CalChess Top 20 Adults -- February 2010

Surprise, there's a new name leading the Northern California rating list! For several years, the local 500-lb panda was GM Josh Friedel, top board for the San Francisco Mechanics and resident of the infamous GM House in El Cerrito. However, Josh was recently passed by GM Vinay Bhat, the popular San Jose native who rose through the ranks in the mid 1990s while playing nearly every weekend all around the Bay Area.

For all his life, Vinay (photo at right from SPICE 2009, photo below unknown) chased records set by others, such as when he became the youngest USCF master at 10 years, 6 months (broken twice since). He finally reached the top of the hill here in California, ironically while traveling over the hills of Europe, competing in strong chess festivals against dozens of Grandmasters. Despite not playing in America, Vinay's USCF rating jumped upwards in large part thanks to a controversial new regulation that converts overseas events into USCF rating points.

There are three newcomers to this edition of the Top 20 list. FM Andrey Chumachenko returned to the Sacramento Chess Club after spending about five years in North Carolina. SM Gregory Kotlyar and FM Robin Cunningham participated in the CalChess State Championship on Thanksgiving weekend after taking many years off.

CalChess Top 20 Masters (USCF Rating, FIDE Rating)

1. GM Bhat, Vinay (2606, 2540)
2. GM Friedel, Josh (2601, 2549)
3. GM Kraai, Jesse (2549, 2509)
4. IM Shankland, Sam (2546, 2491)
5. FM Chumachenko, Andrey (2449, 2325)
6. IM DeGuzman, Ricardo (2443, 2406)
7. SM Kotlyar, Gregory (2435, 2306)
8. IM Zilberstein, Dmitry (2429, 2391)
9. FM Naroditsky, Daniel (2426, 2337)
10. IM Pruess, David (2423, 2391)
11. FM Zierk, Steven (2417, 2359)
12. FM Strugatsky, Vladimir (2414, 2390)
13. IM Donaldson, John (2390, 2394)
14. IM Mezentsev, Vladimir (2380, 2367)
15. IM Tate, Emory (2380, 2322)
16. NM Schwarz, Daniel (2349, 2232)
17. FM Cusi, Ronald (2325, 2322)
18. IM Ganbold, Odondoo (2322, 2346)
19. NM Lee, Andy (2315, 2273)
20. FM Cunningham, Robin (2289, 2304)
    

How Kiddie Became an All Star!

The 2009 US Chess League season drew to a close with the Championship match on December 7. The New York Knights, behind GM Giorgi Kacheishvili on board 1, knocked off the Miami Sharks in a thrilling blitz playoff that ended after 1:00 in the morning Eastern time. Unfortunately, the San Francisco Mechanics (team photo above) were eliminated from the playoffs in the semifinals by longtime nemesis Miami.

Over the past two weeks, the league announced its post-season All Star teams. Only twelve players earned this distinction out of 122 listed on the unofficial league rating list. In past seasons, the Mechanics were led by their well-known stars GM Josh Friedel, GM Vinay Bhat and IM Sam Shankland. However, this year Mechanics unveiled a secret weapon, and en route the playoff semifinals, unsuspecting opponents were left moaning "Yawn, Who?"

Having seen him in action, I think few would question that 12 year old NM Yian Liou deserved his spot as the 3rd Team All Star for Board 4. Yian definitely was San Francisco's MVP! While the regulars on boards 1-3 were busy traveling to Europe for tournaments, the always cheerful middle school student (photo by Shorman at top left) played 10 out of 12 rounds, scoring 65% against opposition that included one International Master, one Senior Master and eight masters in all. He defeated IM Mehmed Pasalic of Chicago in a back and forth middlegame and then outwitted 2008 All Star WFM Bayaraa Zorigt of Dallas in an endgame study! Despite losing in the pivotal semifinal round, "Kiddie" finished with a mind-boggling 2360 performance, significantly higher than his 2226 USCF rating. In addition to being named an All Star, Yian was also a serious contender for the USCL's Rookie of the Year.

Certainly, this far exceeded what team captain IM John Donaldson had in mind last July when he emailed me if I knew a suitable junior to add to this year's Mechanics roster. Ironically, I was in Agoura Hills, playing at the Pacific Coast Open. I wrote back to John:

This one is easy! Yian Liou was 2019 in September 2008 and is exactly 2200 after today's games in Agoura Hills. He is tied for 2nd after four rounds against 2300+ average opposition. He showed me some of his games a few minutes ago and I was impressed how he squeezed IM Edward Formanek as white and then drew a pawn down endgame against NM Garush Manukyan with black.

