What is "Really Bad Chess"?It is an app available for iPhone and Android where the gameplay is based on "odds". It's a one-player vs computer/program game where the board set-up changes based on how well you have played. The starting position is m...
My team, the Beer Blitzers, participated for our 3rd year in a row at the U.S. Amateur Team North tournament. The event is split into a North, South, East, and West; with the East segment having the most popularity. However, the North is growing e...
I played in the 4 day schedule of the 2017 Chicago Open in the U1900 division. I knew that I would have an uphill battle in this event for a few reasons: 1.) I'm rated in the lower half of the field at 1767; 2.) I have not prepared as much as I wo...
I played in the 2016 Mayor's Open in Hammond, Indiana on August 13th, 2016. The time control was G/40 with no delay. There were 4 divisions: Scholastic U400, Scholastic U700, Scholastic Open, and Adult Open. Most of the participants in the Open di...
I played in the U1900 of the Chicago Open in the 3-day schedule. I initially planned on doing the 2-day, but a situation with my job allowed me to change into the 3-day at the near last minute. I was very happy with that change - playing 4 fast ga...
I played in the 2015 Midwest Class Championships on Oct. 9th-11th. The divisions weren't completely by "class" though. Most players had a choice between two sections to play in. I played "down" into the 1500-1899 division (the other option was 170...
Note, the asterisk: I achieved this draw in a simul. I had a few requests to present this game for viewing in some fashion. After being lazy and putting it off, I finally got around to making a blog post about it. I have not analyzed the game on ...
I wanted to share this game that I played from ChessWorld. It was a turn-based game so plenty of time was possible for each move. The time control was 7 days per each move. The game began on Feb. 27th, 2014 (!!) and ended on May 12, 2015. My oppon...
It's been a while since I posted any of my USCF games in my blog. I didn't play at all for most of the winter and have recently began playing on a more regular basis. I write this with several audiences in mind, but mainly for those students who...
The Glenwood chess club held their September Swiss on Sunday 9/14/14. It was a 3 round (turned into 4) event with a time control of G/45 d/5. I was impressed with the turnout and the strength of the field (although, only one A-class player appeare...
I was the 4th seed of a 10-player field in the Open division of the Mayor's Open; a chess tournament that took place in Hammond, IN on July 19th, 2014 at the Jean Sheppard Community Center. There were other scholastic divisions as well that were n...
After putting the task off for half of a month, I finally decided to go over my games from the Chicago Open. I played in the 4 day, U1700 section and finished with a 3.5/7 score. It's not bad to break even, but my expectations for myself were high...
My goal in this blog is to compile a collection of recent games that I've played over the past couple of weeks. I have a target audience (mostly of peers and younger players) so most of my notes in my games are directed with them in mind. I did no...
The following is a 3-minute (no delay or increment) bullet game played in a 6 player round robin tournament on chesscube.com. My first round opponent, playing White here, was the highest rated player and I was lucky to be paired against the top se...
January 31st, 2012 saw me with a 2-1 record at my chess club in northwest, IN. As usual, the time control for this 3 round tournament was G/20 with no delay or increment. I played some familiar opponents but my 2 wins were somewhat spectacular, in...
I had advertised the chess club I participate at several months ago. Apparently, the message has worked and brought some new members! I welcome those who did show up and anyone else who is considering attending. I'll repeat where the club is locat...
I've been falling behind in going over my own games, so I'm attempting to catch up. There is a lot I would like to post so this will be a lengthy blog. For some humor, I included a picture of part of a game played offhand in the wee hours of the m...
I started blogging my unrated club games beginning with the final meeting of 2011. This one will showcase the games I played on the first Tuesday of 2012. Unfortunately, I managed to lose all 3 games (this just means I can learn a lot from all 3!...
I have started a blog some time ago about posting some of my recent games as a means of trying to improve. I didn't realize how much time one entry would take if I were to become serious! For me, a day needs to be much longer than 24 hours! Howeve...
I blog in the hopes of at least a couple of readers/players (or more than a couple!) have the interest in participating in an organized chess club in northwest Indiana. Specifically, it meets at the Meijer store in Highland, IN, inside the store's...
The Indiana Memorial Open was a 1 section Open tournament that was played on the weekend of April 8-10th, 2011 in Indianapolis, IN - not too far from Speedway. Although this was a one section tournament, the entry fee nor the prize fund was high; ...
Hello chess-playing world. I wanted to introduce myself and try to become more involved in the chess world than I already am. I'm a C-class player (cracked 1600 once!), currently rated 1571 as of the start of 2011. I want to attempt to improve my ...
