Weekly Newsletters
Academic Chess Newsletter 02/02/18
by NM Craig Clawitter
Game of the Week!
White: Emanuel Lasker
Black: Johann Hermann Bauer
08/26/1889 1-0 Amsterdam, NED
1.f4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.b3 e6 4.Bb2 Be7 5.Bd3 b6 6.Nc3 Bb7 7.Nf3 Nbd7 8.O-O O-O 9.Ne2 c5 10.Ng3 Qc7 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.Bxe5 Qc6
13.Qe2 a6 14.Nh5 Nxh5
Chess Problem of the Week!.
Can you fill in the blanks of the amazing sacrifice that Lasker pulls off here?
15.______+ Kxh7 16.______+ Kg8
17._______ Kxg7 18.______+ Kh7
19._______ Rg8? 20.Rh3#
Winner of January 2018 Scholastic Championships!
Christopher McFadden! Congrats to everyone that challenged themselves at this tournament, you all improved immensely!
Come join us for the next USCF Tournament on Feb 10th Scholastic Championships run from 3pm-6pm
Top 5 USCF Ratings in 2018
To get a USCF rating, you must join the USCF (membership fee is only $17/year for under 13 year olds!) and then play at least 3 USCF rated games.
Chess Advice
“When you see a good move, look for a better one”-2nd World Champion Emanuel LaskerAnswer of Chess Problem of the Week
(from 01/26/18) 26. Qxd6!
Black resigned because after 26…Rxd6 27. Rxd6 White will either do a back rank checkmate or a royal fork with 28. Rd8+
Important Websites
www.uschess.org
Look under player and ratings and find your child's national USCF rating!
www.chessbase.com
Keep up with all the international chess news!
www.chesstempo.com
Great, free website for thousands of chess puzzles!
www.chesskid.com
play free (and safe) online chess against other kids and teachers across the US and world!
www.chess.com
play free online chess against anybody in the world! Warning: This is not a protected site, and there are very strong players on this website...not for the faint of heart!
Contact Us
Office Phone Number: 949-348-2892
Office Email: orangecounty@academicchess.com
Office Website: www.academicchess.com
My personal website:nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AcademicChessOC
Exciting Upcoming Events!
1. USCF rated February Scholastic Championships on February 10th & 24th, 2018! The tournament runs from 3pm-6pm. By the end of this tournament all participants will have a national rating! Prizes, trophies and medals will be given out at the end of the tournament! This tournament will be held at our chess center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110 On February 24th, 2018, we have our USCF tournament for Adults and/or talented juniors. To be eligible for this tournament, you either need to be older than 12 years old, or if you are younger than 13, you can still play if you have a USCF rating of 1000+. The adult tournament runs from 12pm-5pm one door over at Suite 109.
2. South County Dream Team! Mondays, 02/05, 02/12 from 6pm-7:30pm. *Just $15 a class!*
Our top Academic Chess students come every Monday night learn new and exciting chess openings, tactics, and strategies from a National Chessmaster! Dream Team is held at our Center Center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110
3. North County Dream Team Thursdays 02/08, 02/15, 02/22 from 5:00pm-6:00pm &/or 6:00pm-7:00pm Semi-private lessons (4 students maximum) from NM (National Master) Craig Clawitter. Each lesson students can earn prizes as well as learning new and exciting tactics & strategies from one of Southern California’s best chess players! We plan on having our North County Dream Team challenge other clubs in Southern California including a friendly competition with Academic Chess’s South County Dream Team!
3. Recycle with Ryan!: ryansrecycling.com/about/ Academic Chess will give a chess buck for every 10 bottles or cans brought in and the winner will get a LEGO chess set!
4. After-School Chess is being offered in over 150 schools in Orange County! Please check with your schools for more information. If you’d like chess in your school please contact us at 949-348-2892 or [email protected]
5. We have Friday Knight Chess Tournaments in San Clemente, Laguna Hills, Irvine, and now Anaheim Hills! Flyers for these tournaments can be found here: www.academicchess.com/flyers.htm
Opening of the Week
The Scotch Opening: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 White immediately attacks Black’s center and opens up both of his/her Bishops! Black gets some pretty active play themselves though, so watch out!
Looking to Take Your Chess to the Next Level?
How about some private lessons? I (Craig Clawitter) am a national master (rated over 2200 USCF) which puts me inside the top 1% of the world at chess! I've been teaching children and adults chess for over 15 years now! If your child is really serious about getting better at chess this is the best way to go!
Please contact me either at:
Phone: 949-940-5141 (cell)
Email: crageclaw@gmail.com
Website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Happy Kinghunting!
