Two, Two, Two Events in One

There is no confirmation that the Doublemint twins will be in attendance, but you never know who will show up for these events! Registrations are flowing in for December 3rd competitions.

First Saturday in December will bring two events to the friendly confines of DeKalb Chess Club's base of operations: the hospitable First Congregational Church.

The FCC is a marvel of the community, providing us with a comfortable base of operations for our Monday casual play and, when they're not hosting lavish weddings on Saturdays, we are lucky enough to turn the church into tournament central (well, part of it, at least). The Fellowship Hall provides some excellent playing conditions.

Saturday, December 3rd will feature both a US Chess Federation-rated event and a tournament for up and coming juniors. Registration for both events kicks off at 9am to 9:30am during which players are also invited to warm up with casual game play or ponder some last-minute analysis of the latest opening line.

Tournament play will get going around 9:45 for both groups. Both events will feature three rounds of play. The USCF event features Game/65 + 5 which means both players get 65 minutes to complete their moves PLUS an extra five seconds for each move. You'd be amazed at how much some players can squeeze out of that extra 5 second boost. This event will include a lunch break over the noon hour and should run until 5:30pm.

For the juniors event, the younger kids will start off without a clock but the tournament director reserves the right to place one at the board if a game is starting to languish (if you know what I mean). The older kids will enjoy 30 minutes to make all moves for a particular game (each side). Sections will be developed based upon registration, but it's hoped we'll have enough for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and maybe even 9-12. This event should wrap up by 12:45 followed by a brief awards ceremony.

The USCF event should feature some excellent competition. Sections will be developed upon registration confirmation, but preliminarily, we're looking at an open section and a section for players rated Under 1600. The elite Open Section is generally reserved for players in the top one-sixth of all active players (84th percentile), no small feat.

USCF membership is required for the rated event. No such requirement for the junior event, although USCF rules will generally be followed. This means touch move and quiet decorum during game play. As a coach, I highly recommend taking notation so a player might reconstruct a game and learn from the experience, but writing down ones moves is not required for the juniors event.

For the USCF event, cash prizes will be awarded as scheduled elsewhere on this site. Those prizes seem to spark the interest of some participants, who knows why. In addition to the section winners, the top-points earners Under 1800 and Under 1400 will also be eligible for monetary prizes, see "Payouts" tab for complete details.

Observers are welcome but should use hushed tones as they walk among the games. Nothing portrays excitement like a pawn advancing to the sixth or seventh rank 45 moves into a two-hour game. You just have to see it to believe it!

Those interested in playing should contract registration@dekalbchess.com but on-site registrations are accepted as well.

Midwest Senior Open Preview coming Sunday October 23

All details can be found on the Senior Open Preview tab at this site (to the right and up a couple inches).

RSVP's are starting to flow in so we're looking forward to this exciting preview event. One way or the other, we've got enough response to make a successful event.

In addition to providing three rounds of competitive, neural-stimulating, drama-free, slower-paced chess, we'll be holding discussions with attendees to assure the eventual Midwest Senior Open will be the best event it can be, accommodating the widest possible set of needs and desires for this type of tournament.

Finding cooperative partners for this event has been a challenge, so if your organization should wish to partner on the eventual senior event, please drop a note.

3 Exciting Events on Saturday, October 1st

Due to a church wedding, we've had to alter the event docket for October 1. We apologize for the confusion but we're attempting to give everyone a few rounds of competitive chess and keep our scheduled commitments.

There will be two different venues for these events with two different start times. Please heed the details for the event which best suits your needs.

For United States Chess Federation players, we'll be at the American National Bank, 1985 DeKalb Avenue, in Sycamore. This event will be three rounds with registration at 3:15pm until 3:25pm. Rated tournament play will start at 3:30pm and proceed until 10pm. Free pizza will be served between rounds.

For juniors (scholastic) players, there will be an event earlier in the day at the lovely House Cafe, 263 E. Lincoln Hwy, in DeKalb. This is in the heart of downtown DeKalb, at the northwest corner of 3rd and Lincoln Hwy. What a treat to be able to hold an event here!

Registration will be from 11:20am-11:40am, with tournament play beginning at 11:45am until about 2:45pm. This will be followed by a brief awards ceremony.

For those seeking USCF-rated competition, USCF-membership is required (available at site). Entry fee is $7 and there will be 3 rounds of G/30 play. A blitz playoff (G/5) will occur in the event of ties. Keeping notation is strongly encouraged. Medals will be awarded to top section finishers.

If you're a young one who just wants some fun, competitive chess, there will be 4 rounds of G/20 play (each player gets 20 minutes to complete all moves. The entry fee will be $5 and medals will be awarded to section winners.

Further details are found in the column to the right of this posting.

Please drop a note to CoachBill@DeKalbChess.com for questions about the scholastic event or Registration@DeKalbChess.com for the Open event.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Hyvee Family Night Approaches

Once again, DeKalb Chess Club will hold a First Thursday event at Hyvee in Sycamore. Come one, come all starting at 7pm on October 6th.

All equipment is provided, but you're welcome to bring your own. We'll be in the food court... contemplating the possibilities of the all you can eat salad bar! Should be fun!

Labor Day Hiatus

In honor of Labor Day, September 5, DeKalb Chess Club will not meet for casual chess. Enjoy time with family and we hope to see you Wednesday, September 7, at the church for game play.

We're not promising, but it's possible Cliff will be unveiling soon a snazzy new opening he is rumored to be working on in his chess laboratory! You never know when he might spring it on you.