The E-town Summer Open Drew 24 Players!

24 players decided to play an indoor sport yesterday and get out of the 100 degree plus temperature! In the end Expert Chris Bush won the open section with 3.5-0.5 and took home $100 for his effort. Randas Burns and Matthew McDonald shared 2nd and 3rd place and each took home $60. And, our very own Rayanne Chatrieux won the under 1700 prize of $45!

In the Reserve section, Austin Bridges went 4-0 and won $60.00 for his efforts. Our club secretary, Amy Nunn took home the prize for 2nd place! I want to Thank everyone for coming out and playing! The USCF rating report can be found here!

Hub City Summer Open

Just a reminder that Johnny's Hub City Chess Club is hosting a tournament this Saturday to close out June with a bang. Particulars are contained in the flier below.

Chess Problem

                                                                      HASEK 1951
                                                            White to move and draw

When I saw this problem it immediately reminded me of Kerry. I am putting the solution at comment number 1 below.

Chess Clocks

In the old days of mechanical chess clocks there were "buttons" with stems which were pushed to start your opponents clock. These buttons could be seen for some distance allowing one to walk about while keeping watch on their clock out of the corner of their eye.The Excaliber clock is an example of that feature being carried over to the new digital timers.Recently I have noticed several players at tournaments who turn off the move indicator lights on their chess clocks. Indeed I was even thanked by an elderly opponent in last years Louisville Open for having them turned on on my Chronos. I personally consider turning the lights off unsporting; therefore I decided to see if there were any rules regarding this. While USCF does not cover this in their rules, FIDE does. Reference FIDE Handbook 5.1.(d) covers clocks. Which states that you should be able to see who is on the move from a distance of 10 meters.But more specific is the testing requirements to get FIDE approval of a new clock:"Clocks must provide a clear visibility of which player is to move, from  all sides at a distance of 10 meters".

As USCF gradually gets more instep with FIDE, I predict that  "clock rules" will be upgraded to conform with FIDE standards. Something you should consider if in the market for a clock. Currently the DGT XL Digital Chess Clock is the only FIDE approved clock sold by USCF.

There is no need to panic and trash your old clock; any clock can be used in a non-FIDE sanctioned event. But if you use a Chronos, be a good sport and turn on the LED move indicators!

Nathaniel Emdee Found at KY Open

Above is a file photo of Nathaniel Emdee, Life Member of the E-town Chess Club who surfaced at the Kentucky Open last weekend. Click here to view the X-table and see how he did.

June Rating Tournament

The June Rating Tournament was one of our strongest ever thanks to guests Andy Porter and James Ballard who drove down from Louisville to join the fray. Congratulations to Andy who won with a perfect score.

Additionally Louis De Fiore returned to compete and Rayane Chatrieux  achieved his 25 game mark to escape his "provisional" status.Click here to review the X-table.

KY Open

Just a quick reminder that the KY Open is this week end. For details click on the KCA link (on the right hand side of your screen) then click on "Tournaments".

Schools Out Results

I tried to put a link to the X-table in a comment but it didn't work. You can view the X-table here.

Congratulations to Steve Parsons and Rayane Chatrieux both took home prize money! I was the "goat" this time, losing to Rayane in the first round. Rayane played well and I "forgot" that a Queen can move diagonally!

Johnny has posted pictures on the KCA Web site.

E-town Summer Open

Just a reminder that Johnny is hosting/directing another tournament this Saturday. See the flier below for details.

Click on flier to enlarge.

I just talked to Johnny and he told me that Mike Anders "The book guy" will be there! Mike takes trade-ins and buys books, clocks  and used chess sets!

Home Cooking

Jerry & I have played the Piano quite a few times. In fact, we both played the Piano Simultaneously against Chris Bush. One of the Joys and Dangers of playing against people you know is Home Cooking. On Tuesday Jerry whipped up some home cooking for me (with some attribution to a 1946 book called Winning Chess Traps).

Play chess online

Game 75 Tourney To Resume On May 15th!

There seems to be enough interest in continuing our Game/75 tourney on Tuesday nights at the Family Buffet. So we will resume “Tuesday Knights” on May 15th!
We will play 5 rounds. They will be May 15, 22, 29 and June 5 and 19.
There will be a $1.00 charge to offset the rating fee and I hope that if you enter, that you will play in at least 4 of the 5 rounds so that rating norms can be achieved. Joe is very close to getting his Candidate Master norm!
Additionally, Jerry wants to start a monthly Saturday Game/75 tournament. Contact him for details or suggestions.

We Had A Visitor At Our 2nd Tuesday Tourney!

James Ballard came down from Louisville to play in our Second Tuesday tournament and ended up beating Steve Parsons in a nice endgame in the final round!
The event was strong with an expert, 2-Class A, 2-Class B, and 2 Class C players. I wish we could get more of the club membership to turn out for this monthly tourney! Joe Farrell won the event with a score of 3-0.
A thanks goes to Jerry for directing the tournament. The rated crosstable can be seen here!

