LCCC Closed for Labor Day 2019 - Re-opens September 9, 2019

FM Seth Homa wearing LCCC bling!

The Club is rolling along but have to take a break on Labor Day. We will be back on Monday September 9, 2019 at 6pm. AND that will be Kid's Night also, so bring the kids to give them a break from the shock of starting school again.

If you love chess and have some free time, the Michigan Open will be going on in Lansing at the Marriot Hotel. Stop by and watch the chess tournament, just to see what it is like. If you want to play, you have the option of the Friday thru Monday or Saturday thru Monday schedule.

2019 Michigan Open: Open & Reserve

SITE Radisson Hotel Lansing, 111 N. Grand Avenue (near the State Capitol in Downtown Lansing)
Same Hotel as Michigan Class
DIRECTIONS:

From East: I-496 to Grand Ave (Exit 7A), Right on Grand Ave. 
From West: I-496 to Pine/Walnut Streets (Exit 6), Left on Grand Ave.

ROOM RATE$99 + tax by August 16, 2019, after if space available.
Valet Parking: $10/night for hotel guests
(517) 482-0188
www.radisson.com/lansingmi - Promotion Code: MCAOT9

Format
7 round -Swiss System:  Open (1800+ or with Play Up Fee), Reserve (under 1800)
4-day and 3-day schedules available for Open & Reserve sections
Open Section FIDE Rated (4-day Time Control Games Only)

Up to 2 Half-Points Byes in all rounds but the final round
Time Control
Open/Reserve 4-day: 40moves /120 minutes ;delay 5 seconds, Sudden Death /30minutes;delay 5sec.
Open/Reserve 3-day: Rounds 1&2, G/75 minutes;d5 then merge
Rounds4-day: Rd 1: 8/30 7:00pm, Rd 2: 8/31 10:00am
3-day: Rd 2: 8/31 9:30am, Rd 2: 8/31 12:30pm
Combined: Rd 3: 
8/31 7:00pm, Rd 4: 9/1 10:00am, Rd 5: 9/1 6:00pm, Rd 6: 9/2 9:30am, Rd 7: 9/2 3:00pm

Entry Fee
Advanced Entries must be received and paid by Tues, Aug 27.
Open: $55 for 4-day, $56 for 3-day, $70 after 8/27.
Reserve: $45 for 4-day, $46 for 3-day, $60 after 8/27. 
Open Section Play Up Fee: Players U1800 in Open section, add $15

U18: $5 discount. Online pays lowest advanced rate. Re-entry allowed for online advance price.
Free Entry to GM/IM/FM/2200+ when registering by 8/27, $55 EF deducted from prize.
Payment in advance by check made payable to MCA or by Credit Card/PayPal via PayPal. Be sure to specify schedule, and select correct entry fee!

Registration
Online: https://www.onlineregistration.cc/
Jeff Aldrich, P.O. Box 40, Flint, MI 48501, 810-955-7271, jeffchess64@gmail.com
On-Site: Fri 6:00-6:29pm, Sat 8:30-8:59am
Prizes

$3150 GUARANTEED PRIZE FUND: Trophies for all Place-Winners

OPEN: 1st $500, 2nd $300, 3rd $250. (20 Grand Prix Points); U2200: $200; U2100: $200; U2000:$200; U1900: $200.

RESERVE: 1st $300, 2nd $225, 3rd $150; U1600: $125; U1500: $125; U1400: $125; U1300: $125; U1200: $125

Contact

​Jeff Aldrich
P.O. Box 40, Flint, MI 48501
810-955-7271
jeffchess64@gmail.com  

Now a great attacking game:

The game is even at this point, but White is going to now take advantage of Black's slightly cramped position.

14. Kb1           Rd8
15. Rhg1         Nxh5 ?!
Black missed 15. …..Nd5 16. Be5, a5 and the game stays even. White is positionally up almost a pawn now.

16. Bxh6          Nf6
17. Rh1?!          ……..
White missed 17. Be3, b5 18. Rh1, c4 and White is up 1.5 pawns.

17. …..              cxd4
18. Bxg7           Kxg7??
The final error. 18. ….dxc3 19. bxc3, Qxc3 was needed.

