04
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IFC_Layout 1 3/14/2012 9:47 AM Page 1
Trophies to top 15 individuals and top 3 teams in each section. 3 or more players
from the same school to make a team (top 3 scores added to give team final
stand-ings). Every player receives a souvenir.
6-SS, G/90, Sections
• 8-years-old and younger
• 10-years-old and younger
• 12-years-old and younger
• 14-years-old and younger
MAIN EVENT
Friday, April 8
6:00 PM
Opening Ceremony
6:30 PM
Round 1
Saturday, April 9
10:00 AM
Round 2
2:30 PM
Round 3
6:30 PM
Round 4
Sunday, April 10
9:00 AM
Round 5
1:00 PM
Round 6
5
SIDE EVENTS
Bughouse Tournament
Friday April 8, 1:00 PM
Entry fee:
$25 per team
Blitz Tournament
(G/5)Friday April 8, 3:00 PM
Entry fee:
$15 by March 27,
$20 on-site
Hotel Reservations:
Please call (312) 787-6100
Entry & Info
Make checks payable to:
RKnights, Attn: All Girls,
PO Box 1074, Northbrook, IL 60065
Tel:
(773) 844-0701
E-mail:
[email protected]
Entry Fee
$50 if postmarked by 3/13; $70 by 3/27;
$85 by 4/7 or $90 on-site
USCF membership required
All events held at the Doubletree,
300 East Ohio St, Chicago, IL
O
• 10-years-old and younger
• 12-years-old and younger
• 14-years-old and younger
• 16-years-old and younger
• 18-years-old and younger
Hotel
Doubletree Chicago Magnificent Mile,
300 East Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611
Hotel Chess Rate:
$139 if reserved by March 11, 2011
• 10-years-old and younger
• 12-years-old and younger
• 14-years-old and younger
• 16-years-old and younger
• 18-years-old and younger
The Eighth Annual All-Girls
Open National Championships
April 8–10, 2011 – Chicago, Illinois
The Ninth
April 20 – 22, 2012 - Chicago, Illinois
Awards
Trophies will be awarded to the top 15 individual players and top three teams in
each section. Three or more players from the same school make up a team (team
scores will be calculated based on the top 3 scores to give teams their final
stand-ings). All players will receive a souvenir to honor their participation.
Swissotel Hotel; 323 E. Wacker Dr,
Chicago, IL 60601
$169 by March 15, 2012
Breakfast included.
888-737-9477
3/25;
4/8
4/19; $90 on site
• 10-years-old and younger
• 12-years-old and younger
• 14-years-old and younger
• 16-years-old and younger
• 18-years-old and younger
• 10-years-old and younger
• 12-years-old and younger
• 14-years-old and younger
• 16-years-old and younger
• 18-years-old and younger
in association with
P
Swissotel Hotel;
323 E. Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60611
Online Registration
www.renaissanceknights.org/allgirls
6-SS, G/90, Sections
• 8-years-old and younger
• 10-years-old and younger
• 12-years-old and younger
• 14-years-old and younger
• 16-years-old and younger
• 18-years-old and younger
MAIN EVENT
Friday, April 8
6:00 PM
Opening Ceremony
6:30 PM
Round 1
Saturday, April 9
10:00 AM
Round 2
2:30 PM
Round 3
6:30 PM
Round 4
Sunday, April 10
9:00 AM
Round 5
1:00 PM
Round 6
5:00 PM
Awards Ceremony
SIDE EVENTS
Bughouse Tournament
Friday April 8, 1:00 PM
Entry fee:
$25 per team
Blitz Tournament
(G/5)Friday April 8, 3:00 PM
Entry fee:
$15 by March 27,
$20 on-site
Friday, April 20
Friday, April 20
Saturday, April 21
Friday, April 20
Sunday, April 22
Chess Life
Editorial Staff
Chess Life Editor &
Director of Publications Daniel Lucas [email protected]
Chess Life Online Editor Jennifer Shahade [email protected]
Chess Life for Kids Editor Glenn Petersen [email protected]
Senior Art Director Frankie Butler [email protected]
Editorial Assistant/Copy Editor Alan Kantor [email protected]
Editorial Assistant Jo Anne Fatherly [email protected]
Editorial Assistant Jennifer Pearson [email protected]
Technical Editor Ron Burnett
TLA/Advertising Joan DuBois [email protected]
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www.WorldChessHOF.org
For more information on this month’s featured item, please visit:
Located in Saint Louis, Missouri
This photo of Bobby Fischer, taken by the
renowned photojournalist Harry Benson,
graced the cover of LIFE magazine on
November 12, 1971. Fischer had recently
defeated Tigran Petrosian in the 1971
Candidates Tournament in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, qualifying him for the World
Chess Championship match in Reykjavík,
Iceland, in the summer of 1972.
