Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Rawlins, Mao Win Monday Under-1600

Guy Rawlins and Tyson Mao tied for first place in the December edition of the Marshall Chess Club's Monday Night Under-1600. They scored 4 points to take a prize of $112 apiece.

A half-point behind, Joseph Fortunato, James Black, Edward Daley, and Moshe Fohrman split the third-place money ($13.25 each), and Werner Buhrer won the under-1300 prize of $75.

Jim Frawley directed a field of 25. Prizes were increased over what was advertised because of the large turnout.

The next Monday Under-1600 begins on January 5 (register by 6:45 PM). It's open to all players rated under 1600 or unrated, and one game per week is played at a time limit of Game/90.


Click to show the crosstable

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Lapshun, Bonin , and Hoffman Win December Open II

IM Yuri Lapshun, IM Jay Bonin, and FM Asa Hoffman tied for first in the second December Open at the Marshall on December 27-28. Each scored 3 1/2 out of 4 to bring home $106.67.

Justus Williams won the Under-2000 prize ($87) with 3 points. Williams, had a remarkable tournament, winning two and drawing two against all-expert opposition for a performance over 2300 and a gain of more than 100 rating points. He's only in the fifth grade, so you know he's one to watch.

Kadhir Pillai won the Under-1700 prize ($73) with 2 1/2, including knocking off NM George Berg in the last round.

Leif Pressman directed teh 33-player field--note that the prizes were greater than advertised because of the large turnout.

Click to show the crosstable


And the official crosstable is also available on the USCF website.

Hoffman Wins Rapids

In the Friday Rapids on December 26, FM Asa Hoffmann won a double-round event over a 6 player field with a 9 wins and only one draw (against Matt Fischler).

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Victory For Justus

Justus Williams won all three games to win the Marshall's Under-1800 Victory tournament on Tuesday December 23. He took home $40 for the win. Jerry Monaco, Amir Moazami, and Glenn Kaplan tied for second and won $6.67. The next Victory tournament will be on January 27.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Black Leads Under-1600

The fourth round of the Monday Night Under-1600 saw the tournament's first three draws, and left James Black in sole possession of first place with 3 1/2 points. Joseph Fortunato, Guy Rawlins, Tyson Mao, Werner Buhrer, and James Rice are all a half-point back going into next week's final round.

Click to show the crosstable

Monday, December 22, 2008

Busy Weekend

The Chess Center of New York ran a bunch of events on the weekend of December 20-21 at the Marshall:

On Saturday, the NY December Action was won by IM Alex Lenderman with 4 1/2 out of 5. Lenderman topped a field of 24 players, including 2 Grandmasters, by a full point. He took home $164 for the victory.

Second place was shared by GM Sergey Kudrin, GM Michael Rohde, NM Adam Maltese, FM Asa Hoffmann, and FM Erez Klein, all with with 3 1/2; all won $35.

Ben Gershenov won the Under-2200 prize of $68 with 3 points, and Jake Miller and Eve Litvak shared the Under-2000 prize ($28 each).

Steve Immitt directed; the full crosstable is on the USCF website.

Sunday saw Aleksandr Ostrovskiy win the 8th annual New York December Under 13 Open with a perfect 4-9 score. Justus Williams finished clear second, a half point behind. Three players scored 3-1; in tiebreak order: Alex Yung (third place), John Kern (fourth), and Anthony Cortese (fifth). Zhengjia Jiang took sixth and Oliver Neubauer seventh (both with 2 1/2), while Michael Wu (eighth), Justin Cooper (ninth), and Warren Wang (tenth) rounded out the prize list.

Meanwhile, in the December Under-13 Novice, Ella Papanek took first place with 4-0; Daniel Yedidia (second) and Verona Gowrie (third) scored 3-1; the 2 1/2-point scorers were Praveen Balakrishnan (4th), Thomas Benson (5th), Teseo Torras (6th), Liam Pharr (7th), Clara Neubauer (8th), and Clay Papanek (9th); Alexander Wright placed 10th with 2-2, and Cole Jacklin was the top Unrated player with 1 1/2.

