Opryland Hotel filling with water

For those of you that have been to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for chess tournaments, this footage is shocking.

Many Tennessee counties are being declared disaster areas as rising flood water is causing damages estimated to be in the billions.

Craig Jones wins 2010 US Masters

National master Craig Jones won the 2010 US Masters tournament held March 13-21 in Hendersonville, NC. Craig finished with a score of 7/9. Craig Jones is a former Tucson resident who coached the Castlehill Country Day School to the National Elementary title in 2002.

NY Times article regarding chess in Tucson

Enjoy this article found in the NY Times about woman playing chess in Tucson:


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/us/25ladychess.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Women's World Champion coming to Tucson

GM Alexandra Kosteniuk is coming to Tucson this Sunday (Dec. 20) as part of her Christmas Goodwill offer. She will be attending the 9 Queens Chess Academy. Because of the addition of GM Kosteniuk, some details of the Chess Academy have been changed.

• The 9 Queens Academy will be now be held at the Parasol Project Arts Space (located at 299 Park Avenue) from 2-4 pm on Sunday Dec 20, 2009.
• Immediately following the Queens Academy, from 4-7 pm at MAST (a new boutique located directly next door to Parasol Projects), 9 Queens will host a reception and simultaneous chess exhibit featuring Ms. Kosteniuk.

All activities will be open to all chess enthusiasts (men and women) of all ages and abilities. For more information, visit the 9 Queens website or contact Jean Hoffman.

IM Anna Zatonskih wins US Women's Championship

IM Anna Zatonskih has defended her title with an impressive 8.5 points out of 9 game performance at this year's US Women's Chess Champion, hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Defending U.S. Champion Anna Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., finished off the tournament in style with a positional crush of Yun Fan, of Greencastle, Ind. She won the record $15,000 first place prize fund. Zatonskih ended with eight wins and one draw in nine games, and her 8.5 points were tied for the best result in the championship in more than 20 years. She said the championship was the best performance of her career.

Camilla Baginskaite finished in 2nd place with 6.5/9.0 to earn $12,000. Both players earn automatic qualifiers for the next Women's World Championship to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.

USCF News Release (and video recap)
CCSCSL Press Release
Final Standings
All games (via Chessgames.com)

Energy drinks and chess

I'm not saying energy drinks make you better at chess, but some energy drinks are actually pretty good. Enjoy!

Rybka 3 wins World Computer Chess Championship

From Chessbase.com:

In the final round of the event, staged by the International Computer Games Association in Pamplona, Spain, the US-Czech program Rybka beat its closest rival, Junior from Israel, to take the title with a point and a half to spare. Junior, Shredder and Deep Sjeng shared 2-4th. Actually Rybka won three titles.

A total of three events were staged by the ICGA:
1. The 17th World Computer Chess Championship – all computers restricted to eight cores at the most
2. The 14th Computer Olympiad, Chess – no hardware limit
3. The 17th World Computer Chess Championship (Blitz)

All three titles were won by Rybka, the first on an eight-core system (obviously), the second on a 52-core cluster and the Blitz again on the eight-core system.

Nakamura wins US Championship

GM Hikaru Nakamura won the US Championship this weekend in St. Louis, MO. Nakamura was tied with GM-elect Robert Hess going into the final round, but secured the title and $40,000 with a victory over GM Friedel and a draw between Hess and GM Akobian.

Hikaru Nakamura, 21, won the the 2009 US Chess Championship, after winning in the ninth and final round of the event. Second-seeded Nakamura, who also won the title in 2004, when he was just 16, took the venerable 164-year-old title and the first prize of $40,000 ($35,000, plus a $5,000 outright winner's bonus) after beating Josh Friedel of New Hampshire. Nakamura finished with seven points over nine games, and never lost a game. [Chessbase.com]

The tournament was May 9 - 17. 25 players from across the country competed for over $200,000 in prizes. The players played 1 game a day.

