Our regular weekly club meeting occurs Thursday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm in the Oak Room of the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Casual, blitz, bughouse and ladder chess games as well as a possible lecture are in the offing and we will also play another impromptu blitz tournament beginning at 7pm (free, no prizes), given there appears to be an appetite for same.
Last Week’s Results & Upcoming Meetings
Yet another late update for the previous week: we enjoyed an excellent lecture from Frisco Del Rosario then assayed a longer time control in our first impromptu slightly-longer-than-blitz event, a G/7;d2 affair with 18 people joining the fray, and with yours truly being treated most shamefully over the board, it must be said. Andy Applebaum once again claimed first with a perfect 4-0, while Pranav Jindal, Adam Ferrell and Venugopal Mani tied for second a full point behind (3-0); full results for this event are in the attached image. People appeared to approve of the time control but the general thinking is that G/5 or less with some small delay affords more rounds and less waiting between rounds, so we’ll likely return to the faster time controls for our impromptu tournaments.
Frisco will give another lecture this Thursday evening beginning at 6:30pm sharp then we’ll play another free, unrated blitz event beginning shortly after 7pm. As a reminder, there will be no club meeting July 4th, given it’s a national holiday and I believe the Arrillaga Center will be closed, and I will be out of town July 11th but Frisco offered to host the club that evening for a lecture, casual play and/or a thematic tournament. Thank you once again for all you are doing for the club, Frisco!
Unrated Quick & Impromptu Blitz #18 Tournament Results
Just a quick note to share the results from our previous two informal tournaments, with the unrated quick event taking place on the 6th (congratulations to Andy Applebaum, Breakwell Loyalka, and Austin Chen for meting out perfect scores in their respective sections) and our impromptu blitz #18 occurring last week, with first-time visitor Ashwin Hebbar claiming sole first ahead of a stacked if smaller field (four masters and several near-masters), while Adam Ferrell sat alone in second, enjoying his best showing yet in one of these blitz affairs. We’ll hold another imformal blitz tournament tomorrow evening and the first couple people to arrive at the club will choose the time control. In other news, Olivia Smith ran away with the most recent Tuesday Night Marathon at the Mechanics Institute, landing 1.5 points clear of second-place finisher IM Elliot Winslow. Great result, Olivia! The full results and all the games may be found via the following links:
https://www.milibrary.org/chess-tournaments/2024-summer-tuesday-night-marathon#standings
https://www.chess.com/events/2024-summer-tuesday-night-marathon
I hope to see many of you at the club tomorrow evening and, as always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Mark Drury
Impromptu Blitz #17 Results
Twenty-six worthies competed in our Impromptu Blitz #17 last Thursday, including two first-time visitors and one returning member (great to see you again, Nicholas!). When all five rounds of G/5;d2 action were said and done Andy Applebaum and Frisco Del Rosario unsurprisingly shared equal first at 4.5 points—well done to both players! It is passing strange how Frisco rails against blitz on occasion (to be fair, in a learning context) yet never manages worse than first place in these events. Hayden Brongersma nabbed sole third with 4.0, another excellent result and clearly a harbinger of first place finishes to come. Full results are in the attached image, thank you to everyone who participated in this tournament and our next impromptu blitz will occur June 27th, per the club schedule found here: https://menloparkchess.club/events/.
Speaking of the schedule, please register in advance for the free, unrated A4c Variant tournament if you plan to play this Thursday—details and a registration link are here: https://menloparkchess.club/event/a4c-variant-tournament-2/.
And beginning June 6th we will commence another double-round quick-rated event of three rounds/weeks in sections of 4, 6 or 8 players, depending upon ratings distributions. Two games against the same opponent will be played each evening, one as white and one as black using the G/15;d5 time control. There is a $10 entry fee for this US Chess-rated event and the entire amount will be returned in the prize fund. More details and a registration link may be found here: https://menloparkchess.club/event/june-double-round-quick-rated-quads-round-1/.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions and I hope to see you at the A4c variant tournament this Thursday!
Casual, Blitz, Lecture, Ladder Chess Evening
Our regular weekly club meeting occurs Thursday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm in the Oak Room of the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Casual, blitz, bughouse and ladder chess games as well as a possible lecture are in the offing and we will also play another impromptu blitz tournament beginning at 7pm (free, no prizes), given there appears to be an appetite for same.
Casual, Blitz, Lecture, Ladder Chess Evening
Our regular weekly club meeting occurs Thursday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm in the Oak Room of the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Casual, blitz, bughouse and ladder chess games as well as a possible lecture are in the offing and we will also play another impromptu blitz tournament beginning at 7pm (free, no prizes), given there appears to be an appetite for same.
June Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads, Round 3
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold US Chess quick-rated double-round quads and/or 6- or 8-person 3-round Swiss sections over three consecutive weeks beginning Thursday, June 6th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games against each opponent during the same evening, one as white and one as black. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as even as possible. No byes will be available for this event so if you are unable to play all three weeks (June 6th, 13th, 20th) please do not register. These quads are suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:
- Format: Double-round quads and/or small Swiss tournaments over three weeks, two games per evening against the same opponent, one as white and one as black
- Rounds: June 6th, 13th and 20th—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
- Control: G/15;d5 (quick-rated game of 15 minutes per player plus a 5-second delay per move)
- Entry Fee: $10 (PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12); entire entry fee goes to the prize fund.
- Prizes: First place in each quad receives $25, second place receives $15, any ties will split the cash prize(s)—Swiss sections will offer three prizes
- Byes: No byes are available for this event
- Equipment: Boards, sets, clocks, score sheets and pens will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a digital clock if you own one)
- Membership: All tournament participants must be current US Chess members
- Rules: Our tournament chess rules summary is mandatory reading if you’re new to tournament play
- Info: For more information please send email to info@menloparkchess.club
- Social: Join our Facebook group or email list to stay abreast of future club tournaments and events
June Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads, Round 2
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold US Chess quick-rated double-round quads and/or 6- or 8-person 3-round Swiss sections over three consecutive weeks beginning Thursday, June 6th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games against each opponent during the same evening, one as white and one as black. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as even as possible. No byes will be available for this event so if you are unable to play all three weeks (June 6th, 13th, 20th) please do not register. These quads are suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:
- Format: Double-round quads and/or small Swiss tournaments over three weeks, two games per evening against the same opponent, one as white and one as black
- Rounds: June 6th, 13th and 20th—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
- Control: G/15;d5 (quick-rated game of 15 minutes per player plus a 5-second delay per move)
- Entry Fee: $10 (PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12); entire entry fee goes to the prize fund.
- Prizes: First place in each quad receives $25, second place receives $15, any ties will split the cash prize(s)—Swiss sections will offer three prizes
- Byes: No byes are available for this event
- Equipment: Boards, sets, clocks, score sheets and pens will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a digital clock if you own one)
- Membership: All tournament participants must be current US Chess members
- Rules: Our tournament chess rules summary is mandatory reading if you’re new to tournament play
- Info: For more information please send email to info@menloparkchess.club
- Social: Join our Facebook group or email list to stay abreast of future club tournaments and events
June Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads, Round 1
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold US Chess quick-rated double-round quads and/or 6- or 8-person 3-round Swiss sections over three consecutive weeks beginning Thursday, June 6th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games against each opponent during the same evening, one as white and one as black. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as even as possible. No byes will be available for this event so if you are unable to play all three weeks (June 6th, 13th, 20th) please do not register. These quads are suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:
- Format: Double-round quads and/or small Swiss tournaments over three weeks, two games per evening against the same opponent, one as white and one as black
- Rounds: June 6th, 13th and 20th—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
- Control: G/15;d5 (quick-rated game of 15 minutes per player plus a 5-second delay per move)
- Entry Fee: $10 (PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12); entire entry fee goes to the prize fund.
- Prizes: First place in each quad receives $25, second place receives $15, any ties will split the cash prize(s)—Swiss sections will offer three prizes
- Byes: No byes are available for this event
- Register: Please sign up in advance using the ‘Register’ button, above
- Equipment: Boards, sets, clocks, score sheets and pens will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a digital clock if you own one)
- Membership: All tournament participants must be current US Chess members
- Rules: Our tournament chess rules summary is mandatory reading if you’re new to tournament play
- Info: For more information please send email to info@menloparkchess.club
- Social: Join our Facebook group or email list to stay abreast of future club tournaments and events
Impromptu Blitz #16 Results
We enjoyed another excellent turnout for our Impromptu Blitz #16 Thursday, with some very strong players gracing our ranks and with Frisco Del Rosario, our reluctant blitz champion, once again claiming first place, this time in a tie with young Liam Liu at 4.5 out of 5 points. Pranav Jindal and Triet Vo tied for second at 4 points while Hayden Brongersma had another strong showing in sole 5th at 3.5. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this fun event!
We’ll hold another free blitz tournament this coming Thursday, May 23rd, likely with the same G/5;d2 time control, and the following week we’ll take our second foray into A4c chess with a tournament of three or four rounds. More information about that event and about the variant plus a registration link may be found here:
Please register ahead of time if you plan to play in this event, which typically helps us start closer to 7pm on tournament night. I hope to see many of you this Thursday and next! Regards,
Mark Drury
