SM Blitz: LauttSSK youngsters make an impact

This was a tournament unlike many others for our club. Most of the legends like Seppo, Jyrki, Pekka, Kalle, Arto, Jarmo, and even Tero were missing this year. But despite that, the youngsters rose to the occasion and showed that the LauttSSK team will always be a force to reckon with. Hats off to Sameep, Oskari, and Pranav for a good showing!

Pranav, playing in his first ever blitz tournament, showed a mature level of skill, nerves, and time management on board 4. 

Oskari ensured that all the players were on time, clear on the rules, well hydrated, and in good spirits despite enduring some tough games on board 3.

Sameep was exceptional on board 2, beating many strong players, and quickly learning how to manage his time and his game under blitz pressure. 

On board 1 for the first time in this tournament, I knew I was going to face some stiff opposition. But I am pleased with how I handled the pressure, and satisfied to see my hard work in the 3+2 format pay off.

Day 1

Lots of ups and downs on Day 1. Eventually a fair outcome. Rank 8th in the group with qualification to Division 2.

Team results

1. RaahLi  74,5
2. MatSK 2   73
3. TuSKa    64
4. ESK    64
5. VammSK 2   62,5
6. Aatos 3   61,5
7. TuTs 4   54,5
8. LauttSSK 1  49,5
9. HSK 3   48 
10. I-HSK    48

Player results

1. Ashwin (12/21) – 8th best on board 1; a decent result, though I'm capable of better.
2. Sameep (12) – 12th best on board 2; a solid effort! The ranking is misleading. With just 2 more wins, he would have been 4th best.
3. Oskari (11,5) – 9th best on board 3; winning some crucial points in the post lunch segment.
4. Pranav (14) – 6th best on board 4; an excellent showing. He consistently won the games he ought to, and often secured many draws against 2000+ opponents. 

 Day 2

Division 2 brought more stability to the day. The swings of ups and downs were a bit less emphatic since the level was consistently in that 1800-2200 range. 

Team results

1. PSY 2 (61)

2. EtVas 2 (56,5) – the team of youngsters did really well!

3. KymS (54)

...

15. MatSK 3 (44,5) 

16. LauttSSK 1 (44)

17. TammerSh 4 (43)

Player results

1. Ashwin (15,5/23) performance: 2192
2. Sameep (13,5) performance: 2062
3. Oskari (5,5) performance: 1715
4. Pranav (9,5) performance: 1807

 Highlights

• Ashwin won against M Heinola Kari (2176), M Lehtosaari Mauri (2324), M Heino Hannu (2037), M Nieminen Kari (2043), M Saastamoinen Aarne (2070), FM Vinke Dietmar (2151), FM Salimäki Janne (1912), and a draw against FM Koskinen Henri (2203).
• Sameep won against M Lehtilä Taneli (2101), M Viljava Tapani (1959), Sjöman Tapani (2005), Ulvila Ismo (2013), and Salonen Mikko (2094).  
• Oskari had commendable draws against players like Nordlund Jukka (2110), Lehtonen Simo (2024), and Koskinen Matti (1945).
• Pranav won against Sinervuo Veli-Pekka (1956) and Lauhala Antti (1902), and noteworthy draws against Levomäki Rikumatti (2042) and Nurmi Timo (1942).

 Memorable Moments for Me

• Tampere good times with Kari, Pasi, Janne, Oskari at Napolitan Pizzeria
• Dinner with Sameep and Pranav at Sher e Punjab after the tournament
• Catching up with the chess fraternity at the Tampere messukeskus

Thank you all for reading. Until next time.

Simul by Seppo Aakio

LauttSSK organized the third simultaneous exhibition this year at the Lauttasaari library on October 14, 2023. Playing as Black, a national candidate master Seppo Aakio won 6 and lost 4 games (against Huong Nguyen, Jonne Sotala, Oskari Ilkka and Andrei Vavilkin).

The participants were "beginners" who have been playing at the library. For some, this was the first long game.

Seppo played much faster than Juhani Lehti in the spring simul: the shortest game lasted only 1 hour (22 moves), and the longest one 2 hours (64 moves).

The players can analyze their games with Seppo at the library on Wednesday, October 25, at 17–20.

The next simul is planned to be played in February–March 2024.

Photo by Pasi Paasonen

TJ Spartak Letohrad's trip to Finland

For the first time in its history, the TJ Spartak Letohrad chess club sent a team to a foreign tournament. We took part in the Finnish blitz chess team championships for four-person teams.

From left (in order of board number) Petr Veselý, Kamil Mikyska, Václav (Vašek) Janeček, Jakub (Kuba) Ježek

Our long-time player Petr Veselý has been living with his family in the Finnish city of Espoo for several years, so our trip had several goals... Visit a friend, play chess and, last but not least, get to know the beauties and attractions of Finland.

Our departure awaited us on Tuesday August 1 2023 from the Prague airport, and the gateway to the Nordic country for us was the airport in Vantaa. After getting to know Petr's family over excellently prepared salmon (probably the most typical Finnish food, besides the inescapable "kahvi" and the blueberry juice) the first item on our weekly program on Wednesday was getting to know the beauties of Helsinki.

The walk along the harbor with the old market hall, where we tasted various local delicacies, was very impressive, and no visitor should miss a visit to the architectural monuments in the center of Helsinki. The Orthodox-style Uspenski church is beautifully decorated inside, the Evangelical white stone cathedral is a clear dominant feature over the harbor and the Church in the rock is truly remarkable. For a peaceful walk and possibly a swim, I recommend the island of Seurasaari, which is designed as an open-air museum of ancient village architecture with a very pleasant cafe in a barn and a famous restaurant.

After a pleasantly spent day, we took part in a blitz championship tournament of the local chess club LauttSSK in the evening. It was an excellent opportunity for our whole team not only to get to know the different playing style of the Finnish players, but also an opportunity to talk about the game of chess in English. A great way to practice for the expected weekend tournament. We would like to thank the Lauttasaari club for inviting us to the tournament.

On Thursday we moved some 350 km further north to the vicinity of the championship venue in the town of Seinäjoki. We rented a log cabin by the lake in the neighboring village of Peräseinäjoki.

The small, well-equipped cabin became our training retreat for four days

We boosted our chess training by hikes in the beautiful nature full of blueberries, swims in the lake, a rowboat trip, some minigolf...

