All Quiet On the Western Front
I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still around and that I will hopefully have some real updates up by the end of the week. I’m hoping to get a tournament ready...
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Martin Stahl was one of two Joplin area players to grab a State Championship Plaque this weekend at the MO Class Championships. Martin pulled in the highest score, 3.5/5, of any Missourian in the C Class to take home his 2nd Class Championship, a full 8 years after his first. Congrats Martin!
Matthew Pratt earned 4 points to emerge as the 2018 Missouri Class B champion. Pratt grabbed the lead on Saturday with 3 straight wins, then survived his pursuers best shots on Sunday to finish alone in first place. Congratulations Matthew Pratt!
Something some of you might be interested in: tourney and exhibition happening in Tulsa in a couple of weeks.Chessplayers! Don’t miss this opportunity!
“BLINDFOLD CHESS KING” EXHIBITION IN TULSA on Friday, May 18th!
Followed the next day by the 2nd FRANK K BERRY MEMORIAL in Tulsa, OK May 19-20, 2018 (Scroll down for details below!)
Grandmaster Timur Gareyev, who holds the Guinness World Record for the most games of blindfold chess played simultaneously, will give a free public exhibition and lecture on this rare skill on Friday evening, May 18, 6:30pm, at the Wyndham Hotel, 10918 East 41st Street, Tulsa.
Gareyev set the world record on December 4, 2016, playing 48 tournament players simultaneously, (winning 35, drawing 7, losing only 6) without sight of the board. He travels around the world giving exhibitions; his last three events being in Singapore, India, and New Orleans.
In blindfold chess matches, the grandmaster cannot see the board while his opponents can. The grandmaster is told what move each opponent has just made, but has no ability to go back and see what they did before. This means that he must keep a mental image of the board, complete with the position of every piece, plus then make good moves too! Multiple simultaneous games represent an immensely difficult test of memory and skill.
For Tulsa, Gareyev will first give an interactive lecture about the nature of blindfold chess, and why players may want to try it — and then will take on 7 Oklahoma tournament players, including two Experts and several scholastic players who earned their slot earlier this year. (Currently we are holding two slots for news media players, but if those aren’t filled we will give them to alternates.)
Gareyev will then stay over the weekend to play in the 2nd annual FRANK K BERRY MEMORIAL chess tournament, being held at the same hotel venue, where he will compete against many of the best players in the state in traditional chess.
Timur Gareyev (pronounced “ga-RAY-ev”) is nicknamed “The Blindfold King” and is an exciting performer. He is often described as eccentric or a free spirit. He likes to ride a stationary bike while giving these exhibitions, to help him concentrate. He is also an accomplished skydiver, base jumper, yoga practitioner, and a world traveler.
SPECTATORS ARE WELCOME. There is no charge to attend. You are not obligated to stay and play in the Frank K Berry Memorial that weekend but of course we hope most of you will.
DETAILS:
May 18, 2018 GRANDMASTER GAREYEV BLINDFOLD EXHIBITION Tulsa, OK
6:30pm, Friday May 18, Wyndham Hotel Tulsa, just west of 41st and Garnett. Spectators welcome. No fee to attend, but recommended donation to the OCF tournament fund at the door.
GM Gareyev set a world record last year for simultaneous blindfold play. For us he will give a lecture about how to play blindfold chess yourself and why you should, and then give a simultaneous exhibition against seven pre-selected players. He will stay to play in the FKB Memorial the following day…
May 19-20, 2018 2nd FRANK K BERRY MEMORIAL Tulsa, OK
5-SS; G/90+30. Wyndham Hotel, 10918 E. 41st St., Tulsa, OK. 918-627-5000. HR: $79. Two Sections: Open and Reserve (U1600). EF: $40 if mailed by 5/15, $50 thereafter, FREE for Masters 2200+ (deducted from winnings). Free OCF. Prizes $$2600 (1st Prize Gtd. each section, rest b/65 paid entries) Open: $1,000(G)-250, X: 200, A: 200, B: 200. Reserve (U1600): $250(G)-100, D: 200, U1200/UNR: 200. Reg.: 9-9:45am Sat 5/19. Byes: One ½-pt bye Rds. 1-5 if commit before Sat 9pm. Rds.: (5/19) 10-2:30-7, (5/20) 9-1:15. Entries to: Tom Braunlich, 7500 S. Birch, Broken Arrow, OK 74011. Inquiries: tom.braunlich@cox.net Web: www.ocfchess.org
Sorry for the late update. The last part of the tourney was pretty busy. In the Open, there was a tie for 1st/2nd between Oscar Wang and Arjun Puri at 3.5 of 4.
The U1600 went to Matt Hammons with 2.5.
1st in the U1400 section, which was combined with the Open for pairing purposes, went to Kyle Coffman at 3.0. 2nd went to Peter Hansen with 1.5.
In the unrated, Sam Bishop had a clean sweep to win clear 1st overall with 5 points. 2nd overall went to Mike Yohn with 4.
In that section, Harry Heil, Bertha Hansen and Lily Hansen were shared 1st-3rd among the K-12 players with 3 points each.
Thanks to all the players for spending a day with us. Thanks also to Joplin NAMI and Allen Bishop for helping sponsor and getting the word out and for the Joplin LDS Stake for hosting the event.
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