Round 1 combatants gave no quarter to their fellow SGVCC members—all five matches were decisive and three ended in checkmate. Newcomer Jason Nicholson had a strong debut, Larry played a nice endgame, and Artem and Arturo showed off their tactics. Your humble author got s break from Russel, who had the better game. Check out the games and comments below.
Sierra Madre YMCA Update
We had hoped to return to the YMCA in August for in-person chess but the site is not yet available. After a shutdown during much of the last year, the YMCA is currently only open until 8:00 p.m. Also , the space we were using is only being used for summer camps at present. We have been in contact with YMCA management and they are certainly open to having us return when circumstances allow. Like many organizations they lost revenue and staff during the pandemic. We are still hopeful we will be able to return in the Fall and will keep everyone informed .
But we also think it wise to have a back-up plan. So we are in the process of looking for another site, even if it is just a temporary one until we can get back to the YMCA. Unfortunately the new rise in COVID cases due to the Delta variant might complicate things. If any member has a specific site they think may be interested in working with us please let us know. In the meantime all memberships that we’re paid last year remain valid and will be extended for whatever period you signed up for. So were we to be able to start in-person meetings again in September of this year, that membership would now be valid until September 2022.
We truly appreciate the patience and support you have all shown. We are continuing to host online events so check the SGVCC Website for details. Hoping to have everyone back together soon!
Clubs League Season 3 Returns June 12!
We are pleased to announce that SGVCC will once again participate in Club match play on the Chess.com site. This is your chance to show your club pride and share in the thrill of team match play.
Each match consist of two segments: a Rapid game at 15 plus 2 second increment followed by a Blitz game at 3/2. All games count the same and you can play in both segments or just one if you prefer.
The event will consist of seven matches played over seven Saturdays starting June 12 thru July 31. July 10 is set aside for a makeup day if necessary. The match starts at 10:00 a.m. PST and generally ends by 11:30. Registration is open 1 hour before the start time and you can play as few or many matches as you like. We are asked to let the other team know how many players we expect each week and you can send that message to Team Administrator John Wright at JRWright on the Chess.com site. Again, it is fine if you can’t play at the last minute and this is just a way to let the team captains organize things so everyone hopefully gets a game.
Our first two seasons in Club League have been great fun and it is one of Chess.com’s most popular events. We have played clubs from all across the U.S., Mexico and South America. We hope to see many of you there!
End of Year Events and First Birthday Tournament
With the Steinitz Open concluded we have two Fridays left before the holiday break.
We will hold two 2h G3+2 events. The person with the highest score (not cumulative) wins $50. Registration is free. However, if you feel the need for a donation you are welcome to do so:
You can register for the two blitz arenas here:
https://lichess.org/tournament/deYrR0nj
and here:
https://lichess.org/tournament/LF4cxem3
The password for both is:
sgv
There won’t be any tournaments on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 but I’m happy to arrange something if there is demand.
On 01/08/2021 we will have the second edition of our Sierra Madre Open. Which will also mark the first anniversary of the San Gabriel Valley Chess Club. The tournament will be a 5 round Swiss held on Lichess with G60+10 games. As with our previous tournaments ties will be broken in a 2h G6+1 blitz arena which will take place on 02/120/2021.
You can register for the Sierra Madre open here:
https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/910
Online registration requires a USCF ID. Your membership does not need to be active for this. If you don’t have a membership ID please contact me and I can sign you up.
Mieses Arena Blitz Tournament
On Friday, Sept 11 at 7.10pm, we will be having our first blitz tournament on Lichess. Participation is restricted to members of our lichess team. So, make sure you request membership asap.
https://lichess.org/team/san-gabriel-valley-chess-club
Once a member of our team you can see the link for the tournament on the team site, see link above. Alternatively use the following link to join the tournament:
https://lichess.org/tournament/LVdxP3Um
This is a private tournament and it is password protected. After clicking join a pop-up window will appear and ask for a password. The password is
SGVCC
On the tournament site you will also be able to see all the rules. It’s a 2h arena tournament. After your game you are paired as quickly as possible, so no need to wait too long, games are G5+5. The winner is whoever collects most points at the end of the 2h period. A win yields 2 points, a draw 1 point and a loss 0 points. While on a winning streak the points are doubled. In addition to this rule which we know from chess.com already. Players also have the option to go Berserk at the beginning of the game. This reduces their time to half of the initial time and the player also won’t get any time increment. In return a win yields an extra point.
Now, head over to lichess and sign up for the team and tournament:
Instructive moments from our first online Swiss
We managed to play 56 games in our first online event. I’m very pleased that we got to see some very interesting fighting chess. The lower rated players certainly made their higher rated opponents work for every half point. I certainly got lucky more than once.
Below you can find some of the interesting positions that occured. You can find the solutions to the questions and more here on lichess.
