Chess Chat: Q&A with Evan Rabin, CEO of Premier Chess

Evan Rabin was born and raised in New York. He graduated from Brandeis University Cum Laude with a BA in Business and International Global Studies in 2012. He founded Premier Chess, which currently offers programs in 44 schools and companies.

How old were you when you first learned how to play chess? Who taught you?

I was 7 when I learned how to play; my dad and brother taught me. 

How has chess effected your decision making process off the board?

Chess translates to my business and life processes all the time. I learn how to analyze, balance between risk and reward, and compete. I was influenced by Jim Egerton’s book Business on the Board. 

How did your earlier career choices lead you to where you are now?

I worked in Enterprise Sales for 4 years at Oracle and Rapid 7. I then cofounded a sales outsourcing startup for SaaS companies. I decided I loved sales but would prefer to talk about my true passion of chess education so I started Premier Chess (www.premierchess.com) in July 2017. We are now in 44 schools and companies including Kramer Levin. 

How would you define your chess style?

Influenced by Michael Adams, I have a style that is a mix of positional and attacking. I often will perform delayed attack’s in late middlegame. 

Does your chess style transfer over into your business decisions as well?

All the time, I love looking ahead and evaluating the best moves in a given position. For example, I will ask myself if Premier Chess is going to invest $100 in marketing, should it go to Facebook, promo items, SEO, etc. 

What has been your worst chess mistake which has given you the biggest lesson?

My worst chess mistake was letting my emotions affect my Play. 

What has been your worst career mistake that has given you the biggest lesson?

My biggest career mistake was when I told my former manager that I was upset that I was only getting a little more money than someone who was a lot less experienced than me. I learned never to talk to fellow employees about salary. 

Do you think chess has helped you to become more resilient in life?

Absolutely; chess makes me more consistent and conscious of all my decision making. 

What do you hope to achieve professionally during the next couple of years?

I hope to grow Premier Chess to 100+ schools and 25+ companies. I also hope to do more volunteer trips around the world. 

What is the biggest challenge to achieving that goal?

The biggest challenge will he finding enough qualified instructors. 

How would you relate these goals and challenges to the chessboard?

On the chess board, an attack needs enough active pieces. If your opponent’s king is exposed but you don’t have any development, you won’t be able to take advantage of it. 

Could you please leave us with a favorite piece of chess wisdom to conclude this interview?

My friend and mentor Bill Lombardy once suggested to me that I follow one top-level player’s games and go over all of his games. I picked Michael Adams and have greatly benefited from this exercise. 

For more on Evan Rabin and Premier Chess please visit:

http://premierchess.com

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A Friendly Rivalry: Eric Schiller VS Emory Tate

Relaxed and highly personable, Schiller bantered amiably with the audience while presenting three of his games against Emory Tate.

 

There’s an ancient Hebrew proverb that goes something like, “The Rivalry of scholars advances wisdom.” And such was the case of the rivalry between Eric Schiller and Emory Tate. So it was a very special occasion at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp when when Eric Schiller did a two-hour lesson on his three games against Emory Tate while Tate was in the room to interject his opinions. To this day, I still receive “thank you’s” from the young chess players in the room who greatly benefited from the wisdom of these two masters.

 

Emory Tate inspiring the next generation at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp.

Below is part 2 of the trilogy of chess battles between Eric Schiller (March 20, 1955 – November 3, 2018) and Emory Tate (December 27, 1958 – October 17, 2015) with notes by Schiller.

