Play US Chess Rated Online!

The US Chess Federation partners with two leading online chess sites to offer weekly rated quick (G/11-G/29) and blitz (G/5-G/10) tournaments on the internet. Determine which rating to use by adding increment to starting time, e.g. 3+2 counts as G/5 - the fastest blitz time control permitted. Participants earn online quick or online blitz ratings that are separate from the traditional over-the-board quick and blitz categories. Breaking news: US Chess just announced a new online regular rating for G/30 or longer.

You must have a current US Chess membership in addition to an active account at one of the online partners. Find your ID number, expiration date and PIN code on your renewal email or magazine label; otherwise complete this form. The Internet Chess Club (ICC) requires a paid account to play in online events. Special: USCF members may claim a 20% discount! While Chess.com does allow free basic accounts, frankly the premium features are well worth the price. Although I am a longtime ICC administrator, I enjoy chess on both sites.



ICC schedule 
(click here for more info)

3+2 blitz on Mondays @ 4pm Pacific
15+5 quick on Fridays @ 5pm Pacific
12+3 quick on Saturdays @ 2pm Pacific
5+2 blitz on Sundays @ 11am Pacific

Download one of the official interface apps (recommend Dasher for Windows users). Log into the main server and register under the Activities or Events console. Alternatively, you can type "/tell uscf join" without quotes to sign up with the tourney robot. If this is your first time, enter your US Chess ID + PIN. Tournaments open about 20 minutes before start time and you may join late.

View past ICC Rating Reports

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Continental Chess Association has partnered with ICC to organize online rated tournaments with substantial cash prizes, including a replacement of the World Open on July 3-5. Read the special online event rules. Note that players must participate in a Zoom session to become eligible to win prizes. Check the schedule for tournament details and enter online when available.

Chess.com schedule 
(click here for more info)

10+0 blitz on Mondays @ 3pm Pacific
5+0 blitz on Mondays @ 8pm Pacific
3+2 blitz on Wednesdays @ 5pm Pacific
15+10 quick on Fridays @ 5pm Pacific
Variety on Saturdays @ 11am Pacific

At least a day in advance, enter your ID + PIN on the US Chess Authentication form and request to join the US Chess - Members Only online club. Log into the Live Chess server from the Play menu and join via the Tournaments tab on the upper right side. Tournaments open one hour before start time and you may join late. Choose from two sections: Open or Under 1450 in Chess.com rating.

View past Chess.com Rating Reports

Also in response to the pandemic, the historic Mechanics' Institute of San Francisco has begun hosting US Chess online rated tournaments with modest cash prizes on Chess.com. Check out the weekly chess newsletter and join the online club (both free!) for the latest information. Good luck! 

Play Team 45 45 on ICC This Summer

The Team 45 45 League on the Internet Chess Club is accepting signups for a new tournament! Every participant plays one game each week for 6 weeks (plus playoffs) against different opponents at a mutually negotiated time. The time control is 45 minutes plus a 45 second increment for every move; thus, a typical game lasts 2-3 hours. The league, which has been active on ICC for over 15 years, offers sections at 200 rating point intervals, allowing everyone the opportunity to play near their own rating.  There is no cost to join the league, but ICC membership is required.  You also must first obtain a non-provisional ICC standard rating based on at least 20 games.

I have played in Team 4545 off and on for a decade, and I also volunteer as a TD. Over the years, many of my students have played in the league for tournament practice! Many Bay Area youngsters play on ICC and in the league. Highly recommended and fun to play!

Don't try this at home!

Before joining, please carefully read the Quick Guide and Player Handbook. The league has some strict rules that require a modest degree of personal responsibility.  You have 7 days to play each round.  While negotiating a time to play, it helps to be a little flexible in your availability, either after work or school on several days of the week, or on most weekends. If you're busy at a big weekend tournament, or out of town on vacation, you may wish to ask your captain to sit out that week. Please contact me with further questions.

T69 Schedule 

• Team Entries Open May 17
• Team Entries Close May 31
• Round 1 Begins on June7
• End of Round 6 on July 19
• Playoffs Begin July 26

Warning: The league administration takes computer cheating very seriously, and a Computer Use committee carefully checks all games against chess engines.

Play Team 45 45 on ICC This Summer

The Team 45 45 League on the Internet Chess Club is accepting signups for a new tournament! Every participant plays one game each week for 6 weeks (plus playoffs) against different opponents at a mutually negotiated time. The time control is 45 minutes plus a 45 second increment for every move; thus, a typical game lasts 2-3 hours. The league, which has been active on ICC for over 15 years, offers sections at 200 rating point intervals, allowing everyone the opportunity to play near their own rating.  There is no cost to join the league, but ICC membership is required.  You also must achieve a non-provisional ICC standard rating based on at least 20 games.