19. Qd2             Ng8
20. Rh7+           Kf8
21. Ne5            Black resigns

LCCC Kid's Night 081219 Had Three New Players - and a Chess Life - Semen 'Sam' Doroshko

Semen (Sam) Doroshko - chess player/teacher/organizer

Chess lost another one of it's best advocates, teacher and friend this year to Father Time at age 96.
Semen (Sam) Doroshko was a Jackson, Michigan resident since he immigrated from the Ukraine in 1950 at the age of 27.
Six years later, "Sam" founded the Jackson Chess Club in 1956, which he led for twelve years as their president. That was where Mr. Doroshko liked to play his chess. He did play USCF tournament chess, in 2004 and 2005
But at age 81, he 'retired' from tournament chess, but still was a weekly visitor to HIS club.
For Doroshko, chess isn't just a game, its a way of life. "In my view, you have to patient to play chess. It teaches you how to control your nerves and not be jumpy. It is interesting to outsmart your opponent."
In a spiral bound notebook, Doroshko keeps yellowed newspaper clippings as far back as 1950. Some show the young Doroshko showing the same concentration he gave the game of chess all his life.
The Jackson Chess Club used to meet in the old City Hall and then later to the Jackson YMCA.
Doroshko would help run chess tournaments there and would play young chess players - sometimes 10 at a time, handing out lessons as he played them. "I like to see young people enjoy the game," he would say.
Semen Doroshko grew up under the iron fist of Josef Stalin. At 19. Sam immigrated to the USA by way of Germany - where he had been taken to work as forced labor for the Nazis during WWII. Leaving his home at the time meant leaving his family and also put a stop to his training to be an electrical technician.
After the war, Sam met his future wife Anna (Staruchina) in a displaced person's camp. He then was able to take his wife and 1st child Luba to the USA to work at an Indiana farm. They were there for a year before moving to Jackson, Michigan.
Sam found some construction work before opening Doro Window Cleaning Company. With his wife's assistance, the company grew into the largest window cleaning/janitorial service company's in the Jackson area.
Sam leaves behind his wife Anna, daughter's Luba, Lucy, Anna and Irene, son-in-laws, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even two great-great grandchildren!
LCCC heard about this fine man and chess legend thru his daughter Irene, who stopped by LCCC and donated two of Sam's chess sets. She knew her father would want those sets to be in the hands of other fellow chess players who love the game as much as he did.
Thank you Irene, the entire Doroshko family and of course ….Sam. 

LCCC Preparing for Chess Season 2019-2020

Freddie Bartholomew and Judy Garland play chess in between takes.

The Club has been running every week this summer. We are averaging 10 players a night, so there is always a game to be found.

We had another new player - John M. join the club this week. Welcome John.

We have open chess every Monday night and Kid's Night on every second Monday of the month.

Starting in September, we plan either a Club Chess League or a free tournament of some kind.

We also have a continuous running "Ladder" tournament you can join.
Hope to see you at the Club!

Here is an EVEN endgame where one side thinks he can push thru a win. Sometimes a draw is the best you can do.

38. g3            g4
39. Kd3         Kd5
40. Ke3??      .......
White thinks his c and d-pawns will keep the Black king from moving forward on the queen-side or defending on the king-side. So he goes for the win, which is not there.

40. .......        e5
41. dxe5       Kxe5
42. c6           Kd6
43. Kf4         a4
44. Kg5        b3
45. axb3       axb3
46. Kxh5      b2
47. Kxg4      b1 = Q
48. h4          Kxc6
49. Kg5       Qh7
50. White resigns

LCCC Closed on July 1, 2019 - Back on July 8th for Kids Night

Hello chess lovers. LCCC will be closed on Monday July 1 due to maintenance on our building and parking lot upgrades.

But we will be back on Monday July 8th at 6 pm for Kids Night!

In the meantime, here is an entertaining game ending:

Black has just played 15. .....Na5 attacking White's queen.

16. Qa4          .......
Black doesn't dare take White's d5 pawn with his Queen 16......Qxd5, as White could play 17. Rad1, b6  18. Bb5, Qe6 19. Bd7 and Black loses the exchange of a bishop for his rook (+2). The next text move only leaves White with his small opening advantage of (+.3).

16. ......          b6
17. Bb5         Re7
18. Rad1       f5?
Too aggressive too soon for Black. White is starting to add pressure in the center and counter attacking on the wing is sometimes a good strategy. But 18......Nb7 was needed to get that knight back into the game. Remember, a knight on the rim is usually GRIM! White is up (+1) positionally.

19. d6               cxd6
20. Nxd6          Qc7
21. b4               Nb7
22. Ne8            Qxc3
23. Qxa7          Rbxe8?
The best line for Black was 23. .....Qc8 24. Rc1, Qd8  White is now up (+2.5).

