Today I received a resignation notice from David Drevinsky in the 2006 USCF Golden Knights Semifinal. This means that I will be advancing to the Finals of this prestigious event. Below are the crosstables for my section in the 2006 Golden Knights Preliminary and Semifinal rounds. Perhaps at a future date I will post theContinue reading "2006 Golden Knights Results"
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens penned "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." as his opening line in his masterpiece A Tale of Two Cities. I found myself pondering Dickens work and applying the opening line to the plight of the poor chess players in two Bay Area cities. As many of my readerContinue reading "A Tale of Two Cities"
Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Day Two
Jeffrey Wei was the star of our chess camp on day two. During the school year I had the pleasure of watching Jeffrey play every week at Mission San Jose Elementary School. His chess abilities have quickly established him as one of the top players for his age in the country. Below is a fine example of Jeffrey'sContinue reading "Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Day Two"
Fremont Summer Chess Camp 2010: Day One
Forty children signed up for the first week of our annual chess camp in Fremont. Participants were attracted by the affordable price, world-class chess instruction and comfortable location. Ojas Arun had a particularly good first day at the Mission San Jose Elementary Chess Camp. Ojas managed to beat his coach (Chris Torres) while Chris was eating lunch. After lunch Ojas went onContinue reading "Fremont Summer Chess Camp 2010: Day One"
San Francisco’s Chess Blunder Continues to Receive Negative Press
I was very pleased to find that NBC Bay Area has run a story on San Francisco's decision to close down the famous chess games on Market Street. Here is the link to the article entitled "Chess Games a Pawn in San Francisco Redevelopment. Perhaps with more attention being focused on this issue from main stream newsContinue reading "San Francisco’s Chess Blunder Continues to Receive Negative Press"
Children’s Chess in the Bay Area
A Parent's Guide to Chess in the San Francisco Bay Area: Bay Area chess parents have many resources available to help establish their children's chess calendar. Two of my favorite Northern California chess websites are listed below. 1) SiliconValleyChess.com This is the web site to visit to get all the latest information on children's chess events inContinue reading "Children’s Chess in the Bay Area"
San Francisco Chess Players No Longer Welcome on Market Street
Since my initial letter to Gavin Newsom expressing concern over San Francisco's Market Street chess ban, a web-based movement has quickly developed and caused growing concern among chess players internationally. It is our belief that San Francisco's anti-chess stance was made without regard for the scores of individuals who have benefited from the chess games on Market Street over the lastContinue reading "San Francisco Chess Players No Longer Welcome on Market Street"
Chess Disappears from Market Street
Many large cities have a special place for chess enthusiasts to play outdoors. For example in Boston chess players play at Harvard Square. New Yorkers can always find a good chess game at Washington Square Park. For San Francisco, we used to play on Market Street near the Bart Station. Sadly, this San Francisco claim to fame has beenContinue reading "Chess Disappears from Market Street"
An Open Letter to Gavin Newsom
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"