Waltham Chess Club – December 2009

Thank you to all the players who have come to the Waltham Chess Club recently and raised our attendance! We had so many people show up on the Friday before Columbus Day that we were able to run an impromptu unrated G/5! My goal is to crack an attendance of 16 so that we can have sections with at least 8 players in a section. So keep on coming and helping our club to be a success.

The Waltham Chess Club meets every Friday evening from 7 PM through the evening, sometimes burning the post-midnight oil. Our website is http://walthamchessclub.org, including directions to our site at the IBM Building (404 Wyman Street in Waltham), and our schedule of events (which can also be found on the MACA website calendar). Each month, we schedule most of the following events: a First Friday G/10, a two-round G/60, a three-round G/25 (all of these USCF rated), and an unrated G/5 Blitz. Our prizes come out of the cash from entry fees each night.

Masters play for free, as long as they have a 2200 Rating as of the latest Supplement, or can show they have a Life Master title.

We’ll have Free Pizza some nights, and we look forward to scheduling big special events with lots of prize money.

Some highlights from the last few months:

• We were pleased to have GM Alexander Ivanov join us for the First Fridays in September and October, winning both events handily with perfect scores.

•We were also pleased to have NM Charles Robert Riordan and expert Frank Sisto join us for the First Friday in November. They split first prize with tie scores of 6.5 out of 7 points.

•Winston Huang took first prize in the Waltham November Triskaidekaphobia G/13, winning 6.5 out of 7 points. Congratulations to Winston.

•Tomas Girnius, Steve DeSouza, and Homer Franck split first place three ways with scores of 2 points each at the Waltham Turkey Day G/60.

•We gladly welcomed NM Lawyer Times back to the Club for the First Friday in December. He and Max Yarmolinsky split first prize, winning 6 points out of 7 each. James Thompson and Homer Franck split the Under 1550 prize with 3 points each.

Finally, I intend to publish regularly in Chess Horizons one featured game from a WCC tournament. If you have a score of a game that you’d like to see in print, turn it in to me and I’ll write up an article. Annotations are welcome but not necessary.

Happy chess-playing and all the best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2010.

Nicholas P. Sterling, Ph.D.

Waltham Chess Club

Tournament Director

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Waltham Chess Club – September 2009

This is my first report to MACA as Tournament Director of the Waltham Chess Club. I have been regularly active as Director since November, 2008, and since I started, we have had a slowly but steadily increasing number of regular attendees to our Club. The Waltham Chess Club, after having endured a lengthy period of doldrums with distressingly low attendance, appears at last poised to enter a new period of renewed vigor. Rumors afoot of our demise are greatly exaggerated.

We meet every Friday evening from 7 PM on, and our website is http://walthamchessclub.org, including directions to our site at the IBM Building on Wyman Street in Waltham, and our schedule of events (which can also be found on the MACA website calendar). Each month, we schedule most of the following events: a First Friday G/10, a two-round G/60, a three-round G/25 (all of these USCF rated), and an unrated G/5 Blitz. Our prizes come out of the cash from entry fees each night.

Masters get to play for free, as long as they have a 2200 Rating as of the latest Supplement, or can show they have a Life Master title.

On some nights, we will bring in Free Pizza, and whoever is lucky enough to show up first will get some. The more people come regularly, the more Free Pizza we’ll bring in – and the more prize money we can award!

Some highlights from 2009:

• Stephen Brudno took first prize in the First Friday in January, winning 6.5 points in 10 games in a Double Round-Robin.

• Frank Sisto took first prize in the First Friday in March, winning 6.5 points in 7 rounds.

• Joseph Perl took first prize in the First Friday in April, winning 4.5 points in 5 games in a Round Robin.

• Todd Chase took first prize in the April G/60, winning a perfect 4 points. See my article on the Games page featuring his brilliant victory against me in Round 2.

• Gregory Kaden and Todd Chase tied for first prize in the First Friday in June, both winning 6 points in 7 rounds.

• Andrew Tichenor took first prize in the First Friday in July, winning 6 points in 7 rounds.

• Max Enkin took first prize in the July G/25, winning a perfect 3 points, and in the First Friday in August, winning a perfect 7 points. Way to go, Max!

We may also schedule some big special events in the future, so stay tuned.

I heartily thank everyone who has played at our Club, and hope you will all come visit us regularly and often to keep our Club prospering and flourishing.

Nicholas P. Sterling, Ph.D.

Waltham Chess Club

Tournament Director