Speeding it Up at the 2008 Land of the Sky
By Ken Baxter

Over the 21-year history of the Land of the Sky (LOTS) Speed Chess tournament, we have had very strong players participate, including: US Champion  GM Walter Brown, GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, IM Kamran Shariz, FM Miles Ardamen.

The 2008 edition was no exception. GM Alexander Ivanov competed along with 21 other speed demons. The competition was heated, and we had two controversies. Fortunately, the players and TD were able to work out the issues and continue the event.

As in prior years, Wilder Wadford (Organizer of the LOTS events), has given back 100% of the entry fees in the prize fund for the Speed tournament. This year he was extremely generous and added an extra $200 to the prize fund. That equates to 145% payout for this event.  He did this to encourage players to participate in this special Saturday morning event.  Next year we will go back to the 100% payout formula, which had been a success for 20 years.

One change we discussed was to offer a 50% discount on the entry fee for anyone under the age of 18 years old.  To qualify, they will have to show proof that they are under 18 years old on the date of the event.  We know that junior players love to play blitz, and we want to encourage them to test themselves against the strong blitz players that normally show up for this tournament.

After battling for five rounds of two games each, the following players earned money in the 21^st Annual LOTS Speed Tournament:
Tied for first and second:
$150 - GM Alexander Ivanov (2603) - 8/10
$150 - NM Kazim Gulamali (2379) - 8/10
Third Overall
$40 - NM Damir Studen (2204) - 7.5/10

Top Under 2000
$100 - Kevin E. Kane (1930) - 6.5/10

Top Under 1800
$100 - Daniel Dodds (1439) - 6/10

Top Under 1600
$100 - Dave Eadie (1531) - 4/10