Impromptu Blitz #42 Results & No Chess Meeting July 17th & 24th

We enjoyed a very large turnout at the club last night, with no fewer than 8-10 first-time visitors and almost as many more who were joining us for just the second or third time, and 38 people partook of seven rounds of G/3;d3 blitz as we spilled out of our normal playing room into the hall with two additional tables. Perennial blitz favorite Pranav Jindal returned after a short hiatus to share equal first at 6.0 points with first-time visitor Sanat Singhal, who appeared to be headed for a 7-0 sweep until he ran afoul of Hayden Brongersma’s knight fork in the waning seconds of their final-round game, a victory which elevated Hayden to sole third at 5.5 points. Four strong players, including juniors Austin Chen and Jiaming Zhao, tied for 4th place with 5.0 points, leaving a very large contingent to gnash their teeth at 4.0 points and below. I never seem to have the presence of mind to ask all the new visitors how they learned about the club but word is clearly getting out and it’s wonderful to see so many new faces at these casual events.

In other chess news, club stalwart Cesar Tamondong had a fantastic result over the July 4th weekend, winning sole first place with 5.5/6 in the U1700 Senior Reserve Section of the 27th Annual Sacramento Chess Club Championship. Well done, Cesar—you’ll be an A player again before long!

I also wanted to pass along one final reminder that I’ll be out of town the next two Thursdays, July 17th and 24th, and the chess club will not meet those evenings, regrettably. It turns out there are more than enough volunteers to cover for me while I am out of town so I think this will be the final time we cancel a club meeting due to my absence. Have a great couple weeks and I hope to see many of you at the club July 31st (for another casual evening and blitz tournament). Regards,

Mark Drury

Impromptu Blitz #41 Results & Summer Schedule

Twenty intrepid people, including five first-time visitors to the club, joined us this past Thursday for another excellent lecture followed by seven rounds of G/3;d3 blitz, which is fast becoming the favored (or least despised) time control at the club of late. Alex Su once again shared first place with 6.0 out of 7 points, though this time with relative newcomer Vishesh Agrawal, a strong blitz player who took third the previous week, while Adam Ferrell had another strong showing with sole third at 5.0, ahead of the usual dejected throng of 4.0 players. I was expecting a lighter turnout given we met on the eve of a national holiday but attendance was good and it was great to see so many new people at the club.

This coming Thursday we’ll do the same, with a lecture and free, unrated blitz tournament, then we’ll take the weeks of July 17th and July 24th off (I’ll be riding my bike across Iowa with the RAGBRAI horde). I’m including the tentative summer schedule below but always check https://menloparkchess.club/events/ for the latest event and tournament information:

Jul 10: Lecture & Free Blitz Tournament
Jul 17: No Chess Meeting
Jul 24: No Chess Meeting
Jul 31: Lecture & Free Blitz Tournament
Aug 07: Rounds 1-2, August Double-Round Quick-Rated Event
Aug 14: Rounds 3-4, August Double-Round Quick-Rated Event
Aug 21: Rounds 5-6, August Double-Round Quick-Rated Event
Aug 28: No Chess Meeting

Registration is now open for our August Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads & Small Swisses for those who are interested. Participation is limited to 32 players so please register early. Regards,

Mark Drury

August Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads & Small Swisses, Rounds 5-6

The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, August 7th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games each evening against the same opponent (one as white and one as black) over three successive weeks. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as competitive as possible. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:

  • Format: Quads or small Swiss sections (6-8 players) over three weeks, two games per evening against the same opponent, one as white and one as black
  • Rounds: August 7th, 14th and 21st—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
  • Control: G/15;d5 (quicki-rated game of 15 minutes per player plus a 5-second delay per move)
  • Entry Fee: $20; PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12; entire entry fee goes to the prize fund
  • Prizes: Each quad will offer a $50 first and $30 second prize, while any Swiss section prizes will depend upon the number of players
  • 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 for the duration of the event
  • 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

August Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads & Small Swisses, Rounds 3-4

The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, August 7th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games each evening against the same opponent (one as white and one as black) over three successive weeks. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as competitive as possible. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:

  • Format: Quads or small Swiss sections (6-8 players) over three weeks, two games per evening against the same opponent, one as white and one as black
  • Rounds: August 7th, 14th and 21st—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
  • Control: G/15;d5 (quicki-rated game of 15 minutes per player plus a 5-second delay per move)
  • Entry Fee: $20; PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12; entire entry fee goes to the prize fund
  • Prizes: Each quad will offer a $50 first and $30 second prize, while any Swiss section prizes will depend upon the number of players
  • 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 for the duration of the event
  • 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

August Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads & Small Swisses, Rounds 1-2

The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, August 7th, using the G/15;d5 time control and playing two games each evening against the same opponent (one as white and one as black) over three successive weeks. Players will be grouped into quads or small Swiss sections based upon rating to keep things as competitive as possible. This tournament is suitable for experienced players as well as newer US Chess members seeking to establish an over-the-board rating. Details follow:

  • Format: Quads or small Swiss sections (6-8 players) over three weeks, two games per evening against the same opponent, one as white and one as black
  • Rounds: August 7th, 14th and 21st—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
  • Control: G/15;d5 (quicki-rated game of 15 minutes per player plus a 5-second delay per move)
  • Entry Fee: $20; PayPal: mark@drury.com; Venmo: @Mark-Drury-12; entire entry fee goes to the prize fund
  • Prizes: Each quad will offer a $50 first and $30 second prize, while any Swiss section prizes will depend upon the number of players
  • 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 for the duration of the event
  • 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

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 lecture are in the offing and we will also play another free, unrated blitz tournament beginning round 7pm, given there appears to be a continuing appetite for same. Note that our weekly lecture begins at 6:30pm and it remains one of the highlights of club attendance.

Impromptu Blitz #40 Results

Twenty people took part in last week’s free, 7-round G/3;d3 blitz tournament, with several new visitors and some returning players in the mix. Alex Su and Yoyo He shared first place with 6.0 points out of 7, first-time visitor Vishesh Agrawal took sole third with 5.0 points and a raft of players tied for fourth at 4.0. This G/3;d3 time control seems to be working for us, with little in the way of complaint, but we’re always willing to try something different if earlier arrivals at the club have a request.

We will meet tonight, July 3rd, for a lecture and another free blitz tournament and will do the same the following week, July 10th, before taking two weeks off for a summer break of sorts. In August the tentative plan is to hold double-round quick-rated quads or small Swisses over 3-4 weeks, as we’ve done in the past, but please let me know if you’d prefer some other format which might work with our ~7-9pm time constraint. I hope to see many of you at the club this evening! Regards,

Mark Drury

Last Week’s Impromptu Team Blitz #1 Results

Last Thursday we tried, for the first time, a free team blitz event using the SwissSys ‘fixed team’ setup with eight teams of two for the sixteen brave souls who were willing to give this format a try. Suffice to say, the pairings were interesting, as were the results. I haven’t yet taken a closer look at the pairings in question but during many of the rounds the higher rated players on each team were not paired against one another, as I was expecting–it may be the software was favoring color alteration or actual team player score in these intra-match pairings but there was no lack of questions as the tournament unfolded, understandably.

When all was said and done, Josen Kalra and Lua Loyalka stood atop the other teams with four match points out of five, followed by three other teams at 3 points. The team scores were reasonably even which suggests that the proprietary algorithm used to make the teams was a success, never mind the good-natured grousing heard from a couple of the younger teams. I don’t know that I would call this event a success but we may give it another try at some point if there’s any interest, and thank you to everyone who boldly took part.

Tonight we’ll have another lecture at 6:30pm followed by a free, unrated blitz tournament at 7pm–I hope to see many of you then! Regards,

Mark Drury

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 lecture are in the offing and we will also play another free, unrated blitz tournament beginning round 7pm, given there appears to be a continuing appetite for same. Note that our weekly lecture begins at 6:30pm and it remains one of the highlights of club attendance.

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 lecture are in the offing and we will also play another free, unrated blitz tournament beginning round 7pm, given there appears to be a continuing appetite for same. Note that our weekly lecture begins at 6:30pm and it remains one of the highlights of club attendance.