Saturday Game 75

If you can't really break away during the week and have to get in your games on the back of a taxi; try playing in a New First Saturday Game 75 Tournament hosted by a new area affiliation. Entry fee would be $10 with a 75% payout in prize money.( Please comment on fees you would be willing to pay) In 2 or more sections if at least 4 players commit for each section. Please comment and give any suggestions you may have.

Elizabethtown Tornado Photos Posted On KCA Website!

Is Stephanie sleeping in this photo? If you want to see other photos, I just posted 17 photos from the Elizabethtown Tornado on the KCA website!

Joe Farrell Wins The Elizabethtown Tornado 4-0!

Our club president, Joe Farrell went undefeated in our annual club tourney to take 1st place in this strong weekend swiss! This tournament was held along with the KCA "King of Kings" tournament and Expert Chris Bush decided to play in both simultaneously. 20 players played all 4 rounds! No withdrawals!! The USCF rated crosstable can be seen here!

Chris Bush Wins The 1st "King of Kings" Tourney

Chris Bush won the King of Kings tournament held in Elizabethtown with a 3-0 score! With this victory Chris receives free entry in the 2012 Kentucky Open, a 1-year subscription to KCA and entry into this year's Kentucky closed! The rating crosstable can be found here!

Here is an Idea for our next Club Championship

Chess boxing is making moves, increasing popularity in Europe 




Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/chess-boxing-making-moves-increasing-popularity-europe-article-1.1066959#ixzz1t6Y5TInx

Round 5 Of Our Game/75 Tourney Was Completed Tonight!

This photo shows Bob Kilmer and Amy Nunn fighting out the last game of our Game/75 tourney. We had 10 players that participated and a total of 18 games were played! I want to thank all those that played as it was a fun event to direct! Perhaps we can do this again soon.
The event was USCF rated and the crosstable can be found here!

6 Days

If you are playing in the annual tournament this weekend be sure to contact Johnny to avoid paying the $5 at the door fee.

April Club Tornado Set For April 28, 2012!

This is the TLA I sent to USCF to be published in the April issue of "Chess Life."

Apr. 28, The Elizabethtown Tornado
4SS, G/45 Elizabethtown Community & Technical College, Room
303, Occupational-Technical Building, Elizabethtown, KY. EF: $20
by Apr. 23, at site $25. $$b/25; $150, 75 Class B, C, C, E & below/UNR
$50 each if at least 2 players in section. Reg: 8:45-9:15 am, Rds:
First round 9:30 am, others ASAP. Ent: Johnny Owens (TD), P.O.
Box 226, Elizabethtown, KY 42702-0266. (270) 272-3061. Info:
http://etownchess.blogspot.com.

Just a reminder that club members get a $5.00 discount for entry into this tourney!

THIS PREVIOUSLY POSTED TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN REFRESHED AT THE REQUEST OF SEVERAL CLUB MEMBERS. - Jerry

April Rating Tournament

The April Rating Tournament drew 7 players. Click on 2012 Championship, above, to see current standings and find link to X-table. Johnny is now a full point ahead of the field.

Round 3 of Tuesday Knights #2 Tonight!

Round 3 of our club Game/75 tournaments will take place tonight at the Family Buffet! Remember next Tuesday is our Monthly swiss and it will be back at the college! We will start the round at 7:15 pm. I hope to see you all there!

Fun Links

Sometimes you don't feel like playing a full game or are restricted by time and circumstances, add these links to your favorite electronic device and learn some tricks that will enhance your "chess eye" and impress your friends.

Both links below are interactive! Test your skills with immediate feed back of your progress.
Checkmate with a Knight and Bishop. Allow a minute for the link to display the pieces.

The Knight's Tour. GM Koltanowski used to do this blindfolded and jumping from one board to a second and finally to a third board! Not impressed yet? He identified the squares by the words, phone numbers, etc that the audience wrote on them; which he studied for a few minutes, turned his back to the boards and began!

10 Club Members Show-Up To Play Chess!

We had 10 members at our first club meeting at The Family Buffet in Elizabethtown and 8 played in round 1 of our Game/75 tourney! There we no upsets as the higher rated players won in all 4 games.

The tournament is open to all club members that are USCF rated and you can enter at anytime and don't have to play every round. Games will start at 7:15 pm in order to give players a chance to eat!

If you have any questions, contact me at: chessnut@insightbb.com . We'll see you for round 2 next Tuesday!

Game 75 ??

Has game 30/5 been blowing up on you? Defuse the grenade and play for a norm with game 75/5!!
Contact Johnny if you want to play game 75/5 on regular meeting nights. His offer to resume game 75 was buried in a comment and may have escaped notice except for Amy and myself.

Format: 1 game a night for 3-5 weeks as needed then submitted for rating. You don't have to play each week; so the format offers you a chance to play even if your schedule doesn't permit attending each week.
At least 4 players need to commit  in order to get things rolling. Johnny's contact information is: (270)-272-3061 or chessnut@insightbb.com .

