World Cadet Underway in Spain

The playing venue is at the Ciudad de la Cultura. (website)

The 2018 World Cadet Chess Championships kicked off on Sunday at the Christian pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela located in northwestern Spain. Nearly 850 young chess players from around the world compete in six sections: Open and Girls for age U8, U10 and U12. The Open U10 and Open U12 divisions both have over 200 participants. After eleven rounds, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded on November 15.

Team USA includes 74 players, at least that many parents, 6 official team coaches and several private trainers. The American medal chances seem greatest in Open U12, where 21 kids rock the red, white and blue, including 4 of the top 10 seeds. Top contenders include Rachael Li (1st seed in Girls U8), FM Christopher Yoo (2nd seed in Open U12), IM Arthur Guo (4th seed in Open U12), NM Kirk Ghazarian (8th seed in Open U12), Dimitar Mardov (8th seed in Open U10), CM Jason Wang (10th seed in Open U12) and Crystal Gu (10th seed in Girls U8). Note that seeds are ranked by FIDE ratings, and the order may differ from USCF ratings.

Team USA hails from 17 states, including 16 youngsters from New York, 12 from California, 10 from New Jersey and 6 each from Illinois and Texas. The other states represented are: AZ, CT, FL, GA, MA, MI, OH, OR, PA, VA, WA and WI.

The official website is http://www.wccc2018.com/. The daily rounds begin at 7:30am PST except on November 10 (free day) and November 15 (final round starts 2.5 hours sooner). Watch the top boards at FollowChess or at Chess24 (with a 30 minute delay to deter cheating).

FINAL STANDINGS

Top American scores plus California kids

Rating from November USCF supplement

Age given as of December 31, 2018

OPEN U12 results link (21 players)

• FM Chasin, Nico (12 NY 2320) = 8.5 - BRONZE MEDAL (tied for 2nd)
• IM Guo, Arthur (12 GA 2387) = 8.5 - 4th place (tied for 2nd)
• FM Yoo, Christopher (12 CA-N 2455) = 8.0 - 7th place (tied for 6th)
• CM Wang, Jason (12 OH 2317) = 8.0 - 8th place (tied for 6th)
• Tian, Eddy (12 NJ 2270) = 7.5
• CM Zhou, Liran (10 NY 2291) = 7.5
• NM Ghazarian, Kirk (12 CA-S 2230) = 7.0 
• CM Xu, Arthur (11 IL 2158 = 7.0
• Nathan, Krishna (12 CA-N 2115) = 6.5
• Clasby, Derek (12 NJ 2231) = 6.5
• Park, Evan (11 PA 2177) = 6.5
• Yu, Jason (12 WA 2208) = 6.5
• Sethuraman, Sandeep (11 AZ 2149) = 6.5
• Oberoi, Shelev (12 TX 2045) = 6.5
• Gu, Andy (12 CA-S 1693) = 4.5

GIRLS U12 results link (11 players)

• WCM Pang, Ashley (11 CA-N 1737) = 8.0 - 6th place (tied for 3rd)
• WFM Wang, Ellen (11 NY 2015) = 7.5 - 12th place (tied for 8th)
• WCM Ke, Rianne (12 CA-S 2102) = 7.0
• WCM Velea, Stephanie (11 WA 1668) = 6.5

OPEN U10 results link (12 players)

• Zhao, Erick (10 FL 2067) = 9.0 - SILVER MEDAL (tied for 1st)
• Mardov, Dimitar (10 IL 2178) = 8.0 - 8th place (tied for 7th)
• Ngo, Bach (10 FL 2075) = 7.5
• Lee, Jayden (10 AZ 2022) = 7.5
• Shivakumar, Shawnak (10 CA-N 1991) = 7.0
• Sloan, Jed (10 NY 1912) = 6.5
• Tay, Brian (10 VA 1822) = 6.5
• Sivakumar, Shaaketh (10 CA-N 1861) = 5.5
• Huang, Brian (10 CA-S 1924) = 5.5

