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Room 401 of the Gruening Building made for an unlikely battlefield.

The 10 people who converged on the bare University of Alaska Fairbanks classroom last weekend, however, were prepared for war. They had come to match forces against their opponents; to marshal their horsemen and foot soldiers to protect the home front; to mount suicidal assaults in hopes of turning peril into victory.

At stake was neither a nation nor a monarchy. Just a small cash pot and a plastic trophy, inscribed to the effect of "2007 Alaska State Chess Champion."

To the untrained observer, the five simultaneous chess matches underway at the state championships would have resembled slow marches toward anarchy. As game clocks ticked away toward oblivion, neatly-arrayed pieces progressively scattered to the far corners of the boards or were removed from play altogether. What began with order sank into seeming disarray.

But to the players, the chessboards were the farthest thing from random; each move was governed by a specific set of rules and hyper analyzed by an active brain, its ramifications considered and reconsidered. To many players, the notion of training their mind to choose between nearly infinite options is what gives the ancient pastime so much appeal.

"You really get wrapped up into these games and you get all the choices, and its exciting trying to find the best choice, and if it doesn't work, trying to recover," said GVEA worker Lance Roberts, one of the 10 people entered in the tournament. "And if it does work, trying to press the advantage and not make a mistake that would blow it."

Roberts, an occasional tournament player, was far from the favorite at the championship tourney, which took place the weekend after Thanksgiving. That honor fell to Artem Ruppert, a soft-spoken Russian emigrant who works as an engineering assistant for the Fairbanks division of the state Department of Transportation. Ruppert carried a lofty U.S. Chess Federation rating of 2225 into the contest, good for "National Master" status. He's also the reason this year's championship was held in Fairbanks; he arranged the tourney when its usual Anchorage-based organizers had to pass on it this year.

Having it in Fairbanks made sense, as both Ruppert and reigning state champ Scott Mason hail from the Golden Heart City. But the distance and weather apparently discouraged some comers, leading to a smaller-than-hoped-for field: eight people from greater Fairbanks and one each from Anchorage and Healy. Alaska has, by Ruppert's estimate, around 150 active tournament chess players, and other chess tourneys in the state routinely draw at least 20 players if not many more.

The low turnout led to Ruppert scrapping plans for parallel tournaments for higher and lower-rated players, instead opting for one open round-robin tourney. The open format led to immediate upsets in the first round on Friday, Nov. 24. Harry Karmun, who runs chess clubs for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, toppled Andy Duren, a University of Alaska Anchorage student rated more than 350 points higher than he. At the same time, Dylan Tucker, a North Pole High School sophomore rated 1170, was knocking off 1618-rated Anton Kulchitsky, a postdoctoral physics researcher at UAF. "It was probably the upset of the year," Kulchitsky said. "He just overplayed me at the end."

"Chess brings people from all different social classes as equals," noted Ruppert. "Chess erases all the differences."

The game also has a way of inspiring camaraderie, and Ruppert said the social aspect of tournaments is one reason people still go to them when they have 24-hour access to opponents via the Internet. But there's more to it, such as a unique chance for hands-on education.

On Saturday afternoon, Mason defeated Harry Karmun in a wide-open 2 hour 40 minute game. Immediately afterward, the pair walked to the room next door, reset the board, and begin to quickly do a post-mortem on the game, running through an endless series of permutations to discover how Karmun might have turned defeat into victory. In this case, they determined, Karmun simply slipped up when he ran short on time.

"This game falls into the category of what I like to refer to as 'chicken-chess,' " said the good-natured Mason, who works as the district manager for Fairbanks' Pizza Hut franchises. "You're not really playing strategically with any real purpose in mind, you're just seeing who's going to make a mistake first. Who blinks."

Karmun was not alone in 'blinking' during the tournament. Despite expansive 90-minutes-per-person time limits, players battled the clocks as much as their opponents. The speed of the games increased exponentially as timers neared 0:00, with flurries of moves often coming in a matter of seconds. More than one player chalked up a loss or two to blundering when time got low.

"I was running short of time and I was moving too quickly," lamented Karmun after his loss to Mason. "I made a mistake, and he capitalized on it."

Still, with the help of his opponent, Karmun got a chance to learn from his errors. The scene was repeated throughout the weekend as players re-enacted games together to figure out where their strategies succeeded and where they failed.

"I've been playing for 30 years and I'm still learning," said Karmun. "I'm still seeing new things, and continually developing."

Time was a major factor in what was, to no one's surprise, the decisive match of the tourney: Mason, the current state champion and a 1928-rated player, versus Ruppert, winner of five state championships in 12 years.

The Saturday afternoon game certainly started slowly: An hour and a half after beginning play, Ruppert and Mason had taken one pawn and one bishop each. Looking perturbed, Ruppert repeatedly got up from the game to pace the room or the halls, while Mason sat with hands in his lap, watching the unfolding match with a bemused expression.

It was growing dark outside as the pair made a pair of major captures, taking each others' queens. But after 31 moves, the board was still laden with pieces of all types when Ruppert abruptly reached up and offered Mason a handshake. Ruppert had less than 14 minutes left on his clock, Mason more than 33. To Mason's surprise, the five-time champ was proposing a draw.

"He's about the only playing master in the state, so I'm happy to take a draw against a master any day," Mason said. "He made a series of moves that I did not expect, and as a result I spent lots of time," Ruppert said. "So I was in trouble, basically, and I just decided to offer him a draw because I was afraid I would make a mistake."

For Ruppert, the decision - like almost everything anyone does on a chessboard - was a calculated risk; he knew it would still leave him in good position to take home the championship. Due to the structure of the tournament, Mason and Ruppert both had two more games left to play; If they both went 2-0, the state championship would be tied among them and decided by a numerical tiebreaker.

That's exactly what happened. Ruppert finished off the tournament by beating Duren, the UAA student and no. 4 seed, on Sunday afternoon. Afterwards, as Ruppert deftly shifted pieces all over the board at high speed to demonstrate to Duren how he won, one got a sense of just how fast the game actually moved in his head.

Mason ran into trouble in his last game, against UAF instructor (and Fairbanks City Councilman) Lloyd Hilling. Hilling had actually built an advantage, until he discovered how tough it can be to make a small mistake in a game with centuries' worth of accumulated rules.

Hilling, who was running short on time, reached over and touched one of Mason's pawns, preparing to take it and place Mason in check. Then Hilling realized his error: Mason's subsequent move would in turn place Hilling himself in check, not to mention lose him a rook. But Hilling had already touched the pawn; by chess rules, he was obligated to go through with the move.

"I had to fall on my sword," lamented Hilling, who went on to lose the game and his shot at second place in the tournament.

"Chess, in its way, is a cruel game," Ruppert noted.

It wasn't cruel to Ruppert; who correctly figured he could still win even with a draw on the books. He was awarded the 2007 state championship via a laptop computer, which spat out the final standings based on an official numerical tiebreaker system. Mason was second, Hilling third and Kulchitsky fourth, though that the latter pair agreed to a playoff game at a later date to determine third and fourth place. "I hate these computer tiebreakers," Hilling said.

Ruppert earned $115 for his victory. But he and the others didn't do it for the money. The players on Thanksgiving weekend noted a number of reasons they enjoy the game: the math and psychology involved, the distraction from work pressure, the chance for improvement, the mental challenge involved in picking the right moves out of limitless combinations.

"It's an exercise in applied logic that's fascinating," said Karmun. "Within the boundaries of the chess board and the set of rules, there's still almost an infinite variety."

And as easily as chess lends itself to battle metaphors, Ruppert said part of what he appreciates about the game is its creative aspect.

"Chess is a form of intellectual productiveness," Ruppert said, citing a famous quote from early Grandmaster Siegbert Tarrasch. "Therein lies its peculiar charm. Intellectual productiveness is one of the great joys, if not the greatest, of human existence. It is not everyone who can write a play, or build a bridge, or even make a good joke, but in chess, everyone can - indeed, must - be intellectually productive, and so can share in this select delight."

"I think it's true, it's wonderful," Ruppert added. "You get a feeling like you're creating a play with your opponent ... you feel like you're charting new waters, sometimes, because the possibilities are infinite."

Tom Moran stopped playing chess after getting beaten too many times by unforgiving siblings. An English major, he now prefers Scrabble.

Thanks to Tom Moran of the Fairbanks News Miner for providing this years State Championship Tournament report. cross-table, photos

The 2007 Fur Rondezvous Tournament is 99% organized. We should be able to establish which weekend in February the event will be held within the next couple of weeks.

Good news for the local club players in Anchorage, Borders Chess Club will be re-opening in January. Look for team events as well as USCF rated blitz, etc. Join Greg Berry in revitalizing this landmark Anchorage Chess Club!!

Bryan Smith who grew up in Alaska, is I believe the first chess player from Alaska to achieve the International Master title!! A HUGE Congratulations to Bryan and continued success!! Rumor has it that Bryan will be visiting Anchorage again soon. Expect the usual Simultaneous Exhibition when he does! There will be an update on this site when more information becomes available.

 

Merry Christmas and

Until next time ........

