Happy New Year!

Well, it's not quite New Years day yet. Anyway, we will not have club on Tuesday the 1st. Our first meeting of the new year will be January 8th. I hope to see all of you then.

There will be club this Tuesday

We will be meeting at our normally scheduled time of 7:15 this Tuesday.  I had a bout of confusion these past couple weeks and thought Christmas and New Years were coming even more quickly than they actually are.  Sorry for any confusion I might have caused.  I look forward to seeing everyone on the 18th.

One More Week

We will be at the Turners Club again tomorrow night with only one more meeting before our two week break. Come out and enjoy a night of chess!

Update: Sorry for the earlier version.  Christmas felt like it was coming much faster than it actually is!

Christmas is Near!

Well Christmas is close enough that we will only be having one more club meeting before then. We will meet tonight, then next week, and then will be off for both Christmas and New Years Day. I hope to see a great crowd out before the break!

This Tuesday

Come out this Tuesday for a great night of chess. In the off-chance that there is a meeting downstairs I am unaware of, we will still meet, but upstairs. Last week we met upstairs and it was surprisingly quiet.

Correction!!!

We have again been moved from the basement to the clubhouse. We will be meeting upstairs instead of the banquet room.

Turkey Day Chess

We will be at the Turners Club as usual for a great night of chess.  Come out and join us!

Last week was unusual in that we were displaced from the typical location in the basement without notice, but were still able to continue in the slightly more distracting area upstairs.  It was an enjoyable night nonetheless.  

More Chess

Come on out for chess club tomorrow night. We are considering having a club tournament in the near future for those of you potentially interested. Definitely optional, but come and out and let us know what you think.

Election Night Chess

Afraid your preferred candidate or candidates won't be able to win or just want to avoid the election night coverage being all over your TV?  Then turn it off and enjoy a game of chess over the board!

Play Chess!

We've had a number of new or not recently seen faces the last few weeks. Let's hope that trend continues! I hope to have a nice crowd tomorrow night.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect we may have more room than the vast majority of clubs in the area, so no worries about running out of space. The more, the merrier!

Come on out!

It should be a great night of chess.  Come on out and enjoy a couple games.  The kitchen upstairs is open until 8 and there are always drinks and bar food available.  We had a couple players return last week who hadn't been able to make it for quite a while and hope to see them many times in the future.

Yet Again!

Come join us tomorrow for a night of chess in a spacious location.  I look forward to playing with everyone who is able to make it out.

Tonight

We will be out again tonight waging war on the chess boards. I look forward to seeing all of you there.

Come on out!

Sorry for the late post, but chess club is definitely still on for tonight!  We had a good showing last week and I hope for the same this week.

A Great Night of Chess

Everyone come on out for what should be a great night of chess.  I know we have had some new faces recently and I hope to have a great turnout tomorrow!

Come one, come all to a great night of chess

We will be meeting as usual tomorrow night. Hopefully we will see some new faces, along with lots of familiar ones! I think I'm sufficiently recovered to join everyone for at least a while. I'm looking forward to it.

September Tournaments

9/8 - Star Trek Open - DeKalb - 4 rounds - G/45 - $15 - cash prizes, unrated section also available for newer players

9/15 - Evanston 3x3 - 3 rounds, 3 sections - G/65 - $5

9/16 - Knights Quest - Northbrook - 4 rounds G/30 - U600, U1000 & U1400 are scholastic only. Open section available to adults - $30 - 1pm

9/23 - North Shore Chess Center - Skokie - 4 round G/45 - $30 - 10am

9/29-30 - North Shore Chess Center G/60+5 - Skokie - 6 round G/60+5 - $30 - 10am both days

This is an overview of what is available, not an exhaustive list.  The complete list of available tournaments can be found at the ICA website.

More Chess!

We will be having club again tomorrow!

The Illinois Open was this weekend, starting on Saturday and ending today.  If anyone would like to see some quality chess and would like some last minute plans, the last round begins at 4pm today and will likely wrap up some time between 8&9.  In the one day scholastic tournament we had 3 of our kids participate.  In the U1200 section, Kelebrant finished in 5th with 3.5/5 and Kevin tied for 8th with 3/5.  In the U700 section Abhinav Tied for 9th with 3/5.

