The team schmoozes and jokes at the IHOP, eating chicken and waffles, and sharing stories that sometimes just stop.
Back at the hotel, games of bughouse emerge, and bargain chess is invented. Players from Lane and Lincoln Park and Northside merge into a lively chess community.
It's in their veins.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Final Standing
Congratulations to Ryan and Ronald.
Ryan finished with 6.5 wins, tied for most wins by a player on third board. This is the second year in a row that Ryan has won the top medal on third board. Congratulations!
Ronald had six wins, so he ties for most wins on fourth board. Congratulations!
Northside was ranked 17 in the final standings, matching our original seeding.
Round 7 complete
Mindren won. Max's opponent resigned. Ryan drew with a three-fold repetition.
George eventually collected on his advantage and won his second game of the tournament - undefeated.
Slav went down to the wire with Andy Caen, a very strong player. Finally, with mere seconds on each clock, Slav converted a pawn to a queen. Then he converted another pawn and sealed the fate of the game using two queens.
Final score 56-12
Slav went down to the wire with Andy Caen, a very strong player. Finally, with mere seconds on each clock, Slav converted a pawn to a queen. Then he converted another pawn and sealed the fate of the game using two queens.
Final score 56-12
Round 7 after 1.5 hours
Matthew lost, but Isha and Ronald won.
George, on 8th board, is up a rook. Mindren is up 2 pawns, Max is up 1 pawn, Ryan is up on time. Slav's game looks close
George, on 8th board, is up a rook. Mindren is up 2 pawns, Max is up 1 pawn, Ryan is up on time. Slav's game looks close
Round 7
We've been paired with Lincoln Park. That's a drag.
They're our buddies on the bus. Both of us are 4-2 now, so we can't both hope for 5 wins. One of us will have to go home 4-3.
Even worse for Lincoln Park -- they played Whitney Young last round.
Intra-league match-ups are supposed to be avoided at the State tournament, although in the last rounds, sometimes the tournament directors can't avoid it without causing other problems.
Round 6 progress 4
Ryan won! Six out of six so far!
Northside barely trails 10-11
Ronald is way down on time, material even. Mindren down two pawns. Matthew still in trouble.
Slav and Max up on time, material even.
Northside barely trails 10-11
Ronald is way down on time, material even. Mindren down two pawns. Matthew still in trouble.
Slav and Max up on time, material even.
Round 6 progress 3
Alejandro lost.
Niles North has 11 points on us.
Ryan has Adam Rubinberg's king in check with queen touching it. Looks like Ryan should have this.
We need the rest of the top boards.
I really want to see Northside win this one. It is murky.
Anxious.
I really want Slav, Max, Ronald, and Mindren to prevail.
Come on guys!!
Niles North has 11 points on us.
Ryan has Adam Rubinberg's king in check with queen touching it. Looks like Ryan should have this.
We need the rest of the top boards.
I really want to see Northside win this one. It is murky.
Anxious.
I really want Slav, Max, Ronald, and Mindren to prevail.
Come on guys!!
Round 6 in progress
Something happened to Isha's game, and she suddenly lost.
Alejandro and Matthew are having difficulties on boards 8 and 6.
We need our top boards.
Alejandro and Matthew are having difficulties on boards 8 and 6.
We need our top boards.
Round 6
We face Niles North in this round. Niles North -- a team that in years past was our nemesis -- a dynasty in the early 2000's and a formidable roadblock to Northside's ambitions around 2010. But that was then. This year, Niles North came in seeded 8, but they have already dropped two matches, and stand at just 3-2 after suffering an upset at the hands of Waubonsie Valley (the first team I ever saw Northside face at State, so they have a special place in my world). We hope to catch Niles North while they are on their heels-- we know from our own recent experience at City that it takes a lot out of you when you suffer an upset. Northside hopes to perpetuate Niles North's agony now, and send them down to a third loss, while propelling ourselves higher with a win. A rich tradition, though not the rivalry it once was, lies behind this round of weighty import to both teams.
Go Mustangs!
Go Mustangs!
Round 5 in the books
Northside 65-3
We want to leverage this as a powerful shot of morale to give us momentum in Round 6.
