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Main
Date: 19 Feb 2008 19:30:19
From: samsloan
Subject: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name Prize"
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"No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name" Prize at
US Amateur Team East
Contrary to expectations, the US Amateur Team East Championship, also
known as the World Amateur Team Championship, held February 16-18,
2008 in Parsippany NJ, set the attendance record for this type of
event. There were 1248 players and 291 teams, both records, which
proves that the financial difficulties and other problems the USCF is
facing is not having a dampening effect on the membership.
The GGGg team won first prize in the chess championship. The prize for
"Best Team Name" was won by "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer".
It was also one of the strongest teams and one of the leaders up until
the end.
The most controversial team and also the winning team was GGGg. This
shocking team consisted of three Super-Grandmasters and one child who
was a complete beginner. The grandmasters were Zvaid Izoria, rated
2714, Eugene Perelshteyn, rated 2592, and Roman Dzindzichashvili,
rated 2586. The child-beginner was Stephen Fanning, age 6, rated 178.
The rules of the US Amateur East are that the average rating of all
four players must be under 2200. There used to be an additional rule
that the board four player could not be rated more than 1000 points
below the board three player. However, that rule had been forgotten
and not published for several years, so there was nothing to stop the
team consisting of three grandmasters and a beginner from entering.
That rule will certainly be changed for next years tournament.
Had that rule been in effect, Stephen Fanning would have been counted
as a 1586 player and the average rating of all the players would have
been 2371, far above the limit.
However, the GGGg team was not guaranteed of victory. If even one of
the grandmasters lost a game, then a match would have been at best
drawn. The grandmasters had to win or at least draw all of their 18
games to be guaranteed victory.
As it turned out, none of them lost a game. Dzindzichashvili won all
six of his games. Izoria and Perelshteyn won five and drew one each
but the draws were not in the same round so the team won all six
matches.
The intrepid New York Times Reporter, Dylan Mc Clain, rated 2304,
played on a team while taking notes for what will no doubt be a report
about this event in the New York Times soon. He scored five wins and
one draw.
There were a few controversies. Jerry Hanken got into an unusual two
bishops against king endgame (the first one I had ever seen in my
entire life). When his opponent, Rilwan Ameen, 1884, mistakenly
announced that it was stalemate, Hanken got upset. Hanken then missed
a mate in three but managed to find a mate in 5.
Then, in the next round, USCF Master Daniel Yeager, 2304, had a bishop
and knight against king endgame against Igor Schneider, 2389. Yeager
obviously did not know the technique. He foundered around and seemed
to be on the verge of exceeding the 50-move rule. Fortunately for him,
Igor Schneider did not seem to be playing the best defense, so Yeager
checkmated him just under the 50-move limit. Yeager scored a perfect
6-0 in the event.
The US Amateur Team East is normally also an informal congress of
Chess Politicians. Almost every year, the USCF Executive Director and
several of the board members and candidates for office have attended.
However, this year NONE of the current board members nor the Executive
Director attended, except that USCF President Bill Goichberg came
before round four to make a brief speech asking for donations to
support Gata Kamsky in his preparations for the matches for the World
Chess Championship and also to ask for donations for the College Chess
Tournament of Champions Goichberg is organizing this year.
There did not seem to be much enthusiasm for Goichberg's pitches for
funds.
As a joke, one of the players pointed out to Goichberg that he had
forgotten to bring the plaque to award Sam Sloan for "Shining Light on
the United States Chess Federation". Sloan had been awarded that honor
at the 2007 US Amateur Team Championship. Goichberg did not consider
that attempt at a joke to be funny.
Although NONE of the current board members attended USATE, many former
board members and former presidents were present, including all of the
board members who had been voted out of office in the 2007 elections:
Don Schultz, Beatriz inello and Sam Sloan. Other former presidents
or board members present included Frank Brady, Steve Shutt, Steve
Doyle, Leroy Dubeck and Joe Ippolito. In addition, former Executive
Director Al Lawrence was present and playing on a team.
Sorry, but we just cannot fail to mention the pulchritude parade.
There was an exceptional number of very beautiful women present. A
heated debate was going on as to whether Ettie Nikolova, rated 2032,
is the most the most beautiful girl in the entire world, or just the
most beautiful on the right side of the tournament playing hall.