[Event "Western States Open"]
[Site "Reno, Nevada (USA)"]
[Date "2004.10.16"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Emory Tate"]
[Black "Eric Schiller"]


1.e4 {Notes by Eric Schiller.} 
1... e5 
2.Nf3 Nc6 
3.Bb5 Nge7 
4.O-O a6 
5.Ba4 b5 
6.Bb3 Ng6 
7.c3 Be7 
8.d4 O-O 
9.a4 {A new move in this rarely explored opening. It caught me off-guard and I did
not react properly.} Bb7 {?! 9...b4 was surely the correct
plan. 9...Rb8 looks dubious because of 10.axb5 axb5 11.d5 +- }

Position after 9. a4

10.d5 Nb8 { This retreat is not justified. I simply was afraid
of the plan of maneuvering my knight to c4, because I feared
that after a capture by the bishop, and recapture with my
d-pawn, that the pawn at c4 would then be a serious
weakness. 10...Na5 11.Ba2 c5 12.b4 Nc4 13.Bxc4 bxc4 14.bxc5
Bxc5 15.Na3 +0.27 would not be so bad for Black. } 

Position after 10… Nb8

11.Qe2 bxa4 { I was thinking along the lines of my game with Nicholas
Yap. that's what happens when you win a nice game, it carries
over and the next time you use the opening you tend to play
the same way, whether or not it is appropriate.} 

Position after 11… Bxa4

12.Rxa4 d6

13.Be3 {+/= No doubt about it, White has a small advantage
here. Nevertheless, Black can whip up some serious counter
play.} 

Position after 13. Be3

13... Bc8 {?! This bishop is destined to stagger drunkenly
all over the board, without having any serious effect on
White's position. 13...Nd7 would've been a much better plan
and in that case White's advantage would not have been so
significant. } 

Position after 13… Bc8

14.Nbd2 Bd7 

15.Ra3 f5 {At this point there
really isn't any other source of counterplay.} 

Position after 15… f5

16.exf5 Bxf5
17.Bc4 Bg4 
18.h3 Bc8 
19.Ne4 h6 
20.b4 {! +/- White has a dominating position and Black is suffering under the weight of
a large number weaknesses.} 

Position after 20. b4

20... Qe8 
21.Nc5 {! A powerful move! The sacrifice cannot be accepted.} 

Position after 21. Nc5

21... Bd8 { 21...dxc5 ? 22.d6+ Kh8 23.dxe7 Nxe7 24.Bxc5 is a miserable 
for Black. } 

Position after 21… Bd8

22.Ne6 Rf6

23.Nd2 Bxe6 {!? Of course that this is not the best move,
objectively. I made the capture simply because it allowed me
to develop a plan to win White's new weakling at e6, and
possibly get some counter play going by advancing central
pawns. Other moves would have left me with a miserable
position with no real chances to establish any sort of counter
play.} 

Position after 23… Bxe6

24.dxe6 Ne7 { All I have to do is somehow advance my
pawn from d6 to d5 and everything will be fine. Unfortunately
my opponent doesn't allow me to do that..}

Position after 24… Ne7

 

25.Ne4 {!} Rf8

26.Ba2 {By the way, did I underestimate this move. At the very
end of the game you will see the point.} 

Position after 26. Ba2

26... Qg6 

27.Bc1 Kh8 

28.b5 a5 

29.f4 {!} d5 { Finally! At this point, however, the move
doesn't have much of an impact and allows the knight to take
up an even better post at c5.} 

Position after 29… d5

30.Nc5 c6 

31.Qxe5 Bb6 

32.Be3 Nf5 {? Right square, wrong piece. I could have kept the game
close by moving my rook to the square. 32...Rf5 ! 33.Qd4 Bxc5
34.Qxc5 Qxe6 35.bxc6 Nbxc6 +/= } 

Position after 32… Nf5

33.Bf2 {? A serious error which allows me to get back into the game, 
but both of us mis-analyzed the position and missed the finesse at the
end. 33.Bd4 ! Nxd4 34.cxd4 cxb5 35.Bxd5 Bxc5 36.dxc5 Ra7 37.f5
was the correct plan. White's passed pawns and dominating
bishop provide a winning advantage. } 