Steve Immitt and Sophia Rohde directed the Under-13 events, and the complete crosstables are available from USCF.

Yashsavi Sharad topped a field of 12 in the Sunday Afternoon Under-1400 Action, scoring 4-0 and winning $60. Daniel Zhu and Moshe Fohrman scored 3-1 to splic second and third prizes, $28 each. Steve Immitt directed, and by now you can probably guess where the crosstable is.

We're not done yet! On Sunday evening, Bora Yagiz won the Sliding Scale Quad. His 2 1/2 poins were worth $64. Steve Immitt directed, and the crosstable etc. See what you miss if you go away for a few days?

Friday, December 19, 2008

Lenderman Wins "Four Rated Games Tonight"

IM Alex Lenderman won the Chess Center Of New York's "Four Rated Games Tonight" on December 18 with a perfect 4-0 score. It's always nice to have a new title for a post!

Lenderman's sweep was good for a $103 payoff. FM Boris Privman finished second a half-point behind for $69, and NM Leif Pressman was in sole possession of third with 3-1 for $65.

Pressman's payoff was actually the Under-2200 prize, and the fourth place finishers--GM Maurice Ashley, NM Yefim Treger, NM Yevgeni Margulis, NM Jerald Times, van Z Rabin, Michael Ellenbogen, and NM Joseph Lux--all picked up $5 for their 2 1/2 point scores.

Aaron Landesman and Gabor Schnitzler won the Under-2000 prize with 2-2 scores, getting $29 each.

Steve Immitt directed the 23-player G/30 event. The crosstable is available from the USCF. The next Four Rated Games will be on Jan 1, 2009.

Hulse Leads Thursday Night Members' Open

NM Brian Hulse leads the Marshall Thursday Night Members' Open with 2 o;1/2 points after the third round on December 25. Hulse defeated the previous occupant of first place, NM Ed Frumkin.

Long-time Marshall regular Ken Cohen scored a big upset, defeating Ed Scher (rated 636 points above him) to move into a tie for second with Frumkin, Nelson Farber, and Mark Gerstl.

The tournament takes a break for the Christmas and New Year's holidays, and will resume on Thursday January 8 at 7 PM. By then the suspense will be killing us.

Click to show the crosstable

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Whitley , Berkun, Treger, and Maksymowicz Win Under-2000

Errol Whitley and Boris Berkun drew their top board game, allowing Anatoly Treger and Chris Maksymowicz to catch up and tie for first place in the Marshall Wednesday Night Under-2000 Swiss. All scored 3-1 and won $60.

A half-point back Edward Moscovic, Kenneth Collins, and Ken Cohen finished tied for the Under-1700 prize ($20 each).

The next Wednesday Under-2000 begins on January 7 and is open to all players rated below 2000 or unrated. Register by 6:45 PM. One game a week is played at 7 PM each Wednesday through February 4.

Click to show the crosstable

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

December St. John's Masters Games

Steve Immitt was kind enough to send along the scores of the top-board games from the December St. John's Masters, and so here they are for your edification. Steve directs your attention to the 62-mover struggle between IM Alex Lenderman and GM Mike Rohde in Round 3: "a particularly exciting game--not the typical 'GM draw' this time!"


Lenderman Wins St. John's Masters

IM Alex Lenderman won the St. John's Masters on December 15 with a score of 3 1/2 out of 4. Lenderman gave up only a draw to GM Michael Rohde en route to winning $300.

Second prize was shared by IM Yury Lapshun and IM Jay Bonin at 3-1; each won $150. FM Alec Getz and expert Evan Rabin shared the Under-2400 and Under-2300 prizes with 2 1/2; each picked up $45, and Rabin also collected $30 prize for biggest upset for his first-round win over FM Asa Hoffman. The complete crosstable is available on the USCF website.

Thanks again to our sponsor, St. John's University; Dr. Frank Brady, tournament organizer; Steve Immitt, chief TD; and to Ed Frumkin and Glen Statile for helping with relaying the moves on Board One to ICC each round.

