Monday night, July 14th, at Denton Chess Club only four children ages 12 and under attended. The teenagers and adults were stronger at chess than all but one of the children. Though the children occasionally played with the older folk, in the end they wanted to play against each other for competitive and social reasons.
Last night the dry erase board stated, “Denton Chess Club: Home of IM Doug Root, 4th place U.S. Open.” Results of the U.S. Open are here. During the week of August 4-8, Doug went to work at the University of North Texas, then drove 45 minutes to the tournament site, and then played chess from 7 p.m. until around midnight. As another player pointed out, though, Doug had the advantage of staying at home rather than in a hotel room.
My son William and I are in Austin, Texas for the week so that William can attend Camp Half-Blood. We got in Sunday night, and went to the Austin Chess Club. Just after we arrived, one player from the G/15 event withdrew. So William got to play rounds 4 and 5 of the tournament. He drew and he won, both against 1200+ rated opponents. In the meantime, in the skittles room, I broke even in G/5 against expert Mark Muecke.
I didn’t play chess tonight at Denton Chess Club, but did a lot of match-making. That is, I recommended opponents for new casual games based on what I had seen of their levels of play. I also liked to match similar-aged opponents, but would pair an adult and a child if their chess skills were similar. My technique does not involve pairing cards. I simply say, “Hey, X, come over here and play Y.”
I received the following from USCF Executive Director Bill Hall, "On behalf of the United States Chess Federation, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a Special Services Award for 2008. This award is being given in recognition of your many contributions to chess. The strength of any organization lies in volunteers like you." The Awards Luncheon is at noon on August 9th, during the U.S. Open.
My son William and I played chess this morning. Thanks to his thirty minutes of chess a day with his Dad (International Master Doug Root), William has reviewed many games connected with his opening repertoire. I played an Advanced French against him, including an ill-fated g4. William had a commanding position, and drew. I thought about how to remember the day of his first draw against me, and this blog seemed like a good place to do so.
Klein chess camp was held June 16-20, 2008. As parents dropped off children around 7:45 each morning, I autographed (sold) two copies of Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators and two copies of Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving. This year I taught tactics in the upper camp, where students ranged from USCF 612-1479. The schedule was fantastic: One group of 8 students from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., then a recess/snack.
All Inter-Service photos on this blog are by NTD Ron Braud.
Baniel keeps his lead despite losing his sixth round game to Choate, the Navy’s top seed. Eight players (Keough, Bucholtz, Dulger, Ranario, Echaure, Macaspac, Pitts and Choate) are behind Baniel’s heels at four points each.
Specialist Jhonel Baniel of the Army Medical Department demolished Air Force surgeon Dr. (Colonel) Sam Echaure in the last round of the 2008 US Armed Forces Inter-Service Chess Championship to secure top honors finishing with 5.5 points. A week-long stellar performance earned him a hallowed place in the tradition-rich annals of military chess. His name is forever etched in the record books alongside world famous players like IM Emory Tate.
Baniel beat Ranario in round five to take sole lead in a 20-player field with 4.5 points. Dulger who is proving to be the sensation of the tournament is only half a point behind. Baniel’s score reflecting his solid performance is enough to guarantee a team spot on the US Armed Forces Team for the NATO event. The Army is now tied with the Air Force, each team with 19 points. Individual scores and team standing will be posted in the next entry.
August 7, 2008 is the date of the USCF Chess in Education workshop. Please see the press release. I am the co-organizer of the workshop, and one of the presenters. I look forward to seeing you there!
