The Chess Club

The 2008 Kansas City Open

2008-07-19T11:11:00.001-06:00

The Chess Club will be holding the annual Kansas City Open over the weekend of July 25-July 27, 2008. $300 prizes guaranteed! No Entry Fee!!!! The winner qualifies for the Missouri State Championship Invitational Tournament. For more information, here.

Kansas City Bughouse and Quick Championship...Today!

2008-03-22T09:55:00.000-06:00

Today The Chess Club will hold the Kansas City Bughouse and Quick chess Championship. The tournament is open to all USCF players. A club membership is not needed for these events.

Registration for Bughouse begins at 12:30 pm. The Championship will start at 1:00 pm. Entry fee is $50 per team on site. Prizes will be given. Scholastic teams are encouraged.

Registration for the Quick Chess Tournament begins at 3:00 pm. This will be a 4 round Swiss open at G29 and will be USCF Quick rated. Entry fee is $25 on site. Prizes will be given.

We hope to see you there!

The Benko (Volga) Gambit...Coker Variation

2008-03-18T12:33:00.003-06:00

In this month's ChessCafe column Opening Lanes IM Gary Lane provides an answer to an interesting question on the Benko Gambit from one of our club's members. Laurence Coker wrote “It is amazing how there are absolutely no references to the following line in the Benko Gambit, despite the fact that in the three years in over-the-board chess it is the most frequent line I see for white (at the club level and Internet): 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 b3. I had to look in my Big Database to find it. I concluded that 4...bxc4 is best. Then, if white plays Bb2 at some point, black has good chances along the “b” file. Recently, I had someone put the white dark-squared bishop on d2 and I had a hard time finding anything wrong with it. I lost in the endgame. What do you suggest?”

To view the equally interesting response, click here.

Ken Fee on the 2008 USAM North

2008-03-03T11:02:00.001-06:00

What an adventure! Our two teams suffered. One member had a heart attack (I am serious), another member had the flu, and one member quit chess. All occurred before we left on the 500 plus mile trip from Kansas City to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the United States Amateur Team Championship North that took place February 16th-17th, 2008. Twenty teams participated in the open section. Both chess club teams limped into action ready to fight even though we were missing key players.

The Chess Club sponsored both teams by paying for entry fees, hotels, and team shirts. Our two teams had the following members: Spencer Conklin, Fred Smith, Tony Dutiel, Jonht Bechthold, Ken Fee, Frank Smith, Byron Williamson, and Conrado Salazar. Click here for the team, board, and individual standings.

Our A team had chances. In the last round we were playing for the U1900 title. Tony Dutiel's last round game is even the topic of Ivan Wijetunge�s Blog.

Positives about the trip:

We played walkie-talkie chess between both cars on the road.
We had some great food in Milwaukee including Barbeque.
We played higher rated players and borrowed a few points.
Team A was one game away from the U1900 Championship.
Tony and Frank had fun playing bughouse between rounds.

Negatives about the trip:

It was cold and wet. One day cold, the next day wet. Cars were snowed in and Byron (our web guru) fell on the ice a few times. Once he fell in an ice puddle, and his jeans were soaked. The chess gods helped, however; Team B had a bye the next round, and Byron was able to return to the hotel to change.
Parking was terrible at the hotel. Since the hotel was next to the airport, people used the lot for short and long-term airport parking.
he playing hall had a few lighting problems. I felt like I was playing in the shade.
My room was 80 plus degrees with no climate control. The hotel simply tried to help by opening one of my windows. That is the last time I stay at a 4 Star Hotel again! J The excuse was that my room was located above the hotel laundry. This is how they treat Priceline Customers.
My last round opponent smelled like defecation. The smell was so bad that the board two players moved to another table. The TDs would do nothing, but if a cell phone went off, you were docked 45 minutes from your clock. I played with my shirt over my nose.

After the tournament, we traveled 14 hours in two cars to get home. The wind-chill factor was almost 20 below. I let Byron pump the gas! I-80 in Iowa was almost shut down. We counted around 50-60 cars, trucks, and U-hauls in the ditch. We traveled around 10 MPH for hours slipping from one side to another.

The Des Moines Register described the situation in the following words!

"Travel is not advised on Interstate Highway 80 in eastern Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Towing services also are blocked from exit 182 to exit 254.Travel also is not recommended in several other areas, including Interstate Highway 380 from I-80 to exit 43; U.S. Highway 6 from I-80 to I-380; U.S."

Register sportswriter Randy Peterson reported Monday night that it took him 3 hours to travel 31 miles on Interstate 80 westbound, between Iowa City and Ladora, tonight. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Bob Cox was watching a truck driver struggling to drive up a hill not far from a Coralville exit of Interstate Highway 80 in eastern Iowa shortly after 11 a.m. today."The tires are spinning and smoking and I think if we can get a wrecker to him we will just tow him into the median," said Cox. "He's blocking a lot of traffic."By one estimate there were some 150 vehicles in the ditches along Interstate Highway 80 between Davenport and Des Moines on Sunday night. "It's worse now," Cox said on Monday morning. "I've probably seen 100 off the road in just a 40-mile stretch today. It's these hills over here by Iowa City."Traffic is completely blocked on the left-hand side of the westbound lanes. Semis can't get up these hills and we're having trouble getting sand trucks to them," Cox said. Drivers were traveling about 5 mph in spots."It's hard-packed ice. It's thick, two or three inches of it. It's almost like driving on a frozen gravel road. I've only seen it like this two or three times in my 28 years out here."

Lesson: Byron and I should have checked the road conditions. We could have traveled using the St. Louis route. Byron, what were we thinking?

Every few miles, there were numerous cars off the road. Picture[s] does not do justice to what we saw!

After arriving at home on Monday night and sleeping four hours, my wife notified me that we needed to go to the hospital. The next morning, February 19 ,2008 at 9:32AM, my son, Kalen Eugene Fee was born. He weighed 7lbs. and 7 ounces.

Games coming soon!

US Amateur Team North Results...5th Place!!

2008-02-21T13:40:00.004-06:00

Congratulations to The Chess Club A-Team for their 5th place finish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Way to go Ken, Frank, Tony, and Conrado. A special well done to Tony on Board 3...applause.

Is Fritz 11 Worth the Money?

2008-02-13T15:21:00.001-06:00

Fritz 11 arrived on the scene last November and Chessbase touted its improvements and increase chess playing strength. Well, I am a sucking for a good line; in addition, I like to keep my Playchess subscription going, so I purchased the new Fritz. First things first, Fritz 11 is a pretty good deal to start with because you get the chess engine, database, Internet chess site, and many more features for about $44 dollars. That is a bargain in my opinion! Next, it offers ways to play and improve your chess. My favorite is the tactical training against the clock for Elo points. The others include opening training, attack training, defense training, and find the check training. All of these exercises are against a clock! You can do much more with the program and the possibilities are boundless if you use your imagination.

There are naysayers among you that will object and tell me that Fritz 11 isn't the strongest chess engine out. I will stipulate that is true; however, Fritz 11 is stronger than the best human chess player is. If you will recall, for those of us who played GM Larry Christiansen, just how strong his chess play was; imagine how much stronger an added 300 plus Elo points would be. That is the power of Fritz. Plenty strong enough for our use as club players.

A few weeks ago, I arranged a Rybka 2.3 (32 bit) v. Fritz 11 themed engine match. The results are below.
Clearly, Rybka is stronger, but who needs that extra strength? In my opinion, only the top Grandmasters in the world would even appreciate the subtle differences between the two. Go buy Fritz--unless you have something against Chessbase--you won't be disappointed.

