Jeffrey Ashton

Just an update. I've still been studying a lot of chess, almost 2 hours a day. That is a lot better than my 2 hours a week goal. I am now making plans to play in the World Open as well as the National Open. I am playing a training match (Game in 55 minutes) against another strong player. In the first game, I felt pretty rusty. I played well, got in time pressure, then blundered all of my pieces when I had a few minutes left. Getting in time pressure is something that shouldn't happen to me too often once I get back in shape. In the 2nd game I played very well and I felt like I'm back to form. I won the game on time in a better position, and I didn't make any mistakes the whole game. Fritz basically thought I played perfectly (which is very rare in my games). I'll post the games on this blog eventually. I feel very confident with my playing ability at the moment, and think that I might have a very good performance this summer if I get a chance to play in a few tourna

There is a great new book about chess and education. It is titled "Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators". It is written by Womens International Master Dr. Alexey Root. She teaches a course on chess and education at the University of Texas at Dallas. She also writes regularly for many chess magazines, including Chess Life. This book will be beneficial to anyone who is curious about learning chess, or helping someone else improve. Go to http://lu.com/showbook.cfm ?isbn=1591583586 for more information. If you use the special discount code "F238" the price will be $20 instead of $25.

Lately I've been way ahead of my 2 hours a week goal of studying. I've been studying for close to 1 hour a day. I worked with Ben Finegold today over the phone. He showed me some of his games and tried to give me some general advice on how to play better in tournaments so I can beat players stronger than myself. I hope to win my section in the National Open, and qualify for the U.S. Championship. I think I have good chances of winning my section, but the odds are against me of qualifying for the U.S. Championship. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky. I played an internet game later where I played very well. I checked the game with Fritz after the game was over, and I played pretty much perfectly, which is rare for a such a short time control (especially when I am playing). My performance rating is very high with the English opening, and I think I will try to learn it better. The position on the diagram is White to move and get a winning advantage. For the whole game, click here

Sometimes I do things on a whim. Earlier tonight I was thinking that I need to play some chess over the summer. An hour later I finished purchasing airline tickets and reserving two nights for my trip to Las Vegas. I will be playing in the National Open Championship section on June 17 and June 18 (I am playing in the two day section). It will be a hectic week. On the week of June 12, I am teaching at the TH Rogers chess camp, after finishing the Klein chess camp the week before. On Friday, after teaching all day, I will immediately pack some things, go to the airport, and fly out at 9:15 pm. I will arrive in Vegas around 10:30 pm Vegas time. Saturday morning I will play 4 games (although I might take a half point bye). Sunday, I will play two more games. At 1:15 am Monday morning, I will then fly back home to Vegas. If my last game on Sunday goes for the full 6 hours, I will have to rush to avoid missing my flight. So I hope I crush my opponent quickly. It will be a quick, tiring, and