Because, if the left side of the playing hall is considered, there was
Magda Matyszewska and also Alena Kuzniatsova playing on a team
provocatively named REAL GENTLEMEN WOULD RESIGN.
The Alena Kuzniatsova team won the Prize for the Best All-Girls Team.
Perhaps you will have noticed something about the names of these
future chess-beauty contest winners. They don't grow them like that in
America any more!
Sam Sloan
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 16:00:41
From:
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
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On Feb 28, 9:44 am, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote:
> > > Our opponents were top level or nearly top level players too.
> > > Remember, this was the Game Room at the University of California at
> > > Berkeley. Some of the other bridge players hanging out in the game
> > > room were Lou Stansby, Bob Hammand, Kyle Larsen and Bill Nudding. I
> > > knew them all.
>
>
> The book is a reprint. The book was originally published in 1949. It
> was a very successful and popular book at the time. That is the reason
> I have been asking if it should be reprinted.
>
>
> Sam Sloan
In 1949 most of those players were too young to be top players.
Don't think Larsen was born yet.
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 12:27:12
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
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On Feb 28, 2:01 pm, tin Ambuhl <[email protected] > wrote:
> samsloan wrote:
> > On Feb 28, 12:20 pm, Will in New Haven
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> On Feb 28, 11:51 am, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>> I might as well tell you now that the Bridge Book I am about to
> >>> publish is by Kenneth Harkness. He was a famous chess personality and
> >>> a good writer who made his living as the bridge director on ocean
> >>> cruises. I am told that he was a strong bridge player too but I do not
> >>> know if he won any tournaments or titles.
>
> A far as I can tell neither Kenneth Harkness nor Stanley Edgar (his real
> name) ever was a member of a team or pair that placed either first nor
> second in any major event. His main importance to Bridge is his
> introduction of Swiss system tournaments to the US _chess_ world.
>
>
>
> >> Are you going to have someone edit it so that random things like
> >> "bridge book" don't get capitalized? More seriously, how many copies
> >> do you need to sell to make your nut on this thing? You have a
> >> practically unknown author and _you_ don't have the kind of
> >> information, titles won, for instance, that would make a blurb for the
> >> book more appetizing.
>
> >> Will in New Haven
>
> > Thank you for asking.
>
> > The book is a reprint. The book was originally published in 1949. It
> > was a very successful and popular book at the time. That is the reason
> > I have been asking if it should be reprinted.
>
> > It is an absolute beginners book. It starts out by explaining the
> > difference between a spade, a diamond, a heart and a club.
>
> You might mention its title, _Invitation to Bridge_. I hope you have
> cleared this with the publishers (Simon & Schuster), who date it as
> 1950. The Library of Congress control number, 50008099, corresponds to
> that date. It was neither an important nor "successful and popular" book
> at the time it was published. It is even less important now. You may
> find a small group of people interested in buying reprints of obscure,
> unimportant monographs on bridge, but the number will be very small.
Thank you but Simon & Schuster does not own the copyright on the book.
The Harkness family does.
I appreciate your feedback anyway. I am committed to publishing the
book. I agree that the ket will be small but otherwise the book
would be lost completely, as nobody else would print it.
Meanwhile, the other book by Harkness that I am reprinting just came
out five minutes ago. It is "The Blue Book and Encyclopedia of Chess".
It will be available sometime later today or tomorrow on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891927
The bridge book by Kenneth Harkness is about two weeks away from being
reprinted but I have decided to go forward with it especially since I
have now done all the work. It will be available when it comes out now
at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891943
(Do not go there now because that page is blank at the present time.)
Thank you again for your feedback.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 11:58:35
From: Carl
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 28, 2:01 pm, tin Ambuhl <[email protected] > wrote:
>
> You might mention its title, _Invitation to Bridge_. I hope you have
> cleared this with the publishers (Simon & Schuster), who date it as
> 1950. The Library of Congress control number, 50008099, corresponds to
> that date. It was neither an important nor "successful and popular" book
> at the time it was published. It is even less important now. You may
> find a small group of people interested in buying reprints of obscure,
> unimportant monographs on bridge, but the number will be very small.
For anyone that simply can't wait, I have six of these in stock. Come
to think of it, I've pretty much always had six of these in stock.
