Where Organized Chess in America Began EMPIRE CHESS Summer 2015 Volume XXXVIII, No. 2 $5.00 Honoring Brother John is the Right Move. Empire Chess P.O. Box 340969 Brooklyn, NY 11234 Election Issue – Be Sure to Vote! 1 NEW YORK STATE CHESS ASSOCIATION, INC. www.nysca.net The New York State Chess Association, Inc., America‘s oldest chess organization, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting chess in New York State at all levels. As the State Affiliate of the United States Chess Federation, its Directors also serve as USCF Voting Members and Delegates. President Bill Goichberg PO Box 249 Salisbury Mills, NY 12577 Looking for Hall of Famers. [email protected] Vice President Last year’s Annual Meeting asked for new ideas on how the New York Polly Wright State Chess Association inducts members into its Hall of Fame. 57 Joyce Road Eastchester, NY 10709 [email protected] One issue NYSCA would like to address is how to evaluate many of the historical figures that have participated in chess in New York. NYSCA Treasurer Karl Heck started its Hall of Fame with contemporaries, and while there are players 5426 Wright Street, CR 67 with long careers in the Hall of Fame, true players of the historical past East Durham, NY 12423 aren’t in our Hall of Fame. [email protected] Membership Secretary For example, it is almost infathomable that Frank Marshall, a former New Phyllis Benjamin York State Champion and namesake and founder of the State’s most famous P.O. Box 340511 chess club, is not in our Hall of Fame. Brooklyn, NY 11234-0511 [email protected] Fred Reinfeld, Isaac Kashdan, Arnold Denker, Reuben Fine and I.A. Board of Directors Horowitz were all New York State Champions between 1931 and 1943. Upstate Downstate William Townsend Phyllis Benjamin That group of players was most of the U.S. Olympic Team that ruled the Bill Goichberg Dr. Frank Brady world in the 1930’s, and would be the Nakamura, So, and Caruana of their Shelby Lohrman Mark Kurtzman time. They also published chess books that remain in print today Karl Heck Lenny Chipkin Ron Lohrman Ed Frumkin Polly Wright Though after World War II travel opened up more and the FIDE cycle made Steve Immitt the World Championship the center of the chess world, the New York Gata Kamsky Sophia Rohde Championship retained a great deal of strength. GM Larry Evans, a Harold Stenzel longtime Chess Life columnist, won in 1948. World Correspondence Carol Jarecki Champion Hans Berliner won in 1953. William Lombardy and Edmar Mednis also won in the 1950’s, and World Champion Candidate Pal Benko won in 1962, Tournament Clearinghouses Zip Codes under 12000 (downstate) Bill Goichberg Great champions of chess organizing also were winners of our biggest [email protected] tournament. The Genesee Cup has John Collins and Sunil Weeramantry’s NYS Zip Codes over 11999 (upstate) name on it. Writers of the caliber of Hermann Helms and Robert Byrne do Karl Heck as well. So does long-time USCF staffer Ron Burnett. [email protected] Who does our membership want to see honored? We want to know. Email Deadlines December 15 for the Winter Issue your suggestions to the Editor, and we’ll work on them at the annual March 15 for the Spring Issue meeting this year. June 15 for the Summer Issue September 15 for the Fall Issue Advertising Manager Contact the Editor. 2 EMPIRE CHESS Where organized chess began in America Volume XXXVIII, Number 2 – Summer 2015 Cover: Samantha Giknis (l) presents Brother John McManus with the Make the Right Move Hall of Move plaque at the organization’s annual picnic in June at Christian Brothers Academy in Colonie. From the Editor.............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Table of Contents ….......................................................................................................................................................3 New York State Open by Bill Townsend……………………………………….......……….........................................................4 Material Imbalance by Zachary Calderon……………………………………………………......................................................8 Familiar Faces Top 15th Queens Team by Ed Frumkin………………………………………………...............................9 Western New York News by Carter Arker…...........................................................................................................11 Why I Quit Online Chess by Neil Bellon……...........................................................................................................14 NYSCA's Discount Program ....................................................................................................................….......... 