CalChess Well Represented in Greece

Ashritha at Pan Am Junior 2015

Rayan at World Youth 2014

Young chess players from the Bay Area comprise one-sixth of Team USA at the World Youth Festival in Greece.  Four masters lead the local representatives: FM Cameron Wheeler (silver medal for U12 at 2012 World), FM Rayan Taghizadeh (bronze medal for U12 at 2014 World), WIM Ashritha Eswaran (winner of both 2015 US Junior Girls and 2015 Pan Am Junior Girls) and NM Andrew Hong (champion at 2015 US Elementary K-6 as a 4th grader).  Overall, 13 boys and 9 girls, together with their dedicated parents, made the trip from San Francisco to Halkidiki.  They will participate in every age group except U18.

Nine out of 22 Bay Area kids have achieved a perfect score through Round 2!!

Bay Area Juniors at World Youth
(Updated after Round 2) 

• Open U16
  • FM Cameron Wheeler (2356) 2.0
• Open U14
  • FM Rayan Taghizadeh (2240) 2.0
• Open U12
  • NM Andrew Hong (2136) 2.0
  • NM Hans Niemann## (2046) 2.0
  • David Pan (1848) 1.0
• Open U10
  • CM Chinguun Bayaraa (1893) 2.0
  • Christopher Yoo (1807) 1.0
  • Balaji Daggupati (1767) 1.5
  • William Sartorio (1725) 2.0
  • Rishith Susarla (1505) 0.5
  • Prarthan Ghosh (unrated) 0.0
• Open U8

  

  Young Adrian at Berkeley Chess

  • Adrian Kondakov (1565) 2.0
  • Sriram Krishnakumar (1280) 1.5
  • CM Aghilan Nachiappan (unrated) 2.0
• Girls U16
  • WIM Eswaran Ashritha (2207) 2.0
• Girls U14
  • Simona Nayberg (1905) 1.0
  • WFM Joanna Liu## (1857) 1.0
  • Serafina Show (1593) 1.0
• Girls U12
  • Hiya Ghosh (1785) 0.0
  • WCM Chenyi Zhao (1544) 1.0
• Girls U10
  • WCM Aksithi Eswaran (1473) 1.0
  • Annapoorni Meiyappan (1246) 1.0
• Girls U8
  • Wong, Allyson (unrated) 1.0
  • Yan Rui Yang (unrated) 2.0

N.B. All ratings above are FIDE.  I am tracking a pair of players (Hans Niemann and Joanna Liu) who have ties to the Bay Area chess community, but now live out of state.  If I omitted any other local kids playing in Greece, please contact me ASAP.

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. 

Ashritha Eswaran Wins US Junior Girls

Ashritha the Champion!

Bay Area 14-year old Ashritha Eswaran won the US Junior Girls invitational with a score of 6.5 out of 9, finishing a full point ahead of her nearest competitor.  Sponsors Frank and Jim Berry brought ten of the country's best young ladies to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  There were seven USCF masters and eight held an international title, including a pair of Women's International Masters.  All participants were ranked in the Top 30 of the country for women, regardless of age!

On the other hand, the round-robin was tightly packed, with less than 150 rating points separating top from bottom.  There were no favorites.  Anyone could beat anyone else.  Indeed, each girl lost at least twice, and Ashritha was the only one not to drop three games!  Perhaps it still came as a surprise that the lowest rated finished on top of the hill.  (USCF rating report)

Congratulations to Ashritha, her parents, her dedicated coach GM Dejan Bojkov and the entire staff at NorCal House of Chess!  In addition to the national title, she earned an invitation to the 2016 US Women's Championship.  Readers may recall that she played in the 2014 Women's Champ, impressing spectators with her mature and aggressive play.

More information and photos in this article at Kasparov Chess Foundation website.

Most people would relax after such an achievement.  Alas, Ashritha flew to Colombia the very next day, where she entered the Pan American Youth Festival.  She already won the first three rounds while playing up in the competitive Girls-U18 division.  Good luck!!

In related news, the US Junior Closed (for boys) kicks off next Tuesday in Saint Louis.  The Bay Area will once again be represented by IM Yian Liou, who graduated two weeks ago from Monte Vista High School in Danville. 

Medal Hopes in Durban

Flags of the 87 countries hang from ceiling.

