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In a recent meeting at the St. Louis Chess Club, a key question was asked: When can we return to over-the-board tournaments? Chess players, always eager to test their mettle in competition, have made do with online play, but there is nothing quite like planning your attack while sitting across from your opponent.

Following CDC guidelines and state and local requirements is a must. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of all members of our community. With that in mind, we decided to test the waters, as long as our tournaments have no more than eight competitors and the event concludes in under two hours. The club recruited its first field of eight participants for the Secret Action Quads, the online edition of the longstanding Friday Action Quads.

For the first time since March, the clocks began to run at the St. Louis Chess Club. As the name would imply, quads are tournaments in which players are divided into groups of four. To keep the pace lively, players had a little over 20 minutes to finish each round. Our eight players were ready for battle.

In a contentious fight in the first quad, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo and his opponent, Michael Pugachev, each had five seconds left. Orlando, with just a bishop and knight on the board, was helplessly trying to deliver the toughest checkmate in chess. Pugachev was keeping his king out of the corner and doing his best to force a draw but unfortunately ran out of time and lost the game. He quickly quipped, Do you even know how to checkmate with a bishop and knight? Orlando just smiled and said, "Guess we'll never know, but I'll gladly take the win on time. Orlando went on to sweep the competition and take first place that evening.

In the second quad, STLCC staff member Tracee Stewart dominated the competition. Tracee has been a regular host of weekly free chess lessons available on the STLChessClub Twitch and STLChessClubYouTube Channel during the pandemic. She gave a warm welcome to the visitor Bruce Brodly with an astounding checkmate. Tracee essayed an opening novelty on Ben Simon, the clubs videographer and producer, and capped off the wonderful night by defeating Michael Pugachevs mother, Lucy, who was making her tournament debut. Tracee also won $36 and a slew of rating points.

While it was a little tough to gauge your opponent through a mask and a Plexiglas barrier, it was refreshing to play a human eye-to-eye instead of across the internet void. Win or lose, everyone went home happy and enjoyed the camaraderie that live chess brings to the table.

For more information about upcoming programs and events (both in person and online) at the St. Louis Chess Club, please visit - saintlouischessclub.org/events.

Mike Kummer is an International Arbiter and assistant manager at the St. Louis Chess Club. He has worked at the Chess Club since its grand opening in 2008.

Read more:
On Chess: Returning To Over The Board Chess Tournaments - St. Louis Public Radio

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is hosting its annual fall chess tournament in person at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Thomas Stone High School. This years fall tournament is limited to chess players in Grades 4-12, as parents and family members will not be permitted to remain on-site during the event. This is a precautionary measure to limit the number of people inside the playing area. Parents will be invited to watch the tournament virtually through Zoom with a limited panoramic view. Individual matches will not be highlighted.

Players must register in advance to participate. The registration form is posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/gifted-education-services#Events. The deadline to register is Oct. 21. The registration window closes after Oct. 21. Walk-in registrations are not accepted.

The tournament features a four-round Swiss-style format. Sign-in for players begins at 8:15 a.m. with the first round of play starting at 9 a.m. Students must check in by 8:45 a.m. in order to be matched for play in the first round.

An awards ceremony will follow the matches. Players will receive a trophy, medal and/or certificate for participation. Participation is free and open to all Charles County students in Grades 4-12.

The following COVID-19 safety precautions will be in place.

Questions can be directed to Alicia Briscoe at abriscoe@ccboe.com or 301-934-7369 or Ann Taylor at ataylor@ccboe.com or 301-934-7378.

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CCPS hosting in-person chess tournament, limited to students in Grades 4-12 - The Southern Maryland Chronicle

Many national and international coffee days happen on eitherSeptember 29 or October 1. And, every day of the year, there are coffee and chess questions to explore. For example, does drinking coffee improve chess playing? According to this ChessBase article, caffeine had a 9% positive effect on chess performance in fast time-control games, though losses on time while on caffeine, which apparently slowed players down, were discounted.

Is coffee near a chess board or a laptop annoying? When Grandmaster Henrique Mecking played former World Chess Champion Tigran Petrosian, at the 1972 San Antonio Churchs Fried Chicken First International Chess Tournament, he complained that Petrosian was stirring his cup of coffee, all the time varying the rhythm. Petrosian won, after offering Mecking a draw early in that game. Grandmaster Danny Gormally wrote, about Grandmaster Simon Williams, Things then went from bad to worse when I managed to spill my coffee all over Simons laptop, which caused him to explode in anger.

The Amazing Albin Counter-Gambit

On this DVD IM Trent shows the Albin Counter-Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5). Trent found a number of extremely dangerous Theoretical Novelties which will truly put the Albin Counter-Gambit back on the map.

