No pawns here in this game of life at Anderson Alternative School
Alternative school uses chess to help kids deal with patience, discipline, thinking skills
By Liz Carey
Monday, March 30, 2009
Anderson Independent Mail – Anderson, SC, USA

ANDERSON COUNTY — Preston Hill, 14, leans over the cafeteria table, his energy focused on the board in front of him.

Dressed in camouflage pants and a green T-shirt, the uniform of the Anderson Alternative School, the dirty blond, crew-cut-headed boy studies the pieces in front of him, planning his next move. With quick and sure movements, he picks up the queen, moves her into position and hits the clock. It’s checkmate. He’s won again.

This is not something you would expect from a kid who was expelled from Wren High School in Piedmont for fighting.

Hill is part of the Anderson Alternative School’s Chess Club. The alternative school provides a learning environment for students referred to the school by the county’s five school districts or by the court system. Known for its military-style boot camp program, the school focuses on turning around students who have been discipline problems. Chess, said Alternative School Principal Randolph Dillingham, is a part of that now.

“Chess is about thinking about what you’re doing,” he said. “A lot of these kids have problems with impulse control. This has taught them how to stop and think before they act, to think about the consequences of what they are doing.”

The club, now in its second year, is a joint effort between the school, the Sertoma Club of Anderson and volunteers. Here in the cafeteria, during hour-long sessions Friday afternoons, some 40 students learn the fundamentals of chess and how to apply it to their lives.

Here is the full article.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

This is a full length (47 minutes) National Geographic Documentary. It has been shown worldwide (I was told over 100 countries). The crew spent nearly one year to film this documentary in New York, Budapest, London, etc. Click here to see it.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

White to move. How can White save this game? No computer analysis please.

6rk/1R3Qpp/5b2/n2p1N2/3P3P/p1p2qP1/P4P2/6K1 w – - 0 1

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Battle of Grandmasters: Wesley virtual champ
By Roy Luarca
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:06:00 03/31/2009

Standings after 10 rounds:MEN: 16.0 points—W. So; 13.0—R. Antonio; 12.0—E. Torre; 11.5—D. Laylo; 11.0—J. Gomez, J. Sadorra; 10.0—M. Paragua, R. Bitoon; 8.0—R. Nolte; 7.0—J. Gonzales; 5.5—B. Villamayor; 5.0—R. Dableo

WOMEN: 15.0—Shercila Cua; 14.5—B. Mendoza; 13.0—Sherily Cua; 12.0—D. Rivera, C. Bernales, J. Fronda; 9.0—L. Cuizon, K. Cunanan; 6.5—R. Jose; 5.0—J. Docena; 4.0—R. Young

DAPITAN CITY, Zamboanga Del Norte —It’s in the bag for defending champion Grandmaster Wesley So.

So settled for back-to-back draws with GM-candidates Julio Catalino Sadorra and Richard Bitoon to virtually capture his second straight title and the top purse of P200,000 with only one round left in the 2009 Phoenix Petroleum-Dapitan City “Battle of GMs” chess championship at the Dapitan City Resort Hotel here late Sunday.

The 15-year-old high school student from St. Francis-Cavite halved the point with Sadorra in 36 moves of the French and with Bitoon in only 30 of the Sicilian Pelican to raise his score to 15 points in this 11-round tournament hosted by the Dapitan City government headed by Mayor Dominador Jalosjos.

Counting his six victories in the first seven rounds, So totes an insurmountable three-point lead over GM Rogelio Antonio Jr.

(So later drew his un-played sixth-round game with Antonio in 31 moves of a Sicilian.)

GM Eugene Torre, who showed vintage form in winning the third President Macapagal-Arroyo Cup late last year, made the biggest gain with consecutive wins.

Torre outduelled GM Bong Villamayor in 39 moves of the London Opening in the ninth round and GM John Paul Gomez in 46 of the Bogo-Indian in the 10th to bounce back into contention with 12 points, good for third spot.

Antonio trounced Gomez in 41 moves of the Benoni but drew with GM Mark Paragua.

Dresden Olympiad veteran GM Darwin Laylo drew with IM Rolando Nolte in 30 moves of the Center Counter and subdued GM Jayson Gonzales in 33 of the Slav to climb to solo fourth place with 11.5 points.

Source: http://sports.inquirer.net

Standings after 10 rounds:

Chess news from Susan Polgar

March 30, 2009
SPICE Hosts 2nd Annual Lubbock Open Scholastic Chess Championship

Texas Tech University’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) will kick off the 2nd Annual Lubbock Open Scholastic Chess Championship at 11 a.m. April 18 at Monterey High School.

Written by Jessica Benham

Texas Tech University’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) will kick off the 2nd Annual Lubbock Open Scholastic Chess Championship at 11 a.m. April 18 at Monterey High School.

The championship is a four-round Swiss System Tournament and will be rated by the United States Chess Federation (USCF).

Games are played in four sections including primary (K-2), elementary (K-5), middle school (K-8) and high school (K-12).

Paul Truong, director of marketing for SPICE, said the tournament is the flagship open chess tournament for the city of Lubbock.

“In its first year, the Lubbock Open drew 109 players,” Truong said. “We aim to consistently increase the number of participants each year. Our goal is to reach 500 players for this championship within the next five years and eventually reach the 1,000 player mark.”

Trophies will be awarded to the top 10 individuals and top three teams in each section. Special chess prizes also will be awarded to the top three finishers and top female in each section.

Awards will be handed out at the end of the last game around 4:30 p.m.

On-site registration and check in will take place from 9 -10:30 a.m. Registration is $10 before April 1, and $20 after. A valid USCF membership is required for registration and can be obtained at www.uschess.org or on the day of the tournament before 10 a.m.

Source: http://today.ttu.edu

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Rochester chess player wins state junior championship
3/30/2009 8:20:02 AM
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Alex Cheng, an eighth-grader at John Adams Middle School in Rochester, was crowned champion on Sunday in the junior high school division of the Minnesota State Chess Association state tournament.

Cheng went undefeated in the first five rounds and played to a draw in the championship. It was a showdown with Wes Cannon, a Lake Harriet ninth-grader, who also was undefeated. After two hours, neither player was able to establish dominance on the board so they agreed to a draw. The two were declared co-champions, but Alex was designated the top player on tie-breakers.

Players in senior and junior high school divisions participated in the weekend tournament at Robbinsdale Cooper High School. There were about 140 players in the junior high school division, and about 25 schools fielded teams.

John Adams middle school chess club members were novices in the state tournament last year and placed seventh. The team finished fourth this year.

Rochester high school players also participated, and the Lourdes team finished ninth and Century 11th in a field of 26 teams. Century junior Michael Lust placed 23rd out of 157 players and received a trophy for being the top high school junior.

Source: http://news.postbulletin.com

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Posted on Mon, Mar. 30, 2009
Annette John-Hall: City students use chess to claim their victories
By Annette John-Hall
Inquirer Columnist

All over Philadelphia, thousands of students have declared war.

Ask the 3,000 kids who battle each other every day after school what weapons they use, and they won’t say a gun, or a knife, or even a basketball – although that’s what a lot of people would think.

These kids will tell you they’d rather skip the trash-talking. They’d duke it out in silence – on a chessboard.

Their soldiers are pawns, rooks, and bishops. Their ammunition? Brain power.

The game may never make the sports headlines, but, after ebbing with the budget cuts of the ’90s, chess is back as the after-school activity of choice. Seven Philadelphia chess teams from five public and two private schools will compete in the nationals in Nashville in May.

Among them are first-time champs Fels High, along with powerhouses Masterman, Blankenburg Elementary, and the Russell Byers Charter School squad, coached by principal Salome Thomas-El, loosely credited with resurrecting chess in the Philadelphia schools.

Nobody gets hurt Thomas-El’s team at Vaux Middle School won eight national titles during the mid-1990s. At Byers elementary, his youngest player, Elijah Jones, is only 7, but Elijah is good enough to play two-hour matches, record his opponents’ moves in algebraic notation, and compete in Nashville.

“I really like taking people’s queens,” the diminutive first grader says.

“I just love playing chess,” adds teammate Ayannah Woods, 11, whose grown-up goal is to become a police officer – and a grandmaster.

“Chess is like war, but it’s not violent. It’s a good way to take out your anger, but nobody gets hurt. It helps with math because you have to think of your opponent like a problem – ‘How do I solve it?’ “

Pretty heady stuff for a sixth grader. But it’s the norm at Byers, where the chess club draws more and more students every day. In fact, in a game traditionally thought to be better suited to the male analytical mind, Woods and Dyamond Allen – a pair of 11-year-old girls – are the team’s top players.

