Chess

[skippenskop.livejournal.com]

I was going to just check see if there were any people in the area interested in playing chess, but I read that the Boylston Chess Club is in Davis - anyone a memeber/know if it would be way over my head? I'm not a beginner but definitely not advanced either, never played with clocks or tournaments etc. Just looking for some people to play now that my chess loving roommate is leaving the country. Just curious as to what the BCC is like, if it's for me, or if anyone else out there would potentially be interested in casual, anonymous chess.

Comments

[lonely-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm a member of the Boylston. Former actually, my membership lapsed as I've been travelling, though that doesn't stop you from playing in their events.

Most events at the boylston are rated, official, USCF events. I've been suggesting to the Boylston that they should try to make a more social night for casual playing, without the ratings, and focusing on the more social aspect especially that the winter is approaching. A "Meet and Greet" type of event. The Boylston is unusual for a chess club because it has its own space. Most clubs run tournaments in someone else's space. Unfortunately, right now I think you have to go to an organized event at the club,, or else there isn't a guarantee that anyone will be there.

The "classic" boylston event is the Thursday night swiss. You play one game each thursday night for a month. Each night is a round in the tournament, and it is rated. The skill range is wide, but it's not a lot of people right now (a lot of the boston community is playing in Natick at the Metro West Club on tuesdays).

The more popular events, I understand, are the single day weekend events. You play a 4 round or so small tournament in 1 day. The games are a little faster than the thursday night as well.

The Boylston web site is http://www.boylstonchessclub.org/ . There is a schedule there. You can just show up and play; there isn't any kind of advanced registration.

[dfan.livejournal.com]

I'm a member. As lonely_squirrel says, the main focus is on official rated events, which means joining the US Chess Federation as well (although I think there might be a special deal if you're joining to play in one tournament). In addition to using a clock (which is no big deal, you just have to remember to hit your button), you also have to be able to keep score - it's part of the rules.

On Tuesday nights they have blitz tournaments (5 minutes to make all your moves), which are totally unofficial and don't require you to join the USCF.

They do have casual open house hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 2-6 (see http://boylstonchessclub.org/Openhouse.html) - it will probably be pretty empty then though.

I agree that it would be nice for the BCC to support casual play more, either to ease people into the tournament scene or just to be a nice place for people to play who aren't interested in taking it more seriously.

If you want to check it out your best bet might be to stop by sometime during the day on a Saturday, when there's usually a whole-day 4-round tournament going on, and see if it looks like it would appeal to you. You're totally free to wander around (quietly) and/or see if anyone hanging out in the back room between games feels like playing a quick game. The schedule is at http://boylstonchessclub.org/Upcoming_BCC_Events.html .