Chess from this weekend

This weekend there few a few important events in the area. On Saturday we held our monthly Orland Park Scholastic tournament which drew 44 players. I know that seems small for a Chicago area scholastic, but considering our very first event last year drew 6 players, we have come a very long way. That has inspired us to add a rated section for the very first time for our final event of the school year in May. It will be the South Suburban Scholastic Championships on May 17th, and we are hoping to break 100 players which would be a tremendous milestone.

The US Amateur team North is taking place this weekend as well in Milwaukee. It is nice to see the event move around and I commend Alex Betaneli and others for bringing the event there. I am disappointed to see so few Illinois teams make the short travel up 94. With so few adult events going on, it is important to support them. 20 teams playing has to be a mild disappointment, as is the relative strength or lack thereof. Only one team has an average rating over 2000, and that teams talented junior 4th board would be the first board on probably more than half of those teams. I really look forward to hearing some stories and anecdotes from this tournament as it tends to be one of the most social ones out there, and TD Guy Hoffman is generally good for a few stories himself.

Also starting this weekend is the latest NACA norm bearing FIDE tournament, which can be followed either on Monroi or the NAChess site. I will go out on a limb and predict this will be the event that Blaze member and FM Mehmed Pasalic gets another IM norm.

I will try to stop by this tournament before it ends, and with a Friday night scholastic, and the Kumbaya next Sunday, I will try to blog a couple of times this week.

Glenn