tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114010821715365422024-03-15T20:10:16.132-05:00DeKalb Chess ClubA non-profit attempt to further chess education and enjoyment in the DeKalb and Sycamore, Illinois area. We welcome new members of all ages and experience levels, including folks affiliated with NIU and Kish College.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-33523629219146085072016-09-06T14:31:00.002-05:002016-09-06T14:42:11.281-05:00Registrations Heating Up For Judd Lauger Memorial Sept 10The week is still young and yet we are projecting a 40-player field for the Judd Lauger Memorial Classic, Saturday, September 10.<br />
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We have 8 players signed up for the Open and 12 for the Reserve with another 8 in the Booster -- and even one person wishing to play in the non-rated event (fingers crossed we'll get more non-rateds!).<br />
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Currently the prize fund is $100 for first overall with $50 for first U1800 in the Open. The Reserve will feature $60 for first and $40 for top U1400.</div>
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The Booster will include $30 first prize and a trophy. There will also be trophies for second and third in the section along with top U1000, U800, U600 and U400.</div>
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But once we hit 32 players, we'll go to $120 for first overall, $60 for second place with $50 for the U1800 in the Open.</div>
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And in the Reserve we'll add a second place prize of $40 and first place will grow to $80. Upset prizes will go from $5 per section to $10 -- and that will add $155 to the existing prize fund of around $300. So stay tuned!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com85tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-44604594880108414662016-03-28T15:38:00.003-05:002016-04-01T07:02:39.799-05:00Grunfeld Early Registration Deadline Extended <b>Partial List of Registrations (38) as of 3/31: </b><br />
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Open:</b> V. Do (2084), A. Carey (1856), J. Winick (1827), S. Rajamani (1786), A. Raje (1727), S. Henderson (1701), J. Willett (1634), et al...<br />
<b>Reserve:</b> J. Gaenzle (1563), E. Patterson (1559), S. Lauger (1503), R. Padilla (1500), A. Emrikian (1408), S. Insley (1377), J. Zarris (1363), A. Insley (1325), T. Segreto (1315), D. Bell (1309), J. Davis (1292) et al...<br />
<b>Booster:</b> A. Ramirez (1249)*, D. Reyes (1247), W. Cahill (1231)*, S Mamidi (1200), D. Chen (1193), J. Marchert, Jr. (1083), M. Chen (1059)*, and others...<br />
<b>Super-Booster:</b> K. Sureshkumar (966), P. Cappaert (963), J. Marchert, Sr. (916), J. Wilde (872), T. Verden, D. Henderson, J. Marchert III and others...<br />
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* Have requested to play up<br />
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<b>Date:</b> Saturday, April 2, 2016 <br />
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<b>Tournament Name: </b> Ernst Grunfeld Memorial Class<br />
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Recognizing what would have been 54th anniversary of the passing of Ernst Franz Grunfeld in early April of 1962 (see below).<br />
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<b>4 rounds, G/60 with no delay, Regular-rated. </b><br />
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<b>Sections expected as Open, Reserve - Under 1600, Booster – Under 1250 and Super-Booster – Under 1000. </b>Requests to play up considered at TD discretion and TD reserves the right to combine or split sections depending upon registrations.<br />
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Prize Fund: Cash Prizes at TD discretion (calculated and posted during second round). Guaranteed 67% of entry funds received, generally 80%. <b>At least $100 guaranteed to clear first place in the Open.</b><br />
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Additional “Under” prizes within sections and upset prizes too. For example, Under 1800 in the Open Section, Under 1400 in the Reserve, Under 800 in the Super-Booster. Must have at least three eligible players for a prize to be created. Unrated players are eligible for Section prizes only.<br />
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Where: First Congregational Church, 615 N First Street, DeKalb, IL<br />
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On-site Registration: 8:15am - 8:50am (after which ½ bye available for round one ONLY)<br />
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Rounds: 9:00am, 11:10am, (Lunch), 1:50pm, 4:00pm, with conclusion anticipated by 6:00pm.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Entry Fee: $15 with advance registration by <strike>Thursday, March 31</strike> 9pm Friday, April 1, $20 at the door. $5 discount to second and additional family members.<br />
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Pre-registration: send US Chess ID number and name to registration@dekalbchess.com.<br />
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Lunch: refrigerator and microwave available onsite for registrants, delivery menus also available onsite (Chinese, Thai, Jimmy John’s). Pizza: $5 for two slices and a soft drink.<br />
