Magnus Carlsen Interview

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Time magazine has posted an interview with Magnus Carlsen on their website. Check it out here.

Also, I have reserved the Vienna Public Library again for 2010 on the second Wednesday of every month from 6-9 PM. I realize that this time may not work for everyone. I'd like to organize other monthly meetings so that everyone can participate. Please let me know what days/times would be best for you by leaving a comment here on the website. Thanks!

Kanawha Valley Scholastic Chess League

From Craig Timmons:

We are pleased to announce the beginning of the Kanawha Valley Scholastic Chess League for 2010. The WVSCA will manage the chess league. The United States Chess Federation (USCF) will rate the games. The matches will be at Saint Francis Elementary School in the Parish Center in St. Albans, WV. The team match dates are scheduled for:

Saturday Jan 23, 2010
Saturday Jan 30, 2010

Each day we will play three rounds with team-modified Swiss pairings (team members will not be paired with each other). The individual League Scholastic Chess Championship will be February 27, 2010 and is open to all scholastic league members without entry fee and all other scholastic players with valid and current United States Chess Federation (USCF) memberships for $10. Memberships should be valid through February 28, 2009 or later.

If your school has a chess club that would like to enter a team or teams or if you would like to form a chess team for this league, please use the enclosed sign-up sheet. Please return the enclosed form and payment by check, payable to WVSCA before January 15, 2010 to:

Craig Timmons
811 Hughes Drive
St. Albans, WV 25177

The flyer and entry form for this event can be found here.

WV State Scholastic Chess Championship

The 42nd Annual WVSCA State Scholastic Chess Championship will be held at WV State University in Institute, WV on March 6, 2010. Information about this event can be found on the WVSCA website. The entry form can also be found here.

Charleston Chess Club Christmas Party

The Charleston Chess Club's Christmas party scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled due to the upcoming snow storm. They are looking to reschedule for later in the month.

Charleston Chess Club Christmas Party

From John Roush:

The Charleston Chess Club will be holding a Christmas get-together from 11 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, December 19, 2009 at the WVSSPA Building (1610 Washington Street East; Charleston, WV 25311), which is where the chess club meets on Tuesdays. We plan to play chess and snack on various items (fried chicken, cupcakes, chips, etc.).

I encourage all who can make it to come. We usually have a good time!

Chess Training Session

From Craig Timmons:

John Homer will be holding a chess training session at Bible Center Church across from Ashton Place in Charleston, WV. It will begin at 10:00 and end around noon, Saturday, December 12, 2009.

The training session is oriented towards players new to chess. Mr. Homer will be going over chess rules for tournament play (i.e touch move, time, equipment, pairings, etc.). He will also discuss how to improve your level of play in chess.

Mr. Homer has been a United States Chess Federation Senior Tournament Director for several years. He has worked at state and national tournaments and played in numerous tournaments. We are fortunate to have his expertise to help the youth learn this great game.

If you have time on Saturday, please stop by. This is a great opportunity to help both parents and players learn about chess and develop their skills.

Happy Thanksgiving

On behalf of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club, I'd like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving today! I hope you all enjoy your time with your friends and family.

Chess Puzzle

It's been a long time since I posted a chess puzzle. This one is very easy, but I decided to post it anyway since it's such a cool position. Black has just played Qe8+. What is White's best move?

Saturday Meeting

We will be holding a chess club meeting tomorrow, November 21, at Borders in Vienna. We will start playing at 2:00 PM. Please feel free to stop by for a friendly game and a cup of joe.

New Chess.com Group

I have created a group on Chess.com for players who are or formerly have been active in competitive chess in West Virginia. If you play on Chess.com and are interested in joining, please visit the group page here.

My hope is that we will soon be able to setup Vote Chess and Team Chess matches against other groups.

WVU Russian Club Charity Chess Tournament

From David Iorio:

Congratulations to Ben Good who won the 2009 WVU Russian Club Charity Chess Tournament! A modest turnout of eighteen players delivered exciting games at the adopted G/15 time control. These included sudden death between Terry Wassell Sr. (0.5) and Caleb Aites (1.5) and a finely played rook and pawn ending by Dave Bruner, who visited from Elkins, against Lawrence Iorio.