Another great night of chess

Come on out tomorrow night for another great night of chess!

Chess This Tuesday

I look forward to having a good turnout this Tuesday for a great night of chess.  Colleges are back in session and the demographics of our club will be changing a bit.  I think we still have a good core group and we have had a good number of new faces recently, many of whom I hope to see return. it should be enjoyable to see the transition.

Be There!

We will be meeting again this Tuesday at 7:15. We have been having nice turnouts recently and
I hope to see that trend continue this week!

Chess Videos

For anyone who is interested our summer time resident expert is Alex Ding.  He was kind enough to go through one of his recent games from the Chicago Class along with his thought process behind it.  For those of us with little knowledge of the dragon, it was very informative.  If you are interested in learning from Alex's mind his YouTube Chanel can be found here.  I have also added it to the links on the sidebar.

There Will Be Chess Tonight!

Come on out for another great night of chess! We will be meeting tonight and may be able to have Alex go over some of his games from the expert section of the recent Chicago Class tournament.

Another Great Night of Chess

Come join us again this Tuesday for another great night of chess.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

Come one, come all for another night of over the board fun. We have several members who participated in the Chicago Class this weekend, so come on out and ask them how they did!

Upcoming Tournaments & General Info

We had a nice turnout last night. It was great to see some new faces and I hope they will become regulars.  One thing discussed last night was the upcoming Chicago Class tournament.  With that, I thought it would be good to put out a little more information on tournaments for anyone who may be unfamiliar with how they work.

Generally for the smaller tournaments, entry fees run from $15 - $30.  For the larger multi-day tournaments they tend to run from $60 - $100.  Scholastic tournaments generally run in the $20-$30 range, but can sometimes be found for as little as $5 or even free.  Most tournaments require a membership with the United States Chess Federation (more info here), but some scholastic tournaments do not.  The USCF rating system provides a way to measure the strength of a player in comparison with others.  Many tournaments have different divisions for different levels of players.  Different tournaments use different time controls, the time controls typically look like this or similar: G/60+5.  This means each player will have 60 minutes to make all of their move and 5 seconds will be added to their clock each time it is their turn.

Upcoming Tournaments
Chicago Class - 3 days - 7/20-22 - 8 Sections from U1000 up to 2200+
Warriors Open - 8/4 - 2 Sections - G/60+5
Renaissance Knights - 8/5 - 4 Sections from U600 up to 1400+ - All lower sections are scholastic only - G/30
Steinitz Memorial - 8/11 - 3 Sections - G/61+5

For more tournament info please see the tournament link on the right-hand side of the site.  This is the best source of updated tournament information.

Battle on the Boards

I look forward to seeing a great group on Tuesday at 7:15 for more battles over the board! Jason for ANCC

Club Tomorrow

Come on out tomorrow night, Tuesday, 7/9 for some chess and fun. I hope to see a great group. Jason for ANCC

Chess Tonight

We're on tonight. You most likely don't have to work tonight, so come on out for a great night of chess. I hope to see a good crowd!

ANCC Tournament Games

ANCC Tournament results are in! Let me know if you have any games to add or any modifications that need made to these. Tournament Results 1. Kyle 7, 2. Mike 5, 3. Darin 5, 4. Kelebrant 4, 5. Kevin 3, 6. Jason 2, 7. Mark 1.5, 8. Matt 0

On for Tuesday!

Come on out Tuesday for a great night of chess! Bring boards and clocks if you can as we do not yet have a large supply. The turnout has been great recently and I hope to see the club continue to grow.

Jason for ANCC

PGN viewer now working!

The PGN viewer is now working so I will be able to post club games on line to look through in your browser! Enjoy a sample from a recent tournament played at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

Club on Tuesday

For anyone who has already seen Sunday's post, there was a typo.  Club will take place on Tuesday as usual.  It will NOT be on Wednesday.

Sorry for the confusion,
Jason for ANCC

Game On!

We're on for Tuesday! I look forward to seeing a good crowd once again!

Jason for ANCC

Next Club Meeting!

