MINNESOTA 2010 WINTER OPEN

^{^{SUPPORTING OUR GAME AND OUR CLUB [9/29]
Well, the last Saturday tournament was a happy mess.
We had ten players show up for the six round action tournament (rapid chess, as
the world at large calls it). It was a mess because Terry, the Bridge Center
maven, came down in the middle of the second round and informed us that we would
have to move our chessboards elsewhere, as the entire basement was going to be
needed for an afternoon bridge tournament. She found spaces for us upstairs,
where we played in a corner and endured the chatter of casual bridge.
Terry was not too bad a hostess during our two and a
half years as chess refugees. We were never deferred to, but there was a
good reason for that. Back at the start of 2007, after we had lost our lease at
the old Polish Eagle Life building in Northeast Minneapolis, Kevin Ahtou stepped
up and took it upon himself to find us at least a temporary site. He bargained
hard with the Bridge Center, arguing that chessplayers were cheap, and we were
only willing to pay $3 a day per player. This was a rock bottom price, so it is
not surprising that we often felt treated like second class citizens, or like
poor relations.
Despite the low prices, our club never flourished at
6020 Nicollet. Luckily for us, among the usual mass of grumbling chessplayers,
there were a couple of guys who were actually willing to do something, and to
wager something, to get us a site worthy of the royal game and a premier city
chess club. That would be Roger Hale and David Kuhns, who planned and searched
and decided on space at the Waterbury building at Broadway and Central.
They now need others to step up in their own way, to make our long-running club
a success. Of course, it would be great if you just showed up more and played.
However to finance a quality site, besides just the
basic entry fees for the various tournaments, which are largely unchanged, we
will be requiring a membership fee. After checking with clubs all over the
nation, and working out the expenses, the mangers have decided on a yearly
membership fee of $120. This works out to $10 per month. (The family rate
is$180.) We hope many active tournament players in Minnesota, and those who
simply love and wish to support our game, will be able to commit this much to
the Castle. For those who can only pay monthly, the rate will be $15 per month.
The minimum will be a $5 extra per day for each weekend event. That means the
typical one day Saturday event, say a Tornado or Speed Demon, will go up from
$20 to $25 for non-members. That is a small increase, when one considers how
many years the basic $20 rate has not increased.
We have a lot more space than we have ever held, in a
very stylish building, have fixed it up nicely, and are eager to show it off to
as many players as possible. Everything is set up just for us. Tables, sets,
bulletin boards, art, coffee, etc. It especially pleased me to haul the nice
portrait of Dan Sullivan and Al Riley out of my closet and hang it on our walls.
They were our first patrons who started this club over thirty-five years ago.
We don’t want anyone to feel unwelcomed if they are
unable to afford memberships at any level, and can just pay the non-member fee
for an occasional event. For as much as we are counting on loyal members to keep
this going, we also hope for an increase in activity. There is room for up to
sixty players. So there is room for you, and your friends.

^{^{LAST ACTION QUAD AT THE BRIDGE CENTER TONIGHT [9/28]

And then we open our new space to the
public for the first round of Norm Myrin's long running Thursday Knighter on
October first. These are the slowest time controls we offer at our club, game in
two hours. It will be a five round tournament, as this month has five Thurdays.
The Castle will be open six straight days, through the re-start of the Tuesday
night Casual Chess. Details on the right, with the full schedule to be found by
clicking on the key at the top.}}

OUR NEW HOME SWEET HOME

Very good
news indeed. Starting on October First, we will be moving the Chess Castle of
Minnesota into the above building, and holding our own space again after an
exile of two and a half years. The new location is on the NW corner of Broadway
and Central Ave, just a little under a mile east of our old site in Northeast
Minneapolis. For the first time in our 35 years history, we will be on the
ground floor. There is plenty of parking, and a short bus ride on Central Ave
from downtown (the no. ten line). Our room is just back from the front door, and
will accommodate tournaments of up to fifty or more players. Conflicts with
noise and scheduling should be a thing of the past. Once again, you will be able
to walk into a space dedicated to the royal game, with tables and sets ready to
go. There will be coffee in the pot, pop in the cooler, chess books and
magazines about, and bulletin boards with tournament announcements and results,
news clippings, chess posters, etc; whatever we need to create a convivial
space.

The effort
and commitment to find new quarters has come mainly from Roger Hale and David
Kuhns. Be sure to thank them, such as at this weekend’s Region Six. It is their
intention to grow the club to the next level, where it can compare to the
premier clubs in other major US Cities. They will need your support. Dan Voje will be back to managing the club. There will be a
very active schedule, including the return of our Casual Chess Night. Stay tuned
for more details.

^{^{NEWS FLASH ON THE REGION SIX (9/07)

Sean Nagle and Michael Yang tied for first at 3.5, with Sean winning the two
game blitz playoff for the title and trophy. Leighton Zhao had a perfect score
in the reserve section for clear first. We had 55 players and possibly the best
site I have ever directed in.}}

DAN WINS SENIOR OPEN (8/24)

Our own Dan Voje won the Senior Open with a perfect +4-0 score. Details
here:

http://minnesotachess.org./e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?213.0#post_230
Maybe Dan will be kind enough to post some thoughts.