After recruiting a young player who could hold his own more than 300 points above his official league rating (2019 on September 2008 rating list), captain Donaldson submitted an unusual team roster. Given the league's rating limit of 2400, San Francisco was left with only two options for board 4; Yian plus alternate NM Greg Young who, per rules, could play no more than twice. This strategy could easily have backfired, but it allowed the Mechanics to rotate its six titled players to match their busy travel schedules.

So how did a precocious and unknown youngster from the Bay Area find so much success in the country's professional chess league? Yes, Yian is ranked #2 for his age in the nation and he won the CalChess High School Championship last year as a sixth grader, defeating the 2300+ rated defending champion in the final round. Perhaps unknown to the country, Yian already made waves here in California.

Most importantly, Yian took each week seriously like a class in school. He prepared for every opponent, both with Chessbase (see photo at right) and by reviewing opening material from his stronger teammates. Having always been creative in the middlegame and competent in the endgame, the time spent on openings made the biggest difference. I am sure that Yian will benefit from these hours of preparation in many future tournaments--but hopefully not against me!

Yian also benefited from analysis with the team's Grandmasters. Usually sporting a wide smile, "Kiddie" quickly became the club favorite. IM John Donaldson described it best in one of the Mechanics Institute's chess newsletters: "Seeing GM Patrick Wolff patiently explaining the intricacies of an ending to Yian in a post mortem was watching the knowledge of a great player of the past being transferred to a future star right before my eyes." Not only did the 12 year old star contribute to his team's success, but the experience should help propel him to even higher chess goals. Some other teams seem to have already copied this strategy, most notably New Jersey and Arizona.

What does the future hold for the San Francisco Mechanics? IM Sam Shankland (new website!) attends Brandeis University next fall; and I'm sure the Boston Blitz will gladly accept the services of a near-Grandmaster. The loss hurts, but the Bay Area has a deep pool of GMs and IMs. Likely the strongest lineup for captain Donaldson next season will feature two titled players plus two kids. I quietly hope that, one day we will see a GM and three elite juniors: GM Josh Friedel, FM Danya Naroditsky, NM Greg Young and NM Yian Liou. The youngsters need to improve by about 50 points each for this lineup to be competitive.

That beckons a final question: Who will be the Mechanics' secret weapon next year? I can think of at least four juniors that may fit the requirements: rated under 2100 in September 2009 yet having sufficient potential to play at master level by next summer. We shall see!

US Chess League Semifinals: San Francisco vs Miami

In recent years, the San Francisco Bay Area sports franchises have not performed well. The A's 49ers, Raiders, Warriors and Earthquakes all try to out-stink each other. At least the Giants and Sharks have been competitive of late, although the hockey team seems allergic to winning playoff matches. College sports fans may look forward to the 112th Big Game, although few would have predicted before the season that Stanford, not Cal, has a chance to play in the Rose Bowl. Go Stanford! Beat Cal!!

Fortunately, at least one San Francisco franchise has made the playoffs for five straight seasons! Congratulations to the Mechanics, competing in the US Chess League, for making local fans proud. The Mechanics finished at 6.5-3.5 in the regular season standings, earning second place in the competitive Western Division.

Featuring four strong Grandmasters and three International Masters each with two GM norms, the team has strength and depth unparalleled in the league. This season, the Mechanics' captain IM John Donaldson submitted four different lineups featuring Grandmasters on both boards 1 and 2: Josh Friedel + Jesse Kraai (see photo at left), Patrick Wolff + Kraai, Wolff + Vinay Bhat and Kraai + Bhat. In fact, the 2469 rated lineup of Friedel, Kraai, IM Sam Shankland and NM Yian Liou likely was the strongest in the history of the league, at least by numbers.

However, the formula of success for the San Francisco team always has been the play of talented (and underrated) juniors on boards 3 and 4. This year's roster included four members age 18 or younger: IM Shankland, FM Daniel Naroditsky, NM Gregory Young and NM Yian Liou (see photo at right). The first three were veterans, having participated already in previous years. Newcomer Yian Liou, the #2 ranked 12 year old in the nation, turned out to be the team's star! Playing in all but two weeks, Yian scored 6.5 out of 9 for a performance rating of 2412, including wins against IM Mehmed Pasalic of Chicago and WFM Bayaraa Zorigt of Dallas.

