#627 KCC Ch. - Enhanced Crosstable

An enhanced crosstable for the Kenilworth Championship, with tiebreaks, performance ratings & projected post-tourney ratings, has been uploaded.

#626 Kenilworth Ch. - Round 5 Pairings

Here are Win-TD's recommended (unofficial) pairings for the 2010 KCCC's final round:

1. Carrelli - Macaspac
2. Mangion - Pawlowski
3. Kernighan - Moldovan
4. Schwarcz - Sturniolo
5. Lewis - Mann
6. Renna - Hart
7. Wojcio- Komunicky
8. Shiffman - Cole

#625 Kenilworth Championship - Round 4

Don Carrelli & Arthur Macaspac won to set-up an all-Armed Forces battle for 1st place.

The winner will become the KCC's 6th Champion & join Rene Ray, who won in 1996, as the only non-Master to be crowned.

White took 6 of 8 games on Thursday & is now 24-9 (.727) in this event. There has yet to be draw!!


Pairings & Results:

1. Mangion 0-1 Carrelli
2. Macaspac 1-0 Schwarcz
3. Moldovan 1-0 Hart
4. Pawlowski 1-0 Lewis
5. Kernighan 1-0 Komunicky
6. Sturniolo 1-0 Wojcio
7. Mann 1-0 Shiffman
8. Cole 0-1 Renna

Java-replay for this round.

PGN for this round.

ChessBase archive with all the games & blanks.


Standings after 4 of 5 rounds :

1. Carrelli 4.0
2. Macaspac 3.5
= 3-5. Mangion, Moldovan, Pawlowski 3.0
= 6-12. Kernighan, Schwarcz, Lewis, Hart, Mann, Sturniolo. Renna
= 13-15. Wojcio, Komunicky, Shiffman 1.0
= 16-18. McAuliffe, Kruglyak, Reinoso 0.5 (all 3 have withdrawn)
19. Cole 0.0

Crosstable



Prize Leaders

1st: Carrelli 4.0
2nd: Macaspac 3.0
3rd: Mangion 3.0
U2000: Moldovan 3.0
U1800: Pawlowski 3.0
U1600: Sturniolo 2.0
U1400: Renna 2.0
Upset: Lewis -437 (> Kernighan in round 2)
Best Game: ??

This year's Club Champion & Best U1800 will certainly get a piece of hardware. I don't know how many others will. If you have any old trophies you'd like to donate, please bring them to our next meeting.

If you have a favorite game from this year's championship, please nominate it by leaving a comment.

I'll try to set-up a poll... so the readers can choose which contest is most-deserving. If I can't do it here, one will be placed on my GSCL site.

#624 Kramniks-W. Orange Games

I have uploaded 2 games from the Kenilworth Kramniks' 3.5-0.5 loss at West Orange.

For details & links please visit my Garden State Chess League blog.

#623 PGN Archive For 2009

I have uploaded my 290-game PGN Archive for 2009 & a 901-game ChessBase archive covering 2006-2009.

Please excuse the many typos.

I will keep a running PGN file for 2010, to make things easier for you, although this will likely lead to fewer hits.

#622 Kortchnois 2 Summit 2

On Monday night, the Kenilworth Kortchnois played to a 2-2 against Summit.

A short summary on & all 4 games from the match have been posted on the Garden State Chess League blog.

#621 Kenilworth Ch. - 4th Round Pairings?

Win-TD's unofficial 4th Round Pairings :

1. Mangion - Carrelli
2. Mascaspac - Schwarcz
3. Moldovan - Hart
4. Pawlowski - Lewis
5. Kernighan - Komunicky
6. Sturniolo - Wojcio
7. Mann - Shiffman
8. Cole - Renna

Update 2/3 @ 12:55 a.m. - These pairings are official!

#620 Kenilworth Championship - Round 3

Pairings & Results:

1. Lewis 0-1 Mangion
2. Hart 0-1 Carrelli
3. Macaspac 1-0 Kernighan
4. Schwarcz 1-0 Wojcio
5. Moldovan 1-0 Mann
6. Pawlowski 1-0 Sturniolo
7. Shiffman 1-0 Renna
8. Komunicky 1-0 Cole

Reinoso, Kruglyak & McAuliffe withdrew.

Java-replay for this round.

PGN for this round.

ChessBase archive with all the games & blanks.


