Levon Advances to US Championship

IM Levon Altounian has advanced to next month's US Championship. Levon won a spot in the tournament by defeating Damir Studen 1.5 - .5 in the finals of the ICC Champion of Champions tournament.

The US Championship will take place May 14 - 25 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The tournament will include 24 of the top players in the country competing for the title and share of the $170,000 prize fund.

The 24 invited players include:

• The defending U.S. Champion - GM Hikaru Nakamura
• The winner of the 2009 U.S. Senior Open Championship - GM Larry Christiansen
• The winner of the 2009 U.S. Junior Championship - GM Ray Robson
• The top five qualifiers from the 2009 U.S. Open Championship - GM-elect Alex Lenderman, GMs Sergey Kudrin, Alex Yermolinsky, Dmitry Gurevich, and Jesse Kraai
• The winner of the 2010 ICC State Champion of Champions - IM Levon Altounian
• The top 11 U.S. players by rating of the United States Chess Federation:

GM Gata Kamsky
GM Alexander Onischuk
GM Varuzhan Akobian
GM Yury Shulman
GM Jaan Ehlvest
GM Alexander Shabalov
GM Gregory Kaidanov
GM Robert Hess
GM Melikset Khachiyan
GM Joel Benjamin
GM Ben Finegold

• Four wildcard spots - TBD

Congratulations, Levon and good luck!!!

Levon Altounian advances to finals of State CofC tournament

IM Levon Altounian is one step away from winning the 2010 State Champion of Champions tournament and earning a bid into the US Championship. Levon won the Arizona State Championship last September in Scottsdale.

On March 24-25 the Internet Chess Club (ICC) hosted the Qualification Rounds of the Champion of Champions tournament. The qualification tournament was 17 rounds of 3-minutes Blitz against the other State Champions from the Western States. Levon took second place in the tournament with a score of 15 points (+14 =2 -1) out of 17. His only lost was to 1st place finisher IM Sam Shankland (16 pts.). (View Levon's games.)

On March 30 the top 2 finishers of each conference faced off in a 25-minute, 2-game playoff. Levon avenged his previous defeat but winning both games to advance to the finals. (View Levon's games.)

The finals will take place on April 11 at noon (Arizona time) on ICC.

Good luck to Levon!!

State Champion of Champions tournament this weekend

Levon Altounian will represent Arizona this week on ICC for the State Champion of Champions tournament. Current state champions from around the country are separated into 4 "zones" (Ed: Don't ask me how South Carolina is in the same "zone" as Arizona.) with the winners of each zone facing off next weekend. Up for grabs is the final spot in the 2009 US Championship.

State champions from Alaska through California to Hawaii and from Maine through to New York and Florida will come together as one over the internet on Saturday, March 28th at chessclub.com for this unique online tournament, with the four qualifying conference winners going forward to the knockout finals on the weekend of April 4th-5th.

Apart from the attraction of one of the final spots up for grabs at what promises to be a memorable U.S. Chess Championship with a prize fund exceeding $130,000, the winner will also receive the title of State Champion of Champions, a round trip ticket to St. Louis and a glass trophy designed by The Stained Glass Store of Des Moines, Idaho.

You can watch the games online at the ICC.

Official website.

2009 US Championship contenders announced

USCF announced today 23 of the 24 players that will be participating in this year's US Championship. The US Championship will be held May 7-17, hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The winner will receive $35,000 of the overall prize fund of $130,000.

The 24 players will include:

• the top 12 American players by rating, using the April rating supplement;

Varuzhan Akobian, Julio Becerra, Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Jaan Ehlvest, Boris Gulko, Ildar Ibragimov, Gregory Kaidanov, Gata Kamsky, Melikset Khachiyan, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexander Onischuk

• the top two female players by rating, using the April rating supplement;

Irina Krush, Anna Zatonskih

• the 2008 U.S. Junior Closed Champion;

Tyler Hughes

• the 2008 U.S. Open Champion;

Enrico Sevillano

• the 2009 U.S. State Champion of Champions;

• the 2008 defending U.S. Chess Champion;

Yury Shulman

• a total of six wild card spots.

Michael Brooks, Josh Friedel, Robert Hess, Charles Lawton, Ray Robson, Alexander Shabalov

The final spot will go to the winner of the Champion of Champions tournament, which pits all the state champions against each other on the Internet Chess Club.

State champions from Alaska through California to Hawaii and from Maine through to New York and Florida will come together as one over the internet on Saturday, March 28th at chessclub.com for this unique online tournament, with the four qualifying conference winners going forward to the knockout finals on the weekend of April 4th-5th.

IM Levon Altounian, who won the Tucson Open, will represent Arizona in this tournament.

US Amateur Team Playoff this weekend! - Update

On Saturday, April 12 the four winning teams from each of the regional Amateur Team Championships will face off against each other on the Internet Chess Club (ICC). Representing the West is an Arizona Team of Robby Adamson, Landon Brownell, Jonathan Cox and Ben Marmont.

The first round is at 10:00am (local time).
South vs. East
West vs. Midwest

The winners of the first round will play against each other at 3:00pm (local time) to determine the title.

Good luck West!!!

Update - The West team won their first round against the Midwest with a score of 3-1. Their likely opponent will be the South at 3:00pm. The finals are viewable on ICC.

Sad conclusion - The West team made it to the finals, but sadly lost to the South with a score of 1-3. Congratulations on a great play-off and for finishing in 2nd Place!!!