Ben (WV Co-Champion) earned his place at the podium by taking out in succession Bill Austin (Morgantown Champion), Lawrence Iorio, Shih-Houng Young, and myself. Feeling that Ben's 270 rating point advantage was not enough, I (black) uncorked an opening "novelty" in the Vienna sacrificing a knight for pawn and phantom attack. It was a charity chess event! Ben reacted incredulously before calmly accepting the piece. Though the game later proved interesting, Ben's advantage was never in jeopardy as he proceeded to apply pressure on the kingside. White's threat of tripling rooks plus queen on the open f-file translated to a king and pawn ending where black was unable to avoid zugzwang.

The WVU Russian Club graciously hosted and provided a comfortable playing site. It was an excellent opportunity for Phil DiSalvo to promote the WVU Chess Club and the MCC was well-represented with seven participants. This was the tournament's third edition and they intend to keep it as an annual event. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a successful fundraiser for a great cause!

Chess Coupons

I've received several coupon codes for chess sites over the past couple weeks. I thought I would pass them along in case anyone was in the market for chess gear:

Chess House: CH10OFF - $10 off $50 or more
USCF Sales: NOVEMBER - 10% off
Wholesale Chess: SAVENOW - 10% off

These coupons are good for the next several days, although there may be better deals after Thanksgiving.

Club Meetings

This is just a reminder that the monthly meeting of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club will be this Wednesday at 6:00 PM at the Vienna Public Library. Also, we are tentatively planning a meeting this Saturday at Borders. I will post the times once this has been confirmed.

Northern WV Individual Scholastic Championship

Congratulations to Jackson Morris, who won three out of four games yesterday at the 6th Northern WV Individual Scholastic Championship and took home a trophy!

WVU Chess Club

From David Iorio:

Yesterday's inaugural meeting of the WVU Chess Club was a resounding success! Fifteen players advanced pieces across the checkered tables amidst the bustle of the Mountainlair. With a handful of onlookers and a mingling fast food aroma in the background, it was an enjoyable evening of chess. Hats off to Phil DiSalvo for a great start and thanks to the Morgantown Chess Club for lending sets. The club will continue meeting in the food court at 6:00 p.m. on Mondays. Stop by for a game and don't forget about the WVU Russian Club Charity Tournament on November 18. I will deliver to them an entry list on the registration deadline of November 16.

Spring Tournament

The Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club is tentatively planning a Spring Tournament for April 2010. I have recently received my club director certification from the USCF, and I am looking forward to directing a tournament. I will post more information as details are finalized.

Club Meeting This Month

This is just a reminder that the club meeting this month will be held on November 18th. The second Wednesday was not available this month due to a scheduling conflict.

Ripley Chess Club

The Ripley Chess Club will be meeting this Tuesday, November 3rd, at the community center in Gay, WV from 6 PM to 8 PM.

Chess Club Meeting

The regular meeting of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club will be this Wednesday at the Vienna Public Library. Hope to see you there!

Mountaineer Open

Four members of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club made the journey to Morgantown yesterday for the 11th Annual Mountaineer Open. It was a tough tournament, and none of us were very happy with our performances, but Mike Price and Matt Richardson took away the U1400 and U1200 class prizes.

WVU-P Chess Club

The WVU-P Chess Club will meet tomorrow in the WVUP student lounge at 4:00 PM.

Karpov-Kasparov Match in the WSJ

The Wall Street Journal printed an article yesterday about the recent match between Karpov and Kasparov. It's an interesting read, although their research is questionable. They credit Mikhail Botvinnik with leading the transition from the Romantic style of Anderssen and Morphy to the Classical style based on positional strength. They totally ignore Steinitz's work decades before. Oh well, that's journalism for you.

Article on Bobby Fischer

The Los Angeles Times posted an article earlier this week on the enigmatic chess genius Bobby Fischer. The article seeks to explore some of his bizarre behavior by examining the identity of his biological father, who was not Gerhardt Fischer, but rather a man named Paul Felix Nemenyi. It's an interesting read.

Homecoming Thanks

The Marietta Register has published a thank you letter from the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club to our sponsors for the Homecoming tournament. Once again, we'd like to thank our sponsors who made our tournament such a success!

Chess in the Park Update

We had a great time in the park last night. Six players were able to make it, including Ben Good who made the trip all the way from Clarksburg. We played a lot of blitz, as well as a few longer games. I've added some photos from the event to our club meetings gallery. Let's plan to do this again soon!

Chess in the Park

Greetings everyone! Some of us will be gathering tomorrow, September 19th, at 5:00 PM in the Williamstown City Park to play some chess. Feel free to stop by and play a few games.