Tonight, the Mechanics face the Miami Sharks in the semifinal round of the playoffs! These rivals squared off twice in the regular season, with the local boys winning 3:1 in week 3 and drawing 2:2 in week 6. But the playoffs have favored Miami over the years, with the Sharks eliminating the Mechanics in both 2005 and 2007. Who will win this year? Tune into ICC between 5:30 and 9:00 to watch the action LIVE!

Playoff Semifinals: San Francisco vs Miami

1. GM Jesse Kraai vs GM Julio Becerra 1/2
   
2. IM Blas Lugo vs GM Vinay Bhat 0-1
   
3. IM David Pruess vs IM Alejandro Moreno Roman 0-1
   
4. NM Eric Rodriguez vs NM Yian Liou 1-0
   

UPDATE on Monday night: It was not to be! San Francisco got pummeled on three boards and lost 1.5:2.5. Congrats to the Sharks and good luck in the USCL Championship!

UPDATE on Wednesday night: Read the thorough post mortem by team captain IM John Donaldson at the Mechanics' blog.

Kiddie Plays with Fire in US Chess League

(White to move and win! What short combination did GM Jesse Kraai play to force resignation? Hint: remember that opposite colored bishops always favor the attacker.)

The San Francisco Mechanics faced their stiffest test to date last Wednesday evening against the undefeated Miami Sharks. Led by the most dominant player in the US Chess League, Grandmaster Julio Becerra, the challengers from South Florida appeared poised to play the locals tough, perhaps motivated by a 4.5-4.5 record over the past four years.

While Becerra indeed earned his customary full point with the white pieces, the Mechanics cleaned up on the other boards to secure an important 3-1 victory. GM Jesse Kraai (photo at left) solved the diagram above for his first ever league win while the youngsters IM Sam Shankland and NM Yian Liou both outplayed their opponents in the Najdorf to improve to +2 on the season. Sam pushed hard to win as black in a sharp line while "Kiddie" calmly milked a pair of connected passed pawns from his small opening advantage as white.

Three rounds into the ten week season, the San Francisco squad sits atop the Western Division standings with 2.5-0.5. They already faced the teams tied for second, tying 2:2 with Seattle and defeating Miami 3:1. Two team members appear in the latest league MVP rankings, with the 2009 CalChess High School co-champion (Yian) debuting at #8 and the 2008 World U18 co-champion (Sam) at #9. 12-year old Yian (see photo at right) looks a wee bit out of place as the only NM on this list full of GMs and IMs!

Week 3: Miami 1.0-3.0 San Francisco

1. GM Julio Becerra vs GM Josh Friedel 1-0
   
2. GM Jesse Kraai vs FM Bruci Lopez 1-0
3. IM Blas Lugo vs IM Sam Shankland 0-1
   
4. NM Yian Liou vs NM Ernesto Alvarez 1-0

The fourth round sees the Mechanics matched up against the Chicago Blaze. Team captain and historian IM John Donaldson is well aware that the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club already survived the Great San Francisco Fire of 1906. Unwilling to take chances just in case the Blaze would be fueled by 2009 US Champion Yury Shulman, Donaldson tapped the Mechanics' biggest water guns: GM Josh Friedel, GM Kraai, IM Shankland and NM Liou. Using the latest online ratings, this is the highest rated lineup ever seen in the US Chess League at a whopping 2494 USCF!

The last two weeks, elite teams from Dallas and Miami tried to match up evenly on the top boards. The strategy did not work very well--both lost convincingly by 3:1 scores! Chicago took the opposite approach: win board 4 at all cost and pray for the best on the top boards. On paper, this is a mismatch! The Chicago players are lower rated by at least 130 points on every board; the average rating of all four boards is 2416, fully 78 points less!

Certainly IM Mehmed Pasalic is the heavy favorite to hand the Mechanics' young board 4 his first league loss. Now up 1-0, Chicago simply needs the recent trend of blunders throughout the league to continue. Perhaps Josh may hallucinate another knight sacrifice, or Jesse drop another piece to a double attack, or Sam become distracted by the latest chick he met on BART. This is the US Chess League, where chess nuts crack!

Will this match be a mismatch or will it be decided by blunders? Watch the action LIVE on the Internet Chess Club beginning Monday evening at 5:30pm PDT. Log in and type "/finger USCL" for links to the games.