After ten days of intense competition, the World Youth Chess Championships in South Africa are drawing to a close.  For the American delegation, the hunt for medals reaches a climax, with 7 players ranked in the top 4 for their section and an amazing 20 in the top 11 spots on tiebreaks.  Many of these children could claim a medal simply by winning the last two rounds.  Round 10 is underway as I write these sentences and Round 11 begins at 1:00 PDT on Monday morning.

The best medal chances for Team USA lie in the following sections:

• Girls-U12: Jennifer and Akshita are clear 1st + 2nd and decide gold among themselves.
• Boys-U12: David is tied for 1st, Praveen is 3rd, and Rayan + Aravind are tied for 4th.
• Girls-U8: Rianne is tied for 3rd with Aksithi and Rochelle just 0.5 behind.
• Boys-U10: Aydin is tied for 3rd while Andrew lurks 0.5 back.
• Boys-U8: No Americans are in top 6, but somehow 6 squeezed into the top 14.

How many medals will Team USA collect?  Coach Ben Finegold predicted five medals at the start of the tournament.  Will he be right?  Stay tuned!

The CalChess kids have performed well too, with five scoring 6.0 or 6.5.  Three have realistic medal hopes if they can win the final two games: Rayan (B12), Aksithi (G8) and Andrew (B10).  Ashritha (G12) and Vignesh (B12) should finish in the top 10 with 1.5 out of the last two games.  Good luck!!

Sunday late night update: The Sunday round proved tragic for many of the American players.  Sigh!  The best chances remain in the Boys and Girls U12 sections.  At least there will be one medal -- Jennifer Yu (G12) clinched gold!  The CalChess medal hopes rest on the shoulders of Rayan (B12) and Aksithi (G8), while Vignesh can finish top 5 with a win.  Round 11 begins at 10:00am in Durban -- 1:00am in California.  Go U-S-A!! 


Team USA -- Average Score: 5.4 out of 9 (60%).
Team USA -- Average Score: 5.8 out of 10 (59%).


Boys-U8

• Nathaniel Shuman 6.0 (7th place) Drew Round 11 - Final 15th place
• Rohun Trakru 6.0 (8th place) Won Round 11 - Final 10th place
• Jason Yu 6.0 (9th place) Won Round 11 - Final 11th place
• Rithik Polavaram 6.0 (11th place) Won Round 10 - Final 9th place
• Arthur Guo 5.5 (12th place) Won Round 10 + Drew Round 11 - Final 8th place
• Pranav Prem 5.5 (14th place) Won Round 10 - Final 14th place

Girls-U8

• Rianne Ke 6.5 (4th place) - Final 14th place
• Aksithi Eswaran 6.0 (CalChess) Won Rounds 10 and 11 - Final 5th place
• Rochelle Wu 6.0 (11th place) Won Rounds 10 and 11 - Final 6th place

Boys-U10

• Aydin Turgut 7.0 (4th place) - Final 14th place
• Andrew Hong 6.5 (9th place) (CalChess) Won Round 11 - Final 10th place
• Maximillian Lu 5.5 Won Round 11 - Final 25th place
• Christopher Shen 5.5 Won Round 11 - Final 22nd place

Girls-U10

• Martha Samadashvili 6.0 (11th place) Won Round 10 - Final 8th place
• Natassja Matus 5.5 Won Round 10 + Drew Round 11 - Final 10th place
• Evelyn Zhu 5.5 Won Rounds 10 and 11 - Final 6th place

Boys-U12

• David Peng 7.5 (2nd place) Drew Round 10 - Final 5th place
• Praveen Balakrishnan 7.0 (3rd place) Drew Round 11 - Final 12th place
• Rayan Taghizadeh 6.5 (CalChess) Won Rounds 10 and 11 - BRONZE MEDAL
• Aravind Kumar 6.5 (6th place) - Final 25th place
• Awonder Liang 6.0 (14th place) Drew Round 10 - Final 24th place
• David Brodsky 5.5
• Marcus Miyasaka 5.5
• Hans Niemann 5.0 (CalChess) Won Round 11 - Final 40th place

Girls-U12

• Jennifer Yu 8.0 Won Rounds 10 and 11 - GOLD MEDAL
• Akshita Gorti 7.0 (clear 2nd) - Final 12th place
• Camille Kao 5.5
• Ramitha Ravishankar 5.5 
• Chenyi Zhao 4.5 (CalChess) Won Round 10 - Final 34th place

Boys-U14

• Vignesh Panchanatham 6.0 (CalChess) Won Rounds 10 and 11 - Final 5th place
• Angel Hernandez-Camen 5.5 Won Rounds 10 and 11 - Final 10th place
• Bryce Tiglon 5.5 Won Rounds 10 and 11 - Final 11th place

