Brooklyn Castle Screening Event Recap - Dec. 2

Thanks to all of you who joined 9 Queens, SACA, and the Tucson Chess Alliance for our Brooklyn Castle screening event at The Loft!  Over 200 people attended the screening and left feeling inspired by this wonderful documentary!

Special thanks to the following event organizers and volunteers:
9 Queens Founder Jean Hoffman and Board President Vicki Lazaro
Tucson Chess Alliance co-founders, Martha Underwood, Michelle Martinez, and Amanda Mateer 
SACA Board President Troy Oberg, Vice President John Wright, and Treasurer Dan Katzel 
Debi Chess Mabie, Director of Development and Educational Programming at The Loft
Aiya Cancio and Steve Martinez, Event Volunteers

Tucson Chess Alliance co-founders

Thank you to the titled players and coaches who also attended:
IM Mackenzie Molner, WFM Amanda Mateer, WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia, FM Ken Larsen
Coach Josh Leonard, Coach Steve Ostapuk

IM Mac Molner and Coach Josh Leonard playing bug house

Adults and children had a great time with pick up chess games, bug house and playing on the giant chess sets supplied by Mathnasium of the Catalina Foothills and 9 Queens.

After introductions and speeches by Debi Chess Mabie, Martha Underwood and Vicki Lazaro, it was time to start the movie!  Cheers, applause, tears and laughter were heard throughout the movie as we got to know the amazing kids of I.S. 318.

Thank you to all who attended and we hope to see you at another chess event soon!

Upcoming Events: Dec. 8th - U of A Genomics Institute Quick Challenge and Dec 15th - International School of Tucson Grand Prix #2

Please join IM Levon Altounian for two special chess events coming up in December!

DECEMBER 8TH : GAME IN 25 MINUTES.

U of A GENOMICS INSTITUTE will host the event. This is an Unrated tournament with prizes and trophies in each of the 3 different sections where each player gets 25 minutes per game. Registration can be done at Events4Chess.com.  AZ State Champion Levon Altounian will play at the tournament in the Open section. For more details visit this link below and download the tournament flyer:

 http://www.arizonachessforschools.com/?p=2259








GRAND PRIX #2. DECEMBER 15TH.

The 2nd leg of the Tucson Grand Prix series will commence once again at the IST school on December 15th. There will be numerous sectional, team and Individual prizes. Do not miss it!. You can register at Events4chess.com or by visiting the following link and downloading the flyer.

http://www.arizonachessforschools.com/?p=2267

Special Brooklyn Castle Screening Event! Sunday, December 2 @ 3pm

Brooklyn Castle with Local Chess Experts

Join us on Sunday, December 2nd at The Loft for a viewing of the inspirational chess documentary, Brooklyn Castle!

*Hosted by 9 Queens, SACA, and Tucson Chess Alliance*

http://www.loftcinema.com/film/brooklyn-castle-with-local-chess-experts/

The chess fun starts at 3 pm, the film begins at 4 pm, and chess activities continue immediately following the film!

Chess activities include:
-Pick-up chess games
-Beginner chess lessons
-Quick chess
-Bughouse
-Puzzle solving
-Play chess with 9 Queens' giant chess set!

Ticket Prices:
• Adult $9.25
• Senior (65+) $6.25
• Child (12 & Under) $6.25

Concessions will be available for purchase!

More information about the documentary can be found here:
http://www.brooklyncastle.com/

Hope to see you there!

9 Queens Himmel Library Free Tournament -Saturday, December 8 @ 11:30 am

Join 9 Queens on December 8 at the Himmel Library at 11:30am for a 3 round chess tournament. Lunch will be provided for the participants. This event is free and open to the public.

Himmel Library is located at 1035 N Treat, Tucson, 85716

Please visit: http://www.9queens.org/calendar/ for more information.

League Match #3 - December 1, 2012 at BASIS Oro Valley

Registration is open for League Match #3!  Please join us on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at BASIS Oro Valley for a 4-round, USCF-rated tournament with individual and team prizes.