Week 4: Chicago vs San Francisco (Update: SF won 2.5-1.5)

1. IM Jan van de Mortel (2456) vs GM Josh Friedel (2601) 1/2
   
2. GM Jesse Kraai (2584) vs FM Florin Felecan (2452) 1-0
   
3. IM Angelo Young (2398) vs IM Sam Shankland (2564) 1-0
   
4. NM Yian Liou (2226) vs IM Mehmed Pasalic (2356) 1-0
   

GM Josh Friedel Earns Game of the Week

Over the years, GM Josh Friedel built his reputation not only as one of the nicest young adult players around the country, yet also as one of the meanest competitors that you could ever face across a chess board. In case IM Marko Zivanic of Dallas did not know before Wednesday night, I rest assured that he knows all too well now. This week's miniature earned Friedel the Game of the Week honors for the US Chess League! Thanks to Mechanics' Institute Chess Club director IM John Donaldson for providing the annotations below.

Check out Josh's cool website! He has written many interesting stories for Chess Life Online about his chess travels around the globe, including this recent article from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Within the past 24 hours, Friedel learned that he has been officially invited to play in the FIDE World Cup (knockout championship) in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia beginning on November 20. Kudos on this high honor!

First Two Rounds of US Chess League

At the beginning of September, the San Francisco Mechanics resumed fixing cars around the country. Teams from 14 cities compete in the fifth season of the US Chess League, with matches played on ICC on Monday or Wednesday nights for most weeks. The captain submits a lineup of four players each week, averaging less than 2401 USCF on a previously specified rating list. Read my prior blog post for the entire Mechanics roster and a brief summary of each player. (Note: captain Donaldson swapped Young and Wolff so that Wolff is now on the main roster while Young plays as an alternate.)

After two weeks, the Mechanics have 1.5/2 and are tied for second place in the Western Division. The home team got off to a shaky start in round 1 when GM Josh Friedel lost a piece after hallucinating in a favorable position. (Click on the links to view each game.) Fortunately, IM David Pruess pulled out a full point in an even rook endgame. The second week turned out better, as the Mechanics crushed the two-time league champions by an impressive 3-1 score. GM Friedel bounced back with a miniature crush of the 2... e6 Sicilian while 12-year old NM Yian Liou improved his league record to 1.5-0.5, both games as black in the Dutch defense.

Week 1: San Francisco 2.0-2.0 Seattle

1. GM Josh Friedel vs GM Gregory Serper 0-1
   
2. IM Eric Tangborn vs IM David Pruess 0-1
   
3. IM John Donaldson vs FM Michael Lee 1/2-1/2
   
4. NM Joshua Sinanan vs NM Yian Liou 1/2-1/2

Week 2: San Francisco 3.0-1.0 Dallas

1. GM Josh Friedel vs IM Marko Zivanic 1-0
   
2. IM Daniel Ludwig vs GM Jesse Kraai 1-0
3. IM Sam Shankland vs IM Sal Bercys 1-0
   
4. Adarsh Jayakumar vs NM Yian Liou 0-1

San Francisco - Seattle at 9:00

GM Josh Friedel (left)

squares off against

GM Gregory Serper (right).

The San Francisco Mechanics kick off the fifth US Chess League season against the Seattle Sluggers. Tonight will be the lone meeting this year between these two traditional rivals, unless they meet again in the playoffs. The top boards, Grandmasters Josh Friedel and Gregory Serper, have met five times with white winning every game, a trend that bodes well for the home team. This week is also the debut of 12-year old master Yian Liou, but he faces a difficult opponent in NM Joshua Sinanan. Let's go Mechanics!

The games take place at the Mechanics' Institute, but readers may watch LIVE on the Internet Chess Club beginning at 6pm Pacific time. Type: "/finger USCL" for links or finger each of the players: Friedel-SF, Pruess-SF, Donaldson-SF or Liou-SF.

Round 1 lineups (San Francisco in red with latest ratings from MSA)

1. GM Josh Friedel (2601) vs GM Gregory Serper (2592) 0-1
   
2. IM Eric Tangborn (2455) vs IM David Pruess (2419) 0-1
   
3. IM John Donaldson (2390) vs FM Michael Lee (2399) 1/2-1/2
   
4. NM Josh Sinanan (2268) vs NM Yian Liou (2226) 1/2-1/2

Final score: 2.0-2.0

Yours truly has been selected by the US Chess League commissioner IM Greg Shahade to help judge the Game of the Week for each round. I am one of five judges. Winners earn cash prizes of $150, $75 and $50 per week. Sorry Josh, bribes will not be accepted.

San Francisco Mechanics Gear Up for US Chess League

The San Francisco Mechanics finalized their roster for the upcoming season of the US Chess League. Can the local team add to a rich tradition that includes four straight winning records and the 2006 league title? To find out, watch beginning August 31 live on Wednesday (occasionally Monday) nights at the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club or follow the games at the Internet Chess Club. Of course, I plan regular reports on this blog and my Twitter page.

2009 San Francisco Mechanics' Roster (first rating is 9/08; second is current)

1. GM Josh Friedel 2581 (2601 = +20) -- see photo at right
2. GM Jesse Kraai 2573 (2584 = +11)
3. GM Vinay Bhat 2481 (2491 = +10)
4. IM Sam Shankland 2398 (2534 = +136) -- age 17
   
5. IM John Donaldson 2425 (2390 = -35) -- captain
   
6. FM Danya Naroditsky 2339 (2376 = +37) -- age 13
7. NM Gregory Young 2227 (2272 = +45) -- age 14
   
8. NM Yian Liou 2019 (2226 = +207) -- age 12
   
9. (alt) GM Patrick Wolff 2623 (2623 = +0) -- his 2623 rating actually counts as 2590 for league
10. (alt) IM David Pruess 2464 (2419 = -45) -- assistant captain
    

Each week, the captain chooses four players with an average rating under 2401. Most of the key participants return from last year. The Bay Area's top rated player, GM Josh Friedel, will man the top board for a majority of the matches. GM Vinay Bhat and 2008 World U18 co-Champion IM Sam Shankland (with two GM norms) are two of the more successful players in the history of the league. 2007 World U12 Champion FM Danya Naroditsky and 2008 US Junior co-Champion NM Gregory Young offer a lethal one-two punch on boards 3 and 4. The captains are Mechanics' Institute chess director IM John Donaldson and Berkeley's own IM David Pruess.

The 2009 team adds two new faces. At the top, GM Jesse Kraai will see action on board 2 and perhaps even a couple of games on board 1. And on board 4, CalChess High School co-Champion NM Yian Liou (see photo at left) may be San Francisco's secret weapon. "Kiddie" is only 12 years old, but has already proven himself against the best that California has to offer. Continuing the Mechanics' tradition of fielding underrated juniors, Yian counts as merely 2019 for the league, while his actual rating is nearly 200 points higher at 2212. These rating points are valuable because they allow the team to field stronger players on the top boards without sacrificing strength on board 4.

For more information, check out the official San Francisco Mechanics homepage or browse through the 2009 US Chess League schedule.

CalChess Top 20 Adults -- August 2009

(Photos of the top three players in Bay Area: GM Friedel, IM Shankland and GM Kraai.)

Check out the USCF website for a list of the top 200 active players in Northern California based on the August 2009 rating supplement. If you are rated 1870 or above, you can look up your official state ranking! This census includes 10 senior masters, a total of 50 masters and 59 experts.

I took into account several players who no longer live here plus a couple who have not played since summer 2008 to generate the following list of CalChess Top 20 Adults. I also included top rated and two-time state champion GM Josh Friedel, who resides in El Cerrito but remains registered under New Hampshire.

1			GM JOSH FRIEDEL	2612
2			IM SAM SHANKLAND	2564
3			GM JESSE KRAAI	2552
4			GM VINAY BHAT	2504
5			IM ANDREI FLOREAN	2487
6			IM DMITRY ZILBERSTEIN	2437
7			IM RICARDO DEGUZMAN	2419
8			IM DAVID PRUESS	2418
9			FM VLADIMIR STRUGATSKY	2414
10			IM JOHN DONALDSON	2408
11			IM VLADIMIR MEZENTSEV	2392
12			IM EMORY TATE	2372
13			FM DANIEL NARODITSKY	2371
14			FM RONALD CUSI	2325
15			IM GANBOLD ODONDOO	2322
16			DANIEL SCHWARZ	2313
17			STEVEN ZIERK	2312
18			RICHARD LOBO	2299
19			MICHAEL PEARSON	2290
20			FM BELA EVANS	2282

US Championship Begins in St. Louis

(On left, Friedel versus Onischuk. On right, Shankland vs Benjamin. Photos taken by official photographer Betsy Dynako.)

The 2009 US Championship began on Friday at the brand new Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. The competitors were welcomed during an impressive opening ceremony on Thursday evening, featuring many celebrities.

