Tim Just Winter Open XLI – First ICA Tour event 2025

Tim Just Winter Open XLI – First ICA Tour event 2025

 

The Illinois Chess Association is happy to congratulate Bill Buklis from King Registration and Dan Wilson from Wilson Chess for impressively running our first ICA tour event of 2025, the 26th Tim Just Winter Open. The event was held from January 3 to January 5, 2025 in Schaumburg, Illinois. During the tournament, there was a scholastic side tournament on January 4, 2025; which can be found here.

 

The tournament had six sections: Major, Under 2100, Under 1900, Under 1700, Under 1500, and Under 1300. In total, there were nearly 300 participants, 63 of which were ICA members. The tournament consisted of five rounds of game 90 with a 30 second increment.

 

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Picture Courtesy of Wilson Chess

 

Master 

 

We had a very exciting last round where FM Ochirbat Lkhagvajamts was leading  with a perfect 4 points and four players tied in second with 3.5 points going into the final round: IM Augusto Cesar Campos, GM Praveen Balakrishnan, CM Anjaneya Sripathy Rao, and John Abraham. John took a bye in the last round, leaving him a total of 4 points for the event. Meanwhile, Augusto won giving him 4.5 points tying Ochirbat who drew Praveen giving the Master co-champion title to  Augusto and Ochirbat with 4.5 points. Praveen and John ended up tied for third with 4 points. 

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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Under 2100

 

We had an undefeated player, Srivatsan Sekar, with a perfect 5 out of 5 wins. Michael H Li was also undefeated after taking a half point bye in the first round, ending up with 4.5 points. Steven Napoli ended up alone in third place with 4 out of 5 points. There was a 7-player tie with 3.5 points. 

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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Under 1900

 

There was a two-way tie for first place with 3.5 out of 4 points going into the last round, making for an exciting finish with three other players having a total of 3 points. Chad Beasley and Amarjargal Ganbaatar played each other for the U1900 title. Chad won the game for a total of 4.5 points. Amarjarga ended up in an 8-way tie for second with 3.5 points. The other 7 players are listed below with 3.5 points.

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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Under 1700

 

There were two players going into the last round with 3.5 points. Ojas Sahoo and Evan Y Jin. Since Ojas drew Evan in round 4, they did not play each other. Instead, Ojas ended up defeating Junho Par to take the title with 4.5 points.  We had three players ending up with 4 points coming into a tie for second place. The three players were Joshua Flores, Emil Sadyktov and Junho Park.

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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Under 1500

 

Going into the last round Henry Byrne Thomas was the only undefeated player with 4 out 4 points. He defeated Tecumseh Griffin to end up undefeated with 5 points. Meanwhile, Robert Gavin Decicco won his last game to finish outright in second place with 4.5 points.

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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Under 1300

 

Shaun Stubenvoll won the U1300 title with a perfect score of 5 out of 5 games. At the same time, Saboor Khan, who came in second, had an outstanding achievement considering he was unrated starting the event. We had another outstanding tournament by Connor Chung who also came into the event unrated ended up with 4 points. We also want to recognize the following players who came into the event unrated to enjoy our first ICA tour event of 2025: Ravi Ranjan, Andrew Block, Ian Sornson, Bud Harrison, Kayleb Sims, Max Grouper and Shorya Mehta.

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:




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Linked here is a complete cross-table for the event, courtesy of King Registration, and linked here is the US rating report. Following these links, you can view the full results across any sections instead of the abbreviated standings above. Linked here is a recap with many pictures and cross tables courtesy of Wilson Chess for the event. Once again, we are happy to congratulate everybody who participated and gave it their best in this tournament and to congratulate Bill Buklis along with King Registration and Dan Wilson from Wilson Chess for running the tournament so smoothly. We also want to thank the 63 Illinois Chess Association members that came out and supported our first ICA tour event for 2025.




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2025 Winter Open Individual Scholastic

2025 Winter Open Individual Scholastic

 

The Illinois Chess Association is happy to congratulate Bill Buklis from King Registration Dam Wilson from Wilson Chess for running our first ICA tour event for 2025. As a wonderful side event for the scholastic players, they offered a scholastic event with lower rated sections compared to the main event. The event was held from January 4, 2025. This tournament was held in Schaumburg, Illinois. There was also the main three-day event from January 3 to January 5, 2025. The main Tim Just Winter Open is presented in a second article which can be found here.

 

The tournament had three sections: Under 1200, Under 800 and Under 500. In total, there were almost 150 participants, 5 of which were ICA members. The tournament consisted of five rounds of game 25 with a 5 delay.

 

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The Trophies, courtesy of Wilson Chess

 

Under 1200

 

We had a very exciting last round with a two-way tie for first entering the last round with a perfect 4 points out of 4 going into the last round.  Pierce Wei defeated Pratheek Gajula to end up with a perfect 5 points. We ended up with four more players going into the last round with 3 points and winning, causing a 5-way tie for second with 4 points. The four other players besides Pratheek Gajulak were Eesha Kumar, Shrinath Hariharan, Eyal Senthilkumar, and Phani Nihit Surikuchi. Pratheek ended up with second place honors on tie-brakes.

