For NWC magazine contents and PDF files, see the magazine back issues page.

In Memoriam - Art Wang, who tied for 1st with Viktors Pupols at 4-1 in the 1961 Washington Closed, died December 12, 2011. He placed well in several Washington and Oregon events while stationed at Fort Lewis. He had a master level Northwest Rating. He lost a five-game match with Pupols 1.5-3.5 held after the state championship event in 1961. Obit at USCF website.

Boy Scouts Chess Merit Badge Program. (This link is also available on the scholastic page.)

December magazine mailed! - The December issue of Northwest Chess was uploaded to the printer on 12/9, and was mailed on 12/13. It's a 24-page issue with Games from the Oregon Open, Northwest Chess News, Oyster Bay Inn Classic report, Idaho Chess News, Interview with GM Yasser Seirawan, and the usual Grand Prix update.

November magazine mailed! - The November issue of Northwest Chess was uploaded to the printer on 11/12, and mailed on 11/18. It's a 24-page issue with a U.S. Open report, a Metropolitan International report, Idaho Chess News, an article by Bill McGeary, a couple of creative pieces by Carol Kleist, a National Chess Day report, and the usual Grand Prix update.

Another Seirawan article! - See November 12, 2011 "Chess Notes" from The Boston Globe. Seirawan Interview! - A "Fantastic interview with GM Seirawan" was posted on Susan Polgar's blog, and also on the ChessBase news page, with more photos. The interview was originally done by IM (and WGM) Ana Matnadze for the Official Magazine of the Catalan Chess Federation. See the writer's blog also.

Lothar Hirneise, president of the new Amateur Chess Organization (ACO), is announcing that they are the "new World Chess Organization for amateur chess players," not connected to FIDE. More information about the ACO and its events can be found at www.amateurchess.com.

U.S. Chess League! - The USCL 2011 regular season is now over, and the Seattle Sluggers finished with 3.5 wins, 6.5 losses in match play. See the USCL website for details including the playoffs, or some information about the Sluggers was also posted on our Facebook page (see below) and our 2011 Sluggers event page. Exhibition! On October 17, the Seattle Sluggers (led by GM Varuzhan Akobian) took on the 2011 WA Team Champions (led by FM David Bragg) in an exhibition match at the Seattle Chess Club. Although the Sluggers won the exhibition easily, it was likely an exciting experience for all! The match took place alongside the scheduled Sluggers match against the Los Angeles Vibe.

October magazine finally ready! - After a long delay, the October issue of Northwest Chess was finally uploaded to the printer and mailed the last week of October! You can also download it from the back issues page. Also see the story "Kleist returns as editor" below. Cover: Robert Herrera, Photo credit: Andrei Botez.

2012 U.S. Championships! - The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) will host the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship simultaneously May 7 through May 20, 2012. This marks the fourth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held at CCSCSL.

Kleist returns as Editor! - Northwest Chess announced on October 11 that Fred Kleist, a former editor of 70 issues of Northwest Chess magazine from 2002 to 2008, is returning as editor with the November 2011 issue, at least on a temporary basis. Editor Ralph Dubisch, responsible for 54 issues, most recently from November 2008 to date, agreed to step down due to family commitments. The Northwest Chess board thanks Ralph for his excellent service, and hopes that he will be able to serve NWC again in the future. Ralph’s last magazine as editor, the October 2011 edition, was delayed and is now being printed.
See our October 11, 2011 press release for more information.

National Chess Day (October 8)! - See report on Washington events by Gary Dorfner. Also see story/video "Chess is more than just a board game" from KCBY News about a National Chess Day "living board game" activity in Coquille, Oregon.

Idaho joins NWC! - Northwest Chess is pleased to announce that the Idaho Chess Association (ICA) is joining Northwest Chess (NWC) effectively immediately. As part of a deal worked out in Portland, Oregon on August 14, 2011, the ICA is now represented on the NWC board of directors, and Northwest Chess is now the official state publication of the ICA. See our October 3, 2011 press release for more information.

