CalChess State Scholastics History

Bay Area Chess hosts the annual CalChess State Scholastic Championships this weekend in Santa Clara. This year is the 44th edition of a tradition that started at a school, but has grown to fill several halls of a major convention center. Roughly 1200 children compete in 16 sections divided by age and chess skill. On Sunday evening, state champions will be crowned for the five Championship divisions: K-3, K-5, K-6, K-8 and K-12.

List of Scholastic Champions from 1986 to present

Check out the following trivia from more than three decades. Unfortunately, the records from 1976 through 1985 are not readily available.

• First exceeded 500 players = 1997
• First exceeded 1000 players = 2001
• Largest turnout = 1319 in 2006
• New sections added = Elementary K-5 section was only introduced in 2007 while Kindergarten began in 1997
• Most High School individual titles = Vinay Bhat won 4 from 1998-2002. Three masters won 3 times: Andy McManus (1987-1990), Dmitry Zilberstein (1994-1997) and Cameron Wheeler (2013-2015).
• Most High School team titles = 6 shared by Lowell High (1986-1994) and Saratoga High (2005-2010)
• Youngest High School winner = 5th grader Daniel Naroditsky
• Three 5-time champions = Vinay Bhat (K-3, K-12, K-12, K-12, K-12), Neel Apte (K-3, K-5, K-6, K-8, K-8), and Cameron Wheeler (K-5, K-6, K-12, K-12, K-12)
• Four 4-time champions = Micah Fischer-Kirshner (K-3, K-6, K-6, K-12), Adam Lischinsky (K-3, K-3, K-8, K-12), Daniel Naroditsky (K-3, K-6, K-12, K-12), and James Kwok (K-3, K-6, K-8, K-8) 
• Eleven 3-time champions = Andy McManus, Alan Stein, Dmitry Zilberstein, Keith Yost, Daniel Schwarz, Steven Zierk, Yian Liou, Kyle Shin, Tanuj Vasudeva, Siddharth Banik, Kevin Pan
• Grand Slam champions = None! Must win all four of K-3, either K-5 or K-6, K-8, and K-12. Eight juniors have won 3 out of 4. 
• Champions to become GM = Vinay Bhat, Steven Zierk, Daniel Naroditsky
• Champions to become IM = Alan Stein, Dmitry Zilberstein, Philip Wang, Yian Liou, Vignesh Panchanatham, Cameron Wheeler, Kesav Viswanadha
• Current US Champion Sam Shankland never won at the CalChess Scholastics. However, he became adult State Champ at age 16 (a record that was recently broken).
• The Schism of 2005 saw the CalChess Scholastics in Oakland compete against the CalNorth Regional in San Jose on same weekend. The Regional drew over twice as many kids (906 to 397).
• More than 20 false 9-1-1 calls from public telephones marred the 1998 edition at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
• Kudos to the main organizers = Ray Orwig, Dr. Alan Kirshner, Richard Peterson, Dr. Salman Azhar, and Dr. Judit Sztaray

Please contact Michael Aigner with errors, omissions, or additional trivia. Many thanks to Dr. Alan Kirshner for maintaining the records from 1986 to 2011. 

San Francisco Mechanics - PRO Chess League

Photos: GM Shankland (left, credit St. Louis CC) and GM Naroditsky (right, credit Llada).  

The Professional Rapid Online (PRO) Chess League returns to action this week on the Chess.com live server. The Bay Area is fortunate to have two strong teams in this worldwide competition. They battle in the Pacific Division against squads from San Diego, Seattle, Minnesota, Dallas, Australia and Chengdu (China). Each week, usually on Tuesday evenings, four team members rated under 2500 average each play four online games with the opposition at G/15 time control. After ten weeks, the top four teams in each Division advance to the league playoffs!

The San Francisco Mechanics are co-hosted by the Mechanics' Institute and the Berkeley Chess School. After failing to qualify for the inaugural season, the Mechanics took top honors in the league qualifier last November. The franchise actually has an extensive online history as one of the eight founding clubs of the now-defunct US Chess League. The Mechanics even brought home the USCL championship in 2006, led by a fearless young master who earned first team All Star honors on board 4!

That young master became the 2017 US Champion and is currently ranked #27 in the World. Sam Shankland will lead his hometown club after returning from Holland, where he faces Magnus Carlsen at the Tata Steel Masters beginning on Saturday. Fear not, San Francisco features five other Grandmasters, including child prodigy Parimarjan Negi of India and local superstar Daniel Naroditsky, who both studied at Stanford University. GM Vinay Bhat and GM Steven Zierk also sharpened their skills as juniors in the Bay Area and eagerly represent the Mechanics. The final Grandmaster is free agent Yannick Gozzoli of France, one of the 2018 co-national champions (check out this interview).

The roster includes two International Masters and a quintet of nationally ranked juniors who frequent tournaments at either the San Francisco or Berkeley clubs. IM Yian Liou and IM John Donaldson participated on the USCL teams of the past decade. These two veterans are reinforced by teenagers IM-elect Andrew Hong, IM-elect Ladia Jirasek and three other masters. Expect the Mechanics to spread weekly assignments around to give all the opportunity to shine.

San Francisco kicks off the season against their regional rivals, the San Jose Hackers. Hoping for a strong start, they unveil a triple GM lineup for Week 1: GM Naroditsky, GM Gozzoli, GM Bhat and FM Ezra Chambers. Check out the action on Tuesday evening starting at 5:25PM!

While this writer enthusiastically supports both Bay Area squads in the league, his true allegiance remains with three former students (GM Naroditsky, GM Zierk and IM Liou) plus several longtime friends who play for the Mechanics. Let's go San Francisco! Fix all those cars!

• Team roster and schedule
• PRO Chess League standings 
• Team homepage and blog
• Twitter
• Fan club at Chess.com
• Sponsor the Mechanics
• Twitch - IM David Pruess
• Twitch - GM Daniel Naroditsky

NorCal Top 20 - September 2018

US Champion Sam Shankland has fun teaching talented
kids at the US Chess School. (Credit: US Chess School)

NorCal Top 20 Adults
September 2018

Rank	Name	USCF	FIDE
1	GM Shankland, Sam	2816	2722
2	GM Zviad Izoria	2718	2601
3	GM Naroditsky, Daniel	2691	2615
4	GM Holt, Conrad	2688	2561
5	GM Zierk, Steven	2565	2506
6	IM Harmon-Vellotti, Luke	2563	2455
7	GM Matamoros, Carlos (ECU)	2561	2494
8	IM Joshua Sheng	2550	2447
9	GM Sevillano, Enrico	2535	2423
10	IM Wheeler, Cameron	2503	2406
11	IM Liou, Yian	2499	2412
12	IM Kavutskiy, Kostya	2472	2424
13	SM Hong, Andrew Z	2467	2357
14	IM Viswanadha, Kesav	2457	2367
15	IM Zilberstein, Dmitry	2454	2378
16	IM Coleman, Teddy	2452	2378
17	IM Panchanatham, Vignesh	2451	2383
18	SM Zhu, Jack Q	2437	2373
19	SM Bick, Gabriel	2429	2381
20	SM Yoo, Christopher W	2414	2402

• Derived from US Chess Rating Lists by State.
• GM Negi moved to Massachusetts.
• GM Holt and GM Sevillano listed under other states.
• Newcomers GM Zierk (welcome back!) and IM Sheng.
• SM Bick enters list after playing abroad for a year.
• GM DeFirmian and IM Donaldson mostly inactive.

Shankland Plays at Danzhou Super GM

Sam Shankland (credit China Chess)

The Bay Area's own GM Sam Shankland participates in his first Super GM invitational in southern China. Eight young players, all rated above 2700 FIDE, compete in a single round-robin hosted by the city of Danzhou on the island of Hainan. While Shankland has been successful against 2700s in the past, there are no easy opponents at this elite event.

Participants

• Yu Yangyi (CHN) 2762
• Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL) 2737
• Wei Yi (CHN) 2729
• Le Quang Liem (VIE) 2728
• Sam Shankland (USA) 2727
• Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (IND) 2718
• Bu Xiangzhi (CHN) 2712
• Vladimir Fedoseev (RUS) 2707

Duda won in the first round against Vidit while the other three games were drawn. Shankland survived a scare with black against the former prodigy Bu, once the youngest GM in the world at age 13. In this tournament, Bu is the oldest at 32, and Shankland the second oldest at 26.

Games begin at 11:30PM Pacific and are broadcast at Chess24. Follow @sinachess for the latest news and photos. Readers who understand Mandarin may be interested in the official website.

NorCal Top 20

Two future Grandmasters battle at the 2007 CalChess Scholastics.
Daniel Naroditsky plays white against Sam Shankland. Credit: ChessDryad

USCF Rating List

July 2017

1. GM Shankland, Sam 2752
2. GM Negi, Parimarjan (IND) 2742
3. GM Naroditsky, Daniel 2733
4. GM Zviad Izoria 2702
5. GM Holt, Conrad 2647
6. GM Chirila, Ioan Cristian (ROU) 2630
7. GM DeFirmian, Nick 2576
8. IM Zierk, Steven 2555
9. GM Sevillano, Enrico 2510
10. IM Wheeler, Cameron 2486
11. IM Panchanatham, Vignesh 2477
12. IM McCambridge, Vincent 2475
13. IM Viswanadha, Kesav 2471
14. SM Sharma, Arun 2468
15. IM Zilberstein, Dmitry 2466
16. IM Kavutskiy, Kostya 2456
17. IM Coleman, Teddy 2440
18. IM DeGuzman, Ricardo (PHI) 2431
19. SM Zhu, Jack Q 2422
20. SM Hong, Andrew Z 2421

http://www.fpawn.com/NorCalTopAdults.pdf

SuperNationals VI - Sunday Update

IM Vignesh Panchanatham celebrates with
GM Sam Shankland. (credit: US Chess)

SM Rayan Taghizadeh (credit: US Chess)

(This paragraph was posted at 1:00pm PDT.) The final round pairings of SuperNationals VI in Nashville saw a pair of Bay Area stars sitting at board 1 of their respective sections. Both IM Kesav Viswanadha and SM Rayan Taghizadeh could clinch first place simply by winning with the white pieces. Possibly a draw would be enough. Another 8 local juniors had 5.0 points heading into the last round and hoped for a Top 10 trophy: IM Vignesh Panchanatham and NM Michael Wang in K-12; Abhinav Koka in K-8; William Sartorio in K-6; Sriram Krishnakumar, Nitish Nath and Adrian Kondakov in K-3; and Lucas Jiang in K-1. Will they make it?

IM Kesav Viswanadha (credit: US Chess)

Congratulations to three National Champions! IM Kesav Viswanadha and IM Vignesh Panchanatham tied for first place in K-12 with four others. Both repeat as National High School champions, a title they earned in Atlanta last year. Also kudos to SM Rayan Taghizadeh for winning the Junior High K-9 section. This is Rayan's second straight victory at SuperNationals, as he won Elementary K-5 four years ago at SuperNationals V.

A grand total of 22 NorCal kids won a place trophy or honorable mention (tied for last trophy) in the championship sections. Special kudos to those who also finished in the Top 10: William Sartorio (9th in K-6), NM Christopher Yoo (5th in K-5), Sriram Krishnakumar (5th in K-3) and Adrian Kondakov (7th in K-3). Three more came very close: Maurya Palusa (11th in K-5), Nitish Nath (12th in K-3) and Kavya Meiyappan (11th in K-1). Way to go!!

