TABLE OF CONTENTS: July - August 2006

• 08.16 - BARNES & NOBLE GAME-10 CROSSTABLE
• 08.11 - GAME/10 TOURNAMENT AT NEXT MVCC CLUB MEETING
• 08.11 - BY ROOK OR BY CROOK: CHEATING ALLEGATIONS AT THE WORLD OPEN
• 08.03 - IDAHO OPEN TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED
• 08.03 - EASTERN IDAHO OPEN TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED
• 08.03 - NORTHERN IDAHO OPEN RESULTS
• 07.23 - T C (TED) HARTWELL MEMORIAL RESULTS
• 07.15 - FORMER IDAHO CHAMPION PLAYS IN DUTCH CHAMPIONSHIP
• 07.14 - 2006 IDAHO CHESS UNION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES CONTINUE (UPDATE)

BARNES & NOBLE GAME-10 CROSSTABLE

Posted: 2006.08.16

By: Nomen Nescio

TWIN FALLS -- The Magic Valley Chess Club held a ICU rated Game in 10 tournament at Barnes & Noble Bookstore on Monday August 14, 2006..

GAME/10 TOURNAMENT AT NEXT MAGIC VALLEY CHESS CLUB MEETING

Posted: 2006.08.11

By: Barry Eacker

TWIN FALLS -- Magic Valley Chess Club will meet Monday August 14, 2006 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Twin Falls from 6pm until 9:30pm for a Game in 10 tournament. Please arrive BEFORE 6:30pm if you wish to play!!.

The management informed me that players were staying past closing so we need to leave 1/2 hour earlier.

Thanks

Barry Eacker

BY ROOK OR BY CROOK: CHEATING ALLEGATIONS AT THE WORLD OPEN

Posted: 2006.08.11

By: Nomen Nescio

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- You can’t read the sports pages anymore without reading about some sort of cheating scandal. Well, chess has its problems, too. In the recently concluded World Open, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 28 through July 4, 2006, two players were under suspicion of cheating.

In the first case, a player near the bottom of the Open Section had a statistically improbable result by defeating two highly rated masters in the first three rounds, and then beating a Fide Master, losing against a Grandmaster, and then beating another Grandmaster silly. After the latter game concluded, the game was analyzed by using the strong computer program Fritz and the last 25 moves of the game matched identically. Because the evidence of cheating was not iron clad, after a discussion between the player and tournament directors, the player was allowed to continue in the tournament and he lost quickly to two grandmasters in the last two rounds.

In a different incident, a player was leading in one of the lower sections and was poised to win $18,000. In the last round, a tournament director noticed an electronic device in the player’s ear. That person told the tournament director that the device was a hearing aid; however, subsequent investigation determined that this device as actually a wireless radio receiver called a Phonito. Again, the tournament directors were unable to actually prove cheating, but the player was still expelled from the tournament.

There is good coverage of these incidents at the ChessBase website: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3280 or at the International Herald Tribune Newspaper website:  http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/08/news/web.0808cheat.php.

IDAHO OPEN TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED

Posted: 2006.08.03

By: Nomen Nescio

TWIN FALLS -- The Idaho Chess Association announces that the Idaho Open Tournament will be held in Twin Falls on August 26 and 27, 2006. The site will be at the Obenchain Insurance Building Community Room, 264 Main Ave. South, Twin Falls, Idaho.

The tournament will be a USCF rated, five-round Swiss System, one section tournament, with a time control of Game/2 in rounds 1-3, and 30/2, Game in 1 for rounds 4 and 5. ½ point byes are available for 1-4 ONLY and you inform the Tournament Director before start of first round (there is a limit of one per player).

The entry fee is: $25.00 if received by 08/23/2006 and $35.00 at the door.

Rounds are at 9:00AM, 2:00PM, 7:00PM, and 9:00AM, and 4:00PM Sunday.

Prizes are based on 30 players: $200, $100, $75, $50.

Entries should be sent to:

EASTERN IDAHO OPEN TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED

Posted: 2006.08.03

By: Nomen Nescio

POCATELLO -- The Idaho Chess Association announces that the Eastern Idaho Open Tournament will be held in Pocatello on Friday September 15th and Saturday September 16th, 2006. The site will be at the Student Union Building, Salmon River Suites, 1065 S. 8th St., Pocatello, Idaho.