Girls-U14

• Ashritha Eswaran 6.0 (CalChess) Drew Round 10 + Won Round 11 - Final 7th place
• Priya Trakru 5.0 Drew Round 11
  
• Tianhui Jie 5.0 Won Round 10

Boys-U16

• Kapil Chandran 6.5 (6th place) - Final 14th place
• Edward Song 5.5 Drew Round 10 - Final 19th place

Girls-U16

• Apurva Virkud 6.0 (10th place) - Final 17th place
• Agata Bykovtsev 6.0 (14th place) - Final 19th place

Boys-U18

• Atulya Shetty 6.0 (10th place) - Final 27th place

Girls-U18

• Jessica Regam 5.5 (15th place) - Final 28th place

Cal Kids Strong in South Africa

Inside the Playing Hall

After a very hectic 6 rounds over 4 days, today is the rest day at the World Youth Champs in Durban.  Some participants even took advantage the opportunity for a real African safari!  The chess tournament resumes tomorrow with the leisurely pace of one round per day through Monday.  Follow the top 10 boards in each section LIVE at the official website starting at 7:00am PDT.

Aksithi Eswaran

Team USA continues to score well at 62% overall.  Two girls have staked a 1/2 point lead in their respective sections, and a third player finds himself in a tie for first.  Three more guys share second place at the midpoint of the event.  Congratulations to Aksithi (G8), Jennifer (G12), Rayan (B12), Rohum (B8), Andrew (B10) and Christopher (B16)!  By my count, 14 juniors occupy the Top 10 in their section, and nearly half (34 of 70) currently have a score of 4.0 or more.  Of course, a lot can happen over the final 5 rounds.

The 7 CalChess representatives have contributed well to the statistics espoused in the previous paragraph.  Aksithi Eswaran leads Girls-U8 outright while her older sister Ashritha led Girls-U14 before a setback in round 6.  Andrew Hong and Rayan Taghizadeh carry the standard for the guys, both with 5.0 in Boys-U10 and Boy-U12, respectively.  Vignesh Panchanatham stands at 4.0, ready to continue his winning ways after two defeats earlier. Check out his daily blog reports!

Team USA -- Average Score: 3.7 out of 6 (62%).

Boys-U8

• Rohun Trakru 5.0 (tied for 2nd)
• Jason Yu 4.5
• Pranav Prem 4.5

Girls-U8

• Aksithi Eswaran 5.5 (clear 1st) (CalChess)
• Rianne Ke 4.0 - won Round 7

Boys-U10

• Andrew Hong 5.0 (tied for 2nd) (CalChess)
• Aydin Turgut 4.5 - drew Round 7
• Maximillian Lu 4.5

Girls-U10

• Natassja Matus 4.5
• Evelyn Zhu 4.5
• Martha Samadashvili 4.5

Boys-U12

Rayan Taghizadeh

• Rayan Taghizadeh 5.0 (tied for 1st) (CalChess) - drew Round 7
• David Peng 4.5 - won Round 7
• Aravind Kumar 4.5 - won Round 7

Girls-U12

• Jennifer Yu 5.5 (clear 1st) - drew Round 7
  
• Akshita Gorti 4.0 - won Round 7

Boys-U14

• Vignesh Panchanatham 4.0 (CalChess) - won Round 7
• Angel Hernandez-Camen 4.0

Girls-U14

• Ashritha Eswaran 4.5 (CalChess)

Boys-U16

• Christopher Wu 5.0 (tied for 2nd)
• Kapil Chandran 4.0

Girls-U16

• Agata Bykovtsev 4.0 - won Round 7
• Apurva Virkud 4.0 - won Round 7

Boys-U18

• Atulya Shetty 4.0 

Girls-U18

• Jessica Regam 3.5 - won Round 7

World Youth Begins in Durban

Vignesh and Rayan at the venue.

Hans strolls on the sand.

The 2014 World Youth Chess Championships kicked off today in Durban, South Africa.  Among approximately 950 players from 88 countries are 70 Americans, including 7 residing in Northern California.  The overall turnout is half of last year in United Arab Emirates, and Team USA shrunk from a record 94 participants.  No doubt, the tournament dates contributed to the lower turnout, especially compared to last year's event over the Winter Holidays.  Follow the results of Team USA at a glance using the Chess-Results website.

Life's a Beach in Durban.

