All Fpawn Masters - Peak USCF Rating

Future Grandmasters Daniel Naroditsky and Steven Zierk
at 2008 CalChess Scholastic Championships

1. GM Daniel Naroditsky 2738 - became NM in 2007
2. GM Steven Zierk 2608 - became NM in 2008
3. IM Yian Liou 2502 - became NM in 2009
4. FM Gregory Young 2477 - becamw NM in 2007
5. IM Gabriel Bick 2475 - became NM in 2015
6. NM Daniel Schwarz 2370 - became NM in 2006
7. NM Kirk Ghazarian 2321 - became NM in 2018
8. NM Richard Yi 2290 - became NM in 2017
9. NM Matt Zavortink 2279 - became NM in 2017
10. NM Nicholas Karas 2273 - became NM in 2012
11. NM Neel Apte 2244 - became NM in 2015
12. NM Evan Sandberg 2242 - became NM in 2010
13. NM Daniel Liu 2214 - became NM in 2012
14. NM Michael Lin 2213 - became NM in 2013
15. NM Joshua Cao 2202 - became NM in 2017

• Peak USCF Rating Updated May 2020.
• Students took private lessons for at least 6 months.
• Includes results achieved after we stopped lessons.
• A teacher merely lays the foundation and cultivates love for chess. Ultimate success depends on personal effort and motivation. Elite students often study with several coaches, all who deserve credit.

Congrats to Four State Champions!

I am deeply honored to be the coach of four CalChess scholastic champions for 2010. The winners competed in three of the five Varsity sections: K-5, K-6 and K-8. Although nearly half of my private students attend high school, I was unable to claim the K-12 division this year because the masters all stayed at home. However, the Saratoga High chess team won again, now for a state record sixth year in a row! Way to go students!!!

• James Kwok (top left) -- clear champ in K-8 (fourth title after K-3, K-3, K-6)
• Neel Apte (bottom left) -- co-champ in K-6 (third title after K-3, K-5)
• Kyle Shin (bottom right) -- co-champ in K-6 (second title after K-5)
• Rahul Mohan (top right) -- co-champ in K-5

Another six private students, plus one former student, scored at least 4.5 out of 6 to earn a spot on the informal 2010 All-Fpawn Team. Kudos to Brian Wai (K-12), Arthur Liou (K-12), Edward Li (K-8), Roland Zhu (K-8), Aamir Azhar (K-8), Tudor Muntean (K-8) and Joshua Cao (K-6). Our dominance was greatest in junior high, where five of my students ended up in the top eight finishers (4.5 points or more). Likewise, we claimed three of the top six spots (4.5 points or more) in the elite elementary section. Woot!