Weekly Online Tournaments for Sacramento

Let the Sacramento Pawns club help fulfill your craving for competitive chess during this era of social distancing. Join one of our weekly online tournaments on Saturday afternoon. Kids & Amateurs rated under 1400 in Chess.com rapid rating play at 1:30 while everyone else should log in shortly before 3:00. Be there - and don't forget to invite your buddies!

Sac Kids & Amateurs

When: Weekly every Saturday from 1:30 to 3:00 PM
Who: Open to club members under 1400 Chess.com rapid rating
Format: FOUR (4) ROUND Swiss in one section
Link: Find the Kids & Amateurs under the Tournament tab

Sac Pawn Storm

When: Weekly every Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00 PM
Who: Open to all club members regardless of rating
Format: FIVE (5) ROUND Swiss in one section
Link: Find the Pawn Storm under the Tournament tab

Additional information for both events

Where: Chess.com Live Server under the Tournaments tab at the upper right
Time control: G/10 + 3 second increment
Minimum: Need at least 4 players to avoid automatic cancellation
USCF Rated: No
Entry: Free
Prizes: Glory and Chess.com rating points

If this is your first time playing, 1. sign up for the Sacramento Pawns club and 2. read the instructions to join the tournament. Questions or comments? Please message fpawn on Chess.com or send an email to michael AT fpawn DOT com.

Past results: https://www.chess.com/club/live-tournaments/sacramento-pawns

Other chess clubs based in Northern California are also active on Chess.com. I can recommend the historic Mechanics' Institute of San Francisco, which hosts free blitz or rapid tournaments literally every day of the week, and the Auburn Chess Club. Good luck!

R.I.P. Mike Parmon 1945-2014

This sad news reached me over the weekend.  Mike Parmon, easily the most popular 1200 rated player at the Sacramento Chess Club, passed away last Thursday at the age of 69.  While I have not attended the Tuesday evening club since the move to Great Escape Games, I still hear the echoes of his voice.  He seemed to know everyone, and never hesitated to critique the play of many a stronger player‒always in jest, of course.  It is difficult to imagine the Sacramento chess scene without Mike.

Parmon will be best remembered for spreading the gospel of Caissa to dozens of cheerful youths (and a few adults) every year.  He dedicated himself each week to explaining basic chess strategies to wide-eyed kids, at both the adult club and the Sacramento Chess School.  Check out these photos of the coach and his protégés.

Apparently, they needed another chess teacher in heaven.  Rest In Peace.

Update: Check out this tribute on KXTV News10.

NorCal Top 20 FIDE Rated Juniors

Chess Punks learning from Daniel Naroditsky in 2010. From left to right:
Vignesh Panchanatham, Allan Beilin, Danya, Kesav Viswanadha and
Cameron Wheeler. Three of the students are now masters themselves.

NM Colin Chow, photo by Shorman

A new wave of talented Bay Area juniors has begun filling the highest level.  A year and a half ago, there were only four local young masters.  Today, eight have broken the magical 2200 USCF mark, and the trend promises to continue. The Chess Punks of 2010 have grown into the Chess Masters of 2013.

However, the international FIDE ratings lag up to 200 points behind the national USCF ratings.  The sheer number of underrated youngsters has transformed FIDE points into a precious commodity at local events.  I counted an incredible 40 NorCal kids who have earned a published FIDE rating, yet more than half are rated below 2000.  Most shocking to me: the youngest two were born in 2005!

Kudos to NM Colin Chow for gaining an impressive 100 FIDE points in the past 8 months.  His USCF rating also rocketed up to 2324.  Well done making the Sacramento Chess Club proud!

       FIDE RATED JUNIORS

Rank	Name	FIDE
1	GM-e Naroditsky, Daniel	2503
2	FM Liou, Yian	2402
3	FM Wheeler, Cameron	2176
4	NM Chow, Colin	2162
5	Ruddell, Solomon	2136
6	NM Viswanadha, Kesav	2134
7	nm Liu, Daniel	2095
8	Apte, Neel	2082
9	Tong, Benjamin	2081
10	Beilin, Allan	2075
11	Jirasek, Ladia	2064
12	NM Panchanatham, Vignesh	2058
13	NM Zhu, Jack	2056
14	Shin, Kyle	2046
15	Klotz-Burwell, Hunter	2020
16	Nagarajan, Pranav	2012
17	Cao, Joshua	2007
18	FM Vasudeva, Tanuj	2000
19	Iyengar, Udit	1993
20	Handigol, Abhishek	1989

Sacramento Championship on July 5-7

Are you looking for some hot chess competition during the dog days of summer?  If you're not attending the World Open in our nation's capital, then join the fun at the Sacramento Chess Championship.  Enter one of three rating sections and choose from the leisurely 3-day schedule (6 rounds of 30/75, G/45 + 30 second increment) or a thrill ride in the 2-day schedule (rounds 1-3 at G/50 + 15 second increment).  You can always count on an efficient event with the experienced National TD John McCumiskey at the helm.

NTD John McCumiskey

This annual tournament has attracted 70 to 80 players in recent years, but 100 would sound nice.  Probably a half dozen masters will enter the Open section, including an IM or two.  Indeed, IM Ricardo DeGuzman won the 2010 and 2011 editions, but he was trumped by FM Kenan Zildzic in 2012.  Yours truly intends to participate for the first time since 2009--when he actually won!

The latest weather forecast calls for low-90s on Friday through Sunday, much more comfortable than this week's 100s.

• Event: Sacramento Chess Championship
• Dates: July 5-7 (3-day) or 6-7 (2-day)
• Location: 2224 Auburn Blvd in Sacramento (take Business-80 freeway to Howe Ave)
• Format: 6 Rounds in 3 Sections (Open, U2000, U1600)
• 3-day Rounds: Fri 10 and 3:30, Sat 10:30 and 4, Sun 10 and 3:30
• 2-day Rounds: Sat 9, 11:15, 1:30 and 4, Sun 10 and 3:30
• Time control: 30/75, G/45 + 30/inc (2-day rounds 1-3 at G/50 + 15/inc)
• Chronos Clock use mode CH-P6 (3-day) or CH-P5 (2-day). 
• Entry: $70 by July 1 or $80 on-site
• Prizes: $550 for 1st in Open, $425 for 1st in two lower sections
• Flyer: http://www.sacramentochessclub.org/weekend_events/2013scc.pdf
• Entries: http://www.sacramentochessclub.org/weekend_events/2013scc.htm
• Hotel: Holiday Inn Express - Northeast Sacramento
• Don't Forget to Bring Boards, Sets and Digital Clocks!

California Budget Crunch Threatens Sacramento Chess Club

Another sad sign of the times from the Sacramento Chess Club:

As many of you are aware, the City of Sacramento has been suffering from budget problems for several years now. In 2008, those budget issues directly affected the Sacramento Chess Club, requiring us to pay rent to use the Redwood Room of the Hart Senior Center. Through the donation of generous benefactors, the Club has been able to continue to rent the space at the Hart Senior Center. Since then, the Club has also looked at the options available, with the primary focus being to avoid charging members dues, something the Club has been able to do throughout most of its existence, and remain in or close to the downtown area.

For the year 2010, the Sacramento Chess Club will need to pay $3,432 in rent to the City of Sacramento for the use of the Redwood Room. ... In a recent informal discussion with the staff of the Hart Senior Center, it appears likely that the rental rates for the Redwood Room will increase during the course of the year. This puts the Sacramento Chess Club in an untenable financial position.

During the last several months, an unsuccessful search has been on-going to find a new location for the Club to meet. Although there are still some possibilities being investigated, the outlook appears bleak for staying in the downtown Sacramento area. ... The Sacramento Chess Club has a long, rich chess history in the community and state of California. Your help is vital to the continuation of the Sacramento Chess Club and its place in the community.