Happy New Year from The Chess Club

2008-01-01T13:18:00.000-06:00

May all your chess resolutions come true in 2008. Remember to mark your calendar on January 19th for the New Year Open. This will be a game 60 four round swiss with prizes. We hope to see you there!

Larry Christiansen is coming...Larry Christiansen is coming!

2007-10-29T10:13:00.000-06:00

Grandmaster Larry Christiansen (USCF 2669) will be at The Chess Club on Saturday, November 3rd. The Schedule as follows:

10AM –1PM Noon- Three Hour Workshop & Book Signing (Cost: $59 for this session)
Here is your opportunity to work with a GM in a small classroom environment.

1-3PM Lunch with Larry at the Corner Cafe (Cost: what ever you buy!).

3PM - Blitz Simultaneous Exhibition (Cost: $10 for the session).
GM Christinasen will play four blitz games at the same time! The time control is 5 minutes. The exhibition will last two hours. If you win, you will receive a chess book award from GM Christiansen!

4:30-6 Barbeque Dinner with Larry at the Smoke house (Cost: again, as much or as little as you like, however, this barbeque is delicious! The Porkker Platter is a must try!!!)

6PM - 30 Board Simultaneous Exhibition (Cost: $30 for this session)
GM Christiansen will play 30 players at the same time. The event is a great opportunity to play against one of the highest rated players in the United States! After, GM Christiansen will evaluate three to five games from the SIMUL.

Total cost for all sessions: $99.

Draws...Straight From the USCF's Mouth

2007-09-13T07:23:00.000-06:00

On September 12, 2007, at 12:16 PM, I talked to Mr. Larry Pond of the United States Chess Federation, and he had this to say about draws:

"A violation of USCF Rule 20L may result in double forfeit for both players. Then the TD will send a report to the USCF. Five and ten move draws in most positions are in violation of USCF Rule 20L. Consequences are possible sanctions from the USCF and possible loss of membership."

Ken Fee

Joel Benjamin on Draws

2007-09-07T15:14:00.000-06:00

Hi Joel,

What do you think of the Sofia Draw Rule? Couldn't two players just create a repetition draw to get around the rule? Or worse yet, could they agree to a draw before the game starts and do something like this:

1. a3 a6
2. Ra2 Ra7
3. Ra1 Ra8
4. Ra2 Ra7
5. Ra1 Ra8
6. Ra2 Ra7

Thanks,
Jerry

By Confused by Sofia 2007-04-16

GM Joel responds:

Jerry,

The Sofia rules are the strictest attempt yet to eliminate short draws from tournament play. The tournament website states the rules as follows:

"The players should not talk during the games; additionally they should not offer draws directly to their opponents. Draw offers will be allowed only through the Chief-Arbiter in three cases: a triple-repetition of the position, a perpetual check and in theoretically drawn positions."

The arbiter has discretion to reject an obvious circumvention of the rules. This would certainly preclude the immortal rook dance that you suggest. I suppose the players could concoct a more plausible draw by repetition that might pass muster. Of course, the players would have to trust each other. Don't expect to see that when Topalov and Kramnik play.

But I think you are missing the point. The Sofia Rules (and various minimum move rules) aren't meant to eliminate draws, just to make players play out positions. Grandmasters make short draws not because they want the result, but because they don't see any percentage in continuing to play. The rules impact in both obvious and subtle ways. Boring or equal positions often change if the players simply have to keep making moves. Knowing that they will have to play out equal positions, players may decide to adopt riskier opening strategies. Gata Kamsky, who had a great result in last year's Mtel Masters and will play again this year, likes the Sofia Rules: "I think the Sofia rules are great for chess. I wish they were implemented in all top tournaments."

Another benefit is to eliminate the "mutual fear" draw, where the position is likely to produce a decisive result but the two decide to play it safe. This happens less and less in major tournaments anyway, but when it does the fans are always disappointed.

I think the players deserve a fair bit of leeway in the area of "theoretically drawn positions." Endgame play is so sophisticated now that loads of positions are extremely unlikely to produce a winner. In some cases you may see the players initiate a rational but not forced repetition to end hostilities. If the players have contested a reasonably long (beyond forty moves at least) game that has no future, it would be unnecessarily punitive to make them continue.

The article was provided by courtesy of the USCF and Chess Life.

The End of the Draw Offer? The Maurice Ashley View

2007-09-05T18:04:00.000-06:00

To all chess fans:

Recently I have been thinking about a practice in chess that I believe needs to be discussed by all of us who love the game, and that is, the draw offer. This topic started to occupy my mind mainly because of two events: the 2003 US Championships and the Kasparov-Deep Junior match at which I was a commentator. In the former, with 8 players tied for the lead going into the last round and a $25,000 first-place prize up for grabs, draw offers were made and quickly accepted on three of the top four boards. In the latter, after having captured the imagination of millions of chess playing fans and the general public, the players stunned everyone by agreeing to a draw in a position where the tension was just reaching its peak.

I guess I might not have given the issue much thought if it had not been for the bitter reaction that ensued in both cases. In Seattle, the chief organizer, Erik Anderson, was shocked, angered and deeply disappointed. He felt that with all the sponsorship money that had been raised, it was terribly insulting to the benefactors and the fans that the leaders (with the notable exception of Shabalov and Akobian) had snuffed out most of the drama from the event. He also pointed out that this was a lost opportunity for our nation’s top players to show what our game was all about. His anger propelled him to be even more generous (!) by rewarding the two gladiators with a $5,000 bonus for their fighting spirit. In the end, he said what really hurt him the most was that one of his children interpreted the draw offers as cheating because this fixed the result before the real contest had occurred.

In the case of the Man vs Machine match, the reaction was even worse. This match received a mountain of hype and arguably, in our internet age, it was the most covered chess event ever with over 45,000 papers reporting on the first game alone. Even more amazing, the prominent sports network ESPN2 sent a crew to broadcast the event live across America. It was a fantastic moment for chess as approximately 400,000 households were tuned in. Needless to say, the finish was disappointing. The in-house audience booed raucously while my usually eloquent co-commentator, Yasser Seirawan, and I struggled to make sense of it for the TV viewers. Even my mother-in-law and her sister, who have never touched a pawn in their lives but who watched the entire three hours (imagine that), expressed their opinion that there must have been some prior arrangement agreed upon by the two competitors. While I quickly let them know that neither side would be a party to such nonsense, I couldn’t help but wonder how many other viewers across America were thinking the same thing.

As someone who has devoted my life to not only playing but also popularizing chess, it hurt me to hear the game talked about so negatively. Kasparov explained afterwards with astonishing frankness that he just “didn’t want to lose.” After having thoroughly outplayed Deep Junior in virtually every game and having the match still be tied due to the tactical wizardry of the machine, he was concerned that even his own amazing powers might falter in the last game. Those of us who have lost important games know the feeling well. Still, if chess is to ever get the popularity that Kasparov has made his admirable mission from the beginning of his career, I think the issue of draw offers will have to be addressed.