Remember we will be meeting at the Family Buffett on the 20th.

Steve Parsons Is Back!

Life Club member Steve Parsons won the March Monthly Swiss with a score of 3-0!

Rayane Chatrieux finished 2nd with a score of 2-1!

The crosstable can be view here!

Club Members Vote to Meet at Family Buffet Restaurant

The monthly club meeting was held Tuesday, March 6, 2012.   Members in attendance were:  Jerry, Amy, Stephanie, Rudy, Bob, Rayane and Kerry.  The following items were discussed:  Jerry has agreed to direct this month's regular club tournament.   A motion was made, seconded and approved to change the time of the regular monthly business meeting to 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month, just before the beginning of the monthly tournament.  The members agreed to ask Joe to appoint a new vice president of the club, pursuant to the club constitution.

 A motion was made, seconded and approved to have the club meet at the Family Buffet Chinese restaurant (located in the Kroger shopping plaza near the mall) on all Tuesday nights except for the 2nd Tuesday of the month.  It was agreed to continue to have the monthly tournaments at the college.  So remember guys and gals that this coming Tuesday is the monthly club tournament at the college and then we will meet for skittles at 7:00 p.m. at the Family Buffet for the next 3 Tuesdays until the April 10th tournament at the college.

Gelvic

Gelvic e-mailed me from Denver in route to San Francisco and gave me permission to share the movie he sent me earlier in the day. Click here to watch the movie which includes footage from the Winter Blues Tournament.
Produced by Gelvic Cubar, Camera man Johnny Owens. Enjoy!!

Randas Burns Takes 1st At The Winter Blues Open!

Randas scored 4-0 winning 1st place in "The Winter Blues Open" and took home $100. There was $460 given out in prizes at this first event held at "The Family Buffet" in Elizabethtown! More details and photos will be posted at the KCA website, as well as the Hub City blog site. In the meantime here is the USCF crosstable of the event!

I want to thank all those that attended and maybe I can play next time!

Reminder "The Winter Blues Open"

The Winter Blues Open
Saturday, February 25, 2012

USCF Rated
* 4SS * G/60 *

EF: $20 if mailed by Feb. 20th

PLACE/SITE:
FAMILY BUFFET 121 Towne Drive * Elizabethtown, KY 42701

PRIZES:
OPEN (1400+) $$b/20 1st $150, 2nd $100, 3rd $50, U1700 $50

RESERVE (U 1400) $$b/10 1st $75, 2nd $50, 3rd $25, U1000/unr $25

Late/On-Site Registration Sat: 11-11:25 am – Late EF: $5.00 more.
(Cash only at site)

ROUND TIMES:
11:30 AM - 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS
Email: chessnut@insightbb.com
Phone: (270) 272-3061

February Rating Tournament

The results of the February Rating Tournament are finally in. Click here to view the cross table.
Totals for the 2012 Championship now stand as follows:
Owens .....................................................................................4.5
Weldin......................................................................................4
Farrell.......................................................................................3
Cubar.......................................................................................2.5
Fatula.......................................................................................2
Nunn........................................................................................2
Weaver....................................................................................2
Brock.......................................................................................1
Kilmer......................................................................................1
Mancuso..................................................................................1
McKinney................................................................................1

Quiet Night of Skittles

The following members showed up tonight to play skittles:  Amy, Ernie, Sal, Rudy, Kerry and Rayane.  Don't forget the tournament this coming Saturday at Family Buffet.  First round starts at 11:30. 

GM Lombardy Self-Publishes His Latest Book

For the younger players; GM William "Bill" Lombardy was a world class player during the "Fischer Era". His phenomenal score of 11 out of 11 while winning the World Junior Championship in 1957 has never been equalled before or since. GM Lombardy was Fischer's second during his successful match against Spassky for the World Championship; although by all accounts Fischer refused to use his services.

Lombardy was an ordained Catholic Priest in his younger years, later giving up the priesthood to marry and start a family.

Hans Ree reviewed the book in the latest volume of New In Chess, 2012 #1, and mentioned that the sole distributor was the author. This set me on a google search to find how to order a copy. The only place I could find ordering information was at this link.Order book here.

Check for $60 ($54 for book - $6 shipping)  To: William Lombardy
                                                                           12 Stuyvesant Oval - 6B
                                                                           New York, NY 10009

Stepping Down

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I tender my resignation effective today February 9, 2012. I assure you my fellow club members that I will come back stronger than today. Thank you for helping me improve my skills by giving me tough games.

elections next month

I guess we will be having elections next month to juggle officers. Since there is not a provision in the constitution for appointments, article II section 1 seems to indicate that we have to notify members by email one month before the elections.
The nominations made tonight were as follows....I think:
Joe Farrell moves up to President Amy Nunn to VP Jerry Weldin-- Secretary Treasurer stays the same (Clayton). Since Joe and Amy are already officers, does that mean that only Sec. position is voted on? I"m not sure...Sal was asking what the constitution said and so I'm adding this copy below. Sal was asking what the Vice President's job was. Attached is the
Constitution of the Elizabethtown Chess Club.

