Mayor Newsom, San Francisco has lost one of its more charming attractions. It used to be that pedestrians strolling down Market Street near the Powell BART station would be treated to lively blitz games played by eclectic groups of chess enthusiasts. When in the area, I would frequently find myself battling wits with investment bankers, street merchants, tourists,Continue reading "An Open Letter to Gavin Newsom"
USCF Top Correspondence Chess Players
Below is a list of the United States Chess Federation top 25 correspondence chess players for June 2010. Of personal note is number twelve, Thomas Langland. He is our current Calchess president and very active in the scholastic chess scene of Northern California. In fact, every time I see Tom he is burdened as a chief tournament director atContinue reading "USCF Top Correspondence Chess Players"
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4
Below is the infamous Blackburne Shilling Gambit. The name of this variation in the Italian Game is utter nonsense do to the fact that Blackburne never played this line and it is not a gambit because white cannot take the pawn on e5 without losing material. Despite the terrible nomenclature, every student of chess should know this game. Continue reading "1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4"
San Jose Chess Club at Little Genius Learning Center
San Jose Chess Club at Little Genius Learning Center 1556 South De Anza Boulevard, San Jose, California The San Jose Little Genius Chess Club meets every Saturday from 4:00pm until 6:30pm, beginning in September 2010. The San Jose Little Genius Chess Club is a very special chess program designed and taught by nationally renowned chessContinue reading "San Jose Chess Club at Little Genius Learning Center"
TCAMA Chess Class at Little Genius Learning Center
TCAMA Chess Class at Little Genius Learning Center 1556 South De Anza Boulevard, San Jose, California Fall 2010 Friday 4:00-5:00 Cost: $10 per session Course description: The Torres Chess and Music Academy, a 501c (3) non-profit organization, is pleased to be running this very special chess class designed and taught by nationally renowned chess instructorContinue reading "TCAMA Chess Class at Little Genius Learning Center"
Perfect Game at the National Elementary Chess Championship
Luke Zhao, a first grader from Fremont, played a perfect chess game at the 2010 Bert Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Below is his game with notes by his chess coach Chris Torres. [Event "Bert Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship"] [Site "Atlanta, Georgia"] [Date "2010.05.08"] [Round "1"] [White "Jha, Kubair"] [Black "Zhao, Luke"] [ResultContinue reading "Perfect Game at the National Elementary Chess Championship"
Another Lesson in the Jerome Gambit
I received so much positive feedback after I presented "The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!" that I decided to provide my readers with another Jerome Gambit lesson. If you are intrigued by the Jerome Gambit I suggest you visit Rick Kennedy's web page on the gambit here: http://jeromegambit.blogspot.com/ Have fun and study at your ownContinue reading "Another Lesson in the Jerome Gambit"
Albany, California Hires Top Chess Teacher to Run Summer Chess Camp
Albany residents should mark their calendars. August 2-19 nationally renowned chess teacher Chris Torres will be heading a summer chess camp for children ages 6-12. Attendees will receive the best training available and take part in USCF rated tournaments with awards given at the end of each week. Chris Torres prides himself in running chess camps that areContinue reading "Albany, California Hires Top Chess Teacher to Run Summer Chess Camp"
Fremont Second Grader Wins at 2010 National Elementary Chess Championship
Second grader Ojas Arun played a very nice game in round three at the 2010 Burt Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship. Ojas is another up and coming talent at Mission San Jose Elementary School in Fremont, California. [Event "National Elementary Chess Championship"] [Site "Atlanta, Georgia "] [Date "2010.05.08"] [Round "3"] [White "Arun, Ojas"] [Black "Paggart, Chandler"]Continue reading "Fremont Second Grader Wins at 2010 National Elementary Chess Championship"
Fremont Summer Chess Camp
Chris Torres is pleased to be running a very special chess camp designed to maximize learning and fun. This chess camp will feature instruction from Joe Lonsdale, Tans Hylkema and Chris Torres. These instructors possess decades of chess teaching experience. Attendees will receive the best training available with the coaches of the 2009 National Elementary Chess Champions and take part in USCF rated tournamentsContinue reading "Fremont Summer Chess Camp"
Mission San Jose Elementary Chess 09-10