Standings after 3 of 5 rounds :

= 1-2. Mangion, Carrelli 3.0
3. Macaspac 2.5
= 4-8. Schwarcz, Moldovan, Lewis, Pawlowski, Hart 2.0
= 9-15. Kernighan, Wojcio, Komunicky, Mann, Sturniolo, Shiffman, Renna 1.0
= 16-18. McAuliffe, Kruglyak, Reinoso 0.5 (all 3 have withdrawn)
19. Cole 0.0

Crosstable

P.S. - Sorry for the delayed & colorless report.

#619 Kenilworth Ch. - Round 2 Addendum

2 games have been added to the KCCC's 2nd round replay page & PGN file.

Minor note changes in Mangion's & Komunicky's wins were also made.

#618 Kenilworth Ch. - 3rd Round Pairings

Here are the pairings for Round 3 of the Kenilworth CC Championship :

1. Lewis - Mangion
2. Hart - Carrelli
3. Macaspac - Kernighan
4. Schwarcz - Wojcio
5. Moldovan - Mann
6. Pawlowski - Sturniolo
7. Renna - McAuliffe
8. Kruglyak - Komunicky
9. Shiffman - Cole
   

Reinoso has withdrawn.

#617 Kenilworth Championship - Round 2

TD Geoff McAuliffe & unrated junior Braden Reinoso late-joined. The latter will, however, just be a fill.

2nd round synopsis, pairings & results:

• Two of the top 4 seeds were upset, as Mark Kernighan lost a big lead vs. Richard Lewis & Mark Schwarcz fell to Glen Hart.
• Ian Mangion got a big gift as I tricked myself into a loss, from an equal position.
• Joe Renna came from way behind to beat Dan Komunicky & Ted Mann did the same versus Jim Cole.
• Newcomer Reinoso played well against Lou Stuniolo for 27 moves but then went down quickly.
• Don Carrelli, Arthur Macaspac & Mike Wojcio also won.

1. Lewis 1-0 Kernighan
2. Mangion 1-0 Moldovan
3. Hart 1-0 Schwarcz
4. Carrelli 1-0 Pawlowski
5. McAuliffe 0-1 Macaspac
6. Wojcio 1-0 Shiffman
7. Renna 1-0 Komunicky
8. Mann 1-0 Cole
9. Reinoso 0-1 Sturniolo

Kruglyak sat-out due to illness and was given a half-point bye.

Java-replay for this round.

PGN for this round.

ChessBase archive with all the games & blanks.

Standings, after 2 of 5 rounds:

= 1-4. Mangion, Carrelli, Lewis, Hart 2.0

5. Macaspac 1.5

= 6-13. Kernighan, Schwarcz, Moldovan, Pawlowski, Wojcio, Mann, Sturniolo, Renna

=14-16. McAuliffe, Kruglyak, Reinoso 0.5

=17-19. Komunicky, Shiffman, Cole 0.0

Crosstable

#616 Kenilworth Ch. - 2nd Round Pairings?

Here are my unofficial, projected pairings for round 2 of the Kenilworth Championship :

1. Lewis - Kernighan
2. Mangion - Moldovan
3. Hart - Schwarcz
4. Carrelli - Pawlowski
5. Macaspac - McAuliffe*
6. Wojcio - Shiffman
7. Kruglyak - Komunicky
8. Mann - Cole
9. Renna - Sturniolo

* TD Geoff McAuliffe plans to late-join & play if no one else steps-up.

Update 1/21 @1:23 p.m. - The pairings are correct except for #5 having to choose colors.

#615 Kenilworth Championship - Round 1

The Kenilworth Chess Club Championship began Thursday night with its smallest field (just 17 players) in five years.

2008 Champion NM Mark Kernighan, expert Arthur Macaspac and 2009 KST winner Ian Mangion are the top-seeds.

Last year's victor, SM Yaacov Norowitz, is not defending his crown. Past champs FM Steve Stoyko & NM Scott Massey are among others sitting-out.


1st round pairings & results:

All the higher-rated players won but boards 1 & 2 had major scares.

Mike Wojcio missed a win in the opening against Kernighan and Dan Komunicky time-forfeited in a winning, pawn-up ending versus Mangion.

1. Kernighan 1-0 Wojcio
2. Komunicky 0-1 Mangion
3. Mark Schwarcz 1-0 Ted Mann
4. Lou Sturniolo 0-1 Don Carrelli
5. John Moldovan 1-0 Mikhail Kruglyak
6. Bert Shiffman 0-1 Richard Lewis
7. David Pawlowski 1-0 Joe Renna
8. Jim Cole 0-1 Glen Hart

Macaspac received a 1/2 -point bye.

