Open
Section Video – Robert
Kozlowski
Top Under 2000 – Nathan Gotman More
Photos of this great chess event
Under
1700 Section
First Place – Dustin Huguenin USCF Crosstable
link will appear here
Top Under
1500 – Christopher Wong Kudos to our
Volunteers
Under
1300 Section
Top Under
1000 – Efim Goncharov
Greetings, fellow chess friends:
The New Britain Chess Club is proud to
report to the Connecticut chess community and beyond that its annual Summer
Open Chess Championship held last Sunday, July 19 was a major success. A club record 78 players, some traveling as
far as
It took weeks of planning and
preparation to hold this monumental event and there was much support. It was a
pleasure to work with so many volunteers and I want to take a moment to express
my gratitude to them for making this an event to remember.
What makes this tournament a success
is the club’s famous free barbeque lunch. Our food committee, lead by chefs
Marcus Komons and Kevin “Z” Zimmerman, did a
phenomenal job. Both “Z” and Marcus,
masters of the grill, were assisted by John Fikiet
and Michelle Pascetta. This culinary crew displayed
the highest level of professionalism and due care as they served up some of the
most delicious picnic food around. There was enough food literally to feed an
army! The items on the huge menu included hot dogs, hamburgers and
cheeseburgers, Polish kielbasa, Italian sausage, marinated chicken, veggie
burgers, grilled corn on the cob, Boston-baked beans, antipasto salad, tomato
and cucumber salad, tropical fruits, chips, garden salad, and rolls. We also
had plenty of soda, water, and other beverages, which were made available to
everyone for the entire day. In the words of prominent Chef Emeril
Lagasse, the food crew “kicked up” the entire food
preparation “to notches unknown to mankind.” I also want to extend thanks to my
uncle, Joe Kozlowski, NBCC President Joe Mansigian,
and NBCC Treasurer Andris Strazdins,
for purchasing the food the night before the event. Special thanks also go to
Roy Beavers, who donated coffee, which he brewed at home, and purchased 180 munckins for the players to enjoy while playing their
morning game.
A special thanks to Nelson Castaneda,
Doug Fiske, Robert Fitzpatrick, and Alex Fikiet, for
assisting the officers with the overall setup and cleanup.
Most of the advertising and promotion
for this event was through word of mouth and promotion via e-mail. I adamantly believe that this is why the this
event attracted so many more players this year, particularly from the shoreline
along with many scholastic players from the Simsbury Chess Club directed by Gert Hilhorst. Thanks to Gert, Derek Meredith, Joe Hricko,
and following state directors and organizers, Tom Hartmeyer,
To direct a tournament of this size, I
needed at least a few assistants to handle the registration and be section
directors. My team of all-star
directors, Emily Pond and Ed Scimia, successfully
managed the collection of the entry fees, made the pairings, and were always
available in case players had questions or concerns. Thanks also to Randy Shane and
The winner of the tournament, for the
second consecutive year, was USCF National Master Dennis Prawira.
The winner of the Under 1700 section was Dustin Huguenin. The winner of the Under
1300 section was Angel Zayas-Garcia.
The other place, section, and winners
of special prizes are listed below.
Please note that even though the report states that Richard Pizzoni won third place in the U1300 section, he made a
very magnanimous gesture by giving his trophy to the next highest-scoring
player, who was Praneeth Ganedi.
Open Section
Top Under
2000 – Nathan Gotman
Under 1700 Section
Top Under
1500 – Christopher Wong
Under 1300 Section
Top Under
1000 – Efim Goncharov
Special Prizes
Top Overall Senior – FIDE Master
Nelson Castaneda
Top Overall Junior – Nikita Lakomkin
Top Overall Biggest Upset – John Fikiet, for his victory against Jonathan Aiyathurai, a 398 point difference
This event has been rated by the USCF.
Full results, along with pictures taken by Brian Kosnoff,
Andris Strazdins, and me
will be posted on www.NewBritainChessClub.com soon.
Thanks to all who participated in this
event. It was wonderful to see so many new people. The weather definitely cooperated for this
years’ tournament. You could not ask for more ideal playing conditions –
temperatures in the low 80s with mostly sunny skies and a light breeze. It was in many ways like playing chess on a
tropical island, except for the beach.
This concludes my executive summary on
the 2009 New Britain Summer Open. I hope everyone had a fantastic playing
experience. Tell you friends about this years’ event and I hope to see you and
them next year at the 2010 New Britain Summer Open.