PREAMBLE

We, the chess players of Central Kentucky, in order to establish conditions under which chess can flourish in our area have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish this common goal and do hereby ordain this constitution to establish rules and order in the pursuit of this goal collectively as the Elizabethtown Chess Club.

ARTICLE I – CLUB OFFICERS

SECTION 1 – PRESIDENT. The President shall chair all Club meetings; guide the club in the pursuit of nurturing chess in the area; appoint committees as needed; and appoint individuals to necessary posts within the Club, subject to ratification by a majority vote of the membership.

SECTION 2 – VICE-PRESIDENT. The Vice-President shall perform the duties of President in his absence and Chair Committees as directed by the President.

SECTION 3 – SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all Club business meetings and read the minutes of the previous meeting if called to do so. The Secretary may also act as Treasurer.

SECTION 4 - TREASURER. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of dues and monies owed to the Club, securing said monies, and disperse monies as directed by the President. Shall maintain accurate fiscal records and render a report to the general membership annually and as directed by the President. Tournament Directors may collect monies as necessary in the conducting of a tournament; but must turn over any excess monies after expenses; with a complete accounting of all monies taken in as fees and dispersed as prizes/necessary expenses; to include a list of prize winners; to the Treasurer no later than the next scheduled meeting.


ARTICLE II – BY LAWS


SECTION 1 – ELECTIONS. Elections will be held as necessary to fill vacant officer positions and at least annually in the month of November to elect Club officers from the current active membership. Elections will be announced by e-mail and notice posted at meetings one month prior to date of elections. Elected officers will serve for a term of one year or until the next general elections. Officers may serve successive terms without limitation if voted in by the membership. Elections will be decided by a simple majority of votes cast and received.

SECTION 2 – CURRENT ACTIVE MEMBERS. A current active member shall be defined as a member who is current in his/her dues to the Club and is a current member of USCF. In the event dues are not being charged; a current active member shall be defined as a current USCF member who has participated in one Club sponsored tournament in the previous twelve month period. Exceptions will be made for absences due to military duty.



SECTION 3 – RULES OF CONDUCT. Roberts Rule of Order shall be used at all meetings.

SECTION 4 – CONSTITUTIONAL AMMENDMENTS. This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the Current Active Members at any annual meeting; or after a vote brought about by a properly submitted and seconded motion to do so.

Is That Our Club President?

Yes, Gelvic is still playing chess and Playing Well! Last night at Meijer, Gelvic won his 1st round game vs. Robert Amback (1913) and then won his 2nd round game vs. Expert Felix Valdes (2066). Gelvic then withdrew from the tourney. I guess he decided to take his newly won rating points and run! Any case, he had a fine performance.

I scored 2.5 with 2 wins and a draw in the under 1800 section, good enough for 1st place in the section and $20.00! I will post my games on my new blog soon.

Hou Yifan Beats Polgar At Gilbralter

GM Hou Yifan, current Woman's World Champion and second highest FIDE rated female player at 2605, won with the white pieces today against GM Judit Polgar the top rated female at 2710.
As everyone knows Judit refuses to play in "female only" events and isn't as active since she became a mother. Yifan is fresh off successfully defending her title earlier in the year against Humpy Koneru who was the second highest rated woman player at the time. The world has long awaited a match up between Judit and another high caliber woman player; Judit triumped over GM Humpy Koneru in an earlier round, but this time youth has prevailed. There will undoubtedly be many articles written in print and on line about this encounter. Click here to see the game. (navigate down 4 games to Hou Yifan vs Judit Polgar)  There are still three rounds left and you can watch the commentary and the "Master Classes" at any time by clicking on this link. GM Nana Dzagnidze is playing amazing chess and is still in the leaders pack.

Visitors from France

On behalf of Amy, I agreed to post her message below:

Members in attendance tonight were Ernie, Amy, Bob, Kerry, Sal, Nick and Dave, who all played skittles. Also, a young man named Rayane visited our club along with his parents. They recently moved here from France and found us on the web while surfing for activities for their children. Rayane and his younger sister both play chess and will be a welcome addition to the club. Rayane played a 5 minute speed game against Ernie and lost on time, but Ernie thought Rayane had the better position. Welcome to the club Rayane, we look forward to some good chess!

10 To Tango

Joe Farrell continued his string of victories by scoring 3-0 last night in the first tournament of 2012. Kerry Fatula "the Spoiler" was on fire last night and as he and Joe possessed the only perfect scores after 2 rounds; they were paired in the last round with Joe winning in a time scramble.
Kerry also served as the Tournament Director and should be applauded for a great job. No one would have guessed that it was his first time!
When the tournament is posted you will be able to click here for the X-Table.