Sections are: High School (K-12), Junior High (K-8), Elementary (K-6), Primary (K-3), and Primary (K-1).

Round times are 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 1:30.

Register on the SACA website at sazchess.org by Friday, November 30 at 9:00 pm.

Please email scholastic@sazchess.org with any questions.

League Match #1 and #2 Perfect Scores

Congratulations to our players who had perfect scores at SACA's League Match #2! The following players scored 3/3:

Zak Cancio, BASIS North
Ben Hong, BASIS North

Richard Zhou, BASIS Tucson

Austin Rigg, Butterfield

Sevren Jackson, Canyon View

Ani Altounian, Castlehill

Harrison Burns, Copper Creek
Michael Chen, Copper Creek

Hunter Bernard, Corbett
Daysin Luna, Corbett
Dylan Peng, Corbett

Sreekar Bommireddy, Doolen
Milo Ratner, Doolen

Ilya Gromochenko, Fruchthendler

Ian Holehan, Harelson

Aleks Bekker, Khalsa
Zain Franis, Khalsa
Keenan Hart, Khalsa
Simi Tecklin, Khalsa
Renee Uyehara-Schaap, Khalsa

Deven Calhoun, Legacy

Ashwin Mittal, Manzanita
Uno Pasadhika, Manzanita
Ethan Pieroni, Manzanita
Frankie Pieroni, Manzanita
Suraj Shah, Manzanita
Kevin Sun, Manzanita

Miguelangel Mendiaz, IST

Ben Hall, St Joseph's
JJ Tejeda, St Joseph's

Eshaan Joshi, St. Michael's

Benjamin Campbell, Tortolita
Tristan Lopez, Tortolita

Alex Parmar, Whitmore

Josemaria Vlasich

Perfect score - Ani Altounian

Congratulations to our players from League Match #2 who scored 2.5/3 points:

Saha Dasika, Canyon View

John Henry Clashman, IST
Conner Graham, IST
Kieran Lee, IST

Sameer Shah, Manzanita
Ben Van Allen, Manzanita

Robert Leenhouts, Sam Hughes
Rohan Tiss, Sam Hughes

Robin Tautimer, Satori

David Li, Ventana Vista

Benjamin Bourque, Whitmore
Hunter Delauer, Whitmore


Congratulations to our perfect score players from SACA's League Match #1! The following players had a perfect score of 3/3:

Armando Lang, Acacia

Sumedh Prasad, BASIS North
Vishakk Rajendran, BASIS North

Kaushal Bhat, BASIS Tucson

Hunter Stedman, Canyon View

Nitish Bhamidipati, Castlehill

Robert Sierra, Corbett

Alex Bazzel, DeGrazia
Talen Chambers, DeGrazia
William Neidich, DeGrazia

Mark Jansky, International School of Tucson

Max Bekker, Khalsa

Deven Calhoun, Legacy

Preston Martin, Manzanita
Jonathan Martinez, Manzanita
Ashwin Mittal, Manzanita
Frankie Pieroni, Manzanita
Suraj Shah, Manzanita

Crisanto Iniguez, Montessori Schoolhouse

Langston Crooms, Satori

Zain Ahmed, Sonoran Science Academy

Jason Tejeda, St Joseph's


Camren Vusteven, St Joseph's

Perfect score - Jonathan Martinez

League Match #2 Team Results

SACA League Match #2 was held on November 10, 2012 at Doolen Middle School.  Thank you to all of the chess players, parents and coaches who participated!

Special thanks to our wonderful parent and high school volunteers for helping us monitor the playing hall, to Equipment Manager Jennifer Shacter for setting up and overseeing equipment sales, and to SACA President Troy Oberg for collecting registration payments.