As Darin said, the Turners club has generously offered to continue allowing us to meet while the membership application is being processed.  We will continue to meet on Tuesday nights in the banquet hall at 7:15.  If there are days which work better for anyone then we can discuss them.  I will not be able to be there this Tuesday, but Turners has given permission for the club to have access to the basement.  I plan to post the final results from the tournament in the near future and hope to include a game or two from it as well.

Looking forward to continuing the club with all of you!

Jason

ANCC will continue!!

Great news dear chess fellow chess players, enthusiasts, and general readers!!

It looks like ANCC will continue at it's current location, The Aurora Turner's club!!  Thanks to the help of Aurora Turner's Club President, and some near future favorable news from the Turners' Board, ANCC will continue to meet on Tuesday nights at Turners like we have been.  Until the final word, we have general permission to continue to meet at Turners.

So...  next week, come on down to Turners in Aurora for the weekly gathering of chess fun and fellowship.

In other news, I am very sad to be leaving ANCC.  I will dearly miss each and every one of you.  Tuesday evening was a weekly highlight for me.  However, it makes me extremely happy to see a couple of members take up the challenge and work to make sure ANCC continues.  A different location was being scouted, since it looked necessary a couple of weeks ago, but that issue seems to be resolved!  I, and ANCC, owe a big thank you to Jason, Michael, and Mark for helping to keep ANCC at Turners.  You guys are fantastic.

I hope to start an active chess club in Wichita, but naturally it will take some time to gather steam, much like ANCC.  When it does, I am throwing the gauntlet down and challenging ANCC to some form of long-distance club vs club match!!  We can make it work, and put some club pride on the line! ;)

Still, in other news:  I am going to get Jason access to this blog/club, and formally relinquish the club forum duties. :)  I am excited for ANCC under the energetic care of Jason, Michael and everyone at ANCC and will be watching with happy eyes as I watch ANCC grow to be a prominent area chess club. 

Finally, thank you for all the wonderful well wishes, congrats, and tokens.  I appreciate each one of you, and will look forward to continuing my relationship with ANCC albeit in a different and long distance manner.

Sincerely,
Darin

Tourney wrap up??!!

I hope to wrap up our in-house tourney this upcoming Tuesday.  We have 3 games left.  Please try to finish those games (myself included!) this upcoming Tuesday, 29 May.

Only 2 more meetings left.  I would like to not have anyone play any rated games on our last night, 5 June.  I would like to just have casual games going on, and of course the wonderful socialization between our great players and attendees.   :) 

Darin, for the ANCC

See you Tuesday!

Hope to see the great crowd that is the ANCC chess player's group tomorrow night, Tuesday, 22 May.

Darin, for the ANCC

Ending Notes...

Hello ANCC players,

Two items to make known.  One:  I would like our in-house chess tourney to be completed by our club meeting on Tuesday, May 29th.  Most of the games are in, but there are a couple players with a couple of games left, so please come in these next two weeks to cover your games.  Our goal was to have this tourney done in 3 months, and it would be great to reach that.

The other item I need to announce, which impacts the above, is that I will be moving to Kansas likely in the beginning of June, and will be unable to continue to host ANCC.  ANCC could continue in a number of ways.  One is an ANCC member becoming a Turner's member, and continue holding gatherings in our current wonderful location in Turner Hall.  A Turner member must be present at our gatherings as per Turners agreement in letting us use the facility.  Or, a current ANCC player could facilitate the club at a different location.  I would love to see the club continue, but it does take time and commitment to keep the club going. 

As some of you know, I have been looking for full-time work for some time, and I have some opportunities in Wichita Kansas that I am pursuing.  In addition, my school age kids live there, and I wish to be back with them and more involved with their activities and such.  I am looking at the first week of June to be moving.  We could meet one last time at ANCC on 5 June, but I am not for sure on that yet.  Hence, finishing up the tourney by 29 May.  Even if we were to meet on 5 June, it would be nice to have the tourney finished anyway, and have more time for casual games. 

It is very sad to say good-bye to ANCC.  I truly appreciate and value the frienships of all of you, and hope to stay in touch as I continue my journey.  I also hope to start a chess club in Wichita, and perhaps us chess players will meet in other chess venues and events!

Sincerely,
Darin

May Musings

Hello All!