FRANK AND WASILUK FIND PERFECTION IN FRANKLIN (7/27)

They both finished five-and-oh down at the Catfish Days tournament this
weekend. Frank Johnson is now off to Oregon for a year and we wish him well.
Kevin Wasiluk is heading to the US Open in Indianapolis, and we wish him well,
too. James Kanne drew a little less than sixty people this year. We'll get in
rated as soon as a couple of membership problems resolved.

THE CATFISH

If one were
to do a survey of the most beloved chess events in our state, I suspect our
premier tournament, The Minnesota Open, would only rank third. Second would be
the Twin Cities Chess League (not too early to start assembling your team for
September!), but in first place would be next weekend’s event, The Catfish. Very
ironic, as you will never play in a smaller venue than Franklin, Minnesota.
Chess is a big city activity in general, with only the largest Metro areas
having enough critical mass to support our esoteric sport. But that doesn’t stop
James Kanne, dairy farmer-tournament director, from drawing many of us down
southwest, to his hometown for his annual event. He will personally cook you a
great burger after the first round on Friday. For Saturday, you'll just have to
walk two blocks and buy a great burger on Main Street. Bucolic site, strong
competition. See you there.

This is a must for chess players who like their tournaments to be fun.

Small town charm and a casino nearby. Bring something for the potluck.}}

THE CADET (7/10)
The Cadet Round Robin has started. I did not see a web site but two of Matt's games were highlighted. Hang in there Matt! http://main.uschess.org/content/view/9510/141/

CATFISH AND CADET (6/20)
The Catfish tournament information is posted on the schedule page. Also congratulations to Michael Yang and Matt Dahl for being invited to play in the National Cadet Round Robin. Details on the USCF online site when the event starts. http://main.uschess.org/content/view/9411/319/

DAHL, FRANK, FESHIR, DONAHUE HEADING SOUTH (6/18)
Those were the biggest of the one dozen people who played in the Metro round for the Rochester Grand Summer Open last night. The Frank is Frank Johnson, the Dahl and the Donahue are the younger ones. The Feshir is the one and only. Eight in the top section and four in the bottom. So there will be a lot of opportunities to play higher rated players this weekend.

If you don't feel like spending Friday night in Rochester, there is a one day schedule where you play two quicker games starting at 10:15. That is what I am doing, as a re-entry, being I was bushwacked by Frank. He is now a master level player, and as is typical for those with excessive ratings, doesn't bother with basic equipment, like a pen. But you know me; I'm a giver, so I lend him one of my lucky pens. Bad move on my part. I think I'll pick up some cheap Bics, roll them in a cat box, and stick them in a zip lock bag for the next such request.

You can also just get a half point bye for the missed Friday night round when you show up tomorrow morning.

Should be a nice day for a drive. See you there.

CONTACT INFO FOR ROCHESTER IN METRO (6/17)
You can reach me on my cell at 651.280.5473 on Thursday or Friday with any questions about getting to the Bridge Center on Thursday night, or details about the tournament in general. Especially if you are coming for the first time and run a little late you'll want to have that number. Looks like it will be a great weekend for chess!

ROCHESTER THIS WEEKEND, BUT LET'S BE CLEAR (6/16)
The format they play is five games, time control of an hour, with one round Friday night and then four on Saturday. If you just want to drive down Saturday morning, you don't have to take a bye for the missed Friday night game, you can play that game up here at the Bridge Center on Thursday night. So for Metro residents, the Thursday night round here replaces the Friday night round down there.

ROCHESTER ONLY TEN DAYS AWAY - PLAY ROUND ONE AT THE CASTLE (6/8)
They have the best playing area and the most generous prizes and goodies of any Minnesota tournament. The Rochester Summer Open is June 19th and 20th, and, as usual, you can play the Friday night round up here in the Cities, at the Bridge Center, on Thursday evening, the 18th. We will plan on starting this satellite round at 7:30 pm.

WASILUK AND HOLT WIN THE NORTH COUNTRY OPEN (5/17)
Click on Kelly Quads for the wallcharts and a brief update on the tournament. More later.

GOOD CHESS PLAYING WEATHER (5/15)
It'll be in the fifties and windy tomorrow, so come to the Kelly Inn. We are now up to thirty players, including Victor Adler. Click on the above Schedule button to see the up to date list.

ALREADY UP TO TWENTY FOR NEXT WEEKEND (5/10)
Including both Frank Johnson and Kevin Wasiluk. With another five experts stacked behind them. Should be a strong turnout in an excellent site! Entries posted on Schedule page.

SEAN NAGLE WINS HIS FIRST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP (4/30)
Three cheers for the hometown boy made good! This is his first win of Minnesota Closed Championship. Not that we were actually pulling for him. Despite having known him forever, and his being such a personable young man, let’s face it; anyone with a 2400+ rating is not a crowd favorite. One might as well pull for the New York Yankees. Especially after his fellow giant, Alex Balandin, and him agreed to an early draw in round three. A sign of mutual respect among the mighty, but the little people think they should beat on each other as hard as they beat us. No, going into the last round, we were hoping for Kevin Wasiluk and Frank Johnson, the new young guns, to pull a double upset and make the mighty pay for their non-aggression pact. And it was close, with all three games going to the end of the sixth hour of play, and into demanding positions. Wasiluk did upset Balandin, but Johnson was ground down by Nagle. The bottom two finishers, Tim Radermacher and Bryan Lange, were the last ones fighting, with the victory going to Tim.