3 January Meeting

An even dozen attended the first meeting of 2012. 2011 Championship awards were presented with Kerry Fatula receiving a "spoiler" award and a Chess Digest pamphlet on the Larson Opening 1. P-QN3 from Jerry. Dues were set at $12 for the year and several topics were discussed before the games began.
Sal challenged Stephanie to a rated game which Steff won in 15 moves!

2011 Awards!!

It's time to give those who endured the whole year of tough "battles" and emerged victorious their awards and recognition. The trophies will be awarded Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Congratulations to the winners!!

Reflections on 2011

With the year drawing to a close I'd like to thank everyone who helped the Club stay viable as we prepare for 2012. A special thanks to Johnny Owens who met and exceeded all Tournament Director expectations; I'm sure that no other club in the USA had tournament results posted faster and more accurately than ours. Johnny also served as Vice President, thanks Johnny!

Kerry Fatula deserves recognition for always being at Club meetings, rain or shine, Kerry doesn't care about rating points he truly loves the game and plays win, lose, or draw. It should be noted that Kerry gained over 100 rating points this year!! Kerry has also accepted the position of Club Tournament Director for 2012.

Stephanie Clayton: with plate already filled with work, her kids chess club, and teaching at night; took on the responsibility of Treasurer when Steve Parsons had to relinquish the position due to extreme family circumstances. Stephanie took home prize money at the Kentucky Open again this year, organised and financed the Veteran's Appreciation Tournament, and gained 62 rating points this year.

Joe Farrell served as Club Secretary and has made a great personal effort to attend all business meetings and tournaments. Joe gets the "Hero Award" for fending off the "bee swarm" to get to the "honey" and become the Club's first "home grown" Expert!! Joe is the Club's new Vice President.

Amy Nunn has distinguished herself and brought glory to the Club by becoming the 2011 Kentucky Woman's Champion!! Amy not only raised her rating 44 points over the year, but has also "volunteered" to serve as Club Secretary.

Ernie Weaver serves as our "Liaison" to the College and schedules classrooms for our "Spring Tournament". Ernie also proof reads books for Dan Heisman and is the point of contact for the Club on the ECTC Web Site.

Rudy McKinney, Bob Kilmer, Nick Folino, Dave Brock, and Sal Mancuso always attend when they are able, in town and work permitting. This group along with Peston Andrew, provide the foundation on which the Club is built on.

Gelvic Cubar our new Club President is currently experiencing a time of personal turmoil from which I am sure he will emerge stronger than ever. The Bluegrass State Champion for 2011, Gelvic is a tough opponent across the board and a refreshingly genuine "good guy".

This year our Club gained 431 rating points; 1744 if you count Josh Jordan's initial rating of 1313. Josh e-mailed me that he will come by in January and pay his 2012 dues. We need to put a GPS tracking device on him so we can get him to show up more often!

Larry Davidson (Glasgow) deserves a special mention for supporting our Egg Salad Tournament by participation and donating enough books for each participant to receive one FREE! Larry also provided a book concession with very reasonable prices which I think "sold out" (James Whiddon was top purchaser). Thanks Larry for all your support and kind e-mails.

Nathanial Emdee, where are you? Your e-mail address is no longer valid.

Thanks to everyone who reads this far. Thanks to all for your support during my tenure as Club President. I eagerly await our next meeting over the board! Wishing everyone health, joy, and prosperity in 2012!

PS - Benny Wilson is back. Andrew Preston is recovering from his knee replacement surgery after a rough fight with infection. Joe thinks he has two new members lined up for 2012. The Club will host the inaugural "Kings Tournament". Life is good and Chess will be even better in 2012!!

Co-Champions For 2011!!

Joe Farrell and Jerry Weldin tied for first in this years Club Championship!!
Both finished with 4 points out of 5 with Joe scoring 3 wins and 2 draws (the only player not to lose a game.) to Jerry's 4 wins with 1 lose (to Joe). Jerry was declared winner on tie breaks. (The first tie break was number of blacks. Jerry had 3 to Joe's 2.) Gelvic Cubar placed 3rd with 2.5 points, Kerry Fatula ("The Spoiler") took 4th with 2 points, Johnny Owens and Ernie Weaver placed 5th and 6th respectively.
The official X-table will be added when available. Just in click here for X-table.

2011 Club Championship

X-table showing last nights results in the Championship. Also present were Amy, Bob, and Nick who played in the Welding Room.

"Ned" Rosenbaum Dead At 71

It is always sad to hear of someone passing; even more so if it is in an unexpected accident. Stan Mullins called me a few minutes ago to report the untimely death of "Ned" Rosenbaum a member of the old "Blue Dragon" Chess Club. I didn't know "Ned" very well, but I remember that he was one of my opponents at two of my "simul's" conducted at the old "Blue Dragon" (both a restaurant and the nick name for the Nelson County Chess Club) and was a strong player, very intense at the board.

"Ned" drowned when his car went off the shoulder in flood waters near his home. Click here to read the report in today's Kentucky Standard.

My condolences to the Rosenbaum family.

Added 1 Dec by author. Here is a link to Ned's obituary in the Nelson County Gazette.