 

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Picture Courtesy of Wilson Chess

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

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Under 800

 

We had a very exciting last round.  Michael Juchems was the only player with a perfect 4 out of 4 wins going into the last round. He defeated Shivank Prathipati who started the last round with 3.5 out of 4 points. Mesen Yang also started the last round with 3.5 points and defeated Milo Soohov to come into second place. Two other players started the last round with 3.5 points and drew each other to end up with 4 points: Loga Alexander Pauley and Ansh Raina. Three other players also finished with 4 points by winning their last game: Vikram Gollapudi, Rylan Ingrum and Navya Gupta.

 

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Picture Courtesy of Wilson Chess

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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Under 500

 

There was a four-way tie for first place with a perfect 4 out of 4 points going into the last round, making for an exciting finish.  Adele Mathis defeated Luc Amin and Samarth Singh defeated Wellington Zhou. Adele ended up winning first pace on tiebreaks 

 

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Picture courtesy of Wilson Chess

 

Here are the players that finished with at least three and a half points:

 

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We want to congratulate the following scholastic players that increased their ratings by at least 50 points:

 



Linked here is a complete cross-table for the event, courtesy of King Registration, and linked here is the US rating report. Following these links, you can view the full results across any sections instead of the abbreviated standings above. Linked here is a recap with many pictures and cross tables courtesy of Wilson Chess for the event. Once again, we are happy to congratulate everybody who participated and gave it their best in this tournament and to congratulate Bill Buklis along with King Registration and Dan Wilson from Wilson Chess for running the tournament so smoothly. We also want to thank the 5 Illinois Chess Association members that came out and supported the scholastic side event for our first ICA tour event for 2025.




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January 2025 Top Youth

January 2025 Top 100 Youth

Welcome & congratulations to Nora Maxfield (515) and Frankie Kirkman (452), who made the national Top 100 Girls.

  

US RankNameRating
Top Girls Age 7 and Under
1 Tang, Emily Jiaying 1397
69 NORA MAXFIELD 515
88 Kirkman, Frankie 452
Top Age 7 and Under
11 Tang, Emily Jiaying 1397
26 Li, Ethan 1205
Top Girls Age 8
4 Xia, Elizabeth 1773
5 Xin, Stella 1743
27 VALERIE YAN 1132
29 Gopal, Sri Akshika 1115
38 Kumar, Eesha 1052
78 Batmunkh, TSelmeg 792
87 ANGELICA CAIRO 745
Top Age 8
1 Li, Aiden Linyuan 2058
10 Xia, Elizabeth 1773
17 Xin, Stella 1743
69 Munkhsuld, Bishrelt 1308
Top Girls Age 9
20 Nali, Sahasra 1364
40 Biswas, Avidha 1078
51 Amireddy, Sadhvi 1029
63 Mahesh, Praakruthi 969
74 Banoth, Shanaya 900
Top Age 9
3 Yu, Matthew 1955
35 Tang, Edward Jiayi 1708
76 Kumar, Advik 1509
Top Girls Age 10
65 Bothe, Devaanshi 1029
Top Age 10
77 Silvestre, Lucas 1685
Top Girls Age 11
20 Zhan, Amy 1600
47 Sun,Yuanli 1298
Top Age 11
29 Rajkumar, Sachit Srinivas 1986
Top Girls Age 12
21 Chen, Victoria 1697
37 Bowman, Deborah 1578
42 Saha, Anisha 1534
Top Age 12
12 Khanbutaev, Artemii 2136
17 Baker, Aidan 2075
20 Tikhomirov, Matthew 2050
55 JUSTIN LEE 1932
55 Pittala, Ashvath Reddy 1932
Top Girls Age 13
8 Wang, Gaofei 1843
53 Sharad, Suhana 1407
54 VANSHIKA BANDARU 1404
59 Jiandani, Mehak S 1342
73 Ranjan, Nysa 1230
84 Hari, Nila 1137
Top Age 13
81 Zhang, Ryan 1912
83 MAHENDRA LAVANUR 1905
Top Girls Age 14
34 Manimaran, Shivani 1725
77 Bothe, Nysa 1245
Top Age 14
17 Rao, Anjaneya Sripathy 2251
21 Shetty, Anshul P 2225
73 Chennareddy, Yuvraj 1999
89 Das, Debarghya 1943
Top Girls Age 15
19 Pham, Linda 1773
31 Girish, Niyathi 1634
75 Sheridan, Wayra 1162
98 Gansukh, Megan 1043
Top Age 15
50 Mehrotra, Ekansh 2128
80 Feng, Jay 2030
Top Girls Age 16
26 Raj, Ria 1747
48 SOLOMIIA KUCHER 1492
Top Age 16
1 Mardov, Dimitar 2588
53 Gangavarapu, Sreekar 2113
74 Dmitriev, Andrey 2061
Top Girls Age 17
19 MERRILL LEE 1715
21 Himani Musku 1666
29 Oberai, Anisha 1585
32 Adusumalli, Saanvi 1548
62 Pashyan, Sofia 1205
65 JOSEPHINE GRACE SWAN 1200
80 LUCIA J SCRIMENTI 1066
82 Liu, Catherine 1043
Top Age 17
29 Xu, Arthur 2237
58 Zhao, Alex 2127
61 Malladi, Sadkrith 2110
88 Vikram Oberai 2055
99 WHITMAN KOSAK 2018
Top Girls Age 18
2 Wisniowski, Natalie 2106
7 Cortez, Rebecca 1973
15 Luster, Shakira Makayla 1789
45 Schneider, Rosali 1319
68 Wong, Megan E 989
Top Age 18
9 Kaplan, Avi Harrison 2418
48 Heller, Jack 2141
64 Wisniowski, Natalie 2106
94 Anthony Chen 2000
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Kevin Bachler: A Lifelong Commitment to Chess and the Community

Kevin Bachler: A Lifelong Commitment to Chess and the Community

 Kevin cavemen

    Kevin pictured in front of the Caveman Chess Club

Bachler’s love for chess began in his youth, when he received his first chess set at 11 years old. By the time he was 14, in 1971, he had already begun organizing and directing minor chess tournaments while in Junior High. From there, Bachler’s passion for the game continued to grow. Known for his highly tactical playstyle, he was often told he “played like a caveman” – a description that would later inspire the name of his chess club. During his college years, Bachler’s chess skills advanced to the point where he became an expert player. He began teaching chess and organizing tournaments, and soon after, he achieved the coveted title of master. 

In the 1990s, as his son became involved in chess, Bachler shifted and took a more active role in youth chess. He started a chess club at his son’s school when he was in the third grade. Under his guidance, the club excelled. In three consecutive years, the team finished in the top five in the national championships – and received first in the nation in the third year. As  5th graders before state and nationals, they were also playing in the junior high division because there was insufficient competition within their own age range.

Bachler’s involvement in chess continued to grow throughout the years. By 1997, he began running national chess camps during the summer. These camps provided a unique opportunity for young chess players to practice and play with some of the strongest teachers in the country, while also meeting like-minded children. His camps quickly became some of the largest in the nation, where he himself has the largest chess camp run nationwide.

While Bachler’s career in finance kept him from fully dedicating himself to chess for many years, his love for the game never waned. Upon retiring, he was able to devote more time to his true passion. In pursuit of a lifelong dream, he founded the Caveman Chess Center, a place that would bring respect and positivity to the chess community.

 

caveman    

           Inside of the Caveman Chess Club

To Bachler, The Caveman Chess Center is more than just a place for playing chess – it’s a community focused on fostering respect within the game and getting more people involved in this wonderful game. This is because Bachler finds respect to be the most important quality that should be emphasized within chess, and his club serves as a platform for all players to interact and learn from each other. The club will officially open its doors later this month, with tournaments held in the evenings and on weekends, with typical hours ranging from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Bachler’s career as a competitive player is not without its standout moments. One of the most memorable came during the Janesville Chess Anniversary Open in 1980, where he delivered a spectacular performance. As a low expert player, Bachler managed to beat two 2400-rated opponents in a row and went on to win the tournament with a score of 4.5/5. This victory remains one of his proudest and most tactically sound moments in the game, cementing himself as “The Caveman”.

 

 icb1

 

 

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                          Article from ICB (Illinois Chess Bulletin) supplied by Kevin Bachler

 

           Games courtesy of Kevin Bachler

Beyond his work with the Caveman Chess Club, Bachler is also focused on giving back to the chess community. One of his most recent initiatives is the Caveman Chess Charities, which among many things, especially focuses on  Blind Players, which aims to make chess more accessible for visually impaired players. One of the charity's projects includes implementing blind game notation with ChessBase, enabling blind players to more easily use digital readers to read the information given by ChessBase, or a likewise software. Additionally, Bachler is working on creating a template and accompanying program that will allow tournament information to be published in a streamlined format, saving time and effort for organizers.

As Bachler continues to inspire and teach, his dedication to the game of chess remains unwavering. Whether it’s through coaching, running national camps, organizing a chess club, or his charitable efforts, Bachler is committed to making the chess community a better place for all. Despite all that, with plans to expand his charity efforts, continue running his club, and foster a new generation of chess players, Kevin Bachler’s legacy in the world of chess is far from over.

 

Please email editor@il-chess.org for any articles or requests for meet the member or meet the affiliate 

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Meet our Affiliates

It is of great importance for the community to get to meet the members of the ICA community, which is already setup. Now, we have realized that it would be nice to be able to meet our affiliates as well; the people who operate these organizations and support ICA. This new category will begin seeing articles soon.