15 News from the Marshall by Frank Romano............................................................................................................16 Colwell’s Drop-In Watertown Visit byy Don Klug………………………..…………………………….................................18 Fritz/Ulvestad by Richard Moody……..........................................................................................................................20 Open Lines by Karl Heck………………………………..…..………………………………................................................................22 Mid-Hudson Chess News by Dr. Craig Fisher………………………………..…..………………………………..........................25 New York State Champions: History and Listing by Bill Townsend……………............................................26 Updated New York State Chess Club Directory ……………………………………………………………………………..28 New York Tournaments………………………………...................................................................................,,,,,……...30 Editor: Karl Heck, [email protected]. Webmaster: Daniel Heck, www.nysca.net. Empire Chess, the official publication of the New York State Chess Association, Inc., is published quarterly. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of any information contained herein, or for any advertised products. Opinions expressed are solely those of the contributors, and not necessarily those of NYSCA. Empire Chess is COPYRIGHTED, 2015. Empire Chess accepts articles, games, tournament reports, art work and photos. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited material. All material submitted for publication becomes the property of Empire Chess, and will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Letters received by Empire Chess are accepted & subject to editing. Please send to: Karl Heck, [email protected]. Membership in the NYSCA: $20/year with four printed Empire Chess; $12/year with online Empire Chess (two printed). To join, write to: Phyllis Benjamin, P.O. Box 340969, Brooklyn, NY 11234. NYSCA membership now gets you discounts at Continental Chess Association events in New York State and all New York State Championship tournaments. Please send articles and advertisements in camera-ready format for publication. (TIF file, Adobe Photoshop, 100 lines per inch). Chess games should be in ChessBase, with boards and positions in final form. Articles should be sent via e-mail, in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman font, size 11. Deadline for the Fall issue isSeptember15, 2015, although earlier submissions are appreciated, and will more easily guarantee a space in the next magazine. 3 Summer is here! Former Albany champion Dean Howard wins at the 23rd New York State Open by Bill Townsend The 23rd Annual New York State Open took place pointed out that this section had two unrated players, May 15 to 17 in Lake George Village, a summer something you don’t usually see in a senior event. resort community in the southern Adirondacks. My One of them, Ralph Vecchio, was 77 years old and recollection is that Lake George is pretty sleepy the playing in his first over-the-board tournament. He weekend before Memorial Day, but that wasn’t the finished with 2-3, but wasn’t exactly a neophyte: he case this year. The entire town seemed to be admitted to playing some postal games previously. dedicated to being ready for tourists on May 15, in fact the playing site, the Tiki Hotel, was just opening The Under-1610 section was won by Joe Fratianni for the season the first day of the event. On Sunday with 4½-½. In clear second place with 4-1 was the weather was beautiful and summerlike, so visitors Alexander Benis, who started as the section’s lowest- to the town were enjoying a typical Lake George rated player at 976. Tied for third with 3½-1½ were weekend summer day experience, with perhaps only David Kennedy, David Stearns and Mingrui Liu. a third of the usual crowds. Everybody wins! The Under-1210 section finished in a two way tie as But this isn’t a travelogue, it’s a tournament report. Fred Lethbridge, Jr. and David Craig both finished The overall turnout was about 80 players, a little with 4-1. Waldemar Palaitis was clear third with 3½- down from last year’s total. The Open section was 1½. Henry Olynik and Steven Danko tied for fourth won by former Albany Area Chess Club champion with 3-2. Olynik, the only player to defeat Dean Howard, the fourth highest rated player at the Lethbridge, was also top under 1000. Vineeth Reddy start of the event. He took a bye in the first round and (2-3) was top under 800, Luke Murphy (1½-3½) was then won his last four games to finish all alone at the top under 600 and Nwachukwu Ugochukwu (1-4) top with 4½-½. Last year’s winner, GM Alexander was top unrated player. Ivanov, was not present this time out. Another Capital District player, former Schenectady champion