........19.................... 3..................... 2....................... .20
3. Farrell .............17.................... 5..................... 2........................ 18
4. Owens............ 14.................... 5..................... 5........................ 16.5
5. Weldin............ 14.................... 7..................... 3........................ 15.5
6. Fatula..............14.................... 8..................... 2........................ 15
7. Radford........... 13.................. 10..................... 1........................ 13.5
8. Kilmer............... 8................... 15..................... 1.......................... 8.5
9. Phelps.............. 7................... 15..................... 2.......................... 8
10. Mc Kinney......... 7................... 16..................... 1.......................... 7.5
11. Mullins.............. 5................... 17..................... 2.......................... 6
12. Brock............... 4.................... 20.................... 0.......................... 4
13. Mancuso........... 1.................... 23.................... 0.......................... 1

Total Games Played = 156 Games Won = 144 (92.31%) Games Drawn = 12 (7.69%)

Holiday Chess

Due to the college being closed during the holidays, the Elizabethtown Chess Club will not meet on the regular Tuesday evenings on Dec. 22 or 29. However, the club does expect to continue meeting on Saturday mornings at Panera Bread during the holidays. Also, club operations on Chess.com will be in full swing. The club will meet again for a regular Tuedsday night on January 5th, 2010. My apologies for being late to post this information and to any club members who were inconvenienced by my oversight. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.