See this and more Fischer archives
and memorabilia including a
photography exhibition:
Bobby Fischer: Icon Among Icons,
Photographs by Harry Benson
at the World Chess Hall of Fame from
March 9 – August 12, 2012.
LETTER OF INTENT
A Promise For Tomorrow
In futuresupport of thework of theU.S. Chess Trust, I want to providefor future
generations and to ensure the continuity of services by the U.S. Chess Trust.
Therefore,
I have made provision I will make provision
to support the U.S. Chess Trust by:
making a bequest or endowment provision in my Will
creating a charitable remainder or lead trust naming
the U.S. Chess Trust as a beneficiary.
establishing an endowment or special fund at the
U.S. Chess Trust.
directing the trustees or directors of my foundation
to continue beyond my lifetime making an annual
gift to the U.S. Chess Trust.
Making an outright gift to the U.S. Chess Trust during
my lifetime in the sum of $_____________.
This Letter of Intent represents my commitment to the work of the U.S. Chess Trust.
It does not represent a legal obligation and may be changed by me at any time.
Whatever the amount of your gift, when you leave a legacy for the future of the
U.S. Chess Trust, you are an important part of the Promise for Tomorrow.
Please send with your name, address, phone, and email contact information and email Barbara DeMaro at [email protected]
*Please note that there is a required amount in order to be listed as a Future Legacy Donor. Write or send an email to Barbara DeMaro, [email protected]for this amount. Donations
to the U.S. Chess Trust are tax-deductible. A 501(c)(3) organization. BD:08/03
USCF Executive Board
President, Ruth Haring PO Box 1993, Chico, CA 95927 [email protected]
Vice President, Gary Walters Thompson Hine LLP, [email protected]
3900 Key Center, 127 Public Square, Cleveland, OH 44114
VP Finance, Allen Priest 220 West Main Street, Suite 2200 [email protected]
Louisville, KY 40202
Secretary, Mike Nietman 2 Boca Grande Way, Madison, WI 53719 [email protected]
Member at Large, Michael Atkins PO Box 6138, Alexandria, VA 22306 [email protected]
Member at Large, Jim Berry PO Box 351, Stillwater, OK 74076 [email protected]
Member at Large, Bill Goichberg PO Box 249, Salisbury Mills, NY 12577 [email protected]
USCF Staff
Executive Director Bill Hall ext. 189 [email protected]
Chief Operations Officer Patricia K. Smith ext. 133 [email protected]
Assistant Executive Director Director of National Events
Chief Financial Officer Joe Nanna ext. 150 [email protected]
IT Director & Webmaster Phillip R. Smith ext.134 [email protected]
Director of Quality Control Judy Misner ext. 126 [email protected]
Director of Affiliate Relations Joan DuBois ext. 123 [email protected]
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OTB Ratings/FIDE Walter Brown ext. 142 [email protected]
Scholastic Associate Susan Houston ext. 136 [email protected]
Computer Consultant Mike Nolan ext. 188 [email protected]
Membership Services Supervisor Cheryle Bruce ext. 147 [email protected]
Mailing Lists/Membership Assoc. Traci Lee ext. 143 [email protected]
Membership Associate Abel Howard ext. 146 [email protected]
Membership Associate Jay Sabine ext. 127 [email protected]
Membership Associate Joe Wright ext. 125 [email protected]
National Events Assistant Cody Stewart 931-787-3976 [email protected]
National Education Consultant Jerry Nash 931-787-2756 [email protected]
Correspondence Chess Alex Dunne [email protected]
April on uschess.org
Spring Scholastic
Trophy Hunting
The season of national
scholastics kicks off with
the National High School
Championships in Minneapolis
from April 13-15 and continues
to San Diego for the National
Junior High Championships
from April 27-29. Look for
results, photos & stories
on
uschess.org
.
Contributors
FM Mike Klein
(“Looks at Books,” p. 12) is,
to his students, a chess teacher;
to top professionals, he is a
chess journalist; and to old
friends, he is a semi-retired
chess player. He likes the
international appeal of the
game and appreciates all
the chess players that have
shunned the money, fame and
free drinks of the poker table.
Jamaal Abdul-Alim
(“First Moves,” p. 8) is a
journalist and chess teacher
in Washington, D.C.
GM Ian Rogers
(“Wijk aan Zee 2012,” p. 18)
is a frequent contributor of
international event reports
to Chess Life.
Brad Rosen
(“Profile,” p. 26) is a
Chicago-based attorney and freelance
writer. He also serves in
communications/public
relations area for the Chicago
Blaze of the U.S. Chess
League, and is the father
of FM Eric Rosen.
Keith Ammann
(“Cover Story,” p. 32) is a
former journalist and middle
school teacher and a certified
district chess coach and local
tournament director. He is
president of the recently formed
not-for-profit Chicago Chess
Center Inc.
Dr. Steven Dowd
(“Compositions,” p. 36) is
a retired academic from
Birmingham, Alabama, holds
the national master title, and
is a well-known problemist
world-wide, having captured
five first places in international
tourneys. He is the author of a
monthly column at
Chesscafe.com
,
has contributed to both Chess
Life
and Chess Life Online, and
often researches and writes on
chess history as well.
All Roads Lead to Philly
Find coverage, including
a U.S. Chess Scoop video
from the Philadelphia Open,
held from April 4 to 8th
in downtown Philly.
The projected prize fund
is $80,000 and the
nine-round Open section
features norm opportunities.
Follow
Chess Life and Chess Life Online on Facebook
®!
Get regular updates as part of your newsfeed, post comments,
and easily communicate directly with the editorial staff.
Dr. Dowd on Organ Pipes
In this Chess Life, we celebrate
45 years of Benko’s Bafflers.
CLO
expands on this with an article
on one of GM Pal Benko’s favorite
problem themes—Loyd’s organ pipes.
Benko’s very first column in
1967 featured the great Loyd.
A variety of problems,
including Benko’s own world-beater,
will be shown using this famous
interference strategy that
Loyd developed.
All-Girls in Chicago
Stay posted on the the
9th Annual All-Girls
Nationals, presented by the
Kasparov Chess Foundation
and the Renaissance Knights
Chess Foundation.
The event, held from
April 20-22
, takes place
in downtown Chicago.
CL_04-2012_CLO_AKF_r6.qxp_chess life 3/12/12 1:29 PM Page 3
Columns
12 LOOKS AT BOOKS
The Chess Kids Are All Right
By FM Mike Klein
14 CHESS TO ENJOY
Just Let it Go
By GM Andy Soltis
16 SOLITAIRE CHESS
The Great Fred Reinfeld
By Bruce Pandolfini
44 BACK TO BASICS
Don’t Retreat—Reload!
By GM Lev Alburt46 ENDGAME LAB
Pawn Plus
By GM Pal BenkoDepartments
3
PREVIEW
6
COUNTERPLAY
8
FIRST MOVES
10 USCF AFFAIRS
50 TOURNAMENT LIFE
70 CLASSIFIEDS
71 SOLUTIONS
On The Cover
For tournament chess players,
the chess clock is almost as
iconic as the pieces themselves.
And while digital clocks have
become the clock of choice for
most players, there is just
something comforting about
a good, old-fashioned, analog
clock and the excitement of
seeing the little red flag rise
(and fall). Our cover story by
Keith Ammann begins on page
32 and looks at the numbered
days of the analog clock.
Cover photo by Caroline Kaye
April
Chess Life
18
WIJK AAN ZEE 2012
Through the Eyes of the Victims
By GM Ian Rogers
GM Levon Aronian convincingly won the first super-tournament
of 2012, the 74th Tata Steel tournament in the Dutch seaside village
of Wijk aan Zee.
26
PROFILE
The Awonder Years
By Brad Rosen
Eight-year-old Awonder Liang, a third-grader at Van Hise Elementary
School in Madison, Wisconsin, is arguably the brightest star to emerge
on the American chess horizon in decades, and perhaps ever.
32
COVER STORY
Winding Down
By Keith Ammann
This year’s rule changes may begin the last chapter in the history of
the analog clock.
36
COMPOSITIONS
45 Years of Being Baffled by Benko
By Steven B. Dowd
In the April 1967 issue of Chess Life, a column appeared by GM Pal Benko
that has had a profound effect on the chess composition community.
PHO
T
O: CAROLINE KA
YE
2012 Membership Options
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WHAT YOU GET AS A
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Counterplay
Chess mates
I enjoyed reading “The Mating Game” by
Nelly Rosario (February 2012). Only a
woman could write about how romantic
and sexual a game of chess could be.
She alludes to the fact that men like to
play chess because of the aggressive
nature of their gender, and only hints at
the female’s role. But once the movement
of the queen (the only female piece in the
game) was extended, it became obvious
that it was the female and not the male
that was in control of “the mating game.”
After all, doesn’t the (male) king
nor-mally hide in his well-protected corner
bedroom until all females are off the
board—and only then comes out to strut
around? While it is the queen that makes
moves trying to penetrate his position,
cli-maxing with a mate. Only in a helpmate
problem is the king trying to be mated; it's
the queen that is constantly checking on
the king and at the proper time
consum-mates the action as the king is laid down.
An example of this is the attached
prob-lem composed by Ben Bentrup and
published in the Autumn 2011 issue of
floridaCHESS
. White mates in 11 moves.
Though it is not difficult, It shows the
actions of the queen as she moves around
trying to penetrate and mate the
central-ized king, who is hiding “in the caves and
among the rocks of the mountains.” She
first darts around and then sneakily slides
up the mountain one step at a time as the
king keeps trying to avoid her amongst the
rocks. She finally successfully penetrates
and mates.
Ben Bentrup
floridaCHESS, 2011
White mates in 11
Solution
1. Qh1+ Ke5 2. Qh8+ Ke4 3. Qa8+ Ke5 4.
Qa1+ Ke4 5. Qb1+ Ke5 6. Qb2+ Ke4 7.
Qc2+ Ke5 8. Qc3+ Ke4 9. Qd3+ Ke5 10.
Qd6+ Ke4 11. Qf4 mate.
And the queen hits the four corners,
then maneuvers with checks to
b1-b2-c2-c3-d3-d6-f4 and mate. Also, note the king
can’t escape to f3 during the checks along
the b1-h7 diagonal because Qxf5xg4
would give mate instead.
Harvey Lerman
via e-mail
-+-+-+-+
+-+-trl+Q
-vl-+-+R+
+-zp-+p+--trP+k+p+
+R+-zP-+--+-+p+-+
+-+-+nmK-Faces Across the Board
Chess Life is soon introducing a
new column, “Faces Across the
Board,” that will highlight
class-level players who have reached a
notable chess milestone or
accom-plishment. Did you win your class
section for the first time? Did you
defeat a titled player? Have you
started a chess initiative in your
hometown? These are just some of
the reasons why you could be
selected to appear in this column.
You must be a current class-level
player or have been a class-level
player at the time of your
achieve-ment (rating of 1999 or below).