This year's elite field of 24 includes 15 Grandmasters and 4 talented teenagers. The top players include defending champion GM Yury Shulman (2697 USCF) plus three fellow members of the Olympiad team: GM Gata Kamsky (2798), GM Hikaru Nakamura (2757) and GM Alexander Onischuk (2736). The prize fund of over $130,000 includes a whopping $35,000 for first place, plus an additional $64,000 if that player can match Bobby Fischer's legendary perfect score in 1963-64.

Two Northern California masters earned a spot in the premier chess tournament in America. GM Josh Friedel received a wild card entry, no doubt on the strength of his fourth place showing (and GM norm) last year. CalChess State Champion IM Sam Shankland qualified by winning the State Champion of Champions tournament on ICC.

Both Josh and Sam had some chances to draw blood in the first round, but split the point against former US champions with white. Josh drew with GM Onischuk (2006 winner) while Sam drew versus GM Joel Benjamin (1997 and 2000). The round 2 pairings should prove just as challenging: Josh black against veteran GM Gregory Kaidanov and Sam black versus GM Larry Christiansen (2002).

Click to read the full round 1 report on Chess Life Online or to download the games.

Watch the games live on ICC beginning at noon Pacific time. If you can't find the games, look for the Events list under the menu options. Hopefully the relay from St. Louis will be better than it was today. And don't forget to cheer on our two local gladiators!

CalChess FIDE Top 20 - January 2009

The following list includes the top 20 players (plus ties) presently living in Northern California who played in at least one FIDE rated event on the West Coast during the past year.

Source: January 2009 FIDE rating list.

Youth will be served! Fully 40% of the players listed below are under the age of 21, including four college undergraduates, two high school students and two middle school kids. Inevitably these young players will continue to improve. At the top, CalChess Champion and World U18 co-Champion IM Sam Shankland gained 17 points and closed the gap separating him from his former teachers at the top of the rankings.

1. GM Josh Friedel 2511 (photo at upper left)
   
2. GM Vinay Bhat 2495 (photo at upper right)
   
3. IM Sam Shankland 2453
   
4. IM David Pruess 2422
5. IM Andrei Florean 2420
6. IM John Donaldson 2411
7. IM Vladimir Mezentsev 2403
8. IM Ricardo DeGuzman 2402
9. FM Vladimir Strugatsky 2397
10. IM Dmitry Zilberstein 2393
11. FM Daniel Naroditsky 2362
12. FM Elliott Liu 2356
13. IM John Grefe 2348
14. FM Shiv Shivaji 2308
15. NM Julian Landaw 2286
16. NM Gregory Young 2264
17. NM Steven Zierk 2259
18. NM Nicolas Yap 2255
19. NM Andy Lee 2240
20. NM Daniel Schwarz 2228

(My current and former students appear in boldface in the rankings. Four are now rated above my current FIDE rating of 2227.)

Grandmaster Josh Friedel!

After patiently waiting six months, Josh Friedel was formally awarded the Grandmaster title today. The news from Dresden, Germany was confirmed by Bill Kelleher, FIDE Vice President and representative for the USCF. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Friedel moved to the East Bay about three years ago and has won the Northern California Labor Day State Championship twice. He scored his third and final norm last May when he tied for fourth place in the 2008 US Championship; then he attained the necessary 2500 rating a week later at the Chicago Open. Josh Friedel became the third American to officially earn the Grandmaster title just within the past month and half, joining Bay Area resident Vinay Bhat and World Senior Champion Larry Kaufman.

What else can I say? Congratulations Josh!!! This is a well deserved and long overdue recognition. Good luck and may 2600 come your way soon!

CalChess Labor Day State Championship

It is time once again to sign up for the CalChess Labor Day Tournament, which serves as the Northern California Adult State Championship (mail-in entry deadline is August 25). This annual event has grown into the largest chess gathering for adults in the Bay Area, attracting about 180 players for each of the past three years. The two-time defending State Champion is GM-elect Josh Friedel (see photo at right). He will no doubt face a challenge from several International Masters and a variety of lesser maestros.

Participants choose between 3-day and 2-day schedules and can play in one of six class sections divided by rating. Improving players may opt to "play up" a section, e.g. For example, I would encourage a junior rated 1900 to play in the Expert section instead of Class A. I am likely to play in the 3-day schedule for the Master section. Wish me luck, especially since I will inevitably be paired against my many high rated students.

