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The CCL Chess School

Chess, Community and Learning

 

Chess lessons and more, for players of all strengths and ages.

CCL Chess Camp 4/20-21/2024

February 17, 2024

A weekend chess camp by International Master Atanas Kizov

    • Date:  Saturday/Sunday April 20-21, 2024

    • Time:    9:00 – 5:00

    • Where:
      CCL Training Center
      at the home of:
      Dr. Carrie Casden
      736 Watterton Drive
      Westerville, Ohio

      Open only to CCL members.
      Lectures, game reviews, camp review book, tournament, and many prizes.
      Draw or beat Atanas in a 5-1 game or Alan in a 5-3 game and win a $1, tournament trophies, free future chess lessons, books, etc.
      All chess equipment and snacks will be provided but bring your own lunch.
      For more details, or questions call Alan (614) 561-2718 or email cclalanc@gmail.com.

    • 40% discounts to 2nd/3rd person from the same family, participants coming from over a 45-minute drive to Columbus, and retired individuals.
      100% refunded if you cannot make it to the camp, no questions asked. This camp is only open to the 1st 24 signups! IM Atanas Kizov will be teaching these 6 topics, the first 3 on Saturday and the second 3 on Sunday
Bobby Fischer and the Square d5.. Expand

 

- Bobby Fischer and the Square d5:
Bobby Fischer who inspired us with his light square strategy and if we look even more deeper with his master ship by controlling over the extremely important square d5 in various Sicilian variants. His opening setups were in principle focused in the light square strategy: various Sozin variants (Bc4), with
the plan f4-f5, which forced the opponent to move e6-e5 (or to take e6-f5), or unusual variants with h2-h3, where his opponents in most cases did not recognize that they are already deadly lost and of course did not know why this happened at all …
First, we look at the definition of the weak square:
»A square is weak when it is controlled by your opponent and you have little or no chance of regaining control due to a lack of pieces which can effectively fight for that square. Typically, pawns that could have controlled the square have moved past it and, of course, cannot move backwards to help guard it. Single weak squares are called “holes”. Holes on the opponents half of the board that can be occupied by one of your supported pieces are called “outposts”.
Playing without castling Expand

- Playing without castling

Sometimes in chess there is a situation when castling is impossible or not good. The king ends up being delayed in the center and your play is in a not a very comfortable position and we always think what of what to do with the king. We will look at typical examples.

Backward pawn on c7 Expand
- Backward pawn on c7
 
When white takes c4xd5 and black recaptures with e6xd5 in the queens gambit, we reach the well known Karlsbad structure, where black usually plays c7–c6. But sometimes, black delays or is not able to play c6, and white manages to advance his b pawn to b5, leaving the c7 pawn backwards. In this article we will have a look at this type of positions, which usually are in white's favor. Let's start with a fantastic game by Magnus Carlsen, where the World champion shows a deep understanding of this type of position.
Bobby and the Hedgehog Expand
- Bobby and the Hedgehogs
Every legendary champion had its own favourite plan in classical structures. They have their own individual preferences how to conduct typical plans. Fischer have a few interesting games in hedgehog structure for both sides. He played few  really high quality games. He even invented the classical attack with the g-pawn! Hedgehog was considered until 70-ies years of the last century as extremely passive and a boring structure, completely suffering from the lack of space. But suddenly games of Adorjan, Ljubojevic, Andersson and Psakhis showed a lot of dynamic potential here. Even such active players as Garry Kasparov applied this kind of structure in a number of games. Nowadays enthusiasm of hedgehogs disappeared - foxes are ruling!
Triangle central set up Expand

 

- Triangle central set up

The set up with Black pawns c6-d5-e6 became universal weapon against closed openings. In such way Black avoids sharp play ,slowly prepares b7-b6,Bc8-b7 and then is ready for central counterstrikes like c6-c5,sometimes e6-e5. White has two plans against this set up. First is old Pillsbury plan Nf3-e5, then f2-f4, making center position strong and then preparing for attack on the Kings side. Second plan is to play e4 and to open position maximally, but the main idea is still attack on the Kings side.

When is it OK to Play g4? Expand

 

- When is it OK to Play g4?

When we teach our students, it is important to teach them the basic principles of chess. Once they are aware of those and are able to apply them in their own games, it is just as important to point out when it may be ok not to follow those same principles and recognize the exception from the rule.  Let us imagine a situation when we are in the opening (or middlegame) with most pieces (especially queens) still on the board, and we castle (or plan to) to the kingside of the board.
In such situations, we generally do not recommend playing g4 as it typically would weaken our kingside and put our king in potential danger.

