Ben's Blog: Spring Spice Cup - Rounds 1 and 5
Tue., 3/16/2010 - 10:43 pm — ben2600
Another tough day and two more tough draws. I was lucky in both games, as I stood worse for about 90% of the moves today!
IM Irina Krush and I played a crazy game, which started quietly, then, after she won a pawn, I got some good counterplay. Irina was better, but, after we both missed some tactics, and both got lucky at various points, a draw was the logical result. Afterwards, we had a nice lunch at Applebee's (Is that possible?) although Irina's salad had too much dressing. It's nice to have a pleasant dining experience with your opponent after such a hard fought battle, and the feeling of camaraderie amongst the players here is great.
Finegold and Krush draw in round 1 reschedule at SPICE
Tue., 3/16/2010 - 3:59 pm — mwilmering
GM Ben Finegold and IM Irina Krush played a long and hard-fought draw in a round 1 match that was rescheduled because Krush made a late arrival to the tourney. Finegold had the black pieces against a determined Krush, and the two fierce competitors slugged out a nail-biting draw.
As time was winding down, both players found themselves in time trouble relying only on their increment to save them. the game ended in a rook vs. rook draw, which leaves GM Finegold with a score of 2/4 and IM Krush a score of 1.5/4.
Ben's Blog: Spring Spice Cup - Rounds 3 and 4
Mon., 3/15/2010 - 10:26 pm — ben2600
A very tough day at the office. Two long draws, and I struggled in each game.
I was slightly worse with black against IM Gergely Antal. We drifted into time trouble, and I was able to equalize against inexact play.
Gergely probably had a nice advantage somewhere, but after 33.Qe2? I should be equal or better. I played badly in mutual time trouble and was lucky to draw.
Finegold featured on ChessCafe, follow him live on MonRoi.com
Mon., 3/15/2010 - 12:24 pm — mwilmering
Ben is in action today in Lubbock, Tex., at the Spring SPICE Cup. He is squaring off against IM Gergely Antal in round three. Ben has taken some time out of his busy schedule to post some pics to his personal Facebook site and ours as well. Check the photos from round one here: http://bit.ly/aLKMn2
Our Resident GM was recently featured on ChessCafe.com. You can access part one of his interview by clicking the link here:
Ben's Blog: Spring Spice Cup - Round 2 Report
Sun., 3/14/2010 - 9:34 pm — ben2600
Today was quite boring from a chess point of view, as GM Julio Becerra and I played a snoozer of a game. I prepared quite a while for Julio's Slav/Semi-Slav/a6 Slav, but, I decided to also do a little prep for his other openings, King's Indian and Gruenfeld.
I prepared a line I have never played before, that I could do against any Nf6/g6 combination, but, unfortunately, Julio played solidly, and the game was equal throughout. Tomorrow there are two rounds, and I play black versus IM Gergely Antal in the morning, and white versus IM Dean Ippolito in the afternoon.
Ben's Blog: Spring Spice Cup Begins
Sat., 3/13/2010 - 11:47 am — ben2600
Hello avid blog readers! The Spring Spice Cup starts today in beautiful Lubbock, TX. The event is a ten-player RR, with possible GM and IM norms. At the moment, the belief is 6 points will secure a GM norm, and, for Darwin Yang and Eric Hansen, the only FMs, each will need 4 points to earn an IM norm.
The event starts today at the beautiful campus of Texas Tech University. The games will be played in the English building. Opening ceremonies start today, March 13, 2010, at 1PM CST. I had to think a bit about the "CST", as tonight we move the clocks forward an hour!
ICC State Champion of Champions dates set
Fri., 3/12/2010 - 3:11 pm — mwilmering
The ICC State Champion of Champions tournament, a qualifier for the 2010 U.S. Championship, has been scheduled to start March 24 on the Internet Chess Club (ICC). The U.S. State Champion of Champions tournament pits state champions against one another in an online tournament. Missouri State Champion IM Michael Brooks will represent the CCSCSL's home state in the event.
The semifinals take place on March 30 and the finals will be held April 11. Last year, IM Sam Shankland won the online tournament to earn a bid to the 2009 U.S. Championship.
2010 Summer Camps with Grandmaster Ben Finegold
Fri., 3/12/2010 - 2:21 pm — admin
Since 2008, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) has provided a backdrop for some of the greatest chess players in this country to compete with one another for titles, prize money, and glory. Now we invite your students to join us to advance their skill level in the game of chess!
The CCSCSL seeks to provide new and improving students with an opportunity to explore the game of chess with a Grandmaster. Chess offers a variety of benefits to developing youth, including problem solving, situational awareness, and planning ahead.
Club Championship: Week 2 results
Wed., 3/10/2010 - 11:33 pm — mwilmering
The Club Championship is really heating up as local Expert Jim Voelker moves into clear first with a score of 2-0. His win tonight against Paul Mechem helped propel him into the lead.
With three rounds to go Richard Benjamin, Josh Frank and Ken Thomas are right on his heels with scores of 1.5 each. Next week, Voelker will take on Thomas in a pivotal round three match-up. Frank and Benjamin will square off on board two. Stay tuned to the CCSCSL for updates throughout the week.
Nakamura, Kamsky, 17 more confirmed for 2010 U.S. Championship
Wed., 3/10/2010 - 5:47 pm — mwilmering
SAINT LOUIS, March 10, 2010 -- Nineteen players have accepted invitations to the 2010 U.S. Championship, scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis May 13-25. Four wild card spots and the winner of the Internet Chess Club (ICC) State Champion of Champions online tournament, all yet to be determined, will round out the 24-player field.
International Master Anna Zatonskih won an automatic bid to the 2010 U.S. Championship as the winner of the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship, but had to decline because of prior commitments and familial obligations.
Ben's Blog: Texas Trip and Skokie Sacrifices
Mon., 3/8/2010 - 8:06 pm — ben2600
Yo yo yo!!
Time for me to earn my salary, as I go to two big tournaments.
First, the strong Spring Spice Cup in Lubbock, TX.
Each year, SPICE puts on two strong tournaments, The Spring Spice Cup, and the Spice Cup (usually in September). The Spring Spice Cup is usually a Category 8-10 RR, whilst the Spice Cup in the Fall features at least two strong RR tournaments, with the "A" group average rating over 2625.
Club Championship: Pairings & Results
Thu., 3/4/2010 - 1:55 am — tony
The Club Championship is the culmination of the 2009 "Knights" series tournaments, in which competitors played a series of G/90 games, once per week, over the course of a month. Each month a new contestant qualified to play in the Club Championship, which takes place each Wednesday night in March.
Round 1 saw some exciting action and round 2 pairings are a must-see. Check it out below!