Whitcomb Wins Harman Chess Club Championship of 2018

Transcription

1 Whitcomb Wins Harman Chess Club Championship of 2018 A double round robin chess tournament was completed on September 12, 2018, at the Harman Senior Center in West Valley City, Utah, although not all potential games were played this year The competition began on June 13, 2018, and one of the three games played on that opening day would be critical in the final outcome of the tournament: Jonathan Whitcomb defeated the previous year s champion, Grant Hodson, in one of those three games Whitcomb won the tournament without a loss, getting seven wins and three draws, although he states, I don t remember a single one of those games that was easy for me My friends at this chess club made me work for every win and draw that I got Although Whitcomb won this three-month-long chess tournament, he is not the highest rated player in this chess club, not using the UCER system of rating, which is similar to the way players are rated by the United States Chess Federation Here is a list of the UCER s for the Harman Chess Club of Utah, at least for most of those regularly attending recently:

2 Grant 1992 Jonathan 1923 Dennis 1768 Craig 1669 Alan 1608 Dick 1596 Angel 1590 Adolf 1521 Greg 1491 Vinn 1422 Jerry 1388 Doug 1381 Luis 1353 The above ratings were calculated up to the end of the club championship tournament, and Terrell is not included, for he is away, serving a mission for his church and so has not been attending for some time What do the ratings mean? It s a way of predicting the outcome of a chess game or a match of several games For two players who have ratings 400 points apart, the higher rated person is predicted to perform as follows, in a match: wins: 87% draws: 10% loses: 3% ### Harman Chess Club of Utah 4090 South 3600 West (Salt Lake Valley) Chess club tournaments

3 Calendar of chess tournaments at the Saint Louis Chess Club Chess clubs in Utah and Arizona Let s look at chess clubs in some of the public schools in Utah and Arizona This is not meant to be anything close to a complete listing of school chess clubs in these two states, just a brief sampling Chess teacher in Salt Lake Valley The following are schools in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, that have chess clubs during their school years This is not portrayed as a complete listing; it s based on a reasonable online investigation Additions and corrections can be sent to Jonathan Whitcomb Chess Lessons in Salt Lake City Area Whatever your skill, or lack thereof, in the royal game, a private lesson is generally the fastest way to learn chess I usually drive to the home of the chess student, and this is generally in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah Age makes no difference, and you re free to ask questions

4 Chess Classes in Salt Lake Valley of Utah I ll be teaching chess classes for beginners at the Copperview Recreation Center in Midvale, with two classes scheduled to begin on Thursday evening, September 7, 2017 The cost is only $25 for the month (four lessons) Choose whichever class would be best for you: Early-beginner or mid-level beginner For more information go here: Chess Classes for Beginners in Utah [classes have been discontinued] Although the group lessons at this recreation center, by the chess coach Jonathan Whitcomb, have been discontinued, he still gives private lessons Trapezoid position in the queen-versus-rook endgame of chess Four Major Types of Thinking by Masters 1 MaCaTa Calculating: possible mate or capturing or

5 tactical themes 2 Positional perspective: strategy 3 Obtaining or maintaining an initiative 4 Imagining what position might arise in the future What is MaCaTa? It stands for mate-capture-tactic, three aspects of tactical thinking, generally in that order I ll not likely go into much detail on MaCaTa in the early-beginner chess class at the Copperview Recreation Center in September, but it s likely to get more attention in the mid-levelbeginner class White to move, what is best? In the above chess position, what is the best that White can do? (See the answer at the bottom of this blog post) The first priority in chess thinking should be simple

6 calculating, with the following priority generally best (MaCaTa): Is a checkmate possible in the position or likely in the very near future? ( Ma ) Is capturing possible now or in the near future, and with what consequences? ( Ca ) Is a tactical theme possible now or in the near future? ( Ta ) Positional perspective: strategy Many chess beginners may misunderstand the foundation of quality chess play, thinking that strategic principles need to be memorized to greatly improve to a post-beginner level In reality, the following principles play an important role, yet they are not nearly as important as MaCaTa: In the opening, develop knights before other pieces like bishops, rooks, and queen Control the center with pawns and/or pieces Avoid doubled pawns, especially doubled isolated pawns Castle within the first ten or so moves In the middle game, put one or more rooks on one or more open or semi-open files Following at least some of the above suggestions can be helpful, at least sometimes But calculating tactically is fare more important, almost always Winning chess games is mostly figuring captures and tactical combinations better than your opponent does That kind of calculating is extremely important Conclusion The third and fourth types of chess thinking can be very helpful in advancing to become a chess master, but the first two, tactics, and basic strategy, are important in advancing to beyond the beginner stage of play