 

The tournament will be a two section, 5 round, USCF rated event. (USCF membership required and available on site)

 

 

CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIP 5 game round robin event for the six (five *) highest USCF rated entrants for the tournament. Time Control game/90 minutes. Entry Fee $50 Registration University of Alaska Fairbanks Gruening Bldg, Room 401 & 402. Friday, November 24 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Don't be late! Advanced Entry Form Schedule Friday, November 24 Round 1, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Saturday, November 25 Round 2, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Round 3, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 26 Round 4, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Round 5, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closing ceremonies and awards 5:30 p.m. Prizes 1st place trophy. 1st and 2nd place cash prizes. 100% of entry fees will be returned as cash prizes. * The 2006 Open Champion is Jesse Holganza and he is automatically seeded into this event.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 5 game swiss event for everyone. Time Control game/90 minutes. Entry Fees Adult  $30 Scholastic / Junior / Student   $15 / $20 / $20 New USCF Members  $15 Registration University of Alaska Fairbanks Gruening Bldg, Room 401 & 402. Friday, November 24 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. One 1/2 point bye per player per tournament, must be requested prior to start of 1st round Advanced Entry Form Schedule Friday, November 24 Round 1, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Saturday, November 25 Round 2, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Round 3, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 26 Round 4, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Round 5, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closing ceremonies and awards 5:30 p.m. Prizes 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place overall. Class prizes dependant on entries. * Open Champion will be automatically seeded into "2008 Closed Championship". 75% of entry fees will be returned as cash prizes.

*This is the final announcement, conditions subject to change

        Until next time ........

  September 4, 2006
  September 19, 2006*

The 2006 Labor Day Open Tournament saw 13 eager Chess Warriors gather last Friday evening for this annual event, traditionally held at the Super 8 Motel in Anchorage. Over half of the competitors arrived from outside the Anchorage area. Traveling the farthest and winning the tournament easily was FIDE and USCF Senior Master Bryan Smith. Bryan is taking a break from his Chess duties in Baltimore and is visiting Alaska to be with family. We were honored with his participation and graciousness. Although Bryan won the tournament without any trouble he analyzed each game in depth with his opponents after their completion. A treat I'm sure his opponents enjoyed and learned from. Bryan grew up in Anchorage only leaving a few short years ago for college and employment gains. Bryan is only one norm short of his International Master title and we wish him the best of luck in his quest! Bryan also gave a Simultaneous Exhibition on Saturday night that had 8 players. He won all the games and again analyzed them with his opponents afterwards. Congratulations Bryan for winning the Labor Day Open and being an all around Great Guy!!

Placing clear 2nd in the tournament was Andrew Duren. Andy played solid and interesting Chess to clinch his spot, only losing to Bryan in the 3rd round. Andy's 4-1 score is quite commendable and deserves a big Congratulations!! For a look at his annotated game with Bryan click here.

A four player tie was seen for the 3rd place prize. In tie-break order they were: Greg Berry, Mattew Parshall, Dick Clendaniel and Ryan Cassidy. Greg Berry in only his 2nd USCF tournament, played some especially good Chess considering his experience level. Matthew Parshall from Soldotna and Alaska's representative at the recently completed Denker Tournament of High School Chess Champions, took home the Gold Medal for the Junior Division and showed his mettle with solid and aggressive play. Dick Clendaniel, undoubtedly Alaska's most active tournament player rebounded from a surprising defeat versus Mike Leonard from Fairbanks in the 1st round and finished strong. Ryan Cassidy, another of Alaska's most active tournament participants, played some rather "up and down" Chess to finish in this group. Congratulations Guys for your never say die attitudes!!

The Under 1400 Section was won handily by George Lombardi from Kenai. George played his usual tough brand of Chess to clinch clear 1st place. Congratulations George on a fine finish and continued success with your Annual Kenai Chess Challenge!!

The 2nd place honors in the U1400 Section saw another four player tie. Again in tie-break order they were: Mike Leonard, Yan Yankov, Randy Parshall and Burton Moon. Mike Leonard made the trek from Fairbanks again this year and played well to achieve his place in the Section. Yan Yankov is a foreign exchange student from Russia and is now living in Anchorage. Yan showed that he is no new comer to the game and captured the Silver Medal for the Junior Division, playing solid Chess if a little rusty. Randy Parshall from Soldotna and Dad of Matthew and Alison showed once again that a hang in there attitude will produce results! Burton Moon, who very recently has relocated from Eielson AFB to Anchorage played well and hung in there too! Congrats to all of you and continued success!