When I put in a phone call to Tom Brownscombe at the USCF he read me rule 14.b.6 out of the USCF rulebook which states: “It is unethical and unsporting to agree to a draw before a serious contest has begun.” Frankly, I didn’t even know this rule existed, but the way it is worded means it has no bite whatsoever. On top of that, it doesn’t address an even more fundamental question: why are we allowed to offer a draw in chess? At what point did this become allowed? Tom did not know the answer to this question, but referred me to USCF President and chess historian John McCrary. When I asked him, he was instantly able to tell me the origin of the fifty-move rule and the three move repetition, but could not think of where the draw offer had originated. He promised to look into it, and it wasn’t long before I received this e-mail:

Maurice, Your question turned into quite a research topic! I could find nothing in my standard sources, so I did some quick original research in my old books, and found the following: In Medieval chess ( Shatranj) the draw was recognized, but apparently only in simplified endgames in which it was clearly impossible for either side to force a win. There is no apparent reference to draws earlier than the late stages of the endgame in Shatranj literature. Even until the 18th century, there seems to have been no draws by agreement other than in very simplified endgames. In the Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games, the earliest draw of any kind was a perpetual check in 1750, although that book has recorded games all the way back to the 1400's. Staunton's Handbook (1848) refers to draws by agreement only if the forces are greatly simplified, such as K+Q vs K+Q. The earliest reference to draw by agreement I could find was in the American Chess Code of 1897, which allowed draw by agreement at any time.

Certainly a draw can be a natural result of a well-played game. Few would complain when two players slug it out, throwing caution to the wind only for the fireworks to fizzle to a lifeless position (check out Tate-Ashley, New York 1993 for an extreme example of this). But the draw offer, especially one that is made after ten or twelve perfunctory moves, seems just bizarre. Imagine a basketball game being played for a few minutes before both sides decide to stop and call it a day. “You know, we had long flight in, our players played last night and are a little tired. Would you like a draw so that we can all go out and have a beer?” Not only does that sound completely ridiculous, in some places the fans might start a riot! Even sports where ties are allowed (soccer, hockey, and, surprisingly, American Football) attempts are made to avoid this somewhat unsatisfying result. Most other sports resolve the problem in a clear way: basketball can go into three or four overtimes, baseball has extra innings, tennis has the tie-break, and golf has some kind of playoff. Of course, chess is different since a drawn result is sometimes unavoidable. If only two kings are left on the board, adding a few extra minutes won’t make difference. It would be pointless to play out many rook endings as well as many bishop of opposite color endings. Draws are a natural part of our game, and to play for a win in many positions is stupid if not suicidal. However, the draw offer in a position full of life with mysteries yet to be revealed has got to be the most abused rule in all of chess. I am not even sure you can call this a rule: it is more like a practice that has been regulated, or, in this case, not regulated enough.

Now don’t get me wrong: as much as I detest draws, I have also been guilty of abusing this practice. Both times that I tied for first in Foxwoods were due to early last round draw offers (one year my opponent extended the courtesy while the next time I was the one who suggested peace). My tie for first in the Bermuda Open was due to a quick draw offer I made. In all three cases, against very strong GMs, I had come into the round unsure if my opponents were as worried as I was about losing out on a decent prize. However, at King’s Island in 2002 where I was in sole first by half a point going into the last round, I expected and steeled myself for a heavy struggle. Imagine my surprise when my opponent, a GM known for his fighting spirit, offered me an early draw even though he had White! He said that he had been out the night before and was too tired to play. The story got even more curious when boards two and three, with some of America’s strongest players now with a legitimate shot of tying me for first, also saw quick draws, one because of “fatigue” and the other because of friendship. I know this “friendship” excuse because my great buddy Josh Waitzkin and I routinely drew our games before his Dad suggested that organizers might stop inviting us to the same tournament. We talked it through and decided that, as painful as it was, our friendship could withstand the competition. Curiously, out of our six or seven games I think only two were decisive.

I say all this because it took me over twenty years to realize how much of a spell we are all under. I can’t remember when I first learned that a draw could be offered at any time, and I certainly don’t remember questioning it. ‘Bishops move diagonally, the object of the game is to checkmate the king, and you can offer a draw whenever you like.’ In the lower rated sections of many youth championships, you’ll invariably see one kid who has just learned the rule use it to virtually harass the other kid with draw offers on almost every move!

Unfortunately, the draw offer has been used in more devious ways. Recently, it has come out that Bobby Fischer had been right all along when he said that the Soviets ganged up on him in Curacao by agreeing beforehand to draw each other quickly (Korchnoi has added that the he too was a victim of this at the same event). The names of the conspiring players are among the greatest to have ever touched a chess piece. Some might argue that this is just good tournament strategy. If they had truly tried to defeat each other the result may have ended in the same way. Why not save some energy for later on, and to use against players who may be a bit more tired from playing out long games? All this rationalizing aside, we all know that this specious argument smacks up against every element that makes sports so grand. And while today’s professionals are not in the business of fixing games, we still see an epidemic of early draws even at the highest levels.

Imagine for a moment that it was the last round of a major tournament and Player X is leading the field by a half-point. His opponent, Player Y has had a horrible tournament and really couldn’t care less about playing. They sit at the board, punch clocks, make a few moves and then Player Y resigns! Of course, there would be an uproar that would probably result in the player being banned from future events. Now let’s change the scenario and say the players agreed to a draw. That would most likely elicit only modest grumbles even though Player X had just been handed at least a tie for first for doing nothing at all. Yes, Player X got into that situation by playing well in previous rounds, but that does not change anything. Teams are constantly playing well to get to the finals of major competitions without being handed the title on a silver platter once they get there. In chess, the attitude is, “We can do it so why not?”

If we were to agree that this is a serious problem that needs addressing, the next question has to be “What can be done about it?” When I brought up this subject with former Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar, she said that she remembers that in the old Soviet and Hungarian championships players were not allowed to offer draws before move thirty. She also reminded me that Rentero, the organizer of Linares, used to have it in the players’ contracts that they were not allowed to draw before the first time control. I agree that this is a great place to start, but why not after fifty moves instead? We already have a fifty-move rule so this already creates some harmony. The reason I am not jumping to eliminate the draw offer entirely is to deal with the reality of those endgame situations where there really is nothing to play for. Fifty moves seem like a reasonable compromise although I would not be against someone saying sixty or seventy. The key is for a real game to be played.

Paul Truong, who also shared in this discussion with Susan and me, suggested that if players wish to draw then it’s impossible to stop them. They could always create a game that ends in perpetual check or three move repetition. This is true, but I think the vast majority of players are more honorable than that. Almost all early draws are not due to prior agreement, but more out of convenience or fear of losing. If players were not allowed to have quick draws, they would simply erase this option from their minds and just play chess. Naturally, the older you are the harder it will be to adjust to the rule change. The ten-year-olds who will be our stars in the next decade will have no problem because they will not have known any other situation. Take adjournments: today no one cares that you can’t adjourn your games after the first time-control (although Kramnik managed to resurrect this dead practice in his match against Deep Fritz). Today’s teenage chess players would think you insane if you told them that Botvinnik used to be able to stop a game in progress, go have his assistants analyze the position for several hours, and come back with analysis that had been polished and spit-shined for him. Of course, computers really precipitated the demise of this ridiculous exercise, but it didn’t seem so ridiculous back then. It was just accepted as the way things are.

Even for players who are less than honorable, it is possible for organizers to send the message. If a game ends in a quick perpetual check between two players most everyone knows to be friends, any number of things can be done, from warning to fining the players. It’s highly unlikely to have games end in quick perpetuals in the first place so if this were to happen again, then collusion would be clear. I think that ninety-nine percent of all players are honorable and would not even think of doing something like that, but some strong measures can nevertheless be agreed on by FIDE and the national federations.

I do not pretend to know the exact solution to this as I have not thought through every possible situation. I hope FIDE will seriously take up this issue at one of its future meetings. I know Mr. Ilyumzhinov has been trying various methods of making the game more accessible to a wider audience, some of which have met with limited success. Possibly the idea of regulating draw offers will be one of the easier changes to enact. No doubt, the world’s top players can expedite this change if they can come to some agreement. For the good of chess, we can only hope that they do.

