Just a few quick notes bouncing all around …

New email address for yours truly – This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it – came with our new wireless internet service at the club; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ends when June ends.

49th Gem City Open is over and our own David Brown won the U1600 Section with 3.5 out of 4.0.  Congratulations David! NM Sergery Berchenko, NE Tim Holman, and Class A Andrew Kobalka finished in a 3 way tie for first in the OPEN section.  I got to run this event without the assistance of my bride Sharon.  Thankfully Steve Anderson appeared out of nowhere and offered a great deal of assistance.  Then Fernando Rivera helped out until almost 11 p.m. on Saturday as we set up for Sunday.  Much thanks to Steve and Fernando!  

New (2007-2008) DCC Grand Prix has begun with some major changes.  The biggest change? No annual winners – only quarterly winners.  Why? We are trying to keep it competitive and interesting for the players.  Last year NM Ross Sprague won 1st and 3rd quarters and almost ran away with the annual. The 2nd and 4th quarters were won by David Brown and David Friedman respectively showing how wide open the event can be on a quarterly basis. 
Look for some new wrinkles to our Friday night G/25 events.  One of them: a “Pride & Points” event once or twice a quarter with minimal entry fee ($4/person) and no prizes – playing for Pride and Rating/Grand Prix Points. 

You have heard lots about the Grunfeld Defense (Bobby Fischer used to play it to great effect) – now you can play both sides of the main line (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3) at the June 22 Thematic Quick Tournament.

Don’t forget to sign up now for DCC Tournament of Champions, a round robin event.  Nothing like playing everyone in your 8 player section!  Takes place over two weekends. 

New focus on Friday night lectures (7:30-8:00 p.m.) will be on tactics responding to the desires of DCC’s members.

Steve Charles replied to my complaint about the new USCF rule requiring tournament players to write down their moves after making their move by noting that has always been his practice (making the move, then recording it) without exception.  Well Steve, I think that’s fine, but it doesn’t change my opinion about this blanket new rule.  It is bad.  Why, instead, can’t Monroi change the software so the from and to squares are darkened until after the move is made?  That would be close to the way we do it today where the written move is not final until after the move is made anyway. 

Tuesday and Thursday attendance is way down at the club.  Why?  I don’t know.  Should be change our schedule to Wed-Thr-Fri-Sat dropping Tue and picking up Wed?  Or just drop Tue and/or Wed? 

New email address for yours truly – This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it – came with our new wireless internet service at the club; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ends when June ends. 

Cheers! 

Riley Driver 8x8

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