If you wish to be considered or to
suggest someone to us, please send
a brief supporting statement to
[email protected]. Include your
e-mail address, phone number, and a
high-resolution photo
(head-and-shoulders or profile picture required).
If we find your story intriguing you
will be contacted by Al Lawrence
who will be writing this column for
us. Lawrence is currently president
of the Chess Journalists of America,
is a frequent
Chess Life contributor,
and is a former executive director of
the USCF.
Corrections
February, 2012 issue, “World
Youth,” Yury Lapshun should have
been listed as being with Chess in
the Schools, not Yury Shulman.
CL_04-2012_counterplay_JP_r7_chess life 3/14/2012 10:46 AM Page 6
04-2012_USCFSales_inside1_Layout 1 3/11/2012 12:10 PM Page 1
First Moves
Point-Based Prize Structures
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND—When players competed in the
Chesapeake Open here earlier this year, they didn’t have to
worry about splitting up the prize money or figuring out how
much the top prize would be.
That’s because the tournament featured a point-based prize
structure that rewards players based on how many games
they win, irrespective of how many other people won the same
amount of games.
Under such a payout scheme, perfect scores—and thus the
top prizes—are highly elusive but not impossible.
Tournament Director Mike Regan—who has used the
point-based prize system at the Chesapeake in recent years—says
the approach balances the risks between the organizer and
the players.
“What I like best about it is that it is a compromise between
a prize fund that is guaranteed and one that is based on
entries,” Regan said. “With a traditional guaranteed prize fund,
if the turnout is low the organizer loses money, and if it is high
the organizer makes money.
“For the players, a low turnout is good since they will divide
the prize fund among a smaller group and have less ties,” Regan
continued. “A large turnout is bad for the players because they
need to get a higher score to win a prize and thus have a higher
chance of ending up tying for a prize and getting less money.”
However, with point-based prizes, attendance doesn’t
affect the prize.
“Instead, their payout is based only on the one thing they
con-trol, how many points they score,” Regan said.
The approach carries pros and cons.
“The downside for the organizer is the payout is less
pre-dictable,” Regan said. “The upside is that the average amount of
prizes you will pay goes up and down with the number of entries.”
Among the players, the point-based prize structure drew
both praise and criticism.
“I like it,” said Travis Pape, a Census Bureau worker from
Alexandria, Virginia, who won $125 for scoring four points in
the Under 1400 section of the tournament.
Five points would have secured a $500 prize, and 4
1⁄
2would
have secured a $250 prize. By the fourth round, Pape was
guar-anteed to leave the tournament with at least $125.
“I felt a little more relaxed in the last game,” Pape said. “I knew
I was going to get some amount.
“It’s nice to know it’s not going to be up to tiebreaks or that
you won’t get kicked out of first place,” Pape said.
“I prefer this system because it rewards the higher scorer as
opposed to the someone that draws his last game to secure
vic-tory,” said Elan Rodan, a computer systems engineer from
Fairfax, Virginia, who scored 4
1⁄
2in the Under 2000 section—
netting a prize of $600 and frustrating Bruce A. Till, from
achieving a perfect score of five points—and a prize of $1,200—
in the final round.
Till, a Gaithersburg, Maryland-based chess instructor, said
he favored the point-based prize system as well.
“This way it rewards what you score,” said Till, who won $300
for scoring four points. A score of 4
1⁄
2would have netted $600.
“The other good thing is as soon as you’re done you get your
money and you’re out,” Till said. “You score what you score and
you get what you get. It doesn’t matter what anyone else does.”
Not everyone is a fan.
Larry Saxby, a self-described “chess junkie” from
Philadel-phia who played in the Under 2000 section, said he prefers prizes
based on place.
“It’s too tough to get first place,” he said in reference to the
top prize. “You gotta have 5 and 0. I don’t like that. It’s much
more difficult than the normal way.”
Others, such as Sathish Nath, a Rockville, Maryland-based
chess instructor, says the score-based system promotes
“fight-ing chess.” “My preference is play“fight-ing good chess, which this
promotes,” Nath said.
Regan observed that under the regular prize system, players
can agree to a draw in the final round and still take first place.