The next third-Tuesday-of-the-month St. John's Masters Tournament is on January 20th at 7:00 pm. The tournament is open to players rated 2100 and above, as well as any player Under 2100 who scores at least 2½ points in one of the "4 Rated Games Tonight!" Thursday Night Action tournaments between December 18th and January 15th. The games from the top boards will again be shown live on ICC beginning 7 pm January 20th.

See everyone next month!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Carnage Continues In Under-1600

James Black has the only remaining perfect score in the Marhsall Monday Under-1600 after the three rounds. The holiday spirit continued to work on the contestants, as all twelve games on December 15 were decisive. There still hasn't been a single draw in the whole tournament! Next round is Monday December 22 at 7 PM.

Click to show the crosstable

Bonin and Margulis Win December Open

IM Jay Bonin and NM Yevgeni Margulis scored 3 1/2 out of 4 to tie for first in the Marshall December Open on December 13-14. They took home $87 each for topping a field of 23.

Tied for third at 3-1 were FM Boris Privman, NM James West, and NM George Berg, who earned $15.33 apiece.

Daniel Vulis and Kapil Chandran won the Under-2000 prize ($30 each) with 2 1/2; Reva Shree Singh and Steven Khais were top under-1700 with 2 1/2 (worth $25 each).


Click to show the crosstable

Lenderman Super In Rapids

IM Alex Lenderman shot out the lights in the Friday Night Super Rapids on December 12 with an 8-0 score.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Frumkin Leads Thursday Night Members' Open

NM Ed Frumkin moved into first place after two rounds of the Marshall Thursday Night Members' Open. He has the only remaining perfect score.

The Holiday Spirit doesn't seem to have reached the Thursday night crew--three of the five games this week were drawn.

There's still time for Marshall members to enter the tournament, which runs through January 15 (no games December 25 or January 1) with one game a week at 7 PM. To enter, register by 6:45. Come on in and show these guys how it's done.

Click to show the wall chart

Kacheishvili Wins "Four Rated Games Tonight"!

Surprisingly enough, GM Giorgi Kacheishvili won the Chess Center of New York's "Original Four Rated Games Tonight" on Thursday, December 11. He scored 3 1/2 points and earned $80.

Three players tied for second with 3-1: IM Jay Bonin and Yefim Treger split $40 each, while Natanael Moraes (rated 1970 on the wall chart) picked up $50 for the best score under 2200.

Moshe Uminer, Bora Yagiz, and Gabor Schnitzler split the Under-2000 prize, scoring 2-2 and taking home $15 each.

The complete results are available from the USCF website. Andre Harding directed a field of 17 players; no zombie re-entrants this week.

Holiday Spirit watch: only four draws in the tournament--one each round. Not bad!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Chess Holiday Spirt Takes Over Under-2000

The players in the Marshall Wednesday Under-2000 seem to have caught the chess version of the holiday spirit from the Under-1600s--all eight games in the third round on December 10 were decisive.

Errol Whitley, Boris Berkun, William Dubinsky, and Edward Moscovic are tied for first with 2 1/2 points. The final round will be be next Wednesday, December 17th, at 7:00 PM.

Click to show the crosstable

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

All Games Decisive In Under-1600

Round two of the Marshall Monday Under-1600 Swiss resulted in ten more decisive games. There have been no draws in the tournament yet. It seems that in Chess, the Holiday spirit involves a lot of bloodshed.

Anyone rated under 1600 or unrated can still enter the tournament, which consists of one game every Monday night at 7 PM (register by 6:45, please). The new time control is 90 minutes for the game.

Click to show the crosstable

Monday, December 8, 2008

Kacheishvili Wins Marshall December Grand Prix

Sometimes it seems that the majority of our news items are titled "Kacheishvili Wins [event name]". On December 6-7, GM Georgi Kacheishvili did it again, sweeping a field of 30 to win the Marshall December Grand Prix and $250.