Program Director
NM Craig Clawitter Adam Brody
02/02/2018 949-348-2892
by NM Craig Clawitter
Game of the Week!
White: Emanuel Lasker
Black: Johann Hermann Bauer
08/26/1889 1-0 Amsterdam, NED
1.f4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.b3 e6 4.Bb2 Be7 5.Bd3 b6 6.Nc3 Bb7 7.Nf3 Nbd7 8.O-O O-O 9.Ne2 c5 10.Ng3 Qc7 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.Bxe5 Qc6
13.Qe2 a6 14.Nh5 Nxh5
Chess Problem of the Week!.
Can you fill in the blanks of the amazing sacrifice that Lasker pulls off here?
15.______+ Kxh7 16.______+ Kg8
17._______ Kxg7 18.______+ Kh7
19._______ Rg8? 20.Rh3#
Winner of January 2018 Scholastic Championships!
Christopher McFadden! Congrats to everyone that challenged themselves at this tournament, you all improved immensely!
Come join us for the next USCF Tournament on Feb 10th Scholastic Championships run from 3pm-6pm
Top 5 USCF Ratings in 2018
- Quinton Daniels 860
- Christopher McFadden 844
- Matthew Miamidian 753
- Addison Fort 683
- Patrick McFadden 628
To get a USCF rating, you must join the USCF (membership fee is only $17/year for under 13 year olds!) and then play at least 3 USCF rated games.
Chess Advice
“When you see a good move, look for a better one”-2nd World Champion Emanuel LaskerAnswer of Chess Problem of the Week
(from 01/26/18) 26. Qxd6!
Black resigned because after 26…Rxd6 27. Rxd6 White will either do a back rank checkmate or a royal fork with 28. Rd8+
Important Websites
www.uschess.org
Look under player and ratings and find your child's national USCF rating!
www.chessbase.com
Keep up with all the international chess news!
www.chesstempo.com
Great, free website for thousands of chess puzzles!
www.chesskid.com
play free (and safe) online chess against other kids and teachers across the US and world!
www.chess.com
play free online chess against anybody in the world! Warning: This is not a protected site, and there are very strong players on this website...not for the faint of heart!
Contact Us
Office Phone Number: 949-348-2892
Office Email: orangecounty@academicchess.com
Office Website: www.academicchess.com
My personal website:nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AcademicChessOC
Exciting Upcoming Events!
1. USCF rated February Scholastic Championships on February 10th & 24th, 2018! The tournament runs from 3pm-6pm. By the end of this tournament all participants will have a national rating! Prizes, trophies and medals will be given out at the end of the tournament! This tournament will be held at our chess center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110 On February 24th, 2018, we have our USCF tournament for Adults and/or talented juniors. To be eligible for this tournament, you either need to be older than 12 years old, or if you are younger than 13, you can still play if you have a USCF rating of 1000+. The adult tournament runs from 12pm-5pm one door over at Suite 109.
2. South County Dream Team! Mondays, 02/05, 02/12 from 6pm-7:30pm. *Just $15 a class!*
Our top Academic Chess students come every Monday night learn new and exciting chess openings, tactics, and strategies from a National Chessmaster! Dream Team is held at our Center Center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110
3. North County Dream Team Thursdays 02/08, 02/15, 02/22 from 5:00pm-6:00pm &/or 6:00pm-7:00pm Semi-private lessons (4 students maximum) from NM (National Master) Craig Clawitter. Each lesson students can earn prizes as well as learning new and exciting tactics & strategies from one of Southern California’s best chess players! We plan on having our North County Dream Team challenge other clubs in Southern California including a friendly competition with Academic Chess’s South County Dream Team!
3. Recycle with Ryan!: ryansrecycling.com/about/ Academic Chess will give a chess buck for every 10 bottles or cans brought in and the winner will get a LEGO chess set!
4. After-School Chess is being offered in over 150 schools in Orange County! Please check with your schools for more information. If you’d like chess in your school please contact us at 949-348-2892 or [email protected]
5. We have Friday Knight Chess Tournaments in San Clemente, Laguna Hills, Irvine, and now Anaheim Hills! Flyers for these tournaments can be found here: www.academicchess.com/flyers.htm
Opening of the Week
The Scotch Opening: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 White immediately attacks Black’s center and opens up both of his/her Bishops! Black gets some pretty active play themselves though, so watch out!
Looking to Take Your Chess to the Next Level?
How about some private lessons? I (Craig Clawitter) am a national master (rated over 2200 USCF) which puts me inside the top 1% of the world at chess! I've been teaching children and adults chess for over 15 years now! If your child is really serious about getting better at chess this is the best way to go!