GIRLS U10 results link (15 players)

• WCM Velea, Sophie (10 WA 1782) = 8.0 - 7th place (tied for 5th)
• Liu, Kelsey (10 MA 1944) = 7.0
• Evans, Serena (10 CT 1475) 7.0
• WCM Wen, Kally (10 CA-N 1681) = 6.5
• Elangovan, Ramya (10 TX 1593) = 6.5
• Peng, Sophia (10 AZ 1697) = 6.5
• Zhu, Florina (10 NJ 1623) = 6.5
• Field, Lila (9 NJ 1310) 6.5

OPEN U8 results link (8 players)

• Chennareddy, Yuvraj (8 IL 1901) = 10.5 - GOLD MEDAL
• Wang, Alexander (8 NJ 1960) = 8.0 - 10th place (tied for 6th)
• Jiang, Andrew (8 GA 1864) = 7.0
• Woodward, Andy (8 TX 1812) = 7.0

GIRLS U8 results link (7 players)

• WCM Qiao, Evelyn (8 GA 1641) = 8.5 - BRONZE MEDAL
• Prakash, Nandini (8 IL 1554) = 7.5 - 9th place (tied for 8th)
• Gu, Crystal (8 CA-S 1578) = 7.0
• Li, Rachael (8 TX 1994) = 6.5

Berkeley GM Norm RR

The front desk and chess library. (Credit: Chessdryad)

Berkeley Summer GM Norm Invitational

August 17 to 21

Hosted by the Berkeley Chess School

Watch the games live at the Follow Chess app!

Time control = G/90 + inc/30
Average rating =  2433
Required score = 6.5 for GM norm, 5.0 for IM norm
Participants:

• GM Conrad Holt (2592)
• GM Priyadarshan Kannappan (2554) from India THIRD PLACE
• GM Mark Paragua (2506) from Philippines
• IM Joshua Sheng (2415) FIRST PLACE - GM NORM!!
• IM Bryce Tiglon (2392)
• NM Gabriel Bick (2391)
• IM Ahuja Rohan (2387) from India 
• FM Christopher Yoo (2378) IM NORM!!
• IM Kim Yap (2366) from Philippines SECOND PLACE - GM NORM!!
• FM Josiah Stearman (2346)

Crosstable:

GM Conrad Holt  | X | = | 1 | 0 | = | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | = |   3.5
GM Kannappan    | = | X | = | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | = | = | 1 |   6.0
GM M. Paragua   | 0 | = | X | 0 | 1 | 1 | = | = | = | 1 |   5.0
IM Josh Sheng   | 1 | 1 | 1 | X | 1 | = | = | 1 | 0 | 1 |   7.0
IM B. Tiglon    | = | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | = | 1 | = | 0 | = |   3.0
NM Gabe Bick    | 1 | 0 | 0 | = | = | X | 0 | = | 0 | = |   3.0
IM Ahuja Rohan  | 0 | 0 | = | = | 0 | 1 | X | 1 | = | 0 |   3.5
FM Chris Yoo    | 1 | = | = | 0 | = | = | 0 | X | 1 | 1 |   5.0
IM Kim Yap      | 1 | = | = | 1 | 1 | 1 | = | 0 | X | 1 |   6.5
FM J. Stearman  | = | 0 | 0 | 0 | = | = | 1 | 0 | 0 | X |   2.5

Berkeley IM Norm RR

The new Berkeley Chess School building opened in May. (Credit: Chessdryad)

Berkeley Summer IM Norm Invitational

August 11 to 15

Hosted by the Berkeley Chess School

Watch the games live at the Follow Chess app!

