Chess in Murray - Calloway Co. 2014-15

Chess in Murray - Calloway Co. 2014-15

Please update in the comments or to wcbell@mail.com

http://mur-calchess.blogspot.com/

Here is the current status.  I will try to keep it up to date.  If I have any additions or errors please let me know.

Last year we had 1 major tournament in the Fall.  We now have 4 scheduled (within day-trip distance) for this Fall.

Next Feb. 7 we will have a bigger 2015 County Championships.

I will be offering a class through Murray State on how to play/teach chess.  This will start in a few weeks.

Last year we had three scholastic clubs in the county.  This year we have four already and the volunteers to offer 
to teach a beginner class in each of the other 6 schools in the county.
The plan-hope is to get a parent – teacher volunteer (from that school) - for each class to manage a transition from the class

to a club.   A manager does not have to be a player if someone else (another parent?) can be the coach.

If we can get persons who will do the managerial parts we will have a better chance of getting coaches (players or parents),
because we can assure them that they will only need to teach while someone else maintains decorum.

Please send this to people who are interested and send their email addresses to me: wcbell@mail.com

Activity                              where                   When                   open to                 manager              Coach  

Mur-Cal Website (blog)   http://mur-calchess.blogspot.com/   you all               W. Bell and you

Chess Column                    Ledger                  Mondays              all                          W. Bell

Murray-Calloway CC       Curris Ctr             5-7 Thursdays        all                          Leaders                W. Bell

                                                                                                                                           group                    tutors

MSU chess Club                Curris Ctr             6-9 Mondays               All                  James Hereford  

                                                                                                                                    herefordl2003@gmail.com    

MHS  chess Club                MHS                     ? ?                         MCS                     Lauren Hines      Open

                                                                                                         students

MMS  chess Club              MMS                    3-4 MW                MMS                    Martin Son          Mr. Son

                                                                           Begin  ???          students              

MES  Chess Club              MES                       ??                          MES                       Chuck Blanchard     

Lamb Home Schoolers                                    ????                       ?????                   ???James Hereford  

                                                                                                                                    herefordl2003@gmail.com           

                                                                                      Schools with no clubs

People who are interested in having a club at a school they are listed beside with contact info.  If we get several people interested they will have a better chance of persuading their principal to find a sponsor.
Eastwood                            CC E                     CC N                     CC SW                CC Middle                CCHS
          
Calloway Contact people
La Dawn Hale                                   227-7087             lhale2@email.uky.edu 
David   Mikulcik                             753-3211               mikulcik@amerion.com

Tournaments

Scholastics in blue and open (all ages) in Red

August 9, 2014

Jackson TN, Open

Brad Smith - 731.423.9705

Tentative

Sat Sept 27-

Name ?, Paducah Scholastic

Rated and unrated sections

1-6 pm

jimmy_patterson@hotmail.com

Sat October 18, 2014

Graves Co Scholastic

thomas.knight@graves.kyschools.us

 

32nd MSU Open 

And Scholastic Novice and Beginner

Saturday, November 1 , 2014.

Wayne Bell wcbell@mail.com

tentative
December 6, 2014 

Crittenden Co Scholastic 
don.winters@crittenden.kyschools.us

Newspaper Chess Problem

Hi everyone,

Dr. Bell's recent chess post in the local newspaper featured a problem for the reader to solve. The problem featured a well known endgame tactic that is very useful to know. In the problem, White does not have a fun position; however, White can make use of a very neat trick by playing Bxa4! White has sacrificed his bishop, but at the same time has forced Black's sole pawn onto the a-file. You will notice that the potential queening square for the pawn is not the same color as the squares on which Black's bishop can move. This is very important, since now White can triumphantly march his king over to the corner and move back and forth between a1 and b2 (or b1). Black, surprisingly, can do absolutely nothing to disrupt White's fortress and thus must adhere to a draw. Note: This is not the only way to draw the position, but it is by far the simplest.

Josiah Hereford

2014 Murray Summer Open

Josiah Hereford, Murray’s 16 year old rising chess star, continued to impress all who watch him play by defeating a multiple state champion winner – Jerry Baker – in the last round to win the First Murray Summer Open which was held at the Curris Center on June 28^th.  Hereford got the nod on tie breaks over Michael Robertson from Tennessee who also had scored three wins and one draw. 

The tournament was directed by Thomas Knight a teacher and chess coach at Graves County H S who is a rising organizational star in Western KY chess.  The tournament, held for the first time this year, attracted 24 players from 4 states and the organizer Wayne Bell expects that it will grow in future years. 

In other categories Brad Smith of TN won Class C, Nathan Summerville of Graves Co won class D, and the MSU Chess Club Sponsor, Engineering Professor James Hereford, won the under 1200 category.

The Novice section was won by seventh grader Mason Lu with 3 wins and one draw.   Asher Cunningham finished second, Justin Wallace was third, and Bristal Watkins won the under 800 category. 

2014 Murray Chess Camp 2

Our first effort on this attracted 8 campers and went very well.

We plan to do it again next year and we expect it to grow.