Four Bay Area school teams placed in the Top 3 of their section. The K-12 proved most competitive, with Monta Vista High School of Cupertino capturing 1st place, narrowly ahead of teams from Washington and Virginia.  This was the fourth National team title in seven years for IM Viswanadha, IM Cameron Wheeler, nm Udit Iyengar and nm Pranav Srihari after 2011 (Regnart ES), 2012 (Kennedy MS) and 2015 (Monta Vista HS). Wow!!  Two other Silicon Valley schools, Mission San Jose HS and The Harker School, finished in 6th and 9th place, respectively.  Respect!

Monta Vista High School (credit: Vasu Sarangapani)

While the Monta Vista dynasty is quite impressive, equally so is the year-to-year success at Mission San Jose Elementary. Regardless of which students attend his program, Coach Joe Lonsdale manages to craft a strong team that is always competitive in multiple age groups at National Elementary! This year, MSJE finished 3rd in K-6, 2nd in K-1 and co-champions in K-5! By my count, this is the seventh national title that MSJE won or shared since 2009, and comes on the heels of victory in K-6 last year (with mostly different kids). I honestly don't know how Coach Joe pulls this off every year.

• Standings and Winners
• Replay Games from Top Boards
• Photos at US Chess Twitter

Final Standings (minimum 4.0) 


K-12 Championship

• IM Kesav Viswanadha (MVHS) 6.0 (NATIONAL CHAMPION)
• IM Vignesh Panchanatham (Harker) 6.0 (NATIONAL CHAMPION)
• NM Michael Wang (Harker) 5.5 (14th place)
• IM Cameron Wheeler (MVHS) 5.0 (18th place)
• Christopher Pan (Mission) 5.0 (honorable mention)
• nm Udit Iyengar (MVHS) 4.0
• Ganesh Murugappan (Mission) 4.0
• Anirudh Seela (Mission) 4.0
• Amit Sant (Mission) 4.0
• Monta Vista High School 18.5 (NATIONAL CHAMPION)
• Mission San Jose High School 17.0 (6th place)
• The Harker School 16.5 (9th place)

K-9 Championship

• SM Rayan Taghizadeh 6.0 (NATIONAL CHAMPION)

K-8 Championship

• Abhinav Koka 5.5 (14th place)
• Jaisuraj Kaleeswaran 4.0
• Shaashwath Sivakumar 4.0
• Hopkins Junior High School 12.0 (15th place)

K-6 Championship

• William Sartorio 5.5 (9th place)
• Milind Maiti 5.0 (18th place)
• Annapoorni Meiyappan (MSJE) 4.5
• Atul Thirumalai (MSJE) 4.5
• Leo Jiang (MSJE) 4.0
• Shreyas Nayak (MSJE) 4.0
• Edwin Thomas (MSJE) 4.0
• Mission San Jose Elementary 17.0 (3rd place)

K-5 Championship

• NM Christopher Yoo 6.0 (5th place)
• Maurya Palusa 5.5 (11th place)
• Vyom Vidyarthi 5.0 (17th place)
• Kevin Pan (MSJE) 5.0 (24th place)
• Allyson Wong (MSJE) 5.0 (honorable mention)
• Stephen He (MSJE) 5.0
• Abhinav Penagalapati 4.5  
• Nicholas Jiang (MSJE) 4.5
• Aghilan Nachiappan (MSJE) 4.0
• Mission San Jose Elementary 19.5 (co-NATIONAL CHAMPION)

K-3 Championship

• Sriram Krishnakumar 6.0 (5th place)
• Adrian Kondakov 6.0 (7th place)
• Nitish Nath 5.5 (12th place)
• Shaaketh Sivakumar 5.5 (14th place)
• Shawnak Shivakumar 5.5 (16th place)
• Nikhil Parvathaneni 4.0

K-1 Championship

• Kavya Meiyappan (MSJE) 5.5 (11th place)
• Lucas Jiang (MSJE) 5.0 (17th place)
• Omya Vidyarthi 5.0 (honorable mention)
• Jason Li-Shen Liu (MSJE) 4.5
• Elizur Fisher-Kirshner 4.0
• Mission San Jose Elementary 18.5 (2nd place)

SuperNationals VI - Saturday Update

What a spectacular venue for a record setting chess tournament! (credit: GM Maurice Ashley)

Saturday is usually the wildest day at any national scholastic championship with three challenging rounds. Some strong players will spend up to 12 hours at the chess board, where just one mistake can doom the dream of finishing in first. Upsets are the norm and a brutal round 3 this morning has already taken its toll on the competitors. Who will be left standing tonight?

As SuperNationals VI continues, this weekend offers a good opportunity to review past champions. Only a few juniors from Northern California have ever won a national title. However, the Bay Area has become much more competitive over the past five to ten years. Teams from Mission San Jose Elementary in Fremont won a half dozen team championships since 2009. A mini dynasty sprung up in Cupertino as a tight core group tasted victory at Regnart Elementary, Kennedy Middle and Monta Vista High.


