Tag Archives: Chess

Huntsville Chess Club Information

Misc Info

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Since the beginning of the year, we’ve had over 30 brand new players attend the club and the past 3 weeks, we’ve averaged 22 participants. This growth is great, we appreciate you, and we wanted to make sure that we pause give anyone new the same information that all of our more tenured club members should already know.

Membership

The Huntsville Chess Club strives to be able to offer great value to all of its members. Casual chess at the club is always free, without a membership requirement. By becoming an official member, you become eligible to compete in team matches, the yearly Huntsville City Championship, the extensive online video library, and receive a significant discount on events and chess equipment. It helps us to offer some of the great things we’ve been doing lately, like the trip to the Amateur Team South Championship tournament.

Click here to join!

Organization

The Huntsville Chess Club is organized by a board of 6 HCC members. We meet quarterly to discuss anything and everything involving our club. Please email us if you have any suggestions about anything you might like to see at one of our meetings, or if you would like to get more involved in volunteer chess work (coaching, helping out at meetings or tournaments, etc.). We’ll bring it up at our next board meeting and let you know the status. Check out our list of Officers here.

Chess Equipment

We may provide equipment for new folks to use, but most tournaments will not. We don’t want the initial cost of getting into chess to be a deterrent for new players. We’re pleased to offer a limited selection of quality chess equipment at a discounted rate for our official members, to include, clocks, sets, boards, and bags. Buy online and pick it up at the next Monday meeting.

Click here to check it out.

USCF Rated Tournaments

From time to time, we offer USCF rated tournaments. We will still have plenty of players not participating to offer everyone a game, so don’t let that stop you from attending on one of these nights. We have a tournament starting 3/18 and end on 4/15. Byes are available for all rounds but the last. Even if you can only attend 1 week, please register here!

As always, drop us a line at huntsvillechessclub@gmail.com or talk to Pat at the club if you have any questions about how to get involved in rated tournament play or have questions about anything else that happens at the club.

Huntsville Chess Club Information

Weekly News – G60; d5 Tournament

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In appreciation for our membership who have patiently waited for a tournament of G60 or higher, we plan to hold one spreading across 5 weeks starting Monday, 3/18. Please sign up using the links below. You will need to be both a USCF and HCC member to play. You can register for these groups if you need to using the links below.

If you haven’t yet played in a standard rated USCF tournament, what are you waiting for? We will help you through it in a much lower pressure environment than typical tournaments. As always, if you don’t want to play in the tournament, there will still be an opportunity to play other folks who aren’t participating.

Register / Renew USCF Here

Register

As a reminder, the HCC will be driving down to Birmingham this weekend to play in the Caesar tournament there. We still have one spot available if you would like to join us! Just email huntsvillechessclub@gmail.com and let us know if you do or if you have any questions.

One Open Section – Conference room registration is down, so these games will be played in the typical club playing area or off to the side of it.

5 Rounds Swiss System G60; d5 – Games will begin as promptly by 6pm as possible. Please let us know if you are going to be late on a given week. Otherwise, we’ll try to wait for you to arrive before starting.

Entry Fee: $10

Prize: Antique WWII era heirloom chess set.

Byes: 1/2 point bye available for all but the final round.

Depending upon whether we will have access to the equipment, Board 1 games may be broadcast live!

Huntsville Chess Club Information

Birmingham Classic Carpool Opportunity

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We sent this information out via email last week, but it appears that some did not receive it. Sending again as a reminder and in case those who didn’t receive it are interested.

Birmingham Classic 3/16/19 – Tournament Details

If you are considering attending the Birmingham Classic tournament on 3/16, you may want to join us as we carpool down on Saturday morning and back immediately following the tournament.  


We can take 5 additional people in my vehicle (7 total).  First-come, first served.  If you’re interested, please reply to this email directly.  Also, please indicate if you’re willing to drive your vehicle as well (in the event that we have more than 5 folks interested in attending).  Gas money contributions are appreciated, but not required.  


