Correspondence Chess Opportunities

A lot has changed since the last time I did a post on correspondence chess. Now my level of play generates a constant stream of invitations to very prestigious events. I have accepted most of these invitations in order to further challenge myself and continue to grow in chess. Below is a list of my current correspondence chess events minus a couple of friendly matches.

 

The 2016 USCF Absolute Correspondence Chess Championship

 

The 2016 Germany Masters

 

The North Atlantic Team Tournament VII

 

13th North American Invitational Correspondence Chess Championship

 

“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” – Ann Landers

Time for a promotion?

Should a white pawn manage to make it all the way to eighth rank, it must promote to any piece other than a king.

The Seventh Rank Achieved

In Spanish, a Rook in chess is called a “Torre” and every Russian schoolboy knows a rook on the seventh rank is particularly deadly!

2014 USCF Absolute Championship

Since 1976, the USCF Absolute Championship has provided only the strongest correspondence chess players in the United States with a chance to compete in a closed USCF correspondence chess championship. It is my honor and privilege to be participating in this event for the second time. Below is the official table with the participants names and ratings for the 2014 USCF Absolute Championship. I also took the liberty of linking all the participants names to articles describing their chess accomplishments.

 

 

1. Harry Ingersol	2417
2. Daniel Woodard	2395
3. David Sogin	2386
4. Anthony Kain	2381
5. Chris Torres	2375
6. Keith Rodriguez	2363
7. Robert Fass	2351
8. Danny Horwitz	2322
9. Kristo Miettinen	2309
10. Gordon Magat	2305
11.Dana Daves	2289
12  Charles Jacobs	2259
13. James Rhodes	2250

The Czech is in the Mail: Update on My Adventures in Correspondence Chess

Playing correspondence chess is not for the faint of heart or the uncommitted. Seven years later, I am still battling in my final two games of the 2006 USCF Golden Knights Championship. I still have a reasonable chance of winning the event but my final two games going are against two of the very best American correspondence chess players. My games against Abe Wilson and James Tracz will conclude the event that I started in another city and before I became a dad. Currently, the front runner is Tracz and if I did my calculations correctly, I can surpass his score only by defeating him.

An Absolute challenge was had by all in the 2012 USCF Absolute Chess Championship. This has been the most challenging experience of my chess career and I need to convert a win in my last game to finish in sixth place and one spot ahead of Gordon Magat (the only opponent to defeat me.) International master John Menke Jr. has already clinched the title with his score of 9.5/13! My personal high point in the 2012 USCF Absolute Chess Championship was defeating my correspondence chess hero Major Kristo Miettenen and I may post this game in the future.

On the international front, I am currently playing for Team USA in our match against the Czech Republic and the always mighty Russia. The Fremont Chess Camp caused me to fall behind on time against Milan Bultman, my strong Czech opponent. To make matters more difficult, my Russian opponent has steered the game in which I am white into unknown territory before we reached move 10! Through his brilliant and creative play, Andrey Andreevich Terekhov has put me to the test early. Even with my chess camp completed, I will only have a little more time to devote to these games as I am also slated to represent Team USA against Romania starting in August.

My post would be incomplete without thanking Alex Dunne and Dennis Doren for organizing such fantastic events. For more information on correspondence chess in the United States please read, “Its a Great Time to Play Correspondence Chess in the United States.”

 

An Absolute Pleasure

The 2012 USCF Absolute Chess Championship is in full swing. Founded in 1976, this annual tournament’s stated purpose is to determine who is the “absolute” best correspondence chess player in the United States. The USCF Absolute Chess Championship is only open to the strongest thirteen correspondence chess masters who respond to USCF Correspondence Chess Director Alex Dunne’s invitation. All games played in the Absolute Chess Championship are archived in the Correspondence Chess section of the United States Chess Federation’s website.
Below is a list of the entrants for this year’s tournament including your humble reporters name.

1. John Menke 2453
2. Ted Brandhorst 2432
3. Harry Ingersol 2388
4. Dan Woodard 2369
5. Abe Wilson 2347
6. Chris Torres 2325
7. Kristo Miettinen 2321
8. Gordon Magat 2309
9. Danny Horwitz 2271
10. James Rhodes 2268
11. Thomas Connelly 2249
12. Barry Endsley 2246
13. James Sawaski 2167

2006 Golden Knights Results

Today I received a resignation notice from David Drevinsky in the 2006 USCF Golden Knights Semifinal. This means that I will be advancing to the Finals of this prestigious event.  Below are the crosstables for my section in the 2006 Golden Knights Preliminary and Semifinal rounds. Perhaps at a future date I will post the games I have played.  

Starting Date: 28 October 2006               2006  GOLDEN KNIGHTS PRELIMINARY

Finishing Date:28 April 2009                                      Section  06N37

Steven Fairbairn	2087	x	=	1F	1	1F	1	0	4.5-1.5
Barry Walker	2039	=	x	1	1	1F	1	=	5-1
Dennis Bullock	1845	0F	0	x	0F	0	0F	0F	0-6
Philip DeAugustino	1711	0	0	1F	x	1F	=	0	2.5-3.5
Gary Gallagher	1639	W	W	1	W	x	1	W	2-4
Ernest Piunti	1610	0	0	1F	=	0	x	0	1.5-4.5
Chris Torres	0000	1	=	1F	1	1F	1	x	5.5-.5

Start Date : 18 January 2008              You are entered in section 06Ns10 of our

End Date:   18 July 2010                              2006 Golden Knight Semifinals

1	Faraday Strock	2242	x	1	0	1	0	1	1	4-2
2	Bruce Reynolds	2189	0	x	=	=	=	1	1	3 ½-2 ½
3	Chris Torres	2173	1	=	x	1	=	1	1	5-1
4	David Drevinsky	2142	0	=	0	x	0	1	1	2.5-3.5
5	Barry Walker	2108	1	=	=	1	x	1	1	5-1
6	Norman Cotter	2036	0	0	0	0	0	x	0	0-6
7	John Oberg	1883	0	0	0	0	0	1	x	1-5

 

I would like to thank my opponents for the challenge and banter. Also worth mentioning is the tournament director, Alex Dunne, who takes his job very seriously and runs a fantastic tournament. For more information on playing correspondence chess and the Golden Knights tournament please visit: http://main.uschess.org/content/blogcategory/82/397/

USCF Top Correspondence Chess Players

Below is a list of the United States Chess Federation top 25 correspondence chess players for June 2010. Of personal note is number twelve, Thomas Langland. He is our current Calchess president and very active in the scholastic chess scene of Northern California. In fact, every time I see Tom he is burdened as a chief tournament director at a major scholastic event but still takes the time listen to my concerns. I hope Tom is able to continue as our President because I feel he puts the chess players of California first and avoids the dirty politics that have plagued Calchess in the not so distant past.  Make sure to pay http://tracychess.home.mindspring.com/ a visit to see what Tom is doing for his local scholastic chess players.

Number 18, Gary Walters, is another  player of personal interest. Gary just finished winning the 2009 USCF Absolute Championship. This is the United States Chess Federation’s strongest correspondence chess tournament held each year. Gary Walters also maintains a wonderfully informative blog  at http://graysonebc.blogspot.com/ It is very apparent from his blog that he enjoys chess a great deal and writes from a position of great understanding. I am recommending that USCF members strongly consider casting a vote for Gary Walters so that he can be a part of the next United States Chess Federation Executive Board.

1	Cullum, Chuck (12683996)	MA	USA	2487
2	Duliba, Edward P (10147310)	PA	USA	2485
3	O’Hare, Ciaran (12540472)	OK	USA	2440
4	O’Connell, Christopher Ian (10206600)	DE	USA	2436
	Van Enk, Steven J (12729266)	OR	USA	2436
6	Brandhorst, Wesley (10177103)	FL	USA	2432
7	Wilson, Abe (12483963)	HI	USA	2412
8	Greene, David F (12547622)	NJ	USA	2410
9	Cook, Randy (12414122)	AZ	USA	2401
10	Concha, Hugo J (12464289)	FL	USA	2398
11	Rose, Bleys W (12405134)	CA	USA	2394
12	Langland, Thomas P (11236219)	CA	USA	2390
13	Tracz, James G (12398324)	OH	USA	2387
14	Brower, Walter J (12416332)	AL	USA	2379
15	Miettinen, Kristo, Maj (12486315)	NY	USA	2378
16	Levine, Joel (10099200)	NY	USA	2374
17	Brack, Frank Edward (12412040)	TX	USA	2372
18	Schultheis, Donald H, Sr (10183758)	MD	USA	2367
	Walters, Gary (12617923)	OH	USA	2367
20	Buss, Michael D (12437668)	IN	USA	2359
21	Keating, Robert F (12641782)	IA	USA	2358
22	Daves, Dana Drew, Sr (12395110)	NC	USA	2357
23	Sogin, David Warren (12546407)	KY	USA	2354
24	Fass, Robert (10127319)	NY	USA	2348
	Baffo, Jeffrey (10340195)	CO	USA	2348

source: www.uschess.org