CHESS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Has chess become a spectator sport? The New York phase of the Intel Grand Prix attracted sellout crowds of 900 paying chess fans at some of its playing sessions. The fast 25-minute time limit and frenzied time pressure scrambles certainly are fun for spectators. Larry Christiansen, the New York grandmaster who competed in his first Grand Prix event, offered a player’s perspective when he called it “nerve-wracking.”

Here are the standings of the Grand Prix leaders after two of four scheduled tournaments: Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), 10 points; Garry Kasparov (Russia), 9 points; Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), 6 points; Alexander Morozevich (Russia), 5 points, and Viswanathan Anand (India) and Jonathan Speelman (England), each 4 points. Players earn six points for winning a tournament, four points for losing in the finals, three points for reaching the semifinals, two points for reaching the quarterfinals, and one point for a first-round loss. Intel, the computer chip manufacturer that sponsors the Grand Prix, will pay $100,000 in bonus money to the top four scorers in the series.

LOCAL NEWS

The Pacific Southwest Open continues today through Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 200 S. Pine Ave. in Long Beach. Round are scheduled at 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. today, 7:00 p.m. Monday, and 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Spectators may watch, free of charge.

The Santa Monica Bay Chess Club has completed its plans to move to a new location. Starting July 10, the club will meet from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Mondays in the Joslyn Park Recreation Center, 633 Kensington Road (two blocks west of Lincoln Blvd.) in Santa Monica.

Since the early 1970s, the SMBCC has lent stability to the ever-changing chess scene. While other clubs formed and foundered, the SMBCC continued to meet twice weekly at their spacious rooms overlooking the Pacific Ocean. But rising expenses forced compromises. Last year, the club cut back to one evening per week. The new move will save more money, and there is a chance that the club, still the area’s largest, will add a second night later this year.

On July 10, their first night in Joslyn Park, the club will begin a three-round quad tournament. For more information, call Steve Hughes at (310) 450-7201 or Ben Nethercot at (310) 455-1704.

Mark Ponedal, Charles Bailey and Richard Yuste won their sections in the first Joust Challenge, a 10-minute event run by the Gallant Knights Chess Club in Torrance. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Stuft Pizza, 25352 Crenshaw Blvd. in Torrance. Call Rick Okubo at (310) 544-1140 for details.

Gym for the Mind, 4907 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Woodland Hills, will host three-round Action chess quads on Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. For information, call (818) 710-8042.

The Lancaster Community Chess Club, which meets in the Church of Religious Science, 1030 W. Ave. L-8 in Lancaster, plans a three-round Action chess tournament on July 9. Register at the site at 1:30 p.m., or call Pat Cassidy at (805) 723-9221 for more information.