... and by having a barbecue every evening. Against all forecasts, the weather worked out wonderfully for us, which was a bit comical when talking to family members from the Czech Republic, because it was raining heavily and cold in our homeland at the time. Turns out we flew to Finland to warm up.

But even more than the pleasant weather, we were surprised by the cleanliness of all the tourist attractions and the courtesy of the local people with which they treated all the common facilities. Unfortunately, for the Czechs, this is an unprecedented or almost unimaginable thing.

After three days of training, a weekend tournament of four-member teams awaited us at a pace of 2×5 minutes per game in "olympic" system (each point on the individual boards adds up the total score). Saturday was qualifying. We had 21 matches against drawn opponents. Together we scored 40½ points, which was enough to advance to the second non-championship final group. Despite the heavy game load, we practiced a little on Saturday evening, which helped some more, some less.

In Sunday's group we had 23 games from which we got 42½ points, taking 16th place in the group. In the overall ranking this meant 64th place out of 136 participants. Particularly admirable was the performance of Petr Veselý on the first board, who scored 16 points on Sunday and was the best in the group on his board. The overall winner of the tournament was the team from Tampere.

But for our team, the tournament was, above all, a great experience in an excellent friendly atmosphere and a good excuse to get to know many nice places and many friendly people.

On the way back to Helsinki, we stopped to swim on the beautiful beach of one of the lakes near Tampere and then at the sea directly in Espoo at a wonderful summer temperature of 28 °C. The return to cold Prague on Tuesday was not all that pleasant, but the memories of the trip to Finland will remain nothing but positive for our entire team.

Written by Kamil Mikyska

Lauttasaari Blitz Ch

The Lauttasaari Blitz Championship was played at the club room on August 2, 2023, because the Seurasaaren Kruunu restaurant was under renovation. The tournament was the biggest we have ever organized (outside Shakkiareena): 30 players!

Half of the players

Top results:

1. Kimmo Karvinen (G) 12/15
2. Seppo Aakio 11½
3. Evgenii Kaliagin (-) 10½
4. Antti Suominen (KäpSK) 10
5. Jyrki Heikkinen 9½

Champion 2023

Simul by Juhani Lehti

National Master Juhani Lehti gave a simultaneous exhibition at the Lauttasaari library on May 20, 2023.

The 11 participants were "beginners" who have been playing at the library or at the beginners' tournaments at Shakkiareena. For most of them, this was their first or second long game.

The shortest game lasted 2 hours (20 moves), and the longest one a bit over 3 hours (45 moves).

Playing as Black in every game, Juhani got the result 9 wins and 2 draws (against Isroilkhon Salikhodjaev and Emil Horttanainen).

The players can analyze their games with Juhani at the library on Wednesday, May 24, at 17–20.

The next simul is planned to be played in the fall.

The first photo by Pasi Paasonen

Player of May: Mikhail Mitiushin

Learning chess moves

My father (also in the photo) taught me to play chess when I was 5 years old. At the age of 7, I already started playing professionally in the chess club.

How often do you play chess?

Every day. When I have free time, I pick up my phone and play blitz.

Joining a chess club

I spent my whole life in one club: Boris Spassky Club, St. Petersburg. In this club I have got great achievements. It was a great time, but after I turned 18, I had to leave the club. Lauttasaari is my second club. I hope I don't have to change clubs again, and I can help the club win trophies.

Achievements in chess

I cannot list all my achievements in chess because there are so many of them. But the most important thing for me is the fact that I no longer play chess professionally in the club, but I still play at a good level.

The best game

My best game is waiting for me.

A memorable chess experience

There have been a lot of chess games in my life, so it's hard for me to choose one. I hope that my best and most memorable games are waiting of me.

Opening repertoire

I like unusual debuts.

Playing style

It's hard for me to describe my chess style. I don't like to play standard parts, but always something new and unusual. So that the opponent can never prepare for a game with me.

Motto in chess

Chess is more than a game.

Chess idols

Hikaru Nakamura.

Favorite time control

I love fast chess, up to 15 minutes for each game.

Player of March: Sameep Dahal

Learning chess moves

I learnt how the pieces move around the age of 7–8 years. Funnily enough, I did not learn chess moves with the intention of playing chess. As a kid, I was interested in solving various brain teasers. Once, I had visited my uncle where he asked me about the 8 queen problem (to place 8 queens in the chess board so that none of them attack each other). This was how I learnt about how the queen moved and subsequently about the other pieces as they were lying around.

How often do you play chess?

Nowadays, I play chess very often online (chess.com and lichess). Mostly I play blitz online. Occasionally, I also play events organized by Lauttasaari chess club and chess club here at Aalto. Likewise, I am also very keen in puzzle solving and thus regularly play puzzle rush survival mode.

Joining a chess club

When I came to Finland, I started to miss playing chess over the board. So I started looking online for what chess clubs are there in Finland where I could join. This is when I encountered the blogs of Lauttasaari chess club. I liked the fact that the club organized casual chess games every week and the location was also very convenient for me.

Achievements in chess

In my undergraduate studies, I had won a team tournament by participating in an inter college chess tournament. I recently also managed to win the Lauttasaari cup of autumn 2022.

A sweet win

I find defeating high rated players on lichess who Berserk against me very sweet. I defeated an IM online. While objectively I was much worse out of the opening, I was happy that I could hang in and stretch the game.

A lucky win

During the Lauttasaari cup, I won a game where my opponent missed checkmate in 1 on move 25.

A bitter loss

There must have been many, specially those caused my mouse slips.

The worst blunder

Incorrectly sacrificing a piece due to missing the opponent's defense is the blunder I find the worst.

A memorable chess experience

My most memorable experience was when I played my first tournament back home at Nepal. It was the first time I was facing a rated player and I had managed to outplay him in the middlegame and win the game convincingly.

Playing style

I feel my strength is tactics and weakness is lacking proper opening knowledge and ending up in bad positions out of the opening.

Motto in chess

Enjoy the game and try to win in the "Tal style".

Chess idols

Carlsen, Kasparov and Fischer are the names that come to mind. I enjoy watching the games of all the super GMs.

Favorite time control

Online blitz 3'+0", over the board blitz 5'+03".

JSM: Aatos–LauttSSK

It was a captivating day of chess filled with nerve-wracking moments and fierce competition. The team ended ultimately with a commendable draw, owing largely to heroic performances, particularly from Juhani and Pekka who won their games against masters.

