Recap of weekend activities for June 27-28 2009
Submitted by cjus on 6/29/2009 11:59:36 PM
New LA resident (from San Francisco) Alberto Cisneros had a great day with his 3.5/4.0 result. Good for $40 cash prize as well as gaining 45 rating points (1691-1736). Two SoCal prodigies, Ezekiel Liu and…yes Bryan Xiao gained more rating points this week as well; 7 and 12, respectively. National Master Takashi (Tak) Kurosaki had another perfect score with his 3-0 result; which put him over the magical 2200 for the nth time. Alec Spencer, a class ‘B’ player, had an amazing result: Beating an 'Expert' and an 'A' player and gaining 78 rating points! Now, you know why I encourage lower-rated players to challenge higher-rated players with no fear! The payoffs are VERY handsome! A great case in point. Daniel Alvira came back after a while and had a nice sweep with a perfect 3-0; overcoming his usual closest rivals Richard Henderson and Mitch Jayson; good for 52 rating points also (1817-1869). David Steinhart's 1 win and 1 loss (he almost beat Richard) was good 4 points. And finally, our web master Carlos Justiniano tried to get rid of his rustiness and warm up for the Agoura Hills Tournament - mid July
New Chess Tactics Trainer
Submitted by cjus on 6/26/2009 12:19:48 AM
Solving chess puzzles involving tactics is a great way to improve your game. In order to help you do just that we've introduced an online tool that presents you with a problem from our library of 1500 problems and factoids.
LACC Weekend Activities June 13 - 14 2009
Submitted by mick on 6/16/2009 12:34:07 AM
We had a very busy weekend! David Koller was the surprise winner of this 7-player tournament; upsetting 4 higher-rated players. His 3.0/4.0 result was good for clear place and first prize of $30 as well as gaining 44 rating points (1279-1423). This weekend, he resumes playing consistently on weekends. Perseverance pays! Bryan Xiao, a SoCal prodigy, was another surprise. This 7-year old had a ½ pt. bye in the first round and scored 2 wins from the last 3 games; good for clear second as well as gaining 79 rating points! After taking only a few Private Lessons, he has been having consistently good results lately. National Master Takashi (Tak) Kurosaki overcame higher-rated NM Ryan Porter to be the winner of this week’s strongest Quad in the West. Making $90 and 24 rating points was not bad either! (2164-2188).
Advance Chess Lectures
Submitted by cjus on 6/15/2009 9:43:04 PM
The LA Chess Club hosts a weekly Advance Lecture on Tuesday nights. LACC founder and USCF Life Senior Master, Mick Bighamian, focuses on a specific monthly theme during his lectures. This month of June the focus is on "The Ultimate Blunder!". In July the topic will be the "Art of Defense". Lectures start at 7:30 PM with a midway break and end at 9:30 PM. Although the topics are advanced, lectures are open to players of all levels. Come join us and take your game to a whole new level!
Claymation Chess
Submitted by cjus on 6/14/2009 3:44:50 PM
Chess claymation (stop motion animation) video on youtube. You have to love both chess and animation to create a masterpiece like this!
LACC Chess Etiquettes
Submitted by mick on 6/9/2009 8:55:19 PM
1. Every game should begin and end with the players shaking hands and either wishing each other good luck or congratulating each other for playing a good game.
2. Never gloat over a victory (no happy dances) or have a temper tantrum over a defeat (even if you're just mad at yourself).
3. Talking should be kept to a minimum. Chess is a game of concentration and a quiet atmosphere is necessary.
4. Never comment on another game that is in progress, it distracts the other players and is considered to be rude behavior (this is called kibbitzing).
DRAW (tie) situations in chess
Submitted by mick on 6/9/2009 8:41:00 PM
In chess, a draw is one of the possible outcomes of a game, the others being a win for White (loss for Black) and a win for Black (loss for White). Traditionally, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.
Benefits of Chess for Children
Submitted by mick on 6/9/2009 7:48:30 PM
According to research, Test scores improved by 17.3% for students regularly engaged in chess classes, compared with only 4.6% for children participating in other forms of enriched activities. In approximately 30 nations across the globe, including Brazil, China, Venezuela, Italy, Russia and Greece, etc., chess is incorporated into the country's scholastic curriculum. Just as athletics are a part of the required agenda at schools in the United States, Chess has been that way in the European Nations.