For new members (and a refresher for our more seasoned membership) – 
Recently, we’ve had a lot of new folks come out to play chess with us at the library, which we think is AWESOME!  The tournament population is similar to that of our meetings.  There are plenty of people at all skill levels to compete against.  So, don’t think that just because you’re new, you won’t stand a chance.  There are even prizes designed for the different levels and sections!  
In contrast to our weekly meetings, most tournaments require you to provide your own equipment.  If you don’t have a tournament set, we can lend you one or sell you a complete board, set, clock, and bag for $35 so you’ll be able to participate in any tournament you would like to in the future.  The club makes a few bucks on this discounted deal, but it’s still a better deal than you’ll be able to find anywhere else.  We don’t want equipment costs to stand in the way of tournament chess!
To attend this tournament with us, you’ll need to be a HCC, USCF, and ACF member (USCF and ACF are all that’s required for the tournament, itself, but HCC membership is required to catch a free ride with us).  That might sound like a lot if you’re thinking about playing in your first tournament, but there are unique benefits to holding membership in each organization.  If you aspire to become (or think you might) an active tournament participant, it’s an investment that easily pays for itself.
If you’re still reading this post, why not give it a shot?

Birmingham Classic 3/16/19 – Tournament Details – send an email to CaesarChess@gmail.com and include name, USCF ID, and what section you would like to be entered into.

HCC Membership
USCF Membership
ACF Membership
If you have never played in a USCF rated tournament, it’s an intense and rewarding experience, but it can be overwhelming for first-time participants.  Attending with a group of friends can take a lot of the stress out of it.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  We are happy to walk you through each step of the process.

Huntsville Chess Club Information

Weekly News 03/04/19 – Misc News Updates (Plus Lots of Cool Pics)

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The HCC has been busy!  Our Chess in a Cave event made National News!  Thanks to David Hayes for publicizing what’s become our flagship scholastic annual event.  USCF Online Magazine

We fielded 2 teams for the Alabama State Scholastic Chess Championship.  We had 3 organic HCC members and were thankfully able to “borrow” a player from the MCCL for our K-6 Club team, who played board 2, and a board 4 from the Chess Kids Nation for the High School club team.   We were very happy to join forces to allow some kids to play on Sunday of the tournament, who otherwise would not have been able to.  They all played their games as though they were playing for their original clubs.

It was kind of a spur of the moment thing to put a team together, so we went in looking to have fun without a lot of expectations, but both teams performed really well for their first 4 vs 4 team tournament.  Noteworthy achievements were a draw against Expert Om Badhe, and a win over an 1800+ player, on Board 1 by Joel Friedman and a near perfect score 3.5/4 by Patrick Dowd on Board 1 in the K-6 Club section.

The K-12 Club team – Joel, Logan, Jonathan, and Varash.

 

 

 

 

The K-6 Club team – Patrick, Joseph, Clate, and Connor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joel Friedman placed 4th in the K-12 (Open) Individual Championship on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

Stuart Rachels (USCF 2605) vs Joel Friedman

No chess player is too good for a pick-up game on the hallway floor of a tournament!

 

Both Patrick Dowd and Larisa Friedman from the HCC served as TDs for the K-3 and K-6 sections of the tournament on both days.  It was hard work, but a lot of fun!

John Morash ponders his next move against a talented Raytheon crew of engineers.

In our last post, we detailed the Raytheon Engineering Week Simul led by John Morash, but we failed to include a photo.  Here it is!

 

 

Our typical library meeting crowd is growing.

Last week we attended our normally scheduled chess meeting at the Huntsville Public Library and 22+ people showed up to play!  There was a great mix of all ages and skill levels.  We held a free, unrated G10; d0 tournament, won by Tomasz Nielsen.

 

 

Huntsville Chess Club Information

Weekly News – Raytheon Simul / HCC Returns from Murfreesboro Winter Congress Victorious!