Aatos–LauttSSK 2–2:

1. Antti Virtanen (2268) – Juhani Lehti (2193) 0–1
2. Teemu Keskisarja (2262) – Karri Laine (2079) ½–½
3. Ari Issakainen (2169) – Pekka Kauppala (2063) 0–1
4. Aku Salonen (2091) – Evgeny Sobenin (1992) ½–½
5. Jyri Lammi (2088) – Ashwin Kumar (2007) ½–½
6. Rami Kivilahti (2008) – Harri Nyrhinen (1925) 1–0
7. Heljä Lehtinen (1844) – Jyrki Kivinen (1963) ½–½
8. Mikä Puttinen (1896) – Mikko Piippo (1882) 1–0

While observing the games, I noticed an interesting pattern as far as time management was concerned. Aatos played their opening moves very rapidly, with almost every player gaining some sort of a time advantage early. In the middle game however, they thought for twice as long. I wonder if there is a useful lesson to learn from this.

Another interesting pattern was that the "lower boards" finished their games first and the higher boards later. For this reason, I will start the report with the lower boards first.

On board 8, Mikko had a normal queen's pawn position, but it eventually evolved into a rook and pawn endgame with a 3+1 versus 3+2 configuration, which he was unable to defend.

On board 7, Jyrki managed a draw in his game against Heljä, who played the black side of the Sicilian defense Kan variation.

On board 6, Harri faced a challenging endgame with a bishop, rook, and four pawns versus a knight, rook, and five pawns. It had the potential to be a draw, but a knight fork blunder ended the game on the spot.

On board 5, I got to practice some ideas against the King's Indian Defense. Though I lost a pawn in the middle game, I was able to transition the position into an opposite-colored bishops middle game and simplify it to a draw

On board 4, Evgeny faced the talented teenager, Aku Salonen, who seemed to gain some positional trumps in the game, but nothing that was substantial enough to break through Evgeny's solid defense.

Board 3 was the final game to finish, lasting about 5,5 hours. It was an absolute must win for us, so that we would be able to salvage a team draw. The tension was high, and many people were watching closely as Pekka fought hard to convert his small advantage into a win. There were many moments where it seemed as though Ari would escape with a draw, but Pekka showed excellent technique to win the Rook+Pawn vs Bishop+Pawn endgame, cordoning off the king methodically.

On board 2, Karri defended his 2 pawns down opposite colored bishops middle game position very professionally. He never seemed uncomfortable despite the mounting pressure, leaning back in his seat with arms folded.

On board 1, Juhani pulled off a surprise win. Antti played the opening effectively and put Juhani's pieces in some uncomfortable positions, but Juhani's pawn structure remained intact and he was able to level the game. Just as the game seemed destined for a draw, Antti made a calculated risk that didn't pay off, and Juhani seized the opportunity to win the game.

Cheers

JSM: PSY–LauttSSK

The team traveled to Pori to play this important game, and each player raised their hand and gave it a strong effort, to help the team cross the finish line narrowly in the end. Job well done to everyone! Many of the players punched above their weight, scoring crucial points and half points against a strong team.

PSY–LauttSSK 3½–4½

1. Vuorisalo Veli-Matti (2184) – Lehti Juhani (2201) 1–0
2. Olander Aleksi (2155) – Aakio Seppo (2071) ½–½
3. Nordlund Jukka (2135) – Kauppala Pekka (2057) ½–½
4. Hakanen Tuomo (2047) – Sobenin Evgeny (1990) ½–½
5. Koskinen Jukka (1961) – Kumar Ashwin (1997) 0–1
6. Ojala Matias (1942) – Nyrhinen Harri (1950) 1–0
7. Aalto Seppo (1906) – Kivinen Jyrki (1945) 0–1
8. Palenius Jarmo (1881) – Piippo Mikko (1843) 0–1

I didn't get too much time to study the other games, so I cannot say too much. But here is what I observed.

Juhani had the longest game of the match, started with a good position, but then misplayed something in the middle game, and found himself on the passive end of an opposite colored bishop + rook endgame which he couldn't hold on to ultimately.

Seppo (told me after the game) that he had a very theoretical opening, which ended up in a draw.

Pekka had a very sharp attack in the early middle game against his opponent's uncastled king, which really had him sweating on the board and on the clock, but he managed to survive, and ultimate salvage a draw.

Evgeny played in his usual solid style, and everything was going according to plan until his opponent decided to sacrifice a kingside pawn g4 out of nowhere for some kind of "attack". Very dubious in my view. But it did end up creating quite a bit of pressure, and made the game somewhat tricky in the end. A draw was agreed.

I won my own game (Ashwin vs Jukka Koskinen) quite clinically. I got a small advantage early on, and it just grew bigger and bigger as the game progressed with virtually no hiccups. With this game, I have now finally crossed the all-important 2000 rating barrier. Seppo whispered to me later "Welcome to the club". I liked that.

I didn't get a chance to look at Harri's game much, but it looked pretty normal. Something must have gone wrong there.

Jyrki Kivinen had to really hold his nerve to win a Q+3 pawns vs Q+2 pawns endgame. Those can be so tricky, but he kept calm and just continued to apply pressure until his opponent erred.This was a critical win for us, as it sealed our overall win in the match.

Mikko played the Dutch and was out of opening prep on move 3, but managed to outplay his opponent in style and win a quick one for the team.

Cheers!

SM Blitz: LauttSSK is now unstoppable

There was a time, not too long ago, when we doubted if we would ever make it to the Master's group. But now, with 3 consecutive appearances, we know for a fact, that the juggernaut of success for the Lauttasaaren Suomalainen Shakkikerho is inevitable.

Yesterday, we achieved a historic moment of success, our highest ever ranking (21st), surpassing our previous best performance by a significant margin. Congratulations to the team of wonderful players and fine gentlemen – 1. Markku 2. Seppo 3. Ashwin and 4. Pekka. Thank you for a memorable tournament together. It was a fine experience!

Day 1

We were seeded as 4th best team based on ratings, and basically achieved a par performance, qualifying quite comfortably in the end despite the usual drama. The most important success factor is to be clinical in beating the weaker opponents.

Team results

1. MatSK 1 (68½ / 76)
2. EtVas 2 (60½)
3. LauttSSK 1 (58½)
4. Pässi 1 (58½)
5. SeinSK 1 (55)
6. VammSK 3 (45½)

Player results

1. Markku (12/19) – 5th best on board 1, which believe it or not is actually slightly below par for Markku's standards!
2. Seppo (16) – 1st (tie) on board 2, Seppo was unstoppable as always. Only 1 loss!
3. Ashwin (15½) – 2nd best on board 3, I did pretty well. Only 2 losses, one of which was to a 1700er.
4. Pekka (15) – 3rd best on board 4, Pekka was exceptional! Great improvements in his time management.

Day 2

Master's group is always tough. The pressure is relentless. It requires immense mental fortitude to keep going up against strong opponents game after game after game. But somehow we managed. We took the blows and kept bouncing back, and in the process we created history for our club!

Team results

1. VammSK 1 (78½ / 96)

2. MatSK 2 (61½) – the team of youngsters did really well!

3. VammSK 2 (61½)

...

21. LauttSSK 1 (35½) – our best ever ranking

22. ESK (34)

23. KäpSK 1 (32½)

24. Tampereen KS-18 (27)

Markku may have had a rusty Day 1 performance, and even a rough start on Day 2, but he soon slipped into gear and showed us all why he is on Board 1.

Seppo the warrior, who has fought many tough battles in his life, and always manages to beat the odds and come up triumphant, was terrific yet again, despite a slightly lackluster final few rounds.

I was steady, and feel moderately satisfied with my performance. I have worked on tactics and other parts of my game, so some improvement was to be expected. But still a lot more work to be done.

Pekka was great, and had some fine wins against pretty tough opponents. A lot of his losses were basically drawn positions where he ran out of time.

Player results

1. Markku (8/23) performance: 2150
2. Seppo (8½) performance: 2102
3. Ashwin (11½) performance: 2153
4. Pekka (7½) performance: 1955

Highlights

• Markku won against Antti Suominen (2122), Lari Linden (2161), Henri Lahdelma (2268), IM Mikael Nouro (2401). He also had commendable draws against Eera Valkoma, Markus Jouhki, Esko-Matti Hakulinen, Antti Virtanen and many more..
• Seppo won against Tuomas Nivala (2287), Antti Koskinen (2168), and a lot of draws against top players like Jyrki Kiltti, Matti Tommiska, Vesa-Pekka Heinola, Petri Hokkanen, Janne Myller, Pedri Houstonen, Mika Ebeling and many more..
• Ashwin won against Niki Pajala (2119), Lauri Hagelberg (2156), Tommi Franssila (2288), Sami Hallenberg (2174), Pekka Pietinen (2074), Janne Mäkinen (2050), Jukka-Pekka Haapasalo (2069), Jukka Johansson (2147), Eetu Prieur (2081). As well as some draws against players like Teemu Keskisarja, Juha Hynninen, Mikko Kivistö and others..
• Pekka won against Juha-Pekka Juhansuu (2183), Lauri Komulainen (2024), Heikki Salo (2146), Juha Riipinen (1968), Aarne Saastomoinen (2113), Mikko Tolonen (2181), and Henrik Jänström (1985).

Memorable Moments for me

• Taking an evening walk with Pekka in the garden and dipping our feet in the cool lake.
• Outdoor lunch with Seppo, discussing deep topics.
• Listening to relationship advice from Markku Henttinen.
• Wonderful and animated discussions in the car towards Lappeenranta on matters ranging from politics to business to sailing and of course, chess.

It was wonderful to play the game we all love, in the best tournament of the year, after so many years. It was nice to relax and just enjoy the chess, the atmosphere, the amazing characters, and the beautiful scenery.

Player of April: Maxime Muller

Learning chess moves

This was when I was a kid, around 10 years.

How often do you play chess?

At least once a week, on Wednesday, then at some other opportunities, when there are tournaments. As well I play a little bit online but very fast chess, so not very serious. A few months ago I also used to work a lot with books but lately time has been pretty rare.

Joining a chess club

My first club was in a small village when I was a kid, for a couple of years. Quite good club when I joined, but if I am not mistaking, right now the club is dying. Then for studies I had to move, I was in Grenoble chess club for two years, and when arriving in Finland, I usually go to play some blitz at Lauttasaari on Wednesday.

Achievements in chess

I managed one year (2014 I believe) to qualify for youth French championship, which wasn't easy as there were quite a lot of other people playing. I didn't do that great in the championship, but I was already so happy I could play and gain some important experience and knowledge about the game.

A lucky win

There might have been some more lucky but the last lucky win I recall was actually recently, in a rapid game. I was playing against a guy who had 200 or 300 rating points more than me, but that I had beaten quite convincingly twice, and who was I think scared of me. He ended up having a passed pawn on the board at one square of promotion with both of us with a queen and a rook. As well my king was weak, his king was safe. He chose to repeat the position even though it looked so winning. In addition, he had a simple winning move that would have made me resign if he had played it. But luckily this ended up in a draw.

A bitter loss

This game was played against a Fide master in 2019, right before covid started. At that time I had very little theoretical knowledge of oppenings, particularly against d4 as Black. Right from the beginning I was playing very bad moves, showing that I didn't understand anything about openings, and I went on to lose quickly, crushed, in around 20 moves, within an hour (short for classical game). It is natural to lose against a stronger player, but not like that.

The worst blunder

There is one recently that was really tough for me. This summer I was playing in a tournament in Vandoeuvre, and was at some point facing an opponent who had more than 400 rating points more than me. I fought very hard in a complex and dangerous middle to end up in an endgame with opposite-colored bishops + rooks, where I had 2 pawns and him only one. This was most likely a draw, but at least it wasn't possible to lose that. After around 4 and a half hour of game, I somehow blundered my bishop and the game a few moves later.

A memorable chess experience

Playing twice in online bullet (1'+0" time control) against MVL (who used to be top 1 French player for many years) was quite nice and exciting. I would have preferred slower time control but I was already lucky to play with him.

Chess idols

MVL, Alireza Firouzja and of course Carlsen, but I do appreciate some other players such as Duda or Dubov.

Favorite time control

Obviously this is blitz! 3'+02".

JSM: LauttSSK 2 vs LoimSK - Draw in first match of covid-19 season

This may be the first match of the covid-19 season, and there were a lot of discussions prior to the game regarding masks. Should we wear a mask? Do they want us to wear a mask? We gave them our preference: no mask, but can play with one if needed, and it turned out that they had the same preference as well.