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Skittles room available for family and games analysis.<br />
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Side event: shortly after the main event, we will host a thematic quick chess tournament where games will begin 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5. (The Grunfeld Defense). Participants to decide by vote if this will be G/10 or G/15 and whether we have 3 or 4 rounds. Entry fee to be determined. Please indicate interest at time of registration for main event.<br />
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Questions? Contact info@dekalbchess.com or see details at <a href="http://www.dekalbchess.com/">www.dekalbchess.com</a>.<br />
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<b>Ernst Franz Grunfeld:</b><br />
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According to the well-known chess authority Wikipedia, Grunfeld was born in 1893 in Vienna and struggled in poverty as a child.<br />
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“However, he discovered chess, studied intensely, and quickly earned a reputation as a skilled player at the local chess club, the Wiener Schach-Klub.” By age 20, he was contributing articles to chess publications in multiple countries.<br />
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“He modeled his style of play on Akiba Rubinstein, and only played 1. d4 claiming that he did not make mistakes in the opening. However, his style of avoiding complex variations together with an essentially drawish nature was simply not good enough to trouble the world's best.”<br />
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According to the Chessmetrics website he would have been rated around 2715 at his peak in 1924. He became an International Grandmaster in 1950.<br />
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“By the late 1950s he was playing very little chess and he mainly worked on his prodigious library which by now had completely filled the living room in his flat which he shared with his wife and daughter.”<br />
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He died April 3, 1962 at the age of 68. Wikipedia reports the cause of death as “obesity”.<br />
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He is best remembered for his eponymous defense, the Grünfeld Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) and for his general expertise in the opening.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-72308366521326813802016-03-28T15:17:00.001-05:002016-03-28T15:18:41.056-05:00Vincent Do Wins March 26 Alekhine MemorialRockford phenom Vincent Do swept all four of his opponents to claim top honors at the 2nd Alekhine Memorial Open March 26.<br /><br />The event honored the 70th anniversary of the passing of World Champion Alexander Alekhine whose time expired 3/24/46 at the age of 53. <br /><br />Vincent sealed the tournament with a rapid dispatch of Jonathan Gaenzle.<br /><br />Do, now rated 2084, joined several of his Thurgood Marshall teammates in preparing for the US Chess Junior High Nationals in Indianapolis in April.<br /><br />Finishing tied for second with 3.0/4 were Sureshkumar Rajamani and Ashwin Raje. <br /><br />DeKalb's Chris Sheehan-Jago raised his rating 132 points while his teammate Paul Cappaert added 39 points to the rating, now at the cusp of 1000. Chris and Paul tied for top score among players rated Under 1000. <br /><br />Sycamore's Don Reyes enhanced his rating 42 points, earning the top score among players rated Under 1400 with 2.5/4.<br /><br />Alexander Alekhine was World Champion from 1927 until his death in 1946, with the exception of a relinquishment to Max Euwe from 1935-1937. <br /><br />In July of 1933 he conducted a blindfold simultaneous exhibition in Chicago with 32 people, at the time, a new world record. He won 19, lost four and drew nine games. <br /><br />The next DeKalb Chess Club event will be the April 2 Grunfeld Memorial with four rounds of Game/60 play. <br /><br />The club will also host a three-pack of events on April 16 with Game/90, Game/40 and a scholastic event with Game/30 time controls. Please address questions to <b>info@dekalbchess.com.</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-37734674893364455142016-03-25T15:57:00.002-05:002016-03-25T17:02:06.899-05:00Alekhine Memorial Features Four Rounds: G/40; 5-second delayThe DeKalb Chess Club will sponsor the Alekhine Memorial Open on Saturday, March 26. Note: this event is open to all-ages and will most likely be conducted in one section although the TD reserves the right to split sections.<br />
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By popular demand, the time control will be Game/40 with a 5-second delay.<br />
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All equipment will be provided. There will be a $6 entry fee with certificates as prizes.
All juniors will receive awards.<br />
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Registration will conclude at 9:00 am with the first round starting shortly thereafter.
The second round will begin at 11:00 am -- and folks are welcome to take a 1/2-point first round bye.
