Tag: swiss

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Impromptu G/3+2 Blitz Tournament #2

We had another good showing at our casual night this past Thursday and threw together a second impromptu G/3+2 blitz tournament, which Pranav won with a perfect 4-0 score. Full results are below for the curious. We’re overdue to host our second Surfeit of Blitz marathon so that may happen in September or October, at the latest.

Our August Quick-Rated Double-Round Quads begin this Thursday and I’ll send the groups and round-by-round pairings later today or tomorrow. Note that we have one extra spot in the larger Swiss section for someone rated 750 or below—please contact me if you or someone you know may wish to play some quick-rated games over the coming three weeks. Regards,

Mark Drury

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June Dual-Rated Short Swiss Results

I’m a little late in sharing the results of our June Dual-Rated Short Swiss which wrapped up last week, though given how busy I’ve been it’s more a matter of better late than never, I suppose (I was able to submit the tournament for rating last Thursday, so there’s that). We had clear winners in each section and Kornél Csernai, Gregory Gauthier and Billy Barnds deserve special mention for the perfect 3-0 scores in their respective groups. The rest of our winners, their winnings and the full wall charts follow (I’ll contact those who are owed prize money to ask how each wishes to be paid). Note that this evening at the club we’ll play casual, blitz, bughouse and ladder games and we may consider holding another unrated blitz tournament next week. I hope to see many of you at the club tonight! Regards,

Mark Drury

1500+
Alex Chin, 2.5, $30
Triet Vo, Daniel Francis, 2.0, $5 each

U1500
Kornel Csernai, 3.0, $30
Nicholas Tan, Nikita Grinkin, Lasha Lakirbaia, 2.0, $5 each

U1000
Gregory Gauthier, 3.0, $30
Jeffrey Ungar, 2.5, $10

UNRATED
Billy Barnds, 3.0, $30
Sunny Tulsi, Austin Chen, Hugo Pu, 2.0, $5 each

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June Dual-Rated Short Swiss Round 1 Results

Thirty-five people are taking part in three rounds and four sections of our dual-rated short Swiss G/30;d5 tournament, the first round of which was played this past Thursday. The players, sections and results may be seen in the accompanying images and I will share the second round pairings this coming Monday. Thank you to everyone who is playing in this event! Regards,

Mark Drury

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Isles of Blood and Spices Blitz Results

We enjoyed an excellent turnout for our 5-round G/5 Isles of Blood and Spices Blitz tournament last night, with 28 players vying in one Open section for modest cash prizes in three ratings groups. Congratulations to Pranav and Adam S. for shared first overall, to Lasha and Nicholas for shared first 1000-1499 (and their excellent 4.0 result) and to young Siddharth for yet another strong showing in taking first alone in the U1000 group, with Hayden, Marc and Trinton tying for second a point behind. The common lament heard during this event was that “I was n moves away from mate or a draw but lost on time!” so we may revisit an increment or delay during our next blitz tournament. The full results may be seen in the attached image—I’ll follow up with prize winners about payment and, as always, please let me know if you have questions or if a correction is needed.

Our next tournament will be a 3-round, dual-rated G/30;d5 Swiss over three weeks beginning June 15th, and we’ll again offer 2, 3 or 4 sections to keep the ratings within groups as close as possible. The entry fee is $5, all of which will be returned in cash prizes. More information and a registration button may be found here: https://menloparkchess.club/event/june-dual-rated-short-swiss-round-1/. Note that you only need register for round 1 of this event and you’re good for all three rounds.