Time control = G/90 + inc/30
Average rating = 2298
Required score = 6.5 for IM norm, 6.0 for WGM norm
Participants:

• IM Ahuja Rohan (2387) from India FIRST PLACE TIE
• IM Kim Yap (2366) from Philippines FIRST PLACE TIE    
• IM Vincent McCambridge (2359)
• FM Josiah Stearman (2346)
• FM Teemu Virtanen (2309) from Finland THIRD PLACE TIE
• FM Rawle Allicock (2236) from England
• WIM Annie Wang (2288) 
• NM Ivan Ke (2238)   
• FM Ezra Chambers (2233) from Burundi
• FM Ladia Jirasek (2222) THIRD PLACE TIE

Crosstable:

IM Ahuja Rohan  | X | 0 | 1 | = | 1 | = | 1 | = | 1 | 1 |   6.5
IM Kim Yap      | 1 | X | 1 | 1 | = | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |   6.5
IM McCambridge  | 0 | 0 | X | 0 | 0 | = | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |   1.5
FM J. Stearman  | = | 0 | 1 | X | 1 | 0 | 1 | = | 0 | 0 |   4.0
FM T. Virtanen  | 0 | = | 1 | 0 | X | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |   5.5
FM R. Allicock  | = | 0 | = | 1 | 0 | X | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |   3.0
WIM Annie Wang  | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 0 | 1 | = |   4.5
NM Ivan Ke      | = | 0 | 1 | = | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 0 | 0 |   4.0
FM E. Chambers  | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 1 |   4.0
FM L. Jirasek   | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | = | 1 | 0 | X |   5.5

NorCal Top 100 Lists

An incredible total of 145 boys and girls from Northern California earned recognition on the NorCal Top 100 Lists, which are compiled using the monthly US Chess Top 100 Lists. The junior rankings include 34 titled players, including 22 masters, 3 IMs and one WIM. The most competitive ages range from 10 to 12 and 16 to 17, each year with at least a dozen representatives. Hearty congratulations to all of these kids, their parents and coaches!

More than 90 of these talented youngsters hold a published FIDE rating recognizable around the globe, including almost all those age 12 or older. Merely a dozen years ago, the number was in the single digits. Many young globe trotters already represented California and the United States abroad, either at Pan American Youth or at the World Youth and World Cadet festivals. Indeed, success in chess can serve as a passport to travel.

Without further ado, I present the cream of the crop, the Best of the West. Check out my website for the complete NorCal Top 100 Lists for July 2017.


GOLD MEDAL (Top 5)

• SM Jack Zhu #5 age 18
• IM Vignesh Panchanatham #3 age 17 and National Champion K-12 
• IM Kesav Viwanadha #4 age 17 and National Champion K-12
• IM Cameron Wheeler #4 age 16
• WIM Ashritha Eswaran #4 girls 16-18
• SM Rayan Taghizadeh #4 age 14 and National Champion K-9
• SM Andrew Hong #1 age 12
• NM Balaji Daggupati #4 age 12
• ** WCM Rochelle Wu #2 girls 10-12
• NM Christopher Yoo #2 age 10
• Rui Yang Yan #5 girls 10-12
• ** Eric Li #2 age 9
• CM Sriram Krishnakumar #3 age 8

** recently moved to California


SILVER MEDAL (Top 15)

• NM Gabriel Bick (18)
• FM Ladia Jirasek (16)
• NM Siddharth Banik (16)
• NM Michael Wang (15)
• NM Ivan Ke (14)
• FM Josiah Stearman (13)
• Annapoorni Meiyappan (12)
• CM Chinguun Bayaraa (11)
• Kevin Pan (11)
• WCM Aksithi Eswaran (11)
• Adrian Kondakov (9)
• WCM Ashley Pang (9)
• WCM Anika Rajaram (8)

BRONZE MEDAL (Top 30)

• NM Teemu Virtanen (18)
• NM Allan Beilin (18)
• NM Pranav Nagarajan (17)
• NM Colin Chow (17)
• NM Art Zhao (17)
• NM Richard Yi (17)
• Sophia Li (17)
• Kimberly Liu (14)
• Justin Feng (13)
• David Pan (13)
• Alex Kolay (12)
• Maurya Palusa (11)
• Krishna Nathan (11)
• Vyom Vidyarthi (10)
• Shawnak Shivakumar (9)
• Kally Wen (9)
• Nitish Nath (8)
• Shaaketh Sivakumar (8)
• Omya Vidyarthi (7)
• Ryan Wang (7)

Top Juniors in the World Born Since 2000

An interesting chess fact for today.  