The first impressions have been positive.  In a preview at Chess Life Online, GM coach Ben Finegold spoke of a great hotel with a plentiful buffet, immediately addressing one of the shortcomings last year.  In his chess chronicles, Bay Area NM Vignesh Panchanatham lauds the organization and good playing conditions.  The children will no doubt enjoy the adjacent beach, while adults can relax in the mild spring breezes off the Indian Ocean.

Of course, the primary focus is chess.  The schedule features 11 rounds through September 29, with double rounds tomorrow and on Tuesday, plus a rest day on Wednesday.  Most rounds begin at 16:00 local time, which converts to 7:00 in the morning PDT (rounds 2, 5 and 11 begin at 10:00 local).  Hopefully there will be live coverage of some of the top boards at the official website.

Three of the seven Northern California representatives already earned the USCF title of National Master, a tribute to their skill and experience competing against adults and juniors alike.  I expect them to fare well even against higher rated opposition.

Bay Area Delegation -- Scores after Round 3

• WCM Aksithi Eswaran (G8) 2.5 !
• Andrew Hong (B10) 2.5 !
• NM Rayan Taghizedah (B12) 2.0 
• Hans Niemann (B12) 2.0
• Chenyi Zhao (G12) 1.0
• NM Vignesh Panchanatham (B14) 3.0 !!!
• NM Ashritha Eswaran (G14) 2.5 - drew with #1 seed from Russia!

Extra: Check out this fun attack and checkmate by Rayan at US Chess!

Team USA maintains high hopes of earning several medals once again.  Arthur Guo (B8) and FM Awonder Liang (B12) are rated highest in their respective sections.  Alas, they're hardly the only contenders.  In particular, watch the Boys Under 12 section with seven Americans seeded in the top 20, including Rayan and Hans from the Bay Area.  Among the young ladies, the Girls Under 12 appears most promising, with Jennifer Yu and Akshita Gorti both ranked in the top 4 of the section.  Good luck to all!  Go U-S-A!!


(Photos have been shamelessly borrowed from the Facebook pages of player parents.  Credit to Siva Panchanatham, Kaimi Niemann and Ramalingam Eswaran.)

Eswaran To Play in US Women's Champ

Ashritha posing with Garry Kasparov at Girls Nationals.

Here is great news from Ted Castro of NorCal House of Chess.

Congratulations to my student Ashritha Eswaran for being invited at the US Women's Championship (most prestigious chess tournament in the US) to be held at the world famous St. Louis Chess Club in May. She's presently the #1 ranked Girl U16 in the country and is newly minted National Master! Thanks to our team of coaches and very supportive parents!

In addition to earning the NM title and #1 national ranking, Ashritha ranks as the top woman in Northern California and Top 20 in the country.  Although lowest rated in the Women's Champ, the 13 year old appears poised to score a few upsets.  Go get 'em!

NorCal Top 5 Women - March 2014

1. NM Eswaran, Ashritha 2231 USCF 1982 FIDE
2. NM Tsodikova, Natalya 2226 2135
3. WFM Byambaa, Uyanga 2136 2050
4. Liu, Joanna 2006 1756
5. Mccreary, Taylor 1998 1876

List adapted from Fpawn Chess. 

Local Stars on USCF Top 100 U21

Garry Kasparov presents first place trophy to Ashritha Eswaran!
Photo from GM Dejan Bojkov's blog

The vibrant San Francisco Bay Area chess community continues to cultivate the talents of its youth, as witnessed by reviewing the USCF Top 100 lists (which now come out monthly).  Take the Under 21 list for example: 9 boys and 6 girls ranked among the country's best juniors.

Top 100 U21 - July 2013

• #5 GM-elect Daniel Naroditsky (age 17) rated 2558 USCF
• #12 FM Yian Liou (16) 2469
• #13 SM Greg Young (18) 2467
• #15 IM-elect Sam Sevian (12) 2464
• #52 NM Hayk Manvelyan (19) 2311
• #55 FM Cameron Wheeler (12) 2306
• #84 NM Vignesh Panchanatham (13) 2254
• #85 NM Kesav Viswanadha (13) 2253
• #86 NM Colin Chow (13) 2252

The top local stars have been hard at work this summer.  High school senior Daniel Naroditsky earned his final Grandmaster norm last week at the Villa de Benasque Open in Spain.  Congratulations to the GM-elect!  After narrowly missing two consecutive chances for his final IM norm in Washington DC, high school junior Yian Liou will represent the USA next week at the World Youth (U16) Olympiad in Chongqing (China).  Readers may still remember that Daniel, Yian and 12-year old IM-elect Sam Sevian all participated in the US Junior Closed last month in Saint Louis, where Danya finished clear first and the precocious Sam shared second. 

