It is, once again, this time of year. After another extremely successful year, which included GM Elshan Moradiabadi joining our coaching team, record breaking attendances at our camps, wild episodes of The ICA Show, and, most importantly, WGM Irina Levitina getting inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame, we once again came together to celebrate in the most ICA way possible. 75 participants, three tournament directors, many parents, and one Diana came together to participate in the annual New Years Blitz.
To start off, there was a lot going on in the unrated section! There were 16 kids, all of whom were competitive and wanted to win. Each round got more and more intense, and even though these kids are unrated, they still play very well. All of the costumes were very amazing, but Lucas’ ninja costume stood out the most, so he was our costume winner!
The battle came down to Anthony and Daniel, who are in fact brothers! Anthony held up a good fight, but his older brother Daniel ended up winning the game. Daniel got 1st place for the unrated section, Anthony got 2nd place, and Eddy got 3rd place! Congratulations to all of our competitors for their hard work!
If the previous two years were anything to go by, the U1600 section always throws up many shocks. As all ICA players are known for their steel in G30, G45, and G60 matches, having only five minutes to play out a match can come as a shock to the system. However, this time, the results are as you would expect. Goktug Bas, Leon Shevelenko, and Thomas Holder were, undoubtedly, the three best players in the tournament, and they showed it, finishing in the top three.
The next batch of players on five points are also a group you would expect to finish in that region. Despite that, those players should all be congratulated, especially Gillian and Kate, who both managed to defeat me! Although neither match was a blowout, both players had the right strategy: create a strong attack, to ensure I would be down on time, even if I would be able to repel the attack. Once the dust settles, my time is gone.
But the biggest congratulations goes to Bryan Andrei: although he was the only player on five points to not win a cash prize, his chess-themed costume won him the best costume prize. Although I tried to influence the vote by not allowing the Open Section players, Ido and Ari, to vote by applause, Bryan still won overwhelmingly.
Our Open section also went without as many upsets as I would’ve liked. It seemed as if there would be fireworks after Ido drew Justin in the first round. From that point on, however, there was a clear top four. Interestingly enough, the top four all managed to play each other, and neither was able to finish as an invincible: Gary lost to Justin, who lost to Lev, who lost to Brian, who lost to Gary! Talk about a cycle of results! Therefore, the question was: who could beat the rest of the pack? Gary just about answered the question by finishing with 5.5/7 points and taking home the first price!
So although there were not as many upsets as I would have liked, I believe the quality of the chess improved at all levels. For instance, although I finished on 4.5/7 points (an improvement from my last attempt two years ago, when I finished on 3/7), I did not feel like any of my games were a blowout: neither my wins, losses, or draw. I would like to highlight my final match against Ben: although I was up a piece, his rook, knight, and queen all pointed directly at my king. I sacrifice my knight to capture two pawns, thus leaving my pawn one square away from promotion. At that point, although I believe I had the advantage, anything could happen. Unfortunately, the worst possible outcome happened, I was put in check, but Ben’s king was left attacked, meaning I could capture it for the victory. Despite the poor end, Ben’s, and every other player’s middlegame strategy was much improved from this time last year.
Because our New Years Blitz competitions are more of a festive celebration, we had to do something extra at the end. Last year, two of our players DJ’d as the rest of the players played friendly blitz and bughouse matches. This time, we had to do something different. When looking at the weather forecast for this week, the first thought that came to mind was, “Let’s have an ICA football (soccer) match as soon as the tournament finishes!” The players and parents would drive to the Glen Rock High School field and play until they “get tired”.
And what an idea this was: well over 20 players showed up to the field! We had to split the field into a younger and older group to ensure everyone would be able to play. After a while, however, the groups came together for a half field match. It became clear that nobody wanted to leave, and why not? The best way to spend a beautiful day after a seven game blitz tournament is outside, with fellow opponents and friends.
And this is one of the core themes of ICA: a healthy mind correlates with a healthy body. This is why our camps emphasize sport as much as chess. And that is why, minutes before a grueling exam or two and a half hour graduate level class, you will find me destressing on the football pitch.
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