News Archive 2002

December 20, 2002

Hi Chess Fans, In the top of the News this week is the announcement of the Candidates for the offices of the Alaska State Affiliate to the United States Chess Federation. The nominees are:

President	Chuck Sherwood	Bob Curry
Vice-President	Rick Everett (myself)	Robert Pearson
Secretary/Treasurer	Travis Norman	Tom Hindermann

Ballots will be mailed by 11:59 pm December 20, 2002 (today). Only current USCF Adult members will receive ballots. YOU MUST RETURN YOUR BALLOT WITHIN 30 DAYS. PLEASE VOTE! Good luck to all.
Thank You, Robert Stoller, Attorney at Law, and Donna :o) for volunteering at my request, to participate in the counting of said ballots in this electoral process. Your credentials are impeccable.

Good news on the Tournament front. The Anchorage City Championship has been finalized! What say we start the New Year off right with another Chess Tournament! The Fur Rondezvous Tournament in February is 99% finalized and promises to be a virtual crusade of Chess Players!! Rumor has it that John McCumisky may even come up from California to play. For those of you that know John, I'm sure you look forward to his visit, as I do. The Alaska Junior State Championship is tentatively planned for April. No details have been confirmed at this time, but as I'm finding out more and more each day, there are lots of Junior Players in our local communities and they want to compete against one another! It shall be so. :o)

There are a few December Christmas Photo's available for your enjoyment from the Wednesday Night Club meetings at Border's Books on Dimond. The Club will be closing next Wednesday at 7:00pm. Speaking of photos, does anyone have any photographs from the recently completed State Championship, that they are willing to share with us? If you do then please contact me HERE.

I've updated our Tournament Calendar with a new look. If anyone in our Statewide Chess Community would like to hold one or more of these tournaments, that aren't already confirmed, please contact the ACL so that everyone can join in and join together! Any one wishing to add another tournament for one of the available months please, for God sake, do so! There are only 4 months currently available!

Two links are added this update, The Mechanics Institue Chess Room and Jeremy Silman's home page.

The current Reader's Opinion Message Board postings will be erased January 1, 2003.

Borrowed from a "Dailey Moment of Zen"

10. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

20. The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed.

Until next time folks, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Don't forget to vote!!

December 10, 2002

Seasons Greetings, FM Bryan Smith is Alaska's newest State Champion. Bryan won the State Championship with a perfect score of 5-0. Congratulations to Bryan, he is a deserving Champion! Finishing in a tie for 2nd and 3rd were NM Artem Ratchkovski and James Canitz. A special note of attention for James Canitz who is rated 1685 and finished ahead of several higher rated players. Congrat's to James! The Tournament had 26 participants and was the largest turnout since the Fur Rondy last February. Right On! Complete results with additional prize winners will be made available shortly by Far North Chess . For a look at the cross-table click HERE.

The Anchorage City Championship is planned for January 10,11 and 12, 2003. Complete details will be posted in a few days.

We received the following e-mail a couple of days ago from IM Jeremy Silman.

"Dear Sir,
Though my free site (www.jeremysilman.com) has a more or less adult slant for chess, film, and other things (though the Harry Potter article and all the instruction is child-friendly), I have decided to add a very detailed on-line magazine (as part of my site) done by my scholastic writer, IM Nikolay Andrianov and myself.

ANDRIANOV'S & SILMAN'S online chess magazine will have a scholastic calendar that will list all upcoming scholastic events in the U.S., instructive articles, annotated games for children, a results page where all prize winners in scholastic events can get international attention and kudos, and much more.

I am trying to get trainers, schools, and clubs nationwide to send me their upcoming events calendars. It's free, and I am getting over 8 MILLION visitors a year at the moment, and those numbers are expanding rapidly (thus your exposure is enormous).

If you have other ideas that you would like to see implemented, please don't hesitate to share."

Thanks, Jeremy Silman

We sincerely wish Jeremy and Nikolay much success in their endeavors.

I dare say, Scholastic Chess has been largely lacking in Alaska for quite some time (with the exception of the Scholastic Tourney held in Fairbanks earlier this year). Something for the candidates for State Affiliate elections to consider in their quest for office. As details surface concerning the State Affiliate elections they shall be posted on this web site. As I understand it, we are in the nomination faze until the 15th of December. If you would like to nominate anyone please contact Eric Bohlen at Hootdooggy@aol.com or Dick Clendaniel at walla@gci.net.

Dues for the United States Chess Federation membership's are going up the first of the year. You can still purchase or extend your current membership for the current price HERE.

Some new chess puzzles are available HERE. The new ones are at the bottom of the list. Enjoy!

Until next time, Merry Christmas
"Your Faithful Guppy"

November 22, 2002

Hi Chess Fans, Sorry for the overdue update, between a cold and a backache, life has been a little less than joyful?! But, I'm back in action so on with the News.

For those of you whom are not aware, all the issues between Far North Chess and the Alaska Chess League have been favorably resolved. Through communication and interactivity the Alaska Dispute will be relegated to the sidelines and become nothing more than a footnote in the history of Alaska Chess.

The Alaska State Chess Championship is only a week away. Early reports indicate that this year's tournament will be the largest and strongest in recent memory. I hope everyone can make it.

The Wednesday night Chess Club meetings at Borders Books and Music continue to draw 20 players or better. Winter time seems to bring out a little bit more "chess player" in all of us. So by all means, stop by and be a part of Alaska's most popular and friendliest Chess Club!

