Knight’s Tour / Tournament Travel
Boston Strong By Steve Immitt
BOSTON CHESS CONGRESS JANUARY 10-12 OR 11-12, 2014
CONTINENTAL CHESS HAS RUN OVER 2,200 tournaments in 28 states (and even the Bahamas). But surprisingly, it had never held one in the city of Boston. That all changed in 2012, thanks to the impetus of New England stalwart organizer/ promot er Stephen Dann and MACA president and national tournament director George Mirijanian, who helped inspire what has today become known as the Boston Chess Congress. The inaugural 2012 event at the hotel,
called the Continental Amateur focused exclusively on non-professional players rated under 2250 or unrated. Not knowing who would show up, Continental Chess president Bill Goichberg let sound the chess clarion call and 130 chess patriots respond - ed. Continental Chess was off to a running start in Boston! In 2013 the tournament expanded to
eight class sections, including two separate sections for players rated under 1300 or unrated: one section only for players born after 1994 and one just for players born before 1995. Even the new USCF lifetime title system was featured this time, as lower- rated players eager for stronger opposition could elect to play one section higher up than they would otherwise be allowed, providing they also had the necessary rating and USCF lifetime title requirements. In 2013, masters were also eligible to play. All this led to an increase in the turnout in 2013: there were 189 players. GM Chao Li from China followed up his
46 January 2014 | Chess Life
American debut—a third place finish in the super-strong 2012 North American Open in December—with a convincing victory in his second U.S. tournament. He finished a full point ahead of the field, posting a powerful 2829 tournament performance to clinch his $1,067 prize for finishing clear first in the Premier section. A special Chess and Education Expo,
held concurrently with the main tourn- ament, was organized by Stephen Dann and George Mirijanian in 2012 and again by Stephen Dann in 2013 and is planned for this year too. One common thread among many of the
players was the quality of the service provided by the host hotel, the Hyatt Harborside Hotel at Boston’s Logan Airport. The complimentary coffee service provided for the players throughout the weekend, along with free parking for tournament participants and free wi-fi, were very well received. But perhaps most striking was the absolutely scrumptious offering of cash food sales. Not your typical hotel food concession, the hotel chef himself was on hand to make sure the players were happy with the fresh soup and salad bar, freshly made sandwiches and delicious homemade chocolate-chip cookies for only $1, not to mention the full-size, homemade calzones throughout the weekend! During the Boston Congress, the fork truly became the chess players’ most welcome tool, both on and off the chess board. The Hyatt Boston Harbor (same hotel,
new name for 2014), a luxurious hotel on the edge of the historic harbor, offers sweeping views of Boston’s skyline, and greatly reduced chess rates of only $79! And even Paul Revere would probably be pleased at how easy it is to get here:
1. By land, it’s almost adjacent to Logan Airport, with free parking for tournament participants, and a 24-hour complimentary hotel shuttle to the MBTA’s Blue Line Logan Airport subway station;
2. By sea, there’s a water taxi next door which goes to downtown Boston and Faneuil Hall;
3. By air, the hotel has a 24-hour compli- mentary shuttle to Logan Airport.
The 2nd annual Boston Chess Congress
is scheduled for January 10-12, 2014, with a $12,000 projected prize fund in six separate sections. Once again it features something new: a projected $1,400 in mixed doubles bonus prizes! The three best male/female two-player combined score “teams” among all sections also compete for additional bonus prizes of $800-$400-$200 (the team average rating must be under 2200; both players may play in the same or different sections). Teams must register with the tournament director (at no extra charge) before both players begin round two. Being on a team is optional (you do not have to have a team to participate in the tournament)—but it surely makes for a very fun event!
PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA
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