Muhammad at Chicago Invitational
IM Stephen Muhammad told me that he is playing in the North American Chess Association’s IM tournament in Chicago. He stated that one player dropped out at the last minute and he is filling in. As of late, Muhammad has primarily played in local tournaments, but still has his eyes set on the GM title.
Frank Johnson sent me the details:
The 6th North American FIDE Invitational is offering the opportunity for players to achieve their required ‘norms’ for the FIDE bestowed titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM).
The time control for the event is G/90 + 30/sec increment (added after the move is completed). Score keeping cannot be waived upon reaching 5 minutes due to the 30/sec increment.
The event features a No-Draw Rule prior to 30 moves without arbiter approval. After the April 2005 event and the number of quick draws which displeased both the organizers and sponsors, this rule was put into effect in an attempt to reduce quick draws. While we understand that if 2 players are intent on drawing they will find a way to manipulate the system, we have seen examples where a miscalculation has occurred during the 30 move period and one player decides to become an opportunist and take advantage of the situation.
Our hand crafted, luxurious boards and sets were donated to us by TheChessPiece.com and our clocks were donated to us by Cajun Chess. The games are being transmitted on the World Databank of Chess by Monroi. Please patron our sponsors to show them your appreciation of their sponsorship.
The event will be held at the Touch Move Chess Center (TMCC) located at 5639 North Ashland Avenue Chicago, IL 60660. IM Angelo Young is the owner / operator of TMCC.
Too bad S.M. didn’t finish off Ray Robson. S.H. had a completely winnin posistion, but self destructed.
Below is the official website. The tournament is run by IM Angelo Young. https://www.nachess.org/fide/
ChessBase also ran a piece on the tournament.
https://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4217
IM Stephen Muhammad playing FM Ray Robson. Muhammad let this one slip away.
Hello brothers, i saw this kid in Miami its nice that he has some ability at such a tender age however the bad news lay in the fact that this game has been put up on chessbase and the USCf site and a few other site as if its something unique it simply looks like a time pressure win just like most of the players in Miami were doing. We Eddie Mark and myself (Ultramodern) do not look up to their titles (GM, IM, FM, NM.) yet rather group them all together and simply refer to them as Swissmasters, typical American style chess.WE are hoping that all brothers begin to look for something new and creative over the board to expose this particular weakness. WE have followed some of the top brothers in the world quite closesly for over 15 years and brother Muhammed is one of them, and it is our view that his talent has been restricted by the “restrictions of the hypermoderns”. We wish him well in Chicago and anticipate meeting our brother at the Kings Island tourny in November to compete against their gm level ideology. Peace
Robson is definitely talented, but this win showed his weaknesses. He was simply outplayed and was able to merely play moves to survive. Muhammad told me that this loss set him back a bit. However, he has played with incredible energy and I told him that if he continues, the wins will come.