Even though I've been a little down and out for the last few days, I couldn't seem to keep "tinker-itis" at bay. As a result we now have a new twist to our "old" Chess Games page. I've started a Weekly Chess Puzzle database. Although still in it's infancy, this new idea will eventually result in a database of hundreds of tactical chess puzzles! I hope everyone enjoys this new feature and will also send in their own chess combinations to share with us all.

Well folks the hour is late and I think it's time for another dose of "NyQuil". Hope to see all of you at the Tournament next weekend, until then, fare well.

November 8, 2002

Hi Guys, The ACL Club Meeting on Wednesday, November 6th was our largest gathering to date, with over 20 players thrashin' it out and having a grand time doing it! For everyone that participates on Wednesdays at Borders and those that spread the good word that is Chess, a most sincere heartfelt THANK YOU, for it is Chess growth in Alaska that fuels the engines of the Alaska Chess League and makes our never ending efforts continue. Your participation is the sweet fruit of our labor. Please believe that the Alaska Chess League is "Dedicated to Alaska's Chess Players" as it is the "gospel truth".

The Alaska Chess League State Championship Tournament is definitely on. We are experiencing some difficulty with our playing site due to circumstances beyond our control. However we shall overcome in short order. I actually visited a site today that was very nice, except for that cappuccino machine in the corner(he he). All was not lost though as the custodian of the establishment showed much interest in establishing a new Chess Club at his Coffee Shop and judging from the last turnout at Borders we made need it. I think I smell another sponsor. More on this later.

And before I go any farther, I owe Ryan Cassidy an apology, because Ryan finished in 3rd place and gained over a 140 rating points in our Labor Day Open Tournament and I forgot to tell everyone. Ryan is 15 (or was it 16) years old. Sorry Ryan, I've been a little distracted lately. Congratulations on your success and please do continue to take those rating points, just don't set your sights on any of mine! (please...hehe) And a special note for young Dylan Tucker that came up from the Soldotna area during the floods to play in our Action Chess Championship. Dylan played all of his games and although he wound up with one point, he was indeed a Chessic Warrior in all it's best regards. We enjoy having you Dylan and we hope to see you again soon.

As promised I have added a new page on the site. I am reluctant to do this because it will certainly create much controversy. However, due to the propaganda that has been appearing in many of our mailboxes and e-mail boxes alike, I feel that there simply isn't any choice. ALL of Alaska's Chess Player's deserve a clearer picture of what has been going on behind the scene and what's at stake as a result.
Ladies and Gentlemen:  "The Alaska Dispute".

I leave you with some thoughts

American Native Wisdom
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his Grand father which wolf would win.

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Special Agent Fox Mulder, X-Files
"If a fool persist in his folly, he becomes wise"

I'll see you all at the Club next week, God Bless!

November 4, 2002

Welcome Chess Friends, Sorry for the delayed update, sometimes "Life" is even larger than "Chess"! Quite a bit of "news" this update, so without further ado.

The Simultaneous Exhibition given by FM Bryan Smith on November 3rd at Borders Books and Music was a very enjoyable event. Out of the eight participants, two Players, Ron Campbell and Chuck Sherwood were able to hold Bryan to a draw, congratulations guys! Bryan was kind enough to offer all Players an opportunity for a second game if they so desired. Three Players chose to play again! Bryan won all his remaining games. Check out some Photos of the event HERE. Thanks Bryan, you're a good sport and we hope to have another simul soon!

The Alaska Action Chess Championship held October 26 & 27 was won easily by FM Bryan Smith with a perfect score of 9-0, congratulations Bryan! The event drew 10 players and was directed as a Round Robin Tournament. For a look at the final results click HERE. The ACL will be presenting some one day Action Chess Events shortly.

The UAA Chess Club is almost back in full swing! Please check their Club Listing for updated meeting times. Very soon the Friday Night meetings will be available for all! We sincerely Thank Everyone at UAA and share in their enthusiasm for the advancement of Chess!

A Reader sends in the following

"Dear Sir, I visited your web site... My compliments for an excellent design and a beautiful layout. The site truly appeals to the visitor with its texture and tone. Your web site is very informative and provides a good insight into the chess activities in Alaska. The majority of Alaska's Chess clubs have been covered under your league. Your site is also a source of information on chess and chess tournaments. I acknowledge your efforts in presenting this site...

Best regards, Gavin Keith"

Thanks Gavin for saying so!

Recently Anthony Edmonds played in a "quick chess event" at one of the other local clubs. Anthony tied for 1st place with John Peters(Nimzo) and managed to split their two game mini match. Anthony's rating is 1000+ versus John's 1800+. Congratulations to you Anthony! It would appear that Chess Study coupled with the worthwhile playing atmosphere  on Wednesday nights at Borders lead to major Chess advancement, at least in some cases!!

The ACL has been receiving more and more questions concerning Scholastic Chess. We encourage parents to bring their "Kids" to the Chess Club, as we have a few juniors showing up now. A trend we sincerely hope continues! Any interested individuals, parents or teachers should stop by too, hopefully we can work together to further the "Chess for Kids" idea. Thanks to those that have already stepped forward!
We had our usual 15 players or so last week, including a UCSF Life Member that recently moved to Alaska and heard about us through the "grapevine". Welcome!

For those that have been using the Reader's Opinions Message Board, please make yourself aware of the rules. There really quite simple and meant for everyone's protection. Out of good grace I have left the Board intact despite a total disregard of rules 1 and 2 by some individuals. Please communicate freely, but really, show some respect for others, as it would be a shame to lose this valuable Chessic Communication Tool!?

"Thanks to All" that voted in the previous "Mini poll". It seems our Website is well received! Please participate in the Current Poll, as the results should be interesting!

Since the "Far North Chess 'Constitution' News Letter" and the "USCF President's e-mail", that was requested I forward to you, many inquiries have been sent to the ACL, essentially concerning "who is Far North Chess?" In an effort to present a realistic answer to this question, a new page will be added to this Website within a few days. Coming Soon, "The Alaska Dispute"

Until next time, Good Health and Good Chess to ALL!
Rick Everett, President/ACL

October 25, 2002

Greetings One and All, The "Chessic Winds of War" blow strong for the Action Chess Championship tomorrow. We have 6 early entries so far! Don't miss out, join the tournament and make it more fun for all!! If you can't make it for any reason, then try and make FM Bryan Smith's Simultaneous Exhibition next week! This will be fun also!

Chess Players continue to pack into Borders Books & Music on Wednesday evenings for the weekly Alaska Chess League Club gathering. We had 18 last Wednesday despite some of the "regulars" taking the night off. There were more junior/scholastic age players than normal! A trend that will hopefully continue! I managed to grab a few photos before it was time to call it an evening. For those serious about improving their game, may I suggest that you consider a Chess Lesson or two from FM Bryan Smith. Bryan's incite into the game is tremendous and he may be able to pinpoint where more work is required to solidify ones game.

Good things seem to keep happening at the organizational level of the Alaska Chess League, hence we're going to hold off another week or so, for the announcements for the Alaska Chess League State Championship and the Fur Rondezvous Chess Tournament 2003. Extremely good things are on the brew, for the Fur Rondy in particular! Keep your fingers crossed for good luck, it always helps! :o) Thanks again to Bob Kean and Sherman Reynolds for their continued support of the ACL! By paying the sanctioning fees for the Fur Rondy (AGAIN!), you've both gained much respect in our humble Chess community! Chess communities shrivel without the support of guys like you!! (IMHO)

Well folks, it's late. Wish us luck at the tournament tomorrow and we'll see YOU there!! Until next time...............

October 22, 2002

Hi Guys, Dick Clendaniel sends in this e-mail (edited for minor spelling corrections)

"Hi, Just returned from Reno. Alaska was represented with five players. Besides myself in attendance was Colin (Sells? ed.), Joseph Fuoco, Brian Bezenek from Juneau, and Eric Bohlen. I played class C and picked up a few rating points. Eric finished in a tie for second in Class D. Colin drew his first three games in A. Mr. Fuoco was doing very well in E and Brian picked up some points in D. All in all a good showing for Alaska. Some excellent chess in the open division."
-dick clendaniel

Right on, Guys! Any games for our viewing pleasure?

October 19, 2002

Hi Fellow Chess Freaks, Firstly let me remind everyone about the Action Chess Championship next Saturday! This is going to be a great kick-off for the Winter Chess Season! If participation runs high enough to make it worthwhile, these type of events will continue throughout the Winter! Join in the Fun!!

FIDE Master Bryan Smith will be giving a Simultaneous Exhibition in two weeks and is also offering Chess Lessons!! By the way, for those that don't know what a Simultaneous Chess Exhibition is, it's where one player plays all other competitors at the same time, no matter how many show up! Check out some of Bryan's games from the World Open 2001.Thanks Bryan and Borders Books Music and Cafe for your participation!! Get ready people!!

Joseph Fuoco from Soldotna, Alaska calls in to report that the Kenai-Soldotna Chess Club has been having some great turnouts lately with 12 to 15 players weekly. Right On Joseph!! Sounds like the Fur Rondy participation might be off the chart this year!!

The final details should be worked out for both the Alaska Chess League State Championship and the Fur Rondezvous Chess Tournament 2003 by the middle of next week! Stay Tuned!!

Club meeting at Borders have been going great. It was said last Wednesday night that the Chess Club meeting was the strongest in "approximately 17 years"! Thanks one and all for making the Chess Club a fun place to be!

I would like to leave you with some very humorous stuff to read (IMHO). I think we could all use a better laugh a little more frequently! Check out the new Chess Humor page! If you've got some funny Chess stories, etc. to pass on, please DO SO !! See ya'll later and Good Chess!!

October 10, 2002

Hi Guys, I hope those PFD checks are keeping everyone warm as Winter rapidly approaches. The ACL Chess Club saw approximately 15 players last night. We welcome all the new comers! A special welcome to Alaska's highest rated player, FIDE Master Bryan Smith!! Bryan "grew up" in Alaska and has played a lot of strong Chess, even as a junior. He will be giving a Simultaneous Chess Exhibition soon, I'll keep you posted. We also hope, that Bryan will annotate some of his games for the website!? I have some Photos of last nights meeting for your viewing pleasure. There was tons of 5 minute blitz going on and several others playing longer games, it was fun! We hope to see a good size crowd at the upcoming Action Chess Championship, interest runs high, don't miss out!

October 4, 2002

Hi Chess Fans, Did you vote? :o)  I hope the mini pole above develops into another worthwhile way to interact with our viewers!? On to the real news. Thanks to Sarah Hurst of the UAA Chess Club (Alaska's Chessic Sacred Ground [IMHO] ), who has been instrumental in securing a playing site for the upcoming Action Chess Championship. Sarah is a wonderful asset to any Chess community! Not only is she a good Chess Player and organizer but also Sarah is the author of a soon to be released book about Chess, entitled "Curse of Kirsan - Adventures In the Chess Underworld". We all wish Sarah as much success as possible!! An interesting subject "the Chess underworld". Perhaps a subject that could later be expounded upon at our State level?

The Auke Bay Elementary School Chess Club of Juneau has been added to our Chess Club Page. We wish Ian much good fortune!

Two new links this update, The Chess Report which is a nicely laid out and informative site, definitely worth checking out, and Pro Chess DVD, a site that sells Chess training DVD's written by GM Yasser Seirawan and Stan Nicotera. They also have a link to our homepage. Ya gotta love it!

Added to our Chess Games Page is Bobby Fischer's 60 Best Games. Although I don't agree with his viewpoints on virtually anything, Bobby still rocked the Chess World with his brilliant play.

In closing I would like to personally thank IM John Donaldson, NM Steve Gordon and every bodies favorite, Tom McCumisky, for their recognition of the fact that over the last year and a half, Chess is again on the upswing in Alaska. Not only do we THANK these people but also EVERYONE one that continues to contributed in a positive way to this revival! KUDOS FOLKS!!!!!!

September 26, 2002

Greetings Chess Friends, A pretty good night at the Club with over fourteen players showing up for the weekly Chess Bonanza at Borders. I added some photos for your viewing pleasure. Interest runs high for the upcoming Alaska Chess League Action Chess Championship. This should be a fun tournament in more ways than one, so try and make some time for this great opportunity. With any luck the final details should be ironed out shortly. Congratulations to local favorite Ron Campbell for gaining over 100 rating points in the recently completed 2nd Annual Labor Day Open! On a side note, if any of our Reader's have questions or comments, please either E-mail us or use the Reader's Opinions Message Board as opposed to the Guest book, thanks. Until next time, farewell and good Chess!

September 21, 2002

Hi Folks, Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Wednesday night meetings at Border's Books and Music have been "ROCKIN" as of late, join in and have fun. Also, the Reader's Opinions Message Board is finally back in action, please enjoy and let your opinions be known! Coming next week, the ACL will provide polling services to our readers. What do you think should be the first question to be voted on? E-mail your suggestion. All for now, Rick

September 13, 2002

Hi Guy's and Gal's, I'm "officially" back on the "job" again!? A heartfelt Thank You to all the well-wishers! The 2nd Annual ACL Labor Day Open was a tremendous tournament with twenty players. A Giant Thank You is extended to Bosco's for their sponsorship of this tournament and to the Player's for doing what they do best, playing chess!! We all look forward to the Chessic Future, with ALL of our Sponsor's and Player's. Thanks Again Guy's. For a look at some photos of the event click HERE. As the snow creeps down the mountain and the infrastructure of the ACL continues to spider web it's way across the State, the future of Alaska Chess continues to brighten (not quite time for "sunglasses", but you may want to plan ahead ...he he).

For your viewing pleasure, I've added the games of the recently completed Russia vs Rest of World match. There's a nice twist incorporated in this set of 100 games, you can move the pieces around for analysis sake. Please Enjoy! Our message board (Reader's Opinions) provider has discontinued their service, but a new service is being implemented, please be patient. Work continues on "The Great Alaska Free Chess" server, "time seal" is now implemented. Thanks Matt, we owe you!

Strength and numbers continue to grow at the Wednesday night club meetings. It was very pleasing to see so many "old" and "new" chess friends at the last meeting. Right On guy's, please continue to spread the good word that is The Alaska Chess League. I leave you with a thought...

"Life is like a game of chess, in which there are an infinite number of complex moves possible. The choice is open, but the move made contains within it all future moves. One is free to choose, but what follows is the result of one's choice. From the consequences of one's action there is never any escape."- Shelley Smith

August 26, 2002

Hi Guy's, Work continues on the Great Alaska Free Chess server, sponsored by GCI. With the help of ACL associates and players, the entire internet community will be able to join in games administered in Alaska!! Please e-mail this "news update" to your friends. Signing on as a guest and playing right now is available, please do. Choose an interface from the full interface list, as "they all" should work. CClient and Winboard have been tested. As an example, once CCLient is downloaded and installed, click the red telephone icon (upper left corner), type "games.gci.net" in the address box, "5000" in the port box, "guest" in the handle box, leave the password box blank and "use time seal" box unchecked (this is being implemented), choose FICS for protocol, click connect and away you go!! Please report any bugs or useful information of any kind.

The 2003 Fur Rendezvous Chess Tournament once again will be an Official Rondy Event, as the sanction fees were paid last Friday. The plan is for the upcoming Rondy to be a Grand Prix Event, this plan essentially depends on the generosity of our Sponsors, wish us luck! Anyone wishing to contribute to this worthwhile cause should contact the Alaska Chess League. Please don't pass up the 2nd Annual Labor Day Open as maximum participation can only bode well for the continued growth and improvement of Alaska Chess.

One of our newest "chess friends", Tryfon Gavriel, sends an invitation to all: "starting August 31, 2002, www.LetsPlayChess.com is proud to announce a "Rest Of World match" game against the two times US Champion Patrick Wolff, currently ranked 13 in the United States. Visitors wishing to vote their moves against Patrick should use the "Play" menu. "Play the expert" and join the world team. Moves are voted by clicking on the board, and there is a dedicated discussion forum, and advanced polling technology to see what the "Rest of the World Team" members are voting." This is a web-based, consultation e-mail game versus GM Patrick Wolff. Join Here.