Coffeehouse chess is risky, positionally dubious, and reliant on traps and tactics. It is usually played at blitz time controls. Trash-talking and singing may accompany games. The Coffee Chess YouTube channel celebrates coffeehouse chess. One of its stars is Carl Hyne, who has a US Chess blitz rating of 2124. Hyne is better known as The Great Carlini.

In 2008, The Great Carlinis friend Scott Tortorice wrote, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen him [The Great Carlini] pull out games where he was completely busted. Ive seen him find a way to win in games where he was down a queen. He would simply continue to make threats with his remaining forces thus keeping his opponent under pressure. Often they would become flustered and either blunder a piece back or lose on time. Ive seen him do this so often that I knew there had to be something different in his approach to the game. When I asked him why he doesnt get rattled or discouraged like most players when he drops a piece he replied, Its a fatalistic philosophy that, OK, you lost the piece. You accept it and move on.

The Great Carlini may also apply his fatalistic philosophy to coronavirus risks. During the game featured for September 12, 2020, The Great Carlinis mask is under his chin and his opponent, Brooklyn Dave, isnt wearing a mask. The lone spectator wears his mask under his nose. In the game, which had a time control of five minutes per side (no delay or increment), The Great Carlini gives up his queen for a bishop and a knight to avoid getting checkmated. Later, he generates a strong attack with a rook, bishop, and knight, wins on time, and then demonstrates his planned mate.

For the last five minutes of the fifteen-minute long video, there is analysis of critical positions from the blitz game. If you want to skip The Great Carlini singing From the Halls of Montezuma, replying to Brooklyn Daves rendition of (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction, and trash-talking by both players, fast forward to the last five minutes or view the game within this article.

The Great Carlini vs. Brooklyn Dave

The Coffee Chess channel videos remind me of the Last Exit on Brooklyn, a legendary Seattle coffeehouse and chess venue. I spent so many hours hanging out there in the mid-1980s that I decided to work there too. I was first a waitron [waitress], then a cook, and finally an espresso bar operator.

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan was a regular before my time there. However, I served many chess players including National Master Steve Brandwein. National Master Bob Ferguson, Bill Phipps (who was later known for backgammon and making money on Wall Street), National Master Viktors Pupols, and International Master Jeremy Silman. Although photos were not allowed, because the Last Exits owner Irv Cisski wanted to ensure patrons privacy,someone took a Polaroid of me waiting tables in October of 1985.

Alexey waitressing at The Last Exit in October 1985

According to its website, Mokate regularly co-organises chess tournaments and championships in line with the slogan: Mokate makes you think. Our company is also a partner of the Polish Chess Association. We have also created the Mokate Chess Academy and support the project of the Polish Chess Association entitled Education through Chess in School. One of its brands is Mokate coffee, which you can order here.

Some recent tournaments sponsored by Mokate include the2019 Polish Team Championship Ekstraligaand the Mokate 2020 Polish Womens Chess Championship. In honor of the companys 30th anniversary, Mokate sponsoreda tournament, played outdoors on August 22, 2020. The tournament waswon by Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov was its special guest.Thanks to FIDE Vice President Lukasz Turlej for the link to the tournaments video, featuring Adam Mokrysz (CEO of the Mokate Group)speaking on the value of chess. The video has subtitles in English if you turn on closed captioning.

Master Class Vol.6: Anatoly Karpov

On this DVD a team of experts looks closely at the secrets of Karpov's games. In more than 7 hours of video, the authors examine four essential aspects of Karpov's superb play.

Anatoly Karpov watching Jan-Krzysztof Dudas game during the tournament sponsored by Mokate for its 30th anniversary

Highwire Coffee Roasters donated the coffee beans brewed for this article. My co-author, Mike Walder emailed, Highwire creates truly exceptional coffee. Premium beans, roasted just the way I like, always leave me satisfied. Several years back I ventured into their College Avenue location in Oakland to see why there were so many people in queue for coffee and was pleasantly surprised by a strong and clean-tasting cup of coffee. I often drink coffee at the chessboard. When I am playing in a Berkeley tournament, it is often Highwire Bedhatu Jibicho, Ethiopia keeping me alert and focused.

The quiz in this article parallels a previous Chess Personality Test. After taking that test, or just the quiz in this article, you may have chosen one letter more than the others. For example, did you answer A more than any other letter, in this quiz or in the personality test? In this quiz, each letter is linked to a Highwire coffee that you might enjoy. If you chose A often, you might also enjoy the A opening and coffee beans listed below, along with the A instructional materials listed in the prior Chess Personality Test. Last, a link is given to the full A (or B, C, or D) game.

A) Bella Carmona, Guatemala: The coffee is dense and zesty with caramel and citrus notes. The opening line in the Fianchetto ModernBenoni, as in Baskaran Adhiban Pentala Harikrishna, Round 10 of FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man 2019.