SACA President Troy Oberg and Chief Tournament Director Martha Underwood

Tournament results are as follows:

Junior High
Anand - Doolen-A and BASIS North are co-champions
On tie breaks - 1st: Doolen-A, 2nd: BASIS North, 3rd: Tortolita

Elementary
Anand - 1st: IST-A, 2nd: Manzanita, 3rd: DeGrazia
Kramnik - 1st: Corbett-A, 2nd: St Joseph, 3rd: Carden-A
Kasparov - 1st: IST-B, 2nd: Whitmore, 3rd: Corbett-B
Karpov - 1st: Harelson-B, 2nd: DeGrazia-C, 3rd: St Joseph-B

Primary
Anand - 1st: Manzanita, 2nd: Castlehill, 3rd: Khalsa
Kramnik - 1st: Manzanita, 2nd: Copper Creek, 3rd: Canyon View
Kasparov - 1st: Khalsa, 2nd: Whitmore, 3rd: DeGrazia

Parent and High School Volunteers assisting in the playing hall

We look forward to seeing you at League Match #3 on December 1st, 2012 at BASIS Oro Valley!

Thanks to Levon Altounian for submitting the photos for this post!

Upcoming SACA Board Meeting on 9/17

SACA Board Meeting

17 September 2012

Peter Howell Elementary (Library)

7 pm

Agenda

Welcome                                                        Oberg

Secretary's Report                                          Underwood

       Minutes from Planning Session

Treasurer's Report                                          Katzel

Committee Reports

       Scholastic Committee                             Larsen

       Membership Committee                         Wright

       Communications Committee                  Mateer

       Parent Volunteers                                    Martinez

      

New Business                                                 Oberg

Board Meeting Dates                                     Oberg

Adjourn

SACA Board Elections

The annual SACA members meeting will be held on Sunday, July 22 between the 4th and 5th round for the Ye Olde Pueblo Open at the Holiday Inn - Palo Verde. This is an opportunity for all to get information about the affiliate, to offer feedback, and to get involved. We will also be electing the SACA Board for the coming year.

Current individuals running for the SACA Board are as follows:

President
Troy Oberg

Vice President
Paul Mills
John Wright

Secretary
Martha Underwood

Treasurer
Daniel Katzel

Directors-at-Large (4 positions)
Robby Adamson
Levon Altounian
Sumhith Aradhyula
Valerie Cindrich
Ken Larsen
Michelle Martinez
Amanda Mateer

If anyone else wishes be on the SACA Board, please contact Enrique so that your name can be added to the ballot.

Ye Olde Pueblo tournament this weekend

Just a reminder to everyone that the Ye Olde Pueblo Open and Scholastic tournaments are this weekend at the Holiday Inn - Palo Verde. There is still time to register online for the event before the entry fees increase tonight at midnight.

PRIZES: 

Open section ($$G): $500 (and plaque) $400 - $300; Top X, A, B/below $150 each.
Trophy to Top Junior (U20), Top Junior (U14), and Senior (age 50+).

Reserve section (b/38): $250 (and plaque) - $150 (and plaque); Top C and D/below $100 each. Trophy to Top Unrated, Top Junior (U14), and Senior (age 50+)

Booster section: Trophy to 1st (and clock), 2nd - 5th Place, Top E, Top U1000/Unr, Top Junior (U11)

Scholastic I and II: Trophy to 1st - 5th Place (each day).
Top player who plays both days will also receive a digital clock. (Scholastic I and II)

A flier with all the information is available on the SACA website.

Eastside Chess Club Cancelled Today - 5/23

The Eastside Chess Club has been cancelled this week (5/23) due to the televised Congressional debate that will be at the JCC. Sorry for the late notice. John Wright Eastside Chess Club

2012 US Amateur West Championship

The US Amateur West turns 20 years old! This year's tournament marks the 20th Anniversary of the event. US Amateur West May 26-28, at the Holiday Inn - Palo Verde. The tournament is open to all players rated under 2200 (May Suppliment).