The top four rated juniors in the World born since January 1, 2000 all represent the USA.  Grandmasters Jeffery Xiong and Sam Sevian, both now rated over 2600 FIDE, clearly comprise the class of the millennium to date.  How far can they go? 

Also surprising is that three of the next five represent Iran.  Watch out for the untitled Alireza Firouzja, who earned his second IM norm by winning his national championship in January.  He is just 13, two years younger than anyone else on this list.

Finally, note that only one Russian junior managed to squeeze into this Top 10, and nobody from traditional youth powers India and China. 

Data obtained from the 2700chess website and based on the May 2016 FIDE rating list.

World Youth Tracker Rd 3

One of four big playing halls for World Youth.  Credit: Chessdom

Team USA Statistics
(Updated after Round 3)

• 129 players (76 boys + 53 girls)
• Round 1 :: 81.0 = 63%
• Round 2 :: 78.5 = 61%
• Round 3 :: 66.5 = 52%
• Perfect 3.0 = 13
• Score 2.5 = 12
• Score 2.0 = 43 
• Average = 1.8 / 3

Top Individual Results
(Updated after Round 3) 

The venue in Porto Carras lies on
the Aegean Sea. Credit: Chessdom

• Open U18
  • FM Christopher Wu (2324) 2.5
• Open U16
  • FM Cameron Wheeler (2356) 3.0
• Open U14
  • FM Nicolas Checa (2437) 3.0
  • FM Rayan Taghizadeh (2240) 3.0
  • FM Marcus Miyasaka (2170) 2.5
• Open U12
  • Hans Niemann (2046) 3.0
  • Andrew Hong (2136) 2.5
  • FM Awonder Liang (2365) 2.5
• Open U10
  • CM Arthur Guo (2073) 3.0
  • Justin Wang (2046) 3.0
  • William Sartorio (1725) 3.0
  • Jason Yu (1565) 2.5
  • Balaji Daggupati (1767) 2.5
  • Logan Wu (1832) 2.5
• Open U8
  • CM Aghilan Nachiappan (unrated) 3.0
  • Adrian Kondakov (1565) 3.0
  • Adi Murgescu (unrated) 2.5
  • Arthur Zihan Xu (1782) 2.5
  • Vishnu Surya Vanapalli (unrated) 2.5
• Girls U18
  • Alice Dong (1808) 1.5
  • WCM Apurva Virkud (2027) 1.5
• Girls U16
  • WIM Eswaran Ashritha (2207) 3.0
  • WIM Agata Bykovtsev (2117) 3.0
• Girls U14
  • WIM Annie Wang (2087) 3.0



Great place for a chess vacation!

• Girls U12
  • Carissa Yip (2007) 3.0
• Girls U10
  • Rianne Ke (1392) 2.5
• Girls U8
  • Yan Rui Yang (unrated) 2.5

N.B. All ratings above are FIDE.  Includes only players with a score of plus-2 or higher.  Check back for periodic updates.

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. 

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

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.

Interview with GM Shankland at Olympiad

GM Sam Shankland has been the hero of Team USA and one of the biggest stories of the Tromsø Olympiad as a whole.  Not only did he achieve the best result on Board 5 (alternate) to date, his FIDE performance rating after the penultimate round places him third in the entire competition, behind only elite Grandmasters Veselin Topalov and Yu Yangyi!

One surprising factoid from this interview is that "Shanky" participated in his first chess tournament shortly before his 12th birthday.  Indeed, I remember him sporting a 1600 rating at his first National Open ten summers ago.  These days, the average 8 or 9 year old chess player seems to sport a 1600 rating.  Sam worked hard at chess (5000 standard games on ICC within 15 months) and reached master in less than 2.5 years!  Unfortunately, 2200 would not impress Vishy Anand, who famously said "nowadays, when you're not a Grandmaster at 14, you can forget about it!"

