THE JAMAICA CHESS ACADEMY (JACAD)
August 4, 2004
ENDGAME LESSON PREVIEW For Intermediate to Master (ITM) Below is a brief introduction to the focus of the first lectures to be delivered in the months of August and September 2004 at the Jamaica Chess Academy for ITM. Capablanca said: "in order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before anything else; for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame." Very often the difference between a master and everybody else is the master's ability to play a decent endgame. Masters know the result of an endgame without having to calculate all the moves. Simply knowing what positions are favorable and why is very important. Players who master the endgame can judge when to trade down from the middle game into the endgame simply by knowing what endgame positions are favorable without too much thought. The Jamaica Chess Academy lectures will help you to master what is necessary to become part of that elite group called masters, who are so set apart from the rest of the chess world. The first lectures will focus on mastery of the endgame. When studying endgame strategy you should start at the very beginning. Strive to build a solid foundation by learning the simple positions first and the more complex ones after. If you have not mastered such endgame fundamentals as the Lucena Position, the Philidor Position, Rule of Square and the Opposition, but want to move to the master level, the Jamaica Chess Academy is here to help you to achieve this goal.
ADOPT A GRANDMASTER PROGRAMME This programme will involve each Intermediate to Master (ITM) Academy participant choosing one of the world’s top 10 ranked Grandmasters as their mentor. Each Academy member will be assisted with the analysis of their GM’s games and the following of the GM’s progress in tournaments around the world. This programme is intended to familiarize Academy participants with what it means to play chess at the highest level and help them to keep abreast of what is taking place in chess internationally. The following are the top 10 Grandmasters as at July 2004:
RANK	NAME	TITLE	COUNTRY	RATING	BIRTHDAY
1	Garry Kasparov	GM	RUSSIA	2817	1963-04-13
2	Viswanathan Anand	GM	INDIA	2782	1969-12-11
3	Vladimir Kramnik	GM	RUSSIA	2770	1975-06-25
4	Alexander Morozevich	GM	RUSSIA	2743	1977-07-18
5	Peter Leko	GM	HUNGARY	2741	1979-09-08
6	Michael Adams	GM	ENGLAND	2738	1971-11-17
7	Veselin Topalov	GM	BULGARIA	2737	1975-03-15
8	Judit Polgar	GM	HUNGARY	2728	1976-07-23
9	Peter Svidler	GM	RUSSIA	2727	1976-06-17
10	Alexei Shirov	GM	SPAIN	2725	1972-07-04
Guess who the Top 10 Grandmaster pictured at the bottom of this email is?
FEE STRUCTURE In response to a number of suggestions from potential Academy participants, the following fee structure has been developed for participation in the Academy. Jamaica Chess Federation Members Adult – J$1000/month Juniors (under 20) – J$600/month Non-Members Adult – J$1200/month (until Jamaica Chess Federation Membership fee is paid) Junior (under 20) – J$800/month (until Jamaica Chess Federation Membership fee is paid) If two or more join the Academy from one (1) family, J$100 will be discounted from the normal fee for each participant.
CONTACT INFO For further information or clarification, I can be contacted as follows: Cell – 4255939 Home – 9417955 Email – cabinetoffice@yahoo.com or chessclarendon@yahoo.com Peter Myers Vice President Jamaica Chess Federation