Rounding out the field were Brandon Tokar and eventual Bronze Medal winner for the Junior Division, Alison Parshall. In only his 2nd tournament, Brandon showed that he is an avid student of the game and has improved much from this years Thunderbird Open. Alison Parshall had a nagging and serious ankle injury that prevented her from ever really getting going in the tournament but she too hung in there till the end! Congratulations and Thanks one and all for making the 2006 Labor Day Open a tournament to remember!! cross-table, photos

During the closing ceremony for the Tournament the 2006 Denker Dream Fund of $550 was awarded to Matthew Parshall. Matthew competed in the 2006 Denker Tournament of High School Chess Champions and did himself, his family and Alaska proud with his results !!  Alison Parshall competed in the 2006 Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls held along side the Denker Tournament. Alison too deserves much admiration for her results !! Again a huge and special Thank You to the Sponsors that support the Alaska Denker Dream Fund!!!

* Next on the Tournament Calendar is the 4th Annual Interior Fall Tournament in Fairbanks. Details are confirmed!!

Until next time ........

August 6, 2006
August 10, 2006 *  

The Labor Day Open will be a 5 round, USCF rated, Swiss event. All games are played at game in 90 minutes per player. USCF membership required and available on site.

Entry Fees:

Adult $30, Youth $20 (ages 15-19), Scholastic $15 (age 14 and under), Senior $20 (age 65 and over), Military $25.
$5 Discount - Advanced Entry: Advanced Entries Form and Payment must be received on or before September 1, 2006.
One 1/2 point bye per player per tournament, must be requested prior to start of first round.
Advanced Entry Form
80% of entry fees will be returned as prize money.

Dates and Game Schedule:

Friday, September 1
Registration: 6:00 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.
Round 1, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 2
Round 2, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Round 3, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 3
Round 4, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Round 5, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Closing Ceremony, 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Prizes:

 Adults: 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Cash prize plus trophy or equivalent. Class prizes dependant on entries.

 Youth/Scholastic: 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Trophy or equivalent plus "extras".

 

Simultaneous Exhibition

FIDE Master Bryan Smith will be giving a Simultaneous Exhibition on Saturday night September 2 starting at 6:30pm.
Prices are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 16 years of age.

 

August 10, 2006 *

GM Susan Polgar will be giving a lecture and answering question in Juneau !!

Date: August 21
Time: 5:00pm to 6:30pm

Where: Downtown Public Library - Large Conference Room

Donations to the Susan Polgar Foundation are welcome.

We have the room until 9:00pm and will have boards and pieces ready for general play after the lecture. If you have any questions contact:

Brian (907) 790-1934, brian_bezenek@hotmail.com

 

All Denker Dream Fund donations will be presented to Matthew Parshall at the Labor Day Tournament.
Donations are still needed for the 2006 Denker Dream Fund!!
** Make Your Pledge Today **

Until next time ........

July 26, 2006 

The 5th Annual Kenai Chess Challenge was held July 21 and 22 at Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna. We had a light turnout due to many of our regulars moving out of the area and several others being under the weather. We had only 4 players in the first round on Friday evening expecting 2 more, myself and Alison Parshall, to join the tournament Saturday morning. However, Alison's illness prevented her from playing and I opted not to join avoiding an odd number of players. With only 4 combatants I decided to shorten the tournament to 3 rounds. In the first round new comer Mike Toymil, a 17 year old from Anchorage, showed all that he came to play by beating Joseph Fuoco in a very tense and interesting game. Also in the first round, Matt Parshall wore down his father Randy to come away with the win. In the 2nd round, Mike Toymil continued his winning ways with his Evans Gambit verses Matt, and Joseph got back on the winning track against Randy. In the last round Matt bested Joseph in a 75 move marathon and Randy and Mike played the game of the tournament to a draw. Mike walked away with the 1st place prize of $40 and Matt took 2nd place of $25. Hope to see many more of you come down to the peninsula for our event next year. cross-table

Chief TD - George Lombardi

Thanks to George and all the players that did show up for this year's Kenai Chess Challenge! Unfortunately several players didn't make it this year due to personal illness or illness of family members or friends. Please get well everybody! Congratulations and Welcome to Mike Toymil !!

Next on the Tournament Scene  * * * The Labor Day Open! * * *  Don't miss it!!
Alaska's very own FIDE Master Bryan Smith plans to visit Alaska again relatively soon. He will be giving a Simultaneous Exhibition and offering group lectures and classes during his stay. I'll post an ad when I get the details, so stay tuned!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Matthew Parshall the best of luck and good chess at the Denker Tournament of High School Champions!! All Denker Dream Fund donations will be presented to Matthew at the Labor Day Tournament.
Donations are still needed for the 2006 Denker Dream Fund!!
** Make Your Pledge Today **

Until next time ........

June 11, 2006 

Join in the 5th Annual Kenai Chess Challenge and show your appreciation for George Lombardi's long time efforts!! By participating we can all continue to make the Kenai Chess Challenge a Tournament to be remembered and anticipated each year!!