Take a number, please...
Cheers,
Carl
www.carlritner.com <--- ACBL Library Used Books
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 09:44:18
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 28, 12:20 pm, Will in New Haven
<[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 28, 11:51 am, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Feb 28, 8:37 am, Hank Youngerman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > It may interest the chess world to know that this sort of thing is
> > > more-than-common in bridge.
>
> > > Of the top 16 teams in the U.S. Championships (which are not limited
> > > to U.S. players, and draw many of the strongest players in the world)
> > > 13 or 14 will consist of 3 to 5 hired professionals and one paying
> > > sponsor. Putting it in a a chess context, I would say the amateurs
> > > vary in skill from around 1400 to 2400.
>
> > > Indeed, 4 such sponsors have won the world team title (the team title
> > > is considered the most prestegious in bridge) and another sponsor has
> > > a silver and a bronze.
>
> > > Of course, bridge is different in that:
>
> > > a) Each player must play 1/2 of the time in US championships, 1/3 of
> > > the time in world champsionships. So with 4 playing at a time, any
> > > player can in effect be as little as 1/12 of the team.
> > > b) Bridge remains a game of probabilities. It is not a game where one
> > > little slip against a stronger opponent means inevitable defeat.
> > > c) It is a partnership game. While you can't coach your partner while
> > > playing, you can play in such a way as to give away small amounts of
> > > equity to give your partner easier decisions. When playing with
> > > weaker partners, the pros routinely do this.
>
> > > Alas, though, bridge teams are invariably known by the name of the
> > > captain (or the country if playing in a world championship where teams
> > > are restricted to one or two entries per country). They don't let us
> > > get imaginative with names.
>
> > When I used to play in a partnership with Mike Lawrence (and it is
> > true, I really did play several times with Mike Lawrence as my
> > partner) I tried in every way I could to make him the declarer. In
> > addition, I warned him to try at all costs to avoid making me the
> > declarer, because, if I ever became the declarer, I would have no idea
> > what to do. Unless the hand was really simple, I would mess it up.
>
> > I also backed the game, so that if we lost I would pay all the losses.
> > (This was never a problem because we never lost.)
>
> > Our opponents were top level or nearly top level players too.
> > Remember, this was the Game Room at the University of California at
> > Berkeley. Some of the other bridge players hanging out in the game
> > room were Lou Stansby, Bob Hammand, Kyle Larsen and Bill Nudding. I
> > knew them all.
>
> > I also played in duplicate tournaments with Rich Laver and Earl Pruner
> > as my partners. Both of them are chess masters who were strong bridge
> > players too.
>
> > I could defend fairly well but I told my partners that under no
> > circumstances allow me to play the hand.
>
> > In one duplicate tournament our opponents called the director to
> > complain that I had made a bid designed to make my partner, Earl
> > Pruner, the declarer. Actually, it was just a mistake on my part. I
> > had miscounted the hand. Just an accident, but it looked bad.
>
> > I might as well tell you now that the Bridge Book I am about to
> > publish is by Kenneth Harkness. He was a famous chess personality and
> > a good writer who made his living as the bridge director on ocean
> > cruises. I am told that he was a strong bridge player too but I do not
> > know if he won any tournaments or titles.
>
> Are you going to have someone edit it so that random things like
> "bridge book" don't get capitalized? More seriously, how many copies
> do you need to sell to make your nut on this thing? You have a
> practically unknown author and _you_ don't have the kind of
> information, titles won, for instance, that would make a blurb for the
> book more appetizing.
>
> Will in New Haven
Thank you for asking.
The book is a reprint. The book was originally published in 1949. It
was a very successful and popular book at the time. That is the reason
I have been asking if it should be reprinted.
It is an absolute beginners book. It starts out by explaining the
difference between a spade, a diamond, a heart and a club.
I wrote a brief biography of the author which is how I became aware of
this book.
My costs are very, very low because I do all the work myself. All the
text goes into a PDF file. I design the cover using Adobe Photoshop
7.0. It takes me only 10 days to two weeks to publish a book provided
the text is written. That is how I have been able to publish 30 books
in the last year including one coming out today or tomorrow and four
more presently in the works.
