Nevada Chess, Inc.

Have you ever tried to play an entire game of chess blindfolded? Have you ever tried to remember an entire chess game move by move just from the notation, without ever looking at a chess board? With some practice, most experienced tournament players can manage this. What about two games? With practice, most strong tournament players can manage to keep track of two blindfold games without looking at a chess board. But what about 14 games? Keeping track of 14 different games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded is an amazing feat that most ordinary players can only dream of. But for GM Timur Gareev, it’s just another practice session.

On Sunday, September 29, GM Timur Gareev visited the Las Vegas Chess Center and gave a 14 board blindfold simultaneous chess exhibition. A comfortable seat was created in the middle of the room using bean bag chairs, and tables were put in a circle around that seat. After a brief introduction and explanation of the rules, Timur literally put on a blindfold and started to play 14 games simultaneously. The club members announced their moves verbally and made the moves on the chess boards that were in front of them. But Timur could not see any of those chess boards. He had to keep track of all 14 of the positions in his head. When Timur was ready to make his move he announced it verbally, and his assistant made the move on a physical chess board. Timur played like this for more than seven hours without ever looking at a chess board. Timur won ten games, drew two, and lost two.

John Trivett and Jonathan Mikolic achieved draws against the grandmaster. With an over the board rating of just 1591, Jonathan Mikolic was one of the lowest rated players participating in the exhibition. But he played very solid chess. Timur probed Jonathan’s position, but Mikolic gave no ground. Eventually Mikolic forced a queen trade, and a few moves later Timur offered a draw in a completely equal minor piece ending.

Trivett appeared to be gaining an advantage in his game. But Timur sacrificed a rook for a knight, a pawn, and active play. Timur was able to use his well placed king and knight to force trades that lead to an equal endgame. In a dead drawn position, Timur offered a draw and Trivett accepted.

Daniel Dease and FM Tom Brownscombe managed to defeat the grandmaster. Here are their games:

Dease,Daniel (1791) – GM Gareev,Timur (2769) [B57]
blindfold simul, 29.09.2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nb3 g6 8.0–0 Bg7 9.Be3 Qc7 10.Qd2 0–0 11.Be2 Ne5 12.Bh6 Nc4 13.Bxc4 Qxc4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Rfe1 b6 16.Rad1 Bb7 17.Qd4 Rac8 18.e5 Qxd4 19.Rxd4 dxe5 20.Rxe5 e6 21.f3 Rc7 22.Re2 Rfc8 23.Rdd2 a6 24.Nd1 a5 25.c3 Ba6 26.Re1 Nd5 27.Ne3 Nf4 28.Nc1 Bb7 29.c4 b5 30.c5 Rxc5 31.Nb3 Rh5 32.Nxa5 Bd5 33.Rd4 g5 34.a3 Rh4 35.Rd2 Rh5 36.Nf1 Rh6 37.g3? Nh3+ 38.Kg2 g4 39.Rxd5 exd5 40.Ne3 gxf3+ 41.Kxf3 Re6 42.Rd1 Ng5+ 43.Kf2 Rf6+ 44.Ke2 Rh6? After more than six hours of blindfold play, Timur overlooks a knight fork. 45.Nf5+ Kg6 46.Nxh6 [46.Ne7+ Kf6 47.Nxc8 would win more material. But after 47…Rxh2+ Black would have more counter play.] 46…Kxh6 47.Rxd5 Rc2+ 48.Rd2 Rxd2+ 49.Kxd2 Nf3+ 50.Ke2 Nxh2 51.Nb7 Kg6 52.b4 Kf6 53.Nd6 Ke5 54.Nxb5 Kd5 55.Nc3+ Kc4 56.Nd1 Kb3 57.Ne3 Excellent technique by Dan! The black knight is trapped. 57.b5 Ng4 would be less clear. 1–0

FM Brownscombe,Tom (2226) – GM Gareev,Timur (2769) [E83]
blindfold simul, 29.09.2013

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4 d6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Be3 Nf6 6.f3 0–0 7.Qd2 a6 8.0–0–0 Rb8 9.g4 e5 10.Nge2 b5 11.d5 Na5 12.Ng3 Bd7 13.c5 b4 14.Nb1 [14.c6 or 14.g5 would be better.] 14…Ba4! I underestimated this move. 15.Bxa6 Bb3 16.Qd3 Bxa2 17.Nd2 Ra8 18.c6 Qb8 19.h4 Nxd5 This sacrifice is a good idea, but 19…Bxd5 20.exd5 Nxd5 would be more accurate. 20.exd5 Bxd5 21.h5 Bxf3? This is the losing move. Timur gets a lot of pawns and some strong play for his sacrificed pieces, but it isn’t enough. In a normal tournament game, Timur would probably have found a better move. But when playing 14 games simultaneously against a field of opponents that includes master and expert level players, even a strong grandmaster sometimes has trouble keeping track of all of the tactics. 22.Nxf3 d5 23.Qb5 Qxb5 24.Bxb5 d4 25.Bg5 Rfb8 26.Bd3 Rb6 27.Kd2 Nb3+ 28.Kc2 Nc5 29.Ne4 Nxd3 30.Kxd3 Rxc6 Timur could try to regain some of his material with 30…f5, but after 31.gxf5 gxf5 32.Rhg1 White’s active pieces would create unbearable pressure against Black’s exposed king. 31.h6 1–0 White is driving back the few remaining black pieces and taking control of the game. Timur wisely resigns this hopeless game in order to focus his attention upon the other games still in progress.

Timur gave this exhibition as part of a series of blindfold exhibitions in various cities. George Koltanowski currently holds the record for playing the largest blindfold simultaneous chess exhibition, but Timur hopes to set a new world record before the end of this year.

I would like to thank PostNet for sponsoring this exhibition. Please show your appreciation of PostNet’s sponsorship by using them for all your printing needs. Juan Juaregui organized the exhibition, and Marck Cobb assisted GM Gareev by making most of his moves on the physical chess boards.

