201211 - Northwest Chess!

From the Editor’s Desk
by Frank Niro
This month we feature the activities around the region
on National Chess Day, October 13, 2012. New people
were exposed to the world of organized chess and new
members joined the USCF and state associations. After
all, that’s the point isn’t it? It is nice to see some more
photos of young people in the magazine as they represent
the future of the game of chess in America. See inside
for more information regarding the exploits of the rising
young chess masters from the Northwest, 11-year-old Roland
Feng of Washington and 13-year-old Luke Harmon-
Vellotti of Idaho.
This is my fourth issue as Editor of Northwest Chess and,
despite the intermittent typos and unexpected glitches, I
am generally pleased with the results. Jeffrey Roland, acting
as Assistant Editor, has been a pleasure to work with
throughout. And, in my opinion, the willingness of the
players and organizers in the region to share material by
e-mail, social media, telephone and whatever means available
is what makes the magazine so great! So, once again,
we renew our call for photos and games, preferably with
notes. Please don’t hesitate to promote your activities and
events as well as tournament successes and interesting
chess related adventures.
With respect to the editorial transition, you will recall that
our award winning editor, FIDE Master Ralph Dubisch,
stepped down last fall due to lack of time. The Publisher,
Duane Polich, asked for volunteers to serve on a
six-month interim basis to fill in the gap until a qualified
permanent editor could be found. Previous editor Fred
Kleist was the first to step to the plate and did a great
job, as always, turning out a quality magazine each month.
I agreed to follow when I returned from my Executive-
Table of Contents
National Chess Day in Boise.....................................................
photo credit: Frank Niro and Jeff Roland.......Cover
Northwest Chess Information Page....................................2
Contents, From the Publisher’s Desk................................3
National Chess Day Events, October 13, 2012.................4
Washington Class Championships — Entry Form...........9
Washington Chess News by Russell “Rusty” Miller...........10
Idaho Chess News by Jeffrey Roland...................................18
Oregon News by Frank Niro...................................................23
Western Idaho Open — Tournament Flyer.........................27
Dr. Ralph Hall Northwest Grand Prix by Murlin Varner...28
Seattle Chess Club Tournaments and Events.................31
Upcoming Events....................................................Back Cover
Eric Holcomb receives USCF Special Services Award from
OCF President, David Yoshinaga (award originally accepted on
Eric’s behalf at the U.S. Open by Rusty Miller). Photo credit:
Jeff Roland
in-Residence appointment at Cornell University this past
summer -- but only until Jeffrey Roland became familiar
with the new InDesign software and ready to step into the
role of Editor. My commitment was necessarily limited to
“about six months” because I will be returning to Cornell
during the spring semester to co-teach a course in Strategic
and Business Planning for Health Care Professionals along with
my wife, Natasha.
The November issue was completely put together by Jeff
using the new software and, as you can see, he did an outstanding
job. His competence in all aspects of the job is
evident and I have offered to turn over the reins as Editor
of Northwest Chess to him beginning with the December
issue. I will stay on as Assistant Editor until I leave for
New York and remain as compiler of the Oregon News
(about four pages each month) for as long as I am needed
in that role.
Finally, I was asked by some of our readers at the U.S.
Open in Vancouver if I would share any excerpts from my
upcoming memoir in the magazine. My answer was, “only
if it is relevant.” This month I got my chance. I hope that
you find my recollections concerning the first National
Chess Day back in 1976 both interesting and historically
informative.
See you on the tournament trail.
Best wishes to all,
Frank
Northwest Chess November 2012 Page 3