Garry Kasparov Makes His Move At Harlem Children’s Zone Chess Festival

Note: (WIM) Beatriz Marinello will be attending this event to offer support, and encouragement to one of the Harlem schools she works with and some of her students who will be participating in this event.

(Press Release)

World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov Makes His Move At First Harlem Children’s Zone Chess Festival

Kasparov to play in 20-board simultaneous exhibition with Harlem’s best student players on Sept. 28th.

New York, NY, Sept. 24, 2008 — Garry Kasparov, the highest-ranked chess player in the world, is taking his game uptown to the Harlem Children’s Zone Chess Festival on Sunday, September 28th. As part of the celebration, Kasparov will play 20 games simultaneously against student players from Harlem.

Barack Obama on the Harlem Children’s Zone

Hosted by the Harlem Children’s Zone, the festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will give children and adults, novices and advanced players, the opportunity to participate in a wide range of chess activities. The festival will feature free chess lessons, a free drawing for 300 chess sets and T-shirts, problem-solving contests and free refreshments. The festival will be open to HCZ children and invited guests.

The festival will take place at the Harlem Children’s Zone Community Center, 35 East 125th Street.

There will also be a free five-round blitz tournament for children in three sections: Class A and B (1600-1999 ranking); Class C and D (1200-1599 ranking) and Class E and F (800-1199 ranking). Children and adults can also take part in an unrated, open section tournament.

The highlight of the day will be Kasparov playing in a 20-board simultaneous exhibition against Harlem Children’s Zone student players.

Mr. Kasparov is Chairman of the Board of the Kasparov Chess Foundation, a non-profit educational organization that works with schools and communities across the United States to promote chess as a cognitive learning tool. For the past six years, the Foundation has been working with the Harlem Children’s Zone, which has included its chess-teaching methods in several of its afterschool programs, including those of its HCZ Pormise Academy charter schools.

According to Michael Khodarkovsky, President of the Kasparov Chess Foundation, “The Harlem Children’s Zone Chess Festival recognizes the importance of chess, and through cooperation between KCF and Harlem Children’s Zone, is making it easily accessible to the entire community,” he explained.

“Boys and girls in our chess program have been placing at the top of city, state and national tournaments,” said Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone. “But more importantly, these kids are giving their minds an incredible workout, developing important analytical and organizational skills.”

About Harlem Children’s Zone

Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc., is an internationally reknown not-for-profit, offering education, social-service and community-building services to children and families in Central Harlem.

Founded in 1970 as Rheedlen, the agency began the innovative, holistic Harlem Children’s Zone Project in 2000, aiming to serve 10,000 children within a 100-block area of Central Harlem by 2011. The HCZ Project was called, “one of the most ambitious social-policy experiments of our time,” by The New York Times Magazine.

Canada and the organization have received numerous awards and attention in the media. The organization’s work has been profiled by The New York Times, 60 Minutes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, the Associated Press and The Charlie Rose Show, among others.

For information on Harlem Children’s Zone, please visit www.hcz.org

About Kasparov Chess Foundation

Founded by World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, KCF’s mission is to bring the many educational benefits of chess to children throughout the United States by providing a complete chess curriculum and enrichment programs. The Foundation promotes the study of chess as a cognitive learning tool in curricular classes and after-school programs for elementary, middle and high schools, both in the public and private school sectors. The not-for-profit educational organization also organizes tournaments and competitions on a local and national basis. For more information, please visit www.kasparovchessfoundation.org

Voting During the 2008 Pan American Continental Championship

Attention Participants of the 2008 Pan American Continental Championship (U.S. Citizens)

As you all know the 2008 Pan American Continental Championship will be in full swing come Election Day  November 4th, 2008 !

We are providing the following information in order to make your voting process easier.

Haven’t registered to vote yet?  We have included links to the Voter Registration forms in English and Spanish at the end of this post….

Registering to Vote and Voting

Qualifications to Vote by Absentee Ballot

* unavoidably absent from your county on Election Day;

* unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability;

* a patient in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital;

* detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony;

How to Vote by Absentee Ballot

* Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at your county board of elections.

* You may also download a PDF version of the Absentee Ballot Application Form.

*Click here for a list of U.S. States – Absentee Ballot (for Citizens in the United States) , then click your state for additional information and to download the Absentee form for that state.

* Upon completion, applications must be mailed to your county board no later than the seventh day before the election or delivered in person no later than the day before the election.

* You may also request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to your county board of elections. The letter must be received by your county board no earlier than 30 days and no later than seven days before the election.

The letter must contain the following information:

o the address where you are registered

o an address where the ballot is to be sent

o the reason for the request, and

o the signature of the voter

An application form will be mailed with your ballot. The application form must be completed and returned with your ballot.

If you cannot pick up your ballot, or will not be able to receive it through the mail, you have the right to designate someone to pick it up for you. Only that person designated on your application may pick up and deliver your ballot.