A brief lunch will be available before round three which will kick off at 1:15pm.
The fourth and final round will begin at 3:00pm with conclusion of play by 4:30pm.<br />
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Grandmaster Alekhine passed away March 24, 1946 making this the 70th anniversary of his death.<br />
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This is a perfect warm up for the scholastic nationals coming up: High School, April 1-3 in Atlanta; Jr. High, April 15-17 in Indianapolis; and Elementary, May 6-8 in Nashville.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com180tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-67571402980851044192016-02-13T07:35:00.002-06:002016-02-13T07:39:11.796-06:00Tarrasch Memorial Features 1pm Start Feb 13Due to a funeral service at the hosting site, the Tarrasch Memorial will take place in an abbreviated manner.<br />
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We will get started at 1:00pm sharp (please be there at least 15 minutes ahead of time. The format will be a round robin quads with each player getting three games. Game/40 will be the time control.<br />
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The lowest section (or only section or only section if need be) will be Swiss-paired with three rounds at the same time control.<br />
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With round robin pairing, games can start ASAP since the opponents are pre-determined. Play should conclude by 5:30. There will be no lunch break.<br />
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Text Bill at 815-995-0174 with any questions. Entry fee will be $10 with $20 going to the winner of each quad.<br />
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Siegbert Tarrasch was an influential chess coach -- and strong player -- in the late century and early 20th century. Feb 17 will be the 82nd anniversary of his passing in 1934.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-32144994336398598052016-01-07T12:01:00.000-06:002016-01-07T15:50:58.538-06:00Registrations Strong For Lasker on Saturday January 9In all sections except the Under 1000, registrations are looking strong for Saturday's Lasker Memorial. People seem to like the option of Game/75 with three rounds and Game/40 with five rounds. Perhaps this is a format worth perpetuating.<br />
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Please DO NOT show up without pre-registering in the U1000. There may be a consolidation with the higher-rated sections and I don't want to disappoint folks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-21925856392868755862016-01-03T12:19:00.000-06:002016-01-07T15:51:45.147-06:00Lasker Memorial on January 9 Promises Something For AllWhether you like Game/40 or Game/75, the Lasker Memorial on January 9th promises to please.<br />
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The <b>Championship Section </b>will be for those who like the slow time control with three rounds of regular-rated play starting at 9:30am. Other Sections including <b>Open, Reserve, Booster </b>and <b>Sub-Booster</b> will feature five rounds of dual-rated play starting at 10am. All play should end by 6pm.<br />
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Entry fee is $12 for the first 24 players registering -- $15 for those who sign up after this or at the door... but a special discount is available (see below).<br />
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A family discount will give the second player in the same clan a $2 discount, the third member a $4 discount, etc. So if you have a brood of a seven or more, the youngest players get free entry! (yes, parents count too!)<br />
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Cash prizes will be distributed within the upper sections while eight trophies are available in the Super-Booster for players Under 1000.<br />
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Complete details are on this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Nj5QYM--RsOFZSM0JHdkxfY2M/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">downloadable flier</a>. (Note this flier was updated Tuesday night).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-89836573777752018542015-12-28T19:20:00.000-06:002016-01-03T09:24:12.438-06:00It's On: 2016 Northern Illinois Kick-Off -- Round One: 11:30am, Round Two: Round 2nd: 1:02pm; Conclusion by 6pmAs we welcome 2016, what better way to do so than five rounds of rated chess?<br />
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After some concern over the length of some games, we'll be doing away with the Game/20; d16 time control and going with a more conventional Game/30 with NO DELAY. That's right, bring back those old manual clocks because THIS ONE is going without a delay timer.</div>
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We'll do five rounds to make the drive worth it... and we'll keep it cheap: $6.102 entry fee. That's right, 2016 backwards -- and you can round it down to the nearest penny unless you have some micro-cents handy.</div>
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First round will start at 11:30 am so those who are traveling far or sleeping in can take their time meandering to the cornfields... or the church... where we'll be gathering.</div>
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I'll provide all the equipment. Just bring your USCF membership card and $6.102 (ok, forget the micro part) -- along with another $5 if you want some pizza after the first round, and show up by 11:15am and you'll be all set for a thrilling day of chess. </div>