I have played in T4545L off and on for a decade, and I also volunteer as a TD. Over the years, many of my students have played in the league--great for tournament practice! There are several local teams. Please email me for contacts. The league is both highly recommended and fun to play!

Don't try this at home!

Before joining, please carefully read the Quick Guide and Player Handbook. The T4545L has a few strict rules that require a modest degree of personal responsibility.  You have 7 days to play each round.  When negotiating a time to play, it helps to be a little flexible in your availability, either after work or school on several days of the week, or on most weekends. If you're busy at a big weekend tournament, or out of town on vacation, you may wish to ask your captain to sit out that week. Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

T65 Schedule 

• Team Entries Open May 12
• Team Entries Close May 26
• Round 1 Begins on June 2
• End of Round 6 on July 14
• Playoffs Begin July 21

Warning: The league takes computer cheating very seriously, and checks all games.

US Chess League 2014

The 10th season of the US Chess League kicks off this week!  The defending champion Miami Sharks face stiff competition from St. Louis ("Arch Bishops" feature three 2700s), New York ("Knights" star US Champion Gata Kamsky) and more than a dozen other cities around the nation. The league expanded to 18 teams, adding squads from Atlanta ("Kings") and Rio Grande ("Ospreys" from Brownsville TX).  The season stretches 10 weeks through the end of October, with 4 rounds of playoffs culminating in the Championship Match on December 3.  Teams will battle in three divisions (East, South and West), with the Top 3 in each, plus one 4th place, qualifying for the playoffs.

The San Francisco Mechanics joined the USCL in the inaugural season and have reached the playoffs in 7 out of 9 years.  Playing at the historic Mechanics' Institute, the club won the 2006 league championship, but also lost three times in the semifinals, including last year to the Sharks.  Team captain IM John Donaldson has successfully relied on one strategy while recruiting the roster each year: fill the lower boards with underrated juniors.  Case in point: the talented junior Daniel Naroditsky, who recently broke 2600 FIDE rating, will play for the 9th straight year, progressing from bottom rated in 2006 up to first board.

2014 Mechanics Roster
(Use January USCF list for official ratings.)

1. GM Daniel Naroditsky (age 18), 2675 (August), 2614* (January), +61 (gain)
2. GM Jesse Kraai, 2589, 2574, +15
3. GM Vinay Bhat, 2555, 2555, 0
4. IM-elect Yian Liou (17), 2475, 2478, -3
5. FM Andy Lee, 2361, 2314, +47
6. NM Vignesh Panchanatham (14), 2332, 2306, +26
7. FM Cameron Wheeler (14), 2368, 2300, +68
8. NM Siddharth Banik (14), 2236, 2212, +24
9. Hans Niemann (11), 2136, 1979*, +157

(* League rules count Naroditsky as 2600 and Niemann as 2000.)

The kid on board 4: Hans!

The youthfulness of the San Francisco delegation jumps right out.  If you still consider 18-year old  Daniel as a junior, then the kids comprise 2/3 of the team!  The first round lineup (1-4-6-8) is one of the youngest in league history--an average age under 16.  Incredibly, the average August rating of 2430 still ranks among the highest for Week 1.  In fact, captain Donaldson can select from an assortment of lineups ranked above 2400 by platooning the Grandmasters on board 1 and substituting on boards 3 and 4.  The Mechanics can even field two GMs, balanced out by the rapidly improving expert Hans on board 4.  The three strongest (legal) lineups appear to be (1-4-7-8), (1-5-6-7) and (1-2-5-9), each rated between 2434 and 2440 USCF.

The US Chess League returns to the Internet Chess Club (ICC) this fall, with games scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of every week.  Good luck to the Mechanics as they face the expansion team from the Rio Grande on Wednesday, August 27 at 5:30pm.

Interview with GM Shankland at Olympiad

GM Sam Shankland has been the hero of Team USA and one of the biggest stories of the Tromsø Olympiad as a whole.  Not only did he achieve the best result on Board 5 (alternate) to date, his FIDE performance rating after the penultimate round places him third in the entire competition, behind only elite Grandmasters Veselin Topalov and Yu Yangyi!

One surprising factoid from this interview is that "Shanky" participated in his first chess tournament shortly before his 12th birthday.  Indeed, I remember him sporting a 1600 rating at his first National Open ten summers ago.  These days, the average 8 or 9 year old chess player seems to sport a 1600 rating.  Sam worked hard at chess (5000 standard games on ICC within 15 months) and reached master in less than 2.5 years!  Unfortunately, 2200 would not impress Vishy Anand, who famously said "nowadays, when you're not a Grandmaster at 14, you can forget about it!"

In the interview, Shankland speaks highly of both the Berkeley Chess School and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Good luck to Sam and the rest of Team USA at the final round of the Olympiad on Thursday at 2AM Pacific time.  Note that Wednesday is a rest day.

