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.
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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4090 South 3600 West (Salt Lake Valley)
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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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