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Ben's Blog: Spring Spice Cup - Round 2 Report

By on March 14, 2010 in

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

By on March 13, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=3518|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]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

By on March 12, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=3517|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]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.

Club Championship: Week 2 results

By on March 10, 2010 in

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

By on March 10, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=3514|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]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

By on March 08, 2010 in

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

By on March 04, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=3480|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]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!

Ben's Blog: Keepin' It Real

By on February 23, 2010 in

Hey avid blog readers! Sorry I have not posted in a while, but, I WAS BUSY! I mean, I was involved in many projects pertaining to chess and The CCSCSL.

A lot of people have been asking about my schedule, and, although they will still ask after I post it on ICC, Facebook, and the blog, well, I will post it anyways!

March 12-19: Spring Spice Cup, Lubbock, TX

March 20-24: NACA Masters, Skokie, IL

GMs Nakamura, Hess and Finegold to play in Saint Louis Open

By on February 18, 2010 in

SAINT LOUIS, February 15, 2010 -- The 2009 U.S. Champion, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, has agreed to participate in the Bill Wright Saint Louis Open, scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, April 10-11.

2009 U.S. Championship runner-up Robert Hess and 12-time Missouri State Champion and International Master Michael Brooks have both agreed to participate in the event as well. All three competed in the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship.

Metro Class Championship brings out 58-player field

By on February 15, 2010 in

The 2nd Annual Metro Saint Louis Class Championship brought out 58 players on Mardi Gras weekend. The club once again flirted with the 60-player mark as word of the best club in the country continues to spread.

Grandmaster Ben Finegold took first place overall with a perfect score, and Todd Plageman, Tony Rich and Steve Landrum split first place in Class A with 2.5 points each.