Steve Ferrero, 1962-2013

Long time Atlantic Chess News editor, chess expert, and very active New Jersey chess player Steve Ferrero passed away suddenly on Tuesday of an apparent heart attack.  See posts by The Chess Coroner and Jim West for details.  The wake will be at the Vainieri Funeral Home on Friday, September 20th, from 2 – 4 and 7 – 9 p.m.  Prayers and funeral services will be held Saturday, September 21st, beginning at 9 a.m. at Vainieri’s:

Vainieri Funeral Home

5923 Kennedy Boulevard

North Bergen, NJ 07047

201-868-6555

http://www.vainierifuneralhome.com/

You can find some of Steve's games online at Chess-DB, Chess Tempo, and 365 chess.

UPDATE: Obituaries at USCF and The Jersey Journal.

The 67th Annual New Jersey Open

The Morristown Hyatt

The 67th Annual New Jersey Open chess championship will be played this weekend, from Saturday through Labor Day.  It is a wonderful "heritage" event that promises to be even more special this year due to its move to historic Morristown.  Located at the recently renovated and luxurious Morristown Hyatt, the tournament offers a wonderful location for players -- and for their companions as well, if they bring any.  I have often heard chessplayers complain that most tournaments are run like weekend gambling junkets rather than as potential tourism opportunities.  With the move to Morristown, the organizers offer you a real family vacation with many potential tourist destinations (see the excellent Morris County Visitor's Guide for details).  And, for the serious chessplayers and book lovers, Fred Wilson will be there with a great collection of books.  

Chess tables on The Green

And "chess tourists"" can take time to visit nearby Lake Hopatcong, site of the famous tournaments of 1923 and 1926, about which I have written a number of articles.

Players at Lake Hopatcong 1926 (clockwise): Capablanca boating with his family, Marshall at the wheel, Kupchick testing the summer fruit with the hotel staff, Ed. Lasker on the diving board, and Maroczy fiddling his violin.

If you have not entered already, best to register and pay at the site.  Here are the tournament details:


67th Annual New Jersey Open Championship
Headquarters Plaza Hyatt, 3 Headquarters Plaza, Morristown, NJ (973) 898-9100
In 4 sections, Open Section, Gold U1900, Silver U1600 and Booster U1300. 6SS Time Control: 40/2, SD/1.  With 3 day and 2 day schedules.  Prizes: Open:$500-$400-$300-$200-$100, Top Expert & A:  $100 and trophy.  Trophy to NJ Champion.  Gold Section $500-$300-$100.  Top B: $100 and trophy.  Prizes for Open and Gold sections guaranteed.  Silver U1600: $500-$300-$100. Top D: $100 and trophy.  Booster U1300: $500-$300-$100.  Top E & F $100 & trophy.  Prizes for Silver & Booster based on 35 entries in each section.  All sections get these trophies: Top 3, Top Senior over age 55, Top Under age 16, Top Under Age 13.  Unrated may win first place in Open section only.  EF Early $68 if paid by 8/27.  EF onsite is $80.  $50 for re-entry.  3 day reg at hotel: 9:00am-11:00am 8/31/2013.  2 Day reg at hotel: Sunday, 9/1/2013 9-10am.  Rounds: 3 day Saturday 12:00 & 6:30pm, Sunday 11am & 6pm, Monday 9am & 3:30pm.  Rounds 2 day:1-2-3(G/60) Sunday 10:30am & ASAP.  3 Day and 2 Day schedules merge in round 4.  Entries to Noreen Davisson, 6 Red Barn Lane, Randolph, NJ 07869.  Email: Noreen@deanofchess.com.

KCC Summer Tourney, Round One

White to play and win.

It was a dark and very stormy night... and so only nine players signed up on the first day of the annual Kenilworth Chess Club Summer Tournament.  However, there is still plenty of time to join, and until we break 20 there will be open enrollment.  I played a quick game with Greg Tomkovich, who usually beats me on the clock with his speedy play.  I kept good pace with him, but in doing so ended up flirting too much with danger and granted him a nice shot (see diagram above and notes below).  Fortunately, still playing quickly, he missed it...  A fun game.

KCC Summer Tournament Starts Thursday

The Kenilworth Chess Club's annual Summer Tournament starts tomorrow.  It is definitely one of the most fun events in the calendar, with lots of opportunities to meet and play the other members of the club.  The tournament was a big success last year with 22 participants.  I expect to play.  Here are the details:

• Not rated
• Entry Fee is $5.00.
• The tournament will run from June 13 through August 29.
• The time control is G/60. G/55;d5 is allowed if both players agree.
• You may play anyone in the tournament. The first time you play an opponent, the lower rated player has white, in subsequent games against the same opponent you alternate colors.
• You may not play the same opponent more than four times in the tournament.
• You get one point for a win, one half point for a draw, and zero for a loss.
• You may play as many or as few games as you like, but no more than two in one night. The more you play the more points you can win.
• All games are to be played at the Kenilworth Chess Club during normal operating hours.
• The winner is the person who has the most points at the end of the tournament.
• The prizes are 60% for first place, 30% for second, and 10% for third.

"The Machine" Coming to New York

Matt Charman's new play "The Machine" comes to New York's Park Avenue Armory, September 4-18, after its opening at the Manchester Festival on July 10th.  The play revisits the infamous 1997 Kasparov v. Deep Blue chess match (immortalized in the excellent documentary Game Over), which it depicts as a battle between the former world champion and IBM's Feng-Hsiung Hsu. The BBC's Tim Masters offers a useful preview in "The Machine: Stage Set for Kasparov v Deep Blue Chess Thriller."