We want to leverage this as a powerful shot of morale to give us momentum in Round 6.
Isha pulls off the draw!
Wow. After an early blunder that surrendered the advantage to her opponent, Isha has been defending with a bishop against a rook and pawns -- opponent even eliminated all her pawns, while he still had one he could have promoted to queen. But Isha held him off all the way down to the wire, and secured a draw. Congratulations, Isha!
Isha with her back to the wall
Isha has been trying to defend with her bishop and hang on against the rook. She has maintained down to the last couple of minutes, suggesting that she is stronger than her opponent, but perhaps blundered earlier. For an hour, she kept him from concluding his advantage.
Round 5 endgame
Charlie's game must have burst open, because he has won!
Mindren pulled it out and won! Either he caught a lucky break and capitalized on it, or I'm a mistaken chess commentator -- I'm thrilled!
Ronald wins!
Isha is still in the tight endgame, at the disadvantage, angling for a draw.
Mindren pulled it out and won! Either he caught a lucky break and capitalized on it, or I'm a mistaken chess commentator -- I'm thrilled!
Ronald wins!
Isha is still in the tight endgame, at the disadvantage, angling for a draw.
Round 5 progress 3
Mindren is in deep trouble, a piece down. Barring an opponent's blunder, his game is probably lost. Isha continues to grind out her game -- down to his rook and a pawn vs. her bishop and pawn. Trying to hang on somehow.
Charlie's game is still thick. Looks like it will come down to time pressure.
Ronald's game too close for me to call.
Charlie's game is still thick. Looks like it will come down to time pressure.
Ronald's game too close for me to call.
Round 5 progress 2
Matthew rook and pawns. He queens a pawn. Opponent queens pawn. Immediately taken by Matthew 's rook. Queen forces king to back rank. It's all over.
Clinches match. 40-0. Put it in the books.
Clinches match. 40-0. Put it in the books.
Round 5 progress
Max finished up what I saw happening, so he wins. Ryan has won as well. So, for winning the match, we are close to clinching (33 points out of minimum 34.5 needed). But, of course, we want a strong win here, and not one that takes too much energy out of us, either.
Ronald's game is close enough that I can't tell.
Mindren is down a piece, Matthew is up a piece, Isha is down a bishop and pawns to opponent's rook and pawns. She is going to try to hang on. Charlie still nurses an advantage of a pawn, while his center is crowded, with a lot of pressure coming from all sides.
Ronald's game is close enough that I can't tell.
Mindren is down a piece, Matthew is up a piece, Isha is down a bishop and pawns to opponent's rook and pawns. She is going to try to hang on. Charlie still nurses an advantage of a pawn, while his center is crowded, with a lot of pressure coming from all sides.
Slav wins on board 1
Slav has won early, giving Northside a 12-0 advantage to start the scoring. All other players are in the thick of their games.
On boards 6, 7, and 8, Matthew, Isha, and Charlie are each up on material-- a pawn, a piece, and a pawn, respectively. (OK, sorry I wrote that sentence so you have to collate three sets of information, but it's symmetrical, so you get the picture)
Max is doing something very threatening with both his rooks harassing the king on the back row. Unless I'm missing something crazy, he is completely in the driver's seat.
On boards 6, 7, and 8, Matthew, Isha, and Charlie are each up on material-- a pawn, a piece, and a pawn, respectively. (OK, sorry I wrote that sentence so you have to collate three sets of information, but it's symmetrical, so you get the picture)
Max is doing something very threatening with both his rooks harassing the king on the back row. Unless I'm missing something crazy, he is completely in the driver's seat.
Charlie enters the tournament
New!
Charlie Sell substitutes in this round on board 8. This marks the first time in my experience that Northside has put all three of our alternates into competition. So far, senior Jacob Diaz recorded a win in the second round, and freshman George McCoy won in the fourth. Root for Charlie to continuing the winning ways now in the fifth. (No pressure -- Charlie can't read this because he is busy playing his game and going for the win)
Go Charlie!