At the lower end of the U21 list, the next generation of Bay Area stars has begun making their mark.  Not yet a teenager, FM Cameron Wheeler already won the CalChess High School Championship to go along with his silver medal from World Youth U-12 last year.  But Cameron faces stiff competition from a trio of National Masters just one year older.  Indeed, Colin Chow of Sacramento shared 2nd at World Open U2400 and will be officially rated over 2300 next month.

Top 100 Girls U21 - July 2013

• #8 Ashritha Eswaran (age 12) rated 2121 USCF
• #37 Taylor Mccreary (16) 1937
• #54 Alekhya Nandula (17) 1845
• #67 Joanna Liu (11) 1790
• #75 Audrey Zhao (15) 1764
• #89 Samyukta Bhat (18) 1721

Not to be outdone by the boys, the top two local girls have made strides over the past six months.  Ashritha Eswaran won All Girls Nationals U14 and gained an incredible 187 points between the January and July rating lists!  She hasn't slowed down yet, and is unofficially rated 2163 after World Open U2200, narrowly outside the Top 20 Women in the country (including adults).  Although rated lower, 16-year old Taylor Mccreary has made waves too, going undefeated against stiff opposition at the aforementioned CalChess High School Championship.

Bay Area Kids Play in Online Invitational

Ashritha ponders her next move.

Thanks to David Petty for this exciting press release. Make sure to watch the action this weekend LIVE on Chess.com!

• Results and Games
• ChessKid TV

ChessKid.com is set to host the 2nd Annual Online National Chess Championship, June 14th-17th 2013. Founded and organized in June of 2012, last year's event was the first of its kind as the only ever online National Chess Championship - approved by the United States Chess Federation (USCF).

ChessKid.com is the "scholastic extension" of the world's largest chess website - Chess.com. By bringing so many of the nation's best and brightest youth chess players together for an event of this magnitude, ChessKid.com and the USCF hope to provide more exposure for the great game of chess, as well as all the benefits the game has on a child's cognitive development and critical thinking skills.

For many of these strong junior chess players, it is their first experience playing in an "invitational / closed" event - a format generally reserved for very prestigious, high level tournaments. Like the first, this year's event brings together the nation's best scholastic chess players in each respective age group to battle over the web for a national title. To add to last year's Under 12 and Under 8 divisions, ChessKid.com has added two additional sections: an Under 10 and Girls Under 13.

Josiah sees everything.

The "Round Robin" format will see each player have a chance to face off against everyone in their age group. Each child will compete from a public location (mostly chess clubs) in their area, or from home under the observation from a "neutral" adult observer and their parents. The games will be broadcasted over the internet, with live commentary from National and International Master level chess coaches.  The time control is G/90 with a 30 second increment.

Each of the four sections includes at least invitee from Northern California.  Most will play their online games from the NorCal House of Chess in Fremont.  Best of skill to all!

Participants from Northern California
Click here for the list of all players

• U-8: Rishith Susarla 1739
• U-8: Balaji Daggupati 1549
• U-10: Josiah Stearman 1927
• U-12: FM Tanuj Vasudeva 2117
• Girls-13: Ashritha Eswaran 2121

Bay Area Kids Hunting for Medals

Maribor, Slovenia lies on the Drava River.

As the medal chase heats up at the World Youth Chess Championship, many of the Northern California participants find themselves in the mix.  After six wins in a row, NM Cameron Wheeler (7.0 out of 8) finds himself at the top of the World in U12, but another half dozen Americans remain within one point in the standings, including SM Sam Sevian (6.5) and Vignesh Panchanatham (6.0).  Among the girls, Ashritha Eswaran (6.0 in G12) and Joanna Liu (6.0 in G10) are doing extremely well to represent the Bay Area on the international stage. 

