April/May 2019 Newsletter
Academic Chess April/May 2019 Newsletter (Updated 04/24/19)
by NM Craig Clawitter
Featured Game
by NM Craig Clawitter
Featured Game
Try out this Chess Puzzle: How did Black finish off White's King after 21. Kxg2?
Chess Notation Guide:
Pawn= nothing before square it lands on.
Knight= N before square it lands on.
Bishop= B before square it lands on.
Rook= R before square it lands on.
Queen= Q before square it lands on.
King= K before square it lands on.
x= capture before square it lands on.
+ = check
# = checkmate
e.p.= en passant
(D)= diagram
GM=Grand Master
NM=National Master
Pawn= nothing before square it lands on.
Knight= N before square it lands on.
Bishop= B before square it lands on.
Rook= R before square it lands on.
Queen= Q before square it lands on.
King= K before square it lands on.
x= capture before square it lands on.
+ = check
# = checkmate
e.p.= en passant
(D)= diagram
GM=Grand Master
NM=National Master
Contact Us
Office Phone Number: 949-348-2892
Office Email: orangecounty@academicchess.com
Office Website: www.academicchess.com
My personal website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AcademicChessOC
Chess Terms:
Mating Attack: An attack aimed at checkmating the enemy king.
Mate in 2: A forced (usually because there are checks involved which cuts out many of the opponent's choices of moves) checkmate in 2 moves.
sacrifice
A move or capture that voluntarily gives up material in return for an advantage such as space, development, or an attack. A sacrifice in the opening is called a gambit, especially when applied to a pawn.[289]
Exciting Upcoming Events at the Academic Chess Headquarters!
*All the following events will be held at 26941 Cabot Rd. Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 109, except for the San Clemente Friday Knights
1. On this Friday, April 26th, from 5:30PM-8:30PM, we have a Friday Knight Chess Tournament in Laguna Hills! Click --> here for a flyer with all dates of this tournament and more information!
2. USCF (Nationally Rated) April 27th Scholastic Championship is on Saturday, April 27th, 2019. The tournament runs from 2:30pm-5:30pm. By the end of this tournament all participants will have a national rating! Prizes, trophies and medals will be given out at the end of the tournament! Click--> here for a flyer with more information!
Online registration: is available at: academicchess.com/register.htm click on ‘Orange County’ and then click on ‘Special Event’
3* On Friday, May 3rd, we have our San Clemente Friday Knight Tournament! The tournament runs 5:30PM-8:30PM and is held at Outlets at San Clemente 101 West Avenida Vista Hermosa San Clemente, CA 92672 Located in Center Court Click--> here for a flyer with more information!
4. May the 4th Be With You-School/Team Chess Tournament: The Tournament runs from 1:00pm – 4:00pm. Registration is at 12:30pm Participants will be grouped together with their teammates. Top 3 scores count for Team totals Prizes: Trophies for the top teams & individuals, a sportsmanship medal, and everyone will receive a prize for participating! Click --> here for a flyer with more information!
5. South County Dream Team! Mondays from 6pm-7:30pm. *Just $15 a class!*
Our top Academic Chess students come every Monday night learn new and exciting chess openings, tactics, and strategies from a National Chess Master! Dream Team is held at our Center Center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110 Click --> here for a flyer with more information!
6. Wednesday Night Chess: Every Wednesday from 5:00PM-6:00PM. This is a fun chess class taught by Academic Chess President: Adam Brody! Click --> here for a flyer with more information!
7. Thursday Night Chess: Every Thursday from 6:00PM-7:00PM. This is a class for all ages/skill levels. Improve your chess with National Chess Master Chris Del Faro! Click --> here for a flyer with more information!
8. Summer Camps: Confirmed in Laguna Hills and San Clemente!
North Orange County Upcoming Events:
1. Anaheim Hills Friday Knight Chess Tournament: Our next Anaheim Hills Friday Knight with take place on this Friday, April 26th!! The tournament runs 5:30PM-8:30PM and is held at Fairmont Private School Anaheim Hills-5300 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 Click --> here for a flyer with all dates of this tournament and more information!
2. Huntington Beach Friday Knight Chess Tournament: We are excited to announce that our next Huntington Beach Friday Knight will take place Friday, May 10th, 2019!! The tournament runs 5:30PM-8:30PM and is held at Peterson Elementary School-20661 Farnsworth Ln. Huntington Beach, CA 92646 Click --> here for a flyer with all dates of this tournament and more information
3. Tustin Friday Knight Chess Tournament: Our next Tustin Friday Knight Tournament will take place Friday, May 17th, 2019!! The tournament runs from 5:30PM-8:30PM and is held at Brain Builders-725 El Camino Way, Tustin, CA 92780 Click --> here for a flyer with all dates of this tournament and more information
4. After-School Chess is being offered in over 150+ schools in Orange County! If you’d like After-School Chess at your school please contact us at 949-348-2892 or email us at [email protected]
5. Summer Camps: Confirmed in Tustin, Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Huntington Beach, & Newport Beach!
Opening of the Week: The Modern Benoni is a chess opening that begins with the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6.
It is classified under the ECO codes A60–A79. After the initial moves, Black proceeds to capture on d5, creating a majority of black pawns on the queenside. To support their advance, the king's bishop is usually fianchettoed on g7. These two features differentiate Black's setup from the other Benonidefences and the King's Indian Defence, although transpositions between these openings are common.
Frank Marshall invented the Modern Benoni in 1927, but his experiments with the opening went largely ignored for over 20 years. In the 1950s the system was revitalized by players in the Soviet Union, chief among them Mikhail Tal. Its subsequent adoption by players of a similarly aggressive and uncompromising style such as Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov established the opening's reputation as one of Black's most dynamic responses to 1.d4.
The Modern Benoni suffered a serious theoretical crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, when players as Black encountered great difficulties in meeting the Taimanov Attack and the Modern Main Line. Only in the 21st century has the opening's reputation and theoretical standing made a recovery. Notably, it was Vladimir Kramnik's choice when he needed a win with Black in the penultimate game of the 2004 World Championship, though that particular game resulted in a draw. For more information about the Modern Benoni click --> here
Frank Marshall invented the Modern Benoni in 1927, but his experiments with the opening went largely ignored for over 20 years. In the 1950s the system was revitalized by players in the Soviet Union, chief among them Mikhail Tal. Its subsequent adoption by players of a similarly aggressive and uncompromising style such as Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov established the opening's reputation as one of Black's most dynamic responses to 1.d4.
The Modern Benoni suffered a serious theoretical crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, when players as Black encountered great difficulties in meeting the Taimanov Attack and the Modern Main Line. Only in the 21st century has the opening's reputation and theoretical standing made a recovery. Notably, it was Vladimir Kramnik's choice when he needed a win with Black in the penultimate game of the 2004 World Championship, though that particular game resulted in a draw. For more information about the Modern Benoni click --> here
Important Websites
www.uschess.org
Look under player and ratings and find your child's national USCF rating!
www.chessbase.com
Keep up with all the international chess news!
www.chesstempo.com
Great, free website for thousands of chess puzzles!
www.chesskid.com
play free (and safe) online chess against other kids and teachers across the US and world!
www.chess.com
play free online chess against anybody in the world! Warning: This is not a protected site, and there are very strong players on this website...not for the faint of heart!
Winner of the March 30th, 2019 USCF Rated Scholastic Champs!
Lambis Yiannikouros with a 5/5 score!! Congrats to everyone that challenged themselves at this tournament, you all improved immensely!
Come join us for the next USCF Tournament on Saturday, April 27th 2019 From 2:30-5:30PM!! Click --> Here for a Flyer With More Information
Top 10 2018-2019 USCF Ratings
1. Daniel Schneider 1645
2. Quinton Daniels 1221
3. Grant Schneider 1179
4. Matthew Miamidian 1014
5. Addison Fort 1006
6. Ethan Wood 985
7. Lambis Yiannikouros 949
8. Aaron Mok 935
9. Ashkon Norbash 923
10. Ronit Khanna 896
(in order to qualify for this list, you must have played in a Fall 2018-Summer 2019 Academic Chess USCF Tournament) To get a USCF rating, you must join the USCF (membership fee is only $17/year for under 13 year olds!) and then play at least 3 USCF rated games.
Looking to Take Your Chess to the Next Level?
How about some private lessons? I (Craig Clawitter) am a national master (rated over 2200 USCF) which puts me inside the top 1% of the world at chess! I've been teaching children and adults chess for over 15 years now! If your child is really serious about getting better at chess this is the best way to go!
Please contact me either at:
Phone: 949-940-5141 (cell)
Email: [email protected]
Website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Happy King hunting!
NM Craig Clawitter President Adam Brody
04/24/2019 Office: 949-348-2892
www.uschess.org
Look under player and ratings and find your child's national USCF rating!
www.chessbase.com
Keep up with all the international chess news!
www.chesstempo.com
Great, free website for thousands of chess puzzles!
www.chesskid.com
play free (and safe) online chess against other kids and teachers across the US and world!
www.chess.com
play free online chess against anybody in the world! Warning: This is not a protected site, and there are very strong players on this website...not for the faint of heart!
Winner of the March 30th, 2019 USCF Rated Scholastic Champs!
Lambis Yiannikouros with a 5/5 score!! Congrats to everyone that challenged themselves at this tournament, you all improved immensely!
Come join us for the next USCF Tournament on Saturday, April 27th 2019 From 2:30-5:30PM!! Click --> Here for a Flyer With More Information
Top 10 2018-2019 USCF Ratings
1. Daniel Schneider 1645
2. Quinton Daniels 1221
3. Grant Schneider 1179
4. Matthew Miamidian 1014
5. Addison Fort 1006
6. Ethan Wood 985
7. Lambis Yiannikouros 949
8. Aaron Mok 935
9. Ashkon Norbash 923
10. Ronit Khanna 896
(in order to qualify for this list, you must have played in a Fall 2018-Summer 2019 Academic Chess USCF Tournament) To get a USCF rating, you must join the USCF (membership fee is only $17/year for under 13 year olds!) and then play at least 3 USCF rated games.
Looking to Take Your Chess to the Next Level?
How about some private lessons? I (Craig Clawitter) am a national master (rated over 2200 USCF) which puts me inside the top 1% of the world at chess! I've been teaching children and adults chess for over 15 years now! If your child is really serious about getting better at chess this is the best way to go!
Please contact me either at:
Phone: 949-940-5141 (cell)
Email: [email protected]
Website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Happy King hunting!
NM Craig Clawitter President Adam Brody
04/24/2019 Office: 949-348-2892