Informative Links:

Vote & Voting – USA.gov

When to Vote, Polling Hours by State

National Mail Voter Registration Form

Formulario Nacional de Inscripción de Votantes (Spanish Voter Registration Form

2008 Pan American – Continental Championship Invitation

2008 Pan American – Continental Championship (Boca Raton, Florida, USA)

(Qualifier to the 2009 FIDE World Cup) November 1 – 7, 2008

I. INVITATION

The Confederation of Chess for America (CCA), the United States Chess Federation (USCF), and Chess Educators, LLC are pleased to invite all National Federations of the Americas to the 2008 Pan American – Continental Championship.

The 2008 Pan American – Continental Championship will be held at the Marriott Boca Raton Hotel, located in Boca Raton, Florida in the United States of America from November 1-7, 2008. Please see the schedule for round times.

The Miami International Airport, Ft. Lauderdale Airport as well as the West Palm Beach Airport are all on the Tri Rail system and offer rides to the Deerfield Beach station on Hillsboro Blvd. for a nominal fee.

The hotel will provide complimentary transportation from the Deerfield Beach station on Hillsboro Blvd. to the Hotel. Please call: 561-392-4600 – for transportation to the Hotel.

The event was planned in Boca Raton and to take place prior to the Chess Olympiad in Dresden to allow players from different countries in the Americas to participate in the Championship as well as in the Chess Olympiad.

The Marriott at Boca Raton is in an excellent location near Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, FL. Traveling to Europe from Miami is also convenient and should be taken into consideration.

II. GENERAL CONDITIONS

This event will be following the rules and regulations written in this invitation. In case of any omissions, the Regulations for the Pan American- Continental Championship will be in effect. These regulations can be found at www.fideamerica.com.

ONLY FIDE RULES APPLY FOR THIS EVENT

Characteristic: Each National Federation may register as many players as it wishes. These players must have a minimum FIDE rating of 2000 or USCF rating of 2100.

Tournament Format: 9 Rounds, Swiss System.

Time Control: The time control shall be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an additional 30 seconds per move from move one.

Tie Breaks System: One player qualifies to the World Cup From This Event

1. If it’s a two players tie for one qualifying place for the World Cup, these two players will play two games, 15 minutes per player with 10 seconds increment from move one. If after these two games, there is still a tie, then they shall play a three games match, 5 minutes per player. If the tie remains, they will play an additional three games match until the tie break is decided.

2. If three or more players tie for one qualifying place for the World Cup, a single round robin tournament shall be played, starting with 25 minutes on the clock, an additional 10 seconds incremental per move. If the tie remains, then the tie-break system of the main Swiss tournament will apply.

3. The tie breaking system of the main Swiss tournament will be as follows:

a) The result of their particular game, if applicable.
b) Progressive
c) Progressive with cuts
d) Bucholz
e) Drawing of lots

4. The tie break system will not apply for monetary prizes, which must be divided among the players who tie for those places.

TITLES, PRIZES AND OTHER CONDITIONS:

Titles:

The GM, IM, WGM, WIM titles norms can be earned in internationally rated tournaments played according to FIDE regulations. Continental Championship’s regulations apply for this event.

PRIZES:

• 1st Place 4,000.00
• 2nd Place 3,000.00
• 3rd Place 2,000.00
• 4th Place 1,500.00
• 5th Place 1,000.00
• 6th Place 900.00
• 7th Place 800.00
• 8th Place 700.00
• 9th Place 600.00
• 10th Place 500.00
• 11th Place 200.00
• 12th Place 200.00
• 13th Place 200.00
• 14th Place 200.00
• 15th Place 200.00

Top player 18 years old or younger (age at the time of registration in the tournament) $300; Top women player $300; Top player over 50 years old or older (age at the time of registration in the tournament) $300. No player can win more than one monetary prize, in the event that a player has the option to win two prizes, she or he will have to choose only one prize.

Additional Information:

The following seven players have the right for accommodations in a double room and a $50 stipend for meals, per day:

• GM Julio Granda Peru
• GM Alexander Ivanov USA
• GM Varuzhan Akopian USA
• GM Darcy Lima Brazil
• IM Eduardo Iturriazaga Venezuela
• GM Fernando Peralta Argentina
• IM Everaldo Matsuura Brazil

III. COSTS AND CALENDAR

Entry fee: $175 due by September 30. Entry Fees received after September 30 are $200.

Make Checks Payable to: Checks must be payable to Chess Educators, LLC and mailed to P.O. Box 160 New York, NY 10028.

On-line Registration & Payment: On line registration and payment is available at ChessEducators.com.

Deadline for Registration:

Registration Fee: $175.00 by Sept. 30, 2008, after Sept. 30, 2008 Registration Fee is $200.00.

Hotel registrations for all players should be made directly with the Hotel. Hotel Link is provided at Chesseducators.com.

Reservations must be made directly with the hotel by October 15, 2008. Room rate $120 per night. Rooms are for up to four people, but only with double beds.

If you need assistant with a letter for the purpose of applying for a VISA to enter into the United States of America, please request this information to us in advance.

DO NOT LEAVE FOR THE LAST MINUTE.

We will be glad to assist with this process, which should be requested only by National Federations.

CALENDAR:

• Saturday, Nov. 1st

Arrival Day

• Sunday, Nov. 2nd

Technical Meeting - 9 a.m.
Opening Ceremony - 9:45 a.m.
Round 1 - 10 a.m.

• Monday, Nov. 3rd

Round 2 - 10 a.m.
Round 3 - 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, Nov. 4th

Round 4 - 10 a.m.

Round 5 – 5 p.m.

• Wednesday, Nov. 5th

Round 6 - 10 a.m.
Round 7 - 5 p.m.

• Thursday, Nov. 6th

Round 8 - 5 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 7th

Round 9 - 10 a.m.
Play Off (if necessary) - 5 p.m.
Closing Ceremony - 5 p.m. (if no play off) , 7 p.m. – (if play off)

IV POSTING INFORMATION AND PAIRINGS

Tournament information and pairings will be available on-line.

The hotel has internet access in each room.

The pairings will be published in the official tournament web site at: www.chesseducators.com

More information will be posted in the US Chess Federation Website at uschess.org and the US Chess Trust Website at uschesstrust.org.

In addition, the pairings will be posted at the official hotel.

V. HOTEL

Reservations must be made directly with the hotel by October 15, 2008. Room rate $120 per night. Rooms are for up to four people, but only with double beds.

For more information please contact Beatriz Marinello at Beatchess@aol.com and/or Beatriz@chesseducators.com

We are looking forward to seeing you at this exciting event !

Please let us know how we can assist you with your travel arrangements and during your stay in United States of America.

Yours for Chess,

Bill Hall
US Chess Federation
Executive Director

Beatriz Marinello
Tournament Organizer

Click Here to Download the Tournament Invitation - 2008 Pan American Continental Championship Invitation

If you have any questions – Please contact the Tournament Organizer - Beatriz Marinello at Beatriz@ChessEducators.com.

A Guide to Scholastic Chess

A GUIDE TO SCHOLASTIC CHESS

By Dewain R. Barber A.C.E.

This publication is provided free to all schools and scholastic organizers. It was created to help teachers and scholastic chess organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program.  It covers how to organize a school chess club, run tournaments, keep interest high, and generate parental and public support.

The following scholastic organizers reviewed this work and made many suggestions, which have been included.

Thanks go to Jay Blem (CA), Leo Cotter (CA), Stephan Dann (MA), Bob Fischer (IN), Doug Meux (NM), Andy Nowak (NM), Andrew Smith (CA), Robert Snyder (CA), Brian Bugbee (NY), Beatriz Marinello (NY), Tom Brownscombe, and many others too numerous to mention.

Chess Clubs and Chessplayers

The scholastic chess club combines educational and social activities.  Members come to play, to learn, to teach, and to get together with old friends and make new ones.  The players — no matter what their level of skill, experience, or age — speak a common language, and one that is often not understood in other areas of a person’s life.  The rivalries are friendly; the friendships are competitive.  A club can offer a wide variety of activities.  There can be speed chess or rated games, or both.  Club activities can include simultaneous exhibitions, lectures, and even formal classes taught by chess Masters and Experts.  Some players who regularly come to a club won’t ever try weekend scholastic tournaments. These avid club players may get their fill of “serious” chess by competing in a club ladder or one-game-a-lunch-period club tourneys. Ideally, the club will cater to all types of players — recreational as well as the serious tournament players.EVERY member is important to the success of the club.

Should You Start a Scholastic Chess Club?

Should you become involved in starting a club in your school?

Yes! It’s not at all necessary for you to be an “expert” player, or even to know how the pieces move! Every school in the country has kids who already know how to play chess, and more who would like to learn. “No one at our school plays chess” is not an acceptable excuse.  Most of the time kids are interested in learning and only need someone to organize and supervise them.

This guidebook will help you overcome many of the problems you will face in starting a club.

If you have not already done so, you may want to find out the location of the nearest chess club or scholastic/school club.

The United States Chess Federation (abbreviated USCF) and your state chapter are the best sources of information on officially affiliated club locations, scholastic organizers and coaches in your area.

These contacts can help direct you further in your efforts to organize a club or locate other active scholastic chess programs within your area.

Other information sources include local schools, school district offices, newspapers, libraries, chess and game stores, and your local recreational office.  You might also consider contacting the county Department of Education.

By all means, you should start a club if you have some support from students and the willingness to expend the moderate amount of energy and leadership it will take to make your club a success.  Gain support from the school board, parents, your principal, and other teachers as soon as possible.  Their aid will be useful later as the club becomes more active.

The fact that the National Association of Secondary School Principals regularly includes the National High School Chess Championship and the National Scholastic K-12 Grade Chess Championships on its “National Advisory List of Contests and Activities” may be of value in gaining official support for your club.