Awards! - GM Yasser Seirawan and photographer Philip Peterson each won Chess Journalists of America 2011 annual awards for their contributions to Northwest Chess. Yaz won the "Best Historical Article Award" for his imaginative article "A Forgotten Chess Tale: Hapley's Project" in the November 2010 issue, while Philip was recognized with the "Best Chess Art Award" for his March 2011 NWC cover. The November 2010 and March 2011 issues are available on the back issues page. Congratulations! See our October 10, 2011 press release for more information. {Previously reported but press release is new.}

More Portland Centennial Photos! - Photographer Philip Peterson took a number of photos at the Portland Centennial Open (August 12-14), which are available on his Flickr site.

Fischer film shown in Portland! - The film Bobby Fischer Against the World was shown in Portland on 9/22 and 9/24 at the Northwest Film Center, and was also shown weekdays until October 6 at Living Room Theaters in Portland. There is also more information about the film on our old news page for 2011, and Rusty Miller has dug up an old (2002) article on Fischer, "Bobby Fischer's Pathetic Endgame," from The Atlantic Monthly.

Chess makes TV in Seattle! - See story "Kids learn chess and life lessons from SPD detective" on King 5 TV (Seattle). For a previous story about Detective Denise "Cookie" Bouldin, see our old news page for 2011.

New Facebook page! - Thanks to the efforts of Duane Polich, Northwest Chess now has a Facebook page, located at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northwest-Chess/215697358486373. Check it out, be one of the first to "Like" us, and suggest to Duane what should be included that will complement this website. You can also access a NWC Facebook "app" page suitable for a mobile device screen.

Portland Chess Club also on Facebook! - The PCC has announced that it is discontinuing usage of its Yahoo group, and will now be posting updates on Facebook. The group's name is "Portland Chess Club (Official)," and the location is https://www.facebook.com/groups/111422195576970/.

Portland scholastic chess league! - High school and middle school chess clubs in the Portland metropolitan area should check out the Portland Area Chess League. The League has been operating for over 20 years providing local clubs with the opportunity to compete against other schools. For info, check out the NW Scholastic Calendar or call Ed Addis at (503) 658-7809 or by e-mail at chessalot@aol.com.

The September Northwest Chess magazine has been printed and should have arrived in the mail. it's a 24-page issue with "Yaz Goes to China" by Yasser Seirawan, "Oregon Senior Championship" by Frank Niro, "Oregon Senior Games" by Steven Deeth and the usual Grand Prix update. Cover: David Golub, Photo credit: Philip Peterson.

Blue-ribbon chess set! - Rusty Miller sent this photo from the Wasco County Fair in Tygh Valley, Oregon, 35 miles south of The Dalles. According to Rusty, "I have been to eight fairs this summer and only Wasco and Clark County had chess on display. Clark County, Washington had a large chess set as they did the last couple of years I attended."

The August Northwest Chess magazine has been mailed. It's a 24-page issue with "In Praise of GM Seirawan" by David Kelley and August Piper, "Washington Open" by Georgi Orlov, "Collyer Memorial Game" by Cameron Leslie and Ted Catton, "Emerald City Open" by Fred Kleist, an article by Bill McGeary, book reviews by John Donaldson, and the usual Grand Prix update. For info about the photo, see "Youth Events (July)" below.

Video! - For those who like modern "Hip-Hop" music videos, we offer "Chess Not Checkers" by Dean Fry!

Interview! - See interesting "Five Books Interview," Dominic Lawson on Chess. Lawson is a British chess columnist and author of The Inner Game, a behind-the-scenes account of the World Chess Championship of 1993 between Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short.

Host Families Needed! - Nancy Roberts (of La Center) is looking for host families for a few boys from Germany, Holland and Norway who play chess. See www.nw-services.com, or e-mail treez@tds.net.

U.S. Team Finishes 4th! - The U.S. team tied for 4th at the World Team Championship in Ningbo, China while Armenia took home gold. See story on the USCF website. In an earlier round of the event, Yasser Seirawan, playing white against the Nimzo Indian defense, defeated Judit Polgar. See story/game.

