Top Gladiators Meet: Club Update, Results for Round Three, Pairings for Fall Swiss

Joaquin Phoenix, standing next to Russel Crowe, in epic movie, Gladiator

Rd Bd Scr White Scr Black
04 1. ___ Radomskyj, Peter (3.0) ___ Chieu, Kenneth Jos (2.5)
04 2. ___ Norris, Anthony (2.5) ___ Zilbermintz, Lev (2.5)

04 3. ___ Kwok, Man chi (2.0) ___ Boxer, Matthew (2.0)
04 4. ___ Fortunato, Joseph (2.0) ___ Hart, Charles M (2.0)
04 5. ___ Cohen, Bryan Paul (2.0) ___ West, Robert (2.0)
04 6. ___ Palacios,Danny (2.0) ___ Pepe, Mike (1.5)
04 7. ___ Sharpell, Fred (1.5) ___ Katz, Harry S (1.5)
04 8. ___ Pedersen, Roger E (1.0) ___ Trieste, Edward Wi (1.5)

04 9. ___ Martinez, Alberto (1.0) ___ Nikitopoulos, Nicholas (1.0)
04 10. ___ Korn, David Allan (1.0) ___ Garrett, Damon T (1.0)
04 11. ___ Nayak, Mohan Rao (1.0) ___ Levanda, Mark (1.0)
04 12. ___ Burn, Murray (0.0) ___ Lynn, Robert L (0.00

Average rating of top eight: 2056, average next eight: 1812, and last eight ('ex'-1132): 1496. Average of all twenty-five, a whopping 1762. Now that is strong--calculations by dk


Joaquin in his new persona. Some thought him mad; others testing 'the edge'. You decide:

West Orange Chess Club Fall 2011 Swiss Swiss Wall Chart, Round 4
Name/State ID Group/Team Rate Rnd 1 Rnd 2 Rnd 3 Rnd 4

1. Radomskyj, Peter 2272 B 13 W 9 B 6 W 2
NJ 12460475 1.0 2.0 3.0
2. Chieu, Kenneth Jos 2148 HALF W 15 B 10 B 1
NJ 12595190 0.5 1.5 2.5
3. Zilbermintz, Lev 2089 W 14 B 10 W 8 B 5
NJ 12476202 1.0 1.5 2.5
4. Pedersen, Roger E 1951 B 15 W 21 B 18 W 23
NJ 10092990 0.5 1.0 1.0
5. Norris, Anthony 1946 W 16 B 12 HALF W 3
NJ 12758884 1.0 2.0 2.5

6. Boxer, Matthew 1921 B 17 W 11 W 1 B 18
NJ 12510577 1.0 2.0 2.0
7. Hart, Charles M 1919 W 18 B 25 W 19 B 20
NJ 10004071 0.0 1.0 2.0
8. Cohen, Bryan Paul 1900 B 19 W 18 B 3 W 16
NJ 20020149 1.0 2.0 2.0
9. Martinez, Alberto 1890 W 20 B 1 B 21 W 24
NJ 12490535 1.0 1.0 1.0
10. Pepe, Mike 1889 B 22 W 3 W 2 B 21
NJ 12565700 1.0 1.5 1.5
11. Garrett, Damon T 1824 W 23 B 6 W 20 B 19
NJ 12545276 1.0 1.0 1.0
12. Sharpell, Fred 1819 B 24 W 5 B 23 W 15
NJ 12088600 1.0 1.0 1.5
13. Burn, Murray 1814 W 1 B 20 B 15 W 22
NJ 10104891 0.0 0.0 0.0
14. Nayak, Mohan Rao 1758 B 3 W 19 B 22 W 25
NJ 12237580 0.0 0.0 1.0
15. Katz, Harry S 1718 W 4 B 2 W 13 B 12
NJ 12052860 0.5 0.5 1.5
16. West, Robert 1686 B 5 W 22 W 24 B 8
NJ 12904515 0.0 1.0 2.0
17. Rivero, Rene Thoma 1671 W 6 WITHDRAWN
NJ 12441215 0.0 F0.0 0.0 0.0
18. Kwok, Man chi 1607 B 7 B 8 W 4 W 6
NJ 14201547 1.0 1.0 2.0
19. Korn, David Allan 1604 W 8 B 14 B 7 W 11
NJ 14564164 0.0 1.0 1.0
20. Fortunato, Joseph 1550 B 9 W 13 B 11 W 7
NJ 12932570 0.0 1.0 2.0
21. Palacios,Danny 1481 HALF B 4 W 9 W 10
NJ 12801718 0.5 1.0 2.0