Charlie Sell substitutes in this round on board 8. This marks the first time in my experience that Northside has put all three of our alternates into competition. So far, senior Jacob Diaz recorded a win in the second round, and freshman George McCoy won in the fourth. Root for Charlie to continuing the winning ways now in the fifth. (No pressure -- Charlie can't read this because he is busy playing his game and going for the win)
Go Charlie!
Round 5
Northside faces 39th seed, Riverside-Brookfield. An annual tradition now, this is the fourth consecutive year we meet. Northside has sent Riverside-Brookfield back in the standings each time. Not a moment they look forward to in their tournament schedule. Nothing personal, but Northside will be aiming to send them back once again. We want a very strong win here, which is reasonable to expect. We anticipate tough challenges in the two following rounds.
The seedings appear to be holding up well. As I strolled up and down the tables, I noticed a strong regularity. Northside, seeded 17, is facing seed #39. Strolling left, I see the difference between the seedings is 17,22, 21, 21, 21, 23. Strolling right, the difference in seedings of the teams are 20, 17, 22, 22, 22. Basically, one would have predicted that these teams would meet from the beginning of the tournament. Here we are. This round, we want things to continue as predicted. Next round, we may be gunning for the upset.
The seedings appear to be holding up well. As I strolled up and down the tables, I noticed a strong regularity. Northside, seeded 17, is facing seed #39. Strolling left, I see the difference between the seedings is 17,22, 21, 21, 21, 23. Strolling right, the difference in seedings of the teams are 20, 17, 22, 22, 22. Basically, one would have predicted that these teams would meet from the beginning of the tournament. Here we are. This round, we want things to continue as predicted. Next round, we may be gunning for the upset.
Saturday morning
Everyone is up. Breakfast in players' bellies. Why talk about breakfast in this blog? Chess is cerebral, right? Just a game of the mind....
Sorry, Descartes, mind is not independent of body. Players have trained their minds, they know their openings, they have honed their tactics and their instincts -- all that work has prepared them for this challenge. But what determines whether one sees the critical move, or makes a disastrous blunder is going to depend on a good night's sleep and food and water.
So, players slept. At 7AM, players were up and dressed and eating breakfast. Minds are ready, bodies are rested, bellies are full.
Now they're ready for chess.
Sorry, Descartes, mind is not independent of body. Players have trained their minds, they know their openings, they have honed their tactics and their instincts -- all that work has prepared them for this challenge. But what determines whether one sees the critical move, or makes a disastrous blunder is going to depend on a good night's sleep and food and water.
So, players slept. At 7AM, players were up and dressed and eating breakfast. Minds are ready, bodies are rested, bellies are full.
Now they're ready for chess.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Round 4 looking good -- as it should
Slav is still playing, well up on time. Max, Ryan, Ronald, and Mindren all have won. Matthew lost (darn). Isha is up 2 pawns, and George is up 3, while both are way ahead on time.
Top Chicago teams -- rivals or buddies?
Northside's perennial rival, Whitney Young, fared similarly to Northside last round. Each of our teams, coming in seeded much lower than in the past four years, was facing one of this year's top-seeded teams. Each challenged the higher seed, and did more damage than any other challenger to the high seeds in the fourth round. Each of us lost our match by the skin of our teeth.
Lane is this year's up-and-comer. Seeded higher than Northside or Whitney Young, they now stand 3-0, after facing an opponent not as strong as those we faced (this is the way the seeding is supposed to work--at this stage, they are benefiting from their marginally better starting position). But when you look at the current pairings, we three are spaced just as we were at the start-- Lane Tech is challenging on Table 6, while Whitney defends Table 8, and Northside defends table 10.
A bit of collective pride in Chicago Public School teams seems in order. Funded at a much lower rate than many suburban leagues, three CPS schools are on the top 10 tables. Pretty impressive.
Pretty good company.
Lane is this year's up-and-comer. Seeded higher than Northside or Whitney Young, they now stand 3-0, after facing an opponent not as strong as those we faced (this is the way the seeding is supposed to work--at this stage, they are benefiting from their marginally better starting position). But when you look at the current pairings, we three are spaced just as we were at the start-- Lane Tech is challenging on Table 6, while Whitney defends Table 8, and Northside defends table 10.