As mentioned at the club last night, I may be out of town next Thursday, June 8th, but I’ll try to find someone to bring the chess equipment to the club in my stead. If that turns out to be impracticable we may still open for casual/blitz/bughouse/ladder play but you’ll need to bring your own equipment, is all. I’ll send another note once I know more. Regards,

Mark Drury

June Dual-Rated Short Swiss, Round 3

The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold another USCF-rated tournament over three consecutive Thursdays June 15th, 22nd and 29th, a three-round Swiss-system event using the dual-rated G/30;d5 time control, with one game played each evening beginning at 7pm. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Multiple sections will be created with the goal of allowing players three games against opposition close to their own rating or skill level (sections could be as small as 8-10 players). Details follow:

  • Format: Three round Swiss-system tournament in 2-4 sections, one game per evening
  • Rounds: June 15th, 22nd and 29th—play begins promptly at 7:00pm, please arrive by 6:45pm to check in
  • Control: G/30;d5 (US Chess dual-rated time control)
  • Entry Fee: $5 (PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12), entire entry fee goes to the prize fund.
  • Prizes: Players will be divided into two or more sections based upon rating and number of participants; top three scorers in each section win that section’s prize fund, with 1st place taking ~65% (any ties will split the cash prize).
  • Byes: Zero-point byes are available for any round
  • Register: Closed after start of first round
  • Boards, sets and clocks will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a digital clock if you own one)
  • All tournament participants must be current US Chess members
  • Tournament is limited to 36 players so early registration is encouraged
  • Withdraw at any time up to the start of the event for a full refund
  • Our tournament chess rules summary is worth perusing if you’re new to tournament play
  • For more information please send email to info@menloparkchess.club or tweet @MenloParkChess
  • Join our Facebook group to stay abreast of future club tournaments and events

June Dual-Rated Short Swiss, Round 2

The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold another USCF-rated tournament over three consecutive Thursdays June 15th, 22nd and 29th, a three-round Swiss-system event using the dual-rated G/30;d5 time control, with one game played each evening beginning at 7pm. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Multiple sections will be created with the goal of allowing players three games against opposition close to their own rating or skill level (sections could be as small as 8-10 players). Details follow:

  • Format: Three round Swiss-system tournament in 2-4 sections, one game per evening
  • Rounds: June 15th, 22nd and 29th—play begins promptly at 7:00pm, please arrive by 6:45pm to check in
  • Control: G/30;d5 (US Chess dual-rated time control)
  • Entry Fee: $5 (PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12), entire entry fee goes to the prize fund.
  • Prizes: Players will be divided into two or more sections based upon rating and number of participants; top three scorers in each section win that section’s prize fund, with 1st place taking ~65% (any ties will split the cash prize).
  • Byes: Zero-point byes are available for any round
  • Register: Closed after start of first round
  • Boards, sets and clocks will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a digital clock if you own one)
  • All tournament participants must be current US Chess members
  • Tournament is limited to 36 players so early registration is encouraged
  • Withdraw at any time up to the start of the event for a full refund
  • Our tournament chess rules summary is worth perusing if you’re new to tournament play
  • For more information please send email to info@menloparkchess.club or tweet @MenloParkChess
  • Join our Facebook group to stay abreast of future club tournaments and events

June Dual-Rated Short Swiss, Round 1

The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold another USCF-rated tournament over three consecutive Thursdays June 15th, 22nd and 29th, a three-round Swiss-system event using the dual-rated G/30;d5 time control, with one game played each evening beginning at 7pm. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Multiple sections will be created with the goal of allowing players three games against opposition close to their own rating or skill level (sections could be as small as 8-10 players). Details follow:

  • Format: Three round Swiss-system tournament in 2-4 sections, one game per evening
  • Rounds: June 15th, 22nd and 29th—play begins promptly at 7:00pm, please arrive by 6:45pm to check in
  • Control: G/30;d5 (US Chess dual-rated time control)
  • Entry Fee: $5 (PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12), entire entry fee goes to the prize fund.
  • Prizes: Players will be divided into two or more sections based upon rating and number of participants; top three scorers in each section win that section’s prize fund, with 1st place taking ~65% (any ties will split the cash prize).
  • Byes: Zero-point byes are available for any round
  • Register: Please sign up in advance using the ‘Register’ button, above
  • Boards, sets and clocks will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a digital clock if you own one)
  • All tournament participants must be current US Chess members
  • Tournament is limited to 36 players so early registration is encouraged
  • Withdraw at any time up to the start of the event for a full refund
  • Our tournament chess rules summary is worth perusing if you’re new to tournament play
  • For more information please send email to info@menloparkchess.club or tweet @MenloParkChess
  • Join our Facebook group to stay abreast of future club tournaments and events

