R ank & File MAY-JUNE 2006 VOLUME XXIX, NO. 3 $3.00 23rd Annual U.S. Amateur Team West Caltech: Howard Liu, Patrick Hummel, Joshua Gutman, Eugene Yanayt 2006 Lina Grumete Memorial Day Classic May 19-21, 2006 $10,000 Prize Fund! (based on 200 players, 60% of each prize guaranteed) at the Open Burbank Airport Hilton 1st: $1700 + T 2500 HOLLYWOOD WAY, BURBANK CA 2nd-5th: $750-$400-$300-$200 (adjacent to Burbank Airport) U2400: $400 Five Rounds — Swiss System U2200: $700-$300- $200 3-day schedule 40/2, SD/1; 2-day schedule rounds 1-2 G/75 Entry Fees: Premier Open, Premier (U2000), Amateur (U1800), Reserve (Under 2000) (U1600): $81 if received by 5-18, $97 at door $750-$300-$200-$100 Booster (U1400): $66 by 5-18, $80 door On-line entry: www.westernchess.com Amateur (Under 1800) SCCF membership required of rated state residents ($14, jr. $9) $750-$300-$200-$100 Registration: 5:30-6:30 p.m. 4-14, 8:30-10 a.m. 4-15 Rounds: 3-day 7 p.m., 11-5:30, 10-4:30; 2-day 10:30-1:30 Reserve Saturday (G/75), then merges (Under 1600) $750-$300-$200-$100 Entries: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Place #1, Los Angeles, CA 90038 Booster HR: $99, (818) 843-6000 or (800) 840-6450. Be sure to (Under 1400/unr.) mention Western Chess. T+$400-$200-$100 U1200 T+$150 Parking $8/day Unrated T+$150 More details, advance entry lists: www.westernchess.com Best Game Prize: $25 (all sections eligible) Name ____________________________________________________________________________________ AddressAlso ________________________________________________ ... __________________________________ MDCCity/State/ZIP Scholastics _____________________________________________________________________________MDC Action Swiss MDC Hexes Rating May_______________ 21 USCF ID# ______________________May 21 ________ USCF Exp ________________May 21 5-SS, G/45 5-SS, G/30 Schedule: 3-day 2-day Byes: (max 2) 1 2 3 3-SS, G/90 REG: 8:30-9:15. $$500 B/40, ELSE PROPORTIONAL Section: Open ($81) Amount Enclosed: Entry Fees 6-$_________PLAYER SECTIONS BY RATING. REG: 9-10 A.m. RDS : 9:30-11-1:00-2:30-4 Premier ($81) . Action Swiss ($20) USCF dues $$40-20-10$_________ EACH SECTION. EF : $16 AmateurIF RECEIVED ($81) BY 5-18, Hexes $20 ($20) ROUNDS : 10:15-11:30-12:45-2:30- SCCF dues EF$_________: $20 IF RECEIVED BY 5-18, AT DOOR .Reserve ($81) Scholastic Open3:45 ($16). $25 DOOR. Scholastic Reserve ($16) ON -LINE ENTRYBooster: ($66) WWW .westernchess. EF: $20 IF RECEIVED BY 5-18, $25Total R$_________EG: 9:30-10:15 A.m. com. AT DOOR. RDS 10:30-1:30-4:30. Make checks payable to: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Pl. #1, Los Angeles CA 90038 2 RANK & FILE MAY-JUNE 2006 AroundAround thethe NationNation East wins Amateur In addition to Team East - My G- 8 Predecessors winning the title of U.S. Junior Chess Team playoff 2006 Amateur Team Playoff Cham- Congress The playoff between the winners pions, each member of the team from the four 2006 Amateur Team will receive a wrist watch engraved A record turnout of 260 chess Chess Championships held on Pres- with their title commemorating enthusiasts under the age of 19 par- idents Day weekend in February their outstanding achievement. ticipated in the 2006 U.S. Junior 2006, met their chess opponents on The USCF would like to recognize Chess Congress. The six round na- April 2 in cyberspace on the Inter- Chief Tournament Director and In- tional chess championship was held net Chess Club website. In Round 1 ternational Arbiter Carol Jarecki February 25-26 at the East Middle Team East beat Team South with and Internet Chess Clubs Techni- School in Anderson, Indiana under 3 points and Team West scored cal Director Duncan Oxley for their the direction of Chief Tournament 2½ against Team Midwest’s 1½. director and technical expertise Director Scott Reisinger. The 260 In Round 2 Team East scored 2½ which helped make this years event chess players represented eight US to beat Team West who scored 1½ sensational. – USCF news release states! which gave them claim to the title. The 16 players were: TEAM EAST—MY G-8 Pre- decessors 1. Charles Riordan 2276 (Cap- CONTENTS tain) CONTENTSONTENTS 2. Alex Cherniack 2252 AROUND THE NATION . 3 3. Lawyer Times 2174 21ST ANNUAL U.S. AMATEUR TEAM 4. Charles Mays 2039 AROUNDAROUND THETHE NATIONNATION ........... .........................................................3 WEST . 5 TEAM SOUTH—Excaliber 23RD23RD ANNUALANNUAL Electronics W ESTERNU.S..S. AmateurAm CatLASSeur TTeam CeaHAMPIONSHIPSm WWestest ............................................... 105 1. GM Julio Becerra 2624 ACTICS 2. Jorge Reynaldo 2091 WESTERNWT ESTERN PACIFICPACIFIC OPENOPEN ........................................................1111 3. Javier Gonzalez 2027 by Tim Hanks . 