24. Bxe8          Qxf3?
Black has a better response with 24. .....Qxb4 but when a game starts to crumble and the clock is ticking, mistakes often are followed by more mistakes. White is up (+3.2).

25. Bb5           f4???
26. Bc4+         Kf8
27. Qb8+         Re8
28. Qc7            fxg3
29. fxg3           Re7
30. Rd8+!        Re8
31. Rxf3+        Bf6
32. Rxf6 mate

LCCC 2019 Fischer Randon 960 Tournament Has Co-Champions!

Chess is great fun outdoors also.

Our Fischer Random 960 tournament ended in a tie with Ken Tack and Pete Bruder sharing the title with 3 points out of four!
Don Mason and Charlie Shoulders finished tied for 3rd with 2.5 points out of four.
Obviously, it was a tight tournament the entire way and lots of fun!
For those of you that have never played "960" chess, stop on by for a free lesson.

A late reminder that we offer a Kid's Night at the Club on the second Monday of the month - which just so happens to be the same day as this posting! See you there hopefully.

Here is an entertaining endgame.

White is up a pawn but has to deal with Black's threat of ......Rh2+.

1. Bh6!          .....
This is the best move believe it or not! 1. Qb5+? only leads to a draw with 1. ...Kg4 2. d7, Rg2+, 3. Rh6, Rxh6+ 4. Bxh6, Qe7 5. Qg5+, Qxg5 6. Bxg5, Ne6 7. Be7, Kf5 and White cannot evict the Black knight from e6.
Also, the variation of 3. Kg8 is also a draw with correct play from Black.

1. .....          Kxh6
2. d7+         Ng6+
3. Rxg6+!   ........
This exchange sacrifice is MANDATORY as White is checkmated after 3. Kg8, Rc8 4. Qe6+ 5. Qf7, Rxc8+ 6. d8=Q, Qxc8 7. Qe8, Qxe8 mate!

3. ......            Kxg6
4. Qb1+         Rc2!
Also mandatory as 4. ...Kf7 leads to a forced mate in 17 moves. With this move, Black has a chance - believe it or not!

5. Qxc2+          Kf7
6. Qh7+            Ke6
Now we see that Black's sacrifice of the rook was setting a trap that many a player would fall for. 7. d8=Q, Qd4+ 8. Qxd4 stalemate!

7. d8=R!           Qe5+
8. Qg7              Qh5+
Also 8. ...Qf6 is better but just prolongs the same losing game for Black.

9. Kg8              Qa5
10. Qg6+          Ke5
11. Qg5+         Resigns

Club Busy as Kid's Night and the Annual 960 Tournament Continues for 2019

Excuse the long time between posts as life gets in the way sometimes (work and golf!).
But LCCC had a successful Kid's Night on May 13th and also is running our annual Fischer Random 960 tournament. To learn more about this type of chess, search Fischer Random 960 on this blog search engine. It has been covered many times before.
Right now Don Mason is alone in 1st place with 2 points out of 2. Ken Tack and Charlie Shoulders are tied for second with 1.5 points.
The 3rd round will be this Monday. Stop by the club to watch the action, or play as we have several players that attend that did not get in the tournament.


Here is an interesting game from the British Championship in 1964!
Haygarth, playing Black trails Littlewood, playing White by a full point here in Round 5 of the tournament. Littlewood to this point has blitzed a very tough tournament field with a 4 - 0 score!
Haygarth goes on to win this tournament and this game was the pivotal moment.
Littlewood finds a beautiful combination to secure a winning position in this game. But having done the heavy lifting to get to that point, he inexplicably threw it all away.
All I can say is .....been there ......done that!

Haygarth, in a little bit of a hurry to reach the 1st time control at 40 moves misses 40. ....c4! to keep a very slight edge in the position. The text move give Littlewood a full pawn positional advantage (+1) which he uses wisely. An eye for tactics is a Littlewood specialty, as the two text moves for White are deadly if Black doesn't get his King out of the way of the upcoming pin.

Black to move

40. .....          Ne6?
41. Qd3!       Kh8
42. Ne7        Nf8?
Another slight blunder by Black. 42. .....c4 was still better for Black for a little counter-play.

43. Rd1!       Rxh5??
Again 43. .......c4 is still better than snatching the pawn on h5 (+1.4), but White at this point is probably going to win anyway (now +5.5).

44. Qf3!         Rg5
45. Qa8          .........
White will win a piece and Black is only left with a desperate looking perpetual check trick for a draw.