In the interview, Shankland speaks highly of both the Berkeley Chess School and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Good luck to Sam and the rest of Team USA at the final round of the Olympiad on Thursday at 2AM Pacific time.  Note that Wednesday is a rest day.

Team USA Clawing Into Contention

Harbor of Tromsø with hills in background. Credit: Truong

As the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway begins its second week, the tension mounts both on and off the boards.  Teams from roughly 170 nations traveled to this remote locale north of the Arctic Circle despite sporadic flight delays, visa hassles and even threats of terrorism.  The host city has drawn positive reviews, especially for the beautiful scenery amidst water and mountains.  A few complaints included the FIDE zero-tolerance rule at the start of rounds and the use of portable toilets instead of more permanent facilities  For fans back home, the live coverage seems quite thorough.

• OFFICIAL WEBSITE
• LIVE GAMES (starting at 5 AM Pacific)
• CHESSBASE REPORTS 
• RESULTS and PAIRINGS
• ON-SITE REPORT (from IM John Donaldson)


• TEAM USA (Final)
• OPEN in 14th place with 15 MP
• WOMEN in 8th place with 16 MP

World #2 Aronian plays white vs #1 Carlsen. Credit: Truong

After 7 rounds, a clear leader has emerged in both sections.  In the Open division, Azerbaijan (13 MP) defeated Cuba (11 MP) and moved 1 match point ahead of China (12 MP) and three other teams.  One big surprise is the Czech Republic (12 MP), which stunned top rated Russia (10 MP).  In the Women division, defending champion Russia (14 MP) knocked off top rated China (12 MP) to establish a 2 match point advantage over three teams.

Open Leaders (after Round 7)

• 1st with 13 MP = Azerbaijan
• 2nd-5th with 12 MP = China, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania
• 6th-14th with 11 MP = France, Cuba, Armenia, India, Ukraine, Hungary Poland, Germany and USA
• 15th-27th with 10 MP = Netherlands, Russia, Israel and others

Women Leaders (after Round 7)

• 1st with 14 MP = Russia
• 2nd-4th with 12 MP = China, Hungary and Poland
• 5th-11th with 11 MP = France, Georgia, USA, Indonesia, Ukraine, Armenia and Colombia
• 12th-22nd with 10 MP = Germany, India, Iran, Romania and others

The American delegation has seen ups and downs during the first seven rounds.  Both the men and women have won five matches.  However, each squad lost in third round (the men to Holland, the women to top rated China) and have since drawn an additional match, for a total of 11 match points out of a possible 14.  The men find themselves in 14th place, ahead of top ranked Russia, but the women stand in 7th place thanks to superior tiebreaks.  With four rounds to go, Team USA remains in contention for the medals, but must finish very strong.  No doubt 17 or 18 match points will be necessary for a spot on the podium, leaving almost zero room for error. 

Trivia from Tromsø

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

1. Open division stats: 172 teams from 167 countries.
2. Women division stats: 134 teams from 129 countries.  
3. Americans GM Sam Shankland and WGM Sabina Foisor are two out of only four players (from more than 1500) remaining with a 100% score after 7 rounds!
4. Shortest win: 1.d4 g5 2.e4 f6 3.Qh5#  Seriously! (Zimbabwe vs Togo women, Round 4)
5. Longest game: 139 moves (Vachier-Lagrave vs Jobava, 1-0, Round 7)
6. Reigning World Champs (Magnus Carlsen and Hou Yifan) both lost in Round 7!

   

   13th World Champion Garry Kasparov

7. The greatest social gathering at each Olympiad is the Bermuda party.  Chess photographer David Llada tweeted: “This was, with little doubt, the worst Bermuda party ever. Still, it was better than the average party.”
8. The election of FIDE President occurs on Monday 8/11.  Western European countries and USA support ex-champion Garry Kasparov, but incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov remains entrenched after nearly 20 years in power.  Who will win?  Stay tuned!
9. Weather: Sunny with low 46 / high 64.  Sunset 10:17pm.  Sunrise 3:24am.