“You don’t see that happening in this,” Regan said.
.
Rewarding players for games won
By
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USCF Affairs
April
USCF EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT PEGGY EBERHART
Position:
Chief Accountant
Peggy Eberhart started with us February 2005. Peggy had the tremendous task of
get-ting our accounget-ting records organized and put in order when the office relocated to
Tennessee. Peggy showed her dedication to the USCF by travelling to our former New
York office to familiarize herself with our accounting records and her daily duties. Peggy
does a fabulous job keeping everything going smoothly by keeping us on track with
paying bills, overseeing payroll, human resources record keeping, preparing 1099’s,
among a variety of other duties as well. Peggy is the mother of a set of twin girls. She
also is a personal trainer in what spare time she has, competing in body-building
com-petitions (and winning!). She is very much into healthy eating and does her best to
help the office staff healthy with great nutritional tips. We all appreciate Peggy very
much for all that she does for U.S. Chess and also as a personal friend to all of us.
Dear USCF Members,
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Join other USCF members and take advantage of a special discount on your auto insurance with Nationwide® today!
Call 1-866-633-5747 or contact your local Nationwide Insurance Agent, and do not forget to mention you are a USCF
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Regards,
Bill Hall, USCF Executive Director
Nationwide may make a financial contribution to affinity member organization in return for the opportunity to market products and services to its members or customers. Products underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies, Nationwide Lloyds and Nationwide Property & Casualty Companies (in TX). Home Office: Columbus, OH 43215. Insurance products and services are subject to underwriting guidelines, review, and approval. Products and discounts not available to all persons in all states. Nationwide, Nationwide Insurance, and On Your Side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. ©2011 Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
&
I am happy to report that USCF is continuing to have a
healthy recovery as we enter 2012 significantly ahead of budget.
We are encouraged that we will beat budget projections for a
mod-est profit this year. The upside in our financial condition can be
attributed to increased memberships, better than expected
tournament revenues, and continued savings on expenses. Paid
memberships outpace the last three years and the trend for
Feb-ruary is positive for continued increases in revenues.
For context, in a year-over-year comparison, in January
2011 we reported a to-date loss of just over $32K as
com-pared to a profit at the end of January 2012. With regard to our
outstanding legal expenses, I am pleased to report that we are
making great progress in paying down these extraordinary
amounts. Gross legal cost for the unfortunate legal matter
exceeded $800K. USCF’s current situation is that we have
paid off all attorneys except one, with whom we have a payment
schedule which ends with a final payment in September 2012.
USCF also took loans from the life membership assets (LMA)
account and our line of credit (LOC). We hope to pay down the
LOC by the end of 2012. The LMA will take longer. While the
USCF is working diligently to close the books on the legal
tribulations of the past, it is important to note that there was
a terrible opportunity cost to the USCF, and the chess
commu-nity we support, with the expenditure of monies for other than
the promotion and development of chess.
Looking ahead, we have an exciting year of national events
scheduled and our players are enjoying excellent results in
national and international competitions. In the November 2011
World Youth, we had two medalists, Awonder Liang who earned
the gold medal in the Open Under 8 section, and Ruifeng Li who
won the silver medal in the Open Under 10 section. Eric Rosen
earned his first international master norm in the Open Under
18 section, and Sarah Chiang finished fourth in the Girls
Under 14 section. Congratulations to all.
It is of note that internationally our standings on the FIDE
“top lists” include GM Hikaru Nakamura at #6 and GM Gata
Kamsky at #14, with GM Alex Onischuk and GM Yasser
Seirawan making the top 100 ... Robert Hess isn’t far behind.
The U.S. has the potential to not only field the strongest team
in the history of American chess, but to actively compete for first
place at the 2012 Olympiad in Istanbul.
For the ladies, IM Anna Zatonskih stands at #15 and comes
off of an excellent finish in Gibraltar and IM Irina Krush ranks
at #28. Ray Robson claims #11 on the FIDE top 20 juniors list,
but unfortunately we have no player on the FIDE top 20 girls
list. In the December USCF rating list we had twenty girls
under 21 rated 2000 or more, led by Alisa Melekhina rated 2321.
