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Whitcomb Wins Harman Chess Club Championship of 2018

A double round robin chess tournament was completed on September 12, 2018, at the Harman Senior Center in West Valley City, Utah, although not all potential games were played this year. The competition began on June 13, 2018, and one of the three games played on that opening day would be critical in the final outcome of the tournament: Jonathan Whitcomb defeated the previous year’s champion, Grant Hodson, in one of those three games.

Harman Chess Club Championship tournament of 2018

Whitcomb won the tournament without a loss, getting seven wins and three draws, although he states, “I don’t remember a single one of those games that was easy for me. My friends at this chess club made me work for every win and draw that I got.”

Although Whitcomb won this three-month-long chess tournament, he is not the highest rated player in this chess club, not using the UCER system of rating, which is similar to the way players are rated by the United States Chess Federation. Here is a list of the UCER’s for the Harman Chess Club of Utah, at least for most of those regularly attending recently:

Grant 1992
Jonathan 1923
Dennis 1768
Craig 1669
Alan 1608
Dick 1596
Angel 1590
Adolf 1521
Greg 1491
Vinn 1422
Jerry 1388
Doug 1381
Luis 1353

The above ratings were calculated up to the end of the club championship tournament, and Terrell is not included, for he is away, serving a mission for his church and so has not been attending for some time.

What do the ratings mean? It’s a way of predicting the outcome of a chess game or a match of several games. For two players who have ratings 400 points apart, the higher rated person is predicted to perform as follows, in a match:

  • wins: 87%
  • draws: 10%
  • loses: 3%

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Harman Chess Club of Utah

4090 South 3600 West (Salt Lake Valley)

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Chess club tournaments

Calendar of chess tournaments at the Saint Louis Chess Club

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Chess clubs in Utah and Arizona

Let’s look at chess clubs in some of the public schools in Utah and Arizona. This is not meant to be anything close to a complete listing of school chess clubs in these two states, just a brief sampling.

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Chess teacher in Salt Lake Valley

The following are schools in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, that have chess clubs during their school years. This is not portrayed as a complete listing; it’s based on a reasonable online investigation. Additions and corrections can be sent to Jonathan Whitcomb.

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Chess Lessons in Salt Lake City Area

Whatever your skill, or lack thereof, in the royal game, a private lesson is generally the fastest way to learn chess. . . . I usually drive to the home of the chess student, and this is generally in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. Age makes no difference, and you’re free to ask questions.

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Fall Chess Tournaments in Utah

By the chess coach and author Jonathan Whitcomb

Low-cost chess lessons are available in the Salt Lake Valley, from the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah. Please call the phone number shown below for more information about private (and group) chess instruction, which lessons cost only $25 each.

Update: Fall Chess Tournament in Central Utah in 2017

The Young Living Chess Tournament for children will be held on Saturday, Oct 28, 2017, near Mona, Utah. The entry fee is only $5 per child (at the door), but registration is requested before Oct 12th. Phone the tournament director for more information:

Jonathan Whitcomb 801-590-9692

Free Chess Tournament in South Jordan on October 29, 2016

Children of many ages participated in a three-round free chess tournament at the South Jordan Library, and three chess instructors watched the competition. We hope that other free tournaments can be held at this public library in 2017, possibly as early as January.

Eighteen young chess players competed, with three of them getting a perfect 3-0 score by the end of the afternoon: Moses Samuelson-Lynn, Paxton Cichos, and Aiden Gandhi. The tournament was directed by the chess teacher Alexander Gustafsson, and I, Jonathan Whitcomb (another chess instructor), helped a bit.

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chess tournament for children in South Jordan, UtahSometimes a chess tournament is not so busy, especially after most games are done

This event was less formal than many chess tournaments, not being rated by the United States Chess Federation, but it allowed the children to gain experience without having to worry about the expense (it was free).

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children play chess in a tournament in Utah

A young tournament competitor records a move in chess notation

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At the end of the tournament, I analyzed the results and found a fascinating statistic: The children from 8-9 years old did much better than those 10-13 years old, and I mean MUCH better: The younger group scored 65%; the older, only 36%.

Then I saw an explanation: Those who had a chess coach before the tournament scored 75%; those without a coach, only 33%. Formal face-to-face chess training makes a huge difference: 88% of the 8-9 year-olds had a chess tutor, but none of the 10-13 year-olds did.

(Two of the eighteen competitors registered for the tournament on the day of the even, so I don’t know their ages or whether or not they have a chess coach.) I do know that taking chess lessons can greatly improve a child’s ability to compete in the royal game. None of my own students, unfortunately, were able to compete on this day.