Northern California Scores After 9 Rounds
(updated at 1:00pm Friday)

• U12 - NM Cameron Wheeler 8.0 (clear 1st, white vs Sam)
• U12 - SM Sam Sevian 7.5 (2nd, black vs Cameron)
• U12 - Vignesh Panchanatham 7.0 (8th, but tied for 4th, white vs S. Golubov)
• U12 - Siddharth Banik 6.0 (34th)
• U12 - Kevin Moy 3.5 
• G12 - Ashritha Eswaran 6.0 (8th)
• U10 - Rayan Taghizadeh 6.0 (26th)
• G10 - Joanna Liu 6.0 (13th)
  
• U8 - Ben Rood 6.0 (21st)
• U8 - Balaji Daggupati 5.5
• U8 - Kelvin Jiang 4.5
• U8 - Milind Maiti 4.0
• G8 - Zhiyi Wang 5.5

The final three rounds begin on Friday and Saturday at 6:00am, then Sunday at 1:00am (all Pacific time).  Check out the Pairings and Results or watch the Live Games from halfway around the globe! Go U-S-A!!

World Youth 2012 Kicks Off

Town Square in Maribor

The World Youth Chess Championship 2012 began this afternoon in Maribor, the second largest city of the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia.  Out of nearly 1600 juniors from around the world, a record 87 came from the USA, including 13 from Northern California.  Through November 18, players will compete for 11 rounds in sections segregated by age (U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18) as well as gender (Open and Girls). 

Board, set and clock are all provided.

The Bay Area has a rich history of success at this tournament.  In the past five years, three local talents have finished at the top of the world for their age!  Daniel Naroditsky captured gold for U12 in 2007; Sam Shankland shared first for U18 in 2008; and Steven Zierk took gold for U18 in 2010.  Daniel and Steven both now hold the IM title while Sam rocketed to Grandmaster and an impressive 2600 international rating.  Who will step up to continue the magic in 2012?

Here are the local participants in Maribor:

• U12 - SM Sam Sevian (top seed)
• U12 - NM Cameron Wheeler (fifth seed)
• U12 - Kevin Moy
• U12 - Vignesh Panchanatham
• U12 - Siddharth Banik
• G12 - Ashritha Eswaran
• U10 - Rayan Taghizadeh (ninth seed)
• G10 - Joanna Liu
• U8 - Ben Rood
• U8 - Milind Maiti
• U8 - Balaji Daggupati
• U8 - Kelvin Jiang
• G8 - Zhiyi Wang

Team USA hopes to build on the results from last year: one gold and one silver, with ten players finishing in the top 10 for each division. This year's squad appears to be strongest in the U12 section, with SM Sam Sevian and FM Jeffrey Xiong rated at the very top of the entire field.  They are not alone; indeed 14 of the top 40 in U12 wear the red, white and blue.  In the U10 section, NM Praveen Balakrishnan and 2011 U8 gold medalist FM Awonder Liang are both ranked in the top 5.  The top contenders among the girls include Ashritha Eswaran of Northern California in U12 and WFM Annie Wang of Southern California in U10. 

The official website contains links to pairings and standings (filter by Federation = USA) and many live games (starting at 6:00am PST for most rounds).  For a quick overview of Team USA, check out the Chess-Results website.  For daily news and reports from Maribor, surf to Chess Life Online and the blogs for Cameron Wheeler and Vignesh Panchanatham.

Yes Ma'am, Girls PWN in Cal and Mexico!

Team USA winners. L to R: Pranav, Chenyi, Joaquin Perkins, Aksithi and Ashritha.

The recent Chess Life Online video "Women Talk Chess: Beating the Boys" has stirred emotions on both sides of the gender gap in chess.  The cold hard facts reveal that only 3% of adult players are women.  On the bright side, many young girls join their elementary school clubs, and often they outperform the boys.

CalChess Girls Champion Sophia Li

The Bay Area girls are no exception.  A dozen kids now populate the Girls U-13 and U-16 rankings on the CalChess Top 100 lists, more than double from just two years ago.  Many attended the CalChess Girls Championship in January, with Sophia Li earning a hard fought victory in the top section.  As these young women grow older, may they continue to inspire the next bunch a few years younger. 

Indeed, three local girls won medals for their age at the North American Youth Chess Championships last weekend in Mexico City!  Kudos to Ashritha Eswaran (silver in Girls-U12), her sister Aksithi Eswaran (bronze in Girls-U8) and Chenyi Zhao (silver in Girls-U10).  Actually, the girls didn't take everything--here's a big cheer for Pranav Senthilkumar for earning the gold medal in Boys-U10!

Closer to home, the girls scored a collective hat trick at the Best of the West Championship on Memorial Day weekend.  Out of six sections in this adult tournament, half ended with a middle school age lady on top!  Congratulations to Audrey Zhao (Class B), reigning state girls champion Sophia Li (Class C) and Emily Zhu (U1400 section) for capturing clear first place, each a half point ahead of the boys!

Go Girls!!!