22. Lynn, Robert L 1446 W 10 B 16 W 14 B 13
NJ 14010970 0.0 0.0 0.0
23. Trieste, Edward Wi 1385 B 11 W 12 B 4 B 4
NJ 12029830 0.0 X1.0 1.5
24. Nikitopoulos, Nicholas 1325 W 12 BYE B 16 B 9
NJ 14140077 0.0 1.0 1.0
25. Levanda, Mark 1132 HALF W 7 HALF B 14
NJ 12394013 0.5 0.5 1.0


Same Joaquin, After his six month episode... Talk about a striking guy!

Flash Note: "NJ Knockouts need emergency substitute standby player asap"

Note from Rob three minutes ago, literally:

"Hello everyone,

Would you mind posting the paragraph on your blogs, sending to your email lists, etc., as soon as possible?

Thanks.

Rob Bernard, Manager, New Jersey Knockouts"

"Help! Your local US Chess League (www.uschessleague.com) team, the New Jersey Knockouts, needs you!

"We have some personnel issues this week, and may need an under-2000 (1800-1999 on the August 2011 list) rated player for fourth board, for this week only.

"You would be playing in Lincoln Park, on Monday September 26 at 7pm. You need to indicate your interest to me ASAP, as the lineup must be turned into the league by tomorrow (Friday Sep 23) by 9pm.

"There's no guarantee that you will play, but I need to have some options. Please indicate your interest by emailing me at [see email below in red, editor:]:

Thanks! Rob Bernard Manager, New Jersey Knockouts" [click link in red, directed to NJN blog. Editor]

minusone at alumni dot prince [:university, add L & R:]ton dot edu

Roger? Anthony? Matthew? Charles? Bryan? Alberto?

Club Update: Results for Round Two, Pairings for Fall Swiss

Are We Club Members or Just In the Matrix?

Rd Bd Scr White Scr Black
03 1. ___ Boxer, Matthew (2.0) ___ Radomskyj, Peter (2.0)
03 2. ___ Zilbermintz, Lev (1.5) ___ Cohen, Bryan Paul (2.0)
03 3. ___ Pepe, Mike (1.5) ___ Chieu, Kenneth Jos (1.5)

03 4. ___ Kwok, Man-chi (1.0) ___ Pedersen, Roger E (1.0)
03 5. ___ Hart, Charles M (1.0) ___ Korn, David Allan (1.0)
03 6. ___ Palacios,Danny (1.0) ___ Martinez, Alberto (1.0)
03 7. ___ Garrett, Damon T (1.0) ___ Fortunato, Joseph (1.0)
03 8. ___ Trieste, Edward Wi (1.0) ___ Sharpell, Fred (1.0)
03 9. ___ West, Robert (1.0) ___ Nikitopoulos, Nicholas (1.0)

03 10. ___ Katz, Harry S (0.5) ___ Burn, Murray (0.0)
03 11. ___ Lynn, Robert L (0.0) ___ Nayak, Mohan Rao (0.0)

03 0.5 Norris, Anthony (2.0) BYE REQUESTED
03 0.5 Levanda, Mark (0.5) BYE REQUESTED
03 0.0 Rivero, Rene Thoma (0.0) BYE REQUESTED













West Orange Chess Club Fall 2011 Swiss -- West Orange Chess Club Fall 2011 SwissWall Chart