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If you wanna skip round one, show up six seconds after 1:02pm (in honor of the entry fee) and we'll get you paired for round two with a half-point bye. You'll still get in four rounds of rated games.</div>
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And we be all done out and out of there by 6:10 (and 2 seconds) so you can enjoy your Friday night. How's that for a plan?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-29621120043621322242015-12-20T08:00:00.000-06:002016-01-01T07:33:07.560-06:004th Home for the Holidays To Be Held Saturday, Dec. 26<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
<strong style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: red;">Saturday December 26</span></strong></div>
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at 1st Congregational Church, 615 N First St, DeKalb</div>
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<strong></strong><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: red;">Registration:</span> 8:45-9:20am; after that: 1/2-point bye</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Rounds:</b></span><b> 9:30am / 11:35am / Lunch / 1:50pm / 3:55pm </b></span>with conclusion anticipated before 6pm.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">4 Sections:</span></b> <b>Open</b>, <b>Reserve</b>: U1600, <b>Booster</b>: 1000-1250, <b>SuperBooster</b>: U1000, all subject to adjustment and combination at TD discretion.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Format:</b></span><b> 4 Rounds, Game/55; delay 5 seconds</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: red;"><b>G/55 with 5 second delay</b>.</span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span>This means e</span><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">ach player has 55 minutes to make all moves in a game and up to 5 additional sec<span style="font-size: small;">on<span style="font-size: small;">ds <span style="font-size: small;">for each move</span></span></span>. This means the event will be <b>dual-rated</b> and count towards both the US Chess regular and quick ratings.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Cost:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> $8 with advance registration, $12 otherwise, limited to first 64 entries. Payable at door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">All equipment provided. Entrant equipment not to be used without TD authorization in order to preserve the peace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>To pre-register:</b> email name, USCF ID, and desired section to </span><b>registration@dekalbchess.com</b><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-65095706437589580452015-12-18T12:20:00.000-06:002015-12-25T12:44:44.013-06:00Holiday Season Is Full of TournamentsThe DeKalb Chess Club will be hosting a slew of tournaments during the holiday season just to make sure that chess brains don't get all soft and mushy like Santa's belly. All events will be held at the First Congregational Church in DeKalb.<br />
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The line up includes events on Saturday, December 26 -- the (4th Annual Home for the Holidays Open), Friday, January 1 (The 2016 Northern Illinois Kick-Off) and Saturday, January 9 (The Lasker Memorial Open).<br />
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Entry fees vary as to the schedules. But all require USCF (aka US Chess) membership.<br />
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A discounted membership is available for $9 to players prior to their high school graduation. (Annual USCF membership is normally $22 for freshmen and $26 for sophomores on up -- so this is a GREAT deal).<br />
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Contact editor@il-chess.org for further details on the USCF memberships and info@dekalbchess.com for information on the tournaments.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-43005283571896471352015-11-25T12:55:00.001-06:002015-11-26T09:37:20.495-06:00BLACK FRIDAY OPEN Offers Alternative Nov 27Why stand in those annoying pre-dawn lines when you can exercise your brain for only $1 an hour?<br />
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How does four rounds of chess sound to work off the turkey and stuffing? Four closely crafted sections to make sure you're playing folks with similar ratings.<br />
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$7 with advanced email registration... $10 at the door IF space is available. We're using the small room this time... so don't eat too much! Limited to 32 entrants.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_f_msgAo9HlcFBkcFpnUVVMQkk/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Downloadable flier</a> has complete details or see announcement here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-1911967943711691312015-08-14T19:29:00.001-05:002015-08-14T19:30:48.283-05:003rd Steinitz Memorial on Saturday, 10am Start TimeIt's all systems go for four rounds, Game/40 with a 5-second delay on Saturday, August 15.<br />
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Hope to see you at the church after 9:30am... first round will start at 10am.<br />
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Details posted on the Illinois Chess Association site: <a href="http://www.il-chess.org/index.php/tournaments-open/details/1951-3rd-steinitz-memorial-open" target="_blank"><< Click Here >></a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-3092676763355432172015-08-01T08:25:00.002-05:002015-08-01T08:30:56.671-05:00DeKalb Chess Club Observes MTV's Launch AnniversaryWhat a better way to observe the 34th anniversary of a cable channel's initial broadcast than a four-round, dual-rated chess tournament.<br />
