Month: November 2024

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Club Championship Round Three Results

Upsets were again a theme in round 3 of our club championship, with no fewer than ten games ending in a draw or loss for the higher-rated player. Young Austin Chen in particular showed incredible resolve to hold then win a position while down an exchange (and about 600 rating points vis-à-vis his strong opponent)–his passed c-pawn proved a difficult problem and he eventually capitalized on Wentao’s time trouble late in their game. Tough losses aside, our talented junior players are a joy to watch and I’ve little doubt more than a few of them will be candidate masters or better soon if they keep playing the game with the same enthusiasm seen at the club.

Frisco shared his excellent round 2 bulletin with us last night and if you weren’t able to pick up a copy at the club you can view or download it here, Thank you, Frisco!

As a final reminder, the club will not meet next week due to Thanksgiving, with round 4 of the championship occurring on December 5th. Have a great holiday and I hope to see many of you in December!

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Club Championship Round 2 Results, Round 3 Pairings

There was more exciting chess in round 2 of our club championship this past Thursday, with perhaps two games ending in what may be considered upsets along with quite a few time scrambles up and down the wall chart. Below are the current standings after two rounds as well as the tentative round 3 pairings—these could change if there are late bye requests or withdrawals. Many of you have asked me about getting a copy of Frisco’s round 1 bulletin, which includes analysis of three games from the first round, and I think he plans to make that available digitally at some point (but won’t hold him to it).

As a reminder, we’ll play round 3 of the tournament next week then will take a week off November 28th for Thanksgiving. We’ll resume the championship after the holiday with round 4 on December 5th. Regards,

Mark Drury

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Club Championship Round 1 Results, Round 2 Pairings

The image below includes the round one results for our club championship as well as the round 2 pairings. There were some amazing games in round one and it seemed the top three boards all could have ended in upsets at various points during the evening, though the higher-rated players all managed to prevail (in the final seconds on boards one and three). There were equally close games further down the wall chart but when all the clocks were finally stopped we had just one “upset,” with young Max Cheung overcoming another strong junior player, Hugo Pu, on board 15.

I liked using the two rooms as we did last week, given there was more space for everyone, so I may try to continue that for the rest of the championship if the rec. center staff allow it. Else, we’ll probably be in the Oak Room again this week, as usual. Please plan to arrive before 7pm so we can check everyone in and start the round on time, something we almost managed last week. Better yet, get there by 6:30 to enjoy Frisco’s excellent lecture and you’ll likely learn something new about this amazing game we all share. See you Thursday!

Mark Drury