If I even sell 100 books I will be quite satisfied.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 14:01:11
From: Martin Ambuhl
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
samsloan wrote:
> On Feb 28, 12:20 pm, Will in New Haven
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On Feb 28, 11:51 am, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> I might as well tell you now that the Bridge Book I am about to
>>> publish is by Kenneth Harkness. He was a famous chess personality and
>>> a good writer who made his living as the bridge director on ocean
>>> cruises. I am told that he was a strong bridge player too but I do not
>>> know if he won any tournaments or titles.
A far as I can tell niether Kenneth Harkness nor Stanley Edgar (his real
name) ever was a member of a team or pair that placed either first nor
second in any major event. His main importance to Bridge is his
introduction of Swiss system tournaments to the US _chess_ world.
>> Are you going to have someone edit it so that random things like
>> "bridge book" don't get capitalized? More seriously, how many copies
>> do you need to sell to make your nut on this thing? You have a
>> practically unknown author and _you_ don't have the kind of
>> information, titles won, for instance, that would make a blurb for the
>> book more appetizing.
>>
>> Will in New Haven
>
> Thank you for asking.
>
> The book is a reprint. The book was originally published in 1949. It
> was a very successful and popular book at the time. That is the reason
> I have been asking if it should be reprinted.
>
> It is an absolute beginners book. It starts out by explaining the
> difference between a spade, a diamond, a heart and a club.
You might mention its title, _Invitation to Bridge_. I hope you have
cleared this with the publishers (Simon & Schuster), who date it as
1950. The Library of Congress control number, 50008099, corresponds to
that date. It was neither an important nor "successful and popular" book
at the time it was published. It is even less important now. You may
find a small group of people interested in buying reprints of obscure,
unimportant monographs on bridge, but the number will be very small.
|
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 22:02:15
From: Kenny McCormack
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
In article <[email protected] >,
tin Ambuhl <[email protected] > wrote:
...
>You might mention its title, _Invitation to Bridge_. I hope you have
>cleared this with the publishers (Simon & Schuster), who date it as
>1950. The Library of Congress control number, 50008099, corresponds to
>that date. It was neither an important nor "successful and popular" book
>at the time it was published. It is even less important now. You may
>find a small group of people interested in buying reprints of obscure,
>unimportant monographs on bridge, but the number will be very small.
Always the charmer, eh ty?
(I note downthread that Sam is all obsequious about thanking you for
your reponse. Tip of the hat to him for that - he is every inch the
gentleman.)
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 09:20:40
From: Will in New Haven
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 28, 11:51=A0am, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 28, 8:37 am, Hank Youngerman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > It may interest the chess world to know that this sort of thing is
> > more-than-common in bridge.
>
> > Of the top 16 teams in the U.S. Championships (which are not limited
> > to U.S. players, and draw many of the strongest players in the world)
> > 13 or 14 will consist of 3 to 5 hired professionals and one paying
> > sponsor. =A0Putting it in a a chess context, I would say the amateurs
> > vary in skill from around 1400 to 2400.
>
> > Indeed, 4 such sponsors have won the world team title (the team title
> > is considered the most prestegious in bridge) and another sponsor has
> > a silver and a bronze.
>
> > Of course, bridge is different in that:
>
> > a) Each player must play 1/2 of the time in US championships, 1/3 of
> > the time in world champsionships. =A0So with 4 playing at a time, any
> > player can in effect be as little as 1/12 of the team.
> > b) Bridge remains a game of probabilities. =A0It is not a game where one=
> > little slip against a stronger opponent means inevitable defeat.
> > c) It is a partnership game. =A0While you can't coach your partner while=
> > playing, you can play in such a way as to give away small amounts of
> > equity to give your partner easier decisions. =A0When playing with
> > weaker partners, the pros routinely do this.
>
> > Alas, though, bridge teams are invariably known by the name of the
> > captain (or the country if playing in a world championship where teams
> > are restricted to one or two entries per country). =A0They don't let us
> > get imaginative with names.
>
> When I used to play in a partnership with Mike Lawrence (and it is
> true, I really did play several times with Mike Lawrence as my
> partner) I tried in every way I could to make him the declarer. In
> addition, I warned him to try at all costs to avoid making me the
> declarer, because, if I ever became the declarer, I would have no idea
> what to do. Unless the hand was really simple, I would mess it up.