Name/State ID Rate Rnd 1 Rnd 2 Rnd 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Radomskyj, Peter 2272 B 13 W 9 B 6
NJ 12460475 1.0 2.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Chieu, Kenneth Jos 2148 HALF W 15 B 10
NJ 12595190 0.5 1.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Zilbermintz, Lev 2089 W 14 B 10 W 8
NJ 12476202 1.0 1.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Pedersen, Roger E 1951 B 15 W 21 B 18
NJ 10092990 0.5 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Norris, Anthony 1946 W 16 B 12 HALF
NJ 12758884 1.0 2.0 2.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Boxer, Matthew 1921 B 17 W 11 W 1
NJ 12510577 1.0 2.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Hart, Charles M 1919 W 18 B 25 W 19
NJ 10004071 0.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Cohen, Bryan Paul 1900 B 19 W 18 B 3
NJ 20020149 1.0 2.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Martinez, Alberto 1890 W 20 B 1 B 21
NJ 12490535 1.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Pepe, Mike 1889 B 22 W 3 W 2
NJ 12565700 1.0 1.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Garrett, Damon T 1824 W 23 B 6 W 20
NJ 12545276 1.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Sharpell, Fred 1819 B 24 W 5 B 23
NJ 12088600 1.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Burn, Murray 1814 W 1 B 20 B 15
NJ 10104891 0.0 0.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Nayak, Mohan Rao 1758 B 3 W 19 B 22
NJ 12237580 0.0 0.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Katz, Harry S 1718 W 4 B 2 W 13
NJ 12052860 0.5 0.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. West, Robert 1686 B 5 W 22 W 24
NJ 12904515 0.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Rivero, Rene Thoma 1671 W 6 --- ZERO
NJ 12441215 0.0 F0.0 0.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Kwok, Man-chi 1607 B 7 B 8 W 4
NJ 14201547 1.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. Korn, David Allan 1604 W 8 B 14 B 7
NJ 14564164 0.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. Fortunato, Joseph 1550 B 9 W 13 B 11
NJ 12932570 0.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21. Palacios,Danny 1481 HALF B 4 W 9
NJ 12801718 0.5 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22. Lynn, Robert L 1446 W 10 B 16 W 14
NJ 14010970 0.0 0.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23. Trieste, Edward Wi 1385 B 11 --- W 12
NJ 12029830 0.0 X1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24. Nikitopoulos, Nicholas 1325 W 12 BYE B 16
NJ 14140077 0.0 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25. Levanda, Mark 1132 HALF W 7 HALF
NJ 12394013 0.5 0.5 1.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Very Definition of Imprimateur

Just days ago, an exhibtion match between former World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov (retired) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (click link in red at L).

Watch how he waives his hands at the 0:43 seconds mark. How many 500,000 chess positions are being processed in his brain that very second?? All he needs are a white glove and scepter or some such thing.

At the 1:28 mark, he should be eating a marlin.


















Amazing chair squeak at 1:40 shounds like Mahler.


You cannot make this stuff up.

Just watch how decisive if not elegant Kasparov is in the way he moves and touches the chess pieces.

'Having warmed up, and being an ultra-active player with a 2700+ rating, one might think that Garry would be at a disadvantage, however the ex-champion shrugged off the years of retirement and won their first game in a flourish sure to make fans wish for a bit more than these bits and flashes we get from him nowadays.'

EVENT: Three Hour Clinic, by GM Joel Benjamin, Branchburg NJ, Sat 24 Sept 2011

"BREAKING NEWS from the Dean of Chess Academy and NJ Knockout Dean Ippolito..."

[A. Rob Bernard, father of our new member Jaron USCF 1041 ELO age ten, asked us if we could kindly post the announcement below.

B. GM Joel Benjamin, ranked 12th in The United States, USCF 2660, wrote American Grandmaster: Four Decades of Chess Adventures. For review and details at Amazon, click red here.]