The tournament will be a USCF rated, five-round Swiss System, two section tournament, Open and Reserve (undere 1400). The time control is Game/120 for all rounds. ½ point byes are available for 1-4 ONLY, a maximum of two such byes are available, and you commit by the end of the previous round.

The entry fee is: $30.00 (under 16 and 60+ $25.00)and $10.00 for Idaho State Chess Club Members if received by 09/08/2006, and the entry fee will be $40.00 for all after that.

Rounds are at 9:00AM, 2:00PM, 7:00PM, and 9:00AM, and 2:00PM Sunday.

Prizes are based on 30 non-Idaho State University players: Open Section: $200, $100, $75; Reserve Section: $100, $75, $50.

Entries should be sent to:

NORTHERN IDAHO OPEN RESULTS

Posted: 2006.08.03

By: Nomen Nescio

MOSCOW -- Moscow player Wilson I. Barredo won the 2006 Northern Idaho Open with an undefeated score of 4½-½.

While the turnout was somewhat lower than expected, the tournament was enhanced by the addition of several new players and a descent out-of-state contingent, including our special Montana friends Robert Martin and Dan McCourt.

Despite what people might think, attendance was probably not affected by the nearby Spokane Chess Club holding a tournament on the same weekend.

T C (TED) HARTWELL MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Posted: 2006.07.23

Special by Barry D. Eacker

TWIN FALLS -- The first T C Hartwell memorial chess tournament was a major disappointment in numbers, but some solace was taken by the appearance of four Class A players in the scant eleven player field. The event was won by Idaho state champion Daniel Taylor of Eagle, ID who breezed through the field with an impressive 4½ score. Second through fourth places in order of tiebreak went to Garrett Reynolds (Twin Falls), Kenrick Barkell (Boise) and Barry Eacker (Twin Falls) all finishing with 3½ The small group of players boasted current Idaho state champions Taylor and Reynolds along with eleven-time winner of the state crown Glen Buckendorf of Buhl, ID. The event was attended by players from Boise, Twin Falls, Buhl, Eagle and Bellevue.

Bill Mabry of Boise was once again impeccable as the tournament TD. Many thanks to those who took the time to play in an event honoring long time player, organizer, TD, mentor and friend, Ted Hartwell.

FORMER IDAHO CHAMPION PLAYS IN DUTCH CHAMPIONSHIP

Posted: 2006.07.15

Special by Barry Eacker

HILVERSUM, THE NETHERLANDS -- 1981 Idaho State champion and scholastic champion Yge Visser competed in the recently completed Dutch Championship held June 16 - 29 in Hilversum, The Netherlands in the province of North Holland.

IM Visser was the second lowest rated participant at 2480 and was generally outplayed, finishing just 2½ / 11. He did, however, beat grandmaser Smeets and former World Champion candidate Timman. The event was won by GM Sergei Tiviakov, finishing with an impressive 9.0 / 11 score.

Complete final standings below. Watch this website news area for continuing coverage of current and former Idaho players.

Final Round 11 Standings: 1. GM Tiviakov 2669 9.0; 2. GM Sokolov 2676 7½; 3. GM Nijboer, Friso 2584 7.0; 4. GM Van Wely 2655 7.0; 5. GM Stellwagen 2543 6½; 6. GM Van der Wiel 2511 5½; 7. GM Werle 2529 5½; 8. GM L'Ami 2565 5.0; 9. GM Smeets 2535 4½; 10. GM Timman 2616 3.0; 11. IM Bosch 2465 3.0; 12. IM Visser 2480 2½.

2006 IDAHO CHESS UNION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES CONTINUE (UPDATE)

Posted: 2006.07.14

By: Nomen Nescio

BOISE -- The 2006 Idaho Chess Union Championship matche began on Tuesday, April 25 in Boise. Three games were completed the the first night and now and additional five games have been completed.

The second group of matches will happen on the weekend of May 21 in Twin Falls.

Unlike the practice of some tradition-bound chess organizations, the participants in this tournaments voted to change the format of this championship tournament from a weekend Swiss to elimination matches. Additionally, all players in this championship event had to score well in one of the preliminary qualifiying events to be allowed to play for the title of Idaho Chess Union Champion.