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Beginning at 10am on August 1st, chess stalwarts will compete most likely without music playing, in fact humming is also discouraged. For those arriving late, a first round, half-point bye will set them up for the second round beginning at 11:45.<br />
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Game/45 with a 5-second delay will be the time control. No prizes, but the entry fee is only $6 so what the heck!<br />
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According to the information bible Wikipedia: On Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time. MTV launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll....played over footage of the 1st space shuttle countdown (Columbia) which took place earlier that year... and of the launch of Apollo 11.<br />
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Those words were immediately followed by the original MTV theme song... playing over photos of the Apollo 11 moon landing, with the flag featuring MTV's logo changing various colors, textures, and designs. MTV producers .. used this public domain footage as a concession... they had originally planned to use Neil Armstrong's "One small step" quote, but lawyers said Armstrong owns his name and likeness, and Armstrong had refused, so the quote was replaced with a beeping sound.<br />
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The shuttle launch identification ran at the top of every hour in various forms from MTV's first day until it was pulled in early 1986, in the wake of the Challenger Disaster.<br />
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_music_videos_aired_on_MTV">f</a>irst music video on MTV was the Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star.</div>
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Probably more than most chess players want to know about MTV but it makes for a good excuse to hold a tournament on a hot day with summer winding down.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-88456432799667928962015-06-22T13:07:00.002-05:002015-06-25T14:52:08.335-05:005th Orwell Memorial Coming Saturday<b>Update:</b> We're over our "based on 40" so we've added an Under 2000 prize in addition to the Open Championship prize of $100 and the Under 1800 prize. Other sections have their own prizes. Believe it or not, what we're most in need of are players between 1249 and 600. Go figure!<br />
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The 2015 Illinois Chess Tour is coming to its halfway point as of the June 27th Orwell Memorial Open. This marks the 5th year for the event.<br />
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Four rounds of Game/60 chess (with a 5-second delay) will determine who wins the $100 championship prize with oodles of additional prizes available. Check out the <a href="http://www.il-chess.org/index.php/tournaments-open/details/1874" target="_blank">ICA listing</a> for complete details..<br />
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For those who haven't yet joined the ICA, by doing so, you're eligible to compete for Tour prizes including $500 for the Open and $200 each for the Reserve and Scholastic Reserve. Points going back to the beginning of the year will be included if you do join by the Orwell! The Tour runs through the Illinois Class in November.<br />
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Registrations have been steady so should be a good turnout in all sections of the Orwell... and the $12 entry fee for ICA members is still available ($15 for non-members). Everything goes up $5 as of Thursday June 25 at midnight... which happens to be Orwell's official birthday.<br />
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Eric Blair (aka George Orwell) would have been 112, may he rest in peace.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-87752907196217645712015-05-28T18:33:00.001-05:002015-05-28T18:36:16.462-05:00May 30 Tournament: 4 rounds, Game/55 with 5 second delayRegistrations are now open for the Lincoln Memorial Open to be held May 30 in DeKalb.<br />
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This marks the 93rd anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial in 1922.<br />
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Sections for all skill-levels. Sign up now!<br />
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The weather is supposed to be not so good... so what's better than a full day of chess?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-41713752513194768582015-05-02T07:31:00.002-05:002015-05-02T07:31:40.737-05:00No Tournament May 2Despite optimism expressed at the Exposition Flyer, there WILL BE NO TOURNAMENT on May 2nd.<br />
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The DeKalb Chess Club will be hosting tournaments on May 30 and June 27 -- stay tuned for details.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-78301949091180359762015-03-28T22:00:00.000-05:002015-04-02T19:41:04.803-05:00Experts Guan & Do Co-Champions at Three Mile Island Open; Matt Riddle, Philip Song, Abhi Prabhu Win Sections, 63 Play63 players battled in four all-age sections at the 2015 Three Mile Island Open, held March 28 in DeKalb.<br />
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In the Open, Naperville North's Bradley Guan and Rockford middle-schooler Vincent Do drew in the fourth round to claim the co-championship. Both had gone a perfect 3-0 up until their match.<br />
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Due to a membership issue there was a delay in the posting of the updated <a href="http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201503287812.0" target="_blank">USCF ratings</a>, but that has now been resolved.<br />
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Sam Henderson and Glen Gratz tied for third with 3.0/4. Sam had the top score for U1800 players in the Open. Guan's teammate, Danny Emge had the top score among U1600's with 2.5.<br />
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Matt Riddle won the Reserve section with 3.5/4. Matt drew Jonathan Gaenzle in the third round before beating 8-year old Vrishank Ramnath in the final round. Jonathan, Vrishank, Geoffrey Trager and junior Alex Zhao all tied for second place with 3.0's. Geoffrey was returning to USCF play after 13 years!<br />
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All five players in the Reserve hit ratings milestones: Matt rose back above 1600, Jonathan eclipsed 1500, Vrishank surpassed 1400 for the first time (1434), Geoffrey went above 1400 for the second time in his life, and Alex saw his rating jump 147 points to an all-time best 1349.<br />
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Naperville North's Philip Song was perfect in the Booster Section (USCF-rated 1000-1250's), defeating teammate Harrison Loh in the final round. Loh and Joe Riddle tied for second in the section, both with 3.0's.<br />
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Waubonsie's Abhi Prabhu was 4-0 in the U1000 Super-Booster section, defeating Indian Creek's Sean Insley in the final round. Sean, along with Arin Nair and Steven Ma, both of Naperville North, all finished with three points to tie for second.<br />
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Abhi was participating in his first rated event ever, as was Steven and his Naperville North teammate Maya Ross, Cortland's Will Olson and Malta's Chris Wellendorf. High schooler Michael Ruiz was also facing USCF competition for the first time, entering the Booster section.<br />
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Nikhil Kuricheti of Bloomington-Normal, Bryce Lawson of Rockford and Stephen Brazier of Sycamore posted the best scores among U800 players with 2.5's.<br />
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Amrutha Venkat took top honors among U600 entrants.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-65164967267106092622015-03-23T17:30:00.002-05:002015-03-27T09:01:15.941-05:00Core Registrations Getting Dangerously Hot for 3 Mile IslandUPDATED: You can't even see a first-run movie these days for $5 but the DeKalb Chess Club will be hosting another full day of rated chess matches Saturday at a family-friendly price.<br />
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8 hours of entertainment for $5? Such a deal! (<b>$10 as of noon Friday</b>).<br />
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Complete details can be found on the <a href="http://il-chess.org/index.php/tournaments-open/details/1850-three-mile-island-memorial" target="_blank">ICA calendar</a>. Registrations for other sections are looking solid -- we could use a few more USCF Experts and Class A Players to join us.<br />
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So far, Vincent Do and Bradley Guan have signed up -- Vincent recently turned 13 and is ranked 27th in the country for that age. Bradley was first board on the state champion Naperville North High School team and was the top-ranked 17-year old in Illinois as of March listings.<br />
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As things stand now -- subject to change -- I am looking at splitting the Booster into an Under 1100 section and a 1000-1250 section, allowing folks to move where they are comfortable and eligible to play. As of 7:00 am Friday, this would give us 10-12-12-14 in the four proposed sections. But the day is young, right?<br />
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<a href="http://www.dekalbchess.com/2015/03/a-third-round-victory-over-wisconsin.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Last month's M*A*S*H event </a>attracted 50 players but it's looking as if we'll surpass this. <b>Capacity is limited to 64 players </b>to keep player comfort at an optimal level<b>.</b> Advance registration is STRONGLY recommended, particularly if you are coming as a group.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-27361397499384101682015-03-18T08:13:00.005-05:002015-03-18T19:24:04.896-05:00Marshall, Kauffman, Cahill Victors at M*A*S*H MemorialA third round victory over Wisconsin junior Ritika Pandey gave James Marshall clear first place at the M*A*S*H Memorial Open. A fourth-round draw against fellow-Illini alum Glen Gratz secured top honors for Marshall with 3.5/4.0.<br />
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Ritika, appearing in her first DeKalb tournament, took clear second place with 3.0.<br />
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Glen and Leslie Bale tied for third place with 2.5 scores.<br />
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The February 28th event attracted 50 players primarily competing in three sections. USCF Crosstables are available <a href="http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201502285532.0." target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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In the 20-player Reserve section, Zachary Kauffman, now a Freeport High School senior, compiled a 3.5/4 score to claim first, His only blemish was a second round draw versus Indian Creek chess coach Dane Bell.<br />
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Rockford Guilford coach Erik Czerwin and Jonathan Gaenzle tied for second place in the Reserve, both with 3.0 scores. Erik surrounded three victories with a third-round loss against Zach while Jonathan finished out his day with a pair of draws after two victories.<br />
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In the Booster, William Cahill compiled the tournament's lone perfect score, going 4.0/4. William was a half-point better than James Marchert who posted a 3.5.<br />
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Zhu Zhu Cai, Ben Rodriguez and Jim Stack all tied for third place with 3.0/4, all three playing in DeKalb events for the first time.<br />
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For Ben and Jim, it was their first USCF-rated event ever, posting provisional ratings in the mid 800's out of the box. Keep it up, guys!<br />
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The M*A*S*H event observed the anniversary of the airing of the last episode of the long-running Korean Conflict-set television series.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-8491302169094537422015-02-24T22:29:00.001-06:002015-03-23T17:31:56.569-05:00Registrations Flowing in For M*A*S*H Memorial OpenWith t<strike>wo days</strike> / <strike>one day to go before the early registration discount expires </strike> a little over 24 hours to go,<strike> </strike> <strike>19</strike> <strike>30</strike> <strike>34</strike> 38 players have pre-registered for the four-round extravaganza. Registration will be accepted at the door <b>at the same $5 rate</b> on Saturday, February 28. (although an advance email before 6am on the day of the tournament is APPRECIATED.). Note: due to limited entries in the non-rated competition, there may not be sufficient entries for that. But discounted USCF memberships will be available for K-12).<br />
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Players will get a whole hour to make their moves with an additional 5-seconds before the clock starts each time.<br />
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Multiple sections should keep the match ups tight with Open, Reserve -- Under 1600 and Booster -- Under 1200 sections, subject to change depending on the registrations received.<br />
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DeKalb events typically honor the midpoints of the section as well with awards: Under 1800 in the Open, Under 1400 in the Reserve and Under 1000 in the Booster (it looks like Under 800 too!).<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Since we have THREE such teams entered (so far), there will also be a prize for the top parent-child combined score.<br />
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If you've never played a USCF event, this is an ideal first event with patient explanations all around. And the $5 entry fee is designed to keep it accessible for all.<br />
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The Under 1200 section will feature a variety of players both in terms of age as well as skill level. This is called a Booster section. Two other sections will feature intermediate players in the Reserve and advanced players in the Open.<br />
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Saturday's tournament honors the anniversary of the airing of the final episode of M*A*S*H -- the long-running TV series set in the Korean conflict with doctors frequently playing chess in their tent between medical emergencies. Who can forget those incoming chopper scenes and the witty remarks of Hawkeye Pierce as he performed surgical magic on the wounded?<br />
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For those not quite ready to join the USCF, there will also be a non-rated section, and for K-12 entrants there will be a discounted USCF membership available, fairly close to half-price of the normal rate. (NOTE: at this point in time, there are very few non-rated entries and there is a chance that only the rated competition will occur). Hope to see you Saturday!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-52110103472820483002014-09-07T12:45:00.002-05:002015-03-23T17:32:44.461-05:00Tournament to Honor Publication of Chess ProgressRockford's Erik Czerwin has been a regular at DeKalb tournaments for a few years now. Coach Czerwin was named the Illinois Chess Coaches Association's Coach of the Year a couple years back when he was at Marengo High School. This is his second year teaching at Rockford Guilford High School -- and the first season he will coach a team there.<br />
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In his abundant free time, Coach Czerwin has written a remarkable book which is being released in the United States this month by Everyman Press. In honor of its release.the DeKalb Chess Club will be hosting a day of tournament chess for everyone on Saturday, Sept. 13.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The main event will be a 3-section, USCF-rated tournament with Open, Reserve (U1600) and Booster (U1200) Sections. There will also be an unrated tournament which does not require USCF membership and a Rated Quick Chess tournament (Game/25) for players rated Under 800.<br />
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The main event will feature four rounds of Game/45 competition with a five second delay.<br />
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Best of all, the entry fee for all three events will only be $5 with books as prizes. Details are posted elsewhere on the front page of this site.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-83920549032960972612014-06-26T22:35:00.001-05:002014-06-26T22:36:34.348-05:0033 Advanced Registered for 4th Orwell - Four sections strong!Registrations have been solid for the 4th Orwell Memorial as of the deadline for early registration.<br />