12 4. Gil Luna 1961 (Captain) TACTICSTACTICS HbybEREy TIMIM & H ANKSATNKHERES ................................. .....................................................................1313 TEAM MIDWEST—2 FMs and 2 Losers HEREH EClubRE & news,THERETHER Elocal tournaments, 1. Shivkumar Shivaji 2336 scholasticClubClub news,news, locallo ceventsal tournaments,tournam .e .n . .t s. ,. 15 2. John Langreck 2226 scholscholasticastic eventsevents andand moremore .............................................................................17 3. FM Jim Dean 2219 (Captain) STATE CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS . 19 4. Les Kistler 1971 THETHE LONGLONG VIEWVIEW ........................................................................................2424 GAMES FROM RECENT EVENTS . 21 TEAM WEST—CalTech STATESTATE CHAMPIONSHIPCHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERSUALIFIERS .................25 THE LIGHTER SIDE . 24 1. FM Patrick Hummel 2439 UPCOMINGUPCOMING EVENEVENTSTS ...............................................................................26 2. Eugene Yanayt 2312 (Cap- UPCOMING EVENTS . 26 tain) CHESSCHESS QQUIZUIZ ................................................ .......................................................28 3. Howard Liu 2043 CHESS QUIZ. 24 4. Joshua Gutman 1993 3 RANKANK & FILEILE MAYAY-J-JUNEUNE 2002006 The championship was divided twelve Board members, including up into six sections for individual six elected last year, will elect four Southern California Chess winners as well as team competi- officers from among themselves.) Federation tion. The winners of each section If you don’t like what’s happening President were: in Southern California chess – or if Ron Rezendes Vice President Joe Hanley 18 & Under: you think you can do better – here’s Secretary Chuck Ensey 1st - Matthew Fouts (IN) 5 your chance to make a differ- ence!. Call or write Election Com- Treasurer John Hillery points. Executive Board mittee Chairman Randy Hough Team winner: Terre Haute Randy Hough South Vigo HS (Terre Haute, IN) ([email protected], 626- Nshan Keshishian 16 & Under: 282-7412, P.O Box 205, Monterey Elliot Landaw 1st - Evan Hanley (IN) 5 points. Park, CA 91754). Chess in Califor- Mike Nagaran Team winner: Lafayette Jeffer- nia needs new ideas and new blood Rick Aeria son HS (Lafayette, IN) – you could be it! John Surlow Ivona Jezierska 14 & Under: David Saponara 1st - Gautam Nagendra 5 Far West Open points. Rank & File Team winner: Canterbury A slightly disappointing 182 Editor John Hillery School (Ft. Wayne, IN) competed in the 2006 Sands Re- 835 N. Wilton Pl. # 12 & Under: gency Far West Open, held in Reno Los Angeles CA 90038 1st - Boris Xu (GA) 6 points (per- April 7-9. In the top section, GMs [email protected] fect score) Jaan Ehlvest and Alex Yermolin- Team winner: Sycamore School sky tied for first with 5-1. Ehlvest Publisher David Argall (Indianapolis, IN) won a blitz tiebreaker for the title. Contributing Editors 10 & Under: Next at 4½ were IM Enrico Sevil- Jack Peters 1st - Sean Vibbert 5½ points. lano and GMs Petr Kiriakov and Tim Hanks Team winner: Evansville Chess Gregory Serper. Other section win- Al Pena Club (Evansville, IN) ners included John Jaffray and Contributors 8 & Under: Todd Imada (A), Jeffrey Cohen and Chuck Ensey 1st - Stevan Kriss (KY) 5½ Timothy Brennan (B), Tom Allen Randy Hough Barbara McCaleb points. and Anthony Blessing (C), and Wil- John Price Team winner: Kentucky Knights liam Stevenson (D). Jerry Weikel Brian Scanlon Chess Club (KY) directed. Congratulations to all players Subscriptions/Address Changes and event organizer and staff for Randy Hough, Membership Secretary making history with breaking the National Junior P.O. Box 205 attendance record. – USCF news High Monterey Park CA 9754 release (626) 282-742 The USCF held its 2006 National [email protected] Junior High Chess Championship at SCCF Board Rank & File — ISSN 8750-964 USPS the Galt House in Louisville, Ken- 738-230, published bimonthly by the The Southern California Chess tucky between April 7-9, 2006. A to- Southern California Chess Federation, 300 Federation is now seeking candi- tal of 1123 young chess enthusiasts Ballista, La Puente CA 9744. Periodical dates for six positions on its Execu- competed, representing 38 states. postage paid at Industry, CA. POSTMAS- tive Board. The election will take TER: Send changes of address to SCCF, place at the Southern California Continued on page 15... PO Box 205, Monterey Park CA 9754. Open over the Labor Day weekend, Subscriptions: $4 adult, $9 junior. and terms will last two years. (The Copyright © SCCF 2006. One-time only publication rights have been obtained from signed contributors. All other rights are Advertising Rates: Full page $80, half page hereby assigned to the authors. The opinions $45, 1/4 page $25, 1/8 page $15, back cover (3/4 SCCF Online