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Winchester Chess Club

meets at the Griffin Museum

67 Shore Road Winchester MA, USA

New Season starts

September 10, 2010

Click for schedule

Click photo for Town Day photos.

 

 

For quick links, click on words in table below then, if necessary, when you get to link site, click again:

use back arrows to get back to this quick link table.

Newest photo page

We meet at the Griffin Museum of Photography

Here is an old Griffin illustration.

And here is an old poem about life as chess player might see it!.

“ ‘Tis all a Checkerboard of Nights and Days

Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:

Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,

And one by one back in the Casket lays. ”
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám,

Persian writer & astronomer (c.1050-c.1123)

From the translation by Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883)

Chess Art from the past

(Click for larger images)

Szymon Buchbinder (1853-1908?)

Your Move!

  Govanni Garinei born 1846

The Chess Players by Sir William Orpen 1902

Updated 9 p.m. on September 1, 2010; minor edits to new schedule.

See schedule below

 

 

Winchester Chess Club at the Griffin Museum

April 2, 2010 during Bughouse Tournament

 

David Plantamura is working to set up better communications though a Yahoo Group for the Winchester Chess Club.

Click this button to visit the Yahoo website and join the Winchester Chess Club Yahoo group.

Click to join winchesterchessclub

Or...use this form to subscribe via e-mail to the Winchester Chess Club Yahoo group.

Subscribe to winchesterchessclub

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS CHESS CLUB

FALL 2010 CHESS SCHEDULE

Winchester Chess Club (MA)

 Club meets at Griffin Museum 67 Shore Road

Winchester MA, USA.

For close up of Chess Club location at 67 Shore Road, Winchester, MA 01890 near rotary in Winchester Center click here for map of Griffin Museum location: note the Google dot may not be where the club is. but where it says Griffin Museum on Shore Road on the map is in the right place. The Griffin Museum is on Shore Road on the West Shore of Judkins Pond (right side of Shore Road) about two thirds of the distance between the Winchester Rotary and the traffic lights by the High School.

 

Club meets 7:00 P.M to 10:0 P.M on Friday nights except in the Summer or if severe weather or non chess event is scheduled. See schedule below.  (Also in Summer some of us get together informally on Friday evenings at the Winchester Starbucks (near the rotary)

Call John Shawcross 781 729 8925 if you are not sure if the club is meeting

 

 Chess Schedule September 10, to December 31st

 

EVENTS (may be changed)

Note whenever the club is open, members may play casual or rated games even if there is a tournament going on that evening.

 

 

  Dates

  Club opens at 7 p.m. every Friday shown but for all tournaments must register by 7:15p.m. Tournaments start at 7:30 p.m.

Entry fee

 

Time

Control*

Sep 10

Club Membership Registration and Welcome Back!

Dues for year $20 per family through May 2011

(We will collect dues (cash please), email address, names, phone number of member and parent information for Juniors) (Reduced rates available of $5 senior or not currently employed)

Also Chess Club Polo Shirts and a few Sweat Shirts for Sale. All $10.

But we will also play chess! Casual and rated games, instruction for Juniors.

 

 

Sept 17

Casual and rated games, instruction for Juniors.

 

   

Sept 24

Fast Action Chess four rounds game 15.

prize awards

Free

15 m

Oct 1

Casual and rated games, instruction for Juniors.

 

   

Oct 8

Quads Tournament Week 1

$4

60m

Oct 15

Quads Tournament

 

60m

Oct 22

Quads Tournament Week 3 please be there by 7:15 p.m .

 

60m

Oct 29

Casual and rated games, instruction for Juniors.

 

 

Nov 5

Bughouse tournament for outline of Bughouse rules click here for link to Wikepedia version.

$2

5m

Nov 12

Casual and rated games, instruction for Juniors.      

Nov 19

Other games night; GO, Checkers, Bridge: bring your game and a friend to play with or get others to play it with you.

 

 

Nov 26

Club closed.  Friday after Thanksgiving.

 

 

Dec 3

Action Chess Week 1 

$2

20m +10s Br.

Dec 10

Action Chess Week 2 prize awards

 

20m +10s Br.

Dec 17

Casual and rated games, instruction for Juniors.

 

 

Dec 24

Club closed for Holiday period, reopens January 8th .

 

 

Dec 31*

Club closed for Holiday period, reopens January 8th see 2010 schedule below

 

 

* Program for 2011 will be announced later.    

 

Financial Status

Club has $485 as of August 28, 2010

John Shawcross

Club Treasurer

Do you need Chess Clocks, Chess Sets, Chess Boards and Chess Carrying Cases? The best value I know is available from David Plantamura.  He is getting an excellent deal he will share with you on a first come first serve basis.

 

 

(Griffin web site is at www.griffinmuseum.org) that web site

has maps of how to get to the Museum.