2012 Club Championship!

Don't forget that we vote the first Tuesday in December on the 2012 Club Championship Format and on the topic of having a Reserve Champion in order to maximize participation and competition in the monthly tourneys.

The two choices on the ballot are . . .
Add up the scores from the 12 monthly tournaments
OR
Sum up the Jan - Nov Tourneys and Take the top 4 into a December Tourney

If you can't make it that Tuesday, send your vote to a club officer before that meeting.

Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone!!

I want to wish all the club members, friends and families a Happy Thanksgiving!

Stay safe, if you are traveling and let's finish the year off with some exciting chess!!

God Bless and Good Chess!!
Johnny O.

What Was Your Excuse??

There were only two of us tonight for chess. Sal gave up watching the Republican Debate, I missed the X-Factor, what was your excuse?

So far Gelvic has come up with the most valid excuse which puts all others to shame.
The picture above is of Gelvic's car after he flipped it while in route to work after being called in unexpectedly.

Fortunately Gelvic emerged unscratched and took the picture with his phone!! I'm glad Gelvic survived unharmed; hopefully he has good insurance!! I'm glad to know that a Honda is up to the challenge as many of our members drive one.

Owens Brings Back 37 Rating Points From Alabama!

Johnny Owens played in the Huntsville Open on Saturday and scored 2.5-1.5 with his only loss to Expert Jerry Spinrad of Tennessee. Jerry went on to win the event with a perfect 4-0 score. Johnny also drew his game with Antonio Gellineau rated 1962. Johnny's performance rating for the tournament was 1951!

This was a 4-round swiss tournament at Game/75!

The crosstable can be found here!

College Street Now Open

According to this mornings News Enterprise the bridge has been completed and College Street is accessible from the By Pass again.

2011 Club Championship Pairings Are Set!!

Per page 295, Table B, of the USCF Rule Book, the pairings for this year's club championship are now set!

Name listed first will have the white pieces!
December 6, 2011
Round 1:
Weaver-Fatula
Owens-Weldin
Farrell-Cubar

Round 2:
Cubar-Fatula
Weldin-Farrell
Weaver-Owens

Round 3:
Fatula-Owens
Farrell-Weaver
Weldin-Cubar

December 13, 2011

Round 4:
Fatula-Weldin
Owens-Farrell
Cubar-Weaver

Round 5:
Farrell-Fatula
Cubar-Owens
Weaver-Weldin

Still Tied After 30 Games!

Johnny Owens and Jerry Weldin both scored 2.5-0.5 in tonight's tournament to tie for 1st place!

We are both tied for (adjusted score) fourth place in the Club Champion qualification!

The tournament crosstable can be found here!

Taking the Cake

In case you have not seen it; here is a pic of the cake along with other shots of players.

Veterans Appreciation Chess Tournament 2011 Results

Yesterday proved to be a great day for chess in Cox's Creek, Kentucky with 24 players and about 10 spectators attending to say "THANK YOU" to our Military Veterans. The tournament was a huge success due to the many who volunteered their time, money, food, prizes, and labor. First of all, I would like to thank Steve Parsons for agreeing to be the Tournament Director and Johnny Owens for being the Asst. TD. You guys were great!! That tournament was full of "firsts" for many of our kids and we needed someone with patience and grace. THANKS!
Club member, Amy Nunn, provided a fun and educational dessert by creating chocolate chess pieces and placing them on a huge cake imitating a chess board. The "White Mates in Four" puzzle was beautiful and thought provoking. So much so that attendees could write their names and solutions on paper and put them in a basket for a drawing at midday. Puzzle solver champions were Johnny Owens and Nathan Kaissieh! PHOTOS OF THE CAKE AND CHOCOLATE TO COME in a later post.
The local Girl Scout Troop 1260 decorated the cafeteria. Jerry Weldin donated many items for the raffle while other club members and guests generously donated money for Support the Troops. (We raised $75 for that group.) Bonnie Hall and Kelley Mehl, both collegues of mine at Cox's Creek School, cooked and served all who were hungry. These girls also provided hospitality to folks with conversation, supervision of the cafeteria, and service.

CHAMPIONS OF CHESS
Winners of the Open Division, split the $150 prize three ways: James Lawson, Larry Bell (Veteran), Lexington, and Eddie Barber, Bowling Green, each won first place. In the Under 1000 division, 14 players vied for the prizes and there were several ties, however, the $100 first prize was clearly won by Nathan Kaissieh, Nelson Co. High School. Second place- Branden Darby, Nelson Co. High; Brayden O'Banion,Cox's Creek Ele.School; and Sal Mancuso (Army Veteran) of Radcliff.
This year there was a prize for the top unrated player as this was the first U.S.C.F. chess game for 9 players. The $20 prize for top Unrated Player was won by Brayden O'Banion. Second place unrated players were Ben Risner, Bryce Reiter, Carson Mouser, Alex Hagan, and Elliott Reiter. Third place unrated players were Keeton Fell and Emily Nalley. Fourth Place unrated players were Benji Rice and Josh Thompson All unrated player winners were awarded medals.

