Local Chess Calendar

Here is a list of the upcoming chess tournaments in the local vicinity during the next several months. The events that I am planning to play in are in bold. Thanks to Robert Chenault of Cincinnati as well as the Kentucky Chess Association for the source information.

FEB. 27 - (Friday/Columbus) 3 Rounds - G/45;d5 - www.buckeyechess.com

Next Cincy Tornado
Saturday, Feb. 28th Cincy Tornado Chess Tournament "Pawn Gambits"
New!! 2 Sections. OPEN SECTION and Under 1600
Last Saturday of the month...every month. www.chessearth.com

FEB. 28 - (Saturday/Columbus) Chess-N-Chili - all Pre-Registered players get a FREE bowl of Chili!!! www.buckeyechess.com

MAR. 1 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun's "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAR. 6 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAR. 7 - Arnold Schwarzenegger Scholastic Chess Classic - www.buckeyechess.com

MAR. 7 - (Saturday) Sycamore High School - 7400 Cornell Rd. Montgomery, OH 45242 www.chesscincinnati.com

MAR. 7 - (Saturday) Lexington 1st Saturday G/60 - lexchess.com

MAR. 8 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun's "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAR. 13 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAR. 13-15 OR 14-15 19th annual Mid-America Open
TROPHIES PLUS GRAND PRIX POINTS: 120 (ENHANCED)
5SS, 40/110, SD/30 d10 (2-day option, rds. 1-2 G/60 d10). Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Louis-Clayton, 7750 Carondelet Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105 (I-64 W/US 40-W Exit 32B, 1.2 miles north on Hanley Rd). $$ 20,000 GUARANTEED PRIZE FUND. In 7 sections: Open: $2000-1000-500-300, clear winner or 1st on tiebreak $100 bonus, top U2300/Unr $800-400. Under 2100: $1400-700-400-200. Under 1900: $1400-700-400-200. Under 1700: $1400-700-400-200. Under 1500: $1200-600-300-200. Under 1300: $1000-500-300-200. Under 1000: $500-300-200-100, plaques to first 3, top U800, U600, Unrated Prize limits: Unrated may not win over $200 in U1000, $400 U1300, $600 U1500, or $800 U1700. Mixed doubles bonus prizes: best male/female 2-player “team” combined score among all sections: $800-400-200. Team average must be under 2200; teammates may play in different sections; teams must register at site (no extra fee) before 2 pm 3/14; teammate pairings avoided but possible. Top 6 sections EF: $109 online at chessaction.com by 3/11, $115 phoned to 406-896-2038 by 3/9 (entry only, no questions), 3-day $113.50, 2-day $112.50 mailed by 3/4, $130 online until 2 hours before game or at site. GMs free; $90 deducted from prize. U1000 Section EF: all $50 less than above. Online EF $3 less to MCA members. No checks at site, credit cards OK. Unofficial uschess.org ratings usually used if otherwise unrated. Special 1 yr USCF dues with magazine if paid with entry: Online at chessaction.com, Adult $30, Young Adult $20, Scholastic $15. Mailed, phoned or paid at site, Adult $40, Young Adult $30, Scholastic $20. Re-entry $60; not available in Open Section. 3-day schedule: Reg ends Fri 6 pm, rds. Fri 7 pm, Sat 11 & 5, Sun 10 & 3:30. 2-day schedule: Reg ends Sat 10 am, rds. Sat 11, 2 & 5, Sun 10 & 3:30. Byes: OK all, limit 2; Open must commit before rd. 2, others before rd. 3. HR: $95-98, includes free full hot buffet breakfast and free parking, 888-303-1746, 314-726-5400, request chess rate, reserve by 3/6 or rate may increase. Car rental: Avis, 800-331-1600, use AWD #D657633, or reserve car online through chesstour.com. Ent: chessaction.com or Continental Chess, Box 8482, Pelham, NY 10803. Questions: DirectorAtChess.US, chesstour.com, chesstour.info, 347-201-2269. $15 service charge for refunds. Advance entries posted at chessaction.com (online entries posted instantly). Blitz tournament Saturday 9:30 pm, enter by 9:16pm.