Tonight was the final night of the school year for the chess team at Mission San Jose Elementary School in Fremont. The team members, parents and coaches all celebrated each others company one last time and reflected on the many success stories of the previous season. During this school year, Mission San Jose Elementary won the most sections at theContinue reading "Mission San Jose Elementary Chess 09-10"
Anand Is Still World Champion
Viswanathan Anand has secured his historic position among the greatest chess players who have ever lived by defeating Topalov and retaining his World Champion title. It seemed at times as if the unfriendly venue and team Topalov's psychological ploys might be too much for Vishy to overcome. Anand uncharacteristically missed several opportunities to put Topalov behind him and ended up going into the final gameContinue reading "Anand Is Still World Champion"
Cupertino Summer Chess Camp
The Torres Chess and Music Academy, a 501c (3) non-profit organization, is pleased to be running a very special chess camp designed by nationally renowned chess instructor Chris Torres. The Cupertino Summer Chess Camp will feature instructors with decades of chess teaching experience in a format that is fun, competitive and educational. Attendees will receive the bestContinue reading "Cupertino Summer Chess Camp"
Fremont Chess Schools Set New Standard for Success
Have you ever heard of Fremont, California? Chances are, if you follow scholastic chess in the United States, you have. Schools from Fremont have historically used schools from other California cities as punching bags in the local scholastic chess arena. Recently, there has been a major effort made in exposing the rest of the United States to California's best kept chess secret. InContinue reading "Fremont Chess Schools Set New Standard for Success"
National Elementary Chess Championship: Part Three
The 2010 edition of the Burt Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship is now history. Once Again, Northern California has proven itself to be an ideal location for budding young chess players to grow into national champions. Below is a list of the 2010 National Chess Champions from Northern California: Daniel Lu scored 6/7 at the 2010 Burt Lerner National Elementary ChessContinue reading "National Elementary Chess Championship: Part Three"
National Elementary Chess Championship: Part 2
Day Two of the 2010 Bert Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship is complete. California has several chess players who have a good chance to be crowned Nation Champion. In the K-5 Championship section, Allan Beilin is in first place with a perfect score. In the K-3 Championship section, California's Tanuj Vasudeva and Aaron Householder are both 5/5. Finaly, in the K-1 Championship section,Continue reading "National Elementary Chess Championship: Part 2"
National Elementary Chess Championship
The 2010 Bert Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship began on 5/7/2010. The best young chess players in the United states have gathered in Atlanta, Georgia to fulfill dreams of becoming a National Chess Champion. Well over 50 of Northern California's top scholastic chess players have concluded their first day in the 2010 Bert Lerner National Elementary Chess Championship. Continue reading "National Elementary Chess Championship"
CalChess Scholastic Chess Championship: Part Five
The results for the CalChess Scholastic Chess Championship provide a snapshot of the excitement in California's scholastic chess scene . Below are the results for the 2010 CalChess Scholastic State Chess Championship from the championship sections: source: http://www.bayareachess.com 9-12 Varsity Championship # Name Rtng Post Team Grd Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5Continue reading "CalChess Scholastic Chess Championship: Part Five"
CalChess Scholastic Chess Championship: Part Four
Tonight I attended the Monday night chess team meeting at Mission San Jose Elementary School. Head Coach Joe Lonsdale was very pleased with the teams results at the CalChess Scholastic Chess Championship and took time at the beginning of class to congratulate all of our top finishers. Below is a list of Mission San Jose's best individual scorers.Continue reading "CalChess Scholastic Chess Championship: Part Four"
CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships: Part Three
Day two of the 2010 CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships began with a rather contentious coaches meeting. As usual, all the colorful personalities and huge egos resulted in a very heated discussion. The use of electronic devices to keep score and the ability to have unrated players play in the junior varsity sections were the mostContinue reading "CalChess Scholastic Chess Championships: Part Three"