Java-replay
PGN

Late-joins are being accepted & one additional player would make an even number. Please see post #611 & contact TD Geoff McAuliffe before next Thursday, if you'd like to enter.

#614 Latest Ratngs of KCC Members

Here are the latest USCF Ratings of Kenilworth Chess Club members & how they would be seeded in the 2010 KCC Championship :

1. Yaacov Norowitz 2463
2. Steve Stoyko 2253
3. Mark Kernighan 2214
4. Scott Massey 2213
5. Michael Goeller 2035
6. Ari Minkov 1954
7. Ian Mangion 1953
8. Mark Schwarcz 1925
9. Richard Buschgans 1912
10. Don Carrelli 1857
11. Howard Osterman 1856
12. John Moldovan 1824
13. Bob Sherry 1812
14. Ziggy Bliznikas 1800
15. Daniel Zhu 1788
16. Dr. Richard Lewis 1774
17. David Pawlowski 1761
18. Max Sherer 1736
19. Glen Hart 1708
20. Geoff McAuliffe 1706
21. Greg Tomkovich 1681
22. Mike Wojcio 1600
23. Aaron Kiedes 1551
24. Jack McCorkell 1534
25. Dan Komunicky 1494
26. Ted Mann 1493
27. Lou Sturniolo 1469
28. Mikhail Kruglyak 1367
29. Pat Mazzillo 1366
30. Leon Hrebinka 1354
31. Gordon Agress 1328
32. Bert Shiffman 1328
33. Joe Renna 1315
34. Bill Sokolosky 1167
35. Jim Cole 1160

USCF ratings of select former members : Ed Selling 1675, Joe Demetrick 1660, Pete Cavaliere 1600

#613 West Orange Championship Starts 1/26

2010 West Orange Chess Club Championship

• USCF-rated
• 7-round Swiss
• January 26th-April 13th
• G/100 time control

Rounds, at 8 p.m. on the following Tuesdays:

1. January 26th
2. February 9th
3. February 23rd
4. March 9th
5. March 16th
6. March 23rd
7. April 13th

• Three half-point byes per player allowed.
• Byes may be taken for any round but TD must be notified by round 4.
• The Median System will be used to break ties in the standings.
• West Orange Chess Club & USCF memberships required.
• EF: $20
• Prizes: To be determined (depends on the number of players).

Site : Toby Katz Community Center, Degnan Park, 650 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange NJ 70752.

John Hagerty will direct. If you have any questions, please contact him at 973-736-3433 or hagerty1@live.com

#612 Calendar Correction

The KCC Calendar posted earlier today had wrong dates for the USATE.

That event will be February 13th thru 15th (not 2/20-22). The error has been corrected.

#611 Kenilworth Ch. Starts Thursday!

The 20th Kenilworth Chess Club Championship will begin this Thursday (1/14) and run through February 11th. Here are the details :

20th KCC Championship

• USCF-rated!
• 5-round Swiss
• January 14th-February 11th
• G/90 time control
• Rounds to start at 8:20 p.m. every Thursday, for the duration of the event.
• Prizes : TBA
• EF: $10 entry fee + $15 dues + $5 anti-forfeit deposit = $30.
• KCC & USCF memberships required.
• Register with TD Geoff McAuliffe by 8:20 p.m. on 1/14

A record-tying 26 players took part in last year's event.

#610 KCC Calendar For 2010 Posted

The Kenilworth Chess Club's Calendar for 2010 has been posted!

Events of note include :

• The 20th annual KCC Championship (Jan. 14-Feb. 11)
  
• Two USCF-rated Quads (Mar. 11-25 & Oct. 14-28)
• The Kenilworth Gauntlet (Apr. 8-29) - a new, knockout tourney
  
• The 3rd annual Irving Ellner & Sy Fish Memorials (May 6-20 & Nov. 11-18)
  
• The popular but grueling Summer Tournament (June 3-Aug. 26)
  

#609 Garden State League - Round 4

There were upsets galore in last week's Garden State Chess League action. Sparta defeated West Orange... the Kramniks beat the Kortchnois... and Summit drew the Karpovs.

For full reports & some games, visit my GSCL blog.

#608 Mann & Sherry Win New Year's Quad

Ted Mann & Bob Sherry tied for 1st in a New Year's Eve Quad hosted by the latter. Both had 2-1 scores. Ari Minkov was 3rd with 1.5.

I forgot to bring my glasses, squandered won positions against the co-victors & finished last at 0.5.