Kudos to Sean Nagle! And a big hurrah to second place, the first board on the Chess Castle TCCL Team, Kevin Wasiluk.

FREE ENTRY FOR PRE-REGISTERED MASTERS (4/29)
The North Country Open, coming up in three weeks at the Kelly Inn, is offering free entry to any pre-registered masters. Contact Bill. This is not to be taken as an attempt to lure them in to their doom. No, no, that misses it by a mile! No, it is just a sign of our respect for our chess superiors. Of course, should any of them suffer a lapse of intensity or concentration, and you go home with a boat load of rating points; well, it is a cruel game. Good hunting to all of our fellow schmoes!

OKOBOJI OPEN THIS WEEKEND (4/4)
Click here for details of the tournament. You can play the first round at the Bridge Center, on Thursday, 7:00 pm. Registration from 6:00 to 6:45. This looks to be a great event and we are happy to offer this option to Metro players who can't make it to Okojobi in time for the Friday night round. Be advised that if the Castle site doesn't work for you, one can turn this into a two day event either by using the accelerated schedule or through taking a half point bye.

If you are not familiar with the current club location, feel free to call Dan at 612.706.2865 with any questions.

STATE PLAYOFF SCHEDULE (4/4)
The schedule is posted for the MSCA playoffs. Our own Dan Voje will be playing and winning the Amateur section. The fast time controls play into his strength. Click on the Kelly Quads link and scroll down. This tournament will be held at: Midland Grove Condominiums Recreation Building 2299 Midland Grove Road Roseville MN 55113

STATE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPION

FINAL STANDINGS FOR THIS YEAR'S SCHOLASTIC (3/7)

ED ZELKIND'S CHESS CAMP(3/30)
Looking for a summer camp? Mr. Bill endorses Ed's. http://www.edzelkind.com/

UPCOMING EVENTS (3/21)
North Country Open is planned for May 16-17, 2009. Details on the Kelly Quad link above. Chicago Open follows May 22-25, 2009. Check around for Hotel rates!! Bill booked at $69.

KELLY QUADS (3/7)
Dan and Bill had a good turnout for their Quads. 20 players. Things went well. We are holding another on March 21. See Kelly link above for results and details. Late Monday. Jeff and Andrey are the deserving club co-champions.

Jeff Chandler and Andrey Chernov the 2008 Chesscastle co-champions

Some pictures from the Minnesota Open. Not all of them were suitable for posting.



Our own Dan wins the AMATEUR SECTION .             The mighty Victor tied for first.



Tim Radermacher tied for 1st. after all these years, again. Sean Nagle snuck in at 3.5 points.



Kevin Wasiluk reentered and qualified.      Future champ?

Obligatory cute kids.                                                                 Kevin Bu played well!

FIVE WAY TIE IN THE MINNESOTA OPEN (02/17)
Just a few notes on the big event of last weekend. The Premier section finished with five players on 4 out of 5. They were Kevin Wasiluk, Victor Adler, Frank Johnson, Tim Radermacher and Bryan Lange. At least the first two are listed in tie break order, so our own chess team leader walked off with the biggest trophy. The next two sections were won with perfect scores, Dan Voje in the Amateur and Luke Robson in the Reserve. The turnout was right on average for the state open, at around 200 players. The Plymouth Radisson once again served as an excellent site, and the staff of David Kuhns, Matt Mahowald and Ed Conway handled the complexity of many sections, two schedules, and a couple of side events very well. Here is the link to the crosstables: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200902155441.0-12288810

OFF TO PLYMOUTH FOR THE BIG TOURNAMENT (02/13)
There are a lot of you who have entered early, and did not renew your state membership. Better bring extra money! Like $18 worth.

EARLY ENTRY LIST IS UPDATED THROUGH WEDNESDAY (02/11)
We are now up to 115 players for the five sections. That includes five masters in the open section.

Click on the button right above us to see who is playing. A lot of stout fellows are playing up a section or two, more interested in glory than prizes. Still have a few more trips to the main Minneapolis Post Office. Hope I find your entry there.

ROCHESTER TOMORROW, PLYMOUTH IN ONE WEEK (2/06)
Heading down to the Mayo Clinic tomorrow morning with Mr. Bill, to play the one day schedule. You can do the same thing, but, warning!, you will be playing the first two rounds at game in thirty, in the same pack as someone who has played over 2,400 such games in the last two decades! Be afraid, be very afraid. Or just wussie out like Mr. Bill and take a half point bye.

TO STILL ENTER THE MINNESOTA OPEN AT THE EARLY RATE you have two options. Just run into Dan Voje at tonight's TCCL, tomorrows Rochester Winter Tournament, or catch me at the Castle either during Sundays Quick chess event, or Monday at the Action Quad. Of course I'll be there - how do you think I amassed all those games!

AND THE MAIL IN DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED. Get it in the mail by Monday morning, and I'll see it in our mailbox in time to get you in. We are always trying to give you a break! You can find the tournament details by hitting the above Schedule button, and see whose already signed up by hitting the button on the far right.

