2014 National High School Championships

The excitement begins the morning before the main event.

"Good Luck"

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley congratulates our team.

The BCSD Chess Rage has been very active this past month with tournaments and other chess functions every weekend.  This past weekend reached a climax with six high school students competing in the National High School Chess Championship.  This is only the second time that a team from the Wood River Valley has attended such a function with the last time in 2011 where the team placed 24th with over 330 teams in attendance.  We fared better this time - 20th in classic and 20th in Blitz.

Introducing the 20th place team.

943 kids, their parents, friends, and coaches.

The tournament was held in San Diego at the Town & Country Resort and 943 attendees played G/120 d5 games, meaning each opponent has two hours to complete all their moves with a 5 second delay per move.  The tournament was broken into five sections:  U800, U1200, U1600, Championship, and Unr.  The Chess Rage had one U1600, one unrated player, and a team of four U1200 players.  The ratings refer to the United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating system where the higher the rating, the better the player.

8 am training session

The chess team played in the Bughouse and Blitz side events requiring 8-hours of play on Thursday before the main event began on Friday.  Desmond Porth won a 3rd place class prize in Blitz, and Adam Porth, BCSD Chess Rage coach, tied for 3rd place in the coaches tournament held on Saturday.  In the three-day, 7 round main event, players engaged nearly 36 hours of play and 12 hours of practice and analysis.  Chess began at 8 am and typically ended near midnight.

Desmond receives analysis by Texas Tech Chess Team member.

As one master level coach from New York boasted, "Chess competitions are more mentally exhausting than anything students do in school."  He continued, "Chess requires more study and practice than any subject students take."  Many school districts around the United States are now funding chess programs in their schools and are even financially supporting students traveling to competitions, such as this one.  Colleges are offering scholarships to chess players rated over 1400 - 1500 at Texas Tech and Webster University in St. Louis.

Levi is always happy to play.

Levi Catangcatang is the newest player to the team and scored 3.0 points in the unrated section.  He soaked up all the learning and resources that the tournament offered, such as training from members of the Texas Tech and Webster University teams.  He also found numerous friends to play with and obtained analysis from other coaches.  Andre Murphy commented on "how great it is to be around this much chess!"  with games being played at the pool, in corridors, and virtually any place that offered a quiet spot.

Tyler Avila gets very serious during his analysis in the skittles room.

Tyler Avila was successful in applying lessons learned from each game during analysis.  He dropped two games in the endgame that should have resulted in victories in previous rounds, but demonstrated that study (and patience) pays off in the seventh round where he applied all of the strategies learned from earlier games and highhandedly won.   He ended the tournament with 2.5 points.

Round 7

Dylan enjoys playing black.

Andre was one of our longest game players.

Quick games in the main event ended in disaster and successful players used all their time.  Dylan Porth even ran into time trouble in three of her games resulting in draws, though she was ahead in material in those games.  She earned 2.5 points by the end of the tournament.  In the last round, Desmond Porth was the very last game to finish in the U1600 against a player from California.  He and Andre Murphy took a hard road and drew most of their rounds, only losing 2 of the 7 rounds.  Draws only earn a 1/2 point.  Desmond lead the team with 3.5 points.  Andre Murphy and Wesley Brimstein each earned 3.0 points in the U1200 section.

Wesley wrestles with his thoughts while his parents look on in the background.

With Desmond and Dylan the only members of the team used to the pressure of National play, I was quite happy with the results of the first-timers, and I look forward to taking the players to Columbus, Ohio next year where I am sure they will be in the top ten after a year of hard work and development.

The long weekend ended with a trip to the San Diego zoo in order to relax and unwind before returning to the mountain of homework the players had accumulated.

There is a panda lurking in the shadows.

As Tyler said it, "This was one of my best weeks ever!"

Magic Valley Chess Club Summer Barnes & Noble Blitz

Two of the toughest Blitz players in the bookstore:  Jeff "caffeine" Roland (top picture) and Fred "smack talk" Bartell (below).  Each scored eleven points in the MVCC Summer B&N Blitz and showed no mercy.


The Magic Valley Chess Club is an active club of primarily four, staunch chess players: Barry Eacker, Gary Dugger, Fred Bartell, and Aleksandr Vereschagin with others intermittently visiting. Darwin and myself attended one of their meetings and with the lack of summer tournament opportunities, Barry and I whipped up a Blitz tournament for the next meeting on July 9. E-mails and phone calls ensued and attracted fourteen players including Jeff Roland from Boise and Jeffery Hall, visiting from California, for the informal round-robin event. I brought five from the BCSD Chess Club: Tyler Avila, Wesley Bristein, Andre Murphy, Dylan and Darwin Porth and our 14 new Saitek Chess Clocks that I wrote a grant for.

Blitz is fast chess (G/5 d0)and is typically difficult for slow players such as myself, but players can get many opening and tactical reps, as a weight lifter would during a work out. I always set goals for myself in order to hone a particular skill and this day, I had two: 1. play the French Defense as black and the Scotch Opening as white, 2. Reach the endgame and try to run my opponent out of time. Most often I have too much time left on my clock when I lose or I am flagged because I am not moving fast enough. My results were mixed.

Fred Bartell v. Wesley Brimstein 

Chess is fascinating with multiple dimensions to consider, and only focusing on one or two variables can be ruinous for players concerned with ratings or winning tournaments. But competition is complex and can envelope anyone engaged in it. Emotions normally under guard are expressed with enthusiasm during a match. "Poop," I exclaimed during one game against Fred Bartell as he took my king! Barry, buried in the store's stacks of books quickly came forward,"Who said 'poop?'" He entered the result on the computer with a smirk. In Blitz you can take a king that is left available for slaughter. In fact, there are three ways to secure a victory: take the king, checkmate the king, or run out of time. Today, I lost by all three. I just don't pay close enough attention to the board sometimes.

The Infamous "Poop" Game . . .even to the ending.  After f5l, Fred's next move was Rd7+ and I was so focused on the c-pawn, I moved Rxc6, and my King was wiped out (photo:  Jeffery Roland).

Andre Murphy snatches a king and offers a shake to Gene Rambo.

Our round robin tournament certainly included many king snatches. I earned one against Gary Dugger but I gave away four games in such a manner. The kids were excellent at snatching kings and victories away from the adults in this way. One player asked, "Can you do that?" I think our Idaho folk need more such tournaments to learn the rules, tactics, and strategies of blitz.

How to be a better Blitz Chess Player:

I found myself lacking blitz strategies and more focused on time during this tournament. "Blitz Theory" is one way to learn some of the nuances (a book that I have never read, but it talks about the chess clock as another piece).  Jeff Roland's strategy was to amp up on large coffees.  Based on how fast he was talking and his success, that might be a means of doing better.  I play too sleepily.  Suggestions from Gameknot:

 1.Best blitz play is almost all about tactics,NOT strategy! Strategy involves long term concepts,while tactics are immediate.Strategy is sort of like more theoretical while tactics are more immedialy practical and solid.So basically you will win more on tactics while using very little strategy.You must apply your best tactics on every move,or you will not last long. 

2.SMALLER tactical combinations are what you must seek,like 1 or 2 move combinations...not some long 4 or 5 tactical combination that will cost you too much time in a 2 to 4 minute game(some 5 min.games as well).So,just because you have an initiative advantage does not mean that you will have a winning tactical combination.This is where having the initiative gets confused with tactical advantage. 

3.I suggest software training with handicaping to begin with.Give yourself a Knight up and play 5 minutes against shredder,for example.Did you win?Why not?Examine your weakness's,where you went wrong and reset the program.Try to play a five minute game like a 3 minute game!You must develop tactical "bravery"and intuition!Again examine each game playing against a program and try to lessen the amount of game time after a good number of self tactical training studies. 

4.Another lesson is that memorizing opening variations in 1 to 5 minute blitz(for the most part) is unnecessary and can actually hurt your blitz play!Actually playing out of book as soon as possible with a good grasp of tactics has much more VALUE,than memorizing some 30 long Ruy Lopez opening!Trust me!If I can win by making opening weak moves for white like 1.a4 and 2,h4 or 

1.Na3 and 2.Nh3...confusing some "book players"right out of the shoot,then those few seconds gained while he is "thinking"about my strange moves,can cut an advantage!
The truth is,is that most games are decided by blunders,not superfine opening knowledge.So keeping your opening "repertoire" to one or two variations for both colors is mostly all you need. 