Candidates Tournament 2014

World #2 Aronian

14th World Champ Kramnik

15th World Champ Anand

In the world of professional chess, a Candidates Tournament seeks to determine the next challenger to the reigning World Champion.  Over the years, this elite event has taken one of two formats: either a series of knockout matches or a traditional round-robin.  The 2014 FIDE Candidates Tournament features an 8-player double round-robin for the right to face Magnus Carlsen.  The octet will contest 14 rounds from March 13 to 31 in the remote Russian city of Khanty-Mansiysk. 

16th World Champ Carlsen

The 2771 average field consists of two former champions, four Russians and the current top three on the live ratings, excluding the #1 ranked Norwegian himself.  Two players qualified at the 2013 World Cup, two from the 2012-13 Grand Prix and two more by rating.  The final participants are the loser of the 2013 World Championship and a local player selected by the organizer.

Participants

1. Levon Aronian 2830 (#2 ranked from Armenia)
2. Vladimir Kramnik 2787 (14th World Champ from Russia)
3. Veselin Topalov 2785 (Bulgaria)
4. Viswanathan Anand 2770 (15th World Champ from India)
5. Sergey Karjakin 2768 (Russia)
6. Peter Svidler 2758 (Russia)
7. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2757 (Azerbaijan) 
8. Dmitry Andreikin 2709 (Russia)  

Seven of the world's top dozen Grandmasters will participate. Unfortunately, the top American, Hikaru Nakamura, did not qualify despite achieving several excellent results over the past two years.  And in light of the current events, it is fortuitous that no Ukrainian earned an invitation. 

Karjakin as dark horse?

Who will win?  While almost anyone could conceivably finish first, the smart money says either Aronian or Kramnik.  Each of the top four brings more than a decade of top level chess experience to the table.  The dark horse could be Karjakin, a talented and still young prodigy whose recent results have been inconsistent.  Please vote in the poll at the right side bar.

Don't forget to follow the action starting on March 13!  Depending on your schedule, watch the games live or play through the moves later.  Check out the official website or enjoy the Game of the Day videos at the Internet Chess Club (members only).

Join Team 45 45 on ICC for Practice

The Team 45 45 League on the Internet Chess Club is accepting signups for a new tournament! Each person plays one game each week for six weeks (plus playoffs) against different opponents at a mutually negotiated time. The time control is 45 minutes plus a 45 second increment for every move; thus, a typical game may last 2-3 hours. The league, which has been active on ICC for 15 years now, offers sections at 200 rating point intervals to allow everyone the opportunity to play opponents near their own rating.  There is no cost to join the league, but ICC membership is required.

I have played in T4545L for quite a few years and I also volunteer as a section TD. Over the years, many of my students have played in the league--great for tournament practice! There are several teams of Bay Area kids, both elementary school and middle school. Please email me for references. The league is both highly recommended and fun to play!

Before joining, please carefully read the Quick Guide and Player Handbook. The T4545L has some strict rules which require a modest level of personal responsibility.  They take computer cheating very seriously and check all games played.  When negotiating a time to play, it helps to be somewhat flexible in your availability, either after work or school on several days of the week, or on most weekends. If you're busy at a big weekend tournament, you may wish to ask your captain to sit out that week. Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

Tata Kicks Off At Wijk aan Zee

Amateurs play in same big room as elite Grandmasters in Wijk aan Zee.

Dating back to the 1970s, the beginning of each new calendar year promised a pair of elite chess tournaments: one in the coastal Dutch town of Wijk aan Zee and the other in the Andalusian city of Linares.  Both attracted the strongest Grandmasters on the planet, e.g. Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Carlsen.  Unfortunately, the Spanish financial crisis claimed Linares as a casualty in 2011.  However, the steel conglomerate Tata maintained the tradition at Wijk, despite a shrinking budget that reduced the number of participants this year to 12 (from 14) and the number of Top 10 players to merely 5.

The small decrease in size does in no way signify a decrease in the relevance of Tata Steel Chess.  Ten players rated over 2700 will battle over the next fortnight (through January 26).  These Grandmasters will author many thrilling games for audiences around the world to enjoy.

Indeed, these games yield worthwhile study material for any serious chess master (or wannabe master).  Any young or aspiring player rated over 1800 should take the time each day to review the latest games (up to 13 per round, counting the Challengers section).  Check out your favorite players or openings.  Try to learn from the middlegame maneuvers and endgame technique.  Ask yourself if you could play like the Grandmasters.  At the Internet Chess Club, go to the Events list under the Window menu or in the Activities console to find the games and daily videos.  Or visit the official website, which features instant analysis by the Houdini 2 engine.     

Hikaru Nakamura

Tata Masters (A section)

• Titles: 12 Grandmasters, including 5 of the Top 10
• Average Rating = 2743 FIDE
• Favorites: Aronian, Nakamura, Caruana and Karjakin
• Americans: Nakamura, Caruana (Italy-USA) and Wesley So (Philippines-USA)
• Comment: Despite the conspicuous absence of World Champion Carlsen plus ex-Champs Kramnik and Anand, the competitive field still features #2 ranked Aronian and #3 Nakamura. 