45. ......           Kh7
46. Qxf8         Rxg2+
47. Kf1 ?        ...........
Littlewood is seeing ghosts and drifting into chess blindness as Haygarth did missing c4 for several moves. Oh the pressure of tournament chess and finishing a win you know is just ahead for you.
There is no perpetual check after 47. Kxg2, Qg4+ 48. Kf2, Qf4+ 49. Ke2 and the King heads to a check-free zone on the Queen-side.

47. .....           Rg1+
48. Kf2          Rg2+
49. Kf3???     .........
Unbelievable! Taking the rook still wins of course. Now Black checkmates!

49. .........         Qg4+
50. Ke3            Qe2+
51. Kf4            g5+
52. Kf5            Rf2 ++
 Littlewood fades after this devastating loss. While Haygarth is unstoppable after this escape in this game and wins the tournament. Luck is also a part of chess success.
Been there - done that on both sides of this tournament equation.

LCCC News and Events - 042519

Chess is always a great way to spend time with a friend.

Livingston County Chess Club News and Events

1. Next Event - April 22^th  - 960 Tournament – 45 minute game – 5 second delay if possibl.

We will play every other week, for 3 or 4 rounds, depending on the number of entries.

This is a fun and event so be sure to be here on April 29^th to get in the tournament. There is still time to enter!

2. Kid’s Night on May 13^th!  Bring the younger chess players on this night as the Club is focused on them on the 2nd Monday of every month! 
3.  Ladder Tournament – is up and running!  Rules are available by the sign in sheet.

You simply look at who is above you on the Ladder and challenge them to a game!

If you win, you move to the space above them. 

If you draw, you move to the space below them. 

If you lose, you stay where you are

If your opponent does not show or play you for 2 consecutive open nights of chess, you also move above him. HINT: This is a little bit of Ladder Strategy

It’s just a little bit of fun motivation to have when playing your casual games!

Upcoming Local Tournaments

May 5 – Lansing Mini-Swiss

May 18 – Canton Chess Tournament

May 18 – 2^nd Annual Grand Rapids Spring Classic

May 19 – TYASCC Quads – Troy Public Library

May 21 – Genessee County CC Blitz Championship – Eastside Senior Center, Flint

June 8 – 9 – 2019 Michigan Amateur – Lansing

Now here is a fine finish by the Club's own Don Mason, playing White in the 2019 Michigan Senior Open. Notes by the chess computer Igor3000.

Don Mason with White has just played 44. Ke3 to Kd4 and the game is EVEN.

As we pick up the action, both players are in a little bit of time trouble. 

Both have about 4 minutes left on their clocks, in a 90 minute Game time limit with a 30 second increment. 

This means each player had 90 minutes to defeat their opponent and after every move 30 seconds was added back on your clock.

Your scribe is not a fan of this type of time control as players will often move their kings back and forth twice - or a similar maneuver to gain a minute on each clock. And this can - and has - happened several times is several games. 

But rules are rules and this was the time limit for this event.

Igor must mention that the game is even now, but if Don would have seen 44. d6, White calls the shots the rest of the way. If 44. ....Rb3+, then 45. Kd2 and Black will have a very hard time with that d-pawn. However, time pressure is on and although MAYBE back and forth rook shifts could add time to the clocks, neither player goes that route.

44. .......          Rxh2

Looks the strongest but 44. ....Rd2+  45. Ke5, b3 kept the game even. This line loses Black's only trump - the passed pawn. (+.8)

45.  Rxb4       Kf8

The same 45. ....Rd2+ is needed worse than ever. 46. Ke5, Ra2. Now (+1.4).

46. Ke5           Rd2??

Now it does not work after two lost tempos. 46. ....Ra2 was now the move to try and hold. Now (+4.6).

47. Kf6          Ke8

48. Rb8+       Kd7

49. Rf8          g5?

Better for White was 49. Rb7+ and its over after 49. .....Ke8  50. Rxf7.

And Black is now floundering missing 49. .....h5 giving a slight chance for play. 50. Rxf7+, Ke8  51. Kxg6, Rd3. (+6)

50. Rxf7        Ke8

51. Rh7         Rf2

52. Rxh6       Rxf3+

53. Kxg5       Kd7

54. Rf6          .........

White seals the deal with 54. e5, but Black is lost at this point regardless.

54. ........        Rg3+

55. Kf5          Rg8

56. e5            Rg1

57. Rf7+        Ke8

58. Ke6         Rg6+

59. Rf6          Rg7

60. d6            Black resigns

A nice win in time pressure Don!