CATTA Weekly Blitz Tournament

CATTA & the Ohio University Chess Club will be holding a weekly G/5 blitz tournament following their regular club meeting. The entry fee is $5, and participants must be members of the USCF. The number of rounds will depend on the number of contestants, and the tournament will be rated. A cash prize will be awarded to the first place winner. For more information, visit the OU Chess Club website.

Club Meeting

I just wanted to remind everyone that our monthly club meeting will be held this Wednesday at 6 PM at the Vienna Public Library. I hope to see you there!

West Virginia State Chess Championship

The 71st Annual West Virginia State Chess Championship was held this past weekend at the Benedum Civic Center in Bridgeport, WV. Twenty-eight players competed in this six-round event. The winners were as follows:

Championship: Benjamin Good & John Roush tied with 5 points each.
Under 1900: Sid Parhi won first prize with 4.5 points. Michael Felton took second with 4 points.
Under 1600: Terry Wassell won first prize with 4.5 points. Benjamin Cowley took second with 4 points.
Under 1300: Matt Richardson and Lewis Sanders tied with 3 points each.
Junior: Christopher, Joseph and Robert Greer tied with 1.5 points each.

The cross table for this event has been posted at the USCF website.

Ripley Chess Club Meeting

The Ripley Chess Club had their first meeting last night, with a lot of interest from the scholastic chess community. Check out their blog for pictures from the event.

Homecoming Tournament Cross Table

The cross table for the Homecoming Tournament has been posted on the USCF website.

USCF Adult Membership Dues Change

The USCF announced today that the regular adult membership rate will increase from $29 to $34 effective December 1, 2009.

Homecoming Tournament Winners

The 17th Annual Parkersburg Homecoming Chess Tournament was held on Sunday, August 23rd at the Parkersburg Municipal Building. The Tournament consisted of two sections and 40 participants from West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The Homecoming has become the final tune-up for players who will be participating in the WV and OH State Championships, both held on Labor Day Weekend.

The Nationally Rated Section had the following winners:

First Place - Thomas Magar, North Versailles, PA & David Hines, Ridgeley, WV

Both players finished the 4 rounds with 3 wins and 1 draw. Thomas Magar was awarded the Championship Trophy based on tie break formulas.

The following players won prizes for finishing first in their respective rating classes:

Sidhartha Parhi, Morgantown, WV
Terry Wassell, Morgantown, WV
Berty Ruan, Pittsburgh, PA

The Non-Rated Section had the following winners:

First Place - Jeff Johnson, Mineral Wells, WV
Jeff finished the 3 rounds with 3 wins and was awarded the 1st Place Trophy.

Second Place - Connor Hall, Mineral Wells, WV
Connor finished the 3 rounds with 2 wins and was awarded the 2nd Place Trophy

Sponsors of the Chess Tournament:

City of Parkersburg
Emerson Bowling Lanes Trophy Shop
Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club
Panera Bread

Pictures from the event can be found in our photo gallery. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event such a success!

Chess Club Websites

I've added the Ripley Chess Club and Ohio University Chess Club websites to our links. Check them out when you get a chance!

The Newspaper, Chess, and H. G. Wells

The Parkersburg News & Sentinel has printed an article on the upcoming Homecoming Tournament. Check it out for my weak attempt to explain the allure of chess. Perhaps I should have referred the reporter to H. G. Wells' essay on the subject, which begins like so:

The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face. It is the most absorbing of occupations, the least satisfying of desires, an aimless excrescence upon life. It annihilates a man.

-- H.G. Wells, "Concerning Chess" 1898

The essay ends "And yet I have played many games."

Homecoming Tournament Players

The following players have tentatively scheduled to play in the Parkersburg Homecoming Tournament.

Thomas P. Magar 2200
Benjamin Good 2067
David Hines 1975
Markus Boettcher 1931
Jeff Hohn 1843
Mike Richardson 1785
Dave Rutherford 1774
Ack Morgan 1734
Aaron Richardson 1662
Reggie Best 1655
Terry Wassell 1579
Jordan Whistler 1579/5
James C. Fields 1539
Robert L. Greer 1246
Lunaris Ruan 1223
James T. Wassell 1197
Berty Ruan 1172
Matt Richardson 1167
Victoria Zhang 1042
Hao-Yu Li 979
Charles McCallister 943
Robert V. Greer 717
Brandon Baylor Unr
Jeffrey Fields Unr

Of these players, 18 have already registered. This is shaping up to be one of our best-attended tournaments ever! If you haven't made up your mind about the tournament yet, I would encourage you to come take part in this event.