Tata Challengers (B section)

• Titles: 10 Grandmasters plus 4 International Masters (norms are possible)
• Average Rating = 2579 FIDE
• Favorites: Wojtaszek, Jobava, Yangyi Yu and Saric
• American: Kayden Troff (Utah)
• Comment: There is no clear favorite as several young (and underrated) wolves try to make their name.  Indeed, 2 of top 3 seeds lost in the very first round!

Carlsen Takes Command in Chennai

Carlsen plays e7-e5 after Anand opened 1.e4.

This article appeared first at the Internet Chess Club.
 
Eight games into the World Championship match, Magnus Carlsen leads Vishy Anand by two points, 5:3.  Who could have predicted this?  Two weeks ago, pundits touted the importance of match experience as a factor favoring the reigning World Champion.  Yet the veteran blinked first, and then again.  Contrary to popular belief, the youthful challenger displayed nerves of steel, calculating precise moves when pressured, all while patiently waiting for his opponent to slip.

After four rounds of draws, blood spilled in Game 5.  Carlsen maintained a small but steady advantage with the White pieces, forcing a favorable endgame by move 20.  Over the past two decades, Anand has survived many similar positions against elite competition.  However, the determined young Norwegian maximized the complications, and the champion finally collapsed.

Game 6 followed an eerily similar script, except that Anand played the White pieces.  Carlsen equalized quickly, and by move 30, draw seemed almost inevitable.  No doubt any self-confident Grandmaster around the world would expect to hold the draw.  How would they fare against Magnus?  Alas, it took just two substandard moves for Anand to lose the second game in a row.

A press conference follows every game.

To the chagrin of chess fans in India and elsewhere, Games 7 and 8 ended
peacefully without adventure.  One can understand Carlsen's motivation: every draw brings him closer to the title.  Anand, however, trails two sets to none while playing on home turf, in front of his greatest supporters.  Roger Federer overcame this deficit often enough.  Why not Vishy?  Has the champion given up?

The 43 year old Indian emerged on the world stage in the late 1980s.  Anand won at Wijk aan Zee for the first time in 1989, nearly two years before Carlsen was born!  Some readers may recall the 1995 PCA World Championship match between Garry Kasparov and Anand, held at the World Trade Center in New York City.  Perhaps, after all these years, Father Time has tapped on Anand's shoulder.  Indeed, Carlsen headlines the new generation in a chess hierarchy that keeps becoming younger.

Say it ain't so, Vishy!  Fight to win a game--for your billion fans.  Tune into the Internet Chess Club on Thursday and Friday mornings to watch and listen.

And don't forget to visit the Official Website for reports, videos and photos. 

Carlsen vs Anand for World Championship

The 15th World Champion Vishy Anand.

This article appeared first at the Internet Chess Club.

Easily the most anticipated chess event in years, the 2013 World Chess Championship in Chennai remains locked at a score of 2:2.  To the chagrin of millions of chess enthusiasts around the globe, neither the veteran title holder Vishy Anand nor his youthful challenger Magnus Carlsen has broken through yet.  Alas, not all draws can be considered boring.  In particular, Game 4 extended into the sixth hour of play and drew praise on Twitter from none other than 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov for “deep strategic planning” and “fighting human chess.”

#1 Rated in History: Magnus Carlsen.

Both competitors missed promising opportunities as the action heated up.  Playing White in Game 3, Carlsen repeated the Reti opening, but Anand confidently asserted himself for the third contest in a row.  Indeed, pundits fully expected the Indian hero to be strongest in the openings, given over two decades of experience battling the Top 10 players in the world.  The advantage grew in the middlegame and the defending champion could have captured a pawn in complications on move 29.  In time pressure, the Norwegian cleverly escaped into a drawn opposite colored bishop endgame.  

The colors and roles were reversed in Game 4, and for the first time, the challenger showed why he owns the highest chess rating in history.  He employed the Berlin defense, an opening closely associated with the Kasparov - Kramnik title match in 2000.  While Vladimir Kramnik successfully used the Berlin as a draw weapon, Carlsen wanted more.  Fearlessly, he grabbed the poisoned a2 pawn, and nearly cashed it in for victory.  Alas, Anand demonstrated that he, too, could defend cleverly, and traded into a rook endgame, still down a pawn, but dead drawn.

The gloves have come off and I expect more exciting action after the rest day.  Will Carlsen finally achieve an advantage with his third White?  Games 5 + 6 are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, with another rest day on Sunday.

Check out many more photos at the Official Website.

FIDE World Cup from Norway

Aronian

Kramnik

Nakamura

Kamsky

Tromsoe in northern Norway.

