CHESS at Starbucks this Wednesday Sept. 28th at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time at our usual Starbucks venue, and we welcome players of all ages and skill levels. Early arrivals have a chance to be the first to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice! Our next session is this Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, and we often welcome new players at each session!

Our session this past Sunday was no exception, with more than a dozen players coming by to enjoy the game of chess, as we welcomed two more players to the club: Nelson and Charles are our new club players, and Kwaku stopped in for the first time in about 3 years! There to welcome them were Mike T., Daniel, Yancy, Sam, Eric M., Matthew, Setsal, Kevin, Ron, and last but not least, Tony, who solved the chess puzzle!

Our next club tournament schedule has now been returned to the weekend of October 22-23, 2022 to accommodate more players, and to possibly allow another set to be scheduled for early December 2022. If club players who are members of the US Chess Federation would like to have rated Quad matches before then, they should let me know.

In the meantime, see you soon!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Sunday September 25th at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

Once again we welcomed new players to our chess club, as more than a dozen players came by to enjoy an afternoon of chess over the boards at our usual venue, Starbucks, located at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Clayton Rd. & Ygnacio Valley Rd. in Concord!

Young Donovan was there with Andrienne, along with another new player by name of Mike, all welcomed by Sam, Mike T., Yancy, Tony, John B., Matthew, Connor Rdl., Bert, Eric Z., and Eric M. (Did I miss anyone?)

We meet again this Sunday, September 25, 2022, from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time.

We meet at the same time every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon. Come and go anytime, there are no dues, and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice). Early arrivals usually have a chance to be the first to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

Our next relatively large USCF-rated club tournament will be moved to the first weekend in November (Sat. 11/04 - Sun.11/05/2022). More details to follow soon. In the meantime, players can sign up to play in either 4-player Quads or 6-player Round Robin matches (EF=$20; G/45;d10) to record more rated matches and/or to start getting ready for larger club tournaments, especially for the Golden State Open slated for January 2023 (that announcement just came out)!

If you have questions or need more info, let me know, see you soon!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

Our next club tournament will be on Saturday October 22 - Sunday October 23, 2022. Starting time for each day will be no later than 10:30 a.m. Time Control = G/45;d10. More details to follow regarding location, format(s), divisions, and higher prize funds. Entry fees are slated to be $35. Current USCF membership required, as usual. Stay tuned!

More than a dozen players enjoyed a much cooler afternoon of chess over the boards at our usual Starbucks venue this past Sunday: Myles (with Ly and Mila), Chris B., Tony T., Ranen, Kevin, Ron, Yancy, Meredith, Jeremiah (long time no see!), Diego, Mike T., and -- welcome to two players new to the club, Alex C., and Daniel! Did I miss anyone?

We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to masters! We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoons, from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time. Come and go anytime, there are no dues, no purchase required either (but it would be nice). There usually is a chess puzzle to solve, and the first player to solve it on the first try wins a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

Our next session is this Wednesday Sept. 21st. Come on by to play and make new friends and/or renew old friendships!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Sunday, September 18, 2022!

Hi Everyone!

At least a dozen players were at our usual Starbucks venue for fun, challenging chess over the boards last Wednesday: Sam, John E., Irakli, Bert, Tony, Yancy, Mike T., Matthew, Diego, Maria, Ernie, and Rich K. -- and as usual, several stayed through to closing time! One of the most interesting matches featured Matthew playing Rich, a chess master, in a tight contest all the way to an ending with just kings, a few pawns, and one rook each, with Rich managing to eke out a win!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday, from 3:00pm through to closing time. Players of all ages and skill levels are welcome. There are no dues, and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice). We meet again this coming Sunday, September 18, 2022, and I should be able to join everyone there later in the day.

Our next club tournament will be October 22 - 23, 2022, more details to follow, stay tuned!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday, September 14 at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

At least seven players enjoyed a late afternoon of chess over the boards this past Sunday. Meredith, one of our newer players, was there with Kevin, Sam, Tony, Irakli, Mike T., and -- very long time no see! -- Haseeb! The turnout was unusually low, perhaps due to the anniversary of 09/11, the heat that still prevailed, along with the season's opening NFL weekend. Sam once again solved the day's chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time, at our usual Starbucks venue, located at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, which is just up from the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Clayton Rd. in Concord. We welcome players of all ages and skill levels; players can come and go anytime; there are no dues; and, there is no purchase required (but it would be nice). Early arrivals usually have a chance to be the first to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a tall Starbucks drink!