Please contact me either at:
Phone: 949-940-5141 (cell)
Email: crageclaw@gmail.com
Website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Happy Kinghunting!
Program Director
NM Craig Clawitter Adam Brody
02/02/2018 949-348-2892
Academic Chess Newsletter 01/26/18
by NM Craig Clawitter
Game of the Week!
Yasser Seirawan - Jan Timman
Hilversum 50/564 Hilversum 50/564 (5), 1990
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qb3 c5 6.a3 Ba5 7.Bg5 Nc6 8.0–0–0 Bxc3 9.d5 exd5 10.cxd5 Be5 11.dxc6 Qe7 12.cxd7+ Bxd7 13.e3 Rd8 14.Rxd7 Rxd7 15.Bb5 Bd6 16.Rd1 0–0 17.Bxd7 Qxd7 18.Bf4 c4 19.Qc2 Ne8 20.Ng5 f5 21.Qxc4+ Kh8 22.Bxd6 Nxd6 23.Qd5 Rd8 24.Ne6 Qc8+ 25.Kb1 Rd7
Chess Problem of the Week!.
Can you find the move that White played that made Black give up this game?
26. ___________ 1-0 Black resigns
Winner of December 2017 Scholastic Championships!
Andrei McAllister with an undefeated +4 score! Congrats to everyone that challenged themselves at this tournament, you all improved immensely!
Come join us for the next USCF Tournament on January 27th Scholastic Championships run from 3pm-6pm
Chess Advice
“Every move is another chance to present a problem for your opponent.”
-My First Chess Coach
Answer of Chess Problem of the Week (from 01/26/18) Will be in the next newsletter
Important Websites
www.uschess.org
Look under player and ratings and find your child's national USCF rating!
www.chessbase.com
Keep up with all the international chess news!
www.chesstempo.com
Great, free website for thousands of chess puzzles!
www.chesskid.com
play free (and safe) online chess against other kids and teachers across the US and world!
www.chess.com
play free online chess against anybody in the world! Warning: This is not a protected site, and there are very strong players on this website...not for the faint of heart!
Top 5 USCF Ratings in 2018
(in order to qualify for this list, you must have played in a 2018 Academic Chess USCF Tournament)
To get a USCF rating, you must join the USCF (membership fee is only $17/year for under 13 year olds!) and then play at least 3 USCF rated games. You can check your USCF ratings at their page: uschess.org. For more information about USCF please call 949-348-2892 or email at orangecounty@academicchess.com.
Contact Us
Office Phone Number: 949-348-2892
Office Email: orangecounty@academicchess.com
Office Website: www.academicchess.com
My personal website:nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/AcademicChessOC
Exciting Upcoming Events!
1. Dream Team! Mondays, 01/29, 02/05, 02/12 from 6pm-7:30pm. *Just $15 a class!*
Our top Academic Chess students come every Monday night learn new and exciting chess openings, tactics, and strategies from a National Chessmaster! Dream Team is held at our Center Center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110
2. USCF rated January Scholastic Championships on January 27th, 2018! The tournament runs from 3pm-6pm. By the end of this tournament all participants will have a national rating! Prizes, trophies and medals will be given out at the end of the tournament! This tournament will be held at our chess center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110
On the same day, January 27th 2018, we are excited to have our USCF tournament for Adults and/or talented juniors. In order to be eligible for this tournament you either need to be older than 12 years old or if you are younger than 13, you can still play if you have a USCF rating of 1000+. The adult tournament runs from 12pm-5pm one door over at Suite 109.
3. Recycle with Ryan!: http://ryansrecycling.com/about/ Academic Chess will give a chess buck for every 10 bottles or cans brought in and the winner will get a LEGO chess set!
4. After-School Chess is being offered in over 150 schools in Orange County! Please check with your schools for more information. If you’d like chess in your school please contact us at 949-348-2892 or [email protected]
5. We have Friday Knight Chess Tournaments in San Clemente, Laguna Hills, Irvine, and now Anaheim Hills! Flyers for these tournaments can be found here: http://www.academicchess.com/flyers.htm
Opening of the Week
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 White tried to play pe4, but Black pinned the Knight on c3. It’s a battle for the e4-square!
Looking to Take Your Chess to the Next Level?
How about some private lessons? I (Craig Clawitter) am a national master (rated over 2200 USCF) which puts me inside the top 1% of the world at chess! I've been teaching children and adults chess for over 15 years now! If your child is really serious about getting better at chess this is the best way to go!
Please contact me either at:
Phone: 949-940-5141 (cell)
Email: crageclaw@gmail.com
Website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Happy Kinghunting!