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On Thursday, February 21st, NM John Morash emerged from a tournament Chess retirement of nearly 22 years to represent the HCC as part of National Engineering Week’s Simultaneous Exhibition at Raytheon in Huntsville.  He faced-off against talented Engineers/chess players playing on 10 boards at a time and completed the event without losing or drawing a single game!  The HCC is extremely grateful for his participation.  We may even see some future members recruited from the event (hint hint: Tomasz, tell your buddies they’re welcome anytime)!

On Saturday, February 23rd, an HCC contingent of 6 players consisting of David Hayes, Pat Dowd and son, Ashish Acharya, and Larisa and Joel Friedman traveled the 100+ miles to Murfreesboro, TN to compete in the Murfreesboro Winter Congress tournament.  In addition to the opposition, they battled fatigue and threats of severe weather, but emerged unscathed.  When the scores were tallied, the HCC brought home every prize awarded.

Ashish Acharya, playing in his first ever rated, USCF tournament, took clear first with a perfect score and initial rating of 1843!  Congratulations to all.  Look for more road trip tournament carpool opportunities in the future.  It was a lot of fun!

Results:

Ashish Acharya – 1st

David Hayes and Pat Dowd – 2nd (tie)

Larisa Friedman – 1st U1600

For official results click here.

We hope to see you at the club on Monday evening!  We’ll probably hold a free, quick, unrated tournament.  Stay tuned for upcoming event announcements.

 

Huntsville Chess Club Information

Weekly News 1/21/19 – 2019 Amateur team South /North Application

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UPDATE – REGISTRATION FOR THE TEAM HAS BEEN CLOSED.  

We won’t be meeting for chess this week, but we still have some exciting news to announce!

The Huntsville Chess Club is interested in sending a team to one of the two following tournaments, the 2019 US Amateur Team South on 8-10 Feb or the 2019 US Amateur Team North on 15-17 Feb. The club is prepared to cover gas, transportation (in an HCC provided vehicle), hotel room, and entry fee for the team.

For those who have not competed in a team event, it’s a lot of fun. The top player of each team is designated “Board 1” and play the top player from the team that they’re up against. “Board 2” plays the 2nd best player, and so on. Instead of moving to a new “Board,” the team will move to a new “Table” to battle it out against a team with the same score for the tournament.

USCF and HCC membership is required to attend. We realize that there is a very short timeline associated with this event, so please register now! The club will choose the team and notify the applicants ASAP once the members have been selected.

If interested, please apply for consideration, using the form below. If you have any questions, email hunstvillechessclub@gmail.com.

Register / Renew USCF Membership Here

Renew HCC Membership Here

TLA info is included below:

FEB. 8-10 OR 9-10   FLORIDA

2019 U.S. Amateur Team Championship – South

5SS, G/120 d5 (2-day Option Rd. 1 G/60 d5). Ramada Gateway, 7470 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy., Kissimmee, FL 34747. 4-player teams (with one optional alternate). Minutes away from Disney, Universal, etc. February temperature mid-70’s. Two sections (each paired separately & with their own prizes). Team average (4 highest ratings – January Supplement) must be under 2200 for Open section & under 1500 for U1500 section. Winning team in Open section qualifies for National playoff online. EF: Per player: $54 by 2/3, $64 later. SPECIAL EF: Team (one entry must be made for all players) $190 by 2/3, $220 later (any team changes $10). Teams from outside Florida will receive $25 off team entry fee. Scholastic teams (same school) receive $10 off team entry fee. PRIZES: Top 1st-3rd place teams & Top Boards 1-4 in each section; Top teams: Open section: U2000 & U1800; U1500 section: Top U1300 & U1000. Also in Open section: Top Senior team (all 50 & above as of 2/8), Top College team (same school). Also in U1500 section: Top Female team, Top High School team (same school), Top Middle School team (same school, grades 6-8), Top Elementary School team (same school). Schedule: 3-day: 1st Rd. Fri. 7:30, 2-Day 1st Rd. Sat. 10; Rds. 2-5 Sat. 1:30, 6:45, Sun. 9:30, 2:45. HR: Inn rooms: $57 until cut-off date, Tower rooms: $72until cut-off date, Reservations can be made by calling 800-327-9170 (mention “chess tournament” for these special group rates). Free parking, Internet, refrigerator (Tower rooms also include a microwave), and transportation to Disney, Universal and other attractions. Group guests also receive 10% off at Hotel food facilities. Ent: Boca Raton Chess Club, 2385 NW Executive Ctr. Dr., Ste. 100, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Online entry & addl info:www.bocachess.com, 561-302-4377.