ANCC will again meet this upcoming Tuesday evening, 15 May.  I sincerely do appreciate the new faces at our little chess gathering, and it was great to see some familiar faces that I/we haven't seen for a while.  :) 

The weather looks to be nice, but please come on out and share in our fun.  Get in some games be them serious or casual against some regular members as well as against some fresher faces to give your game a wrinkle and new challenge or look to your usual 'lines'.  Or, even go over the games from the currently running World Championship match being held in Moscow.

Whatever the reason you choose to be with us at ANCC, I look forward to seeing you there!

Darin, for the ANCC

ANCC will meet Tuesday, 8 May

I look forward to yet another great night of chess and camaraderie Tuesday, 8 May!!

Come on out to enjoy the games, and/or the company of some wonderful people.  You can get some casual games in, plus of course some serious games if you wish as well.

Our in-house tourney is getting close to finishing off.  There are a handful of games left yet to be played.  As of right now:
      Name      Points (out of 7)       Games Left to be played
    Kyle                    7                                -
  Mike                     5                                 -
  Darin                     4                                2  (versus Kelebrant & Kevin)
  Kelebrant              4                                 1  (versus Darin)
   Jason                   1                                 2  (vs. Matt & Kevin)
 Kevin                    .5                                 3  (vs. Darin, Jason & Matt)
  Mark                    .5                                1  (vs. Matt)
  Matt                      0                                 3  (vs Mark, Jason & Kevin)

                                  

Chess battles continue this Tuesday, May Day!!

ANCC will meet and continue the action across the board, as well as the friendly discourse with club friends.  I hope to see everyone this upcoming Tuesday night 1 May.

Come on out and put a great cap on a wonderful May Day!!

Darin, for the ANCC.

ANCC WILL meet! :)

Looking forward to seeing everyone tuesday night! (24 Apr)

Come on out to continue your rated games if you are in the 'in-house' tourney, and/or come on out to see and play some of our fantastic people that attend ANCC!

Darin, for the ANCC

See you on the 17th!!

I look forward to seeing our great group this upcoming Tuesday night, April 17th for a fun night of chess and discourse!

Darin, for the ANCC

NO CHESS TUESDAY 10 April

I am sad to announce there will be no chess this upcoming Tuesday, 10 April. 

An interview opportunity presented itself in the last couple days which prevents me from being present at Turners this Tuesday to host ANCC.  While I am sad missing another great night of chess and comradeship, ANCC was not able to use the downstairs banquet facilities this night anyway, due to it being utilized by a paying party.  

So, our night of chess 'almost' under the stars (we would have played under a pavilion by the softball field)  will have to wait until a future time.

We will hold ANCC the following week, on 17 April.  See you then!!

IMPORTANT NOTES AND DATES!!!!

It's a glorious day outside today, so of course I am thinking about playing chess!  Well, ok, that does not make much sense, but in a way, it does.  Bear with me.

First:  Yes, ANCC will be meeting tomorrow night, 3 April for another installment of our chess club here in Aurora Illinois, meeting at Turners.  I hope to see everyone and anyone there to compete in our on-going rated tourney (for those that have previously registered and are competing), or to play casual (yet still competitive! :)  ) games, and/or to visit and socialize with a great group of people.

Secondly:  This point brings me back to the outside bit.  ANCC will not have access to the downstairs banquet room of Turners on 10 April.  This is one week from tomorrow.  HOWEVER, we can meet in one of the pavilions up by the softball field if we choose to do so.  The pavilions are large, covered of course, and have picnic tables.  If you have an opinion one way or the other, I would love to hear it.  If no one wishes to experience chess 'in the park' kind of feel, I would like to know, as I don't want to be the only one to show up!  So please, please, voice your opinion and thoughts to me concerning club on 10 April, and if we should hold club, or cancel for that night.

Remember.. NO CLUB TONIGHT

Remember, from earlier post, there will be NO ANCC chess club tonight.

We will see you all of your chess play continued next week!

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANCC's access to the basement of Turners (our weekly home) will be delayed to a minimum of 7:30 pm and no later than 8pm. 

