Monday, June 5, 2017

Excellent Article on GM Wesley So, U.S. Chess Champion

It's not often you see a major newspaper feature a story on an American chess champion, so I took note of this one even though it's about a male player, and I don't generally follow news on them.

U.S. chess champion is now ranked No. 2 in the world. Opponents fear he’s still getting better.

By Chuck Culpepper, June 5, 2017

Hint to Author: Please don't write about So as if he's a 12 year old boy with the giggles, and please do not attempt to depict chess as some sort of fierce war game.  So is not a 12 year old boy with giggles and chess is not a fierce war game - it is so much more than that.  It is akin to a multidimensional mathematical equation being worked out in the form of dance and music on 65 squares (no, that is not a typo).  It also has nothing to do with "death," per se, but it certainly can lead to achieving enlightenment and a breakthrough, if only temporary, to the invisible realms where one can feel and "see" the immortal.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Wisconsin International Chess Festival

I posted about my adopted chess club's Milwaukee Summer Challenge (June 10 - 11, 2017, Olympia Resort Hotel, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) in the post just below.

Here is another Wisconsin tournament - an international gathering, a FIDE-rated event with norms available!!!  LOVE seeing this kind of event taking place in Wisconsin!!!


JUNE 13-18, 2017
Madison, Wisconsin  USA
SUMMARY
The Wisconsin International Chess Festival is a 9 round Swiss event with GM 
and IM norm possibilities. It is hosted in the heart of Wisconsin’s Howard 
Johnson Plaza Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin (3841 East Washington Avenue, 
608-244-2481) FREE breakfast, FREE internet, FREE parking, $79 single or 
double, reserve by June 1st and mention CHESS. Wisconsin state capital with
multiple attractions within walking or short driving distance.

Click Here to Register

TRANSPORTATION
FREE shuttle from Madison Airport. From Chicago (O’Hare or Midway) take 
Van Galder Bus:  http://www.coachusa.com/vangalder/ss.tickets.asp. From 
Milwaukee Airport (General Mitchell) take Badger Bus: 
https://www.badgerbus.com/

PRIZES
Guaranteed: $3,000-$2,000-$1,000-$500-$500, top u2450 $500, top u2250  
$500  Minimum Prizes (must complete all 9 rounds): $500 for foreign GMs 
(first 5), $100 for all foreign FIDE rated players.

Entry Fee
GMs free, no deduction from prizes; IMs $159, FIDE 2200+ $249, FIDE u2200 
$299, FIDE unrated $349. $50 more after 5/15, $100 more after 6/5. All players 
must confirm their arrival by 4pm on 6/13 in order to be paired for round one.  
$20 service charge for refunds.

HOTEL: Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel 608-244-2481, $79 single or double, 
reserve by June 1st and mention CHESS.

TIME CONTROL: 40/90, SD/30, 30 sec/move increment.

PLAYING SCHEDULE:
  • Round 1: 6pm Tuesday, June 13th
  • Round 2: 11am Wed, June 14th
  • Round 3: 6pm Wed, June 14th
  • Round 4: 11am Thu, June 15th
  • Round 5: 6pm Thu, June 15th
  • Round 6: 11am Fri, June 16th
  • Round 7: 6pm Fri, June 16th
  • Round 8: 11am Sat, June 17th
  • Round 9: 11am Sun, June 18th
BLITZ
Saturday, June 17th at 7 pm. A five (5) round double Swiss, $500 minimum prize 
fund.  Registration for Blitz Tournament is $50, on site only.
Click Here to Register
Eight GMs are already registered along with four IMs.

Excellent Wisconsin chess femmes WFM Rachel Ulrich (USA 2073) and her sister Susanna Ulrich (USA1799) are registered to play, as are Megan Chen (USA 1391) (Megan is also registered to play in the Milwaukee Summer Challenge June 10 - 11), Merissa Wongso (USA 1106), from Arizona, Nevada, #27 on the Top Girls Age 9 USCF List (as of September 2016), and Harshita Guddanti (IND 2023).


Milwaukee Summer Challenge VI!!!!!!!

Hola darlings!

I hope you are enjoying your summer.  It's a hot and humid one here today, over 90, whew!  Crazy weather is the "new normal."  We use to rarely experience weather like this until mid-to-end of July into August.  I remember weather from about the later-1950's forward.  I was born here in 1951 and have lived here all my life, so I KNOW Milwaukee weather -- or, at least, I used to before climate changes accelerated.

It's that time of year again.  Summer in my dear dear city, Milwaukee.  The Milwaukee Summer Challenge sponsored by Southwest Chess Club is held not too far away, at a beautiful resort in Oconomowoc - so you get to enjoy a beautiful short drive and can see the ever-growing exburbs, farms, and lush greenery due to our abundant rainfall so far this year and a spring that hit in February (forget March - it was awful), and has gotten warmer and warmer since then!  Dates: June 10 - 11, 2017 at the Olympia Resort Hotel.

Goddesschess is sponsoring new prizes this year - we're trying out a different prize structure to encourage more chess femmes to participate and to also "play up" in the higher ELO brackets, where the prizes increase accordingly:

(Goddesschess prizes are awarded in addition to any other prize for which a female player may win):

Open Only to 2000 and Above: $50 per win/$25 per draw; 
U2000: $25 per win/$15 per draw; 
U1000: $10 per win/$5 per draw.

Flyer (with Registration form attached).


Master/Expert Section (open only to 2000 and above) 4SS, G/90+30, EF $40; rounds Sat 10, 3:30; Sun 10, 3; $$GTD: 1st=$300, 2nd=$200, 3rd=$100;  TROPHIES PLUS GRAND PRIX POINTS: 10.
Under 2000 Section 5SS, G/120,d5, EF $40; rounds Sat 10, 2:30, 7 and Sun 10, 3; $$GTD: 1st=$150, U1500=$80.
Under 1000 Section 4SS, G60,d5, EF $25; rounds (Sat only) 10, 1, 3:30, 6; $$GTD: 1st=$50
Goddesschess prizes for Females in addition to above prizes:  Open: $50 per win/$25 per draw; U2000: $25 per win/$15 per draw; U1000: $10 per win/$5 per draw.
Reg: 8:30-9:30, EF: $10 more in each section after June 9; Olympia Resort Hotel, 1350 Royale Mile Rd., Oconomowoc, WI; 1-800-558-9573; (Mention Southwest Chess Club for $99 room rate).
ENTRIES TO: Robin Grochowski, 3835 E Morris Ave, Cudahy, WI 53110 or rgrochowski@wi.rr.com.  Questions to: TD Chris Wainscott 414-839-5232.


I hope you will join the wonderful team from Southwest Chess Club for the Milwaukee Summer Challenge, who put on really nice tournaments and are just great, great people (that's why Goddesschess adopted them as our (and MY) chess club).  

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