But despite all the drama behind the masks, and despite us having only 4 players playing, and despite the fact that our formidable opponent had two masters on their top two boards, the LauttSSK 2 warriors were up to the task, and managed to hold their opponents to a draw. A remarkable achievement considering the situation!

FM Tapio Salo (2218) - Jyrki Kivinen (1985) 1–0

FM Antti Nokso-Koivisto (2085) – Jukka Tuovinen (1969) 0–1

Marko Koivumäki (1841) – Ashwin Kumar (1938) 0–1

Esa Auvinen (1789) – Kerkko Luosto (1859) 1/2

On board 1, Jyrki made a minor positional error early in the game which his opponent pressed him on for the next several hours. But he held strong, and nearly managed to draw the game, but the advantage was simply too much in the end. Nevertheless, a valiant effort.

On board 2, Jukka Tuovinen played a familiar position very well, and managed to create a passed pawn on the queenside which he clinically converted into a full point against a strong opponent. Excellent job!

On board 3, I played a 'smooth' game against a decent opponent. I managed to resist the urge to do anything 'creative', and just played solid chess, eeking out minor positional and tempo advantages whenever possible, and eventually ensuring that I didn't blunder carelessly.

On board 4, Kerkko and his opponent played a fairly evenly matched game to its eventual Q + 3P vs Q + 4P draw. The position was locked up and no real progress could be made.

SM Blitz: LauttSSK 1 Cruises to Master's Group

Following on the success from last year, the team qualified for the Master's group yet again, seemingly effortlessly. Seppo had a very good Day 1 and was second best player on first board in the group. As a team, we tangoed very well with the other top teams in our group (scored 2½ against EtVaS 1 and 1½ against Gambiiti 2). But the key factor in our success was probably the clinical display of skills against the lower ranked teams.

Day 1

Team results:

1. TuTS 1 (81/84)

2. EtVaS 1 (70)

3.Gambiitti 2 (64)

4. LauttSSK 1 (63½)

5. Äänisen Pojat (59½)

6. TammerSh 3 (56½)

Performance against top 3 teams:

½ vs TuTS 1 (4th best team overall)

• Petr drew against Teemu Topi-Hulmi (2286)

2½ vs EtVaS 1 (9th best team overall)

• Seppo beat Perttu Anttila (2354)
• Ashwin beat Tero Kokkila (2295)
• Petr drew with Henri Koskinen (2227)

1½ vs Gambiitti 2 (19th best team overall)

• Seppo drew with Antti Kahri (2177)
• Ashwin beat Ville Länsimäki (2158)

Individual results (score, performance, rank):

1.  Aakio Seppo (17/21, 2264, 2nd best)
2.  Kumar Ashwin (16, 2147, 5th best)
3.  Kauppala Pekka (15½, 2029, 5th best)
4.  Vesely Petr (15, 1933, 5th best)

Board results:

• Seppo 2nd, behind Riho Liiva.
• Ashwin 5th, behind Vilka Sipilä, Tero Kokkila, Antti Laato, and Niki Paajala.
• Pekka 5th, behind Jorma Paavilainen, Kimmo Välkesalmi, Kalle Kumpulainen, and Validimir Vinogradov
• Petr 5th, behind Teemu Topi-Hulmi, Henri Koskinen, Marko Elg, and Mikhail Andronov.

There were mixed emotions about reaching the Master's Group. On the one hand, Petr, Seppo, and I were a bit "ehh.." about it, having lived through last year's Master's' Group torture. While on the other hand, Pekka was beaming with joy as this was the first time for him. A day of beautiful chess awaited him, or so he thought...

Day 2

We came last in the Master's group, again, but at least the margin between last and second last was much much smaller this time, so that's good.

Team results:

1. MatSK 1 (76/92)

2. TammerSh 1 (74)

3. VammSK 1 (69½)

...

22. AS 1 (28)

23. VSS 1 (27)

24. LauttSSK 1 (26) (last year we got 23½)

Individual results (board, score, performance):

1.  Aakio Seppo (5½/23, 2170)
2.  Kumar Ashwin (7, 2142)
3.  Pekka Kauppala (4½, 1958)
4.  Vesely Petr (9, 2062)

Commendable results:

• Seppo beat Mikael Nouro (2429), and drew with Riho Liiva (2527), Tomi Nybäck (2523), Jukka Puranen (2420), Jouni Yrjölä (2312), Anttila Perttu (2354), Konsta Kapanen (2268), Hannu Pihlajasalo (2256).
• Ashwin beat Jorma Lehtioksa (2245), Jari Järvenpää (2269), Tero Kokkila (2295).
• Pekka beat Kari Pulkkinen (2288), Johan Lindstedt (2127), Marko Puhtila (2141), and drew with Harri Laakso (2220), Tommi Franssila (2277).
• Petr beat Heikki Syvälahti (2043), Hannu Heino (2089), Jyrki Raki (2085), and drew with Antti Virtanen (2245), Markus Kiili (2201), Jere Huovinen (2199).

Upon interview after Day 2, Pekka was a bit underwhelmed by the quality of the games in the Master's group. He had expected to witness beautiful play, but discovered that there was little beauty to be seen, even at this level. It's all just a chaotic circus.

Memorable Moments for me

• Watching Seppo graciously accept a draw with Tomi Nybäck in a chaotic finish where he was ahead on time.
• Beating Tero Kokkila twice.
• Watching Pekka playing fast, incisive chess to checkmate Marko Puhtila.
• Eating korvapuusti with Petr Vesely, with his money.
• Witnessing Pasi 2.0
• Watching Janne take a swim in a cold swimming pool.
• Learning a new attitude to chess from Kari Valli, "I'm going to move some pieces around, and see what happens!"

Final Word

All in all, we should be very proud of the way we played, both in terms of quality of chess as well as sportsmanship. We're just a small club after all, and here we are, on the big stage, making a lasting impact in the chess world!

SM Blitz: LauttSSK 1 Makes History

Finland Blitz Team Championship, Jyväskylä 4.–5.8.2018.

For the first time in history, LauttSSK 1 qualified to the Master's Group owing to some phenomenal performances across all 4 boards. Our team was seeded 5th, but managed to perform well enough to qualify to the master's group owing primarily to some really crucial wins against the best players.