Final Standings:

Name	State	Rating	Points	Prize won
GM Nakamura, Hikaru (2)	NY	2757	7	$40,000.00
IM Hess, Robert (17)	NY	2545	6.5	$12,500.00
GM Onischuk, Alexander (3)	VA	2736	6.5	$12,500.00
GM Kamsky, Gata (1)	NY	2798	6	$7,500.00
GM Akobian, Varuzhan (7)	CA	2664	6	$7,500.00
GM Shulman, Yury (4)	IL	2697	5	$4,650.00
GM Friedel, Joshua (15)	NH	2568	5	$4,650.00
GM Ibragimov, Ildar (13)	CT	2628	5	$4,650.00
GM Christiansen, Larry (5)	MA	2681	5	$4,650.00
GM Ehlvest, Jaan (10)	NY	2649	4.5	$2,833.33
IM Robson, Ray (18)	FL	2542	4.5	$2,833.33
GM Kaidanov, Gregory (8)	KY	2662	4.5	$2,833.33
GM Benjamin, Joel (9)	NJ	2650	4.5	$2,833.33
GM Shabalov, Alexander (14)	PA	2620	4.5	$2,833.33
GM Gulko, Boris (12)	NJ	2631	4.5	$2,833.33
IM Brooks, Michael (22)	MO	2419	4	$2,375.00
Hughes, Tyler (24)	CO	2293	4	$2,375.00
IM Sevillano, Enrico (16)	CA	2549	4	$2,375.00
GM Becerra, Julio (6)	FL	2672	4	$2,375.00
IM Krush, Irina (20)	NY	2496	3.5	$2,000.00
IM Shankland, Samuel (21)	CA	2464	3	$2,000.00
GM Khachiyan, Melikset (11)	CA	2632	3	$2,000.00
FM Eckert, Doug D (25)	IL	2278	2	$2,000.00
Lawton, Charles (23)	MO	2350	1	$2,000.00
IM Zatonskih, Anna (19)	NY	2503	0.5	$2,000.00

The US Championship was hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis which will also host the US Women's Championship on October 2-12.

All games are viewable on here.

US Championship begins today

For the next week, 24 of the top players in the United States will compete for nearly $200,000 in prizes and the title US Champion. The tournament is 9 rounds and will last May 8 - 17. The event is being hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Round 1, Friday, May 8, 12:00 pm (Tucson time)

01. GM Ibragimov, Ildar (2628) - GM Kamsky, Gata (2798)
02. GM Nakamura, Hikaru (2757) - GM Shabalov, Alexander (2620)
03. GM Friedel, Joshua (2568) - GM Onischuk, Alexander (2736)
04. GM Shulman, Yury (2697) - IM Sevillano, Enrico (2549)
05. IM Hess, Robert (2545) - GM Christiansen, Larry (2681)
06. GM Becerra, Julio (2672) - IM Robson, Ray (2542)
07. IM Zatonskih, Anna (2503) - GM Akobian, Varuzhan (2664)
08. GM Kaidanov, Gregory (2662) - IM Krush, Irina (2496)
09. IM Shankland, Samuel (2464) - GM Benjamin, Joel (2650)
10. GM Ehlvest, Jaan (2649) - IM Brooks, Michael (2419)
11. Lawton, Charles (2350) - GM Khachiyan, Melikset (2632)
12. GM Gulko, Boris (2631) - Hughes, Tyler (2293)

The games are available though an online stream. Results will also be available here.

Discussion, news, and photos are available across the web.

Official Website
USCF Chess Life Online
ICC Chess.FM Blog
Susan Polgar Blog
ChessGames.com
Chess.com

Jenelle Wallace wins National Merit Scholarship

Congratulations to Jenelle Wallace! Jenelle, a senior member for the CFHS chess team, was one of 5 local high school students to be awarded a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

The winners were culled from 15,000 finalists by a committee of educators that looked at a host of factors, from academic records to standardized-test scores, teacher recommendations and community activities.

This is the second of four rounds of scholarships to be announced.

Jenelle will be attending Stanford next fall. Best of luck to Jenelle and all seniors wherever you're headed in life.

Source: Arizona Daily Star

Landon featured in Arizona Daily Star

An article about Landon's life is in today's Arizona Daily Star.

This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting — and sometimes extraordinary — lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories.

Life stories : Catalina Foothills graduate was a master — at chess and life

Chess Fest is Saturday May 2

The 2nd Annual 9 Queens Chess Fest is this Saturday, downtown at the Hotel Congress. The Chess Fest is a nontraditional chess tournament that offers everyone, regardless of age or experience level, an opportunity to experience the benefits of chess. Activities will start at noon and will last until about 8:30 pm.

Activities include:

• Blitz (G/5) tournament
  
• Human Chess Match played out on a life-size board,
• Blindfold chess exhibition provided by members of the Arizona Chess Team,
• Free chess workshops and lessons taught by two-time national chess champions from Catalina Foothills High School,
• Blitz chess tournament free for all children under age of 18
• Chess and Hola Hooping Expo
• "Honor the Queen" chess art exhibit featuring pieces renditions of the chess queen donated by local artists, chess players, and 9 Queens students

Registration for the blitz tournament is free to all if done by 8:00 pm on Friday. After that, kids are still free but adults will be charged a fee.

All proceeds from the Chess Fest will benefit 9 Queens, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering under-served and under-represented populations through chess.

Arizona Daily Star article on Chess Fest
Tucson Citizen article on Chess Fest

David Adelberg article in Arizona Republic

One of Arizona's best juniors of all time, and SACA tournament regular, had a great piece about him written up in this weekend's Arizona Republic.

A chess prodigy, he is ranked fifth in the nation for his age. Adelberg, who already has had success in tournaments on national and international chess stages, is on the verge of breaking an Arizona record.

In the next months, Adelberg is expected to earn the status of National Master by the United States Chess Federation, a title previously held by Daniel Rensch at age 14. A National Master is someone who has a chess federation rating of 2200 and has demonstrated enough skill that they can usually beat chess experts and almost always prevail against amateurs.

Source: Arizona Republic

West is Best in Amateur Team Playoffs

Over the Valentine's Day weekend four (East, North, South, and West) national team tournaments were held. The top teams from each of the tournaments faced-off this weekend in a single elimination tournament played over the Internet. The team from the West "ACA Beasts" was led by 17-year-old NM John Daniel Bryant, talented young experts 14-year-old Michael Yee, 15-year-old Vincent Huang and Santy Wong.

The 2009 U.S. Amateur Team Playoffs held March 21 on World Chess Live were filled with excitement, drama and even a dose of madness that the month of March usually reserves for college basketball.

In the end, after a day of thrilling chess that included sudden death tiebreaker matches to decide the semi-final and championship rounds, the West team, "ACA Beasts!" came away with this year's U.S. Amateur Team National Championship by defeating the South team "My Girl Is Pissed!"!

Read the complete story at USCF.

10-year old wins Utah State Chess Championship

Media outlets from around the country are abuzz with news about Kayden Troff, just 10 years old, winning the Utah Game/60 Championship.

A 10-year-old West Jordan boy has won the 2009 Utah Game/60 Chess Championship — and he could be ranked first in the nation in his age group.

Kayden Troff won $120 in prize money Saturday and has been invited to attend U.S. Chess School this summer.

10-Year-Old Boy Wins Utah Chess Tournament [www.fox13now.com]
10-year-old West Jordan boy wins Utah chess tournament, has a bright future [Seattle Times]
10-year-old wins Utah State Chess Championship [www.ksl.com]

13-year old wins Western Chess Congress

Michael Aigner writes about Daniel Naroditsky's impressive result in Concord. The Western Chess Congress was a 5 round "adult" tournament with a total prize fund of over $10,000.