STRONGEST CASTLE FIELD EVAH? (2/03)
The Thursday night Metro round for the Rochester tournament now has Frank Johnson, Medhat Feshir, Mike Fellman, Bill Murray, Dan Voje and Leon Ding. Michael Yang and Matt Dahl are also strong possiblities. And Matt Jensen informs me that both Victor Adler and Tim Radermacher are playing this weekend. A frightening field to face! Maybe what helps draw all of these mighty masters and experts is the luxury of having your own table for the games. You feel like your playing Linares.

Just to clear any confusion, the game at the Bridge Center Thursday night replaces the game in Rochester on Friday night. Both fields meet up Saturday morning at the Mayo building. Note if you suffer a disaster at the Castle on Thursday (not hard with such competition) there is a re-enter option for Saturday, where for twenty bucks extra one can start over again with a half point bye, or play the in the accelerated field.

NEXT UP, ROCHESTER (2/02)
We are moving the announcement to our main page to make sure you catch it. Check out all the extra goodies. A reminder that you can replace the Friday night round at Rochester with a round at the Chess Castle, at the Bridge Center, on Thursday. We already have five people who are doing just that. Try and get there by 7:15 pm so we can start the clocks at 7:30. For those unfamiliar with our location, its at 6020 Nicollet Ave. Just take the Diamond Lake exit off I-35, go west two blocks to Nicollet, turn left, and you'll find the Bridge Center about a half mile down on your right, kitty corner from the Club Food. Any questions, call Dan at 612.706.2865 or danvoje@chesscastle.com .

And note, if you can't play any site Thursday or Friday, you can treat this as a one day event. Either play the accelerated schedule, where your first two games are played Saturday at game in 30, and you join the main field at round three (details below); or just take a half point bye for the missed first round. Well worth it, as you'll not find a nicer site, a better run event, and a more liberal prize fund anywhere in Minnesota for the rest of the year!

2009 Rochester Grand Winter Open

February 6-7, 2009

$1000 Guaranteed Prize Fund

Free Entry for Masters

Sponsored by Rochester Chess Club, Internet Chess Club, Games by James, and Mayo Clinic Chess Club (MCCC); directed by Matt Jensen

Drawings for four free ICC memberships, and a Games by James chess set. Games by James in-store coupons will be given to all participants.

$20 Upset Prizes RDS 1-5.

Premier (open to all): 5-SS. TL: game/60. EF: $35 rec’d by February 2; $45 at site. USCF membership required. PZ: 1^{st – 3rd
$200 + trophy, 150, 100; U2000 $75; U1800 $75. RDS: Friday 7:30 P.M.; Saturday
10:30, 1:15, 3:30, and 5:45 (1-day option: Saturday 10:15-11:30-1:15-3:30-5:45).}

Amateur (U1600): 5-SS. TL: game/60. EF: $25 rec’d by February 2; $35 at site. USCF membership required. PZ: 1st – 3rd $140, 100, 60; U1400 $50; U1200 $50. RDS: Friday 7:30 P.M.; Saturday 10:30, 1:15, 3:30, and 5:45 (1-day option: Saturday 10:15-11:30-1:15-3:30-5:45).

Bantam (U1100/Unrated): 4-SS. TL: game/45. EF: $15 rec’d by February 2; $20 at site. USCF membership required. PZ: 1st-7th trophies. RDS: Saturday only, 10:30, 12:45, 2:30, and 4:15.

Novice (Unrated): 5-SS. TL: game/30. EF: $5. USCF membership not required. PZ: 1st - 3rd trophies, 4th - 7th_{medals. No scholastic varsity
players, notation not required. Eligibility determined by TD. RDS: Saturday
only, 11:00, 12:15, 1:30, 2:45, 4:00.}

Please bring a clock (digital preferred). Sets will be provided.

ADVANCE ENTRY and INFORMATION: Matt Jensen, 3072 Avalon Cove Ct NW, Rochester, MN 55901 {email: mjensen23@gmail.com; cell: 651-492-4624} W NS NC.

REGISTRATION: Friday on-site for Premier and Amateur, club opens at 6:45 PM, Rd 1 at 7:30 PM. Saturday all rated sections, 9:00 – 9:45 AM; Novice register by 10:45. Re-entry for 1-day options, $20 Premier $15 Amateur (must notify TD by 9:45 AM on Sat.).

SITE: Mayo Clinic Harwick Cafeteria, SW corner of 3rd Ave. SW & 2nd St. SW, Rochester, MN. Free parking on the street or in the Republic Parking Ramp (11 Center Street W, located 5 blocks NE of the Harwick Building). Enter the Harwick building through the east entrance on 3rd Ave SW.

MapQuest link: http://www.mapquest.com/mq/2-a0rd.

One half-point bye available upon request (except final round).
Please visit _{^{www.freewebs.com/jensenchess for more information.}}

QUICK NOTE ON THE WINTER OPEN (2/01)
The Open section had 40 players, and finished in a three way tie between Victor Adler, Matt Dahl and Michael Yang. They each had four wins and one draw, the first two in their game against each other. Under 1700 Section had 70 players, and a clear winner, Vladimir Maltsev with a perfect score.
Don't forget that Rochester is next weekend, with a possible round one at the Castle Thursday night.