A bit of collective pride in Chicago Public School teams seems in order. Funded at a much lower rate than many suburban leagues, three CPS schools are on the top 10 tables. Pretty impressive.
Pretty good company.
Root for George on board 8!
New!
George McCoy is getting into competition this round, substituting in on board 8 for Alejandro.
Go George!
George McCoy is getting into competition this round, substituting in on board 8 for Alejandro.
Go George!
Round 4
Northside is now on Table 10. After moving up to challenge on Table 4, we are now defending Table 10 --the table number is higher up than our original 17, because the pairings are beginning to collapse together. By the end of the tournament, the top 20 teams should be competing in pairs on the top 10 tables.
We meet Conant of Hoffman Estates, number 49 seed. After getting a loss, giving us a 2-1 record, we face a team from lower in the seedings that also has a 2-1 record.
We meet Conant of Hoffman Estates, number 49 seed. After getting a loss, giving us a 2-1 record, we face a team from lower in the seedings that also has a 2-1 record.
So close
Half a game.
A win on board one would have given us the match.
Slav produced a draw against a considerably higher-rated player.
A moral victory.
Northside gave them a very good fight. They got no favors from our team in advancing their ambitions.
It came down to half a game. That's all. It was literally that close.
But just out of reach.
A win on board one would have given us the match.
Slav produced a draw against a considerably higher-rated player.
A moral victory.
Northside gave them a very good fight. They got no favors from our team in advancing their ambitions.
It came down to half a game. That's all. It was literally that close.
But just out of reach.
round 3 in the heat of it
Ronald won.
Mindren lost.
It all comes down to Slav's game against the powerful Max Zinski, rated over 2150 by USCF. Slav has two minutes, Zinski has six.
Mindren lost.
It all comes down to Slav's game against the powerful Max Zinski, rated over 2150 by USCF. Slav has two minutes, Zinski has six.
ouch
Max lost, which gives them points. Mindren looks lost. Slav is fighting on first board. Ronald looks like he is in command on fourth.
We have hope.
We also have fear.
We have hope.
We also have fear.
next decisions
As I walked across the room, I heard Nick Sell (Charlie's little brother, on the Lane team), tell someone excitedly that Whitney Young's third board won against New Trier. It has been a while since WY winning a chess game stirred much surprise.
But then, I arrived at Table 4 to see Ryan stand up, and Isha just told me that his opponent flagged, and he won -- our board three -- not that is truly exciting news!
Matthew and Alejandro lost, but that still leaves us ahead, since Isha and Ryan won on higher boards.
Oh, man -- this is big.
But then, I arrived at Table 4 to see Ryan stand up, and Isha just told me that his opponent flagged, and he won -- our board three -- not that is truly exciting news!
Matthew and Alejandro lost, but that still leaves us ahead, since Isha and Ryan won on higher boards.
Oh, man -- this is big.
When the going gets tough -- the games get long
As I walk in to the cavernous competition area, I enter on the side of Tables 50-73. The area is deserted, with a few exceptions. Table after table, the space is clear and there is no sign left of who was competing there not so long ago; you can't even tell that chess games were being contended there. But as I cross the room, more and more players are there, still in the midst of their games. First a dusting, then a cluster here and there. By the time I reach the far side, Table 4, where Northside is taking on one of the highest-rated teams this year, the room is dense with players, intent on games that have been underway for two-thirds of their allotted time. Yes, they have been playing for over an hour and twenty minutes now in this third round -- litttle more than a half hour left. Northside 's players are almost all knotted up in tight games. Some hardly look to have left the opening yet. Coach Paul Kash of Whitney Young walks up as I type this, and corroborates my observation: "they make us sit way over here as our teams are fighting it out, and we are riddled with tension". His team and ours are in the tensest, most interesting contests remaining. Most of the other matches were more like the first rounds -- mismatches maneuvering teams into place for upcoming rounds. But ours is tough.
Except Isha has just won her game as I type this out!
We just scored the first win of the match. Root for the rest of the team. Let us hope we can keep adding wins to Isha's opener!
Except Isha has just won her game as I type this out!