New Chess Club in Ripley

The Ripley Chess Club will have its first meeting Thursday, August 27, 2009 at the Jackson County Public Library located at 208 North Church Street Ripley, WV from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

Inquiries should be directed to charles669@hughes.net.

2009 Athens Summer Tournament

The 2009 Athens Summer Tournament was held last Saturday at the Ohio University campus. Congratulations to Markus Boettcher who won the tournament with four victories. It's great to see that chess is alive and well in Athens. I hope that the OU Chess Club and CATTA will continue to promote chess in our region.

An Interesting Position

I just finished watching Waldemar Moes' latest Chess Video Snack. I found the following position from this study very interesting:


What is the best move for White in this position?

If you've never heard of Chess Video Snacks, I recommend that you check out Waldemar's site at chessedelic.com.

CATTA Tournament

Rhe Chess Association for Tactics, Training and Analysis (CATTA) is now an official USCF affiliate and will be holding their first tournament this Saturday at 11 AM. Registration begins at 10 AM. The entry fee is $5. First prize is petty cash, and you must be a USCF member to play.

Weekly Chess Puzzle

Here's a puzzle in a similar vein to last week's. It's White's move. Can White queen either of his pawns, or will Black's strong rook stop him?

Parkersburg Homecoming Tournament

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Parkersburg Homecoming Chess Tournament will be held on Sunday, August 23rd at the Parkersburg Municipal Building. There will be two sections in this tournament: a rated section and an unrated section. The rated section requires membership in the United States Chess Federation (USCF), which entitles you to the right to earn an official chess rating. The unrated section is open to the public.

If you've never been to a chess tournament before, this is a great opportunity to discover what one is like. I'd highly recommend the unrated section for players who are considering playing chess competitively.

For more information, please e-mail me at movchessclub@gmail.com.

OU Chess

The OU Chess Club will be meeting next Tuesday, August 4 at 6 PM in Clippinger room #254 (the Physics Department's "Common Room").

Weekly Chess Puzzle

I have an endgame puzzle for you this week. White has a bishop and a pawn nearing promotion. Black has a rook. It is White's move. Can Black prevent the pawn from promotion?

OU Chess

The OU Chess Club will be meeting next Tuesday, July 28 at 6 PM in Clippinger room #254 (the Physics Department's "Common Room"). If anyone is interested in arranging a car pool from the Parkersburg/Belpre area, please contact me at movchessclub@gmail.com.

Weekly Chess Puzzle

Today's chess puzzle comes from a game between Lev Alburt and Paul Koploy in 1987. White to move and mate in 8. Can you find the right move?

Review: Shredder for iPhone & iPod Touch

This is the second in a series of reviews of chess applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Today I'm reviewing Shredder Chess.


Shredder is well-known as one of the most successful chess programs for the PC and Mac. It has been ported to the iPhone / iPod Touch platform by game developer Eiko Bleicher of Skizzix.com. The iPhone implementation has most of the features of its "older brother", including analysis, the ability to setup positions, and the ability to save & e-mail games as Portable Game Notation (PGN) files. Unlike Glaurung, it does not display an opening book tree, nor does it allow timed games.

Shredder’s engine is very strong and plays in a human-like fashion. The strength of the engine can be easily adjusted from 850-2400 ELO. Shredder will rate you based on your playing strength. As you win or lose to Shredder, it will adjust its playing strength to provide a good challenge. Shredder's chess coach can optionally warn you if it thinks you are making a mistake. Another distinguishing feature is Shredder's puzzle mode. Shredder will time and rate your performance on 1000 different puzzles. These three features make Shredder a great training tool.


Shredder’s graphics are clean and pleasing to the eye. It features four piece sets and six board colors. The analysis engine graphically displays suggested moves as it examines the position. Shredder supports both the 'tap-drag' and 'tap-tap' methods of moving pieces during play, but the interface for setting up positions only supports ‘tap-drag’. Unfortunately, the button to clear the board is very close to the buttons for the pieces, making it easy to clear the board accidentally while attempting to setup a position.

Shredder’s pricing is on the high end of the scale. At $9.99, it is much more expensive than most chess applications on the App Store; however, it does have a number of features that make it stand out. In addition, if you are thinking about purchasing Shredder for PC or Mac, you can get a code for $10 off your purchase if you buy Shredder for the iPhone.

Shredder is a good option if you can afford the steep price tag; otherwise, the free Glaurung will be fine for most users.