  • Cost of the camp
      • two days - $199
      • one day - $109
      • free to the parents of a student in 2nd grade or below
      • 40% discount to the 2nd student from the same family, students greater than 45 minutes from Columbus, and retired parents/students.

Payment to reserve a spot for this chess camp.

Click Here

Filed Under: News

Rohan Padhye win Cardinal Open while CCL finishes very strong

January 19, 2024

The Cardinal Open is one of the top perennial tournaments in Ohio each year.  This year CCL came in 1st place in four of the 5 sections.

Rohan Padhye - Clear 1st place in Open section; won $1,500; a CCL graduate; picture is from the World Youth U-16; rating 2353

Dakshin Pisini - Tied 1st place in U-1900 section: won $400; a CCL graduate; back from a long break from tournament chess; aka Doctor Shin

Shiv Srinivasan - Clear 1st place in  U-1600 section; won $800; current Ohio 5th grade co-champion

Om Chatterjee - Clear 1st place in U-1300 section; won $800, gained 216 rating points; just joined CCL 2 months ago

Rohan Padhye
Rohan Padhye
Shiv Srinivasan
Shiv Srinivasan
Dakshin Pisini
Dakshin Pisini
Om Chatterjee
Om Chatterjee

Filed Under: News

Mehmet is a National Champion

December 19, 2023

Mehmet National Champion

Mehmet Yilanli, a CCL superstar, is now the National Kindergarten champion.  At the National Grade Levels last weekend, Mehmet swept the Kindergarten section with a perfect 7-0, claiming clear 1st place.  Below is a note that I got from Musa, Mehmet's dad.

We just made it back to Columbus late last night, and Mehmet is still buzzing about his incredible win at the Championships. He can't stop talking about it 🙂 Mehmet made a lot of friends from all over the country. He even mentioned how grateful he was for the helpful tips he received from other parents and players before each game. I was particularly impressed by how focused Mehmet was throughout the tournament. He was always one of the first players on the board, eager to face his opponent.

Now, he is asking a lot of questions about the World Cadet Championship 🙂

Thanks for your guidance and support throughout Mehmet's journey.

Filed Under: News

CCL wins most of the grades at the Ohio Grade Levels

November 25, 2023

CCL wins 7 of the 13 grades at the Ohio Grade Levels. Another dominant performance from CCL.

Top 3 finishers from CCL:

K = Mehmet Yilanli - State Kindergarden champion
- Leo Augustine - 2nd place
3rd -  Aadhi Adaikappan - State 3rd grade champion
-  Henry Wolfe - 2nd place
5th - Shiv Srinivasan and Maxwell Chung - State 5th grade co-champions
6th -  Yichang Lin and Ethan Yuan - tied for 3rd place
7th - Louis Zhang - State 7th grade champion
- Sarah Zhang - 2nd place
- Aryan Kondekar - tied for 2nd
8th - Siddarth Kunapuli - State 8th grade champion - 4-time grade level champion
- Chase Chang - 2nd place
11th - Dae San Kim - State 11th grade champion - 5-time grade level champion
12th - Michael Lin - State 12th grade co-champion

Kindergarten champion - Mehmet
Kindergarten champion - Mehmet
3rd grade champion Aadhi
3rd grade champion Aadhi
5th Grade co-champions - Shiv and Maxwell
5th Grade co-champions - Shiv and Maxwell
8th grade champion - Siddarth
8th grade champion - Siddarth
7th grade champion - Louis
7th grade champion - Louis
11th grade champion - Dae San
11th grade champion - Dae San
12th grade champion - Michael
12th grade champion - Michael

Filed Under: News

Justin Storn wins State Championship while CCL soars

September 5, 2023

CCL graduate Justin Storn came in clear first place among Ohio residents at the 2023 Ohio Chess Congress.  An out-of-state GM, Alexander Fishbein, actually won the event.  This means that Justin is the State of Ohio Champion for the year 2023 - 2024.  It is a great accomplishment and aspiration of any Ohio chess player.  Justin has made videos of all of his games which can be seen at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKY1N5we6Q0AJl0cbakrQHGKeK5z36e7M&feature=shared.