The mesmerizing first round of the always exciting FIDE World Cup kicks off with 64 royal contests on Sunday morning at 6:00am Pacific time.  An array of 128 elite chess masters, including 38 members of the 2700 club, have made the trek to the remote town of Tromsoe, Norway, located north of the Arctic circle.  Most will not stay for long thanks to the cold-blooded nature of a knockout tournament.  Indeed, only 32 will play for more than 5 or 6 days.  A lucky two will contest the final round on Labor Day weekend.  Both finalists also qualify for the 2014 Candidates Tournament.

The knockout format has not varied much over the past decade.  Much like the annual college basketball championship tournament, the top seeds face the lowest rated participants in the first round.  Conversely, players ranked in the 50s get opponents in the 70s, most rated within merely 30 FIDE.

2013 World Cup Statistics

• 128 total players
• 38 rated 2700+
• 52 rated 2600-2699
• 27 rated 2500-2599
• 11 rated U2500
• highest rating = 2813
• median rating = 2647
• lowest rating = 2304

In each pairing, the participants play two games at a classical time control of 40/90 + G/30 with inc/30 starting on move 1.  The winner of this two day head-to-head encounter advances to the next round while the loser goes home.  Many matches invariably end in a tie, to be broken on the third day.  The tiebreaks start with a pair of G/25 + inc/10.  If still tied, they play a pair of G/10 + inc/10.  If still tied, they play a pair of G/5 + inc/3.  If the match remains deadlocked after two slow games and six rapid or blitz contests, then comes one Armageddon game (white 5 minutes versus black 4 minutes and draw odds).  No doubt these playoffs are stressful; those who advance from the first two slow games earn a valuable rest day.

A generous prize fund of $1.6 million will be divided among the 128 participants (although FIDE deducts a 20% tax).  Post tax, the 64 first round losers go home with $4,800.  The World Cup winner earns a cool $96,000.  All players pay their own travel expenses out of the prizes.

Top 10 Seeds

1. Levon Aronian (ARM) 2813
2. Fabiano Caruana (ITA) 2796 
3. Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2784 
4. Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 2785
5. Sergey Karjakin (RUS) 2772
6. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2772
7. Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2764
8. Gata Kamsky (USA) 2741
9. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE) 2775 
10. Leinier Domínguez Pérez (CUB) 2757 

Most top players in the world signed up for the richest tournament on the 2013 calendar.  Only three stars will sit out.  World Champion Viswanathan Anand and official challenger Magnus Carlsen are busy preparing for November's title match in Chennai, India.  The 2012-13 Grand Prix winner Veselin Topalov also chose to stay home.  Not coincidentally, these three already punched tickets to the 2014 Candidates Tournament.

The American delegation consists of nine Grandmasters, headlined by Top 10 seeds Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky.  The other seven will be tested from the start.  Indeed, six of those seven are paired up in the first round!  Historically, the Americans have fared poorly in the World Cup, except for Kamsky, who actually won the 2007 edition!  Unfortunately, it appears unlikely for anyone except the top pair to survive beyond round 2.

Robson

Onischuk

Americans at World Cup

• #6 - Hikaru Nakamura 2772
• #8 - Gata Kamsky 2741
• #55 - Alexander Onischuk 2667
• #83 - Ray Robson 2623
• #95 - Larry Christiansen 2584
• #97 - Alejandro Ramirez 2588 
• #99 - Gregory Kaidanov 2574
• #106 - Alexander Shabalov 2546
• #112 - Conrad Holt 2539 

Round 1 Results: Nakamura, Onischuk and Robson are through to round 2.  Kamsky and Ramirez face tiebreakers on Tuesday. The other four were eliminated.  Kamsky moved on after four rapid games.  Unfortunately, Ramirez lost the Armageddon game against Tomashevsky, rated 2706 FIDE.

For live coverage beginning at 6:00am PDT daily, check out the official website and the Internet Chess Club.  Do not try to watch all of the games during the early rounds; just follow your favorite players and some top seeds.

Predictions?  I actually filled out a bracket just like for March Madness.  Quarterfinals: Aronian vs Kamsky, Wang Hao vs  Bruzon, Giri vs Polgar and Kramnik vs Nakamura.  Semifinals: Aronian vs Wang Hao and Giri vs Nakamura.  Final: Nakamura over Aronian!

Free Week at ICC

The Internet Chess Club has announced a FREE WEEK from July 27 through August 2.  To play, simply register and download the interface.  No need to pay until next weekend.  No obligation.  Come one, come all, and see what you are missing!

This free week entitles you to watch daily live coverage of the Dortmund tournament featuring former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, newest to crack 2800 Fabiano Caruana, top ranked Chinese Wang Hao and others.  Listen to commentary by Grandmasters Benjamin, Yermolinsky and Christiansen on ChessFM.   Games begin daily at 6:00am PDT (except the rest day on Wednesday).