Position after 33. Bf2

33... Re8 {? 33...Nh4 ! was the saving plan. I spotted the move, of course, 
but simply didn't date indeed enough into the position. Both players 
saw the same continuation [34.Bxd5 ! cxd5 35.Qxd5 Ra7 ! 36.Bxh4 (but here 
we both failed to spot Rf5 !) 37.Qe4 Bxc5+ 38.Bf2 Qf6 
[38...Bxa3 39.Bxa7 ] 39.Bxc5 Rxc5 40.Rxa5 Rxa5 41.e7 Rc8
42.e8=Q+ Rxe8 43.Qxe8+ Kh7 44.Qxb8 Qxc3 with a difficult but
not hopeless position for Black. } 

Position after 33… Re8

34.Bb1 {! +- The bishop slips onto the long diagonal and finishes 
off the game.} 

Position after 34. Bb1

34... Bxc5

35.Bxc5 Nd7 {I allow Emory Tate to finish the game with a
flashy tactic. Why not? He played very well.} 

Position after 35… Nd7

36.exd7 Rxe5

37.fxe5 {I resigned. My opponent at long last got his revenge
for my upset victory in the 1997 United States Masters.} 1-0

Position after 37. fxe5

 

Eric Schiller VS Emory Tate Game 1

 

What are the Advantages/Disadvantages of Castling in Chess?

My answer as posted on Quora here: http://qr.ae/DyzTt

Castling is the only time in chess when a player is allowed to move two of his/her own pieces simultaneously. The rearrangement that occurs when a player castles is beneficial because the king usually finds increased safety away from the dangerous center files while the rook boosts its attacking potential by moving out of the corner. Some common reasons to avoid castling include:
1) If castling will expose your king to greater danger.
2) If your opponent’s most threatening pieces (especially the queen) have already left the board.
3) If your rook is supporting an important advance of a flank pawn.
4) If you have powerful tactics available immediately and castling will cost you the initiative.

Why is Fabiano Caruana Dominating the Strongest Chess Tournament Ever?

Fabiano Caruana’s dominating performance in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup is made possible by a combination of his rare talent, passion for the game, hard work and experience.

 

Yesterday in chess class, one of my students asked me, “How is it possible for Fabiano Caruana to play chess so well?” I answered her by saying that it is a,”Combination of talent, passion for chess, hard work and experience.” When another child asked me about his experience, I explained that, “It takes learning from thousands of losses to become any good at chess.” I then set up the position below in which Torres Chess and Music Academy coach Emory Tate provides a valuable learning moment to the young Fabiano Caruana.

 

Position from Fabiano Caruana vs Emory Tate. Black to move and win!

 

Here is the game in its entirety:

 