NorCal Champions at Nationals (since 2000)

• K-12 Champs: Vignesh Panchanatham (2016), Kesav Viswanadha (2016), Michael Zhong (2007)
• K-9 Champs: Vignesh Panchanatham (2014), Gregory Young (2007)
• K-8 Champs: Siddharth Banik (2013)
• K-6 Champs: Andrew Hong (2015), Vignesh Panchanatham (2012), Kevin Moy (2012), Daniel Liu (2010)
• K-5 Champs: Rayan Taghizadeh (2013), Cameron Wheeler (2011), Allan Beilin (2010)
• K-3 Champs: Balaji Daggupati (2014), Cameron Wheeler (2009), Rahul Desirazu (2006), Daniel Naroditsky (2005)
• K-1 Champs: Chinguun Bayaraa (2013), Ben Rood (2011), Tanuj Vasudeva (2008), Nicholas Nip (2006)

Champion School Teams (since 2000)

• K-12 Teams: The Harker School (2016), Monta Vista HS (2015)
• K-9 Teams: none
• K-8 Teams: Kennedy MS (2012)
• K-6 Teams: MSJE (2016, 2015, 2013, 2009), Gomes ES (2014), Weibel ES (2012)
• K-5 Teams: Gomes ES (2013), Regnart ES (2011)
• K-3 Teams: MSJE (2014), Weibel ES (2010)
• K-1 Teams: MSJE (2012)

GM Maurice Ashley signs autographs.

Please contact me if you see a missing name or school. It seems plausible that the US Chess Yearbook may have omitted some winners, especially in case of a tie for first place.

Now back to 2017. The tournament finishes with two rounds on Sunday. Expect high drama, tension and lots of excitement. Will any of the Bay Area kids finish at the top? Stay tuned!

GM Sam Shankland (credit: US Chess)

• Standings and Pairings
• Live Games from Top Boards
• Photos at US Chess Twitter

Standings after Round 5 (minimum 3.0) 



K-12 Championship

IM Cameron Wheeler (credit: US Chess)

• IM Kesav Viswanadha (MVHS) 4.5 (1st place)
• IM Vignesh Panchanatham (Harker) 4.0
• NM Michael Wang (Harker) 4.0
• IM Cameron Wheeler (MVHS) 3.5
• Christopher Pan (Mission) 3.5
• nm Pranav Srihari (Mission) 3.0
• nm Udit Iyengar (MVHS) 3.0
• Pranav Senthilkumar (Mission) 3.0
• Michael Tang (Harker) 3.0
• Monta Vista High School 14.0 (1st place)
• The Harker School 12.0 (7th place)
• Mission San Jose High School 11.5 (9th place)

K-9 Championship

SM Rayan Taghizadeh (credit: US Chess)

• SM Rayan Taghizadeh 4.5 (2nd place)

K-8 Championship

• Shaashwath Sivakumar 4.0
• Abhinav Koka 4.0
• Jaisuraj Kaleeswaran (Hopkins) 3.0
• Stanley Ko 3.0
• Hopkins Junior High School 9.0 (14th place)

K-6 Championship

• Milind Maiti 4.0
• William Sartorio 4.0
• Annapoorni Meiyappan (MSJE) 3.5
• Shreyas Nayak (MSJE) 3.0
• Leo Jiang (MSJE) 3.0
• Mission San Jose Elementary 12.0 (3rd place)

K-5 Championship

• Vyom Vidyarthi 4.5 (tied for 3rd place)
• NM Christopher Yoo 4.0
• Kevin Pan (MSJE) 4.0
• Maurya Palusa 3.5
• Abhinav Penagalapati 3.5  
• Aghilan Nachiappan (MSJE) 3.0
• Stephen He (MSJE) 3.0
• Allyson Wong (MSJE) 3.0
• Leo Jiang 3.0
• Mission San Jose Elementary 13.0 (3rd place)

K-3 Championship

• Sriram Krishnakumar 4.0
• Adrian Kondakov 4.0
• Nitish Nath 4.0
• Shaaketh Sivakumar 4.0
• Nikhil Parvathaneni 4.0
• Shawnak Shivakumar 3.5

K-1 Championship

• Kavya Meiyappan (MSJE) 4.5 (6th place)
• Jason Li-Shen Liu (MSJE) 4.0
• Lucas Jiang (MSJE) 4.0
• Omya Vidyarthi 3.0
• Elizur Fisher-Kirshner 3.0
• Mission San Jose Elementary 15.0 (1st place)

NorCal Top 20 for January 2017

Bay Area star GM Sam Shankland faces Super-GM Levon Aronian at 2015 World Team Championship.

NorCal Top 20
January 2017 USCF ratings

1. GM Sam Shankland 2755
2. GM Parimarjan Negi 2742
3. GM Daniel Naroditsky 2732
4. GM Cristian Chirila 2593
5. GM Nick DeFirmian 2566
6. IM Steven Zierk 2559
7. IM-e Cameron Wheeler 2479
8. SM Arun Sharma 2468
9. IM Kesav Viswanadha 2456
10. IM Vignesh Panchanatham 2450
11. IM Ricardo DeGuzman 2431 
12. IM David Pruess 2408
13. IM Ray Kaufman 2402
14. NM Faik Aleskerov 2399
15. NM Jack Zhu 2399
16. FM Rayan Taghizadeh 2375
17. NM Andrew Hong 2370
18. FM Andy Lee 2361
19. NM Daniel Schwarz 2360
20. NM Ladia Jirasek 2343

In general, all players have completed one Bay Area tournament within the past year. Exceptions made for local titled players who are active out of state or abroad. 

Honorable Mention (players with local roots who have been less active recently)

• GM Vinay Bhat 2570
• IM Yian Liou 2500
• IM Vincent McCambridge 2496
• IM Vladimir Mezentsev 2435
• IM John Donaldson 2412

From Chesspunk to International Master

Chesspunks pose with their coach FM Daniel Naroditsky during a
training session in 2010. From left to right: Vignesh, Allan Beilin,
Daniel, Kesav and Cameron {credit: Cameron's blog)

Silicon Valley's own Chesspunks, trained in da 'hood, are on a mission to conquer the world!  Six years ago, they were just wannabes, promising young chess players searching for a title.  Today, all four are masters, two are fully fledged International Masters, and a third is now an IM-elect.  And their former trainer is a Grandmaster ranked in the Top 120 of the planet.

Kesav Viswanadha received the IM title first, earning his third and final IM norm at the 2014 US Masters in North Carolina.  Next came Vignesh Panchanatham, who scored his third norm at the 2016 World Open in Philadelphia.  Finally, Cameron Wheeler caught up with his friends by completing his third norm last week at the 2016 North American Open in Las Vegas.

Credits: Kesav (left) by Greg Shahade; Vignesh (middle) and Cameron (right) by Richard Shorman.

Congratulations to the Bay Area's latest trio of International Masters!  Kesav, Vignesh and Cameron join an impressive fraternity of local prodigies to be awarded this prestigious title before graduating from high school!

• GM Vinay Bhat -- IM in 2001 -- GM in 2008
• GM Sam Shankland -- IM in 2008 -- GM in 2011
• IM Steven Zierk -- IM in 2010 -- has 2 GM norms
• GM Daniel Naroditsky -- IM in 2011 -- GM in 2013
• IM Yian Liou -- IM in 2014
• IM Kesav Viswanadha -- IM in 2014
• IM Vignesh Panchanatham -- IM in 2016
• IM-elect Cameron Wheeler -- IM is pending

World Youth Begins in Halkidiki, Greece

The annual World Youth Chess Championships kick off this weekend in Porto Karras, a coastal resort in the Halkidiki region of northern Greece.  Most Americans flew on Thursday, arriving on Friday in Thessaloniki via a stopover in western Europe.  Team USA consists of a record 129 participants, supported by a dedicated army of parents and coaches.  Overall, approximately 1600 players from more than 90 countries have registered, considerably more than South Africa in September 2014 and a modest increase over the same venue in October 2010, but less than United Arab Emirates in December 2013.

Girls and boys compete separately in six age divisions.  The largest sections are in the U10, U12 and U14 age groups, each numbering over 180 boys or 110 girls.  In a change from past years, there will be no double round.  Thus, the schedule calls for 11 rounds over 12 days, including a rest day.  Rounds begin at 3pm Greek time, 6am Pacific daylight time (5am after November 1).  Traditionally, the boards in each section will be broadcast live.

Cameron, Sam and Kayden were all smiles in 2012.

Despite stiff competition from Russia and India, the American delegation has achieved modest success in recent years.  For five straight years, Team USA has earned a gold medal!  The best team result of 4 medals came in 2012, when future GMs Troff and Sevian captured gold in U14 and U12, respectively.  In each of the past two years, the squad won a pair of medals, including one gold.


Best USA Results

• Jennifer Yu, GOLD for Girls U12 in 2014
• Awonder Liang, GOLD for U10 in 2013
• Kayden Troff, GOLD for U14 in 2012
• Sam Sevian, GOLD for U12 in 2012
• Cameron Wheeler, Silver for U12 in 2012 (tied for first)
• Awonder Liang, GOLD for U8 in 2011
• Steven Zierk, GOLD for U18 in 2010
• Sam Shankland, Bronze for U18 in 2008 (tied for first)
• Daniel Naroditsky, GOLD for U12 in 2007

Steven celebrated his 2010 gold
medal on the beach in Halkidiki.

How will Team USA fare in Halkidiki?  Players must recognize that the tournament is like a marathon, and one bad game does not mean disaster.  Indeed, 8.5 may be sufficient to win a medal!  Check out the following list of the top rated Americans in each section.  N.B.: Ratings mean little for the youngest divisions; indeed many participants do not even have an international rating yet.


Whom to Watch on Team USA

• #42 FM Chris Wu in U18
• #28 FM Cameron Wheeler in U16
• #2 FM Nicolas Checa and #25 FM Rayan Taghizadeh in U14
• #2 FM Awonder Liang, #8 David Peng and #17 Andrew Hong in U12
• #7 Arthur Guo, #9 Justin Wang and #10 Jason Wang in U10
• No rating favorites in U8 (too many FIDE unrateds)
• #32 Apurva Virkud in Girls U18
• #7 WIM Ashritha Eswaran and #17 WIM Agata Bykovtsev in Girls U16
• #11WIM Annie Wang in Girls U14
• #3 Carissa Yip in Girls U12
• No rating favorites in Girls U10 (too many FIDE unrateds)
• No rating favorites in Girls U8 (too many FIDE unrateds)

For the latest news, check out the official Twitter feed @fidewycc2015.  Dozens of photos daily at Chessdom Photo Gallery. 

Follow the World Cup in Baku

The 2015 Chess World Cup begins on September 11 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and the birthplace of the 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov.  A total of 128 participants have been paired much like college basketball's March Madness, with the top seeds facing the lowest rated in the first round.  Each round consists of two classical games (40/90, G/30, inc/30) followed by a third day of rapid and blitz tiebreaks (if necessary).

At the end of 7 rounds over 26 grueling days, the champion earns $96,000 and, perhaps more significantly, the top two qualify for the 2016 Candidates Tournament to determine the official challenger to Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Champion.  Can former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik win two World Cups in a row, or will one of the young superstars finish on top?

• Official Website
• Watch Live Games (start at 3:00am Pacific)
  
• World Cup Odds (match by match)

View from hotel in Baku. Credit: Caruana

Top 16 Seeds (with Live ratings)

• #1 Veselin Topalov (BUL) 2813
• #2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2816
• #3 Fabiano Caruana (USA) 2796
• #4 Anish Giri (NED) 2798
• #5 Wesley So (USA) 2760
• #6 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2777
• #7 Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 2774
• #8 Ding Liren (CHN) 2782
• #9 Levon Aronian (ARM) 2784 eliminated in round 2
• #10 Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS) 2748
• #11 Sergey Karjakin (RUS) 2762
• #12 Evgeny Tomashevsky (RUS) 2758
• #13 Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2741 eliminated in round 1
• #14 Pentala Harikrishna (IND) 2737 eliminated in round 2
• #15 Michael Adams (ENG) 2742
• #16 Peter Svidler (RUS) 2727

On one hand, three of the Top 5 seeds represent the USA.  On the other hand, there are six Russians among the Top 16 participants.  N.B.: The seeds reflect the August rating list, not the more current September list.

