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In Memoriam: Jerry Neugarten

Jerry Neugarten passed away peacefully at home on Monday. His wife Betsy was at his side. 

In lieu of flowers, those who wish can make a donation in Jerry's honor to the US Chess Federation: https://new.uschess.org/give. As you know, he had a long-term passion for teaching chess to kids. 

You may have seen Jerry's obituary here and a condensed version in the Chicago Tribune.

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In Memoriam: Garrett Scott

Garrett Scott, well known member of the Illinois chess community, passed away this week.

Garrett was a founding member of the Twin Cities Chess Club (also known as the Bloomington-Normal Chess Club) in 1967. Mr. Scott was a key member not only of the adult chess community but also coached many students over the years. He was an active part of Bloomington-Normal Area Scholastic Chess, the Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association. He was a passionate civil rights advocate, having marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was a founder of the annual MLK Day Scholastic Chess Tournament in Bloomington where he reminded all participants of the need to continue the struggle for civil rights. He also served on the Illinois Chess Association board including a period as President, previously served as an Executive Board member of the United States Chess Federation, and also served a term on the Normal City Council. He will be missed not only by family and friends but by multiple generations of chess players across the United States.

Garrett's obituary can be found at https://www.calvertmemorial.com/obituaries/Garrett-Scott?obId=25580024#/obituaryInfo

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Strong Field at Inaugural Champaign Chess Championship at University of Illinois

 

On April 10th, the Illini Chess Club hosted the first Champaign Chess Classic. Mihir Bafna was the Chief TD and Organizer of the first-time event, held on the University of Illinois campus. The event had 53 players for a 4-round g60 event. There were two sections, a Reserve (under 1500) section with 30 players and an Open section with 23 players.

In the Open section, Rishi Narayanan finished clear first with a perfect 4/4. Abhyudhaya Venkat was second with 3.5/4. Andrei Skorobogatykh and Sadkrith Malladi tied for 3rd with 3/4. In the Reserve section, Kevin Wright and William Quinn both finished on a perfect 4/4, and Kanav Bhatnagar got sole third with an unbeaten 3.5/4. The rating report is here.

 

400-plus Players Bring the In-Person Illinois K-8 Championships Back to Life

March 11-13 saw the return of the Illinois K-8 Chess Championships, this time in Schaumburg. Organized by Chess Weekend, Inc. working in partnership with the Illinois Chess Association, the tournament had 433 players compete over-the-board for 7 rounds of dual-rated chess on this event’s traditional “spring forward” weekend. Side events included blitz, bughouse and a puzzle-solving contest.

Due to pandemic uncertainties, attendance was lower than years past, and players were excited when they compared the number of trophies on-stage with the smaller field this year. Originally ordered for the 2020 Illinois K-8 State Championship, those trophies waited two years to go home with their happy winners.

Individual state champions were: Lillian Han (K-1), Matthew Tikhomirov (2-3), Andy Dong (4-5), and Anshul Shetty (6-8).

State champion teams were: Tripp School, Buffalo Grove (K-1), Latin School of Chicago (2-3), Grove Elementary School, Normal (4-5), Evans Junior High School, Bloomington (6-8).

Full results are here. The rating report is here.

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Betty Zacate (Jan. 13, 1944 – Feb. 3, 2022)

 

Betty Ellen Burns (78) was born and raised in Rockford, IL. After graduating from Rockford West H.S. (’62), she attended Northern Illinois University on a full academic scholarship. There she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1966 and met her husband of 57 years Michael Zacate (Rockford West H.S. ’58).

After marrying June 6, 1965, the couple settled in Chicago, IL. Betty completed student teaching in the fall of 1965 then became a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools, Evergreen Park H.S. and Oak Lawn H.S. before getting a full-time position at Oak Lawn High School. The couple moved to Mokena, IL in 1968 and started a family a year later. Betty stopped teaching to be a stay-at-home wife and mother to first-born Matthew who was followed 4½ years later by Betsy.

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