Looptopia!

Chess at Chicago’s all-night party

Some people, I'm sure you realize, think chess players are generally nuts. So what would they say about the folks who showed up at the Chicago Cultural Center in the middle of the night a week ago to push the pieces around while the rest of the world was asleep?

Well, for starters, let’s be honest: not everyone was at home in bed on the night of May 11-12. In fact, thousands roamed the streets of downtown Chicago that evening in search of fun, during Looptopia, “America’s first dusk-to-dawn cultural and artistic spectacle showcasing the vibrancy and excitement of Chicago’s historic Loop neighborhood through musical and theatrical performances . . .” etc., etc.

Isaac with his prize

I’ll spare you the rest of the ad copy so we can get to the point, which is that unbeknownst to many, chess was actually a big part of the highly publicized all-night soiree. Scores of chess players came through the Cultural Center over the course of the night, either to join the 2:00 AM blitz tournament or just play a friendly game.

“Everyone had a great time,” reports Sheila Heiser of Renaissance Knights, authors of the midnight madness. “We had 40 boards out and we were packed all night! When we had to pack up to go some players could have played on for many more hours.” Sheila’s group works frequently with the City to incorporate chess into special events and was tapped to organize play for Looptopia.

Thirty-one players took part in the five-round blitz tournament. The winner was Chicago chess veteran Isaac Braswell, who recently earned an Expert rating. The final standings:

Isaac Braswell 4.5
Mslalm Campbell 4.0
Claude Barnes 3.5
Gabriel Gaster 3.5
Ramon Jones 3.5

The first three winners won a Saitek computer and clock. The others got chess books, and a number of medals were awarded as well. The tournament was free to enter.

“The only entry fee was to set up the chess pieces when done playing,” said Sheila.

Of course, even that can be a challenge at four in the morning.

(More photos here.)

All photos courtesy of Renaissance Knights

Boul Mich

The Grand Finale

Scenes from the final indoor chess club meeting of the year

But watch this space for details about the forthcoming outdoor season, in which we will meet Saturdays at 4:00 PM on the University of Chicago Campus (Hutchinson Court), starting May 26. Pencil it in. More to come.

More photos here. All photos by Ms. Averill, Room 413 (Thanks, Jane!)

Give it up for Coach Emil Sidky!

Marco Beats a Master

It all started at Ray, says dad of former chess club member who defeated IM

Ten-year-old Marco Codenotti, a former member of the Ray School Chess Club, is making news in the chess world following his stunning victory with the black pieces over International Master Zivojin Ljubisavljevic on the Island of Elba earlier this month.

News of Marco’s achievement is being widely heralded in chess circles, not least by Grandmaster Susan Polgar, whose blog is perhaps the most popular in the chess world. Mida's Chess Corner has also figured mightily in spreading the word.

Surprising though it may seem, Marco’s achievement reflects the steady progress he’s made since leaving Hyde Park in 2005 and returning to his native Italy. In the two years since, Marco has focused intensely on chess and trained with leading masters. And while he’s become something of a celebrity in the chess world lately, he and his family haven’t forgotten where it all began.

“Everything for Marco started at Ray! So we are really grateful!” said Marco’s father, Bruno Codenotti, in an e-mail the other day.

Marco, who attended the early grades at Ray while his family was living in Chicago, joined the chess club in 2005. In his first tournament, the Chicago Public Schools championship, held at Lane Tech High School, he finished among the top players in the K-3 division. He later played well in tournaments by the Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago.

That summer, Marco did a nine-week stint with veteran trainer Wayne Smith, in the chess camp run by the Hyde Park Academy of Scholastic Chess. Unfortunately for Ray, his family returned to Italy right after that, taking Marco and his bionic chess skills with them.

The rest, as they say, is history. According to Mida's blog, Marco now has a rating of 1809 in Italy. A rating like that with the U.S. Chess Federation would make him the No. 6 ten-year-old in the country. Congratulations, Marco. We’re extremely proud of you.

Read more:

• Susan Polgar’s Chess Blog
• Mida’s Chess Corner
• Play through the famous game
• Marco’s chess page (maintained by his father)

If you like, please leave a message for Marco in Comments below.