[Event “Tournament ‘New York Masters'”]
[Site “New York (USA)”]
[Date “2003”]
[Round “1”]
[White “Caruana Fabiano (ITA)”]
[Black “Tate Emory (USA)”]
[Result “0-1”]
[Eco “B22”]
[Annotator “Chris Torres”]
[Source “Chris’ Portable Treasury of Chess Games”]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 c4 {Emory Tate chose a different path in his fine victory over Mechem.}
( 5…Nc6 6.Nbd2 Be6 7.Bd3 c4 8.Bc2 b5 9.Nf1 Bd6 10.Ng3 Nf6 11.Nf5
Bxf5 12.Bxf5 Qe7+ 13.Qe2 Ne4 14.Ng5 Nxg5 15.Bxg5 f6 16.Be3 g6
17.Bc2 O-O 18.Qf3 Qf7 19.O-O b4 20.Bf4 Bxf4 21.Qxf4 bxc3 22.bxc3
Rab8 23.Rab1 Rxb1 24.Rxb1 Qe6 25.Kf1 {…0-1, Mechem P – Tate Emory (USA) 2370 , Illinois 1996 It (open)}
) 6.Be2 ( 6.b3 cxb3 7.axb3 Bd6 8.Bd3 Ne7 9.Nbd2 Bf5 10.Nf1 O-O
11.Ne3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Qd7 13.O-O Nbc6 14.Ba3 f5 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.c4
f4 17.Ng4 Ng6 18.Rfe1 Rae8 19.h4 Qd7 20.Rxe8 Rxe8 21.h5 Nge7
22.Nge5 dxc4 23.bxc4 Nxe5 24.Nxe5 Qf5 25.Rxa7 Qxh5 {…1-0, Rublevsky Sergei (RUS) 2683 – Simonian Hrair (ARM) 2473 , Warsaw 12/18/2010 Ch Europe (active)}
) Bd6 7.O-O a6 ( 7…Ne7 8.b3 cxb3 9.axb3 Nbc6 10.c4 O-O 11.Nc3
Be6 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.Bh4 Rfe8 14.c5 Bc7 15.Nb5 Bg4 16.Nxc7 Qxc7
17.Bg3 Qd7 18.Ne5 Bxe2 19.Qxe2 Nxe5 20.dxe5 Nc6 21.f4 d4 22.Qc4
Qe6 23.Qxe6 fxe6 24.Rfd1 Red8 25.Ra4 a6 26.Rd3 Rd5 27.b4 {…0-1, Chakurira S (ZIM) 2171 – Lautier Joel (FRA) 2365 , Adelaide 1988 Ch World (juniors) (under 20)}
) 8.Ne5 {+0.07 CAP} ( 8.b3 cxb3 9.axb3 Ne7 ( 9…Nf6 10.Bb5+
{+0.48 CAP} ) 10.Re1 O-O 11.Ba3 Nbc6 12.Bd3 Ng6 13.Bxd6 Qxd6
14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Ra2 Bf5 16.Rae2 Rac8 17.Re3 a5 18.Nbd2 b5 19.Ne5
b4 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.c4 a4 22.c5 Qf6 23.bxa4 Qxd4 24.Nb3 Qxd1 25.Rxd1
Ra8 26.a5 Bc2 27.Rxd5 Re6 {…1/2-1/2, Timmermans Ivo (NED) 2247 – Pavlovic Milos (SRB) 2531 , Vlissingen 8/ 6/2011 It (open)}
) ( 8.Re1 Ne7 9.b3 cxb3 10.axb3 Nbc6 11.Bd3 O-O 12.Ng5 g6 13.h4
h5 14.Nd2 Bg4 15.Qc2 Rc8 16.Qb2 Qd7 17.Ngf3 Nf5 18.c4 Rfe8 19.Ne5
Bxe5 20.dxe5 Nxh4 21.cxd5 Qxd5 22.Ne4 Qxd3 23.Nf6+ Kh8 24.Nxe8
Be6 25.Nd6 Nd4 26.Be3 Ndf3+ 27.Kh1 Nxe1 {…0-1, Flaquer Luis (DOM) 2274 – Stanojoski Zvonko (MKD) 2485 , Khanty Mansyisk 9/23/2010 Olympiad}
) Ne7 {This move deserves more attention and is yet another invention by Emory Tate.}
9.Bf3 Nbc6 10.Re1 O-O 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 Be6 13.Bg5 Qc7 14.Bxe7
Nxe7 15.Qd2 Rac8 16.h3 {This move unnecessarily creates weakness around white’s king.}
Ng6 {The only thing Emopry doesn’t like about his position is Fabiano’s knight on e5, so he is fixing that.}
17.Nxg6 hxg6 {Black’s position is now better.} 18.Qg5 {?} {
Fabiano makes a strategic and tactical error. The strategic mistake is
attacking when he is not in a superior position. Emory will show us how to
punish the tactical mistake of placing the queen on g5.} Bf4
{!} {The queen is a dead woman walking.} 19.Qh4 g5 {!} 20.Qh5
g6 21.Qh6 g4 {!} {And that my friends is how it’s done! Once again, Emory Tate uses creativity and precise tactics to bust his opponent.}
0-1

 

Solution: After Emory plays 18…Bf4, Fabiano’s queen is a, “Dead Woman Walking!”

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 3

The Torres Chess and Music Academy is constantly at work making sure the events we offer your children are the very best in California. Below are some images from week 3 of the 2014 Fremont Summer Chess Camp. There is still one more week left in our chess camp at Mission San Jose Elementary School which will feature instruction from International Master Emory Tate and Grandmaster Susan Polgar.

