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First Moves / Chess news from around the U.S. Yet, as anyone who has had an advan-


tage dissipate in a game can tell you, it’s hard to keep that up. The “driving force” moved to northern New Jersey and became a corporation executive with pressing responsibilities. Steve, of course, lent his yearly chess energy to the U.S. Amateur Team East, and it developed into the largest adult tournament in the U.S. The TRCC lived on momentum for the


1990s and 2000s. Eventually, as the Inter- net seemed to entice people from real club play and as many came to realize that promoting chess events, even in a club, is time consuming work, the club declined. Happily, just as the embers threatened


to become ash, people arose who felt it could be revived: Bob Garrison, Steve Shosen (who diligently kept the e-mail lists and is relentless in keeping in touch with all—chess players always come back to the game!), Kevin Wagner and Brian


Meinders (no doubt missing a few) were a core group. We got to meet them at the instructional chess lecture given by Gene Salomon. They’ve started a lecture series. They’ve attracted the high school students and they’re now back again meeting in the town hall they used to meet in during the 1970s. The club now has 20-30 active members and an enthusiastic and friendly group that welcomes all. It was nostalgic for me to show up at


the club last night. Nobody knew me, but they greeted me like a long lost friend when I explained why I was there. It was great to see Gene show up. He and I used to be in the WCC back when (I took the TRCC side in the match!) we were 40 years younger. It is my fervent hope that they build on what good things they’ve done recently, and I’d be happy to play for them in another match with Westfield!


FACES ACROSS THE BOARD


SINQUEFIELD CUP!


AT THE By AL LAWRENCE


DR. MARC LEVINE


TEXAS


Followed the action online


Marc is one of a few cardiologists in west Texas ap- proved to replace worn-out heart valves without the need for risky open-heart surgery. He couldn't be at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis as he was tending to many patients, so he watched the Fox Midwest broad- cast. Marc learned the game in Fargo, North Dakota, winning the state high school championship in 1974. “There weren’t many good players to learn from where I lived. Being able to watch the world’s elite battle each other, with wonderful commentary, must be a tremendous boost to players everywhere.”


10-Year-Old Carissa Yip Defeats GM Alexander Ivanov


Modern Defense (B06) Carissa Yip (2126) GM Alexander Ivanov (2578) 74th New England Open (1), Leominster, Massachusetts, 08.30.2014


1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 Qb6 5. a3 d6 6. f4 e5 7. Nf3 exd4 8. Nxd4 Qd8 9. Qd2 Nf6 10. 0-0-0 0-0 11. Nf3 Qe8 12. e5 Ng4 13. Bg1 dxe5 14. h3 Nf6 15. Bc5 exf4 16. Qxf4 Nbd7 17. Bxf8 Nxf8 18. Bc4 Ne6 19. Qh4 b5 20. Bb3 a5 21. Kb1 Rb8 22. Rhe1 b4 23. Qg3 Rb7 24. axb4 Rxb4 25. Ng5 Nd5 26. Re4 Nxc3+ 27. bxc3 Rb5 28. Qh4


The first time control was 30/90 (with


a five second delay at each move). Accord- ing to Carissa’s father, both players had only a few seconds here to reach the 30th move.


At the 74th New England Open in Leominster, Massachusetts, 10-year-old Carissa Yip defeated GM Alexander Ivanov in round one. Awonder Liang defeated GM Larry Kaufman in 2012 when Awonder was 9, which appears to be the record for the youngest USCF player to defeat a grandmaster (GM). Several players, includ- ing Samuel Sevian, Fabiano Caruana, and Hkaru Nakamura, defeated a GM when they were 10. However, Carissa is the youngest girl to do so; for comparison’s sake, GM Irina Krush was 13 when she beat GM Alexander Stripunsky. Here is Yip’s game:


28. ... a4??


Apparently considering only Qxh7+. However ...


29. Nxe6 Bxe6 30. Rd8 Qxd8 31. Qxd8+ Bf8 32. Rxa4, Black resigned. Ivanov, far from being devastated by


a loss, went on to tie for first. Carissa’s rating is now 2131 and she has until June 2015 to surpass Annie Wang’s recently set record for the youngest female USCF master.


Hal Terrie, Mike Nolan, and Jennifer Shahade contributed to this article.


KEN WEST MISSOURI AKA “Robochess”


A graduate of the famous Mis- souri University School of


Journalism, Ken joined the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis when it first opened in 2008. “More than a club, it’s a social hub. The diversity is incredible. I’ve met people from Nepal, India, Africa, Pakistan, Israel, and across the U.S.” Other advantages? “GMs Ben Finegold and Var Akobian are always ready to play blitz. That’s like being a weekend golfer and playing a round with Tiger Woods!” The second Sin- quefield Cup grew his list of world-champion hand shakes to five. “What impressed me was how accessible the top players in the world were.”


Write to faces@uschess.org. www.uschess.org 11


MICHAEL CIAMARRA


ALABAMA Listens to Philidor


An active chess coach and columnist, Michael works on policy issues with the Alabama state government. He drove to St. Louis with longtime USCF volunteer Frank Camaratta to experience the Sinquefield Cup. At home, Ciamarra pursues a chess goal, but it’s not making grandmaster. He teaches chess to seniors to help them avoid Alzheimer’s disease, even success- fully bringing chess to blind veterans. Michael learned the game from his younger brother Mark, who “in- cessantly talked about some guy named Bobby Fis- cher.” A classical music fan, Michael enjoys pieces by 18th-century composer and chess champion François-André Philidor.


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