News
Eric Rosen Maps Path to IM Status
- Details
- Written by ICA Staff ICA Staff
- Created: 22 April 2015 22 April 2015
For the benefit of USCF readers, Illinois' Eric Rosen outlined his roadmap to becoming an International Master. Rosen achieved his third and final IM norm at the recent Philadelphia Open.
The Niles North graduate and University of Illinois Computer Science student offers hints applicable to every chess player including "set goals that have nothing to do with rating" and "get off to a good start".
My personal favorite is #7: "Grow Facial Hair". This may serve as an impediment to some juniors, but happens to be the one key I have mastered personally.
One down, six to go for me!
2015 USAT North Held in Schaumburg
- Details
- Written by ICA Staff ICA Staff
- Created: 22 February 2015 22 February 2015
No article submitted.
Crosstables published here.
GM Avrukh Claims '14 Greater Midwest Class Championship
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 01 December 2014 01 December 2014
Third time is a charm: Illinois' newest grandmaster, GM Boris Avrukh has finally earned an outright championship in an American event. With his fifth-round victory over GM Nikola Mitkov, Avrukh secured the lone 4.5 tally atop of field of 35 entrants in a combined Masters and Experts section of the Greater Midwest Class.
Earlier Avrukh had drawn GM Vlad Georgiev in the second round denying him a perfect score. Avrukh's provisional USCF rating has now eclipsed 2700. In three events since moving to Illinois from Israel, Avrukh has 12 wins, three draws and zero losses.
GM Georgiev shared runner-up status with FM Alexander Velikanov of Wisconsin, both with 4.0 results. A five-way tie for fourth place at 3.5 featured GM Mitkov, New York's William Fisher -- a FIDE Master and the 11th-rated Under 21 year old in the US, and Illinois stalwarts IM Florin Felecan, Zach Kasiurak and Jacob Furfine.
Everyman Publishes Rockford Coach Czerwin's Chess Progress
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 07 September 2014 07 September 2014
Rockford Guilford High School has not had a chess program for a few years but thanks to second-year teacher Erik Czerwin, the Vikings will be competing in the Northern Illinois Chess League (NICL) in 2014-2015.
Czerwin was named the Illinois Chess Coaches Association "Coach of the Year" in 2012 when he was coaching at Marengo High School. Since then, Coach Czerwin has compiled some of his first-rate training materials into an instructive book being published today by Everyman Press.
A description and an exerpt can be found here. The book is subtitled: From Beginner to Winner.
Illinois' Felecan Amid Top Six-Pack at '14 Cleveland Open
- Details
- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 18 August 2014 18 August 2014
IM Florin Felecan rode three victories and two draws to a stake in the co-championship of the Continental Chess Association's 2014 Cleveland Open. All six of the 4.0/5 scorers came from different states.
Felecan is currently the seventh- or eighth-rated active player in Illinois based on USCF ratings depending on which list is consulted.
Illinois' Zach Kasiurak finished in an eight-way tie for 10th place with 3.0/5. Kasiurak drew co-champion GM Sergey Kudrin in the second round.