[imagefield_assist|fid=5629|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]By Katie Baldetti and Mike Wilmering
The Opening Ceremony for the 2010 U.S. Women’s and Junior Closed Championships is complete, and the pairings have been determined:
[imagefield_assist|fid=5622|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]The 2010 U.S. Women’s and U.S. Junior Closed Championships start this weekend! I look forward to my live game analysis here at the CCSCSL with WGM Jennifer Shahade!
Many of the participants from these two powerhouse events decided to try their luck at the 2010 World Open, ending Monday, July 5, in suburban Philadelphia. Each year, The World Open is the strongest Open tournament in the United States. The event draws more than 1,000 participants in several sections. Let’s take a look at some of the scores, and see who is likely to be brimming with confidence come Saturday.
[imagefield_assist|fid=5613|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]Expert Nick Karlow won the June Knights with an undefeated performance. After taking a half-point bye in round two, Karlow put himself in a hole, one half point behind the leaders. After pulling off a much needed round three victory against thee-time Knights Champion Paul Goddard, Nick had a crucial round four match-up vs. CCSCSL chess instructor Alex Marler.
Alex had been perfect up until that point in the tournament, and a Karlow loss would put him out of prize contention. Alex got in time pressure, however, and missed an attack that ultimately cost him the game.
[imagefield_assist|fid=5549|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]The 2010 Super Team Championship was well-attended this year, with 17 teams vying for a nice prize and team glory. My team was made of my son Spencer, CCSCSL employee and tournament director Ray “Ray Ray” Kurczynski, and yours truly. We were ranked 2nd behind the team comprised of Doug Eckert, Bob Holliman, and Nick Karlow.
The first round went as expected, with the higher ranked teams winning easily. Round 2 was a bit tougher, as some top teams were nicked for draws, including the top-ranked team, and our team, the 2010 Super Team Champions. No, I am not getting ahead of myself, that was the name of our team!
[imagefield_assist|fid=5571|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]GM Ben Finegold presents Ben 2.0, the new and improved lecture videos from Ben Finegold. The Chess Club has partnered with Caesar Creative to produce higher quality videos for our members and visitors. We hope you enjoy the content, and as always, we are open to your feedback and suggestions.
We will be releasing a new video each week that Ben gives a lecture, and they will be appearing with more regularity. This week, Ben lectures on his games form the 2010 Las Vegas Chess Festival. We will have another lecture video appearing in a few days, so stay tuned!
[imagefield_assist|fid=5567|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]SAINT LOUIS, June 24, 2010 -- Saint Louis completes the Triple Crown of chess championships next month when it plays host to the prestigious 2010 U.S. Women's Championship and the 2010 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, July 9-20.
Right on the heels of the 2010 U.S. Championship, which took place in Saint Louis last month, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has organized yet another unique U.S. Championship tournament experience as it will host these two prominent events simultaneously.
[imagefield_assist|fid=5549|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]The 2010 Super Team Championship concluded last Saturday, and a strong performance by the aptly named 2010 Super Team Champions netted them an overall team performance score of 3.5/4 and a share of first place. The 2010 Super Team Champions (Ben and Spencer Finegold and Ray Kurczynski) ended up in a tie for first with team TFD (Doug Eckert, Bob Holliman and Nick Karlow), but took overall first on tiebreaks.
Kurczynski helped his team finish at the top with a solid personal performance of 3.5/4, which helped offset Spencer Finegold's 1.5/4 performance and a surprising round-two draw by Ben Finegold against Joe Garnier.
[imagefield_assist|fid=5552|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]Wednesday, June 16
The 2010 National Open is one of the big events each year on the chess calendar. I play every year, and this is the second consecutive year the tournament was held at the South Point Hotel. For many years, the tournament was held at the Riviera Hotel. The South Point is much nicer, but, unfortunately, it is not on “The Strip.”
As usual, the tournament had over 15 GMs, and there were over 700 players in the National Open. There was also a scholastic event which drew around 250 kids! The reason this is a “Chess Festival” is due to the myriad of events, not just the National Open. There were GM simuls, a blitz tournament, a quick tournament, free GM lectures, a chess camp, and free game analysis by GM Arthur Bisguier!
[imagefield_assist|fid=5534|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]Chess is Tough
June 1, 2010
The 2010 Chicago Open was my worst tournament in two years. I could not seem to get anything going in some games, and when I did get good positions, I would make errors and the game would become equal. The one bright spot was my round 6 versus veteran GM Anatoly Lein. I drew my last two rounds and had winning positions in both games! I withdrew after round 8, and was actually home by 9p.m. --- Not my tournament.
[imagefield_assist|fid=5430|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]After the long arduous tournament that was the 2010 U.S. Championship, there is no rest for the Resident GM! Executive Director Tony Rich and I have gone to Wheeling, Ill., for the 2010 Chicago Open. The turnout is amazing, and I expect over 700 players this year. The Open section, which started Thursday, has over 140 players and is nine rounds this year to allow for norms! There are over 20 GMs, and I was #15 on the wallchart in the first round.
There are many foreign players this year, and leading the field by rating are GMs Michael Adams, Evgeny Najer, Daniel Fridman (husband of 2009 U.S. Women's Champ Anna Zatonskih), Loek van Wely, Victor Mikhalevsky, Timor Gareev, and Var Akobian.
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