Mai Pho & Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets Part 2

After completing the first day of the Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets tournament, we spent the night at the DoubleTree. In the morning, we did some running on the sidewalks in town. We returned to the hotel and took the stairs up to our room on the 9th floor. But...we didn't stop there. The hotel has 16 floors, so we headed up to the top! Before long, I was thinking of A Stairway Chase on Studio C! I started out running, but by the last floor I was slowly walking. The view from the 16th floor was beautiful.

For lunch, we stopped at Mai Pho in Cedar Rapids, which is a favorite with my family because of their bubble teas and other sweet beverages. 

Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets 2017 - Part 1

With my new job keeping me hopping, I seriously considered not attending the Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets March 4th-5th.  However, it's one of my favorite chess tournaments.  The accommodations are always top-notch, and I have an attendance record to keep.  This year was my 7th in a row participating. The FIDE-rated tournament was held at the Physician's Clinic of Iowa, directed by Jim Hodina, and hosted by Robert Keating.

My parents and youngest sister had a 10K to run in Garrison, so they dropped me off at the clinic early.  I helped set up boards, and then played some blitz games against Richard Rector to warm up, as my chess skills have gotten a little rusty.  My sister took a half-point bye in round 1 in the Reserve section, and joined me after she finished running the 10K.

Iowa Open Chess Tournament 2016 - Part 2

Going to sleep early Sunday morning I was so exhausted it would have been impossible for our room at the Marriott to feel uncomfortable.  I enjoyed a pleasant repose, and the hotel curtains blocked the light of dawn out so well I could have slept in for hours.  But...I had an unfinished mission!

Charity, Daniel, and I stopped at McDonald's for breakfast, and then we pulled into a convenience store where I purchased pastries and *cheap* granola bars.  All day Saturday I had been eating granola bars from the hotel's concessions (above).  And believe me, they are as expensive as they are delicious!  

Iowa Open Chess Tournament 2016

The Iowa Open is the most popular chess tournament in the state, with more than 200 participants.  And it is one I never like to miss--and haven't missed for four years.  Like last year, it was held in the Conference Center at the Marriott Hotel in Coralville, Iowa.

August 27th, Charity, Daniel, and I ate breakfast and then left home at about 7:30; we arrived in Coralville with time to spare.  The rest of the family had left earlier than we to go to a 10K and half marathon at Beeds Lake in Hampton.  

Iowa Open Chess Tournament 2015 - Part 2

Best Western Cantebury Inn and Suites turned out to be an older hotel, so accommodations were not comparable with those we enjoyed at the Cedar Rapids Best Western.  But, regardless, I was pleasantly impressed.  I booked the room weeks in advance...and they gave us the most spacious room on the first floor!

Clockwise from top left: Sign in Best Western room, BW room, stairway at the Marriot, BW continental breakfast.

It's not often I book a 2 queen-bed room and get a couch as well (not pictured).  It was also very nice to start the day with a complimentary continental breakfast (a standard at Best Western).  Last year we stayed at the Marriott, but ended up driving around town to a McDonalds for breakfast. 

Iowa Open Chess Tournament 2015 - Part 1

I'm stepping back into my drafts folder to post about the state's strongest tournament, the Iowa Open, which we participated in on August 29th and 30th, 2015.  I'm not sure why this never got posted, but better late than never.  Like in 2014, the Iowa Open was held at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa.

I woke up at 6:00 A.M., packed and caught up on emails (and made sure I made a move in my correspondence chess games so I wouldn't forfeit on time while gone).  Charity, Papa, and I left shortly after 7:00 A.M.  On our way we stopped at McDonalds for breakfast.  We arrived at the Marriott with plenty of time, and checked in with Mark Capron, the tournament organizer.

The Wellsburg Open 2016 - Part 2

After the first round there was plenty of time to relax and eat lunch.  I grabbed a bowl of potato soup, a turkey sandwich, and cake, and headed down to the skittles room.

Clockwise from top left: The venue, the skittles room, Mark Kende, and Angelo Young.

The Wellsburg area has a definite lack of serious chess players.  Last year I put up flyers in all the surrounding towns, and ran an ad in the local newspaper.  The only local players who came were my family and our friend Pastor Jim Hartman from Whitten Community Church.  Everyone else had a long drive.

The Wellsburg Open 2016 - Part 1

"What is your greatest fear?" is a question psychoanalyzing interrogators in espionage series have tried to answer in an effort to force secret agents to reveal their nation's secrets.  The past year has made me wonder if mine is an aversion for lateness.   For months I've had dreams (or shall we say, nightmares) about starting the first round of the Wellsburg Open 15 minutes late.  No one told me that would be a side-effect of tournament organizing.

Late 2015 I decided to host the Wellsburg Open again.  In January I booked the Wellsburg Reformed Church as the venue, posted announcements, and sent invitations to the masters in the surrounding states.

Iowa Class Championships 2016

The Iowa Class Championships were held on April 2nd at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.  This tournament was held in conjunction with the state championship event, the Iowa Closed.

Originally, only my brother Daniel and I had planned to attend, but the 5K race the rest of my family was going to was cancelled/rescheduled due to forecasted high winds.  So, my sisters and Papa joined us.

SPGI 2016: Bughouse & Blitz Championships

St. Louis Trip, Days 3 & 4, July 26-27, 2015

One part of the SPGI 2016 that I was most looking forward to was the bughouse championship.  Susan Polgar had arranged so that I could play in all the side events, the family & friends section, and as a house player for the main tournament.  I have over 10,000 bughouse games in on FICS, so I was hoping to do well.

