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World News: Chess In the Media: Chess Stories Across the USA and Around the World
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National News1123 Young Chess Enthusiasts in LouisvilleThe United States Chess Federation (USCF) held its’ 2006 National Junior High Chess Championship at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky between April 7-9, 2006. 1,123 young chess enthusiasts, representing 38 states. Not only will they be competing for the title of 2006 USCF National Junior High Chess Champion but for trophies as well. Section champions were: Team Competition winner were: The winner of the Coach/Player section was Frank Nothaft (VA) had a perfect score of 4.0 to win the Parents & Friends Tournament which offered chess competition to 46 competitors. The team of A. Kostrinsky and T. Riccardi won the 2006 National Junior High Bughouse Championship with scoring 11.0 and Ray S. Robson of FL won the 2006 National Junior High Blitz Championship with a final score of 11.0. Both of these events are played with 5 minutes for each side! 22 chess competitors faced Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov. Ray S. Robson beat GM Kaidanov and Andrew Ortiz drew! USCF’s Scholastic Director Jerry Nash says, “As I walked the tournament halls throughout the weekend, I received numerous compliments about how smoothly the event was run. This, of course, is due in large part to the fine staff headed by the USCF’s Event Coordinator, Diane Reese. The skills and experience of these men and women are deeply appreciated by the scholastic community. I also had the opportunity to meet with many of the coaches, teachers, and parents who attended the tournament. I was again reminded of the dedicated adults from across the country who invest so much time throughout the year. They not only provide consistency for their programs, but more importantly they make an enormous impact on the lives of their students." Additional details about the event and the final results can be found at: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2006/jhs/ and the tournament crosstables can be found at: Crosstables. 2006 Amateur Chess Team East - My G-8 Predecessors Prevails in Cyberspace!The playoff between the winners from the four 2006 Amateur Team Chess Championships held on Presidents Day weekend in February 2006, met their chess opponents on April 2 in cyberspace on the Internet Chess Club website. In Round 1 Team East beat Team South with 3 points and Team West scored 2.5 against Team Midwest's 1.5. In Round 2 Team East scored 2.5 to beat Team West who scored 1.5 which gave them claim to the title. The 16 players were: TEAM SOUTH—Excaliber Electronics TEAM MIDWEST—2 FMs and 2 Losers TEAM WEST—CalTech In addition to Team East - My G-8 Predecessors winning the title of 2006 Amateur Team Playoff Champions, each member of the team will receive a wrist watch engraved with their title commemorating their outstanding achievement. The USCF would like to recognize Chief Tournament Director and International Arbiter Carol Jarecki and Internet Chess Clubs Technical Director Duncan Oxley for their director and technical expertise which helped make this years event sensational. New - Online Tournament Life Announcement (TLA) AreaThe USCF is pleased to announce a new service to members and affiliates, one that we hope will increase attendance at chess tournaments throughout the USA: a new online Tournament Life Announcement (TLA) area. Chess players will be able to search for chess tournaments based on the month in which the tournament begins and the state where the tournament will be held. The listings can be further restricted by the distance in miles from the member's home to the tournament, based on ZIP codes. Players can also search for specific types of events, such the amount of cash prizes offered, whether the tournament is open or restricted by rating or by age, what rating systems the event will be rated under (including FIDE rated events), and even the maximum entry fee. For each event matching the search request, players will be able to bring up an online flyer describing the event in full detail, including an entry form that can be printed and filled out, then mailed to the organizer. The New Online TLA Area. Affiliates can enter TLAs for their upcoming events up to a year in advance using the online TLA form available to affiliates in the USCF's TD/Affiliate Support Area. USCF Seeks Endorsements, Sponsorships and Strategic PartnershipsIf you have chess related products or services, please contact us with your proposal. The USCF is seeking endorsements, sponsorships and strategic partnerships from the chess community. Over the next few weeks please email, Joan DuBois, at the USCF office in Crossville, TN. Americans Go For The Gold - Please Help!A message from USCF President Bill Goichberg. The 37th World Chess Olympiad will be held May 20-June 4 in Turin, Italy, and the United States may field its strongest team ever! At the previous Olympiad (Calvia 2004), our team narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth, and we could be much better this year. In 2004 we had only one player with a FIDE rating over 2620; this year three Americans with FIDE ratings of at least 2650 have qualified. Among those eligible are the following top GMs: Hikaru Nakamura: The world's highest rated player age 18 or below as of 4/1/06, winner of the 2005 US Championship and many other strong tournaments, probably America's most serious threat to win the World Championship since Fischer. Not on the team in 2004; would be a spectacular addition! Gata Kamsky: Once rated 2790 by USCF, and strong enough to qualify to play a match against Karpov for the FIDE World Championship in 1996. He was then inactive for eight years, and upon his return in 2004 did not seem the same player, as his rating dropped to a low of 2684 in January 2005. Since then, however, his old strength has returned; he has gained rating points in almost every tournament, and is now up to 2737 USCF after tying for first in Group B at the US Championship. Not on the team in 2004; could be another sensational pickup! Alex Onischuk: Recently won the 2006 US Championship, undefeated, with a USCF performance rating over 2800! In 2004 he played first board for our Olympiad team and had a FIDE 2700 performance, against super tough opposition. Ildar Ibragimov: One good result after another, and he has gained 125 USCF rating points in the past two years to move his USCF rating solidly over 2700, and his FIDE up to 2637. Silver medal winner with 4.5 out of 6 at the 2005 World Team, recently tied for first in the Western States Open and National Chess Congress, tied for second behind Nakamura in the North American Open, tied for second behind Onischuk in Group A, US Championship. Not on the team in 2004 and another great addition! Gregory Kaidanov: Long one of the top rated players in the US, he won the silver medal for Board 4 at the 2004 Olympiad with a score of 8-2, a FIDE performance rating of 2760! USCF is also sending a team to the Women's Olympiad, where we won the silver medal in 2004. Unfortunately, Susan Polgar, who had a great result on first board last time, is not playing, but our other top players are young and improving and we still expect to do well. Those eligible include US Women's Champion Anna Zatonskih, Irina Krush, and Rusudan Goletiani. Unfortunately, it is expensive to send ten players and two captains overseas- about $60,000 to $70,000, depending on how much the players are paid. We appreciate the help of our official sponsor, the Kasparov Chess Foundation ($30,000) and our supporting sponsor, the Internet Chess Club ($5000), but without more donations, USCF will be over budget and the players cannot be paid what they deserve. It would be a shame to send less than our best team, or to provide our brightest stars with inadequate support, so I appeal to all members to please contribute whatever you can afford. Donations are tax deductible if made payable to the US Chess Trust; write "Olympiad" on your check and send to Olympiad Appeal, c/o USCF, PO Box 3967, Crossville TN 38557. Thanks for your help! |
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