In Memoriam - Darby Patrick Monahan, of Everett, passed away July 16, 2011 at the age of 68. A graveside service was held on Friday, July 22, 2011 at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Everett. As reported by Phil Carson on 7/18, "Darby Monahan died earlier this week. Complications of two kinds of cancer. He was a Viet Nam vet and long-time chess player in Washington. I first met Darby when we both were working at the Everett Mail Processing Facility in 1988. I convinced him to start playing chess tournaments again and that it was cheaper than horses! I knew both Darby and his brother Denny, also a chess player." IM John Donaldson adds, "I remember Darby as a tournament regular in the 1970s and 80s. He was very friendly and always had a smile on his face." See his legacy.com guestbook.

Delilah supports chess! - Local radio personality Delilah Rene (who produces a nightly radio program out of Port Orchard, Washington syndicated on 278 stations and five countries) also quietly supports inner city chess in West Seattle and has contributed to the Susan Polgar Foundation. Photo (left to right): GM Susan Polgar, restaurant owner
Carl Igloi, and Delilah. Susan Polgar is on the Board of Delilah's charitable organization, Point Hope, a voice for forgotten children.

Ratings app available for iPhone - EloWorld is a new app for iPhone/iPod touch which lets you get an idea of your next rating (FIDE, USCF, FFE). The app also works on iPads, in zoom mode. The complete list of features, plus some screenshots, can be viewed on this page: http://eloworld.bournisien.info.

Champion to compete in world youth tournament! - See the story in The Vancouver (BC) Sun about Loren Laceste, originally from the Philippines and now the Canadian Youth Chess Champion, who will compete in the upcoming 2011 World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil in November.

Portland Chess Club centennial! - The Portland Chess Club turns 100 years old this year, and the primary event to celebrate the occasion was the Centennial Open held  August 12-14 at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel. The commemorative chessboard pictured at left was for sale at the event. In a separate event run by Chess for Success the same weekend (August 13) and location, GM Susan Polgar, former Women's World Chess Champion, was in Portland for "Susan Polgar and Girls Play Chess."

The July Northwest Chess magazine has been printed and mailed. It's a 24-page issue with Washington Official Events Report by Gary Dorfner, Keres Memorial report by Georgi Orlov, Northwest Chess History by Russell Miller, Correction: That’s Nathaniel Yee, Three Washington Open Games by Steve Breckenridge, Piper–Davis, Washington Open by Joe Davis, an article by Bill McGeary, book reviews by John Donaldson, and the usual Grand Prix update.

2012 U.S. Open - See article in The Columbian, "U.S. Chess Open coming to Vancouver (WA) in 2012: Convention Center beats Seattle on price, facilities for event." It seems the mainstream media can't resist calling chess players "brainiacs," but otherwise it's a great article!

Outdoor Chess Set! - Rusty Miller sent along this photo of an outdoor chess set in Ridgefield, Washington. Any other similar sets that you know about? (See the 2010 news for a "lawn & garden" set in Port Townsend, WA.)

Jude Acers article! - See a new and interesting article, “There’ll be no need for me to cry,” by Derek Bridges about well-known chess master Jude Acers of New Orleans. Russell (Rusty) Miller, former NWC Business Manager and Acers tour promoter during the 1970s, is mentioned in the article.

The June Northwest Chess magazine has been printed and mailed. It's a 24-page issue with Grand Pacific Open report by Roger Patterson, Far West Open report by Phillip Carson, book reviews by John Donaldson, a scholastic report by Gary Dorfner, an article by Bill McGeary, and the usual Grand Prix update. Cover: WGM Nino Maisuradze by Polly Wright. Maisuradze won the 5th Annual Grand Pacific Open (Apr 22-25) in Victoria, BC.

Earth vs. Space (2011 version)! - There is another "Earth vs. Space" chess match involving NASA astronauts Greg Chamitoff and Greg H. Johnson, who were onboard the International Space Station. See the USCF website. The first match was in 2008-2009 - see our old news page.

