I've edited this article because I'm ready to reveal the best kept secret in Saskatchewan chess:

It brings me great pleasure to announce that the 2010 Battle at the Border will feature none other than Chess960 World Champion and US Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura! Hikaru will be joined by former Canadian Champion GM Pascal Charbonneau and former Team Canada Olympiad members IM Yan Teplitsky and FM Jack Yoos.

Full event details can be found on the Battle's website.

Even though we are still several months away, I encourage you to register for this event early to save yourself $20, get your name in the draw for some very cool early-registration prizes, and reserve your spot in the tournament. Keep in mind that your early registration fee is fully refundable until one week before the event, so you have nothing to lose by doing this.

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Some relatively anti-climatic news to pass along:

1. The Alberta Chess Association has accepted our proposal for Battle funding! This means that the Battle's room rental costs, TD fees and CFC fees will be paid for by the ACA. The ACA is also sponsoring one of our featured players and will be paying for his flights to/from the tournament.

2. The top three boards at this year's Battle will be broadcast live over the Internet. The Edmonton Chess Club is lending us three DGT boards to use, and Tony Ficzere will be at the tournament to run them and solve any technical issues that arise.

It's time to brush up on your speed chess skills and head over to the Brunskill Blitz, the first event to be held in our new digs.

Entry Fees

• FREE! If you have already signed up and paid for the usual Monday nights, that is.
• $2 This is our usual drop-in rate for Monday nights.

I, for one, had an excellent time at Brunskill yesterday. Got to meet a few young whippersnappers who knew which end was up, suffered greatly at the trash-talking hands of young master Xiao, and even got in a few games with that old fart Roger. Blitz, bughouse, bratwurst. Minus the bratwurst, natch. All in all, a hell of a lot of fun. I strongly recommend club members take advantage of the new, improved, SCC club venue. Well worth the price of admission.

A big thank you, again, to Rog for taking the initiative on behalf of the SCC!

And don't forget, fellow chessophiles, that the bigger badder BatB looms on the horizon. Sign up today in order to qualify for reduced tournament rates and the opportunity to win early bird prizes! I am collecting entry fees on Jamin's behalf every Sunday morning at Mystic Java and Monday evening at Brunskill.

Hope to see you soon!

David

Chess at Brunskill School starts Monday, January 11. There will be lessons geared at beginners from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, followed by a "club night" from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

What is this "club night"? That will be up to the people who come out. Mostly, it will be a time for people to just come out and play chess, but if there is sufficient interest, we could have blitz and bughouse tournaments, or perhaps arrange for special guest speakers to enlighten us with their chess knowledge.

Happy new year everyone!

I have some exciting news to pass along regarding the 2010 Battle.

Ok, that last part was not all that exciting, but $40 is still a bargain for playing in a tournament of this calibre. The best part is that if you pay your $40 entry fee before July 31 it is fully refundable until August 27 (1 week before the event), and you'll be entered into a draw to win some cool early-registration prizes. There is virtually no reason to not take advantage of this offer - you save money, potentially win prizes, reserve your spot in the tournament and help me advertise the event.

If you are excited about this tournament, please reply with your comments. Thanks.