We just scored the first win of the match. Root for the rest of the team. Let us hope we can keep adding wins to Isha's opener!
Round 3 - Now it gets interesting
The first 2 rounds, Northside was paired up against teams with much lower seeds, and won, as expected, defending Table 17. This round, we move up to challenge the # 4 seed at Table 4, Benet Academy, from Lisle. They have been building a team based around a group of strong players who appeared as freshmen three years ago. Now they are seniors, and the team has shown the strength that one would have predicted. So, root for us back at home -- this time we are going for the upset!
Clear victory
Slav wins, Max wins, Matthew comes away with a draw, and Jacob maintains his advantage, bringing home the win. Final score 64.5-3.5
Well done!!
Well done!!
Where to find complete results, 2
By the way, a new feature this year is that coaches are entering results as they happen, rather than only at the end of the round. If I get too caught up to write a blog post, you may be able to look up whether your favorite player has finished, won, lost or drawn:
Results almost live
Looking very good in Round 2
Max and Mindren and Isha have won and clinched the match for Northside.
Slav is up a piece and three pawns. I can't imagine him not winning this one. (me, I could probably blunder away my queen and lose to my son ;-) -- but Slav has this in the bag.
Jacob is still up with two rooks, while his opponent has just one rook and a bishop. Continuing to look good there.
Current score 44-0, and looking like it should only get better the rest of the way.
Slav is up a piece and three pawns. I can't imagine him not winning this one. (me, I could probably blunder away my queen and lose to my son ;-) -- but Slav has this in the bag.
Jacob is still up with two rooks, while his opponent has just one rook and a bishop. Continuing to look good there.
Current score 44-0, and looking like it should only get better the rest of the way.
Ryan takes first win in Round 2
Ryan won 3rd board to earn Northside's first 10 points this round.
Isha's opponent just made an illegal move, and he looks flustered.
Jacob is up a rook to a bishop. So, things are looking good on boards 7 and 8.
Generally, other boards look pretty even on time, positions balanced.
Isha's opponent just made an illegal move, and he looks flustered.
Jacob is up a rook to a bishop. So, things are looking good on boards 7 and 8.
Generally, other boards look pretty even on time, positions balanced.
New! Jacob plays 8th board
For the second round, Jacob steps in on 8th board to play for the team, giving Alejandro a breather.
Go Jacob!
Go Jacob!
Our boards and the scoring system
Who is playing in our line-up, and how many points are at stake?
The team is arranged hierarchically from strongest player on down, so that our strongest player, Slav, will always match up with the strongest player from our opponent's team.
Our boards, and the points scored for winning at each:
Board 1 12 Slav Djukic, senior
Board 2 11 Max Haugh-Ewald, senior
Board 3 10 Ryan Toepfer, junior
Board 4 9 Ronald Rodriguez, junior
Board 5 8 Mindren Lu, freshman
Board 6 7 Matthew Kosova, sophomore
Board 7 6 Isha Gani, sophomore
Board 8 5 Alejandro Linan, junior
Alternates: Jacob Diaz and Charlie Sell, seniors, and George McCoy, freshman
Some of the properties of this scoring system:
Draws are counted as half the points of a win.
To win the match, the team must score more than half the available points-- 34.5 is the magic number.
More points are at stake at the top board than others, but any pair of boards, except 7 & 8, will score more than the top board alone.
Any combination of five boards will win the match.
Even if one team sweeps the three top boards, they still need at least one draw from the rest of the team to win the match.
The team is arranged hierarchically from strongest player on down, so that our strongest player, Slav, will always match up with the strongest player from our opponent's team.
Our boards, and the points scored for winning at each:
Board 1 12 Slav Djukic, senior
Board 2 11 Max Haugh-Ewald, senior
Board 3 10 Ryan Toepfer, junior
Board 4 9 Ronald Rodriguez, junior
Board 5 8 Mindren Lu, freshman
Board 6 7 Matthew Kosova, sophomore
Board 7 6 Isha Gani, sophomore
Board 8 5 Alejandro Linan, junior
Alternates: Jacob Diaz and Charlie Sell, seniors, and George McCoy, freshman
Some of the properties of this scoring system:
Draws are counted as half the points of a win.