Shattering stereotypes That’s the thing about chess: It challenges the low expectations thrust on inner-city kids, and shows them they can be smart, can achieve, can look forward to all sorts of possibilities. There’s more to the future than a dream about sports.

Chess urges them to love themselves. Chess tells them smart is cool. Chess lets them know you don’t have to dunk on somebody to succeed.

“Kids who carry chessboards, if you don’t assume anything else about them, you assume they’re intelligent,” says Thomas-El, 44, author of the memoir I Choose to Stay, which tells the story of chess’ influence on students’ lives. “Using your brain is unheard of for some people. But these kids, they’re changing their self-concept.”

Here is the full article.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Monday, March 30, 2009 7:27 PM

Brotherhood of chess players holds curbside court
Mon, 03/30/2009 1:00 PM Bali

The term “brotherhood” is used almost exclusively here for the biker community, but is also familiar for the dozens of individuals who happen to love playing chess day and night on the sidewalk of Jl. Kaliasem, Denpasar.

Since 2000, these chess lovers have played the game of kings in the simplest of ways – some sitting on modest wooden chairs, while others humbly squat on the concrete pedestrian lane. Back then, it was just an informal, loose community.

Last year, they decided to make it more official, spawning the name Sidewalk Chess Pawn Club (BTC). The club is headed by Wayan Suanda and owns a small, modest office, built by its members, located at the end of the sidewalk.

Suanda says the club is a local and simple sports organization, aimed at strengthening the brotherhood among its members and also at preserving the playing of chess in the area.

“This is an open club. We never urge anyone to officially join in. They can play here and don’t have to be a member,” Suanda told The Jakarta Post on Friday, adding more and more chess players came to play on the sidewalk.

“We’re treating the club as a brotherhood community. We’re more than willing to give a warm welcome to anyone interested in coming by, playing or even joining the club. I believe everyone, including a newcomer like yourself, or younger people will feel familiar with us,” he said.

Suanda said his club applied a no-strings-attached policy.

“Loving the game of chess is what matters,” he stressed.

Chess lover Fandy Pratama said he was not a member of the club.

“However, I really enjoy watching them play. I come after work hours. Despite my not being a member, these players are really nice and friendly to me,” he said.

Here is the full article.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Standings after 6 rounds:

Rk.			Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	Rp	K	rtg+/-
1		GM	Kryvoruchko Yuriy	UKR	2604	5,5	22,0	15,0	20,00	2789	10	9,2
2		IM	Vocaturo Daniele	ITA	2445	5,0	23,5	16,0	18,75	2715	10	20,8
3		GM	Shulman Yuri	USA	2639	5,0	23,5	15,0	19,25	2698	10	4,5
4		GM	Marin Mihail	ROU	2556	5,0	21,0	15,0	17,00	2643	10	6,8
5		GM	Steingrimsson Hedinn	ISL	2547	4,5	23,5	15,5	17,00	2618	10	6,0
6			Guilleux Fabien	FRA	2303	4,5	22,0	15,5	14,50	2583	15	37,2
7		GM	Stefansson Hannes	ISL	2563	4,5	22,0	15,0	16,00	2566	10	0,9
8		GM	Areshchenko Alexander	UKR	2673	4,5	22,0	14,5	16,00	2621	10	-2,1
9		GM	Hillarp Persson Tiger	SWE	2586	4,5	21,5	14,5	14,75	2596	10	1,4
10		GM	Maze Sebastien	FRA	2579	4,5	21,0	14,0	14,50	2582	10	1,2
11		GM	Gupta Abhijeet	IND	2569	4,5	20,0	14,0	15,50	2516	10	-2,4
12		GM	Nataf Igor-Alexandre	FRA	2533	4,5	20,0	13,5	14,50	2504	10	-1,3

Full results here. Official website here.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

The drawn game between GM So and GM Antonio is nullified and must be replayed.

Source: Chess-results.com

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Black to move. How should Black proceed?