FM Alec Getz was the sole occupant of second place with 3 1/2, worth $100. Im Jay Bonin and Harry Wheeler tied for third with 3 points, Bonin taking the $75 third-place money and Wheeler $100 for top player under 2200. Tamir Koren, rated only 1666 on the wallchart, won the Under-2000 prize of $100 with 2 1/2.

Leif Pressman directed the 30-player field.

Click to show the crosstable

Kacheishvili Wins "Four Rated Games Tonight"

This is our most frequently-repeated headline! On Thursday, December 4, GM Giorgi Kacheishvili scored a clean 4-0 to win the Chess Center of New York's "Original Four Rated Games Tonight". He picked up $130 for the victory.

Second place was a huge tie at 3-1: GM Maurice Ashley, IM Jay Bonin, NM Yefim Treger, FM Alec Getz, and FM Boris Privman all picked up $26, while NM Leif Pressman and Nitai Leve pulled down $41 in under-2200 money.

Moshe Uminer, Yefrem Zats, and Aaron Landesman split the Under-2000 prize, scoring 2-2 and taking home $24 each.

The complete results are available from the USCF website. Andre Harding directed a field of 27 players and a replicant Treger.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Thursday Night Members' Open Begins

The latest instance of the Thursday Night Members' open got underway on December 4 with 12 players. The tournament runs through January 15 (no games December 25 or January 1) with one game a week at 7 PM. To enter, register by 6:45.

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Thursday, December 4, 2008

Bobby Fischer Revisited

On Monday, December 8, 2008 at 6:30 PM, the Marshall Chess Club will be the recipient of an extensive archive of letters, telegrams, photographs and other memorabilia concerning Bobby Fischer, the only American ever to become the World’s Chess Champion. Fischer died in January of 2008.

The archive is being donated to the Club by Russell Targ, the former husband of the late Joan Fischer Targ, Bobby Fischer’s sister.

“Once this archive is listed and cataloged, it will be an important resource to chess historians and scholars,” said Dr. Frank Brady, President of the Marshall Chess Club, and Fischer’s biographer.

Dr. Brady is also donating his vast collection of Fischer documents, clippings and ephemera to the Club.

Included in the Targ Collection is the original scoresheet, in Fischer’s handwriting, of his famous “Game of the Century,” played when he was only 13 years of age, and foretold his ascent to the summit of world chess.

Some of the chess items from the collection will be on display this Monday, December 8th.

The public is invited to attend the giving ceremony.

For further information, please contact Ms. Inez Cintron at 212-477-3716.

Only Maksymowicz Perfect in Under-2000

After the second round of the Marshall Wednesday Under-2000, only Chris Maksymowicz remains with a perfect score. The field is up to 20 players, and entry is still open (register by 6:45 next Wednesday), though only two rounds remain.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Margulis and Corbblah Win NY Experts

The monthly NY Experts action event on Decemer 2 was won by NM Yevgeni Margulis and Jonathan Corbblah with 3-1 scores. Fabrice Fiol and Aaron Landesman tied for third a half-point behind the leaders. Gabor Schnitzler won the Under-1800 prize. Eight players participated.

Click to show the crosstable

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

New Monday Under-1600 Underway

The December instance of the Marshall Monday Under-1600 Swiss is off and running. Twenty players participated in Round One on December 1, and all ten games were decisive. Anyone rated under 1600 or unrated can still enter the tournament, which consists of one game every Monday night at 7 PM (register by 6:45, please). The new time control is 90 minutes for the game.

Click to show the crosstable

Monday, December 1, 2008

Lapshun Wins Game/30

IM Yuri Lapshun won the Sunday Game/30 on November 30. Lapshun scored 4 1/2 out of 5 and won $105. FM Asa Hoffmann and NM Yaacov Norowitz tied for second with 4 points, good for $52.50.

NM Olson Ortiz won the under-2200 prize ($57) with 3 1/2, and Aaron Landesman closed out a big weekend by scoring 3 points to win the $48 Under-2000 prize.

Twenty one players showed up to bid farewell to November under the direction of Leif Pressman.