The Tournament will be a 4 round, USCF rated, Swiss event. All games are played at game in 90 minutes per player. USCF membership required and available on site.

Entry Fees:
Adult $25, Junior, Senior, Military $15
One 1/2 point bye per player per tournament, must be requested prior to start of first round. Advanced Entry Form

Dates and Game Schedule:
Friday, July 21
Registration: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Round 1, 7:30 pm

Saturday, July 22
Round 2, 10:00 am
Round 3,   2:00 pm

Sunday, July 23
Round 4, 2:00 pm

Prizes:
Cash Only Prize Fund ($$ based on entries)

Info:
For further information please contact: George Lombardi (907)776-5365, poisonpawn@aol.com

 

Donations are still needed for the 2006 Denker Dream Fund!!
** Make Your Pledge Today **

Until next time ........

April 30, 2006 

Greetings Chess Fans,

The 2006 Alaska K-12 Scholastic Championship has come to a hard fought but pleasant end. Although numbers were down this year the Tournament was more enjoyable on a personal level than others, simply because we all had more time to get to know each other better. We made some slight modifications to the Section parameters in order to accommodate everyone at registration. Family participation seemed to be the stand out statistic amongst the players. The four Families represented with more than one entrant were the Campnell, Parshall, Sivitz and Warren clans. Unrated players also made up a sizeable chunk of the participants. Don't be fooled by the word "unrated", some of these kids are down right good! The Kids really concentrated and tried hard this year to do well. It seemed as if there was an air of importance for the event. Congratulations and Thank You to the players "rated" and "unrated" alike for making the 2006 Alaska Scholastic Championship a most memorable Tournament!!

The Kindergarten-2nd Grade Unrated Section or the "Little Ladies Division" (as it were) was thoroughly contested in an all day long match between 1st Grader Arin Sivitz and 2nd Grader Ripley Campnell. These two young ladies played more unrated games on Saturday than could be accurately counted without the aid of a video camera! Although the match was close, in the end the girls agreed that Arin had won! And so it was that Arin took home the Champions Plaque for K-1 while Ripley won the Gold Medal for 2nd Grade! Congratulations to Arin and Ripley on a job well done and a special note of admiration for your sense of sportsmanship and fair play!!

The 3rd-6th Grade Section of the tournament saw a tight finish as newcomer Matt McGimsey won the Champions Plaque on tie-break over pre-tournament favorite Henry Thomas. Drawing their individual game in round 1, both young men played good Chess to achieve their high placing's. Finishing 2nd in the Section, Henry won the Gold Medal for 4th Grade. Miss Hannah Warren and her younger brother John, continued their winning ways and finished in a tie for 3rd place for the Section. Hannah won the Gold Medal for 6th Grade while John took the Gold for 3rd Grade. Newcomers Forrest Campnell and Jeremy Sivitz rounded out this highly competitive field. Forrest won the Silver Medal for 6th Grade while Jeremy took home the Silver Medal for 3rd Grade. Congratulations to all of you for your fighting spirit and good sportsmanship!!

The 7th-12th Grade Section of this years Championship was the pinnacle of the event. The winner of the High School Division (Grades 9-12) would become the Alaska representative for the 2006 Denker Tournament of High School Champions, being held along side the 107th Annual US Open in Oak Brook, IL this August. The field consisted of Alaska's most active youth players ranging from Anchorage, North Pole, Soldotna and Wasilla. To pick a favorite going in was a difficult choice. I favored Alison Parshall because she was coming off such a fine performance at the Annual Rondezvous Tournament. My "sleeper" choice was Chad Speer (8th Grade) from Wasilla. Chad recently defeated an International Master in a Simultaneous Exhibition. And of course there was Dylan Tucker from North Pole who is always a threat at any tournament. Alas it was not to be, Matthew Parshall (9th Grade) showed his Chess strength and the results of devoted Chess study and "smoked " the field 4-0!! Matthew is a rather quiet young man that has an inner self confidence that is admirable in all its qualities. Matt is not the kind of player that boast: "I'm gonna beat you" before the game. Matt just settles in for the battle and unleashes the fury of his Army on the foolish and disrespectful (!!), as well as anyone else that faces him! (lol) You're a fine young man Mathew and you are well deserving of the Champions Plaque for the 9th-12th Grade Section of this years Championship. Following Matt in the standings and winning the Gold Medal for 11th Grade was sister Alison Parshall. Tying for 3rd place were Emmanuel Warren and Chad Speer. Their last round encounter ended in draw as Emmanuel "wiggled" into a stalemate position and Chad simply over looked it. Emmanuel Warren won the Gold Medal for 10th Grade and Chad Spear was Crowned Champion of the 7-8th Grade Division!! Rounding out the results was Dylan Tucker winning the Gold Medal for 9th Grade. Congratulations to all of you and the best of luck in your upcoming battles!!