Hope to see everyone this weekend, we have five early entries so far for the 2nd Annual Labor Day Open. Until next time .......

August 22, 2002

Hi Chess Fans, Always a good time at the Club, several folks played many games of 5 minute blitz, "risers", if you lose you "rise" and wait for your next turn, while several others played various other timed games. It was fun despite YHR's Chessic blood being occasionally spilled, in small quantities of course :o) I've added some more games this update. The Anand vs Panomoriov, Action Chess World Championship and Biel Chess Festival 2002, part 1 and part 2, please enjoy! Beta testing starts tomorrow on the Alaska Internet Chess Server, yes, you read that correctly, Alaska is going to have it's very own Chess Playing Server!! We all need to take a moment and thank GCI for their wonderful contribution to the cause that is Alaska Chess, and specifically Matt Childs who is instrumental in making this "dream" a "reality". Thanks Matt, I wish some others could match your exuberance and ability to "get things done", your an outstanding addition to Alaska Chess. Registration and time seal software need to be implemented and should be completed by the end of next week. At such time I'll let everyone know and away we go farther and faster into the 21st century. I would again like to remind everyone about the 2nd Annual Labor Day Open, show your support of the continued growth of Chess in Alaska by participating in this Fine Tournament. We have 4 early entries so far. Wish us luck! Until next time........

August 15, 2002

Hello People. Another good night at the Club, even if a bit subdued, must be the weather. Again, it was nice to meet another person through our web page, welcome aboard Dillon! It was also very nice to shake Mark Moustakis's hand tonight, it has been to long. It appears that the UAA Chess Club will be sparking back into action sometime around mid September. There will be more Blitz and one day tournaments happening at that time. Juniors, keep your finger's crossed because we have a person that may (very likely will) be coming available to get the Scholastic Tournament Circuit active again as it once was. Thanks Guys, for making Chess fun again! Well it's late and I'm still dragging a touch of the flu around, so until next time..........

August 8, 2002

Hello Everyone, A good night at Borders as usual! Anticipation runs high for The 2nd Annual Labor Day Open! How many Chess Players can be crammed into the nice playing site that Bosco's has contributed? Find out by playing yourself!! I added a few more Photos tonight, I hope you enjoy them. Travis Norman from Fairbanks sends an interesting "Wall Street Journal" news article concerning terrorism, that was written by none other than Garry Kasparov! Man, this guy gets around. Here's a game I watched at the Internet Chess Club recently, a very wild one! If you've never been a member of ICC, and are a current member of USCF (you'll need your magazine label) then you can get a 30 day free trial at ICC. It's worth it, tons of really strong players. I would again like to offer a heartfelt WELCOME to all of those NEW PLAYERS that have shown up over the summer at our "humble little club". Winter looms large on the horizon folks, that means Chess and lots of it!! All for now........

August 6, 2002

Greeting's Happy Campers, the Web Site has been going through some major changes due to an extreme case of "tinker-itis" on this end. I've got the new game viewer on-line along with the new Chess Games page. If you have a favorite game or two (not necessarily your own) please send them in and I'll post them. I hope everyone enjoys the improvement as the larger board size was the only recommendation in that area. The Reader's Opinions message board has been reinstated by popular demand. Please treat it wisely. The Labor Day Open is just a day or so away from being finalized, I hope it is as much fun as the Kenai Chess Challenge was! Hope to see EVERYONE there! Until next time.....

July 30, 2002

Hi Guys, The Kenai Chess Challenge has come to an end. Although the skies of the Kenai Peninsula were filled with rain and lightening (at times) on Friday evening, it soon passed and we all saw beautiful blue skies Saturday mourning. The KCC was a very good tournament aptly run by George Lombardi from Kenai, along with the sponsorship of The Kenai Merrit Inn and the Alaska Chess League. The tournament was won by National Master and Alaska State Champion, Artem Ratchkovski who traveled from Fairbanks, following were Chuck Sherwood and Rick Everett (YHR) from Anchorage, respectively. Winning the under 1200 prize was Joseph Fuoco of Soldotna. Winning the unrated prize was Michael Beck from Sterling. For a look at the cross-table click here. For some photos click here. The local newspaper, the Peninsula Clarion, Soldotna/Kenai Alaska, printed a front page article about the Tournament, entitled "Chess Tournament 'Checks' into Kenai". There was so much "good chessic cheer" that it was decided to add this tournament to our Tournament Calendar as an Annual Event. The plan is to expand the event next year with a chess camp for a few days prior to the main tournament. Also, there is a plan coming together for a tournament in Fairbanks in October, that will undoubtedly make it onto our Tournament Calendar as well. We certainly hope so, as it is a great feeling knowing that Chess in Alaska is growing again! Thanks to all that support it!!