6k1/1pp4p/3pNpbq/1N1Pr3/pPP3n1/P5P1/1B1Q3P/3R2K1 b – - 0 1

Chess news from Susan Polgar

11th Cup of Rector – Match of Champions

Since March, 25 till March, 29 the traditional chess tournament “Cup of Rector” will be held on the stage of the Palace of Students of the National Law Academy of Ukraine named by Yaroslav the Wise.

Actual event includes the match between 2 strongest Ukrainian chess clubs “Law Academy” (the champion of Ukraine 2000, 2004 and 2005) and “PVK-Kievchess” (the bronze prize-winner of the European Cup-2008, the champion of Ukraine 2007 and 2008).

Amongst of teams’ players are: the 16th World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov; 4-times Champion of the USSR, the Olympic Champion of 1982 and 1984 Alexander Beliavsky; the World Champion (2001) as a member of national team of Ukraine Vladimir Baklan; Olympic Champions (2004) Alexander Moiseenko and Pavel Eljanov; the silver prize-winner of the 1st World Sports Mind Games (2008) Valeriy Aveskulov; current Ukrainian champion Evgenij Miroshnichenko; the Champion of Ukraine 2006 Zahar Efimenko; the most talented chess player of Ukraine 12-year-old Illya Nyzhnyk and other elite grandmasters of Ukraine.

The solemn opening ceremony will be held on the 25th of March, 14.00 in the Students’ Palace. The rounds will start every day at 15.00. The closing ceremony and awarding of winners will start at 18.00 March, 29.

All games will be in live broadcasting on the official web site of the tournament (www.chesslaw.org.ua) and it will be possible to follow the games from any place of the world.

Players of teams:

Players information:

“Law Academy” (Kharkov)
“PVK-Kievchess” (Kiev)

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Chess via the Internet: An innovative move
By Errol Tiwari March 29, 2009 in Sunday
Chess with Errol Tiwari

The Annual General Meeting of the Guyana Chess Federation will be held today from 11am at the Ocean Spray hotel. The highlight of the agenda is the election of office bearers for the following year.

The year 2009 promises to be one with a packed schedule for the organization. The federation expects to be re-admitted to FIDE (World Chess Organization), and in so doing, obtain international rating points for its players. In the meantime, the federation is continuing with its efforts to develop the game locally in schools.

In September-October, the federation is thinking of fielding a small team to participate in the Suriname Open chess tournament. The tournament is FIDE rated , and participants usually come from Caricom countries, Aruba, Curacao and the Netherlands. Over the years, International Masters (one rank below that of Grandmasters) have played in the tournament.

There is also a plan by the federation to introduce chess at the Teachers’ Training College, since its student teachers originate from various parts of Guyana.

Some reside and teach in the hinterland communi-ties, and this circumstance would present a fine opportunity for chess to be taught in those communities, and to develop the game there.

‘Chess via the Internet,’ a programme where chess will be available to players at Internet cafes will be introduced to the public later this year. By sourcing the software at a cafe, players could determine whether they want to play against the computer at a certain level, or whether they would prefer to study an opening, the middlegame or the endgame − or simply play with other chess players from around the world.

This is an ambitious project that would need the cooperation of the cafe owners from around the country. Schoolchildren can improve the quality of their play by leaps and bounds using such a facility. A person knowing nothing of the game can also learn quickly using this feature.

Here is the full article.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Standings after 9 rounds:

1. 1 Galyas, Miklos 8.0 54.5 47.50 41.5 2456 2601 +1.22
2. 4 Paschall, William M. 7.5 51.5 41.50 39.0 2354 2501 +1.60
3. 2 Berczes, Csaba 6.5 53.0 34.50 36.5 2382 2413 +0.47
5 Papp, Tamas 6.5 51.5 34.75 35.5 2315 2366 +0.68
3 To, Nhat Minh 6.5 49.0 34.50 32.5 2356 2311 -0.32
6 Jamrich, Gyorgy 6.5 44.5 32.00 31.5 2294 2293 +0.16
7. 20 Volman, Horacio 6.0 50.0 29.75 33.5 2175 2278 +1.35
18 Juhasz, Kristof 6.0 49.0 30.25 32.5 2181 2249 +0.94
10 Corke, Anya 6.0 47.5 29.50 32.5 2260 2294 +0.45
14 Amstadt, Aron 6.0 47.0 28.50 31.5 2219 2242 +0.35
26 Lukacs, Janos 6.0 45.5 26.75 31.0 2137 2197 +0.89
22 Horvath, David 6.0 42.5 25.75 28.5 2154 2223 +0.83
12 Somogyi, Istvan 6.0 44.5 27.00 28.5 2225 2134 -0.89
11 Szabo, Bence 6.0 41.5 25.50 28.0 2229 2149 -0.73
62 Kiraly, Zoltan 6.0 44.0 27.75 25.5 1854 2250 +4.40
16. 8 Sebestyen, Balazs 5.5 50.0 28.75 33.0 2283 2250 -0.28
15 Schenkerik, Csaba 5.5 45.0 25.25 29.5 2215 2122 -0.92
34 Hantak, Adam 5.5 44.5 25.75 28.5 2112 2125 +0.46
27 Green, Andrew D 5.5 47.0 25.50 28.5 2136 2239 +1.40
57 Kabai, Zsuzsanna 5.5 42.5 25.25 28.0 1894 2232 +3.80
21 Tate, Alan 5.5 43.0 24.25 27.5 2170 2051 -1.05
30 Bacso, Gabor 5.5 41.0 22.50 26.5 2123 2095 -0.03
66 Bea, Boglarka 5.5 42.5 25.25 25.5 1809 2204 +4.27

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Young chess phenom So inches closer to ‘Battle of GMs’ title
03/29/2009 05:28 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Wesley So made short work of International Master Ronald Dableo in the seventh round then halved the point with GM Mark Paragua to move closer to an unprecedented back-to-back title in the Phoenix Petroleum-Dapitan City “Battle of GMs” chess championship Sunday in Dapitan.

The 15-year-old defending champion So finished off Dableo in only 26 moves of the French, sustaining a remarkable winning streak interrupted only by a draw with GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. in the sixth round. The draw was later ordered nullified by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), which ordered a replay of the match on Monday.

Then So settled for a draw with Paragua in 31 moves of the Sicilian Rossolimo in the eighth round to keep a comfortable lead over GM John Paul Gomez with only three rounds remaining in this annual tournament.

Overall, So has 13 points, excluding the outcome of his game against Antonio.

So’s ninth-round assignment is against IM Julio Catalino Sadorra.

Gomez, who nailed the elusive GM title during the World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany last November, made the biggest jump during the weekend.

UAAP Athlete of the Year Gomez swept GMs Darwin Laylo in 58 moves of the Gruenfeld in the seventh round and Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor in 46 moves of the English to raise his score to 11 points.

Sadorra matched Gomez’s two-game streak by humbling IM Rolando Nolte (48, English) and GM Jayson Gonzales (40, King’s Indian) to move into a three-way tie with Antonio and IM Richard Bitoon in third to fifth places with nine points.

Antonio humbled Villamayor in 62 moves of the Bogo-Indian but lost to Dableo in marathon 98 moves of the Scandinavian, while Bitoon drew with GM Eugene Torre in 55 moves of the Siciliani and won over Nolte in 30 moves of the Sicilian.

Laylo drew with Torre in 60 moves of the Nimzo-Indian to grab solo sixth place with 8.5 points.

Here is the full article.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Festival features international cuisine, talent show (and chess)
3/27/2009 2:20:03 PM
By Matthew Stolle
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

A chess challenge will also be set up Saturday. Members of the Rochester Chess Club will take on all challengers.

“Chess is a world game. It’s an international game,” said John Berquist, coordinator of this year’s world festival, in explaining the game’s introduction to the festival.

Another family-friendly draw will be hands-on children’s activities, including calligraphy and crafts.

For more information or to take part as a volunteer, call (507) 280-8319 or (507) 289-5960, Ext. 116.

Source: http://news.postbulletin.com

Chess news from Susan Polgar

March 29, 2009 16:21 PM

20 Countries To Participate In Chess Championship
Bernama – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 (Bernama) — Twenty countries are expected to participate in the Malaysia Open Chess Championship 2009 in August.

Malaysian Chess Federation secretary Abdul Hamid Majid said today that based on previous records, the largest number of participants would come from China, Vietnam, India, Armenia and the Philippines.

He said Russia would normally send its team of reserve players.According to Abdul Hamid, the venue for the championship had been identified.– BERNAMA

Chess news from Susan Polgar