cross-tables, 2006 Alaska K-12 Scholastic Championship Photo Album

Last year's High School Champion, Ryan Cassidy showed himself at the Event on Saturday and held a Simultaneous Exhibition against all comers. I chose to let Ryan slide and did not play a game (lol). Chad Speer however did not let Ryan "slide" and netted a win for his efforts!! A personal note of Thanks to Maureen Campbell, Pamela Speer and Ryan for their help! And a Special Thanks Also to Rayville Sports Marketing for the engraving enhancements on the Medals awarded at the Tournament!

As mentioned above, Matthew Parshall has qualified for the 2006 Denker Tournament of High School Champions. Sister Alison has qualified for the 2006 Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls. The Alaska Chess League is raising money through the Denker Dream Fund in order to assist the Parshall Family with the expenses associated with this opportunity. Our 1st donation of the year came in the form of a $100 check from none other than the Denker Family themselves!! It seems that they came across our website and appreciated our efforts to keep their Father's tradition alive and well. A humbling contribution! So much so that I've chosen to match their contribution and hereby issue a challenge to anyone out there to meet or beat these $100 pledges. What say you? I'll make a pledge!!

Your Humble Reporter, Saying Good-Bye (!)

Well folks, I've been troubled over my decision to leave Alaska this October. I never like saying good-bye. My reasons for leaving are two fold. First, I miss my family a lot these days. I've lived in Alaska for over 35 years and have missed out on a lot of family endeavors because of the great distance between Alaska and the Southeastern United States. There are special family occasions that are coming up next summer that I simply won't miss out on and I need to be settled in at such time that they do occur. Secondly, is my health. What was a "skin problem" over twenty years ago was discovered to be a "gastrointestinal problem" a little over two years ago "that should have killed me long ago", according to some doctors (lol). I've extinguished my possibilities with the Alaska Medical profession. Even being sent to the famous Mayo Clinic once, where their solution was to turn me into an invalid, all over a disease that 3 biopsies later showed I didn't have (lol)! All I know at this time is that my case is being reviewed at "three major research facilities", all in the lower 48. I'm sorry to say that wintertime in the Great White North is becoming more and more of a burden I can live without too. Both valid reasons for relocating. My troubles concern the future of Chess in Alaska. This is an "Election Year" for the State Affiliate to the USCF. For several years now the "state affiliate" has been pretty much an after thought, as everyone knows that the Alaska Chess League has been gladly providing the opportunities to compete that we all enjoy today. Having never considered myself to be the "sharpest knife in the drawer", I figure I've been a fairly good tool (not the only) for keeping the tournament circuit moving along over the last 5 years. Perhaps the time has come for the new Affiliate officers that will be elected this Fall to step in and take over the organizing of the Alaska Tournament Calendar. For the sake of input, space and time, I would like to move this topic to our Message Board under the Critics Corner, State Affiliate board. Your input is priceless!!

My apologies for the rather late update for the K-12 Championships, I lost a couple of days with wound care.

Until next time .....

April 11, 2006 

Hosted by:
Hilton Garden Inn!

Sponsored by:
Bush Landscaping, Kean and Associates, Robert Stoller-Attorney at Law and the Alaska Chess League!

Join us for Alaska's Premiere Youth Chess Tournament!
Alaska Youth Chess has seen a significant resurgence in participation and strength in the last few years. The 2006 event promises to be the most exciting and fun to date. No other competitive arena compares to the battle of the 64 squares! You don't necessarily have to run fast or jump high to be a Champion in this mind over matter competition!

Registration:
Saturday, April 22nd
10:00 - 10:45 a.m. for all grade levels at the
Hilton Garden Inn
100 West Tudor Road
Anchorage
(if possible please use the Advanced Entry Form for early registration)

Grades K-6:
Saturday, April 22nd (one day event)
5 Games, Game/30 (1 hour games), USCF membership required for Grades 2-6.

Playing Schedule: K-6

• Round 1  11:00-12:00
• Round 2  12:15-1:15
• Round 3  2:00-3:00
• Round 4  3:15-4:15
• Round 5  4:30-5:30

Grades 7-12:
Saturday and Sunday, April 22nd & April 23rd (two day event)
6 games, Game/60 (2 hour games), USCF membership required. Two 1/2 point byes are possible for this section and must be requested at or prior to registration.