 

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO SUPERVISION OF CHILDREN EXCEPT THAT PROVIDED BY PARENTS OR GUARDIANS.
CHILDREN WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUPERVISION OR THOSE MAKING EXCESSIVE NOISE WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE.

Call John Shawcross at 781 729 8925, or Tom Richardson at 781 721 1520 or David Plantamura at 781 729 8125 for information.

 

 

Original cartoon by Jack MacAlear; painted in 1959 and given to Annie Murphy Springer who gave it to my brother in law Michael McCaffry who lives in Rohnert Park, California;
I photographed it Thanksgiving 2005. (John Shawcross)

 

Winchester Chess Club at Griffin Museum    

          

                  

Winchester Chess Club (MA)

 web page by John Shawcross

Meets at Griffin Museum 67 Shore Road Winchester.

Chess club Annual Tournament Winners

In the case of ties the players are listed in order of tie breaks.

2001-2002            Open     Tom Filipek, Jared Turkewitz

   

                            Junior    Alex Filipek 

                                       

2002-2003            Open     Tom Filipek, Jared Turkewitz, Mario Cepeda

                            Junior   Alex Filipek   

                                                 

                                                                   

2003-2004            Open     Tom Filipek   

                                    

                            Junior    Alex Sun

                                            

2004-2005            Open     Jake Garbarino  

                              

                            Junior    Mika Brattain

                                  

2005-2006            Open       Jared Turkewitz 

                             

                            Junior      Hardy Zhang, Kevin Wen  

          

2006-2007            Open        Paul Godin   

                                     

                            Junior      Ryan Maguire

                                   

2007-2008            Open       Tom Filipek, David Ferreira, Jake Garbarino

                            Junior      Henry Li     

                                           

                                                                   

2008-2009            Open     John Shawcross, Tom Filipek 

   

                            Junior    Zubin Baliga, Yashasri Raj  

 

2009 - 2010           Open     Mateos Sahakian  (First Junior, Henry Li)

                                           First Under 1000, Alex Shih,

                             Junior   Ethan Wong, Nathan Wong,

                                           Justin Lin, Alex Kohler                              

 

Herbert Handicap Chess Tournament Winners

2010                              Tom Filipek

2009                        Mateos Sahakian

2008                        Rick Lunetta

2007                        Arnav Ghosh and Henry Li

2006                        Benjamin Suire

2005                        Arvan Sahakian

2004                        Tom Filipek

2003                        Laird Heal

We have been refining the chess handicap rules for the Herbert each year. The odds or handicap we plan on at present are as shown on this link.

Rating Difference Winchester or USCF use higher of the two ratings

Higher rated player loses (Piece) and plays (Color) also lower rated player may take back one move per game if it is taken back before opponent touches his piece.)

Less than 100 points

Loses nothing but plays black

100-199 points

Loses "b" pawn and plays white

200-299 points

Loses "f" pawn and plays black

300- 399 points

Loses "b" knight and plays white

400- 499 points

Loses "b" knight and “b” pawn plays white.

500-599 points

Loses "a" rook* and plays white

600-699 points

Loses "a" rook* and “b” pawn plays white

700-799 points

Loses "a" rook* and "a" pawn and plays black

800-899 points

Loses "c" bishop and "g" knight and plays black

900-999 points

Loses "a" rook* and "g" knight and plays white

1000 –1099 points

Loses "a" rook*, and "c" bishop and plays black.

1100-1199 points

Loses queen and plays white

1200 – 1299 points

Loses queen and plays black

1300- 1399 points

Loses both rooks* and plays white.

1400 points or more

Loses both rooks* and plays black.

 

When one or more rooks are removed player may, before the first move, advance pawn in front of rook one square. When one or more rooks is removed player cannot castle to that side.

Time control is 20 minutes + 10 seconds Bronstein

 

History of the Winchester Chess Club:

The Winchester Chess Club was formed in the Spring of 1992. Connie Stolow, an educational consultant to gifted students, had several parents who wanted to know if there was a chess club in the area where their children could learn chess. Connie contacted Harold Dondis, the chess correspondent to the Boston Globe who put her in touch with Dr. Michael Charney. Dr. Charney started The Games Project/Chess Makes Kids Smart. Connie and Dr. Charney came up with some ideas on how to start up a chess club in Winchester. Connie approached the Winchester Library about using one of the basement rooms and posted chess board notices around town inviting people to an organizational meeting. Although Connie did not play chess herself, the notices attracted several experienced chess players who began holding chess games and lessons.

The Games Project/Chess Makes Kids Smart established many neighborhood chess programs and distributed chess sets. It also started a program to design and construct giant chess sets. With a grant from Enka, the Winchester Chess Club participated in building a giant chess set that is still available for play on Town Day in the Winchester Chess Club area.

The club met on Saturday mornings at the library until January 1993. But, due to sports, many students could not play chess on Saturdays. The library could not provide space late enough in the evenings. So Connie found out that the Town Hall was available to the Chess Club at no charge on Friday evenings.