Program Director
NM Craig Clawitter Adam Brody
01/26/2018 949-348-2892
by NM Craig Clawitter
Game of the Week!
Yasser Seirawan - Jan Timman
Hilversum 50/564 Hilversum 50/564 (5), 1990
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qb3 c5 6.a3 Ba5 7.Bg5 Nc6 8.0–0–0 Bxc3 9.d5 exd5 10.cxd5 Be5 11.dxc6 Qe7 12.cxd7+ Bxd7 13.e3 Rd8 14.Rxd7 Rxd7 15.Bb5 Bd6 16.Rd1 0–0 17.Bxd7 Qxd7 18.Bf4 c4 19.Qc2 Ne8 20.Ng5 f5 21.Qxc4+ Kh8 22.Bxd6 Nxd6 23.Qd5 Rd8 24.Ne6 Qc8+ 25.Kb1 Rd7
Chess Problem of the Week!.
Can you find the move that White played that made Black give up this game?
26. ___________ 1-0 Black resigns
Winner of December 2017 Scholastic Championships!
Andrei McAllister with an undefeated +4 score! Congrats to everyone that challenged themselves at this tournament, you all improved immensely!
Come join us for the next USCF Tournament on January 27th Scholastic Championships run from 3pm-6pm
Chess Advice
“Every move is another chance to present a problem for your opponent.”
-My First Chess Coach
Answer of Chess Problem of the Week (from 01/26/18) Will be in the next newsletter
Important Websites
www.uschess.org
Look under player and ratings and find your child's national USCF rating!
www.chessbase.com
Keep up with all the international chess news!
www.chesstempo.com
Great, free website for thousands of chess puzzles!
www.chesskid.com
play free (and safe) online chess against other kids and teachers across the US and world!
www.chess.com
play free online chess against anybody in the world! Warning: This is not a protected site, and there are very strong players on this website...not for the faint of heart!
Top 5 USCF Ratings in 2018
(in order to qualify for this list, you must have played in a 2018 Academic Chess USCF Tournament)
- N/A as our first USCF tournament in 2018 is on Saturday, January 27, 2018!
To get a USCF rating, you must join the USCF (membership fee is only $17/year for under 13 year olds!) and then play at least 3 USCF rated games. You can check your USCF ratings at their page: uschess.org. For more information about USCF please call 949-348-2892 or email at orangecounty@academicchess.com.
Contact Us
Office Phone Number: 949-348-2892
Office Email: orangecounty@academicchess.com
Office Website: www.academicchess.com
My personal website:nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/AcademicChessOC
Exciting Upcoming Events!
1. Dream Team! Mondays, 01/29, 02/05, 02/12 from 6pm-7:30pm. *Just $15 a class!*
Our top Academic Chess students come every Monday night learn new and exciting chess openings, tactics, and strategies from a National Chessmaster! Dream Team is held at our Center Center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110
2. USCF rated January Scholastic Championships on January 27th, 2018! The tournament runs from 3pm-6pm. By the end of this tournament all participants will have a national rating! Prizes, trophies and medals will be given out at the end of the tournament! This tournament will be held at our chess center: 26941 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Suite 110
On the same day, January 27th 2018, we are excited to have our USCF tournament for Adults and/or talented juniors. In order to be eligible for this tournament you either need to be older than 12 years old or if you are younger than 13, you can still play if you have a USCF rating of 1000+. The adult tournament runs from 12pm-5pm one door over at Suite 109.
3. Recycle with Ryan!: http://ryansrecycling.com/about/ Academic Chess will give a chess buck for every 10 bottles or cans brought in and the winner will get a LEGO chess set!
4. After-School Chess is being offered in over 150 schools in Orange County! Please check with your schools for more information. If you’d like chess in your school please contact us at 949-348-2892 or [email protected]
5. We have Friday Knight Chess Tournaments in San Clemente, Laguna Hills, Irvine, and now Anaheim Hills! Flyers for these tournaments can be found here: http://www.academicchess.com/flyers.htm
Opening of the Week
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 White tried to play pe4, but Black pinned the Knight on c3. It’s a battle for the e4-square!
Looking to Take Your Chess to the Next Level?
How about some private lessons? I (Craig Clawitter) am a national master (rated over 2200 USCF) which puts me inside the top 1% of the world at chess! I've been teaching children and adults chess for over 15 years now! If your child is really serious about getting better at chess this is the best way to go!
Please contact me either at:
Phone: 949-940-5141 (cell)
Email: crageclaw@gmail.com
Website: nmcraigclawitter.weebly.com
Happy Kinghunting!
Program Director
NM Craig Clawitter Adam Brody
01/26/2018 949-348-2892