Chessdom, our favorite media partner, has a brand new look!

The new Chessdom is here!

Aug 21, 2011



Dear Chess Friends!

It is our pride and joy to share with you the new version of Chessdom.com!

WELCOME!

After 52 months of briging quality information to you, the Chessdom team decided to further enhance the user experience.

Besides the cosmetic re-design and color scheme changes, there are some major updates you should definitely take note of:

1. More articles, better visibility

The Chessdom editors have been posting an average of 7 articles per day. This number was not restrained by the lack of information or the lack of human resources, but by the limited space.

Our new version provides good visibility for up to 30 articles a day, and you will be getting more frequent and timely updates.

We also improved the inner space of the articles to eliminate unnecessary scrolling and have more photos, replayable games, and videos.

2. You suggested, we listened!

You, the Chessdom visitors, are the inspiration for all our operations. That is why during these years we carefully collected every opinion and brought the new version improved by your suggestions:

- The commentary now possible: Do you want to express your opinion on the issues, comment on the ongoing games, or simply get involved in the multi-user community of Chessdom? Now that is all possible via the Facebook commentary plugin.

- You can go Social: Now it is easier to share the articles that you like, simply finding the Digg, Stumble, and Delicious buttons at the end of every article

- Finally – a search box: Do you want to find all articles related to a player or a specific competition? Just type what you are looking for in the upper right hand corner of the site.

- Dates: Yes, now all articles, new or old, are dated

- Fonts: The fonts of the website are changed to the ones proposed by the highest number of viewers. Further adjustments will follow, given the necessary suggestions.

3. More and better banner positions

In order to expand and provide better service, we rely on our partners, the Advertisers. To express our gratitude now the website has more options and better positions for ads.

Your ideas are the basis of the new Chessdom

Your feedback provoked the changes in the new version. Every opinion from now on will be equally appreciated. So, please feel free to post your ideas and suggestions in the commentary box below or send it to our contact form.

Keep in mind that this week is a week of transfer. Currently “only” the 1400 articles under the www subdomain have been transfered to the new version. It is hard to believe, but in the past 4,5 years, the Chessdom editors have posted over 10 000 articles. The rest of the articles are still operational under the old version on the Previews, Tournaments, Games, etc. sections.

When the transfer of data is complete and all articles are available, you can expect better categories structure, many more articles, better live games experience, and articles archives by month and date.

And all this thanks to your feedback so far; all further comments are appreciated!

Expect also…

1. Guest blogger section, so far 10 GMs and professional jounalists confirmed

2. Archives and categorization

3. Enhanced live games commentary with a 2700+ GMs team

4. A much higher average number of articles per day

5. A simul with a GM live on Chessdom, where the fans can participate

6. Import of the photos and video gallery

7. And of course the transfer of over nine thousand articles

www.chessdom.com

12-0 playing on board one for Greece Arcadia

Chess News
3:08 PM, Jul. 12, 2011

Brian Johnston might not seem to be your typical teen. He thinks chess is exciting and he's making an eight-year commitment to the U.S. Marine Reserves.

But an incredibly successful year of chess led to him being named the 2011 Regional All-star Chess Team's Player of the Year.

Johnston went 12-0 playing on board one for Greece Arcadia, helping lead the Titans to a league title. He then went 5-0 in the team playoffs as Arcadia finished seventh, and he finished sixth in the individual championships. Just for good measure, he and fellow Arcadia senior Adam Shepard teamed up to win the high school team title in Bughouse chess, a fast-paced, two-person team variation.

"I was really surprised," Johnston said, reflecting on the news he'd been named Player of the Year. "I knew I was pretty good, but I thought there were a lot of others who were just as good or better."

Still, with nearly 20 interscholastic wins this year, no one matched his win total. That number included one of his top highlights: a victory in the final game of the regular season to earn Arcadia the league title.

As for the excitement, Johnston says it's simple. "I find chess exciting because you don't know what your opponent is thinking. You never play the same game twice; it's always new."
Besides, adds Johnson, "It's a competition and I'm very competitive. I like spending time like that."

For Coach of the Year Ryan Horst, competition is secondary. For him, it's about involvement and thinking.

"Any kid can get involved," said Horst. "If you eliminate the stereotypes and get everyone in the room and learn the right way, it's a fun thing to see."

