4.0 R BRUCH
*The main event has been rated, click here
*The blitz event has been rated, click here
The tournament was a huge success with a record 75 players.
Open winner ROBERT M BRUCH getting his travelling trophy from Jim Nickell
On the left is Top seed Alexander Velikanov [the #6 rated 11 year old in the nation] who was upset by Nolan Hendrickson [the #86 rated 15 year old in the nation] in 3rd round.
Last round board 2: On the right is unrated Thomas Irvin who was 3-0 before losing the "Battle of the Shaven heads" to J. Prenot . Looking on from board 1 is Wade Christensen , who lost to the tournament winner Robert Bruch.
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The blitz tournament was a very successful with 20 players. Thanks to Jim Rowe for his help in running this event. The tournament has been rated. Click here.
3 finished with 3-0
A. Velikanov
N. Hendrickson
J. Romich
History
2009 75 R BRUCH
2008 52 M WALLER, J KOHLENBERG, D CARDENAS
2007 47 P FRICANO
2006 38 P FRICANO
2005 42 A VAJA
2004 38 N GLEASON
Hopefully there are even more players than last year!
ReplyDeleteWell.... There is Scholastic City Championship in Madison (always last Saturday of February) and a big scholastic event in Milwaukee. Therefore, it really is up to adult players to make a difference!
ReplyDeleteAlex
This tournament is proof that at least in Milwaukee, players don't care about prizes. They just want to play chess at a reasonable cost.
ReplyDeleteI plan to come down. I will also try to bring some of the guys from the FCCC.
ReplyDeleteThe Appleton Chess Club used to hold inexpensive tournaments all the time. Its a great way for the underrated players of Wisconsin to gain those hidden rating points. The Fox Cities Chess Club will eventually be holding similar events, which is going to be talked about at our board meeting next week.
Alex not sure which "large" scholastic event... looks like are there at least 5 scholastic events that weekend. Seems like sign of the health of WI scholastic chess.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a bit puzzled why the WI Memorial was moved up a month... still seems like too many adult events too close together.
At least the Arpad Elo was moved back a month to May and to Waukesha. That should definitely help attendence. Good job on that on WCA!
Scholastic Evenst for Feb 28th:
ReplyDeleteElmwood Chess Club K-9 Scholastic Open
Elmwood Chess Club USCF Rated Beginner Open Youth AND Adults
Fourth Annual All-Girls
Community High School
Southern Door High School,Brussels , WI
2009 Chess Championship, Madison
Why is that one organization putting on three events on one day> two of them are in the same city!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if the tournament is going to have an Open and Reserve Sections as it did last year? It may depend on the number of entries.
ReplyDeleteThere is only one section
ReplyDeleteAnon 2/19/2009 8:31 PM ,
ReplyDeleteOne is a All Girl event
Honest opinion requested here. I am a uscf 900 player, though online my rating is ~1200-1300. Am I going to win a single game if I come to this event? Does anyone have the tables from last year's event so I can see the range of players strengths?
ReplyDeleteThank you!
There are links to the last five years above, just click on the year (2008)
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to win at least one. The best way to improve is to play better players.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I checked it out and it appears there were lots of people in the "Reserve" but if I am reading this blog correctly, there will not be a Reserve section this year. So, I guess I am wondering if the absence of a Reserve section will keep U1400 level players away? Any opinions?
ReplyDeleteYes, there should be less lower rated players with just one section. There will probably be 2-4 players rated below you.
ReplyDeleteBut since you are a self proclaimed sandbagger, you should be ok.
I wonder why they decided against having 2 sections. When they tried it last year they had a record number of participants.
ReplyDeleteG.C.
I just got off the phone with Mr. Nickell and he said there will only be one section this year. I just wanted to confirm what "anonymous" had posted earlier...we all know how frequently he's "genuinely" correct.
ReplyDeleteAs I have noted on several different sites, this tournament is a great opportunity for players of all strengths since the entry fee is so low. Just make sure to take correct notation so you can learn from your mistakes.
Jim
Any chance the TD can provide a list of registrants for either Ivan or the WCA to post? I don't want to be the only "target" for point hungry opponents.
ReplyDeleteAre you really an NM?
ReplyDeleteR U?
ReplyDeleteNo I am a 1500 fish. Not many NM in these parts
ReplyDeleteYou are one of the nibblers of my rating points...
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for the ratings floor when I play people like you and you get out of book on move 1. :)
Maybe with all those scholastic events going on we won't see as many of those "robot" little kids that just memorize opening lines but don't really understand what they are doing or why.