>
> I also backed the game, so that if we lost I would pay all the losses.
> (This was never a problem because we never lost.)
>
> Our opponents were top level or nearly top level players too.
> Remember, this was the Game Room at the University of California at
> Berkeley. Some of the other bridge players hanging out in the game
> room were Lou Stansby, Bob Hammand, Kyle Larsen and Bill Nudding. I
> knew them all.
>
> I also played in duplicate tournaments with Rich Laver and Earl Pruner
> as my partners. Both of them are chess masters who were strong bridge
> players too.
>
> I could defend fairly well but I told my partners that under no
> circumstances allow me to play the hand.
>
> In one duplicate tournament our opponents called the director to
> complain that I had made a bid designed to make my partner, Earl
> Pruner, the declarer. Actually, it was just a mistake on my part. I
> had miscounted the hand. Just an accident, but it looked bad.
>
> I might as well tell you now that the Bridge Book I am about to
> publish is by Kenneth Harkness. He was a famous chess personality and
> a good writer who made his living as the bridge director on ocean
> cruises. I am told that he was a strong bridge player too but I do not
> know if he won any tournaments or titles.
Are you going to have someone edit it so that random things like
"bridge book" don't get capitalized? More seriously, how many copies
do you need to sell to make your nut on this thing? You have a
practically unknown author and _you_ don't have the kind of
information, titles won, for instance, that would make a blurb for the
book more appetizing.
Will in New Haven
--
>
> Sam Sloan- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 08:51:06
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 28, 8:37 am, Hank Youngerman <[email protected] > wrote:
> It may interest the chess world to know that this sort of thing is
> more-than-common in bridge.
>
> Of the top 16 teams in the U.S. Championships (which are not limited
> to U.S. players, and draw many of the strongest players in the world)
> 13 or 14 will consist of 3 to 5 hired professionals and one paying
> sponsor. Putting it in a a chess context, I would say the amateurs
> vary in skill from around 1400 to 2400.
>
> Indeed, 4 such sponsors have won the world team title (the team title
> is considered the most prestegious in bridge) and another sponsor has
> a silver and a bronze.
>
> Of course, bridge is different in that:
>
> a) Each player must play 1/2 of the time in US championships, 1/3 of
> the time in world champsionships. So with 4 playing at a time, any
> player can in effect be as little as 1/12 of the team.
> b) Bridge remains a game of probabilities. It is not a game where one
> little slip against a stronger opponent means inevitable defeat.
> c) It is a partnership game. While you can't coach your partner while
> playing, you can play in such a way as to give away small amounts of
> equity to give your partner easier decisions. When playing with
> weaker partners, the pros routinely do this.
>
> Alas, though, bridge teams are invariably known by the name of the
> captain (or the country if playing in a world championship where teams
> are restricted to one or two entries per country). They don't let us
> get imaginative with names.
>
When I used to play in a partnership with Mike Lawrence (and it is
true, I really did play several times with Mike Lawrence as my
partner) I tried in every way I could to make him the declarer. In
addition, I warned him to try at all costs to avoid making me the
declarer, because, if I ever became the declarer, I would have no idea
what to do. Unless the hand was really simple, I would mess it up.
I also backed the game, so that if we lost I would pay all the losses.
(This was never a problem because we never lost.)
Our opponents were top level or nearly top level players too.
Remember, this was the Game Room at the University of California at
Berkeley. Some of the other bridge players hanging out in the game
room were Lou Stansby, Bob Hammand, Kyle Larsen and Bill Nudding. I
knew them all.
I also played in duplicate tournaments with Rich Laver and Earl Pruner
as my partners. Both of them are chess masters who were strong bridge
players too.
I could defend fairly well but I told my partners that under no
circumstances allow me to play the hand.
In one duplicate tournament our opponents called the director to
complain that I had made a bid designed to make my partner, Earl
Pruner, the declarer. Actually, it was just a mistake on my part. I
had miscounted the hand. Just an accident, but it looked bad.
I might as well tell you now that the Bridge Book I am about to
publish is by Kenneth Harkness. He was a famous chess personality and
a good writer who made his living as the bridge director on ocean
cruises. I am told that he was a strong bridge player too but I do not
know if he won any tournaments or titles.
Sam Sloan
|
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Date: 28 Feb 2008 05:37:10
From: Hank Youngerman
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
It may interest the chess world to know that this sort of thing is
more-than-common in bridge.
Of the top 16 teams in the U.S. Championships (which are not limited
to U.S. players, and draw many of the strongest players in the world)
13 or 14 will consist of 3 to 5 hired professionals and one paying
sponsor. Putting it in a a chess context, I would say the amateurs
vary in skill from around 1400 to 2400.
Indeed, 4 such sponsors have won the world team title (the team title
is considered the most prestegious in bridge) and another sponsor has
a silver and a bronze.
Of course, bridge is different in that:
a) Each player must play 1/2 of the time in US championships, 1/3 of
the time in world champsionships. So with 4 playing at a time, any
player can in effect be as little as 1/12 of the team.
b) Bridge remains a game of probabilities. It is not a game where one
little slip against a stronger opponent means inevitable defeat.
c) It is a partnership game. While you can't coach your partner while
playing, you can play in such a way as to give away small amounts of
equity to give your partner easier decisions. When playing with
weaker partners, the pros routinely do this.
Alas, though, bridge teams are invariably known by the name of the
captain (or the country if playing in a world championship where teams
are restricted to one or two entries per country). They don't let us
get imaginative with names.
On Feb 19, 10:30=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote:
> "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name" Prize at
> US Amateur Team East
>
> Contrary to expectations, the US Amateur Team East Championship, also
> known as the World Amateur Team Championship, held February 16-18,
> 2008 in Parsippany NJ, set the attendance record for this type of
> event. There were 1248 players and 291 teams, both records, which
> proves that the financial difficulties and other problems the USCF is
> facing is not having a dampening effect on the membership.
>
> The GGGg team won first prize in the chess championship. The prize for
> "Best Team Name" was won by "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer".
> It was also one of the strongest teams and one of the leaders up until
> the end.
>
> The most controversial team and also the winning team was GGGg. This
> shocking team consisted of three Super-Grandmasters and one child who
> was a complete beginner. The grandmasters were Zvaid Izoria, rated
> 2714, Eugene Perelshteyn, rated 2592, and Roman Dzindzichashvili,
> rated 2586. The child-beginner was Stephen Fanning, age 6, rated 178.
>
> The rules of the US Amateur East are that the average rating of all
> four players must be under 2200. There used to be an additional rule
> that the board four player could not be rated more than 1000 points
> below the board three player. However, that rule had been forgotten
> and not published for several years, so there was nothing to stop the
> team consisting of three grandmasters and a beginner from entering.
>
> That rule will certainly be changed for next years tournament.
>
> Had that rule been in effect, Stephen Fanning would have been counted
> as a 1586 player and the average rating of all the players would have
> been 2371, far above the limit.
>
> However, the GGGg team was not guaranteed of victory. If even one of
> the grandmasters lost a game, then a match would have been at best
> drawn. The grandmasters had to win or at least draw all of their 18
> games to be guaranteed victory.
>
> As it turned out, none of them lost a game. Dzindzichashvili won all
> six of his games. Izoria and Perelshteyn won five and drew one each
> but the draws were not in the same round so the team won all six
> matches.
>
> The intrepid New York Times Reporter, Dylan Mc Clain, rated 2304,
> played on a team while taking notes for what will no doubt be a report
> about this event in the New York Times soon. He scored five wins and
> one draw.
>
> There were a few controversies. Jerry Hanken got into an unusual two
> bishops against king endgame (the first one I had ever seen in my
> entire life). When his opponent, Rilwan Ameen, 1884, mistakenly
> announced that it was stalemate, Hanken got upset. Hanken then missed
> a mate in three but managed to find a mate in 5.
>
> Then, in the next round, USCF Master Daniel Yeager, 2304, had a bishop
> and knight against king endgame against Igor Schneider, 2389. Yeager
> obviously did not know the technique. He foundered around and seemed
> to be on the verge of exceeding the 50-move rule. Fortunately for him,
> Igor Schneider did not seem to be playing the best defense, so Yeager
> checkmated him just under the 50-move limit. Yeager scored a perfect
> 6-0 in the event.