Playing Schedule: Saturday Grades 7-12

• Round 1   11:00-1:00
• Round 2   2:00-4:00
• Round 3   4:15-6:15

Playing Schedule: Sunday Grades 7-12

• Round 4  10:00-12:00
• Round 5  1:00-3:00
• Round 6  3:15-5:15

Prizes:

Champions Plaques will be awarded to the winners of the following sections:

• Grades K-1
• Grades 2-6
• Grades 7-8
• Grades 9-12 The 1st place finisher in this section will qualify for the
  Denker Tournament of High School Champions & the Denker Dream Fund !!

Medals will be awarded to the winners in each of the following grades and divisions:

• Grades K-12 Gold, Silver and Bronze for each individual grade
• Grades 2-6 Unrated Gold, Silver and Bronze for division
• Grades 7-12 Unrated Gold, Silver and Bronze for division

Entry  Fees:

• Grades K-1  $5.00 USCF membership NOT required
• Grades 2-6   $10.00 USCF membership required
• Grades 7-12  $15.00 USCF membership required

USCF  Memberships:
For current USCF membership prices, click HERE. Memberships can be purchased at the playing site.

Frequently Asked Questions: please click HERE
For additional information please contact admin@alaskachessleague.com

* this is the final announcement, conditions subject to change

Until next time .....

 March 22, 2006

Greetings Alaska Chess Fans,

The 2006 Thunderbird Open came to a frigid end as strong winds from the north stretched 'Old Glory' taught at the Susitna Club on Elmendorf, AFB. However, Chess players and fans were quite warm and comfortable inside the very nice facility! This years representative for the Air Force Championship and finishing in 3rd place overall for the tournament is MSgt Ed Caparas! Ed played better Chess than his 1190 rating going into the Tournament might have indicated. We both Congratulate him and wish him the best in the upcoming Air Force Championship!

Tying with 2.5 points out of a possible 3 were Ryan Cassidy and Dick Clendaniel, both long time competitors in Alaska Chess. Although drawing their individual game and winning the rest, Ryan wound up 1st on tie-break, clinching the Champions plaque, while Dick graciously accepted 2nd place honors! New USCF member Brandon Tokar finished in 4th place. Brandon explained that he had last played serious Chess several years ago in high school. Although rusty from lack of competition Brandon showed a distinctive positional quality in his games, an attribute that always takes a Chess player far! Given a little more time to sharpen up, I'm sure Brandon's play will continually improve! Welcome Brandon!   cross-table

The Jet Cadets Scholastic Section was comprised of 4 delightful and scrappy youngsters. After the double round robin, game/30 section was finished, Andrew Arsenault was "king of the hill" with a perfect score!! Following close behind in 2nd place was Miss Constance Caparas, while sisters Ashley and Emily Arsenault rounded out the field in 3rd and 4th! Congratulations to all of you and a special Welcome to the Arsenault family!!   cross-table

The participation numbers were down this year due in large part to a sudden request from the Department of Defense to complete the qualification cycle at least a month earlier than previous years. Hence advertising time and planning time for players, especially those from outside the Anchorage area, was at a premium. None the less the 2006 Thunderbird Open was a cozy tournament where new friendships were started and old friendships kindled! It was a pleasure to finally meet Mrs. Lauren McGrain in person and I personally look forward to working with her more closely with next years event. Thank You Lauren for having us and the pastries were delightful!!   photo album

Take Note People it's time once again for the:

2006 K-12 Scholastic Championship

Thanks to Burton Moon, Dick Clendaniel, Artem Ruppert and Chuck Sherwood for the 2006 Rondezvous Photo Album!!

Until next time .....

February 21, 2006

Greetings Alaska Chess Fans,

The 2006 Alaska Rondezvous Tournament has come to a surprising and exciting conclusion! Despite the participation of National Masters Artem Ruppert (Fairbanks) and Bill McGeary (Seattle, formerly of Fairbanks), it was Anchorage's very own "A" players Chuck Sherwood and Harry Wrase that rose to the heights and stunned the odds makers, out distancing the field by a half point! Tying with 4.5 out of a possible 5, the co-champs played great Chess and took advantage of their chances. Chuck Sherwood took the 1st place trophy on tiebreaker by defeating NM Bill McGeary in round 4 in a game that became "lighting chess" in deep sudden death time pressure. Following this exciting finish in round 4, Chuck held NM Artem Ruppert to a comfortable draw in round 5 and thereby clinched at least a share of 1st place. While Chuck was doing his finest, so was Harry Wrase! Harry played to a draw with NM Ruppert in round 3 and then mowed down the always dangerous Andrew Duren followed by the improving Ryan Cassidy in rounds 4 and 5. This is the second consecutive year that Harry has tied for 1st place in the Annual Rondezvous event!! A huge Congratulations to both of you on a tremendous result!!

