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Chess Memories of Birthdays Past

When I was a younger man, I didn’t need to take a day off to rest on my birthday (December 18th). I much preferred going to work, which for most of my adult life, means playing chess with young people.

Kneeling next to Andrew Peng on my birthday in 2012.

I turned 35 on December 18th 2012 and went to my after school chess class in Cupertino, California. There, my birthday took second honors to recognizing the recent tournament achievements of Collins Elementary School chess players at the CalChess Grade Level State Championship. One student in particular, Andrew Peng finished top five in his section. (See my report on the 2012 CalChess Grade Level State Championship for more California chess history.) Additionally, Andrew played a most interesting game in my Birthday Simul, which for 2012, consisted of 7 boards where I played at rook odds against my elementary school-aged opponents.

[Event “Chris Torres Birthday Simul”]

[Site “Collins Elementary School in Cupertino, Ca”]

[Date “2012.12.18”]

[Board “1”]

[White “Chris Torres”]

[Black “Andrew Peng”]

[Result “1-0”]

[FEN “rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/1NBQKBNR w Kkq -“]

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Qa5 6.d4 Nf6 7.Bc4 Bb4 8.Qe2+ Be6

9.O-O Nc6 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Qxe6+ Kf8 12.Bxf4 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qxc3 14.Bh6 Re8

15.Qxf6+ Kg8 16.Qxg7#

1-0

This year, I am taking my birthday off to recharge my batteries. My only birthday wish is that fans of this chess blog consider making a donation to The Eade Foundation so that they can continue to build communities through chess.

Published by chessmusings

Chris Torres is a nationally renowned scholastic chess coach working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His classes have attracted players of strengths ranging from rank beginners to world champions. A chess professional since 1998, Chris is widely recognized as one of the main driving forces behind the explosion in popularity and sudden rise in quality of scholastic chess in California. Chris Torres served as the President of the Torres Chess and Music Academy from 2005-2020 and currently is recognized as a correspondence chess master with the United States Chess Federation. Since 1998 Chris Torres has taught 6 individual national champions as well as led multiple school teams to win national championship titles. In addition, Chris Torres has directed and taught at 10 different schools which have been California State Champions at chess. In 2011 and 2012, several former and current students of Chris Torres have been selected to represent the United States at the World Youth Chess Championships. Mr. Torres’ hobbies include playing classical guitar and getting his students to appear on the national top 100 chess rating lists.

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