B) The Core Espresso: A blend of coffees from four regions: Ethiopia, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, and Sumatra. The opening line is the English Attack against the Najdorf Sicilian, as in Fabiano Caruana Boris Gelfand, Round 2 of FIDE Grand Prix Baku 2014.

C) Bedhatu Jibicho, Ethiopia: A coffee that is aromatic, with dense lemon. The opening line is the Breyer Ruy Lopez, as in Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Bassem Amin, Round 4 of French Club Championship Brest 2019.

D) Batak, Sumatra: This coffee has a potent musty aroma; dense body, rustic cherry and herbal flavor with a strong finish. The opening line is the Exchange Gruenfeld with 11. dxc5, as in Surya Ganguly Anish Giri, Round 6 of the Spanish Team Championship (Honor Division) Leon 2012.

Which opening/coffee beans do you enjoy the most? [Click to enlarge]

Mike Walder annotates the two games mentioned earlier, Mecking vs. Petrosian and The Great Carlini vs. Brooklyn Dave. He also presents the openings mentioned in the answer key for the quiz.

Master Class Vol.13 - Tigran Petrosian

Considered a master of prophylaxis, Petrosian sensed dangers long before they actually became acute on the board. In his prime, Petrosian was almost invincible. Let our authors introduce you into the world of Tigran Petrosian.

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Chess and coffee - Chessbase News

TWO brothers who are pupils at St Anthonys National School at Ballinlough are mini-grandmasters of local chess.

Before lockdown, in February, Cillian, aged 11, and nine-year-old Eddie Ross won in their respective age groups at the Cork South Junior Chess Championships held at Blackrock GAA Club.

Cillian beat 62 competitors while Eddie succeeded against 24 players.

What were the chances of that? asks chess coach, Richard Pardi, a retired primary school teacher from Togher Boys NS, who has been teaching chess there for a number of years.

Were certainly looking at a lot of talent from these brothers.

The boys only started playing chess with Richard in September, 2019. They had started playing the game with their father, Steve, a New Zealander.

The family, which includes three other children and their mother, Aoife, lived in New Zealand for a number of years before returning to Cork in 2018.

The brothers are remarkably quick, says Mr Pardi. During lockdown, we held an online chess tournament which lasted for eight days. Either Eddie or Cillian won it each day apart from one day.

The advantage of chess at present is that you can play it at home and online.

Richard, who has been coaching young chess players in Cork for more than 30 years, says he doesnt really know what skills are required to be good at it.

I would think its very visually-related. It might even be linked to the visual side of mathematics as in geometry. Ive taught kids chess who were inattentive when it came to the blackboard or the whiteboard. But when I put up the chess demonstration board, they responded to it immediately.

I think chess is very good for concentration. The chess coaching sessions that I do after school are a kind of social thing too. The pupils have had a long day and dont want to be listening to a teacher. I have to limit the amount of time I spend at the demonstration board. I mainly let them play.

When theyre playing, they chat and concentrate as well.

Theres a long established ethos of having respect for ones opponent in chess. Civility is important though ultimately, the decisive moves in chess are as tough and demanding as putting for a major championship in golf or kicking those decisive test penalties in rugby.

The European Parliament has recommended playing chess in schools.

Spain and Italy introduced chess to the school curriculum. Its great for social skills.

Richard points out that we are constantly hearing about kids having short attention spans.

But when theyre playing chess, they dont notice 40 minutes going by. It may help them to concentrate on school subjects. It doesnt hurt anyway!

The chess scene in Cork is lively, or it was pre-Covid, he adds.

A new committee of young teachers has come on board and has established an organisation called Ficheall (the Irish word for chess.) Around 40 or 50 schools competed last year in competitions.

The city is divided into sections for chess. Cork South is the area Im involved in, stretching from Beaumont to the west and including Greenmount, St Josephs, St Anthonys and Crab Lane.

The ethos of Ficheall is participation as much as competition, adds Richard.

Kids usually start chess in second or third class when theyre seven or eight. If youre going to start kids younger, theyd need to play more than one day a week.

Richard says that there wouldnt be any inter schools chess in Cork, at either primary or secondary school level, if it wasnt for the dedication of chess coach, Joe Moroney.

Anybody can play chess, adds Richard.

Even the kids who would be going to learning support all know how to play a game of chess after a few months. It depends on the level. It is seen as a nerds pursuit or an intellectual pursuit, or at least thats how it is seen in this part of the world.

In Eastern Europe and Russia, even down to Serbia, nearly all kids can play chess. At the higher level of the game are the international masters.

Theres a serious amount of study involved in being a full-time professional chess player. Players are past their best by their late twenties or early thirties. The best players in the world have got younger and younger.

Richard compares chess to outdoor games.

Anybody who has the use of their limbs can play soccer at some level. It might be very poor. But then youve got the Real Madrids or the Barcelonas and its at a completely different level. Its the same with chess.