As mentioned in our previous email, results of our club's USCF-rated tournaments held the previous weekend will be reported after Sept. 14th due to maintenance work being done on the ratings server. Updated ratings for players who participated should be available well before the end of the month. Our next USCF-rated club competition will be the weekend of October 22-23, 2022. Stay tuned for the details!

See you soon,

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

There's been a heat wave out there, but as many as 17 players came by this past Wednesday to enjoy chess over the boards at our usual cool Starbucks venue! Two new players, John B. and Raphael, dropped in for a few games and to check out our club, and were welcomed by Sam, Setsal, Matthew, John E., John S., Mike T., Tony T., Yancy, Bert, Ron, Maria (been a while, Maria!), and Paige and her kids Ian, Jojo, and Kaden! Did I miss anyone?

Sam quickly solved the first of two chess puzzles on his first try to win a Starbucks drink! A rare second puzzle took a while to be solved, and Matthew figured it out before anyone else did, although he got it on his second try. (Players arriving early have a chance to be the first to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!)

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, starting from 3:00p.m. on through to closing time. Players can come and go anytime; there are no dues, and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice). We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to masters and all in between. We're at 1546 Kirker Pass Rd, in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Clayton Rd. in Concord.

[Note for last weekend's club tournament players: Results of our recent club tournament will be turned in to the US Chess Federation very soon, as the USCF is taking a server down to conduct its Ratings System Maintenance, and that server should be back up and running by September 15, 2022. I'd rather submit the results after the maintenance, to avoid our results getting lost or gummed up. Your new ratings will be available well before the end of the month.]

See you soon! Do join us to not just play chess, but also to make new friends, and/or renew old friendships if you haven't been by in a while!

--Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday Back at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

Cool off during this heat wave and play chess over the boards at our usual Starbucks venue this Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Players there early have a chance to be the first to solve a chess puzzle to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time, at the Starbucks located at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Clayton Rd. in Concord. We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to masters and all in between. There are no dues and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice).

Club Tournament (USCF-rated) Results:

Our club tournament was held at Carl's Jr. Restaurant, across the parking lot from Starbucks, this past Saturday and Sunday. In the Quad section, Yancy came through undefeated with 3 wins for 1st Place, with Ron winning two matches for 2nd Place! In the round-robin section with 5 players, Sam came out best, undefeated in his 4 matches to take 1st Place, as Matthew came in 2nd with three wins and Setsal 3rd with two wins! We all want to thank Ohm, Ethan, Tony, and Irakli for participating in the challenging tournament and for helping make it a success! Results will be reported to the USCF this week, and players should see their new ratings posted within a week's time.

We also had Mark M. and Chris N. as observers this past Sunday, and we thank Chris N. for donating the chess encyclopedic book "Modern Chess Openings" for reference use of club players during our Sunday and Wednesday chess sessions. We also met Meredith and Mathis, two high school seniors who are interested in starting up a chess club at their high school.

Our next club tournament will be a much larger one, same time control, higher entry fees, and will be scheduled for Sat. & Sun. October 22 - 23, 2022 at either the Carl's Jr. venue or elsewhere nearby. We can always have smaller rated tournaments, e.g., Quads. Stay tuned, and let me know in advance that you're interested, and if you have any questions or need more info.

See you soon,

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Saturday & Sunday Sept. 3-4 at Carl's Jr.!

Hi Everyone !

Our session last Wednesday saw at least 10 players enjoying chess over the boards: Tony, Mike T., Chris N., Eric Z. (very long time no see, Mr. Z!), Matthew, Setsal, Irakli, Yancy, Bert, and John S.

Club Tournament this weekend Sat. Sept. 3 & Sun. Sept. 4 at Carl's. Jr.

Chess players are welcome to play chess over the boards starting at 2:00 p.m. each day this Saturday and Sunday, September 3 & 4, 2022, at our Carl's Jr. Restaurant venue, which is just across the side parking lot from our usual Starbucks venue in the Clayton Shopping Center. Players who are not entered in our club tournament those two days may still play chess among themselves, and may also observe (but not offer suggestions to) players in tournament games in progress. Players who are just now or on Saturday entering the tournament must pay an entry fee of $25 and be a current member of the US Chess Federation. 85%-90% of all entry fees are returned in cash prizes.

For this weekend's club tournament players:

Start Time: 2:00 p.m. both days are scheduled.

The Time Control has been adjusted to Game/45.d10 now instead of G/45.d5 (the additional delay of 5 more seconds is consistent with our past club tournaments, giving players a few more seconds to write down or otherwise record the chess moves).