If Nevada was the world… then this qualifer comprised

6 world champions, current and past. That’s right, 6

state champions entered the lists, with 4 masters, 4

experts and 12 class players at the City of the World

Art Gallery Aug. 10-11, 2013. There was a California

player playing hors concours, Brian Allen at 2325,

coming back after a 25 year layoff. Tom Brombescombe(!)

was back for a shot 20 years after he won the title 2

times. Tim Galima shined with a 3.5/5 result. This was

a fighting tournament as the scores indicated. David

Lucky and Tom Brownescombe tied for first with 4.5/5

playing very powerful chess, in a league of their own

one point ahead of the field. Stan Vaughan 3.5/5 and

Ryan Phillips 3/5 won the expert prizes. Tim Galima

3.5, Dan Dease 2.5, and Scott Raymond 2.5 won the A/B

prizes. Robert Lucero 2.5, Elliot Winslow 2, and both

Paul and Pancritius Ventura 2 won the C/D…prizes.

David Lucky won the qualifer narrowly on tiebreak.This

writer directed the event. I would like to thank the

players, Juan and Sabrina Jauregui, City of the the

World Gallery, Vegas Chess Club, SNCC.

No. Name Rate Pts Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5
1 Lucky, David 2359 4.5 W9 W7 D2 W11 W5
2 Brownscombe, Tom 2200 4.5 W18 W5 D1 W12 W7
3 Vaughan, Stan 2160 3.5 W19 W8 W6 -H- -N-
4 Galima, Tim 1742 3.5 D11 W9 L5 W14 W12
5 Phillips, Ryan 2009 3.0 W10 L2 W4 W8 L1
6 Allen, Brian 2325 2.5 W13 W12 L3 -H- -N-
7 Bidari, Glenn 2149 2.5 W14 L1 D11 W17 L2
8 Raymond, Scott Gre 1826 2.5 W20 L3 W16 L5 D9
9 Dease, Daniel 1820 2.5 L1 L4 W20 W15 D8
10 Lucero,Robert 1390 2.5 L5 L18 D13 W16 W17
11 Salman, Nachum 2200 2.0 D4 W17 D7 L1 -N-
12 Reyes, Virgilio T 2024 2.0 W16 L6 W18 L2 L4
13 Currell, John 1800 2.0 L6 L16 D10 W20 D14
14 Moskow, Elliot 1482 2.0 L7 W15 D17 L4 D13
15 Ventura, Paul Guil 1424 2.0 L17 L14 W19 L9 W20
16 Ventura, Pancratiu 1194 2.0 L12 W13 L8 L10 -X-
17 Pereira, Royce Tre 1880 1.5 W15 L11 D14 L7 L10
18 Landsem, Lars 1770 1.5 L2 W10 L12 -H- -N-
19 Diaz, Nephtali T 1639 1.0 L3 L20 L15 -B- -F-
20 Sletten Jr, David 1172 1.0 L8 W19 L9 L13 L15

The following is the report from the Barber Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin by Liceu Pereira, the father of our Nevada Champ: Royce Pereira.
From the onset, I would like to apologize for the size of this post. This is the report for our recent trip to Madison, Wisconsin for the 2013 Barber K-8 Tournament of State Champions. In addition to the games Royce played at the tournament, I will also make… some comments about the side trips we made while on our way to and from Madison.

I know I have some chess friends, some non-chess friends, and some non-English speaking friends. Therefore, feel free to read this (if at all) as it applies to your interests.

We left Las Vegas (very) early Friday, July 26, and took a fight to Chicago. When we got there, we headed to the somewhat new consolidated rental car facility. As airports expand, the administrators are combining these facilities to all companies under one roof, stand-alone facilities.
Once we got there, we used the kiosk, and were on our way to a road trip that would take us through four states, and two time zones.
Our first stop was in Gary, Indiana. While Gary has long seen its best days, this is the birthplace, and childhood home of the Jackson family. After a Google search, and the help of a GPS, it was fairly easy to find the place.

As you can imagine, the neighborhood was not the best, but not the worst either. The house is located at the end of the Jackson Street, behind Roosevelt High School that looks abandoned. From what I read, the house looked like any other one on the same street. However, I think that since so many people have started visiting since Michael’s death, the house (and its surroundings) is probably in the best shape it has been. The yard is in immaculate condition, and there are different stones, floorings, paying homage to Michael Jackson. Notwithstanding its condition, it is shocking to see how a family of 11 could fit in a tiny house like that, and become one of the most famous families in the world.

From Gary, we headed to the beach city of New Buffalo, Michigan (and EDT.) New Buffalo is a really nice place. It is very “un-Michigan.” Many nice places, nice houses (even several mansions), and a nice beach. Speaking of mansions, I saw a gigantic house with a purple roof on Google maps, and I saw that it actually is a blue roof!

After New Buffalo, we headed to our final destination of the day: Madison, capital of Wisconsin. On the way, we entered a big storm, and torrential rain. While inconvenient to drive, it was nice to enjoy rain, and temperature in the 60’s after leaving Vegas with over 100 degrees.
On Saturday, we slept in from a long previous day. We had lunch, and headed to the opening ceremony, since we did not stay at the tournament’s hotel.

The opening ceremony was somewhat dull to be honest. It seems that there were a lot more self congratulatory speeches than last years’. I do understand that a lot work goes in putting these events together, but these events are for the players who won their respective state tournaments. A funny note was that the University of Wisconsin-Madison mascot was there, and Royce did not want to take a picture with him. However, as we were waiting for the ceremony to start, the mascot came over to our seats, and sat by Royce to take a picture.
After the opening ceremony, we headed back to the hotel, to wait for the first round. As I suspected, Royce was playing up, and because of his initial rank, he would play up, against a master, and with black (since it was an odd number.)

