Bear Christmas Tournament

Delaware’s very own Ann Marie Fitch recently traveled to Texas to play in the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls.  During her trip, Ann Marie kept a journal of her thoughts and adventures.  We bring you this journal in three parts…

In this part, we bring you the final installment of Ann Marie’s experiences – the last day and her trip home.  We end with one of her games from the tournament.  If you missed a previous piece, just click Part 1 or Part 2.  Thank you, Ann Marie, for sharing this with us!

Techmate II: My Experience at SPNI 2009 (part 3)

July 31st, 2009

This was the last day of the SPNI. It was sad because this was the last time I could participate in the SPNI, and I didn’t want the tournament to end. In the morning, I dropped by one of the dorm rooms so that some girls could spray my hair with red streaks as a salute to Texas Tech University. The round started early this morning, so that there would be time for the closing ceremony, and my opponent was Caroline Folz from Kentucky. Caroline was rated 1181, and she beat me. I had been hoping to win at least this game so that I would end with an even score, but I was still happy with my two upsets.

The closing ceremony took place in the afternoon. There were awards like Miss Congeniality, Biggest Upset Award, the Ursula Foster Scholarship, and also the awards for the puzzle-solving, blitz, and bughouse events. The annual full scholarship for the highest finishing senior was presented to Courtney Jamison from Texas, who had won the whole tournament last year but was too young to earn the scholarship. Everyone was really happy that she was able to win the scholarship this year. There were other scholarships for the overall 1st-3rd place finishers. The final highlight of the closing ceremony was recognition of the three Polgar all-star team members who had competed in the SPNI. At the end of the closing ceremony, there were refreshments including a beautiful chess cake.

After washing the red streaks out of my hair, my mom and I met the Douthitts for dinner at Subway, followed by desert at Baskin Robins. Later the four of us spent time at the leisure pool at the recreation center as a last hurrah, and we had a blast.

August 1st, 2009 – Departure from TX

Today was a total fiasco. We arrived at the Lubbock Airport to find out that our 11:00 flight to Dallas had been cancelled because of weather. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we didn’t have a connector flight to get back home, but of course, life rarely works that way does it? So after some rearrangements, we were scheduled to take a 1:00 flight into Dallas with our connection flight from Dallas to Philadelphia being changed to 7:00.

After finding new flight times, we went through security, where AGAIN they were giving me a hard time about my chess set. This time they were swabbing it to check for explosives! As if that wasn’t annoying enough, we still had quite a wait before we could even leave Lubbock. We had just found out a few minutes after leaving security that our 1:00 flight to Dallas had already been delayed until 2:30. I was able to pass the time quickly by playing – what else – chess on a large set that was donated to the airport.

After eventually flying into Dallas, we still had another long wait of about 5 hours or so until we could fly to Philadelphia. I spend that time poking fun at the same sports team that I did upon first arriving in Texas (might not have been such a smart idea to do this twice), sleeping, eating an early dinner at Chili’s, and looking inside different shops in the Dallas Airport. Finally, we flew to Philadelphia after another delay of a half-hour (and we passed by an incredible thunderstorm while in the air). After landing in Philadelphia half-past midnight the next morning, claiming our luggage, and receiving a shuttle ride home, my mom and I arrived home. Our trip was officially over at 1:30a.m. on August 2nd, 2009.

Ann Marie doesn’t start the following game well, but when her opponent gives her chances, she takes full advantage of them and scores a major upset.

W: Ann Marie Fitch (833)
B: Kristen Sarna (1425)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Nc6 4. Ng5?
This move looks aggressive, but Black’s reply blocks the attack on f7 and opens up a discovered attack on White’s Knight.
4. … e6 5. d3 Be7 6. Nf3 Nf6
White has four pieces that have moved; Black has six, so she is ahead in development. That shows that White lost time by playing Ng5 and then retreating with Nf3.
7. 0-0 0-0 8. d4?
A typical move here would be 8. Nc3 or 8. Re1, increasing White’s control of the center. Instead, she leaves her e-pawn hanging (unprotected).
8. … Nxe4 9. Re1 Nf6
Keeping the Knight in the center with 9. … d5 looks better.
10. Nc3 d5 11. Be2 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Bd7
Black has emerged from the opening with an extra pawn, a solid center pawn chain, and easy development for most of her pieces. She now has ideas such as … Qa5 followed by either … Bb4 or … Bc5 (driving White’s Queen from the center).
14. Qd3 Bb4 15. Qg3
White has moved her Queen to prepare for a Kingside attack. Black’s position has no weaknesses, though, so she has good chances to defend against it. In this position, 15. … d4 looks strong. With her next move, Black tries to trade Queens (usually a good idea when you are ahead in material), but she misses White’s strong reply.
15. … Qb8 16. Bf4
Now Black should admit her mistake with a move like 16. … Qc8, even though White gets attacking chances by putting her Bishops on d3 and e5. Under pressure, Black makes a decisive blunder here.
16. … Nh5??
Even if this square were safe for the Knight, White could win a piece with 17. Bxb8 Nxg3 18. Bxg3. But there’s a better move.
17. Bxh5 e5??
After making one mistake, a player often gets flustered and makes another. White’s next move creates a double threat (Bxb8 and Qxg7 mate), so Black’s Queen is lost.
18. Bxe5 f6 19. Bxb8 Raxb8
A whole Queen ahead, White just has to play reasonable moves and either trade off pieces or else use her extra power for a winning attack.
20. Qf3 d4 21. Qd5+ Kh8
Here, 22. Qxd4 looks obvious, but White’s move is OK too.
22. Qc4 Bxc3 23. bxc3 dxc3
White is ready to activate her pieces and start the final attack.
24. Re7 Bc6 25. Qg4 g6 26. Bxg6! hxg6 27. Qh4+ Kg8 28. Qh7, checkmate!
A great finish by Ann Marie!