[Players with paid entries to date are: Yancy, Irakli, Tony, Ron, Setsal, Sam, Matthew, Ohm, and Ethan, with at least 3 or 4 possibly to join based on their stated interest. The Tournament Director (TD) may join a group, if necessary, to even out a group or make a group similar to others in format for pairing purposes.]

Format: Quads = 4 players, three rounds with two on Saturday and the final round on Sunday --- or on another day within a week agreed upon by the players and the Tournament Director (TD). Round Robin or Swiss = 5 or more players in group, four rounds, with two on Saturday and the balance on Sunday --- or on another day within a week agreed upon by the players and the TD. Groups will be formed in a manner that ensures there are no inappropriate mismatches.

Cash prizes go to 1st Place ($41) & 2nd Place ($31) in Quads. In groups of 5 or more players, cash prizes will go to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places, with amounts to be determined based on number of entries. As mentioned above, 85%-90% of entry fees are returned as cash prizes. The balance goes towards USCF fees for ratings adjustments, etc., with maybe, just maybe, enough left over for a sandwich, or part of one, for the TD. 🙂

Need more info or have questions? Let me know, and see you this weekend!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday, Aug. 31st at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoons, from 3:00 p.m. through to closing, at our usual Starbucks venue located at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Clayton Rd., in Concord. Last Sunday saw 10 players enjoy chess over the boards, including some Chinese chess using discs, as taught by Ranen, and even a game of "960 chess" played by Sam and Mike T. Also there were Chris N., Kevin, Setsal, Yancy, Reza, Ron, and Irakli. No player solved the chess puzzle (but Yancy came very close)!

We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, and there are no dues, nor is there a purchase required (but it would be nice). Come and go anytime! We meet again this Wednesday afternoon, August 31, 2022.

Club Tournament this Weekend, Sat. Sept. 3 & Sun. Sept. 4, 2002

Our chess club will be holding a USCF-rated tournament this coming Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3 & 4, starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Carl's Jr. Restaurant, located across the side parking lot from our Starbucks venue. Chess players who are not in the tournament are still welcome to observe or enjoy chess at either Carl's Jr. or Starbucks on those days.

So far there are 8 players signed up for the tournament, with at least 2 or 4 more about to join. The format looks good for 2 groups of 5 or more players each, for no more than 3, 4 or 5 rounds each group, with the Time Control G/45.d5. Each member must be a current member of the US Chess Federation.

Entry Fee: $20 paid on or before 08/31/22; $25 if paid after 08/31/22.
Cash Prizes: 85%-90% of entry fees are returned as cash prizes. Quads pay 1st ($42) & 2nd ($32) Places; Other formats pay 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places, with prize amounts to be determined based on number of entries.

If you have any questions or need more information, let me know.

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Sunday, August 28, 2022 at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time as players come and go anytime. At least 19 players enjoyed chess over the boards this past Wednesday: Chris B., Patrick D. (been a while!), Matthew, new player Angel, Tony T., Alwin, Sam, Yancy, Nandu, John E., John S., Hossam, Mike T., Ron, Irakli, Setsal, Eric M., and Hira's youngsters Ohm and Sia. Our usual Starbucks venue had chess players at it on tables both indoors and outdoors!

We meet again this Sunday, August 28, 2022. We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to masters. Our Starbucks location is at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Clayton Rd. and Ygnacio Valley Rd. in Concord. There are no dues, and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice).

Next Weekend Sat. Sept 3rd & Sun. Sept 4th: The club will host a USCF-rated tournament. It will be held at the Carl's Jr. Restaurant, which is just across the side parking lot from Starbucks. Players who are not in the tournament can still play unrated chess, but only among themselves, either at Starbucks or Carl's Jr., on either day. Observers are also welcome.

There are currently at least 7 players entered in the tournament. As mentioned in previously, the specifics -- aside from the requirement that participants be current members of the US Chess Federation -- are as follows:

Entry Fee: $20 paid on or before 08/31/22; $25 if paid after 08/31/22.
Time Control: G/45.d5 Game clocks must be set for 45 minutes for each side with a 5-second delay.
Start time: 2:00 p.m. on both Sept. 3 & 4, 2022. The second match of the day will begin no later than 4:00 p.m., but may start earlier if all earlier matches have been completed. If necessary, a match to complete the tournament can be scheduled for either the following Wednesday or Sunday, same time, same location.
Format: Either Quads (3 rounds); or, no more than 4 rounds if five or more players (5 rounds if 10 or more) in a group. Every effort will be made to group players in a manner as to avoid obvious mismatches using either a Round Robin or Swiss pairing system.
Location: Carl's Jr. Restaurant, location as stated above.

