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Special: World News: Chess In the Media: Chess Stories Across the USA and Around the World
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National NewsNelson Lopez II Captures First in the 2006 GM Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Chess ChampionsThe Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Championship was named after the late grandmaster Arnold Denker who supported this tournament through many years. This years championship was held at the Double Tree Oak Brook located in Oak Brook, IL. His son Mitchell Denker has vowed to continue the dream in the name of his father. High school players, representing their state will be competing for not only the prestigious title but also for a four-year college scholarship from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), valued at $40,000. Nelson Lopez II, from North Carolina, scored 5-1/2 points to capture first place in the 2006 GM Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Championship. This year, Tyler Hughes, from Colorado, won the full four-year college scholarship to University of Texas at Dallas. The top two finishers, Lopez and Alexander Chua, had just finished their senior year, and the prize was for incoming high school seniors or younger. Because of an early draw with Ian Beachler, from Iowa, in round one, Alexander Chua, from Texas, finished a half point behind Lopez with 5 points. Four players tied for third through sixth with 4-1/2 points, in tiebreak order: Evan Ju, from New Jersey; Hughes, from Colorado; Corbin Yu, from Oregon; and Brian Goldstein, from Florida. The tournament is open to boys and girls in ninth through twelfth grade qualifying from their respective states. This year, for the first time, Elina Kats, from New York, had to choose between playing in the 2006 GM Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls or the “Denker” tournament which were run concurrently. She chose the “Polgar.” The “Denker” was founded in 1984 by GM Arnold Denker (1914-2005). Denker is known as the "Dean of American chess." The author, hall of famer and U.S. Champion continued to support the tournament throughout his life. The concept of the Denker is to bring together state high school champions to compete for glory as well as college scholarships. Some state championships are particularly competitive, like California, Texas and New York, with several players over 2000 vying for the single “Denker” spot. Besides being an outstanding college, UTD has also been known to be highly competitive as far as chess is concerned. For information about the college, please contact The University of Texas at Dallas, http://chessweb.utdallas.edu/chessclub.htm. In addition to the college scholarship, through the generosity of GM Denker’s son, Mitchell and the U.S. Chess Trust, scholarships totaling $2,200 will be awarded between the top ten finishers. Additional details can be found at: http://www.uschess.org/scholastic/denker.html. See how competitive this tournament was with the following game from the tournament winner: 2006-08-11
Pictures of thes Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls and side events and the Denker Tournament of High School Chess Champions, are available at www.PolgarGirls.blogspot.com and www.SusanPolgar.blogspot.com Abby Marshall Crowned Queen of Chess in 2006 Susan Polgar National Invitational for GirlsThe third annual GM Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls (under 19) took place on August 6-11 at the Double Tree Hotel in Oak Brook, IL. This is a culmination of a series of regional, state and nationwide qualifying events over the past 12 months that involved over 3,000 vying to represent their respective states. For the second year in a row, Abby Marshall, from Virginia, won the GM Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls. After winning her first five games, she clinched her first place finish with a draw in the last round against the #1 seed Courtney Jamison, from Texas. This time she won the national championship representing a different state. The move from Ohio to Virginia didn’t affect her play at all. Abby bested a field of 44 girls to win top honors. Last year, she earned a scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) for her first place victory. Finishing right behind Abby and tied with five points were Elina Kats, from New York and Louiza Livschitz, from Northern California. Elina got second place on tie-breaks. Following them with 4-1/2 points each were top-ranked Jamison and Ashley Carter, from Michigan. Along with winning first place in the invitational, Marshall also came in first in the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls’ Blitz Championship with a perfect 6-0 for the second straight year. Carter got first in the Susan Polgar National Invitational Puzzle Solving Championship. Jordana Williams from Louisiana scored 4 points to win the $500 Ursula Foster Award for the top girl 13 and under. Elizabeth Oliver of Nebraska won the Ms. Congeniality Award, an award that is voted by the players of the tournament. The tournament is an annual event that has the best girls from each state battle it out against each other for that illustrious UTD scholarship that the university so generously awards. Next year’s event is expected to be an even bigger and better event in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Here is a crucial game from the 2006 tournament winner: 2006-08-10