ReplyDeleteIt will be good not have many kids around. They are mostly underated and steal my hard earned rating points.
ReplyDelete1500 fish
They may be underrated though, because they continue to practice week after week and they just can't particpate in enough rated events to get their due points.
ReplyDeleteI can think of one 5th grader who plays in almost EVERY uscf rated event whose rating is ~1600, though his perfomance rating is consistently in the 1700-1800 range. One of his problems is consistency but the other is that WI doesn't have enough rated events to allow his rating to "catch-up" to his actual skill level.
Us old guys have peaked...quite honestly.
NM Nosferatu
ReplyDeleteSo are you another FOM? (Floored Out Master)
If so what was your performance rating in the last tournement you played?
1500 fish
I thought that the people that are not from the area and need to know the exact address would appreciate this:
ReplyDeleteN15w24121 Tower Pl
Waukesha, WI 53188-1118
I also have directions from MapQuest posted on fccc.wetpaint.com in the Upcoming Chess Events section. Hope to see you there!
Jim
Sandbagger
ReplyDeleteThere are 3 people registered who are rated below 1000
I know of at least 2 more players below 1000 that haven't registered yet, but will play.
ReplyDelete"5 below 1000" -- Why is this important? Anyhow, just because someone's rating is low, does not mean they do not play at a higher strength. Never underestimate anybody or anybody's rating!:)
ReplyDeleteThere were lower (Mr. Sandbagger ) rated players who didn't want to play since they didn't expect any other lower rated players.
ReplyDeleteNow they know that there will be others
I find the information very helpful and thank Jim for providing the info to Ivan.
ReplyDeleteNow if only we could get the total participants up to around 50 by Friday night.
We should break last year's total of 52
ReplyDeleteAn under 1300 section is a great idea with that many
ReplyDeleteI think that two section tournaments in general draw more players than one section tournaments. It also gives lower rated players incentives to play. (i.e. not losing all their games) I hope that organizers in Wisconsin will move back to two section tournaments (I hear that the Badger Open will have an U1400 section next year!). Regardless thanks to all organizers for the support of chess.
ReplyDeleteJust just an email from Jim... 48 advance entries so far. John's been sick all week but he's still hoping to play.
ReplyDeleteScott V
There should be a couple of A class players coming from Green Bay....I don't think either of them has preregistered.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to mention that I will be taking a collection for those interested in helping Mike Selig with the unfortunate situation that occurred at the Northeastern Open. Any interested parties can contact me at chessjock64@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance for any help!
So, is there an update on the top pre-registered players? That seems to be static on the front page and I want to know how much I need to study tonight. If that's the best the tournament has to offer, I may just stay home.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or are WCSA and WCA trying us something?
ReplyDeleteThe 1st WSCA event was the same day as WCA Tour event NorthCentral. The Waukesha Memorial is a WCA Tour event is the same day as WSCA Elmwood event? Coincidentally both the WCA Tour events were organized by Waukesha Chess Club members.
The WI junior /state championship events are not sponsored or organized by WCA’s scholastic group supposed scholastic arm, WSCA, but apparently by Mike Neitman personally. Very curious.
Greg Reese Sr. - is WCA forcing WSCA to organize events against WCA tour events so that scholastic players can’t win the prizes? Is WCA trying to tell scholastic players that they are no longer welcome at WCA events? Why is WSCA trying to undercut WCA tour events and Waukesha chess club members? I had thought organizers would welcome the financial support of scholastic players to try to at least earn some small profit?
Please don’t insult us by trying some lame excuse like it’s just a coincidence.
It's just a coincidence. The Scholastic Events are scheduled by when the schools are available. USM requested that date months in advance when they determined they were not going to host a wscf event. The WSCA schedule is literally at the mercy of the host schools. Trust me, it brings me no great pleasure than to listen to a bunch of Class B players complain that they are losing their precious points to a bunch of little kids. There is no conspiracy here and no one is telling the wsca when to host events, other than the schools' principal. But if you feel there is a shooter on the grassy knoll I am sure that GRSR has copies of correspondence with the organizing school, should you want to review it.
ReplyDeleteHey, Anus, I mean Anon. I understand there will be representatives from both the WCA and WSCA boards at Saturday's Memorial event. Grow a pair and talk to them about your concerns in person.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that all events on Saturday will be a huge success! Good to all participants.
ReplyDeleteAlex
I meant "good luck"
ReplyDeleteAB
Yes, I agree with Alex; it appears the Memorial Event is on pace to have more particpants than in previous years so it's hard to support the statement that the WSCA is hurting Waukesha Chess. It's like talking about global warming on a day that I had to use my wife's hair dryer to get my car doors opened. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's static since those are the top pre-entries.