Horst, whose Victor squad was the largest in the area, played chess for fun as a kid before getting away from it. But a unique encounter with a student while teaching in the Bronx helped rekindle his interest.

"This kid was really motivated and it opened my eyes that it's more than just moving pieces," said Horst.

After helping Clyde-Savannah begin playing interscholastically, Horst moved on to Victor where he has implemented a ground-breaking new curriculum: offering chess as an actual course.

"When I first proposed the idea, Victor was looking at different classes. I wanted something that was not an intense class, like an AP, but something less intense. It's not solely chess — it's math and chess. But I presented research that showed how chess improves brain skills. I wanted a class where the students have to think."

The program, still in its early stages, has proven to be a success. Pulling players from those academic classes, Victor not only succeeded with its first team, it also fielded a second team during the regular season that finished second in the league. The Blue Devils then sent four squads to the team playoffs and had nearly a dozen players participate in the individual championships.

Horst's teams also put players on both the first and second regional all-star teams, including the first female so recognized, junior Paola Rigo.

Still there's more to do. Horst hopes to get more players to the Rochester Chess Center to play rated games, travel to tournaments and ultimately, earn some chess scholarships, plus develop his own game.

"If I'm going to get better, I have to work at it," said Horst. "If I'm studying as a teacher, shouldn't they be doing the same as a student?"

Developing better chess players, but more importantly better thinkers and better problem-solvers is already in the works: Victor's chess classes for next year are already filled up.
For Johnston, who was quick to offer accolades to his teammates and his coach, Bryan Claus, chess also figures into the future. While his opportunities to play chess might be a little limited while in the Marines, he hopes to play while studying at MCC in preparation for a career in criminal justice.

The complete team

Player of the Year: Brian Johnston, senior, Greece Arcadia. Perfect record in the regular season and team playoffs. Favors the Sicilian Defense when playing black, King Pawn opening when playing white. Accepted into the Delayed Entry Program for the U.S. Marines. Likes video games. Looking to begin studying criminal justice at MCC after initial Marine training is complete. Logan Kokx, senior, Webster Thomas. Very good 6-3-1 record in regular season led Thomas to league title, then a fifth-place finish at regionals. Often plays King Pawn to open. Played varsity soccer. Involved with jazz band. Member of National Honor Society. Winner of Outstanding Academic Achievement in Science Award. Headed to Binghamton to major in physics. Enjoys physics, poker and soccer.

Bowranigan (Bo) Tharmalingam, senior, Brighton. Repeat first-team selection. Opens with Queen's Gambit or Sicilian Dragon. Went 12-0 in regular season, helping win the league title and finished fourth at the individuals. Has 3.93 GPA. Involved with math club and track. A National Merit Commended Scholar and AP Scholar. Will major in biology at Cornell. Enjoys running, swimming and soccer (particularly Manchester United).

Carmelo Guglielmino, junior, Victor. Went 12-0 in regular season play and helped Victor to league title and sixth-place finish at team playoffs. Favorite opening move: Sicilian Dragon. Winner of Victor Leadership Award. Involved with rowing team. Holds 90 academic average. Chess instructor for intermediate school in Victor. Interests include history, philosophy, art and theology.

Webster Kehoe, sixth, Wilson Foundation Academy. Played top board for regional champion. Solid 6-4-1 regular season record. Won the individual playoffs. Favors King Pawn opening. Involved with basketball and soccer. Honor roll student and class vice president. Hobbies include reading, coin collecting, writing and an interest in all sports.
Coach of the Year

Ryan Horst, Victor. Lives in Farmington with wife and two children. Degrees from Stony Brook and Mercy College. Creator of "Math in Chess" course for high school students, considered the only course of its kind in the country. Also coaches football and track for Red Jacket, where he won 2006 Finger Lakes West Football Coach of the Year. Hobbies include fishing, golf and basketball.

Second team

George Liu, senior, Pittsford Sutherland; Paola Rigo, junior, Victor; Nolan Henrie, freshman, Wilson Magnet High School; Gabe Rodriguez, eighth grade, Albion Middle School; and Connor Wagner, sixth grade, Wilson Foundation Academy.

— Scott Kroner

More here.