Dangerous Draw Offer

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.

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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

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

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

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

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

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!!

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

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...

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

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

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

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!

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

Play the Beaver

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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.