PROS

Strong, human-like engine
Chess coach
Puzzles
Good graphics
Analysis
Ability to save games as PGNs

CONS

Ability to setup positions needs work
Relatively expensive compared to other apps
No opening book tree
No timed games

Overall Rating: 4/5

Columbus Open

Congratulations to Jordan Whistler, who finished 7th in his section at the Columbus Open and achieved his first official USCF rating of 1579. Out of five rounds, Jordan won three and drew one. Great job, Jordan!

Weekly Chess Puzzle

This week's chess puzzle comes from a game played between Arthur Bisguier and Bobby Fischer in 1965. It's black's move and Fischer finds mate in 6. Can you find it?

Tournament Update

Ohio University CHESS and the Chess Association for Training, Tactics and Analysis will be hosting the 2009 Summer Chess Tournament at Ohio University in Athens, OH on Saturday, August 8th. This will be a four-round G/30 Swiss-style event. For more information, see the following flyer.

OU Chess / CATTA Meeting

The Ohio University Chess Club and CATTA will be meeting at the Donkey Coffeehouse in Athens on Thursday, July 16 starting at 4 PM. If anyone is interested in arranging a car pool, please contact me at movchessclub@gmail.com.

Chess Club Meeting

I'd just like to remind everyone that the Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club will be meeting this Wednesday, July 8th, in the Vienna Public Library. We will meet at 6 PM in the conference room and play until 9 PM. I look forward to seeing you there!

Ohio University Chess Club

The Ohio University Chess Club will be meeting next Tuesday, July 7th at 6:00 PM in the Physics Department common room (#254) of the Clippinger Laboratories building. A few of us made the trip last week and had a great time, so if you have a chance, why not pay them a visit?

Weekly Chess Puzzle

White to move and mate in 7. There are several variations to this puzzle - see if you can find them all!

Polgar Invitational Girls Chess Tournament

I've just been informed that the West Virginia nominee to the Polgar Invitational Girls Chess Tournament cannot participate this year, and a search is going on for a replacement nominee. If you know a West Virginian girl in grades 6-12 who would be interested in participating, please contact me at movchessclub@gmail.com as soon as possible. The USCF must be notified of the replacement candidate by July 2. The nominee must know how to play chess, but need not be a current member of the USCF.

There is no entry fee to this tournament, and each girl who participates will receive $150 plus anything she wins. The top prize is a $20,000 scholarship to the University of Texas, Dallas. This is a four-day tournament. Each girl gets free room and meals, and parents can stay for $22 per night. Side attractions include a simul with Susan Polgar, a Bughouse tournament, a speed chess tournament, problem solving contests and more.

This is really an outstanding opportunity! Girls will learn a lot and have lots of fun. Some states have low rated players - this tournament will not have 50 superstars.

OU Chess / CATTA Meeting

The Ohio University Chess Club & the Chess Association for Tactics, Training and Analysis will be meeting this Thursday evening in Athens. Here are the details from CATTA co-founder Jordan Pleasant:

To All:

WE REALIZE IT"S SHORT NOTICE BUT: Summer players in Ohio University Chess Club and the Chess Association for Tactics, Training and Analysis will be meeting from 4:00 PM to God Knows When on Thursday, July 2 at the Donkey Coffeehouse in Athens.

Please join us for a nice evening of casual play and analysis.

Best, and we hope to see you there.

CATTA and OU Chess

If anyone has any questions or needs directions, please send an e-mail to movchessclub@gmail.com and I will pass along Jordan's contact information.

OU Chess Club Update

Three of our club members made the trip to Athens on Tuesday night to challenge the Ohio University chess club to an informal blitz tournament. There were five rounds in the match. MOVCC members Jordan Whistler and Matt Richardson came away with two victories, while Reggie Best won two and drew one. The tournament was a blast, and we look forward to the next one.

Weekly Chess Puzzle

Here is this week's puzzle:


White to move and mate in 5. Can you spot the winning moves? If so, leave a comment on the blog explaining your solution.

Ohio University Chess Club

The Ohio University Chess Club will be meeting next Tuesday, June 30th at 6:00 PM in the Physics Department common room (#254) of the Clippinger Laboratories building.

If anyone is interested in making the trip to Athens on Tuesday evening, please e-mail me so we can arrange a car pool.

Free Rybka Chess Engine

From Zarkon Fischer's Free Chess Programs site:

A promotional version of Peshk@, the new ChessOK interface for its training courses, has been made available on the Rybka Forum. Interestingly (and I'm not sure how long this will last), the software includes Rybka 2.3.2a, which is some 30 Elo points stronger than Rybka 2.2n2, and so, for now at least, is the strongest free chess engine!