Day 1

Team results:

1. MatSK 1 (79½/92)
   
2. Gambiitti 1 (78½)
   
3. Ladoga (72)
   
4. LauttSSK 1 (70)
   
5. TSY 1 (68)
   
6. LprSK 1 (64½)
   

The main highlight was our performances against the top teams. We more than competed with them. In fact we even beat them.

1½ vs MatSK 1 (Champion):

• Seppo got a "well earned" draw offer from Vadim Moiseenko.
• Petr outblitzed Mika Ebeling (2246) in a tight endgame.

3½ vs Gambiitti 1 (6th best team in Master's) was the highlight of our day:

• Seppo had a controversial draw with Jan Ristoja.
• Ashwin strategically outplayed international master Mikael Nouro (2339).
• Petr had a clinical victory against Markus Kiili (2184).
• Jyrki beat the super fast Kimmo Karvinen (2177).

2½ vs Ladoga (20th best team in Master's):

• Seppo drew with Roman Malyshev (2324).
• Ashwin beat Russian veteran Zhikharev Valeriy (2172).
• Jyrki sacrificed everything he had and checkmated Russian veteran Abramov Andrey (1988) with few seconds to spare, which even earned applause from his opponent.

With these crucial performances we proved to ourselves that when we really give it everything we have, we can beat the very best.

Individual results (board, score, performance):

1. Aakio Seppo (14½/23, 2074)
   
2. Kumar Ashwin (18½, 2156)
   
3. Vesely Petr (17½, 2035)
   
4. Heikkinen Jyrki (19½, 2063)
   

Board results:

1. Seppo 8th.
   
2. Ashwin 3rd, behind Toivo Keinänen and Mikael Nouro.
   
3. Petr 4th, behind Vladimir Osmolnyui, Mika Ebeling and Markus Kiili.
   
4. Jyrki 3rd, behind Kimmo Karvinen and Asko Hentunen.
   

Well done guys. That was a truly remerkable feat. A day that will live fondly in our memory for years to come.

Day 2

Day 2 on the other hand was a day that will live in infamy. It was a humbling experience to come last. But that's ok, because you know, it's not about winning or losing, it's how you play the game.

Team results:

1. MatSK 1 (70/92)
   
2. VammSK 1 (67)
   
3. TammerSh 1 (66½)
   

LauttSSK 1 (23½) was 24th.

Individual results (board, score, performance):

1. Aakio Seppo (6/23, 2143)
   
2. Kumar Ashwin (5½, 2079)
   
3. Vesely Petr (4, 1937)
   
4. Heikkinen Jyrki (8, 2033)
   

Numbers often lie, and this is one such instance. The truth is below.

Good results:

• Seppo draw against Dmitri Sklyarov (2567), Jouni Yrjölä (2375), Mikko Kivistö (2258), Markus Jouki (2263), Antti Virtanen (2246), Riho Liiva (2602), Matti Tommiska (2280); win against Jaakko Kivimäki (2087), Jimmy Wikman (2100).
  
• Ashwin draw against Eero Valkama (2242), Vesa Toikkanen (2232), Tapani Viljava (2105), Velriy Zhikharev (2172), Mikhail Andronov (2185); win against Samu Ristoja (2356), Janne Myller (2256), Jere Huovinen (2253).
  
• Petr draw against Risto Nevanlinna (2270), Jani Jääskeläinen (1961), Vladimir Osmolnyui (2171), Markku Lahtinen (2291), Tapani Sjöman (2021); win against Mikhail Yachmenev (2176).
  
• Jyrki draw against Jani Väkevä (2144), Samuli Nieminen (2279), Andrey Abramaov (1988), Risto Nokka (2154), Jyri Lammi (2051), Ville Junnila (2106), Harri Laakso (2159), Anssi Takalo-Eskola (2246); win against Juho Pelto (1884), Helge Ruotanen (2119), Kari Nieminen (2124), Oliver Wartiovaara (1769).
  

JSM: LauttSSK 2 Draws with HämSK (2000+)

LauttSSK 2 – HämSK 2–2

Lehtinen Tero (1880) – Helenius Martti (2239) 0–1
Kumar Ashwin (1879) – Joentakanen Kullervo (2142) 0-1
Kauppinen Jyrki (1877) – Kivi Jouni (2025) ½–½
Kokko Esa (1839) – Vähäuski Toni (2005) 1–0
Piippo Mikko (1822) – Filen Hannu (2015) 1-0

In retrospect, the LauttSSK 2 team performed what can only be termed as a miracle by drawing against a team comprised of all 2000+ opponents. I say in retrospect because at the time I felt pretty miserable after my own loss, knowing that a different result would have made our team win the round. As I walked back home that evening, I thought to myself that I should be more like Tero, who was cheerfully getting drinks, making jokes, and dropping everyone home despite losing his own game (which he is really good at).

Hats off to Mikko, Esa, and Jyrki who played really well to tame their much higher rated opponents despite the long car journey. Looks like Mikko is finally returning to his old winning ways. Esa had a really nervy game but did really well to win.

Thanks to Tero for driving us to the venue. He also had what looked like a pretty solid position, but it wasn't enough to tame the 2200 opponent.

My own game was pretty disappointing. It looked decent for a while, but then it went a bit haywire, and ultimately my endgame skills were not sufficient enough to earn a draw. I seem to overthink things a lot in these long games. Need to find the right balance between intuition and deep thought.