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ICA Staff Reporter Positions

The Illinois Chess Association would like to reach out to our membership to see if anyone wants to join our staff as a reporter. This position is a volunteer position but a wonderful opportunity for a student that can get credit for service hours. The staff-reporter reports directly to the editor and would be responsible for reporting on chess events throughout their area, creating articles or acquiring information to be sent to the editor for review and publishing. We have two positions available. We would like to have one person that lives in cook or surrounding counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will) and one from the rest of the state. Please send your information to editor@il-chess.org and our editor or one of the board members will get back to you shortly.

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Three Illinois Players selected to the 2025 All American Team

Three Illinois Players selected to the 2025 All American Team

US Chess has announced the 2025 All American Chess Team.  Each member of the team received team jackets and plaques for their achievements.  Since 1987 being selected to the team has been one of the highest honors attainable for players aged 18 and under. The age groups with minimum ratings are as follows: Age 18 minimum rating of 2500, Age 17 minimum rating of 2475, Age 16 minimum rating of 2450, Age 15 minimum rating of 2425, Age 14 minimum rating of 2400, Age 13 minimum rating of 2350, Age 12 minimum rating of 2300, Age 11 minimum rating of 2225, Age 10 minimum rating of 2159, Age 9 minimum rating of 2050 and Age 8 and under minimum rating of 1950.

Illinois had 3 out the 58 players entering this year’s class of the 2025 All American Team.

We had one player in the Age 15 group and two in the Age 8 and under group.

 

Dimitar Mardov is in the Age 15 group.

mardov.jpg

Picture courtesy of his parents

 

Aiden LI was in the under 8 group

 

aiden.JPG

Picture courtesy of his parents.

 

Matthew Yu is in the under 8 group

matthew-yu.jpg

Picture courtesy of his parents.

 

The Illinois Chess Association want to congratulate the three Illinois players selected to the 2025 class. The complete US Chess article can be found here.

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2024 annual meeting; Notes from meeting

  • Opening statement - Stephen Plotnick (President)
    • Reflecting on his tenure since 2017.
    • He expressed satisfaction with the current state of the ICA and acknowledged the team effort it made in overcoming previous issues.
    • The editor position has been reinstated, filled by Jacob Plotnick, a junior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. 
    • Jacob has written nearly 30 articles since February, mostly about tournaments, with some featuring interviews. 
    • Editor will start writing articles about the ICA Tour, not just state events. 
    • Any current affiliate is welcome to write an article or send facts about events to the editor, so an article maybe written. 
    • ICA is planning to expand, and the addition of staff reporter positions are open. Interested individuals can email the editor to become staff reporters. The position is volunteer based, offering service hours for high school or college students. 
  • State of Association – Emily (Treasurer)
    • The ICA is current as the US Chess state affiliate and as a non-profit with the state of Illinois. 
    • Banking information has been moved to the Peoria area, with a new PO box established for consistency in mailings. 
    • The association carries event insurance and bonding insurance for the board. 
    • Current funds in checking and savings accounts total $61,952.45, with approximately $11,000 in investment accounts. 
    • The checking account is now interest-bearing, earning a few hundred dollars annually in dividends. 
    • Taxes and corrected taxes were filed last year, with extensions filed this year due to late access to investment accounts. 
  • Upstate Update – Eric (Metro VP)
    • Reported that things are going well, coordinating with update clubs to help establish different places to play chess and increase public visibility. 
  • Downstate – Amy (Downstate VP presented by Emily) 
    • Amy, unable to provide a detailed update due to location, had Emily fill in, highlighting the active chess scene in Peoria and 
    • Bloomington-Normal areas.
    • Greater Peoria Chess hosts 17 tournaments between August and February, with recent tournaments attracting over 300 participants.
    • The club provides the Boy Scouts of America Chess Merit Badge and won a Title 1 US Chess travel grant, enabling eight players to attend Super Nationals. 
    • Fundraising efforts allowed for two scholarships to Nationals and a bus trip to the K-8 State Championship in Bloomington. 
  • WJS update – Edwin (WJS Committee Chairperson)
    • The program will officially start in January, with new qualifications posted and asterisks indicating near-qualification. Players with an asterisk should reach out to the WJS director to see what they are missing. 
    • Common issues that would lead to a player having an asterisk: Not a current ICA member, missing one of two required tournament appearances 
    • A new female/girl’s/women's Warren Junior Scholars group will encourage more female participation. Should start early this year.
    • As of January, there will be 46 Warren Junior Scholars and about 72 Rising Stars. 
    • Efforts are being made to reach out to chess education platforms for potential discounts or programs to benefit members. 
    • Focus is on retaining female players, especially as they transition to high school and beyond. 
  • ICA Tour - Emily 
    • Listed events can be found on the ICA website under rules for Illinois tour. 
    • Twelve events are scheduled, evenly split between northern and southern locations, running from January through November, ending with the Illinois Class. 
    • Prizes are divided into Open, Reserve, and Scholastic categories, with players earning participation points based on tournament entries playing at least half the number of rounds scheduled.
    • Winners will be announced and awarded in January after board
    • approval, with the same rules and locations used for the 2025 tour.
    • Plans include increasing publicity and membership participation in tour events. 
    • Prizes also included if anyone played in a total of 7,9 or all 12 events.
  • Announce new executive board – Steve (President)
    • President – Danial WIlson
    • Metro VP - Eric Ortega 
    • Downstate VP - Amy Green 
    • Treasurer - Emily Dawson 
  • Remarks from new President – Danial 
    • Danial shared his vision for the ICA, expressing gratitude for the work of current and past board members. 
    • Plans include launching the revamped Warren Junior Scholars and Rising Stars program, the new website with enhanced content, and improved member benefits. 
    • Producing more articles both informative and educational.
    • Giving away free entries to our state events via a raffle for members. 
    • There are plans to review and revise bid guidelines and bylaws, emphasizing the board's ambition and readiness to implement significant improvements in the coming years. 
  • New Website – Steve 
    • The new ICA website is close to completion, with a demonstration of the functionality of the website. 
    • Affiliates will be able to submit their own event listings, which will be displayed on the main page carousel once approved. 
    • Members will have access to game analysis videos and articles, with different levels of access for free and paid memberships. 
    • The website will feature ~600 practical chess exercises from the editor's overseas teaching experience. 
    • Access to PGN games from Grandmaster games to state championship games. 
    • Post demonstration if anyone has anything they would like to see
  • Q&A – 3 minutes per question 
    • No questions asked 
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Agenda for 2024 Annual Meeting