ReplyDeleteSince there is no money on the line, there is no incentive for higher rated players to show up.
I was told that Mike Neitman complained at the WCA' s last annual meeting that he expected Chicago and National tournament organizers to check with WI chess control to ensure that chess events in Chicago didn't conflict with events in WI. Now we supposed to believe that WCA and WSCA don't care if their own events have conflicts?
ReplyDeleteGive me a break.
No one said they don't care. They said there is nothing that can be done about it. Both Mike and Ashish are on both Boards and are made aware of events as schools approach the WSCA. I know you may find this hard to believe but almost as much as you hate losing to kids, they hate having to play adults who behave like kids when they lose. That being said, the WSCA is servicing a segment of WI chess that may not otherwise have participated in any event because they didn't want to play adults. Want proof? If the Memorial Event surpasses last years total that would indicate the 50+ participant at Elmwood probably did not participate in last year's event and most likely would not have played in this year's event. We're talking about k-6 graders. Is your ego so fragile that you WANT/NEED these inexperienced kids to play? You get beat by adults so you want some smattering of children there that you can take your frustration out on. And what do the children learn from that? Besides, most "adult" uscf event particpants complain when a child speaks during their game or is running around between rounds. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Mr. Anonymous. How about we consult you every single time someone is thinking about holding a tournament. Do you know what it takes to schedule a tournament in a good location and with good playing conditions? Its expensive. Its time consuming. And almost NO ONE gives the TD and organizers the respect they deserve for holding the event. In fact, lots of people complain, like yourself, about something completely irrelevant to the situation. I don't know if you noticed or not, but this tournament is going to be the BIGGEST in this tournaments history. Do you have a child that can't play in the event? Do you like playing against children? I can't exactly figure out what your boggle is because all the tournaments that are being held this weekend are going to be successes.
ReplyDeleteThe WSCF is their own organization. They have their own rating system and hold tournaments on their own time. Their main purpose is to promote tournament chess to the scholastic public. The goal with them is to promote chess to youngsters.
The WSCA is a SCHOLASTIC extension of the WCA. The main difference between WSCA and WSCF is the fact that WSCA uses the USCF, like WCA, for their rating system and tournament promotion. They don't make up their own rules, ratings and regulations like WSCF has and must follow NATIONAL rules. This being said, they will schedule tournament events when possible.
Also Mr. Anonymous, did your really expect events like the Chicago Open to move because it conflicted with our "CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIP" in Wisconsin? The closed championship of our state was finally moved to a later date this year, which is good mind you, so we can have a bigger open section than 20 players. If anyone is going to move events, as proven, it will be Wisconsin. Lets think a little before we post.
In conclusion, lets try to promote chess a little more than cry and whine about situations which have already exceeded expectations. I have great respect for all tournament organizers because it is a thankless job. Mike Neitman, Mike Selig, Alex Betaneli, Ashish Vaja, Guy Hoffman and all the rest of the TDs who have put their time in, I solute you.
Jim Rowe
Tournament directior for the Waukesha Memorial
ReplyDeleteI think that since the tournament was advertised as a one-section event it should be one.
You shuold not add a section at the last minute.
I am rated in the low 1300s, I don't want to be the lowest in the top section.
Hello, McFly...Even with one section you would probably be lucky to walk away with 1 point in a four round event. Just think, you won't be in a position to lose too many points. With a single section you could face the sandbaggers who will beat you with some opening trap and afterwards you'll wish you had kept your mouth shut.
ReplyDeleteAnon. Maybe you should boycott the event. That will teach them to add a section that may attract more players to the event.
ReplyDeleteJim - thanks for your comments. Just a couple of follow on comments... I never said that I expected Chicago organizers to change their events... but Mike Neitman did. I thought it was odd that Mike thought he could have that kind of impact.
ReplyDeleteBTW the Closed championship did change it's date, but I believe it will also still be in conflict with a large event in Chicago, so I'm not sure that attendence will be that different. I hope the new date and location does help attendence.
Jim - you have a few factual errors in your post. First the vast majority of the kids playing in the WSCA event this weekend are not playing in USCF rated event... it is in fact unrated.
I know that WSCF has its own rating system (as do many of the WI high school chess leagues) was under the impression that WSCF events do follow USCF rules.