Moldovan-Sherry
after 13...Nxe4?

White to win

Mann-Moldovan
after 24.Kb1

Black to win

The quality of play was very poor but, in an attempt to make amends for the un-announced hiatus, I have annotated all 6 games for you.

Replay

PGN

#607 Handicap Tourney

There was a 3-way tie for 1st place at last night's Handicap Partner Tournament in Kenilworth.

Winning with 4-1 scores were:

• Bob Sherry & John Moldovan (1818.0 average)
• NM Mark Kernighan & Ari Minkov (2078.5)
• SM Yaacov Norowitz & Dr. Richard Lewis (2115.5)

Bob & I upset Yaacov & Doc but lost to Mark & Ari.

The stronger side gave material odds of 1 pawn (or the equivalent) per 100 points of rating-difference.

Also taking part in the event, which featured a G/5 control, were Greg Tomkovich, Mike Wojcio, Joe Renna, Bert Shiffman, Ted Mann & Luis Ruales.

#606 Kramniks Awarded 3-1 Victory

The Kenilworth Kramniks have been awarded a forfeit win on board 4 & a 3-1 victory in Monday's match vs. Summit because their opponents used an ineligible player.

For more info, visit the GSCL blog.

#605 Kramniks Tie Summit 2-2

Last night the Kenilworth Kramniks played to a 2-2 against Summit.

Full details have been posted on the Garden State Chess League blog.

Update 12/8 at 9:28 a.m. - Summit games uploaded

#604 Kortchnois Sweep, Karpovs Fall

In 3rd round Garden State League action, The Kenilworth Kortchnois swept Sparta 4-0 but the Karpovs lost to Hamilton 2.5-1.5 & were knocked out of 1st place.

More details on the GSCL blog.

On Monday night, the Kramniks visit Summit.

#603 National Chess Congress

GM Alexander Stripunsky, GM-elect Alex Lenderman, IM Bryan Smith & IM/WGM Irina Krush tied for 1st at the National Chess Congress in Philadelphia (11/27-29)

Don Carrelli, who tied for 5th place in the U1800 section, had the best showing among Kenilworth CC members.

Daniel Zhu beat a 1941-rated in the 2nd round, finished =10th in the U1800 &, according to the Ratings Estimator, is now up to 1787!

Here's how all the Kenilworth guys did :

U2000
Ari Minkov =44th

U1800
Don Carrelli =5th
Daniel Zhu =10th
David Pawlowski =37th
Mike Wojcio =47th

#602 Stoyko Point Count Lecture

I have uploaded the outline of FM Steve Stoyko's Oct. 15th lecture on "Evaluating Chess Positions, An Introduction" plus the java-replay & PGN of games that were presented.

If you have any thoughts about the system, please leave a comment. Any feedback will be forwarded to Steve.

#601 V. Shen Wins Westfield Grand Prix

NM Victor Shen took clear 1st in Sunday's Westfield Grand Prix, with a 4-0 score. FM Tom Bartell & SM Yaacov Norowitz tied for 2nd, a half-point back.

Other prize-winners included :

• Sam Chatsky, Leonid Fleysher, Kevin Dresher (U2100)
• Dr. Richard Lewis, Jackson Hueckel, John Moldovan (U1850)
• David Johnston, Anthony Decinque (U1600)
• Leon Wu, Robert Lachausse, Darren Knaub & Melissa Biegel (U1350)

There were 25 participants, including 9 who were rated >2100!
All the Kenilworth CC, Checkmate CC & Garden State CL players collected prizes!!


I had an up & down event. After missing a forced mate & losing the opener to Shen, I played like a zombie against tail-ender Sasha Prystupa (a lucky win after 2 lost positions) & NM Peter Radomskyj (a bad opening & quick loss) but closed-out with a nice victory over Konstantin Mazur to finish =8th.

Here are all 4 of my games (fully annotated) in java-replay & PGN.

#600 December KCC Schedule Changed

Yaacov Norowitz's Lecture & the Kenilworth Chess Club's Annual Business Meeting have been pushed back 1 week to accommodate a match between the Karpovs & Hamilton.

Here's the updated December schedule :

Dec. 3rd - Garden State League match : Karpovs vs. Hamilton
Dec. 10th - Yaacov Norowitz Lecture on Color Complexes ($5)
Dec. 17th - Business Meeting & Holiday Party
Dec. 24th - no meeting
Dec. 31st - no meeting

#599 Diagram Difficulties

At the moment, ChessBase 10 is not generating the desired diagrams for my HTML pages. I suspect its "Green Marble" board is the problem. Never had any trouble with the "Cherry" board or my custom purple & gray job.