The board game is very good for kids who are not athletic, says Richard.

On the other hand, when I was teaching in Togher where there was a culture of chess, I had so many kids who were in football, hurling and soccer teams. Ive lost count of the amount of good senior hurlers and footballers who play chess.

Meanwhile, Cillian Ross says he likes chess because its a fun game. Sometimes, you get to play with your friends. I sometimes play with Eddie. During lockdown, we played at home a lot.

Chess requires players to be good at strategy, adds Cillian. He says it also helps to be clever.

Would he like to be a professional chess player?

I dont know what Im going to work at. I dont want to spend my life playing chess. I want to do other things.

Eddie, like Cillian, is very active. The brothers play cricket, soccer, tennis and basketball. Eddie would settle for being a professional chess player but only if I cant be a professional cricket player or soccer player.

Theres ambition!

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Meet these mini-grandmasters of chess - two brothers from Cork - EchoLive.ie

There are two likely reasons for the lack of female representation in the game, she reckons. One, unless you are among the top few players, its very difficult to earn money playing chess professionally. This is felt more acutely by women. Two, unlike men, many women still lack the qualities needed to reach the top in the game: an ego, a fighting spirit, the desire to crush the opponent. It might not be what you like to hear but I am being honest," she says. It could change, however. Edited excerpts:

Why is the representation of women so low in chess?

First of all, there are some natural things for men and women. Like, little girls like to naturally play with dolls and little boys with cars. Little girls might also play with cars but the majority of them (dont). Thats a big percentage drop. When you have less people participating, at the top you will find fewer of them.

Another factor is physical endurance. Chess games can go on for many hours. It might seem like physical strength doesnt play a role sitting at the chess board but it does. At the beginning, opponents are pretty equal. At the end, the tiredness accumulates and (it comes down to) the amount of energy you naturally haveof which, of course, men have more.

Yet another factor is, (growing up), girls need to be treated more gently. Sometimes they are told in chess class, You play like a girl." It might play a role in whether younger girls continue or not.

You said girls play with dolls and boys play with cars. I dont know how that analogy applies here, though. Chess seems to be a fairly unisex game.

In chess, there are factors such as fighting spirit. You want to crush the other person, show you are better. (These) instincts, I believe, are stronger in men. Women are more prone to nurturing, giving more love and attention. Many people want to say men and women are the same, we are equal. Of course we are equal but we also have differences that should be respected.... Some people might not like that its more natural for men to pick chess as an interest or women to maybe pick music or arranging flowers. Its not about women not being smart enough, but we should embrace our differences.

Some of the things you have observed fit into the idea of conventional gender roles. Like men having more fighting spirit", women being more nurturing". Some might even call it a bit sexist.

I dont think intellectual ability is worse. All I am saying is, there are some natural activities. Even at home. Do you see many times women watching football matches on TV? Why to make it artificially that we have to... that you do this we also have right to do that. This doesnt make much sense to me personally. But I know maybe people push for different views.

One of the counterpoints to this argument would be Judit Polgr and her father. They say its about the hard work. If you train your children well as they are growing, they can excel at the highest levels.

Yes, but her parents decided for her. If people decide for themselves, then obviously women naturally might pick other activities. Otherwise many more would be playing chess. Judit was exceptional. Its hard to base on her unique experience and say other women are this way too.

What her parents proved is women can be just as good, if they have interest, if they have the right environment.

Do you find any sexism in professional chess?

I dont think theres a lot of sexism. On the contrary, I think men want more and more women to participate (in chess). In FIDE, we have big support. But its not as easy to achieve. Within our commission, I found out that because there arent so many women in chess, even activities (tournaments) women get, they are usually decided by men. Our commissions goal is to change that.

What are the challenges women chess players face and how do these differ in different parts of the world?

It depends on where you come (from). In countries like Georgia and Russia, its in their culture. Its easy to get money. In others, they are struggling... The problem with chess is also (that) the professional chess players dont always have an easy time and earn money. Its a factor for womenfor women professionals, it is not an easy life. If you want to have children, if you travel around the world the whole time, to start a family is a challenge. It might play a role in women dropping out.

Theres some research that women at age 10-12 are equally interested (in chess as men). After a point, they start dropping out. We have a long way to go for real equity between men and women. Even countries where they are equal, in practice it doesnt work this way.

Do you think there can be a woman as an overall champion?

I think there can. There are some examples, like Judit Polgr, who showed women can be at the top.

What would it take?

If more women play chess in the future, theres a better chance that women can. But maybe turn of events, good luck, some extremely talented women will appear and win.

From what you told me, statistically and psychologically it seems unlikely.

Yes. Also, its proven by history. But that it hasnt happened yet doesnt mean that it wont happen now.

Also read: 'Why women lose at chess'.

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Its more natural for men to pick chess as an interest or women to pick arranging flowers - Mint