To win the match, the team must score more than half the available points-- 34.5 is the magic number.
More points are at stake at the top board than others, but any pair of boards, except 7 & 8, will score more than the top board alone.
Any combination of five boards will win the match.
Even if one team sweeps the three top boards, they still need at least one draw from the rest of the team to win the match.
Round 2
17 meets 71
Northside pairs with Waukegan this round, bringing mirror-image seeding numbers together.
Northside pairs with Waukegan this round, bringing mirror-image seeding numbers together.
First Round win
Ronald followed through on his advantage, and recorded the win.
Final for Round One 50.5-17.5
Mindren says he was at a real disadvantage for a long time, but when his opponent blundered, Mindren took swift advantage by taking his rook, and soon escaped with a win.
Northside 1-0
Nice work, Round One!
Final for Round One 50.5-17.5
Mindren says he was at a real disadvantage for a long time, but when his opponent blundered, Mindren took swift advantage by taking his rook, and soon escaped with a win.
Northside 1-0
Nice work, Round One!
Slav loses, Max draws, Alejandro wins
I got to watch Alejandro finish off his opponent neatly -- up a rook, he added a queen and promptly executed checkmate.
Slav got into trouble, fell behind on time, and couldn't make it out of this one.
Max found a draw.
NCP has clinched the match. 41.5-17.5 with Ronald still playing
Ronald is up a knight with 5 minutes remaining. Looking good.
Slav got into trouble, fell behind on time, and couldn't make it out of this one.
Max found a draw.
NCP has clinched the match. 41.5-17.5 with Ronald still playing
Ronald is up a knight with 5 minutes remaining. Looking good.
Ryan wins, Mindren wins
I saw Ryan cleaning up. He was clearing the board of opponents pawns with his queen. Not long before he finished off the game with a win.
Mindren, who had been down on time, used that time well, and he figured out what he needed to do to get checkmate.
The team is up to 31 points now. Every match is 68 points, so we need more than half to clinch it. Also, we want to win as many games as possible, because it will affect the final placings by earning tie-break points.
Mindren, who had been down on time, used that time well, and he figured out what he needed to do to get checkmate.
The team is up to 31 points now. Every match is 68 points, so we need more than half to clinch it. Also, we want to win as many games as possible, because it will affect the final placings by earning tie-break points.
some concerns
Slav is down on time at first board. So are Ronald on fourth and Mindren on fifth. Ryan is up a knight.
Matthew wins first
As I walk up, fifteen minutes into the match, Matthew is pushing several pawns toward the back rank. Inevitable.
Matthew wins, and scores Northside's first points of the tournament.
Matthew wins, and scores Northside's first points of the tournament.
Matthew and Isha begin with wins
Matthew wins his game first. Isha wins her game next. Northside scores 13 to start.
First moves
Within 6 moves, Max's king is in check; seconds later his queen is under attack. Max has him just where he wants him ;-)
getting connected
My adventure now is getting this window open to send the blog out to you. For the first time, coaches are granted access to wifi at the Peoria Convention Center. Unsurprisingly, the whole network went down. Coming to you via iPhone hotspot.
For all the Pairings
You can check all the match-ups at:
http://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities/Chess/StateSeriesInformationResults.aspx?url=/data/ct/1pair.htm
http://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities/Chess/StateSeriesInformationResults.aspx?url=/data/ct/1pair.htm
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Peoria
Someone said, on the bus, "Look out the window, look. See? All around. Nothing. In all directions. We are actually in the middle of nowhere. Exactly in the center. Of nowhere. Here we are."
But that was then.
Now -- we are in Peoria. Say that again. P e o r i a ... ...
Yeah.
We're here.
But that was then.
Now -- we are in Peoria. Say that again. P e o r i a ... ...
Yeah.
We're here.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
2015 Seeding
Northside is seeded 17th this year. On Thursday the team will board the bus to head to Peoria and beat that seed!
Other teams: Whitney Young 15 seed, Lane Tech 13 seed.
Other teams: Whitney Young 15 seed, Lane Tech 13 seed.
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