Click here for X-table.

KCA Awards and Recognition!!

After my last game in the Veteran's Appreciation Tournament, my opponent, Larry Bell asked me if I was the new expert from etown chess club that Steve Dillard wrote an article about at the KCA website and I told him that it was Joe. With much curiosity, I looked at the KCA website and found out that our club and some of our club members were mentioned in the article. Congratulations and thank you Joe for giving our chess club an exposure to the Kentucky chess community!! We are proud of you!

3rd Annual Veteran's Tournament

The picture above is the edible cake with chocolate pieces from last years tournament. I've been told that Amy Nunn, the current Kentucky Woman's Champion has volunteered to make this years cake.

There will be a raffle again this year and no one will go home empty handed! You will want to buy as many tickets as you can afford as I have seen some of the prizes!

The same lady who cooked last year will be cooking again... sorry my mouth was watering at the thought and I needed a Kleenex.

Donations for the raffle will be accepted up to the morning of the tournament.

Per request; here are the particulars on the Veterans Tournament.

Nov. 5 Veteran's Appreciation Chess Tournament
4SS, G/45. Cox's Creek Elementary School; 5635 Louisville Rd., Cox's Creek, KY. EF: Free to Veterans. All others: $20 by Nov 1, $25 at site (Cash Only). $$/Guaranteed, 1st Open $150, 1st Under 1000 $100, other prizes based on entries. REG.: 9:00-9:45 am. RDS.: First round 10 am, others ASAP. ENT: Elizabethtown Chess Club; PO Box 266; Elizabethtown, KY 42702-0266, (270) 872-5078, Steve Parsons. INFO: http//etownchess.blogspot.com.

The prize money is guaranteed and may be augmented depending on entry's.

Directions to playing site from E-town:
1. Start out going northeast on N Mulberry St/US-62 E/KY-61 N toward Plum Aly. 2.1 mi
2. Merge onto I-65 S toward Nashville.
If you reach Howell Dr you've gone about 0.3 miles too far
0.8 mi
3. Take the Martha Layne Collins Bluegrass Parkway exit, EXIT 93, toward Bardstown/Lexington. 0.9 mi
4. Merge onto Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Pky E. 19.6 mi
5. Take the US-31E exit, EXIT 21, toward Bardstown/Hodgenville. 0.4 mi
6. Turn left onto US-31E/New Haven Rd. Continue to follow US-31E. 2.1 mi
7. Turn slight right onto W Stephen Foster Ave/US-31E.
W Stephen Foster Ave is 0.1 miles past Muir Ave
0.3 mi
8. Enter next roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto US-31E. 5.8 mi
9. [5716-5765] LOUISVILLE RD.
Your destination is 0.1 miles past Wheeler Wright Ln
If you reach Creek Pointe Dr you've gone a little too far

[5716-5765] Louisville RdCoxs Creek, KY 40013

**Moved to the top of the page by author to facilitate finding the tournament info for tomorrow.

Thank You!!

Thank you for electing me as the President of our club! I appreciate your confidence in me and I hope to meet and even exceed your expectations. Joe, Amy, Stephanie and I would do the best we could to reach our goals and we need every help from all the club members to reach them. I have a simple goal in mind to attract more players to join our club and would like to discuss it with you all in our next meeting.

Gelvic

p.s. This is one of the icons from where I came from (Cebu City) in addition to what Jerry already posted. Inside is Magellan's cross.

New Club Officers

Great attendance last night for the "1st Tuesday business meeting"; Bob Kilmer, Rudy, Sal, Dave, Amy, Nick, Kerry, Jerry, Joe, and Joe's son Stephen.

The names of the "volunteers" for office were read and the floor was opened for any other nominee's or volunteers. After receiving no additional candidates for office Bob Kilmer moved that the candidates be approved by acclimation; the motion was seconded by everyone present and the candidates were voted into office.

The format for the 2012 Club Championship was discussed and two proposals were submitted: 1. The highest cumulative total over the twelve month period. 2. The sum of the Jan-Nov monthly tournaments with a top 4 quad to decide the winner. Having a "Booster" section for those under 1400 was also discussed and it was decided to give everyone a chance to mull over the ideas and bring the subject up for a vote at the 1st Tuesday in December meeting.

Your new Club officers are Gelvic Cubar President, Joe Farrell Vice President, Amy Nunn Secretary, and Stephanie Clayton Treasurer. Go to the home page and click on members then the individual name if you desire to see a picture of the new officers or check out their current rating.

Everyone played at least one game with Dave beating Sal in the only rated game of the night.

For The Record

While setting here wondering what happened to James Whiddon and Mike Leito I thought I'd bring you "the rest of the story".

Prior to the last round of the Game 75 Tournament a short meeting was held to vote on Stephanie's request for the Club to fund any shortfall in money for the guaranteed prize fund for the upcoming Veteran's Tournament. After a brief discussion a vote was taken and the request was denied. Immediately several Club members volunteered to pitch in out of pocket to cover any short fall. Stephanie, we support you and have your back, erase that worry from your mind!!