The “girls under 21” is a group we need to put more focus on
in the future including consideration of a “Girls Under 21”
Closed Championship and possible sponsorships for
interna-tional opportunities for these talented young female players.
It is significant for the U.S. chess community to celebrate the
richness that immigrants have brought to our country.
Espe-cially in chess, we welcome visitors from other lands, many of
whom come to visit for a tournament, or come to America with
family or as students, and decide to stay and become
perma-nent residents and later citizens. When our newest members
first arrive they are eagerly sought out to be the “foreigner” in
FIDE norm events and of course everyone is excited to play with
them. Today, I would like to welcome Viktorija Ni, late of Latvia,
who has qualified for an invitation for this year’s U.S. Women’s
Championship and Zonal.
We are fortunate to have outstanding sponsors who are
devoted to the growth and promotion of chess and enriching the
communities they live in by their stewardship on behalf of
chess. Rex Sinquefield and the Saint Louis Chess Club are again
hosting the U.S. Championships which is a USCF premiere event
and a Zonal in 2012. Saint Louis is also hosting the U.S.
Women’s Championship and the U.S. Junior Championship.
2012 is an Olympiad year, and so we are grateful for the
excep-tional support from Saint Louis as we prepare the teams for this
important competition.
The Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) provides a grant and
performance bonuses for the Olympiad team. KCF also runs the
All-Girls National which will be held in April in Chicago. Trophies
Plus sponsored the Grand Prix in 2011. Trophies Plus also
pro-vided jackets and plaques for the All America Team and provides
funding for scholarship prizes in the U.S. Junior Girls Open.
And now from sponsors to service, wherein I humbly segue
to a report of my activities. As president, I am personally
devoted to the promotion of chess. My public activities since the
last meeting included visiting the Fresno Chess Club in
mid-December where, for the third year in a row, I gave a talk and
answered questions from members about the USCF, FIDE and
all things chess. Thanks to Bob Rasmussen for continuing to
organize this event and thanks to the Fresno Chess Club
mem-bers for a very entertaining evening. I look forward to visiting
Fresno Chess Club again in 2012.
In early January, I participated in the opening ceremony for
the Northern California International held in Fremont,
Califor-nia at the Nor Cal House of Chess located in Northwestern
Polytechnic University (NPU), along with CalChess President Tom
Langland, NPU President George Hsieh and Milpitas Mayor
Jose Esteves. We all spoke briefly during the opening festivities,
and spoke privately later. The event coalesced with the passion
and dedication of Ted Castro and Arun Sharma who
co-organ-ized the event and created a successful vision for top-level
chess in the Bay Area. GM Sam Shankland won the tournament.
During Valentine’s weekend, I participated in a panel
discus-sion at the Hip Hop Chess Federation fifth anniversary event
where we discussed life strategies and the fusion of chess,
music and martial arts. Hip Hop’s anniversary celebration was
well covered by local media and was quite an impressive and
fun event. Adisa Bonjoko’s Hip Hop Chess Federation was
recently headlined in Chess Life, and I am looking forward to
more innovative promotions from Adisa.
May Caissa inspire all chessplayers in 2012.
Ruth Haring, president, USCF
Chico, California, February, 2012
Across the Board
Call for ADMs
Advance Delegate Motions (ADMs) for the delegates’ meeting at this year’s U.S. Open are due before June 1, 2012.
They can be sent to Cheryle Bruce, c/o USCF, P.O. Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557 or e-mailed to [email protected].
CL_04-2012_USCF_Affairs_AKF_r6_chess life 3/14/12 3:49 PM Page 11
Chess Kids by Lynn Hamrick Productions, the original award-winning film directed by Lynn Hamrick now on DVD plus a 30 minute special edition follow-up of the
original players, 2011, 19.95, www.chesskidsmovie.com. Also available at uscfsales.com (catalog number DVD0005MV).