CHESS SEASON IS UPON US, FEATURING NEW EVENTS (1/28)
It’s not just the international tournaments at Wijk aan Zee and Gibraltar that makes this a high point in the annual chess calendar. It is also our very own big events, on the local scene. The two largest Minnesota tournaments are happening in the next three weeks. The first is the Winter Open, which is featured on the right, as it is starting this Saturday at the usual Roseville Skating Oval site. Please note that they are using Fischer mode on the time delays, which is very rare in this country. So it is a good idea to set your digital clock ahead of time (like right now) so that you are all set, and not contributing to what will certainly be a wave of confusion early Saturday morning. Another noteworthy feature at the Winter Open is the Saturday novice tournament, for beginners and unrated players. We have not held many of these of late, so be sure to point it out to any friends who have expressed interested in trying tournament chess. I really like this site; chess should share quarters with hockey, as they are both such brutal sports.

Two weeks after that is the big one, the 2009 Minnesota Open, from February 13^th through the 15^th, at its usual site, the Plymouth Radisson. All true chess players will of course be there! If you have a weenie excuse for not joining us in battle, yah better at least show up and visit a bit, so we don’t write you off as dead. Death is really the only acceptable excuse.

For the real hardcore, there is a very nice event right in between. It is another sweet road trip to Rochester, for another fine event courtesy of Matt Jensen and Dennis Mays. At a Mayo Clinic building, a remarkably spacious and comfortable site. Note these guys seem to always pay out a very generous prize fund, along with a lot of other goodies (drawings for ICC memberships, etc.) This is their usual format of a game on Friday night, and then four rounds on Saturday. As we have in the past, we are offering Metro players the option of playing that Friday night game up here in the Cities, at the Chess Castle on Thursday night. Just show up at the Bridge Center by 7:15 pm, and we’ll have you started by 7:30. For more details, click on the above schedule button.

Unlike previous years, you don’t have to make the cut for the Closed Playoffs to have yet more good chess to look forward to. Firstly, in March, there are two tournaments set up by Bill Murray at the Kelly Inn near downtown St. Paul. They are a pair of one day quads, with serious time controls and a very low cost. I have always liked the Quad format. You get three games, all against your rating peers, with a decent time control, which strikes a nice balance between not taking up your whole day, but yet having enough game time to think. More on these two later.

Finally, out at the end of April, and just across the border with Iowa, John Flores is organizing a very ambitious tournament, which already has a commitment from a Grandmaster, Alex Yermolinsky. The Okoboji Open: five rounds, three days, with a time control of game in two hours. This is down in the Spirit Lake area, which I am told is the scenic part of Iowa. We use to have the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls to look forward to every year, as an easy drive to Grandmaster competition. It sounds like this could be a worthy replacement for those fondly remembered tournaments. The Castle will, just as with Rochester, be offering the chance to play the Friday night game up in the Twin Cities on Thursday instead. You will be hearing more on our site as this gets closer, but mark the calendar now for April 24^th through 25^th. Who of us doesn’t love a chess road trip!

JEFF CHANDLER AND ANDREY CHERNOV ARE THE NEW CLUB CHAMPS (12/29)
Final standings are here. Jeff and Andrey are worthy champions. Regulars at the club, their aggressive play was rewarded. With the delay of the NCN attendance was down. The site worked out well and will be used for some Quads in March. Click on Kelly Quads for details. The Bridge center is not ideal and this may help build up the club. Andrew Tang is a new kid in town. Be afraid, be very afraid. Luckily his dad can be house man. Thanks to Dan for running another perfect event!

OFF TO ST. PAUL (12/26)
Like the returning fish we are, it is off to the city that spawned us lo those many years ago. Stop by the Kelly Inn and visit us if you would like! There may even be houseman opportunities for those with a couple of hours to spare.

I'll leave you with a picture that I found on the chessbase website. In the midst of the obituary for Hugh Myers of Davenport, Iowa, known for "The Myers Opening Bulletin," there was a old photo of him playing a chess game. And the opponent was none other than our own Curt Brasket.

WITH A WEEK TO GO... (12/21)
We are still waiting to hear from you, if your name is here. And don't worry if you can't find out until the last minute whether you can play. We would like to hear in advance, to make planning easier, but if it takes until Saturday morning to wheedle permission from your wife, you just need to show up at the Kelly Inn by 9:45 to get in the first round. And not even then! As with all Think Formats, we offer the options of taking up to two half point byes in any rounds. So don't even show up until three in the afternoon, and get a full point for the first two rounds. Or, for example, if you're already commited to a social event for all of Saturday evening, you can get a free point for the last two rounds that day, and still get home by four. Note that Arkady Shemyakin did just that three years ago, and then won all of the five rounds he played, and the championship that year. And back in town is another former champion, JellieFish, who hopes to still be here for the weekend. Jesse Koch has also reappeared, and offered to be a houseman, so some full point byes may be avoided. Details on the right. I do worry that with the NCN having disappeared, a few club regulars, ones who don't go online or haven't dropped in for awhile, may still be unaware of the tournament. Talk it up if you see 'em at a bus stop or coffeehouse.