Enjoy the rest of your summer. Take
care.
Coming up at the club starting in
August – plans for the 1st New Britain Summer Games, a new tournament idea
arranged by Joe Mansigian. Details will follow next
week.
Yours in chess,
Robert Kozlowski
-------------------------------------
I want to thank the volunteers who
contributed to the success of the very special New Britain Summer Open
2009. This event, hosted and sponsored
by the New Britain Chess Club, has become what many consider to be the official
annual picnic for Connecticut Chess. I
enjoyed this event very much.
As a former tournament
organizer/director, I noticed all the “behind-the-scenes” elements that
comprise a successful tournament. Not only
was this a great tournament, but a great picnic as well.
There was coffee and donuts. From the barbeque pit we had
hot-off-the-grill fresh hamburgers, deli hot dogs, Italian sausage links,
chicken, chili, and Polish Kielbasa.
There were fresh rolls, corn on the cob, Boston-baked beans, garden
salad, antipasto, slices of fresh native tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese,
condiments, and many chips, snacks, and cookies. There was a vast selection and endless supply
of canned soda and other drinks on ice, watermelon and a fresh-fruit
salad. All this was available throughout
the rest of the day.
Arkadijs would have
been very proud that the Quartette Club pavilion got filled up beyond
capacity. Twelve picnic tables under the
roof can each comfortably fit six players.
6x12 = 72. This event attracted
78 players, so the setup of an additional banquet table was needed. I say congratulations to the NBCC again.
It was not sure I could attend this
year, (Sunday is a normal workday for me), and so I was not able to volunteer
in advance. I promise to attend in 2010
and would like to be part of the volunteer team. The first way I can help is to use my
Connecticut Chess Magazine website to help notify and remind all chess players
within driving distance about this unique opportunity to picnic and play chess.
Yours In
Chess
------------------
Dear Rob,
Thank you so much for attending our
summer chess tournament. It was truly a success. Thank you for volunteering as
an assistant tournament director and for your very generous contribution of $20
for the food. The turnout was incredible. 78 players is a club record and this
number of players probably ranks in the top 10 in overall turnouts in
The day was perfect. The weather was
beautiful and the our barbeque lunch was delicious.
Our chefs did an excellent job. As you may or may not know,
Kevin Zimmerman is a professional chef by trade and Marcus has had years of
experience working in the restaurant business as a youngster. This is
clearly evident as gentlemen executed their duties with the utmost level of
professionalism and care.
Our tournament
directors our all-star people. Ed, Emily, and Randy did a lot of
work behind the scenes and deserve much recognition for their efforts.
I so thrilled to hear you had a
wonderful playing experience. Joe and I thank your you
again for everything you have done for our club and for chess in
Keep in touch!
Yours in chess,
Bob
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
News from New Britain
Chess Club… June 30, 2009
Greetings, fellow New Britain Chess
Club members and chess enthusiasts around the State of
Last Tuesday at the New Britain Chess
Club, I presented the 2009-2010 Schedule of Activities to the membership for
their review and approval. Below is a
copy of the schedule.
Before reading this schedule, there
are a few important details that I wish to bring to your attention.
The club is still holding meetings at
the New Britain Quartette Club at
Effectively July 1, 2009, ALL club
events, with the exception for Blitz (in most cases), will be SECTIONED.
For the past eleven years, I have made
it my responsibility to inform the membership and non-members about the
specifics of each tournament generally at least one week prior to the start of
that event. However, due to the
uncertainty of tournament specifics going forward, the actual format will be
not be known until the evening of the first round determined by the tournament
directors. It was unanimously approved
that the tournament directors will be given the discretion and latitude and
will be empowered with the final
authority on determining the number of sections, the number of rounds, the type
of tournament (swiss system or round robin), the time
control, the entry fees per section, and the prizes for each section, for all
tournaments. However, I promise to
always keep you abreast of general tournament announcements via e-mail.
All tournaments, which the exception
of the annual NBCC Championship Qualifier, Finals, and Reserve Tournaments,
will be open to non-members. If you are
not a club member, we encourage you to join our wonderful organization.
All events will continue to start at
7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
USCF membership is required prior to entry
in all USCF-rated tournaments organized at the club. If your USCF membership has expired or will
soon expire, you can renew at www.uschess.org or I will process your membership
on our club's TD/Affiliate website upon receipt of cash or check.
Dues for the upcoming year have
increased from $30 to $40 for REGULAR MEMBERS ONLY! The rates for seniors 50
and older, students, and each additional family memberships will remain the
same. Treasurer Andris
Strazdins will start to collect dues for the September
1, 2009 - August 31, 2010 club year starting this Tuesday, June 30. All checks must be made payable to the New
Britain Chess Club.
The club will be holding its own
Oktoberfest party this year! Details to
follow in September.
We are tentatively scheduling
Grandmaster Ildar Ibragimov
to give another lecture and simultaneous chess exhibition at the club for
September 8. Details to follow in the
coming month.
Our esteemed club chef, Kevin
"Z" Zimmerman and his fiancee Marie Juerges, will be hosting their third annual Zimmerman Games
Day at "The House of Z" on Labor Day Weekend. Details to follow in the coming month.
Currently, about 40 players have
expressed interest in playing in the Summer Open. I will be sending out one more friendly
reminder about early registration in the next few weeks.
Best regards,
Bob Kozlowski
NBCC Vice President
Last evening, June 30, the New Britain
Chess Club held its annual Blitz chess championship and after about three hours
of spirited competition, USCF National Master Ted McHugh of
Players were divided initially into
two qualifying sections. The four
highest scorers from each section advanced to the Finals and the remaining
players were placed into two reserve sections.
I want to thank Marcus Komons for planning, organizing, and directing this
event. This was a non-rated
tournament. Without further ado, Here
were the winners of this event.
Finals
1st - NM Ted McHugh - $30
2nd - Expert James Nitz
- $15
3rd - FM Nelson Castaneda - $10
Reserves 1
1st - Bob McDaniel - $20
2nd - Marcus Komons
- $10
Reserves 2
1st - Angel Zayas-Garcia
- $10
2nd - Kevin "Z" Zimmerman -
$5
|
JULY 7 |
4TH ANNUAL – 2009 |
|
|
|
|
JULY 14 |
5TH ANNUAL – 2009 |
|
SUNDAY, JULY 19 |
44TH ANNUAL -
2009 AN OPEN AIR EVENT! FREE BBQ LUNCH! |
|
JULY 21, 28 AUGUST 4, 11, 18, 25 SEPTEMBER 1 |
SEVEN FREE EVENINGS MASTERS/EXPERTS, CLASS
TOURNAMENTS? |
|
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 LABOR DAY WEEKEND |
3RD ANNUAL – 2009 ZIMMERMAN GAMES DAY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN’S HOME – “THE HOUSE OF Z” - AN OPEN AIR EVENT! BBQ LUNCH, RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, AND
MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT! |
|
SEPTEMBER 8 |
SIMULTANEOUS CHESS EXHIBITION BY GRANDMASTER ILDAR IBRAGIMOV
(TENTATIVE) |
|
SEPTEMBER 15, 22, 29 OCTOBER 6, 13 |
4TH ANNUAL – 2009 OKTOBERFEST OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP |
|
OCTOBER 20 |
4TH ANNUAL – 2009 OKTOBERFEST DINNER PARTY
TO BE HELD AT THE QUARTETTE CLUB |
|
OCTOBER 27 NOVEMBER 3, 10, 17, 24 DECEMBER 1, 8 |
60TH ANNUAL - 2010 QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT |
|
DECEMBER 15 |
FREE EVENING |
|
DECEMBER 22 |
2009 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY, RAFFLE AND AUCTION |
|
|
|
|
DATE |
EVENT |
|
DECEMBER 29 |
FREE EVENING |
|
JANUARY 5 |
2010 |
|
JANUARY 12 |
5TH ANNUAL - 2010 |
|
JANUARY 19, 26 FEBRUARY 2, 9, 16, 23 MARCH 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 |
60TH ANNUAL – 2010 FINALS TOURNAMENT |
|
JANUARY 19, 26 FEBRUARY 2, 9, 16 |
39TH ANNUAL - 2010 RESERVE TOURNAMENT (1 OF 2) |
|
FEBRUARY 23 MARCH 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 |
39TH ANNUAL- 2010 RESERVE TOURNAMENT (2 OF 2) |
|
APRIL 6 |
FREE EVENING |
|
APRIL 13 |
3RD ANNUAL – 2010 |
|
APRIL 20 |
5TH ANNUAL – 2010 NEW
BRITAIN SPRING OPEN QUICK CHESS TOURNAMENT |
|
APRIL 27 |
FREE EVENING |
|
MAY 4, 11, 18, 26 JUNE 1 |
4TH ANNUAL – 2010
ARKADIJS STRAZDINS CUP |
|
JUNE 8 AND 15 |
FREE EVENINGS |
|
JUNE 22 |
ANNUAL |
|
JUNE 29 |
2010 |
GENERAL CLUB INFORMATION
v THE
v ALL CLUB ACTIVITIES USUALLY START AT
7:30 P.M.