 

Illinois Chess Association Board of Directors Annual Meeting Agenda

December 17, 2024 at 7pm

 

  1. Call to Order
  2. Roll Call: 
  3. Approval of Agenda
  4. Approve November Minutes
  5. Opening Comments - Steve
  6. State of Association – Emily
  7. Upstate Update – Eric 
  8. Downstate – Amy / Emily
  9. WJS update – Edwin
  10. ICA Tour - Steve
  11. Announce new executive board – Steve
  12. Remarks from new President – Dan
  13. New Website – Steve
  14. Q&A – 3 minutes per question
  15. End meeting 9 PM
  16. Next Meeting January 7, 2025
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2024 National K-12 Grade Champonships

 

 2024 National K-12 Grade Champonships

 

 

The USCF expertly ran their 2024 National K-12 Grade Championship last week in National Harbor, Maryland from December 6-8, 2024

 

k12

The tournament had thirteen sections: Kindergarten and grades one to twelve and consisted of over 2700 players from 45 states. Of those 2700, Illinois sent 77 players across all age ranges. The following players participated in their first US Chess National event at this event:

 9th - SHANE ASBRA

11th - RAJINDER SINGH ATLURI

 9th - JAMES BEDNARZ

 9th - PIERCE BLANCHARD

10th - SOHAN CHAMARTHI

11th - ARITRA JANA

11th - LUCAS LAZARO

11th - GRIFFIN LEWIS

 2nd - ADHVIK MOHAN

 K  - ANVITHA MOHAN

 6th - ANISHA SAHA

 4th - MADHUVANTI SATHISH

11th - SAMUEL TAN

10th - ISHAAN TANNEERU

 K  - ALEXANDER WU

10th - YUXUAN XIE

12th - IMMANUEL ZEREGA

 

12th Grade Championship Section

Illinois was represented by 13 players including:

Avi Kaplan

Joseph Dai

Rebecca Cortez

Somil Bose

Evan Haddox

Immanuel Zerega

Daniel Dligach

Alexander Alvarez

William Zalmezak

Akshay Naik

Yinuo Huang

Lucia Scrimenti

Weijun Bao

 

Of whom, Avi Kaplan won the section with 6.0 points

avi.jpg

Picture courtesy of Avi’s parents

Illinois Swept the class prizes for 1000-1299

Immanuel Zerega won 1st place

    Note from coach: Manu (Immanuel) Zerega broke his right wrist the week before the tournament, so he had to notate using his left hand

Daniel Dligach won 2nd place

dan3

 Daniel Supplied last game postion and his medal

Lucia Scrimenti won 3rd place

 

Weijun Bao won the class prize for under 1000 in the 12 Grade Championship

Picture

Finally, Evanston Township High School came in 5th place as a team.

 evanston

Picture courtesy of the High School

Players left to right: Lucia Scrimenti, Wayra Sheridan, Sam Kemeny, Will Zalmezak, Ryan Cowan, Adam Elgat, Manu Zerega, Adam Sklar, Alastair Keely-Walker, Lucas Lazaro, Daniel Dligach, Asa Lieberman, Griffin Lewis, Shane Asbra, Somil Bose.