5.Keeping pawns first and the major pieces behind them is basically one of the best ways to play blitz.Keeping your pieces in the center of the board and control of the center is of course,key.Centralize a pawn,knight and bishop and after that drive them further into your opponents position. 

6.Keep in mind that any Knight can take a Bishop but NOT the other way around.For that reason,Knights are better in blitz play than Bishops.Knights are much more unpredictable both tactically and psychologically against your opponent and a ticking 3 to 5 minute game.
In corresp long games,an open game is best with Bishops,however this rule does not necessarily apply in blitz play!! 

7.Typical opponent mistakes by statistical probability is not calculating the "check"upon themselves.Knights do a better job than bishops in fast blitz. 

8.Coordinating your pieces to work together to control more squares is vital.Hedgehog setups I find work great. 

9.Stall tactics are too numerous to mention here...I could spend 5 hours explaining this.
But for example,making that so called "stupid"move can lead to an advantage,especially with your clock time running down!Look for an active pawn to move towards the queen,moving an a or h file pawn or other piece from one end of the board to the other can cause your opponent to possibly spend a few more seconds thinking about the "reasons"for this awkward movement.A quick King move 2 or 3 times in mid game,even though it does not promote development can cause more chipping away at your opponents think time and clock time! 

10.Don't forget to hover your piece ahead of time over the expected piece resting place of your obvious opponent exchange square EVERY TIME!This half second advantage will definitely add up to a better clock edge and more think time for you in the critical endgame! 

11.Study your wins and losses and develop the pattern recognition necessary for best blitz play.Obtaining the experience though thousands of games is better than trying to study precise openings and tactical puzzles.Obtain your style! 

12.If 3 minutes is too fast for you,start with 10 minute blitz and gradually move to quicker game play. 

13.remember...the 1-2-3 move tactics are the soul of great blitz play!You have to master them to improve! 

Californian Jeffery Hall 

But why play fast chess anyway?  This article is a bit negative toward blitz, but has some good points.

Pros:

• Allows you to try out your opening variations to evaluate their power.
• Improves your split second decision-making.
• Improves your time trouble skills.

Cons:

• By playing fast, you are not considering key and deep moves.
• Playing incorrectly isn't always punished.
• Speed chess is insanely addictive.
• In the long-term does not improve your chess level.

WGM Natalia Pogonina has these suggestions:

"Let me offer you a few recommendations on blitz. Of course, none of us is perfect, I don’t follow all of them myself, but at least I’m trying: 

1)    Treat blitz as a way of revising your openings. If you see that you don’t remember the plan and moves in a familiar position, here is your reason to go over your preparation once again after the game. 
2)    Play a few games and stop to analyze them. Pay special attention to mistakes and gaps in preparation. This is easy to do if you’re playing online since all the moves are stored automatically. In otb chess the problem is that you might not be able to memorize all the games you have played. Therefore, you should either play less games before taking a break to record them, or improve your memory. 
3)    If you haven’t played chess for a long time, you can try to regain your chess shape with the help of a few blitz games. Sometimes it’s extremely helpful. 
4)    If you feel you are playing badly (compared with your regular level), try to relax and forget about revenge. Return to blitz some other day when your mood and chess shape are better. This way you will save rating points or money (if you are playing for a stake, which I avoid doing). 
5)    Blitz requires extreme concentration. Before an important blitz event one should sleep well, prepare psychologically and consume enough food to last through all the rounds. 
6)    Don’t mess with park players, chess hustlers. They have lots of dirty tricks up their sleeve: “acting like noobs,” fixing the clocks, chess-bluffing, provocation, etc. – all aimed at separating you from your money."

Steve Hinton, another tough blitz opponent

Interestingly, she also notes that there is more conflict in Blitz chess because emotions run higher.  She goes on, "Here and there you can see someone queening the wrong way, trying to win rook vs rook, etc. In my opinion, chess wins are not worth risking the comfort of your conscience. I don’t understand people who love playing on time in dead drawn positions only because they have 2-3 seconds more on the clock. "

Here are some Blitz strategies:

Wyatt Astle plays Grandfather Gene Rambo.  The tournament was an education for first timers.

