[imagefield_assist|fid=17234|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=FM Doug Eckert takes on NM Kevin Cao in the final round of the FAQs.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=710|height=533]
By Alex Marler
The Friday Action Quads is the most successful event held at the club on a regular basis. They’re great! I can’t think of a better way to unwind from the work week than to push the pieces in three quick games against players my own level.
I don’t care about the quick rating (my standard rating, on the other hand, is my net worth!) so if I lose all of my games due to overzealous, unjustified attacking play, well who cares! At least I had fun doing it. The entry fee is a non-issue at just $10, which is considerably cheaper than a movie these days. Also, if you win it means $36 bucks right in your hand; it’s as if the club is saying, “Congratulations, Champs! Dinner is on us!”. So, if you have been absent from the club, or you had a stressful week, then come destress with some Friday Night Action Chess.
FM Doug Eckert knows what I’m talking about. He competes nearly every week in the FAQ. A few weeks ago it was business as usual for Doug, even though the competition was much stronger than the norm: IM Vitaly Neimer, NM Kevin Cao, and FM Tyler Hughes. I’m not even going to introduce these guys, because if you don’t know them, then you’re not coming to the club nearly often enough.
Eckert was paired with black against FM Hughes in round 1. The game became complex very early on, which caused both players to use most of their time by move 20. The rest of the game was like a blitz match. Eckert won, but it was not clean, e.g., both players missed 30.Re3 trapping black’s queen. The FAQ is about fun more than anything. Good players know that you can’t play perfectly with only 26 minutes on the clock. The game is below with analysis.
Round 2 featured the big matchup for Doug, as he was white against IM Neimer. Unfortunately for Eckert, he errored first with 17.Ne5?. This move loses a pawn for white by force. The game was actually fairly equal for the most part, however, I say that because both players missed winning moves and blundered. Such is the FAQ!
Local whiz-kid, NM Kevin Cao, held Eckert to a draw in round 3 in a rich strategic battle. Check out the game below. This game sealed Doug’s first place victory and the ultimate prize of $36!
Come on out to the FAQs this week and see what all the excitement is about!