v USCF MEMBERSHIP IS
REQUIRED BEFORE ENTERING ALL CLUB TOURNAMENTS
EXCEPT BLITZ CHESS TOURNAMENTS, WHICH CURRENTLY ARE NOT USCF-RATED.
v CLUB MEMBERSHIP IS
REQUIRED PRIOR TO REGISTRATION IN THE ANNUAL
v DETAILS ON THE TOURNAMENTS LISTED
ABOVE, SUCH AS THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS, ENTRY FEES, PRIZES, ETC., WILL BE
DETERMINED BY THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS. PLEASE
NOTE THAT ALL TOURNAMENTS, EXCLUDING BLITZ, WILL BE SECTIONED.
v DUES FOR THE SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 –
AUGUST 31, 2010 CLUB YEAR ARE AS FOLLOWS:
§
REGULAR:
$ 40
§
STUDENTS:
$ 25
§
SENIORS
(AGE 50 AND OLDER):
$ 25
§
EACH
ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBER: $ 15
DUES ARE PRO-RATED IF A PLAYER JOINS
DURING THE CLUB’S FISCAL YEAR.
do Want to become a
THE CLUB OFFICERS THANK YOU FOR
SUPPORTING THE NBCC AND
News from the UCONN Chess
Club…
The UCONN July Swiss
starts Thursday July 9th, 2009 at 7:30 PM in Castleman
204,
Tom Hartmayer
860-989-5394
FM Nelson Castaneda
scored 6.0 - 0.0 to take clear 1st in the UCONN June Quick Chess tournament
held June 25th in
The UCONN July Swiss
starts Thursday July 9th, 2009 at 7:30 PM in Castleman
204,
Alan Lasser’s
Game of the Week
”
THURSDAY 8:00 PM May
14
WEDH PBS
ALL
THINGS
http://www.cptv2.org/allthingsct/inside-out/chess
On April 21, Eric Clemons and his
camera crew did a taping at the New Britain Chess Club.
His story will
air on WEDH-TV on some Thursday 8 PM on May 14.
http://www.RobRoy8.com/CPTV-NBCC.htm
Greetings, fellow
chess players of
Last evening, May 14
at 8:00 p.m., the New Britain Chess Club appeared on the "Inside-Out"
segment of Connecticut Public Television's "All Things Connecticut",
a new series hosted by Diane Smith. The NBCC's
appearance on local television makes this by far the greatest moment in our
club's sixty-plus year history. I truly want to take this opportunity to extend
my appreciation to those individuals who volunteered to be
interviewed - Treasurer Andris Strazdins,
David Aldi and USCF National Master Ted McHugh.
During our five minute segment, the producer, Eric Clemons, captured
the heart and soul of our club with many excellent photos. My personal favorite
was the excitement captured on the faces of Expert Derek Meredith
and Danny Pascetta, our club's youngest member,
during their Blitz game.
An opportunity for
the NBCC to receive this outstanding publicity could never have happened
if it was not for the efforts of
I am forwarding you
a message that was sent to Rob from Jerry Franklin, President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network. If
you have seen the NBCC's segment on CPTV, Mr.
Franklin explains how you can do so.
To all members,
thank you for your continued support. Excellent job, guys! You make us
Best regards,
Bob Kozlowski
===========================================================================
Dear Mr. Roy,
Connecticut
Public Television is proud to present its latest original production, All Things
As
you know, CPTV recently worked with the New Britain Chess Club to create a
remarkable segment for All Things Connecticut: Inside Out on the game of chess,
which will air
tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CPTV.
To view tonight’s
segment visit http://www.cptv2.org/allthingsct/inside-out/chess I encourage you to alert your members,
friends and family of tonight’s broadcast and share the associated link. On behalf of CPTV and All Things Connecticut contributing producers,
thank you for being part of this original and innovative new series.
Sincerely,
Jerry
Franklin
Connecticut Chess Magazine is
http://www.robroy8.com/chess.htm
Alan Lasser’s Game
of the Week is http://www.robroy8.com/AlanLasser.htm