SCC Undefeated! Sicilian Crash Course! More News!
SCC Members Undefeated!
Dear Silverdale Chess Club Members, Families and Friends,
Next time you sit down across the chessboard from one of our junior players, you may not realize that you are playing against an Olympic Regional Chess All-Star!
At last week's 2026 Olympic Regional Chess Championships, attracting the brightest scholastic chess players from Kitsap, Clallam, and Jefferson Counties, two SCC club members took home top honors with undefeated scores!
Congrats to Liam Glaser who won the Middle School division and Alec Rodriguez who won the High School division, both with 5-0 scores!
Two other club members, Sofia and Darya Byaleshov, are heading overseas to play in the famous Isle of Wight Chess Tournament in the UK, from Feb 16-22. As of 2024, the Isle of Wight tournament has transitioned to become a major International Master’s event.
Liam Glaser — 5-0 — 1st Place — Peninsula Middle Schools
Alec Rodriguez — 5-0 — 1st Place — Peninsula High Schools
Sofia and Darya Byelashov — Competing in the Isle of Wight, UK Championships
Sicilian Defense Crash Course
(for Newbies)
(for Newbies)
Looking for a sharp alternative to 1. e4, e5 in order to avoid the Petroff, the Berlin Defense, or the Italian Game?
The Sicilian Defense is the most popular and best-scoring response for Black against White's opening move 1. e4. It begins with the move 1... c5, which immediately creates an asymmetrical position and fights for control of the central d4-square.
Unlike other symmetrical openings (like 1. e4 e5), the Sicilian creates an imbalanced pawn structure from move one, allowing Black to play for a win rather than just equality.
We’ve had mini-lessons from SCC members on the Scandinavian Defense (Alex B-D), and the Latvian Gambit (Garrett).
Now, join us to uncover the wonders of the Sicilian Defense.
NM Larry Sivitz will provide an overview of the most dynamic opening variations you might expect to play against after 1.e4, c5! delving into the opening moves 1. e4, c5 2 Nf3, (d6, e6, g6, a6, Nc6) 3. d4, cd and 4. Nxd4, for a look at:
• The Dragon Sicilian (4….g6)
‘• The Najdorf Silicon (4…a6)
• The Paulsen/Kan Sicilian, (2…e6)
• The Sveshnikov (4.Nxd4, Nf6 5.Nc3, e5)
Along the way we’ll also discuss "move order” and the options to play the “Closed Sicilian” or the "Smith Morra” —and do it all in less than 30 minutes!
Chess.com Speed Chess Championship is Won by — Guess Who?
Freestyle World Championship is
this weekend
Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, visited central London last weekend and won the Chess.com Speed Championship for the fourth time in a row. The Norwegian, 35, defeated France’s Alireza Firouzja, 22, by 15-12 after a three-hour struggle. Last year in Paris the same two players met, but Carlsen’s winning margin was a much wider 23.5-7.5.
The format for the speed chess tournament was 90 minutes of five-minutes blitz games, 60 minutes of three-minutes blitz games, and 30 minutes of one minute bullet games. All the segments had additional increments of one second per move.
The semi-finals again featured the three dominant stars of internet speed chess: Carlsen, Nakamura and their much younger French rival Firouzja. The fourth qualifier was a little-known 19-year-old from Belarus, Denis Lazavik, who had eliminated the US’s Hans Niemann in his quarter-final.
This weekend the action moves to the German Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus, where the first official Fide Freestyle World Championship will be staged over three days. As a reminder, Freestyle, also known as Chess 960 and Fischer Random, involves random placing of the pieces on the back rows of the board.
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The Silverdale Chess Club meets on Saturdays from 2:30-4:30 at Moment Brewing, 10876 Myhre Pl NW Suite 112, Silverdale, WA 98383
