Hales Corners Chess Challenge XI

Photos of the action, received from Tom Fogec.  Thanks, Tom.

Photo 1:  The Huang sisters (Alena and Joanna) on adjoining boards

Photo 2:  Sandra Pahl on the left and Susie Ulrich on the right

Photo 3:  Isabella Ilchenko defeating Bud Burgin who, I was gently told, is not really Santa Claus




Chess Life Online did a nice cover on the HCCC XI and Goddesschess' sponsorship was prominently mentioned - along with new sponsorship by the North American Chess Association!  Congratulations once again to all of the players.  Some of us Goddesschess folk will be putting out heads together tomorrow evening over dinner in Las Vegas to discuss what we can to to encourage more chess femmes to play in the HCCC XII, which will be held this fall.  Stay tuned!

Hales Corners Chess Challenge XI! Final Standings

Hola!  Allen Becker sent a couple of photographs from the action at the HCCC XI.

Another successful Hales Corners Chess Challenge is in the books.Final standings/results are available at the USCF website.

Top finishers in the Open:

1 ERIK SANTARIUS 3.5 W 7 W 12 D 2 W 10 WI 12841108 / R: 2326
2 ALEX BETANELI 3.0 W 17 W 6 D 1 D 4 WI 12560488 / R: 22873
3 WILLIAM P WILLIAMS 3.0 W 19 W 30 L 10 W 14 WI 10310547 / R: 2200
4 ANTHONY LEE PARKER 3.0 W 18 D 16 W 29 D 2 WI 12780815 / R: 2146 5
5 MATTHEW WALLER 3.0 L 30 W 21 W 24 W 19 WI 12876397 / R: 2091
6 BENEDICT A SMAIL 3.0 W 24 L 2 W 31 W 20 MA 12677440 / R: 2031
7 RICHARD R MARTIN III 3.0 L 1 W 9 W 32 W 23 WI 12693222 / R: 2003
8 MARTIN JOHN FRANEK 3.0 D 35 W 38 D 23 W 17 IL 10343232 / R: 1700
9 ABE SUN 3.0 W 40 L 7 W 30 W 16 IL 14089741 / R: 1598

The Reserve section was won by Justin Rajsky (IL 1446), with a perfect score of 4.0/4.

Rachel Ulrich, who was perfect through Round 3 with 3.0/3, lost her R4 game (not without a fight) and had a great tournament! Ms. Ulrich won a Goddesschess prize of $30; in addition, her entry fee to HCCC XII will be paid by Goddesschess should she choose to enter that event later this year. Goddesschess prizes are awarded in addition to whatever prizes a player may otherwise qualify for. Congratulations to Rachel Ulrich, well done! She finished in 3rd place overall in the Reserve section, an excellent result.

Top finishers in the Reserve:

1 | JUSTIN RAJSKY |4.0 |W 8|W 4|W 12|W 3|
IL | 13714997 / R: 1446 ->1574 | | | | | |
| Q: 1402 ->1540 | | | | | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 | JOEL NICHOLAS POLLEN |3.5 |W 21|D 7|W 24|W 6|
WI | 14413813 / R: Unrated->1757P4 | | | | | |
| Q: Unrated->1655P4 | | | | | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3 | RACHEL J ULRICH |3.0 |W 23|W 18|W 5|L 1|
IL | 13384485 / R: 1539 ->1563 | | | | | |
| Q: 1447 ->1492 | | | | | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4 | JOHN A HEGELMEYER |3.0 |W 17|L 1|W 29|W 11|
WI | 12787626 / R: 1503 ->1515 | | | | | |
| Q: 1425 ->1431 | | | | | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5 | GARY M WRIGHT |3.0 |W 9|W 10|L 3|W 20|
WI | 12597152 / R: 1282 ->1383 | | | | | |
| Q: 1374 ->1402 | | | | | |

The final standings of the other chess femmes who participated (all in the Reserve section):