To Blitz, Or Not To Blitz

Conventional wisdom states that speed chess interferes with serious tournament games because the blitz player relies on intuition and shallow calculation.  Indeed, there is precious little time to calculate a deep variation or thoroughly evaluate multiple candidate moves.  At a slower time control, such shallow thinking opens the door for a patient opponent to discover a subtle refutation.

Regardless of how "bad" these fast and furious games may be, the benefits must not be ignored.  Each blitz contest counts as a live tactics exercise between you and your opponent.  Despite imperfections on both sides, most speed games inevitably boil down to who sees more tricks.  In addition, the veteran blitz player develops poise to handle time pressure at a slow tournament.  Speed chess also offers repeated opportunities to practice new openings or new middlegame strategies.  As the saying goes: practice makes perfect!   

Lastly, blitz is fun!

GM Hikaru Nakamura is one of the strongest ICC
blitz players under the username CapilanoBridge.

Without a doubt, all of my 2000+ rated chess students (past and present) love blitz and are quite proficient.  They compete among the many titled players available online and learn from their style of play.  No doubt, the correlation between blitz specialists and competitive masters remains strong.  An increase in someone's online blitz rating often precedes a boost in serious tournament performance.  

Once an improving player understands the value of wisely using the clock in slow games, the many benefits of speed chess outweigh any drawbacks.  Ideally, blitz practice should not substitute for other forms of chess study (books or software), but rather complement the overall study plan.  Steady practice leads to improvement over time.

I highly recommend participating in the 5-minute pool on ICC.  Press the "5" button to be automatically paired within a few seconds (this is different from regular 5 0 blitz).  Over the years, I have observed that G/5 is the fastest time control to play a sound game of chess without relying on mouse races all the time.  Conveniently, the ICC 5-minute ratings tend to correlate most closely to USCF ratings. 

A Call to Action by Lateknight

Faraday Chess Team from Chicago.  Coach Ocol stands at far left.

Chess is called the royal game.  It is a competitive endeavor, a tool to challenge ourselves to become sharp mentally.  Indeed, many articles describe the educational benefits of chess in a variety of fields, from math to psychology to business.  Quite a few successful executives around the world can skewer your pieces, according to this list published by Business Insider last year.

Marty Grund - Lateknight on ICC
Credit: Ben Finegold

The impact that exposure to chess has on a young child must not be understated.  Schools and youth groups around the country recognize chess as far more than just a game.  Books such as Game of Kings and films like Brooklyn Castle detail the life-changing impact that a teacher with a chessboard has on dozens if not hundreds of disadvantaged New York City youths.  There are more such stories in other communities around the country.

Marty Grund, better known by the username Lateknight, is an owner of the Internet Chess Club and serves as the public face of the company.  He has traveled far and near, meeting fans of the royal game from all corners of the Earth.  Last month in Nashville, Marty met Joseph Ocol from Chicago, an inner-city high school math teacher who organized a chess club as keep vulnerable teens out of gangs.  Lateknight penned the following touching article about Saint Joseph of Chicago.

---

After a couple of days at the event I met a short, humble appearing man by the name of Joseph Ocol, a math teacher from John Marshall Metropolitan High School located in Garfield Park on the West side of Chicago. This is a neighborhood where gangs thrive and murders happen all too often.

Joseph and I took a walk and I listened to him describe how several years previous he began teaching high school students chess after school from 3 to 6 PM, the most vulnerable time of the day for children loose on the streets. When Joseph began the afterschool curriculum, he knew that hosting these children after school would lessen the chance that they would be involved with the morbid side of activities that take place during these hours.

Out of his own pocket, Joseph had to purchase chess equipment and even food, so the kids wouldn't be hungry, in order to make this happen. One afternoon, one of the young men didn't make to the afterschool chess class because he was murdered on the street that day. Many of these children went to school hungry on a daily basis. Some had parents or brothers in prison, mothers addicted to drugs and saw horrors that most of us never see in a lifetime. That horrible reality aside, another student took a chess board home and his mother asked what it was he was carrying. When he answered, "mom, it's a chess board", she answered "you must be smart". Hearing that comment from his mother was an epiphany for him. He said, "that's the first time anybody's ever said that to me, that I must be smart".

Please read the entire Call to Action at the ICC website.

2013 US Championship Begins

The most prestigious annual event in America kicks off on Friday.  The US Championship brings 24 of the best chess players in the country to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis for a 9-round swiss.  The winner earns $30,000 and five players punch their ticket to the FIDE World Cup in August.  Does that sound exciting?  You betcha!  Make sure to watch live video coverage starting at 11am PDT daily through May 12th (except the rest day on Wednesday).