His first game was against NM Atulya Vaidya, rated 2198, from Texas. Royce played with black. Here is the game:

1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bf4 Bb4 6. Nbd2 Qe7 7. e3 Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Bxd2 11. Qxd2 d6 12. Rfd1 Be6 13. Rac1 Nc6 14. Bf3 Rfd8 15. b4 Rab8 16. Qc3 f6 17. Bg3 Ne5 18. Be2 Bf7 19. h3 c6 20. e4 d5 21. cxd5 cxd5 22. exd5 Bxd5 23. Bxe5 Qxe5 24. Qxe5 fxe5 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. Bc4 Rd8 27. Rd1 Kf8 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. Bxd5 b6 30. Kf1 Ke7 31. Ke2 Kd6 32. Be4 h6 33. Kd3 g5 34. Kc4 a6 35. Bb7 b5 36. Kd3 a5 37. bxa5 Kc5 38. a6 Kb6 1-0

Here, everything was essentially equal until Royce played 22. …Bxd5. Had he taken with the Rd8, the game would have continued equal, and I believe Royce would have been able to draw. The fact that his opponent said he had to spend a little over 5 minutes to remember the Budapest line (but not necessarily how to win) further shows Royce could have picked up a half a point.

On the next day, there would be two rounds. On Round 3, Royce played over 800 points down against the tournament’s youngest competitor, Jacob Nathan, from Idaho. The game itself was uneventful, and Royce was winning with relative ease. Perhaps the uniqueness of this game was the fact that even though the time control was 90 minutes with a 30 second increment, Royce’s opponent actually ran out of time. As Royce pointed to the clock to show he had ran out of time, he instinctively went to hit the clock, even before making his move.

Since his game ended early, we decided to visit downtown Madison, and visit the Capitol. Unfortunately we got there after 4:00p.m. and the building was closed. We ended up returning on Monday, and actually entering the building.

On Round 3, Royce played Justin Lohr from Virginia, rated 2087 with black. In fact, until the last round, Royce played up with black, and down with white.

This game was a heartbreaker. Here it is:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. d3 e6 6. Be3 b6 7. g3 Nge7 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 a6 10. Bg2 Bb7 11. O-O Ne5 12. Qe2 Rc8 13. b3 O-O 14. Rac1 N5c6 15. Nxc6 dxc6 16. Rfd1 Qc7 17. c5 b5 18. f4 e5 19. Qc2 Bh6 20. Ne2 Rcd8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rd1 Bc8 23. Kf2 exf4 24. Nxf4 Bg4 25. Rd2 Bg7 26. h3 Bc8 27. Qd1 Rxd2 28. Qxd2 Qd7 29. Qd6 h5 30. h4 Kh7 31. Bh3 Qb7 32. Kf3 Ng8 33. Qd8 Bxh3 34. Nxh3 f6 35. Nf4 Qa7 36. Qb6 Qa8 37. Qc7 Qe8 38. Qb7 f5 39. exf5 gxf5 40. Kf2 Nf6 41. Bd4 Qd7 42. Qxd7 Nxd7 43. Ke3 Kh6 44. Bxg7 Kxg7 45. Kd4 Nf6 46. Ke5 Ne4 47. Kxf5 Nxg3 48. Ke5 Kh6 49. Ke6 Ne4 50. Kd7 Nxc5 51. Kxc6 Ne4 52. Kb6 Nc3 53. Kxa6 b4 54. Ka5 Nxa2 55. Kb5 Nc3 56. Kxb4 Ne4 57. Ka5 Ng3 58. b4 Nf5 59. b5 Nxh4 60. b6 Nf5 61. b7 Ne7 62. Kb6 Nf5 63. b8Q Kg5 64. Qe5 h4 65. Nh3 Kg4 66. Qf4 Kxh3 67. Qxf5 Kg3 68. Qf1 Kh2 69. Kc5 h3 70. Kd4 Kg3 71. Qh1 h2 72. Ke3 Kg4 73. Qxh2 Kf5 74. Qh5 Ke6 75. Ke4 Kd6 76. Qd5 Kc7 77. Qe6 Kd8 78. Qf7 Kc8 79. Kd5 Kb8 80. Kc6 1-0

After 35. …Qe7, Royce is in trouble. However, his opponent instead of playing Qe8, he plays Qb6. Now if Royce had played Qd7, he would have had a somewhat clear path to win. Instead, he plays Qa8. While still equal, he goes on to commit some endgame inaccuracies, and looses the game.

On Round 4, Royce played with white against Aidan Fejzulai, from South Carolina. While he was playing down about 500 points down, Aidan had won the biggest upset prize for the first round by defeating the Arizona representative.

Here is the game:

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e5 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. e3 Nc6 7. d4 exd4 8. exd4 Be6 9. Nge2 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. Nf4 Bc7 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. f4 Bb6 14. Ne2 e5 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. Kh1 Nc6 17. Be3 Ng4 18. Bg1 Rxf1 19. Qxf1 Qf6 20. Bxd5 Kh8 21. Qf3 Qxf3 22. Bxf3 Nf6 23. Rc1 Re8 24. a3 g5 25. Rc2 Ne4 26. Kg2 Nd6 27. g4 Nb5 28. Rd2 Bc7 29. a4 Nd6 30. d5 Ne5 31. Bd4 Kg8 32. Ng3 Ng6 33. Nh5 Nf4 34. Nxf4 gxf4 35. Re2 Rxe2 36. Bxe2 b6 37. Be5 Kf7 38. Bxf4 a5 39. Bd3 Kg8 40. Kf3 1-0

On Round 5, Royce again played up with black, this time against the Maryland representative, Sahil Sinha. This was perhaps the game he was most upset. After the game, he saw the exact moves for a win, but chose an alternate path and lost. Here is the game:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nc3 Ngxe5 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. e3 Bb4 8. Qc2 d6 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O a6 11. a3 Bc5 12. b4 Ba7 13. Bb2 Be6 14. Nd5 f6 15. Rfd1 Qd7 16. c5 Qf7 17. f4 Kh8 18. fxe5 Bxd5 19. exf6 gxf6 20. Rf1 Qe6 21. Bd4 dxc5 22. bxc5 Kg8 23. Rf4 Bb3 24. Qc3 f5 25. Raf1 Bd5 26. Bh5 Be4 27. Qe1 Rf7 28. Qg3 Kf8 29. Bxf7 Kxf7 30. Qg7 Ke8 31. Qh8 Kd7 32. Qxa8 Qa2 33. Rxe4 fxe4 34. Qxa7 Qxa3 35. Qxb7 a5 36. Qd5 Ke8 37. Qe6 1-0

