2011 Annual Meeting and Banquet, Andrew Karklins Honored, Brotsos to Emcee

The ICA is pleased to announce that FM Andrew Karklins has won the Broughton Lifetime Achievment in Chess Award. Join him and celebrate at the Banquet. http://il-chess.net/goto.php?a=karklins

Breaking news: Jim Brotsos will emcee the 2011 ICA Banquet honoring Andrew Karklins.

Sunday, November 6, 2011
Annual Meeting: 11:00 a.m.
Banquet honoring Andrew Karklins: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Buca di Beppo
90 Yorktown Road
Lombard, IL USA 60148

Tickets are available online at http://il-chess.net/goto.php?a=shop

Like his father before him, Andrew Karklins has been selected to receive the Natalie Broughton Lifetime Achievement in Chess Award. Andrew's qualifications for the award include:

  • Tied for the 1965 Illinois State Championship with Richard Verber, won the title in 1991, and tied for the 1993 title with Dmitry Gurevich, Peter Pelts, and Steven Szpisjak.
  • For a period of time in the early 1970s, Andrew was one of the top dozen players in the U.S. He competed for the U.S. Championship in 1973, finishing 7th out of 13 players, ahead of Mednis, Bisguier, Martz, and Donald Byrne, and again in 1974, and in the Lone Pines International master chess tournaments in 1973, 1974 (finishing tied 4th-7th with Evans, Kaplan, and Commons), and 1975
  • Andrew is known for his original thinking in chess. He does not work with a chess computer or program. He produced a move 14 novelty in the Ruy Lopez in a 1989 game that was published in Chess Informant. His analysis of the 6. Qf3 line in the Sicilian Najdorf has been called the Karklins variation, which he used in the 1995 World Open to defeat then Russian champion Peter Svidler. In addition to Svidler, Andrew has wins over GMs Evans, Kaidanov, Shabalov, and Ehlvest.
  • Andrew has authored one book, Modern Grandmaster Chess: As Exemplified in the 1964 USSR Zonal Tournament and translated and edited the English version of Tal's Masterpieces and Other Select Games 1960-1975, authored by Mikhail Tal.
  • Andrew is a teacher of chess. He offers chess lessons (at extremely reasonable rates).
  • Andrew moved to Chicago at the age of 4. He is an example of an individual that has dedicated his life to the pursuit of creative chess and competition at the highest levels. He continues to have good results despite suffering from chronic illness and being legally blind. He is known at the highest levels of competitive chess, and is an outstanding representative for Illinois chess outside of Illinois.