7 Regarding the diagram White to move, what is best? First look at any checkmate possibility Notice that Qf7 immediately wins the game for White, for it s checkmate It would be far better to win immediately than to win your opponent s queen or fork the opponent s king and rook ### Queen vs Rook Trapezoid position Derek Grimmell calls this the trapezoid, a key position in the queen-versus-rook endgame Although it may look innocent enough, black has no move that does not quickly lose Private chess lessons in the Salt Lake Valley I have found a number of roads to learning to play chess on a higher level: 1 Join a chess club and compete informally against a variety of players 2 Read and study chess books, using the best methods of practice 3 Record each of your games, to later analyze both errors and good moves 4 Take private chess lessons from a qualified tutor (not necessarily a master) Chess Class India Cultural Center To promote and preserve the educational and socio-cultural traditions of people of Asian Indian ethnic heritage, Indo- Americans and Friends of India and to organize and develop

8 arts, charitable, social, cultural and educational activities of interest to them Fall Chess Tournaments in Utah By the chess coach and author Jonathan Whitcomb Low-cost chess lessons are available in the Salt Lake Valley, from the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah Please call the phone number shown below for more information about private (and group) chess instruction, which lessons cost only $25 each Update: Fall Chess Tournament in Central Utah in 2017 The Young Living Chess Tournament for children will be held on Saturday, Oct 28, 2017, near Mona, Utah The entry fee is only $5 per child (at the door), but registration is requested before Oct 12th Phone the tournament director for more information: Jonathan Whitcomb Free Chess Tournament in South Jordan on October 29, 2016 Children of many ages participated in a three-round free chess tournament at the South Jordan Library, and three chess

9 instructors watched the competition We hope that other free tournaments can be held at this public library in 2017, possibly as early as January Eighteen young chess players competed, with three of them getting a perfect 3-0 score by the end of the afternoon: Moses Samuelson-Lynn, Paxton Cichos, and Aiden Gandhi The tournament was directed by the chess teacher Alexander Gustafsson, and I, Jonathan Whitcomb (another chess instructor), helped a bit So metimes a chess tournament is not so busy, especially after most games are done This event was less formal than many chess tournaments, not being rated by the United States Chess Federation, but it allowed the children to gain experience without having to worry about the expense (it was free)

10 A young tournament competitor records a move in chess notation At the end of the tournament, I analyzed the results and found a fascinating statistic: The children from 8-9 years old did much better than those years old, and I mean MUCH better: The younger group scored 65%; the older, only 36% Then I saw an explanation: Those who had a chess coach before the tournament scored 75%; those without a coach, only 33% Formal face-to-face chess training makes a huge difference: 88% of the 8-9 year-olds had a chess tutor, but none of the year-olds did (Two of the eighteen competitors registered for the tournament on the day of the even, so I don t know their ages or whether or not they have a chess coach) I do know that taking chess lessons can greatly improve a child s ability to compete in the royal game None of my own students, unfortunately, were

11 able to compete on this day A moment of concentration in a chess game It was a long afternoon of chess competition Utah Open Chess Tournament of 2016 This event, sponsored by the Utah Chess Association and rated by the United States Chess Federation, was held from November 4-5, 2016, in four separate sections in Salt Lake City The strongest competition was in the Open-2 section (with 29 players): Two National Masters One Candidate Master Three First Category players

12 The following seven competitors scored at least 3½ points: Bryan B Leano (4½-½) Hans M Morrow (4-1) Alexander K Gustafsson (3½-1½) Eric Hon (3½-1½) Randy D Zumbrunnen (3½-1½) David Vasquez (3½-1½) Luis A Goodrich (3½-1½) Chess Lessons in the Salt Lake Valley Jonathan Whitcomb is one of a number of chess teachers (private chess tutors) in the SLV of Utah Several things may set him apart from other chess instructors, however: Private lessons are only $25 each The first getting-acquainted session is free He is the author of a chess book: Beat That Kid in Chess He can drive to your home for chess lessons There s no extra charge for his driving to your home for chess instruction, provided you live in the Salt Lake Valley Call for more information ### Low-cost chess lessons in Utah Chess Coach Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah (author of the book Beat That Kid in Chess ), offers private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley

13 2016 Utah Open Chess Championship This tournament, held early in November, had four sections Chess Coach (Whitcomb) in the Salt Lake Valley This chess coach (who lives in Murray) is now offering private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah [cities include] Belmont Heights, Cottonwood Heights, Taylorsville, Holladay, Kearns, Midvale, West Jordan $25 per lesson Chess Instruction in Utah Your chess instruction will be precisely arranged according to your individual needs, to most effectively help you improve in your chess-playing abilities Chess Tournament for Children Eighteen young chess warriors competed in a tournament on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the South Jordan Library of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah The chess tournament director, Alexander Gustafsson, a chess instructor and one of the top rated players in Utah