In the last round, Royce finally played up with white. This time, he played against Dex Webster from Louisiana. Here is the game:

1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. e3 Be6 7. d4 e4 8. Nge2 Bd6 9. O-O Nc6 10. b3 O-O 11. a3 Nd7 12. b4 f5 13. Nf4 Bxf4 14. exf4 Rc8 15. Qb3 Nxd4 16. Qd1 Nf3 17. Bxf3 Rxc3 18. Be2 Qc7 19. Be3 Rc8 20. Re1 Nb6 21. Bd4 Rc6 22. Bb5 Rc2 23. Bc5 Rxc5 24. bxc5 Qxc5 25. Bf1 d4 26. Qc1 Qd6 27. Qb2 d3 28. Qb4 Qxb4 29. axb4 Bb3 30. Reb1 Bc2 31. Rb2 Na4 32. Rba2 d2 33. Bb5 Nc3 34. Rxc2 Ne2 35. Bxe2 Rxc2 36. Rd1 1/2-1/2

At the end, his results were less than expected, but unlike last year, he had legitimate chances of winning more games, against tougher opponents, and most important his attitude when playing up has changed. He is far more confident, and is playing much better.

After the tournament, we headed to Chicago. As it is in most of our “chess trips,” we try to include side trips just for fun.

This time we spent a day in Chicago. After waking up, we headed downtown. We went to the (former) Sears Tower, the John Hancock Center, and Chicago’s stadia. We also, stopped by the Richard Daly Center (think of The Blues Brothers movie).

Overall, this was a really fun trip. I am looking forward for next year’s tournament in the newly crowned “National Chess Capital” of Saint Louis.
However, before we make any plans, Royce will have to face some really tough competition in the state championship. Royce has won three straight state championships, and there will be at least two players who will try to break his streak.

Lastly, most of the places I mentioned in this report, you should be able to see pictures in the “2013 summer trip” album.

FLASH…Here are the results of the recent national scholastic chess tournaments from Madison, Wisconsin. Nevada representatives Raymond Seid scored 3/6 in the Denker event, Royce Pereira scored 2.5/6 in the Barber event, and Aisha Sanwal scored 2/6 in the NGIT

2013 Denker Tournament of High School Champions 27-30 July· Madison, Wisconsin

LIVE GAMES! PAIRINGS STANDINGS WINNERS Rating Reports: Main Tournament
Individual Standings Denker Tournament of High School Champions
No. Name Gr Team St Rate Pts TBrk1 TBrk2 Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 Rnd6
1 Chandran, Kapil 9 Foster CT 2330 5.0 22.0 24.5 W 36 W 5 W 15 W 8 D 3 D2
2 Bora, Safal 9 Foster MI 2316 5.0 19.5 22.5 W 24 W 21 D 4 W 14 W 13 D1
3 Brown, Michael William 10 Foster CA 2333 5.0 19.0 22.0 W 29 D 20 W 22 W 7 D 1 W9
4 Katz, Alexander Ross 10 U-18 NJ 2362 4.5 19.5 21.5 W 25 W 37 D 2 D 13 W 15 D6
5 Zhou, Kevin L 12 U-18 VA 2079 4.5 18.5 19.0 W 48 L 1 W 24 D 17 W 14 W13
6 Velikanov, Alexander 9 Foster WI 2332 4.5 18.0 20.5 W 34 L 14 W 18 W 27 W 16 D4
7 Kogen, Jonathan S 11 U-18 IL 2281 4.0 18.5 21.0 W 32 D 16 W 20 L 3 W 21 D11
8 Cao, Kevin Y 10 U-18 MO 2307 4.0 18.5 20.5 W 39 W 35 W 10 L 1 L 9 W20
9 Ulrich, Thomas M 12 U-18 WI 2374 4.0 18.5 20.5 W 28 L 15 W 25 W 37 W 8 L3
10 Brattain, Mika Andrew 9 Foster MA 2364 4.0 17.5 20.5 W 30 W 17 L 8 D 21 D 11 W27
11 Tyagi, Kushan 10 U-18 IA 2062 4.0 17.5 19.0 W 44 L 13 W 39 W 12 D 10 D7
12 Mo, Kevin 12 U-18 PA 2337 4.0 17.0 20.0 W 18 W 26 L 13 L 11 W 23 W22
13 Chakraborty, Dipro 11 U-18 AZ 2304 3.5 22.0 24.5 W 31 W 11 W 12 D 4 L 2 L5
14 Fishbein, Matthew E 9 Foster ME 2103 3.5 20.0 22.0 W 40 W 6 D 16 L 2 L 5 W31
15 Mu, Joshua Wang 12 U-18 NC 2270 3.5 19.5 21.5 W 38 W 9 L 1 W 31 L 4 D18
16 Colas, Joshua 9 Foster NY 2405 3.5 19.0 22.0 W 19 D 7 D 14 W 26 L 6 D17
17 Rosenthal, Nicholas 11 U-18 FL 2188 3.5 18.0 21.0 W 23 L 10 W 28 D 5 D 20 D16
18 Cheng, Tony R 9 Foster KS 1959 3.5 16.0 18.0 L 12 W 41 L 6 W 40 W 37 D15
19 Thompson, Reece Eric 11 U-18 GA 2045 3.5 14.0 16.0 L 16 W 32 L 23 W 39 D 31 W34
20 Offertaler, Bendeguz 10 Foster MD 2100 3.0 14.0 20.0 W 45 D 3 L 7 W 33 D 17 L8
21 Klotz-Burwell, Hunter P 9 Foster CA 2090 3.0 13.5 20.5 W 43 L 2 W 36 D 10 L 7 D23
22 Zhang, Vincent 11 U-18 TX 2175 3.0 13.0 20.5 D 33 W 27 L 3 D 23 W 29 L12
23 Adams, Stephen W 10 U-18 AL 1871 3.0 13.0 20.0 L 17 W 30 W 19 D 22 L 12 D21
24 Tsao, Kevis 9 Foster SC 1935 3.0 12.0 19.0 L 2 W 43 L 5 D 35 D 28 W37
25 Seid, Raymond 11 U-18 NV 1973 3.0 12.0 18.5 L 4 W 42 L 9 D 32 W 33 D26
26 Chakrasali, Samarth 9 Foster MN 2157 3.0 12.0 18.0 W 41 L 12 W 29 L 16 D 34 D25
27 Grabinsky, Aaron 9 Foster OR 2055 3.0 11.5 17.0 W 46 L 22 W 38 L 6 W 36 L10
28 Mau, Stephen Li Jian 11 U-18 HI 2035 3.0 11.0 17.0 L 9 W 33 L 17 D 38 D 24 W41
29 Bagga, Gilman K S 9 Foster KY 1958 3.0 10.0 16.0 L 3 W 45 L 26 W 41 L 22 W42
30 Chu, Xiaoman 9 U-18 WA 2016 3.0 10.0 14.5 L 10 L 23 L 33 W 48 W 32 W38
31 Sorensen, Andy 11 U-18 TN 1917 2.5 14.5 18.0 L 13 W 44 W 35 L 15 D 19 L14
32 Casteel, Jerry John, Iii 11 U-18 SD 1876 2.5 13.5 17.5 L 7 L 19 W 43 D 25 L 30 W40
33 Nimmagadda, Kaushik Raghu 9 Foster RI 1847 2.5 13.5 16.5 D 22 L 28 W 30 L 20 L 25 W44
34 Andersen, Gunnar James 9 Foster CO 1950 2.5 12.0 16.5 L 6 W 40 L 37 W 44 D 26 L19
35 Baumgartner, Blake K 12 U-18 OH 2058 2.5 11.0 15.0 W 47 L 8 L 31 D 24 D 38 D36
36 Welling, Aashish 9 Foster NH 1938 2.5 10.0 15.0 L 1 W 48 L 21 W 45 L 27 D35
37 Manchanda, Sameer 11 U-18 IN 2117 2.0 15.0 19.5 W 42 L 4 W 34 L 9 L 18 L24
38 Mathine, Thomas 9 Foster NM 1876 2.0 12.5 16.0 L 15 W 46 L 27 D 28 D 35 L30
39 Wolf, Alexander Patrick 12 Foster AR 1919 2.0 11.5 15.5 L 8 W 47 L 11 L 19 L 40 W46
40 Li, Brandon 10 U-18 NE 1754 2.0 11.5 15.0 L 14 L 34 W 47 L 18 W 39 L32
41 Salzgeber, Kyle Andrew 11 U-18 MS 1797 2.0 10.5 14.0 L 26 L 18 W 48 L 29 W 45 L28
42 Jiang, Nathan 9 Foster ID 1788 2.0 9.5 12.5 L 37 L 25 L 44 W 47 W 43 L29
43 Timmons, Sam 10 U-18 WV 1312 2.0 9.5 12.5 L 21 L 24 L 32 W 46 L 42 W45
44 Hales, Jonathan Reid 11 U-18 UT 1217 1.5 10.0 14.0 L 11 L 31 W 42 L 34 D 48 L33
45 Yu, Nathan Q 10 U-18 OK 1491 1.0 10.5 13.5 L 20 L 29 W 46 L 36 L 41 L43
46 Bottrell, Carl 12 MT 1.0 8.0 11.0 L 27 L 38 L 45 L 43 W 47 L39
47 Wolf, Stuart 9 U-18 ND 100 1.0 7.5 10.0 L 35 L 39 L 40 L 42 L 46 W48
48 Sivori, Thomas 11 U-18 LA 1221 0.5 10.0 14.5 L 5 L 36 L 41 L 30 D 44 L47

2013 Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions 27-30 July· Madison, Wisconsin

