CHESS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Three players share the lead in the 1995 Pan Pacific International, the 12-player invitational tournament in San Francisco. Victor Korchnoi of Switzerland, John Nunn of England and the 1994 U.S. champion, Boris Gulko of New Jersey, are tied at 6-2 with three rounds to go. Each has four wins, four draws, and no losses.
Still in contention at 4 1/2-3 1/2 are Larry Christiansen of New York, Nick de Firmian of Berkeley and women’s world champion Xie Jun of China. Robert Huebner of Germany, who lost to Gulko and Korchnoi, is seventh at 4-4.
The tournament is sponsored by the Mechanics Institute Chess Club and Mindscape, the publisher of the Chessmaster 4000 computer program.
LOCAL CHESS CLUBS
Here is the third installment of our list of places to play chess. If your club has not been listed, please call me at (213) 237-5808:
Canoga Park: The West Valley Chess Club meets 6:30 to 11 p.m. Thursdays in the West Valley Jewish Community Center, 22622 Vanowen St. in Canoga Park. Rated Swiss system and round robin tournaments, Action chess and blitz chess events, free instruction for novices, no smoking. No dues, but U.S. Chess Federation membership is required for tournament players. Call Herman Hess at (818) 346-5959 or John Price at (818) 363-1379.
La Habra: The La Habra Chess Club meets at 7 p.m. Fridays in the Veterans Memorial Hall, 208 N. Orange in La Habra. Continuous rated tournaments, casual play, instruction for beginners. Dues: $3/year. Call Jerry Schain at (310) 691-2393 or Bob Goulet at (310) 947-6739.
Los Angeles: The RP Chess Club meets 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily at Rice Plus restaurant, 2432 W. Temple St. in Los Angeles. Casual play, rated tournaments. Dues: $10/year. Call Lino Castillo at (213) 739-0360 or Sam Cea at (818) 951-3986.
Los Angeles: A group of seniors meets at 8 a.m. Mondays and Fridays in the Freda Mohr Community Building, 330 N. Fairfax Ave. (near Beverly Blvd.) in Los Angeles. Casual play, no smoking. No dues. Call Hank Shipin at (213) 938-0707.
Los Angeles: The Downtown Chess Club meets 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Ketchum YMCA, 401 S. Hope St. in Los Angeles. Casual play, tournaments and lectures possible if membership increases. Call Ernie Caluag at (213) 227-8530 or at (213) 350-1539.
Torrance: The Gallant Knights Chess Club meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays in Stuft Pizza, 25352 Crenshaw Blvd. in Torrance. Casual play, occasional tournaments. No dues. Call Rick Okubo at (310) 544-1140.
Victorville: The Victor Valley Chess Club meets 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays at Victor Valley Community College, 18422 Bear Valley Road in Victorville. Casual play. No dues. Call Charles Bailey at (619) 956-1738 or Pat Pendergast at (619) 243-4110.
West Covina: Daytime Chess meets 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays in the Senior Citizens Center, 2501 E. Cortez in West Covina. Casual chess, all ages welcome. No dues. Bring your own chess equipment. Call Bill Smith at (818) 962-7346.
Woodland Hills: Gym for the Mind, 4907 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Woodland Hills, is open from noon to 10 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and noon to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Casual play, occasional tournaments, chess classes, weightlifting equipment, chess study, chess library for members. Also chess computers, books and sets for sale. Dues: $50 for six months. Call David Esser at (818) 710-8042.