July 26, 2002

Well Folks, the time grows near for the Kenai Chess Challenge. I hope every one can make it! At least 5 of our 10+ members at this past Wednesday night meeting are going to try and make it and 3 are definitely going. Wish us luck! Full report coming next week so stay tuned. Speaking of our last meeting it was a pleasure to finally meet all of you that I have previously talked with on the phone and e-mailed back and forth. Right On!, and I hope you all had a good enough time to at least stop in again, as you are all welcome. I think everyone enjoyed your presence. I would also like to thank those personally, that showed a distinct interest in the ACL Web Site, as your expertise in such things may indeed come in handy and certainly, please don't hesitate to suggest improvements. I've recently come upon some nice software for designing and publishing web sites (thanks Vince), so this site is going to be under reconstruction for awhile, so please report broken links etc. to the e-mail address above. I've got a new game viewer figured out and plan to post the games from Kenai on our site. The viewer has a larger chess board than the current one and better code, a definite improvement. It'll just take some time to make sure there are no kinks (if you know what I mean), and there's always something you know. I've began to rework our photo albums, learning lots of cool stuff and doing some good I hope. You can get to the photo album through the flag on the Main Page. Again, let me know what you think, the newest pics came from my on digital camera. In this update we have two new links. The request for both came from a very congenial person named Tryfon. Thanks for noticing us Tryfon! First is the US chess portal known as USWEB. Secondly, a chess playing server known as Chessworld.net. Check them out I'm sure you'll enjoy them. All for now, I gotta get some sleep before the drive to Kenai, it's after 5:00a.m.

July 22, 2002

Hi Chess Fans, I hope everyone is almost ready for the tournament in Kenai this weekend (July 27 & 28). For details for the event click here. Thanks again George for helping fill in the Chess Tournament Calendar in a worthwhile way. The Kenai Chess Challenge will be played every year George, under your watchful eye! It appears that around a half dozen players from our Club will be making the journey. For those that "just want to play chess" here is another perfect opportunity!! We plan to have a "caravan" for the journey. Anyone that would like to play in the tournament should come by the Club this Wednesday, as some of us have some traveling and sleeping room available and wouldn't mind at all sharing under most circumstances. Speaking of our Club, there was at least eight players last week, with two new faces in the crowd. We love to see our Club's membership constantly growing. I believe everyone has a pretty good time at the Club, as there is much laughter and bantering back and forth, that is indeed what Chess should be all about. As far as the local chess politics, there really isn't that much discussion, as the "little boy's that cry wolf" have been doing so for many years. Well, that's all for now, time to go fishing again!!

July 3, 2002

Greetings one and all, the Memorial Day Open was a wonderful tournament and as one onlooker said "you could have a million players here". Well, maybe not a million (a million is a lot of people!) but I think you get the idea. Thanks again to "Sadlers Home Furnishings" for providing us with a playing site that in some ways rivaled the Fur Rondy playing site. All games from the tournament were extremely hard fought and there were no peaceful draws. I predict that our players within the 1400-1500 rating group will soon be sporting 1600+ ratings if they continue to work on their game. For a look at the final results click here.

For those of us that have a hankering to play in another chess tournament, don't despair, as the "Kenai Chess Challenge" will be available at months end. Thanks to George Lombardi for organizing this event. Early reports indicate that this tournament will also be a chessic "donnybrook". For details for the event click here.

I hope everyone has been enjoying their prized Alaskan Summer as I have. The fish within our great state have not been safe since Memorial Day. My freezer is a testimony to that fact! ;o). Bring a fishin' pole to the Kenai Chess Challenge, as there may be some big fish biting, in more ways than one!! Be forewarned that some of the "fish" (in the tournament) may be referred to as "sharks" i.e.. lots of teeth, unlike guppies of course. Hope to see everyone there!

In closing I would like to share an e-mail I received today:

"Hey Rick! I'm still in Southern CA doing this Air Traffic Controller thing. I have been picked up for Merrill Field though for January 2003. Gotta bone up on the white side of the Caro and see if I can't give you a game. I haven't been playing chess at all down here - just not the same. I play ice hockey regularly and I visit up there all the time. Hope all is well with you - the website looks excellent. Take care buddy! Mike Stabenow."

It is always great to hear from Alaska's Chess Player's, especially folks like Mike. Mike unselfishly gave vast amounts of his time and effort for Alaska Chess when he last lived here. Myself and many others I'm sure wait with much anticipation for your return Mike, as you are always welcome and respected within this Chess Community!

April 30, 2002

Hi Guy's, The Memorial Day Open has been finalized. There is a possibility that some of the sponsor's of the ACL MAY contribute more cash and prizes before the start of the tournament. Let's all hope so! Everyone should (IMHO) try to play in the last tournament before Summer is in full swing. It's been a long wait for Summer, don't you think? Cabin fever runs high here! :o) For those that just can't find a way to play, we'll see you at Labor Day.

I added a couple of Scholastic Chess links this update, to give parents and children a glimpse at how Chess can benefit their lives both today and in the future. National Scholastic Chess Federation and the Scholastic Chess Update. Dig around on these two sites and see what you think.

Also added to the Chess Connections page, The Chess Portal, a comprehensive, sorted and commented link collection about chess. Definitely interesting surfing.

Tom Lucas from UAA writes in:

"Yes, definitely finals. I will not be there this friday either. I mentioned to you that I would not be there and that the room was going to be 316 instead. This up coming week if 316 is locked again than call the campus police and tell them that the chess club needs the door unlocked.
Gotta go,
Peace.
TL Lucas II"

Thanks for the update Tom. All for now, see ya'll Wednesday at Border's!

April 27, 2002 

Hi Guys, Harry Karmun from Fairbanks writes: "Hello everybody, the Fairbanks Elementary School Tournament was held April 13, at Ladd School. 65 students from 13 schools played and enjoyed five rounds of chess. Watch your backs, these kids are future champions. He later added: We didn't do cross tables. With 65 kids it was skillfully orchestrated chaos. The tournament is an annual event here, a chance for the kids to get together, have fun and meet new players." Great job, Harry!! Perhaps by the time the next school year begins, Anchorage can follow in your footsteps and offer some scholastic and junior chess events. This is a concern that must be addressed. Does anyone remember the last scholastic tournament held in Anchorage? The ACL would gladly work with anyone interested in bringing about a Scholastic Tournament Circuit.