11th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 11 players including:

David Chen

Adam Elgat

Dimitrios Deligiannis

Alastrir Keely-Walker

Lucas Lazaro

Nithin Ramasamy

Griffin Lewis

Samuel Tan

Ryan Cowan

Rajinder Atluri

Aritta Jana

Samuel Tan won 3rd place class for 1000-1299

Lucas Lazaro won 1st place class for under 1000

Ryan Cowan won 2nd place class for under 1000

Pictures

10th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 13 players including:

 

Justin Zhang

Asa Lieberman

William Wang

Theodore Han

Micah Mostovoy

Andy Cao

Yuxuan Xie

Atharva Naik

Ishann Tanneeru

Sohan Chamarthi

Vincent Lan

Joanna Marsten

Adam SklarYuxuan

Theodore Han won 1st place class 1300-1599

theodore

Theodore-s picture courtesy of his parents

 

Micah Mostovoy won 1st place class 1100-1299

Sohan Chamarthi won 2nd place class under 1000.

sohan 

Sohan's picture courtesy of his parents

9th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 5 players including:

 

Timur Turba

Shane Asbra

James Bednarz

Wayra Sheridan

Pierce Blanchard

8th Grade Championship section

 

There were not any Illinois players who represented at the tournament.

7th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 2 players including:

Ashvath Pittala

Arjun Kota

6th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 1 player:

Anisha Saha

5th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 1 player:

Anfad Saran

Anfad Saran won 2nd place class under 1100-1300.

Picture

4th Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 2 players including:

Avidhas Biswas

Maduvanti Sathish

3rd Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 2 players including:

Aiden Li

Bishrelt Munkshuld

Aiden Li won his section with 6.5 points.

 

aiden

Picture courtesy of his parents.

 

2nd Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 1 player

Adhvik Mohan

picture

Advik Mohan won 2nd place class 600-799

1st Grade Championship section

 

Illinois was not represented

Kindergarten Championship section

 

Illinois was represented by 2 players including:

Alexander Wu

Anvitha Mohan.

Picture

Alexander Wu won 3rd place class 400-599.

 

Linked here is a complete pre-tournament registration report for the event, courtesy of US Chess, and the US rating report. Following these links, you can view the full results across any sections instead of the abbreviated standings above.

Once again, we want to congratulate a remarkable turnout from our Illinois Chess Association players and the great assistance of Edwin Walker, head of our Warren Scholars program, for procuring much of the data used to report on. 

Finally, congratulations to all the players 

If anyone wants an article written or edited, please send an email to editot@il-chess.org

 

 

 

 

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(It's been our pleasure at the Evanston Chess Club to play a couple of simuls against NM Jon Burgess. The simuls were a lot of fun, but the games we played left some of us asking, "How can I play better chess against stronger players?"  So we asked Jon to talk to us about how to improve our games and be more effective when we play up. The following lecture was given on February 22, 2011, and features three games in which David beats Goliath. Thanks to NM Burgess for providing his materials for publication on the ICA Chess Blog. — Maret Thorpe)

Before the games here is a list of things not to do when it comes to playing a stronger player

Don’ts and Do’s

Don’t change you’re opening because the opponent is stronger than you. Play your normal opening.

Don’t sit down at the board and think you have no chance. If you do you might as well resign at move one.

Don’t over analyze your opponent's rating or who they are. Ratings are just numbers and everyone can have a bad day.

Do believe you can beat anyone no matter what strength you are.

Don’t simplify the game for the sake of it. Stronger players love when weaker players trade down all the pieces because they are stronger in the endgame.

Do play the board not the person.

Don’t doubt yourself when you see a good move. Play it even strong players don’t see everything and often make mistakes.

You must want to win more than your opponent. You must have the hunger to destroy as opposed to saying "if I make it to move 30 I will be satisfied." Or "if I get a draw that’s great." No, you sit down and play to win.

Stronger players love when weaker players play for a draw. Why? Because the stronger player knows that the weaker player is playing for a draw and can use that against them.

Stronger players win because weaker players are scared of them.

The first game is from the 2004 Chicago Open. I played GM Yury Shulman who did become US Champion. The game was sharp and full of tactics. I played the board and not the player. If you respect the person you’re playing you will lose the game. I knew to win this game I didn’t have to simply win I had to destroy my opponents position and win his King.

Burgess,J (2215) - Shulman,Y (2616) [C44]
Chicago Open (1), 05.2004, Open Section

1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.g3 e5 6.Bg2 dxe4 7.dxe4 b6 8.Qe2 Bc5 9.Nb3 Bd6 10.0-0 a5 11.Rd1 Ba6 12.c4 a4 13.Nbd2 Nd7 14.Nf1 Nc5 15.Ne3

  • White has many active pieces
  • White Rook on D1 is strong
  • Black Bishop on D6 is pinned
  • White is castled Black isn’t
  • White has strong Knight squares to go to D5 and F5

15...0-0 16.Nf5 Ne6 17.Be3 Now bxb6 is threatened followed by Rxd6!

  • White has a strong Knight on F5
  • White threatens Bxb6
  • White may someday start a Kingside attack
  • All of Whites pieces have an important role

17...Qb8 18.Ng5 Nxg5 19.Bxg5 f6 Now the hardest move of the game is hard to see how white can continue an attack here with few attacking pieces in play! 20.Bh6 If gxh6 then am sure Qg4 check then Kf7 Qg7 check if Ke6 then Bh3! or if Ke8 then still Bh3 with threats of Nxd6 followed by mate on d7!

  • White has offered Black a free Bishop on H6 however then the White Queen will come to G4 attacking the Black King
  • The Black pieces are very cramped with the Queen on B8 and Rook still on A8

20...Rf7 21.Qg4 Bf8 22.Bxg7 Now if Bxg7 then Nh6 check Kf8 then Nxf7 Kxf7 Rd7 check Ne7 Rxe7 check Kxe7 and Qxg7 ! 22...h5 23.Qg6 Now Nh6 mate is threatened and black is in all kinds of trouble. 23...Rxg7 24.Nxg7 Bxg7 25.Rd7 Qf8 Now how does white continue the attack considering black has his bishop defended nicely by the Queen? 26.Bh3 Threats are Be6 check and Qh5 mate or Bf5 and Qh7 mate! 26...Nd4 Now what for white? The Nd4 covers E6 and f5 squares and holds blacks position together.

 

  • White has to work out how to remove the Black Knight on D4 since it defends many important squares like E6 and F5
  • The White pieces Queen and Rook are very threatening on the Black Kingside and if White can get a Bishop on E6 or F5 the game will be over

27.Rd1 Now the threat is R1xD4 removing the defender then Be6 check and Qh5 mate again! 27...f5 28.R1xd4 exd4 29.Bxf5 Qf6 The only move that saves Black for now but here comes the kill moves! 30.Qh7+ Kf8 31.Be6 A diversion move diverting the Queen now the important thing is if Qxe6 then Qxg7 check then Ke8 and Black gets away with it !

 

  • White has played the strong move BE6 threatening QG8 mate
  • What happens if Black plays QxE6?
  • After QxE6 does White have anymore good moves left?

31...Qxe6 32.Rxg7 Threat Qh8 mate winning on the spot so black is in a difficult position for sure now! 32...Bxc4 33.Qh8+ Qg8 34.Rxg8+ Bxg8 35.Qf6+ Bf7 Now white should play Qxd4 but he forgot oops ! 36.e5 Re8 37.e6 Rxe6 38.Qxd4 Re1+ 39.Kg2 Rc1 Now forced win available the Rook on C1 is vulnerable to a check on H6 by the Queen! 40.Qd8+ Be8 41.Qf6+ Bf7 42.Qh6+ Game over I win the Rook and the point 1-0

The second game is from the 2009 Greater Peoria Open. The game was between Trevor Magness who is now a Master and Brian Villarreal an 1800 rated player. In this game White deviates from safe moves in the opening and moves in for the attack very early and pays for that decision.

Magness,T (2148) - Villarreal,B (1649) [B90]
Greater Peoria Open 2009

B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.g4 [9.Be2 0-0 10.0-0 This may be a safer line for White instead of playing G4 and getting in such a complicated position with his King still in the center of the board.]

  • White has played a very aggressive move in G4. The plan is to play G5 and displace the Black Knight on F6 however it is now Black to move and he has a powerful move to break open the center of the board.
  • It would have been wiser for White to have played Be2 followed by 0-0 or Qd2

9...d5 10.g5 [10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Bh4+ 12.Bf2 Bxd5 Black has a much better position] 10...d4 11.gxf6 last book move 11...Bxf6 [11...Bxf6 12.Bf2 dxc3 13.Qxd8+] 12.Bf2 dxc3 13.bxc3 Even though it seems obvious for White to play bxc3 it is a very weak move. Much better was QxD8 + for White followed by 0-0-0 +. [13.Qxd8+ Kxd8 14.0-0-0+ Nd7 15.Nc5 An interesting position with White having more play and active pieces.]

  • White has now saddled himself with doubled weak c pawns on C2 and C3
  • White will have a hard time finding a good square for the Bishop on F1
  • Black will put his Rook on C8 along with the Queen and attack the weak C pawns

13...Nd7 14.Qd6 Be7 15.Qd2 White now has very weak C pawns on C3 and C2. 15...Rc8 16.Rg1 g6 17.Rb1 White's position is hard but Rb1 doesn't seem to do much. 17...Qc7 The White pawn on C3 is doomed 18.c4 Bxc4 19.Na5 Be6 20.Rxb7 Qxc2 21.Bxa6 Material is equal right now however Whites minor pieces on the A File look like they may be easily attacked.