Charity and I had planned on partnering for this event, but Charity didn't feel well, and ended up having to stay at our dorm.  My youngest sister kindly consented to be my partner instead, since I really didn't want to be partnered with someone whose skills/style I would have no idea about. 

Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets 2016 - Part 2

Last year we spent the night at Best Western, but we wanted a hotel a little closer to the tournament location; so we booked a couple rooms at the DoubleTree by Hilton.  The price was about the same, but without the amenities of free parking and breakfast (which would have cost extra). 

Our rooms were on the tenth floor, and we had a beautiful view of the city.  Before we went to sleep, we took the elevator up to the restaurant on the 16th floor to look out the windows and satisfy our altophilia.

Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets 2016

March 5th-6th made for my 6th year attending the Cedar Rapids Leatherjackets. The tournament was held at the Physician's Clinic of Iowa, one of the nicest tournament locations in the state, provided by Robert Keating.  As usual, Jim Hodina organized the Leatherjackets.  This year the event was FIDE rated, and directed by arbiter Bill Broich.

Like last year, Mr. Keating provided complimentary snacks, water bottles, and hot coffee in the kitchen.  The refreshments were appreciated by all.  I played in the Open section, which had 90 30 time controls. Daniel, Charity, and Papa elected to play in the Reserve (U1600).

SPGI 2015 - Bus Tour

St. Louis Trip, Day 3, Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sunday afternoon, Susan Polgar and Paul Truong had generously arranged for a free trolley tour of St. Louis for participants and their families.  The trolley drivers were very knowledgeable and told us about all the interesting sites.

Susan Polgar rode in our trolley.  To start the trip, the driver announced that there would be two stops: one at the World Chess Hall of Fame, and the other near the Gateway Arch for photos.  We had to make our stops brief, and return to the trolley promptly; the driver joked that for insurance purposes he had to make sure he brought at least 75% of us back.

SPGI 2015 - Chess Class with GM Polgar and FM Truong

St. Louis Trip, Day 3, Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sunday morning we attended an optional session with Susan Polgar and Paul Truong.  They told about how they came to work at Webster University and about their chess program, SPICE, and gave pointers for young chess players.

Left: Susan Polgar  Right: Andrei Botez and Paul Truong (This fun photo was the only one I got of  Paul: Andrei is actually much taller!)

Paul Truong met the Webster University provost, Dr. Schuster, on ICC in 1998 and chatted with him online.  They never imagined years later they would be working together to create one of the biggest chess programs in the world.  

Book Review: Chess Puzzle Learning Levels, Volume I

I love playing chess, but studying chess has always been a chore.  Most chess books are terribly boring, especially the ones heavy on puzzles.  I enjoy Silman's chess books because he adds enough humor to make his lessons palatable.  But I had never met a chess puzzle book I loved (or even liked) until I met Wyckoff's Chess Puzzle Learning Levels.

SPGI 2015 - Dorm Life

St. Louis Trip, Day 2, Saturday, July 25, 2015

We were in St. Louis for the Susan Polgar Girl's Invitational because my youngest sister had won the Iowa Girls Chess Championship and was representing Iowa at the event.  My other sister (Charity) and I were both returning as alumnae, since we had participated in the Invitational in 2012.  Papa traveled with us as bodyguard and chauffeur.  

Ankeny Chess Tournament

We left home for the July tournament in Ankeny early Saturday morning.  On our way we stopped at Casey's for donuts and later at McDonald's to buy McMuffins.  The tournament location, the FFA Enrichment Center, did not seem familiar, but Papa reminded me of a tournament we had attended there several years ago in the large conference rooms. 

The Wellsburg Open - Part 3

After my second round game, I enjoyed a 20 minute break as the remaining games finished.  Soon, I was fired up and ready to go for the 3rd round.  Pairings were relatively easy this time, especially with printer problems resolved.  

In the photo above, players review games in the skittles room after the second round.  The only players in the Reserve section with perfect scores at this point were matched against each other for the third round: Ben Darr played Seth Derby, and Steve Jacobs played Daniel Carson.  Ben and Daniel both won their games and would meet for the Reserve championship in round 4.

The Wellsburg Open - Part 2

Saturday morning began early as we loaded our tournament supplies into the van, and arrived at the church by 7 A.M.  Pastor Mark of Wellsburg Reformed helped us set up the tables, and my family set up the concessions stand they provided.  Mayor Daggs of the neighboring town of Ackley had kindly loaned me extra tables for the skittles rooms. 

 

Hank Anzis arrived at about 7:30 with Seth, an aspiring player from the Marshalltown chess club.  Registration began at 8:15.  Several players who had not pre-registered showed up on site, so that in total, there were 35 competitors.

Searching for...Wellsburg? - Part 1

I've attended chess tournaments throughout Iowa for nearly half my life, and have enjoyed them all.  This past weekend, however, was a first for me. I got to see a chess tournament first hand from a director's point of view as I organized the Wellsburg Open.  

Early this year I decided on and rented the venue, Wellsburg Reformed Church, and announced the tournament.  About two weeks before the tournament, a very small trickle of pre-registrants began.  Most players waited till the week of the tournament to register; by the day of the tournament there were 26 players signed up.  One thing I will consider if I run another event is adding online registration, so players can see a list of other participants.