WMCA and University of MA

Greetings chess fans,

Saturday, April 25th will certainly be a banner day for chess in New England. There will be THREE excellent tournament choices to be made that day: the Conn. State Chess Championships (in Storrs, CT), the New Hampshire Quick Chess Championship (in Manchester), and WMCA’s own Dr. Joseph Platz Memorial, co-sponsored by the Western MA Chess Association and the UMass Chess Club in Amherst.

First some background: Dr. Platz was originally from Germany, where he won the championship of Cologne in 1926, the championship of the Rhine at Karlsruhe in 1928, and the championship of Hannover in 1931. Dr. Platz emigrated to the United States because of Nazi policy in Germany in the 1930s, where he became a regular at the Marshall CC, and a friend of then world champion, Emmanuel Lasker. Between 1954 and 1972, he won the Western Massachusetts & Connecticut Valley Open Championship an unprecedented 14 times!! He also won the Connecticut Championship three times, and tied for the New England Championship four times. He was a USCF Master Emeritus and a medical doctor. In 1978, he wrote “Chess memoirs: The chess career of a physician and Lasker pupil” (copies of which will be on hand for viewing at the tournament).

As mentioned, on Saturday, April 25th, WMCA will be hosting a “Celebration of the Life of Dr. Joseph Platz -a New England Chess Legend”. WMCA, as a 501(c7) not-for-profit organization will be donating 100% of all tournament profits to support the UMass Chess Club in Amherst. As I mentioned, there will be copies of his 1978 autobiography on hand, as well as pictures and memorabilia of the life of the famous master displayed for viewing.

If you have already made plans to patronize either the Conn. State Championships or the New Hampshire Quick Chess Championship, please do so. But, if you would like to play in a high caliber, quality event (with 80% of the total entries being kicked back into the prize fund), and enjoy the historical perspective of this unique individual, please consider playing in Amherst (college-town, USA?!) in two weeks.

Best wishes,

Frank Kolasinski

Dr. Joseph Platz Memorial
Chess Tournament
Co-sponsored by: The U-Mass Chess Club and the Western Massachusetts Chess Association
SATURDAY, APRIL 25th, 2009
Student Union Building
UMASS CAMPUS – University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA

Here are nine games of Dr. Joseph Platz at chessgames.com

DIRECTIONS (To reach the parking garage from Massachusetts Avenue in Amherst): There may be signs directing you to make a turn, at a set of lights, to get to the Mullins Center. Take this turn onto Commonwealth Avenue. The Boyden Gymnasium is on the corner of this intersection. At the next set of lights turn right onto Campus Center Way and proceed about halfway up to the entrance of the Campus Center Parking Garage.

Here is a general area map of the location.
And here is a close-up map of the UMASS Campus.
Here are maps of the U-Mass Campus. A Detailed Map , and a Illustrated Map

PRIZE FUND: $750b/30 advanced entries, (those paying a SPECIAL ENTRY FEE are not included in the b/30)

If you have MicroSoft Word you can copy this Registration Form or, if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can copy this Registration Form, then fill one out and send it to the address indicated on this tournament flier.

FORMAT: 3SS, G/90, U.S.C.F. Rated. U.S.C.F. Membership is required.
BYES: Limit of one 1/2-point bye, available for any missed round, specified with entry.
AT SITE REGISTRATION: 8:30am – 9:15am.
ROUND TIMES: 9:30am, 1:00pm, and 4:15pm
SECTIONS // PRIZES:
OPEN // 1st $200, 2nd $150
U1800 // 1st $125, 2nd $100
U1400 // 1st $100, 2nd $75
ADVANCE ENTRY FEE: $28. Postmarked by April 20th. ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS: $20 advance entry fee!!!
SPECIAL ENTRY FEES: Titled Masters of any kind – FREE ENTRY (Advanced entry fee deducted from PRIZE WINNINGS), and New and unrated players, $15 postmarked by April 20th. New and unrated players must play in U1400 Section and are ineligible for prizes..
W.M.C.A. MEMBER DISCOUNT: $2 off (USCF and WMCA memberships available at site).
ALL AT SITE ENTRIES: $33.

U.S.CHESS FEDERATION MEMBERSHIP:
Add one of the following to become a member of the U.S.C.F.:
Regular Adult: 1 year $29, 2 years $52, 3 years $74. Includes only online access to Chess Life.
Premium Adult: 1 year $42, 2 years $78, 3 years $113. Includes 12 issues per year of Chess Life magazine.
Age 65 or over (Senior): 1 year $36, 2 years $65, 3 years $93.
Must be Under age 25 at the beginning of each membership year whether paying one or multiple years.
Regular Young Adult: 1 year $24, 2 years $43, 3 years $61. Includes only online access to Chess Life.
Premium Young Adult: 1 year $32, 2 years $59, 3 years $85. Includes 12 issues per year of Chess Life magazine.
Must be Under age 16 at the beginning of each membership year year whether paying one or multiple years.
Regular Youth: 1 year $20, 2 years $36, 3 years $51. Includes only online access to Chess Life.
Premium Youth: 1 year $27, 2 years $49, 3 years $70. Includes 12 issues per year of Chess Life magazine.
Must be Under age 13 at the beginning of each membership year year whether paying one or multiple years.
Regular Scholastic: 1 year $16, 2 years $28, 3 years $39. Includes only online access to Chess Life for Kids.
Premium Scholastic: 1 year $23, 2 years $42, 3 years $60. Includes 6 issues per year of Chess Life for Kids magazine.
Other membership options available.

WESTERN MASS CHESS ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP: Adults: $10, Under age 20: $5.
WMCA benefits include, entry into the yearly FREE W.M.C.A. Game/60 Tournament, the Skittles Room online newsletter, $2 off at all WMCA sponsored tournaments; special discounts with local chess vendors and participating area businesses!!

Mail check, payable to W.M.C.A., and registration form to:
Frank Kolasinski
119 Brunswick Street
Springfield, MA 01108

LIMITATIONS: No Smoking. No Computers.
Any questions? Call Frank at 413-391-0860 or e-mail: horseyman5000@aol.com
WMCA WEBSITE: www.WesternMassachusettsChessAssociation.org

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar