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Chess In the Media: Chess Stories Across the USA and Around the World
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National News1423 Chess Enthusiasts Battled In Milwaukee1423 young chess enthusiasts competed in the U. S. Chess Federation’s (USCF) 38th annual National High School Chess Championship in Wisconsin last weekend! Hosted in Wisconsin for the first time in its history, the National High School Championship is one of three spring national scholastic events. The tournament was held at Milwaukee’s Midwest Airlines Center, corner of 4th and Wisconsin. 37 states were represented and included 300+ students from Wisconsin. Players battle for seven rounds over three days and receive one point for a win and a half point for each draw. If players are tied for total points after the last round, a series of tie breaks are used to determine the place winners. Individual Section champions were: Team champions were: Landon Brownell of Arizona and James Canty III of Michigan were co-champions of the National High School Blitz Championship with final scores of 11.0. The team of B. Wyde and A. Lanka took the title of National High School Bughouse Championship with a final score of 11.0. The Parents & Friends Tournament was a success with 42 participants. Alexander Betaneli of Wisconsin won this event with a 4.0 score. Not only did the National High School Championship draw chess competitors but it attracted celebrities as well. Many enjoyed the opportunity Saturday to, “Meet Joe Block, the Chess Guy” from the television show, “Beauty and the Geek.” After Joe shared some of this television experiences he took on some chess challengers by playing a few Blitz games. http://www.MyChessPhotos.com, official photographer for this event, was pleased to award their $250 scholarship to Marcello Martinez from Wisconsin, as the player with the greatest upset! Marcello earned 918 upset points! Additional details and final standings can be viewed at: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2006/hs/. Crosstables for all events can be found at http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200604233191. Additional local information may be obtained from Arlen Walker, Milwaukee Chess Foundation President at 414-358-3052. Oleg Zaikov Takes 1st in Scholar-Chessplayer Outstanding Achievement AwardsThe Scholar-Chessplayer Outstanding Achievement Awards for 2006 were announced April 21st at the National High School Championship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These scholarships are given to high school juniors and seniors who excel in academics, chess, and leadership. First place will receive $2,000, second place will receive $1,000, third place will receive $700, fourth place will receive $500, fifth place will receive $400, and sixth and seventh places will each receive $200. Scholarships are awarded upon matriculation at a high institution. These annual awards are given by the U.S. Chess Federation and the U.S. Chess Trust and are intended to encourage high school students who promote a positive image of chess. Congratulations to the winners and a special thank you to the twenty-nine students who applied. In order of finish the 2006 Scholar-Chessplayers are: To apply for the Scholar-Chessplayer Award, you must be a current U.S. Chess Federation member and submit five copies of a completed application form, high school transcript showing all courses and grades, a letter of recommendation from a teacher, a letter of recommendation from a chess coach, an essay of no more than 500 words describing the positive influence that chess has had on your life, and a recent photograph. The deadline for the next award, the 2007 Scholar Chessplayer Award, is March 1, 2007. 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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