MAR. 15 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun's "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAR. 14-15 MOTCF: Midwest Open Team Chess Festival - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAR. 14-15 2015 Ohio High School Middle School Championship - www.progresswithchess.org

MAR. 14 (Saturday) Toledo March Swiss (University of Toledo) James Jagodzinski 419-367-9450. (see Chess Life)

MAR. 20 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAR. 21 - 14th Annual Queen City Classic Chess Tournament - www.queencityclassic.org

MAR. 21 (Saturday/Cleveland) CWRU March Magnus; Free Pizza & Drinks for players! www.progresswithchess.org

MAR. 22 (Sunday/Columbus) - North Market Swiss - www.centralchessclub.com

MAR. 22 - Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun's "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAR. 27 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - Games Start at 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAR. 28 (Last Saturday of Month) Cincy Tornado - "Zugzwang"
2 Sections: OPEN & Under 1600 - www.chessearth.com

MAR. 29 - Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun's "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF www.chessearth.com

APR. 3 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - Games Start at 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

APR. 4 - (Saturday) Lexington 1st Saturday G/60 - lexchess.com

APR. 5 - Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

APR. 10 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - Games Start at 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

APR. 10-12 (In Columbus) 2015 National High School (K-12) Championship -www.uschess.org/tournaments/2015/hs/

APR. 12 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

APR. 11 (Saturday) “Diamonds Forever” Pawn Storm XXX - www.daytonchessclub.com

APR. 11 (Saturday) Toledo April Swiss (University of Toledo) James Jagodzinski 419-367-9450. (see Chess Life)

APR. 11 (Saturday) Parma Open - email:grubber@adelphia.net or www.parmachessclub.org/

APR. 12 (Sunday/Columbus) - North Market Swiss - www.centralchessclub.com

APR. 17 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

APR. 17-19 - 51st Cincinnati Open and 2nd Cincinnati Open Scholastic - www.chesscincinnati.com

APR. 25 (Last Saturday of Month) Cincy Tornado "En Passant"
2 Sections: OPEN & Under 1600 - www.chessearth.com

APR. 24-25 & May 1-2 Dayton Chess Club Championship - www.daytonchessclub.com

APR. 26 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAY 2 - (Saturday) Lexington 1st Saturday G/60 - lexchess.com

MAY 3 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAY 8 - Friday Nite Quick/DCC - 7:30pm - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAY 9 - Toledo May Swiss (University of Toledo) James Jagodzinski 419-367-9450 (see Chess Life)

MAY 10 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAY 15 - World A Fair. Pay Entry Fee at Dayton Chess Club and receive ticket to the World Affair. Walk 1/2 block
and play Friday Nite Quick chess tournament at the Dayton/Montgomery County Convention Center. Games start 7:30pm

MAY 17 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAY 21-25 - 24th Chicago Open - www.chesstour.com/chio15.htm

MAY 24 Sunday Blitz Weekly & Chess at Cancun "casual play and chess matches"
- 1:00pm blitz tournament; $20EF - www.chessearth.com

MAY 29-31 - 2015 Gem City Open - www.daytonchessclub.com

MAY 30 - Cincy Tornado CANCELLED FOR GEM CITY being held at Dayton Chess Club

June 6 - (Saturday) Lexington 1st Saturday G/60 - lexchess.com

Play an online correspondence chess game with me:

Play online chess

USCF to open second office in St. Louis; core functions will remain in Crossville, TN

The U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) has announced that it has opened a corporate office in St. Louis, Missouri, effective February 18, 2015. The USCF St. Louis office, currently located in the CIC St. Louis Building in the Cortex Innovation Community, will immediately serve to support the organization's marketing and development efforts, while the USCF's customer and membership services departments will continue to operate out of its office in Crossville, Tennessee.

"St Louis' central location and vibrant chess community make it an ideal location for the USCF to launch new initiatives as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization," says USCF Executive Director Jean Hoffman. The City's broad-based support for chess was highlighted by USCF President Ruth Haring, explaining that "it is important for the USCF to develop a presence here given the impressive extent of the support and commitment the entire community has exhibited towards promoting chess."

Over the past few years, St. Louis has emerged as both a national and international center for chess. In May of 2014, the United States Senate passed an official resolution recognizing St. Louis as the National Chess Capital. Last September, the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center hosted the Sinquefield Cup, the strongest chess tournament in the history of chess. For the seventh consecutive year, in April, St. Louis will host the United States Chess Championship.

The USCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people through chess one move at a time. The USCF serves as the organizing body for chess in the United States for over 80,000 members.

Source: USCF Press release dated February 18, 2015 via Chess Life Online.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Happy 17th birthday to my son, Hunter, a Yankee fan at heart, but very tolerant of his dad's proclivities (or so it seems). Photo taken at Fenway Park, April 2013.

A Peek Ahead at 2015 March Madness

I don't usually get caught up in NCAA basketball's March Madness. But, living in Kentucky this year, I can't escape. So here's an estimate of what the tourney lineup would look like if the selections were made today. Source: my own interpretation of the statistics found here as of this evening (2/23/15, 11:00 PM). Note that the source data will change as more games are played. The teams will be announced on March 15 and the round of 64 begins on March 19.