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But in order to assure the deepest field of players possible, I am willing to extend the early registration discount through 11:59pm Friday for anyone who includes a line from any George Orwell novel along with their USCF ID # and an indication which section they wish to play.<br />
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Furthermore, ICA members will receive the early registration discount even if they just show up on tournament day (registration ends at 8:45am).<br />
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Hope to see you early Saturday!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-86892343265761122662014-06-08T17:47:00.001-05:002014-06-27T09:35:45.635-05:00Orwell Memorial Registrations Now Open - June 28th LoomsAfter nearly a six-month hiatus from USCF-rated tournaments, the DeKalb Chess Club is proud to host the next stop on the 2014 <a href="http://www.il-chess.org/index.php/ica-tour-159" target="_blank">Illinois Chess Tour</a>.<br />
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For the fourth year, the DeKalb club is observing the birthday of the author of Animal Farm and 1984 (born 6/25/1903). Legend has it, that Eric Blair (before he adopted his epic pen name) played chess between customers at a London bookshop where he worked as a young man.<br />
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Once again the Orwell will feature comfortable playing conditions, relatively long time controls (Game/60 plus a 5-second delay) and competitive sections, <b>Open, Under 1600 and Under 1200</b>. As usual with DeKalb tournaments, the TD reserves the option of re-arranging sections depending upon registrations received in order to assure the most equitable sections for the greatest number. Requests to "play up" will be considered because many players enjoy challenging themselves with tougher competition than their current rating may dictate.<br />
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<b>Updated:</b> We now have enough interest to offer an <b>Under 800</b> section (with an additional prize available for the top scorer rated U600). The time control for the U800 will be Game 30 (with no delay) and there will be five rounds instead of four as in the other sections. The first round will get going shortly after 9am when the other sections start, but you should try to register by 8:45am. The U800 will finish up in the middle of the afternoon, but if family members are playing in the main event, we will offer activities to keep participants busy until the other sections conclude.<br />
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In addition to the section prizes, there are usually at least one "Under Prize" in each section to recognize the players who are lower-rated when the day begins. So pretty much everyone is in contention for some prize until usually at least the third round.<br />
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Because of travel and the early start time, 1/2 point byes are available for the FIRST round only. (Second round should start around 11:15 am.)<br />
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A flyer for the tournament can be downloaded <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Nj5QYM--RsODl6bU1NdWZCTVU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Registrants so far (updated 6/19/14):<b> [33 confirmed so far, several more maybes, 36-40 entries projected]</b><br />
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<b>Open:</b> (8-12) Rudy P, Jason D, James C., Chelsea, Aaron M., Adam B, Tom B., James D.<br />
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<b>Reserve:</b> (14-16) Erik C, Cliff A, Elijah P., Arnold O., Luis M (unr), Jonathan G., David B., Aidan C, Arthur X., Joey B. William L, Archit, Don, Bill B., John (?)<br />
<b><br />Booster:</b> (5-8) Scott D., Gary S., Charlie H, Paul S., James F.,<br />
<b><br />U800: </b>(6-8)<b> </b>Bryce L., Jeremiah D.. Lori B., Ben B., Reese, Nathan (?), Alex, Ryan (?)<br />
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Who's next?<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-88901490163738193482014-03-01T07:58:00.002-06:002014-03-01T07:58:47.162-06:00No Tournament TodayAt one time it was hoped that we would be hosting a tournament today, March 1. Due to health issues that is not possible. No formal announcement was placed, but apparently at least one person remembers that I had hoped to hold a tournament today. I apologize for the confusion.<br />
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No other date has been set up for any tournaments but check back here soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-811401082171536542.post-29758235708839340302014-01-01T06:11:00.000-06:002014-01-01T09:17:15.810-06:00All Systems Go for 2014 Illinois Kick-off in DeKalbA little snow never hurt anyone... and despite the weather, DeKalb will be the site of the first rated tournament games in Illinois during 2014.<br />
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Preceded by a blitz event this morning, the official kick-off event should get underway after registration from noon-12:30pm. For late-arrivers, a first round bye is available (1/2 point). Time controls will be a unique 20 minutes plus 14 second delay in honor of the new year. Each round is anticipated to last around an hour with a steady variety promised for the day. Drive safely -- and castle early!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1