There is a booking for a post-funeral that afternoon, and I was told that we would have access at 7:30 or nlt 8pm.  Remember, we are guests of Turners, and we sincerely appreciate their generosity for the use of the banquet hall, and at times, we must work around paying clients use of the facility.  

PLEASE COME TO THE UPSTAIRS, NORMAL CLUB AREA prior to those times and we can go down when the basement is vacated.  Please use the front door, where after asking for access, I will meet you at the front door.  (There is also a back door behind the building by the outdoor bowling area, but I will be sitting by the front door area, and have an easier chance of meeting you quicker.)



Again, ANCC WILL meet, but it will be delayed a bit.  If you arrive prior to 8pm, and the basement door is locked or there are people you generally do not know, please go to the upstairs club area. I am NOT discouraging you to come before 8pm, I just would just like you to come upstairs first until we get the 'all clear'. 

Thank you.

Darin, for the ANCC & Turner member.

Terrific Tuesday!!

Be at ANCC this Tuesday for a celebration of warm temps outside, and a warm friendly environment inside that each of our friendly, and energetic players/observers brings to the table at ANCC!!

I look forward to seeing all of you there! Be sure to come on by, since the month of March brings spring break, and we will lose a week of ANCC later in the month (27 March).  So come visit us, and be a part of the fun!!

So, again, we will be meeting this Tuesday, 13 March for a night of chess and social networking :)

Darin, for the ANCC.

Good Times!

Hello all, and thanks to all of you that came to out to the ANCC last night. Again, some new faces. (Thanks for coming in Carl!!  Carl is a master level player, wishing to integrate into the local chess scene after newly arriving in the area, and we wish him well on his quick adjustment.  Everyone here at ANCC look forward to seeing you again at ANCC.

There is much going on at ANCC.  We have the first games of our in-house rated tourney completed (more on that in a bit), and some wonderful non-rated games going on as well.  People sitting and chatting about chess, and life, and people playing thru games, solving chess puzzles, and discussing other chess related topics, and again, just enjoying an atmosphere of respect and comradeship.  I truly love coming out to ANCC and 'hanging out' with the great people of ANCC. 

I have closed the entries into our in-house tourney.  I had it open for 3 weeks, and players needed to know how many players, thus, the length of time the tourney may last.  We have 8 players:  Jason, Kellebrant, Kevin, Kyle, Mark, Matt, Michael, and myself playing.  I will be posting some of the games on the tab dedicated to these rated tourney games on this site, with the first ones hopefully posting tomorrow.  Keep an eye on that tab and games! Kellebrant and Kevin are a couple of ANCC's younger players, and their chess future looks bright for those two!

In other news, our combined team of ANCC and Molex, will be playing Fermilab tonight for our current CICL match.  Fermi is a tough challenge, and we have some top boards not able to play, and/or sick.  Lets pull together, garner some good luck, and make a run at Fermi!

Till later in the week, when I post our in-house rated tourney games, and post how we did versus Fermi,

Darin, for the ANCC.

March is here!

Can you feel spring yet?  A new beginning?  We can!!  We have started some games for our in-house tourney!!  It is not too late to join in.  I have not yet put everything into the computer, and you can still come down next week to join our rated tourney!!  WE WILL BE HAVING CLUB TUESDAY, 6 MARCH, so I hope to see a great crowd!!

The tourney is a round robin format, where you will play everyone else.  Right now, I believe we have 10 people playing in the tourney, and you, the reader, are certainly welcome to join in.  Yes, the tourney will continue over the course of a couple months +.  You are not required to play a rated game every club meeting.  If you are not feeling well or had a bad day and feel you are not up for a more serious game, you can just play casual games, and/or sit and socialize with our wonderful group of people.  Some people have enough energy, or after a unplanned quicker game, or time to play a second rated game which will loosen up your scheduled time over the course of the tourney to 'take a night off' from the tourney.  I want this to be less pressure of a tourney than you would normally have at a one day even type thing. 

Here is what we do require:  $5.00 entry fee.  USCF Tourney rules and decorum during rated games.  Presence to play/finish the games within approx. 12 weeks.  Prizes:  I anticipate having $20.00 1st place prize, and a $15.00 2nd place prize, with the remainder of the cash to be used to pay the USCF the rating fees for the games played.   These amounts can change of course depending on additional players entering the tournament, or other unknown factors, or a different agreed upon prize structure. 