Let me know if you have questions or need more info,

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday, August 24th at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

Four more new players came by this past Sunday: Jared, Nate, Joe and Romel ! There to welcome them were Mike T., Kevin, Sam, Mike B., Eric M (long time no see!), Irakli, Tony T., Connor Rdl, Ethan, Olaf, Reza, Setsal, Reza, and Matthew, for a total of at least 18 players, (did I miss anyone?) with lots of chess over the boards going on both inside and outside our usual Starbucks venue!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time at the Starbucks located at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Clayton Rd. in Concord.

We next meet this coming Wednesday, August 24, 2022, and we welcome players of all ages and skill levels. There are no dues, and there is no purchase requirement. Early arrivals have a chance to be the first to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

Our chess club will have a USCF-rated tournament on Sept. 3 & 4, as mentioned with specifics in our previous email to you. Let me know if you have questions or need even more information. Current membership in the USCF is required for participation.

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Sunday, August 21st at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone!

About twenty or so players came by to enjoy the play of chess over the boards this past Wednesday, including as many as three or four players new to the club: Matthew, Setsal, Connor Rdl, Irakli, Yancy, Tony T., Mike T., Alwin, Mark, Ron, Bert, John E., Henry & Ly's kids Ian, Jay-Jay, and Kayden, including Vernon, and Fahad, all there to welcome newcomers Nandu, Adio, and Albert (who was there with Kimberly)!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time, at our usual Starbucks venue at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., which is just up from the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Clayton Rd., Concord, in the Clayton Shopping Center. This coming Sunday, August 21st, will, as usual, feature a chess puzzle that earns whichever player is the first to solve it on the first try a free tall Starbucks drink of choice! No one was able to win the freebie last Wednesday!

We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, there are no dues, and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice).

USCF-Rated Club Tournament: Starts Saturday Sept. 3 & Sunday Sept. 4. Tournament matches may be started on a subsequent Wednesday or Sunday, as needed, to complete the tournament. Location: Carl's Jr. Restaurant, across the side parking lot from Starbucks. (We've held Chess and Scrabble tournaments there before).
Time Control: G/45.d5
Entry Fee: $20 if paid on or before 08/31/22; $25 if after 08/31/22. See previous email on the subject if you have questions regarding the increase after 08/31.
Required: Current membership in the US Chess Federation. Unrated players, or players with provisional ratings, are eligible as long as USCF membership is current.
Format: TBD: Quad sets (3 rounds), or Round-Robin sets (no more than 5 rounds), depending on number of players.
Prizes: Cash prizes for 1st and 2nd in Quads; 1st thru 3rd for other formats. At least 80-90% of entry fees are returned as prizes, with the balance used for USCF fees and maybe a sandwich for the TD.

If you have any questions or need more info, let me know, see you soon -- and thanks to all who've asked how I'm doing -- the surgery's done and I'm well on the mend!!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone !

At least 15 players came by last Sunday for chess over the boards at our usual Starbucks venue! Having fun with Classic as well as Blitz Chess were Diego, Karthik (with Rajita), Ethan, Ron, Mike B (been a super long time ago, one of the originals), Sam, Irakli, Ranen, Tyler, Alwin, Mike T., Kevin, Reza, and even Hossam and Dodie dropped by, with flowers!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoons, from 3:00 p.m. through closing time, at the Starbucks located at 1536 Kirker Pass Rd., in the Clayton Shopping Center, just up from the corner of Clayton Rd. and Ygnacio Valley Rd. in Concord. We meet again this Wednesday, somewhat of a special day for me as I apparently flew through surgery with flying colors and can actually expect to see everyone that's going to be there even though it's still during recovery period. Let's play chess!

We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, come and go anytime, there's no purchase required (but it would be nice) and enjoy new friendships as you also renew old ones, which happens every session it seems!

Our last e-mail featured info about our USCF-Rated Labor Day Weekend Tournament:

When: Sat. Sept. 3 & Sun. Sept. 4.

Start Time: 2:00 p.m. each day.

Where: Carl's Jr. Restaurant, across the side parking lot from Starbucks. (I've held several official chess and scrabble tournaments there).

Format: TBD (1, 2 or more Quads; or 2 Divisions of 5 or more players each; Round Robin or Swiss, depending on number of players, no more than 5 rounds max.) Great care will be taken to ensure avoid clear mismatches in establishing the groups.

Entry Fee: $20 paid before 08/31/22; $25 if paid after 08/31/22. Why the increase? It's an administrative fee for the chore or resetting the divisions and 1st round pairings to accommodate (and welcome) players who decide at the last day or minute to join.