• Event: CalChess Labor Day Tournament
  
• Dates: August 30 - September 1 (2-day option is Sunday-Monday only)
  
• Location: Van Ness at Pine in San Francisco (1.2 mile walk from Civic Center BART)
  
• Format: 6 round swiss in 6 sections (Open, Expert, A, B, C, D/E/Unrated)
• 3-day schedule: Saturday 10:00, 3:30; Sunday 11:00, 4:45; Monday 10:00, 3:30
• 2-day schedule: Sunday 9:30, 11:45, 2:00, 4:45; Monday 10:00, 3:30
  
• Time control: 30/90, SD/60 except first three rounds of 2-day schedule are G/60
  
• Entry fee: $70 adults, $60 juniors by August 25; $10 more on site; $10 play up fee
• On-site registration: Saturday 8:00-9:30, Sunday 8:00-9:00
  
• Prize fund: $5,400 total including $700 for 1st place in Master section
• Click here for flyer and entry form

I'll be there! Will you? I hope to see most if not all of my students at this big event!

Friedel Hits Jackpot in Las Vegas

Now that I had time to collect my thoughts from Las Vegas, let me recap the National Open tournament. To make a long story short, everyone finished respectably well except for me!

Let's start at the top of the Open section. Congratulations to GM-elect Josh Friedel (see photo at top left) for a wild ride ending in a tie for first place. After administering the Spanish torture on yours truly, Josh took on three of the top rated Americans in the field. First, he drew with GM Hikaru Nakamura, then he beat GM Varuzhan Akobian and finally, he drew with FIDE World Cup Champion GM Gata Kamsky (photo at top right). Josh's performance rating was a whopping 2818, enough to make Kasparov happy. Read Chess Life Online for games and comments by America's next strong Grandmaster!

Three other local players competed among the big boys. IM David Pruess (photo at bottom left) ended up on the stage himself in the final round by beating GM Nakamura in a major upset. However, David's chance to share the top honors fell short against the attacking prowess of Armenian GM Tigran Petrosian. FM-elect Sam Shankland (photo at bottom right) lost to two Grandmasters, but earned a few rating points from one strong draw. FM Danya Naroditsky had both high and low points over the weekend, with the biggest highlight being a solid draw against Israeli GM Sergey Erenburg. Unfortunately, your humble blogger stank up the Las Vegas Strip, first hallucinating in a favorable position against a Grandmaster and then hanging an entire piece versus a lower rated opponent.

Few CalChess juniors came to Las Vegas because schools were not out yet. Kudos to three of my students for gaining experience and rating points in the lower divisions: Yian +8 in the Expert section, Kyle +37 in Class A and Samyukta +23 in Class B.

National Open Day 1

FM Danya Naroditsky impressively drew against Israeli GM Sergey Erenburg tonight in round 2 of the National Open. He now has 1.5/2 and will probably face another strong opponent in the morning. Also look for an exciting new article about Danya in Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle. You can find it in the magazine insert.I lost a strange Ruy Lopez game to GM-elect Josh Friedel tonight. I was losing out of the opening, but Josh didn't put me out of my misery until a flurry of tactics right before time control. Click here to review it in Chess Publisher's game viewer. Josh now has 2.0/2 and I have 1.0/2. NM Sam Shankland lost badly to GM Tigran Petrosian and he also has 1.0/2. Although IM David Pruess sat next to me, he was still playing when I left and I do not know how his game ended up.

Click here for tournament results and pairings. Some, but not all, of the top games are being broadcast live on the MonRoi website. Check out Susan Polgar's chess blog for photos from each round (thanks to photographer FM Paul Truong for the above pictures).

For me, one fun part of traveling to a big tournament is meeting a variety of chess celebrities. Here's just a partial list of masters living outside of the Bay Area whom I have spoken with so far: GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Melik Khachiyan, GM Susan Polgar, WGM Jennifer Shahade, IM Ben Finegold, IM Ray Robson, IM Joe Bradford, FM Robby Adamson, FM Paul Truong and FM Sunil Weeramantry.

Trivia question: Which of the above people are from the same family? There are two pairs of answers. Post a comment to this post or send a message to "fpawn" on ICC.

Update on Saturday morning: David Pruess drew last night and has 1.5/2. The most interesting round 3 pairings are Kamsky-Paragua, Friedel-Nakamura, Akobian-Robson, Yermolinsky-Naroditsky and Aigner-Akopian.

Chicago Open Post Mortem

Now that I am back home in California, I can blog about the roller coaster of emotions that I had experienced during the last round of the Chicago Open. Both my opponent, NM James Lewis, and I were tied for 2nd place before the game began and had a lot to play for. In fact, it became apparent after 3 hours that the leader, NM Gylfi Thorhallsson, was in deep trouble and that the winner of our game would share the $5000 top prize.