I am excited to see everyone again this upcoming Tuesday night, and to again witness great games be it rated or otherwise.  Be safe, have a great weekend, and I will see you Tuesday!!!

Darin, for the ANCC.

Looking forward to tomorrow night!

Hi reader! :)

Plan on a fun night of chess tomorrow night, 28 Feb.!  I hope to get some games in for our rated round robin tourney.  If you need to sign up with USCF as a new member or to renew an old one, I will have a laptop available and barring a net outage at Turners, I/we can complete those USCF membership issues.  Just bring a credit card to do so.

We havn't yet set a fee for our round robin tourney, but I imagine it to be $5.00 or so.  I just sent off a note to USCF asking them what the fee is, but it could take a couple of days to hear back.  I propose the above mentioned $5, and what is left over (which may amount to a dollar or two per player) we can use a token cash prize, or a 'club' trophy of some type.  If we make the fee smaller, say, $3 or $4, then making change is a pain.  Remember, we should be playing 9-10 rated games for a possible $5 fee.  Quite a deal!

See you tomorrow night!!

Darin, for the ANCC

In-house tourney is a go!

I am grateful to be involved with such a great bunch of people that enjoy chess.  Low key, yet serious in each person's attempt to improve their own chess game.  Thank you for making each Tuesday something to look forward to. 

With that, I am greatly anticipating the start of our in-house rated chess tourney!!!  Of the responses I got, both in email or in person last night, were all positive in making this happen!!  What a way to get some rated games in, without having to drive to a near/distant locale! 

If you did not make it to club last night, and you are interested in playing, please come in for club this next week or two, and we will add you to the roster of players.  This tourney will be run over the course some time, likely a couple of months.  If we decide to run it a double round robin, instead of a single, it will push the time further out into the future, which is fine.

Besides the rated round robin, I will also set up a non-rated swiss section.  That way, for those that are not competing, and for those that already did play a rated game, or  for whatever else :) , you can compete in a 'club tourney' for additional bragging rights!   Since the swiss section is non-rated, we can be much more flexible in its set-up including the coming/going of players into the section. 


Good luck to all of you in your games, and I will see you on Tuesday night!!

Darin, for the ANCC.

A fun Tueday night...

Thank you everyone that attended last nights meeting full of chess, and camaraderie.  I look forward to seeing everyone again next Tuesday!!

... We should be able to start some of our rated club tourney games next week too!

Darin, for the ANCC

Club Tourney??!

I need your feedback chess players!!!

How would you all feel about a rated tournament, played over the course of several weeks during club time???

Benefits:  We/You would not be rushed to get in several rated games in one setting, relieving those of us that sometimes run into time issues (pun intended :) ) on our calendars.  I envision one rated tourney game every time you attend OR one every other week, depending on length of time controls set. 

Also, if you miss a night or two, that is not an issue really, since the tourney would run a couple months (or so), and you would have time to get the games in.  We could schedule a round robin, and even a swiss at the same time, giving options and opportunities to play each time you do come to club. 

This might also help drive people into coming to club to play. 

Of course, it gives players the opportunity to complete additional rated games. 

We could keep cost low by only requiring a fee big enough to cover the filing/rating fee required by the USCF.  Or, if a large enough group made the issue known, we could increase the tourney fee to cover the costs of trophies, and/or prizes (books, cash, etc.).

Downside:  it does require you to come in and play regularly (hence, a 'club tourney') that may keep some people away that just normally attend weekend one day/multiple day events.  And, it would not be a 'money maker' that perhaps some clubs might use to help defray costs of running a club.

So, there you have it.  Let me know your thoughts either by commenting to this post (it will email me) or by emailing me directly, or by simply coming to club and talking with me.  I truly wish your feedback.  I think this could be a good idea and fun to try. 

Darin, for the ANCC.

Happy Thursday!

Good day all!

Well, Cupid tried to put an arrow thru some of our chess boards, but must have missed!  There were a few of us that attended this past Tuesday, and comforted the pieces and boards by completing some chess games.  But, cupid must have his the mark on other targets as I hope you all had a great night on Valentines day. 