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two children compete in a game of chess in Utah

A moment of concentration in a chess game

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children in a chess tournament in UtahIt was a long afternoon of chess competition

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Utah Open Chess Tournament of 2016

This event, sponsored by the Utah Chess Association and rated by the United States Chess Federation, was held from November 4-5, 2016, in four separate sections in Salt Lake City. The strongest competition was in the “Open-2” section (with 29 players):

  • Two National Masters
  • One Candidate Master
  • Three First Category players

The following seven competitors scored at least 3½ points:

  • Bryan B. Leano  (4½-½)
  • Hans M. Morrow  (4-1)
  • Alexander K. Gustafsson  (3½-1½)
  • Eric Hon  (3½-1½)
  • Randy D. Zumbrunnen  (3½-1½)
  • David Vasquez  (3½-1½)
  • Luis A. Goodrich  (3½-1½)

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Chess Lessons in the Salt Lake Valley

Jonathan Whitcomb is one of a number of chess teachers (private chess tutors) in the SLV of Utah. Several things may set him apart from other chess instructors, however:

  • Private lessons are only $25 each
  • The first getting-acquainted session is free
  • He is the author of a chess book: Beat That Kid in Chess
  • He can drive to your home for chess lessons

There’s no extra charge for his driving to your home for chess instruction, provided you live in the Salt Lake Valley. Call 801-590-9692 for more information.

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Low-cost chess lessons in Utah

Chess Coach Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah (author of the book “Beat That Kid in Chess”), offers private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley . . .

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2016 Utah Open Chess Championship

This tournament, held early in November, had four sections

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Chess Coach (Whitcomb) in the Salt Lake Valley

This chess coach (who lives in Murray) is now offering private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah . . . [cities include] Belmont Heights, Cottonwood Heights, Taylorsville, Holladay, Kearns, Midvale, West Jordan . . . $25 per lesson.

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Chess Instruction in Utah

Your chess instruction will be precisely arranged according to your individual needs, to most effectively help you improve in your chess-playing abilities.

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Chess Tournament for Children

Eighteen young chess warriors competed in a tournament on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the South Jordan Library of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. The chess tournament director, Alexander Gustafsson, a chess instructor and one of the top rated players in Utah . . .

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Utah Championship: Fifth and Sixth Grade

By Jonathan David Whitcomb, chess-book author

★★★★★

The state elementary school chess championship was held at the University of Utah, on Saturday, March 12, 2016, and was directed by Bill Clark, with a number of assistants. The official time control listed for this chess tournament was game-in-30-minutes with no time delay, but it appears that chess clocks were not generally used. Most of the 451 children playing in this tournament appear to have made their moves quickly enough that the event was completed, in all six rounds, in a reasonable number of hours on this one day. It was indeed a full day of chess.

The following are the results of the fifth and sixth grade competitions, showing the scores of those children who had the most success in gaining points. (In chess tournaments, one point is given for a win and half a point for a draw.) For similar results in the five sections from kindergarten through fourth grade, see Utah K-6 Chess Championship.

Be aware that points won in a tournament are not themselves ratings. Those points are used by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) in calculating ratings, for the chess events that are recognized by that organization. For the complete listing of ratings for those who became rated from playing in this tournament, see the USCF cross tables.

Fifth Grade Section

Ninety-one fifth-graders participated in their division, two of them getting five wins and one draw: Brendon Young and Benjamin Watanabe (they drew in the final round, when they played each other). None of the ninety-one kids in this section of the tournament lost all of their games. The following students each had at least 4.5 points from their six games:

Brendon Young (5.5)

Benjamin Watanabe (5.5)

Oliver Moore (5.0)

Travis Gervais (5.0)

Jackson Kunz (5.0)

Kunal Kamtekar (5.0)

Dylan Martin (5.0)

Brock Baker (5.0)

Zichen Zeng (4.5)

Evan Iglesias (4.5)

Caleb Smith (4.5)

5th grade game, late in the tournament

Two fifth-grade players near the end of the tournament-day in Salt Lake City

Sixth Grade Section

Sixty sixth-graders played in this division. Gatlin Black had a perfect score, winning all six games. Forty of the children in this section of the tournament were previously unrated by the United States Chess Federation, but because this was a rated event they each received a provisional rating a few days later.

The following kids each got at least 4.5 points (these are not ratings):

Gatlin Black (6.0)

Anna Lee (5.0)

Jason Elzinga (5.0)

Philip Liu (5.0)

Benjamin Ludlow (5.0)

Rik Bhattacharyya (5.0)

(No competitor got 4.5 points in this division of the tournament.)

Two 6th grade kids play chess

Near the end of the sixth round, sixth-grade section of the tournament

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Chess Tournament for Kids in Utah

For the sixth-grade section: “. . . here are the pairings for the sixth-round final games (scores through the first five rounds and pre-event ratings included)”

Best Chess Book for Beginners

Beat That Kid in Chess

Chess in movies

Two films: Casablanca and the more recent Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Nearly identical positions in chess (NIP)

“Win a chess game” (new chess book for beginners)

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