In earlier posts, I indicated that WinTD will not pair beyond round 12 in a round robin, for some unknown reason.  So, we only completed through round 12.  Gene Rambo and Grandson Wyatt Astle withdrew mid-way so we defaulted to forfeit wins.  Round robin tournaments don't do well with odd numbers and/or withdrawals.

WinTD will not pair past 12 rounds in a round robin (photo:  Jeff Roland).

Barnes & Noble is a nice venue to play chess.

Player

Rating

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

R6

R7

R8

R9

R10

R11

R12

Score

1

Jeff Roland

1690

W5

W3

L4

W14

W12

W13

W9

W6

W10

W2

W7

W11

11

2

Fred Bartell

1661

W6

W10

W14

W7

W11

W8

W5

W3

W4

L1

W12

W13

11

3

Gary Dugger

1227

W4

L1

W12

W13

W9

W6

W10

L2

W7

L11

W8

W5

9

4

Steve Hinton

1555

L3

L14

W1

W12

W13

W9

D6

L10

L2

W7

W11

W8

7½

5

Brett Hall

1582

L1

L12

W13

W9

W6

L10

L2

W7

W11

W8

W14

L3

7

6

Wesley Brimstein

1003

L2

W7

L11

W8

L5

L3

D4

L1

W12

W13

W9

W14

6½

7

Tyler Avila

1000

W9

L6

W10

L2

W14

L11

W8

L5

L3

L4

L1

W12

5

8

Andre Murphy

1000

L12

W13

W9

L6

W10

L2

L7

W11

W14

L5

L3

L4

5

9

Aleksandr Vereshchagin

1138

L7

W11

L8

L5

L3

L4

L1

W12

W13

W14

L6

W10

5

10

Darwin Porth

1000

W14

L2

L7

W11

L8

W5

L3

W4

L1

W12

L13

L9

5

11

Adam Porth

1259

L13

L9

W6

L10

L2

W7

W14

L8

L5

W3

L4

L1

4

12

Gene Rambo

1704

W8

W5

L3

L4

L1

L14

W13

L9

L6

L10

L13

L7

3

13

Dylan Porth

1000

W11

L8

L5

L3

L4

L1

L12

W14

L9

L6

W10

L2

3

14

Wyatt Astle

1000

L10

W4

L2

L1

L7

W12

L11

L13

L8

L9

L5

L6

2

Aleksandr Vereschagin v. Darwin Porth while Gary Dugger looks on.

In round 2, I was playing Aleksandr Vereschagin and I just couldn't continue playing.  I hung a bishop and immediately lost a rook in the next move.  I wasn't worried however as Aleksandr had less than a minute and me with more than two minutes. I was definitely going to win on time.  As Pogonina indicated above, I just couldn't do that and my conscience forced me to resign.  If it was a cocky chess player, I would have run them out.   After playing in a similar manner with my daughter in round 1, I soon realized that I was going to receive a tremendous amount of dung from my counterparts.  And I did!

At least my little girl didn't give me sh*t . . .or she would have been mowing the lawn when we got home!

The King gets whacked again with less than 30 seconds left for each! (top two photos:  Jeff Roland).

Sometimes the environment creeps into your game and I found my emotions were running high because of the chidding.  False expectations start to rule your moves.  My subsequent games were negatively affected but it was a valuable lesson and practice in a extremely social and friendly environment.  I definitely deserved crap for some of the obtuse moves.  But my goals were realized upon reflection as I definitely know how not to play the French Defense, avoid giving up a b- or g- pawn to a bishop or a queen, complicate the position when you go down a piece, and don't show mercy when you are going to win a losing position on time.  

"Hemingway under Bald Mountain" by Adam Porth, Lithograph

Jeff Roland beat Fred Bartell in Round 10 securing first place and a prize that I donated, my Hemingway print.  Fred received notecards of my lithograph for second place.  Jeff was visibly proud, but still heavily caffeinated, actually beat me home.  He to Boise and me to Wood River Valley.

Darwin is now playing with the "big kids!"