Archive for October 25th, 2009

US Chess League VP Arun Sharma recaps Week 8 action in the US Chess League at the USCF website and assesses the playoff scenarios. Meanwhile, the vote is in for Game of the Week, with New Jersey having two games (Gulko – Perelshteyn and Shen – Esserman) in the top three, but first place going to Bartholomew – Becerra (with its sustained kingside attack) from the Dallas vs. Miami match. New Jersey tops the charts in Bioniclime’s Week 8 Power Rankings (see above), while the incredible Boris Gulko is second only to Seattle’s Superman (from Smallville) Hikaru Nakamura in the Week 8 Player Ratings. See NJKO’s Boston Sweep Analyzed for more links and commentary. This looks more and more like New Jersey’s year.

Approximately 95% of the java-replays, zips & other files linked from posts 1-327 will be unavailable starting tomorrow, due to Geocities’ closing.

However, the PGN archives covering that period (September 2006-May 2008) can be downloaded from my sidebar.

It may take 4 or 5 weeks to re-up everything and revise the dead links because I also have to rebuild the Checkmate CC site and will be posting quite frequently.

Items to come include :

• Notes to my recent, strategically rich game vs. Doc Lewis
• A report on the free tourney in Scotch Plains
• An outline of Steve Stoyko’s lecture + the games presented.

Also on the horizon are the Westfield Championship, Scott Massey’s lecture, my 2nd simul in Scotch Plains, the November GSCL matches and the Kenilworth Quads.

Once again modern communications technology struck: in the match Bulgaria vs England GM Alexander Delchev’s cellphone went off, leading to an immediate forfeit of the game (watch it on video!). Earlier a player had lost because he was not present at the board for the start of the game. After three rounds of the European Team Championship Serbia leads. Round three report.

“The situation is warming up and I’m getting excited!” writes GM Koneru Humpy, the world’s second strongest female player. “I know that Mr. Sundar is an old hand at playing chess, especially off the board. He has made his move, which was to be expected. But to my surprise he started with a gambit!!” Humpy replies to the press release of AICF President with a public debate challenge.