Joentakanen (2142) vs Kumar (1879)

SM-blikstit: LauttSSK 2

The heavily anticipated mega blitz chess tournament of the year concluded in Pori. Here are the results, highlights, observations, and commentary from LauttSSK 2:

1. Ashwin Kumar (2114)
   
2. Petr Vesely (2076)
   
3. Jyrki Heikkinen (2020)
   
4. Pekka Kauppala (2017)
   

Boards 4–1

Results

Day 1 – Group A – 7th (54½/84):

1. 11/21 (52 %), perf. 2024
   
2. 11 (52 %), perf. 1950
   
3. 16½ (79 %), perf. 2108
   
4. 16 (76 %), perf. 1981
   

Day 2 – Division 1 – 22nd (48/108):

1. 1. 13½/27 (50 %), perf. 2161
   
2. 12 (44 %), perf. 2036
   
3. 11½ (43 %), perf. 1981
   
4. 11 (41 %), perf. 1905
   

Day 1 Highlights

Ashwin:

• a spectacular loss to Mika Karttunen
  
• beat M Pekka Asomäki
  

Petr:

• beat Janne Myller
  
• drew with FM Heikki Salo
  

Jyrki:

• beat M Jere Huovinen, M Teemu Vihinen, Markko Keto-Tokoi
  
• 12 game winning streak (at one point had 15/16 points)
  

Pekka:

• beat FM Dietmar Vinke
  
• 10 game winning streak (at one point had 14/15 points)
  

Day 2 Highlights

Ashwin:

• beat NvkM Tanja Tuominen, FM Jari Järvenpää, M Mikko Tolonen, Mikhail Andronov, Andrey Drats, Timo Syvälahti
  
• drew with FM Harry Mansner, FM Tapio Salo, Jussi Upero
  

Petr:

• beat FM Markku Henttinen, Evgeny Ivashko
  

Jyrki:

• beat M Teemu Vihinen
  

Pekka:

• drew with FM Ilkka Saren
  

Observation and Hypothesis

The most interesting observation for me was that Jyrki and Pekka thrived on Day 1, but struggled on Day 2. Whereas Petr and I thrived on Day 2, but struggled on Day 1. This is interesting because Petr and I are somewhat similar in the sense that we are both OK chess players who are good blitz players. And Jyrki and Pekka are good chess players but OK blitz players. My hypothesis based on this observation is that Day 1 suits the styles of strong chess players, whereas Day 2 suits the styles of strong blitz chess players. It would be interesting to analyze past years to test this hypothesis.

Rules, Drama, and the Future

The new rules brought a nice big dose of drama to the competition, with a lot of players struggling to adapt, and a lot of other players thriving in the new era. In my view, the new rules are good for blitz chess because they force players to play neatly. No longer will the wild picking and dropping of pieces in the final seconds be tolerated. Instead, now the well behaved player who has managed his time well and doesn't hurriedly drop the pieces will benefit as he can simply claim a win if the opponent drops his pieces.

Now, more than ever before, it is imperative that players manage their time much much better! Do not put yourself in a position where you need to blitz it out in the end, because you will drop the pieces and lose immediately. Instead, just play cooler and faster moves beforehand, so that you don't have to worry about it.

The Art of the Blitz - Last Tips

Stick to the basics
Don't try to play chess that's too fancy for you. You have been playing for many years, and what you are today is a result of all those years of hard work. Rely on that experience, and stick to basic simple chess.

Stick to familiar territory
Play your openings the way you know how to. Direct the games towards positions that you are familiar with. If your opponent surprises you in the opening, take a calm step back and re-assess your options. Typically, I would avoid going deeper into his opening territory even though it's probably the best move. Instead, I would play a safe move that allows him a mild positional edge, which is fine as long as I take out most of the opening traps that he might have planned.

Keep an eye on the clock
Remember to have the mental flexibility to change your plans as the game progresses. Having a time edge is a big advantage in the last 1-2 minutes because of the flexibility it offers you - e.g. if you suddenly find yourself in a disadvantageous position you can keep up the pressure by prolonging the game in an attempt to win on time.

Keep up the intensity
Players are drained after so many games, especially on Day 2. Your biggest edge is in simply boosting your own intensity and mental alertness. On day 2, depending on the situation, some players might be mentally shattered as a result of having lost almost all of their games. You should search for this emotion in their body language and capitalize on it by exuding calm confidence and creating that aura of invincibility that will make him subconsciously expect to lose to you.

Shake it off
It's easier said than done, but one of the keys to success in the mega-blitz tournaments is to shake off the bad feeling from a loss. It doesn't matter if you screwed up. It doesn't matter if you should have won but lost it. Life goes on. Shake it off and out of your head so you can focus with the intensity of a tiger for the next game.

Enjoy the game
Last but not least. None of us are champions or anything. There's nothing significant on the line for us.. so just enjoy the game, respect your opponents, and have fun. But remember to stay focused and intense.

Tip #3 - Don't Admire Your Opponent
Tip #2 - Never Lose the Option to Win on Time
Tip #1 - The Best Move is Faster than the Fastest Move 

The Art of the Blitz - Tip #3

Don't Admire Your Opponent
There is a phenomenon in all sport, and especially in chess, which I will call as the "aura-effect". It's when you have so much admiration for your opponent, that you don't notice their blunders, and you sometimes even allow them to magically win from a hopeless position.

You have to look no further than the last two World Chess Championships to find the aura effect taking its toll on some of the world's best players.

In 2016 Game 10 Carlsen - Karjakin, Karjakin was leading in the match, meaning a draw would be a great result for him. Yet, on two successive moves (moves 20 and 21), he missed something that the even chess commentators had spotted - a chance to force a draw. Most experts say this is due to "nerves" or other vague reasons. But for me the reason is clear: Karjakin did not truly believe that he deserved to win, and he admired Carlsen so much that he failed to notice his blunder.

In 2014 Game 6 Carlsen - Anand, Anand missed a tactic (move 26) that would have probably won him the game. Again, experts were eager to pin this down to his old age and all sorts of silly reasons. But to me, it's clear: Anand did not truly believe that he deserved to win, and he admired Carlsen so much that he failed to notice his blunder.

In my own chess, I observe the aura-effect playing a role in many of my games. Especially in games where the opponent is significantly higher or lower rated than me. I have a tendency to squander winning positions against high-rated opponents, and lower-rated players tend to overlook my blunders more than they would ordinarily.

I've had many experiences when I play a series of games with a lower-rated opponent whose style happens to be especially effective against me. I often win the first one or two games with a bit of help from my opponent... but eventually he wins one, and then his self-belief grows, and his chess play improves too, making it harder and harder to beat him. Essentially, he admired me at first (and lost like he expected to), but then he realized I was a pretty crappy player and started to beat me (like he believed he ought to).

Summary:

• Players play better when they believe they deserve to win. They're calmer, more precise, and spot blunders more easily.
• Players play worse when they don't believe they deserve to win. They're more likely to let their opponent get away with blunders, and are more willing to make blunders themselves.

Simply being conscious of this psychological effect is a good starting point. It allows you to recognize what's happening and help you strengthen your resolve to overcome it.