APPY POLLY WOLLOGIES TO VINNIE (12/19)
I told you guys to come forward for any club regular overlooked for invitation to our prestigious championship. I thought I'd only get some borderline cases, that I had gone through the tournament files well enough not to miss any well-deserved players. Well, I goofed, as somehow the very longtime and very active Vince Wisniewski was missed. That I am capable of missing something is certainly no surprise to many of my chess opponents! Let me know if I have overlooked anyone else. (612.706.2865 or danvoje@chesscastle.com . )

Vinnie won't be able to play, though. He is going out to Vegas after Christmas to play in their big tournament. So are Roger Hale, Doug Olson and Roger Redmond. Good luck to them, at gaming tables if not the chess board.

YES, OUR EVENTS ARE ON! (12/17)
Just a note to assure any readers that our scheduled chess tournaments you see on this site are indeed being held. I am not sure what happened to the Northern Chess Newsletter, but our events are not contingent on being announced via your (snail) mail box. We have players and directors lined up for the two tournaments this Saturday and Sunday, and barring three feet of snow, they will be held.

I'm moved to reiterate this because our turnout has been very poor lately. We only had a quorum for the Action Quad on the 8th thanks to a couple of guys from Illinois, who are working at the airport, and stopped in for a local game. Poor Ed only got a couple of guys for the Minneapolis Open. I'm not sure what the problem is, whether it's the lack of a NCN, or the harsh winter weather, or the holiday season. The construction on 35W hasn't been a big problem lately in getting to the Bridge Center.

Only ten days to the club championship! If you are invited and coming, get on the ball and let us know! Details right below. Click right here to see who is coming.

LIST OF QUALIFIERS FOR THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP (12/10)
Click right here to go to the list, sorted alphabetically, of the club regulars. If you don't find your name there, and feel you should be, there is contact information on that page to reach me. It is quite possible that I have overlooked someone, so feel free to bring such a case to my attention.

Questions have come up as to how people qualify. The standard, which has been in effect for several years, is that a player must have participated in at least six serious events over the course of the year. This time we are lowering the bar to only four events, inasmuch as our present site is somewhat marginal, and has been on occasion, with the freeway construction, hard to get to. So that is only one Saturday tournament per quarter. We do give partial credit for quick chess events and action quads, and we count any swiss tournament twice for any clear winner. It’s the guys who regularly pay and play, that enable our club to go on, and this tournament is for them.

We are also requesting that anyone who intends to play contact me so I know if you are coming. The list should be up on the club walls in a few days, and you can just sign after your name there to indicate your participation.

UPDATED - Already added four more names, so we are up to 40.

TWO WEEKENDS IN DECEMBER - THE MINNEAPOLIS OPEN AND
THE CHESS CASTLE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP (12/04)
Go here for the details on these two tournaments. Well, actually, there is not a lot of detail on the Minneapolis Open, as we have yet to receive the NCN files. We do know it is being held the weekend after next, December 13th and 14th, by Ed Conway at the Bridge Center. Your standard three games Saturday and two Sunday, at a speed of game in ninety minutes with a ten second delay. Apparently there will not be a noise conflict on Sunday, that we often experience, as no bridge classes are being held that day.

It is those annoying conflicts that we usually have at the Bridge Center during two day events, that has inspired Bill Murray and Dan Voje to take the annual club championship to another site. That would be the Kelly Inn, where we held the popular Northern Open a few months back. Note that this is a by invitation only event, for club regulars (liberally defined). Look for the list to be put up here in a few days. The dates are 27th and 28th, right after Christmas.

RECENT NEWS (11/16)
While Dan is in Ireland taking a much needed vacation the local chess world moves ahead. Don Aldrich and Dave Kuhns are discussing new clubs at the news groups: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/MinnesotaChess/ . John Flores is starting a club in Iowa: http://www.fiorechess.org/news.php . The Class is less than two weeks away: http://minnesotachess.org./page.php?66 .

IMPORTANT CHANGE TO POTS NIGHT
The coffeehouse is closing at ten, so Zack is moving up the start time to seven pm. This is a tournament where you can show up late. Also note that trash talk will be allowed. (This is good news for me, as cutting remarks about my opponents is the strongest facet of my speed game.) For parking, you can find street parking within three blocks, or a pay lot at the same site, on the north side of the block.

Halloween Pots Challenge!!!!!!
(A message from Zack Tverstol, one of the Twin Cities premier coffeehouse woodpushers/clock-slammers.)
An informal chess party at a festive location. Will take place at the Expresso Royale Café in Dinkytown (intersection of 14th Ave and 4th St: more exactly, the site is in the middle of the block on the west side of 14th Ave, just north of 4th Street) starting at 7:00 pm Friday night. This is near a major bus line. Call me, Zack Tverstol, with any questions at 612-408-1754.

A CRUMMY FIVE BUCKS, re-entry $5, game in 5 no delay, blitz rules apply, and we will be going by clock move, not touch move (no need for USCF memberships). The rules to pots are pretty simple: The entry fee will get you 20 chips. If you lose a game you put down 2 chips and leave the table. To win the chips you need to win two games in a row. If you win, draw, win, you keep playing until you win two in a row. In the event of a draw, the player who held the table gets to stay no matter what color. A player that is winning on one table can leave and go to another table if the pot on the other table is bigger than the one that they are fighting for. This restarts their winning cycle. If you are eliminated, you can get back into the action for $5. The coffee shop closes at ten so every hour we will be raising the amount the loser has to leave on the table. The person with the most chips at the end of the night wins the entire pot.
I have several strong experts and A class players willing to play, as well as a few novices that don’t mind spending $5 dollars for blitz lessons.

CHESSNUTS RESULTS ARE POSTED. (10/20)
The winners of the Chessnuts Challenge are: Sean Nagle, Victor Adler and Aron Kaptsan with 4 points each. Dan Nordlund won the U1800 section. It was a great event starting with free Subway sandwiches, a Simul and a lecture. With five Masters all vying for the top $1200 prize there were no easy games. The top board was posted live on the Internet, a first for Minnesota chess. The site was sponsored by Concordia College. You should put this on your calendar as a must play event for next year. Link to crosstables. http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200810196431
Games should be posted at the chessnut site soon. Thanks to Brian Thompson and Dan McClintic!

NORTHERN GAMES(10/4)
We have posted the games from Northern Open. Click on the link above.
Two weeks until the chessnuts from North Dakota hold their annual event. Go to www.ndchessnut.com for details or the schedule page.

A NOTE ABOUT THE WEEKEND EVENTS (9/25)
Just a warning about the prize information listed for the two events on the right, this weekend's Castle events. Ignore the piece that says " (entries minus $80)". That item is a left over from back when we had to come up with a monthly sum for rent, and so had to make a minimum amount every Saturday. That was true up in the old Nordeast, but it is not true at the Bridge Center. Now, we just get charged a fix amount per person per day. Our recent schedules are put together fairly sloppily.
Now days, we pretty much pay out everything we take in, minus the per person room fees, the charge to rate the tournament, and a small amount for our bank account. So the prizes are much larger than the announcement suggests.

HALF WAY AT THE NORTHERN OPEN (9/20)
Special thanks to Mike Wangen and Mike Trettel for donating their entry fees to the tournament. They could not play but kindly helped us out! Bill Harrison was good enough to rent a skittles room for us and the Moms. The Dads hung out in the bar. We have 64 players with Kevin Wasiluk joining us today. The tough games come Sunday when the top players meet. So far Russ Swanson, Kevin Landman and Leonardo Segal have won upset prizes. Dan will get the standings posted Late Sunday or early Monday.

MR. BILL IS A HAPPY ORGANIZER (9/17)
This tournament is not backed by the bank account of our state organization. It is only backed by the organizer, William Murray. We were hoping to get at least fifty players, and so are more than pleased to announce that we have already 43 early entries. That includes several big guys like Sean Nagle, Victor Adler and Wilson Gibbins. And I know of at least three more who will be coming, presuming a certain young man gets his homework done and a certain old man gets his wife's permission. The third guys is a Shariff(?), a 16 year old with a 1800 rating whose last name I could not decipher, but whose entry is in the mail. It is very gratifying to welcome at least three guys from Iowa, and one from St. Cloud. So our event will be possibly the strongest and largest Minnesota event (excluding the state championship, of course), with pretensions of being an interstate tournament.

ROGER RUDOLPH TRIUMPHS (9/13)
Roger showed he still has it after all these years. Fighting back against the mighty youngster Kevin Bu. Kevin attacked with all his youthful energy but the old lion held on, and then went on to win. Such was the excitement at the TCCL on Friday. Hopeful someone can get the score and analysis published. There is still time to enter the TCCL and receive a bye for Sept. Next meeting is Oct. 10th. First round results are posted at the MSCA site. http://minnesotachess.org./e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?144
The schedule for the coming months at the Castle are posted on the Schedule page.
Early entries for the Northern are on the schedule page. Dan has a few more to add.

WE'RE ARE PLAYING LABOR DAY (8/31)
At least Ed Conway, Jeff Chandler and Dan Voje will be there for the Action Quads. Be there by 7:15.

I also want to apologize for the delay in getting the last two weeks worth of tournaments rated. The last Think and two action quads should get rated by Tuesday. My muffler-less Camry has died, so I was a bit stranded in the Nordeast, but I have a new Ranger now, so I can get back in action. I was also off in New York City for five days. It was mostly to help my niece move into NYU, but the trip also provided me with a number of sad chess tales, that anyone who shows up at the Castle will have to endure.
(Yeah, like that's a burden for you schmoes. The most useful foreign words our chess vocabulary are not zugzwang, en passant, or j"adoube. It's schadenfreude.)

MEATY MITTS IS MINNESOTA'S NEWEST MASTER (7/29)
While a lot of us were off to Franklin last weekend for free food and small venue chess, Kevin Wasiluk went to Chicago for the Class Championship, in search of bigger game. He defeated Alex Betenali and a 2300 IM, and finished above the glorious 2200 level. If you go to the USCF website and check out the news stories, you can see a picture of the back of this young man's head as he plays Yermo. The crosstable linked there shows him finishing with 2211, but the tournament history page includes his result from the last Castle Think event, which brings him to 2203. Congrats to our former club champion. It's great to have him back in town after a year in Germany.