At that point, our pivotal contest transformed from a quiet positional struggle into a tactical melee filled with missed opportunities. On move 39, I accidentally left my b3 pawn en prise and, as Fritz points out, I overlooked the combination beginning with gxf5 that I would play later. Now having already snatched one pawn, Lewis will regret not finding the decisive 40... Qc5 (there's no useful way to defend the c3 pawn) on the final move before time control, with about half a minute left. Having dodged one bullet, I became concerned by move 50 that I had walked into a losing endgame, despite temporarily being two pawns ahead. I found the resource 51.c4 but overlooked the obvious continuation 52.c5 (threatening to push all the way), instead allowing a drawn rook endgame after 52.Nb5 Bxb5.

Considering my poor start, I must be content to have finished with an undefeated 5.5 out of 7 after reentering. The share of 3rd place was my second biggest payday at a chess tournament, coincidentally behind another Chicago event: the 2006 US Open. Sadly, my opponent and I can both lament the multiple blunders that cost each of us over $2000, which was the difference between a share of 1st place and the 4-way split of 3rd place. On the bright side, I met and socialized with many people whom I don't see frequently at west coast events or whom I only know from ICC.

In other news, GM Varuzhan Akobian of Los Angeles, GM Tigran Petrosian of Armenia (not the 9th World Champion) and GM Hikaru Nakamura of New York shared the top honors at 5.5/7 in the Open section, with "Var" winning the Armageddon playoff. Yes, Grandmasters in the 21st Century actually have their own personal websites! For a first-hand impression of playing in the Open section, I highly recommend the articles by Ohio teenager Jonathan Hilton on Chess Life Online (first story and second story).

Of course, my fans in California will be eager to know how GM Josh Friedel ended up. Please note my proper use of title: Grandmaster Josh Friedel!!! (Photo at right by Betsy Dynako.) Congratulations dude on scoring a third norm at the US Championship last week and the minimum 2500 FIDE rating just a few days later! After a long history of American Grandmasters being born overseas (notably Russia and former Soviet republics), Josh became the second native son in a year to earn the top honor in chess. Will Josh concentrate on teaching or does he have ambitions to achieve 2600 FIDE?

My final kudos goes to teenager Rohan Agarwal for a master level performance of 4.0/7 in the U2300 section. Rohan's result is even more impressive considering that he faced five masters (including one IM) and two preteen experts. His rating continues to climb, now up to 2136.

Change Your Fortunes by Reentering!

I don't pay the extra fee to reenter often, but if there ever is a time to do it, this tournament was that opportunity. After languishing with 0.5 out of the first 3 rounds at the Chicago Open, I could either play on for pride or reenter into the accelerated 2-day schedule. For once in my life, I made the right choice.

Actually, my first G/45 contest in the 2-day schedule didn't go so well. I was being outplayed by an expert, a phenomenon that I became accustomed to earlier this weekend. Fortunately, I had a time advantage of 15 minutes to 1 second (with 5 second delay) and eventually, despite my bad position, I was able to win on time. At the end of the four rounds of G/45, I had a solid score of 3.5/4, including this tactical miniature as black in the Sveshnikov against FM Renard Anderson. Battling fatigue after nearly six hours of play in the evening, I managed to win an even endgame against NM Chris Nienart. Unfortunately, I would have gotten to bed two hours sooner if I had seen 34.Bh6+ Kf6 35.Bc4 (threatening Rf2 mate) g5 36.Bxa6 Rxa6 37.Nb4 (I missed this knight fork).

Somehow, after the terrible start, I now sit in second place with 4.5 out of 5, good for a performance rating of 2588. As the tournament organizer, Bill Goichberg, astutely pointed out, I raised the level of my play by about 1000 points. My opponent this morning is Gylfi Thorhallsson of Iceland, an older gentleman who has a perfect 5-0 score, including wins against IM Richard Costigan and top rated WFM Tatev Abrahamyan. Wish me luck!

In other news, IM Josh Friedel has 3.5 out of 5 after drawing with GM Varuzhan Akobian and remains in the hunt to meet the 2500 FIDE rating requirement for the Grandmaster title. He stands half a point out of first place. You can watch the top boards live on MonRoi. On the other hand, teenager Rohan Agarwal cooled off a bit on Sunday, losing both games.

Update on Monday afternoon: Thorhallsson 1/2-1/2 Aigner. Thorhallsson now has 5.5 while I am part of a group of 4 or 5 players tied for second at 5.0.