 

Click here to register for week 4!

 

Our camp is filled with a diverse group of students who all love chess.

 

 

Joe Lonsdale is a legendary chess coach who brings decades of teaching experience to our camp daily.

 

 

International Master Emory Tate enjoys teaching as much as his students enjoy learning.

 

 

The Fremont Summer Chess Camp features a USCF rated chess tournament with prizes so that our star students have an opportunity to shine.

 

 

When the kids finish their rated games they are treated to personalized analysis from the best minds in the business.

 

 

Famed chess author Eric Schiller stopped by on Thursday and presented seven of his best chess games to our students.

 

 

After his brilliant performance, Eric graciously handed out our weekly awards and signed autographs.

 

 

Our Fremont Summer Chess camp even had its own book fair.

 

Take a moment to check out my report on weeks 1 and 2.

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 1

 

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 2

Fremont Summer Chess Camp: Week 1

The first week of the Torres Chess and Music Academy’s Fremont Summer Camp was a smashing success. One parent even asked me why our camp was so much better than the other chess classes in the Bay Area. I answered, “The real secret is in enthusiasm. It is the magic we use to transform challenges into accomplishments.”

 

Students learn more when they are having fun.

 

 

 

TCAMA Director of Instruction, James Paquette, teaches his students the secrets to Paul Morphy’s success.

 

 

 

Tans Hylkema taught our youngest campers how to play chess and notate their moves.

 

 

 

Students at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp were constantly challenged.

 

 

 

Joe Lonsdale has been overlooking chess games at MSJE for nearly thirty years!

 

 

 

Francisco Anchondo teaches his students how to turn chess advantages into stunning combinations.

 

 

 

Our campers learn first hand why International Master Emory Tate is a chess teacher of the highest quality.

 

 

 

After just one week, our youngest players understand the most important endgame positions.

 

 

 

Every game played at our camp is turned into a custom lesson for the children who played it.

 

 

 

All of our hard work pays off during the next school year.

 

 

How important are chess ratings for children?

A chess rating is just a number used in chess to estimate the strength of a player based on his/her past performance. For years, I have been advising chess coaches, parents and kids to avoid becoming preoccupied with ratings as doing so creates unnecessary problems for children. Some common problems I see regularly from over emphasizing chess ratings are: 

1) Avoidance of tournaments for fear of losing rating points

2) Avoidance of tournaments out of embarrassment from having a low rating

3) Being overly confident because his/her rating is higher than his/her opponent’s

4) Playing in a self-defeating mindset because his/her rating is much lower than his/her opponent’s

5) Dropping out of chess because of too much pressure to maintain a high rating.

 

So it was a real pleasure when I read a recent blog post by Susan Polgar where she offered her wisdom on chess ratings for scholastic players:

Q: How important are chess ratings for children?

A: My answer may be unpopular but ratings are not very relevant at an early age. The problem is that many parents are so concerned about the ratings their children become too timid to play “proper” chess in order to improve. They are so afraid of losing that they play not to lose instead of playing to win and this can seriously hinder the development of their children.

While in the short term ratings can satisfy one’s ego, it is better to look at the long term outcome.

Source: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2014/05/some-important-questions-about-chess.html

 

I will be teaching with Susan this summer at the MSJE Fremont Summer Chess Camp.

 

Sign up today!

 

The Tenth Rank

The Top Ten Chess (CC) Players in the United States for May 2014.

Source: United States Chess Federation

1	Menke, John R	IL	USA	2489
2	Buss, Michael	IN	USA	2430
3	Brandhorst, Wesley	FL	USA	2416
4	Ingersol, Harry Walter	IA	USA	2415
5	Tracz, James G	OH	USA	2405
6	Tseng, Wilbur	IL	USA	2403
7	Kain, Anthony James	SC	USA	2398
8	Mcgregor, Stephen Dean	TX	USA	2391
9	Sogin, David Warren	KY	USA	2386
10	Torres, Chris	CA	USA	2375

 

Of course it was never about rank or rating but rather the happiness and enjoyment that I derive from playing chess at a high level. Still, it is nice to be ranked in the top 10… Although, I still have work to do as there is no tenth rank in chess.