The Thursday afternoon meetings of the UAA Chess Club are definitely worth taking in if you get the chance to stop by. A lot of enthusiastic young men and women that are excited about Chess. There is no official meeting on Thursdays for the next two weeks due to finals. Good luck Guys, I'll see you when the exams are done.

The First "Friday Knight Blitz" Tournament was held last Friday night (April 19th) at the UAA Chess Club. Lots of players participated and several cheered from the stands (well, maybe not cheered but....:o) ....) It was good to see everyone and I hope even more can make it next time. Thanks again Tom!

Look at the cross table from the Blitz Tourney and the Rondy

Wednesday night meetings at Border's Books have been going well with lots of players and spectators. Positive Chess energy grows at Borders Books!

We add two new sponsors this update. Robert E. Stoller, Attorney at Law. Mr. Stoller is commonly referred to as a "good dude" around our club. His credentials as a patron of Chess are impeccable. Thanks Bob! Secondly, Sadler's Home Furnishings, has provided us with a playing site for the Memorial Day Open at the "University Mall" here in Anchorage. Thank You very much, Sadler's Home Furnishings! We truly appreciate the support of our Sponsors and Patrons, for the Alaskan Chess Community in large.

We received "Swis-Sys, Version 4.13". Thanks, Barb! It is official USCF software for pairing virtually any kind of chess tournament one can imagine. Sws-Sys is a powerful tool that has "every" USCF pairing rule incorporated into it. It will be used exclusively for generating pairings for major ACL Tournaments, no arguments, no delays. Although I like the software it has kind of what I'll call a "euro" feel to it and definitely takes some getting used to. I feel a bit sorry for anyone that had to jump right into this program, without the time beforehand, to get real familiar with it. You can easily lose a lot of work quickly! Thanks again to Dick Clendaniel for his help, with an earlier version of "Sws-Sys", in directing many of our events to date. Play On, Dick!

Also, Thanks to K.C. Jones of "Midnight Sun Scholastic Chess" for our Rondy Photos. My oversight K.C., I meant to Thank You in print earlier.

To Dan Callahan, may you have the trip of a lifetime as you travel to the "International Guild of Knot Tyers" Convention in England later this Spring. Most importantly may you have a safe return.

I wonder what the problem was at UAA tonight (April 26)?

April 10, 2002

Hi Guys,The UAA Chess Club is beginning it's meetings this Friday evening, the 12th (Happy Birthday Mom!), in room 207a of the Business Education Building from 6:30-9:45. Click here for a UAA Map and Directory, click your browsers "back" button to return. This will hopefully become the main gathering place for all of our local chess enthusiast as it once was. I had the great pleasure of becoming acquainted with Tom Lucas II some time ago. He is the President of the UAA Chess Club and a fine gentleman besides. The Chess world can always benefit from people like Tom. Thanks Tom, for essentially taking "everyone" in for Friday night Chess! There is going to be a Speed Chess Tournament on April 19th at the above mentioned location and time, among other Chessic delights. Please show your appreciation to Tom and UAA and embrace this new club and it's coming activities!

I came across a couple of interesting Internet chess sites recently. The JAX Chess News usually has a humorous story and some really good annotated games. The Jacksonville Chess Club website has some good general chess instruction info as well under their "Chess Instruction" link.
The second is "Chess Doctor: Free Online Downloads, Secrets, and Battle Strategy for Chess Games !" . This site is particularly good for the up and coming chess enthusiast. Lots of what might be called basics by some, but everyone needs fundamentals!

The Wednesday night meetings at Borders Books continue to draw a fair sized crowd (considering we almost filled the tables a couple of weeks ago). Every meeting there is a new face in the crowd. It was nice to meet you Joan and hope to see you again at the club. Next time you should play instead of watching me get thrashed..hehe

The "United States Chess Federation" recognized the Alaska Chess League this week for their continued efforts and achievements to revitalize Chess in Alaska in what was the "Year of the Over the Board Player" (circa. 2001). Any praise that comes this way must be shared amongst every single person that played in and/or supported a Chess Tournament in Alaska this past year! Thank you one and all!! I can only pray that this trend continues. As our "prize" if you will, the USCF has donated their latest pairing software. I would like to personally thank John McCrary/President USCF. After lengthy conversation with Mr. McCrary, I believe he may be the "one" that gets the USCF rolling again as it once was!

And with that my Chess Friends, I bid you farewell till next time. Send me some games you brat's :o)

March 26, 2002 

Hello Everyone! It's finally the down hill slide to another Alaskan Springtime! There is much news to report, so without further ado. Kudos continue to roll in concerning the "Chess Revival" in Alaska as witnessed by the turnout at this past Rondy. Check out the "Rondy Photos" here . For a look at Artem Ratchkovski's games from the Rondy click here . For a look at the annotated game "Sherwood-Ratchkovski" (annotations by Chuck Sherwood) from the Rondy click here . For a couple of Rondy games from the "Giant Killer" Andy Duren click here . A special note of thanks to Chuck for annotating his game with Artem, I think every viewer would like to see more of this! Enough can never be said of our wonderful Sponsor's, because without them I feel the "Chess Revival" in Alaska would be lagging far behind it's current pace. A GIANT THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!! For a list of Rondy/ACL Sponsors click here. The ACL has received many verbal promises of participation in next years Rondy, from players that were noticeably absent this year. I ask, why wait till next year to play when the "Memorial Day Open" is right around the corner?

