Victory in Skokie, Et Cetera

After the first three games of her four-round match with Armenian Women’s Champion IM Lilit Mkrtchian ended in draws, U.S. Women’s Champion IM Irina Krush pulled out a victory last night in the final game at the Skokie Holiday Inn. See it here. I guess that means she wins the match, right?

Upcoming Tournaments
For K-8 kids rated 500 or above, IM Angelo Young is holding his fourth “Scholastic Chess Tournament of Champions” at the Touch Move Chess Center, 5639 North Ashland, Chicago, tomorrow. Call (773) 627-2759 for details.

The next tournament by the Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago will be:

Julia Ward Howe Elementary
720 N. Lorel (5332W)
Registration 9:00 - 9:30
Tournament 10:00 - 2:30
Trophy Presentation 2:45 (est.)

3 divisions: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. Details here. The Ray School Chess Club will attend this tournament, so parents: please let me know if your kids would like to play.

This Sunday’s previously scheduled tournament at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club from Chess Education Partners has been cancelled.

P.S. This my 200th post on this blog. Yeah, I know: Who cares?

And now for something completely different:

Got a Match?

Chess tournaments abound in the Chicago area, but matches, those psychological dramas where two strong players face one another over the board, over and over, in a series of hard-fought games: that’s something we don’t see around here very much.

A chess match between two strong players is an exciting thing to behold. Think Fischer vs. Spassky, Kasparov vs. Karpov, Tal vs. Botvinnik, or Panner vs. Tennant. (Come to think of it: Whatever happened to that match? Has it been scheduled?)

While only two can play in a chess match many can spectate, and through the miracle of MonRoi, millions can follow a game and even kibitz about it online while it’s underway.

This week we have a chance to watch two national champions fighting it out up at the Holiday Inn in Skokie. U.S. Women’s Champion and major chess celebrity Irina Krush (top photo) is facing Armenian Women’s Champ Lilit Mkrtchian. The first two games ended in draws; there are two more games, one Wednesday and the other Thursday evening, each at 5:00. You can go and watch in person or follow it online. Details here, and initial report from Betsy here. This is a rare opportunity; don’t miss it.