Award! Seattle Police Officer Denise "Cookie" Bouldin was honored on June 1 by Senator Patty Murray with a "Golden Tennis Shoe" award for Bouldin's work teaching chess to kids in a rough section of the Rainier Valley near Seattle. See the story. Donations can be made on behalf of Detective Cookie's Urban Youth Chess Club to the Seattle Neighborhood Group, 1810 East Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122.

Chess-Themed Movie! Variety magazine reported in 2009 on a foreign produced chess-themed movie, "Queen to Play." Showings may be available in Portland and Seattle. See the film review. | See another review on the The New York Times website. (The movie has opened in Manhattan!) New! There is also a review in the June 2011 issue of Chess Life magazine.

Another Fischer book! Bobby Fischer by Harry Benson, published by PowerHouse books, will be available on June 14. See a short article, "The Bobby Fisher I Knew," on the Newsweek website.

Fischer movie on HBO! Rusty Miller reports that "Per a note from John Donaldson, I find on the schedule for HBO Monday 6 June 2011 a listing for BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD, 93 minutes long to start showing at 9:00 pm. Appears it will also be available "on demand" starting then." Interview! See interview from a Canadian publication (The Globe and Mail) of American filmmaker Liz Garbus, whose film Bobby Fischer Against the World recently opened. New Fischer book and movie! A new book on Bobby Fischer's life, Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness by Frank Brady is now available. Check amazon.com or your favorite online book seller to order, or you can also find book reviews online, including on the New York Times website. (See the review, "The Bobby Fischer Defense," by Garry Kasparov.) See excerpt on Scribd. Liz Garbus’ new film, Bobby Fischer Against The World, which is showing as part of the Doc Premieres at Sundance before heading to HBO, is the first feature-length documentary about Fischer. (A film clip and short review are available on the linked website.) Yet another Fischer article! See "Bobby Fischer: from prodigy to pariah" in a UK newspaper, The Observer. (Published Sunday, May 15, 2011.)

Kamsky Now Eliminated! Although, as reported by USCF, "US Champion Gata Kamsky advanced through his first candidate match in Kazan, Russia (May 3-27) against Veselin Topalov, 2.5-1.5, Kamsky was eliminated in the blitz portion of his semfinals playoff against Boris Gelfand on May 16. (See the story.) In the other semifinal match, Alexander Grischuk advanced against former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, also in a blitz playoff. The playoffs were necessary due to draws in the regular match games.

New Chess Publication! Bob Long, editor of The Chess Reports has announced that it will be replaced by a new publication on chess openings called SCORE (Some Chess Openings Reports Experiments). For a free sample copy of The Chess Reports and a discount offer, contact Bob, bob@thinkerspressinc.com.

The May Northwest Chess magazine was mailed on 4/28. it's a 32-page issue with Larry Parr Obituary by John Donaldson, National Girls Champion - Alexandra Botez story and game, Washington Championship report by Fred Kleist, Two Games by Daniel He and Samuel He, Oregon Championship report by Frank Niro and Ralph Dubisch, Yaz at the SCC with photos by Arnie Garcia, an article by Bill McGeary, and the usual Grand Prix update. Cover: V. Alexandra Botez by Betsy Dynako.

U.S. Championships! - The 2011 U.S. Chess Championships were contested April 15-28 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. See the official website. Congratulations to the champions - GM Gata Kamsky (repeating as champion) and IM Anna Zatonskih (Women's). The USCF previously announced that GM Yasser Seirawan accepted a wild card invitation to compete in the championship. Seirawan, raised in Seattle, is a two-time Washington State Champion, four-time U.S. Champion and former World Championship contender, but had not played major tournament chess for several years! Seirawan finished with an even 3.5 of 7 score, not advancing to the playoff rounds.

The April Northwest Chess magazine was mailed on 4/5. It's a 24-page issue with Washington Championship Games, WA Championship Brilliancy Prize by Nat Koons, an article by Bill McGeary, and the usual Grand Prix update.
Cover: Kate Tokareva, Washington Girls’ Champion, by Philip Peterson.

