Hello. It’s that time of year when summer is approaching and plans are taking shape.
The school year has just ended. So this is a great time to check your scholastic chess calendar to begin preparing for the 2019-2020 chess season. What follows here is an unofficial but interesting statistical look at last season of chess from The Right Move for 2108-2019 based on a hand count of the individual season postings on the website’s tournament results at www.chesstrm.org/NYC/
Last year of the roughly 820 total players who attended the nine The Right Move tournaments about 160 players (20%) attended three or more tournaments. Another roughly 120 players (15%) attended two tournaments while a total of about 440 players (55% – more than half!!) competed in only one tournament. Of those who signed up to play in a particular tournament, only about 70% actually showed up. (If 300 signed up the number of players who show up to play might be 210.) Hard Work, the title for Oct 21, respects the practice and skills required (and acquired) through chess study.
A look at point totals from last year is inconclusive especially since the top two sections only play three games, not four. However it may provide interesting comments or chatter. This list acknowledges much the Hard Work and many Successes from Last Year: The only player to play all nine games, Rafael Rabinovich, had 29 points. Two players competed in eight tournaments, Valentino Louis (20.5) and Oliver Ma (17.5). Eight players fought through seven tournaments: Kayla Violenus (20.5), Liam Luna (19), Darren Chen (17), Owen Gomez (16.5), Perry Liu (15.5), Anthony Westhead (15.5) Jeffrey He (15), and Kota Hladky (13). Players who completed six tournaments include: Alexey Tashtanov (15), Angel Francisco (14), Zahir Blackwood (13.5), Jean Carlo Romero (13.5), Sahasra Vidap (13), Abigail Romero (13), Jair Roldan (12.5), Gavin Ballester (12), James Lisowski (11.5), Karely Cardoso (11), Matthew Romero (11), Kento Carrera (11), Christopher Laljit (10), Shubhi Jha (8), Logan James Newby (7.5), Arabella Saifudin (7.5) and Arjun Mojumdar (7). USCF ratings come out each month and many players move to higher sections to increase competition and skill. Congratulations all!!!
Most of the awards for courage go to those 440 or so players who actually made the giant step to enter and compete in our tournaments. We are most proud to have them enjoy the agony of trying to find a way to win. Solid preparation and persistence aid each player over many games. Yes, on the chess floor each player uses their own skills without outside help. Resilience, the ability to bounce back from a bad move or a bad game, is clearly developed during each game, while sportsmanship encourages acknowledging our fellow player’s skills.
Jump on board. Sign up for another voyage as The Right Move Chess and Roberto Clemente State Park offer us another free trip though the scholastic chess season. Prepare to visit the park and acclimate yourselves to the facilities and opportunities. Be aware of the travel hazards that may become a factor in enjoying the day by taking a trip before the tournament and spending some time at the park. (The #4 train to Burnside Ave and a transfer to the #40 or #42 bus to Cedar Ave brings you to the Park.)
Remember to dress warmly for the Fall season. Limited seating indoors where quiet in required to respect the players. The concession stand is closed so bring your own food. A large picnic area near the parking lot offers charcoal grills for outdoor use.
The work at Riverbank State Park is reported as progressing on time. Projected return for The Right Move tournaments to Riverbank is January 2019.
-The Right Move team. Come and join us for some fun and excitement.