The Memorial Day Open is slated to be played Memorial Day weekend at the "Dimond Mall" in Anchorage, provided all security issues can be resolved. The "official" tournament release for the "MDO" will be posted on this site ASAP. The more people that e-mail their intentions concerning playing in this tournament the better, as this greatly facilitates planning successful Chess Events.

The "Order of the Black and White Knights" (UAA Chess Club) is back in action on Thursday afternoon at 2:00, UAA Campus Center, Student Lounge. Hopefully there will soon be Friday night club meetings at UAA also. More on this subject as it develops.

Chess in our sister city of Fairbanks continues the "Revival" at the able hands of Harry Karmun. Harry is now running the UAF Chess Club, which meets every Saturday afternoon, 1:00pm to 5:00pm at: University of Alaska Fairbanks Wood Center Snack bar, upstairs. There is a Chess Tournament at the Barrow, Alaska, Spring Festival, April 13-15.

The "Captain Cook Athletic Club" has a members only Chess Tourney currently in progress. If your a member call them it might not be to late to get in ?!

There is some work being done for a possible tournament in Homer, Alaska later on this summer. The patron from Homer I talked with said there may be as much as $500 dollars in prize money available! Keep this in mind!!

Wednesday night club meetings at Borders Books have been going quite well, with easily over a dozen players last week. As the numbers continue to grow the Speed Chess Tourneys will resume on a regular basis. Bring your sets, boards and clocks as we were short a couple of sets last week for a simul.

Tim Kramp recently tied for 1st place in a "Pirc Thematic Tournament" on the Internet site, USChessLive! (available to USCF members) For Tim's games click here.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for their patience and contributions to our website. Keep up the Good Work.

February 21, 2002 

Greetings Chess Lovers, The Fur Rondy Tournament was a tremendous success, due to the camaraderie shown by virtually every participant, supporter, volunteer and onlooker. The list of names is indeed to long for these less than nimble fingers to type out individual thank you notes. But rest assured, your efforts shall not be forgotten. From our wonderful sponsors right down to the "poster hangers" and "chair (un)stackers", everyone's effort resulted in the best Rondy Chess Tournament in recent memory. A GIANT THANKS TO ALL! For a look at the results click HERE . Following is an exert from an article that should (hopefully) appear in the Anchorage Daily News this week some time.

Annual Fur Rondy Chess Tournament

Hosted by National Electrical Contractors Assoc.and IBEW

Traveling from Fairbanks Alaska, "National Master", Artem Ratchkovski, wins the main event at the Annual Fur Rendezvous Chess Tournament. Sponsored by the law firm of Preston/Gates/ Ellis, Bush Landscaping, Kean & Assoc., and Bosco's, the Fur Rondy Tournament welcomed competitors from as far north as Barrow and as far south as Sitka. Contestants from Shaktoolik, located along the Iditarod Trail to Sterling on the southern peninsula, numbering 45 in all, took part in the annual chess gathering. This years contest, which consisted of two separate sections, took place over the final weekend of Rondy events. The "Coffee House" section was open to UN-rated players with no previous formal tournament experience and pitted young and old alike. Finishing first in this event - on tie breaks, was Paul Williams from Sitka. Tied with Paul was David Sorensen from Chugiak who posted an equal score but slipped to second place via tie break methods. The "Open" section was available to all United States Chess Federation members and featured master, expert, and class "A" rated players among others. Finishing in second behind Ratchkovski were Floyd Stretch, Chuck Sherwood, Andrew Duren and Ron Campbell, listed in tie break order, respectively. Ratchkovski's solid playing style enabled the Russian born master to dominate the event allowing a single draw to Chuck Sherwood of Anchorage, en route to an undefeated performance. Artem, also gave an 11 contestant - simultaneous exhibition on Saturday evening. Once again defeating all but one antagonists with that exception being a draw to Michael Olesak, from Barrow, Alaska. The tournament was held at the Anchorage location of the NECA/IBEW Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship Training Facility. Maximum time intervals for each game were 3-hours in this 5-round Swiss pairing. Tournament organization was handled by the Alaska Chess League.

"USCF OPEN SECTION" : Total Points

1. Artem Ratchkovski (4.5) 2. Floyd Stretch (4) 3. Chuck Sherwood (4) 4. Andrew Duren (4) 5. Ron Campbell (4) 6. Robert Curry (3.5) 7. Doug Koch (3.5) 8. Tim Kramp (3.5)

JUNIOR MEDAL DIV.

Cam Leslie (Gold), Ryan Cassidy (Silver), Morris Katchatag (Bronze)

"COFFEE HOUSE SECTION" : Total Points

1. Paul Williams (4) 2. David Sorensen (4) 3. Cliff Dochok (3) 4. Herman Spegel (3)

JUNIOR MEDAL DIV.

Tyler Bobo (Gold), Christian Kilgore (Silver), Eric Hendricks (Bronze)

With everyone's continued support of Alaska Chess I believe we can break the 100 player hurdle in next years Rondy!! Keep up the Good Work!!

Dick Clendaniel is starting up a "Quad Circuit". For details click HERE . This is an excellent opportunity for play within your rating class. I highly recommend everyone take advantage!

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