• Click Here for Pairings and Standings
• Live Coverage from St. Louis
• Broadcast on Internet Chess Club

Gata Kamsky

The heavy favorites are the top three seeds: Grandmasters Gata Kamsky, Timur Gareev and Alexander Onischuk.  Each spent a different way preparing for this important event.  Kamsky (age 38) participated in the elite FIDE Grand Prix in Switzerland until Tuesday.  He somehow beat Sergey Karjakin (2786) from the black side of a sharp a6 Slav in the penultimate round to finish at 50%. On the other hand, the energetic Timur Gareev (age 25) took on a superhuman challenge: taking on St. Louis club members in a 33 board BLINDFOLD simul!! 

Timur Gareev

Over 10 hours, he beat 29 opponents, drew with 4 and lost none, all the while seated and wearing a heavy black blindfold!!  By comparison, the third seed Onischuk (age 37) took it easy, studying in his office at Texas Tech University and giving this interview. Regretfully, the country's higher rated player and defending champion GM Hikaru Nakamura chose to skip this year's event to challenge Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and many other Top 10 Grandmasters at the spectacular Norway Chess event beginning on Monday.

Northern California chess fans will want to cheer for two local players.  GM Sam Shankland (age 21) grew up in Orinda and learned the moves at the Berkeley Chess School.  The other, IM-elect Sam Sevian, is the tournament's youngest (age 12) and lowest rated (2467 USCF) invitee, although he made quite a name for himself by winning the World Youth U12 last fall.  Good luck to Sam and Sam!

Participants in 2013 US Championship

Ranked by May FIDE Rating

1. GM Gata Kamsky 2741 Seeded (by USCF Rating)
2. GM Timur Gareev 2674 Seeded



Alex Onischuk

3. GM Alex Onischuk 2666 Seeded
4. GM Ray Robson 2620 Seeded
5. GM Varuzhan Akobian 2616 Seeded -- CA/S
6. GM Sam Shankland 2612 Seeded -- CA/N
7. GM Robert Hess 2595 Seeded
8. GM Gregory Kaidanov 2593 Seeded
9. GM Larry Christiansen 2579 Seeded
10. GM Yury Shulman 2570 Seeded
11. GM Alexander Stripunsky 2570 Seeded
12. GM Alejandro Ramirez 2551 Seeded
13. GM Alexander Shabalov 2544 Seeded
14. GM Marc Arnold 2538 Junior Champ
15. GM Joel Benjamin 2534 Seeded
16. GM Aleksandr Ivanov 2529 Senior Champ
17. GM Melikset Khachiyan 2518 Wildcard -- CA/S
18. GM Conrad Holt 2513 Wildcard
19. GM Ben Finegold 2505 Wildcard
20. FM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun 2463 Seeded
21. IM-e Yaacov Norowitz 2451 Seeded
22. FM John Bryant 2442 US Open Winner -- CA/S
23. IM Kayden Troff  2421 Wildcard
24. IM-e Sam Sevian 2371 Wildcard -- CA/N

Ten of the country's top female players compete in the concurrent US Women's Championship, vying for a first place prize of $18,000 in a Round-Robin format.  The two overwhelming favorites are IM Irina Krush (2470 FIDE) and IM Anna Zatonskih (2466 FIDE).  Between them, they have captured the past seven titles (4-3 edge to Zatonskih, but Krush won last year).

Chess Events Around the World

Alexander Alekhine

Mikhail Tal

One of the best ways to improve in chess is to play through master games.  I strongly encourage any student rated 1800+ to regularly review the games of recent elite Grandmaster tournaments.  Watch the world's top rated players or pick your own favorites.  Bay Area fans often follow American stars Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky or local prodigies Sam Shankland, Daniel Naroditsky and Sam Sevian.  Chinese families, for example, may cheer for Wang Hao, Ding Liren or rising star Wei Yi, who currently leads the national championship at just 13 years old.

What should you pick up from these games?  If you're an A player, you will want to learn from the positional strategies and tactical creativity of the super Grandmasters.  As you improve, you should imitate the style of your superiors.  Chess experts and masters will concentrate on their favorite openings, picking up new moves based on the latest trends.

In some sense, growth of the internet has diminished the importance of studying collections of games by the champions of yesteryear.  Nonetheless, any disciple of Caissa should read a few classics, e.g. Alekhine's Best Games of Chess (2 volumes), Life and Games of Mikhail Tal and My Sixty Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer.  The internet offers an expanding wealth of information to supplement the foundation presented in these books.  The modern chess student benefits from the resources at his fingertips, but must stay dedicated to keep up with an evolving body of theory.

My favorite website to watch tournaments is, of course, the Internet Chess Club.  You can also find quality chess reports, analysis, photos and videos elsewhere on the net, including Chessbase, Chessvibes, Chessdom, and The Week in Chess.  The MonRoi game database covers the top boards at major American tournaments.  (Hint: add these to your bookmarks.)

The international chess calendar is filled with exciting events over the next two months.

Magnus plays on "The Pulpit Rock" 2000 ft above a fjord to promote Norway tournament.