GOOD LOOKING SITE (7/2)
A few observations about the previous tournament announcement. I checked out the site with Bill Murray last week and liked what I saw. This hotel is right off the freeway, directly across from the Cathedral, and is very easy to reach by car or by bus. Plenty of parking outside, and a nice room inside. They have their own restaurant and bar, so you can built up your blood sugar before facing the chesspunks, and then drown your sorrow if the battle goes bad. Dan Voje will be directing. Bill is planning on six rounds, game in 90 minutes. We both like the length, as it gives you a chance to take a half point bye, or a setback in a game, and still be in the hunt. This will be an anti-Goichberg format. Instead of going a long distance to pay a large entry fee for a remote chance at a big prize, we will offer a short drive and low entry fee. Hope you'll write this on your calendar.

FINDING ED'S BOOKS A NEW HOME (06/26)
I received the following notice from Bill Hempel...

"I thought the Chess Castle members may be interested in some chess books that were owned by my father, Ed Hempel. He had, I would guess, about 300 to 400 chess books that we are selling at a Garage Sale this weekend For about 1 – 2 dollars a book. The address is at 5631 Aldrich Ave North in Brooklyn Center. Garage Sale is on Friday and Saturday the 27^th and 28^th.Thanks - Bill Hempel

UPDATE ON OUR EVICTION (11/02)
We are moving this Saturday night to the old bank space on the first floor. The lighting might be a bit weak, but the landlord said he would work on it with us if need be. We do have the space free for the next two months, right up to the new year (do I see a party?) in exchange for surrendering our space a month early. We have had a problem lately with other tenants locking the door as they go through, so it will be nice to have our own separate door for our remaining stay. With all of this extra space, I think we can adopt a liberal policy in inviting players to our club championship, which looks to be held December 16th and 17th.

HOMELESS AGAIN (10/30)
Yet another dark cloud over our venerable Castle.
Today we were informed by our landlord that the chess club must vacate our space by the end of November. We have been on thirty day notice ever since the Lander Group took over the building from the defunct Polish While Eagle Insurance Company some years back. I found their conditions unsettling back then, in that the new owners would not offer us our old year long lease, but only commit to month-to-month. I believe they wanted flexibility with tenants, as they hoped to either sell the building or rent the whole thing to one customer. Well, we have gone on a long time in this uncertain state, in our dilapidated building, but the end for Second Ave NE has finally arrived.
They would actually like to take over our club space right away, and have offered us the use of the large first floor for the next month in exchange. If this area is usable, I may take them up on the offer, as the rent would be free for November, money we need to weather a re-location. And there might be the chance to use that area for some weeks into December. I'll have to check it out; there might be a problem with lighting. And one would still have to go up the stairs to reach the only bathroom in the building. There could well be no on site phone service during our remaining days.
Keep an eye on this space for further developments. Note in particular possible changes in the schedule for November. We may try to fit in the club championship early to be sure it gets held.
Also note: there will be a meeting Saturday night, after the last round of the Tornado. This should be around seven o’clock. I would recommend attendance to only those who are either club regulars (or their managers!) or those who are willing to contribute effort or support. Those with just opinions and ideas are encouraged to stick with the Minnesota Chess Yahoo group. It could well be those who show up will be drafted to move our stuff down to the first floor, but it should be very short work with even only several people. Of course, anyone with experience in organizing or running chess events, or with rental property markets in general, would definitely be welcomed.

VERY STRONG FIELD FOR THIS WEEKEND’S EVENT [7/16]
Check out the pre-registered for the 2nd FIDE event at the castle. The first one drew 45. Escape the heat and come play with us.

Minnesota Closed 2010: Amateur Section
Voje finishes with five wins.

Minnesota Closed 2010: Reserve Section
The two leaders, with 3 points, face off in the final round. FINAL RESULT - Joshua Czekalski won his last game, to finished with four points and clear first place. Congratulations to him.

Games from the Closed All the games from the first three rounds save two (including the last game to finish last night, where Victor Adler had to reach into his last few minutes to grind down Frank Johnson.

With the reminder that instead of playing the Friday night round down in Spirit Lake, you can play that game up here at the Castle on Wednesday night.

Click on the schedule key above for details on an big FIDE event at the Castle at the end of May

MINNESOTA CLOSED 2010: Premier Section

(elementary individual and team standings now added)

CLEAN UP ON YESTERDAY’S SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIP [3/29]
Find the individual and team standings through the link just below. Before we turn to recaps and congratulations, there some items to be noted.

Anyone who went home with a trophy that has only a paper title plate needs to e-mail me their address (at danvoje@chesscastle.com.) so we can mail them a replacement plate. Caught some of these after the awards ceremony, but about five are left.

I have to process the USCF memberships and then get the event rated. That should be by Wednesday. If you gave us incomplete information, or slipped through the cracks, expect to hear from me.

And we cannot sign off without a sad nod to the great Vasily Smyslov, who died just before our big event got started.

FINAL STANDINGS (INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM) FOR 2010 MINNESOTA SCHOLASTIC

CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR THE MSCA [3/10]

UPDATED EARLY REGISTRATION LIST UP FOR THE MINNESOTA OPEN [2/14]

VICTOR ADLER IS IN!

Now shows all entries received through Sunday.