We will see you all this upcoming Tuesday, on 21 Feb.!

Darin, for the ANCC

Game on!

Looking forward to seeing everybody again this Tuesday night!!  Don't let Valentines day keep you from coming on out to the ANCC.  Come alone, bring the family, or bring your date! You can learn a lot about a person by playing a game of chess with them.  In fact, this was the focus of a USCF article recently in Chess Life. 

Come one, come all for an evening of fun, discourse, and of course, great chess play!!

See you this Tuesday, 14 Feb. 

Darin, for the ANCC.

A wonderful night!

Thank you everyone for a fun and busy night of chess at the ANCC!!

We had 14 players come out and enjoy some great games amongst our talented ANCC chess players.  With such a good number of players available, there never was a shortage of finding a player with different styles, strengths, and personalities to sit across from over a chess board.  Included in those 14 players were 5 younger players with those younger players not shying away from the adults in a game, and at times coming away with a win over the adult!  One thing about chess is that you can never assume anything about your opponent!!

Many of the games played notation was kept, and since I forgot to ask there, I would enjoy having copies of those (the score sheets are carbonless copies!) score sheets, for analysis, and/or to put up on this site!  Yes, you could be the star of the night with a signature win over a quality opponent!  If you are on the short side of the game's result, no worries about it being posted on site, we all have been there! :)  I myself did not keep score on any games, although I wish I had since I had some great games (both wins, and  losses!)  So remember, always take notation!!  You will be happy you did!

Many of you players, and spectators also enjoyed the food & beverages from the Turner's club upstairs.  Thank you.  Remember, the kitchen is open till 8pm (and you can bring the food down, or of course, stay upstairs to eat) and they have some snack/food items available all the time behind the bar, such as nachos, pretzels, and pizza.  It helps ANCC support from Turners when we return the favor by supporting our hosting venue's club.  Turners does notice.  Again, thank you.

Thank you for making the ANCC a fun place; a place to improve ones chess game; a place to relax and socialize with others from living not only in this local community of Aurora & Naperville, but further away.  I sincerely appreciate the drive everyone makes to visit ANCC, especially those that travel from outside our local community.  Thank you for your support, your games, and your comradeship! 

Till next week, enjoy some good chess, and be safe.

Darin, for the ANCC

Terrific Tuesday!

I am looking forward to seeing a large group tomorrow, 7 Feb. for a relaxing and fun night of chess! 

See you there!

Darin, for the ANCC

Newly posted games !!

I have just posted a few games, from our match versus the Dragons. They are on one of the CICL tabs.  Go over them, and post/let me know your input on these games.  I would be happy to post your comments/annotations on any of the games!   I will put the remainder of the games up very soon.  Keep coming back to check them out!

Hope everyone is set to enjoy the 'big game' today!!  Have a Super Sunday!  ;)  .. sorry, had to!

Darin, for the ANCC

A great night at ANCC!!

Thanks to everyone that came out to socialize, and play some great chess!  We had a great group show up to play. We had some first time members including middle school aged kids, as well as some adults that came to check out ANCC.  From what I heard, I expect to see them next week, and become regulars at ANCC.  I sincerely wish to thank you all for searching for chess in our area, finding ANCC, and then deciding to come out to enjoy an evening of chess.

The games are improving for those that have been visiting for a bit, and I tremendously enjoy the variety and opportunities that ANCC gives me to improve my chess. I also wish the same for all that attend!

Till next week,
Darin, for the ANCC

One game posted on cicl news page!

Board 3; Kyle (w) vs Dragon player has been posted in the CICL news page, with annotations from Kyle!!

See you on the 31st!!

Hope to see you this Tuesday!!  I will bring copies of the games played versus the Dragons, if anyone wishes to go over them for analysis, or out of curiosity.  While I have went thru them initially, I welcome further analysis before posting, as well as need help on a couple of games in deciphering some notation.  A couple are hard to read, and one of them is a an interesting cultural curiosity!  ( I will try to find that one out beforehand but will show it as a trivia question!)

Keep up the good fun in practice, and I will see you then!!

Darin, for the ANCC. 

Another win!!!!