My advice: 

1. Don't admire your opponent.
2. Play like you deserve to win.

Doing this will help you spot blunders more easily, and will help you stay calm enough to convert advantages into wins.

Tip #2 - Never Lose the Option to Win on Time
Tip #1 - The Best Move is Faster than the Fastest Move 

Spring Cup 2017 - Ashwin beats Antti in the finals, becomes a hero

I won the 2017 Spring Cup. It was the second time I won the tournament, the last time being in Spring 2015. No money for the winner, but a much more valuable (in my eyes) painting that he gets to keep until the next tournament. This painting has been around since the 1990's and has the name of the winner of each cup written on the back of it. A truly historic piece of memorabilia. I'm relieved to have won it back as my apartment is in desperate need of some decoration!

Group Stages
Petri Mäki-Fränti (2–0) – He was my opponent in the thrilling 2015 Spring Cup Final. As always, a difficult opponent with lots of tactical prowess.
Aleksej Leppänen (2–0) – A new member of the club; it was a pleasure to play with Aleksej and discuss ideas on how to improve his chess. Though relatively inexperienced, he clearly has a very good feel for the game. In our second game, he was essentially a piece down, but played impeccably well to regain the material and make it a tight finish.

Quarter Finals
Arto Heimonen (2–0) – Arto has improved a lot over the last couple of years. I was particularly impressed with some of the endgame tricks he pulled out against me. There are a lot of strong players who may not have even considered those kind of possibilities. Just goes to show how much room there is for improving one's endgame skills and how big an impact that will have on one's rating.

Semi Finals
Kauko Kaiju (1½–½) – After our match, Kaiju and I had a pleasant chat in which he said – "I'm blind. But luckily in chess, you don't need to see!" That quote in itself says a lot about Kaiju's wisdom, grace and sense of humor. It also shows in his chess. A very balanced player; he has immense positional skill and is a tricky tactician as well. Upon analyzing his games, I would say he could be a bit more careful before advancing his pawns, and also a bit more careful when trying some tricky tactics.

1. Ashwin vs Kaiju 1–0
2. Kaiju vs Ashwin ½–½

Finals
Antti Suominen (2–0) – Clearly one of the toughest tacticians and openings experts I've encountered, Antti is the only player in the world for whom I don't play my usual set of openings because I know he is so tough in them. Upon analyzing our games, I'd say that he had the opportunity to win both games, but erred by not allowing himself enough time to have the mental clarity with which to spot the winning tactics. As players, it's important for us to recognize that we need a lot more time than we perhaps realize to spot tactics at later stages of a game than in the earlier stages (because the later positions are much less familiar to us than the earlier positions).

1. Ashwin vs Suominen 1–0
A pretty even game for the most part. What started out as a relatively simple looking position turned into a very sharp double attack game with both queens and paired bishops on the board. Very easy to make a losing blunder in such situations. And I in fact did just that with 30. Qc3??, but was lucky that Antti didn't spot the winning continuation (30...Rf8). I would attribute that to his not having enough time to calmly respond to my unexpected move.

2. Suominen vs Ashwin 0–1
Antti played fantastically in game 2. His first significant error came as late as move 33! Meanwhile I had made about 7 inaccuracies before. Just goes to show how one mistake can undo a lot of hard work. In the game, I was surprised that he allowed the trade of queens early in the game (considering that he needed a win), but he later explained that it was favorable for him to do so in our Isolated Queen's Pawn type of position. I was most impressed by the series of moves that led to 21. Nc8, which I did not account for in my calculations, and which gave him a clear edge. Fortunately that end game was not so easy to play for white, and so I managed to survive and eventually win.

Next up is the Autumn Cup. Better sign up fast if you want to have a shot at taking down the Champ.

The Art of the Blitz - Tip #2

Never Lose the Option to Win on Time
My blitz rating is much higher than my standard rating. I tend to be able to punch above my weight in the shorter format. Last year, I won four out of the six games I played against titled players. Out of the 100 or so blitz games I have played in these big tournaments (5 minute 0 increment), I have lost only one on time. I should also mention that I don't have the quickest hand action either; I'm definitely slower as a piece mover than Tero or Petr, for instance.

But what I do have is experience playing tens of thousands of high speed games online. And from that experience, the best tip I can share is that you should never lose the option to win a game on time.

If you find yourself in a position where you have a comfortable advantage (maybe a few pawns or a piece up), but the only way you can win is if you manage to checkmate your opponent within the next 20 seconds, then you have done something horribly wrong with your time / game plan management.

If you are winning a game, it is an absolute crime and a tragedy to lose it on time. Don't let the weaker player beat you like that!

So how does one achieve this? It takes three things -
1. Self-awareness
2. Game Plan Methodology
3. Practice

Self-awareness is important because you need to know what your key strengths and weaknesses as a player are. For instance, I am good at getting small positional advantages but am bad at executing tactics.

This understanding helps with the second point of having a game plan methodology. Every chess game involves a game plan choice. If you're winning, you can either go all in for the checkmate, or you can liquidate your advantage and simplify into a winning endgame. If you're losing, you can try to complicate the position, or you can try to out-gun your opponent on time. There are many other options as well besides these of course. But the key is to figure out which plan you should have, and at what point you should switch plans.

In my case, because of my positional strength and tactical weakness, I typically attempt to maintain a good position and use that to slowly pressure my opponent on time, and then win. But if my opponent has managed to get ahead of me on time, then I will usually try to liquidate my advantage for a simple position that I can play quickly even if it means having to make many moves to finally win. The important thing to note when adopting this plan is to be decisive and alert about when to switch to it so that you have enough time to execute it. Typically you should switch to this kind of plan when you have at least 1 minute to spare. As far as middle game checkmates go, I rarely attempt to execute one. And if I do, I do so only if I have a lot of confidence in its success and a lot of time (so that I have a backup option to win on time in case something goes wrong).

The last point is common sense - practice. Test out your time management / game plan methodology. Practice was particularly critical for me because I had played most of my chess online where it was possible to play ten moves in one second. So I needed to re-calibrate my internal time management clock to figure out when to adopt a certain plan.

I will end by saying that each player is different, and your unique strengths and weaknesses, and even your attitude to chess should be the driving force behind your personal blitz strategy. If you would like help figuring out the plan that works best for you, feel free to reach out to me - ashwin26@gmail.com

Tip #1: The Best Move is Faster than the Fastest Move