The cold, hard reality of the state's fiscal catastrophe will be felt yet again. Ever since I began playing competitive chess in 1994, Sacramento was my home club. Each Wednesday night, 30 up to nearly 100 players would drop by the Hart Senior Center on J Street between 27th and 28th Street to play chess. The club was quite fortunate to meet rent free until the summer of 2008. In turn, the weekly tournaments (G/10 and G/60 were most popular) only cost $2 or $5 per player. Since the City of Sacramento began charging a steep rental fee, the club cannot keep going; it will have to find a cheaper venue for meetings.

This story mirrors the harsh reality at many other small chess clubs around the country. That's why many meet at fast food places, eager for extra business in the evenings. Unfortunately, most restaurants can't accommodate a club as large as Sacramento. I would really be sad to see a club whose history dates back to 1934 close. Hopefully that won't be necessary.

Sacramento Team Champ Is Underway

(Left: Heiserman white against Lazetich. Right: Micah Cohen white against MacFarland. Photos taken by cell phone.)


The annual Team Championship at the Sacramento Chess Club began last week with nine teams and over 60 players. Each team fields six boards rated under 1750 average, with up to three alternates allowed. The premiere event of the club brings back folks who rarely attend the rest of the year. I counted 5 masters, another 5 experts and over a dozen experienced A players. No doubt the competition on the top three boards will be fierce! Round-robin play continues through March 24, although each team gets a bye.

The defending champions from UC Davis, named after the university mascot Gunrock, appear heavy favorites to repeat. NM Jim Heiserman, Phillip Seitzer, Valeriy Timofeyev and John Cohen give them four players rated above 1950 to fill the top three boards; the lower boards are manned by strong unrateds typically of class B or C strength, but who count as 1300 for the team average rating. Top challengers include Pinoy Destroyers (expert Joe Escoto plus his Filipino buddies) and 2-C (formerly called B-Nam, featuring NM Jim MacFarland on top board).

My own team, Russo's Rustlers captained by rapidly improving A player Joe Russo, might also finish in the top half of the field. (The photo at right shows Robert struggling as black against my student Nicholas Karas.) Unfortunately, we seriously got our bells rung in the first round by Gunrock's Heroes. I have never been on the wrong side of a 5.5-0.5 score before! I even lost to Phillip Seitzer due to tactical blindness and poor time management. Thanks to Marvin Gilbert for avoiding the shutout with a draw on board 4. Fortunately, the team bounced back 4-2 against King Hunters, with me sitting out.

Team Standings after round 2 (MP, GP, top board)

1. Gunrock's Heroes (2.0, 10.5, NM Jim Heiserman)
2. Pinoy Destroyers (2.0, 10.5, Joe Escoto)
   
3. 2-C (1.0, 5.5, NM Jim MacFarland)
4. Daze N' Knights (1.0, 5.0, Micah Cohen)
5. Russo's Rustlers (1.0, 4.5, NM Michael Aigner)
6. King Hunters (0.5, 5.0, Nicholas Karas)
7. Zoki (0.5, 3.5, Ted Xiao)
   
8. Zoka (0.0, 2.5, NM Zoran Lazetich)
9. Warriors (0.0, 1.0, NM Steve Ross)

Official team standings and individual results are posted at Sacramento Chess Club website.

More Photos from Sacramento

I took these photos of Sacramento chess club members at the Weekend Swiss on December 20-21. Check out my Flickr photo album for more pictures from Sacramento area tournaments in 2008. Only the last 26 photos came from the past weekend.

• top left: Jamshid Alamehzadeh
• top right: Stoyan Elitzin and Alonzo McCaulley
• bottom left: Ricardo Salazar and Virgil Vigil
• bottom right: Brendan "Joe" Birt

Fpawn and Students PWN Sac-town

(The fpawn poses with student Suraj Nair after both won 1st place. To my disappointment, these trophies did not come filled with wine or candy.)