Maurice Ashley firstblackgm@aol.com

Dangerous Draw Offer

2007-09-03T11:53:00.000-06:00

Premature or prearranged draw agreements

The USCF has a rule about this; make sure you understand the consequences before you offer a draw...
This is what the USCF Rule Book - 5th edition, has to say:

14B6. Premature or Prearranged draws. It is unethical and unsporting to agree to a draw before a serious contest has begun. The same is true of all arrangements to prearrange game results. In case of clear violations of the moral principles of the game, penalties should be imposed at the director's discretion. See also 20L. Manipulating results.

20L. Manipulating Results. Collusion to fix or throw games, whether before or during the game, in order to manipulate prize money, title norms, ratings, or for any other purpose is illegal and may result in severe sanctions, including revocation of USCF membership. Such agreements include arrangements to split prize money no matter what the result of the game. See also Chapter 6, USCF Code of Ethics.

~

This is one of the most controversial rules in the USCF handbook and one that is hotly debated by everyone, from beginners to masters. No matter what the debate, the rule is there and if TDs announce that they follow USCF rules, they need to follow it.

There are three main discussions on this rule:

1) Its not cheating!

Quite simply yes it is. Here is why... Let us suppose that two players are tied for first going into the last round with a score of 4 points. Player 3 and 4 are tied for second. There are three different scenarios that can happen:

SCENARIO ONE:

Player A wins
Player B loses
Player C wins
Player D loses

Results would be:
1st place - Player A
2nd place - Player C
3rd place - Tie between Player B & D

SCENARIO TWO:

Player A & B agree to a draw before the game or make one move and agree to a draw

Player C wins
Player D loses

Players A & B end with a final score of 4.5
Player C has a score of 4
Player D has a score of 3

Either Players A & B share the prize fund, play blitz for an award or computers break the tie. They both receive 1st or 2nd place.

Player C wins 3rd place

SCENARIO THREE:

Player A loses
Player B wins
Player C wins
Player D loses

Player B wins 1st
Player C & A are tied for second and depending on the rule of the tournament will either share a prize fund, play blitz for the award or computers will break the tie.

Therefore, when Player A & B agree to a draw they are cheating player C out of a possible second place award.

2) You cannot make people play a game if they do not want to!

That is true. However, if you are here to play five rounds of chess, you should do that. Trying to manipulate results with a draw is unsportsmanlike and if collusion can be proved, is illegal.

Now, let us say two players go into a game agreeing that they will make 20 moves and then offer a draw. However, one of them blunders a queen because they are not really taking the game seriously. The other player is under no obligation to make or accept the draw. In addition, as happened in a recent tournament between two teen chess players, one player may very well decide to play the game out for the win.

3) All Grandmasters do it.

Oh, come on! If a Grandmaster robbed a bank... would you do it too? The fact is that not ALL grandmasters do it.

Here is what Hikaru Nakamura has to say about a draw offer he received at the North American Open held in Las Vegas, December 2005:

"Being as I had the higher rating, Ibragimov was dropped to another 5, Perelshteyn, while I got White against Mitkov. I was surprised by this pairing because my dad and I had calculated that I would, in all likelihood, be playing Akobian. Strangely enough, before the round an intermediary asked me if I would "give Nikola (Mitkov) a draw for compensation!" I promptly replied by saying "no, I play straight chess!"

Then, Hikaru reported Mitkov to the Tournament Director. So... do not think for a minute that ALL Grandmasters accept prearranged or premature draw offers. There is honor in this game of chess as long as there are honorable people playing it!

Trying to fix or manipulate a result with a draw offer is a very dangerous thing to do.

Sportsmanship and honor are an important part of the game.

If you attend a Clatskanie Chess Club event, you need to know that we give double forfeits to players who prearrange or prematurely offer/accept draws. If you are an adult or a student, come prepared to play all games to the best of your ability.

Remember... when you play on a top board - you are in the unique position of being a role model for others. What you do and how you act sends a very strong message.

Never Give Up - Never Surrender is our motto.

We mean it.

(Note: This article was provided courtesy of the Clatskanie Chess Club Blog)

It should be noted that The Chess Club enforces a 30 move Draw Rule. Those attempting to manipulate a result by entering into prearranged draw will be sanctioned per the club rules. For further information contact Ken.

Friday Night's Results

2007-08-14T13:31:00.000-06:00

I hadn't played in a Blitz tournament since June. On the occasion, the session was on a Thursday night, and our club was nearly deserted with only four players competing. Imagine my surprise when I waltz into the club and there were 12 players sitting at the boards in the Rapid tournament. I was doubly surprised to find that six would be staying for the Blitz! We all had a great time playing some interesting chess. This is a weekly activity, so come out and gone us. You will be glad you did.

Fee - Dutiel Match Results

2007-08-07T09:47:00.000-06:00

It had been going on quietly since mid-June. I had only heard about it before the last round and was wondering why I hadn't known about the Fee -Dutiel Match? Well, the results are in and I will post them below. I am hoping to get a game or two to annotate. Maybe Kenneth or Tony will be so kind as to send me their best games with notes in Chess Base 9 format and I will add my comments. I would love to go over these important games.

Photo in the Kansas City Star

2007-07-26T16:58:00.000-06:00

The caption reads: Perhaps 6-year-old Adrian Castaner was trying to get the blood flowing to his brain Wednesday as he waited to start a match against chess camp instructor Ken Fee at The Chess Club, 2512 N.W. Vivion Road in Riverside. Fee competed against 12 chess campers at one time. The camp runs through Friday

The Chess Club Chess Camp Video

2007-07-26T11:39:00.000-06:00

The Kansas City Star has posted a video of this summer's chess camp, which is running July 25-27. Here

MCA Region Two Hotly Contested

2007-07-25T18:09:00.000-06:00

The 2007-2008 Missouri Chess Association Executive Board Elections are over. In Region 2 it was a battle royale and very hotly contested. Why not? This type of thing is as American as Baseball, Apple Pie, and Morphy's Mate. I have including the Election Report below:

2007-2008 Executive Board Election Report

Region 2 : 21 MCA members cast ballots.

Winners : Bob Holliman 12
Joe Conklin 10
Ken Fee 10

Others receiving votes :
Bryon McLaughlin 8
Ron Luther 8
John Skelton 7
Dave Kearns 1

Highlight names are member of The Chess Club

As you can see, The Chess Club is well represented in the Missouri Chess Association. Congratulations to the winners.

Late Night Ca$h Blitz...Tonight!!

2007-07-20T14:24:00.000-06:00

The joys of late night blitz chess, plus the power of the all mighty dollar, will pull you along on a late night chess high. Yes, feel the ghosts of the chess greats of the past playing the royal game in a way that sparks the imagination. Can you command your chess army the way Mikhail Tal did? Do you have the chess genius of Bobby Fischer? Come on try! Go back to the days when the chess club was the central point of chess play across the lands. Smell the stale odor of years of cigarette smoke and unwashed chess players. Yes...yes...Uhm...I think we have made some improvements here at our chess club. The Chess Club is smoke free and I do believe everyone bathes regularly. Our goal is to make chess fun and ensure everyone has as a pleasant chess experience as possible. So come on...there will be cash prizes. Start time is 10 P.M. and will finish when the last game is played. Enjoy!!

Ca$h for the new loo

2007-07-19T09:05:00.000-06:00

The time has come to put up the cash for the new toilet area. You will agree that an improvement is needed in capacity and layout. Last tournament I was in time trouble and in extremist...not pleasant! Ken has found a solution to our problem. A chess fund raiser of sorts and all the proceeds going to that upgrade depicted above. Who can ask for more? A chess tournament held in honor of the commode...the Bathroom Fundraiser Open I. Come out this Saturday to show your support. See you at The Chess Club.

What a Party it was...

2007-07-01T11:23:00.000-06:00

Friday night The Chess Club celebrated it's 5th Birthday was a party and a little tournament...The Birthday Bash Open. The event was well attended with over 35 people enjoying the pre-tournament party. It all kicked off at 6 PM with Ken Fee thanking everybody for coming and free pizza and soft drinks soon followed. As everyone was getting well nourished, a beautiful birthday cake was introduced. Of course everyone had to get together for a group photograph so it could be file into the club's archives (I think a few people hid from the lens). After everyone said "Checkmate" for the camera-person about 5 times, the cake was cut. I have three words for the taste: "De-lici-ous".

At 7 PM the clocks were started and the Birthday Bash Open was underway. This was also well attended with 19 entrants. Every contest moved right along as it was Game 45 minutes. After round 2 Tim Steiner and John Quimby (both with a score of 2/2) were sharing the lead, Frank H. Smith was in the top position for the Under 2000 with a score of 1.5/2, and Frank Whitsell was leading the Under 1600 group with a score of 1.5/2. At this point I believe everyone was a little fatigued. Why not? It was getting close to 11 PM and there was one more round. Who would finish in the money? Prior to this last round several of the contestants were spied drinking coffee and having more cake. I wonder if this produce any unfair advantage or maybe it just made them more sleepy? Who knows if caffeine and sugar actually help simulate the brain and help you compute that extra ply in those tough positions?

It was 11 PM when the clocks were start for the final round. By 12:20 AM it was all over. The Open ended with Tim Steiner, John Quimby, and Frank H. Smith in a three way tie for first with a score of 2.5/3. Those three went home $50 richer! In the Under 1600 there was another three way tie with Joseph Conklin Jr., Daiki Sampei, and Todd Forbes sharing the prize with a score of 2/3. These three lined their pockets with $25! Well done gentlemen. Thank you to all of you for being with us to celebrate this important day!

Birthday Bash Open...Friday Night

2007-06-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to The Chess Club...PARTY!!! Celebrating our 5th year. Come join us and share free pizza, cake, and drinks. The party begins at 6 PM and will continue until 7 PM. After the party we will be conducting our Birthday Bash Open. Remember...everyone is invited and there is no requirement to play in the Open. So come on and have a good time. The Open Prizes Fund of $225 is 100% Guaranteed. $75 1st Open U2000 1st$75 U1600 1st $75 Accelerated pairings will be used. The format is a 3 Round Swiss, Game/45 Affects both Quick and Regular rating. The first round starts just after 7 PM. No Byes Available. Entry Fees is $25 by June 27th or $30 on site. USCF and State Affiliate membership required (MCA dues $5). Other state memberships accepted. We hope to see you there!

Visit our Chess Store for all your chess equipment needs!

Blitz Grand Prix Thursday Nights

2007-06-21T09:52:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder to all and sundry that Thursday night is Blitz Grand Prix night. This is a summer long Grand Prix and will last for a total of 13 weeks. It is USCF Quick rated G5. Cash prizes will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd place finishers. At present Tony Dutiel is leading on points, but there is eleven more weeks and anyone could win it! Last week was a real showdown with four players battling it out over 12 rounds. That is a good chess value! Blitz is an excellent place to try out a new line in your pet opening or gain experience in a new one. It also provides a way to increase your tactical vision while obtaining enough rated games to collect a "real" rating. So come out and join the fun.

Frank Smith Wins Club Championship

2007-06-17T11:54:00.000-06:00

The sixth annual Chess Club Championship was held yesterday in the club's new tournament room. This room sports a new white paint job, ample lighting, and a wall to wall carpet. By all accounts, the participants liked the quiet, well lit, and clean playing area. Just one of the many features I liked about this new tournament room is that the toilet is close at hand. No more mad scrambles in time trouble, thankfully. The Chess Club events are always well organized and the 2007 Club Championship went smoothly. Attendance was good with 18 chess warriors, but down from last year total of 22 players.

In the Open section it was a chess battle royal. The action produce decisive wins in all games, with the exception of a third round game between Tony Dutiel and Tim Steiner that ended in a draw. This was fighting chess at it best and where most of the games went to the player commanding the ebony army. Frank Smith and Bob Spies shared 1st after round 2. When the smoke cleared after round 3 Smith was the sole leader. Frank went on to be crowned Open Champion with a score of 4/4. Well done! I am sure we will be hearing more of Frank in the future. Tony Dutiel became the club's Under 1900 Champion with a score of 2.5/4. Let's hear it for Tony...applause.

In the Reserve section it was a fighting finish between Joseph Conklin Jr. and Frank Whitsell. Both of these fine chess players had a score of 3/3 and the winner would have to be determined by series of tie breaking Blitz games. When the dust settled it was Frank Whitsell that claimed the title for the club's Under 1600 Champion. Todd Forbes grabbed the Under 1300 Champion plaque with a score of 2.5/4. Great games fellas!

All the tournament participants helped make this Championship a success. Thank you all for coming and we hope to see you at the club's Birthday Bash on June 29th.

Front row: Frank Smith Back row from left to right: Tony Dutiel, Frank Whitsell, Todd Forbes

Club Championship...Today!

2007-06-16T07:58:00.000-06:00

The Chess Club's Championship is Today. Good Luck to all.

Play the Beaver

2007-06-15T09:59:00.000-06:00

Take the challenge...the Rozerem chess challenge. You have to face the mighty chess playing spokes-beaver. He taunts you and insults you, just as he does with "Honest Abe". I find that if you deliver a nice tactical shot he claims: "I didn't see that coming". He plays like a patzer! Go one...take the challenge. Enjoy!!!

The 2007 Chess Club Championship Reminder

2007-06-14T06:01:00.000-06:00

Our club championship will be held this coming Saturday, June 16th. Registration starts at 9 AM and will finish at 10AM. The on-site entry fee is $35. One ½ point bye available for any round. You must ask when registering. No byes once the tournament begins. This is a four round tournament at Game 60/Sudden Death. The 1st round begins at 10 AM with rounds to follow at: 12 noon/2:30PM/4:30PM. We have two sections: Open and U1600. Prizes: Open 1st $100 U1600 1st $100 Plaque for each Club Champion! Open/U1900/U1600/U1300. 30 Move Draw Rule. Club Champion Tiebreaks: The first tiebreak is based on wins. For example, if players A and B both have 4 points, the player with the most wins will be the club champion. The second tiebreak is wins with Black. The third tiebreak for players who are tied after four rounds will be 5 0 blitz games until one player wins two games and the club championship. Draws do not count. The player, who is ahead in tiebreak, will play the first game with white. Players will rotate colors each game. If three players or more are tied, a four-round Swiss game 5 0 blitz tournament will result and the winner will be the club champion. USCF and MCA memberships are required and available onsite. However, you don't have to be a Chess Club member to play in our championship...open to the public. Come one and all! We hope to see you at the championship!!!

Cheating at Chess...are you guilty?

2007-06-12T17:56:00.000-06:00

I want to make one thing very clear straight away. My views are my own. Nobody has ordered me to write about cheating nor is it in response to any one event. I write this to make the chess player think about this topic and generate discussion. So we shall begin.

Cheating at chess is as old as the game itself. There are many ways to cheat. The most subtle of these comes in the from of intimidation. This may come by way of outside forces. I shall call it the "God Father" tactic, where well muscled men in suits have a friendly chat with the future losing player. Better to lose the game than get the pawns kicked out of you! It could even come from within the a club's atmosphere. The point can be made by making a new member feel unwelcome just because he beat a long time member and now feels he must lose games to be in good graces. That is shameful and it is cheating.