Black took command of the position. What’s the best way to proceed?
In the next game black got a very good position out of the opening unfortunately the tide turned and we reached this position:
How should white proceede?
After a tough struggle we reach the following position. White to move and win:
White didn’t go for the kill in the previous position and a few moves later we reach this point:
Can black escape his fate?
In my game against Raphael I got a better position but suddenly we reached this position:
Raphael just played Qd4 threatening everything. Should white resign?
I just took a pawn on e4
Which knight should black take? Or should he play something different all together
There were many more interesting games played in this tournament. If you want to see one of your games published here please let me know. For more analysis head over to lichess. Once there become a member if you aren’t already and join our San Gabriel Valley Chess Club lichess team.
You can also play through the complete annotated games here.
Don’t forget next Friday we will have a 2h Arena blitz tournament on lichess. More on this soon.
First San Gabriel Valley Chess Club Online Tournament Finished
Last night we played the 5th and final round of our first online Swiss. Each round the opponents faced each other in two games one with each color and a time control of G25 and a 10 second increment. Most of the games were played on chess.com the rest was played on Lichess.
Here are the final standings:
Our second 5 round double Swiss will start on September 18th. Rounds will start Friday nights at 7.10 pm and the tournament will be held at https://lichess.org. More details will be posted soon.
On Friday, September 11th, we will have a 2h G5+5 event on lichess. If you haven’t already done so, join our lichess team:
Clubs League Daily Tournament Now 50% Complete
Current standings of San Gabriel Valley Chess Club on Chess.com’s International Clubs League:
Some nice game reports from this match include The ‘Chess Cuisinart’ of Daily Play and The Secrets Of Chess
The Secrets of Chess
Players castling on opposite sides presents imbalances that usually result in attacks at both kings simultaneously. Each move or tempo is crucially important in which side succeeds first. However, one of the Secrets of Chess is that as Black you must first equalize your position before you attack, otherwise your attack will “run out of steam” fast.
In the game below our Dr. Nimzo (aka Chis Stychinsky) decides that his attack is better than Black’s in the Daily Match with the Badgers Brook Chess Club of Broxburn Scotland. Watch how the Doctor writes a prescription for an attack on Black’s king:
The move 12. Ng5 starts an all-in approach toward the attack of Black’s king, while 12…Qa5?! commits Black to an attack on White’s king, but at the cost of separating the Queen from the defense of his own kingside.
In retrospect 12.… Bxa2 is an improvement. With White’s 15. g4 he plans to shove the pawn down black’s throat with g5-g6. 16.…Nd7? is an error; better is 16. cxd3. White’s 20. Bh6? is dubious at best, but it does have the aspect of being a strong psychological move (Secret #2!) that must have been a shock to Black. This type of move is much more suited to shorter time limit games. Black is now focused on the defense of his monarch and wants to remove pieces with the regrettable 22.…de4??. However the calm 21.…Qc7!-Qf4 solves Black’s problems. White proceeds with a surgically precise combination with 22. Rhg1! and the stunning Rxd7 from which there is no way out for Black. Way to go Chris!
SGVCC Holds First Organizational Meeting
The First Organizational Meeting of the San Gabriel Valley Chess Club was held Monday June 15th, 2020. The purpose of the meeting was to organize the club and determine how it will run, as well as other administrative matters such as the appointment of officers and Corporate Bylaws. The agenda included the appointment of SGVCC Corporate Officers, the approval of Organizational Bylaws and the appointment of a banking institution.
The Club’s primary purpose is the development and broadening of the game of chess as recreation, art, and as a significant element of culture in Southern California. This purpose will be accomplished by providing a physical location where people can play chess together and share in their enjoyment of the game of chess. Activities to promote this purpose shall include the organization of rated chess tournaments, casual play, and free instruction for those new to the game.
Club membership is open without discrimination to all members of the public who complete a valid application and pay annual dues.
The Board of Directors may appoint committees comprised of Club members in good standing who are not otherwise Board Officers. Such committees will present recommendations to the Board in writing and these recommendations may be adopted by a majority vote of the Board. To volunteer for a committee, please express your interest via the contact form on this site.
To submit suggestions, recommendations and ideas, please use contact any Board Member. The club will hold an Annual Meeting (TBD) and notice will be given to all members at least 30-days prior to such meeting.Other meetings may be held at the Board’s discretion as necessary to conduct Club affairs.
Any member interested in receiving a copy of the Club Bylaws may request a copy via the contact form on this site. You may also send an email to:
Volunteers are needed for 1-2 hours per week to assist with club duties. This includes the setup and management of club tournaments, assisting with occasional website and e-mail updates, reporting tournament results and other club matters. The club is also seeking submissions of original chess photography and article submissions on Chess960 and Arena Blitz for use on the club website.