PAIRINGS STANDINGS WINNERS Rating Reports: Main Tournament
Individual Standings Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions
No. Name Gr Team St Rate Pts TBrk1 TBrk2 Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 Rnd6
1 Liu, Andrew 8 MA 2283 5.0 21.5 24.5 W 23 W 20 W 4 W 2 L 5 W8
2 Tang, Andrew 8 MN 2249 5.0 20.5 23.5 W 19 W 21 W 9 L 1 W 10 W7
3 Panchanatham, Vignesh 7 CA 2254 5.0 19.0 22.0 W 25 D 15 W 22 W 7 D 6 W5
4 Hilby, Craig 7 CA 2219 5.0 18.0 20.0 W 41 W 31 L 1 W 24 W 15 W6
5 Feng, Roland 6 WA 2268 4.5 21.5 24.5 W 27 W 12 W 16 D 6 W 1 L3
6 Checa, Nicolas De T 5 NY 2241 4.0 21.5 24.5 W 29 W 28 W 10 D 5 D 3 L4
7 Liang, Awonder 4 WI 2233 4.0 21.0 23.5 W 18 W 34 W 17 L 3 W 13 L2
8 Song, Edward 8 MI 2235 4.0 19.5 22.5 D 11 W 30 D 15 W 21 W 9 L1
9 Patel, Advait 4 WV 2111 4.0 19.5 22.0 W 14 W 26 L 2 W 32 L 8 W17
10 Shi, Jason 7 CT 2118 4.0 18.5 20.5 W 39 W 24 L 6 W 26 L 2 W16
11 Sun, Maxwell S 7 OR 1868 4.0 17.0 19.5 D 8 W 23 L 13 D 20 W 32 W21
12 Bian, Alex 7 IL 2071 4.0 17.0 19.0 W 42 L 5 W 18 D 25 D 20 W26
13 Rivero, Danilo 8 FL 2093 4.0 16.5 18.5 W 36 L 22 W 11 W 39 L 7 W23
14 Proleiko, Julian 8 MO 1788 4.0 16.0 18.0 L 9 W 45 W 31 L 15 W 22 W24
15 Ghatti, Sanjay 7 GA 2028 3.5 21.5 24.0 W 33 D 3 D 8 W 14 L 4 D19
16 Vaidya, Atulya 8 TX 2153 3.5 17.5 20.0 W 35 W 32 L 5 W 28 D 17 L10
17 Wlezien, Alexander 8 PA 2089 3.5 17.0 19.0 W 38 W 43 L 7 W 22 D 16 L9
18 Zhou, Jonathan 8 IN 1837 3.5 15.5 17.0 L 7 W 37 L 12 D 33 W 46 W31
19 Roach, Andrew 5 UT 1889 3.5 15.0 16.5 L 2 L 46 W 47 W 37 W 34 D15
20 Xie, Luke Bohua 5 OH 2076 3.0 14.0 21.0 W 40 L 1 D 29 D 11 D 12 D27
21 Lohr, Justin 7 VA 2025 3.0 13.5 20.0 W 46 L 2 W 35 L 8 W 25 L11
22 Tang, Arthur 8 NH 1952 3.0 13.5 18.5 W 50 W 13 L 3 L 17 L 14 W40
23 Swerdlin, Ryan David 7 CO 1937 3.0 13.0 20.0 L 1 L 11 W 42 W 40 W 28 L13
24 Sinha, Sahil 6 MD 1985 3.0 12.5 19.0 W 44 L 10 W 46 L 4 W 35 L14
25 Zhou, Ziwen 6 IA 1894 3.0 12.0 19.0 L 3 W 40 W 44 D 12 L 21 D30
26 Chen, Andy 7 NJ 1955 3.0 12.0 18.0 W 45 L 9 W 43 L 10 W 39 L12
27 Liang, Adream 6 WI 1905 3.0 11.0 17.5 L 5 D 42 D 30 D 38 W 33 D20
28 Alexander, Joshua 7 OK 2009 3.0 11.0 17.0 W 37 L 6 W 41 L 16 L 23 W39
29 Wan, Joseph Cheng-Yue 5 NE 1877 3.0 10.5 16.5 L 6 W 33 D 20 L 34 D 36 W42
30 Xie, Ethan 6 AZ 1994 3.0 10.0 16.0 L 43 L 8 D 27 W 44 W 41 D25
31 Katz, Gabriel 8 VT 1988 2.5 13.5 18.5 W 48 L 4 L 14 D 36 W 38 L18
32 Cremisi, Daniel 8 NC 1986 2.5 13.5 17.5 W 49 L 16 W 38 L 9 L 11 D36
33 Poston, Donald Mars 7 NM 1675 2.5 13.0 16.5 L 15 L 29 W 45 D 18 L 27 W47
34 Webster, Dex 6 LA 2004 2.5 12.5 16.5 W 47 L 7 L 39 W 29 L 19 D35
35 Pereira, Royce Trentin 7 NV 1799 2.5 11.5 15.0 L 16 W 49 L 21 W 43 L 24 D34
36 Wright, Brian 8 KY 1713 2.5 11.0 15.0 L 13 L 44 W 48 D 31 D 29 D32
37 Mishra, Apramay 8 KS 1444 2.5 10.5 14.0 L 28 L 18 W 50 L 19 W 44 D41
38 Qin, Alexander Charles 8 TN 1710 2.5 9.5 13.0 L 17 W 50 L 32 D 27 L 31 W46
39 Sowa, Aidan 8 RI 1789 2.0 13.5 17.5 L 10 W 48 W 34 L 13 L 26 L28
40 Lee, Conrad 5 MT 1704 2.0 12.0 15.0 L 20 L 25 W 49 L 23 W 43 L22
41 Wang, Kevin 6 AL 1823 2.0 11.5 16.5 L 4 W 47 L 28 D 46 L 30 D37
42 Han, Qiyu 7 MS 1681 2.0 11.5 15.5 L 12 D 27 L 23 D 47 W 48 L29
43 Fejzulai, Aidan 6 SC 1326 2.0 11.5 15.0 W 30 L 17 L 26 L 35 L 40 W48
44 Wong, Nicholas N 7 HI 964 2.0 11.0 14.0 L 24 W 36 L 25 L 30 L 37 W50
45 Kenney, Sawyer 7 ND 698 2.0 7.5 11.5 L 26 L 14 L 33 L 48 W 50 W49
46 Parker, Wesley M 8 ME 1625 1.5 14.0 17.5 L 21 W 19 L 24 D 41 L 18 L38
47 Zhuravskiy, Seva 8 DC 1352 1.5 10.0 13.5 L 34 L 41 L 19 D 42 W 49 L33
48 Fuhs, Alexander 7 SD 1119 1.0 10.5 13.0 L 31 L 39 L 36 W 45 L 42 L43
49 Nathan, Jacob Ari 3 ID 1023 1.0 8.0 10.5 L 32 L 35 L 40 W 50 L 47 L45
50 Kidd, J Michael 7 AR 482 0.0 10.0 13.0 L 22 L 38 L 37 L 49 L 45 L44