Required: Current membership in the US Chess Federation. Players with current classic USCF ratings, as well as those with provisional ratings, and new, unrated USCF members are welcome to compete! I will need to check for each player's full name and USCF ID# and current rating for proper inclusion and pairings in the tournament, and for reporting of results to the USCF. New members bear with me on this, it's standard TD stuff.

[Noted: As of this writing, 2 players (Sam & Setsal) have already paid in. Two other players will have a $5 discount at time of payment, for having contributed to our club's annual USCF affiliation dues.]

Any questions or need for additional info, let me know, see you over the boards!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Sunday Aug. 14th at Starbucks + Club Tournament News!

Hi Everyone!

Another fun, challenging afternoon of chess over the boards took place this past Wednesday at our usual Starbucks venue, featuring at least two more players new to the club, Duncan and Karthik (with Rajita), welcomed by Mike T., Sam, Tony T., Yancy, Bert, Connor Ri, Ohm, Sia, John E., and John S.! Additionally, it was great to see new friendships made, including those with and among Rajita, Manjit, and Hira!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 p.m. on through closing time, come and go anytime, there are no dues, and there is no purchase required (but it would be nice). We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to masters, and all in between. Players arriving early usually have a chance to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice! By the way, Ohm solved last Wednesday's puzzle!

USCF-Rated Club Tournament Sept. 3 - 4, 2022:

The Contra Costa Chess Club will hold a club tournament this coming Labor Day Weekend, from Saturday, September 3, 2022 through Sunday, September 4, 2022. Starting Time each day will be at 2:00 p.m. It is possible that the final matches may be completed on either Monday Sept. 5, 2022 or the following Sunday, September 11, 2022. There will be two divisions, based on observed play and current classic USCF-ratings (including for those who are new,unrated USCF members and those with provisional ratings), to promote fair pairings and to avoid possible obvious mismatches. At least 10 players indicate they will compete. At least two more have expressed interest..

Entry Fee: $20 if paid on or before Wednesday, August 31, 2022; $25 if after 08/31/22.

Time Control: G/45.d5 [chess clocks must be set for each side to have 45 minutes with a delay of 5 seconds.]

Location: Carl's Jr. Restaurant (Across the side parking lot from Starbucks -- several chess and scrabble tournaments have been held there.)

Cash Prizes: To Be Determined and announced prior to the start of first matches, based on format and number of paid entries (e.g, Quads = 1st and 2nd Place; or, with 5, 6 or more players = 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places, with 80%-90% of paid entries returned in cash prizes, ensuring enough is left over to remit to USCF for ratings services,and to cover basic local admin costs, which might include a sandwich and a drink for the TD to wolf down and guzzle, ahem.

Required: Current US Chess Federation membership. I'll need to know your current rating; and, if a new USCF member, or competing for the first time in our club tournament, your full name as registered with USCF and USCF ID#.

Let me know if you have questions or need more information, see you soon!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746

CHESS this Wednesday, August 10th at Starbucks!

Hi Everyone . . . !

At least a dozen players dropped by this past Sunday for chess over the boards at our usual Starbucks venue. A few players we haven't seen in a while: Art, Mark, and Rich K. joined Yancy, Sam, Tony, Mike T., Irakli, Myles (with Tom and Mila), Chris N., Connor Ri., and Matthew, as we all welcomed yet another player new to the club: Arian!

We meet every Sunday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 p.m through closing time. Come and go anytime, there are no dues, and there is no purchase requirement (but it would be nice). We welcome players of all ages and skill levels, and players arriving early have a chance to be the first player to solve a chess puzzle on the first try to win a free tall Starbucks drink of choice!

There's more players that want to play in a club tournament, and we just may get one started next Sunday, August 14th! So far it looks like we'll have enough for 2 Quads, or even two groups of six players, with each group playing in a round-robin format! As of this writing, club tournament players will be Sam, Matthew, Myles, Setsal, Connor Ri., Irakli, Yancy, Mike T., and at least two more players who've only indicated strong interest through email, whereas the ones named above indicated strong interest in person.

Club Tournament Format: Either Quads (3 matches each player), or 6-player Round-Robins (5 matches each player); EF=$20; Time Control = G/45.d5. Location: TBD (either Starbucks, Carl's Jr. across the way, or at a nearby residence); Entry Fees are returned as cash prizes TBD for 1st and 2nd in Quads, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd for RR's. Current membership in the US Chess Federation is required. Note: if there are more than 6 players in any group, a Swiss Pairing System will be used for 5 matches for each player.

If you have questions or need more info, just let me know. See you soon!

-- Mike T.
Contra Costa Chess Club
US Chess Federation
Affiliate Club ID #A6024746