Nine Americans 

• #2 Hikaru Nakamura 2816 advanced to round 3
• #3 Fabiano Caruana 2796 advanced to round 3
• #5 Wesley So 2760 advanced to round 3
• #41 Ray Robson 2680 eliminated in round 1
• #47 Gata Kamsky 2680 eliminated in round 1
• #54 Alexander Onischuk 2662 eliminated in round 2 by #11 Karjakin (RUS)
• #63 Sam Shankland 2656 eliminated in round 2 by #2 Nakamura (USA)
• #79 Varuzhan Akobian 2635 eliminated in round 1
• #112 Sam Sevian 2556 eliminated in round 1 by #17 Radjabov (AZE)

The format of the World Cup favors many upsets, starting as early as the first round!  Even one miscalculation could mean a premature flight home.  Four years ago, local star Sam Shankland scored the upset of his life by eliminating the Hungarian super-GM Peter Leko!  The following young players are poised to defeat higher seeded opponents in Baku.

Fpawn Upset Watch List

• #22 Yu Yangyi (CHN) 2721 (age 21) advanced to round 3
• #24 Wei Yi (CHN) 2734 (age 16) advanced to round 3
• #45 Vladislav Artemiev (RUS) 2675 (age 17) eliminated in round 2
• #46 Hou Yifan (CHN) 2671 (age 21) eliminated in round 2
• #64 Ivan Bukavshin (RUS) 2657 (age 20) eliminated in round 1
• #78 S.P. Sethuraman (IND) 2640 (age 22) advanced to round 3
• #80 David Anton Guijarro (ESP) 2628 (age 20) eliminated in round 1
• #90 Alexander Ipatov (TUR) 2625 (age 22) eliminated in round 2
• #97 Lu Shanglei (CHN) 2599 (age 20) advanced to round 3

CalChess Champions Over the Years

Since the turn of the century, the CalChess State Scholastic Chess Championship (occasionally misnamed the Super States) has emerged as the single largest annual USCF rated tournament west of the Rocky Mountains, consistently drawing at least 800 eager young chess enthusiasts.  Indeed, the record turnout of 1319 in 2006 compares favorably to the National Championships each spring.  The first weekend of May saw the 40th edition of this Bay Area event.  Two emeritus organizers deserve the lion's share of credit for building up the event during the 1990s and early 2000s: Ray Orwig and Alan Kirshner.

Unfortunately, those 40 years of history are in danger of being forgotten.  Until recently, the champs were honored in the yearly program booklet and online.  Dr. Kirshner diligently compiled lists of individual and school team champions from 1986 to 2011, but the official record at the CalChess website ceases after 2012  Seeing a need, I extended the honor roll of scholastic champions through 2015.

• CalChess Scholastic State Champions (1986-present)

Curiosity drove me to analyze the ranks of individual champions more closely.  For example, Vinay Bhat won the High School division in four out of five consecutive years (1998-2002), but he sat out of the middle year (2000).  Another three masters captured a hat trick of K-12 titles: Andy McManus (1987-1990), Dmitry Zilberstein (1994-1997) and Cameron Wheeler (2013-2015).  Out of this esteemed foursome, only Cameron managed to win (or share first place) in three consecutive years!

Readers may have already mistakenly concluded that winning a scholastic title is easy pickings for a phenom destined to become Grandmaster (like Vinay) or International Master (like Dmitry).  Not true!  Sam Shankland, the strongest player to grow up in the Bay Area during the past three decades, was never crowned champ at the biggest kids tournament.  To his credit, Sam won the adult State Championship at just 16 years old!

To me, the real question was whether anyone achieved a career Grand Slam?  The four pillars of the Grand Prix are the Varsity or Open divisions in Primary, Elementary, Middle School and High School.  Both the K-5 and K-6 sections count for Elementary School.  All players tied for first place are considered co-champions (e.g. five K-5 winners in both 2008 and 2010). 

5-Time Champions

• Vinay Bhat K-3, K-12, K-12, K-12, K-12
• Neel Apte K-3, K-5, K-6, K-8, K-8 (needs K-12)
• Cameron Wheeler K-5, K-6, K-12, K-12, K-12

Since 1986, nobody collected more than five CalChess titles.  However, both Neel (11th grade) and Cameron (10th grade) could break that record next spring..

4-Time Champions

• Micah Fisher-Kirshner K-3, K-6, K-6, K-12 (missing K-8)
• Adam Lischinsky K-3, K-3, K-8, K-12 (missing K-6)
• Daniel Naroditsky K-3, K-6, K-12, K-12 (missing K-8)
• James Kwok K-3, K-6, K-8, K-8 (missing K-12)

Sadly, all of the quadruple champions have run out of eligibility.

3-Time Champions

• Andy McManus K-12, K-12, K-12
• Alan Stein K-8, K-12, K-12
• Dmitry Zilberstein K-12, K-12, K-12
• Keith Yost K-6, K-8, K-8
• Daniel Schwarz K-3, K-8, K-12 (missing K-6)
• Steven Zierk K-3, K-8, K-12 (missing K-6)
• Yian Liou K-3, K-6, K-12 (missing K-8)  
• Kyle Shin K-5, K-6, K-8
• Tanuj Vasudeva K-3, K-5, K-6

Kyle (11th grade) and Tanuj (9th grade) could still add a High School championship to their bulging trophy cases, although neither has played competitively for some time.

Therefore, the answer to my question is a disappointing no!  Interestingly, eight different juniors managed to score 75% of the Grand Slam (see green color).  And with a small dose of luck, Neel Apte could even complete the career Slam by winning the K-12 division next spring.

Fabiano Caruana Returns to Team USA

Fabiano Caruana (Photo: Best of Chess)

Current World #3 Fabiano Caruana announced today that he will switch federations to represent the United States in international competitions.  Born in Miami and raised in New York City, the 22 year old and his family moved to Europe to further his career as a budding chess professional.  Since he holds dual citizenship, he switched to Italian federation with little difficulty.  In the past two years, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and main sponsor Rex Sinquefield made little secret of their desire to bring Fabiano back home.  The paperwork should be completed by fall, and we can expect to see Caruana at both the 2016 US Championship and the 2016 Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. 

Starring three of the Top 10 players on the planet, Team USA can expect to be seeded second at next summer's Olympiad, right behind the Russians.  The national team continues to become both younger and stronger.  Check out the following possible lineup.

1. Fabiano Caruana 2803, age 22
2. Hikaru Nakamura 2799, age 27
3. Wesley So 2778, age 21
4. Ray Robson 2680, age 20
5. Sam Shankland 2656, age 23

 Average = 2743 FIDE, age 23!

N.B.: Gata Kamsky retired from international team competition, and Alexander Onischuk may step aside too.  Three more young Grandmasters could compete for the final two roster spots, including Alex Lenderman, Daniel Naroditsky, and another newcomer Yaroslav Zherebukh.

Youth Movement for Team USA

Shankland draws with Armenia's top board Levon Aronian at World Team.

The USA National Team for chess is undergoing an extreme makeover, with youngsters replacing the old guard of the past decade.  Just look at the USA Top 10 list.  Start with two players near the pinnacle of the world rankings.  Then ask Who's on Third?  Add to the mix a talented new kid from Ukraine who officially changed federations in the past week.  Now observe that 6 of the 10 are 25 years old or younger.

Indeed, the 2015 US champion Hikaru Nakamura can suddenly himself a veteran at the tender age of 27.  Since former champion Gata Kamsky already announced his retirement from international play, and Alexander Onischuk cannot be far behind, it appears likely that the American squad at next year's Chess Olympiad will average under 25 years! 


USA Top 10 - May FIDE Rating

Naroditsky in deep thought at World Team.

1. #4 Hikaru Nakamura 2799, age 27
2. #7 Wesley So 2778, age 21
3. #64 Ray Robson 2674, age 20
4. #65 Gata Kamsky 2673, age 40
5. #71 Alexander Onischuk 2662, age 39
6. #91 Sam Shankland 2656, age 23
7. #128 Yaroslav Zherebukh 2639, age 21
8. #131 Alex Lenderman 2636, age 25
9. #141 Varuzhan Akobian 2632, age 31
10. #165 Daniel Naroditsky 2622, age 19

2015 US Champs: Nakamura and Krush

Hikaru Nakamura

Irina Krush

Grandmasters Hikatu Nakamura and Irina Krush, both top rated in the country, finished first at the 2015 US Championships in Saint Louis.  For Nakamura, it was his fourth title and the solid result left him at 2799, number 3 in the world rankings.  Undefeated and among the leaders throughout, the favorite found himself unable to separate from the competition, specifically GM Ray Robson, who took second place.  Krush captured her seventh Women's crown, tying a record dating back to the 1970s.  Her path to victory was more adventuresome and included an early defeat at the hands of second place finisher IM Nazi Paikidze.

Nakamura prowls as spectators watch. All photos from CCSCSL website.

US Championship (12 player RR)

1. Hikaru Nakamura 8.0
2. Ray Robson 7.5
3. Wesley So 6.5
4. Alexander Onischuk 6.0
5. Sam Sevian 5.5
6. Gata Kamsky 5.5
7. Varuzhan Akobian 5.5

Women's Championship (12 player RR)

1. Irina Krush 8.5
2. Nazi Paikidze 7.5
3. Katerina Nemcova 7.5
4. Viktorija Ni 7.0
5. Anna Sharevich 6.5

Outside the chess club.

The tournament did not go well for the Bay Area participants.  GM Sam Shankland ended up in eighth place, although his lone victoryn versus GM Timur Gareev earned the Best Game prize.  Unfortunately, GM Daniel Naroditsky began with a pair of losses and never recovered.

Play through the games here.  Thanks to sponsor Rex Sinquefield and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis for hosting the spectacular multimedia show.

Next up in Saint Louis: a thrilling rapid and blitz exhibition between chess legends Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short on April 25-26!

Meet the Players at US Championship

The 2015 US Championship kicked off this afternoon at the posh Saint Louis chess club.  Over the next fortnight, twelve Grandmasters will compete for the national title, playing each competitor once.  Rounds begin daily at 11AM Pacific time and take about 4 to 5 hours (rest day on April 6).  The winner pockets $45,000 out of the $175,000 prize fund.  Even last place nets $4,000.  The superb playing conditions and generous prizes are possible through the continued sponsorship of club founders Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield. 

The playing field includes the top eight Americans on the current FIDE rating list, including two of the world Top 10 and six of the Top 100.  The showdowns between favorites, contenders and dark horses mark an exciting time for US chess.  I have broken down the field below, including short remarks about each of the invitees.  All ratings and rankings are FIDE.

Click for live coverage with video commentary by Grandmasters Seirawan and Ashley.

Favorites -- Guys expected to battle for the Title

• Hikaru Nakamura (2798, world #3) A 3-time US Champion and highest rated American ever, Nakamura hopes to demonstrate his superiority over rivals new and old.  Although solidly in the older half of the field, his uncompromising style endears him to many chess fans
• Wesley So (2788, world #8) The new kid on the block plans to build an impressive share of second at Wijk aan Zee, showing his talent to fans in America as well as his native Philippines.  Well prepared in openings, So strives to milk points from the tiniest of advantages.

Contenders -- Ready to jump if the Favorites slip

Sam Shankland

• Gata Kamsky (2680, world #63) The champion in four of last five years, Kamsky struggled in 2014 and plays in the twilight of a storied chess career.  Indeed, he qualified as a candidate for the world championship in 1993, before four of his fellow competitors were born!
• Sam Shankland (2661, world #84) Born and raised in the East Bay, Shanky learned his moves at the Berkeley Chess School. Gold for his board at the Tromsø Olympiad became his calling card, but hardly his only success.  He is aggressive and deadly as white, yet solid as black.

Dark Horses -- Grown up Young Stars ready to fight

Daniel Naroditsky

• Ray Robson (2656, world #94) A prodigy who grew up playing chess, Robson is now a key member of the elite Webster U team. After slumping, he recently broke into the world Top 100.
• Daniel Naroditsky (2640) Already a world champion at 12 years old, Danya grew up on the 64 squares.  Not merely a player, the incoming Stanford freshman is an author and aspiring historian.  Solid yet multidimensional, he strives to measure himself against the best.

Wily Veterans -- When Experience matters, they're the best

• Alex Onischuk (2665, world #75) The US Champion in 2006, Onischuk has spent a decade as one of the Top 5 Americans.  He already transitioned to coaching and works at Texas Tech.
• Varuzhan Akobian (2622) After years playing in the US Championship and Olympiad, Akobian has become a seasoned veterans. With inspiration and luck, he can still derail anyone.

Young Stars -- Not yet Contenders, but can beat anyone

• Sam Sevian (2548) Bay Area chess fans will recall just a few years ago, this precocious kid rubbed elbows at local tournaments.  Now the youngest Grandmaster in US history, Sevian has bigger fish to fry.  What he may lack in experience, he makes up in energy and enthusiasm.
• Kayden Troff (2544) The strongest chess player from the state of Utah continues to improve.  Already a Grandmaster, Troff dominated the 2014 US Junior to earn his invitation.

Pretenders -- Only need a kick in the rear and a little Luck

• Timur Gareev (2599) The free-wheeling and outgoing Grandmaster of blindfold exhibitions brings plenty of flair to Saint Louis.  While erratic, he is capably of brilliance in every game.    
• Conrad Holt (2525) Winner of the 2014 US Open, the UT Dallas student is the lowest rated participant this year.  Thunder Holt prefers insanely complicated positions and rarely draws.

The concurrent 2015 US Women's Championship features a defending champion aiming to win her fourth straight crown against a 12-player field that welcomes five newcomers.  Top rated GM Irina Krush (2477 FIDE) is the overwhelming favorite as she pursues her sixth national title.  In the absence of chief rival IM Anna Zatonskih, the next highest rating belongs to IM Nazi Paikidze (2333), a recent immigrant from the country of Georgia.  Other challengers include two experienced competitors: IM Rusudan Goletiani (2311) and WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2301).  The youngest invitees are 13-year old  WFM Jennifer Yu and 12 year old WIM Annie Wang, a pair of gold medalists at international youth championships last year.  A first place award of $20,000 highlights the record $75,000 ladies prize fund.

Learning Chess from the Best

Two World Champions: Hou Yifan and Magnus Carlsen. Credit: Alina L' Ami

Editor's Note:  I first published this article about two years ago.  The thoughts remain vivid and relevant today.  If you are rated 1800 or higher and struggling to move to the next level, please take the following advice to heart.  Good luck! 

One of the best ways to improve in chess is to study master games.  I strongly encourage any student rated 1800+ to regularly review the games of recent elite Grandmaster tournaments.  Watch some of the world elite or pick your own favorites.  Bay Area fans might follow American top players Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So, or perhaps local prodigies Sam Shankland and Daniel Naroditsky.  Chinese families, for example, may cheer for Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi or 15-year old talent Wei Yi, currently the youngest player over 2700.  Those with ties to India may prefer former world champion Vishy Anand.

What should you pick from these games?  A typical A player can learn from the positional strategies and tactical creativity of the super Grandmasters.  As you improve, you should attempt to mimic the strengths of your superiors.  Experienced experts and masters know to focus on their favorite openings, picking up new variations based on the latest trends.  You will find out that the strongest players pick mainstream openings simply because they offer the best chances to win.

In some sense, growth of the internet has diminished the importance of studying collections of games by the champions of yesteryear.  Nonetheless, any true disciple of Caissa should read some of the classics, e.g. Alekhine's Best Games of Chess, Life and Games of Mikhail Tal and My Sixty Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer.  You should also take advantage of the expanding wealth of information online to supplement the foundation presented in these books.  The modern chess student benefits from the many resources at his fingertips.
 
My favorite website to watch tournaments is, of course, the Internet Chess Club (ICC).  You can find quality event coverage, analysis, photos and videos elsewhere too, including Chess Life Online, Chessbase, Chess.com, Chess24, Chessdom, and TWIC.  The MonRoi and CCA websites broadcast the top boards at many major American tournaments.  The CCSCSL in Saint Louis offers a wealth of content, from live coverage of the US Championship to dozens of YouTube lectures.

Upcoming Major Events

• US Championship in Saint Louis, April 1-12
• Gashimov Memorial in Azerbaijan, April 16-25
• World Team Championship in Armenia, April 19-28
• FIDE Grand Prix in Russia, May 13-27
• Norway Chess, June 15-27
• Dortmund Chess Classic, June 27 - July 5
• Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, August 23 - September 4
• World Cup in Azerbaijan, starts on September 10