 

Vernon Shoup was the first president..(Vernon died at age 61 on October 6, 2009).  Tom Richardson (currently Tournament Director) was vice president and John Shawcross (currently Treasurer and Secretary) were members from the first year. Neil Akiyama was also active in membership and and publicity during the early day of the club. David Plantamura (currently President) joined a few years later. Steve Frymer of Lexington who was MACA President also came by the club from time to time to encourage it to develop and include more tournaments.  In the early days, Tom Richardson and sometimes Steve Frymer would do a simultaneous exhibition playing up to 20 players.

On January 8, 1993 the club moved to the Winchester Town Hall. Initially using the Winchester Room and expanding to a second basement level room as membership grew. Since the Town Hall was free, the club was a low cost operation. No membership dues were charged although small entry fees were charged for tournaments in order to provide prizes and to purchase trophies.  A coffee can was available for donations and gradually chess sets and boards were purchased.  Some parents started bringing soda and selling it and this enabled the club to buy chess clocks. Later on the ENKA society provided a grant to buy digital clocks, which are still in use in 2008.

In the fall of 2004, after more than 11 years, the Town decided that the club could no longer play free of charge at the Town Hall.  It would require the Chess Club to pay for the janitor who would be on overtime. The club could not afford that, so we looked at several alternatives, finally settling on the Parish of the Epiphany at 70 Church Street Winchester.  We played there for the first time on October 8, 2004. The church charged the club to recover the costs of heating the church so it became necessary to charge a $25 fee per player each half season. The members loved the new location with its gothic charm. The parents also enjoyed having an area with couches and soft chairs, where they could relax and socialize, while their children played chess.

In late 2007, Jim Herbert heard that the Griffin Museum at 67 Shore Road Winchester would host the Winchester Chess Club at no cost.  The club moved on February 1, 2008. This is a beautiful well lit location with the added benefit of providing chess club members an opportunity to view the various exhibits at the Museum.

In 2009 IM Vivek Rao (2497) began to bring his son Venkat to the club and in 2009 and again in 2010 conducted a simultaneous exhibition. In the first winning all games (28) and in the second on April 16 with tougher opposition and a 30 minute clock he scored 8.5 out of 10.

Tom Richardson in April 2009 provided the following information regarding the club ratings list: "The first game in my ratings database was posted March 13, 1994 (probably played March 11) and was a win by Zakhar Frumes over Ryan Flanagan.  The database now has a total of 6011 games played by 497 members.  Matthew Chau played the most games, a total of 496 between 1998 and 2004.  David Plantamura has played a total of 307 games, which is the second most."  John Shawcross adds that prior to the computerized data base Tom had constructed a physical game pyramid with hooks and name tags; it was not used much but was a start.

Tournaments and Events:

The club holds tournaments at various times throughout the season. These tournaments offer time controls from five minutes for the one week speed tournament to seventy-five minutes for the five week annual club tournament. There is also a bughouse tournament where teams of two players battle it out. In bughouse, teams are chosen by pairing the best players with junior players which means any team has a chance of winning the event. We also hold a Herbert Handicap where based on club ratings the better players remove some of their pieces at the start of the game to equalize the games. The event is named after Jim Herbert who donated an antique silver cocktail shaker which had been a trophy at the Boston Chess Club in 1932 (the Boston Chess Club played Bridge!). 

Above history compiled in early 2008 by David Plantamura (President), and reviewed by John Shawcross (Treasurer and Webmaster), Tom Richardson (Tournament Director) and Connie Stolow (Founder of the Chess Club). Details were updated April 2008 after Tom Richardson found a copy of the first Winchester Chess Club Newsletter (Volume 1, Number 1 dated January 1993 announcing the scheduele and the move to the Town Hall).

( As time permits we may expand this history. if anyone wants to suggest some detail or correct errors please let me know.  John Shawcross)

Any person wishing to take an organizational role in the club should please advise Tom, David or John who will be happy to help you get involved.

 

 

 

 

Other Chess Links

Winchester Chess Club Contacts
President;  David Plantamura  781 321 4515
Tournaments/lessons;  Tom Richardson 781 721 1520
Secretary/Treasurer; John Shawcross 781 729 8925



  1. Chess Club meets at the Griffin Museum at 67 Shore Road Winchester.
  2. Small extra competition entry fees are as shown in the schedule(this pays for cash prizes or trophies).
  3. Children may attend the club with the consent, attendance and vigilance of a parent or other adult responsible for the child.
  4. Any person attending the chess club who is not behaving responsibly may be asked to leave the Griffin Museum premises.

CHILDREN WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUPERVISION OR THOSE BEHAVING BADLY OR MAKING TOO MUCH NOISE WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE.

 

For more information or questions contact John Shawcross 781 729 8925

The End of Chess