Also coming in clear 1st place in their respective sections were Dae-San Kim in the U-2100 section and Maxwell Chung in the U-1200 section.  For their accomplishments, Justin won $650, Dae-San won $914, and Maxwell won $457.  Not too many people know of Maxwell, who gained 277 rating points, as he has not been an active tournament player.  But trust me, this was no fluke, he is a very strong young player.

There were many other excellent results by CCL players and I will be covering them in our next newsletter.

Filed Under: News

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Introduction to Our Community Chess Instructional Program

Welcome to CCL, a community-driven chess instructional initiative designed to bring timeless chess to learners of all ages and skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner taking your first steps on the board or an experienced player seeking to sharpen your strategies, our program offers something for everyone.

Chess is more than just a game—it fosters critical thinking, patience, and problem-solving skills. Our program is built around the belief that chess can unite people, challenge minds, and create opportunities for personal growth and community connection. To supplement the chess side of individual enrichment, we recently opened a prodigious activities wing to CCL, managed by renowned mathematician and prodigy Dr. Harvey Friedman.

Why Join Us?

Our program is driven by a passionate community of chess lovers dedicated to creating an inclusive, supportive, and educational environment. For details on how the community fosters the program, please go to the menu option The Community. By participating, you’ll have the opportunity to:

  • Learn at your own pace with flexible instruction formats.
  • Join a vibrant chess community and make new friends who share your interests.
  • Enhance your cognitive skills, such as strategic thinking and decision-making.
  • Compete in local tournaments and represent our community.
  • Work with renowned mathematician and prodigy Dr. Harvey Friedman in other prodigious activities.

Let’s make chess an engaging and enriching part of our community. Join us today and start your chess journey! Together, we can grow our community and inspire a love for this incredible game.

The Coaches

  • alancasden2
    National Master Alan Casden
  • International Master Atanas Kizov -- CCL Head Coach --
  • Walker
    Life Master Walker Griggs
  • GM VLATKO BOGDANOVSKI
    Grand Master Vlatko Bogdanovski
  • Zoran
    International Master Zoran Arsovic
  • NM Vladimir Kizov
    National Master Vladimir Kizov
    Head of Pre-CCL
  • Jacob Eismann
    Jacob Eismann

The Rest of the Team

  • Jeff
    Jeff Shen
    Business Manager
  • Adai
    Adai Adaikappan
    Community Laison
  • Courtenay
    Courtenay James
    Organizer
  • Shiv
    Shivkumar Kurulekar
    IT System Admin
  • Jagdish Patel
    Jagdish Patel
    Newsletter Editor
  • Harvey
    Dr. Harvey Friedman - Head of Prodigious Activites

Recent Posts

  • CCL Chess Stars Score Big at the Cleveland Open! June 16, 2025
  • CCL Chess Students Shine on the Podium at SuperNationals VIII in Orlando, FL May 12, 2025
  • NEWSLETTER OF THE MOTCF April 15, 2025
  • CCL March Chess Camps February 25, 2025
  • CCL Graduates February 2, 2025
  • Making our 2025 MOTCF Teams January 23, 2025
  • Welcome Jacob ! January 21, 2025
  • Jeff Shen is taking over the lead role at CCL December 26, 2024
  • Simul Stuff December 23, 2024
  • CCL Alumni/Student Chess GetTogether December 13, 2024
  • 2024 State Grade Levels November 27, 2024
  • Life Master Walker Griggs is giving lessons! October 29, 2024
  • Chess Math is here! October 27, 2024
  • An Evening with Atanas October 23, 2024
  • March CCL Chess Camps October 17, 2024
  • Maxwell again! Good Gosh September 16, 2024
  • Louis Zhang becomes the 36th CCL Graduate July 30, 2024
  • Major Changes in CCL June 6, 2024
  • Catch Up Time May 17, 2024
  • Cole Braun wins Ohio Middle School Championship February 27, 2024
  • CCL Chess Camp 4/20-21/2024 February 17, 2024
  • Rohan Padhye win Cardinal Open while CCL finishes very strong January 19, 2024
  • Mehmet is a National Champion December 19, 2023
  • CCL wins most of the grades at the Ohio Grade Levels November 25, 2023
  • Justin Storn wins State Championship while CCL soars September 5, 2023
  • Matt Wang becomes the 35th CCL Graduate May 23, 2023
  • 2023 MOTCF March 29, 2023
  • 2023 Queen City Classic March 29, 2023
  • Kevin Xu February 25, 2023
  • Minghao Gu becomes the 34th CCL Graduate February 6, 2023

© 2025 CCL | the very best in chess instruction