FEB. 15-17 OR 16-17   ILLINOIS

2019 U.S. Amateur Team Championship – North

Open: 5SS, G/90+30/increment, 2-day: rd.1-2 G/60 d5. Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, 1800 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173. 847-605-1234, $100.00 chess rate single-double-triple-quad until 2/4/19, Free WiFI included with Room! Please reserve early. Open to 4 player teams with one optional alternate. Team average (4 highest ratings – January Rating List) must be under 2200. EF: 3-day $160, per team if received USPS or online 6 PM by February 1st, $180 if received USPS or on-line 6 PM by Feb. 9, $200 on-line until Feb. 15 6 PM and at door. Individuals wishing to play (note: we can guarantee you will play, but won’t guarantee which schedule or the ratings of your team), send $50 and request to be put on a team by USPS and on-line by 2/10 6 PM, $60 thereafter. Team changes on site or after 2/15 6 PM $20. Check out official website www.chessweekend.com for more info and complete prize list. Prizes: Awards to top 3 teams, top teams with average rating u1900, u1600, u1300, and U1000. Winning team qualifies for national play-offs. Awards for Best Team Name, best team composed of juniors (high school and younger), Top College team, Top HS team, Top Senior team (50 and over), Top Mixed doubles team, Best costume or theme. Prizes to top score on each board. Prizes are Amazon gift cards. Rounds: 3-day: onsite registration/check-in 5:30-6:30pm, rds.: 7pm, 10:00am & 4:00pm, 10:00am & 3:30pm. 2-day: on-site registration/check-in from 8:00-9:30am, rds. 10:00am & 1:00pm then merge with 3-day. Midwest Blitz Championship on Saturday night, $550 b/30 entries, $25 by 2/13 USPS or on-line, $30 at site. First round 8 PM, 2 games with each opponent, 5 rounds, see www.chessweekend.com for details. All: Register at www.kingregistration.com after 11/15/18. Checks made payable to and sent to: ChessWeekend, 21694 Doud Ct., Frankfort, IL 60423. Please include team’s name and roster (plus ID#), captain’s email and phone number, and desired schedule. Info:www.chessweekend.com, glenn@chessweekend.com no phone calls please. Boards and Sets will be provided, please bring clocks.

Chess Puzzles, Huntsville Chess Club Information

Tactics Competition Results

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The results of the HCC’s first ever tactics competition are listed below. It was a ton of fun!

The points listed are out of a possible 30. If you missed out and wanted to try your luck at solving the problems, the worksheet and corresponding solutions are embedded for printing below.

In the future, we’re considering having paid events with prizes awarded to the top of the designated rating classes. If you have any thoughts on this, please comment below.

This and all future results will be archived here.

  1. Andy May (25)
  2. Logan Richie (19)
  3. Pat Dowd (19)
  4. Sarah May (19)
  5. John Dougherty (18)
  6. Thomas Nielson (18)
  7. Willie Sandifer (14)
  8. Michael Porter (8)
  9. David Richie (5)
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Huntsville Chess Club Information

Weekly News – 1/7/19 Casual chess, puzzle solving Event info

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It’s great to be back!

After an extended break for the holidays, the Huntsville Chess Club will be back in action on Monday the 7th. Please stop by and join us for a game!

Puzzle Night 1/14/19

Do you consider yourself a chess tactics guru? Do you aspire to improve upon what most consider to be 90 percent of the game of chess? We have an activity for you! Next week, on Monday, January 14, David Hayes will host a no-cost, no-prize puzzle solving event during our regularly scheduled meeting time. See below for details.