Delaware’s very own Ann Marie Fitch recently traveled to Texas to play in the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls.  During her trip, Ann Marie kept a journal of her thoughts and adventures.  We bring you this journal in three parts…

In this part we see the many things to do at such an event besides chess and celebrate the ups and downs of Ann Marie’s over-the-board play against higher rated opponents.  Click here if you missed Part 1.

Techmate II: My Experience at SPNI 2009 (part 2)

July 28th, 2009 – Masked Rider, Round 3, and Swimming

This morning before my game, the Masked Rider came to visit the participants of the SPNI, parents, and coaches. The Masked Rider is the mascot for Texas Tech’s home football games, and she rides a horse named Midnight Matador. Lots of people took pictures. I got a picture with the Masked Rider, and so did my mom. Then we got a picture together, and after that the SPNI girls who were present got a group picture with the Masked Rider.

After the Masked Rider left, it was time for our matches to start. My opponent was Kristen Sarna from TX. Kristen was rated 1425, which made me slightly nervous, but that didn’t stop me. I played an awesome game and won, causing another upset even bigger than the one yesterday. I made some phone calls to people who I thought would want to hear about my two upsets from me personally, like my first chess coach, the president of the Delaware Chess Association, and some of my family members. Everyone I called was really excited and told me to keep up the great work.

In the evening, there was a blitz tournament, my mom and I relaxed and celebrated my two unexpected wins by going to the Leisure Pool at the Texas Tech Recreation Center. The Leisure Pool is actually like a miniature water park. There was a kiddie pool, an area to swim laps in, an area for volleyball and basketball, a lazy river, a water slide, a hot tub, and a few more features. It was so fun and refreshing.

July 29th, 2009 – Basketball game, Round 4, and Bughouse

The first event for the day was a basketball game. Mrs. Flores’s daughter Rachel led the activity. We started with a scooter relay race, followed by some kickball. I made two great catches to get people from the opposing team out. Then, we played a few rounds of knockout. We were all exhausted by the time we finished playing knockout.

That afternoon I played against Margaret Hua from Missouri. Margaret was rated 1586, and even though I lost to her, I still gave her a long, hard 3.5 hour fight. In the evening, I participated in the Bughouse tournament. I paired up with Alisha from California. We lost all 5 of our matches, but it was still really fun and an opportunity to hang out with some of the other girls.

July 30th, 2009 – Simul, Round 5, Karate Practice, and Chocolate Chess Party

The first event today was a simul against Gergely Antal, an IM from Hungary. I didn’t participate in the simul because I wanted to save my energy for my round later on. I did, however have my picture taken with Antal, and he signed my chessboard.

My round in the afternoon was against Alexa Lasley from Colorado. Alexa was rated 1489, and I lost to her. After my round was over, my mom and I went to the recreation center so that I could practice my karate. I didn’t want to forget anything just because I was away from the school.

Shortly after returning from the recreation center, there was a chocolate chess party at the Fresh Plate in the dorm building. There was a demonstration of how to make chocolate chess pieces and chessboards. There were also free samples and a drawing for four sets of chocolate chess pieces. The party concluded with Mr. Barber giving every SPNI participant a regular-size Hershey bar. YUMMM!!!

to be continued…

Ann Marie and the Masked Rider

Delaware’s very own Ann Marie Fitch recently traveled to Texas to play in the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls.  During her trip, Ann Marie kept a journal of her thoughts and adventures.  We bring you this journal in three parts…

Techmate II: My Experience at SPNI 2009

I recently traveled to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, to attend the 6th annual Susan Polgar National Invitational (SPNI) for Girls. The tournament took place from July 26th until August 1st, and this year it was bigger and better than ever. This was my third year attending the tournament, and the second year that it was held at Texas Tech University. There was a record number of participants, with 60 girls from around the country competing to show their chess prowess. There were also some new, exciting events that weren’t a part of the tournament last year. My score at the tournament was better than last year too. The journal that follows is my experience at the tournament.

July 25th, 2009 – arrival in TX

Today, I flew to Texas with my mom, and there were interesting occurrences as soon as we arrived at the airport. Security at the Philadelphia International Airport had to scan my chess set twice. I though that was a pain, but I would find out the next day that Brianna from Ohio had her clock removed from chess set, and the security guards were pushing the plungers… maybe they suspected that it was something else. We flew from Philadelphia to Dallas/Ft. Worth, and I pulled a prank which involved poking fun at a certain Dallas sports team (those who know me well enough will be able to identify said team) during my three-hour layover at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. Luckily, I was still in one piece when we finally flew from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Lubbock. After arriving at Texas Tech University, we checked in at Gordon Hall and received the keys for our dorm.

July 26th, 2009 – Opening Ceremony and Round 1

The opening ceremony of SPNI was today. The ceremony consisted of some speeches and the singing of the national anthem. Then each participant was recognized and received a medallion, a Susan Polgar rookie card, and a bag full of items from the TTU College of Engineering. There were refreshments after the opening ceremony was over, and then the first round of the tournament began. My opponent was Brianna Conley from Ohio. She was rated 1507, and I lost my game to her. We reviewed the game after it was over. Then my mom and I drove around to find the TTU Recreation Center and the new TTU chess park, which would be dedicated the next day.

July 27th, 2009 – Ribbon-Cutting of Chess Park, Round 2, Puzzle Solving, and Lecture

Today was a very busy day. I participated in three different exciting activities besides my round.   The first event of the day was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new TTU chess park. This day made collegiate chess history because TTU became the first college or university to open a chess park. Some of money for the marble chess tables and benches was anonymously donated. There were six tables split into pairs, with three sets of benches. This meant that players could play a regular game of chess or join with three other people for bughouse-style chess. There was also a handicap-accessible table so that people in wheelchairs could play as well. After a few speeches from different members of Texas Tech University, it was time to cut the big red ribbon, and participants of SPNI were appropriately given this honor. After the ribbon was cut, I took two pieces and had one of them signed by GM Polgar as a souvenir.

Early in the afternoon, I played the second round of the SPNI. My opponent was Nicole Spencer from North Carolina. Nicole was rated 1157, and I won! It was an upset!!! My mom and I were both really excited. We went back to the dorm so that I could relax for a little while before the rest of the events for the day, which were the puzzle solving contest and a lecture by GM Polgar herself.
The puzzle solving challenge took place later in the evening at Frazier Pavilion. The contest involved ten chess positions in which you had to find a checkmate anywhere from one to five moves ahead, and the puzzles were a lot harder this year than they were last year. There ended up being only one girl, Epiphany Peters, who was able to solve all ten puzzles correctly, so she was declared the winner.

The lecture by GM Polgar that followed was very interesting. GM Polgar ran the lecture question-and-answer style, so that the girls would be able to learn what they wanted to know about her. I was one of the first people to ask a question. My question was, “What was the most unusual situation you have encountered during a match or tournament, and how did you deal with it?” GM Polgar thought for a minute, and I thought that maybe I had surprised her with my question, which indeed turned out to be the case. GM Polgar said that it was a very good question, and that in all of her past Q & A sessions (which would be a fairly high number), she had never recalled being asked that question before. Her answer to my question was that she once played in a game that lasted 16 hours, and she dealt with the long match by staying focused and taking advantage of the short breaks when they were provided.

to be continued…

Delaware chess, Delaware Valley chess, and the world at large suffered a substantial loss on July 6 with the death of Dr. Ira Lee Riddle. He suffered a fatal heart attack at age 62 while on a European cruise with his beloved wife Polly.

Though a Pennsylvania resident, Ira made great contributions to chess in the First State. One of fewer than 30 Americans to hold the International Arbiter title, he directed our state championship tournament several times, most recently in 2007. He also edited our state’s chess newsletter for many years. Until now, I was unaware of an earlier Delaware connection in his life, but I just learned that he was a graduate of Christiana High School (class of 1964).

I first met Ira in the mid-to-late 1970s, as he helped to direct some tournaments I played in. He had become involved in organized chess while teaching high school math in Glassboro, NJ. One of his students, Ken Potts, was a promising junior chessplayer, and Ira agreed to supervise a chess club at the school. This support was one factor that helped Ken (a close friend of mine in the ’70s and ’80s) tie for first at the National High School Championship in 1975.

Directing chess tournaments was much more than a part-time job for Ira; he involved himself deeply in giving chess players opportunities to play and improve. I once played in an internationally rated invitational tournament that he held in the basement of his Bucks County home.

As he grew older, Ira gained considerable weight, and his health suffered. However, in the middle part of this decade he shed many of those pounds and was looking more vibrant again the last couple of times I saw him. A good-natured and erudite man, he was always a pleasure to chat with when he wasn’t engrossed in pairings or other tournament duties.

The chess world, and society in general, would be better off with more people like Ira Lee Riddle. It’s a shame that there is now one less. Thanks for all that you did and all that you were, Ira.
-Dave Gertler