For more information on UTD please contact, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2601 North Floyd Road, Richardson, TX 75083-0688 or call at 972-883-2111. You can also visit them at their website at http://chessweb.utdallas.edu/chessclub.htm. This tournament is co-sponsored by The Susan Polgar Foundation and the U.S. Chess Trust. You can find information about The Susan Polgar Foundation by visiting http://www.susanpolgarfoundation.org. Also check out http://www.uschess.org/org/patrons1.php for information on the U.S. Chess Trust. Several side activities for the Polgar attendees rounded out the week of fun and competition for the girls. Please contact Mr. Paul Truong at (212) 748-9587 or e-mail PaulTruong@aol.com for further information. Pictures of the events are available at www.PolgarGirls.blogspot.com and www.SusanPolgar.blogspot.com GM Yury Shulman Secures Title of 2006 U.S. Open Chess Champion To Win $8,000The U.S. Chess Federation’s (USCF) 107th Annual U.S. Open Championship, held at the Double Tree Hotel in Chicago-Oak Brook, Illinois August 8 – 13, 2006 concluded with Grandmaster Yury Shulman of Illinois being the victor in the Open Section. Over 500 players participated for a chance to compete for this prestigious title and join the rankings of previous U.S. Open Champions. The guaranteed prize fund was $40,000. There were three playing schedules offered in an effort to accommodate players: Traditional (9-Day), 6-Day, 5-Day. All players merged after having played five games. Other section champions were: Top Master: (rated 2200-2399): Michael Aigner with 7.5 points Top Expert: (2000-2199): Ryan Robert Milisits, Tony Cao, Joseph P. Richard tied with 7.0 Class A: (1800-1999): Maxx W. Coleman with 6.5 points Class B: (1600-1799): Ryan D. Baker, Michael W. Auger, David E. Bohm tied with 5.5 Class C: (1400-1599): Taylor Bailey, Johnny Vela, Benjamin A. Corcoran, Eddie Chen Chang, Philip C. Placek tied with 5.0 Class D: (1200-1399): George J. Ruan and Mike Thariath tied with 4.5 Class E: (Under 1200): Dana C. Hannibal and Adam J. Schuld tied with 4.0 scores. Unrated: Tongon Khurelchuluun with 5.0. The 2006 U.S. Blitz (quick chess) Championship, held on August 12 was won by GM Susan Polgar with a score of 12.5 out of 14. The competition consisted of 14 games, five minutes per player per game! Additional results and crosstables from the U.S. Open, Denker High School Tournament of Champions, Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls, U.S. Open Side Events, 2006 U.S. Blitz Championship, can be found at: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2006/usopen/ - “Results.” Ursula Foster Memorial Chess Gifts Awarded at 2006 Denker Tournament of High School Champions & 2006 Susan Polgar National Invitational for GirlsUrsula Lowenback Foster, Holocaust survivor and former classmate of the now famous Anne Frank (author of ‘Diary of Anne Frank’), died in Modesto, CA, in August of 2004. She was 77 years old. Mrs. Foster’s sons, Rick and Cliff Foster, have announced an annual chess gift of $1,000 to be shared and awarded through the U.S. Chess Federation to the Top 13 and under winner from the Denker High School Tournament of Champions and the Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls (currently held in conjunction with the U.S. Open), to commemorate their mother’s life and her dedication to young chess players. Kevin Guo and Tony X. Chen tied for the Top 13 and under for the 2006 Denker Tournament of High School Champions to share the $500.00 chess gift and Jordana Williams won the $500.00 gift from the 2006 Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls. Mrs. Foster, a long time member of the USCF, was active in over-the-board and correspondence chess for many years. With a career-high rating of 1753, Mrs. Foster was equally skilled in quick time chess and correspondence chess which included being among the top 50 U.S. Women players. In 1938, at 11 years old, Mrs. Foster fled Germany with her family to Amsterdam to escape Nazi persecution. Two years later, Germany conquered the Netherlands, and brought the same persecution to the Foster’s new home. The last time she saw her older brother, Ernst, was July 14, 1942, when at age 18 he was arrested by the Nazis, and sent to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland, where he died in the gas chambers. Mrs. Foster is mentioned by name in the book written by Anne Frank. Her time of hiding was fraught with danger, fear, and deprivation. It was during this time that her father taught her how to play chess. On her 16th birthday, she was confronted by two Nazi officers, and narrowly escaped imprisonment when one of the men realized she looked remarkably like his own daughter, and chose instead to walk away. Throughout her life, she kept the yellow star, inscribed with “Jood” (Jew) that she’d been forced to wear as a child. Though a shy woman, she lent her time and experience to school children at Modesto area schools, giving talks about the Holocaust and its horrific impact on her life and those of her family and friends. She was a civic volunteer, working with the Memorial Medical Center, driving cancer patients to and from medical appointments, and promoting literacy by delivering books to shut-ins and reading to underprivileged children. Her sons are establishing the scholarship to continue their mother’s work and sense of civic duty, and keep alive her love of the game and devotion to young people. The Modesto Bee newspaper also provides a fascinating look into Ursula's life. http://www.modbee.com/local/story/8982645p-9876591c.html |
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