Our combined team of ANCC & Molex players defeated the Lucent Dragons, and did it with a score of 5-1.

The Dragons are a good team, and out of 7 boards played, 6 out of our 7 players were playing an opponent that was higher rated; in some cases the opponent was significantly higher - 150pts+ higher.  They were great games, closely played, and the outcomes not clear until the end!  But our players came through and won decisively.  In the one loss, the player lamented the fact they missed a King & Queen fork, in the middle of their game, which would have obviously changed the dynamic of the game.  Board 7 came away with a draw, in a good game where again, our player was playing a higher rated player.  Another of our boards was a game where time controls came into play, with both players low on time at the end of stage 1, and the game in a difficult position.

In all, it was a great performance from our team. You want to see more specifics?  ..... I will be putting all the games notations on the appropriate tab on this web page : under cicl news.  I hope to have the first game up on this site by this evening ( 27 Jan.) with the other games soon following!!!


AGAIN CONGRATS TO ANCC & MOLEX PLAYERS.  A JOB WELL DONE!!!

Darin, for the ANCC

Fun times!

Thank you all that attended ANCC this past Tuesday night (24 Jan) for our regular club meeting.  We had a good group, and played some good games.  Remember, if you wish to have one of your games posted (and have your opponents ok as well :)  ) give me a copy of the score sheet, and I will put the game up on this site.  Your annotations are a nice added bonus as well, but of course not necessary. 

Remember, all are welcome to come out and play.  We have some younger kids as well as us 'older kids' and some in the middle!  There are no club dues, and we have sets available.  So come on out and join our great group of players!  As of right now, I expect to be open next Tuesday, 31 Jan.  We will see you there!

Darin, for the ANCC

Next Tuesday Meeting!

....And yes, we WILL be meeting this Tuesday!  See you all there!

Darin, for the ANCC

We win!!!!!!!!!

MlxAcc, our combined team of players from ANCC and from the company Molex, achieved our first victory last night ( 17 Jan.) over the Pawns. It was a tough match, with the win coming down to the last match of the night.  Even our losses were close games, that could have went either way in the middlegame.
Final score:  MlxAcc 3.5 pts.  Pawns 2.5 pts.

Thank you to all the players!!!  I expect our next round to happen next week, so players, stay tuned for our follow up to this great match.

Darin, for the ANCC.

Next Tuesday Meeting!

Hello everyone!

Thank you to all for coming out this past Tuesday and enjoying some chess!!  A special thank you to the new members that attended for the first time!  It appeared you enjoyed the games, and I hope to see you again next week, and in the weeks to follow!

We will be meeting again this upcoming Tuesday.  Also, concurrently there will be a CICL match between our (and our partner players from Molex) competitive team versus a team called the 'Pawns'.  Yes, regular ANCC club game play can & will happen!!  It just so happens, that there will be other games going on at the same time that are vying for a 'win' in our match versus the Pawns.

This is a fantastic opportunity for non-competing ANCC club players to observe a CICL game(s) AND play your own ANCC club games as well.  Naturally, due to the competitive nature of the match and of the CICL league, a quiet environment from all of those in attendance will be required and maintained. 

For those not familiar with CICL game time controls and rules, here is a short run down:
          Time controls:  Stage 1;   45 moves in 90 minutes (each player)
                                  Stage 2; (repeating if necessary), 30 moves in 60 minutes (each player)
                                   USCF rules governing other regulations.
Thus, a game can go on indefinitely, if you are able to make the required number of moves in your time control.  There are 6 'scored' (that count toward the score for the win/loss) boards, and any number of boards for extra play; these games are CICL rated, just not counted toward the teams points for a win or loss.  Games typically last a couple of hours, and a couple of games up to 3 hours.  Not as often,  but possible, some games extend into the second time control putting the game past 3 hours. 

The CICL match is slated to start between 7:30-7:45 pm. 

I hope to see a good crow of ANCC players playing regular club games, AND those wishing to observe our team in action against the Pawns!!

Darin for the ANCC

We're back!!

ANCC is back in action tomorrow night, 10 Jan.! 

I look forward to seeing everyone again, and start off 2012 with some wonderful chess games!!

Hope to see you there!

Darin, for the ANCC