2013 National Girls Invitation Tournament 27-30 July· Madison, Wisconsin

PAIRINGS STANDINGS WINNERS Rating Reports: Main Tournament
Individual Standings National Girls Invitational Tournament
No. Name Gr Team St Rate Pts TBrk1 TBrk2 Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 Rnd6
1 Gorti, Akshita 4 Foster VA 2010 5.0 22.0 24.5 W 28 W 16 W 5 D 2 D 4 W3
2 Virkud, Apurva 9 U-18 MI 2084 5.0 20.5 23.5 W 22 W 12 W 7 D 1 D 3 W11
3 Chen, Michelle 10 U-18 MA 1997 4.5 20.5 24.0 W 17 W 15 W 11 W 13 D 2 L1
4 Tallo, Emily K 12 IN 2080 4.5 19.5 22.5 W 24 D 9 W 19 D 8 D 1 W7
5 Deland, Rebecca 11 U-18 NM 1699 4.5 18.0 19.0 W 37 W 10 L 1 D 9 W 27 W12
6 Avirneni, Saithanusri 7 U-18 GA 1703 4.5 18.0 19.0 W 40 L 7 W 25 W 14 D 8 W10
7 Poteat, Lilia Meilan 9 U-18 NY 1992 4.0 20.5 22.5 W 29 W 6 L 2 W 20 W 13 L4
8 Xiang, Ellen 10 U-18 NH 2072 4.0 18.5 21.5 D 19 W 26 D 9 D 4 D 6 W20
9 Hajiarbabi, Kiana 7 U-18 KS 1871 3.5 20.0 22.0 W 32 D 4 D 8 D 5 D 18 D13
10 Dong, Alice 9 U-18 NJ 1974 3.5 19.0 22.0 W 25 L 5 W 26 W 15 D 11 L6
11 Peters, Epiphany M 9 U-18 TN 2041 3.5 19.0 21.5 W 27 W 20 L 3 W 21 D 10 L2
12 Ravi, Saisree 10 U-18 MN 1870 3.5 19.0 21.0 W 33 L 2 W 22 D 18 W 19 L5
13 Munoz, Claudia E 9 U-18 TX 2026 3.5 18.5 21.5 W 23 W 21 W 14 L 3 L 7 D9
14 Rajendra, Anupama Shashikala 7 U-18 WI 1928 3.5 18.0 20.0 W 30 W 18 L 13 L 6 W 22 D15
15 Reiches, Madeleine 12 U-18 IL 1733 3.5 16.5 18.5 W 36 L 3 W 29 L 10 W 24 D14
16 Zhao, Audrey 9 U-18 CA 1764 3.5 15.5 17.5 W 35 L 1 D 17 L 27 W 29 W28
17 Du, Katherine 8 U-18 CT 1403 3.5 15.5 17.5 L 3 W 36 D 16 L 19 W 32 W27
18 Moolten, Shira 8 U-18 PA 1675 3.5 15.5 16.5 W 38 L 14 W 30 D 12 D 9 D21
19 Huang, Alena 7 U-18 WI 1552 3.0 14.0 21.5 D 8 W 24 L 4 W 17 L 12 D23
20 Wyzywany, Annastasia Marie 9 U-18 LA 1861 3.0 13.5 19.5 W 31 L 11 W 23 L 7 W 26 L8
21 Morejon, Helen 8 U-18 FL 1776 3.0 12.5 18.0 W 34 L 13 W 28 L 11 D 23 D18
22 Kim, Madeline H 10 U-18 MD 1624 3.0 12.0 19.0 L 2 W 33 L 12 W 25 L 14 W30
23 Gadson, Keturah 8 U-18 MO 1472 3.0 11.0 16.5 L 13 W 34 L 20 W 33 D 21 D19
24 Cherepakhin, Olga 7 U-18 WA 1609 3.0 10.5 17.0 L 4 L 19 W 31 W 30 L 15 W33
25 Dias, Neha 9 U-18 SC 1287 3.0 10.5 16.0 L 10 W 37 L 6 L 22 W 35 W34
26 Pemsler, Carmen 9 U-18 ID 1635 3.0 10.5 15.5 W 39 L 8 L 10 W 34 L 20 W29
27 Cancio, Aiya 9 U-18 AZ 1527 2.5 14.5 19.0 L 11 D 31 W 32 W 16 L 5 L17
28 Zhang, Hanshi 10 U-18 CA 1445 2.5 12.5 17.5 L 1 W 35 L 21 D 32 W 31 L16
29 Salzgeber, Karen Elizabeth 9 U-18 MS 1295 2.0 13.0 17.0 L 7 W 40 L 15 W 35 L 16 L26
30 Knecht, Teresa Phivan Eleanor 7 U-18 IA 1198 2.0 12.5 16.0 L 14 W 38 L 18 L 24 W 36 L22
31 Perkins, Sarai 10 U-18 OR 905 2.0 12.0 15.0 L 20 D 27 L 24 W 36 L 28 D32
32 Bills, Devon 11 U-18 OH 1191 2.0 11.5 15.0 L 9 W 39 L 27 D 28 L 17 D31
33 Santos, Clarrisa E 9 U-18 OK 1128 2.0 11.0 14.5 L 12 L 22 W 40 L 23 W 38 L24
34 Venkataraja, Triyakshari 2 Foster NC 854 2.0 11.0 14.0 L 21 L 23 W 38 L 26 W 39 L25
35 Djuric, Milica 8 Foster DC 753 2.0 9.5 13.0 L 16 L 28 W 37 L 29 L 25 W38
36 Sanwal, Aisha 6 Foster NV 572 2.0 9.5 13.0 L 15 L 17 W 39 L 31 L 30 W37
37 Tran, Jacey 2 Foster NE 469 1.0 9.0 13.5 L 5 L 25 L 35 L 39 W 40 L36
38 Smyth, Rayya 4 Foster AR 407 1.0 9.0 12.5 L 18 L 30 L 34 W 40 L 33 L35
39 Kamtekar, Saey Sanjay 6 Foster UT 1.0 8.0 11.0 L 26 L 32 L 36 W 37 L 34 L40
40 Kenney, Lindsey 9 U-18 ND 504 1.0 7.0 11.5 L 6 L 29 L 33 L 38 L 37 W39

After having organized, directed, and played in hundreds of chess tournaments in more than 3 decades, I thought that I had seen just about every type of chess tournament. But I was wrong. The chess tournament at the first US Mind Sports Festival was like no other tournament that I have ever seen. Imagine playing in a chess tournament amidst other gamers playing a variety of strategy games. That is exactly what happened July 5-7 at the luxurious Palazzo hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The chess tournament was held in the center of the Lando ballroom, and we were literally surrounded by a Go tournament, a scrabble tournament, a mahjong tournament, and a Magic the Gathering tournament.

The chess began on Friday morning with a free simultaneous exhibition by chess expert Virgilio Reyes. It is impossible to say how many players Virgilio faced. Whenever a game finished, Virgilio graciously allowed a new player to take a seat and play. The exhibition lasted for several hours, but Virgilio did not lose a single game.

