(CROSSVILLE, TN)Four U.S. players claimed medals at the 2005 Pan-American Youth Chess Festival in Balneario Camboriu, Brazil. Robert Hungaski achieved the Silver in the Boys Under-18. Julia Kerr brought home the Silver in the Girls Under-16. Ray Robson won the Silver in the Boys Under-12. And Christopher Heung took the Bronze in the Boys Under-10.

U.S. Team results:
Stephanie Heung- U12-Girls- 11th Place
Julia Kerr- U16-Girls- Tied for 2nd – Silver Medal
Anjanie Sriram - U16-Girls- 35th Place
Alanna Katz- U18-Girls- 9th Place
Christopher Heung- U10-Boys- 3rd Place – Bronze Medal
Ray Robson- U12-Boys- Tied for 1st-2nd – Silver Medal
Christian Tanaka- U12-Boys- 5th Place
Michael Yee- U12-Boys- 4th Place
Marc Arnold- U14-Boys- Tied for 4th (9th on tiebreaks)
Peter Yeh- U16-Boys- Tied for 18th (26th on tiebreaks)
Robert Hungaski- U18-Boys- 2nd Place – Silver medal
Igor Schneider - U18-Boys- 7th Place

Congratulations are due the U.S. team, coached by Aviv Friedman (Head of Delegation) and Armen Ambartsoumian, which took 5th place overall. This is an excellent showing considering the relatively small size of the U.S. delegation -12 players- compared to delegations such as Argentina and Ecuador with 41 and Brazil with 119. 380 players from 14 countries gathered for this annual FIDE (World Chess Federation) event. The U.S. Chess Trust helps to sponsor the American representatives.

The official website for the tournament is http://www.interspace.com.br/jardel/14A.php

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The United States Chess Federation, founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with more than 90,000 members. For additional on the USCF see: http://www.uschess.org.