Another subtle method is claiming adjustment of the chessmen. We are all familiar with the touch rule. If you touch...you must move...if it has a legal move. So say you're in an important game and it is for all the marbles. After thinking carefully for 10 minutes or so, you finally reach out and put your fingers around that Knight. However, at that precise moment you see that move will hang your Queen. What to do? You smoothly say "I adjust". It seems almost seamless, but it is cheating. While I am on this motif; let us discuss quiting a piece and noticing it is a blunder at the same time...a la Garry Kasparov in his game against Judit Polgar. In that game, he blundered but quickly retracted the move by claiming that he had not let go of the piece. Cheating.

Still we find cheating in other forms. Many creative ways of distracting your opponent have been devised and practiced. One could constantly tap a captured pawn lightly on the table. We all know players who will clear his throat excessively, particularly when it is our turn to move. Some hum softly or sip a beverage loudly. Perhaps a player may dress to distract his or her opponent. Whatever works, right? Still a form of cheating.

How about collusion? If two or more players get together and prearrange an outcome of a game or games, it is collusion. We have all seen where the top players in a tournament will have to play each other and the games always seem to end in a draw. I ask you: "Why?" My own opinion is that they both know that a draw is the best way to keep in the money. I suspect that these players instinctively know what is required and just do it. They might think if they don't actively talk about it before the game then there is no foul. Okay, I will give you that...draws happen and they are part of the game. Then let me ask this: "Why then do these players only play 11 moves or so before accepting the draw offer?" This is collusion and it is the most difficult form of cheating to prove.

I think everyone knows that getting outside help during the game is cheating. It could be as easy as getting coffee and somebody talking to you about your position. How about a trip to the bathroom and opening a pocket chess set? Yes, that is cheating too! So is that new pocket fritz or the chess playing cell phone. Any tool other than our own head is cheating! You can not make notes...even on the toilet paper. Maybe a friend of yours has rigged up a way for you to receive messages through your legitimate hearing aid. Cool, but still cheating. No outside help of any kind...period.

Who is harmed by cheating? The short answer is chess as a whole. The game is supposed to be the royal game and the opponents honest. Anything less harms the image and reputation of the game. I say every chess player suffers from the above practices. If this is allowed to exist...we will have less sponsorship for tournaments. Also, the average players will quit the game because they will believe that it is fixed in favor of the higher rated players. The higher rated players that lose to lesser opponents will scream that there must have been outside assistance...and they will back it up with recent media coverage of a suspected cheating scandal involving a radio receiver built into a hat. In my humble opinion, all of this is bad and should stop for the sake of our game. The sooner...the better!

A Knight to Remember

2007-06-08T12:58:00.000-06:00

Last night's Summer Blitz Grand Prix was F.U.N. Fun is the only word to describe these wild 5 minute games. No chess masterpieces to be found in the 24 games played...no sir! Even if there was one with a brilliancy nobody remembers it. Nope, just the fun they had playing chess. To be honest, I got kind of roped into it last night. I had only stopped by the club to return an item to Ken and have a look at the games and have a bite to eat at the Italian restaurant near the club. Rodney Crites was going that way and offered to take me over to introduce me to the lovely ladies who work there, but wanted to know if I would join the blitz grand prix. Why not? So I handed over my money to Ken ($5 for the grand prix and $25 for the club championship) and off with Rodney to the land of spaghetti and meatballs, which turned out to be good and filling. Upon my return to the club the games started. Wow! I never realised how difficult it is to fight the clock and your opponent during a blitz game. This was my first time playing this way. I can see why the younger crowd enjoys it. Like I said, it is fun! The results? Tony Dutiel (score 5/6) finished on top, Ken Fee (score 4/6) second, Todd Forbes (score 2/6) third, and Rodney Crites (score 1/6) brought up the rear of the field. The positon below was from my game with Tony. What started out as good for white (Forbes) soon turn to excellent for black (Tony).

White to play. What are the best candidate moves? Why? Which one would you play and why?

Summer Blitz Grand Prix...Tonight

2007-06-07T12:22:00.000-06:00

The Chess Club's summer program has begun. On tonight's agenda is Blitz G5 and will be the start of the summer Blitz Grand Prix. This event will be played every Thursday in June, July, and August...a total of 13 weeks. Every Thursday in June, July, and August (13 Thursdays). Registration starts at 6:30PM and the rounds start at 7 PM. The rounds will be double round robin...so the player's will play each opponent twice. Entry Fee will be $5.00 for club members. $10.00 for everyone else. Grand Prix Prizes: 1st $100 2nd $50 USCF membership required and USCF Quick Chess Ratings will be used! As always, Chess Equipment, Books, and Videos for sale on site! Go to www.powerpawn.net for all your chess needs!

Chess Club for Kids and Cash Quad Successful

2007-06-04T18:19:00.000-06:00

I don't know where to begin? I started last Saturday just like every other before it. I fired up my notebook and did my log-in thing on playchess. Wow, Judit polgar was playing against Evgeny Bareev and this was their last game of the FIDE Candidates Match. If Judit wins we get to see some blitz games. Anything less she goes home. She draw and I was off to see how the summer program at The Chess Club was coming along.

When I arrived I was greeted by Ken Fee. He was excited about some recent improvements he had made to the club's playing areas and he explained that he had some really nice changes in the works. He had moved the main tournament playing area from the upstairs level and placed it into a large downstairs room. This room can hold 24 players, plus there are two more rooms that can be used for overflow. He has painted this room white and it will have wall to wall carpeting. Nice. Of course, he will decorate the walls in the usual way...lots of chess posters! I for one like that. Some of his plans include the Grandmaster room. This will be for the top boards in tournaments and will be appointed accordingly. Nice chessmen, wood board, upgraded chairs, etc. I think it is a great idea.

The Summer Cash Quad was underway too. Ken explained that he had only six people that showed. However, he was cheerful and stated that flexibility was an asset. So he ran a swiss instead and increased the cash prizes for 1st and 2nd. I don't know about you, but it seems tempting to enter and line my pockets with some extra cash. This would be particularly true if enough people enter for a quad. Please come and join the fun. The prize winners were Frank H. Smith (score 3/3) $60 and Dan Holmes (score 1.5/3) $30. Ashley Fulkerson (score 1.5/3) finished 3rd, Matthew Conway (score 1/3) finished 4th, Alan Neal (score 1/3) finished 5th, David Parker (score 1/3) finished 6th, and Rodney Crites (score 0/3) finished last. I am waiting on the games, as I am told that Frank Smith had a nice win.

The Chess Club for Kids program kicked off with a bang. I don't know if this great of a turn out was expected, but there was a full house. All the kids arrived eager to learn more about chess. They sat quietly during the instruction phase and they were attentive. The lecture was expertly given and the kids asked and answered many questions. This finished with an USCF rated game. These students of the game concentrated very hard and gave it their all. I believe everyone was a winner in some way. Finally, the excitement grew. It was announced that Bug House would be played for the last 30 minutes. Wow! The kids enjoyed that most of all. I heard many giggles and much laughter. I spied Ken Fee taking part and he seemed more of kid than the kids. One of the coaches, Tim Stiener, joined in the fun and this was agreeable to the kids because they could challenge the coach. Finally, a parent joined in and I must say that everyone present enjoyed their day at The Chess Club.