The main tournament was a five round swiss held in four sections. The players in the open section competed for cash prizes and a very unusual trophy: an artistic four level chess board. There were two titled players in the open section: FMs Tom Brownscombe and Nachum Salman. But by the end of round three, both masters had suffered an upset. So on Sunday morning experts Glenn Bidari and Jeffrey Gallegos battled for the tournament lead. Gallegos won a pawn, but Bidari had excellent compensation. But the compensation wasn’t good enough, and Gallegos secured the win. Gallegos and Bidari both won in the final round, leaving Bidari in clear second place with 4 points. And Jeffrey Gallegos won the trophy and the first place prize money with a score of 4.5.

Alex Stiger, rated only 1549, won the under 1800 section. And she did it despite starting the tournament with a half point bye in round one. She followed up her swiss gambit with four straight wins to take clear first place with 4.5 points. Michelangelo Barozzi and William Wijaya tied for second place in the under 1800 section with 4 points each. In the under 1400 section, Robert Lucero proved that chess coaches can also be successful competitors. Lucero, who is a high school chess coach, won the under 1400 section with 4.5 points. And Anthony McCarthy secured clear second place in the under 1400 section with 4 points. Paul Ventura won the under 1000 section with the tournament’s only perfect 5-0 score, and Karl Ulbrich earned clear second place in the under 1000 section with 4 points.

Of course, a tournament report is only written after the tournament is over. But even though the tournament is over, you haven’t missed all the action. The tournament sponsors provided live internet coverage of the event throughout the weekend. And you can find that coverage recorded on You Tube.  The featured game from round one can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glf2rj3om0Y, and the featured game from round 4 can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpJvcD_oM1g.

On behalf of all of the chess players who participated in the First US Mind Sports chess tournament, I would like to thank the tournament sponsors: 888 poker. Juan Jauregui of the Las Vegas Chess Club organized the tournament. Tom Brownscombe and Juan Jauregui served as the tournament directors. The sponsors were so pleased with the event that they plan to hold another one December 7&8. I will definitely be there, and I hope to see you there as well.

Tom Brownscombe

National Open 2013
With the 2013 National Open in the books, it is time for a small report on the performance of our local players. We had some big performances, and some even had a chance to play against some titled players.

On Thursday, June 6, there were two events. First, the simultaneous exhibition with GM Alexander Lenderman, last year’s National Open champion. In this event, our local players Jeff Gallegos, Stephen Barbre, Scott Raymond, and Karl Ulbrich participated, with Mr. Gallegos managing to score a draw.

The second Thursday event was the National Open Game in 10. The really nice part about this event is the opportunity of playing against titled players. Three of our local players participated: Ryan Phillips, Chad Badgett, and Royce Pereira.

Ryan’s performance was the most impressive. He scored 5 points in 8 games, and was tied for first on the U2100 prize. He would have most likely be the sole first place, but for a Fide Master forfeiting his last game, and thus allowing another player to tie Ryan. Also of note is that, Ryan played against not one, but two International Masters.

On the other hand, Chad played Israeli GM Victor Mikhalevski on the first round, and Royce played former U-12 World Champion, IM Daniel Naroditsky.

On the main event, we also had the participation of several local players. On the U2200 section, Jeff Gallegos, finished with 4 points out of 6. He tied 10th place to 14th, and earned a $97 prize. Also on the U2200 was Stephen Barbre, who scored 3.5 points out of 6.

The U2000 section had the biggest number of our local players. The best performance (again) came from Ryan Phillips. Ryan went undefeated, and scored 4.5 out of 6 points, good for a share of 7th to 12th place. For his performance, he earned a $234 prize.

Other players included, Jose Ramirez with 4 out of 6, shared 13th – 15th place, and a $40 prize; Francisco Vela, Todd Imada, and Cameron Patterson with a positive score of 3.5 out of 6. Scott Raymond also participated in this section.

On the U1800 section, we had John Paul Baligad, (Juan’s son), with 5 out of 6 points. This was good for a share of 3rd – 9th place, and a $400 prize. Participants also included Jonathan Zavala with 4.5 points, Rick Holden, and Neil Banerji, who scored a respectable 2.5 points while playing up a section.

On the U1600 section, we had Chris Reynolds with 4 points, Vivan Liu, Jonathan Mikolic with 3.5 points, Elliot Moskow, and Yoseph Debesai, who like Neil, played a section up.

On the U1400 section, local player Rocky Watson scored an even 3 out of 6, and so did Karl Ulbrich on the U1200 section.

In addition to the Game in 10, and the main event, local players also participated in other side events.On Saturday night, June 8, there was a Blitz sectional event. The 60 participants were divided in 5 sections, based on their highest rating.

On Section “A”, the highest in rating, included two Fide Masters, and a Woman Fide Master. Three local players participated. Patrick Lacey scored 9 out of 12 points, good for 3rd place. Paul Heinrich, and Hugo Santiago had even scores with 6 out of 12 points.

On the Section “C”, Royce Pereira was the winner with 10 out of 11 points.

The last event the Blitz Open, and U1900. This event took place on Sunday night, right after the main event.

On the Open section, local players Paul Heinrich scored a positive 8 points out of 14. Two of those games were against none other than the number 39 player in world Wesley So. Also in the Open section was Ryan Phillips, who also played IM Daniel Naroditsky.

In the U1900 section, local players Chad Badgett, and Royce Pereira fared quite well. There were 35 players in this section, and Chad came in 3rd place with 10 points out of 14, and Royce in 4th place with 9.5.

While the 2013 National Open is now over, do not forget that another big tournament is coming up. The Las Vegas Mind Sports International Festival will be held at the Palazzo Hotel on July 5 – July 7, and the Vegas Chess Club will organize the chess tournament.
By Liceu Pereira

The 2013 Annual Members Meeting for the state affliate Nevada Chess will be held at the Meadows School at 8601 Scholar Lane, 89128 on April 13 at about 4 p.m. The Agenda will be Minutes, tally ballots, election results, install officers, members issues, close members mtg, open directors mtg, financial report, issues for directors, closed directors mtg. The is an open meeting for all chess players to express their opinions on state affiliate policies.

All members and prospective members are encouraged to attend.