>
> The US Amateur Team East is normally also an informal congress of
> Chess Politicians. Almost every year, the USCF Executive Director and
> several of the board members and candidates for office have attended.
>
> However, this year NONE of the current board members nor the Executive
> Director attended, except that USCF President Bill Goichberg came
> before round four to make a brief speech asking for donations to
> support Gata Kamsky in his preparations for the matches for the World
> Chess Championship and also to ask for donations for the College Chess
> Tournament of Champions Goichberg is organizing this year.
>
> There did not seem to be much enthusiasm for Goichberg's pitches for
> funds.
>
> As a joke, one of the players pointed out to Goichberg that he had
> forgotten to bring the plaque to award Sam Sloan for "Shining Light on
> the United States Chess Federation". Sloan had been awarded that honor
> at the 2007 US Amateur Team Championship. Goichberg did not consider
> that attempt at a joke to be funny.
>
> Although NONE of the current board members attended USATE, many former
> board members and former presidents were present, including all of the
> board members who had been voted out of office in the 2007 elections:
> Don Schultz, Beatriz inello and Sam Sloan. Other former presidents
> or board members present included Frank Brady, Steve Shutt, Steve
> Doyle, Leroy Dubeck and Joe Ippolito. In addition, former Executive
> Director Al Lawrence was present and playing on a team.
>
> Sorry, but we just cannot fail to mention the pulchritude parade.
> There was an exceptional number of very beautiful women present. A
> heated debate was going on as to whether Ettie Nikolova, rated 2032,
> is the most the most beautiful girl in the entire world, or just the
> most beautiful on the right side of the tournament playing hall.
> Because, if the left side of the playing hall is considered, there was
> Magda Matyszewska and also Alena Kuzniatsova playing on a team
> provocatively named REAL GENTLEMEN WOULD RESIGN.
>
> The =A0Alena Kuzniatsova team won the Prize for the Best All-Girls Team.
>
> Perhaps you will have noticed something about the names of these
> future chess-beauty contest winners. They don't grow them like that in
> America any more!
>
> Sam Sloan
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Date: 20 Feb 2008 10:49:13
From: Offramp
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 20, 5:09 am, [email protected] wrote:
> It's not quite true that the East used to have a 1000-point rule.
Only a fool breaks the 1000 point rule.
|
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Date: 20 Feb 2008 04:26:31
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 20, 3:25 am, "Ray Gordon, creator of the \"pivot\""
<[email protected] > wrote:
> How the hell does someone get a rating of 178??
Take a look at:
http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlTnmtHst.php?13656087
He is listed as having won three rated games, usually in "Under 8"
sections, although one is a mistake because he got a bye.
He is over rated at 178 as his rating has since dropped to an even
100.
Nevertheless, he is now a member of the "World Amateur Championship
Team".
His picture is at:
http://main.uschess.org/content/view/8197/436/
Sam Sloan
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| |
Date: 19 Feb 2008 21:36:56
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
On Feb 20, 12:09 am, [email protected] wrote:
> It's not quite true that the East used to have a 1000-point rule. What
> their TLAs said until about 2001 was that "regional winner going to
> the playoffs" could not have a difference of more than 1000 points
> between boards 3 and 4. The other three USATs used the simpler wording
> "difference between boards 3 and 4 may not exceed 1000 points." I
> believe the West is the only one still using this. I shall be curious
> to see what Steve Doyle and his crew do about the problem for next
> year.
I think there may be another problem.
Should the GGGg team be allowed to compete in the final playoffs
against the teams who are the winners of the North, South and West
events that may have still had the 1000-point rule?
Sam Sloan
|
| |
Date: 19 Feb 2008 21:09:58
From:
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name
|
It's not quite true that the East used to have a 1000-point rule. What
their TLAs said until about 2001 was that "regional winner going to
the playoffs" could not have a difference of more than 1000 points
between boards 3 and 4. The other three USATs used the simpler wording
"difference between boards 3 and 4 may not exceed 1000 points." I
believe the West is the only one still using this. I shall be curious
to see what Steve Doyle and his crew do about the problem for next
year.
|
| | |
Date: 20 Feb 2008 03:25:58
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: "No Longer Searching for Bobby Fischer" wins "Best Team Name Prize" at US Amateur Team East
|
How the hell does someone get a rating of 178??
|
|