Summer Cash Quad One...This Saturday

2007-06-01T11:18:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year...summer time. That means the Chess Club will start it's summer program and it begins this Saturday, June 2nd, 2007, with the Summer Cash Quad One. It is open to all USCF players and you DO NOT have to be a Chess Club member to participate. There is a $35 entry fee. Registration commences at 10:30 AM and the first of the 3 rounds of Game 90 Sudden Death starts at 11:00AM. The other rounds begin at 2PM and 5 PM. The quads will be selected by rating (4 players of similar strength). The prizes: 1st $50 2nd $25 for each quad! Yes, you can earn your cheese back! As always, 30 move draw rule is in effect and there will be no byes! USCF and MCA memberships are required and available on-site!!! See you there.

Okie Chess Festival...The Results!!

2007-05-30T08:34:00.000-06:00

The 3rd annual Okie Chess Festival was held over the Memorial Day weekend. The 2007 OCFest featured three 8-player round robins and a 48-player Open Swiss. Players from 13 states participated. The Open was directed by Frank K. Berry. Steve Wharry directed the round robins. The cross tables are below. Movsisyan and Chua (score 5.5/8) came away with top places in the 2007 Master Invitational. Smith (score 6.5/8) and Gossell (score 5/8) occupied first and second in the 2007 Challengers "A". Finally, Bob Holliman, a.k.a. Chessmaster Bob (score 6/8) secured the number one in the 2007 Challengers "B". Each of the above won qualification spots in next year’s round robins. The Open was won by IM Ron Burnett, who stayed after participating in the U.S. Championship. The Club Club was represented by NM Ronald Luther in the Master's section. Ken Fee (score 4/7) held his own in the Open: "losing to a 2420 IM is nothing to hang your head about, Kenneth!" I am told the other club members did well and will edit this post when that information is made available.

Memorial Day Weekend Chess

2007-05-24T15:21:00.000-06:00

Good luck to all the going to Tulsa, Oklahoma, this weekend. Please drive safely!

End Game Play

2007-05-23T17:47:00.000-06:00

White to move. How can White win? Can Black save this position? How would you proceed? No computers please.

The Chess Club Championship

2007-05-21T21:34:00.000-06:00

Time is getting short. The area's high school finals are underway and soon the summer recess will be in full swing. The same goes for colleges and universities. Everyone will have at least some free time this summer. Why not come to the Chess Club before boredom overtakes your life? I find a good game of chess will get the creative juices flowing and the hours will just fly by! You say: "I'm not a member". No problem! You can play for $5 a visit in off hand games or an extra charge of $5 for tournaments. It's that easy...so no need to delay! Why not begin with the 2007 Chess Club Championship? It starts June 16, 2007. We thoughtfully placed it on a Saturday for your convenience. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and will close at 10 a.m. Cost will be $35 dollars on site, but if you pre-register by June 12th there is a $10 savings. The championship will consist of 4 rounds at G60 sudden death. The round times are 10/12/2:30/4:30. Here at the Chess Club we have a 30 move draw rule. You ask: "What does that mean?". It means that each player has to play 30 legal moves before a draw offer can be made and accepted. Of course you can always try to draw by force on any move, but I would be sure it is really there before embarking on such adventures! The tournament will be played in two sections: Open and U1600. There will be a ca$h prize for the top finisher (Champion) in the Open and U1600. Plaques will be given to the top finisher (Champion) in the Open, U1900, U1600, and U1300. Those are very nice and on display at the club. Byes are available for any round, but you must ask and declare which round upon registration. A valid USCF membership is required for all players. Missouri residence will need a Missouri Chess Association membership. Both of these can be purchased at the club.

So dust off those old chess books and fire up that new chess program. Prepare now! I know I will be!! See you at the club.

Chess Club for Kids...Coming June 2nd!

2007-05-19T15:49:00.000-06:00

Starting on June 2, 2007, The Chess Club will be kicking off The Chess Club for Kids. Only KIDS, Parents, and Coaches may attend! This will be every Saturday 1PM -5PM (Except second Saturday of Month). The fun activities include: Group Chess Lessons from 1-2PM by Ken Fee, One USCF Rated Chess Game G30 each week, Bughouse, Blitz tournaments, and Simultaneous Exhibitions!! Medals and Chess Book Prizes!!!!

Cost: $7 ($3 Club Members) Scholastic Membership is $60 a year!

Location: The Chess Club 2314 NW Vivion Rd. (North Kansas City) Riverside,MO 64150.

Lesson Topics: Openings, Tactics, Strategy, Endgame, Chess Psychology, and Tournament Preparation.

About the Instructor: Ken Fee teaches high school English at Oak Park High School in North Kansas City, and is the president of the Kansas City Scholastic ChessAssociation (www.kcchess.org) . He started playing chess when he was five and played scholastic chess for both his Junior High and High School in Birch Run, Michigan. Ken teaches chess and has worked with school teams since 1997. He is the coach of the Oak Park High School Chess Team which won the 2001Missouri Team State Championship. Among his coaching chess accomplishments are ten individual state champions and one individual National Champion, Caleb Brown. Ken is married to Yvonne Fee and has two young daughters, Mallory (3) and Kendra (1). For Information about individual lessons e-mail Ken Fee at: http://chessclub@powerpawn.net or call The Chess Club: (816)-587-1912 or call Ken at: (816)-835-7529.

Hello...how may I be of service?

2007-05-19T08:09:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is Todd. Some of you will undoubtedly recognize me from seeing me at the club. Maybe we have played a game or two together? Today I became the Chess Club Blog Administrator. Yeah, a fancy title for thinking up chess related stuff to write about and typing into the blog editor. A little about me. I am a 45 year old military retiree with over 26 years in the U.S. Navy. I learned to play chess when I became a member of my high school chess club. My favorite chess players are Mikhail Tal and Judit Polgar. I currently I live in Leavenworth, KS. To learn even more about me visit: The Retired Pawn

2007 Kansas City Masters Report

2007-01-14T23:01:00.000-06:00

Loal Davis Wins

The 2007 Kansas City Masters

From left to right: Ron Luther; Thomas Gossell; Loal Davis; Tim Steiner; Ken Jones; Bill Orton.

Games Online

The 2007 Kansas City Masters was held on the cold and icy weekend of January 12^th-14^th

in Kansas City. On Friday night, the first round was held at 7PM. The icy roads were very dangerous, and players were concerned about traveling. As a consequence, Daniel Goffstein withdrew. Loal Davis, who was traveling from St. Louis, called me a few hours before the tournament and mentioned that he was an hour away from KC, and that numerous cars and trucks were in the ditch as he traveled thirty miles an hour on I-70.

Luckily, the chess gods must have been watching over the Kansas City Masters. Loal arrived safely and Master William Orton from Arkansas drove on slippery roads looking to play some chess. Bill replaced Daniel and the 2007 event began.

The 2007 KC Masters was FIDE rated and players were required to play thirty moves before offering a draw. The following games are lightly annotated for publication, and I welcome full annotations from the participants.

Round One on Friday Night – All three games were decisive battles.

Loal Davis

Round Two - Saturday Morning - More blood was spilt as Black won all three games!

Round Three - Saturday Night - Three hard fought draws.

Round Four -Sunday Morning - Three More Wins!

Round Five - Loal wins the KC Masters!

The 2007 version of the KC Masters was a success with eleven wins and only four draws!

I would like to thank TD Wayne Bartlett for helping me direct and the players for braving their way through the harsh driving conditions. See you next year!

Loal receiving the First Place Plaque and $300.00 from TD Ken Fee

The Final Standings

2007 KC Masters - FIDE Rated!

	NAME	Rating	FIDE	State	1	2	3	4	5	6	Score
1	Kenneth Jones	2304	2232	MO	X	0	½	0	1	0	1.5
2	Ron Luther	2243	2173	MO	1	X	0	0	1	½	2.5
3	Loal Davis	2200	2190	MO	½	1	X	1	1	½	4.0
4	Thomas Gossell	2190	2246	MO	1	1	0	X	½	1	3.5
5	William Orton	2201	2158	AR	0	0	0	½	X	1	1.5
6	Tim Steiner	2006	2188	KS	1	½	½	0	0	X	2.0

The Travels of Conrado

2006-12-14T14:01:00.000-06:00

Conrado at the Mechanics Instiute Chess Club in San Francisco August 2006

Conrado Salazar has been a Chess Club member for the last five years.

Once a year, he travels to Mexico City, Mexico for five or six months. Conrado also went to California for his daughter's wedding and drove to the San Francisco's Mechanics Institute Chess Club. While traveling, Conrado visits chess clubs and sends pictures to me.

Front Entrance

Inside the club

Outside the club Visit the club website at www.chessclub.org

Here are some pictures from the Mexico City Chess Club.

Rafael Baltazar, IM, México - Rafael on the ICC - We play him on Friday night at the club between rounds on the Internet.

Tournament in Mexico City

I would like to thank Conrado for the pictures!

Ken Fee

New MCA President

2006-10-02T11:04:00.000-06:00

I was voted in as the new Missouri Chess Association President on Sunday in Columbia at the MCA Board of Directors meeting.

General News:

1. Charlie Ward has resigned from Region Two.
2. The Missouri Chess Bulletin is online and free for everyone.
3. I may be running the Missouri Class in Columbia in June.
4. The MCA website is going to be updated soon with the help of Tony Rich and the MCA website committee.

Ken F

2006 Missouri Open

2006-09-20T13:32:00.000-06:00

After spending 34 hours as a TD for the Missouri Chess Festival, I am finally recovering. We had a record 162 players attend the festival.

Ron Luther won the 2006 Missouri State Championship, and I am proud to say The Chess Club is home to the last two state champions: Ron Luther and Bob Holliman.

Ron offered an early draw in his last round because he was winning on the second tie-break, wins with Black, over IM Michael Brooks. Ron won the $500 first prize and a plaque.

	NAME	Rating	State	1	2	3	4	5	6	Score
1	Michael Brooks	2447	MO		½	½	1	1	1	4.0
2	Kenneth Jones	2320	MO	½		0	½	½	1	2.5
3	Ron Luther	2215	MO	½	1		1	1	½	4.0
4	Bob Holliman	2151	MO	0	½	0		1	1	2.5
5	Tony Dutiel	1807	MO	0	½	0	0		0	0.5
6	Nick Karlow	1756	MO	0	0	½	0	1		1.5

Here is the win which sealed the state championship for Luther.

Jones,Kenneth (2320) - Luther,Ron (2230) [B01] 2006 Missouri Invitational (4^th Round), 9-17,2006

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.dxe6 Bxe6 5.Nf3 Qe7 6.Qe2 Nc6 7.d4 Bg4 8.Be3 0-0-0 9.d5 Qb4+ 10.Nc3 Na5 11.0-0-0 Bh5 12.h3 Re8 13.g4 Bg6 14.Nh4 Ne4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4 16.f3 Bg6 17.Nxg6 hxg6 18.Qd3 Nxc4 19.Bd4 Ne5 20.Qb5 Jones offered Luther a draw. 20...Bd6 21.Qxb4 Bxb4 22.Bb5 Re7 23.f4 Nd7 24.Bxg7 Rh7 25.Bxd7+ Kxd7 26.Be5 Re8 27.Rd3 Bd6 28.Bxd6 Kxd6 29.Kd2 Re4 30.Rf1

Luther fights for a win being a pawn down!

30...Ra4 31.a3 Ra5 32.f5 g5 33.f6 Rxd5 34.Rxd5+ Kxd5 35.Rf5+ Ke6 36.Rxg5 Rxh3 37.Rc5 c6 38.Ra5 a6 39.Ra4 Kxf6 40.Rb4 b5 41.a4 Ke5 42.axb5 axb5 43.Ke2 f6 44.Kf2 Rd3 0-1

Ron receiveing the wrong plaque but the right check from me!

Okie Chess Festival

2006-09-07T20:20:00.000-06:00

The 2006 Okie Master Invitational

After three days of chess in Tulsa at the Okie Chess Festival, I am home and ready for another week of chess at The Chess Club.

Luther playing e4 against Movsisyan in round five.

Ron Luther was finally allowed to play in the Invitational Section if he promised to annotate two games for the Oklahoma Chess Foundation's bulletin. After only scoring 1.5 in 2005, Ron had a much better tournament, scoring 3.5 with keys wins over Thomas Gossell, Movses Movsisyan, and Trevor Jackson. Here is one of Ron's impressive wins.

Luther,Ron (2150) - Movsisyan,Movses (2287) [C18]
2006 Okie Masters Tulsa, OK (5), 03.09.2006

1.e4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.a4 Qa5 8.Bd2 Nge7 9.f4 Bd7 10.Nf3 f6 11.Be2 c4 12.0-0 0-0-0 13.Qc1 Be8 14.Qb2 Bg6 15.Rfb1 Qc7 16.a5 Be4 17.Bc1 h6 18.Nd2 f5 19.Ra4 Kd7 20.Nxe4 fxe4 21.Bg4 Rb8 22.Qa2 b5 23.axb6 Rxb6 24.Ra1 a5 25.Ba3 Rb5 26.Rf1 g6 27.Bd6 Qb6 28.h3 Nf5 29.Bxf5 gxf5 30.Qa3 Rb1 31.Rxb1 Qxb1+ 32.Kh2 Qb5 33.Be7 Rc8 34.Qd6+ Ke8 35.Bh4 Ra8 36.Qxe6+ Kf8 37.Qxf5+ Kg8 38.Qg6+ Kf8 39.Qxh6+ Kg8 40.e6 Qb7 41.Qg5+ Qg7 42.Qxd5 Rc8

Bob Holliman also know as chessmasterbob.com did well finishing tied for 1st in the challenger section with 4.5 points.

I finished in 8th place with 4.5 points. The tournament was uneventful except for one issue. In round six, I had 4 points and was paired down with a player who had 3 points even though there were 6-7 players with 4 points and a few even with 3.5.

Tim Steiner had told me the night before that the tournament director, Alex Relyea was in an argument with the Berry's who finance the event. Evidently, the Berry brothers wanted the pairings to be fixed in order to create FIDE norms while Alex did not.

Consequently, I was not happy with my pairings and thought it was unfair to fix the pairings late in the tournament. I wanted a chance to play against one of the tournament leaders and was denied that opportunity.

Anyway, who has the gold makes the rules! And the Berry brothers are doing some wonderful work for Oklahoma chess!

I would like to thank the Berry brothers, Alex and his wife, and Tom Braunlich for running a great event. The playing area was well lit, and the prize fund was beyond expectation for a tournament of this size.

Maybe we can take a van to next year's event and bring more players from the club.

Ken Fee

Friday Night Chess Club

2006-08-26T11:14:00.000-06:00

The purpose of The Chess Club Blog is to keep everyone up-to-date on what is happening at The Chess Club.

On September 1st, many of the members (Ron Luther; Ken Fee; Bob Holliman; Tim Steiner; and Byron Willianson) are going to the Okie Chess Festival in Tulsa, and Wayne Bartlett will be at the US Senior Open in Nashville, so the club will be only open for casual play. There will not be a Grand Prix Tournament.

The big question now is: Will Luther play in the Invitational instead of the Challenger Section even though his plus 2200 rating should place him in the higher section.

The rumour is that Ron did not annotate a game from last year, so the organizers are not happy with him since they paid his way in 2005.

I will keep you updated on Ron's status!