League and overall records are shown
#1 seeds
Kentucky (1) 14-0 27-0
Virginia (2) 13-1 25-1
Gonzaga (3) 16-0 28-1
Duke (4) 11-3 24-3

#2 seeds
Wisconsin (5) 13-1 25-2
Villanova (6) 12-2 25-2
Arizona (7) 12-2 24-3
Kansas (8) 11-3 22-5

#3 seeds
Notre Dame (9) 12-3 24-4
N. Iowa (10) 15-1 26-2
Wichita St(11) 15-1 25-3
Iowa St. (12) 10-4 20-6

#4 seeds
Utah (13) 11-3 21-5
Maryland (14) 10-4 22-5
N.Carolina (15) 9-5 19-8
Oklahoma (16) 10-5 19-8

#5 seeds
Louisville (17) 9-5 21-6
Arkansas (18) 11-3 22-5
Baylor (19) 8-6 20-7
W.Virginia (20) 9-5 21-6

#6 seeds
SMU (21) 13-2 22-5
VCU (22) 11-3 21-6
Butler (23) 9-5 19-8
S.Diego St(24) 12-3 22-6

# 7 & 8 seeds
Providence (25) 9-5 19-8
Valparaiso* 12-2 25-4
Murray St.* 14-0 24-4
S.F. Austin 12-1 22-4
UC Davis* 11-1 21-4
Colorado St. 10-5 23-5
Sam Houston* 13-1 22-5
Cent.Michigan* 10-4 20-5

Lower seeds #9 thru #16 and play-ins
Harvard* 9-1 19-5
Iona* 16-2 23-6
Wofford* 14-2 23-6
N.C. Central* 13-0 21-6
Wyoming 10-4 21-6
Dayton 10-4 20-6
Rhode Island 11-3 19-6
Davidson 10-4 19-6
Georgia So.* 12-4 19-6
Fla Gulf Coast*11-1 21-7
High Point* 12-4 21-7
Louisiana Tech*12-3 21-7
St. Mary's 12-4 20-7
Boise St. 10-4 20-7
Tulsa 12-2 19-7
Texas A&M 10-4 19-7
UTEP 11-3 19-7
Alabama St.* 11-2 15-7
BYU 11-5 21-8
S. Dakota St.* 12-3 21-8
Oregon 10-5 20-8
N. Dakota St. 12-3 20-8
Mississippi 10-4 19-8
Albany* 13-1 19-8
LSU 8-6 19-8
Michigan St. 10-4 19-8
Ohio St. 8-6 19-8
Georgetown 10-5 18-8
Sacramento St.*12-3 18-8
St.Francis(NY)*14-2 20-9
Chattanooga 13-3 20-9
Indiana 9-6 19-9
Purdue 10-4 18-9
Northeastern* 11-5 19-10
N. Mex. St.* 11-1 19-10
Bucknell* 12-4 17-12

On the bubble (NIT-bound unless they finish strongly or at least one of the teams listed above crashes)
Georgia St. 12-4 19-8
St. John's 7-7 18-9
La. Monroe 12-4 18-9
Georgia 8-6 17-9
Stanford 8-6 17-9
Xavier 8-7 18-10
Pittsburgh 7-7 18-10
Iowa 8-6 17-10
Miami (FL) 7-7 17-10
Oregon St. 8-7 17-10

*denotes probable league champion with automatic bid

Answer to January 29 chess puzzle:
55.Rxa2! Bxa2 56.Bd3+ Bc4 57.Bxf1 Bxf1=

‘Where Hope Grows’ Set for May 15 Release

Only three more months to wait...

Link to the movie preview

FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | 05:00AM PT
Dave McNary
Film Reporter
@Variety_DMcNary

Roadside Attractions and Godspeed Pictures have set May 15 for the theatrical release of inspirational drama “Where Hope Grows.”

The film won the Heartland Film Festival Audience Choice Award last year.

Kristoffer Polaha stars as a former a professional baseball player sent to an early retirement due to panic attacks. He struggles with the challenge of raising his teenage daughter but finds himself invigorated by a young man with Down syndrome (played by David DeSanctis) who works at the local grocery store.

The film also stars Billy Zabka, Brooke Burns, McKaley Miller, Alan Powell and Danica McKellar. Chris Dowling directed from his own script. Producers are Steve Bagheri, Simran Singh, Jose Pablo Cantillo and Milan Chakraborty.

The film has over 200,000 Likes on its Facebook page. It will open against Warner’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” and Universal’s “Pitch Perfect 2.”

Original source of this article is here.

The Facebook page for this movie is here.

My previous blog posts concerning this movie:

11/13/13 Produce, the Movie
11/21/13 You Never Know Where Hope Grows

New SPICE training site

I had the honor and privilege of being invited to visit the brand new SPICE Chess Office at Webster University on its first day open to the public February 9, 2015. The training space (pictured) is about 2,095 sq. ft. and the playing hall is 8,847 sq. ft. It is also a FIDE Training Academy and is located in Webster Groves, Missouri. Plans are in the works for the facility to house a special collection of chess research books and papers. Congratulations to Webster University president Beth Strobel, Provost Julian Schuster and all others involved.

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