If you currently use the free 2.2n2 version of Rybka for analysis, you might want to consider downloading Peshk@ to get this later version. You may have to do a little searching to find it, but the name of the file is Rybka v2.3.2a.w32.exe. Peshk@ looks like an interesting program for training, although I haven't had much time to check it out.

Tournament Update

The 17th Annual Parkersburg Homecoming Chess Tournament will be held on Sunday, August 23rd at the Parkersburg Municipal Building, 2nd & Market Streets, Parkersburg, WV. This will be a four-round Swiss system event with a time control of G/60. There will be both rated and unrated sections. For more information, visit the event page on the WVCA website.

The 71st Annual West Virginia State Chess Championship will be held from Saturday, September 5th through Monday, September 7th at the Benedum Civic Center, 164 W. Main St., Bridgeport, WV. This will be a six-round Swiss system event with a time control of 35/90 SD/60. Quick (G/10) and Blitz (G/5) tournaments will also be held after Round 2 at the Microtel Inn. For more information, visit the event page on the WVCA website.

The Notre Dame High School Fall Chess Tournament will be held on Saturday, September 26th at Notre Dame High Scool in Clarksburg, WV. This will be a four-round Swiss system scholastic event. Time controls for the High School section are G/45 and for the Elementary section are G/30. There is also an Unrated section with no time controls. For more information, visit the event page on the WVSCA website.

The 11th Mountaineer Open is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 10th at the Morgantown Chess Club, 100 Cobun Ave., Morgantown WV. This will be a four-round Swiss system event with a time control of G/75. There will be both Open and Reserve (under 1800) sections. In the event of six or fewer players registering for either section, the sections will be combined. For more information, visit the event page on the Morgantown Chess Club website.

Review: Glaurung Chess for iPhone & iPod Touch

This is the first in a series of reviews of chess applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The touch screen on these devices is a great interface that really works well for chess. There are a number of chess programs available in the App Store, but today I'm reviewing one of the better options: Glaurung Chess by Tord Romstad.

Glaurung Chess is a port of an open-source chess engine for the Mac. The engine is very strong (about 2700 ELO) and aggressive. Glaurung has most of the features you would expect from a commercial chess package, including analysis, an opening book tree, the ability to setup positions, and the ability to save & e-mail games as Portable Game Notation (PGN) files. This last feature is especially useful. I recently used Glaurung at a chess tournament to record my notation in-between rounds. When I got home, I simply had to e-mail the PGN file to myself to import it into my PC's chess database.



Graphically, Glaurung is a bit plain. It features two piece sets and five board colors. The menu options, while functional, can be a bit confusing to navigate. For example, under the 'Game' menu is an option called 'Level/Game Mode' where you set the players and time control. However, the actual level of computer playing strength is controlled under the 'Options' menu. Glaurung supports both the 'tap-drag' and 'tap-tap' methods of moving pieces, so you can enter moves quite easily.

The best thing about Glaurung is the price. As open-source software, it is available completely free of charge. Other applications with similar features cost $4.99 or more. Given Glaurung's excellent price point, there's no reason not to get this app.

PROS

Strong engine
Analysis
Opening book tree
Ability to setup positions
Ability to save games as PGNs
Free!

CONS

Mediocre graphics
Confusing menus

Overall Rating: 4/5

Weekly Chess Puzzle

I've decided to run a series of weekly chess puzzles. I'll attempt to post problems that are more involved than the daily Shredder puzzles. If you see the solution, leave a comment on the blog explaining your reasoning.


White to move and mate in 5. Can you spot the winning move?

Chess in the Park Update

Our "Chess in the Park" event went very well yesterday! I'd like to thank everyone who was able to come out. Our club had a good time challenging the Athens players, and we are looking forward to more opportunities to work together.

Pictures from the event have been posted in our photo gallery.

Chess in the Park

The Mid-Ohio Valley Chess Club will be meeting this Saturday, July 20th to play some chess and enjoy the Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival. We will meet at noon by the band shell, find a table, and play until 3 PM. Hope to see you there!

New Athens Chess Organization

A new chess organization, the Chess Association for Training, Tactics and Analysis (CATTA) is being formed in Athens, OH. For more information, please see this article from The Post.

Also, check out this interesting article about CATTA co-founder Rod Gorby's work to create software that musically annotates chess games.