In Memoriam – Larry Parr (1946-2011). As reported by Rusty Miller and Sam Sloan, "Former Chess Life Editor and long time chess author and politico Larry Parr has died. He was a fluent speaker of Russian and helped many Russian grandmasters with their chess books and articles. He passed away on April 2, 2011 after a short illness in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where he had lived for many years. Larry was born in Seattle, WA, studied at the University of Washington, and the last few years was working with Dato' Tan Chin Nam in Malaysia. His last article for Chess Life on GM Larry Evans was published in March 2011."

The March Northwest Chess magazine was seriously delayed, but was mailed on 3/31. It's a 24-page issue with a 19th David Collyer Memorial report by Kevin Korsmo, a Port Townsend game by Mike Murray, Book Reviews by John Donaldson, articles by Bill McGeary and Dana Muller, and a 2011 Grand Prix report by Murlin Varner. We're pleased to report that a few annotated games have been submitted from the WA state championship in February ... these will likely appear in the April and May magazines. Don't forget to check the calendar for chess events, instead of waiting for the magazine!

Oregon City Club! See the story from The Oregonian on OregonLive.com, "Chess club in Oregon City still going strong despite modest number of members."

Chess in NYC! See the video: "Rocketboom NYC’s Ella Morton visits the Chess District in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village."

Co-Champions! Oregon Closed Championship (final round held Feb 21 in Portland) ends in four-way tie!

Congratulations to Washington State chess champion Howard Chen, for the second consecutive year! Washington Closed Championship / Premier / Invitational (final round held Feb 21 in Seattle).

Seirawan wins blitz tournament! As reported by IM John Donaldson, "Yasser Seirawan, who recently received a wild card invitation to play in the US Championship, showed that his skills at blitz chess are very much intact by winning the prestigious Dordrecht Blitz (Holland's most prestigious blitz event) ahead of 25 others GMs (11 over 2600) with a score of 25 from 34 for a tournament performance rating of 2934! Seirawan, who turns 51 in March, didn't lose a single match in the 17 double-round robin event."

In Memoriam – Ralph L. Hall, June 16, 1930 - January 17, 2011. Northwest Chess regrets to announce the death of Ralph L. Hall (1930-2011), longtime chess player and organizer in the state of Oregon, and organizer of the 1987 U.S. Open in Portland. See this page in the people articles section for more info.

The February Northwest Chess magazine has been uploaded to the publisher, printed and mailed. It's a 24-page issue with Ralph Hall obituary and news, Washington Class report by Josh Sinanan and Gary Dorfner, Gresham Open report by Neil Dale and Charles Schulien, "Wayne meets Garry in St. Louis" by Wayne Hatcher, "Photo Art Show Opens" by  Philip Peterson, articles by Bill McGeary and Dana Muller, Portland Chess Club officers photo and final 2010 Grand Prix results by Murlin Varner.

Northwest Chess Grand Prix final standings for 2010 are available, and the checks were mailed to the winners! The 2010 and 2011 GP events are named in honor of the late Robert A. Karch.

The January Northwest Chess magazine has been mailed! It's a 32-page issue with "Letters to Ernst," a report on the World Senior Championships by Michael Schemm, "Games Corner" by Charles Schulien, "Seattle Sluggers Season Sign-off" by Alex Guo, "SCC at the 28th Western States Open" by Fred Kleist, and articles by Dana Muller and Harley Greninger.

Portland CC to turn 100! - The Portland Chess Club turns 100 years old in 2011, and is planning several activities to celebrate. One possibility is to have summer chess events in Pioneer Square. In addition, the club will award Grand Prix points in every tournament sponsored in 2011, starting with the Gresham Open and continuing until and including the 2012 Gresham Open. You will receive one Grand Prix point for every win and ½ point for every draw in any PCC-sponsored tournament, including Quads, but not including Blitz. Prizes to be announced. For more information, contact Mike Janniro, phone 503-309-9244.