Chess at Ainaloa long house

[birdmove]

We have a pretty dedicated group of chess players that gather at the Ainaloa long house every Wednesday from 9:00am till about 1:00pm. We seem to, at least the times I've been there, from 6 to 8 players or more. Dedicated, in that they keep coming back. Just a group of chess friends that enjoy the game.

I am trying to get myself ready for a tournament in Honolulu in March. If anyone wants to read about that, here is the website:

http://hawaiichessfestival.com/about/

So far, I see at least three chess Grandmasters, and two International Masters, and three National Masters. People are still signing up, so I expect some more titled and class players to come. It's a wonderful excuse to come to Hawaii. I played in the Hawaii Open a couple of years ago, and had a good time, played well, and met some nice people there.

I was trying to decide whether to play in this one, or go to Las Vagas for the National Open in June. I've played at the National Open maybe 6-7 times since the mid 1990s, and always had a fantastic time.
No time for shows, and I don't gamble. One year there were 1106 players! But, it's so much easier to fly to Oahu, and a lot less $$.

[taropatch]

Good luck in the tourney! Any Big Island kids, your students, making the trip? The scholastic competition is always dominated by Oahu schools as far as participation goes.

[birdmove]

Not that I know of taropatch. Chess is pretty active on Oahu. For me, the tournament I'm going to is a pretty fast time control. I'm used to tournaments having, say, 40/2 SD/1. That means the first 40 moves by both players must be made in 2 hours, and then sudden death in the final 60 minutes, so the game could run 6 hours total. The games on Oahu will be game in 120. That means each game could go 4 hours. That sounds like a lot of time for a chess game I know. But tournament chess is so very different than friendly games with your pals. And, I'm 61 and need time to think. Sometimes a player, in a very complicated position, might take 30 minutes, or even an hour for one move. That's half your time for the whole game.

But, no worries. Any chess is better than no chess. And, I enjoy the stress when playing in a tournament.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[shockwave rider]

Is there still a chess group that meets in Hilo? Where and when?

[taropatch]

As far as I know, the Big Island Chess Club still meets at the Hilo Library (enter the children's book room, to your left upon entrance) at 9:00 AM on Saturdays.

[birdmove]

Actually, we are now meeting in the lanai area. Walk into the main library door, and walk straight through that room into the next one. There is a glass showcase there, and that's the lanai area where we meet. Saturdays 9:00 am till 1:00 pm.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[dmbwest]

I taught my son to play, now he does not need an hour to beat me !

Where have I gone wrong ??? LOL !

aloha,
" self " defense
pog

[taropatch]

Birdmove, is the Ainaloa Longhouse group still playing on Wednesdays?

I noticed the Hawaii Chess Federation has gotten back into over-the-board chess tournaments on Oahu. They have one scheduled on February 5th on Kauai. They are looking for an organizer on the Big Island so rated USCF tournaments can be held here.

[birdmove]

We are still meeting. I used to play in tournaments in the Seattle/Tacoma area, and liked to play in the yearly National Open in Las Vegas. One year there was over 1100 players there. We moved to the island in 2011, and I played at the National Open once since the move. Two trips to Oahu since 2011 to play in tournaments. One was a small local one. The other was the Hawaii Chess Festival, with over 100 players, and a few grandmasters. I had hoped it would be an annual tournament, but that didn't happen. I figured maybe the organizers lost money on it. Our little group, when it wasn't so little, put on several tournaments. I did the parings, but these were free, unsanctioned, fun tournaments.

[taropatch]

Hawaii State Seniors tournament (one day) for old guys coming up on Oahu on June 4.  Five rounds of game in  40 minutes/5 sec delay.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qifX...m99HU/edit

Also an open tournament most likely happening at the same place.
And a tournament for girls takes place then too.

http://www.hawaiichess.com/?fbclid=IwAR0...Hti_ir7xtk