In conclusion, I'm very happy that the WI Memorial is going to be succussful.... I want all organizers to be successful, hence the whole point of the initial question of why WSCA and WCA events were in conflict. I was hoping that it could be even more successful with out the conflict.
Your initial post was rather aggressive and did not exactly convey the message that you wanted ALL organizers to be successful;
ReplyDelete"Why is WSCA trying to undercut WCA tour events and Waukesha chess club members? I had thought organizers would welcome the financial support of scholastic players to try to at least earn some small profit?"
As well as comments like, "Please don’t insult us by trying some lame excuse like it’s just a coincidence." and "Give me a break.
It's hard to back track when your words are here for the world to see.
I am glad you came around though as I believe both the boards of WCA and WSCA want WI chess to be successful on all levels and at every event. Jim said it best when he said it was a "thankless job". Thankfully the love of the game keeps these guys doing it in spite of muckrakers like you.
Parent - good perspective. I guess I was a little too harsh. But I was angry at thought that people might be trying to harm other chess organizers... it just didn't seem fair. I know that Ben C had a large loss at the North Central, at least in large part due to the WSCA event conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe RATED blitz event sounds like a great idea but shouldn't you at least charge for the USCF rating fee?
ReplyDeleteI don't know specifics about Ben's event. I only know that USM contacted Ashish month's before any announcement was sent out. That date was set in stone by USM. Anyone that has dealt with them will tell you that they are used to getting their way and typically do not take "No" for an answer. Maybe Ashish will read this and comment to help put your mind at ease.
ReplyDeleteBlitz event.
ReplyDeleteI am doing it to get TD experience.
Would you be able to finish your Blitz round any time during the entire day as long as your opponent was available? Some players may not be done their Round 1 games as early as others.
ReplyDeleteI was planning to have it during the one hour break for lunch. The tournament itself should not take more than 40 min.
ReplyDeleteThat will work too!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope there is enough interest!
You know, I've been reading some of these very harsh comments about TDs. You should know better than this. It just gives TDs more right to not take any suggestions seriosly and even stop their work of making tournaments as great as they do. Great job Jim, Ashish, Alex, Guy, and Mike and every other TD who makes WI chess so great!
ReplyDeleteA couple of things I feel it is necessary to point out:
ReplyDelete1) For the record I was at this WCA board meeting which was held during the State Championship in Green Bay and I have absolutely no recollection of Mike Nietman saying that he “he expected Chicago and National tournament organizers to check with WI chess control”. Of course Chicago Open and other large national events will not take the WI State Championship into consideration when holding their events, nor should they.
I am holding the State Championship this year over Labor Day weekend in September so it will not conflict with Chicago Open. There are ONLY two weekends available to hold this tournament since it must be done over a 3 day weekend. I do realize it will clash with the IL Open or whichever big IL tournament is that weekend. When I went to the Chicago Open in 2007 I saw something that really made me think, the following WI players were playing: Alexander Betaneli(2287), Erik Santarius (2200), Ashish Vaja(2168), Joseph Richards (2081), Brian Luo (2050), Palina Churun (2070), Dane Mattson (2030), and Matt Connant (2020). That year at the State Closed in WI there were two people rated over 2000, Navin and Jeremy with a total of 20 in the top section. I have not even mentioned all the weaker players who were playing in Chicago Open that year like Alexander Velikanov or Matt Waller, probably 20-25 WI players played in Chicago that weekend including 8 of the top players in WI. When I looked at how many WI players played in the IL tournament over Labor Day it was a lot less. There is no getting around conflicting with IL tournaments, but at least this will minimize the damage.
2) Who ever made the comment about the USM tournament should do some research before making a post like this. USM had been planning the date for their tournament in April 2008 and contacted WCA sometime around there more than a year before the event which was held at the end of 2009. WCA was notified before the Ben even thought about running the NCO let alone thought of a date. It was a mistake and was too late to fix when everyone realized that there was a conflict. If anything the USM tournament brought 50 new USCF rated players in the WI pool because of their new USCF membership subsidy. How does that hurt WI chess?
3) The Elmwood tournament this weekend will not impact the Waukesha tournament; if I felt that it did I would have nothing to do with it (I am TDing the RBO at Elmwood). The only people who might possibly play in the Waukesha tournament are in the RBO. If you read the flier for the RBO you will quickly see it is not a normal RBO, the idea is for the parents to play with their children as a team in tournament conditions to see what it is like and put things in perspective for the pressure they are under when the play. I saw it last year for the first time and it made me so happy to see the children and the parents bonding. For once the parents got to see firsthand how the children felt during and after the game. If anything the Elmwood tournament will bring more adults into the pool, since most of the parents who will play are new USCF members.
