As noted in the December issue of Chess Life, the USCF is now offering discounted memberships for those who elect not to receive the monthly magazine.
The offer stated to act before the end of the year if you want to keep you magazine subscription because rates will increase in 2009.
Discounts increase if you purchase more than one year at a time. To get the best price, you must order your membership online. The following is a comparison of the two membership options:
Regular (no magazine) – 1 year = $29, 2 years = $52
Premium (with magazine) – 1 year = $42, 2 years = $78
All members will be entitled to read an electronic edition of the full magazine online from the USCF website.
In these tough economic times, it’s almost a no-brainer to sign up for two years without the magazine, since it only costs $10 more than the 1 year “premium” option. The new offer will likely achieve the goal of recruiting more members to the organization.
It is likely that an unintentional side effect of this new offer will be the eventual extinction of the written magazine. The USCF leadership will need to be careful that they don’t cut off existing revenue from advertisers and members who prefer to shop by the catalog.
Chess and Politics are intertwined in the three new stories posted on the news section of our site.
The first posting covers a recent article about a power struggle on the USCF executive board, which is trying to oust Susan Polgar and her husband Paul Truong.
The second article covers a new documentary about Garry Kasparov’s struggle to bring more democratic elections to Russia.
The last item covers a story about a Spanish photographer who was held hostage in Somalia. He was able to pass the time and maintain his sanity by playing chess with a fellow hostage.
Chess is a great game that provides enjoyment to professionals and amateurs from all walks of life. Many people who take more than a causal interest in the game begin to learn the names of the great players – Fisher, Kasparov, Anand, Nakamura, Polgar and many others.
However it is also entertaining to learn that there are many celebrities out there who are also fascinated with the game. In this post we will explore two examples, Humphrey Bogart and Howard Stern!
Humphrey Bogart was a lifelong chess enthusiast who used to hustle people for dimes and quarters in New York City parks and at Coney Island. He insisted that a scene with him playing chess should be included in Casablanca. Off screen, he was a certified USCF tournament director and actively participated in the Hollywood Chess Club. He was supposedly a very strong player, probably expert class and was able to draw 6 time US Champ, GM Samuel Reshevesky during a simul.
The game below, which can be found in its entirety with some other transcripts of his games on www.chessgames.com is a contest between him and his wife Lauren Bacall. The game starts off as a Ruy Lopez, then moves out of the book …
At this point, Bogart secures the advantage, with a little help from his wife - 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Nxe5 Bxg2 15. Rg1 Bh3 16. Rg3 Be6 17. d4 c6 18. d5 cxd5 19. cxd5 Bxd5 and Bogart went on to win a piece and the game. The rest of the transcript is … 20. c4 Be6 21. Re3 f6 22. Nd3 Kf7 23. Nf4 Rae8 24. Nxe6 Qb4+ 25. Kf1 Re7 26. Re1 Rhe8 27. Nd8+ Kf8 28. Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Qxe7+ Qxe7 30.
Rxe7 Kxe7 31. Nxb7 1-0
Howard Stern is best known as the polarizing radio figure who loves to push the boundaries of humor by discussing politically incorrect topics and/or conducting outrageous interviews.
It turns out, behind the scenes he is an avid chess player and student of the game! Back in 2006, he began discussing his interest in chess on his radio show and even had Susan Polgar on for a serious interview.
In October 2008 the New York Times wrote a piece about his recent marriage to Beth Ostrosky and his obsession with chess. The article mentions that he is a frequent player on the Internet Chess Club and has also worked with a chess coach in order to bring his rating up to about 1600. A visit to his my space page lists chess as his 2nd most important interest (behind making love to his wife)!
The game below is one of two featured in the NY Times article. In this game, he employs the offbeat Budapest Defense to dispatch with an unsuspecting opponent:
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. d5 Bc5 4. h3 (diagram)
and now tactics come into play after … Bf2! 5. Kf2 Ne4 6. Kf3 Qh4 7. g4 f5 8. gf Rf8 9. Ke3 Rf5 10. Nf3 Qf4 11. Kd3 Nf2 and white resigns.