However, one junior stood taller than all of the rest. Always short for his age, former World U12 champion FM Daniel Naroditsky, now 13 years old, has grown in more ways than one over the past year. In Concord, he proved that he was the man to beat, transforming from a shy player with a mid-2300 rating into a confident champion with the composure of a veteran professional.

IM Mark Ginsburg also attended the event and finisted tied for 2nd place. David Adelberg, rated 2122, turned in an impressive performance rating of 2438!

Read the complete article on the USCF website.

GM Kiril Georgiev breaks Guinness Simul Record - Update

After a month of training – mainly walking and saunas – Kiril Georgiev was ready to take the challenge and play a simultaneous exhibition against 360 opponents. For every move the Bulgarian GM had to walk half a kilometer, and after six hours of play had made only eight moves. After 14 hours it was over, he had scored 88% with 284 wins, 70 draws and 6 losses. The record was broken!

Report by GM Dejan Bojkov from ChessBase.com

UPDATE: Chessdom.com interviews GM Kiril Georgiev about his record-setting feat.

Chess, granddaughter inspire comic strip character

An interesting article about the creator of the comic that appears in Chess Life for Kids.

Chess anyone? Which room would you like to play in? Rosalyn B. Katz's Rockaway condo has multiple chess sets in just about every room. Some are miniature, some micro-miniature, but many, too numerous to count, are set up for play.

Katz's love of chess and the birth of her first grandchild, Zaria Katz, were the impetus for the creation of the comic strip character "Zaria."

"Zaria is an 8-year-old chess player who is in love with the game and in love with life," Katz said. "Her overly enthusiastic way of engaging life gets her into difficulties, but she always lands on her feet."

While Katz writes the strip, Doina Paraschiv, an illustrator with 20 years' experience, draws the cartoons that bring "Zaria" to life. Paraschiv is also a chess player.

The strip was picked up by Chess Life magazine, a publication of the United States Chess Federation, with a circulation of 285,000. "Zaria" has been appearing every other month since July 2003.

The rest of the article is available at the Daily Record.

Bobby Fischer movie in the works

U.S. producer-director Damian Chapa is set to begin shooting his new Bobby Fischer bio-picture next month, Amadeus Pictures announced.

"Bobby Fischer Live," a movie featuring Chapa as the U.S. chess champion, is to be filmed in Los Angeles, New York, Russia and Iceland.

"Bobby Fischer is considered to be the greatest chess player of all time," the production company said in a news release Thursday.

The company said Fischer's victory over Soviet champion Boris Spassky in 1972 "was historical in bringing relations between the (United States) and (the Soviet Union) to a more calm and cordial state, as well as elevating chess to a much more mainstream and 'cooler' status."

Fischer won a rematch with Spassky in 1992, in a match played in what was then Yugoslavia, which was under a strict U.N. sanction. After the match, Fischer never returned to the United States.

Source: United Press International

Robby Adamson on the cover Chess Life

The March issue of Chess Life has a cover story on local master, Robby Adamson.

Paul Gold, a master in his own right, has written a piece that covers the coach, the players, and a brief history of Southern Arizona chess that has help make Catalina Foothills HS one of the dominate chess programs in the country that is a perennial national title contender and winner, year after year.

The year was 1978, my last of high school, thank God. I attended chess club back then to play blitz. One night I battled this little kid, an eight-year old boy wonder—bright-eyed, hair combed back, fidgeting all over the place; boy, was he obnoxious! After every move he hit my clock harder and harder, while I pleaded with him to go easy on the timepiece. Finally the plastic clock face fell off and the thing was broken, and that was my first contact with Robby Adamson. It was the end of my clock but the beginning of a long and wonderful relationship.

The March issue of Chess Life will be arriving in the mail this week (if it isn't in your mailbox already). Those of you that can't wait can read the article online at the USCF website. USCF members are also able to download the PDF version of Chess Life.