On Saturday, April 22, I hosted the Daily Chess Musings Spring Invitational Chess Tournament at the Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills, California. This was a very special event for me as it was the first invitational chess tournament I have organized since the onset of the pandemic. As is my tradition, thereContinue reading “DCM Spring Invitational Chess Tournament in Los Altos Hills”
Tag Archives: Norcal Chess
Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study
Pure pawn endgames are said to be the simplest of all endings but that doesn’t mean they are always easy to win. A case and point is presented in a recent blog post where I shared a blown opportunity in a King and pawn endgame I witnessed at a Northern California youth chess tournament. AsContinue reading “Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study”
2023 CalChess K-8 Scholastic State Championship
The CalChess K-8 Scholastic Championship is truly one of the most special and memorable events on the Bay Area Chess tournament calendar. I took a stroll around the 2022-23 CalChess K-8 Scholastic State Championship and was quickly reminded why this tournament is commonly referred to as the “Super States!” Enjoy the photos below and lookContinue reading “2023 CalChess K-8 Scholastic State Championship”
Photos from the 2023 CalChess K-5 Scholastic State Championship
This past weekend I was in attendance for the historic 2022-23 CalChess Scholastic State Championship and there was no place I rather be! Bay Area Chess put on a great tournament and as the CalChess Scholastic Coordinator I had the pleasure to review dozens of chess games and saying “hi” to hundreds of friends. BeingContinue reading “Photos from the 2023 CalChess K-5 Scholastic State Championship”
Photos from the 2023 US Amateur Team West Championship Scholastic Chess Tournament
The US Amateur Team West Championship is one of the most enjoyable California chess traditions. A team event, the US Amateur Team West attracts all the usual faces and their friends to compete in a weekend long celebration of chess. Each year there is also a USATW Scholastic Tournament. As a chess coach, Editor forContinue reading “Photos from the 2023 US Amateur Team West Championship Scholastic Chess Tournament “
California Chess Players Come Together to Support Scholastic Chess in Africa
The Eade Foundation is sending support for scholastic chess in Capetown, South Africa thanks to some help from the fine young chess players of Mission 360. Readers of this blog will recall an article entitled “NorCal Chess Organizations Working Together in Support of Building Chess Communities in South Africa.” In that post, I described howContinue reading “California Chess Players Come Together to Support Scholastic Chess in Africa”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 50
What’s better than finding money in an old jacket that you haven’t worn in years? Perhaps discovering a notation sheet to a nice game you forgot you played stuffed inside an old chess book. Back in 2013, I recall regularly experimenting with Grob’s Attack. Occasionally I did so while running my now legendary Fremont ChessContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 50”
NorCal Chess Organizations Working Together in Support of Building Chess Communities in South Africa
Join The Eade Foundation, Mission 360 and Bay Area Chess in San Jose, California to play chess and raise funds for Defying the Oddz Chess (South Africa). Chess holds the power to unite continents while giving communities opportunities to learn and grow. Bay Area chess players are invited to further this cause in South AfricaContinue reading “NorCal Chess Organizations Working Together in Support of Building Chess Communities in South Africa “
Chess Photos from the 2022-23 CalChess Grade Level Championship
I had a blast attending the 2022-23 CalChess Grade Level Championship hosted by Bay Area Chess. From the enthusiasm of the young competitors to getting to hear from many fans of my Daily Chess Musings YouTube Channel, I could not have ask for a better way to spend my birthday weekend. I look forward toContinue reading “Chess Photos from the 2022-23 CalChess Grade Level Championship”
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. I turned 35 on December 18th 2012 and went to my after school chess classContinue reading “Chess Memories of Birthdays Past”
Winning Chess Moves: Caruana vs. Lenderman, 2018
The 2018 US Championship was an action packed event. The San Francisco Bay Area’s own Grandmaster Sam Shankland stole the spotlight by taking first place over such pre-tournament favorites such as Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura. Norcal chess enthusiasts weren’t exactly shocked by GM Shankland’s championship run as we have long since grownContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Caruana vs. Lenderman, 2018”
CalChess Journal Fall 2022
The Fall 2022 issue of the CalChess Journal is a whopping 33 pages filled with California chess news, Bay Area chess results and annotated games from NorCal chess players.
Plenty of Real Chess Drama at the Real Bay Area Championship
Chess players from around the San Francisco Bay Area showed up to battle for a share of the $10,000 prize fund at The Real Bay Area Championship this weekend in Milpitas, California. I took a break from analyzing games to capture photographs of the over-the-board chess drama. Look for a full report on this excitingContinue reading “Plenty of Real Chess Drama at the Real Bay Area Championship “
Say Gay Chess Day 2022
I was honored to be employed as the Chief Tournament Director for The Eade Foundation’s Say Gay Chess Day chess tournament. It was especially fitting that James Eade formally welcomed the gay community into the chess community in a place that has such a storied chess history as The Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco. InContinue reading “Say Gay Chess Day 2022”
The CalChess Journal Spring/Summer 2022
The CalChess Journal is the official news magazine for Northern California chess. In the Spring/Summer issue you can read about the most important California chess events of the last several months and see the games of Norcal chess’ top players. Special thanks to Bay Area Chess, The Berkeley Chess School, The Eade Foundation, Mission 360,Continue reading “The CalChess Journal Spring/Summer 2022”
Francisco Friday for 6/10/2022
When it comes to attacking in chess, the stronger, the faster and the more difficult to deal with, the better. In today’s game, attacking maestro Francisco Anchondo uses a well conducted early pawn storm to penetrate his opponent’s defenses with brute force. [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2022.03.12”] [White “Anonymous”] [Black “Francisco Anchondo”] [Result “0-1”]Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 6/10/2022”
The Menlo Park Chess Club
A couple of my friends have spoken very highly about the Menlo Park Chess Club which has been steadily growing since its launch in the Fall of 2021. On Wednesday evening I visited the club for the first time to see what all the excitement was about. Upon arriving, you will notice the serenity surroundingContinue reading “The Menlo Park Chess Club”
Francisco Friday for 6/3/2022
Popular with beginners who strictly follow the time honored opening principles they have been taught, The Four Knights Opening has a reputation of leading to a rather dull positional game. However, Francisco Anchondo makes a habit of taking an opening with a dull reputation and running it through a metaphoric knife sharpener until it canContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 6/3/2022”
Girls K-12 CalChess State Championship 2022
A friendly reminder that the 2022 Girls Calchess State Championship is this Saturday (June 4th). The Berkeley Chess School does a wonderful job organizing this prestigious event and I highly recommend that all the young ladies in the Northern California chess community consider attending. All participants will be broken into sections by school grade: Kindergarten-3rdContinue reading “Girls K-12 CalChess State Championship 2022”
IM Invitational Norm Tournament 2022 Standings
Mission 360 and Bay Area Chess have teamed up for another IM Norm Tournament in San Jose, California. These prestigious FIDE rated tournaments give much needed opportunities for California’s rising chess stars to earn internationally recognized chess titles. Below is the cross table after the fourth round. As you can see, this event is talentContinue reading “IM Invitational Norm Tournament 2022 Standings”