Cal Boyz Pwning Grandmasters in Europe

Many American masters crossed the Atlantic seeking norms for the most prestigious titles in chess (GM and IM).  The close proximity of many countries permits easy travel from one event to another.  European organizers also benefit from open borders, helping them attract the necessary foreign players to award international title norms.  Opportunity knocks for American masters who can afford to spend a month playing chess in Europe.

After picking up his High School diploma from Crystal Springs Uplands School, Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky set out to play three consecutive tournaments in the vicinity of Barcelona, Spain.  Having already achieved the highest title in chess, his objective became gaining experience and rating points.  Consider the mission accomplished!  Danya added 28 points total to raise his FIDE rating to 2587, boosted by a 2701 performance at Teplice.  Check out the game above to see how he tears down the Berlin Wall against fellow 18-year old talent, GM Karen Grigoryan of Armenia.    

Now the top rated scholastic (K-12) player in Northern California, 17-year old FM Yian Liou also entered a trio of European tournaments, although he flew to Belgrade, Serbia.  In three weeks, he picked up a valuable pair of IM norms (his third and fourth) and earned 30 points for a projected 2417 international rating.  Yian scalped his first Grandmaster in Novi Sad, and then repeated the feat a week later in Paracin!  The latter success came by a powerful attack against Serbian GM Borko Lajthajm (see game below).

Yian Liou Secures 3rd IM Norm!

Yian wears his Stanford colors while playing chess in Paracin, Serbia

Bay Area 17-year old Yian Liou completed his third and final norm for the International Master title this week at a small invitational tournament held in Novi Sad, Serbia.  Rated in the middle of the field, his opposition included four GMs, three IMs and three fellow norm contenders.  He scored an undefeated 6.0 out of 10 for a 2471 performance, despite the handicap of being paired as black six times.  While most of the strongest players hailed from Serbia, Yian also faced opponents from Russia, Germany, Italy and the USA.  A true international event.

Center of Novi Sad, Serbia.

The first two rounds clearly set the tone: first a solid draw with the black pieces against top seeded GM Borko Lajthajm (2526) and then a win against veteran GM Vladimir Kostic (2400).  The latter game became Yian's first Grandmaster scalp, although he already accumulated a lengthy history of draws against strong titled players.  The second victory came in a complex endgame versus the American junior IM Akshat Chandra (check out his Quest to GM blog).

Yian's first two norms came at Metropolitan Chess in Los Angeles and the North American Open in Las Vegas, both in 2012.  He achieved a peak FIDE rating of 2403 in fall 2013.  However, the results stagnated over the past year, no doubt a consequence of a demanding academic and athletic schedule.  He begins the senior year next month at Monte Vista High School in Danville.

Yian at age 10. I promised not to embarrass
him too much in this article.  Sorry mate!

I still remember teaching young Yian as an 8-year old, fearful of my wheelchair.  He has doubled his rating since then, and lost any inhibition towards me or even the best chess players in the world.  When FIDE approves his title application, Yian will become my third former student to hold the IM title, behind Daniel Naroditsky (now a GM) and Steven Zierk (currently studying at MIT). 

What comes next for the young globe trotter?  The tour of Serbia continues this weekend at the Championship of Central Serbia in Paracin (top seed is GM Richard Rapport, rated 2701).  A third event follows, back in Novi Sad.  Good luck maestro!!  Pick up more rating points and maybe even a GM norm. :-)

NorCal Top 100 Lists

Do you recognize these young stars?  All are now masters, and two
won at World Youth U12. Photo from Cam's Chess Blog in 2010.

Almost two years have passed since I completed the last thorough analysis of the Bay Area's representatives on the USCF Top 100 Lists.  The USCF office made two administrative changes: publishing the rankings monthly and moving the cutoff date to the third Wednesday of the previous month (from the first Friday).  Consequently, the player ratings will be more current.