The final chess tournament of the year in Sacramento is the annual Weekend Swiss held at the Learning Exchange on Howe Avenue. About 40 players, their parents and a few enthusiastic observers came despite the cold weather. Many of the longtime regulars at the Sacramento Chess Club played, including three of the five masters: James MacFarland, Zoran Lazetich (first photo at bottom) and Michael Aigner. Thanks to longtime club TD John McCumiskey (second photo at bottom) for hosting yet another fine tournament.

The first round saw a tsunami of upsets in the top section that significantly changed course of the competition. At one point, all three masters appeared to be facing defeat. I managed to win after five hours of play against 2007 club champion Alonzo McCaulley, but both of my fellow masters lost. Kudos go to Jamshid Alamehzadeh (1854) for swindling Lazetich in an endgame and Ricardo Salazar (1839) for defeating MacFarland.

The main consequence of these upsets was that I would cruise through the entire four round tournament without being paired with anyone rated over 1900. (Sigh!) After working hard against McCaulley, I secured a comfortable advantage by move 25 in two games and won the third in merely 13 moves with black! I took clear 1st at 4-0, a full point ahead of NM Lazetich, Michael Da-Cruz, Nicholas Karas and Alamehzadeh.

Congratulations also to two of my students for winning money and achieving small milestones. Nicholas Karas (third photo at bottom) broke 1900 USCF by winning his first three games, defeating an expert along the way, before losing to his teacher. (Ahem!) Fresh off his victory in the 9th grade section at the CalChess Grade Levels in Stockton, Suraj Nair scored 2.5 out of 3 against B players to take clear 1st in the U1800 section. He broke 1600 USCF, gaining nearly 200 rating points in the past month and 400 points since the summer. After the final round, I asked Suraj what he did to improve so fast; he credited many hours of solving tactics puzzles on CT-ART. (Students: hint, hint!)

Save Our Chess Club!

Ever since I started playing chess in 1993, the Sacramento Chess Club has met at the Ethel Macleod Hart Senior Center on J Street between 27th and 28th Avenues. The Club was fortunate to pay no rent over all the years, allowing it to run weekly events on Wednesday nights at the rock bottom entry fees of $2 and $5. These events include G/10 and multi-week G/60-G/75 rated tournaments. Attendance varies throughout the year from 40 to near 100; some players choose only to play unrated skittles games.

The Club's historical records date back to at least 1934. Multiple-time champions include strong masters such as former USCF President Col. Ed Edmondson, Serge von Oettingen, Mark Buckley, Tom Dorsch, James MacFarland, Zoran Lazetich and Robby Adamson. In 1964, Bobby Fischer gave a simul at the Sacramento Chess Club. The Club offered a hangout for many of Sacramento's adult chess players, many who have fixed incomes. It has, over the past 15 years, nurtured the development of young stars such as NM Winston Tsang, David Pecora, NM Daniel Schwarz, Matt Zavortink, Tyler Wilken and Isaac Zhang. I can safely say that I would not be a chess master and teacher today without the support and competition of the Sacramento Chess Club.

Unfortunately, the budget crisis facing the State of California and City of Sacramento has required reducing the hours of service at many facilities, including the Hart Senior Center. Two years ago, the Chess Club's closing time changed from 10pm to 9pm, cutting into the tournament schedule. Meetings on the 5th Wednesday of the month were eliminated.

This year, the cuts are even deeper. The City of Sacramento recently wrote this letter to the Chess Club announcing a minimum rental fee of $11/hour or $38.50 per week effective August 1. The Club now faces a difficult decision that calls its very existence into question. On the homepage, Treasurer John McCumiskey wrote about the limited options. "It would appear that the club needs to secure a new meeting facility that we can continue to use for free. The alternatives appear to be securing a benefactor for the Sacramento Chess Club, begin taking donations and/or charging people to play at the Club." The last scenario would, unfortunately, force out some of the regular members and would be the end of the Club as we know it.

It is a dark day in Sacramento chess history. Hopefully, it is not the end of a Chess Club that dates back over 80 years. Stay tuned...