Lastly, do you really think that someone in WI would really hold an event at the same time as another organizer intentionally to hurt them? Just think about it.
Ashish Vaja
Moving the WI State Championship was a no brainer. Most states have their championships that w-end.
ReplyDeleteThe Chicago Open and the IL State Champ. are not in the same league.
If WI players would rather play in the IL Championship, they are traitors :)
Congrats to Jim (and Yogi) on a fun and successful event.
ReplyDeleteFor those who weren't there... you missed Jim and his sales presentation. So convincing he proceded to sell out in minutes.
Good job!
Scott and John V
Congratulations, Ivan, on a fine result. Looks like you've turned the corner on the way to 2000!
ReplyDeleteGreat tournament everyone!
ReplyDeleteThank Greg,
ReplyDeleteI played well and had a lot of fun, but won't gain many points because of the first round draw.
I also ran a 3 rnd rated bliz event that had 20 players
Ivan: Will you be posting the crosstable?
ReplyDeleteI only have 1st and 2nd place information. There is a delay in getting the event rated because several people got their memberships renewed.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Congrats on a good score! Any interesting games/positions to post?
ReplyDeleteIt was a well run tournament with a great turnout. It looked like all had a nice time. I know I did. Jim's tournaments are always well run.
ReplyDeleteIvan, do you track your performance rating for each event? That may be interesting to see charted on here. Congrats on a solid performance.
ReplyDeleteThere is a link on the top right under my links where I track the PR over the last 10 games.
ReplyDeleteNot very impressive :)
But I mostly play players rated below me.
Jim did all that with no computers. Everything was hand written!
ReplyDeleteI dont know if I played good chess or got lucky but I got two wins in a tough schedule. Won against 2 class A players, lost to another class A, and Sasha smother mated me in 19 moves of the last round. Breaking 1600 for the first time and plan on going to chicago to try to win the U1700 prizes.
ReplyDeleteLater
Ben C
Can anyone who has some TD/Pairing knowledge speculate on why Ivan would continue to get lower rated opponents at almost every event? It is an interest observation.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty simple:
ReplyDelete1) There are a lot more players rated below me than above me.
2) Early draws (when paired down).
I should work on not giving away early draws!
Does anyone know anything about Jason Flanders? He is on Ivan's 10 Last games list twice and I heard a story that I am not sure if it is true or not. Supposedly, this 1697 rated player, touched his rook first when trying to castle against 1878 Robert Murphy, was forced to make the rather innocuous move of Rf1, and still went on to win the game ending with a R+2p v R advantage. Did anyone else hear of this?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the current rule book it does not matter which one you touch first. If you touch the rook first you can still castle, was this a TD decision?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I heard, he touched it, swore, told his opponent he meant to castle and Mr. Murphy told him he couldn't. I don't think he contested it. When did the rule change or is has it always been a common misconception?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it was the fact that he went on to win the game against an almost 1900 that surprised me, not the touch move. That's not bad for someone who is supposed to be in the 1600-1700 range.
ReplyDeleteRobert Murphy is not very active, he probably plays at about 1750 level
ReplyDeleteChess Chimp
If anyone is going to talk down about anyone's playing level, they ought to at least give their real name. It's supposed to be a gentleman's game people...
ReplyDeleteI have played Robert Murphy a few times and he has consistently played against me and other players at at least A class level.
Please take this into consideration before you make posts like that Mr. Chimp, anyone can have a bad day....especially class players.
I believe that everyone has felt the urge during a lost position or just during a must win game to try and think of any way out...I know I have. I too thought it was the rule in castling to touch your king first. Props goes out to Mr. Flanders for his upset. I'm sure Mr. Murphy will have chances in the future to take revenge.
Jim Rowe
1750 was just a guess, so I looked at his performance rating in his last 4 tournaments.
ReplyDeleteThey were 1655, 1705, 1727, 1747.
So I stand corrected. He is performing at 1709 level.
Chimping away...
I think it was unsportsman like for Murphy to make Flanders move the rook. It is obvious to even this 1200 player that Flanders intended to castle.
ReplyDeleteToo bad Flanders did not call the TD.
Or did he? I don't know.
Did you see the game? How could it be obvious to you?
ReplyDeleteJason is underrated. It is no surprise therefore that he was able to have an upset. Also it is possible that making such an error motivated him to play better. Still a lesson should be to always call a TD if you are unsure of a rule. You should even make the TD look up the rule in the book, even if he insists that he knows it.
ReplyDelete