• 3rd FIDE Grand Prix in Zug, Switzerland (thru April 30) - 12 players including 11 of Top 20; favorites = Karjakin, Topalov, Nakamura; dark horse = Giri
• Alekhine Memorial in Paris (the Louvre) and St. Petersburg (thru May 1) - 10 players all 2700+; favorites = Aronion, Kramnik, Anand; dark horses = Adams, Ding Liren
• US Championships in St. Louis (May 2-13) - 24 players including 19 GMs; favorites = Kamsky, Gareev, Onischuk, Robson, Shankland; dark horses = Shabalov, Ramirez 
• Norway Chess in Stavanger (May 7-18) - 10 players including 7 of Top 10; favorite = World #1 Carlsen; dark horses = anyone except Hammer could win!
• 4th FIDE Grand Prix in Madrid (May 22 - June 4) - 12 players including at least 9 of Top 20; favorites = Caruana, Topalov, Nakamura; dark horse = TBA
• Tal Memorial in Moscow (June 12-24) - 10 players including 6 of Top 10; favorite = World #1 Carlsen; dark horses = two Russians: Kramnik and Morovezich

Practice Slow Chess on ICC

Shankypanky before he became a GM.

One big advantage that young chess players have today over their counterparts 15 or 20 years ago is the internet. In the old days, a parent had to drive to chess club one evening each week. Now children log into an online play site from home and can train as much as they want. Most people find that the more time you devote to study and practice, the faster you will improve. As an extreme example, GM Sam Shankland played over 5000 standard games on ICC in a year and a half. While averaging 10 slow games a day is a bit too much, no doubt the effort contributed to his accelerated improvement from 1500 to 2200 and beyond.

To play standard games on ICC, I recommend several several options.

• The fastest and most popular standard time control on the internet is 15 0, commonly denoted G/15.  People argue that this rapid pace is too fast for serious practice, but I disagree.  G/15 serves for opening and tactics practice, but allows enough time for a handful of extended calculations.  I recommend joining the 15-minute pool on ICC (automatic pairings, no computers, no adjournments) by clicking on the 15 pool ball.  Take your time! 
• The Tuesday night STtourney runs four rounds monthly at 60 0 time control (aka G/60). California players will prefer the 8pm and 11pm sections (ICC uses EST). To play, log in before the round and add channel 32 (type: /tell 32 hello!). Join Pear robot (type: /tell Pear join), or if U1500, join Automato robot (type: /tell Automato join).  Ask questions and watch for announcements in channel 32.

• The best organized standard club is the Team 45 45 League.  Volunteers run four tournaments a year, with six rounds followed by 2-3 rounds of playoffs.  The next tournament starts on February 19, but teams must register by February 12.  Each round players contact their opponent to schedule the game at a mutually convenient time and day.  This is approximately a 2-3 hour commitment each week (but a long endgame could exceed 4 hours).  The league, which began nearly 15 years ago, has sections at 200 point intervals from 2200 on down, based on the average rating of top 4 players on each team.  Before joining, carefully read the Quick Guide and Player Handbook. The league enforces strict rules requiring personal responsibility and parental/family support. I enjoy playing and know more than a dozen Bay Area players who are active in this league.

Questions?  Do not hesitate to send an ICC message to "fpawn" or email to michael(at)fpawn.com (no spam). Good luck in your standard games!

Aronian Analyzes Round 10 Victory

Have you ever wondered what an elite Grandmaster thinks about while playing? Shortly after a spectacular positional win, the champion of Tata 2012 shares some of his thoughts with the media and an internet audience. This video on YouTube lasts 17 minutes.

The official website has many similar videos from every round. Watch candid interviews with Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and even some players in Groups B and C. Enjoy!



As a small tribute to Levon Aronian, the Internet Chess Club released its Game of the Day video from round 12 to the public. Aronian clinched first place with this win as black against Boris Gelfand. Watch nearly an hour of detailed analysis by the popular Alex Yermolinsky!

Slow Chess League on ICC

The Team 45 45 League on ICC is accepting signups for a new tournament! You play one game each week for six weeks (plus playoffs) against different opponents at a mutually negotiated time. The time control is 45 minutes plus a 45 second increment for every move; a typical game may last 2-3 hours. The league, which has been active on ICC for a dozen years now, offers sections at 200 rating point intervals to allow everyone the opportunity to play opponents near their own rating.

I have played in T4545L for quite a few years and I also volunteer as a section TD. About 15 of my students have played in the league--great practice! There are several teams of Bay Area kids, both elementary school and middle school. Please email me for references. The league is both highly recommended and fun to play!

Before joining, please carefully read the Quick Guide and Player Handbook. The T4545L has some strict rules which require a modest level of personal responsibility. It also helps if you are somewhat flexible in your availability to play, either after school on several days of the week or on most weekends. If you're busy at a big weekend tournament, you may wish to ask your captain to sit out that week. Feel free to contact me with further questions.