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Hoffman and Landesman Win Saturday G/60

FM Asa Hoffmann and Aaron Landesman scored 3.5 out of 4 to tie for first pace in the Saturday Game/60 on November 29. They won $87 each. Eigen Wang and Darrian Robinson tied for third with 3 points, Wang winning $45 in third-place money and Robinson $55 for top score for a player rated between 1700-1999. Ethan Segall won $55 in under-1700 money for his 2.5 point score. Twenty-two players shook off tryptophan stupors to play; Matt Fischler and Leif Pressman directed.

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Adeyemi Wins Friday Rapids

Kola Adeyemi won first place in the Friday rapids on November 28 with a score of 6-2. 5 players participated in a double round-robin.

New Wednesday Under-2000 Begins

The latest incarnation of the Wednesday Night Under-2000 Swiss began on November 26 with 16 players. It's only four rounds this time (December 3, 10, and 17), and you can still enter--register by 6:45; rounds are at 7 PM.

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

New Time Limit For Monday Under-1600

Starting with the Tournament that begins on December 1, the Monday Under-1600 will be played at a time limit of 90 minutes for the whole game.

Monday Under-1600 Ends In Tie

The Marshall Monday Night Under-1600 ended in multi-way ties for both first place and top under-1300. First place was a tie between Joseph Fortunato, Guy Rawlins and Tyson Francis Mao, each with a score of 4 Points in 5 Rounds, each winning $84.33. The Prize for the best score for those rated Under 1300 was a five way tie between Efrain Diaz, Werner Buhrer, Douglas Hare, Randy Dorleans, and Ean Fonseca, each with a score of 3 points, each winning $12.60.

The next Under-1600 starts Monday December 1. It's open to all players rated under 1600 or unrated; register by 6:45PM. One game is played every Monday at 7 PM at a time limit of 90 minutes sudden death.

Click to show the crosstable

Monday, November 24, 2008

"What A Turkey" a Cornucopia of Chess

The Chess Center of New York's "What a Turkey" slow Swiss drew over 60 players to the Marshall Chess Club on the weekend of November 22-23.

GM Giorgi Kacheishvili and IM Alex Lenderman celebrated Thanksgiving early by tying for first in the Open section with 3 1/2 out of 4, good for $305 each. Third prize was shared by GM Sergey Kudrin, IM Justin Sarkar and Yefim Treger who scored 3-1 and took home $34 each. Denys Lesyk and Robert Guevara split the Under-2200 prize ($51 each) with 2 1/2. 34 players plus a reanimated Treger participated.

In the Under-2000 section, David Spigel, Frank Paciulli, and Jasmine Grant tied for first with 3 1/2, good for $102 each. Namchul Shin and Jacob Berman won the Under-1800 prize, $51 apiece. There were 28 players and a surplus Moazami.

The entire feast was directed by Steve Immitt, and the crosstable is available from the USCF website.

Pressman Proves Point

NM Leif Pressman won the Chess Center of New York's "Prove Your Point" on Saturday November 22. His a 3-0 score was worth $40. Raven Sturt and NM Kassa Korley picked up $10 for going 2-1. Eight players participated under the direction of Steve Immitt. The crosstable is available on the USCF website.

Zhe Quan Blitzes Rapids

FM Zhe Quan won the Friday Night Rapids on November 21 with a score of 12-1, losing only to FM Asa Hoffmann. 2nd place went to NM Yefim Treger, and 3rd was split among FM Asa Hoffmann and NM David Zimmer. Andre Lopez won the U2000 prize convincingly, winning 8.5/13 of his games. Fourteen players participated.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Rohde and Lenderman Win Ten Grand Prix Points Tonight

GM Giorgi Kacheishvili won the "Four Rated"--no, wait, that's all wrong. GM Michael Rohde and IM Alex Lenderman ended Kacheishvili's streak of first place finishes in the Chess Center of New York's "Four Rated Games Tonight" on Thursday November 20. (This week's edition was officially titled "Ten Grand Prix Points Tonight".) Rohde beat Kacheishvili in the final round and joined Lenderman (who drew with GM Sergey Kudrin) in the winner's circle with 3 1/2 points. They each earned $155.