The available sections include:

• Championship (U2200)
• Reserve (U1600)
• Booster (U1200)
• Scholastic I (K-6/U1000) *
• Scholastic II (K-6/U600) *

 * The scholastic sections are three 1-day tournaments (Saturday, Sunday and Monday). Players can play one, two or all three days.

 

Registration is available online at the SACA webpage. A flier with all the information is also available.

 

This year's chess celebrity is IM MacKenzie Molner who will be available each round to analyze your games with you. Additionally, he'll give a simul on Sunday for anyone (tournament and non-tournament players welcome!) who wants to challenge him.

 

The chess weekend starts off with a Blitz tournament on Friday night at 7:00pm. Registration for that event is available online or at the site. EF is $10 ($15 for non-tournament players). Prizes are ($b/20) $75-$45 and Top U1600 $30. There are also prizes for Top K-12, K-8 and K-6 players.

Scholastic Clinic May 6 at the Wilmot Library

Attention all involved in Southern Arizona Scholastic Chess

There will be a Scholastic Clinic meeting held at the Wilmot Library on Sunday, May 6. The meeting will start at 1:00 and will last no longer than 4:00. Topics of discussion include: reviewing of league rules, format and setting of the scholastic calendar for the 2012-13 season.

All coaches, school sponsors and those interested in organizing/directing SACA tournaments are encouraged to attend. Perspective SACA Board members for 2012-13 are also encouraged to attend.

2011-2012 SACA All-Stars

The 2011-2012 SACA All-Stars were awarded at Tucson Scholastics South Regional Qualifier #2.

Many thanks to Ken Larsen for taking the time to calculate the awards.

2011-2012 SACA All-Stars:

PRIMARY
1. Robert Young (International School of Tucson)
2. Brian Belakovsky (Ventana Vista)
3. Teja Jetty (Sunrise Drive Academy)
4. Max Coy (Sonoran Science)
5. Eli Cindrich (Manzanita)
6. Ethan Wong (Harelson)
7. Ryan Zou (Canyon View)
8. Crisanto Iniguez (Montessori)
9. Andrew Smith (Harelson)

ELEMENTARY
1. Ryan Thompson (Basis Oro Valley)
2. Denham Carlisle (Sam Hughes)
3. Joseph Kennedy (St. Cyril)
4. Benjamin Hall (St. Joseph)
5. Robert Leenhouts (Sam Hughes)
6. Angela Kinsey (Basis Tucson)
7. Milind Jetty (Basis Tucson)

JUNIOR HIGH
1. Sam Watson (Basis Oro Valley)
2. Dun Jin (Basis Tucson)
3. Ruturaj Patil (Basis Tucson)
4. Ryan Hornby (Basis Oro Valley)
5. Aiya Cancio (Orange Grove)
6. Alan Castillo (Carden Christian Academy)

Honorable Mention
1. Andy Li (Basis Tucson)

9 Queens - Free Chess Seminar

Are you interested in teaching chess? Good news! You don’t need to be Bobby Fischer to be an effective chess teacher or coach. 9 Queens is offering a free training seminar for anyone interested in starting a chess club, working as a chess instructor or developing chess teaching skills.

Date: January 28, 2012

Time: 10 am - 2:30 pm (30 minute lunch break)

Place: Tucson Main Library, 101 N. Stone

Topics to be covered include:

• Planning a lesson
• Teaching strategies for instructors with limited chess experience
• How to keep students engaged
• Teaching the basics of chess
• Hands on exercises
• Making chess fun

9 Queens is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to extending the benefits of chess to under-served and under-represented populations. If you would like to attend this seminar, please send an email to jhoffman@9queens.org. You must pre-register to attend; space is limited.

International School of Tucson Chess Scholarships

The International School of Tucson is offering the Jessica E Martin chess scholarship.


To learn more about the scholarship, visit their webpage at: http://internationalschooloftucson.org/content/scholarships


Click here to view the scholarship form.


The application deadline has been extended to February 28, 2012.