I'll try to correct the situation early next week. Until then... sorry for the lack of visuals.

#598 Anand-Ivanchuk Blitz Game

I have annotated Anand & Ivanchuk's ...Qd7 Winawer game from the recent World Blitz Championship. Hope you like it.

Java-replay
PGN

#597 GSCL - 2nd Round Annotations

Notes to my 2nd round draw with Paul Corcoran have been posted on the Garden State Chess League blog.

#596 Westfield Grand Prix

On Sunday, November 22nd, the Westfield Chess Club will be hosting a 4-round, G/30 tournament. It will be their 500th event at the Westfield YMCA!

The entry fee is $30 for members; $40 for non-members. There is a $615 guaranteed prize-fund. For more details, go to the club's website.

#595 Kenilworth Quads - Wrap-Up

Yaacov Norowitz & David Pawlowski were clear winners in the top 2 sections at the Kenilworth Quads, which concluded last night. Gordon Agress and Bert Shiffman shared 1st in the other group.

3rd round results & final standings :

Quad 1

Mangion 0-1 Norowitz
Ferrero 1-0 Carrelli

1. Norowitz 3.0
2. Ferrero 2.0
3. Carrelli 1.0
4. Mangion 0.0


Quad 2

Wojcio 0-1 Pawlowski
Tomkovich 0-1 Sturniolo

1. Pawlowski 2.5
2. Tomkovich 1.5
3. Wojcio 1.0
3. Sturniolo 1.0


Quad 3

Shiffman 1-0 Renna
Ali 1-0 Agress

1. Agress 2.0
1. Shiffman 2.0
3. Ali 1.5
4. Renna 0.5


As promised, here are some games (9), in java-replay & PGN, plus the crosstables.

#594 Kenilworth Quads - Rounds 1 & 2

Kenilworth Quads #2

Standings after 2 rounds
+ Results & Pairings

Quad 1

1. SM Yaacov Norowitz (2431) 2.0
2. Steve Ferrero (2020) 1.0
2. Don Carrelli (1791) 1.0
4. Ian Mangion (1929) 0.0

11/5
Carrelli 0-1 Norowitz
Ferrero 1-0 Mangion

11/12
Norowitz 1-0 Ferrero
Mangion 0-1 Carrelli

11/19
Norowitz vs. Mangion
Ferrero vs. Carrelli

Players in quad 1 must toss for color! Those in quads 2 & 3 have already done so.


Quad 2

1. David Pawlowski (1777) 1.5
1. Greg Tomkovich (1698) 1.5
3. Mike Wojcio (1622) 1.0
4. Lou Sturniolo (1446) 0.0

11/5
Sturniolo 0-1 Pawlowski
Tomkovich 1-0 Wojcio

11/12
Pawlowski ½–½ Tomkovich
Wojcio 1-0 Sturniolo

11/19
Wojcio-Pawlowski
Tomkovich-Sturniolo


Quad 3

1. Gordon Agress (1283) 2.0
2. Bert Shiffman (1283) 1.0
3. Joe Renna (1359) 0.5
4. Umar Ali (1346) 0.5

11/5
Agress 1-0 Renna
Ali 0-1 Shiffman

11/12
Renna ½–½ Ali
Shiffman 0-1 Agress

11/19
Shiffman-Renna
Ali-Agress

A wrap-up, games & crosstables will follow on Friday or Saturday.

#593 Radomskyj Wins Westfield Championship

NM Peter Radomskyj took clear 1st at last month's Westfield Championship, with a perfect 4-0 score.

NM Todd Lunna, Jonathan Cohen (top U2100) & Ziping Liu (top U1850) shared 2nd place honors, with 3-1.

Lev Zilbermints, Ian Mangion & Eve Zhurbinskiy tied for 5th, at 2.5.

Andy Chen, Shivani Shanmigudas & Pat Mazzillo shared the U1600 prize.

Sasha Romayev was the U1350 winner.

#592 Clark & Listoch Tie In Scotch Plains Swiss

James Clark & Ivan Listoch went 3-0 to tie for 1st in last month's Scotch Plains Swiss.

Joe Renna, Bert Shiffman, Alexander Gorbach, Scott Seyffarth & Pablo Vasconez tied for 2nd place, with 2-1 scores.

All of the above received Kenilworth Chess Club membership for the rest of 2009. Current KCC members Renna & Shiffman will get 25% off their 2010 dues, in lieu of a pro-rated refund.

