I wanted to share a quick update that the club’s Autumn Quads wrapped up last week, save for a few makeup games which will occur on the 23rd or 30th of this month, so tomorrow, October 16th, will include Frisco’s excellent lecture and a casual evening with a possible free, unrated blitz tournament to round out the night for those who are interested. One difference will be that I won’t attend tomorrow, given I’ll be out of town, but Hayden Brongersma, Jeff McGinnis and Hugo Pu have graciously offered to run the club in my stead. They will begin setting up round 6pm and if you are able to help them I’m sure it would be much appreciated. Casual, blitz, bughouse and hand-and-brain competition may complement any blitz tournament, I’m sure, so please plan to attend for some or all of the three hours, and thank you again, Hayden, Jeff and Hugo, for helping out!
I also wanted to send another reminder to register for our 4th annual club championship which begins November 6th, a 5-round G/45;d5 affair in one section over six weeks (no chess Thanksgiving week) that includes three or four different prize groups. This is our premier event and may very well be the most prestigious tournament north of Palo Alto and south of Atherton on the peninsula during the latter two months of the year. Details and a registration link may be found here: https://menloparkchess.club/event/fourth-menlo-park-chess-club-championship-round-one/. Regards,
Just a quick reminder that tonight we continue our quick-rated quads after Frisco’s 6:30pm lecture so there will be no blitz tournament this evening, while the final quad games will occur next Thursday, October 9th, to wrap up this event (the Events tab on the club website is up-to-date through early November, when our five-round club championship begins).
Speaking of our club championship, it begins November 6th and includes five rounds of dual-rated G/45;d5 chess, one game per evening over six weeks with a break during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Details about this fun event and a registration link may be found here:
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about club activities and I hope to see many of you at the club soon. Regards,
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold our fourth annual club championship beginning Thursday, November 6th, at 7pm, a five-round USCF-rated Swiss system event using the dual-rated G/45;d5 time control over five weeks (there will be no round on November 27th, Thanksgiving). Our championship is aimed at players with at least some tournament experience (one or two rated events, say) and may not be suitable for children under the age of 10, given games could last until almost 9pm on a school night. Details follow:
Format: Five-round Swiss-system tournament in one section, one game per evening
Rounds: November 6th, 13th, 20th and December 4th and 11th (there is no round November 27th, Thanksgiving)—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
Control: G/45;d5 (dual-rated game of 45 minutes for each player plus a 5-second delay per move)
Entry Fee: $20 (the entire entry fee will be returned in prizes)
Prizes: Four prize groups based upon November US Chess regular ratings with roughly 8 players per prize group (Group 1: $120, $60, $40; Group 2: $100, $60, $40; Group 3: $80, $40, $20; Group 4: $80, $40, $20, with adjustments as needed based on tournament/group size)
Byes: One half-point bye is available for any round save the last, but the bye must be requested at least two days in advance of the day of play
Register: Please sign up in advance using the ‘Register’ button, above
Boards, sets, clocks, score sheets and pens will be provided by the Menlo Park Chess Club (bring a clock if you prefer your own)
Below are the complete wall charts and pairings for our Autumn Double-Round Quick-Rated Quads, which begin Thursday, September 25th. As a reminder, participants will play two games against the same opponent each evening, one as white and one as black. Players should arrive at the club no later than 6:50pm to be ready to start their first game at 7pm sharp. Chess boards, chess sets, chess clocks, score sheets and pens will be provided by the club but feel free to bring your own clock of you prefer. Our tournament rules summary is worthwhile reading if you are new to rated chess or need a refresher.
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,
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, September 25th, 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: September 25th, October 2nd and 9th—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
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, September 25th, 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: September 25th, October 2nd and 9th—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
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a double-round, quick-rated event beginning Thursday, September 25th, 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: September 25th, October 2nd and 9th—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
Attached are the final results and prize distributions for our May Dual-Rated Swiss event. Congratulations to Alex Chin for his first place win and perfect score in the 1400+ section, to Hayden Brongersma and Yaniv Vinish for shared second and to Austin Chen and Josen Kalra for splitting the 1600-and-under prize. In the U1400 section, Di Lin and Neeraj Rao shared first place followed by David Tagatac and Cameron Troy in a tie for third. Note that Cameron claimed the U1200 prize in that section, leaving David with the $60 third prize (the U1400 section had two more paid entries than did the 1400+, hence the slightly larger prize fund).
Thank you to everyone who played in this event and to Sriram Rao for ably directing it. We’ll hold additional rated tournaments in July and September—as always, please let me know if you have a preference where format and/or time control are concerned.
Tonight we will hold another casual evening with a lecture beginning at 6:30pm followed by a free, unrated blitz tournament round 7pm–I hope to see many of you at the club then!
The Menlo Park Chess Club will hold a US Chess dual-rated Swiss tournament in two sections beginning Thursday, May 8th, using the G/45;d5 time control and playing one game each evening over four successive weeks in May. Players will be grouped into two 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: Swiss system tournament in two sections over four weeks, one game per evening
Rounds: May 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th—games begin promptly at 7:00pm
Control: G/45;d5 (dual-rated game of 45 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 of the two sections will have two separate prize groups based upon rating, or four prize groups in total
Byes: One bye is available for rounds 1-3 with at least one day advance notice—no byes are available for round 4.
Register: Registrations close after the completion of Round 1
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