Stay tuned for future articles on famous chess players. If you are hungry for more, go to the Fun Stuff / Trivia page for a quiz on other chess playing celebrities.
As we approach the holiday season, I’d like to remind everybody of the few days that the club will not be meeting between today and the end of the year. The club will NOT meet on the following days:
11/19/08 – closed
12/17/08 – closed
12/24/08* (No rated play – but we will have “skittles with Fred” so feel free to come out if you wish)
12/31/08 – closed
Now the good news – we do meet just about every Wednesday during the year. In fact, the “Thanksgiving Swiss” is currently underway. Feel free to pay a visit if you want to come out next week for Round 2.
As we celebrate another Halloween we can give a free plug to the coolest book cover that has nothing to do with chess! In a recent Chess Life article they note that the book “Breaking Dawn” is actually the third book in a wildly popular vampire saga. The over 700 page tome doesn’t even allude to strategy or have a single mention of the royal game.
I came across this book at the end of the summer while on a family vacation in Nantucket. I was intrigued by the cover and was wondering what this new chess book was all about. As I leafed through the pages, I realized that this wasn’t a chess book at all!
I’m not sure what the author Stephanie Meyer was thinking when she agreed to this design, but it is a really striking image and a cool cover. So for all you vampire lovers out there – you might want to check this one out for yourself.
We have added a new website to the GrandMaster section. Alexandra Kosteniuk, the “Chess Queen” is much more than just another pretty face. She is an international Grandmaster and the Women’s World Champion.
She also has a nice website that has a variety of content for the aspiring chess player. As noted in this month’s Chess Life, The Chess Journalists of America and the Cramer Committee voted this as the place for the best video podcast. Check out the Free Chess Video Podcast link on her site, or go there directly by clicking this link: www.chesskillertips.com
(note: you may need to adjust your firewall to see the instructional videos)
The news section has also been updated with new items. Take a trip to this section of our site to learn more about The World Mind Games, Super Grandmasters and the chess prodigies in Cuba.
We’ve added some new content to a couple of sections of the site. First off is a new Grandmaster link to Alexander Onischuk’s website. You can find this link on the right side of this page in the Grandmaster Section.
Second is new content for the analysis page. The Hard Labor swiss recently came to a close with a hard fought match between Roger Pedersen and Howard Kushner. This match had a lot of material that is instructive for players of all levels. In light of this, we have posted three positions from the game as well as a full transcript and analysis.
"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" - Thomas Edison
"Chess is mental torture" -Kasparov
"You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it's really a good idea and whether there are other, better ideas." -Stanley Kubrik
"The winner is the one who makes the next to last mistake" -Tartakower
"Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine" -Spielman
"A bad plan is better than no plan at all"
-Marshall
"Two passed pawns on the sixth beat everything, up to a royal flush" -Ian Rogers
Other Local Clubs:
Dumont Chess Mates - another local club in Dumont, NJ. The club meets on Mondays at 7 P.M.
Dumont Chess Mates Link
ICA (International Chess Academy)
- Full service club offering tournaments, instruction, chess camps and other services. Located in northern New Jersey with many events in Hackensack and Teaneck.
ICA link
Westfield Chess Club - Kid friendly club in Westfield, NJ. They meet on Sundays at 3 P.M.
Westfield Chess Club Link
Polgar Chess Center - Kid friendly club run by Grandmaster Susan Polgar. Located in Forest Hills, NY. Open 7 days a week.
Polgar Club Link
The Marshall Chess Club - The oldest and most prestigious club in the country. The place to go if you want to face tough competition. Located in Greenwich Village. Open 7 days a week.
The Marshall Link
As noted in the December issue of Chess Life, the USCF is now offering discounted memberships for those who elect not to receive the monthly magazine.
Chess and Politics are intertwined in the three new stories posted on the news section of our site.