8 | SANDRA R PAHL |2.5 |L 1|W 31|D 26|W 25|
WI | 10318033 / R: 1451 ->1443 |
10 | JOANNA HUANG |2.5 |W 28|L 5|W 30|D 14|
WI | 13713444 / R: 1394 ->1383 |
16 | ALENA HUANG |2.0 |L 12|L 24|W 36|W 29|
WI | 13713450 / R: 1477 ->1439
31 | SUSIE ULRICH |1.0 |W 15|L 8|L 20|L 19|
IL | 13498414 / R: 856 -> 898
32 | ISABELLA ILCHENKO |1.0 |L 14|L 30|W 34|L 21|
WI | 13956232 / R: 917 -> 880

I hope I did not miss any of the chess femmes who played.

Sandra Pahl and Joanna Huang split the second Goddesschess prize of $25 for their performance in the Reserve section.  

Altogether, 6 ladies out of 78 registered players, for a percentage of about 7.7%.   We were hoping for more. What can we do to encourage more female players to participate? 

Now we're looking forward to Challenge XII!

Hales Corners Chess Challenge XI! Update - 4:37 p.m.

Hola!

A quick update.  First - total registered players 78!!!! That's one more than in Challenge X, which is great.

NO chess femmes playing in the Open.  Rachel Ulrich, who was the last femme standing in the Open, opted to play in the Reserve section instead after Sandra Pahl pulled out of the Open and Nicole N. withdrew due to illness.  In Rachel's shoes, I would have made the same decision.  At least in the Reserve section she will be playing for one of 2 Goddesschess cash prizes; there were no prizes offered in the Open for 1 chess femme playing.

The good news is that as of the end of Round 2, Rachel is 2 for 2 and among the leaders! Yippee!

R 2 cross-table for the chess femmes:

3. Pahl, Sandra R (3)............ WI 1508 L13 W32 A25 -U- 1.0
7. Huang, Alena (7).............. WI 1435 L18 L11 A29 -U- 0.0
9. Huang, Joanna (9)............. WI 1394 W19 L17 A35 -U- 1.0
12. Ulrich, Rachel J (12)......... IL 1345 W2 W15 A17 -U- 2.0
30. Ilchenko, Isabella (30)....... WI 917 L22 L35 A33 -U- 0.0
32. Ulrich, Susie (32)............ IL 750 W24 L3 A23 -U- 1.0

Hales Corners Chess Challenge XI!

Today is the day, and it's a beautiful but brisk one here in Milwaukee.  The sky is clear blue and the sun is warm and bright, but the wind is off Lake Michigan so it's coolish out there - definitely jacket weather!  It's a perfect day for a good turnout at the Hales Corners Chess Challenge XI.  Action starts at 10:00 a.m. local time (about an hour from now).

Pre-registration was 60 players.  "Walk-up" registration has been pretty good the past few Challenges - averaging around 20 players.

Registration in the Open for chess femmes wasn't great - there were three, but when I checked the list this morning there was only one listed.  That won't qualify her for a prize, as the number of prizes for ladies in the Open was dependent on how many play - and at least two are needed to play for one prize, three for two prizes, four for three prizes.  One of the ladies who had pre-registered had to withdraw due to illness, and it looks like another switched to the Reserve section.

Two Goddesschess prizes are offered in the Reserve section and five chess femmes have pre-registered.

So, our experiment with the prize structure to try and encourage more chess femmes to play in the Open has been a dismal failure. 

I expect the folks at the tournament will be updating the Southwest Chess Club blog periodically -- Good luck to all the players!

Hales Corners Challenge XI!

It's coming soon! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by, darlings!  I encourage everyone within reasonable traveling distance of Milwaukee, Wisconsin to come to the Hales Corners Challenge XI - it's a great event and very player-friendly. It's a tough schedule but it's all in one day too - you can travel in for the Saturday event, stay over and trek back home on Sunday. TEN Grand Prix points.

There is a new location this year - players, please take note and don't show up at the wrong hotel!

Goddesschess is once again sponsoring special prizes for the chess femmes but we're introducing a new prize structure - we're trying to encourage more chess femmes to play in the Open event.  The more chess femmes who play in the Open, the higher the prize amounts and the greater the number of prizes and their tamounts will be.  So ladies, it's up to you.  For Challenge XII, the number of prizes and their amounts for chess femmes will be increased too -  or decreased - depending on the number of you who come out and play in the Open in Challenge XI. Come on chess femmes, get your feet wet - the water is just fine.

Particulars:

Online version

Hales Corners Challenge XI

Sponsored by The Southwest Chess Club

http://home.roadrunner.com/~swcc/

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Two Sections – Open & Reserve (Under 1600)
FORMAT: Four Round Swiss System - Four Games in One Day
USCF Rated
TIME LIMIT: Game in One Hour (60 minutes per player)
ENTRY FEE: $35 – Open; $25 – Reserve
(both sections $5 more after April 14, 2010)
Comp Entry Fee for USCF 2200+: Entry fee subtracted from any prizes won
SITE REGISTRATION: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
ROUNDS: 10 am -- 1 pm -- 3:30 pm -- 6 pm
Pairings by WinTD---No Computer Entries---No Smoking

PRIZES
OPEN & RESERVE
1st—$325* 1st—$100
2nd—$175* 2nd—$75
A—$100 D—$50
B & Below—$75 E & Below—$40
* guaranteed
Goddesschess Prizes for Females: Up to $245 for Best Results by female chess players
For Female Players in the Open Section:
1 woman - no cash prize
2 women - one prize of $45
3 women - two prizes of $45 and $40
4 women - three prizes of $50, $45, $40
5 or more women - four prizes of $55, $50, $45, $40
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed

For Female Players in the Reserve Section:
1st --$30
2nd --$25
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed
Best Game Prize—Starting Out: Chess Tactics & Checkmates (DVD) by Chris Ward

Tournament Director: Robin Grochowski
Assistant Tournament Directors: Tom Fogec & Allen Becker

NEW SITE: Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport Hotel—6401 S. 13th Street—414-764-5300
I94 to College Avenue East exit, College to 13th (one block), turn right on 13th to hotel (two blocks on right)

ENTRIES TO: Allen Becker—6105 Thorncrest Drive—Greendale, WI 53129 allenbecker@wi.rr.com

QUESTIONS TO: Robin Grochowski—414-744-4872 (home) or 414-861-2745 (cell)

USCF I.D. Required -- Bring your own clocks – Sets and Boards Provided
Half point bye available in Round 1, 2 or 3 if requested prior to round 1; not available in Round 4.

Hales Corners Challenge XI!

It will be here before we know it - April 17, 2010! If you are within driving distance of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, consider coming for the day.  It's a very nice venue conveniently located in southeast Milwaukee (near the airport) and a great event, organized by the Southwest Chess Club.  It's worth 10 Grand Prix Points and is also part of the WCA Tour. 

Further information and entry form. 

To encourage more chess femmes to play in the Open Section, Goddesschess has increased its prize pool to $245 for Challenge XI, but dependent on how many enroll to play in that section. The more chess femmes play in the Open, the more prizes are available for them and the higher the amounts. Two fixed prizes are offered for chess femmes who finish in the top two spots in the Reserve Section. In addition, Goddesschess will pay the entry fees of the top finishing chess femmes in both sections should they choose to play in Hales Corners Challenge XII. Goddesschess prizes are awarded in addition to any other prize that a chess femme may win:

For Female Players in the Open Section:

1 woman - no cash prize
2 women - one prize of $45
3 women - two prizes of $45 and $40
4 women - three prizes of $50, $45, $40
5 or more women - four prizes of $55, $50, $45, $40
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed

For Female Players in the Reserve Section:

1st --$30
2nd --$25
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed