Our regular weekly club meeting occurs Thursday evenings from 6:00-9:45pm in the Oak Room of the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Casual, blitz, bughouse and ladder chess games are in the offing and we may also play another impromptu blitz tournament (free, no prizes), given there appears to be an appetite for same.
Impromptu Blitz #7 Results, Schedule Updates
We enjoyed a record 31 participants in our Impromptu Blitz #7 last night, a 5-round G/3+2 affair which included no less than nine first-time visitors to the club. As is often the case, Pranav Jindal and Alaric Stein sat atop the wall chart when all was said and done, Pranav taking first this time with a perfect 5-0 while Alaric shared joint second at 4-1 with Cesar Tamondong, who nicked me in the final round with his accursed From’s Gambit (between he and Kornél I’m considering a temporary ban at the club on that particular response to my beloved Bird). Full results for the tournament may be viewed in the attached image.
I’ll update the club’s schedule of events this weekend (https://menloparkchess.club/events/) but we’ll meet December 14th and 21st for casual, blitz or variant tournaments then there will be no meetings December 28th and January 4th, due to the Holidays. Beginning January 11th we’ll hold a 2- or 3-week quick-rated event of some kind, likely G/15, perhaps double-round quads again. As always, let me know your preferences and/or dislikes and I hope to see many of you next week.
Impromptu G/2+3 Double-Round Blitz #6
We enjoyed another excellent turnout for our casual evening this past Thursday and 26 people played in our impromptu G/2+3 double-round blitz tournament (two games played against each opponent), with Andy Applebaum taking sole first with a perfect 8 points. One point behind in sole second was first-time club visitor Ramkumar Jeyaraman, while Cesar Tamondong claimed sole third with 6 points. Of particular note was the result of Hayden Brongersma at 5 points, a young player who seems to get stronger each week and, if memory serves, only took up the game seriously earlier this year. Full results for the tournament are given below and we’ll continue to offer these blitz events (with different formats and time controls) on casual nights given it’s clearly what club membership wishes to do.
| # | Name/Rating/ID | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Total |
| 1 | Andy Applebaum | W 22 | B 22 | B 17 | W 17 | W 11 | B 11 | W 3 | B 3 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | ||
| 2 | Ramkumar Jeyaraman | B 6 | W 6 | W 15 | B 15 | W 8 | B 8 | B 11 | W 11 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | ||
| 3 | Cesar Tamondong | W 16 | B 16 | W 13 | B 13 | B 7 | W 7 | B 1 | W 1 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | ||
| 4 | Rohan Kapre | bye | bye | W 6 | B 6 | B 19 | W 19 | W 5 | B 5 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 5 | Kornel Csernai | B 24 | W 24 | W 7 | B 7 | W 12 | B 12 | B 4 | W 4 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 6 | Hayden Brongersma | W 2 | B 2 | B 4 | W 4 | B 21 | W 21 | W 10 | B 10 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 7 | David Zhao | W 19 | B 19 | B 5 | W 5 | W 3 | B 3 | B 15 | W 15 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | ||
| 8 | Mark Drury | W 10 | B 10 | bye | bye | B 2 | W 2 | W 17 | B 17 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | ||
| 9 | Josen Kalra | B 15 | W 15 | W 16 | B 16 | W 18 | B 18 | W 21 | B 21 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | ||
| 10 | Amogh Rao | B 8 | W 8 | W 26 | B 26 | B 13 | W 13 | B 6 | W 6 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | ||
| 11 | Pranav Jindal | B 14 | W 14 | W 21 | B 21 | B 1 | W 1 | W 2 | B 2 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 12 | John Vitlacil | bye | bye | bye | bye | B 5 | W 5 | B 14 | W 14 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 13 | Lasha Lakarbaia | W 26 | B 26 | B 3 | W 3 | W 10 | B 10 | W 22 | B 22 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 14 | Paul Hartel | W 11 | B 11 | B 23 | W 23 | B 17 | W 17 | W 12 | B 12 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 15 | Jay Wacker | W 9 | B 9 | B 2 | W 2 | B 22 | W 22 | W 7 | B 7 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 16 | Atul Dhingra | B 3 | W 3 | B 9 | W 9 | W 20 | B 20 | W 23 | B 23 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 17 | Nikita Grinkin | B 25 | W 25 | W 1 | B 1 | W 14 | B 14 | B 8 | W 8 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | ||
| 18 | Aditya Dhamdhere | bye | bye | —- | —- | B 9 | W 9 | B 25 | W 25 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | U1.0 | U1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | ||
| 19 | Isaiah Scott | B 7 | W 7 | W 24 | B 24 | W 4 | B 4 | W 20 | B 20 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 20 | Hugo Pu | bye | bye | —- | —- | B 16 | W 16 | B 19 | W 19 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | U1.0 | U1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 21 | Ashwin Ganesh | W 23 | B 23 | B 11 | W 11 | W 6 | B 6 | B 9 | W 9 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 22 | Richard Wang | B 1 | W 1 | W 25 | B 25 | W 15 | B 15 | B 13 | W 13 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 23 | Jerome Oriel | B 21 | W 21 | W 14 | B 14 | B 26 | W 26 | B 16 | W 16 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 24 | Victor Chen | W 5 | B 5 | B 19 | W 19 | B 25 | W 25 | W 26 | B 26 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 25 | Michael Darr | W 17 | B 17 | B 22 | W 22 | W 24 | B 24 | W 18 | B 18 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 26 | Ganesh R. | B 13 | W 13 | B 10 | W 10 | W 23 | B 23 | B 24 | W 24 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Impromptu G/2+3 Double-Round Blitz #5
We enjoyed another good turnout for our casual evening this past Thursday and 24 people played in our impromptu G/2+3 double-round blitz tournament (two games played against each opponent), with Andy, Pranav and Alaric sharing first place with 7 out of 8 points. The time control was a bit unusual and was chosen solely because we wished to try something different, something a little faster than normal. I don’t know that we’ll play G/2+3 again as it was not obviously better than G/3+2 or the like but it was perhaps worth trying. We’ll play another impromptu blitz tournament next week (September 28th) and our club championship will begin the following week, October 5th. Regards,
Mark Drury
| # | Player | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Total |
| 1 | Andy Applebaum | bye | bye | B 13 | W 13 | W 15 | B 15 | B 10 | W 10 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | ||
| 2 | Pranav Jindal | W 17 | B 17 | B 5 | W 5 | W 10 | B 10 | W 3 | B 3 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | ||
| 3 | Alaric Stein | B 18 | W 18 | W 6 | B 6 | W 11 | B 11 | B 2 | W 2 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | ||
| 4 | Rohan Kapre | bye | bye | bye | bye | W 21 | B 21 | B 11 | W 11 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | ||
| 5 | David Zhao | B 20 | W 20 | W 2 | B 2 | W 13 | B 13 | W 7 | B 7 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 6 | Josen Kalra | W 9 | B 9 | B 3 | W 3 | B 8 | W 8 | W 12 | B 12 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 7 | Julian Tai | bye | bye | B 15 | W 15 | W 19 | B 19 | B 5 | W 5 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 8 | Paul Hartel | B 15 | W 15 | B 17 | W 17 | W 6 | B 6 | W 20 | B 20 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 9 | Austin Chen | B 6 | W 6 | W 18 | B 18 | W 23 | B 23 | B 16 | W 16 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 10 | Richard Wang | B 21 | W 21 | W 16 | B 16 | B 2 | W 2 | W 1 | B 1 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 11 | Nikita Grinkin | W 19 | B 19 | W 12 | B 12 | B 3 | W 3 | W 4 | B 4 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 12 | Ashwin Ganesh | W 24 | B 24 | B 11 | W 11 | W 14 | B 14 | B 6 | W 6 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 13 | Isaiah Scott | B 22 | W 22 | W 1 | B 1 | B 5 | W 5 | W 21 | B 21 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 14 | Hugo Pu | bye | bye | bye | bye | B 12 | W 12 | B 24 | W 24 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 15 | Thomas Gerber | W 8 | B 8 | W 7 | B 7 | B 1 | W 1 | B 18 | W 18 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 16 | Arnav Bhavsar | B 23 | W 23 | B 10 | W 10 | W 20 | B 20 | W 9 | B 9 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 17 | Amogh Rao | B 2 | W 2 | W 8 | B 8 | W 18 | B 18 | B 19 | W 19 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 18 | Hayden Brongersma | W 3 | B 3 | B 9 | W 9 | B 17 | W 17 | W 15 | B 15 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 19 | Jeff Ungar | B 11 | W 11 | W 24 | B 24 | B 7 | W 7 | W 17 | B 17 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 20 | Aditya Dhamdhere | W 5 | B 5 | W 22 | B 22 | B 16 | W 16 | B 8 | W 8 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 21 | Michael Darr | W 10 | B 10 | W 23 | B 23 | B 4 | W 4 | B 13 | W 13 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 22 | Johann Loeb | W 13 | B 13 | B 20 | W 20 | B 24 | W 24 | B 23 | W 23 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 23 | Victor Chen | W 16 | B 16 | B 21 | W 21 | B 9 | W 9 | W 22 | B 22 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 24 | Maxime Gerber | B 12 | W 12 | B 19 | W 19 | W 22 | B 22 | W 14 | B 14 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Impromptu G/5+0 Blitz Tournament #4
There was another good turnout for our casual evening this past Thursday and twenty people played in the 4-round G/5+0 blitz tournament, won (yet again) by Pranav Jindal with a perfect 4-0 score, followed by Kunal Modi, Nikita Grinkin, Satya Chitturi and yours truly at 3 points. At the conclusion of this tournament quite a few people wanted to play another 4-rounder but we simply didn’t have time–perhaps if we manage to start earlier we can hold two complete blitz tournaments in one evening. Regards,
Mark Drury
| # | Player | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Total |
| 1 | Pranav Jindal | B 15 | W 5 | B 4 | W 2 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 2 | Kunal Modi | W 16 | B 9 | W 3 | B 1 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 3 | Nikita Grinkin | B 12 | W 11 | B 2 | W 6 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 4 | Satya Chitturi | W 17 | B 13 | W 1 | B 10 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 5 | Mark Drury | B 18 | B 1 | W 14 | W 11 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 6 | David Zhao | W 14 | B 8 | W 9 | B 3 | |
| 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 7 | Hugo Pu | bye | bye | B 12 | W 14 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 8 | Josen Kalra | W 13 | W 6 | B 19 | B 17 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 9 | Cesar Tamondong | B 20 | W 2 | B 6 | W 18 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 10 | Rohan Kapre | bye | bye | B 18 | W 4 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 11 | Arnav Bhavsar | B 19 | B 3 | W 13 | B 5 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 12 | Eddie Zhao | W 3 | B 20 | W 7 | B 19 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 13 | Hayden Brongersma | B 8 | W 4 | B 11 | W 16 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 14 | Aditya Dhamdhere | B 6 | W 15 | B 5 | B 7 | |
| 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 15 | Ashwin Ganesh | W 1 | B 14 | W 17 | B 20 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 16 | Kornel Csernai | B 2 | W 18 | W 20 | B 13 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 17 | Michael Darr | B 4 | W 19 | B 15 | W 8 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 18 | Jeff Ungar | W 5 | B 16 | W 10 | B 9 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 19 | Kyan Agdassi | W 11 | B 17 | W 8 | W 12 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 20 | Paul Hartel | W 9 | W 12 | B 16 | W 15 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Impromptu G/3+2 Blitz Tournament #3
Our casual/blitz/bughouse evening this past Thursday was more lightly attended than usual, perhaps due to the upcoming Labor Day Weekend and the fact that we completed our Quick-rated tournament the week before, but many club stalwarts and several first-time visitors played in a five-round impromptu blitz tournament, with Andy Applebaum taking sole first with a perfect 5-0 score (I gave Andy a run for him money in the final round). Satya Chitturi was second with 4 points and Jeff McGinnis third at 3.5. It was another fun event and we may do this every casual evening as there appears to be an appetite for it. Full results follow and note that our Surfeit of Blitz Redux event will likely occur over two weeks September 23rd and 30th. Regards,
Mark Drury
| # | Player | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total |
| 1 | Andy Applebaum | B 8 | W 4 | B 2 | W 9 | B 7 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | ||
| 2 | Satya Chitturi | W 10 | B 9 | W 1 | B 6 | W 4 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| 3 | Jeff McGinnis | bye | bye | bye | B 11 | B 9 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | ||
| 4 | Deep Bardhan | W 11 | B 1 | W 7 | B 10 | B 2 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 5 | Aranya Kundu | W 12 | W 14 | B 6 | B 15 | W 10 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 6 | Chase Wang | W 7 | B 16 | W 5 | W 2 | B 12 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ||
| 7 | Mark Drury | B 6 | W 12 | B 4 | bye | W 1 | |
| 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 8 | Hayden Brongersma | W 1 | B 11 | W 16 | B 13 | —- | |
| 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | U2.5 | 2.5 | ||
| 9 | Ashwin Ganesh | B 17 | W 2 | B 12 | B 1 | W 3 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 10 | Arnav Bhavsar | B 2 | W 17 | B 14 | W 4 | B 5 | |
| 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 11 | Hugo Pu | B 4 | W 8 | B 17 | W 3 | W 13 | |
| 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 12 | Esther Mendoza | B 5 | B 7 | W 9 | W 14 | W 6 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 13 | Colin Taylor | bye | bye | bye | W 8 | B 11 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 14 | Aditya Dhamdhere | W 16 | B 5 | W 10 | B 12 | B 17 | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | ||
| 15 | Abhik Chatterjee | bye | bye | bye | W 5 | B 16 | |
| 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||
| 16 | Michael Darr | B 14 | W 6 | B 8 | W 17 | W 15 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| 17 | Paul Hartel | W 9 | B 10 | W 11 | B 16 | W 14 | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
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
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
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!
MPCC Ladders
This evening we’ll host casual, blitz and bughouse play at the club but will also open up our Blitz and Quick ladders a little early for those seeking to climb either. The idea remains to run each ladder for three months and award points for ladder games as one would an ordinary Swiss, where a win is one point, a draw half a point and a loss zero points, and we may also incorporate a bonus for the person or persons who climb the most rungs during each three-month period.
As mentioned during the Quick Swiss last week, Chess.com is sponsoring some nice prizes, including 1-month Diamond memberships for three club members every month, which we will award to ladder participants based on monthly results, with some additional prizes awarded for one’s three-month performance. If you’ve read this far, you deserve a little prize already—please use the following link to get Chessable Pro free for one month, another benefit Chess.com is passing along to affiliate clubs such as ours: http://chessable.com/MenloParkChessClub.
More information about our ladders, along with rules and initial standings based upon our two most recent tournaments, may be found here: https://menloparkchess.club/ladders/ (if you wish to be added to either ladder just let me know). Questions? Send a message to info@menloparkchess.club or see me at the club tonight. Regards,
Mark Drury