Congratulations to the 119 local youngsters who earned a spot on the national Top 100 rankings for their age.  The most competitive categories appear to be Age 8 and Age 13-14.  At least a dozen Northern California juniors are ranked in Top 100 for each of those three years, including 5 or more in the Top 20!  Many of the same kids represented California and the USA at the World Youth Chess Festival in the United Arab Emirates last December.  Veteran Bay Area players and directors watched the 13-14 year old bunch grow up, and now a new bunch of promising talents has formed. 

Given the explosion in strength of local youths, I began tracking their FIDE ratings.  Indeed, 53 ranked juniors already have earned an official international rating!  Only a decade ago, no more than a half dozen players under age 18 had achieved this goal.  Many thanks to John Donaldson, Richard Koepcke, Salman Azhar, Arun Sharma and other organizers for offering plentiful opportunities to play FIDE rated tournaments without traveling far.

Without further ado, I present the cream of the crop, the best of the west, to earn virtual gold, silver and bronze medals!  Please visit my website for the complete NorCal Top 100 Lists.

Gold Medal (Top 5)

• Ashritha Eswaran #1 girls U16  
• Yian Liou #1 age 16 
• Daniel Naroditsky #1 age 18



NM Kesav Viswanadha

• Balaji Daggupati #3 age 8
• Josiah Stearman #3 age 10
• Cameron Wheeler #3 age 13 
• Gregory Young #3 age 18
• Andrew Hong #4 age 9
• Kesav Viswanadha #4 age 14
• Hans Niemann #5 age 10
• Rayan Taghizadeh #5 age 11
• Michael Wang #5 age 12
• Joanna Liu #5 girls U13
• Vignesh Panchanatham #5 age 14

Silver Medal (6th to 15th)

• Arnav Lingannagari age 6
• Samik Pattanayak age 6
• Milind Maiti age 8
• Chinguun Bayaraa age 8
• Callaghan Mccarty-Snead age 8



NM Michael Wang

• Andrew Peng age 8
• Tanuj Vasudeva age 12
• Siddharth Banik age 13
• Colin Chow age 14
• Allan Beilin age 14

Bronze Medal (16th to 25th)

• Kevin Pan age 7
• Rishith Susarla age 8
• Maurya Palusa age 8
• David Pan age 10
• Udit Iyengar age 13
• Kevin Moy age 13
• Pranav Nagarajan age 14
• Teemu Virtanen age 14
• Neel Apte age 15
• Daniel Liu age 16

List adapted from Fpawn Chess
Photo credit Bay Area International

Naroditsky Wins the Samford Award

The gaze of a Grandmaster!

Bay Area Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky was awarded the prestigious Samford Chess Fellowship for 2014. Each year, the Samford recognizes a talented young master who has both the potential and work ethic to represent this country at the highest levels of international chess. The award includes a generous stipend of $42,000 for one year, which may be renewed for a second year.  In the words of IM John Donaldson, this prize gives "brilliant young American Grandmasters the support and resources necessary to enhance their skills and reach their full potential."

Last summer, Danya dominated the US Junior Championship and, a few weeks later, completed the requirements for the Grandmaster title. Indeed, his summer vacation in Europe proved quite successful, and he netted 45 rating points in three tournaments.  Now 18 years old and rated 2543 FIDE, he finds himself among the top 25 of the country and one of the top 25 juniors in the world. Not just a terrific player, he wrote two well-acclaimed chess books and is working on a third. Make sure to visit his website for more details.

Naroditsky becomes the fourth Bay Area star to earn this recognition in the last decade, joining IM David Pruess (2006), GM Vinay Bhat (2008) and GM Sam Shankland (2013).  Fellow GM Josh Friedel lived here when he won in 2007.  Two additional honorees, GM Patrick Wolff (1989) and GM Tal Shaked (1996), currently work locally, although they have retired from over-the-board competition.

Congratulations Danya!  Good luck at the 2014 US Championship in May.  No doubt, you have many fans in California cheering you on to 2600 and beyond.