"We here at Dean of Chess Academy (www.deanofchess.com click red at L to access site) have an exciting event planned! On Saturday September 24th from 5pm until 8pm, Grandmaster Joel Benjamin will be offering a three-hour clinic, where he will analyze games submitted by participants. GM Joel has won the US Championship three times, and he hosts a weekly chess radio show, "Game of the Week" on the Internet Chess Club.

"This event will be a fundraiser for the New Jersey Knockouts, New Jersey's only professional chess team. Both Dean Ippolito and Joel Benjamin have been members of the Knockouts since its inception. DOCA is proud to host this unique instructional seminar, given by one of the leading chess teachers in the USA.

"There will be a maximum of only 10 participants in the clinic, so Joel will have time to analyze each game thoroughly. Anyone age 14 and older is eligible to participate. If you are between 11 and 13 years old, you must be an experienced tournament player and must contact Dean directly for special permission to take part in this event.

"The cost of GM Joel's clinic is only $75 (in advance) for the three hour session, and $100 space permitting at the door; all funds will go to the Knockouts -- please sign up at DOCA.

"The Dean of Chess Academy is located at 3150 Rt. 22W, Branchburg NJ 08876.

"Additionally, we will have a G/5 tournament immediately after the clinic. The G/5 will be a 6 round swiss and is open to everyone. The entry fee is $20 to members and $30 to non-members. The prizes are 40% of the total entry fees collected minus the TD fee for first place.

"20% minus the TD fee will go to second, 10% minus the TD fee will go to 3rd. 5% minus TD fee will go to top Under 1600 (quick ratings used) and 5% to the top Under 1300. The remaining 20% will go to help fund the NJ Knockouts."

Summer Quad Results

West Orange CC Summer Quads -- West Orange CC Summer Quads Cross Table

No. Gr Name(Team) St Rate Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Score

WINNERS BY SECTION:
Quad One, First:
1. Radomskyj, Peter (1).......... NJ 2277 W10 W18 W16 -U- 3.0

Quad Two, First:
2. Hart, Charles M (7)........... NJ 1900 D5 W22 W11 -U- 2.5

Quad Three, Two way tie:
6. Katz,Harry S (12)............. NJ 1707 W12 L7 W20 -U- 2.0
7. Rivero,Rene Thoma (14).......NJ 1613 W20 W6 L12 -U- 2.0

Quad Four:
8. Paris, Shea (16).............. NJ 1592 W19 L14 W13 -U- 2.0

Quad Five, Two way tie:
4. Kirck, Charles H (21)......... NJ 1384 W24 D15 W9 -U- 2.5

OTHER RESULTS:
Scored 2.0 or greater:
3. Kwok,Manchi (17).............. NJ 1538 D18 W23 -U- W16 2.5
5. Garrett, Damon T (10).........NJ 1827 D2 D11 W22 -U- 2.0
9. Trieste, Edward Wi (20)... NJ 1393 W15 W24 L4 -U- 2.0

Scored 1.5
10. Boxer, Matthew (6)............ NJ 1916 L1 D16 W18 -U- 1.5
11. Martinez, Alberto (8)......... NJ 1894 W22 D5 L2 -U- 1.5
12. West,Robert (13).............. NJ 1684 L6 D20 W7 -U- 1.5
13. Korn, David Allan (15)........ NJ 1600 W14 D19 L8 -U- 1.5
14. Palacios,Danny (19)........... NJ 1454 L13 W8 D19 -U- 1.5
15. Bernard, Jaron (24)........... NJ 1060 L9 D4 W24 -U- 1.5

Scored One or Less:
16. Pedersen, Roger E (3)......... NJ 1982 D18 D10 L1 L3 1.0
17. Race, Doran (4)............... NJ 1968 -U- -U- -U- W21 1.0
18. Cohen, Bryan Paul (5)......... NJ 1924 D16 L1 L10 D3 1.0
19. Fortunato,Joseph (18)......... NJ 1534 L8 D13 D14 -U- 1.0
20. Nayak, Mohan Rao (11)........ NJ 1726 L7 D12 L6 -U- 0.5
21. Feldstein ESQ, Robert (2)...NY 2000 -U- -U- -U- L17 0.0
22. Burn, Murray (9).............. NJ 1852 L11 L2 L5 -U- 0.0
23. Mehta, Palash (22)............ NJ 1345 -U- L3 -U- -U- 0.0
24. Falconi, Stefano (23)......... NJ 1177 L4 L9 L15 -U- 0.0

Remarkable Interview: 'GM Levon Aronian answers your questions: Part 2'

Part Two of the GM Aaronian Interview, 'KC-Conference with Levon Aronian: Part 2'
linked here (click red for link).