Tied for third with 3-1 were GM Sergey Kudrin and FM Zhe Quan ($22 each), along with NM Yevgeni Margulis and Evan Rabin ($45 each in Under-2200 money). Bora Yagiz won the Under-2000 prize ($82) with 2 1/2.

The field was 30 players plus a bonus Schnitzler, and Steve Immitt directed. The next tournament is December 4--you're assumed to have something better to do next Thursday.

The crosstable is available from the USCF website.

Berg Cruises to Victory in Thursday Night Swiss

NM George Berg drew his final-round game against Marian Waxman to wrap up sole first prize in the Marshall Thursday Night Members-Only Swiss with a 4-1 score. NM Brian Hulse won his game to finish second a half-point back. First prize was $66 and second was $38.

IM Renato Naranja, NM Ed Gaillard, Marian Waxman, and Edward Moscovic tied for third with 3-2. Naranja and Gaillard won $13.50 each and Waxman and Moscovic split the Under-2000 prize of $16.50 apiece.

The next Thursday Night Swiss begins on December 4 and runs through January 15; no rounds on December 25 or January 1. It's open to all Marshall members and one game is played every Thursday at 7:00 PM with a time limit of 30/90, SD/60.

Click to show the crosstable

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Whitley, Moore, and Molina Win Wednesday Under 2000

Turpana Molina, who was seeded 20th out of the 20 players with a rating of 923, defeated Errol Whitley (1956), who had a perfect 4-0 score, to tie with Whitley and Dennis Moore for first prize in the Marshall Wednesday Under-2000. The three won $82.33 each for their 4-1 scores.

Tied for fourth a half-point behind the leaders were Anatoly Treger, Mark Sinz, and Linda Diaz. They earned $16.67 apiece.

The next Wednesday Under-2000 begins November 26th (register by 6:45 PM, please) and will be a four-round event instead of the usual five. The event is open to all players rated under 2000 or unrated. One game is played every week at 7 PM, at a time limit of 30 moves in 90 minutes followed by one hour sudden death.

Click to show the crosstable

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Yudasin and Rohde Win St. John's Masters

Grandmasters Leonid Yudasin and Michael Rohde shared 1st/2nd prize at the St. John's Masters on Tuesday November 18. Each scored 3 1/2 out of 4 to outdistance a field of 23 players and win $250.

GM Georgi Kacheishvili finished clear 3rd with 3 points ($100), and Evan Rosenberg, Yaacov Norowitz, Yevgeni Margulis, Dan Lowinger (all NMs), and Nitai Leve each won a $30 share of the Under 2400 + Under 2300 prizes with 2 1/2. Lowinger also won the additional $50 upset prize for his first round victory over IM Justin Sarkar. The full crosstable is available from the USCF website.

Here are Kacheishvili's games. He played on Board 1 in Rounds 1-3 and Board 2 in round 4--due to the quick last-round draw on Board 1 between Rohde and Yudasin, the we're showing his thumping of IM Alex Lenderman, to finish in 3rd, instead.



Thanks again to our sponsor, St. John's University; Dr. Frank Brady, the organizer; Chief Tournament Director Steve Immitt; Ed Frumkin who assisted with the tournament directing; and Michael Karon, who assisted with the scorekeeping and move relaying for ICC, which broadcast the top Board games live each round.

The next monthly edition of the St. John's Masters tournament will again be on the third Tuesday of the month, December 16th, at 7:00 pm, and you'll again be able to follow the top games live on ICC each round if you can't make it to the Club.

(Thanks to Steve Immitt for sending the results and games, and writing most of the report.)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Mao Leads Under-1600

Tyson Mao moved into the lead with 31/2 points after four rounds of the Monday Under-1600. Five players are tied for second a half-point behind: Joseph Fortunato, Guy Rawlins, Efrain Diaz, Douglas Hare, and Ean Fonseca. The final round will be next Monday, November 24, at 7 PM.

Click to show the crosstable