Isles of Blood and Spices Blitz

In a final homage to Mervyn Peake—for now—the Menlo Park Chess Club will hold an unrated 5-round tournament with a G/5 time control (no increment or delay) in one section over one evening Thursday, June 1st, our Isles of Blood and Spices Blitz. The entry fee is $5, all of which will be returned in prize money, the distribution of which will be based on ratings groupings and number of entries. Games played during this event which meet our blitz ladder criteria will also impact ladder standings. Entries are limited to 32 players so please register early using the button, above, and provide a US Chess ID or Lichess.org/Chess.com handle to give some idea of your blitz strength.  The first round begins promptly at 7pm—please check in at the club no later than 6:45pm!

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Hall Of Bright Carvings Quick Swiss Results

Our Hall of Bright Carvings Quick Swiss ended dramatically Thursday with perfect scores in two sections, and with Michael Ho looking to make it three until he ran afoul of WFM Olivia Smith in the final round, leaving the two tied for first atop the 1400+ section with 3 points apiece. Of particular note are the performances of Banks Bennion, U1400 champion, and Austin Rolfe, winner of the Unrated section, both of whom scored the aforementioned 4-0 in their respective groups. Banks is all of nine or ten years old, I think, and his rating clearly has some catching up to do with his ever-increasing skill in the game, while Austin now finds himself with a 1735 provisional rating after just four games, 300+ points higher than he was speculating Thursday night. Congratulations to both on their excellent results and to Siddharth Kalra, as well, another strong junior who tied for second in the U1400 section!

The full results for all three sections may be found in the attached images, while the tournament rating reports are now available here: https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202305111132.0. The prize winners for each section follow and I’ll contact them directly to ask how they wish to receive the proceeds. Thank you to everyone who participated in this event, especially for your patience with the slightly noisier playing conditions during the first two rounds (rounds 3 and 4 were better, I hope). As always, please let me know if you have feedback, good or bad, and I hope to see many of you at our next tournament! Regards,

Mark Drury

1400+ (12 players):
Michael Ho: $30
Olivia Smith: $30
–
– 		U1400 (15 players):
Banks Bennion: $45
Kornél Csernai: $10
Nicholas Tan: $10
Siddharth Kalra: $10		Unrated (12 players):
Austin Rolfe: $40
Atul Dhingra: $10
Amogh Rao: $10
–

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Hall of Bright Carvings Quick Swiss Rounds 1 & 2

Our Hall of Bright Carvings Quick Swiss got off to a rocky start Thursday due, chiefly, to SwissSys software crashes and subsequent data loss, but we managed to complete the second round by ~9pm so all was not lost. I believe I have resolved the software issues so rounds 3 and 4 should proceed far more smoothly, with an 8:30pm finish easily attainable if we begin promptly at 7:00pm. The three images below show the results after two rounds (please check them for accuracy) as well as the tentative third round pairings—these could change if there are bye requests or withdrawals before Thursday evening (let me know ASAP if you are unable to play for any reason).

Another issue raised by several players Thursday was that of frequent vocal intrusions heard during play. We have a number of younger, less experienced players in this event, players who may be accustomed to scholastic gatherings where stream of consciousness chatter about one’s misfortunes during a game is largely overlooked. I won’t be playing in rounds 3 and 4 and will do my best to keep this chatter to a minimum, but please keep in mind that part of our club’s charter is to encourage new players to join our tournament ranks and some etiquette leeway should be afforded the youngest participants—they could very well be tomorrow’s masters, after all. Regards,

Mark Drury