#591 GSCL : 2nd Round Report & Games

A report on the Karpovs & Kortchnois victories over West Orange & Staten Island has been posted on the Garden State League's blog, along with a recap of the other matches and a few games.

At the The Kenilworthian, Michael Goeller has posted notes to Steve Stoyko's win over Jose Fernandez.

#590 GSCL - 1st Round Annotations

Notes to my 1st round win over Richard Lewis & the Stoyko-Norowitz draw have been posted on the Garden State Chess League blog.

#589 Scotch Plains Simul : 7-0-1

I went 7-0-1 against 5 opponents at today's simul in Scotch Plains. There were just 3 foes at the start (all girls, interestingly) but 2 fathers showed pity & took seats.

#588 Simul Today!

This afternoon, from 12 noon - 4 p.m., I will be giving a free simultaneous exhibition at the Scotch Plains Public Library.

The announcement, (which was supposed to say correspondence chess expert not KCC president) states that only U1800s are invited but, since there still 13 spots available (at last count), the rating limit has been waived.

#587 Free Tourney In Paterson 11/22

On Sunday, November 22nd, there will be a free, non-rated tournament in Paterson, NJ.

The time control & format are not listed on the official announcement (click it for a larger view) but the organizers told me it will be a G/25, 7-round Swiss with rounds at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. & 4 p.m.


Disclaimer : The Chess Coroner and KCC are not involved with this event.

#586 Advisory & Upcoming Posts

Approximately 95% of the java-replays, zips & other files linked from posts 1-327 will be unavailable starting tomorrow, due to Geocities' closing.

However, the PGN archives covering that period (September 2006-May 2008) can be downloaded from my sidebar.

It may take 4 or 5 weeks to re-up everything and revise the dead links because I also have to rebuild the Checkmate CC site and will be posting quite frequently.

Items to come include :

• Notes to my recent, strategically rich game vs. Doc Lewis
• A report on the free tourney in Scotch Plains
• An outline of Steve Stoyko's lecture + the games presented.

Also on the horizon are the Westfield Championship, Scott Massey's lecture, my 2nd simul in Scotch Plains, the November GSCL matches and the Kenilworth Quads.

#585 Star-Ledger Complaint

I'm breaking my hiatus to complain about the Newark Star-Ledger pulling the chess column from its 10/18 issue.

Here is the email that I sent (minor edit for grammar) :

I was disappointed to find that the 10/18 issue of the Newark Star-Ledger did not feature the usual chess article by Steve Doyle & Peter Tamburro.

Their column, long a weekly staple for the NJ chess community, has been the NY-area's best for the past several years. It provides better analysis than those in the Times and Post while highlighting games played by local amateurs!

In the future, I would appreciate that you don't skip the Doyle/Tamburro pieces. Quite frankly, they are the only reason I buy your paper on Sunday.


...the response I received :

Thank you for taking the time to write.

It was nice to know that there were a few fellow chess players out there who take note when the ChessMate column doesn't run in our Sunday section. (But surely you are getting a lot more in your Sunday Star-Ledger for your $2 than a chess column...)

As noted in the Sunday section, the chess column will return next week. We had to hold it this week because it came in too long for us to publish. Typically, Doyle and Tamburro don't write about matches that are longer than 30 moves, which is the ideal for the space we have allotted for ChessMate. Yesterday's column, which I pasted below (without the puzzle), was a match that went for 121 moves. The chess columnists wrote about 61 moves. I just don't have that much space for chess. And, yes, we did ask them to show restraint moving forward.

A relevant side note, I waited all day Sunday and yesterday to see if there were any other complaints about chess not appearing in the paper, and sadly we only had a handful of readers who called or emailed. On the other hand, when I hold Bridge or when the TV Jumble puzzle moved, I had an avalanche of mail.

I hope you enjoy the column below and that my reply satisfied your query.

Enrique Lavin
Assistant Managing Editor


... and my rebuttal :

Thank you for sending the omitted column. I realize there are space requirements but good games are usually more than 30 moves long. In shorter games, one person typically plays well and the other plays poorly. So, you see, 30 should not be the guide. 50 moves would be more appropriate.

I would be in favor of occasionally dropping the chess puzzle to fit in a longer game.


If you want to protest as well, contact Mr. Lavin at 973-392-1745, elavin@starledger.com or the following address :

The Star-Ledger | Features
1 Star-Ledger Plaza
Newark, NJ 01702-1200