Joe suggested that we allow the first 30 minutes of one meeting a month to conduct Club business and provide a forum for any Club member to bring up issues or ideas. A vote was taken and it was decided that our business meeting would take place on the first Tuesday of each month.

Kerry Fatula missed the meeting due to the hospitalization of his wife, I don't have any details. Kerry your wife and family will be in the thoughts and prayers of all of us; don't hesitate to call if you need anything.

Andrew Preston "wore out" his artificial knee and will have it replaced 1 November;
Andrew may still be able to make the Veteran's Tournament to defend his title from last year. If not.. he may play by phone!! You can't keep a Cav Man down for long!
"High diddle diddle file from the middle, column left with a half step damned near a whole step .. march!"

And finally...I saved the best for last; we gained two new Club members last night!!

Kenneth Taylor; not a USCF member yet but a strong player who is destined to win the unrated prize in his first tournament.

Louis De Fiore; a USCF Life Member with a floor of 1700! Louis had a won game against Joe when his time ran out last night. (They were playing 5 minute games with no time delay!) Danger Will Robinson!

I guess that about wraps it up, don't miss the Veteran's Tournament; the raffle alone will be more than worth the trip.

Johnny Owens Wins "Tuesday Knights #1"

Round 5 of our Game/75 tournament was completed last evening and Johnny won against Amy to finish with 3.5 out of 5.

In the other games Gelvic won vs. Rudy and Ernie won vs. Sal.

The crosstable is located here:

Everyone that played, enjoyed the longer time control and I hope we can try
this again soon.

Sal Upsets Rudy In Game/75 Tourney!!

Tonight Gelvic was a no-show, so Rudy stepped-in to ensure we didn't have someone with a bye. Sal went on to upset him and win his first game in the tourney.

In the other games, Kerry beat Amy and Johnny and Ernie's game ended in a draw.

After 4 rounds:
Johnny has 2.5-1.5
Gelvic has 1.5-1.5
Ernie has 1.5-1.5
Kerry has 1.5-2.5
Mark A. has 1.0-0.0
Amy has 1.0-1.0
Sal has 1.0-1.0
Rudy has 0.0-1.0

The last round will be held next Tuesday!

Elections

While the chess board is a monarchy, the Club is not. November is nearly here and it is time to elect new Club Officers. Offices up for election are: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. We also need librarians. If no one will volunteer for these positions we will have to draft/nominate folks to fill these positions. The college may take away our privileges if they find out we have a sexagenarian as president!

Please send all nominations to the Secretary or post a comment below.

Farrell vs Weaver 10-11-11

Play chess online

I haven't fed this game to Fritz yet, but we need some comments.
Johnny, you certainly know the opening better than we played it.
Jerry, you're just the man to review the tactics.
my quick comments. I think that Ernie should have played c5 earlier and also needed to take the Knight as soon as it got to e5.
I looked at other moves besides 11Nxf7 but I thought the sac wouldn't be there again.
I calculated as far as my playing 14 Re1 and then looked at Ernie playing Bd8 and Bd5. I was confident that white wins against both, but I did not consider 14 Be4 until he played it.

Joe Farrell First Club Expert!!

Joe Farrell went 3 for 3 and won the October Rating Tournament breaking the 2000 barrier and becoming the first Club Expert!! Click here to see the X-table.

Joe joined the Club in 2008 and played in his first event in March of that year. While rusty from a long lay off, Joe found that his rating of 1970 didn't intimidate the patzers he would have to face at this new time control of game 30. It took Joe 42 events to gain 36 points! Along the way Joe suffered 15 loses and 25 draws (10 draws against Johnny Owens alone). A win against Joe was hard to come by; those who did win did not do so on a regular basis. Earnie Weaver tops the list with 6 wins out of 19 games followed by: Jerry Weldin with 4 wins out of 24 games, Steve Parsons with 2 wins out of 11 games (but with 7 draws Steve had the best percentage against Joe - 50%!!), Kerry Fatulla (always dangerous!!) 1 win out of 12 games, Nick Folino 1 win out of 5 games, and lastly my chess buddy Bob Kilmer ( who I have fought with over the board since the 1980's) - 1 win out of 4 games.

Joe, it was a long time coming , but richly deserved. We were all pulling for you while at the same time not wanting to be added to your "list of victums". Thanks for bringing your talent to our club.

Weaver vs. Fatula, G/75 Tournament

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Two More Join In For Tuesday Knights #1

Amy and Sal joined in tonight and played in round 3 of our Game/75 tournament! Johnny beat Gelvic and Amy beat Sal. Ernie and Kerry's game ended in a draw. The tournament will resume in 2 weeks as next week we will have our regular monthly tournament.

Standings after 3 rounds:
Johnny 2, Gelvic 1.5, Ernie & Amy 1, Kerry 0.5 and Sal 0.