Tactics and Endgames

To improve your chess, practice the things that matter most

There’s a saying in real estate that three things matter most: location, location, location. Many chess experts have a similar maxim about most the important factors in the game. They are: tactics, tactics, tactics. It’s even been said that chess is 99 percent tactics, the quotation being attributed, I believe, to the great Richard Teichmann.

Wanna play?

Whether that’s an exaggeration or not, there is no question that tactics are important. Let’s be grateful, then, to two local chess players, Niles North High School star Ilan Meerovich, and another, screen-named SashaD, with whom I am not familiar, who have posted some online resources for tactical study at Chess4Chicago.com. Go get ’em, and enjoy.

Another area in which all new chess players should be proficient is basic endgames, particularly where you have a rook and a king or a queen and a king against your opponent’s solitary king. These endgames come up frequently, though if you don’t know the technique for delivering checkmate, the game will end in a stalemate, and you will get a draw in a game you should have won. Learning the technique isn’t hard, and all young chess players should master it. Learn about rook endings here and here; queen endings here and here. To practice what you learn in a fun and interactive online setting go to Chess Magnet School.

Sad News. I received word earlier today from Brad Rosen, also known as Chessdad64, that his father, Gene Rosen, died yesterday, quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Brad is a pillar of the Illinois and the Chicago-area chess communities, and many people know him through his blogging, the successes of his son Eric, one of the strongest young chess players in the area, and Brad’s unstinting support for the growth and improvement of chess culture, especially for kids. I consider myself privileged to call Brad a friend, and my thoughts and hopes go out to him and his family at this sad time.

Last Chess Club Meeting Next Monday

Indoor season ends; outdoor season begins

Alas, all good things must come to an end.

Next Monday, May 14, will be the last regular weekly meeting of the Ray School Chess Club for this school year. We’ve enjoyed having your kids in the club this year, and we’re grateful for having had the chance to work with them.

We’re not closing down entirely. As the weather improves and the indoor chess season draws to a close the outdoor season gets under way. We’re going to try meeting outdoors on weekends somewhere in Hyde Park for any kids who are interested. Coach Emil Sidky will have more on this at next Monday’s meeting, and, as always, please come here to the blog and to our main Web site for the latest details.

There are also two tournaments in the weeks ahead, on May 19 and June 9, and I know some of you plan to attend those. They’re both in the Hyde Park area, and you can still sign up, so let me know if you’re interested.

Oh, yes, and though I neglected to mention it in my last e-mail to parents, we’d also like to have an end-of-year picnic or some other gala event, like the one we did last fall. Please let me know if you’d like to attend or, even better, help to plan it.

Whether we see you or not in the weeks ahead, have a great summer, play a lot of chess, and if you have any chess-related thoughts, stories, or experiences, please send them to me for publication on our blog. It’s going to need fresh material during those lean summer months.

Endgame: Details about the June 9 tournament at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club are now available. Don't worry about the entry fee; as long as we have some Ray kids playing the chess club will take care of it. But please do let me know if your kid wants to play. Thanks. . . . IM Angelo Young has updated the Web site of his Touch Move Chess Center with information about forthcoming events. I’m dying to know what the June 16 “Bulls Challenge” is all about. Do you start the tournament down 3-0 to a player from Detroit? Yes, I know, that’s gallows humor and arguably in poor taste under the circumstances. My apologies to any sensitive Bulls fans out there. . . . Note: The pictures here are from the Ray School Chess Club’s historical archives. With any luck we'll get some fresh ones at the last meeting.

Adults Only: Evanston Chess Club

Laid-back tournament this Saturday

Let’s face it, there just aren’t enough places around Chicago for grown-ups to play chess. But thanks to a handful of woodpushers up in Evanston, including chess supermom Maret Thorpe and veteran trainer Tom Sprandel, there’s now one more than there use to be. The Evanston Chess Club has been meeting on Tuesday nights since early last winter, and their watchwords are friendly and relaxed. Doesn’t that sound nice? Don’t you wish we had a place like that in Hyde Park? Me too. But until that day comes, you may want to check out the scene in Evanston.

This Saturday, May 12, wouldn’t be a bad time to start, because Evanston Chess is planning its first rated tournament, from 9:00 to 4:00. Don’t let “rated tournament” scare you away. This isn’t a bunch of grandmasters; these are regular people like you and me. Remember: friendly and relaxed. That’s Evanston Chess. And it’s only five bucks to enter. Details here.