Finishing in 3rd place were NM Artem Ruppert and Andrew Duren with 4 out of 5. Artem won the trophy on tiebreaker while Andy captured top "B" class honors and the Gold medal. Ryan Cassidy took Silver in this class, while Dick Clendaniel and Ron Campbell tied for Bronze.

Henry Louie of Sitka, Alaska proved that his nickname "Tiger Louie" is no joke! Winning the "C" class Gold medal by a half point over rivals Dick Rempel, Tom Waldock and Jesse Holganza. Dick won the Silver medal while Tom took Bronze on tiebreaker in this log jam.

Miss Alison Parshall from Soldotna, Alaska played some excellent Chess in this tournament. She not only won the Gold medal in "D" class, she also took the 1st place Ladies trophy and well over 100 rating points from this event! George Lombardi of Kenai Chess Challenge fame took the Silver medal in this class with some great attacking games, while the improving Matthew Parshall took Bronze.

Local "Chess Dad" Don Brooks won a Gold medal to add to the family treasure chest in the "E and Unrated" class. New USCF member Greg Berry of Fairbanks showed excellent skills in his first tournament and took the Silver medal on tiebreaker over Ed Caparas who won Bronze.

Rounding out this years Open Section were the always scrappy Junior Division competitors. Michael Brooks won the Gold medal while sister Autumn took Silver. Emmanuel Warren and Will Brooks tied for 3rd place and both won Bronze medals.

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The Tiny Titans Scholastic Section for the 2006 event proved to be as equally hard fought as the Open section. With an average age of 8, the Tiny Titans made short work of a double round robin game/30 format! When all was said and done, Miss Hannah Warren won the Gold medal with a perfect score and Miss Wynter Brooks won Silver. Tying for 3rd and winning Bronze medals were Chendall Brooks and new member Daneel Ruppert. Tait Bennett received the honorable competitor Bronze medal for the event. A special Thank You to Mrs Bennett for being a tremendous help with this Section.

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To each and every one of you that competed in the 2006 Rondezvous Tournament, Congratulations on your competitive spirit and Thank You for making the efforts of the Alaska Chess League worthwhile.

To our Founding Sponsors: NECA/IBEW, Kean & Associates and Bush Landscaping we cannot begin to express our sincerest Thank You for helping us keep an Alaskan tradition alive !! Let us all pray it continues!!

I'm afraid I've got some rather bad news to relay to you, Don Brooks and family are moving out of state in March. Not only are we losing six local Chess players and friends, with Don's absence we're losing our pride and joy Alaska Junior/Scholastic Chess organizer. Don has been instrumental in fostering the growth of Youth Chess in Alaska since his arrival some years ago. The Brooks Range will be truly missed.

On the other hand I've got some rather good news to relay to you, there is now an ACL WebChess server in place for the enjoyment of all our fans. At least this way when our Chess friends move away from Alaska we can easily stay in touch and play a few games of Chess while we're at it! Our new server is still in it's development stages but seems to be quite stable. New features will be added and existing features enhanced as time goes by. Good luck and let me know of any problems.

I'll put up the photo album for the Rondezvous Tournament when all the pictures have arrived.

Until next time .....

January 11, 2006

Hosted by:
Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship and Training Trust!

Sponsored by:
Bush Landscaping, Kean and Associates, Potelcom Supply and the Alaska Chess League!

The Tournament will be a 5 round, USCF rated Open Swiss event. All games are played at game in 90 minutes. One 1/2 point bye per player for the tournament, you must notify the tournament director at or before registration.

When:
February 17 - 19, 2006

Location:
NECA/IBEW Training Center
5800 B St
Anchorage, Alaska
For directions click HERE

Registration:
Friday - 5:00 PM until 6:00 PM
USCF membership required and available on site.

Entry Fees:
Adult $25, Senior $20 (age 65 and over), Military $20, Child $15 (19 and under).
Family Entry Fee: First entry - full price, all other family members 1/2 off. (All adults pay full price). advanced entry form

Game times:
Friday - Round 1: 6:30 PM
Saturday - Round 2: 10:00 AM, Round 3: 2:00 PM
Sunday - Round 4: 10:00 AM, Round 5: 2:00 PM, Closing Ceremony: 5:30 PM

Prizes:
Overall - 1st, 2nd & 3rd place trophy plus cash prize.
Class Prizes - Under 1800, Under 1600, Under 1400, Under 1200 & Top Unrated, medals plus cash prizes.
Youth and Scholastic - Gold, Silver & Bronze medals plus extras.
Ladies - 1st place trophy plus cash prize.
* Prizes dependant on number of entrants in each class and division.

For further information please contact Rick at admin@alaskachessleague.com or (907) 222-1370.

Until next time ...

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