Crunch Time at World Youth

1818 Kids Represent 121 Countries!

If Santa Claus arrived tardy at your house yesterday, then blame the 94 American juniors competing at the World Youth Chess Championships deep inside the desert of the United Arab Emirates.  No doubt, this lengthy detour cost Santa and his reindeer valuable time.

Burj Al Arab luxury hotel in Dubai. Photo: tripadvisor

After a day of rest and sightseeing to coincide with Christmas, the chess tournament resumes tomorrow (Thursday) with three rounds left to play.  Rounds 5 to 8 left a brutal toll on Team USA, with the players struggling to a 53% overall score (compared to 64% in the first 4 rounds).  A dozen kids have scored 6-2 or more, but only half appear strong enough to seriously compete for the medals.  Given the increased turnout this year, a score of 8.5 will probably not be sufficient for a medal in the U14 and lower sections.

The best American chances lie with the U10 age group.  Top rated FM Awonder Liang won all 8 rounds to open up a full point lead.  The biggest surprise to date is Bay Area expert Josiah Stearman, currently second on tiebreaks with 7-1.  He caught the eyes of ChessBase website, because he has no FIDE rating yet; locals know he improved rapidly this year, with a current USCF rating of 2090.  Two U10 girls, Carissa Yip of Massachusetts and Sanjana Vittal of New Jersey, have also made waves and find themselves within striking distance.  

The final contenders are GM Daniel Naroditsky (U18) and expert Agata Bykovtsev (U14).  The two Californians currently find themselves in 4th place, narrowly outside the medals.

Click here for the complete results of Team USA.  Result of Round 9 in GREEN.

• U18 - Open
• GM Daniel Naroditsky 6.0 (4th) WON
• FM Atulya Shetty 4.5
• U18 - Girls
• WFM Jessica Regam 4.5
• U16 - Open
• NM Michael Brown 5.5 Drew
• NM David Hua 5.0
• FM Michael Bodek 5.0 WON
• U16 - Girls
• Margaret Hua 5.0 Drew
• WCM Ellen Xiang 4.5 WON
• U14 - Open
• NM Edward Song 5.5 WON
• NM Vignesh Panchanatham 5.0 
• NM Siddharth Banik 4.5 WON
• NM Colin Chow 4.5 WON
• U14 - Girls
• Agata Bykovtsev 6.0 (4th) Drew
• WCM Maggie Feng 5.5 
• Ashritha Eswaran 5.5 WON
• U12 - Open
• NM Ruifeng Li 5.5
• Brandon Nydick 5.5
• NM Nicolas Checa 5.5
• Andrew Zheng 5.0
• U12 - Girls
• WFM Jennifer Yu 5.5 WON
• WFM Annie Wang 5.5 Drew
• Joanna Liu 5.0
• Trakru Priya 5.0 WON



Josiah is all smiles. Photo: McCarty

• U10 - Open
• FM Awonder Liang 8.0 (1st) WON
• Josiah Stearman 7.0 (2nd)
• CM David Peng 6.0 (9th) WON
• CM Christopher Shen 5.5 Drew
• U10 - Girls
• Carissa Yip 6.0 (7th) WON
• WCM Vittal Sanjana 6.0 (8th)
• Martha Samadashvili 5.0 Drew
• Shreya Mangalam 5.0 WON
• U8 - Open
• Logan Wu 6.0 Drew
• Kevin Chor 6.0 WON
• Balaji Daggupati 6.0 
• Atreya Vaidya 6.0 Drew
• Anthony He 5.5
  
• Maximillian Lu 5.5 WON
• Maurya Palusa 5.5 WON
• U8 - Girls
• Anh Nhu Nguyen 6.0 (9th)
• Aksithi Eswaran 5.0
• Maggie Ni (5.0) WON
• Annapoorni Meiyappan 5.0
• Subramaniyan Keertana 5.0 WON
• Nastassja Matus 5.0 Drew

Wishing best skill to all!!!