  • White now has several loose minor pieces on the A File
  • The White Knight on A5 is loose because if the Queens come off and the White Rook on B7 moves off the B file then Black will have Bb4 + winning the White Knight on A5

21...Qc1+ 22.Ke2 Qxd2+ 23.Kxd2 Ra8 24.Ba7 White's pieces on the A File are now overloaded and Black has a nice tactic. 24...Rxa7 25.Rxa7 Bb4+ 26.Ke2 Bxa5 27.Bb5 [27.Ra8+ Bd8 The position is complicated Black has 2 minor pieces for a Rook however his pieces are tied down and White has a passed A pawn.] 27...Bb6 28.Ra8+ Ke7 29.Rxh8 Bxg1 30.a4 This is possibly a fatal mistake by White because now Black can block the White Rook in on H8. 30...Nf8

  • White has now got his Rook trapped on the Kingside behind Black’s pawns
  • Black has 2 Bishops against White’s one Bishop and a passed A pawn

31.Rg8 This move RG8 is a mystery not sure what purpose it serves. 31...Bb6 32.Kd3 Bb3 33.Kd2 Ba5+ 34.Ke2 Bb4 35.Kd3 Kf6 This weak move by Black KF6 allows White to play A5 with the threat of RxF8 if Black plays BxA5. 36.a5 Ke7 [36...Bxa5 37.Rxf8 White wins a piece for a pawn in this nice variation.] 37.a6 Bc5 Black has all the play.

  • The White Rook is still trapped on the Kingside
  • White has a passed pawn on A6 however it will never Queen since Black has 2 Bishops against 1

The White Rook on G8 is totally shut out of the game. 38.Bc4 Bd1 39.Bd5 Bxf3 40.Kc4 Bd4 41.Bb7 Be2+ 42.Kd5 Bd3 43.h3 Nd7 Black threatens to play NF6 check winning the White Rook on G8 or the White pawn on E4. 44.Kc6 [44.h4 Nf6+ 45.Kc6 Nxg8] 44...Bxe4+ 45.Kc7 Bb6+ 46.Kc8 Nf6 47.Rh8 The White Rook is now back on the H8 square so White wasted 2 moves playing RG8 then RH8. 47...Bf5+ 48.Kb8 Bxh3 49.Bc6 [49.a7 Nd7+ 50.Ka8 h5 An interesting position White has a pawn on A7 however his King cannot move right now.] 49...e4 50.Kb7 Bd4 51.Bb5 e3 52.Kc7 Nd5+ 53.Kb7 Nc3 54.Re8+ Kf6 55.Bc4 Bg2+ 56.Kc7 Bf3 57.Kb8 e2 58.a7 Bxa7+ 59.Kxa7 h5 60.Kb6 White resigns after being overwhelmed by the Black minor pieces and pawns a great game by Black. White lost some tempo in the endgame with RG8 then Rook back to H8.

  • The White Rook has now got some freedom
  • Black has a passed pawn on E2 ready to Queen and 3 more connected passed pawns on the Kingside

0-1

In the Third game which is taken from the very recent USAT North Team Tournament Expert Vincent Hart downs Master Len Weber in a very simple game which illustrates that everyone can put a piece on a bad square.

 

Hart,V (2006) - Weber,L (2201) [A10]
USAT-North (1), 02.2011

1.c4 e6 2.g3 f5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 D3 seems like a very passive move by White. It would be better to play D4 immediately. [6.d4 Nc6 7.Nc3 d5 An interesting position for both sides. Both sides have pieces developed however the Black Bishop on C8 is hemmed in by the pawns and has yet to find a home. Also Black has a backward pawn on E6.]

  • Instead of the passive move D3 White should play D4 and seize the initiative
  • Both sides have castled and Black should play in the center with D5

6...c5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.e4 d6 9.exf5 exf5 10.d4 Now we see how White lost a move by playing D3 first followed by D4 instead of an immediate D4 on move 6. 10...Ne4 11.Nd5 Bf6 12.Be3 b6 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Ng5

  • The White pieces are very active and White is threatening to play NxE4 or QD5 + winning some material
  • If Black plays NxG5 then White has QD5 + and he will win the Knight on C6

Nxg5 16.Qd5+ Kh8 [16...Be6 17.Qxc6 Ne4 18.Bxe4 fxe4 19.Qxe4 Bh3 20.Qd5+ Be6] 17.Qxc6 Nh3+ 18.Kh1 Qxc6 19.Bxc6 Rb8 20.f4

  • The Black Knight is trapped on H3 with no way to escape
  • White has a very strong Bishop on the White squares

Rf6 21.Bg2 Bb7 22.Bxb7 Rxb7 23.Kg2 Re7 [23...Rh6 24.Rad1 Kg8 25.Rd5 This is a very difficult position for Black. The Black Knight on H3 is trapped and the Black Rook on H6 is tied down to protecting the Knight.] 24.Rfe1

  • The Black Knight on H3 is almost lost
  • If Black plays RH6 then White can play Bxc5 winning a pawn

1-0