 

 

Calchess Super States 2014

The first day of the 2014 Calchess Super States is complete. Tournament directors, players, coaches and parents can relax for a few hours before chess battles starts again in the morning. Below, I give my readers a brief recap of the day’s highlights as well as some photographs I took when I wasn’t analyzing students’ chess games.

For the first time ever, the Calchess Scholastic State Championships was run by a woman and she did the best job I have ever witnessed in my sixteen years of attending. Congratulations Judit Sztaray on a job well done and good luck with tomorrow’s rounds.

Mission San Jose Elementary School dominated the field in all the elemnetary aged sections on day one of the Joe Lonsdale(k-6) Championship. MSJE is again proving itself to be the best program in Norcal chess.

“Analysis is the breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions.” -Chris Torres

 

 

The Fremont Summer Chess Camp at Mission San Jose Elementary School is a once in a lifetime opportunity for your child to take classes with the best chess teachers in the United States and train with the 2013 National Elementary Chess Champions. This year, our camp will also feature instruction from GM Susan Polgar as well as many other distinguished special guests. The Fremont Summer Chess Camp at Mission San Jose Elementary School is filling up quickly, so be sure to sign up soon to ensure a spot for your child.

Oops She Did It Again!

Susan Polgar continues to shatter the glass ceiling by coaching her fourth straight Division I Men’s Team to a National Chess Championship!

 

To most fans of college athletics, a coach fails unless he/she wins it all every time. To Susan Polgar, the head coach of Webster University’s Chess Team, success and failure are connected like cause and effect. Still, her unique philosophy on coaching chess has allowed her to set a record that even the harshest college sports fans couldn’t diminish. After her team from Webster University took first place at this year’s Final Four of Chess, Susan has coached four consecutive National Championship teams in a streak that spans two different universities.

Susan’s chess career began at an early age under her father, Laszlo’s guidance.

 

Susan’s chess career began at an early age under her father, Laszlo’s guidance. At age 4, Susan Polgar won her first chess tournament, the Budapest Girls’ Under-11 Championship, with a 10–0 score. Despite restrictions placed on her international tournament play by a communist regime, Susan became the top rated female chess player in world by the age of 15. Later, in 1991, Susan became the first woman ever to be awarded the GrandMaster(non-gender biased) title by FIDE. An eventual world champion in blitz, rapid and classical chess, Susan single handedly forced FIDE(World Chess Organization) to allow women to achieve the same titles and play in the same competitions as men. Susan’s role as an empowering female leader did not stop when she retired from playing competitive chess.

As a coach, Susan has shattered the glass ceiling as well. Her college chess coaching career began in 2007 as the head coach of Texas Tech University’s chess team. By 2010 she had raised their team to division I status and a third place finish in the Final Four. The following year, Susan’s team, despite being the lowest rated, finished in First Place. This victory made Susan Polgar the first woman in NCAA history to coach a men’s division I team to a national championship. After winning this year’s NCAA Final Four for Chess with her team from Webster University, Susan Polgar has now coached four consecutive National Championship teams at the division I college level.

Susan Polgar incredible talent and drive have made her one of the most sited examples of chess success and women’s achievements in intellectual pursuits during the last 100 years. I am excited to have Susan Polgar join the Torres Chess and Music Academy for our Fremont Summer Chess Camp and look forward to allowing my own daughters to gain from her inspirational character.  Your daughters and sons can too!

 

To book your child for our Summer Chess Camp featuring Susan Polgar please visit: http://chessandmusic.com/onlineregistration/

 

 

For more information on Susan Polgar please visit these fine sites:

http://www.susanpolgar.com/

 

http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/

 

http://www.webster.edu/spice/

 

 

“Win with grace, lose with dignity.”-Susan Polgar