A few Sample Question and Answers taken from a long interview. This is what we can truly call an 'Educated Person':

Alex (USA): You’re a fan of Franz Kafka as I am. What makes him so appealing to you? [CiT]

It’s the vulnerability of a man who, fundamentally, hasn’t done anything wrong, which is reflected in The Trial, The Castle and America, and reminds me of Soviet and post-Soviet times. I also like the fact that in his works there’s an attempt to look at the world from the most varied of perspectives as, for example, in “The Burrow”, or in “Investigations of a Dog”.

cher1508:
- Which non-chess books would you recommend?

I can vouch for everything written by Platonov, Kafka and Gogol.

- Which films can be instructive for a chess player?

That’s something I’ve never thought about. Perhaps some drama film with a sporting or musical theme. For example, “Raging Bull” or “Round Midnight”.

Zeppa: Who’s your favourite writer?
regent: Hello, Levon! Which are your favourite authors and works (I’ve got in mind literature, and not chess )?

Apart from those I’ve already named I also really love Mikhail Zoshchenko, Herman Hesse and Albert Camus.



- What’s new in the world of cinema? What have you liked recently, and who are your favourite directors?

I don’t follow trends in cinema. My favourite directors include – Woody Allen, Truffaut, Hitchcock, Fellini, Kurosawa, Ozu, Kar-wai, Bunuel, Malle, Solondz, Bertolucci, Tarkovsky and Bergman.

Zeppa:
- Who’s your favourite composer?

In classical music I love Bach, Scriabin, Ravel, Dvorak, Khachaturian. I know others less well, but I’m trying to fill in those gaps.

- Who’s your favourite film actor (actress)?

Among actors I really like Jean-Pierre Leaud, Fernando Rey, Johnny Depp, Alberto Sordi and Jean Gabin. Among actresses: Anna Maniani and Greta Garbo.

Bergstrasse: Prosit! Genatzt! Yung sing! Cheers! GM Aronian, I wish you good health and much success in the WCC Candidates Matches. Enjoy yourself!
- Can you name a novel or two or three that you’ve read at least twice? [CiT]

Having reached the mature age of 13 I decided not to re-read anything, so as to have time to read all the worthwhile books – and I’d already built up quite a pile at home. I can mention two books that I reread in my childhood – the “Collected Fairy Tales of Gianni Rodari” and “Karlson Who Lives on the Roof”.

Valchess: Could you please name three books, three films and three albums (musical) that you’d “take with you to a desert island”?

Among books I’d take “The Castle” by Kafka and think up its continuation, as I think there’d be time enough on the island, “Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livy” by Niccolo Machiavelli and a volume of Marina Tsvetaeva’s poetry. Among films I’d take something entertaining, something by Scorsese, something with Rita Hayworth in the main role and some film with aliens. Among albums – “Kulu Se Mama” or “Live at the Half Note 1965” by Coltrane, “Live at the Five Spot” by Eric Dolphy and Booker Little and “Love Devotion Surrender” by McLaughlin and Santana.

Remarkable Interview: 'GM Levon Aronian answers your questions: Part I'

Except in the rarest of places, as a rule a Blog [1] should be made up of original content. For who needs to go to a blog to get the news, or read articles when these are easily available elsewhere? No. We write or read blogs to be individual at the least, and unique if better, and refreshing as the ideal. We want to learn or find what cannot be found somewhere else, or if it is somewhere else, not easily found.

And now our subject. Today we must make an exception. If you read the longstanding Daily Dirt, or what is to the editor the single most current and intelligent chess discussion place in the English speaking world, then you could not help but notice the most remarkable translations by the handle known as mishanp. He is a non-Russian native skilled at translation of Slavic Languages, notably Russian, with a great fondness for chess. Truth be told, these are not just renderings, but gifts. He takes the best chess interviews in Russian and makes them readily and accurately available.

And they are never dull.

The four time US Chess Champion told the editor, 'I had lunch with Aaronian [2]. He is a most interesting conversationalist'. How true. Try this on:

























The link to the full interview is provided here (click in red), and as an invitation, the editor copies only the smallest part of the long interview here. Do not, do not, do NOT miss this one!

'GM Levon Aronian answers your questions: Part I
By mishanp on June 9, 2011

'KC-Conference with Levon Aronian

'The questions, and most of the answers, were written before the Candidates Matches in Kazan, which of course makes it hard not to regret that Levon didn’t emerge as the challenger to Vishy Anand. Nevertheless, he mentions Boris Gelfand as one of his best grandmaster friends, and in the post-Candidates section at the end adds:

"I think Boris deserved this win. He’s a man who treats chess with great reverence, and who works a lot… and is very, you might say, patient with it. You know, it’s easy to work when you can see an immediate return, but he’s had difficult periods, and still to believe in yourself and try to keep working despite that… I’m very, very glad for him, that his dedication and love for the game has borne fruit. This success shows that there’s chess longevity in his blood!"

'One of the merits of these in-depth Crestbook interviews is that grandmasters have the chance to set the record straight. In Aronian’s case, for example, you might crudely summarise the preconception of him as being that he’s “an easy-going late-bloomer, who despite his great talent is lazy and tends to win by setting tactical traps for his opponents”. Let’s look at whether that’s true or not!

'FACT or MYTH?
1. “A diabolically talented lazy guy”

'This phrase comes from Sergey Shipov’s short introductory essay. When asked if he was offended, Aronian responded that it was definitely better than “a diabolically hard-working mediocre guy”. Is there any truth to the statement? The answer would appear to be yes…

"As a talented player I always had a great talent for being lazy as well. If it wasn’t for my family (and particularly my mother) and my friends, who did the majority of the work for me, then it’s unlikely I’d have been able to achieve success". Interview continues at link. On last sample that shows how truly remarkable this man is. Further down in the interview:

'I must confess, however, that I mainly added this section as an excuse to include the following quote. Levon is asked to explain the “bloodthirstiness” of his having the lowest draw percentage among elite chess players:

"So I’ve been found out. Yes, that’s how I am, and there’s nothing that can be done about it. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll give it a go. I think the thing here is my diet. For 11 years now I haven’t eaten any mammals – although it’s well-known that I’m a person with a bloodthirsty nature. So then, sitting down to play a game and, metaphorically speaking, meeting an animal face-to-face, I experience nostalgia and try to get my fill of blood in those short moments".

[1] Blog is short for Weblog, or web diary. Never meant to be perfect, but of the moment, if not informal, but saying what is not said elsewhere, and specific to the creator.

[2] Recently in China: 'The World Team Championship' took 'place July 15-26 in Ningbo, China. China, Ukraine, Israel, Hungary, Azerbaijan, India, USA, Egypt and Armenia' played.

No Results Yet

...quicky, editor is getting a lot of email asking when final results are indicated and submitted to the USCF. Once Roger is back and plays Peter, this will be accomplished.

These questions do not bother and are most reasonable. Suffice to say, after Tuesday night we will... Of course, four of the five quads are done, but a moment more patience, please. 'I just work here'! The general lack of total rebelion and instead quiet muttering is much appreciated!

Lots more blogging in next week. Stay posted, all new stuff.

Have a nice holiday, jh/dk



Do You Understand QE, aka 'Quantitative Easing'?

Outrageous Video editor has had up his sleave for awhile.

This is just one among many :-)